by Joyce Turner-Gionet | Aug 21, 2015 | Business Success, Creative, Deadline, Design, Latest, Management, Problem Solving
Do you have a creative routine or ritual?
If you’re creative, work in the creative field, or simply find yourself a slave to routine or ritual, read this book: Daily Rituals. How Artists Work, by Mason Currey. You’ll feel better about it all — your procrastination, your late-night working habit, the note pad beside your bed on which you jot things down when you wake at 3 a.m., the odd, quirky things you do that help you get creative and the odd, quirky things you do when you’re just not feeling it!
“An encouraging read for creative types, and a delightful peek into that world for the rest of us.”
– NPR’s Morning Edition
A quirky little gem
My girls were shopping in Toronto not long ago and found this quirky little gem in a Queen Street bookstore. To me, it’s not a book you read once, then pass on to a friend; although I’ve recommended it to many people. It’s not a book I store on my bookshelf. I leave it out, so that I can pick it up whenever I need to remind myself that, just like anyone who earns a living in a creative field or as a freelance, some kind of schedule to your days is imperative, deadlines are (mostly) immutable and like the rest of us, even the great ones grappled (and still grapple) with the universal issues of time and productivity.
It’s not a book about how to be creative, it’s a book about how some of the most brilliant creative minds of the last 400 years found the time, energy and willpower to be creative on a (mostly) day-to-day basis, through their own routine or ritual.
Creative Routine or Ritual
As Currey conveys in his Introduction: This book is “about the circumstances of creative activity, not the product; it deals with manufacturing, rather than meaning. But it’s also, inevitably, personal … I wanted to show how grand creative visions translate to small daily increments; how one’s working habits influence the work itself, and vice versa … The book’s title is Daily Rituals, but my focus in writing it was really people’s routines.”
Igor Stravinsky only composed music when no one was around to listen. When creatively blocked, he had the routine of standing on his head!
A few teasers to tempt you to go out and buy (or borrow) this little gem …
According to Currey, Stephen King has the daily routine of setting himself a quota of 2,000 words to write. He writes every day of the year! Frank Lloyd Wright never made a single sketch until the entire project was completely worked out in his head. Andy Warhol kept “everything” that was sent or given to him in what he called his “time capsule,” a brown cardboard box. James Joyce kept to no schedule at all and often entertained people, including his tailor, from his bed. Playwright Henry Miller wrote all night long and then one day, discovered he was really a morning person. Thomas Wolfe stood up while writing, using the top of his refrigerator as a desk. Truman Capote did all his writing in bed and wouldn’t start or finish a project on a Friday. In the early days, Alice Munro kept her writing a secret from everyone but those closest to her. Glenn Gould ate one meal a day and on the days he was recording, ate nothing at all. His routine was to go to bed at an hour when most of us are just getting up.
Daily Rituals is a fascinating glimpse into the artists’ private lives, personal habits and unique routine preferences — some of them peculiar, others downright bizarre (I won’t spoil the read by telling you more here) — peppered with sometimes astonishing quotes from the artists, unearthed during Currey’s extensive research. The excesses — smoking, drinking, drugs, food, sexual proclivities — are revealed, as is the other side of routine excess, as in Joan Miró’s inflexible commitment to vigorous exercise and Woody Allen’s obsessive need to shower in order to invoke the creative muse.
Fresh and Fascinating
Perhaps the most delicious aspect of the book is that you don’t have to read it beginning to end, as you would a novel, because it’s not.
Currey’s book is series of vignettes, colourful snapshots of the artists if you will, written in a style that flows effortlessly to and fro. You can start at the beginning and read through to the end; read when you have a moment, one or two accounts at a time; start at the end and work backwards; or pick up anywhere in between. It’s that kind of book.
In some ways, this is a “How To” book, a ‘ ways to manage your time’ manual, written from a completely fresh and fascinating perspective that reveals how those famous “others” did it. It reminds us that, in the end, we’re all human and it’s often our idiosyncracies that make us interesting and unique. It’s part motivational, part inspirational, and all of it is a darned good read.
Daily Rituals. How Artists Work by Mason Currey.
