I started out in life very interested in art and the commercial application of how art meets commerce. In school, I became aware of an artist who inspired me because he was, in fact, an early innovator in advertising design in a different era. Recently, I was fortunate enough to visit the Kemper Art Museum on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis and found myself in front a Toulouse-Lautrec lithograph he made of the dancer Jane Avril.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born into an aristocratic family in the south of France in 1864. He suffered from a genetic condition that prevented his bones from healing properly. As a young boy he broke his legs and both ceased to grow while the rest of his body continued to grow normally. At maturity, he was only 4 1/2 feet tall. This misfortune may have been a sort of blessing in disguise. After his accidents he was no longer able to follow in the typically aristocratic pastimes of riding and hunting. Instead, he focused on sketching and painting.
As a young man, he lived in the Montmartre section of Paris, the center of the cabaret entertainment and bohemian life that he loved to depict in his artwork. Toulouse-Lautrec was very much an active part of this community. Often he could be found sitting in a crowded nightclub making swift sketches. In his studio, he would expand the sketches into brightly colored paintings or use them to make lithographs.
Toulouse-Lautrec is now widely known in the art world as the archetypical bohemian artist of the belle époque, the "beautiful era" in Paris in the last decade of the 19th Century. He captured the spirit and emotion of the era in his posters and portraits. His unique condition made it difficult for him to live up to the status quo for a well born aristocrat. Nevertheless, he clearly shared in the joie de vivre of the time. Sadly, he died at the age of 36, but today his legacy can be viewed in some of the great art museums and art collections of the world.
You might say he was a victim of circumstances. But then again you might say that it was because of the circumstances he is the acclaimed artist even today – more than one hundred and ten years after his death. He was blessed with great talent. We are blessed by his legacy and his influence.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Agency Evaluation
The client-agency relationship is a delicate thing. By definition, your advertising agency should act on your behalf in matters concerning your marketing communication. At the same time, you want the agency to be responsive to direction. You want a partnership. After all, we will be judged on the quality of marketing communications developed within the scope of our limited resources (time, marketing budget etc.) Like any relationship, it takes work. As the client, we need our agency to understand expectations. You don't want the agency-client relationship to become disruptive. Here is a five-point agency evaluation system. Maybe it will be helpful in evaluating your agency-client relationship.
Creative Excellence: Above all, the agency should be creative and not just in art direction and copy. They should be able to look at your marketing problems creatively. They should consider creative ways to allocate media spending. They should be creative when it comes to spending money and managing limited resources. They should be creative in presenting fresh
ideas.
Smart Marketing Thinking: Your agency doesn't have to know as much about your business as you do (Although that can be beneficial). They should think like business people. They should recommend ways that will build the business. They should suggest ideas that are reasonable and strategic.
Problem Solvers: The best agencies will be able to read between the lines a little. If the budget is limited, an agency should be able to deal with that. If selling ideas into the organization or the distribution channels is an issue it might be appropriate for them to help with this process. They should be able to work with you to take anxiety out of your life and not add to it.
Capabilities: The agency relationships you establish should match well with our needs. Evaluate the agency on what it does well. Suggest improvement when you can. Some agencies offer an uneven range of services. If they can't or won't accommodate you, you may need to unbundle some services. Weight this notion against the added time and energy it may take to build an additional agency-client relationship.
Flawless Execution: Careless errors can cripple the effectiveness of any advertising. Nobody's perfect. But the greatest idea in the world will suffer if not produced well. This is a tough place for an agency to fall short but it's all too common.
Creative Excellence: Above all, the agency should be creative and not just in art direction and copy. They should be able to look at your marketing problems creatively. They should consider creative ways to allocate media spending. They should be creative when it comes to spending money and managing limited resources. They should be creative in presenting fresh
ideas.
Smart Marketing Thinking: Your agency doesn't have to know as much about your business as you do (Although that can be beneficial). They should think like business people. They should recommend ways that will build the business. They should suggest ideas that are reasonable and strategic.
