What does your subject line say?  

The other day I received an email from my friend. The subject read, “YOU ARE MY HERO!!!!!!!” I looked at the subject line, and thought, ‘Really? Why?’ So… I opened the email – even though I was in the middle of something else. Of course I would have opened the email even if there was no subject, because it was from a good friend of mine, but I probably would have left it until I finished with the project I was working on.

A similar event occurred with the current Best Buy campaign, Game On, Santa. 

While some people (myself included) think the ad is “awesome,” others are up in arms wondering how Best Buy could air an ad like this on television. On the Best Buy community site, hundreds of people commented that they would not be shopping in Best Buy stores this holiday season, as they were upset about the commercial.  People feel that the chain was “being mean” and belittling Santa.

My conclusion is this: every individual views events, situations, and even marketing campaigns in a different way. A person’s perspective is dependent on many factors- and these will change the way he/she feels about certain topics. You will never satisfy everyone. However, if you are a marketer, or one who is in any decision making position, it is your job to step into the shoes of your clients and customers and try to see the campaign through their perspectives.  Doing so will help to avoid campaigns that can potentially backfire. So, think it through – from all perspectives.

And don’t forget, when the comments start flowing—positive or negative—it is an opportunity to engage with the customer. Make the most of that conversation. See if you can turn an “awkward” situation into something better.

-Michelle

You can view the trailer here:

“Art & Copy” aims to prove that “good” advertising is not out to mislead society, but it helps convey the struggle of the creative side of advertising and describes how the public responds to and feels about advertising.

“Great advertising almost always starts with something true.” This is one of the quotes from the film that resonates for me. An advertisement is like a persuasive argument to the public, urging them to choose your product or service. When the argument is based on a valid foundation or authenticity, it will really stand up, and consequently stand out from competitors. Great advertising is rooted in this idea, combined with creativity and thoughtfulness. Where does that authenticity and valid foundation come from? Branding. If the brand is well defined at the core, then all that’s needed is to find the right way to convey its message to the public.

Throughout the film, various cast members express a rebellious attitude toward the business side of creativity and those who are afraid to take risks. Dan Wieden talks about risk, challenging convention and the creative struggle against the “non-believers”. He then goes on to say, “I think the real risk comes in being willing to try to be authentic.” If a company has things to hide, they can’t be authentic, which hinders them. “Art & Copy” stresses the idea of the product truth: strong ideas, simply presented.

Lee Clow said, ”I think we have higher aspirations for our clients, and are more passionate about what our clients can be, should be, should try to be, than they are. We’re trying to tell them “Hey! You can be more than just a car company. You can be more than just a pet food company. You can aspire to loving dogs, rather than just feeding dogs.” Lee Clow understands that in order to sell yourself through advertising, you need to convince, and the best way to convince is to be more as a brand, in a socially responsible sense.

“Art & Copy” also talks about the consumer’s relationship to advertisements. Rich Silverstein mentions, “We’re trying to entertain society…to connect to society in some entertainment form.” Jeff Goodby notes that advertising is something that millions experience at the same time; A mass communal happening.

The film also notes that ads don’t necessarily need to have anything to do with the product. It’s about people wanting to share what they saw. What a consumer is saying when an ad connects with them is that they are part of something; part of a group that is “in on it”. Consumers want to be a part of that community associated with that brand.

Overall, “Art & Copy” is an amazing insight into the world of advertising. In addition to an in depth description of how advertising works, it’s also an incredibly interesting, turbo-charged history lesson on the subject straight from the history makers themselves. Take a look, and let us know what you think.

–Tara

William Caxton set up the first printing press in England. Caxton was a merchant by trade, but learned printing later in his life. He is responsible for being the first to print many well-known books, including Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (BBC). He was also, the first to publish an ad in English.

In 1477 Caxton printed an ad that announced that the first book was for sale at his print shop. This ad is seven lines of simple text that tells the public what, where, when, and how much. Caxton printed the ad on small scrap papers he had around his shop, and then posted them on church doors. This method was quickly embraced as a form of communication. Caxton and his competitors also posted ads in other public areas such as walls of buildings and fences.

Slogans
In the early 1800s paper was scarce, and business owners were only able to have a few lines of text in the paper. No pictures – just words. In a paper full of text, people recognized that in order to sell their merchandise they needed to make their ads stand out. So, advertisers started to write slogans and repeated these slogans three times in the same ad. The three lines of the same text made the ad stand out from all the other lines of text, and once the customer already knew about the product, the seller just needed to remind them that it was for sale. Slogans were a memorable trigger. Even when paper became more abundant, slogans stuck, as they proved to be a successful way for the public to recognize a brand.

Even during the dawn of advertising, repetition was important, just as it is today.

