John Drake

Brand Story Podcast

My love of ads and desire to one day work in the ad industry started when I was 16, so it was great to talk with Cole over on Brand Story all these years later.

We talked about what’s so delightful about working with mid-market clients, the future of creativity, the people who work in agencies, ways to approach ad strategy, and stuff like that.

What We React To and What We Realize

It's a Black Swan event. In such events there are things we React To and things we Realize. The React To things are the immediate, short-term areas that an organization needs to do to match consumer need. The Realize areas are the broader impact things that change our culture going forward.

Several of us at DC wrote this up. There's some media outlooks, our take on a timeline, and other things that could be helpful. We'll keep it updated.

Basic Data of Marketing

And some additional context here.

Creative Brief On A Coaster

Picked this up looking across #4AsSTRATFEST. A good brief should allow for fruitful conversation by all involved.

Think the categories are something like: The Common Goal/Aim, Insight (?), Conceptual Idea, Measurement. Or something similar.

Anyway,

Jung von Matt does good stuff. 

This Week December 11, 2017

 

From John's Pinboard:

 

- According to the CMO of Anheuser-Busch "Dilly Dilly" didn't test well with consumers. Yet they decided to go ahead anyway. Which is a very mature use of research: understand what consumers think and why. Then even if we disagree we can choose to move forward and be better informed with the pitfalls. 

 

- Last week I linked to 2017's color of the year. Now the new one is out for 2018: Ultra Violet. Love the description which, in part, is: 'Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking that points us to the future."

 

- The ingenuity of this short write up on 'raising a teenage daughter' is awesome. Note the notations... The post is written by the parent, but it's notated in the teens' own words. A very cool way to present this idea and a great example of breaking trail.

 

- A powerful idea from Energy BBDO which carved faces in 22,000 opiod pills, the same number of people who have tragically died from the drugs.

 

- Helpful infographic reflecting how marketers believe they will use A.I. Data analytics and content creation are the top two. 

 

- If you're looking for some holiday gifts, why not check out this little collection arranged by fellow agency account planners from around the world. I have a contribution in the set. Lots of books but other fun stuff too. 

 

- From the CMO of P&G last week on WARC re: the value of agencies: 'When you really think about what’s the most important piece of the value chain, it’s an insight that translates into a great creative idea that translates into great sales.'

 

- A fascinating and fun tale about how someone created the #1 restaurant in London, and it was a total fake. This highlights how the web has so many fake things, and more positively, how anything is possible. 

 

- Bitcoin intrigues me. The amount of energy to “run it” is equally thought-provoking: 'At the current rate of energy consumption, the network will consume as much electricity as the whole world uses today by Feb 2020. Bitcoin’s 32TWh of annual usage is growing 20-30% per month.'

 

- Interested in how we best learn? Books vs. people? Practice vs teaching? Some very simple charts and a short, yet insightful, post. 

This Week December 4, 2017

I was totally enthralled last week with Dr. Jill Taylor’s presentation on the brain. She tells the difference between our right and left hemispheres, and what they do, using zero big science-y words in what she calls, “my stroke of insight.”

Dr. Taylor brings out a real human brain as she tells the story of her own stroke and living in her right hemisphere for a brief time before needing over 7 years to return to full health.

It’s unmissable how much she gives of herself into her presentation. She is in the moment. And that’s the secret of connecting with an audience no matter the size of the room isn’t it??... Being all in. It’s how music show judges choose winners—do we believe you mean it as you are singing? Similar thing with presenting—do we get enthralled with your conviction as you are laying out your thoughts?

There is no course or class to learn this. It’s just about studying and knowing the material and then choosing to share it in a way which lets the passion flow out. 

Her presentation is the best I’ve seen in awhile, on a variety of levels. And I just had to share it with all of you. Enjoy. (HT @rondaconger)

From John’s Pinboard:  

- McKinsey has an excellent piece on The Future of Work. This topic comes up a lot so I’m saving this as my go-to source. Their key outlook:  Very few occupations—less than 5 percent—consist of activities that can be fully automated. However, in 60 percent of occupations at least 1/3 of activities can be automated.

- OK GO’s latest video: ‘continuing to prove they are an outstanding ad agency masquerading as a mediocre band’.

- Great research and consumer insight question to file away:  Ask your current customers “what nearly stopped you from buying us”? Found in this collection of 52 things from 2017.

- I think the The Richards Group has done a nice job for Abercrombie & Fitch recently—especially considering the monumental task that was needed for that brand. Curious what others think...

- Last week Snapchat unveiled its new format: separating the social from the media.

