As I sit here on the last day of 2011, I look back on a great year for Bamboo Strategy. The firm continued its relationship with one of Canada's leading innovators in the natural health products industry, by providing Afexa Life Sciences with initial insight services leading to this year's launch of Coldsore-Fx. We added Canada's largest privately owned recruiting firm (Design Group Staffing Inc.), and Alberta's largest Credit Union (Servus) to our client list. As well, long time client Trixstar Productions brought William Shatner's one man show to thousands of his fans across Canada.
On top of this wonderful activity, I merged Bamboo Strategy with IMC, the world's only management consultancy dedicated to the resource industry in Western Canada. This new relationship as a division of IMC, will provide Bamboo Strategy with resources in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, and deeper access to businesses in what is undoubtedly the economic driver of Canada. In return IMC deepens its service offering and positioning as the resource industry's trusted resource.
So as I say goodbye to 2011 I say thank you and look forward to 2012 as a year of tremendous growth and opportunity. May your 2012 be one that thrives as well.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Blogs Live Longer
Obviously I write a blog. So whenever the discussion about the relevancy of blogs comes up I listen. Well Brain Solis has published his annual State of the blogosphere that shares some interesting insights.
State of the Blogosphere 2011
State of the Blogosphere 2011
- most blog writers are from Gen X and Gen Y but everybody reads blogs.
- brands are getting blogged about more and more
- blogging has proved valuable in building the company who has blogged
- blogs live longer that tweets and status updates.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Make It Simple
I am working with a group to locate a new CRM and web system and the choice is full of complexities. One of the potential suppliers gave me a great little piece on simplicity. A short simple read that is so true.
Click on the link and enjoy the read.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/11/28/easier-is-better-than-better/
Click on the link and enjoy the read.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/11/28/easier-is-better-than-better/
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Testimonial: Afexa Life Sciences
“Finding and working with Don was a wonderful experience and everyone involved was extremely pleased with the outcomes. Don brings a wealth of experience and applied it to get into the minds and hearts of a completely new category for us. His global CPG background is a skill set unique in the Edmonton district. Conducting consumer market research outside of Toronto, Montreal, & Vancouver breaks the traditional CPG mould and gave everyone a sense that we were getting fresh insights.”
Timothy Lee
Director, Marketing Innovations
Afexa Life Sciences (Cold-FX), Canada
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Coors Light Flashback
You see in the early 1990's Coors light was being consumed by many but few were admitting to it. The brand had a yuppie image that was no longer relevant to the larger group of drinkers that just liked the silver bullet because it was easy to drink and left them clearer to get on with living life...an active outdoor life. So the ad agency FCB Toronto, where I worked as an account director on Molson brands, including Coors Light, led a repositioning plan with the great brand team at Molson and an amazing insight firm from San Francisco called Tattoo.
The video below was the launch work we developed for the first two years of the campaign that began to reposition Coors Light in line with its mountain heritage and the powerful Canadian beer drivers of boldness and refreshment. Clearly the position was relevant then, and remains so today.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Testimonial: Servus Credit Union
“Don provided good insight into progressing our marketing department through excellent facilitation of "ideation" sessions with the team as well as one to one interviews. His marketing acumen is rich and he offered a knowledge base and expertise that added credibility to our process.”
Gail Stepanik-Keber
CMO
Servus Credit Union
Gail Stepanik-Keber
CMO
Servus Credit Union
Monday, September 26, 2011
Rock 'n Roll and Beer Advertising
In the 1990's I was lucky enough to be part of a great creative team at Scali, McCabe, Sloves in Toronto. I was an account guy on Labatt's Blue (it was Labatt's back then) and we were facing a surging Molson Canadian brand in most provinces in Canada. Molson had smashed the ad world with their "What beer's all about." campaign, and classic rock music was integral to their success. However, we believed that Blue could find an opening in Molson Canadian's music flank because they never tapped into the Canadian music scene, which was shocking given their name was "Canadian". So we developed a series of radio spots based great Canadian music that won a pile of national and international awards.
Now beer advertising and rock have had a great relationship for years but in Canada, the late 1980's and early 1990's were the heyday of this relationship in Canada.
Click on the link for a sample of Labatt's Blue award winning radio in 1990.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Good, The Bad, And The Strategy.
For a few years now I have been telling my clients and students that success and brand relevancy comes from strategies and positions based on real insight. Today I came across a great article on McKinsey Quarterly based on a new book from Richard Rumelt called Good Strategy/Bad Strategy.The Difference And Why It Matters., that so easily drives this point home.
I love Richard's style and experience, both proven and to the point. You see Richard is fed up with bad strategy masquerading as good strategy. In short he says that "bad strategy embraces the language of broad goals, ambition, vision and values'. Wow I have seen a pile of broad strategy statements in the recent past. That's why I believe the Heath brothers book "Made To Stick" is bang on. It has taught us about creating missions and visions that will stick, not just sit there and cause nothing good for the company to happen.
Too many organisation are not taking the time to uncover insights that will lead them to better understand their barriers, and then take actions to overcome them. Instead as Rumelt says, they are doing one or all of the following bad strategy hallmarks.
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_perils_of_bad_strategy_2826
Too many organisation are not taking the time to uncover insights that will lead them to better understand their barriers, and then take actions to overcome them. Instead as Rumelt says, they are doing one or all of the following bad strategy hallmarks.