Mason Currey Website
by Miriam Hara | Aug 12, 2015 | Advertising, Agency, Business Success, Communications, Creative, Latest, Management, Marketing
Is the concept of ‘value add’ or ‘value added’ overused? Perhaps it’s more correct to ask, is it misused? Has ‘value added’ become like the tipping issue? Many of us tip automatically, whether it’s deserved or not. Has the term ‘value add’ become interchangeable with just doing a good job, or simply meeting expectations, not exceeding them? What happened to going above and beyond, every time that you can? To me, that’s value added.
The retail landscape is rife with ‘value adds’
The retail landscape is rife with ‘value adds’. Think about extended warranties. You purchase a new refrigerator. You wanted value for your money, so you likely paid for the brand name as well as the fridge’s features and benefits. Brands that have been around for a while, proved their worth, built a following, have intrinsic value. But as you’re buying that brand name fridge, the salesperson encourages you to purchase an extended warranty beyond the standard one-year warranty — a warranty that will protect you — and one you’ll have to pay for. Where’s the value in that?
What is that saying about the product? Shouldn’t you be able to expect that the refrigerator will work for you a heck of a lot longer than one year? And if it’s not going to, then shouldn’t the manufacturer promote an offer to fix anything that does go wrong in the 13th month after you bought it, and fix it for free. That would be a true value added proposition! Same thing goes for a car purchase and the extended warranties that go along with those purchases. Fundamentally, these types of things are not adding real value, they’re just up-selling and increasing the profitability of “you”. I believe I should be able to expect that most high-ticket items that I purchase are going to last a while; that they’re going to meet my expectation of performance, without me having to buy protection in case they don’t.
‘Value added’, from a business owner’s point of view, is having my vendors go beyond… which make them partners… not vendors.
‘Value added’, from my business owner point of view, is having my vendors go beyond. It’s having their service and their staff perform well beyond my expectations, not just meet my expectations. I hired them to meet my expectations. And I’m ecstatic when they exceed them! In other words… you got the business, now keep it by impressing.
In terms of my clients, value added doesn’t mean giving them great creative. They expect great creative. Why else do you go to an advertising agency? It doesn’t mean delivering on time, that’s an expectation from the outset. It doesn’t mean delivering results. That’s expected too.
‘Value added’ happens when we anticipate what the client needs before they need it.
Value added happens when we anticipate what the client needs before they need it. It’s when we nudge them by showing them there’s a better way. It’s by surprising them with things that they didn’t expect; things that help and delight them. Value added is exceeding beyond what our clients expect, and giving them a reason to keep coming back. It’s making them feel good about working with us because not only are we delivering on their expectation, we are adding value to the service and valuing them as clients, by exceeding their pre-conceived expectations. At its core, value added should be about building relationships.
Jump! How High? That’s not value added.
Jump! How high? That’s not value added. Leap as high as I can for my clients before they ask me to jump… now that’s adding value.
What is your idea of ‘value added’ in your ‘world’? I’d be interested to hear!
#ValueAdded #SharedWisdom #ExceedBeyond
by Miriam Hara | Aug 10, 2015 | Administration, Business Success, Communications, Creative, Latest, Management, Problem Solving
I’ve blogged about 7 Things I absolutely Need in a New Creative Hire and my slightly tongue-in-cheek 7 Quirky Questions to Ask a New Creative Hire, but there is another important viewpoint to consider – that of the person you’re hiring. What does the person you’re thinking of hiring absolutely need in order to say ‘yes’ to the hire? Things your new hire absolutely needs from you. ‘Need’ and ‘want’ aren’t the same, remember. In many ways, we all need the same things. What we want varies. We need food, but some of us might want an expensive Vita-Mix to blend, mix, puree or process recipes to make that food. Wants are flexible, needs are not; not if you want a motivated, contributing, satisfied creative employee.
The interesting thing about uncovering what a person needs is that it can help you decide if they are the right person for the job.
