Idea Management

Brands are fake. At least many of them are. And by fake I mean that they use ‘branding’ to cover up who they really are - not accectuate it. In an effort to simply get online, many successful businesses have failed to get real with their customers - to show their true colors. For many of them to do that successfully, they’d have to re-evaluate who they really are - and that can be a freightening prospect.

However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the trend for transparency is for good reason. Whether you choose to participate or not, your brand is likely being discussed online. And the brand you’ve worked so hard to build through traditional channels can quickly crumble in the online social arena.

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In the early days of Wheel of Fortune there were some letters that were preferred more than others. Why? They occur a lot more in the English language. No place was that more evident than the final round. The contestant was asked to select five consonants and one vowel to help them solve the puzzle. 99% of the time, they chose RSTLNE. The producers finally took care of that dilemma. They now provide the letters: RSTLNE, automatically. Once those letters are revealed, players then choose three more consonants and one more vowel. At least now the game is a little more challenging and interesting.

I’ve noticed a similar trend in managing marketing projects (especially online projects). When trying to extract from clients what their true objectives are, I get the same answers again and again. So, to get the most out of everyone’s time (and to get to the best ideas) I assume the following objectives. In fact, I hesitate to call these elements “objectives” anymore.  (My letters are a little different, though - RPGCB U)

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If one thing is missing today in the world of advertising, I would have to argue that it’s accountability. Ironically, in an age where analytic measurement is a key cornerstone to everything we do, what we lack is a method for recognizing great creativity within idea management. Account service recieves the commands from the client then dictates to the “creatives” what they should create. But where is the accountability to the creativity of the account service teams? The creative may have laddered up elegantly to the holy creative brief, but what if the brief was wrong? What if the account team (including the planners) missed the mark on truly deciphering what the client needed?
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I had this response to an old article posted – but never published it to my blog. I still think it’s very relevant, so I thought I share. It’s in response to the post “Five Reasons Why the Mobile Web Sucks.” Interesting article. I’ve heard similar arguments many times before, so I thought I’d chime in with my own thoughts - not that I’m any expert, but I do enjoy offering alternative perspectives.

The thing is, I couldn’t disagree more with this piece. Not for the reasons it provides, but that it seems so short sighted. The blog starts out:

“I’ve had it with all the hype about mobile being the next big thing — more to the point, I’ve had it with the mobile web. Here are five reasons why the web on the go still has a long way to go.”

I’m a little stunned that he made this comment. To not be able to see the progress of mobile is a bit shocking to me. However, what I do pull from this is just how big of a job mobile companies have with working uphill in such a negative mindset towards mobile technologies. I mean, if a blogger with the tagline of “The rEvoluion of media” wrote this, think of what the average person’s perception of mobile media (specifically the mobile web) has to be. Better yet, I see this as an opportunity for mobile software companies. They have a chance to help move this perception.

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Advertising: Reverse Engineered
Experiment 1 in a series (Click here for more detail)

Client: Missouri Bank
Agency: Meers Advertising, Kansas City, MO

Background:
A short while back ago, a co-worker and I used to walk to lunch to Smokin’ Joe’s Bar-B-Q a couple blocks away in the Crossroads District of Kansas City. On the way back from lunch, we would pass by an old building that was white-washed. At the top of the wall, a banner hung that said:

“We all dream of different things: fortune, fame, a clean house, a perfect lawn, a little shop of our own. But some things will never make it out of our dreams and into real life. Or will they? Maybe all our dreams need is a little acknowledgement. Maybe all you need to do to give them life is to write them down. In full view. On the side of this building. So, what do you dream of?”

Since the Crossroads houses a slew of artists and galleries, I (as well as many others) assumed this was just a way to generate ‘positive graffiti,’ encouraging passerbys to write their aspirations on a wall with the hope that it might inspire. Every time we passed the wall, it seemed we would talk about it - whether it was marketing for an upcoming gallery or simply the work of an inspired anthropologist. We started to feel it was marketing when a billboard above the building was erected that said:

“I dream of” on one board and “___________________” on another.

And even later, a new billboard emerged:

“You dreamed it. Now do it. Missouri Bank. Be the difference.”

As it turns out, this wall was the future home of a new branch for Missouri Bank.

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I’ve come across a few great blog entries regarding the commoditization of strategy. One such blog is accompanied by great dialog I’d recommend reading if you have the time.

Every creative company and ad agency seems to tout their services as “solutions” based. The fact that every agency is now a strategy company seem to highlight the argument that strategy is indeed becoming a commodity. We can make the distinction between good strategy and bad, but it is the creative execution that becomes the life and death of a strategy.

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Passion. It gives life purpose. It drives us and moves us. What makes this clip so powerful for me is the emotion that follows. You can’t take something so hard unless you put yourself into it completely. And that’s how we should all pursue life.  If you don’t know the story, I’ll break it down. Then I’ll explain what happened after the fact and provide my conclusions to the matter.

Background and Desccription:
2004 NCAA Championship. Winner makes it to the tournament. Memphis is a huge underdog. Darius Washington, a freshman has been playing superbly all game. Down by two, he goes for the win and misses but is fowled. With 0:00 on the clock, Washington goes to the line. If he makes all three, Memphis wins and moves on to the tournament. The favored team now has to wait as its fate is decided by the other team. With confidence, he makes his first shot. One more for the tie. Two for the win. The second shot is taken with just as much confidence, but this time, he misses. Shock hits the arena on both sides. Stakes are high. Confidence is low. The ball is heavy. Bricks off the rim. Miss. Memphis loses. Washington is stunned. Blood rushes to his head as he feels the scorn of all the Memphis fans that had some hope. He falls to his knees, hides in his shirt, then hits the ground. Shocked and ashamed.

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I am not a professional “creative” in the traditional sense of the word. I design like I sing - I get the melody, but it’s a little off key and I have no shot of even dreaming of auditioning for American Idol. I love to write, but coming up with short witty copy on the fly doesn’t suit me well.

But, in the world of ideas, I do consider myself creative. I believe that everyone is creative. They just need to understand in what ways they are creative - and sometimes a little outside perspective and motivation is the key. Now, when I say that I’m creative in this way, I don’t mean that I always “get it” or that I’m the one that has all the great ideas. I just have this ability to bring ideas out in others and get them to contribute in ways they ordinarily might not. It’s a philosophy I’m starting to call Idea Management, and you can read more about it throughout my blog, site and the rest of my digital footprint.

So, as I was working through the details of this methodology, I started noticing advertising campaigns (or sometimes single ads) that really spoke to me. In many cases they didn’t speak directly to me, but there was something about it where I could sense the objective the creatives were challenged with. But then, I noticed, that those campaigns fell short. They weren’t taking advantage of the full arsenal of interactive (and even traditional) features available to really build something out of it. So, I had this idea of reconstructing some advertising campaigns.

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