- Failing to face the problem.
- Mistaking goals for strategy.
- Bad strategic objectives.
- Fluff.
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_perils_of_bad_strategy_2826
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
How Dangerous Is Safe Advertising?
About 25 years ago when I was working at my first advertising agency in Toronto, I came across a great little sell piece for an Agency in London called Davis Wilkins. Now I doubt this agency even exists today but their sell piece still resonates with me today. It had to do with safe advertising and how dangerous it can be. What follows is the copy from the piece which basically talks about taking the safe road in advertising and mushrooms, can kill you.
This should be mandatory reading for everyone who touches content development.
"One of the species of fungus opposite is the most dangerous mushroom known to man.
It is lethal even in amounts as small as 20 grammes. That's about the weight of a Brussels sprout.
Between six and fifteen hours after eating it, gastroenteric symptoms are present, and severe liver damage occurs within three days, followed by death.
It is a fairly common British variety, found in oak and beech woods between July and November and when fresh it smells faintly of honey.
The two other mushrooms illustrated are, by contrast, highly palatable.
One of them is quite rare, with a subtle mild flavour much prized in certain mountainous regions of Scandinavia.
The other is a Chanterelle, which smells slightly of dried apricots and is regarded in France as something of a delicacy.
DO WE PICK ADVERTISEMENTS LIKE WE PICK MUSHROOMS?
Given the element of risk involved in gathering our own mushrooms most of us prefer to buy them in shops with our hard-earned cash.
Which means that most of us end up eating mass-produced cultivated mushrooms. The taste may be bland and predictable, but at least we know they wont kill us.
Sadly, the same cautious attitude can easily be applied to the selection of advertising.
Anything, which looks unfamiliar, different or unusual, is regarded with understandable suspicion and anxiety by many advertisers.
As a result, advertisements end up resembling one another much as cultivated mushrooms do.
But although instinct may tell us that danger lurks in the unknown, it is the apparently familiar which threatens the greatest peril.
Partly because it looks so safe.
WHICH MUSHROOMS WILL KILL YOU?
Not, of course, the peculiar looking orange one, number three. Life would be much too easy if that were the culprit.
No, that's a Chanterelle. And like the very best advertising, it is distinctive, visible and has an entirely desirable effect on the consumer.
The killer is one of the others. One of them is the safe choice, the other choice just looks like the safe choice.
Confusing, isn't it.
But so it is with Advertising. How can you be sure that a new campaign really is safe? With the deadly mushroom, the effects are felt within days, with advertising, the poison acts more slowly.
Who knows how many products are dying a lingering death right now because somebody took a decision years ago to run advertising that looked as though it couldn't do any harm.
WHICH ADVERTISING WILL KILL YOUR COMPETITOR?
All great advertising looks safe and familiar.
In retrospect.
But the famous and successful campaigns we now admire looked strange and disturbing when they were originally presented.
Many of the clients who bought that work can still recall waking up in a cold sweat at three in the morning, asking " My God, what have I approved?"
New ideas are scary.
But they're nowhere near as dangerous as almost-new ideas, which are familiar to everyone.
If it's been done before, your competition will be ready for it. Your only chance of killing him with your advertising is to hit him with something he's never seen before.
Which means you won't have seen it before either.
WHAT IS THE REAL KILLER?
The advertising to avoid is the kind that looks safe and isn't. The mushroom to avoid is number two.
Advertising which looks strange and distinctive is a much less-risk proposition, if you know what you're doing, than advertising, which is bland and comfortable.
But only if you know what you are doing.
Which is where we come in.
Tim Davis and Chris Wilkins bring more than 36 years of experience to their new agency. Experience not only of creating original and surprising advertising ideas, but also of recognising and weeding out the ones that are dangerously wrong.
If you're an advertiser who would dearly love to have startling and original creative work, without having to lose sleep over it, think about what we have to offer. It wouldn't kill you to give us a call."
This should be mandatory reading for everyone who touches content development.
"One of the species of fungus opposite is the most dangerous mushroom known to man.
It is lethal even in amounts as small as 20 grammes. That's about the weight of a Brussels sprout.
Between six and fifteen hours after eating it, gastroenteric symptoms are present, and severe liver damage occurs within three days, followed by death.
It is a fairly common British variety, found in oak and beech woods between July and November and when fresh it smells faintly of honey.
The two other mushrooms illustrated are, by contrast, highly palatable.
One of them is quite rare, with a subtle mild flavour much prized in certain mountainous regions of Scandinavia.
The other is a Chanterelle, which smells slightly of dried apricots and is regarded in France as something of a delicacy.
DO WE PICK ADVERTISEMENTS LIKE WE PICK MUSHROOMS?
Given the element of risk involved in gathering our own mushrooms most of us prefer to buy them in shops with our hard-earned cash.
Which means that most of us end up eating mass-produced cultivated mushrooms. The taste may be bland and predictable, but at least we know they wont kill us.
Sadly, the same cautious attitude can easily be applied to the selection of advertising.
Anything, which looks unfamiliar, different or unusual, is regarded with understandable suspicion and anxiety by many advertisers.
As a result, advertisements end up resembling one another much as cultivated mushrooms do.