-Michelle

So here is what happened. Insight180 lives at a low point near the Tiber River, the little river that flows aside historic Main Street, under footbridges in the large Hamilton Street parking lot behind the old post office and La Palapa. At about 11:45am we looked outside and realized that the river was going to overflow. At about 11:55, it did. With only a few hundred feet between the entrance of our office and the river, water started seeping into the office by 11:57. (In those few minutes, we picked up couches, unplugged our computers, and got all the wires off the floor.) Then we left the office as quickly as possible as the water continued to come through the door. We dashed through near knee-deep water to get to our cars. Thankfully we all got out and home safely.

So aside from just telling you our saga, there are some interesting things to note. Before the work day was over (probably before we even arrived home), several pictures and video accounts were posted all over Facebook and YouTube and tweeted via Twitter.

As we continued to find clips related to “Ellicott City flood,” we were mesmerized and astounded watching the various clips of rushing water and cars driving through it. One of the people narrating as they taped the goings-on said, “Yeah, this is definitely Facebook material.” Interesting. Is this the way we have trained out minds to work? If we see something of this magnitude, all we can think is – Facebook?

Well, the truth is, we have always thought this way. When something big happens, good news or bad news, it is human nature to want to share it with others. In the past we called people to tell them the news. Now we just post it on the Internet and share it with an entire network of people at once.

As marketers, we share content that we think will be useful to others. And in this web-based world where social media is providing more opportunities for communication and transparency, businesses are also sharing things that happen to them (as are their customers) — the good, the bad and the ugly. What insight180 found as news spread, was not only people wanting to know what happened, but offers of assistance, people just showing up to help in clean-up, calls from clients, shared stories of similar circumstances, and reconnecting with some folks we hadn’t heard from in a while.

Share the story, because chances are it will interest others too, and it may be a point that allows clients or potential clients to relate to you on a more personal level.

–Wendy and Michelle

Everyday billions of people use search engines to learn about a specific topic, solve a problem, find service providers, etc. How often have you done a search for a friend or favorite restaurant just because it was easier than opening up your contacts? Well, it turns out that even C-level professionals are doing much of their own search these days.

I don’t think I would. Today, companies understand the importance of a relationship between their brand and their clients. According to a great article Is “Brand Trust” An Oxymoron?, Trust = Reliability + Credibility + Intimacy + Self Orientation.

When this article was posted in 2008, author Charles H. Green wrote,

…two elements of the Trust Equation—intimacy and self-orientation—are inherently personal attributes, not corporate or product-related. We don’t share our feelings with a brand, or worry that our brand is self-focused and not paying enough attention to us. That would be silly.

Or would it?

Today, there is no question about it. Social Media has enabled brands to embrace the personal aspects of the trust equation. Before the social media revolution, these components of the trust equation were missing and brands had to believe in the reliability and credibility of their product. They did not hear what clients were saying – and they did not feel a need to. But, now everyone wants to share their opinions with the brand, and they can. Using social media can help build trust between a brand and its customers. Listen to what people are saying about your brand, and respond to them. There is now great opportunity to engage with your customers and prospects, and put a face behind the brand. Make sure you’re taking full advantage of the tools to do so. 

-Michelle

“‘Engage your audience.’ We have all heard it a million times, and it can be quite frustrating! I get it, really I do. In order to capture an audience we have to get them talking. But please just tell me how!”

That, my friends, is the magic number for the time it takes to form a habit, so the experts say. If you can have the discipline to try to make a change—whether it be exercising; writing your own (or posting on another’s) blog; or making time in your day for a specific activity, chances are it will take a little over two months to make it a regular thing. There are so many tasks we already do on auto-pilot: brush teeth, make coffee, walk the dog, check email. These are things that don’t get missed because they are ingrained in our minds, bodies and routines.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”  — Aristotle

I post this because no less than three business execs I spoke with in the last week complained of not having time to devote to developing thought leadership content for their businesses, something they determined should be a high priority for them personally. Wouldn’t it be great if this was just a matter of course. But as we know, beginning a new habit may seem overwhelming, particularly when there is a learning curve. My advice to them was write a little every day, at the same time every day. Even if it’s just setting aside 15 to 20 minutes — collect data, review related blogs and trade news, comment when possible for immediate impact, start coming up with the list of things that you can write about, jot down ideas and create a schedule for publishing (whether it be for a newsletter, blog post or whitepaper). Commit to publishing something at least once a month. With your daily habit in place, you’ll be producing regular content in no time.

You’ve got to start somewhere. The first step is to decide you will do it and schedule it, preferably at the same time every day. Want some additional tips?

Here’s an excellent checklist from Leo Babauta whose ZenHabits blog is one of the top 25 in the world. Check it out.

—Wendy