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Hi all,

Recently in Fast Company, Alex Bogusky was interviewed and referred to Paris Hilton as a branding genius. Perhaps she is. But I find this positively freakish. Head tilted, remove attention from sleepy left eye, smirk.

A tip of the hat to Armin at Speak Up for that!

When asked about personifying a brand, Bogusky responded:

It allows you to think about the story of the brand and the narrative of the brand in more of a longterm way. How does the conversation evolve? To me, Madonna is a genius in branding. There was very little difference between Madonna and Cyndi Lauper in that first year they broke on the scene. They both were like city girls with some of their underwear on the outside. Cyndi Lauper musically was great and really talented, but as those reinventions occurred she didn't keep pace with Madonna. Madonna was always able to evolve to keep people interested. Brands need to be that way too. They can't lose the essence of what they represent but they've got to continue to surprise and delight you.

Great point. That's what I'll be chomping on this weekend. Ways to surprise and delight you.

Have a great weekend!

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Branding, Random Thoughts | add a comment | permalink

So I was flipping through The Montreal Gazette, when I saw this:

Place D'Armes is a venerable public square in the heart of Old Montreal. Notre Dame Cathedral dominates the south side of the square, with The Bank of Montreal, The Aldred Building and The New York Life building closing in the other sides. In the heart of the square stands a monument to city defender Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve.

Jell-O is not what springs to mind when one thinks of historic Place D'Armes.

So, I couldn't help myself. Dying to know who or what wanted Place D'Armes covered in Jell-O I scooted over to my computer and typed in ImagineYourPlacedArmes.ca, which redirected here.

But instead of images of tourists slogging through vats of lime Jell-O, I was greeted with this:

Unfortunately, the page doesn't display in IE. (I called two friends to verify.) Shame. A friend thoughtfully sent me a screenshot. The site promotes an urban design workshop. The copy sounds like it was probably written by a committee and lacks the fun of the print ad. But even worse, there was no stinkin' Jell-O!

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File this slideshow that has been making the rounds lately under "SEO Humour."

Google is famous for its clean and sleek interface. The irony of the "do as I say, not as I do" approach isn't lost on many Web designers. And, if I had a nickel for everytime I've told a client that content is very important only to hear the retort "But Google doesn't have anything on its homepage!" I'd be a very wealthy woman indeed. For the step-by-step transformation, visit MeanGene. It's a little painful to watch, but oh-so-accurate.

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Fun Stuff, SEO, Web 2.0 | two comments | permalink

Yesterday I went to a lovely surprise baby shower for a friend of mine. The two hosts had planned some surprisingly fun games. One in particular struck me as a lovely idea; the hosts handed out cards and everyone was invited to offer some advice or warm wishes for the mom-to-be. As tempted as I was to write "Don't listen to anyone's advice." I managed to come up with a few suggestions stemming from my own experience.

As I thought about it, much of the same wishes and suggestions for motherhood could aptly be applied to starting a business. Here are the Top 10 Things That Being a Mom Taught Me About My Business.

1. Get enough sleep. You're no use to anyone if you are run down.
2. Prepare yourself: There will be messes to be cleaned up.
3. Find balance. You are a multi-faceted person. Stay that way.
4. Patience is not just a virtue, it is a necessity.
5. Smile when people offer you unsolicited advice. They mean well.
6. The hours are long, but the reward is phenomenal.
7. Establish routines. It makes everything easier.
8. Become comfortable with the word "No." You'll need it.
9. Plan ahead. Your baby will grow. Learn how to trust and hand over control.
10. Laugh every day. As hokey as it sounds, laughter really is the best medicine.

Do you have any you'd like to add? I'd love to hear them...

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Fun Stuff, Personal, Random Thoughts | two comments | permalink

So, yesterday I was flipping through October's Vanity Fair, and came across the ad you see to your left. You know, I get most fashion ads… gorgeous models with two looks (scowling or vacant), exotic locations, lush backdrops or urban cacophony.

But this one eludes me completely. The "fashion forward" outfit with the leopard spots and zebra stripes, the cowboy hat, the antique bird cages. It's got a Twin Peaks thing going on for it, but, frankly, I'm lost.

If someone can explain it, go ahead. I suppose it's not as bad as the American Apparel ad that Copyranter tore apart yesterday…

And, speaking of marketing to women…

I came across a video on YouTube video by 3iying, an all-girl NYC creative agency. In it, you watch girls critique advertising aimed directly at them. Boy, are they peeved. If your demographic includes Gen-Y young women, this video is a must-watch.

