4 (brilliant) lessons in 3:26

On his latest post Seth Goodin shares this clip from Mad Men. He uses the pitch of an idea for Kodak to set the distinction between marketing and advertising. On his own words:

... just about every successful product or service is the result of smart marketing thinking first...

But while watching the clip from Mad Men, some thoughts came to mind:

• Find the meaning. Transform what the product does into what it means for the consumer. A slide wheel is a carousel of nostalgia. print it, post it, memorize it.

• Don't rush through a presentation. The creative presentation is the final product of a long and difficult process. Enjoy it, set the mood, set up the idea and reveal the drama. Its the time for the idea to shine.

• Clients buy passion. The creative director is not "just" reading the copy from a piece of paper. He is delivering it, feeling it... he made this product, his product. It belongs to him and he's sharing, not presenting.

• One thing at a time. Notice how there is no talk about next steps or budget or recos. The emotion taken from the presentation must linger on the clients minds. Let the idea be the protagonist.

Nostalgia indeed.

Improv

What can a bunch of comedians teach us about communication?
Improv comedy groups are all about having fun, but they play with a very strict set of rules that must be followed.

• Don't Deny
Denial is the number one reason most scenes go bad.

• Say Yes-and!
For a story to be built, whether it is short form or long form, the players have to agree to the basic situation and set-up. The who, what, and where have to be developed for a scene to work.

• Don't Block.
The opposite of saying yes-and is blocking or denial.

• After the `and` add new information.
An improvised scene can't move forward or advance unless we add new information. That is why new information is added after the Yes of Yes-and!

• Avoid Questions.
Questions force our partners to fill in the information or do the work. It is a way of avoiding committing to a choice or a detail. It is playing it safe.

• Trust your partners.
• Listen, watch and concentrate.
• Never enter a scene unless you are NEEDED.
• Your prime responsibility is to support.

Even in a situation when one needs to improvise, people need rules, guides, a process.
Its easy to see how the comedians need to apply these rules. Its easier to see how marketers could benefit from them.
Communication is not a funny business after all.

Is this Viral?

This spot provoked an interesting conversation around the agency. What makes you to want to share a spot? When we send something to our friends and family, we instantly make it viral.
Obviously most brands and agencies would love to master the secrets of this phenomenon.
What makes this ad a shareable idea?

A (creative) point of view.

We want to share another insightful and smart post from Seth Godin.
In Creativity and stretching the sweatshirt he compares the act of being creative with stretching out a sweatshirt.

For me, creativity is the stuff you do at the edges. But the edges are different for everyone, and the edges change over time. If you visualize the territory you work in as an old Boston Bruins sweatshirt, realize that over time, it stretches out, it gets looser, the edges move away. Stuff that would have been creative last year isn't creative at all today, because it's not near the edges any more.

The exercise at the edges is an adventure in search of new and different ideas. Its not easy to get there and its hard to convince others to come with you if they are not ready.
To get to the edges requires two different travel plans, depending on where you are.

1. If you want to be creative, understand that you'll need to get to the edges, even if the edges have moved. Being creative means immediately going to the place the last person left off.

2. If you are "not creative," if you are the sort of person that gets uncomfortable being creative or has been persuaded you're not capable, don't worry about it. Just stretch the sweatshirt in your spare time, watch the creative things other people have done, keep up with the state of the art. Then, when you do your "not creative" thing, most people will think it's pretty creative indeed.

Big vs good

I laugh every time I watch this ad. It's created by JWT Sydney for Thrifty Rental Car. The ad is surprising, the girl is hilarious and the father is just perfect. The creative idea is excellent; affordable rental car prices to be an everyday hero. Its a great idea, that won many awards at festivals around the world.

Now, watch this idea by BBDO, New York for HBO:



Winner of two Grand Prix and 6 gold awards at the last Cannes Festival, among several other awards across the world. The idea; sometimes the best stories are the ones we weren't meant to see, is a BIG Idea. An idea so big that it's executed online, direct mail, promotional, outdoor, print, TV, magazine, posters and as a banner on a website maintaining its full strength.

Both are good creative ideas. Both are award winners. One is innovative, the other is a good idea.