advergirl

Will social win out over search?

Big, conversation-changing idea from Tac Anderson over at New Comm Biz in a post called 3 Reasons Why Social Media is Killing Search: 

"Bit.ly and Google both have the same purpose: deliver you to a useful website. That’s it. The difference is that one is performed by search queries (and) the other is initiated by a recommendation."

Social networking has fast been gaining ground on search. For a few days in December it actually beat it. Our wandering curiosity may be being replaced by an appreciation of good curating. After all, why would we dig around for the next great idea, beautiful thing, innovative stain fighter, first date, etc., when those things are being fed to us by our trusted network?   

Anderson attributes social’s emerging supremecy to three things: 

1. Faster news.  Think where you went when you last heard office chatter of the latest breaking news (politicians philandering, planes plummenting, people perservering)? I went to Twitter. Most of the news sites are 30 minutes behind. Google just started time-based search. Those gossipy little follows of mine on Twitter always seem to have it first. 


2. Better filter. You find the best stuff people have read on social; you find everything on search 


3. Faster innovation. Social developers just seem more responsive to user needs and behaviors 

Creative brief: Owners wanted for break-through clinical innovation.

What will happen to advertising when business fundamentally changes from rewarding problem solving to rewarding solution finding? When knowledge is too big and problems too discreet for any one business to own the answer or even the process to find the answer?

Just tagged a fascinating article on that those business changes by some of the solution-seekers at InnoCentive, Eli Lilly and Hive Pharma.

Their basic premise boils down to two things: 

1. Getting new drugs to market is increasingly expensive and uncertain (for lots of reasons)


2. Drugs are getting increasingly personal (meaning we needs more types of drugs for increasingly smaller segments of humans)

The combined effect challenges the traditional large, fully integrated pharmaceutical company model. If they can’t guarantee blockbusters (think Viagra and Prozac), how do they continue to thrive?

The authors make a number of short-range recommendations to bridge the gap, but their long-term view is to an entirely new model. The winners, they say, will establish orchestrated drug-development networks. This is beyond individual company strategies to acquire and license pipeline innovations. It’s an industry-wide knowledge base centered around agreed-upon standards for digitally representing drug assets.

That probably got a little confusing, right? Inside any pharma company there’s a mass amount of research going on. Some of it leads to new drugs. Some of it to new questions. Some of it just sits there as an underdeveloped asset. Today, the way those companies store that data is idiosyncratic at best (lots of different systems) so there’s no easy way for them to compare or sell it to one another. Which means there’s a lot of duplication out there and a lot of unused ideas (or hints of ideas) sitting on the shelf.

The emergence of a fluid drug development network (where knowledge could be monetized and shared across players) has broad-ranging impact. Not only could smaller players broadcast their intellectual property, but importantly, “foundations or even patient groups could have drugs developed that targeted markets too small for the big players.” Yeah, the people who needed it could fish it out and pay for its development instead of waiting to become someone else’s priority.

How monumental would that be? Crowdsourcing groups of owners who through pooled funding could change – or even save – their own lives. This is the promise of the next era. Not more tweeting about what we had for dinner but more, higher-value sharing and tailored collaboration. 

How will trends like this change advertising? What if we’d no longer be selling a product, but bringing together the people who will create it? Will agencies with category expertise have significant advantage? Or will a new industry crop up altogether? Exciting times.

Brand experience on Facebook is back

A few updates ago (I'm thinking circa early 2009), Facebook migrated all fan or brand pages to look pretty much like profile pages. All the crafty designing and widget wondery that leader brands had invested in was lost, reduced to the lowest-common-denominator rubble of tabs and walls.

Of course the promise was there - the updates also allowed full-width application tabs and boxes of all kinds. But, no one was rushing in to try to figure out how to own the new landscape. Until a last Fall. A few retail brands, like JCrew and Gap, created Facebook pages that looked much more like the quality of their brands, even personalizing the experience to deliver different content for fans and visitors. They stood out because of it. Racking up thousands of fans and earning real engagement.

    

Now, enter Resource Interactive - the top 50 interactive shop that up until now hadn't leaned on its Facebook page for marketing or reputation building. This week they launched a fabulous new presence that breaks out of the tabs and looks like them (not the social network).

 

 

A friendly neighborhood programmer said, "no one knew how to do that two years ago." The truth is, I don't think anyone knew how to do that two months ago. But, I'm thrilled that experience is coming back to Facebook. I've had enough basic blue. Cheers, RI!

I’m off to Pink Tank & IQ at GSW

What do you do with a person who is madly curious about all the newest things, who loves to try to figure out what really motivates people, who is fearless in the face of even the toughest room, and who kind of wants to change the world?

