A Big Idea Starts With a Big Question

One of the cool things about advertising is that every day you're surrounded by people who look at things differently than you. All businesses talk about "embracing diversity of opinion," but in advertising, ideas are the product and creativity is the essence of everybody's job (OK, maybe not the accountant, but that accountant needs to understand creativity in order to be effective).

The blog, Presentation Zen, has an interesting topic this morning, "10 Tips on how to think like a designer," and like any big idea it starts with a big question.

"Most people do not really think about design and designers, let alone think of themselves as designers. But what, if anything, can regular people — teachers, students, business people of all types — learn from designers and from thinking like a designer?"

Creativity Top 5

The early August edition.

Here's what's new.

Animal Planet Technique to Enhance NFL Players

A super slow-motion camera - the same one used to show the beauty of running cheetahs on Animal Planet - is used in this season's ads in both traditional and new media for the National Football League.

Here's the story in todays advertising section at nytimes.com (free with registration).

The spots are created by Grey New York using a thousand-frames-per-second Phantom HD digital camera, built by Vision Research, that shoots video that is 10 times slower than previous NFL slo-mo film.

I chased around the 'net to see if the six initial spots are available, yet. No luck.

When they pop up in the next few days, I'll post them.

"Hey Girl, Jump On My Inertia and I'll Give You a Ride"

An internship has become the Japanese Tea Ceremony of the American business world in that so many businesses use the ritualized "practice job" to evaluate people that they once would have hired on the spot.

The below came to my attention this morning (thanks, Steve Hall of AdRANTs). The 38 interns at (very good) ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Boulder, Colorado made a rap video about being summer interns:



Here's a beta test for CP+G's "part agency website, part digital experiment." Pretty interesting.

Lay's Chips Jump On "Locally Grown" Bandwagon

Here it is, an advertising installation on the ceiling of Chicago's Jackson Tunnel:

It's to remind you that your bag of Lay's Potato Chips are made from locally grown potatoes (or at least USA grown spuds).

Question: do people who eat potato chips care about where their crispy deep fried tuber flakes grow?

I don't think so.

Do you?

Here's the story on today's AdRants.

Got to love ad installations, though. Brings out-of-home alive with it's "You never saw this before" panache.

One More Thorn in Detroit's Paw

Can you turn in your Clunker for a 75 mpg Vespa? No, but Piaggio Americas is doing everything a niche brand can to make the most of the current economy.

The scooter business soared last year, but took a dive in 2009. Piaggio replies with event marketing and online and print advertising.

An event in Central Park, backed with some hard sell advertising ("Vespa's Stimulus Package," "Vespanomics," "$0 down $0 payments 0% interest") that aims at revving up some sales for Piaggio Americas' best-known brand. Here's an AdAge 3 Minute Video.

How Agencies Are Getting Smart on Social Media

Yeah, I know most of you know more about Social Media than I - and a lot of people in advertising - do.

Agencies are taking different routes to get up to speed. This video surveys just a few strategies, including "BBDO, (who hires) young mentors to teach all their executives how to Facebook, blog, Twitter and otherwise function and think like authentic social-media players."

Required Friday Reading

MediaPost's Over the Line blog this morning was guest-written by George Simpson, who ground out a navel-gazing piece that looks dressed-up to discuss advertising ethics and the current ad climate, but seems more directed at stirring up reaction from ad people.

Oh, yeah. And drawing attention to George H. Simpson, who claims to be an "Expert in Advertising and Internet Trade Media Relations" but admits to being a PR practitioner.

The well written column's first sentence is a great quote from Randall Rothenberg, "Advertising is the makeup on the public face of capitalism.” And MediaPost calls Over The Line "A Lighthearted Look At Advertising and Media." Take both of those into consideration.

Can Michael Vick Come Back?

Much has been written questioning whether QB and convicted felon, Michael Vick, will ever wear an NFL uniform again. This morning, ADWEEK assumes his return but questions whether he can ever be a credible spokesman again.

I, too, think the issue will turn on how he handles himself. Will he make PSAs against animal cruelty for the SPCA (I agree that he should stay away from PETA)? If so, can he be believable? What other community causes could he help? Will he?