Problem Solvers: The best agencies will be able to read between the lines a little. If the budget is limited, an agency should be able to deal with that. If selling ideas into the organization or the distribution channels is an issue it might be appropriate for them to help with this process. They should be able to work with you to take anxiety out of your life and not add to it.
Capabilities: The agency relationships you establish should match well with our needs. Evaluate the agency on what it does well. Suggest improvement when you can. Some agencies offer an uneven range of services. If they can't or won't accommodate you, you may need to unbundle some services. Weight this notion against the added time and energy it may take to build an additional agency-client relationship.
Flawless Execution: Careless errors can cripple the effectiveness of any advertising. Nobody's perfect. But the greatest idea in the world will suffer if not produced well. This is a tough place for an agency to fall short but it's all too common.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Ode to Marketing in the Coming Ages
Marketing is part commerce and part art. The creative side of our profession can make a huge difference in the results we get. I am inspired by a poem that was written in the second half of the 19th century. It’s a poem about poetry but I think it offers all of us a unique challenge in our lives and in our careers. What will we as marketing professionals bring to the coming new age? I hope this poem inspires you as it has me. Be a leader. Do great work. Why? Here's a good answer in a timeless poem:
ODE
BY ARTHUR O’SHAUGHNESSY
WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS,
AND WE ARE THE DREAMERS OF DREAMS,
WANDERING BY LONE SEA-BREAKERS,
AND SITTING BY DESOLATE STREAMS;
WORLD LOSERS AND WORLD FORSAKERS,
ON WHOM THE PALE MOON GLEAMS:
YET WE ARE THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS
OF THE WORLD FOREVER. IT SEEMS.
WITH WONDERFUL DEATHLESS DITTIES
WE BUILD UP THE WORLD’S GREAT CITIES,
AND OUT OF A FABULOUS STORY
WE FASHION AN EMPIRE’S GLORY:
ONE MAN WITH A DREAM, AT PLEASURE,
SHALL GO FORTH AND CONQUER A CROWN;
AND THREE WITH A NEW SONG’S MEASURE
CAN TRAMPLE AN EMPIRE DOWN.
WE IN THE AGES LYING
IN THE BURIED PAST OF THE EARTH,
BUILT NINEVEH WITH OUR SIGHING;
AND BABEL ITSELF WITH OUR MIRTH;
AND O’ERTHREW THEM WITH PROPHESYING
TO THE OLD OF THE NEW WORLD’S WORTH;
FOR EACH AGE IS A DREAM THAT IS DYING,
OR ONE THAT IS COMING TO BIRTH.
ODE
BY ARTHUR O’SHAUGHNESSY
WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS,
AND WE ARE THE DREAMERS OF DREAMS,
WANDERING BY LONE SEA-BREAKERS,
AND SITTING BY DESOLATE STREAMS;
WORLD LOSERS AND WORLD FORSAKERS,
ON WHOM THE PALE MOON GLEAMS:
YET WE ARE THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS
OF THE WORLD FOREVER. IT SEEMS.
WITH WONDERFUL DEATHLESS DITTIES
WE BUILD UP THE WORLD’S GREAT CITIES,
AND OUT OF A FABULOUS STORY
WE FASHION AN EMPIRE’S GLORY:
ONE MAN WITH A DREAM, AT PLEASURE,
SHALL GO FORTH AND CONQUER A CROWN;
AND THREE WITH A NEW SONG’S MEASURE
CAN TRAMPLE AN EMPIRE DOWN.
WE IN THE AGES LYING
IN THE BURIED PAST OF THE EARTH,
BUILT NINEVEH WITH OUR SIGHING;
AND BABEL ITSELF WITH OUR MIRTH;
AND O’ERTHREW THEM WITH PROPHESYING
TO THE OLD OF THE NEW WORLD’S WORTH;
FOR EACH AGE IS A DREAM THAT IS DYING,
OR ONE THAT IS COMING TO BIRTH.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Enhance value and dramatically improve company performance.
