Jacob Leffler's Short Attention Span Theatre

I Won't Work With Local Agencies...

Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:12:00 +0000

It is tough to have a blog for such a long period of time. After so many years, less surprises me, or grabs me and moves me, so the writing becomes less frequent.

Today, however, is a new day, and I have been moved.

I participated in a discussion this morning and the topic, was of course, digital media. A topic I have been involved in for the past fifteen years. Nothing really new, but some interesting tidbits came out of the chat.

As we were talking one of the folks in the meeting tried to explain to us the reasoning of a corporate marketer, who happens to call our city home, as to why they don't like to work "local." To keep the context of the discussion let's define "local" as any agency who happens to be headquartered in Indianapolis, IN.

I find that whole concept in 2014 pretty laughable. As it relates to those in the digital media business, what is local anyway? I work out of an office in Indianapolis, and service a brand that is global, who hires us out of Indianapolis, for work that is viewed globally. Is that local? Was I hired for local work? Are we creating something to be seen only by folks within the boundary of Interstate 465? Many "local" agencies, as well as The Basement, have produced many many projects for clients all over the U.S., and the world, for audiences all over the U.S., and the world, however, to this corporate marketer, who happens to live in the same city as us, we, along with every other agency in Indy, are local, and therefore, not valid.

Since I happen to know this individual I can say that this person is born and raised Hoosier. Indiana through and through. So, does this person have such a low self-esteem based on something as trivial as their location that they would not hire themselves based on their own stigma? I mean, it is pretty funny when you think about it. Such sweeping generalizations and decisions made on such stereotypes and broad brushstrokes, about the very market you call home? Never mind the quality of any work, the value of any ideas, the creative, the focus on service, etc.

If this corporate marketer's criteria were adopted I suppose Steve McQueen never would have had a casting call, Michael Jackson never would have entered a recording studio, Larry Bird would not have been allowed to tryout for the team and Leo Burnett, yes THAT Leo Burnett, would not have gotten his first agency job at Homer McKee.

Collaborators in Excellence Can Be Hard to Find

Wed, 14 Aug 2013 13:33:00 +0000

I am fortunate to have had several different employment opportunities over the past sixteen years. I have worked for production companies, broadcast companies, tech start-ups, a Fortune 500 corporation and a couple of digital creative studios. Despite the differences from one organization to another, some things are very consistent. One that has always had my focus is excellence, or even just the simple desire to do your best and really make a supreme effort to be better than the rest of the market.

It is always interesting to see how people either get after excellence, kind of try to be better than some, or simply do what they think is "just enough" and are complacent to secure mediocrity. Regardless of where the masses fall in this spectrum one thing has been readily apparent in all of my experiences at different organizations, and that is excellence is becoming an increasingly rare commodity. It seems that many many professionals are really okay with doing just enough to get by, or simply do all that can be done without friction and to heck with working toward excellence. What do I mean by friction? Friction could be internal interpersonal static within a corporate culture, it could be the risk of losing a bonus, or perhaps push back on trying to alter the status quo in the search for a better result or product, or it could even be a personal relationship that encourages less focus on anything other than that relationship. Whatever the cause for the friction, it seems a lot of professionals have no desire to work through these barriers to deliver better, more or even a "best." Many have not wanted to stick their neck out. I don't think this a new phenomenon.

Anyone who works in a creative services industry has experienced this. Probably more than most. To add to the challenge, creative work is subjective, so ceilings and floors often get interchanged. An easy example? No doubt the term "brand standards" have been used for decades to bring excellent work back down to mediocrity, all in the name of consistency aka uniformity. Many times brand standards are an extremely valid and useful platform. In some instances however, I believe, it is merely an excuse to shelter individuals and/or organizations from the work required and potential friction that comes with moving toward excellence. The saddest part about this infectious mediocrity is that it spreads like a virus. Don't believe me? Turn on your television and log how many pieces of media you believe are truly excellent, that move you, versus the rest that don't. Get online and perform the same exercise. Walk through any large retailer and perform the same exercise using consumer products as the focus. In those instances what is the ratio between what you deem as truly excellent versus just okay? In search of this excellence the service provider is quite often put in a tough spot. How much do you push for excellence? If it is not accepted, when and how do you back off? What service provider wants to lose a client? Who wants to die on the hill? Get in line, do what is required and live to fight for a better product, service or design another day.

On the flip side, when the reach toward excellence is accepted and embraced, that is the sweet spot where great collaboration, work, and market leaders emerge. Yes, it can be more stressful and difficult in the short term because it takes a lot more energy to accomplish, there will inevitably be those that fight it, more friction, and the time required to achieve is greater, however, in the long term the payoff is worth it.

Candy Colors and Pretty Pictures Don't Mean Success

Wed, 24 Jul 2013 14:34:00 +0000

Having returned from a week off I find myself thinking about some of my experiences on the road and some of the things I am reading in the trades about big brands.