But although instinct may tell us that danger lurks in the unknown, it is the apparently familiar which threatens the greatest peril.
Partly because it looks so safe.
WHICH MUSHROOMS WILL KILL YOU?
Not, of course, the peculiar looking orange one, number three. Life would be much too easy if that were the culprit.
No, that's a Chanterelle. And like the very best advertising, it is distinctive, visible and has an entirely desirable effect on the consumer.
The killer is one of the others. One of them is the safe choice, the other choice just looks like the safe choice.
Confusing, isn't it.
But so it is with Advertising. How can you be sure that a new campaign really is safe? With the deadly mushroom, the effects are felt within days, with advertising, the poison acts more slowly.
Who knows how many products are dying a lingering death right now because somebody took a decision years ago to run advertising that looked as though it couldn't do any harm.
WHICH ADVERTISING WILL KILL YOUR COMPETITOR?
All great advertising looks safe and familiar.
In retrospect.
But the famous and successful campaigns we now admire looked strange and disturbing when they were originally presented.
Many of the clients who bought that work can still recall waking up in a cold sweat at three in the morning, asking " My God, what have I approved?"
New ideas are scary.
But they're nowhere near as dangerous as almost-new ideas, which are familiar to everyone.
If it's been done before, your competition will be ready for it. Your only chance of killing him with your advertising is to hit him with something he's never seen before.
Which means you won't have seen it before either.
WHAT IS THE REAL KILLER?
The advertising to avoid is the kind that looks safe and isn't. The mushroom to avoid is number two.
Advertising which looks strange and distinctive is a much less-risk proposition, if you know what you're doing, than advertising, which is bland and comfortable.
But only if you know what you are doing.
Which is where we come in.
Tim Davis and Chris Wilkins bring more than 36 years of experience to their new agency. Experience not only of creating original and surprising advertising ideas, but also of recognising and weeding out the ones that are dangerously wrong.
If you're an advertiser who would dearly love to have startling and original creative work, without having to lose sleep over it, think about what we have to offer. It wouldn't kill you to give us a call."
 |
| #1. Rozites Caperata |
 |
| #2. Amanita Phalloides |
 |
| #3. Cantharellus Cibarius |
The only point I will add to the brilliant copy above is that it works because Tim and Chris had insight about advertising and pretty and deadly mushrooms, which they turned into a great idea and execution. With out real relevant insights, you just can't get to the point where creative content can be scary but safe.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Client-Agency Relationships
I recently came across a blog from an old colleague of mine from McCann Erickson India named Chinta Rao. Chinta, like I, moved on from McCann several years ago and now runs a consulting practice and blogs every so often about things in the marketing communications world that compel him to speak. The blog of Chinta's that caught my attention dealt with the recently released CMO Council's 2011 survey of Chief Marketing Officers. Below is the link to Chinta's Blog and to the CMO Council's report.
http://chintarao.blogspot.com/2011/07/state-of-marketing-is-worrying.html
http://cmocouncil.org/images/uploads/pdf/207.pdf
The blog forced me to read the actual report, and while it is packed with much learning, I took away 4 key things that CMO's seem to have on their "to do" list in 2011.
1. Connect the measurements of multiple channels that reach across, social, digital and traditional media.
2. Redefine the customer experience. Bridge the gap between art of marketing and science of analytics. Better understand the impact marketing and technology can have in making better customer experiences.
3. Better understand the paradigm shift from BtoC to CtoB.
4. Better pull insights from reams of on-line and off-line data now being collected.
In short agencies of any kind that are hoping to do, and continue to do, business with marketers, need to have talent that can integrate all content delivery methods and be able provide real insight.
I wanted to explore the changing landscape needs between agencies and their clients further, so I focused on it in my latest BrandVertising webTV show. I invited one of my first bosses in the agency business on the show, as I always remembered Tony Altilia to have a strong point of view about how to build successful Client-Agency Relationships. So click on the link below to see the show and please give me your comments on the CMO council's report and the show.
http://chintarao.blogspot.com/2011/07/state-of-marketing-is-worrying.html
http://cmocouncil.org/images/uploads/pdf/207.pdf
The blog forced me to read the actual report, and while it is packed with much learning, I took away 4 key things that CMO's seem to have on their "to do" list in 2011.
1. Connect the measurements of multiple channels that reach across, social, digital and traditional media.
2. Redefine the customer experience. Bridge the gap between art of marketing and science of analytics. Better understand the impact marketing and technology can have in making better customer experiences.
3. Better understand the paradigm shift from BtoC to CtoB.
4. Better pull insights from reams of on-line and off-line data now being collected.
In short agencies of any kind that are hoping to do, and continue to do, business with marketers, need to have talent that can integrate all content delivery methods and be able provide real insight.
I wanted to explore the changing landscape needs between agencies and their clients further, so I focused on it in my latest BrandVertising webTV show. I invited one of my first bosses in the agency business on the show, as I always remembered Tony Altilia to have a strong point of view about how to build successful Client-Agency Relationships. So click on the link below to see the show and please give me your comments on the CMO council's report and the show.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Staying Marketing Oriented Is Everyone's Job
As I watch the restructuring of marketing departments to deal with the reality of customers demanding more relevant and rewarding engagements, I recognise that holding true to the belief that a company is really marketing oriented is tougher that ever. Marketing has always been about a philosophy that everything a company does is with the customer's drivers fully in mind. However rapid change in technology is highlighting the reality that the entire organisation must now, more than ever, be involved in "marketing".