Have a great weekend all!

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Advertising, Personal, Visual Things | add a comment | permalink

If you've ever followed my blog you know that I often riff about the words I hate or the expressions that drive me into primal scream mode. They are such an easy target.

I came across a funny but insightful blog post by Michelle Kostya about HR Speak. In her blog she also includes a link to a buzzword generator, which, incidentally, gave me the title for this entry.  The generator spits out phrases like "exploit virtual schemas" and "implement turn-key convergence" without effort. Michelle poses the question:

Why do companies spend hours writing copy that sounds ridiculous. Packaging, websites and corporate literature are written with buzz words, the biggest words they can find, and miscellaneous industry terms. Why?

Good question. I'm not sure either.

But I've got a theory about B2B "corporatespeak" that goes like this: industry jargon and overused phrases like "leading-edge solutions" are like "the mask of the blue suit." They are a type of costume that is donned because the perception is that it is professional and businesslike. It reeks of boardroom committee.

Unfortunately, it dehumanizes copy. It makes it generic, detached and stale.

Writing needs soul. The heart of the matter is that people want to deal with people, not a faceless corporation. They want to feel a connection.

Next time you are writing your new brochure or website copy, go ahead, add a touch of humanity. Make someone's life a little cheerier. Resist the dull and ordinary.

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Copywriting, Creativity, Random Thoughts | one comment | permalink

From Michael Wesch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University

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Art, Creativity, Search, Web 2.0 | two comments | permalink

Only 16 more days to vote!!

Nonsense, a London-based ad agency, has a contest on that allows you, yes you, to choose the new website design. Check out hightimewehadawebsite.co.uk

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Creativity, Fun Stuff, Online Content | add a comment | permalink

Until I read Simon Marquis' article "Will it blend? is truly cutting edge"  in this morning's Guardian, I was completely oblivious to the viral phenom "Will it blend?"

Here's the background: Blendtec is an American company that designs and manufactures blenders. When it comes to marketing, this industry is pretty consistent…think product shots, fruit smoothies, happy homemakers and the Bon Appétit crowd. But, as Scott Goodyear at Market Position reported, things took an unusual turn when new marketing director George Wright noticed Blendtec's CEO, founder and designer, Tom Dickson, trying to test the limits and/or break one of their blenders by "blending" some wood.

Initially shocked by the "extreme blending", George was also fascinated, noting that it was a bit of fun to watch. Together they went on a $50 shopping spree buying various odds and ends, set up a camera, recorded some short blending segments, and put a few videos online. Since then Blendtec has blended everything from iPhones to spam (cans included).

More than 2 million viewings later, the "Will it blend?" series is a certifiable viral hit, and Blendtec claims to have seen an online sales uplift of 650% since this approach was adopted.

Think your product is rather traditional and is perhaps not "viral worthy"? Time to start thinking outside of print.

On this Monday, ask yourself:

• How can I further develop my company's brand personality?
• How can I invite people into the conversation about my product/service?
• How can I market my product/service differently?

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I'm off to visit Toronto on a little business and pleasure... So I'll talk to you next week. In the meantime, Indexed is always a great site to visit for a weekday smile. Jessica Hagy doodles various charts on index cards.

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Creativity, Fun Stuff, Visual Things | add a comment | permalink

Guess what Radiohead is doing today? The band is launching their new album, In Rainbows, and giving it away for free. Yep, you heard me. Free. The wildly popular rock ensemble is letting its fans decide what to pay.

This pay-as-you-wish business model has garnered a lot of publicity and a lot of supporters. There have even been YouTube videos of individuals agonizing over not knowing how much to pay. Others worry if Radiohead's servers can handle the downloads.

Now other bands including The Charlatans, Nine Inch Nails, Oasis and Jamiroquai are considering doing the same.

Regardless whether or not you like Radiohead, they've done a nice job of back-end marketing - giving away one item (songs) to drive sales to another (concert tickets and promotional swag). Prince did the same thing a few months ago - gave away downloads and then quickly sold-out his 21 shows in London.

When it comes to your business, what can you do to market yourself like a rock star?

Is there something you can give away (white papers, a free consultation, an e-book) that provides real value to your existing clients and yet will complement your existing services or products?

What extra can you give your clients that moves them from "customer" to "fan" and sparks a contagious word-of-mouth campaign?

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Creativity, Marketing, Random Thoughts, Tips | add a comment | permalink

On her birthday, my daughter received a pair of Winnie the Pooh "snow stampers."

Similar to snowshoes, the plastic disks slip on and kids can trot about in the snow making Winnie the Pooh impressions as they go.