I have written on this blog numerous times about one of the most important keys to good marketing. That key is to back up the promise made by your strategic message and advertising with a great customer experience (the product or service must meet or surpass the promise of the marketing). I did not create this wisdom, but I have been fortunate enough to experience it executed properly and unfortunately, I have experienced it executed poorly. A simple example of the latter happened last week when I was on vacation.

My lovely wife planned the vacation and she booked a cabin in a mountain for our family to stay in for three days. Wonderful. She was excited and showed me the pictures of this beauty from the rental company web site. It looked great. Clean, bright, and most of all a great unobstructed view of the mountains. Perfect. It was even granted the moniker of "Close to Heaven." Judging by the pictures, it seemed to be just that, assuming of course that Heaven looks just like the Smoky Mountains.

Well, we arrived at said destination and let's just say the pictures were either about 15 years old, and the cabin had not seen maintenance in that time frame, or the pics were altered to make the hellish a little more heavenly. The view? Let's just say it was obstructed about 90% more than the pictures lead us to believe. It was not the end of the world, but the point is that the rental company conveyed a promise that was far from fulfilled - the net result, no future business, negative referrals, and a blog post. Will this impact them today, probably not, but over time it will erode the business. Need more evidence? Please reference Saturn, Sears, Kmart, etc.

Why do I use such a straight forward and simple example of this common strategic marketing failure? Because it is just that, straight forward and simple. It applies to more complex businesses. When advertising legend Lee Clow was asked, "What is the secret to great advertising?" his response was simply, "The truth."

Simple example #2. I just read where Chevrolet is now painting their two compact autos, the Sonic and the Spark, bright vibrant colors, going against the grain of traditional car colors. See the piece here Who cares? If you look at Chevrolet's track record, especially in the small car segment, you wonder if the bright paint is merely presented to distract the consumer away from other issues. Forbes magazine recently published an article presenting the realistic situation of another possible bankruptcy for General Motors. Why is that when both Ford and Chrysler seem to be on the upswing?

I have been a passenger in many Chevrolet products over the last 20 years and I can say with confidence that the rides have not been pleasant. In short, the cars I was in seemed poorly built and required repairs where other vehicles within the similar age/condition/mileage seemed to hold up with significantly less issues. Going back to the original point, focus on making a quality product that fulfills your commitment to the consumer and the paint will merely be an option, not integral to the campaign.

Chevy states in the piece that despite hesitation to paint cars pink, they have, and now one in every four Chevy Sparks sold in South Korea are pink. Great. If one in four Sparks are not reliable vehicles, is the color going to matter? Hopefully for Chevy, their cars outlast the impulse of buying a car simply because it is pink.

More Internet Television Related News

Tue, 28 May 2013 19:04:00 +0000

I have spent more than a few posts on this blog talking about internet protocol television, and what it may mean for consumers, advertisers and my line of work - digital design, development and content. In the years past I have provided thoughts on direct to consumer delivery for brands, and how traditional media properties may just start running their own television networks. The technology has dramatically decreased the cost to produce and the content exists. Building on that thought, check out what Sports Illustrated is now testing. Sports Illustrated Starts Live, Daily Half Hour Video Show . They are just the most recent major outlet to jump on this trend.

It's not just SI, check out this quote from the piece linked above, "Sporting News, which went all digital last year after 126 years in print, is adding five original online shows over the next several months. 'Advertisers are interested in original programming,' said Jeff Price, president of Sporting News Media. 'But we're thinking about the reader first and then bringing in the advertiser in an authentic way.'"

Microsoft had their big XBox announcement last week. Take a few moments to review the XBox One web site and the features being touted for the new entertainment device. It is as much about the user switching seemlessly between apps, web content and direct communication functions as it is video games. Microsoft has reviewed consumer behavior while sitting at the television and recreated cross device use, conveniently into one device. Drop the laptop or tablet and smart phone while watching TV or even playing a video game, you can now switch through all that function on the XBox One with the swipe of a hand or a verbal command.

Lastly, here is a link for some video clips showing media professionals discussing the future of media from Internet Week. Enjoy the clips brought to you by Ad Age.

Gamification Can't Succeed in a Vacuum

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:39:00 +0000

When done right gamified interactives, such as web sites, apps., touch screen media, etc. are known for being incredibly effective. When you have a clear objective and a defined audience, gamified interactives can push a campaign and customer engagement to levels of success few other media executions can match.

That being said, it has been interesting to see how organizations launch said gamified initiatives into the market. I think a belief exists that since you have this very interactive, often incentivized and fun activity out in the market, that people will automatically flock to it. That is a huge misconception and often a made mistake.