No doubt the current business and economic environment have had an impact our on your plans and goals as an organization. Challenging times require extra care in managing your business. As you evaluate alternatives, marketing and communications will play an important role in shaping the future. A few unsolicited thoughts on things to consider:
Building a plan and using that plan as a benchmark - You have a mission and a number of exceptional programs and initiatives. The annual meeting/conference, ongoing efforts to guide regional sales, thought leadership/position papers and publications – to name just a few. Resources are always limited, but your chances of making progress on an annual basis are more likely to be achieved if they are part of a dynamic planning process that organizes and prioritizes activity. Done well, a dynamic plan becomes a documentation of success as well as o commitment to focus on best practices.
Budgeting for success - The plan document is important and should have broad readership. The budget, on the other hand, is best managed with a smaller circulation. Budgets for marketing and communications activity can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Many companies simply do the best they can with a ballpark that has been established within in the past two-three years. Consumer products marketers often battle for “share of voice” and budget based on best estimates of competitive spending. New products often try to obtain rating points against the target prospect. When all is said and done, the budget should be a companion document to the marketing and communications plan. It should be realistic and fair. The budget also needs to be evaluated at least quarterly as they year unfolds. My experience has been within a relevant range of a wide variety of budget scenarios.
Engaging customers - You must attract new prospects and keep repeat customers each year. To accomplish this you must understand what products and services add value. If your value proposition falls short or it not fully understood, you will experience attrition and lose business.
Managing the brand - Your company is a brand. Like all brands, it is a reflection of a positioning in the minds of your stakeholders and customers. The brand comes with a promise. The promise must be reliable and true. Otherwise the brand loses equity and can be tarnished. Marketing and communications programs designed to reinforce the brand are a critical pieces to the puzzle. If you visit a Starbuck’s Coffee Shop, anywhere in the world, you see a dramatic illustration of a company effectively managing a brand.
Innovation and thinking outside the box - The brand platform enables you to apply brand building strategies that will result in meaningful success that added value to the company overall. The discipline and processes for uncovering this equity and leveraging it is very real and palpable.
Social media and thought leadership - Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogs and a host of other digital media options are generating opportunities for exponential exposure (and at a modest cost). It begins with understanding the attitude of key stakeholders. But the only way to earn exposure is to go viral with news that is relevant, compelling and timely. In short, it starts with CONTENT. Like all media, the interactive media presents opportunities to be an important part of a bigger picture. The whole has an opportunity to be far more significant that the sum of its parts!
Targeting market segments - Your brand has market segments that merit effort and attention. Underdeveloped segments may require some investment, mature segments may require some fresh thinking and new products might require exploration.
Reputation Management - Be mindful of reputation. Be prepared with crisis communication and smart about how you present yourself to your customers and prospects. Reinforce the brand with an ongoing program of public relations activity. Have a process by which the successful measurement can guide ongoing programs designed to add credibility and showcase expertise. Use innovation and creative thinking. Everyone wants to be a part of an organization that is viewed in a positive light.
Managing the team - Marketing and communications are often undervalued. The activity can boost sales, enhance value and dramatically improve an organization’s performance. Yet, so often, much activity falls on a small cadre of soldiers motivated more by the art than the commerce of their daily tasks. This is as it should be. Let’s face it; movies would be boring if actors and directors thought of nothing else but box-office draw. Instead, you need actors and directors who are passionate about telling a story and telling it well. Managing such a team, takes finesse. It also requires discipline and guidance to contain and focus energy on priorities. At the start of each day there needs to be a sense of purpose. At the end of each day a feeling of accomplishment (and being a part of a larger mission). The internal team needs to be strong and cohesive. Where appropriate, outsourcing may be necessary. The best teams function as a unit with a common purpose.
Building a plan and using that plan as a benchmark - You have a mission and a number of exceptional programs and initiatives. The annual meeting/conference, ongoing efforts to guide regional sales, thought leadership/position papers and publications – to name just a few. Resources are always limited, but your chances of making progress on an annual basis are more likely to be achieved if they are part of a dynamic planning process that organizes and prioritizes activity. Done well, a dynamic plan becomes a documentation of success as well as o commitment to focus on best practices.
