Later, in Design History classes, I was intrigued by the cyclical nature of design. In many cases, new styles developed as a reaction to the current ones. For example, the hand-crafted nature of the Arts and Crafts movement was a reaction to the sleek, minimalist nature of mass-produced items of Industrialization. I was also fascinated by the idea that these design movements were a visual expression of what was usually a greater philosophy.

I think it’s this background that has me so enamored with the subculture of “Steampunk.” There has been an undercurrent of it over the past 20 years. More recently it has shown up in illustration, books, movies, fashion and fantastic recreations of modern conveniences. It is a counter to the streamlined, unadorned product design you see in cars or Apple computers.

There is usually a dark, anti-establishment undertone to anything Steampunk and often has a post-apocalyptic theme. There is a strong Victorian influence and it is very textural with intricate filigree and exposed mechanization. It’s as if it was made in someone’s basement (or workshop) from spare parts.

You can see examples of it in several movies; Hellboy, 9 and Sherlock Holmes all incorporated elements of Steampunk. It will take the perspective of time to see if it becomes an actual movement, but now that you know what you’re looking for, I’m sure you’ll recognize it often.

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Tom Clark from Fast Company wrote about personal branding almost 13 years ago, and much of what he talked about still holds true today. I may be getting ahead of myself, so let me take a quick step back and provide a brief introduction to personal branding. Well, I’ll let Mashable do that: “Personal branding, by definition, is the process by which we market ourselves to others. As a brand, we can leverage the same strategies that make celebrities or corporate brands appeal to others. We can build brand equity just like them.” The average person comes in contact with roughly 70+ brands throughout the course of any given day, most of which are overlooked. The one brand that people tend to overlook as much as others is easily the most important, their own. Personal branding has been around for quite some time, but with the onslaught of technology and social connectivity, it is important to be aware of your brand now more than ever.

See, in the past personal branding was more face-to-face networking and the depth of your resume. While those are still contributors, there are many more pieces that factor into one’s personal brand these days. That little thing called the Internet, for one, has made your personal brand easily accessible for the entire world to see. With a few clicks or a Google search you can be on display for just about anyone to see. Social Networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn (and to a lesser extent MySpace) have also made it easier to quickly and easily tap into your personal brand. If you’re tagged in 200+ photos doing keg stands or dressed, um, inappropriately at a party (hey it happens to the best of us), that’s probably not the best image you want to portray for yourself or to potential/current employers…. let alone customers.

I’m not saying don’t be you, but the key here is to just be smart about how you present yourself, both in person and online. Companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars sculpting and defining their brands and ensuring they remain intact (as well as protecting themselves from brand hijacking). But if you don’t have that kind of money sitting around, you could spend an hour or so a day just staying on top of, well, yourself. Take a look through your various profiles, but look at them through the eyes of the most conservative person you can think of. Are there any pictures on Facebook that should probably come down? Are any of your updates on Twitter a little too personal or specific? Could you bolster your LinkedIn profile more than just your summer job from ‘03?

Can you think of any other places your brand could potentially be vulnerable?

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And Steve Clark tells us on New School Selling that “All studies of human motivation conclude that people buy from people they trust and respect. As much as 50 to 80 percent of the reason people buy anything has to do with trust and respect. When people buy your product, chances are that they don’t fully comprehend the technical aspects of what you sell.”

Earning trust and respect doesn’t have to be difficult, but it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. It’s like dating. The first impression is everlasting, but you need to back it up after the first date and throughout the courtship. The same is true with client relationships.

Defino explains it like this: “How your company makes a customer feel, how they believe your values align with theirs and your overall likability are all integral to creating clients who are highly favorable toward—and attached to—your business.”

It’s important to follow through on your promises from the very beginning. Making good on promises helps to reinforce the relationship. And when you continually contribute to the relationship and uphold your end of the deal, you’re giving customers a reason to stay with you.

Remember that your prospects are involved in other business relationships, too, so it takes time and patience to connect and bond. Make sure they know you value their time when they share it with you, and provide information that’s valuable to them and their business. You’ll earn more respect at every touch point.

Find simple ways to let them know you care: engage them in a light-hearted conversation. Find a common interest to talk about. Remind them that you’re thinking about their business goals.

They probably won’t want to buy your product after the first phone call, just like you probably won’t get married after the first date. But continue to “date” your clients and engage them. Eventually, they’ll trust you enough to want to keep you around.

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Project managers are going to ask a lot of questions. If you’ve worked with a seasoned project manager, I’m sure you’ve heard some, or maybe even all, of these questions:

• Who are the stakeholders?
• What is the expected due date?
• Is there a budget?
• Who controls the budget?
• Who controls the acceptance of the final product?
• Who is your single point of contact?
• Have you read my project plan?
• What’s the scope?
• Where is the creative brief?
• Where is the site map?
• Is this approved to move forward?
• Why weren’t you in my weekly status meeting?
• If it didn’t pass QA then how can you expect it to go live?
• If you make additions and changes now, why do you feel the release date shouldn’t change?

Yes, some of these are a little sarcastic, but it’s just a little project management humor. We’ve heard it all!

The point of all the questions isn’t to block a creative project. In fact, the point of all the questions is to ensure all the items are in place so that things aren’t stopped or held up later in the process.

I was able to attend a conference where Grady Booch was speaking. He related these laws of software development:
- Sometimes you can’t do it
- Sometimes you shouldn’t do it
- Sometimes you can’t afford to do it

A project manager understands the need to ask questions in order for this assessment to be taken; we can help determine when you can’t do it, shouldn’t do it or can’t afford to do it. And on the other hand, sometimes we find that it just has to be done!

In the spirit of open communication, project managers will ask questions, multiple times and sometimes in various ways, in order to truly define the direction and expectations.

If you’re dealing with a project manager who is asking some hard, embarrassing or pointed questions, it just means they care about your project and want it to be done well.

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Third-party research combined with our nearly 25 years of communicating on behalf of a transit authority consistently proves that.

In the report titled “Understanding How to Motivate Communities to Support and Ride Public Transportation,” the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) did a study that revealed most respondents could define a role for transit in their communities.

Some respondents were better able to envision the reverse—how would their communities fare without transit? Generally, people acknowledged that transit provided mobility, particularly for individuals without personal transportation. Without transit, some people would have trouble getting to work or to the grocery store.

People who don’t ride, or ride infrequently, recognized intellectually that transit played a role in their community. But given the small part that transit played in their daily lives, they did not offer that opinion with real vigor, according to the TCRP report, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in 2008.

Enhancing that vigor among non-riders is the role of marketing and public relations. Just because most people have the means and ability to drive themselves, doesn’t mean ALL will or do. And, it’s vital to a fully-functioning society to provide that means to all who choose to ride to save money, go green or because they are unable to drive for a variety of reasons and need to ride.

That said, ridership messages have their place and have proven to be successful in increasing usage numbers under specific circumstances. Campaigns offering alternatives to skyrocketing gas prices, convenient lunch-time shuttles, easy-to-use rides to the local sports stadium or arena…these are the times you communicate to the infrequent transit rider to remind them of the greater value transit brings to their community.

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The oil spill in the Gulf.

Yet at least one advertiser is taking full advantage of it with timely advertising.

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid.

It’s what animal rescuers use to wash away the oil on seabirds and turtles.

And in that sense it’s literally a lifesaver.

The Dawn commercial airing now is a testimonial of that effectiveness. You see before and after shots of hapless ducklings sodden with crude and then freed from the sludge by a Dawn bath. Lucky ducks.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The “after” shots are endearing and shot to make a big impression on anyone with a heart and, incidentally, with greasy dishes in the sink.

After seeing the birds emerge anew, including one especially photogenic little duckling, I wouldn’t dream of buying anything else but Dawn.

In the digital age, one way to make broadcast advertising engage consumers is to ensure it’s timely. Starting with something that people know about, something that’s top of mind.