The interesting thing about uncovering what a person needs, is that it can help you decide if they are the right person for the job. It lines up with my earlier blog: 7 Things I Absolutely Need in a New Creative Hire. I’ll skip salary talk; that’s related to budgets; yours and theirs, and stick to more universal needs. I’ve been a business owner for many years, so I trust my experience and my instincts when I hire, but I’ll quote the behavioural coaches here. Mostly, my views align. I see all of the following as ‘needs’. No one is ever going to answer in neat little phrases like in the list below, but if you listen carefully, you’ll see what their needs are and which ones are most important. It’s my feeling, that you owe it to your business and to your business’s culture, to see if you can satisfy those needs.
Just because we’re in charge, doesn’t mean we don’t have our own needs and goals.
The list below was put together on LinkedIn by business coach and author, Rick Conlow (I’m summarizing here, the full link to his piece is below) and in my view, warrants repeating and reviewing once in a while, even if we’re not thinking about hiring anyone new. It’s something we all need to check in on. Are the people we’re working with getting their needs met? Are we as business owners and managers getting our own needs met in the jobs we do? Just because we’re in charge of a business or organization, doesn’t mean we don’t have our own needs and goals. Are we getting the same things from our own environment as that new hire is expecting? As I mentioned, I feel Rick’s guidelines are essentially universal and apply to all of us, so don’t think of them as just about the people you’re hiring or have already hired. They apply to all of us. Are we setting or getting:
- Clear expectations and goals.
- Recognition and praise.
- Regular communication with leadership.
- Growth.
- Trust.
- Responsibility.
- Respect.
- Pride in their work.
- Ongoing opportunities to learn.
- Achievement.
I think as Business Owners and Managers, we have a responsibility to remind ourselves, “I know what I need from the people who work for me and how it relates to what the business needs, but what will this new person need?”
Rick’s ‘driving-it-home’ point: “If you want your people to be better, you have to be better as a leader.” I agree. Getting back to that new hire, I think as Business Owners and Managers, we have a responsibility to remind ourselves that “yes, I know what I need from the people who work for me and how it relates to what the business needs, but what will this new person need? Will this job match and meet (at least mostly) their needs?”
Essentially, it’s a symbiotic relationship; if the needs of the person we’re thinking of hiring don’t match fairly closely with what we can deliver and what we believe people really do need, then trouble brews.
LinkedIn. Article by Rick Conlow: The Top 10 Things Employees Want From Their Job.
Additional Reading
Canadian Business. The best cultures, perks and benefits: Canada’s Best Employers 2015: The Top 50
Profitguide.com: The definitive list of organizations that have mastered the art of employee engagement Canada’s Best Small and Medium Employers 2015: The Top 50
Interesting afterthought: This famous study in human behaviour ranks by importance, our hierarchy of needs, in other words, the elements that motivate us: The Theory of Human Motivation by Abraham Maslow Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
by Miriam Hara | Aug 5, 2015 | Advertising, Communications, Creative, Latest
Peer to peer recognition is the most flattering of flattery. There is no greater compliment than those uttered by peers.
Being creative is not owned. Although not all people will agree with this, I believe it’s a talent that is given to each an everyone of us, although it is exercised in different ways. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”#CreativeRespect”]I believe that problem solving is at the core of any creative process to find a solution.[/inlinetweet] That being said, a scientist, mathematician, physician, musician, artist, painter, writer and the list goes on, are all creative. The difference is the outside perception of what is deemed to be understandability creative.
In my world, all forms of communication interest me. Being naturally curious and in business, it is both my nature and business to view intently all ads, blogs, campaigns, contests, programs that I come across. I must say, with the advent of the internet, the exposure to creative talent, ideas, concepts, designs and campaigns is astounding. There are so many creative people in the world! More and more often, there are times, [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”#CreativeRespect”]upon viewing a design, ad or video, I say, “Wow…I wish I’d thought of that!”[/inlinetweet] Not in envy, but in real humble respect for the thought process that resulted in such a concept.
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”#CreativeRespect”]What does it take to earn peer to peer respect in the creative world of advertising?[/inlinetweet]
When viewing this list, please think of ‘creative’ as a concept, a campaign, a TV spot, billboard, digital campaign, video, an ad…
- The creative must respect the brand: delivering on its promise and persona.