Budgeting for success - The plan document is important and should have broad readership. The budget, on the other hand, is best managed with a smaller circulation. Budgets for marketing and communications activity can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Many companies simply do the best they can with a ballpark that has been established within in the past two-three years. Consumer products marketers often battle for “share of voice” and budget based on best estimates of competitive spending. New products often try to obtain rating points against the target prospect. When all is said and done, the budget should be a companion document to the marketing and communications plan. It should be realistic and fair. The budget also needs to be evaluated at least quarterly as they year unfolds. My experience has been within a relevant range of a wide variety of budget scenarios.
Engaging customers - You must attract new prospects and keep repeat customers each year. To accomplish this you must understand what products and services add value. If your value proposition falls short or it not fully understood, you will experience attrition and lose business.
Managing the brand - Your company is a brand. Like all brands, it is a reflection of a positioning in the minds of your stakeholders and customers. The brand comes with a promise. The promise must be reliable and true. Otherwise the brand loses equity and can be tarnished. Marketing and communications programs designed to reinforce the brand are a critical pieces to the puzzle. If you visit a Starbuck’s Coffee Shop, anywhere in the world, you see a dramatic illustration of a company effectively managing a brand.
Innovation and thinking outside the box - The brand platform enables you to apply brand building strategies that will result in meaningful success that added value to the company overall. The discipline and processes for uncovering this equity and leveraging it is very real and palpable.
Social media and thought leadership - Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogs and a host of other digital media options are generating opportunities for exponential exposure (and at a modest cost). It begins with understanding the attitude of key stakeholders. But the only way to earn exposure is to go viral with news that is relevant, compelling and timely. In short, it starts with CONTENT. Like all media, the interactive media presents opportunities to be an important part of a bigger picture. The whole has an opportunity to be far more significant that the sum of its parts!
Targeting market segments - Your brand has market segments that merit effort and attention. Underdeveloped segments may require some investment, mature segments may require some fresh thinking and new products might require exploration.
Reputation Management - Be mindful of reputation. Be prepared with crisis communication and smart about how you present yourself to your customers and prospects. Reinforce the brand with an ongoing program of public relations activity. Have a process by which the successful measurement can guide ongoing programs designed to add credibility and showcase expertise. Use innovation and creative thinking. Everyone wants to be a part of an organization that is viewed in a positive light.
Managing the team - Marketing and communications are often undervalued. The activity can boost sales, enhance value and dramatically improve an organization’s performance. Yet, so often, much activity falls on a small cadre of soldiers motivated more by the art than the commerce of their daily tasks. This is as it should be. Let’s face it; movies would be boring if actors and directors thought of nothing else but box-office draw. Instead, you need actors and directors who are passionate about telling a story and telling it well. Managing such a team, takes finesse. It also requires discipline and guidance to contain and focus energy on priorities. At the start of each day there needs to be a sense of purpose. At the end of each day a feeling of accomplishment (and being a part of a larger mission). The internal team needs to be strong and cohesive. Where appropriate, outsourcing may be necessary. The best teams function as a unit with a common purpose.
Friday, August 5, 2011
YOU ARE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN
Charlie Brown is a lovable loser. He can’t win at baseball or fly a kite without facing disappointment and ultimate failure. He has insecurities and is often taken advantage of by his peers. Lucy holds a football for Charlie Brown to kick, but pulls it away before he kicks it, causing Charlie Brown to fly into the air and fall on his back.
Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Charlie Brown, is the most widely syndicated cartoonist in history, with work appearing in over 2,300 newspapers. He published more than 1,400 books, won Peabody and Emmy awards for animated specials. You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown is the one of the most-produced musicals in the American theater. All this diversity and recognition and continuous success began when the United Feature Syndicate ran the first installment of the comic strip Peanuts in 1950. The strip deals in psychology, social commentary and often bitter humor yet all these issues are experienced, evaluated, and ultimately decided upon by a group of kids."There is a market for innocence" Schulz once said “I don't think I'm a true artist. I would love to be Andrew Wyeth or Picasso...But I can draw pretty well and I can write pretty well, and I think I'm doing the best with whatever abilities I have been given. And what more can one ask?"