- Thanksgiving consumer spending was very similar to last year:  $115/wk vs $106/wk. Holiday spending will be up over last year—how much ‘up’ is the key question.

- I think it’s fairly interesting to keep up with Pantone’s color of the year. Greenery is largely about returning to nature and away from all the negative chatter and political horseshit.

- Creative Review had the top 20 ad slogans of all time. This skews British, because, well, The Creative Review is in the U.K.. But any list without The Ultimate Driving Machine is questionable. Dig in and check ‘em for yourself.

- Did you see the amazing new brand identity for Formula 1? Awesome. And they look at the back of the logo which is something I have wanted to consider with VR. The new mark still evokes the core make up of the previous mark, just makes it so much more workable today. 

- Seattle’s new mayor, Jenny Durkan, just signed an executive order that gives two years of free community / tech college to any public high school graduate. Details are still being worked out but this will probably happen.

- Michael Lewis (Moneyball writer) has a great piece in Vanity Fair on the U.S.D.A. and the current Government transition there. A longer read but worth it to anyone who follows government, politics or America's nutrition.

- And let’s sign off with this heart-felt piece from Toyota. “This Is Us” fans will like. Saatchi & Saatchi, LA has had this account for decades, and every few years they release some really great work and capture a Cannes Lion or two.

Have a great week,

The Relationship Between Creativity and Business Performance

McKinsey had the opening keynote at Cannes this year. They presented a study from 16 years of award data @ Cannes and created the Award Creativity Score. This score was based on three things for a company: number of Lions won, breadth of winning categories, and year-over-year consistency. What they found was that companies with a higher Award Creativity Score also had higher total return to share holders, higher economic value, and higher organic growth.

There are other good things happening too, as McKinsey further explains... Higher ACS scoring companies have more ways of finding consumer insights and their unmet needs, use more advanced insights and analytics, use ethnography, consider themselves 'fast decision makers', have more iterative approaches to creative development, etc. Or, bottom line: they just care more. About creativity, insights and customer knowledge.

 

Leaving Gaps By Apple Earth

 

Did you see the new Apple ad, "Earth"? It's voiced by Carl Sagan with an excerpt from Pale Blue Dot and made of images from iPhones. The move was reportedly in part to the US pulling out of the Paris agreement. What's great about the spot is the subtlety. They also took their time and rolled it out during the NBA finals (which are reporting good ratings.) 

There are probably tons of viewers who didn't attach Apple's message to the Paris decision... You don't have to, but if you do, it really connects. Which is what Rich Silverstein of Goodby once said about great advertising--it leaves a few gaps that the audience fills in, which makes them feel a closer connection to the work. This can go too far, of course. But treated with the right dosage for selling stuff it's a wonderful way to think.

The Voices We Hear

There's this thing with print. When it's good it just grabs your attention. Nothing to click, watch, listen to, search for, or forward to anyone. Just you, internally processing your thoughts about a brand in silence. Until you decide to turn the page.

Avoiding The Path To Mediocrity

I remember reading Stan Richards' book when it first came out. The part that stood out to me was his open office concept, which was more rare at the time--and how no one, except, I think, his CFO had a door. Stan said that with doors employees always think, "if there's a closed door there's a 100% chance they are talking about me in there." I thought that was well-stated.

I also remember losing a pitch once to The Richards Group years ago because the client loved a particular piece of work they did for The Home Depot. It was called "Happy" and I happened to find it still out there...

I think this defines what Stan believes is good advertising:

"Well, we start with a simple one. I really believe and have always believed that people need to like the work. It has to be endearing in some way. It may create a smile. It may create a laugh. It may create a tear. It may provide information that wouldn't have come any other way, but there's some element that makes the people like the advertising, and we work very hard to find that element."

The first time I saw Chick-Fil-A work, I backtracked the agency--and it was Richards. I did the same with Motel 6. Stan should be in the Advertising Hall of Fame, which just happened.

Most industry people probably think of Stan for the recognition he's received for not selling his agency, saying that he has "watched a hundred agencies be acquired and cannot name one that got better." This is also well-stated and pretty much true. Rarely are things black and white. I'd argue that R/GA, Adam & Eve and Deutsch all 'got better' but, yes, it's sad to think of the Ammiratis and the Wells Rich Greenes who are no longer around and the many, many others who are still here, but aren't nearly the same as what they were before. 

For me, Stan's agency has consistently done work that is 'endearing,' to use his words. The fact he hasn't sold is great. But I've just always been a fan of the work. It's an agency I've always liked. Only competed with him once, and it's Stan 1, John 0.