I have seen great opportunities get flushed down the toilet from a lack of media and communications support when launching a gamified audience experience. The next time your marketing plan calls for gamified elements I want you to think about this; would McDonald's launch their Monopoly promotion with no media support? If they launched with no media/communications support would they see the success like they have in the past with this promotion? If they launched the campaign with a great, fun web site, but did not show the web address for that site, or promote that site address anywhere on their packaging, would they get the traffic tot he site and engagement on the site like they have in years past? Dumb questions, obvious answers. Of course not! So don't make the same mistake.

Gamified interactive experiences, for all their potential, can't succeed in a vacuum. Support their launch and promotional time frame appropriately.

Coke, Again, Shows Why It's #1

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:29:00 +0000

I am not a big soda drinker, however, there is no denying the place soft drinks hold in our culture. I came across this piece this morning and wanted to share it for a few reasons. Check out Coke Targets Teens With Its First All-Digital Effort published by MediaPost. The piece goes into detail about how Coke intends to focus on teenagers in the coming years.

From my perspective, the takeaways from this piece are:

1. Coke is focusing on segments within a segment of their consumer audience. Yes, they are focusing on teens, but they are breaking down that profile even more by going after specific types of teens.

2. Most of the content Coke is using is less like traditional ad messaging and is actual non-ad content. Short videos, games, interactive activities. That being said, all of these individual pieces of content are tied together under a central theme (er, long term campaign).

3. The initiative is integrated and Coke is in it, according to this piece, for the next couple of years. It is clearly stated in this article that Coke will be measuring the effectiveness of all of the released content/activities and will be making adjustments throughout the initiative. Coke clearly gets that this is a marathon and not a sprint, hence the long term approach and the reliance on measurement for long term improvement. This is not a 6 week campaign, or even a 6 month campaign. This is an evolving campaign to span years.

4. Innovation. This is creating a platform/audience for Coke to introduce product and packaging innovations to an audience who clearly has no problem sharing things they think are cool or interesting via social channels. That is not to say the audience will love everything Coke does, they may not, however this is a a great market testing apparatus. If you want my thoughts on the critical role innovation plays in any business, feel free to read through the numerous other posts on that topic contained within this blog.

In summary, I believe this will be a solid initiative to keep an eye on in the coming months and years. If Coke sticks to their guns on this and it shows results, you can bet other consumer brands will follow suit.

Labels Labels Everywhere

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:10:00 +0000

I had the opportunity to listen to a guy speak this past weekend. He was speaking on the topic of labels. He pointed out the insanity of some points found on labels he had read on various household products. Things like Draino, which had a warning on the label stating (I am paraphrasing), "Do not use this container to store consumable beverages." He also commented on the use of labels to help us make purchasing decisions - name brand versus generic, etc.

Obviously, labels serve an important purpose, some less obvious than others. A big trend in the last several years has been branding yourself. The thought was, "Like a product, you have value that you offer. Create and leverage your brand like so many successful products in the marketplace." Another way to put it is labeling yourself. With the advent of social media and a very competitive job market, I get that basic premise, however, I believe individuals need to be very careful about how they pursue their own "labels."

There is something to be said for focus and honing in on your strengths and experiences, however, typecasting, especially within a career, can lead down a narrow and thorny path. You need to look no further than many of the "brand yourself" gurus that have popped up via social media, seemingly in the millions, in the past several years. To exhibit my point take a few moments, look them up online, and see if they are still at the same "social agency" or the same employer 2 - 4 years later. If not, what is their new title/label? Many have changed their label to achieve employment, and many no longer wear the social title/label they once had, often breaking their own advice from just a short time ago.

Labels can provide a lot of preconceived notions. When labeling yourself, perhaps you can thoughtfully consider more than the next five months, maybe consider your label for longevity. People change. People evolve. Certainly we, as human beings, will grow, learn and evolve in a more valuable way, than say, dish soap, sneakers or floor polish. Let's treat ourselves less like commodities and more like the valuable people that we are.

Cranking This Blog Back Up

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:05:00 +0000

Wow it has been awhile since I have consistently posted to this blog. Apologies for being absent. Spending quality time with my wife and children and starting, managing and growing a couple of businesses takes a considerable amount of time so please accept my absence as nothing more than me living a productive life.

In the coming weeks and months I believe I will be able to devote a bit more time to post more here, as I have done in the past. Moving forward the posts will be a bit more focused, shorter, but hopefully no less opinionated and with any luck, deemed valuable to those choosing to read.

Thanks and stay tuned for a new post in the next day or so.

The Basement is looking to hire a front end developer

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:04:00 +0000

The Basement is looking for a full-time front end developer! The right individual is experienced with front end web development (broad) and has a passion for interactive development and innovation. We are working within, but not limited to, HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT and HTML5.

Required Skills:
• Excellent client and internal communication skills
• Strong knowledge of HMTL, CSS, Javascript, and jQuery

• An eye for motion design and timing
• Building or working within frameworks
• Experience integrating with PHP and .Net services required
• Social media API's a plus (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)
• Interest in and/or experience developing for mobile devices a plus
• Experience working within a team using SVN or GIT a plus
• HTML5 knowledge a plus
• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree a plus, but not required

This is an in house position.