It makes ad messaging less intrusive and more a part of peoples’ lives. For that reason timely ads are often the best ads.

Here are five examples of timely ads that are engaging. Can you add to the list?

Philips Father’s Day
Quix Mother’s Day
Durex Greek Team
British Airways Valentine’s Day
Pepsi Christmas

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Over the past few years many aspects of the video production industry have been redefined. The way we shoot, edit and even think about projects have all been effected. And in the process I think certain language has taken on new meaning. I’m talking specifically about the phrase “broadcast quality.” It’s a term we all know, and I’m sure we all have used (I know I have). Most often we use this phrase to describe cameras, edit suites, etc. But what does it really mean today?

Broadcasting isn’t exclusive to over-the-air or cable television anymore. When a video racks up millions of hits on YouTube it’s hard to argue against the power of the Internet. Anyone can distribute a video very easily, and even the most popular vary in production value a great deal. So what does this mean? Allow me to use another cliché, content is king. You’ve heard it before, but it’s true. Without a solid concept or quality idea, no one will watch your video.

Take a look at these two examples that are extreme opposites in terms of production value, but have been viewed by millions.

“This Too Shall Pass” OK Go music video – The band OK Go takes simple household objects to develop a concept that is anything but simple. Something like this takes a great deal of planning, but the end result is creative and entertaining. OK Go is very good at this, check out some of their other videos if you like this one.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Charlie Bit My Finger – Again!” – It’s simple, but it captures a moment that most of us can relate to, a pesky younger sibling. And Charlie’s mischievous laughter tops it off, so we watch.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It doesn’t matter if you shoot a video with a cell phone or a $50k “broadcast quality” camera, there must be something in it for people to watch. To me, quality is relative to the idea, and broadcast is reflective of the number of people that view the end product. The phrase “broadcast quality” has become less about the equipment and more about the idea and the talent that makes it all happen.

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With 33 markets having already been converted to the new PPM method and 15 more scheduled to change this year, it is likely that most media buyers have witnessed or soon will experience the changes that occur once the new data is available.  Diarykeepers tended to over-report their typical listening habits, as they are actually tuning into more stations than previously reported (5-7 with PPM vs. 2-3 with diaries).  Having those habits recorded electronically has resulted in significant changes:

• During the average 15-minute period, people are listening to more stations and spending less time with each (more button pushing)
• Stations are therefore delivering lower audience ratings (less people are hearing the commercials)
• It is costing advertisers more to reach the same number of people they thought they were once reaching (more reason to focus more on audience engagement vs. mass reach)

Over the past year, the shift in reporting has definitely affected how stations are ranked among some of our clients’ core consumers.  And, it is interesting to observe how some of the ‘proven’ stations no longer rate well.  In the end, the proven status is much more valid than the ratings.  But, it certainly requires media buyers to approach negotiations differently while using logical discretion at the same time.  This is one more change in the media world proving media habits of general consumers are more fragmented than ever.  So, buyer beware.  When available, be prepared to spend a little more time analyzing and scrutinizing the PPM data compared to what you were used to. And, be prepared to develop tighter goals up-front in order to eliminate the need to increase advertising budgets.

Photo courtesy of  Nite_Owl. Original photo.

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“Mesh frictionless technologies.”

“Matrix enterprise schemas.”

Are simple words out of fashion?

That’s my guess as “Stanford-speak” reigns.

You can’t have failed to notice it. Or the fact that more and more marketing talk sounds like English but is often less understandable than a foreign language.

What does all this business jargon mean?

And who actually cares? Could it be those determined to convince you how clever they are?

An ad guy who was smarter than most, Bill Bernbach, said, “Our job is to kill the cleverness that makes us shine instead of the product.”

Another who had a masterful command of the English language commented, “Use simple words everyone knows, then everyone will understand.” That was Winston Churchill.

As far as marketers go, few are more plain-spoken than a Harvard MBA who achieved more than most of us ever will: Sergio Zyman, the former CMO of Coca-Cola.

In five years, when no one thought Coke could sell any more, he and his team increased sales by 50%, and the share price quadrupled.

What a success. One based on going after hard facts and actual results.

Sergio Zyman’s 2002 book, “The End of Advertising As We Know It,” is worth a look for its right and wrong ways to pursue marketing. It’s packed with straightforward, clear-cut, commonsense thinking.

Two hundred thirty-four pages of strong ideas.

With no expressions like “create Chinese walls,” “thought shower” or “administrivia,” or the word “architect” used as a verb.

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Embrace opinions.

In March 2010, the Neilson Company conducted a survey called the Global Online Shopping Report, polling more then 27,000 Internet users in 55 markets from Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North and South America to audit how consumers shop online: what they intended to buy, how they use various sites, the impact of social media and other factors that come into play when they are trying to decide how to spend their money.

One of the great things about shopping online is the ability to read and submit reviews – empowering the customer. Consumers seem to think this is especially relevant when it comes to purchasing electronics – 57% of online respondents consider reviews prior to purchasing and 40% of online shoppers indicate that they would not even buy electronics without consulting online reviews first.

We’ve helped our clients integrate powerful systems like Bazaarvoice’s Ratings & Reviews and Stories into their websites to enhance their product browsing experience and provide a channel through which their voices could be heard. But even more importantly, how they could improve products and customer service.

It is fantastic when customers are boasting positive things about your product or service. Brands need to also consider the negative rippling effect of the online voice. It has been said one unhappy customer will tell nine others. Neilson’s Global Online Shopping Report states that 41% of consumers are likely to share/tweet a negative experience. Ouch.

And make no mistake; while we briefly touched on consumer products above, customers are also sharing experiences about business products and services online, as well. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It is a matter of intelligently aligning the community, business and technology.

Start listening. More. Seriously.

Maria Ogneva recently published the article “HOW TO: Better Serve the Social Media Customer.” Customer service doesn’t exist JUST as an email. Or JUST as a call center. Customer service exists in a global space online and offline. She states, “It is not uncommon for the social customer to use several communication platforms at a time in order to get the help she needs, and the company must ensure that if several reps talk to the customer through several channels, they are all working from the same customer record and updating that record dynamically.”

That seems like a lot of people power might be needed. In today’s weakened economy, many businesses have seen declining revenues and declining budgets. This inevitably leads to reduced staff levels, which leads to diminished services. But in reality, companies should be putting even more focus on the retention of loyal customers through better customer service.

One way we have found success in auditing customer service needs is through social media monitoring for our clients.  We have a team that uses a number of tools including Radian6. Putting this into play first allows our clients to see what their customers are saying and where they are saying it. Professional stalking? Maybe a little . But what better way to head off a product engineering issue before it becomes an issue or uplift that brand advocate. Monitoring threads right into customer service.

Service the hell out of your clients.

Establish your customer service lead and let them lead. Then, after you’ve listened a lot, you are better able to create a blueprint for success. By understanding customers needs and desires, you can better develop your products and services to meet those needs rather than putting products out there and hope that they sell. As a brand that listens, you will become more credible and customers will want to share their experiences. Create outreach programs. Connect to the brand advocates you found through monitoring. Embrace and build your communities. Start small and think big. Taking on all the social properties that exist in customer service at once could prove to be foolish. Be awesome on a small few. I say this one cautiously – automate as much as you can. One example is customer service videos, which can automate answers to often-asked questions so your live customer reps can focus on improving one-to-one relationships. And give customers the attention they need on their time. Here are some customer service videos we’ve produced for La-Z-Boy.

lzb customer service videos

No matter how powerful your brand is, if your customer service isn’t leading the way today, you will be in trouble. The good news is all you have to do is listen to your customer. And there are many ways through which you can successfully do that.

What kind of customer service issues are you facing?