I think the term "customer experience" can play a key role to helping companies simplify as they battle to stay a true marketing oriented company. As a recent article from McKinsey points out, "In today’s marketing environment, companies will be better off if they stop viewing customer engagement as a series of discrete interactions and instead think about it as customers do a set of related interactions that, added together, make up the customer experience."
I think if you keep in mind that to engage with people you need to understand the experiences they want with all aspects of the company, and then build engagement strategies that meet those insights. As I have been saying for sometime now, the key is to uncover insights into how people experince things, and usually this is on an emeotional level. The McKinsey article also reinforces this points by stating, "A premium will be placed on problem-solving and strategic-marketing skills, rather than on traditional market research capabilities such as designing surveys and commissioning focus groups."
I highly recommend reading the McKinsey article that I have linked to below. It serves as a timely reminder that staying marketing oriented in today's climate is not just business as usual and some innovation in structure is a likely need.
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Were_all_marketers_now_2834
I think the term "customer experience" can play a key role to helping companies simplify as they battle to stay a true marketing oriented company. As a recent article from McKinsey points out, "In today’s marketing environment, companies will be better off if they stop viewing customer engagement as a series of discrete interactions and instead think about it as customers do a set of related interactions that, added together, make up the customer experience."
I think if you keep in mind that to engage with people you need to understand the experiences they want with all aspects of the company, and then build engagement strategies that meet those insights. As I have been saying for sometime now, the key is to uncover insights into how people experince things, and usually this is on an emeotional level. The McKinsey article also reinforces this points by stating, "A premium will be placed on problem-solving and strategic-marketing skills, rather than on traditional market research capabilities such as designing surveys and commissioning focus groups."
I highly recommend reading the McKinsey article that I have linked to below. It serves as a timely reminder that staying marketing oriented in today's climate is not just business as usual and some innovation in structure is a likely need.
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Were_all_marketers_now_2834
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Mick Jagger, Rolling Stones CMO
Today from a facebook connection, I viewed this classic letter from Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol about artwork for a greatest hit cover back in 1969.
The letter reminds me of my time at Scali, McCabe, Sloves in Toronto in 1989, working on the advertising for the Labatt's Blue/Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Tour. The Jagger letter shows how much of a businessman Jagger is, and that everything about how the band is positioned really sits in his hands. He is the CMO of the Rolling Stones brand.
When we were developing creative to launch the Steel Wheels tour across Canada in 1989, Jagger had final approval on everything. All our script ideas and music background choices went past Jagger. In fact the launch TVC of the tour originally ended with the famous Stones tongue turning from red to blue, to subtly indicate Labatt's Blue was promoting the tour in Canada. Well Jagger as acting as CMO for the Stones brand, quickly killed that idea because nobody, but nobody screws with a key visual property of the Rolling Stones. He was right of course but hey we at the same time were just trying to build even more depth into the Blue brand.
As Labatt Blue's slogan of the time was alluding to, in 1989, it was the way we played. Those were great times, and as this classic letter indicates, Jagger is a great CMO, and not a bad frontman either.
The letter reminds me of my time at Scali, McCabe, Sloves in Toronto in 1989, working on the advertising for the Labatt's Blue/Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Tour. The Jagger letter shows how much of a businessman Jagger is, and that everything about how the band is positioned really sits in his hands. He is the CMO of the Rolling Stones brand.
When we were developing creative to launch the Steel Wheels tour across Canada in 1989, Jagger had final approval on everything. All our script ideas and music background choices went past Jagger. In fact the launch TVC of the tour originally ended with the famous Stones tongue turning from red to blue, to subtly indicate Labatt's Blue was promoting the tour in Canada. Well Jagger as acting as CMO for the Stones brand, quickly killed that idea because nobody, but nobody screws with a key visual property of the Rolling Stones. He was right of course but hey we at the same time were just trying to build even more depth into the Blue brand.
As Labatt Blue's slogan of the time was alluding to, in 1989, it was the way we played. Those were great times, and as this classic letter indicates, Jagger is a great CMO, and not a bad frontman either.
 |
| Labatt's Blue Rolling Stones 1989 Tour Poster |
Monday, June 6, 2011
Screw Your Youth Strategy, What's Your Elder Strategy!
When I was working on Molson and Labatt and Coca-Cola, it was imperative you had a youth strategy, as youth consumed a pile of your product. Working on Intel in China we were concerned with youth and the need to get them earlier to build brand relevance beyond the laptop. However, in no case can I remember having an elder strategy, a strategy to tap into the desires, needs and wants of the 50+ consumer. Well today all brands need to think about building one.