The Basement is a growing digital design studio located in Historic Fort Ben, in Indianapolis. Please send portfolio and information to careers@thebasement.tv if you are interested.
No phone calls please.
EOE

The Basis of Our Studio

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:52:00 +0000

The Basement is now five years old. Those five years have gone past incredibly fast. Throughout our short life span we have addressed the same question, "So why is your name The Basement? Is your office in a basement?" The answer is, "No, we are not located in a basement and that is not the reason for our name." It is always enlightening to experience people's literal nature.

I guess it is time to plant our stake in the ground and provide a documented answer for the masses. The name of our organization stems from a state of mind. A space where creativity and ingenuity are not only free to flow but are encouraged, pushed along and executed with glee, delight and raw enthusiasm.

The next chasm new acquaintances sometimes have a hard time crossing is the fact that we specialize in both interactive and animation and all of the possibilities this mix creates. Traditionally, you had these two separate and distinct skill sets and they did not live under the same roof. The interactive designers and developers played in their pen and the animation/motion graphics designers and producers played in theirs in a more traditional broadcast paradigm. No longer is this acceptable. Especially when you consider the opportunities in a marketing and advertising market. A long time ago we realized that the lines between the desktop, mobile, DOOH and broadcast were blurring at a quick pace and marketers/advertisers, as a result, could really take new approaches and see new benefits. We created our studio to concept, design and develop for both as we knew they were on a collision course. Interactive has been adopting broadcast qualities for quite some time and broadcast is rapidly becoming more interactive. Smart phones are only the tip of the iceberg. Smart televisions are now emerging in mass and will continue to grow market share and the technology to support fully interactive television will consistently improve. The Basement was conceived and born to service this opportunity, from day one. Were we a bit ahead of ourselves? Maybe. In the meantime we have helped countless clients and partners understand the opportunity through numerous desktop, mobile and broadcast opportunities, as it presented itself at that point in time, and as they progress moving forward. A complete view of the landscape, if you will. During this time The Basement has established a reputation for progressive solution engineering, creative execution and unique thinking. Most importantly, we have helped our clients solve problems, succeed in meeting objectives and helped place them in a market-leading position.

As the market progresses we are embracing it and growing with this opportunity. Our clients have reaped the benefits for the past five years and will continue to be the most progressive in their verticals.

As The Basement continues to roll out our refreshed brand and new client work for the world to see hopefully you will have a better understanding and context of where we are coming from and where we are going.

Stay fascinated.

The Basement ...Refreshed

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:02:00 +0000

The Basement is refreshing our identity and messaging. With that comes a new logo, new tagline and new website. Today we launched our new logo and tag at www.thebasement.tv .

In addition, we've launched a microsite showcasing the animated bumpers program we curated for the Indy Film Fest. This site showcases stories from MG Collective filmmakers. You can get there through our site or at www.thebasement.tv/bumpers .

Like it. Share it. Enjoy it. Thanks goes out to the festival and all the filmmakers and teams that made this possible.

The Basement is Hiring a Front End Developer

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 03:23:00 +0000

Front End Developer

The right individual is experienced with front end web development (broad) and has a passion for interactive development and innovation. We are working within, but not limited to, HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT and HTML5.

Required Skills:

• Excellent communication skills with clients and internal project team

• Strong knowledge of HMTL, CSS, Javascript, and jQuery

• HTML5 knowledge a plus

• An eye for motion design and timing

• Building or working within frameworks

• Experience integrating with PHP and .Net services required

• Social media API's a plus (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)

• Interest in and/or experience developing for mobile devices a plus

• Experience working within a team using SVN or GIT a plus

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree a plus, but not required

This is an in house position.

The Basement is a growing digital design studio located in Historic Fort Ben, in Indianapolis. Please send portfolio and information to careers@thebasement.tv if you are interested. No phone calls please.

EOE

Ad Age Article Supports "New Shoes" Post

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Take some time and read this piece that appeared in Ad Age today. The title, The Truth About What Works in Digital Marketing, is accurate. This is one of the more complete, and well stated pieces I have recently read. Oh yeah, it also supports my previous post.

It's a good read. Check it out.

Try Some New Shoes

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:35:00 +0000

I saw a headline today making the ever so bold statement, "The End of Social Media." It prompted me to read, as bold headlines like this are designed to do. You see media pundits, like pundits in other topic arenas, love to grab you with a large, profound headline, and then typically settle down and even contradict the headline later in the piece. This piece actually tried to back up their big claim.

As I read the article, it seemed clear the writer was not saying social media is nearing it's fateful end, he was simply making the case for category consolidation. His point was this, because of its broad use and acceptance by a seemingly large amount of the general public (not just for techies and niche demos anymore) it is high time to start lumping in social media with all other media, and simply it should fall under the broad "media" umbrella.