- The creative must uplift the brand on its shoulders, so to speak…elevating it rather than over-shadowing it.
- The creative must be emotive so that the brand emotionally connects with its intended target.
- The creative must deliver the message whether it’s rejuvenating a brand, inciting trial, or simply building awareness.
- The creative must be simple.
Here are a few examples of what I really think are powerful creatives that capture all of the above:
[inlinetweet prefix=”#CreativeRespect #SharedWisdom” tweeter=”” suffix=””]Do you have awesome creative that you would like to share with me? I would love to see! [/inlinetweet]#CreativeRespect #SharedWisdom
by Miriam Hara | Jul 20, 2015 | Advertising, Agency, Creative, Latest, Management
To understand why I need what I need in a new hire, you have to understand the business. [inlinetweet prefix=””Do what you love.” – Steve Jobs” tweeter=”” suffix=”#NewHireWishList #SharedWisdom”]The advertising business isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life.[/inlinetweet] Take it from me, it’s like no other business in the world. It’s not a tap you turn on and off. You don’t (in fact, you can’t) turn on at 8:30 a.m. and turn off at 4:30 p.m., particularly if you’re leading a team. I think people who are really good at what they do (in any industry) are always thinking about what they do: how they can do it better; how they can do it differently for better results; how they can streamline the process to get where they’re going more effectively and yes, get there faster. They’re always thinking about “ideas” and marketing and advertising is all about ideas.
A platitude that’s a bit overused maybe, but there’s still plenty of truth in it: “Work smarter, not harder”
Work smarter, not harder: I want people who really believe that. You’ve seen the posters. But there’s plenty of truth in those four little words.
I never know what will spark the idea, or when it will come, I just trust, from experience, that it will come. I want that characteristic in a new hire.
It’s a Saturday morning, my business hat is off. It’s summer, I might be having a coffee on a patio, at the farmer’s market, anywhere; but I’m probably thinking about a new client, a client presentation, or an idea for a new campaign. It’s the middle of the week, I could be in an airport, a cab, at a restaurant, or just taking a walk down by the lake with my husband after dinner. Maybe I’m in the middle of a presentation for clients, totally focused and an idea pops up, completely unrelated to what I’m doing. Everywhere I am, anything can spark an idea. This might sound like I never stop working and in a way, I don’t.
It’s partly the business and partly me. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”-Miriam Hara, CCO, 3H #ExceedBeyond #SharedWisdom”]I’m still excited about what I do, even after 27 years.[/inlinetweet] I still get up in the morning passionate about our projects. It’s not that I’m always consciously thinking about work, it’s that I can’t help not thinking about it. I want people around me like that.
The business is not just me – I rely on my team. Most of them have been with 3H a long time. All of them have passion. And I want people with passion. I need them:
7 THINGS I ABSOLUTELY NEED IN A NEW CREATIVE HIRE
- Passion for the industry and the creative process.
- The desire to win!
- Willingness to learn and the ability to wear many hats.
- Someone who adds value to the process, who is flexible and won’t freeze when things go wrong, because in our business, like in life, something always does!
- Someone who isn’t afraid of ‘working without a net’; meaning that it’s okay if they don’t know the total background and details of a job, they run with the things and know it will work it out and they’ll eventually catch on. Being okay with not knowing is really important!
- Someone who is thick skinned and doesn’t take things too personally.
- No overblown egos. Confidence is what I want and it’s not the same thing. Egos make life difficult for everyone else. Strangely, it’s the kind of business where ego doesn’t belong, although we don’t think of the advertising and marketing business that way. Ego is insignificant to clients — it would be troublesome. They hire you because they already know you’re good at what you do.
There’s a number 8, but the heading says 7 so I’ll just say that for number 8 a sense of humour is hugely important. I want someone who finds things funny, can see humour where it’s sometimes hard to see it. There’s more to hiring the right person. Things that maybe you don’t often think about when you’re hiring; quirky characteristics that can enrich company culture on a day to day basis. (I’ll talk about them in an upcoming blog.)
It’s such an important aspect of business, finding the right people because it affects so many aspects of the business.