What makes Charlie Brown so lovable is that he possesses endless determination and hope. What makes Charles Schulz so remarkable is that he nurtured Charlie Brown and the Peanuts franchise for more than five decades and remained humble and hard at work his whole life. .
You're a good man, Charlie Brown
You're the kind of reminder we need
You have humility, nobility and a sense of honor
that is very rare indeed.
Good Grief. What could be more inspiring that the determination and perseverance of good ole Charlie Brown and his creator Charles M. Schulz? Both characters remind us never to give up and to the best we can with the abilities we have.
Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Charlie Brown, is the most widely syndicated cartoonist in history, with work appearing in over 2,300 newspapers. He published more than 1,400 books, won Peabody and Emmy awards for animated specials. You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown is the one of the most-produced musicals in the American theater. All this diversity and recognition and continuous success began when the United Feature Syndicate ran the first installment of the comic strip Peanuts in 1950. The strip deals in psychology, social commentary and often bitter humor yet all these issues are experienced, evaluated, and ultimately decided upon by a group of kids."There is a market for innocence" Schulz once said “I don't think I'm a true artist. I would love to be Andrew Wyeth or Picasso...But I can draw pretty well and I can write pretty well, and I think I'm doing the best with whatever abilities I have been given. And what more can one ask?"
What makes Charlie Brown so lovable is that he possesses endless determination and hope. What makes Charles Schulz so remarkable is that he nurtured Charlie Brown and the Peanuts franchise for more than five decades and remained humble and hard at work his whole life. .
You're a good man, Charlie Brown
You're the kind of reminder we need
You have humility, nobility and a sense of honor
that is very rare indeed.
Good Grief. What could be more inspiring that the determination and perseverance of good ole Charlie Brown and his creator Charles M. Schulz? Both characters remind us never to give up and to the best we can with the abilities we have.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Life is a Journey
Ralph Waldo Emerson became one of America's best known and best loved 19th century figures. He left his original profession as a Unitarian minister to pursue a career in writing and public speaking. "Life is a journey, not a destination," he once said. I have said this to my kids, hundreds of times as they grew up. I believe it more and more myself.
The Chinese proverb “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step,” suggests that our life’s journey starts with taking those steps required to get closer to those ultimate achievements we hope can obtain. Effort, determination and perseverance will get you where you want to go. However, as we get older, we realize upon reflection that the greatest happiness is not about achieving those goals at all. It’s more about the joy we encounter along the way. Only later in life do you start to realize and appreciate it. We are so impatient when we are young and ambitious.
Robert M. Pirsig wrote in his acclaimed 1974 novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - “You look at where you're going and where you are and it never makes sense, but then you look back at where you've been a pattern seems to emerge.”
The annual Thanksgiving Day Parade is something I look forward to each year. I have been fortunate enough to be among the crowd several times when I lived and worked in NYC metropolitan area. I am now living in the Midwest but this year I hope to see it up close and live once again. It makes me smile. I know it’s just a parade but it is so full of celebration and optimism. There just is nothing like being there.
I know, as I watch the Balloon handlers, bands and characters passing by I’ll be reminded of the sensational feeling so many things that have happened over the course of my lifetime. If you’ve seen the parade, you know what I mean. It’s a spectacle and a thrill to behold.
Live life to the fullest and enjoy the parade as it passes. Time marches on.
The Chinese proverb “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step,” suggests that our life’s journey starts with taking those steps required to get closer to those ultimate achievements we hope can obtain. Effort, determination and perseverance will get you where you want to go. However, as we get older, we realize upon reflection that the greatest happiness is not about achieving those goals at all. It’s more about the joy we encounter along the way. Only later in life do you start to realize and appreciate it. We are so impatient when we are young and ambitious.
