Category: Rant

There is much to be said for uncovering the truth.

A buddy of mine runs a boutique agency specialising in regional marketing. They have just released a new TVC for the Steel River Brewery (another story in itself) in Newcastle, New South Wales. By working closely with the brewery, they have come up with a new beer brand and a campaign that is going to get tongues wagging!

Check it out here.

Is it remarkable? You bet! Both the brewery and the agency were true to the market, true to the message, and dared each other to launch this cheeky new brand. You have got to love a dare!

S.

Sometimes a Google Ad can lead you somewhere good!

I was just looking at one of Terry’s games and saw this link. The short ad to "Plant your own seed" led me to the GE site. I loved the metaphor and was interested enough to follow through.

A Flash interactive movie encouraged me to type words and see what would grow. Obviously certain key words worked better than others, but I found it fascinating to write/type and see what happened. Interestingly, when you follow the link through to the main Ecomagination site, you are already in an organic mind-set. You are relaxed and open to an alternative experience, because you have been concentrating on imagining new words.

And because you are in that creative mindspace, you are waiting for, and hoping for, a creative but corporate website from GE. Do they deliver? Well, you tell me!

This is a very interesting way of stimulating a web visitor. Through clever design, GE have been able to prepare visitors for an engaging and creative experience. But then, I love a story.

S.

For the sneakier amongst you, take a look at this site.

This viral-oriented site allows you to send an email to a friend that helps them calculate their love for one of their "crushes". The sneaky bit, is that the site takes your information and emails it back to the friend who recommended the site.

Sounds good at first instance, but it has caused quite a stir at my workplace. If you like a little chaos, feel free to recommend to someone at yours!

S.

To make a difference you need to go beyond the brand. You have got to go to the heart of an experience. You have to ask a question and not accept the throw away answer.

As marketers we are often asked to accept the wishes or ideas of a client, but how many of us actually ask that client a simple question – "why"?

You may be surprised at the answer … or perhaps not.

When a client sends through a brief, we can all respond to the request … but the brave marketer, the innovator will take a harder look at the requirements, and hopefully, question the brief itself. I like to think that we can sometimes ask the question that the client has not yet imagined … and in doing so, create something that will "change the game".

But before we can change the game, we have got to have the courage to change our own approaches. Maybe we even need to reimagine how we see ourselves. Perhaps we need to be, as Seth Godin suggests, "architects" rather than "marketers".

S.

Sometimes the fact that people don’t like you can be a catalyst for innovation.

A friend of mine, Terry, loves retro computer games. Well, I say "retro" but I really mean computer games that he liked as  a kid. What he likes about those old games was the attention to game play — the desire of the programmers to engage and surprise the players without reliance on advanced graphics.

As a programmer, Terry now creates Flash games that are a tribute to the spirit and style of these retro games. And, as is the nature of the web, he receives feedback from near and far — some good and some not so good.

Some, but not all of us, can take criticism. But Terry has taken this to a new level — he is embracing the love. He has established a new site to showcase some of the more negative emails. Does this prompt him to change his approach? Sometimes, apparently.

Most importantly, if you can get someone to go to the trouble of telling you how much they DONT like you, then I believe the advertising world calls this "cut through". Don’t they say there is no such thing as bad publicity?

I like the idea of a chilled out world – but I just don’t buy it. There seems to be way too many "chillin" types out there and not enough us frreeeaakin’ types. Either it is the time of day I visited, or the type of visitor that the site attracts, but the WorldChill site seems way too laid back for me.

At least there were pockets of "freakin" showing up on the interactive map of Iraq – but this simply appears to be protest voting on a world stage.

Visitors can choose where they would like to place their mark. By selecting a point anywhere on the world, and entering a user ID together with a reason for feeling, slowly a map of emotional energy is appearing across the world. You can even download a screensaver and desktop application that brings this information to you. And because we are all creatures of habit, it is more than likely that the data being passed through is statistically reliable.

You know, the more I think about this site and the information it collects, the more I am moving from "calm" through "bugging" and way past "freakin’".

S.

I was very excited to receive my copy of The Big Moo today. I had forgotten that I had ordered it sometime ago – but the good folks over at A&R reminded me, and duly shipped it in!

Of course, the day was busy with … well business, but this evening I have been able to cast a quick eye over the content. Is it good? I can’t tell yet. Is it inspiring?

Yes – from the first page.

Sometimes you need to be reminded. Sometimes you need another person to articulate your thoughts. And sometimes you need to feel validated in your beliefs.

I like the way The Big Moo (p xi) sets the scene:

1. The only way to grow is to be remarkable.
2. The only barrier to being remarkable is your ability to persuade your peers to make it happen.

Sometimes those you know best are the hardest to convince. Start close and work outwards. Take on board the criticisms, the challenges as well as the enthusiasm, then talk to a customer.

Is The Big Moo for you? Read 10 free excepts here.

Seems there is a long, long way to go before blogs really do begin to have an impact on the wider community.

John Moore over at Brand Autopsy shows the results of a Wall Street Journal online poll indicating that 62% of those polled DO NOT read blogs. I think this would be higher in Australia.

For me, the question is not really how many are reading blogs, but WHO is reading blogs?

The democracy of the web means that we do not need to be all things to all people. If you don’t like what you are seeing or reading, then you can click to the next site. But the interesting aspect of the web is that it also ATTRACTS a certain type of person – the impatient person.

It reminds me of a quote by Howard Barker (the great British playwright) – "Because you cannot address everybody, you may as well address the impatient" (49 Asides for a Tragic Theatre). This is what sets the web apart from other revolutionary communications platforms – it is both a catalyst for change and the method of transformation.

I agree with John Moore’s suggestion … tell 5 friends about the blogs that you read and encourage them to take a look. And the more impatent your friends are — the better!

S.

Is the iPod going to take over the world?

There is plenty going for the iPod. It has great design, feels nice to hold and certainly has a bit of that "made by Apple" funkiness that those of us in the PC world grudgingly like.

But for all its appeal it is let down by few things. One is the software and the other is the Apple service. Now there are plenty of things that the Wintel world could learn from Apple – but something that the Wintel crowd have learned is that you need to live up to your promises.

On the software front – that means that "user friendly" is not just cute – but also open. iTunes needs to be more open to other software … it needs to be able to read in a range of data sources, it needs more flexibility in the way it manages my very important playlists and song files, and it needs be more tightly integrated into the Windows environment.

It also needs to be more user friendly. Apple needs to realise that they are now making a mass market system – not a niche technology item that is the darling of designers. And then they need to back this up with good support and friendly servicing. The number of people who have experienced rude Apple staff is on the rise. Each week I hear more stories about Apple’s failure to replace iPods that have cracked screens (no they were not dropped) or poor quality batteries.

If you want to take over the world – you also need to listen to what the world is telling you.