The One-Eyed Man

In the land of the sightless, the one-eyed man is king.

Sometimes, it's that way in marketing, too. When too many people are doing too many things and going off in too many directions, the most valuable person is the one who steps back, squints at the situation and asks "why?"

It's easy to just keep coming up with more tasks to do, more things to spend money on, more ideas. What's hard is narrowing things down to the right task for the right price with the right approach. So many clients are grasping at anything that flies by in this economy. But what will separate the good from the bad is good, old-fashioned eye-balling.

On and on and on and on...

Egad. 

Torture memos.

Terrorism.

Economic meltdown. 

Genocide. 

And now, a pandemic. 

Fear-mongering is alive and well, even with the demise of the W monarchy. 

Funny thing is, life goes on. 

People still watch TV, go to the store, have lunch. They still laugh, sing, dance, cry, complain, compliment, read, write, play and dream. This is now. This is the moment. Enjoy it. 

Know what I hate?

Haters. 

The Rush-Limbaugh-esque comments that try to personally attack people for what they think. The nasty, inflammatory language that seems the norm these days, whether on the radio or online. The incredible vanity of people who hide behind their internet anonymity to spew noxious fumes unfit for human environs. 

You're entitled to your opinion. I'm entitled to mine. That doesn't make me stupid, or you smart. It just makes you look like a jerk. 

 

Manage Client Expectations

Having done a lot of time both inside agencies and on my own, I know that something as simple-sounding as managing expectations can become a huge proverbial thorn in the proverbial side. Ever had a client who kept changing and niggling and nitpicking until you end up spending tons more hours than you expected, or ended up with something that looked nothing like what was originally agreed upon?

I can hear the "Oh, yeahs" from here. 

That's why it is SO important to be specific about what a client should expect to begin with. Write it down. Literally. "Here are how many (ideas, scripts, designs) you'll get. Here are how many revisions you get. Here's the timeline - for BOTH of us. Here's what end product you will get. Here's how much it will cost."

If they quibble over the price/timing/hours, tell them exactly what they will lose by cutting it down. If they continuously change their minds, miss deadlines or ask for anything outside the realm of the original estimate, tell them how much more it will cost. Especially if you're doing a job for a small amount to get a good sample, explain this in detail. Tell them you're cutting your fee, explain you're doing it in exchange for getting something else out of it. Then, if they start nibbling it to death, you can explain why you'll need to charge them more. If you're not getting a sample out of it, then you need to get grocery money out of it. 

There's no need to be an ass, just firm. Be reasonable in your pricing, realistic in your timing and deliverables, and honest up front. You'll both be happier in the long run. 

Meet the First Bra Band

Yo, bra! Have you seen it? According to the website, the Vassarette undergarment brand scoured the country for talented girls to perform in their bras. 

What a boon for seriously untalented wannabes everywhere!

Now, let's have one for the ladies...hmm...the Hanesmen?

The Not so Super Bowl

There were a few good ads - careerbuilder.com, Cheetos, Teleflora, Miller's One Second ad - a few bad ads - Denny's, godaddy et all - and a really sad, sad ad - Cash4Gold. Overall, this year's ad crop was anything but super. Geez, I actually found myself watching the GAME! Now that's really sad. 

It was telling, though, that the only car ads were from European/Asian brands. The Audi one was especially odd - I'd rather have the old Beemer or Mercedes, hell, even that lavender thing was more interesting than the Audi. 

Twitter twaddle

So am I the only one who thinks Twitter is a bunch of twaddle? Weigh in. 

This latest jump-on-the-bandwagon-without-really-understanding vehicle is, as the kids say, TMI! TMI! Do you think anyone really cares that you're contemplating your nose hair right now or if you're having a cup of coffee? 

Get over yourselves. 

Marketing Hope

I could not let the inauguration pass without a comment. Or a huge sigh of relief. 

We all could take a page from Obama's notebook on marketing - find what's relevant, talk about it, be consistent, be bold, be sure. Don't be afraid to change the paradigm, don't be afraid to try new things. 

That's how he won the presidency. He knows that hype and hoopla are as empty as W's head. 

It's something we should all remember. 

Social Marketing and supposedly "New" Media

Every few years, something new comes on the marketing scene that "completely revolutionizes" it. That will make "traditional" marketing obsolete, and those who know how to write or produce or art director somehow "irrelevant". 

Well, new media and social marketing are the latest something new. Except they're not. New, I mean. Any creative or account or media person worth his or her salt should already be competent - nay - expert - in how to use these "revolutionary" ways to deliver messages. 

(Whew - I've used a lot of quotation marks in this so far. Sorry.)

Anyway, the truth is that it takes the same kind of talent to craft a message that works in this brave new world that it did in the brave old one. Good people are adaptable, flexible, inspired, inspiring and excited about finding and using new ways to communicate. If they're not, then they're probably just not that good. 

"Take" me to your leader.

Okay, so this one isn't about marketing, but it is about a pet language peeve. 

Please, please, please learn the difference between "bring" and "take". They are not interchangeable. You take something from here to there. You bring something from there to here. See? 

For example, I'm in the back hallway and I say:

Take this beer into the kitchen and put it in the fridge. 

After that I might say:

Bring me a beer. 

See? Don't "bring" this beer into the kitchen. 

Harumph. 

Size does matter - smaller is better.

When it comes to choosing a branding and marketing partner, smaller is almost always better. Why? Because unless you've got hundreds of millions to spend, you cannot compete with those clients who do, in terms of who will work on your business and how well your account is serviced. 

With a small to mid-sized agency, chances are there won't be one big behemoth in the shop to suck up all the best creative and strategic minds. You'll get your fair share of attention, maybe even more than your fair share. 

Large communications firms tend to have lots of people on staff, whether they need them or not. And they'll try to put as many of those people your job numbers as they can. Smaller agencies tend to staff up with appropriate people for new accounts because they just don't have the cash cow to float people who aren't contributing. They also tend to partner with outside firms on a by-project basis, so you're not paying for departments you don't need or want.  

You'll also get better access to the top minds with a smaller agency. So instead of having dinner once or twice a year, you'll get real face time with the people in charge. 

Lastly - and this is a big one - don't think that big agency means big names means big ideas. Smaller agencies are the refuges for those who are fed up with big corporate politics, tired of doing mediocre work, ready to take charge and responsibility. Smaller agencies can't pass the buck - there's nowhere to pass it. 

So, think about it. Next time you're looking for a branding, marketing & communications partner, think small. 

Get the creative you deserve.

When it comes to creative, everyone is a critic - and rightfully so. No matter how hard the industry tries to make it a science, it just isn't. Creative is subjective, emotional, visceral, and all those other words that mean it defies being crammed into little boxes or charted on graphs. 

This also means that when you see marketing communications that are dull, ho-hum, run-of-the-mill and unremarkable, you can pretty much bet that one of two things has happened: 1. The client is dull, ho-hum and unremarkable or 2. The client is too scared to actually make a decision, and so the work has been run through the shredder enough times to squeeze all the life out of it. 

As a client, you will get the work you deserve.  If you are excited, energized, inspiring, thoughtful, persuasive and bold, your work will be, too. If you're tentative, scared, worried, scattered, unclear and unsure, the work you get will be, too. 

Demand great work. You'll get it. If you can't get it from your current agency, others will be gathered at your feet, just waiting for the chance. A great client is worth more to an agency than all the fees and markups in the world, because a great client can give the agency a lot more than just money. A great client can give creative the chance to shine. And that, after all, is what they live for. 

So, to get great work, be a client who deserves great work.