Maybe you put her to work helping connect women with one another and figuring out how the changes in our culture will really change an industry. In an environment where the next big idea can come from anywhere and with the resources to make it all real.

On February 1, I start my new career with two small, entrepreneurial divisions of one of the world’s biggest healthcare agencies: the women-focused Pink Tank group and the innovation-focused IQ lab.

I’m so excited for this. I’ll continue contribute to brand strategy,  but I’ll also be going deep on a whole new industry – health – and getting to focus on socializing brands in the interactive space.  And, equally importantly, I'll get to work with some amazing people – smart, insightful women (many of whom I’ve known for years) and a savvy bunch of digital junkies who want to figure out what’s coming next.

You want all the details? Here we go-

• The title: Digital Brand Strategist


• The role: Ok, that’s a really long story, but topline: I’ll contribute to brand strategy and insight with a specific focus on socializing brands in the interactive space. I’ll get to develop points of view and methodologies that further Pink Tank’s expertise in women and health. I’ll work with the IQ internal community as a contributor and subject matter expert in social media, helping GSW to crystallize and present its pov and expertise to existing clients and in new business. (That means pitching! AKA: THE adrenaline rush for non-runners.)


• About Pink Tank: Pink Tank is a full-service agency and consultancy for health and wellness brands that want to motivate female influencers, whether they are patients, consumers, caregivers, loved ones, or professionals. The people who work there come from all kinds of different backgrounds – behavioral psychology, patient advocacy, clinical practice, interactive media, gender and cultural studies, and, of course brand strategy, writing, and design.


• About IQ: It’s GSW’s internal lab. Part futurecasting; part commercializing. They drive the “what’s next” thinking about how brands can leverage digital media for new kinds of competitive advantage.

Obviously, this is awesome news for me. But, it’s also good news for you. I’m going to have a lot to figure out really quickly – that means: blog posts!

So, what do you think? Wish me luck?

I’m leaving Ologie.

You’re probably registering total shock right now. I know. Who do you know who loves her job as much as I do?

I’ll tell you all the details, but first let me say this: If you ever get to chance to work with the good people here – as a client or a colleague – do not let it pass by. You will learn more in a few weeks with them than you will in any other creative process you participate in. They have a way of uncovering that answer that you know has been sitting there waiting for you to find it all along.

Ok, back to my story.

My life seems to be being shaped by chance encounters lately. Have you noticed? The story most of you know is about the wonderful boyfriend I met one morning on an airplane. But, there are others – the theater Board I ended up joining after sitting next to the artistic director in an unrelated meeting; the then-soon-to-be best friend brought to town by a random internet search; the house I bought in a weekend because of the people who happened to be in the restaurant on the corner.

This is just another one of those. An opportunity that will unquestionably change my career and my life that all started with a conversation at a wedding. But, enough about that for now.

I want to talk about Ologie.

I’ve never left a job I loved before. It’s an entirely different feeling. You, dear readers, probably remember one I ran gazelle-like from, happy to be free. This isn’t like that at all. It took me weeks to decide and, still, I find myself kind of mourning the place.

I’ve worked with a lot of great people here. Ologie seems to consistently attract more smart people at the top of their game than any other shop in town. But, there are three particular people here who I owe a lot to; people who in a lot of ways inspire the kind of person/citizen/employee/consultant/human I want to be.

1. Bill Faust. AKA “Boss.” I’m not sure which he says more often - “people support what they help create” or “how can we framework that” or “we simplify the complex.” The first is about making sure the people who have to tell a story are part of the process of creating it. The second, about communicating with words and pictures. And, the last is about getting down to the simple ideas (lingo-free, of course) that explain the core of a brand or story.  All are habits that would make anyone’s work better. And ones I got to practice here (and, of course, “iterate” here >> the nice boss word for do-over many times :) I think it’s fair to say he changed the way I communicate.


2. Bev Bethge. The founder of Ologie – and, many other good things. Bev opened this agency right out of college. Her first clients were the nonprofits and service agencies that take care of this city. The clients Ologie attracts now are more likely to be national brands, top colleges or international organizations, but Bev still invests her time in this community. Through her, I’ve had a chance to help shape how Columbus will tell its story in the years to come and impact the work of a number of arts and service organizations. I’m a member of Boards and committees that are changing our community. I actually feel like I live here now. I hope I always stay this connected to Columbus.


