by Miriam Hara | Apr 5, 2012 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Creative, Social Media
Is the way we are communicating SAFE? Has the less “physical” interaction that we are now all adopting with so much enthusiasm curtailed our ability to develop original thinking and thought provocative inventions and innovations? Has being faceless allowed us to be impolite, rude and COLD?
Humans have never been more “social” then in the present… and yet, recently, on a discussion I posted on Linkedin, I received one statement that left me quite chilled! My discussion point was very succinct: Is the way we communicate digitally impacting negatively on the way we network in business or not? This discussion topic, based on a post to our company blog Hoopla, written by one of my colleagues about the “social in social media.”
With the onslaught of social media, the ability to communicate has never been easier nor more immediate. But does more mean less? Is the quality of the communication and the connection as important or as necessary as it was in the past, a mere 2 or 3 years ago? Has our ability to be considerate been diminished by the fact that we can be impersonal. That we are one step removed from the person trying to connect with us. No longer is a voice or a face to the conversation reminding us that there is a person at the other end of the communication. We have become fonts and letters.
In my original discussion, there was much conversation over how relevant the Connections were and that having replaced the “personal” in the interaction with a computer screen that communication has become faceless. The one comment that I previously referred to was stated by a fellow group member from the Marketing Executives Group, Caron Hughs , and it is the one I really would like your opinion on. This statement is the reason for this post.
“… There are few left who practice manners in acknowledging a phone call, or an email. It is far easier to ignore someone’s plea for help if you are not looking into their eyes. It is far easier to miss a career changing proposal because you are too busy to read an email or return a phone call. We are becoming a very SAFE society in the way we communicate … and there are no manners, or “outside of the box” thinking in our communications. We choose to respond to what is safe and what is familiar … and from that the great new ideas that could be born to life in a collaborative effort are fading away. Even in entertainment … could there be any more remakes from stories of old or copycat competitions born from the original’s success?”
When I read her comment, it made me realize how much of what she said is accurate. You only have to look to fashion, listen to music, look at design and see how re-inventing the old has become the norm. Where is the trend-setting? What is new and novel? Even Lady Gaga… has taken so much of Madonna… in attitude but also in sound and music. Madonna was the first, Micheal Jackson was a first, the Beatles were a first and so were the Rolling Stones. They were and are original. They made the moves. They struck the cords. They established the trends. Okay, so that is music…. what about fashion? Dare I say sunglasses…. big buggy sunglasses, or how about the new Aviator look? And let’s speak to design… Retro is in!!! Yes indeed… everything new… well, isn’t.
So has social media and the ease of communication lessened our ability to think outside the box because we spend so much time staring into a frame….so to speak?
What are your thoughts on this?
by Miriam Hara | Mar 14, 2012 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Creative
In today’s social market landscape never has the consumer adage of “What’s it in for me?” been more key in all communications. Today, Brand must be upfront, in the consumer’s line of vision, without selling. Brand must engage with intent, with less frills, less sell and more substance. Social Brand has enabled this. Today ‘advertising’ through the social channels must be informative, educational and add value. The concept of Social Brand has emerged, trumping all other frivolous communications. I am not saying that traditional media is out, quite the contrary, it has a very strong future. It will finally evolve to the place that it should have always been… revenue generating. The emergence of social media with its marketing intimacy and emergence of inbound marketing has proven to be the catalyst for Traditional media. Entertainment value is no longer enough… mind you, the creative of advertising should never have been the focal point of advertising… and now it can’t be, because it is no longer relevant. From a brand’s point of view, it should never have been about creative, because creative doesn’t translate into revenue. Mark Stevens who wrote the book Your Marketing Sucks stated it very clearly: “Marketing that doesn’t suck should be about the revenue, not about how beautiful the advertisement is”.
