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/
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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 |
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