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 A quick Google search later and I came across this statement that helps sum up what I’m talking about:

 “Continuous learning is NOT about continually taking courses – it’s about developing skills in reflection and inquiry – it’s about learning how to learn so that your life’s experiences become your own learning lab. The concept of continuous learning has become quite prominent over the past five years. Organizations are changing rapidly. Therefore, it’s difficult to find any approach to doing anything in organizations that doesn’t soon become outdated. The concept of continuous learning has become important because it places priority on noticing, adapting and learning from change.”

– Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.

Placing priority on noticing, adapting and learning from change (at least in my opinion) couldn’t be more prominent than it is in marketing. We in the advertising industry are paid to be on the bleeding edge of technology, understand it and even be in front of it. And, lets face it, technology is moving so fast that today’s “in” thing is tomorrow’s piece of trash. So in some respects, continuous learning is necessary just to survive. But I look at that necessity as a positive and work to embrace the unknown and learn from it. I attempt to look at every project as “how can I do one thing new that I’ve never attempted before?” Then, research it, learn more and execute. And I live by one simple idea: if you don’t understand it, how are you going to expect someone else to?

The best advice I can give… the easiest way to learn more is from those around you. And, here at Hart, the depth of knowledge in our office across every conceivable form advertising astounds me each and every day. So for me, learning is as easy as getting up and walking down the hall to talk to a co-worker. Also, learn from your elders and apply their experience to that bleeding edge technology. I can’t tell you the number of times that I took the advice from someone who was “in the business” for years and applied it to some new emerging technology format and had tremendous results. I’m a child of the ’80s, and one of my most influential teachers in college told us that my generation was one of the luckiest due to two simple truths. One that we can actually remember a life without computers, and two, we get to work with with the baby boomer generation and learn from them before they retire. That ability to blend the old with the new is what makes us a force to be reckoned with and why I think our society is moving at the pace it does today.

In the end, never stop wanting to learn, never expect the work to come to you, and the more you know will make you a better valued employee, help keep your company viable in an ever changing world and make you a well rounded human being.

So I ask, how do you keep continuously learning, and what are the things that inspire you?

Places that I look to learn or be inspired from:

• www.google.com (Is there anything it doesn’t know?)
• www.gizmodo.com (All things nerdy)
• www.foldfactory.com (Check out the 60 second super-cool fold of the week)
• www.cultofmac.com (Because I am the definition of an Apple fanboy, and Apple = Cool design.)
• www.thedieline.com (Great blog of packaging; my first love in design)
• blog.2modern.com (Just all around cool designed stuff)
• http://kelbytv.com/photoshopusertv/ (A new site I’ve recently been following to learn new tricks in that “ocean of possibilities” program we call Photoshop)

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The last 3-5 years have been dynamic for healthcare marketing as consumers shifted more and more time to the Internet.

In fact, it is estimated that between 75 and 80 percent of Internet users have looked online for health information (Pew Internet & American Life Project, August 2008). Combine that with the birth of social media and onslaught of mobile applications and we’re certainly not in Kansas (or Ohio) anymore.

So how does Hart Associates ensure our healthcare clients’ marketing is ahead of the curve? In addition to a lot of research and development, we turn to industry resources to help us keep a pulse on the ever-changing industry. Here are some of our favorites:

• iHealthBeat
• Modern Healthcare
• Healthcare Marketing Report
• Marketing Healthcare Today

We’re always looking for new information sources. Do you have any recommendations not listed here?

Interested in seeing some of our recent healthcare marketing work? Visit www.hartinc.com/work.

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It’s this last instance that is the most critical as it comes to monitoring your brand reputation online.

Exxon Mobil, Aston Martin, Burger King, and most recently, BP, have all been victims of Twitter brandjacking within the last two years.  With increased use of these online social spaces, as well as the increased use of these spaces as a means of communicating marketing messages and interactions with consumers, there is an increased need for companies to monitor what is being said in relation to their company or brand online.

Below is a list of keywords, phrases, or reputations that any savvy business owner should be monitoring online on a regular basis.  Many of these can be set up in a Google Alert with just a few clicks and are essential for monitoring your brand or company’s online reputation.

1. Your Name. This is extremely important if your brand or company is yourself.  You should always be aware of anything that is being said about you in the online space.
2. Your Company Name. This, along with your personal name, should be a given, but it’s amazing how many people miss this crucial step.  For many brands, this is the easiest way to become aware of rogue Twitter accounts or Facebook pages that may be spreading false information about your company.
3. Your Brands. For companies who manage several brand names, like Proctor and Gamble for example, this is necessary in order to keep abreast of anything that is being said not just about your corporate brand, but also your sub-brands.
4. The Names of Your Company’s Executives. Your CEO, your CFO, your CMO, your CIO, your vice president of any number of departments, and your company spokesperson.  These are all worth checking into. Their reputation affects your company’s reputation.
5. Your Marketing Message/Tagline. This can be a very resourceful way of managing customer feedback to your messaging or determining if your registered or trademarked tagline is being misused in any way.
6. Your Industry and Competition. In order to stay competitive in your respective industry, you should always take every step toward being informed about what other players in the industry are doing or discussing.  Knowing what is going on in the environment that surrounds your business is crucial if you want to continue to stay competitive and relevant, and keep the doors of your business open.

Photo courtsey of chego101. Original photo.

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For every project brought into the work-flow, project managers are asked to create solid schedules that project the milestones.

No problem! “Love it!” (Hear the hint of singing in my voice as I say those words.)

In my 14 years as a project manager, I’ve learned the risks and timing involved in building a schedule for a variety of situations. Creating a schedule is the starting point or the roadmap. It gives the direction, the timing – it is the plan. From that foundation the work-flow is generated and tracked with precision and enthusiasm.

Experienced project managers know how to lay out a foundation and project the reality of the timing for everyone involved in the project. It’s taking the conjecture, assumptions and “what ifs” out of the equation and replacing it with a clear, well-thought-out, realistic plan of action. (So if you ever wanted a job that makes a difference and makes things happen – being a project manager is it!)

It follows that more experience in managing projects will give credence to the timeframes put in place for accomplishing the tasks necessary to reach the milestones on the journey for each project. Experience is the key to doing that effectively!

In an article by Bob Weinstein, “Rejecting the Bachelor (Degree),” he even discusses the fact that “Many experienced IT project managers, for example, never took a PM course and are not certified. They simply mastered their skills on the job.”

Experience. Wisdom on how to plan your project and assess risks will save everyone embarrassing headaches. Consult with the project manager before you alert the media to your projects’ release dates. Watch the schedules with anticipation of the final completion date.

Your project manager can help guide you along the way with wisdom and insight into the ever-changing landscape of your project. It is a living thing, and it will be helpful to have an experienced specialist with you for the ride.

Take advantage of it and listen.

Straight from the Horses Mouth

Photo courtsey of Svadilfari. Original photo.

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Although their experiences have been very different, and their exposure has come on varying levels for drastically different reasons, all three have likely learned very quickly what it feels like to have the media knocking at your door. Rather, they’ve learned the importance of crisis communications.

The phrase “crisis communications” is one of those things that PR professionals say all the time; we talk about it, write about it, counsel about it. We constantly advise clients to be prepared for it. But by the very nature of crisis communications, no one knows what it means until it happens. And how can you be prepared for something you don’t know?

That’s where a thorough crisis communications plan comes into play.

While you can’t plan the messages you’ll communicate, you can plan other critical details that will help the process run more smoothly and efficiently, and it’ll help you/your organization’s public image in the long run. So what are those details that you can plan?

• Who will make the decisions? When the crisis hits, who in your organization will be on the phone chain or sitting together to quickly determine the plan of action?
• How will you evaluate the situation? What questions do you need to answer (including those that might not come to mind amidst a crisis)? How will you gather information?
• Who will do the talking? Which person in your organization will be the spokesperson? Who should reporters be directed to? Does that person need media training?
• Who will you talk to? Will you contact the media? Which media? Which stakeholders will be directly contacted? What other audiences are important to be in the know?
• How will you get their attention? Will you make phone calls? Will you send letters? E-mails? Who will send the media advisory?