From the advertising agency’s point of view, the Traditional ad (broadcast, print or out of home) needs to be tied more succinctly to Brand Persona and what the brand is communicating within its other platforms, such as social media channels. It has to be more functional. Being a Chief Creative Officer with a strong heritage of marketing and business, ad evaluation has always been about brand context. My team constantly mimics me “Are we asking the consumer to do too many calisthenics to get to the point?“. It always irks me when I see an advertisement (print, radio, TV, out of home) where the creative won over the brand… when the creative premise/idea/visual was so beautiful that it won out over the primary objective of what the ad was actually supposed to achieve. Answer these few questions when you see an ad that has captivated your attention:
- What is the Brand? (Does it have presence, seen or stated? Does it inspire you to remember it?)
- What is the single message the ad has communicated? (What is the message? Does it speak to the Brand’s Basic Premise and its reason to believe?)
- Does the message hold any relevance for you? (Are they speaking to you, the intended Target Market, in the way you wish to be addressed? Are you the Target Market?)
If you can’t answer all these questions succinctly, then the advertising has failed. Over the years, I have seen ads that are clever and witty, utilizing the latest and greatest animation techniques to create a thing of real beauty… it almost becomes a piece of art – so much so that they win awards, as they are award-winning creative. But do they win sales for the client, for the Brand? That really should be the metrics to measure the success of an advertising campaign. My creative philosophy has always stemmed from my marketing background. As such, when we are brainstorming sessions at 3H, the objective is written out, clearly on the big LCD screen. All creative ideas are scrutinized against the objective and more often than not, the objective is to increase sales.
Don’t get me wrong, there are ads that are beautifully conceptualized, executed and very brand relevant. But, more often than not, advertising loses the perspective that it’s there to promote Brand and deliver on sales, not creative. Achieving the delicate balance of creative and brand… adding in a strong understanding of target psychographics is never easy… but believe me it’s totally doable! Clear concise messaging, with strong benefits, executed with a seamless strategy relevant to the target market is what brand advertising should be all about.
by admin | Aug 9, 2011 | Business Success
There is a saying that is quite applicable in everyday life and it is hard to live by but can benefit everyone involved.
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.- Abraham Lincoln
If you are too busy talking then you are not able to hear what is being said. What is being asked of you? What guidance is being provided? In a constant strive to make ME the most important word in the story…gear down. Set the cruise at a lower speed then you think you can handle, crank the guilty pleasure songs you admit to no one that you listen to and strive to be humble.
You do what you do because you know how to do it -all day – no doubt, you are a champion of all things you.
BUT
If your career is to extrapolate what others are trying to accomplish, then listening is not only vital but hyper listening is a mandatory requirement. You have to foresee the limitations of communication in all people. Bank on this. The client will always try with their best effort to convey the idea or tactic, it is up to you to use your intuitive interpretation and ensure all the obvious and not so apparent thoughts are captured and acted upon.
If you say nothing until they are finished and truly process what you heard – you will be much more effective in formulating a refined focused response which has been customized to their needs. This will make your guidance more sound and your vision a shared one.
by Miriam Hara | Jul 27, 2011 | Business Success, Design
Good designers are adaptable. They can adapt to their audience with their knowledge of edgy, corporate, fun, serious, funky design. Variety and choice is key when you are pitching to your clients. If they don’t have choice, they won’t feel in control of their creative vision.
Providing the client choice is a great way for them to really identify with one path, and not just accept or reject one.
Listen to your clients as well – you are the marketing expert, but they are often a good way of gauging the tone that your creative will evoke may differ from the brain waves flowing within your agency.
Colour doesn’t make it another creative concept.
It’s obvious that you need a well-rounded staff, able to adapt to whatever needs your clients may have, but designers need to have an arsenal of style. They need to be the edge of the leading edge, because the visual is the thing that either creates the trend or dies before it. Copy, although intonation has changed a little, has a very small spectrum of ultimate change in mood and verbiage, but visuals are constantly in flux. Get a team of designers that are not only visionary, but on top of the game – or visionary because they create the game – is the best investment your company will make in its brain trust. Your designers need to think conceptually, be adaptable, and they need to be perfectionists. Tall order? Yes. But when the right designer comes along, design magic happens.