After I read this I was unsure where to even start. This theory seems ripe for hole shooting. I am no "social media expert", Lord knows we have plenty of those, and who am I to add to the pile? I have been in the media business for 15+ years and have studied the industry's evolution for even longer. In my opinion, and it is only that, there is an overarching cause for these kinds of silly attention grabbing, yet head crackingly shallow pieces floating around the Internet and printed information dispensaries. The cause? The inability for the "digital media expert" to stand in the shoes of the vast majority of the American media public. Despite how "normal" the actor looks on the Apple commercials who flawlessly utilizes the iPad for everything but washing their dishes, or the actors who represent the super tech conscious teen and his laggard Dad in the Verizon store walking out smiling with their new ultra acronym enabled smart devices, the hard reality is the VAST MAJORITY of Americans are technology averse, and do not view their social media in the same general way as they view the rest of the general media. From the pundit's seat, that is blasphemy. The technology revolution is ubiquitous and cannot be stopped. Laggards be damned! After all, all his tech buddies on Twitter agree with him and they all rushed out to buy the latest iPad, just like him. That must be what everyone else on the planet did too, right? The hard reality is that Twitter has a huge attrition problem, and it is not with their die hard techie following, it is with the more casual user who heard about this social media phenom, tried it out and left bored. That crowd does not view Twitter as simply "media", therefore, as someone who is regularly tasked with reaching the consumer, I can't either.

I challenge any digital media pundit to walk into a local grocery store and ask ten people of various age and demographic detail if they utilize Facebook. Out of those that say "Yes" then ask what they use it for. Then I suggest asking those folks how many watch television. Then ask them why do they watch television, and what do they watch? Keep asking these questions, keep digging deeper. Understand these are two very different pieces of media, being utilized by the general public in different ways. The VAST MAJORITY of people who large consumer product/service advertisers go after with their ad dollars are just that, the majority. I suggest that the pundit take a walk in the majority's shoes to understand they aren't all like him, and they do not view social media in the same vain as other "media."

Why has the current ad model in Facebook received so much criticism? Why has it not been the most successful ad model in history? After all Facebook has a larger, more engaged participant group than any other media property in history? There are many reasons, but one big one is because it is being sold and used like a traditional media ad model, and that is not consistent with how it's audience uses the platform. It is truly social media, and the most successful ad model for this type of media is yet to discovered. My guess is that when it is discovered it will not even be recognized as advertising, because it will not fit the traditional ad mold and the pundits who command the pulpit on this topic only know what they know.

The nature of social media, and it's continuing evolution, is greater segmentation and higher degrees of specific purpose and use. Simply put, it is the reason Facebook and LinkedIN each are successful, for very different purposes. They each serve a distinct opportunity, their users, for the most part, recognize the difference, and engage accordingly. To try and lump these in with general "media" is silly. It is as silly as lumping Twinkies and Apples into the same category of "food." Any dietitian would scoff at the notion.

Any media professional would be well advised to stop looking at the world from their submerged perspective, and take some time to walk in the brands' audiences' shoes. It is a very eye opening experience, and one that allows you to connect for more meaningful communication through whichever media channel you are focusing on.

I am all for the continuing integration of media technology, and I believe the various media verticals, i.e. traditional television, radio, print and digital opportunities like the web, social, mobile and digital integrated television, all have opportunities to become more conjoined, however to lump them all together in hope of some easy categorization seems a bit shallow to me at this point.

Super Bowl XLVI and Buzzfunnel

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:34:00 +0000

I am happy to announce a fun web experience that launched last night called buzzfunnel . Our interactive development team worked with Borshoff on this interesting web site that allows anyone to share videos, social media input and answer quick polls relating to all things Super Bowl XLVI .

Check it out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

The Manchurian Candidate

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:18:00 +0000

I received a phone call yesterday morning and the caller was very frustrated. No, it was not my wife, it was one of my business partners exclaiming that she could not believe what she just read. Here is the headline to what she was referring, GM's in a Korean State of Mind But can it give Cheil the win on Chevy's creative? Basically if you read the piece it states that Cheil, a Korean advertising agency, is one of the finalists for the American icon's creative agency account. The article, penned by Noreen O'Leary, seems to me to be a pretty objective and fact-based piece. Noreen continues on explaining why it might and might not make sense for Chevrolet to select Cheil Worldwide for this desirable task. By the way I went to Cheil's web site (linked to in this piece) and it was not a pleasant experience.

Needless to say, my partner's amazement that Chevrolet would consider, even just as a finalist, any non-stateside shop as the creative lead for the brand disappointed her, to put it mildly. And why wouldn't it? Let's look at the Chevrolet campaign that is eating up our airwaves as I write this.