No organization is immune to a crisis situation. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking to the entire world, the nation or one small community, it’s important to expect the unexpected… and plan for it.

Photo courtesy of Knocked-Out Photography. Original photo.

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I think that’s half the reason those tapes never get out of the closet: the person behind the lens is just clueless. But really, good home video camera work really isn’t too difficult if you adopt just a few simple tactics. 

Recently, I ran across, at esquire.com, this wonderful collection of tips, straight from the mouth of one of the living legends of camera awesomeness, Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films, the man who nearly single-handedly made documenting live sports action a work of art. Following his simple guidelines for camera-pointing will undoubtedly bring smiles to the faces of your kid’s kids when they’re someday subjected, as well, to the dreaded home movie viewing session:

1. Keep the camera steady.
Tip: The first sign of an amateur filmmaker is a shaky shot. Don’t zoom in-and-out. Stay steady, focused, quiet, and completely out of the shot.

“During Super Bowl IV, [Chiefs coach Hank Stram] was like Henny Youngman, delivering one-liners on the sidelines,” says Sabol. “His famous quotes — ‘They’re flat as hell’, ‘Looks like a Chinese fire drill out there’ — almost never made the light of day because I was laughing hysterically, my camera shook and killed the shot. We’re very fortunate that our second cameraman didn’t find Stram nearly as funny as I did. I almost ruined NFL history. The lesson I learned? Stay focused.”

I’d add: edit in the camera, particularly if you don’t plan to cut further later. While the tendency might be to continue rolling indefinitely as you compose new shots, stop the camera, set up the new shot, and then roll again. The end result will feel much more cohesive, and the seasick factor will be reduced considerably.

2. Shoot from your knees.
Tip: If you only film at eye level, you’re destined to capture ambulances, fork-lifts, concession stands — there’s nothing poetic about any of that. But if you shoot from the ground-up, the sky, the clouds, the crowd instill a heroic, dramatic feel.

“There are countless iconic shots that wouldn’t have been the same had they not been shot from the knees,” says Sabol. “John Riggins’s famous touchdown run versus the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII — in that shot, you get Riggins’s face, the gritting of his teeth, and the feel and taste of the line of scrimmage. Shot from field level, that moment just isn’t the same.”

Varying the horizontal angle of view is also important. Don’t just stand off first base when recording that t-ball game; move around, giving yourself diverse backgrounds and alternate views of the action. And if you do plan to edit the material later, the variety that multiple camera positions afford will be invaluable as you cut the shots together.

3. Capture the sidelines.
Tip: Consider the action both on and off the playing field, because sometimes the most vibrant emotions get hidden under a helmet.

“The shot we got of Packers coach Mike McCarthy crumbling to his knees after [Arizona Cardinals linebacker] Karlos Dansby returned that interception for a touchdown in last year’s playoffs comes to mind,” says Sabol. “Sudden death overtime with the ball, and in an instant — the season was over. That shot, taken from behind McCarthy, with the field of play in front of him, said it all.”

And get closer! The further you are from the subject, the more you’ll have to zoom in to capture faces and expressions. And trust me, you want to be on a closer shot. In 20 years, you’ll be struggling to pick out which one of the little people in that dance recital group is yours if you’re stuck on that wide shot for fear you’ll miss any action. Besides, the further you zoom in, the more difficult it is to hold steady. No one wants to see Jimmy’s head. Then his feet. Then his head. You get the idea. Up close is good!

4. Always be shooting.
Tip: Film is expensive. Video isn’t. Capture it all. The best theater is spontaneous theater. You’ll miss those moments if you lose the heavy trigger finger.

“Prior to Super Bowl XXII, one of our cameramen followed John Elway from the locker room to the field,” says Sabol. “On that walk, Elway dodges a sea of balloons, gets stuck behind a pair of horses, and is trapped behind a marching band. It takes him a few minutes to simply get to the field. We never would have gotten any of that footage had we not let the film run like water.”

And don’t forget the moment right after the moment. Your kid gets that great hit, and you nailed the shot perfectly. But the best part is his or her reaction to their success. That’s when you want to keep the camera on them, nice and close, to capture their joy.

5. Get the little things, too.
Tip: One of the best ways to capture the human (child’s) spirit is to capture the moments that tell a bigger story.

“One of my favorite pieces of footage is a shot we did of Dick Butkus’s hands,” says Sabol. “We filmed it on a cold day at Wrigley Field in 1967. It’s just Butkus’s hands, bandaged and bloodied, his ten knuckles covered in contusions. That one shot tells you everything you ever needed to know about Dick Butkus.”

Not so sure you want to document for posterity any bloody hands, but the point is this: it’s life you’re documenting, not a two-hour soccer game. It’s the reason still photographs possess a warmer place in our hearts than those shaky home movies: they capture a single moment in time forever, leaving the rest to our imagination. Video uses those same images, but in stitching together 30 of those pictures every second, the special moments can easily get lost in the volume of it all. So get in close, compose your shots carefully as if you were taking a photo, and remember that in the end, it’s not really the action but the emotion you want to preserve forever.

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Communication is key. It can be done in a variety of ways, but also has to be tailored from the norm to open up the possibilities for a creative mind to have the latitude to explore the potential artistry of the interface. Some are standard, some new and some forgotten, the following methods are all ways to pull the two together.

Try good old-fashioned talking. In this world of digital, in which I live , I often assume that when I send out flow diagrams and user case scenarios in a pdf, they will magically explain themselves, to the designer on the other end of the Internet. If the designs don’t match what I was thinking, whose fault is that? Take 15 minutes to walk through the design rationale and usability structures with the designers. A few simple words can save a few dozen emails and plenty of un-needed rework.

Get back to the basics. Don’t hold back on information unless necessary; people often forget the standards. Things like user cases, flow diagrams, personas, market research and surveys are all things that architects use when planning their usability architecture, but these things are valuable to the designer as well. The more information you can give a designer about the client, market and goals, the more the creative juices will get flowing for them to build a successful user experience that is honed to the users’ wants and the clients’ business needs.

Give some latitude. Being both designer and architect, I see both worlds through a unique perspective. I understand how people can feel some semblance of disdain about creating in a box when given a wireframe with exactly what you need to design and where it needs to be.

Maybe try this next time: create a list of required elements, not a wireframe. The required elements are things that are base standard in a design, as well as specific things that the client wants or needs for the site to be a success, things like logo, footer navigation links, main Flash animation, header navigation and company message.

Next, give a list of optional pieces. The optional pieces are things that, from a strategic perspective, may be add-ons the client didn’t think of that can create additional value. This is the area that is open for designer exploration. Make sure you prioritize or provide groups of importance. You can list specific items if your strategy team has a defined direction, or list general concepts or goals, and let the designers figure out ways to achieve these goals within their design while also giving them a sense of creative freedom. This method helps keep the wireframe layout from subconsciously affecting the designer while designing.

Finally, continue the discussion. Communication is key through all processes of the design, not only between you and your designers but with the rest of the team. Open the designs and usability up to other team members. You may be surprised at the sometimes unique and informative points of view and direction you receive.

Hopefully, these simple concepts can help your team transform their solid usability architecture into a visual masterpiece.

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Today, media fragmentation isn’t necessarily the problem … but rather our mental filters to guard against hypercommunication.  Only 11.7 percent of U.S. households are equipped with a DVR, but response to TV ads is off by far more than 11.7 percent. Broadcast radio has only lost about 4 percent of its audience over the past three years, and even the most aggressive doomsayers are predicting that radio will lose no more than 11 percent of its audience by the end of the year. But response to radio ads is off by far more than that. Newspaper readership peaked in 1984, and today’s number is only about 16 percent below that banner year. But the response to newspaper ads isn’t nearly what it was back then.