Obviously the instructions weren't proofread. Or, Disney has taken a rather dark, dark turn.

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Copywriting, Fun Stuff, Personal | two comments | permalink

An envelope appeared in my morning post yesterday that had my name typed in a sort of old Smith Corona/Olivetti typeface with the word "Luftpost" in the top left-hand side. Inside revealed a letter and a packet of six photos in a "Steikenlab Fotos" envelope. The letter began:

Dear fellow car enthusiast,

My name is Günter Schröder and I work as an automotive engineer in Germany. I cannot say who I work for, but it is a German car company.

The letter went on to say that he had to blow the whistle and let the world know that the Subaru Impreza was a wonderbar vehicle. It suddenly became crystal clear that this was a direct-mail tie-in to the maybe-not-the-most-original-but-highly-enjoyable Subaru television ads. (Ya, ya…I know, it was still early in the morning and I'd only had one cuppa Joe, so cut me some slack.) You know the ones...where the German engineers are joyriding in a Subaru while blasting Austrian band Falco's song "Rock Me Amadeus".

How fun! How clever!  The accompanying photos were brilliant as well. They were deliberately amateurish and were made to look as if they had been taken in secret. There was one image snapped from behind some plants, another featured a thumb and another was blurry. On the back of the photos were handwritten notes from Günter talking about various aspects of the car.

In addition, the direct mail campaign drives recipients to the microsite www.imprezaenvy.com. Created by DDB Canada, the Subaru Impreza print campaign is just a fabulous.

Okay, so we aren't all Subaru with big agency budgets. But as an SME, here's what you can take away from this…

Voice - Hats off to the copywriter here. This is some of the best copy I've read in eons. The Subaru campaign has a strong personality. How many times have you read stuff like "You can get there from here. Shift into action with a 6-speed or go gearless" and yawned? Creating a strong brand voice goes a long way in building rapport.

Big Picture Thinking - This direct mail campaign was a beautiful tie-in to its television commercials. It's really nice to see a thoroughly coordinated and very cohesive effort. Television, print and web…DDB Canada has even created a Facebook account for "Günter Schröder."

Gender-Neutral Advertising - I really liked this campaign because it was smart and funny, and Subaru wasn't trying to sell me a car that coordinated with my outfit.

Features & Benefits - Each one of the photos had "handwritten" notes on the back that conveyed not only the features but the benefits as well; I have no idea what a "double wishbone rear suspension" is, but I appreciate that it gives me a quieter ride and more storage space. This was a very ingenious way of delivering additional purchasing information.

Targeted Audience - As a Subaru owner, I'm more likely to buy another Subaru. Companies often overlook their in-house lists of current customers. This is a very targeted campaign. If you're launching a direct mail campaign - start with the people you've already got a relationship with.

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Advertising, Copywriting, Creativity, Tips | one comment | permalink

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last week or so, you've probably heard about the new Ogilvy & Mather (Toronto) ad, Onslaught, that is the next extension of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. (Hey Ogilvy & Mather, what IS that freaky "Casio VL-tone" music on your site all about.. the sorta electronic-oompah-robot-boogie music...??)

In it, a young girl is bombarded with beauty and fashion industry ads at a staccato-pace, to represent what a typical young girl would see throughout her childhood.

Perhaps I'm jaded, but I wasn't wowed by it. Of course it's good, you'd have to be a complete loon not to like it. Just as with Evolution, Onslaught comes off as a PSA instead of an ad. (Educate yourself! Oh, and by the way, pick up some Dove next time you're out at the store.) And, it is a perfect example of framing - positioning your ad around the accepted beliefs and values of your target market. Kudos to the Ogilvy team.

It is hard to follow up the wild success of Evolution, and they've done quite well. And, it's not very often that you see an agency that really, really gets viral.

So what was it that was bothering me? I do see it as a little hypocritical, but as Steve Hall at Adrants pointed out:

One could look at this as entirely hypocritical. After all, Dove sells some of the very products and notions it slams in this commercial. But we don't see it that way. It's sort of like sex. At some point, everyone's going to do it. They just better be well educated about every positive and negative thing that goes along with it.

But I was also struck by Ypulse's Anastasia Goodstein's comment, "It just feels weird to me to create an ad as provocative as "Onslaught" and share such powerful research and not focus on the root of the problem, i.e. the ads themselves, and the teen magazine industry that is dependent on these advertisers for their existence." She went on to point out some stats from Hearst's teen magazines:

• 80% made a purchase as a result of seeing an ad in Seventeen or CosmoGIRL! in the last 12 months; only 47% had as a result of seeing an ad online.
• 63% trust the ads they see in teen magazines, and 68% feel that the ads are "targeted to me."

