The Emerging Times

Shift in 'Ink'

Getting press coverage (aka 'ink') has always been a powerful thing for a brand. In the past it's been the job of a reporter or pr person to 'get-it-out there'. And for a long time this approach was effective.

But today we have a shift, where the most effective 'ink' today comes from people, blogs, tweets and Facebook posts.

Don't 'get-it-out there'. Give them something to 'put-out' there.

How Great Work Works

Image: Behind the scenes of a commercial in Central Park for The World Park event on Arbor Day.

How Great Work Works
—a brief outline on how the best idea gets made

After working all weekend, and being on the set of a commercial shoot with a team of creative people, I was thinking a lot about the various reasons for how and why people work together.

There are many reasons, some of which are good, some bad. Usually we work with people because we simply have to. Our jobs say so. The bank teller doesn't decide who she works with. She just goes to work, does her thing and simply collaborates with others because she has to. It's simply a job where your boss, or the corporation decides who you work with. Usually a role is filled mainly based on expertise and experience level.

Most agencies have some inner-department, or agency department struggles. The battle between account and creative is a classic one, but there are so many others that simply come with being in the ad business or any collaborative, creative business in general. But every now and then, you get to work on an idea that everyone owns and contributes to. And if you're lucky, sometimes ya get some magic.

After a weekend of producing great work with an even greater team made me want to make a list. So, I decided to collect the 3 main reasons why I think things turned out so well this weekend. They provide a healthy outline for how great work—works. Here they are:

Respect +1 pts.
An open forum for creative and strategic feedback allows the team to 'craft' the work more which creates a situation where the team truly enjoys the project more. If you let them enjoy the work, you'll get better work and generate mutual respect much faster.

Ownership + 2pts.
The best projects that I have ever worked on, the big campaigns that won the big awards...they all won because everyone owned a task and each person was required to deliver their part and that part represented who they we're. The best work was always when ownership was given out. Ownership pulls passion out of those who truly possess it.

Magnified Value = Power-Up
When only one person creates the idea, the idea is sometimes small. Or at least smaller than it could have been. When your allowing others to place their own brick in the foundation of the idea, you'll find that it adds up to more than any one person could have created. In short, you get a lot more out of it than you could have ever done by yourself.

Personal shout-out to Phil, Adam, Jeremy, Will, Mr. Squirrel, The Color Yellow, and The World Park team!

Super Bowl Media: Does The Story Continue .com?

Super Bowl—DoesTheStoryContinue.com?
-Who will integrate the biggest and best ideas?

Television is by far the fastest way to drive people to an online experience. Yes, more than print and more than online banners. Why? It still reaches more people and makes an idea feel bigger.

Today at Super Bowl XLIV, viewers will get to see who has the big(er) idea.

Who isn't just making us laugh at a funny commercial that ends with a logo and blends in with all the others? Who is taking more advantage of multi-connected consumer by extending their jokes or their experiences online? to mobile?

Look for the .com at the end of the spots. Does the story continue? When your watching the spots today see who's also got that additional fun idea, that hook that engages viewers to act and tune into more of the story on another device—another screen.

The ones who don't integrate their Super Bowl opportunity into a bigger multi-media play will be the ones missing the big idea, and a bigger opportunity. Because in the end, all they're doing is making another commercial.

Apple's iPad—The Giant iPhone for Your Mom (and maybe you).

Apple's iPad—The Giant iPhone for Your Mom (and maybe you).
I just had to cover this today. Here are the big highlights—not much commentary needed from me.



Apple seems to have understood the pitfalls of the mini laptop boom and they certainly came right out against companies like Verizon, Dell, and essentially every other mini laptop manufacturer—implying that their products are inferior (starting today).

"It's way better than a laptop, way better than a smart phone"...better at browsing the web, email, videos, games, and reading eBooks. "If we're creating something new, it has to be better that these kinds of things" -Steve Jobs in reference to Amazon's Kindle, smart phones, and mini laptops.

• 9.7 inches inch display (approx. same size as kindle)
• 10 Hours of battery life-"great environmental citizen"
• On-screen Typing

Books and Publications can finally evolve.
"We're going to stand on their (Amazon's) shoulders and go a bit further"
     -Steve Jobs in reference to Amazon's Kindle.

• iBooks (sold at the iBook Store)
• Browse iBooks, discover them on the shelf, pick them up, they decide to put it on your own shelf—this
   physical bookshelf environment should really connect with people.
• All the largest publishers in the world (The have content from everyone. Ready to go.)
• iBook store opens up the market to all the publishers big and small (just as the iPhone did for game developers)

 
Print Advertising 2.0?
And finally the thing I'm probably most excited about as an creative person, a marketer, and as an advertiser, is the new found potential it brings to interactive advertising at the publication level.