3. Kelly Ruoff. The managing creative director and, at once, the energy and glue of this place. Kelly has a fairly magical ability. When things get tense – a particularly aggressive deadline, a last minute rethinking of the work, a tough pileup of conflicting priorities – she actually gets calmer. She speaks slowly, gets everyone aligned toward a goal, and actually inspires awesome work. She somehow seems to know what’s going on in everyone’s lives (something I hear she even did that before Facebook) and makes sure we all feel welcome and appreciated. Just kind of knowing those things are all possible keeps me working to be better.

I’m grateful for the time I’ve spent here. But, as many things as I will miss about the friendly orange confines, there is one thing I am happy to leave behind...

The bathroom lighting. For some reason, the bathrooms here are lit with near-candle-light dimness while every other room is bathed in sunlight. I haven’t been able to accurately check my makeup before a meeting in years.

Was that a good transition from all the mushy stuff? Ok, now to tell you all about what’s next...

I heart TED

There are three places that I turn to every week for inspiration and unforgettable stories: The Moth, This American Life, and TED Talks. TED is one of those brands that truly delivers on its promise - Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world

As this year comes to a close, I'm reminded of the three new-to-me-in-2009 talks that I can't stop passing on.

Stefana Broadbent: How the Internet enables intimacy

An amazing talk about how technology has transformed our worlds - empowering workers with access to their personal lives and connecting us in surprisingly personal and intimate ways.

Daniel Pink: The surprising science of motivation

Let's just say to begin with that he is entirely charming. In his introduction, he admits that "I graduated in the percent of my law school class that made the top 90% possible." But, then with simple illustrations and bold pronouncements shows us why the typical ways we try to motivate each other fail. "There's a mismatch between what science knows and business does."

Malcolm  Gladwell on spaghetti sauce

At once the story of the food industry’s pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce and ultimately what we know about human choice and happiness. Full of anecdotes you will use in meetings all year long. Did you know - most of us prefer milky, weak coffee. We just say we like a robust blend in focus groups.

Top 5 Ideas

I'm a big fan of the New York Times Magazine annual Year in Ideas issue. It uncovers both magical oddities and major shifts in consumer wants and needs (aka: trends). Here are my five favorites from their A>Z index of how our world is changing.

1. Good Enough Is the New Great. An idea I've been looking for words for - basically, "Companies that had focused mainly on improving the technical quality of their products have started to notice that, for many consumers, 'ease of use, continuous availability and low price" are more important'." Think Flickr, YouTube, iPods (vs. photo books, high def and stereos.) Today, it's often more about what's easy than what's the very best. That's a game changer.


2. An Advertisement that Watches You. Maybe an oddity for now or maybe where our world is going. Using a camera and face-tracking software, a poster in a Berlin bus shelter changed its content this year based on whether or not people were paying attention to it. Look away and the graphics change in your peripheral. The technology is improving all the time. Now it can even identify the sex of a passerby and dynamically change the graphics to match.
   


3. Random Promotions. You've heard, of course, of The Peter Principle - people are promoted to their level of incompetence. If you're good at doing, you get promoted to managing; good at managing, you get promoted to leading. Despite the fact that those three functions require entirely different skills. And, then you're stuck in that role until you use up all the equity that got you there. A new study found that promoting people entirely random improves the overall efficiency of a firm. So much for merit.
   


4. Printable Batteries. You probably remember Entertainment Weekly running the first video ad in a print publication this year. The technology to print those video ads is surprising accessible. The challenge has been how to power them. The solution is to print batteries too. This year, a research team at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems revealed a 0.6-millimeter-thick battery.
   


5. Subscription Artists. I love it when social gets all practical. You've probably heard of productive crowdsourced business models, like Edison Nation, iStock and Innocentive and do-good ones like Kiva and Microplace. A relatively new player in the field offers the best of both - it's Kickstarter. It offers artists a chance to put together business plans and engage subscribers or funders to pay for it. For perhaps the first time, an artist can quickly answer a nagging question: Does anyone actually want my art badly enough to pay for it?

The triumphant return of Artie Isaac

If you grew up in advertising in this town, there are certain legends you just know. The CCAD grad who built a national branding agency out of an old auto dealership. The fuzzy-headed agency founder known for stepping out of his sedan surrounded by Cheech-and-Chong-style plumes of sweet smoke. The soon-to-be mom who, pregnant and restless, cheffed up an ecommerce index that would be covered on CNN every holiday season for years to come. The uniting and dividing of a huge conglomerate agency designed to rule them all. The three friends who rallied a wholly unlikely new business win in Indy into a pharma empire. Ok, and, of course, the public affairs veteran who was heckled off the stage at the Addys after proclaiming (more than a few times) "green is the next internet."

But, there's one name, one man who we all know: Artie Isaac. With his round glasses and signature bow-tie, he is known Columbus-wide as one of the first to hang his shingle downtown and perhaps the only person ever to presume to run an advertising agency without owning a TV.