It is said that in 2009, 46% of Apple's consumer base was older than 55. We know that in the US, 46% of cars, and 80% of luxury travel is sold to the 60+ demographic. An old colleague of mine from FCB in Toronto, for some time now has run a successful business selling luxury items to the 50+ market. I know Johnson&Johnson and Afexa Life Sciences (the Cold-FX people and a client of mine) always keep a close eye on the elder market when developing new products. These two organizations, for obvious reasons, recognise that an ageing consumer base in most of the worlds key markets means health care will be high on their need list. I believe though, that all brands need to take a look at how their product and services can be better positioned to be consumed by this massive 50+ demographic. This baby boomer group will change pre and post retirement mind-sets just as it has changed everything else they have touched. So ask yourself and your brand, what do you know about the older consumer as it relates to your business. Are you relevant to them now, and if not can you be relevant to them going forward.
On BrandVertising (my WebTV show on branding and advertising) I recently focused on the issue of the ageing consumer with my guest Dave McCaughan, the Director of Strategy for McCann Worldgroup in Asia Pacific. Check out the show below and start now to build your elder strategy!
It is said that in 2009, 46% of Apple's consumer base was older than 55. We know that in the US, 46% of cars, and 80% of luxury travel is sold to the 60+ demographic. An old colleague of mine from FCB in Toronto, for some time now has run a successful business selling luxury items to the 50+ market. I know Johnson&Johnson and Afexa Life Sciences (the Cold-FX people and a client of mine) always keep a close eye on the elder market when developing new products. These two organizations, for obvious reasons, recognise that an ageing consumer base in most of the worlds key markets means health care will be high on their need list. I believe though, that all brands need to take a look at how their product and services can be better positioned to be consumed by this massive 50+ demographic. This baby boomer group will change pre and post retirement mind-sets just as it has changed everything else they have touched. So ask yourself and your brand, what do you know about the older consumer as it relates to your business. Are you relevant to them now, and if not can you be relevant to them going forward.
On BrandVertising (my WebTV show on branding and advertising) I recently focused on the issue of the ageing consumer with my guest Dave McCaughan, the Director of Strategy for McCann Worldgroup in Asia Pacific. Check out the show below and start now to build your elder strategy!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
More Juice Around The Future of The Ad Agency
I was reading today in Campaign Asia about the intense pressure marketers are feeling to continue to come up with the next big idea. They are trying to stay relevant to a consumer base that is rapidly getting smarter and more savvy every minute. This means they are looking to anyone, including their customers for ideas. No longer are their AOR agency partners the holy grail of ideas, and this is sending shock waves through New York, London, Chicago, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Los Angeles.
As past blogs I have written have eluded to, the game has changed because the consumer has changed. They carry the influence to persuade their community to act, and the traditional ad campaign is treated with the proverbial grain of salt. Advertising air cover is critical in the war to win the hearts and minds of consumers, but it is boots on the ground, the reality of the brand experience, that wins the war today. What is the brand doing as it actually engages and delivers to people. Is it a positive experience they will twitter about to their community, or will it be so counter to the big ad air cover that they will hold the brand hostage with negative WOM to their friends.
Never has the game been so exciting and played with so much at stake for those that used to dominate the brand building and idea generating world...the traditional big ad agency.
Click on the link below to read the Campaign Asia article.
http://www.campaignasia.com/Article/259364,pressure-mounts-as-agencies-search-for-the-next-big-idea.aspx
As past blogs I have written have eluded to, the game has changed because the consumer has changed. They carry the influence to persuade their community to act, and the traditional ad campaign is treated with the proverbial grain of salt. Advertising air cover is critical in the war to win the hearts and minds of consumers, but it is boots on the ground, the reality of the brand experience, that wins the war today. What is the brand doing as it actually engages and delivers to people. Is it a positive experience they will twitter about to their community, or will it be so counter to the big ad air cover that they will hold the brand hostage with negative WOM to their friends.
Never has the game been so exciting and played with so much at stake for those that used to dominate the brand building and idea generating world...the traditional big ad agency.
Click on the link below to read the Campaign Asia article.
http://www.campaignasia.com/Article/259364,pressure-mounts-as-agencies-search-for-the-next-big-idea.aspx
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Life Blood of Product Development
Last week on my WebTV show called BrandVertising, I had a great chat with Timothy Lee (a client of mine from Afexa Life Sciences in Canada) about product innovation and development. The show highlighted that invention and innovation are not the same thing, look no further than apple to learn how to innovate versus invent.
We also talked about the fact that engaging with customers is the only way you can do any type of inventing or innovating. Which is why a recent Interbrand study that shows so few companies are engaging with their customers is even more shocking. How will products that are relevant be developed in these organizations?
Have a look at the show and see what were rated by LaunchTV as the best new products of 2010.
We also talked about the fact that engaging with customers is the only way you can do any type of inventing or innovating. Which is why a recent Interbrand study that shows so few companies are engaging with their customers is even more shocking. How will products that are relevant be developed in these organizations?
Have a look at the show and see what were rated by LaunchTV as the best new products of 2010.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Fear Of Failure...Again
A while back I blogged about the power of failure. http://bamboostrategy.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-ive-learned.html
Well it seems that the topic of getting stronger from failure is hot this week in blog land. The link from the brain pickings blog has four takes on failure from some creative thinkers. I share just one of them below.
What is your take on the role failure plays in creativity and life itself?
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/05/12/fear-of-failure/
Paulo Coelho – on the fear of failure. from Berghs' Exhibition '11 on Vimeo.
Well it seems that the topic of getting stronger from failure is hot this week in blog land. The link from the brain pickings blog has four takes on failure from some creative thinkers. I share just one of them below.