"Runs Deep" has been plastered all over television, billboards, the web and in print for a decent part of 2011 and as possibly best evidenced in this spot http://www.chevrolet.com/culture/article/1964-impala-younger-family/ , is really tugging on our collective Americana heart strings. This campaign is effectively saying, "Hey, we have grown up with this country, with your family, with YOU. We are still here making great American products that will evoke the same emotions, in you, that this guy is experiencing as he cries about his old Impala SS." They are really pouring it on, and I will admit, when I first saw this spot air, I thought it was well done. Understanding the current Chevrolet brand statement and upon reading this AdWeek article, Lee Clow has got to be shitting himself right about now.

Accomplished brand agencies who understand the value of true brand advertising and marketing will read this article and NOT react to the obvious hypocrisy of a US tax payer funded bailout recipient opting for a foreign service provider when there are plenty of good, qualified AND unemployed advertising folks roaming the streets looking for a place to practice their craft. They will, however, react to how Chevy, even by simply naming a non-US agency as a finalist, is contradicting the very foundation of the biggest campaign it has run in the last several years. What does this say to their current US employees, their non-marketing executives and most importantly, like my business partner, their US customers? Her reaction to me was one of betrayal. She expressed to me, "How could they even consider a non-US agency after the events of the last couple of years!?" I am a free market guy and I get Noreen's consideration of a Korean agency for a growing Korean market. Makes total sense. To have a non-US agency, lead the entire Chevy brand, a brand staking its comeback on a heavy emotional connection with its Americana roots and American customer base, to me, makes no sense. It is a total contradiction to itself. Lee Clow iterated in the documentary Art & Copy, and I am paraphrasing, but he essentially said the best way to sell a brand, and see the brand succeed, is by expressing the one simple truth about that brand, to the consuming public, in a way they understand. The next step is to ensure the brand lives up to and delivers on that truth.

So Chevy, is this consideration of Cheil how you are "Running Deep?"

Google AdWords model is applied to YouTube video ads - Related Stories - IAB SmartBrief

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Google AdWords model is applied to YouTube video ads.

This is a great peek into the future of television advertising. I knew it was merely a matter of time before the AdWords model would be applied, as accurately as text-based ads, to video content.

The Basement's Todd Bolster Presenting at MBO

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:17:00 +0000

I just wanted to give you a head's up that our own Todd Bolster will be presenting at the MBO Conference on October 11th. Check out Masters of Business Online - Speakers to get the full rundown.

A little about Todd...
"Todd Bolster is currently a Business Development Manager at The Basement Design + Motion, a digital studio in Indianapolis specializing in the concept, design, and production of contemporary interactive media, games, motion graphics, and animations. His clients include some of the largest ad agencies and non-profits in the world. At The Basement, he co-founded that^me, a series of educational animations teaching life skills to college students.

Todd serves on the board of the Indianapolis Chapter of the American Advertising Federation, Butler University Career Services, and the Intercollegiate YMCA."

Hopefully you can make it and say hi to Todd if you get the chance.

The Basement Design + Motion is Hiring

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:11:00 +0000

Due to increased client demand, The Basement Design + Motion is looking to fill two full-time positions.

The first position is for a digital designer. Experience designing for the web and mobile is required. Online display advertising design experience a plus, but not required. Motion design is a plus, but not required. 1 - 3 years experience preferred. Send a link to your portfolio for review if you have interest to jacob{at}thebasement.tv

The second position is for a interactive developer. 1 - 2 years experience preferred developing AS3. Less experience is okay if you can exhibit solid fundamental object oriented development skills. This is an excellent learning opportunity for the right candidate. Please send your online portfolio to jacob{at}thebasement.tv

Basement's Todd Bolster Guest Post on Bohlsen PR Blog

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:03:00 +0000

I just finished reading Todd Bolster's short, but poignant piece on the Bohlsen PR blog. Check it out HERE

Social Failures, Integration is Key and MasterCard

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:06:00 +0000

I just finished reading a good piece by Jonathan Salem Baskin on AdAge CMO Strategy.

Jonathan makes several great points about how many prominent and noted social media campaigns have garnered eyeballs but not pushed the needle on sales for their respective products or brands. Specifically, Jonathan mentions some common social media concepts or retorts as to why the social campaign did not increase sales for, as an example, consumer goods purchased at a counter, and not online, such as fast food and soda pop. I agree with Jonathan and building on specific points made in his article, I see the inability of the fly-by-night "social media experts" who have no real experience in disciplines like customer service, marketing or even consumer oriented operational process, being the cause for them to fall by the wayside in the next 12 months. No results in the revenue column typically means no more job, whether employed full-time or on contract a la Mr. Baskin.