Robert M. Pirsig wrote in his acclaimed 1974 novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - “You look at where you're going and where you are and it never makes sense, but then you look back at where you've been a pattern seems to emerge.”
The annual Thanksgiving Day Parade is something I look forward to each year. I have been fortunate enough to be among the crowd several times when I lived and worked in NYC metropolitan area. I am now living in the Midwest but this year I hope to see it up close and live once again. It makes me smile. I know it’s just a parade but it is so full of celebration and optimism. There just is nothing like being there.
I know, as I watch the Balloon handlers, bands and characters passing by I’ll be reminded of the sensational feeling so many things that have happened over the course of my lifetime. If you’ve seen the parade, you know what I mean. It’s a spectacle and a thrill to behold.
Live life to the fullest and enjoy the parade as it passes. Time marches on.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Winning is Super but…
The 2011 Super Bowl held on Sunday, February 6th at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas was played in front of a capacity of over 100,000 people - the largest attendance in Super Bowl history. The Super Bowl broadcast was viewed by more than 100 Million people. The winner of the game takes home the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The trophy is named for a great coach and a great man. Vince Lombardi was born on June 11, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York. He was head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers (1959–67). He imposed a strenuous regimen and led his team to five NFL championships (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967). He won first two Super Bowls (1967, 1968). His success made him a symbol of single-minded determination to win.
The odds of winning a championship in any professional sport are always long. Maybe that is why we care so much about what makes a winning team. To be sure, we can learn a great deal about character, hard work, grit and determination from the individuals who win championships. But maybe there is even more inspiration inherent in the heroic efforts made in spite of falling short. Consider those individuals who find the courage to continue in a losing effort who bravely battle but ultimately do not win. They are unsung heroes and in many ways can be even more noble.
Vince Lombardi died of Cancer in September 1970. Surely he would be astounded at how big the game has become and would be most honored that the trophy is a constant reminder of what it takes to win. Yet, the trophy that bears his name might also be appropriately be awarded for battling against impossible odds. Lombardi deserves the fame he earned for winning but perhaps it is more notable that he is a role model for those driven to succeed – doing what it takes to win, in spite of never knowing for certain of the outcome.
Lombardi's success is legendary, and he is often associated with the maxim, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." He did not coin that phrase. It is uncertain if he actually ever even said it. However, he did say something that might be more important: "Winning isn't everything, but wanting to is."
I wish there was a trophy for all those people who do what it takes to win but bravely accept the result of the outcome in spite of their best efforts to prevail. You are winners too!
The trophy is named for a great coach and a great man. Vince Lombardi was born on June 11, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York. He was head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers (1959–67). He imposed a strenuous regimen and led his team to five NFL championships (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967). He won first two Super Bowls (1967, 1968). His success made him a symbol of single-minded determination to win.
The odds of winning a championship in any professional sport are always long. Maybe that is why we care so much about what makes a winning team. To be sure, we can learn a great deal about character, hard work, grit and determination from the individuals who win championships. But maybe there is even more inspiration inherent in the heroic efforts made in spite of falling short. Consider those individuals who find the courage to continue in a losing effort who bravely battle but ultimately do not win. They are unsung heroes and in many ways can be even more noble.
Vince Lombardi died of Cancer in September 1970. Surely he would be astounded at how big the game has become and would be most honored that the trophy is a constant reminder of what it takes to win. Yet, the trophy that bears his name might also be appropriately be awarded for battling against impossible odds. Lombardi deserves the fame he earned for winning but perhaps it is more notable that he is a role model for those driven to succeed – doing what it takes to win, in spite of never knowing for certain of the outcome.
Lombardi's success is legendary, and he is often associated with the maxim, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." He did not coin that phrase. It is uncertain if he actually ever even said it. However, he did say something that might be more important: "Winning isn't everything, but wanting to is."
I wish there was a trophy for all those people who do what it takes to win but bravely accept the result of the outcome in spite of their best efforts to prevail. You are winners too!
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