What is your take on the role failure plays in creativity and life itself?
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/05/12/fear-of-failure/
Paulo Coelho – on the fear of failure. from Berghs' Exhibition '11 on Vimeo.
Friday, May 6, 2011
I love a great logo.
Creative Review, the fantastic UK publication, in a recent blog listed the thoughts of some of the leading design firms in the world as they relate to the greatest logos ever.
Check it out of you love brands and their visual representation. One of my favourites is a Canadian icon CN, that is on the list of Identity Works, Tony Spaeth.
Click on the link and enjoy the read.
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/may/logo-experts-contd
Check it out of you love brands and their visual representation. One of my favourites is a Canadian icon CN, that is on the list of Identity Works, Tony Spaeth.
Click on the link and enjoy the read.
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/may/logo-experts-contd
Wow, 59% of Marketers Don't Believe in Being Relevant!
Being that my consultancy is all about relevancy of business and brands, I was kind of shocked to read an email from Interbrand that stated a recent study of theirs found that only 41% of brands think it's important to maintain relevance. As the graphic below from the Interbrand email also shows, only 37% of brands believe being responsive to customer needs and desires is important.
What can these marketing leaders be thinking? Did they miss marketing 101 where we learn that "marketing" is all about responding to the needs and desires of consumers? Are they asleep during this consumer empowerment revolution that technology is enabling? Do they not get that if your brand is not relevant, that means you don't matter, which in no way translates to future sales?
In the end, the Interbrand study reinforces the lack of understanding many marketers still have towards the importance of building dialogues with stakeholders. I would love to hear your take on what to me is a shockingly low level of marketer understanding.
 |
| Interbrand Marketers 2011 Survey |
What can these marketing leaders be thinking? Did they miss marketing 101 where we learn that "marketing" is all about responding to the needs and desires of consumers? Are they asleep during this consumer empowerment revolution that technology is enabling? Do they not get that if your brand is not relevant, that means you don't matter, which in no way translates to future sales?
In the end, the Interbrand study reinforces the lack of understanding many marketers still have towards the importance of building dialogues with stakeholders. I would love to hear your take on what to me is a shockingly low level of marketer understanding.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
A good chat with Praveen Kenneth
Well a week back I completed another episode of my web TV show called BrandVertising on fusedlogic.tv. I am a little behind in blogging so I post the link to the insightful conversation I had with Praveen Kenneth. Praveen is the Chairman of Law & Kenneth, a boutique advertising agency with offices all over India. I worked with Praveen back in the late 1990's when I was running the Coca-Cola account for McCann Erickson in several parts of Asia Pacific.
Of the many interesting things we talked about, one that stood out was Praveen's belief that traditional agencies are somewhat stuck with the clothes they have been wearing for so very long, and it is very tough for clients to look at them in other clothes, mainly more business building partners than creative solution specialists.
Have a look at the program and let me know your thoughts. As well go to Praveen Kenneth's firms website to learn more about his agency. http://www.lawkenneth.in/
Of the many interesting things we talked about, one that stood out was Praveen's belief that traditional agencies are somewhat stuck with the clothes they have been wearing for so very long, and it is very tough for clients to look at them in other clothes, mainly more business building partners than creative solution specialists.
Have a look at the program and let me know your thoughts. As well go to Praveen Kenneth's firms website to learn more about his agency. http://www.lawkenneth.in/
Friday, March 11, 2011
BrandVertising
A few months back I was approached about hosting a web TV program. After some consultation with friends and family I decided to dive in and host a show about branding and advertising from the perspective of those that live and lived it from the very front row. The show became BrandVertising, cute but hopefully not too cute of a show name. Well two months later, along with my production partner fusedlogic.tv, we have produced two shows.
The fun thing about doing the BrandVertising show is that I get to reconnect with some great peers I've worked with over the past 25 years in this business. On my first show I talked with Rico DiGiovanni, who is now the president of Spider Marketing in Toronto. I worked with Rico when we both had a relationship with FCB on the Coors Light business. Rico and I had fun talking about brand activation and experiential marketing. Being the pilot episode of the show, we learned a few things like needing to improve our Skype connection (which has been fixed) but overall the show went rather smoothly and Rico was great.
Then this past week I interviewed Jane Price who before starting her current marketing and social media consulting practice, was the global head of social marketing for Intel. Jane was a former client of mine when I was running McCann Erickson in China and is one of the sharpest people I have come across. We had a good talk about how organizations are starting to mainstream social marketing into their marketing arsenal.
So as I move forward with BrandVertising I expect to continue having fun talking with great marketing communications professionals I know now, and will get to know in the future. If anyone has an idea for the show just let me know. Until then, click on an episode and give me your feedback.
The fun thing about doing the BrandVertising show is that I get to reconnect with some great peers I've worked with over the past 25 years in this business. On my first show I talked with Rico DiGiovanni, who is now the president of Spider Marketing in Toronto. I worked with Rico when we both had a relationship with FCB on the Coors Light business. Rico and I had fun talking about brand activation and experiential marketing. Being the pilot episode of the show, we learned a few things like needing to improve our Skype connection (which has been fixed) but overall the show went rather smoothly and Rico was great.