Send me your thoughts on what you look for in a new hire. #NewHireWishList #SharedWisdom #ExceedBeyond
by Joyce Turner-Gionet | Jun 30, 2015 | Advertising, Branding, Creative, Latest
It depends.
If the celebrity fits the brand and the spot acts as a springboard to elevate and personify the brand, then it’s good creative. Last year, Matthew McConaughey was in the driver’s seat for the new Lincoln Motor’s (luxury division of Ford Motor Company) MKC. According to ET Canada, sales for Lincoln shot up 25%, to their highest level in seven years. In this case, the campaign ads inadvertently also inspired a celebrity bonanza with Ellen Degeneres, Conan O’Brien and Canada’s Jim Carrey revvin’ their comedy engines to parody the commercials. A link to one of the MKC commercials is below and for those who haven’t seen it, just for giggles, I’ve included a link to Ellen’s parody. The parodies ended up driving the outcome, so the MKC ad spots got even more attention than they otherwise might have, thanks to … celebrity coverage.
There’s considerable financial investment attached to celebrity endorsement. The cost of the celebrity as a brand ambassador has to be weighed against ultimate traction for the brand, particularly for small companies with shallow pockets. So much about building brand and brand awareness is about breaking through the clutter. Yes, the right celebrity can cut through clutter like a warm knife through butter, but that warm knife also slices off a major part of your advertising budget. Don’t forget frequency of the message. In any company, large or small, there are only so many advertising dollars to go around. For the strongest traction, dollars need to be used on a message that’s seen frequently and for best results, spread across more than one medium.
Celebrity Endorsements: There is risk involved.
There’s the danger of the celebrity overriding the brand. What’s actually being sold? The celebrity or the brand? It pays to be careful.
There’s also credibility. Today’s consumers demand truth, which goes back to my first point: a celebrity must fit the brand. If something smells fishy, someone will Tweet the stink and quickly. Consumers are savvy enough to know that any celebrity is in it partly for the money. But it’s a fine line; if the celebrity is perceived as just in it for the money then brand suffers. There’s got to be authenticity; like Cher modeling Marc Jacobs’ stuff this month. Can you think of anyone who could better carry off this Marc Jacob’s dress? Talk about brand revitalizing for Cher too! Makes me want to go back and revisit her ‘Dark Lady’ lyrics, “The fortune queen from New Orleans …” (Yes, Cher really is almost 70!) In this case, endorsement is mutually beneficial, working for Jacobs and for Cher.
[inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”#CelebrityEndorsements”]Celebrities can energize a brand or re-energize one.[/inlinetweet] They can change consumer perception of a brand, even old and dusty ones. Remember Proctor and Gamble’s ‘new’ Old Spice Man, ex-football player Issaiah Mustafa. ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”. It spoke to men and to women, the ones that typically buy after-shave or cologne for “their men.” The spot helped reenergize a brand that was, at that point, as old as Cher on her next birthday. Done by Wieden and Kennedy out of Portland Oregon, with more than 65 million views on YouTube, it’s still one of the most successful ad campaigns, ever.
There is a downside, of course: If a celebrity puts a foot wrong, or the ad campaign hits a nerve. Think Tiger’s troubles (even shareholders of his sponsor companies lost billions!). Think Rob Lowe’s recent spots for DirecTV which ticked off a rival cable company enough to lodge a formal complaint and one particular spot that incensed the International Paruresis Association (also called shy bladder disease, a surprisingly common social phobia in which people who have trouble doing their business with other people around). The ads were cancelled.
[inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”#CelebrityEndorsements”]Done well, celebrity endorsements can be a big boost for brand.[/inlinetweet] Gone wrong, they’re a PR nightmare. But at the end of the day, a celebrity is still an actor and no celebrity endorsement goes far without good creative backing it. Just make sure your ad budget can support the star light.
View the Celebrity Endorsements:
[dt_sc_one_third_inner first][youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoGGDKV88Fg][/dt_sc_one_third_inner]
[dt_sc_one_third_inner ][youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K69chHMtrs4][/dt_sc_one_third_inner]
[dt_sc_one_third_inner ][youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE][/dt_sc_one_third_inner]