I will never forget an experience I had when marketing for my old employer, a very large fast feeder. I was working on strategy to not only increase customer counts, but to do it in a way that gave cause for my local market customers to rave about things like our fresh food, superb service, family oriented experience and cleanliness, so in affect they would come back again and go out into their communities and spread the word (this was called word of mouth - you know, viral media before the term "viral" existed beyond describing a cold or flu). My boss told me not to execute any traffic generating activities until the operational procedures at my stores were excellent. Period. The point? Don't drive large amounts of customers to something that will prove out to be a bad experience. The short term gain in sales will turn into a long term loss for the brand and my stores. That sage advice was dually noted, I followed her direction, and consequently we had not just a short term gain, but long term positive gains across our entire local system, to the point where our local group of stores lead the entire national system in sales increases. Awards and bonuses were soon to follow. Score one for the good guys.

This has direct correlation to Jonathan's article. Another example - specifically a social media campaign I worked on (with our agency client) that garnered large sales increases for the end client. The client was yet again another national restaurant chain. They wanted to experiment in Facebook to see if/how they could get positive word of mouth AND increase sales, not just give away free product. Summary - very targeted and strategic media buy in Facebook, very well thought out coupon strategy distributed via Facebook and it was a long term solution, not a one time gimmick. A lot of detailed thought went into the coupon offers, how frequently they would be released, the redemption time frame, and how the stores would deal with the potential wave of customers redeeming the offers. Unfortunately, I feel like integration opportunity was lost ion this campaign, even though it was pitched to the client, they decided against updating or even optimizing their old brand web site for this big initiative. That was a missed opportunity in this guy's opinion. Results? Going from 3,000 likes on Facebook to 400,000+ in about 30 days. So what? Sales matter right? They experienced some of the largest sales increases in a decade and this campaign sustained over months. Could this have done even better with more integration through more online, in-store and traditional media channels? Of course, but the client, and more importantly their customers, were very pleased.

Last example - and I did not work on this one. I had the TV on the other night, ABC, prime time. I saw a commercial during one of the breaks for Mastercard. It was a spot for entrepreneurs/small business owners. That is me! I am their audience. It was a great piece of storytelling. The spot was well-written, I related to their pitch, and they left me with a call to action to go to their web site to learn more. I want to the web site to learn more!! Success right? Nope major fail. The site was horrible - no reference at all to what they were promoting on the TV spot. None! No consistent branding, no consistent messaging and the experience was completely different. I bounced off the site in 20 seconds. No integration at all. No new customer at all. Mastercard spent a lot of money on that TV spot, it was well done. They spent a lot on the media, major network in prime time on a highly rated show, and they lost me at the web site. No integration whatsoever, no positive experience whatsoever and no new customer whatsoever.

Moving Back, Moving Forward

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 02:50:00 +0000

It is really pretty amazing to see how the media industry and communications technology has progressed, and in some cases regressed, over a few short years.

I was going through an old email file the other day and I stumbled across an old project that a friend and I started about six years ago. We established a wiki and we each contributed periodically with thoughts on all things digital as they related to marketing, advertising, social and corporate communications. We went back and forth for months and met over breakfast every other week to discuss our online volleys. It was fun and pretty productive to have focused sessions like that with someone who was as into the industry, if not more so, than myself.

Well, as I hit the link to revisit the Wiki, relatively untouched five years later, I was pretty entertained by the postings. It was very interesting to see how things had progressed in our industry, but really some things haven't. The tools, hardware, terminology, software, bandwidth and more has evolved seemingly decades in a few short years. What hasn't changed? Principals, foundational strategy, how to use digital channels in a strategic/successful way, how to understand your audience and how to be a benefit, not a nuisance. Offering value, not offering a slightly less palpable alternative to spam. Listening, not yelling. Basically good old fashioned marketing sense.

Bad marketing still is ineffective no matter what new technology you are "leveraging." Sorry had to work in that tired cliche. Good marketing principal and relevance to your "crowd" still works, no matter the technology you have at your disposal.

Yeah, the channels are more sophisticated, the ability to wow greater and the pinpointing is finer, but ultimately the best product or services win no matter the shiny marketing object du jour. The old rules still apply, deliver a relevant, quality and valued product and/or service and know how to deal with your customers. Technology can make that whole process more efficient and effective but only if you address the basics first.

I know this is not nearly as fun to read as the "Top 10 things that will kill Twitter" or "How you can become a social media rock star overnight." Medicine never tastes as good as candy but it heals you much quicker.

The Basement Claims a Cincinnati Addy

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:50:00 +0000

The Basement Design + Motion was notified by our agency client this week that we were the recipients of a Gold Addy in the Cincinnati market competition. Thanks to our client and the Cincinnati Advertising Federation. Nice work Basement team.

The Basement Wins Another Award

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 04:25:00 +0000

The Basement Design + Motion learned over the weekend that we won another Gold Louie for our work on the KFC Buckets for the Cure web site. Congratulations to all the staff at The Basement that put their hard work in to the project. A big thank you to our agency client Creative Alliance for selecting us to work on the project!!

Break the Cycle of Creative Abuse

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:29:00 +0000

I have read more than a few articles in the last 60 days all about top shelf creatives leaving the advertising business. These are not underpaid interns, recent graphic design grads or even mid-level producers, rather they are executive-level creative directors and top-of-the-food-chain creative leads migrating away from high-profile positions at the big-boy conglomerates.