Then this past week I interviewed Jane Price who before starting her current marketing and social media consulting practice, was the global head of social marketing for Intel. Jane was a former client of mine when I was running McCann Erickson in China and is one of the sharpest people I have come across. We had a good talk about how organizations are starting to mainstream social marketing into their marketing arsenal.
So as I move forward with BrandVertising I expect to continue having fun talking with great marketing communications professionals I know now, and will get to know in the future. If anyone has an idea for the show just let me know. Until then, click on an episode and give me your feedback.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Edmonton Meet Detroit
Many of you may have seen the amazing work the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy has done for Chrysler when you watched the Super Bowl this year. The theme work that sells the true power of Detroit behind the Eminem track is powerful and indeed makes me rethink what Detroit stands for today.
I live in Edmonton a northern city in the province if Alberta. Edmonton is a capital city on a similar northern parallel as Moscow. Since I returned here in 2007 I have heard many people discussing what this city should stand for, how should it differentiate itself, and quite honestly I think the brand of the city is lost. The sad thing is that this city has so much going for it. It sits at the base of the second largest oil reserve in the world. It has a citizenry that is smart, well educated and full of heart, yet not afraid to get their hands dirty, and it sits on a river valley that is the envy of any city in the world. While it is true for a good part of the year this river valley is dusted with snow and the river is frozen over but that is also part of the beauty of the city. Edmonton has seasons, definite seasons.
It is not my place here to define a brand for the city of Edmonton, not yet anyway. My place is to highlight the fact that cities can be branded powerfully, as Weiden+Kennedy has done for Detroit via a commercial for Chrysler, and those with the power to do so for Edmonton, should take note.
I live in Edmonton a northern city in the province if Alberta. Edmonton is a capital city on a similar northern parallel as Moscow. Since I returned here in 2007 I have heard many people discussing what this city should stand for, how should it differentiate itself, and quite honestly I think the brand of the city is lost. The sad thing is that this city has so much going for it. It sits at the base of the second largest oil reserve in the world. It has a citizenry that is smart, well educated and full of heart, yet not afraid to get their hands dirty, and it sits on a river valley that is the envy of any city in the world. While it is true for a good part of the year this river valley is dusted with snow and the river is frozen over but that is also part of the beauty of the city. Edmonton has seasons, definite seasons.
It is not my place here to define a brand for the city of Edmonton, not yet anyway. My place is to highlight the fact that cities can be branded powerfully, as Weiden+Kennedy has done for Detroit via a commercial for Chrysler, and those with the power to do so for Edmonton, should take note.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
66% Sing From The Same Song Sheet
Image by nickwheeleroz via FlickrThe recent survey from McKinsey on how companies use strategy to "beat the market" had some nice insights but the one that stood out to me was that only 33% of companies say they use novel insights in their strategic planning. Now think about this for a second. That means two thirds are using exactly the same research as their competitors to drive their strategic thinking. While this lack of motivation to uncover new insights has been a topic in other articles recently, it astounds me that McKinsey has the number so high. We have become so dependent on the Internet to get information, which is great. However, if we do not step outside and uncover insights that are truly specific to our needs (and not published for all to see on the Internet) then how will we be any different than our competition.Macro generic industry data is great for getting a picture on some of the forces that are driving an industry, I use them all the time, but business needs to get to the micro level drivers that are specific to their buyers and business, to be able to build a brand that is relevant both to them and their buyers. I do not believe for a second that this can be done without spending the money and uncovering new insights about ones buyers and marketplace on a regular basis.
If you are keen to see the entire survey click on the link below.
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Putting_strategies_to_the_test_McKinsey_Global_Survey_results_2722
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
5 Forces Of Competition Revisited
I often use the classic strategic tool Michael Porter introduced in the 1970's when he first came to Harvard. I love Porter's 5 Forces because it makes organizations look at what business they are REALLY in, by having a real look at all the competition that surrounds and influences them, not just their obvious direct competitors.
So often people ask me "have you read this new business book on strategy?" To me the disposable world we live in that is always looking for the next thing, often forgets the most powerful tools we already have. Porter's 5 Forces is an example of this. It does not need to be improved on as it adapts to every business environment. I love the fact that it reinforces that business strategy starts by looking at your competition and industry, at the same time you are looking at the consumer or customer. To often we are too focused on the buyers of our product or service and do not step back and see what is driving the industry we compete in. How has the power of the suppliers of our products changed? What new technologies could make our product or service less relevant in the months ahead? These are few of the critical questions that will never die, and that's why in all my interactions with clients and students, I ask, do you know what business you are really in, and who are the competitors that will influence your success?
I attach a link to a Harvard Business Review page that has a great 15 minute video with Michael Porter and the evolution of his 5 Forces. Take a coffee break and listen to it, then ask your self when was the last time your organisation really looked at their industry with such depth.
http://hbr.org/2008/01/the-five-competitive-forces-that-shape-strategy/ar/1
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| From HBR On-Line |
So often people ask me "have you read this new business book on strategy?" To me the disposable world we live in that is always looking for the next thing, often forgets the most powerful tools we already have. Porter's 5 Forces is an example of this. It does not need to be improved on as it adapts to every business environment. I love the fact that it reinforces that business strategy starts by looking at your competition and industry, at the same time you are looking at the consumer or customer. To often we are too focused on the buyers of our product or service and do not step back and see what is driving the industry we compete in. How has the power of the suppliers of our products changed? What new technologies could make our product or service less relevant in the months ahead? These are few of the critical questions that will never die, and that's why in all my interactions with clients and students, I ask, do you know what business you are really in, and who are the competitors that will influence your success?