He surprised us all last year when he retired and sold Young Isaac to People to My Site. Of course, retirement for Artie looks as unlikely as do any of his other (ad)ventures. He built a crowdsourced speaker search site, started teaching at CCAD and OSU, became a regular at Luck Bros., and even launched an acting and playwrighting career.

See him next weekend (December10 - 13) doing a special fundraising event for local-favorite: Available Light Theater.

 

Xmas is a brand new adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, retold with all the joy — and contemporary complexity — of the season. Shared in the way only a bow-tie clad, PowerPoint-wielding accountant could. Here's the story:

For 30 years, Winford Doke, CPA, has been the venerated host of ConAm’s Annual Xmas Spectacular (read: office holiday party!), featuring Winford’ glorious rendition of A Christmas Carol.

However, four hours ago Winford Doke was fired, leaving his assistant, Artie Isaac, to take over the holiday duties.

Taking the stage with no time to prepare, and only Doke’s stubborn stage hand, Jo Anne, to help him through it, Artie faces down the ultimate December Dilemma.

Please join us! Cheer on a Columbus advertising legend and get to know great (smart, funny) local theater. The recommended ticket price is $15 (or pay what you want). You can also buy limited edition (numbered, signed) prints of this delightful Artie painting by awesome local artist Ben Harben at the show.

Website

Buy tickets

Columbus Dispatch Review

Alive and Unedited Profile

Facebook Page

The new influencers: Grandparents weigh in

A new survey found a surprising trend: The nuclear family is losing ground to multigenerational living. More people are choosing to move themselves – and their children – in with Mom and Dad, often to cut costs.

Today, 6.2 million or 5.3% of all U.S. households are multigenerational – that’s up 120% in nine years.

These households are fundamentally different than those of the care-giving Oreo Generation. In 62% of these multigenerational cases it’s the adult children who are moving back with their parents, who are the grandparents. Three-fifths of these grandparents are providing some sort of financial assistance to their fully-grown children.

Three larger trends are making this an increasingly popular choice:

• Grandparents are doing better than most financially. That’s because 55% of grandparents do not carry a mortgage, and grandparents control more than half of the country’s wealth. So while grandparents have certainly taken a hit in this economy along with everyone else, they are, in many cases, more solvent than their young married children with young children.


• Grandparents are investing in their grandchildren. According to our recent national study, The Grandparent Economy, grandparents are spending about $32 billion on their grandchildren’s education, $11 billion on clothes for the kids, $6 billion on toys, and nearly $700 million on diapers.


• Decision-making is increasingly multi-generational. Whether it’s what first car to buy, where to go to college, or who to choose for insurance, grandparent’s are increasingly part of the decision making, both with their children and their grandchildren.

This trend not only provides more financial stability for the children and grandchildren, it appears to have rewards for the grandparents as well. Many grandparents say not only that they love having their family back under their roof; they also love being needed again. They say it brings purpose to their days, and meaning to their lives. The physical demand of keeping up with the kids makes them feel younger; outdoor play burns off both calories and tension; and helping with homework provides mental stimulation.

AT&T and Apple: Co-op advertising done right

Like most of America, you're probably watching the all-out holiday advertising war between the two leading cell phone providers.

Frustrated, perhaps, with the staying power of those fun "there's an app for that" ads (Apple is known for finding a clever idea and sticking with it to the point of complete exhaustion. It seems Justin Long will be playing Mac, for example, until well into his own middle age), Verizon fought back with the most emasculating force in advertising: sarcasm.

Their "there's a map for that" campaign exploited an AT&T weakness and caused nothing short of a war to break out in the courts and in prime time. In fact, if anything will get us out of this recession, it may be the unprecedented level of media buying between these two giants.

But, for AT&T and Apple, it's more than a brute force. The two have teamed up to leverage unique aspects of each of their authentic brands to change the conversation. The advantage they're both talking about is: the ability to use voice and data together.

AT&T - the category leader and uber-practical and sophisticated brand - brought in Luke Wilson to add a human element to its essentially intellectual argument: doesn't it make sense that you would talk and type on one device? At the same time, no less.

But, be honest, you've probably never thought about typing and talking together. Or, at least, it's not a feature you're looking for. That's where Apple comes in. They are the standard in consumer expectation. They seem to know what we need before we ourselves are even able to put words to it. They can make talk and type not only cool, but really, really desirable.

Together, the campaigns appeal to our egos and our brains. We want to try it, to make it our own. Suddenly this little-known feature is a game changer. Apple's ads create demand and AT&T's fulfill it. Rarely are cooperative campaigns so complementary and powerful.