Ford Motor Company demonstrated their belief in this idea when they brought in Alan Mulally to be the President and CEO of the beleaguered automotive giant. Mr. Mulally didn’t come from the automotive industry. His background was in the Aerospace industry. He holds a degree in aeronautical and astronautics engineering. Mr. Mulally knew how to build Boeing jets, not Ford F100s. However, it was precisely his “ignorance” of how the automotive industry has always run that helped navigate the company through the turbulent times that Ford would face in a downturned economy.

Mr. Sutton points out some important guidelines found in his book, Weird Ideas That Work, that are great for fostering innovation:

1. Don’t study how the issue you’re facing has been approached in the past by others in your company or industry.

2. If you already have a lot of knowledge about the issue, seek out those individuals who are ignorant of the situation and ask them to help solve the problem with a fresh set of eyes.

3. Ask new hires, even those fresh out of school, to find solutions to issues you may “know” the answer to and see what innovative solutions they come up with. Note: stay out of their way while they do this.

4. Find people or companies in industries outside your own who are currently working on similar issues and ask what they’ve learned and what they found effective by way of resolving the issues.

5. If people with the right set of skills have a hard time finding solutions to problems you’re facing, try turning the questions over to those in your organization who don’t have the right set of skills and see how they would answer.

6. If you’re a novice, look for experts to help you with your situation but don’t automatically assume they are right – especially if they tell you they are.

Whether you’re developing the latest innovation for orthodontics or simply needing to improve your bottom line through better marketing and advertising, it pays to have a fresh set of eyes (and brains) look at your situation. Being too smart about the issues you’re facing could very well be holding you back from your full potential.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

The past couple of years have been trying ones for our firm, as other companies across the country can attest to as well. However, I see that we have so much more to be thankful for. Here’s just a few things that I’ll bow my head in gratefulness for this Thanksgiving:

1. Answered prayers.

While we don’t shout it in a boastful way or use it to profit by, the faith of those in the firm has certainly sustained us. I know many prayers have been lifted and many more answered.

2. The Talstone family.

Being small, it’s understandable that we’re a tight-knit group. I know I couldn’t have come through some of the challenges we have faced had it not been for those who work along side of me. Our name means “rock-solid talent” and everyone here lives up to that name in more ways than one.

3. Friends of the firm.

In trying times you really see who your friends are. I can tell you that I am grateful for those who have shown so much belief in this firm. The advice, encouragement, and swift kicks in the tail have meant so much to me.

4. Our clients.

I believe that there isn’t a better sector to work in than the advertising. Where else do you get the opportunity to learn so much from so many different people? We never take lightly the significance of those who have trusted us with their marketing efforts. I’m thankful to be considered partners with so many wonderful people.

5. Challenging opportunities.

It can never be said that Talstone has ever backed down from a challenge. While we may have gotten bruised up a bit the past couple of years, we’re in no way beaten. The resolve of this firm is as strong and true as ever and indicative of the determined dedication we employ when approaching our clients’ challenges. I welcome the challenges of the future and the opportunities that abound for us in the future.

There will be more answered prayers to come, new faces added to our team, new friends to be made, new clients to partner with who have new challenges that we’ll eagerly tackle, and a much brighter hope for the future. So ask me why I’m smiling … I’ll be happy to tell you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Marketing requires more than clever images and clever words. Smart marketers know it takes three key understandings to be successful:

An Understanding of Yourself

What gets you up in the morning? What are your passions and your dislikes? Why are you in this business? What makes you different from your competition? These are just a few questions that you have to ask before developing a marketing strategy. I can’t tell you how many times we have posed these questions to the heads of organizations only to be met with blank stares. However, when organizations stop and answer the questions they come to understand themselves more. Once you come to understand yourself then you will be able to clearly speak to your target.

An Understanding of Your Target

A key component in a great marketing strategy is to know who you need to target and why. Good market research is essential in building a good database of contacts. Developing a good database is time intensive and something that requires maintenance to ensure that your future messages hit their mark. Finding a target that will be receptive to your message will create a greater ROI for your efforts.

An Understanding of Your Goals

To be profitable, you have to know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Your goals might be to build greater brand recognition, generate sales, build awareness, or promote a specific product or service. A clearly defined objective is the start of any great strategy. When you can convincingly state why you need to engage in a particular marketing activity you will have an easier time determining your overall strategy.