How does this dynamic change our approach to developing a media plan?  We need to know more about your customer’s decision process and key influences.  The typical target demographic (Adults 25-54) won’t allow us to efficiently focus your media dollars.  In broad terms, it’s more important than ever to …

1)      Know your customer.

2)      Know your goals.

3)      Know your expectations for response.

Understand who your customer is based on demographics and lifestyle characteristics.  Understand their mindset and when they’re most receptive to your message.  And, where are they during their weekly routine when they more are apt to consider your offer?  It is important to engage the right consumer when in the right mindset.  Form a relationship with your target consumer through relevant messaging.  Learn how to engage small audiences for a long time instead of engaging large audiences for a short time.

Are the mass media options the best place to be?  Well, if that’s the medium the consumer is spending more time with during the moment of consideration or during the most opportune time to influence, then yes, you’re spending your media dollars wisely.  However, if you’re placing advertising in the “comfort” media because that’s what you’ve always done, or that’s where your competitors are, or because it reaches a lot of people and you received feedback that people saw your ad … I have one question for you … are these the forms of measurement that sell product or change consumer behavior?

In the end, if you’ve thought through response expectations, we are able to better match creative and media tactics to effectively deliver those goals.   Or, should they even be divided as “media ideas” and “creative ideas,” but rather “communications channels?” Behind agency walls, account planners, creative and media are conceptualizing ideas together.  Did it make me slightly uncomfortable the first time a creative director thought of an innovative communications/media platform.  You bet ya.  Where’s the job security?   But, on the other hand it’s generating a new energy in the media department to think beyond just media, and consider all consumer touch points and communications channels.

The advertising and media world is changing more than ever and at a fast pace.  Take a stand and step out of your comfort zone.  Open your mind and consider the potential when engaging a whole new audience in a whole new way.

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Hart Associates was actually one of the agencies I worked with in my previous life, so when the opportunity presented itself, I felt comfortable crossing over to what I considered “the dark side.” Of course, I can’t really refer to it as that any longer, considering I brought so much of my past life with me. There are so many things that were valuable on the client side that work just as well on the agency side, and those are the things I try to educate my staff on every single day. It’s always important to look at things from the other side of the fence, as it really puts things in perspective.

We, here at Hart Associates, approach client service just as we would like to be served if we were the client:

Make life easier! Clients want agencies that can help solve client problems. Hart’s solutions-based approach doesn’t try to pigeonhole clients into a specific line of business or type of solution; rather, we discuss what we are trying to solve, fix, launch, etc. and discover the best approach to get there.

Know who you’re talking to! Clients want someone who will listen to them and provide advice, counsel or just a listening ear. I have many clients I consider friends, and I have many friends I can also call former clients. And I can honestly say that I’ve never posted here: www.clientsfromhell.net

Be a partner! It’s important to know your partner’s business. This was probably one of the hardest things during my crossover. Going from in-depth knowledge of one company to in-depth knowledge of seven different companies definitely had a little bit of a learning curve. Today’s digital age definitely helped, along with seven different SmartBriefs®

You’re not their only vendor! Never forget – the advertising agency is just one in a long list of vendors trying to get their time. This takes us right back to the first bullet.

So, here are my six simple tips for good client service:

1. Listen – Really hear what they have to say, not what you think they should be saying.
2. Advise – They want to hear your thoughts. That’s why they brought you into the room.
3. Listen some more – You told them what you think, but they still have the final say.
4. Motivate your teams to do great work – Provide them with the tools, research, answers, options, guidelines or free rein they need.
5. Give the client something everyone can be proud of – you know the client best; your opinion in the final deliverable should matter, too.
6. And have fun along the way – remember, no one dies in an advertising pitch.

There are a lot of other thoughts out there on this subject, probably much more in-depth than mine.

If you had to boil it down to six simple steps, what would yours be?

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So it has ended! The painfully long project with its highs and lows at every turn. Most would think, let’s just close the project, file it away and move on. Wrong – this is the perfect opportunity to stop and look at what happened and see what can be implemented in the next one that will allow for a better experience and improvement in quality.

The definition of post mortem is “done, occurring, or collected after death,” essentially saying that something is “over.” Naturally, when a project at work is “over,” completing a post mortem would be appropriate.  They can tell you so much about the process and the impact of your project on the other stakeholders.

In our agency the post mortem covers two audiences - internal and external stakeholders. When we talk about these two audiences, they really need to be done separately to allow for more open communication.

Here is a list of key points you want to gather feedback on from both groups:

• Communication
• Content Development
• User Interface Design
• Development
  
• Testing
• Project Management
• Quality Control
  
• Scope Creep

Gather the list of what went well in these areas, what did not go well and the suggestions for improvement in each area. This is hard to do and hard to keep up with. Once  a project is completed everyone wants to celebrate and not sit down and rehash the good, the bad and the ugly of a project.

With that information coming in from your internal team, your client and even vendors on the project you’ll be able to create a Best and Worst Practices list.

• Best Practices -What do you feel went well?
• Worst Practices - What do you feel did not go well?
• Summary Solutions – List the recommendations for improvements.
  

Once the groups have given their feedback, you create the Summary Solutions list. When you have cleaned up the notes and the summary, feel free to send out to all the participants.

The most important part is next – implement the solutions right away !! And thank the participants for their valuable time and honest answers.

Showing people they are valued and bring worth to the process is the best way to get ongoing, honest value add feedback in the future! Celebrating the accomplishments are always fun but don’t forget the hard part of closing out the project in a way that makes the future projects even more of a celebration of teamwork, quality and great process!

Photo courtesy of TheGiantVermin. Original photo.

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The tech community in Detroit had a serious case of the mad cow disease over the weekend.  Of the space cow variety.

For those unlucky ones who weren’t “in-the-know” about this two-day knowledge and technology conference held over the weekend in Royal Oak, Michigan, you missed out on some truly powerful and energizing stuff.

Everything about the Friday program was amazing from start to finish, which gave me so much enthusiasm to get moving and so sad that I couldn’t make it for the presentations on Saturday.  Below is a list of mantras that we as technology people in the area need to keep in mind, put in to action, repeat and show the world that the Midwest really does “have more talent and more technical expertise concentrated in one region than anywhere else in the United States.” (per Jay Adelson, former CEO of Digg, Detroit Metro native, and Future Midwest 2010 Keynote Speaker)

1. Flip the funnel
   Joseph Jaffe kicked off the festivities encouraging everyone in the room to “flip the funnel” and spend our marketing and advertising budgets on keeping our loyal customers rather than trying to get new ones.  Treating our best customers the best encourages word-of-mouth and referrals, meaning a savings in budgets and a boom for bottom lines.
2. Loosen the screw
   “You need to find that screw that’s loose and loosen it a bit more.”  Jay Adelson’s keynote speech was nothing short of genius and I really want/need to find a video of it to replay over and over again.  Jay reminded us that some of the best inventions and breakthroughs in technology and beyond were developed by people who were generally regarded as being nuts.  We need to bring the crazy back.
3. Break limits
   Jay Adelson’s keynote was full of wonderful takeaways, but he also encouraged everyone to find some limits, and break them.  “If you want to make a difference in Detroit, I would say think about those limits that have been set for you – anything you’ve been told is impossible – find one and break it, because there’s no people better qualified to do that that the people in this room.”
4. Detroit IS where it’s at
   Chris Barger, of General Motors, inspired the crowd even before he got in to his presentation about using social media as a crisis management tool.  He reminded everyone in the Royal Oak Music Theater that Detroit was the place to be once, and it’ll be the place to be once again.  Each of us sitting in that room has the power to make that happen.
5. The Midwest is no longer a place you fly over
   Blagica Bottigliero reminded the audience, and everyone that she encounters in Chicago and in speaking engagements across the country (she’s a Detroit native) of the power of the Midwest.  We are worth stopping for and seeing.
6. The iPhone has changed the way I poop
   Maybe not exactly something to keep repeating to yourself, but if the iPhone has had such a dramatic effect on @CleverSimon (so much so that Threadless has put it on a t-shirt), I can only imagine what bodily function the iPad (or other next big thing around the corner) will change.
7. It’s Happening
   Join in or wish that you had.  Check out the opening video from Future Midwest 2010 – if that doesn’t get you amped up to get moving, please check your pulse:

Are you ready?