Don't look for Mr. Vick to pitch Manwich, Campbell's Chunky Soup or Ford Trucks, but as David Schwab, VP of Octagon Sports Marketing says, "There are always categories that sometimes become risk-immune almost and I would [identify those as ] videogame and sneakers. That's where you see Ray Lewis, that's where you see Allen Iverson. I think those brands will watch how consumers react to him. Those consumers are typically not the pet lover...If there were going to be industries that would bring him back as an endorser, I think videogames and shoes would be the first places to look."

What's a Song Worth?

Well, how much would you pay for it?

That's a question that an online music vendor is working on right now.

On Monday, The Orchard announced an agreement with Digonex Technologies Inc., described as "a company that gathers sales data, analyzes purchasing behavior and sets new prices that," according to its Web site, "hit the 'sweet spot' where consumer demand and market potential meet."

In other words, the tunes in this orchard will be priced based on how ripe you - and other buyers - think they are at the time you're shopping for digital music. Hmmm.

Here's the story from yesterdays National Public Radio program, Morning Edition. Read - or listen - here.

What's more, Digonex - which calls this scheme Dynamic Pricing - is confident that other things, including concert tickets and shoes, can be sold the same way.

MySpace Bets on Gaming for Comeback

MySpace, I'm sure everyone knows, fell behind FaceBook in total users some months ago - and the gap continues to open.

What to do?

This morning Diane Mermigas, editor-at-large of MediaDailyNews, posted a column that lays out a MySpace plan to come roaring back by becoming a gaming monster-site, a plan that looks both risky and expensive.

Here's details.

The Worst TV Spot I've Seen In a While

Once upon a time, there was a TV show in San Francisco called Dance Party. Now, this is before I moved to San Francisco, but I'd heard of it from locals. Kathleen - my spouse - remembers it vividly. Remembered that it was on channel 5 and watched it all the time.

My friend, Dennis Rosselli - who went to Riordan - remembers that if somebody showed up to high school wearing a tie, every noontime wag would holler, "Hey, look who's going on Dance Party after school!"

So that's the background for AdGabbers critique this morning (I wonder if Steve Hall, is from the Bay Area, too?) of an unusually bad commercial. Or is it that bad?

Strategically, it's aimed at bay area boomers like Kathleen and Dennis who may never have heard of Weaver's before but would recognize Dance Party in an instant and - so the advertiser hopes - will remember the name. Might work, but not much brand building here, however.

I suspect that KOFY Channel 20 made the "retail" spot for Weaver's Coffee & Tea - which I had no knowledge of until seeing AdGabber. Not a bad media plan, though, with costs down due to the economy a local TV buy is probably pretty efficient.

Turns out John Weaver is a local aging surf dude who learned to roast coffee at Peet's, where the Starbucks guys trained.

I'll look for the brand, but hate the TV spot. I guess it might be working, already.

David Ogilvy: father of modern advertising

As a young, enthusiastic advertising professional (I was still a jack-of-all-trades, headed for a couple of solid years writing copy and producing spots) I was influenced by the writing of some of the greats of so-called "modern advertising." These would eventually include Jerry Della Femina, Jay Chiat and - when I joined management, and eventually was named president of an ad agency and then proprietor of my own ad venture - Tom Peters. And, of course Howard Gossage, who some argue, is the first of the post-modern ad minds (followed by Riney, Goodby, et al).

Each of these, in different ways. helped me to understand the world of advertising but the first one I read was David Ogilvy.

Fortune editor at large Patricia Sellers reminds us today, with a "Postcard from the Pinnacles of Power," how wise Ogilvy was about the business of advertising - and about the life of the people who work in it.

Here's David Ogilvy in action (you might want to save this for sometime when you have some time - it's 55 minutes, but worth it):

I Think It Was Leo Burnett Who Said:

"Nothing kills a bad product quicker than good advertising."

If that's the truly the case, then Twitter might be good advertising for movie goers... but not for some movie makers.

Part of the story, as told last Friday on National Public Radio's All Thing's Considered, is movie fans who see the pictures early and spread "peer reviews" praising or damning the films.

