pauldervan: random thoughts on marketing

Modern Branding v Classic branding

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:06:00 +0000

Adrian Ho writes a lot of sense. Not just sense. Insights. I've linked to (and stolen from) him before. In the slides above, he nods to John Grant, planner and author of some of the finest marketing books I know of. These slides by Adrian and Rob are definitely worth a read.

TV ad with star studded cast

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:45:00 +0000

I think using celebrities in advertising can increase odds of ad recall. But sometimes the celeb is remembered, not the product or brand message. Lots of big names here but message is clear and central throughout. Kept me watching.

The Art of Performance Management

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:35:00 +0000

I'm interested in work-enjoyment. Always have been I think. It might be due to seeing how much intrinsic satisfaction my dad got from his work. If we are going to spend so much of our waking hours working, it would be nice to enjoy it. Most people don't. Lots of reasons why.

One (unnecessary) reason why we don't like work is when we are mismanaged. Happens all the time. Managers are busy. Very busy. They are too busy to spend time with the individuals on their teams.

Ironic when you consider the role of a manager is to 'get work done through others'.

Managing is also difficult. Most of us stumble through it, honing our skills over time. As part of a project recently, I wrote some principles and practices that I try to stick to. Most of this is commonsense but I've borrowed ideas, techniques and insights from Larry Bossidy, Steve Kerr, Jack Welch, and James Kilts among others. And of course from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

I've tried to keep it practical, with an example at the end showing how objectives might be written. I've discovered (after too long) that getting a process is key to good performance management. It is time consuming in the beginning, but only in the beginning.

I've called it The Art of Performance Management, acknowledging that management is more art than science.

You can download the 6-page pdf here. Feedback (good, bad, random insults etc) is welcome.

Does this still work?

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:19:00 +0000

Recently I'm seeing lots of ads using this technique (lots of stuff forming the shape of the product). Now I know it was mentioned as a common ad cliche here, but does it still work?

Does it cut through into our consciousness and get the intended message across?

Grab your bag

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:46:00 +0000

Anybody that has studied 'operation management' is probably very familiar with Southwest Airlines - the airline that Ryanair is modelled on. Their founder and ex-ceo Herb Kelleher is considered a bit of a legend. I might write a proper post on him later.

I like the ad. Found it here.

Outdoor ad for homelessness

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:35:00 +0000

Nice outdoor. I'm assuming the 2nd ad went up after the first week or so. Found via AdsoftheWorld

I'm really impressed with the latest TV ad from Barnardos.

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:28:00 +0000

I'm really impressed with the latest TV ad from Barnardos.

They have managed to steer away from cliche and create something that connects with the viewer. It is always a courageous decision to go for the heart instead of the head. The urge is to lead with a rational message that appeals to our minds. But when done well, heart always wins. The production values are high, the visuals feel very real and the music is haunting.

I initially felt that the 'call to action' could be stronger but I know there is a 30" and and 10 second one to follow the initial burst. It is always a balancing act to engage the viewer in your story and still hit them over the head with a request for cash.

I hope the campaign works. They need the money to keep their children services going. I was invited to one of their centres a few months ago and was humbled by the work they do. Visit barnardos.ie to donate a few quid if you can.

Free books

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

I have not been online much these past couple of months. Clearly I'm writing less. But I've been reading fewer blogs too. The upside is I'm getting a chance to do some old-school-book-reading. Two of these are Free by Chris Anderson and Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig.

Both books get into some of the debates about content, copywrite, creative and the affect of the internet on all of this. They are very different books, coming at this from different angles, but both are well written with clearly articulated arguments. I remember a bit of banter during the summer about Malcolm Gladwell's review of Free but I definitely learned something new from both books. I'd recommend them to marketers.

Apologies. The headline is a bit sneaky. The "free" refers to the subject matter, not the price. I bought them both.

However, I mentioned both these books before - as both were available at one time for free (or a version of free) in digital format. And may still be. I actually read Lessig's one on my iPhone (via Stanza) but then decided to buy the paper version too (a behaviour Anderson says is common enough).

Online video ad

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Online video ad from Apple. Nicely done.

Found via Darren at digital agency Brando.

Are clients to blame?

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:03:00 +0000

I admire the writing from Richard in adliterate. I have hundreds of blogs in my Google Reader but generally see what he, Dave Trott and a few other smart folk have to say first.

He posted a short article (also for Campaign magazine) suggesting that creative coming from UK is not as good as international work - because of the client.

Perhaps he is right, but I was a bit surprised. My view (from the bubble I work in) is that clients were more progressive than before. Sure, we rely on metrics and like our occasional focus group, but we're not looking for 'safe' work. In fact, we hate safe.

Am I wrong?

Levi's outdoor ad

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:51:00 +0000

I like it.