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The office was buzzing all day, as everyone searched for ideas and supplies to make the perfect potato for display. We had everything from Spud McKenzie and Potat O Lantern to Spud Muffin and Tots of Gold. Check out photos of our potato display on our Flickr page.

Voting was held in the afternoon, over some snacks and choice beverages. Prizes were awarded for Funniest, Most Creative, Best Name and Looks Most Like. The afternoon concluded with a rousing game of “Famous Patricks Throughout History.” (Believe us, it was less of a history lesson and more of random hysterics.)

Until the next exciting Culture Club event, we leave you with this Irish blessing:

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow
And may trouble avoid you wherever you go

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In case you missed any of the ads they are on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/superbowl

Audi Green Car

Rich Kretz: This one I don’t think is getting too much notice, but it should. It was an inspired choice in having Cheap Trick rework Dream Police for the soundtrack to this spot. There’s some terrific staging that improves the setups and the kicker with the “Green Police” busting cops for using Styrofoam cups is terrific.

Boost Mobile, ‘The Boost Mobile Shuffle’

Taco Bell, ‘It Rocks, It Rocks’ Featuring Charles Barkley
Rich Kretz: These is just plain embarrassing. In the Boost Mobile spot, while the image of Jim McMahon is a scooter would elicit at least a chuckle, I found it, well, pathetic. And did they shoot it through a sheet of plastic, or what? Poor execution that looked like it was rushed together… As far as Sir Charles goes, Taco Bell has really hit a new low, and this is following their idiotic “I want to order from Denise” campaign. Does anyone have a clue what he was talking about? Child, please!

Snickers Ad
Mike Bell: The Snickers “you’re not yourself” ad is funny. Love seeing Abe Vagoda. Hard to do funny, but they pulled it off. Laughed out loud.
Rich Kretz:Does Betty White ever age? And Abe Vigoda still kicking? Who knew? It kinda reminded me of the Bob Barker scene from Happy Gilmore. Amazingly, showing ancient celebrities get whacked actually is funny in kind of a cheap way. Not usually for the comedic violence, but call this one a guilty pleasure.

Bud Light – House of Bud

Mike Bell:Bud Light “house of bud” was weak. Cheap joke overly produced is still just a cheap joke.
Rich Kretz: Clearly misguided ideas here. Both are clear retreads of past Bud Light themes – irritated girlfriend as outlet for beer and tricking out the joint for easy access. In the end they both feel like poor cousins to the usual output.

Doritos
Mike Bell: Doritos spots are embarrassing. The dog collar, the kid protecting his mom, Casket. All really suck. They are an insult to advertising. Am I supposed to think you have to be intellectually challenged to enjoy Doritos? They are tired, old jokes poorly done. On the same level as local car ads. Somebody please help them.
Rich Kretz: Like Coke, I think Doritos struck out big time with their attempt once again to solicit spots from the “public.” These are all of the sophomoric humor it seems only Bud Light can execute well, and crotch shots and other stupid sight gags can go south quickly in the wrong hands. Besides, I might be in the minority here, but I’m tired seeing smart-aleck kids disrespect adults on national television in hawking a product. Old-fashioned, I guess.

Simpsons/Coca-Cola
Mike Bell: As much as I love the Simpsons, “burns goes broke” Coca Cola spot is a sad follow up to “happiness factory.” And the tag at the end is insipid. “Open happiness.” Really? Sleepwalker in Africa for Coke is again a disappointment. Coke has had great spots in the past. Did they hold back because Pepsi isn’t running spots? These are expensive spots, just not very good. Like someone is making up for weak concepts with big money on production. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Rich Kretz: Wow. One more and they would have went down swinging. The Simpsons epic is overblown and projects its ending from the first moments of the spot, and the sleepwalker, where do I start? The bloated production? The waste of fine cinematography? How much did this thing cost, anyway? About halfway through I’m asking for the polar bears back. And who can’t get going in the morning without a Coke?

US Census
Rich Kretz: The US Census spot is surprisingly not that bad, especially considering the weird assortment of b-list actors involved. Hope that as taxpayers we didn’t pay for that. Deficit? What deficit?

Vizio
Rich Kretz: The most ambitious (and probably expensive, given its scope and that they had to pay Beyonce) of the night is likely getting overshadowed by the flood of cheap jokes and sight gags, but really is a miracle of modern production.  And with this cornucopia of images, it adds to the list of more groundhogs, prarie dogs and beavers in this year’s crop of commercials that has to break some kind of record.  If they kept those kind of records, that is.

Go Daddy
Mike Bell: Go Daddy massage. INCREDIBLY stupid. I at least laughed at the beaver spot last year. The girl-on-girl innuendo is played out like a thirteen year old’s locker room story and is just as believable. Are they really getting any business from this? I don’t see the appeal in Danica Patrick. Only when compared to other race car drivers is she considered sexy.
Rich Kretz: GoDaddy has become no more than a punch line for their spots that are becoming parodies of themselves – and of Danica Patrick, whose strong suit clearly isn’t acting. I’d have to imagine they’re seeing diminishing returns on folks hitting their site to see the “uncensored” ads, but who know? Sex does sell! The Motorola spot was a much better executed version of what GoDaddy tries to do with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Not a bad effort for what it is.

Bud Light – Auto Tune
Mike Bell: Bud Light voice modulation: The much-hated practice in pop music of electronically altering one’s voice is used as a weak attempt to recapture “wassup.” Too bad they didn’t take it beyond that spot’s “calling my friends” gag. Just comes of as a copy of a classic without the cleverness.
Rich Kretz: I found this spot pretty clever, and they might be the first to take auto-tune mocking to the mass market. It’s not going to stick in the consciousness like “wassup,” but it makes for a guilty pleasure and is probably saved by a terrific kicker.

Budweiser, ‘Fences’
Rich Kretz: Please, Budweiser. Retire the Clydesdales from your spots. Please!!

Monster.com
Mike Bell: Beaver hoe down for Monster.com  just makes me scratch my head. How did Monster help this beaver become so successful? Nice editing. And there is something to be said for oddities drawing attention. At least it didn’t make me cringe like the Doritos spots.
Rich Kretz: Monster has always been always very ambitious with their spots, and this is no exception. I don’t get the connection between our beaver friend and landing a job, but what they did was pretty well done.

Focus on the Family, ‘Celebrate Life, Celebrate Family’
Rich Kretz: Lots of focus on this spot because of its pro-life message. I don’t think it was that great or even if you completely go their message, but maybe that was their point: to give you a more subtle approach in this age of shouting. I suppose I think more of Tim Tebow that he would put himself out there, I guess.

Emerald Nuts and Pop-Secret, ‘Awesomer’
Rich Kretz: I’m not sure if Emerald Nuts gets their return out of their annual SB spot, but this one really had me scratching my head: I can’t decide if they’re just trying to leverage the money to cut costs for the two brands, or if you’re supposed to eat them together ala Chex Mix. Someone really has to try that and tell me if it’s any good…

FLO TV, ‘Injury Report’
FLO TV, ‘Moments’
HomeAway, ‘Hotel Hell Vacation’
Rich Kretz: I find that new products often try so hard to get noticed that they don’t leave enough time to get their pitch in. I like the FloTV “Injury Report” commercial but Jim Nance is focusing on “Jason” so much I’m not sure we get enough of what FLO TV is. Conversely, I think their “Moments” spot that features 50 years of television in one minute riveting. Makes you not want to miss another moment, and that’s the essence of their product. The same can be said for the Chevy Chase “Family Vacation” spot for what was it ? HomeAway? There’s so much time spent on the movie clips, does anyone really remember who HomeAway is? Or what they do? It would be interesting to see how many people hit that short film online and if it pays off.