I'm certainly not saying you need to go to the extreme of shocking kids with the horrors of anorexia, like the controversial Nolita ads. But, the beauty industry as a whole needs to focus less on unrealistic expectations. Not just Dove.

So while Onslaught may not be the original spark that Evolution was, the Dove campaign is excellent in its ongoing commitment. Now I just wish that Unilever (Dove is a Unilever brand) would do something about its other product ads… say, Slim-Fast and AXE.

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There are several Canadian advertising agencies that I really admire. But, quite crudely, when it comes to usability and accessibility, their websites suck.

I don't want to name names, because it wouldn't be fair. But in the world of ad agencies, websites are about creativity and artistic vision. Mundane stuff like usability and accessibility are out the window. To try to point out one for poor user-friendliness, well, it's like shooting in a barrel.

There is one agency's site that, while wildly creative, can also be wildly irritating. It's so, errr, "dynamic and interactive" (yes, the air quotes are flying madly) that the thoughtful designer included a "Feeling Lost?" button at the bottom of the site. When you click on it, the message changes to "Navigation for Linear Thinkers" along with a primer on how to navigate the site. Isn't that a little slap in the face? In essence: You're not visionary enough to see how coolio this is.

No, you pompous twit, I just don't have time to jerk around on your site.

As I looked at some of the agencies' sites, there was a sense of déjà vu. Each one was creative. The companies do fabulous work. But a lot of the same usability and accessibility issues reoccurred, namely: 

• Artistic Vision Über Alles- Beauty and usability are not mutually exclusive, but many agencies forsake functionality for form.
• Print Design Logic - Websites should be dynamic. Am agency has no idea what monitor size any given visitor is using. As well, sometimes on agency sites the page length is set, so text has to accommodate the design. If the text doesn't fit perfectly, you have the joy of pressing a "next page" button. Which segues to…
• Frame Me - I don't know if you can hear the primal scream from there, but, it's un-freaking-believable how many times have I seen text plopped into a tiny scrolling box on the page… Why, why, why would you do that?
• Mystery Meat Navigation - Agencies love to break the rules. It's what they do best. It makes them edgy and fresh. But, to remove the differentiation between regular text and links, or to create some sort of splodge that, when clicked on, reveals a video or whatever…well, that just says you don't really have much regard for the site visitor.
• Content Light - Okay, this is the copywriter in me speaking, but most agency sites are so light on compelling content. It's all about the visual, as if their prospective client has never heard of them before and they need to grab attention. (David Meerman Scott wrote a great post about that last month.) Surely, potential clients want great copy too?
  

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Advertising, Creativity, Make the Frames Stop, Usability | add a comment | permalink

If you haven't heard of "passionista" yet, you will soon. Late last week Marketing Charts reported on new research from Yahoo and MediaVest, entitled “Passionistas: The New Empowered Consumers”

Passionistas are consumers with specific passions, such as health, sports, food and entertainment. For online marketers, passionistas represent a huge word-of-mouth opportunity as these highly credible, highly influential advocates spread brand messages through digital media.

The report points out that passionistas spend significantly more time engaged in activities related to their passions than the average consumer, according to the study. For example:

• For every one minute that a typical internet user spends online with content associated with a passionista’s passion, passionistas spend six minutes with that content.
• Passionistas will visit a website related to their passion three times more than the typical user.
• Passionistas search online for information about their passion 184% more than typical users and conduct more than 100 related searches having to do with their passion per year.

In addition, passionistas heavily engage with communities of like-minded consumers who use email, text messaging, and instant messaging significantly more than typical users, and are more likely to create and share user-generated content online such as photos, blog posts or videos about their passions.

Because of their intense engagement around sharing information about their passions through digital media, passionistas are natural brand advocates and 52% more likely than typical users to recommend or influence others about brands aligning with them.

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Here's a bit of fabulous descriptor copywriting: "Dangerously Straight"!!!

Cripes, I didn't even know that I wanted Dangerously Straight hair until I read that. Then I wanted it bad. Real bad.

Kudos all around to the Clairol Herbal Essences marketing team and the package designers. The package design is brilliant. The shampoos and conditioners practically pop from the shelf in all their vibrant pinky-pinkness - absolutely perfect! Also, I love the way the two products nestle together to connote that the products are to be used in tandem. Very nice indeed.

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Advertising, Branding, Marketing | one comment | permalink

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