Found via Billboard and Outdoor advertising

Attention to detail

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:13:00 +0000

When in Hong Kong last week, we stayed in a nice luxury hotel (being our honeymoon at all that).

Often it is the attention to detail that stands out. In particular, I was impressed that they changed the floor carpets in their elevators every day.

Coca Cola - within arm's reach of desire.

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:48:00 +0000

Orlaith from McCann Erickson wrote last week about Coca-Cola. About how it continues to dominate as a top brand.

I confess I really don't know enough about it as a brand, but have to admire one marketing element - its distribution. I read before that their vision was to be within an 'arm's reach of desire' wherever you are.

I found this to be the case while on holidays these past few weeks. Regardless of where I was, Coca-Cola was everywhere. In the hotel bars, the supermarkets, every restaurant, the vending machines and in every fridge in every little shop along hot dusty roads.

Distribution may not get as much air time as other marketing elements - such as advertising - but must be a major success factor for Coca-Cola.

I've a good excuse this time

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:14:00 +0000

I've written nothing in the past couple of weeks - but have a decent excuse this time. Got married yesterday. I'm away for another week or two (on honeymoon). So September will be a slow month for blogging for me.

If you ever think about your career, you'll enjoy this.

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:43:00 +0000

This is the Ted Talk I listened to the other day while walking around town. If you ever think about your career, what you should be doing, what does it all mean - do listen to this. It is sharp, funny and makes lots of sense.

Alter ego

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:18:00 +0000

I like this. Although not sure my soul wants to going shopping. If anything, when I'm shopping, my soul wants to be on the sofa. But interesting take and kept me watching.

Found via adland.

Listening to the internet

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:02:00 +0000

Do you remember when using the internet meant reading something? Reading webpages etc. Now it feels like we mostly watch stuff on the internet. I'm not sure when this shift in our description changed.

Although these days, I often find myself listening to the internet on my iPhone while out and about. I like to listen to Ted Talks. Strongly recommend it.

Marketing job available

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:15:00 +0000

Dublin-based digital agency, Cybercom, are looking for an account manager. The details are on their site. Rob and the guys in Cybercom are a good bunch to work with. No doubt the role will be filled quickly.

Diet coke outdoor

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:25:00 +0000

I like the latest Diet Coke outdoor. Created by the folks in McCanns. More about the campaign itself at their blog.

I'm not going to lie to you

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:14:00 +0000

For my 12 or so regular readers out there, I'm aware that I've been slow with posts recently. Apologies.

I'd like to say this is because I've been catching up on my reading or due to heavier than normal workloads. But the truth is I bought all five seasons of The Wire about a month ago. This is about 60 hours of solid watching. It takes focus and determination to work through these night after night but this is what I've been doing. I strongly recommend it.

Paint the big picture for them

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:57:00 +0000

When talking shop a couple of weeks ago, a friend told me she didn't see how her work was connected to her company's strategy. While this is a common complaint, I was surprised. She works in marketing - on some of her company's most important projects. In a critical role too.

If she couldn't see why or how her day to day work fitted into the bigger picture, what are the chances for the many others working on the smaller initiatives? It reminded me of a story Peter Drucker wrote in one of his many insightful management books:

Three stonecutters were asked what they were doing. The first replied that he was "making a living". The second proudly said he was doing the "finest work of any stonecutter in the country". The third replied "I am building a cathedral".

Peter Drucker explains that the first man knows what he wants from his job. He puts in his 8-hour day in return for a fair wage. That's fine. But the problem is with the second man. He may get caught up polishing the steps of the cathedral for weeks without understanding his job is to build the cathedral.

I've always felt this story was relevant to us marketing folk.

We can get caught up in how beautifully our ads have been executed. We fight for hours on how a line of copy reads. Don't get me wrong - copy is important. Very. (And we do fight for hours over words). I want our ads to be the finest they can be. I want to be proud of the work we do. I want to work with people that love what they do. But the work must always be connected back to the big picture. As the phrase goes, "Strategy without sharp execution is a dream. And execution without strategy is a nightmare".

As managers, our role is to make sure our teams understand the big picture. What it is. And where they fit into it. If they can't see it, we need to paint it for them. Regularly.

Nude beach - clever Corona ad

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:14:00 +0000

I've heard Corona punch above their weight when it comes to advertising. They don't spend as much as their competitors on advertising - but people remember their ads.

They achieve this by consistently keeping with their beach idea, relaxed tone, the lime slice and clever play on words and visual - such as having no label on a nude beach.

I like their greedy execution too.

"I'm seeing a flash mob...". Classic stuff

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:11:00 +0000

"I'm seeing a flash mob...". Classic stuff. Found via Faris

This online ad picked up an award recently.

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:00:00 +0000

This online ad picked up an award recently. Worth clicking through to see in action.

I really like this Cadburys outdoor

pdervan@gmail.com (Paul.) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Even on a dull day with a poor camera - this outdoor ad still works.