Bridgestone
Mike Bell: Orca rescue for Bridgestone was a sad rip-off of “The Hangover.” The line “now that was a bachelor party.” is a lame ending to another over-produced spot. It’s either the start of a good idea and nobody could think of how to end it or it was all crap and the director made it look presentable. Bridgestone’s second spot was another cringe-inducing suckfest. A car stopped by Mad Max rejects. Guy ditches hot wife (she’s the highlight of the spot) instead of giving up his tires. Sad. Just sad. The spot looks to be inspired by “What’s in your wallet” spots and not pulled off as well.
Rich Kretz: Wow. They really had something there until they dropped that “Hangover” line.  What a way to tank what was otherwise a pretty well-executed concept.  Not sure where Bridgestone is trying to position themselves with these epic setups.

Bridgestone, ‘Your Tires or Your Life’
Rich Kretz: Wow, again. You’d have to say that was a pretty big setup for the single “misunderstood word” gag.  The wife’s reaction after being tossed from the car is pretty good – and the villian’s take is decent too – but where are they attempting to go here – do they think that because Capital One has had success with the goofy villain-as-character approach they should mimic that? How is that going to sell a tire? Short of beer merchandisers and tech companies, who can get away with being so cinematic and obtuse?

Cars.com
Mike Bell: Child genius for cars.com  is intriguing and made me want to listen to the story. A long and expensive way to go to say that everyone has trouble finding the right car. Didn’t position Cars.com  very hard as the solution. But in a sea of mediocre spots, it stands out.
Rich Kretz: Actually, a really good follow up to the David Abernathy spot from last year that had the guy performing open heart surgery “in a crowded opera house…with a ball-point pen.”  The :60 is a hefty story; I would expect the :30 to be excellent.  This is probably my favorite overall, even if it is reworking something they have already done.

Bud Light – Bridge is out
Mike Bell: “The bridge is out” Bud truck rescue that brings the whole town out to make a bridge is pretty cool. Nice effect. I like this one.
Rich Kretz: It seems like once a Super Bowl, Anheiser-Busch seems to pull one epic off.  This is clearly it.  The shot of the old guy on the scooter is priceless, as is the dog pitching in to build the bridge.

Leno/Letterman/Oprah
Mike Bell: David Letterman, Leno and Oprah on a couch was funny. Nice follow-up to last year.

truTV, ‘Troy “Punxsutawney” Polamalu’
Teleflora, ‘Talking Flowers’
Rich Kretz: These reside in the creepy side of town, where spots want to make you unsettled. You have to respect the TruTV spot, even if Punxsutawney Polamalu looks like some whacked-out character froma Tim Burton movie. What’s more, it’s really well staged and casted. On the other hand, the Teleflora spot plain just creeped me out. Talking flowers? Really? Talking flowers?

Career Builder
Mike Bell: Every year has its similarities. Lots of people in underwear this year: Career buider “Casual Friday”, dockers “I wear no pants” free pants spot, bud light “donate clothes” which only went out online – same sight gag. Bud Light does it best. Still ads start to diminish the joke when they’re all telling the same one. Like the mini-Kiss running right near the Punksatawny Palitano. Weird.

Rich Kretz: What’s with the infatuation with men in underpants? And crazy that these two spots ran consecutively; am I the only one who thinks heads are rolling somewhere over that one?Actually, the Bud Light concept that was bounced from the broadcast is better than either of these derivatives (extended version available here: http://creativity-online.com/work/bud-light-clothing-drive/18612)

Brett Favre
Mike Bell: Brett Favre 2020 “maybe I’ll retire” for Cadillac is a great example of not overworking a joke. Brief and funny. Not beat into the ground. Others are doing the Brett Favre retiring joke so this doesn’t rank among my favorites.

Bud Light – Lost Parody
Mike Bell: “Here we go” Bud Light spots: “Lost” parody and observatory end-of-world-nerds-party were pretty lame. Not nearly as cool as other spots for the product. But, throw enough of them out and some are bound to suck.
Rich Kretz: Not Bud Light’s best effort, but the shot of the pebble hitting the telescope in the Asteroid spot was one of the single best sight gags of the evening. And the companion Lost spoof features some highlight shots of its own, especially the reaction of the lone survivor who can’t believe the troop is partying in the face of disaster. Anheiser-Busch throws so many concepts out there, it would seem from multiple agencies, that not all are going to work. However, even their bad ideas are better acted, directed and executed than others who are frankly trying to emulate their long-running formula.

Dodge Charger – Guy’s issues
Mike Bell: Another theme for several spots: Guy’s issues. A man’s life spot for Dove for men; Men making promises in “I will” Man’s last stand” For the Dodge Charger.  Jason’s sad life in a spot for Flo TV with the line “change out of that skirt, Jason”. Apart they are okay. Together they point out how trite and hackneyed this meme is. Dodge was my favorite of the group.
Rich Kretz: A lot of focus on guy’s issues and targeting men this year: I thought the Charger spot was excellent and different, although I’m admittedly I’m squarely in the target demo.  Man’s Last Stand: perfect positioning for the product. The Dove spot actually made me chuckle; it was actually somewhat fresh writing and not so dependent on just slapstick visuals. Nice use of music, as well.
Hyundai, ‘10 Years Strong’ Featuring Brett Favre
Hyundai, ‘Built by Hand’
Hyundai, ‘Painted Hyundai Sonata’
Rich Kretz: Hyundai spent a fortune in placement with some really solid everyday spots. With the rate they are snagging market share, it might actually be a good gamble. The Brett Favre commercial does stand out though, with its matter-of-fact approach. Lots of nice design on the holographic “trophy” too, and the “cool blue” color correction made him seem older and more grizzled. I like it.

Intel
Mike Bell: Intel’s sad robot does a decent job of expressing what a big advancement their new processor is. Again, not overdone. Didn’t beat it into the ground.
Rich Kretz: The sad robot seems to be a trend this year. Not a bad execution, and the humming employees at the end is a nice way to humanize their long-standing tag. It somehow left me feeling unsatisfied, though.

Volkswagen
Mike Bell: VW’s punch spot where people hit each other and say the color of the car is a great example of editing and small changes making the spot better. Old man getting hit in the crotch, what’s not to love. Then that blind guy joke at the end. Great pacing. Funny spot.
Rich Kretz: I’ll take it, reluctantly. Like the Doritos trilogy, crotch shots get old quick on Super Bowl Sunday. That said, this was a nice acknowledgement of an ages-old tradition. And the cameo by Stevie Wonder is really well placed, with Tracey Morgan a perfect foil. Maybe the Slug Bug game will catch back on and they’ll have a real “Where’s the Beef” phenomenon on their hands…

KGB
Mike Bell: KGB Sumo wrestler does a decent job of pointing out that KGB is a fast search engine. Not funny. Tries too hard. But the message still gets across in spite of itself.
Rich Kretz: Don’t really care for this one. Ziploc, Pledge and others have put people “under the gun” or else, and it just seems tired.

Denny’s
Rich Kretz: The whole Denny’s Grand Slam giveaway thing was done pretty poorly, and they are rightly getting panned for it. It’s worth noting, though, that the talent in the Denny’s commercials is Chicago-based Kiff Vandenheuvel, a good friend of Hart animator Matt Karlovec’s from BGSU.  His big break and he probably made a lifetime of residuals in one day.  Not particularly great spots, but for what it’s worth, this one in which he’s featured prominently is the best of a bad lot.