You can’t expect your marketing efforts to succeed if you use the ready, fire, aim approach. Knowing yourself, your target, and your goals are critical in building a solid marketing strategy.

What’s your thoughts?

It seems like everyone today is trying to bring down Google. First it was Microsoft, then Apple, then Apple again, now Facebook. The latter is getting ugly and it is about to get worse.

So what should Google think? They should be celebrating. You see, in sports, you know you’re the best team when every other team hates you. Look at the Yankees, the Lakers, the Steelers, Alabama, or my beloved Wildcats. Every time they step foot on the field or court, it’s the biggest game of the year for their opponents. Why? Because they’re the best.

Google has now entered that territory. They’re on top of the technology world. Their fans have every right to hold up the giant foam finger because they truly are the team to beat.

HTML5 Video is aiming to do away with 3rd party plugins like Adobe’s Flash and make online videos an actual page element that can be read by the browser itself, just like images. I recently gave a presentation at BarCamp Nashville about the basics of online video and wanted to share some key points with you here:

1. HTML5 Video can be controlled and skinned easily by using JavaScript and CSS.
2. There are currently 3 major codecs that you have to use to be cross-browser compatible: OGG, MP4, and WebM.
3. To make it compatible with IE 8 and below, you need a fallback method that uses Flash.
4. If Apple will stop being childish and do what’s best for the growth of online development by supporting the WebM codec, the adoption of HTML5 video will be huge.

If you want to learn more about HTML5′s video tag, take a look at the slides from my presentation here.

1. Make it simple.

Many people believe they need to give a college dissertation on the products and services they offer. By the time they are finished explaining their offerings their targets have moved on to something less complex. Make sure that you are keeping things simple. Less is more. Don’t make your target work so hard to understand what you’re trying to offer.

2. Make it memorable.

In an overly connected world where information flies around at the speed of light (and in mass quantity), there is so much noise that your target is having to sort through. Sure, you think it makes sense or looks creative, but will your audience see it that way? You can’t think like you. You must think like your target. If you don’t make a cognitive impact on your target then you’re just wasting money.

3. Make it inviting to look at.

It’s widely accepted that most people are visual learners. Having a cohesive color palette, using a legible font, and utilizing images that support the copy are important considerations when creating effective marketing collateral. Additionally, if your marketing efforts look half-baked then YOU will be perceived as half-baked. A competitor need only look more professional than you to win. It pays to look good.

4. Make it fun to read.

As attention spans dwindle to seconds, you have a daunting task of getting your message across quickly. Give your target something to hang on to. Let them into your organization in a clever way. You have the opportunity to actually build a personality for your organization. Keep your headlines short and powerful. Ask a question to get the target to interact with your copy. Use an image that offers a unique slant to the meaning of the copy. Make your marketing engaging and you’ll pull more motion from your audience.

Keeping your advertising simple, memorable, pleasing to the eyes, and fun will certainly do you a better job than what most businesses are doing these days. If you keep these tips in mind, your advertising efforts will be, in the immortal words of Tony the Tiger, “Grrrrrrreat!”

Seth pretty much sums up the nuts and bolts of WIIFM—What’s In It For Me. In short, it means your target audience is most interested in what your product or service can do for him or her. How does it improve their life, give them time, or make the rat race any easier? How do they benefit your product/service?

Many times I’ve asked someone to give me some benefits of their product. I almost always get a list of features. For example, “XYZ Widget boasts a Secure Security Flex-Lock Ring.” Well, that’s great. But that’s a feature. What is the benefit? That when you use the XYZ Widget your stuff doesn’t get stolen. You may think you’re selling a Widget, but what you are actually selling is peace of mind.

When you start turning your features into benefits, potential customers sit up and take notice. So keep in mind that while customers might not care what you do, they care deeply about what you can do for them. It makes all the difference.

We call it the Talstone Tangent because, well, we’re always seeing how one thing links to another in the marketing world. It’s not uncommon for us to start off discussing the latest in PPC and the next thing you know we’re experimenting with a QR reader.

What does that mean for you? A blog that gives you tidbits, nuggets of information, and yes, tangents that directly affect the work you do every day. So pour yourself a cup of joe and browse around. We’re sure you’ll find something you like.