Meanwhile, reuters.com blames Twitter for the quickness of this thumbs up/thumbs down networking, some of which - says Reuters' Alex Dobuzinskis - happens while viewers are still in the theater.

"Interesting fact about recessions ... they end."

Or so says a line on a series of billboards funded by an anonymous East Coast donor who is disturbed by America's Chicken Little reaction to the recession. The campaign is called "Recession 101" and the space is being provided pro-bono by "members of the Outdoor Advertising Agency of America" says the post on msnbc.com. (Sidebar: a Google search for "Outdoor Advertising Agency of America" shows only references to this story. I suspect that they really mean "Outdoor Advertising Association of America.")

Meanwhile, MediaPostDaily has an article this morning that trumpets Ad Spending Confidence Rebounds, Improves For Most Major Media. The survey indicates that ad spending confidence bottomed out in the spring of 2009 and that it's on the rebound. Granted that "confidence in spending" is not the actual signing of a big check, but as "Recession 101" says, "Interesting fact about recessions ... they end."

We All Hate Some Ads: but a study shows that we don't hate all ads

We've all met them. People who condemn advertising for "blighting" our TV, movie and computer screens - plus more mundane "opportunities" like radio, highway billboards, over urinals and on grocery store floors - with advertising. Or who say, "I never make a buying decision using ads because I don't pay attention to advertising." Or who theorize that "advertising makes people buy things they don't want or need."

Each one of these has an element of truth. Advertising in general has overcrowded all of our lives with ads for crap or copycat products and/or badly conceived and badly executed ads.

There's plenty to hate right there, but read on.

This, from today's adweek.com, is the top line results of a global survey that found, among other things, that "67 percent of respondents agreeing (including 14 percent agreeing 'strongly') that 'Advertising funds low-cost and free content on the Internet, TV, newspapers and other media.' Likewise, 81 percent agreed (22 percent strongly) that 'Advertising and sponsorship are important to fund sporting events, art exhibitions and cultural events.'"

Pretty interesting stuff to think about.

Mobile Ads About to Live Up to Potential

I had lunch Monday with a former student who works in mobile-handset advertising. The conversation, naturally, turned to business and how powerful that medium could eventually be.

This morning forbes.com has a story by Laurie Burkitt headlined Commercials On The Go that underscores our chat with some hard data, some history of the business and how mobile media is starting to work with TV networks.

btw: my former student, now a very busy mobile media professional, is looking for interns. If you'd like to get in on the proverbial ground floor, let me know and I'll send you the details.

Could You Live Without Facebook?

While I find Facebook a very convenient way to stay in touch, I probably could live without it.

Though, in fact, I don't really use Social Media as much as I might.

Here's a report on a study from this morning's OnlineMedia Daily that shows Facebook is America's favorite with 78 million regular users - and that 71% of us say we "can't live without it."

To put this study (by Anderson Analytics) in another perspective, here's media critic Joseph Jaffe on more practical aspects of new media, it's use or misuse as a selling tool and thinking critically about research in general:

10,000 Lakes and a Number of Pretty Good Ad Agencies

The advertising community in Minneapolis has just launched a campaign to lure ad folks to "The Land of 10,000 Lakes."

Stuart Elliott tells the story of MinneADpolis in today's nytimes.com.

I have deep roots in Minnesota. Ancestors on my mother's side homesteaded on the prairie in Stearns County in 1848. Samuel Manon Clayton, my grandfather's grandfather, served with distinction in the 4th Minnesota Infantry Volunteers in the Civil war. My paternal great-grandfather, an immigrant from Bavaria, opened a meat market in St. Paul in 1886.

It seems I've got cousins all over the state.

Is it San Francisco? No, not quite. But it is a solid ad center, second only in the midwest to Chicago. Fallon, one of the great creative agencies, was founded in Minneapolis. Carmichael Lynch and Campbell Mithun made advertising history there, too.

Here's the web site. And here's the MinneADpolis YouTube channel.

When you go looking for a career in advertising, MinneADpolis should be on your prospecting list.

Why the Internet Should Be Accredited As An Institution of Higher Learning

I present for your information and edification my new favorite education site, thanks to AdRants.

My old favorite sinks - but not too deeply - to Number 2.