Why is this? Yesterday Ad Age distributed a great piece talking about some of the reasons. You can read Daniele Fiandaca's piece in whole HERE

Basically the article states there are a few core reasons for the industry needing a vast re-tooling. Some factors include the impact of technology, outdated industry in an ever evolving media landscape and burnt out and commoditized creative talent.

I would like to focus on the last point, while made, in my opinion, not emphasized enough. This is a very real, far reaching and long term issue.

I have been in the media industry for 13 years and have worked on the agency side, the client side and the media side. I am currently own a business that services some ad agencies. It is my observation that the industry has a real problem with creative abuse. Similar to other forms of abuse (see child abuse) it seems this creative abuse is hard to break because it is formed in a nasty cycle. Client abuses agency, agency abuses creative, creative/producer abuses partner/vendor based on behavior exhibited or pressure applied to them by account leads. It is trickle down abuse. The net result is under performing work, budgets that do not fit the business objectives and everyone is frustrated, if not down right demoralized.

The agency industry has been complaining and moaning about commoditization of good creative work for decades, this is nothing new, yet they pass that same abuse and commoditization on to everyone they work with. When does the cycle end? How do you break the cycle? I think technology, for all its foibles, offers at least, a potential break. I have thought this for a long time.

Commoditization occurs when the market becomes saturated and the "cheaper" providers can move in and offer goods or services at a level that can satisfy the market at a low price point - pushing away the value from a high quality, higher cost provider. Understanding that, we see the ad business has been commoditized in the traditional services - standard graphic design, copy writing, print services, and traditional broadcast services. Funny how the "big idea" is not mentioned, mostly because it can never be commoditized because it is rarely found within a commodity agency. Have you ever taken the time to ignore the major advertisers that you see on the Super Bowl or that are featured in creative publications? Look at the other 85% of advertising that runs. There is a lot of VERY BAD advertising out there. The industry even admits it. You can chalk up all that poor work to low budgets, clients with low expectations and agencies willing to accommodate and commoditize their offering to serve that market. I am not judging, I am just calling out what I see. The abuse is a big piece of this puzzle.

Lee Clow said in a recent Independent Lens documentary, Art & Copy. I am paraphrasing, but he basically said there is a ton of poor advertising out there because many agencies are not advertising the truth. They are taking money to perform for poor products and services. Maybe that is the genesis of this abusive cycle? Taking payment to promote something that inherently offers little value to the customer? Does that promote a low image of not only the client, but of the agency? Low self esteem certainly fuels an abusive situation. I am not sure, but it certainly provokes thought.

The solution? I want to be a part of it for sure. Getting back to technology. Is this an opportunity to start fresh? To break the cycle? Is it too late? Based on the rapidly advancing evolution of the media industry, based on technology and moving audience habits, I believe this has offered, the past 15 years and continuing, an opportunity to leave the commoditizers in the past and progress towards a more creative, value driven model. Advertising is a creative-driven business. Yes it is fueled by business objectives, but make no mistake, creatives are the gasoline of this engine. To lose the best creatives is akin to running out of gas and being stranded.

So if this opportunity has existed for the past 15 years and is moving forward in an undeniable fashion, why so much flight from the industry? If the horizon is just over the hill, why the frustration? This opportunity has not been embraced. It has been fought and frankly a lot of the commoditizers in the industry have down played the progress even though it can help to effectively free them from the yoke. This resistance to evolve has gone a long way to not only motivate legions of creatives to leave traditional agencies and migrate towards boutiques with a fresh perspective, start their own shops or even leave the industry all together, it has effectively kept fresh blood out of traditional agency recruitment.

I cannot count how many young, talented creatives that I have chatted with over the past 5 years who have expressed no desire to work at a large, traditional shop. They want to work for a smaller, nimble digital shop or a boutique who focuses on smaller clients, and premium work. It has been incredibly interesting to witness. People turning down opportunities with large shops in major metros for small boutiques in major metros or even mid-major cities.

I am not sure I have the solution to break this cycle, but I will leave you with a few paragraphs quoted from the Why Aren't Ad Agencies Rewiring piece referenced earlier in this post, "Mind boggling isn't it? We're relying on a model established nearly 50 years ago to carry us into the future where massive changes are taking place in the wider media world. It's no wonder this model isn't working for us, as evidenced by the fact that industry talent is leaving places they fear can't and won't change.

For the most part, it's not that agencies don't want to evolve. They are simply stuck in old processes and production models that can't adjust. I hear it from my students in every class I facilitate. Well-established agencies are really struggling to figure out how to shift their focus and think beyond single disciplines such as "advertising" and "digital." They are trying to change their DNA -- no small feat compared with the characteristics baked in at smaller, start up agencies born in the digital age."