I attach a link to a Harvard Business Review page that has a great 15 minute video with Michael Porter and the evolution of his 5 Forces. Take a coffee break and listen to it, then ask your self when was the last time your organisation really looked at their industry with such depth.
http://hbr.org/2008/01/the-five-competitive-forces-that-shape-strategy/ar/1
Monday, February 7, 2011
Joiners Vs. Creators, Who Drives the Web?
A few years back Forrester Research published their Social Technographics that laid out the Social Network Population in a ladder format. It had "creators" on the top and "inactives" on the bottom. You can see in the 2010 version that "joiners" and "spectators" drive the activity on the social web, which is no surprise as these activities take the least commitment to stay involved in the web.
To me the interesting question is how do you engage your customers at different levels of the ladder? What are you providing in your on-line world that is relevant for your "creators" as well as relevant for your brand. The same goes fore those that just like to be "spectators" of your brand on-line. What are you doing for them that keep them wanting to come back and share with others? I think it is a worthwhile exercise to review the Social Technographics Ladder and ensure relevancy for all.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Amazing World Of Scotch
A few weeks back I attended the Edmonton Whiskey Festival as a gift from wife for Christmas, and I was blown away by just how sophisticated the Scotch business has become. You see back in the mid 1980's when I worked in an ad agency in Toronto we had Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch as a client and I was lead to believe that Glenmorangie was one of the real special bottles of scotch you could buy. The brand had a great history with the 16 men of Tain who so carefully crafted Glenmorangie, in fact one of the print ads we ran, which is below, was a wonderful woodcutting illustration style of the bottle signed by the 16 men of Tain .
My point is Glenmorangie was well represented at the festival I attended but they were just a tiny sample of the amazing number of special single malt scotches on show that evening. While Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Glenmorangie are some of the better promoted single malts in the world, there is indeed a whole larger world of wonderful brands and products to be explored, and truth be told, better marketed.
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| Mid 1980's Glenmorangie global Print ad that ran in Canada |
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
If At First You Don't Succeed
Image via WikipediaEvery so often Nait (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) asks me to instruct a continuing education course for them dealing with marketing and business. This past weekend while I teaching a course on delegation and teamwork, I was reminded just how important allowing people to fail is to building trust, respect and innovation. Some companies thrive in allowing their people to fail and then learn from there failures. 3M makes it mandatory for people to fail. In their mind if they are not failing, then they are not learning and inventing new category defining products. So back to what struck me this past weekend. I was watching with the class a DVD on the design consultancy IDEO, and a quote from one of their great talent jumped out and smacked me in the face. The quote was "enlightened trial and error succeeds over the planning of the lone genius." Now I am not sure if this was his original thought or he borrowed it from some other great mind, but it quickly reminded me that people need to be encouraged to try things that scare them, things that just might not work. Too often business cultures breed stagnation and like mindedness in product design, business models and marketing communications.
In my mind the reason so little marketing activity jumps out at people and very little is differentiated and relevant, is because no learning was done it the development process. No one was encouraged to try new things and know it was ok if it didn't work because they knew they would learn from it and be even better next time. Maybe that is why I love the idea of beta sites in the webbed world. Beta sites and their thinking says we'll figure this out as we go along, some things may not work and we're fine with that because it will make the things that we do well for you become even better.
So make a mistake today and celebrate it. Then get back up and fix it so your next idea is even better.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Try Before You Buy
Image via Wikipedia Building new business relationships that you can trust is getting harder than ever. So much hype exists in the noise of business building, that "trust me I can do it" becomes the key differentiator in many cases. With this reality, your past client references are critical, but in some cases these are not even enough if you do not have a referral from some business your prospect knows deeply. Many times I have come across the words "Sure you have done that for Coke but have you done it for Ted down the street?". Once again proving the point that if your story is not relevant to your prospect then you are nowhere.
With the palpable desire out there for the building of a trust bridge that is relevant to both parties, one solution becomes starting the relationship with baby steps. In 2000 I was living in Singapore and leading McCann Erickson's pitch for Caltex (Chevron's brand in Asia Pacific and Africa). To build trust and prove our relevance to Caltex, we were tasked do produce a TV spot that would bring to life the campaign we had wowed them with in the initial pitch process. In other words they wanted to give us their business in all of Asia Pacific and Africa but they were not quite sure our walk matched our talk. So they agreed to pay all out of pocket costs to produce the spot and we agreed to commit our time to bring it to life. In the end we went up the road to Malaysia to shoot a rally car spot that highlighted Caltex's Havoline motor oil. The spot turned out great (see below and look for me being sprayed with mud!). More importantly, Caltex learned how we worked, and we built our relevance to them every day we were in that Malaysian jungle. Within weeks the awarding of the business to McCann Erickson was formalised.
So as you approach building your business in 2011, try taking some baby steps with your prospects. Prove your relevance by suggesting a trial project that is fair to both sides and go out there and build some trust.
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