MetroPCS, ‘Tech and Talk: Shaming‘
Rich Kretz: What was that? I felt like I was watching some alternate universe Saturday Night Live skit gone bad or something. Still haven’t figured out what was going on there…

Etrade
Mike Bell: Talking babies for etrade lost some of its cool factor with the new babies. Not as snarky as the “shankapotomas” and other spots with the original baby. Still captivating. Writing just doesn’t seem as good.
Rich Kretz: OK, this campaign jumped the shark a long, long time ago. It was already a retread idea on the coattails of the Look Who’s Talking phenomenon, and yet they’re still riding it. Their last stand was the golf commercial; now it’s just getting a little sad.

Google Search
Rich Kretz: One of the best spots of the night, this simple travel from initial search throughout a life change is executed expertly.  Soundtrack meets visual meets payoff.  Well done!
Mike Bell: Google “Search on” was excellent! My favorite spot. Example of taking something overdone (boy meets girl story) and making it new. Compelling. Draws you in. Had to be the least expensive spot to produce. A great concept and it is allowed to show through.

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It is undeniable that the landscape of advertising is changing. Want to know why you have been seeing more product placements in TV shows? Because people fast-forward past them on their DVR. Or maybe because they aren’t actually watching on a TV, they are watching it on a computer because of services like Hulu or Boxee.

Photo credit: California4life

Today is the biggest day of the year for advertisers. The Super Bowl, home of the most expensive 30 second ads. Sure in the US people are watching to see two teams battle it out. But as a marketer how many of us are watching for another reason?  People who make ads watch to critque, people who place ads watch to understand where the money is going, and companies are watching to see what creative ads there are this year, so they can try to copy them. The reality is that in 2010 who can afford to place a 2.8 million dollar ad? On top of that would you want to?

It is undeniable that the landscape of advertising is changing. It is not just about the 30 second TV spot anymore. Want to know why you have been seeing more product placements in TV shows? Because people fast-forward past them on their DVR. Or maybe because they aren’t actually watching on a TV, they are watching it on a computer because of services like Hulu, Blip.tv or Boxee.

Frontline just did a compelling documentary on how our society is changing because of how connected we are. Think about it, we are constantly multitasking, using multiple computers, checking our phones, replying to emails. The problem that they highlight isn’t just about advertising. It’s affecting education, healthcare, jobs and more. As advertisers though, this digital society that we are building is also building a resistance to marketing.

This is even worse as the Millenial, Gen Y (or whatever you want to classify the 18-30 y/o generation) comes of age. They are the ones that are starting to hit the job market so that means they will start voting with their own dollars. These Millenials really don’t care about your marketing, they care what their friends think. They are even more immersed in media than previous generations but they  are making decisions based on recommendations or opinions of their friends. The other generations are following suite too because their parents are learning about social media from them. The notion of brand loyalty is also in danger. They might like your product today, but tomorrow a bigger, better product might get their loyalty. This is a scary shift.

As an marketer I have to think that it’s a scary time. Sometimes it’s scary in a good way because we are looking at a whole new direction of advertising, but also scary because it is new territory. This new territory is paved with new mediums and every step of the way riddled with the question of “is this the right direction.” To that question my answer is yes. As long as you as a marketer are changing your approach, using new methods, new mediums then you are progressing.

The 30 second ad might be fading but our jobs as marketers is to figure out how to evolve it. I work on the digital side of things but still I need to plug our digital solutions into the entire marketing strategy. Daily the Hart team looks at a clients problem and figures out a new solution. Most times we’ve never delievered this exact solution before. Today every solution is different, and custom. What stays constant is that we are looking at all mediums like mobile, social, web, video, billboard, guerilla marketing, etc and deciding which is going to work best for our clients. It’s not going to be just one medium. It is going to be a mix of all of them. Adjusting the dial up and down on each medium based on the audience.

Now as you watch those Super Bowl ads look for how they are changing. 10 years ago there might have been a URL they mentioned.  Tonight watch for how many will have mentions of mobile apps, Twitter names, URLs and more to extend that ad? I bet all of them. You are witnessing the evolution of the landscape of advertising right in front of your eyes. Are you ready?

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In rebuilding or exploring any new desktop online experience we heavily rely on analytics to provide us with that important, real-time data on how users are consuming content. It allows us to find importance in everything from top pages they hit (as well as did not hit), time they spend with content, how they come in, where they go out, where we lose them, how we found them, those silly words they used to find us, pages that for some reason just didn’t work, goals, funnels, abandonment….the list goes on and on. All great stuff for data junkies to act on (if used correctly).

One powerful tool of choice is Google Analytics on many client projects. Especially when it comes to rebuilds, We’ve made this an ingrained part of our team’s discovery process. It informs our content planning, information architecture and user experience planning. And it gives our team and the clients’ a benchmark of data. It’s free, it is simple to integrate  yet powerful to use and a snap to share reporting. Used right, it can also be effectively used it to track print advertising through the use of goals and events so one can really apply a success matrix through extended use of it.

google analytics

In November 2009, Google announced Google Analytics for Mobile Apps. As with websites, there are two basic categories of user interaction you can track – pageviews and events. Teams can then use this data to understand which features are most popular and inform decisions about which features should be promoted or prioritized for further development.

For more powerful, enterprise level analytics, there is also WebTrends. And for those of us who have been around a little while and remember Log Analyzer – their product matured from that lengthy install and cumbersome software setup to a little more elegant web based system equipped with all the fancy little dashboards you team needs to produce all kinds of reporting. Of particular interest to this post is their Wireless Dashboard providing explicit detail on a particular website’s device trends, WAP carriers, mobile devices, WAP image support, mobile browsers, WAP markup languages, WAP screen sizes, WAP script support, PALM devices, PALM trends and more.

webtrends dashboard

This is the kind of data that better informs decisions on what to build for. And as we move aggressively toward more users accessing the web over hand-held devices, we want to ensure that our products are prepared and the information is correctly delivered to the masses. This is not to be confused with a more lengthy discussion on correctly developing mobile content, apps, device research, etc. The point is to use these tools to help you better understand how your users are consuming your content. Simply put, if you notice that there is an upward trend in mobile users to your website, and your site is not optimized to deliver content well over mobile devices, then you should consider change.
The above mentioned scratches the surface of analytics for mobile web. But what about at the application level? There are options.

localytics dashboard

Localytics – This is a free app that provides real-time analytics and it currently works with Blackberry, Android and iPhone. Their website says that Windows Mobile, Symbian and Palm are coming soon. The service also provides an easy to use dashboard that allows users to create custom segments on-the-fly.

medialytics dashboard

Medialytics from Medialets – is an analytics platform for iPhone and Android app developers that provides key insights on their apps and users. Combined with the parent Medialets, they are a rich media advertising and analytics platform. Back in April, Medialets together with creative agency Razorfish launched Pants Dance, the world’s first Shakable Ad™.

flurry analytics

Another recent merger brought 2 more mobile application analytics and monetization platforms together – Flurry and Pinch Media. Both companies have launched widely used analytics services for the iPhone and Android phones. In the end, the single company named Flurry.

To monetize the data, Flurry recently launched AppCircle, a recommendation platform. Developers install it in their games and it analyzes a user’s taste in apps. Then it recommends apps for the user. These recommendations are likely to be highly useful because they’re based on the user’s past purchases. Flurry gets paid through a revenue sharing agreement with the developer. – Dean Takahashi

Mobclix -provides iPhone analytics and the “largest mobile ad exchange” for your apps. They analytics driven mobile ad exchange allows them to optimize ad inventory to maximize eCPMs through a bidding platform for advertisers, ad networks, and agencies.
So not only are these platforms providing us more data. The platforms are acting smarter by providing real-time data for actionable business decisions. Definitely high value for both the developers and marketers.

There is no perfect tool. Today’s economy demands that we are resourceful and smart. Better data leads to highly approachable creative. Use the free tools to create the business case and benchmark. Energize additional analytics and monetization as necessary. All of these resources are giving analytics away. It is up to you (and me) to use them to make our products and experiences better.

So what’s next? Is there a such thing as too much information?

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