Check em out early~

Commercials

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Update:  Since writing this post, I’ve seen 4-5 more episodes.  Gotta admit:  I like Trust me.  The characters are growing on me.  And I’ve laughed out loud several times.  No easy feat for most t.v.  Check it out.  

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For a more lighthearted post:  take a break from work and be a critic:

I personally love Mad Men but I have to admit, the jury is still out for me on the new TNT series, Trust Me.

The forced sponsorships are humorous, like, “You look like you could use a Starbucks”  for every character needing coffee.  Waiting for other interesting euphemisms to appear like:  ”Let’s test those Nikes.”   (Let’s take a walk.)   Or “I need those Sharpies by noon!”  (Get me those storyboards right away!)

Yes arrogance and egos are alive and well in advertising, but these poor blokes make the profession look like Romper Room.  Guess the old adage that advertising ranks below used car salespeople had a heavy hand in character development.

On the other hand, there are some clever bits and like a train wreck, I can’t look away–and I’ve still got it queued up on my DVR.

What are your thoughts about the new TNT series ?

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Smarts from a smart agency.  Originally saw this on Mitchell Caplan’s What’s Next blog

aaagh

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What topics,stories and content do you want to see on marketinghitch.com ?

Send your comments and I’ll work them in!

Thanks to all the recent subscribers.  As I’ve said before, I want to make good use of the time you spend reading this blog.  God knows, you’ve got enough other stuff to wade through.  I appreciate your eyes and opinions.

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20 years ago, David Martin wrote a book called Romancing the Brand.  Somewhere in the middle he writes:

“Most business decisions are made after studying a set of quantitative facts.  These facts lead to rational conclusions.  Advertising, on the other hand, is the odd ball that defies quantitative analysis in advance.  It is a subtle and mystifying force that can be sandpapered into sameness and dulled by excessive testing and second guessing and a desperate attempt to be scientific.  By attempting to reduce risk, clients and agencies risk running advertising that will be ignored—and with high awareness essential to the brand’s future, that’s the greatest risk of all.”

Mr. Martin goes on to relate copy from an old JTW internal ad: “Oscar Wilde put it this way:  ’An idea that isn’t dangerous is hardly worth calling an idea at all.’   If you feel comfortable with it from the very first, take another look.  It’s probably not an idea.”

Last month in Ad Age, upon being named 2009 agency of the year, Crispin Porter & Bogusky co-creative director Andrew Keller said “A lot of our clients realize that the greatest risk is potentially not taking risk at all.” 

In the same article, Brian Gies, Burger King’s VP Marketing Impact,  said, “Almost a decade ago, we sought to intentionally take more risks with our brand, and become more provocative than pleasant with our advertising.”  In case you’re not paying attention, BK is one of CP&B’s best clients.

Risk tolerenace is a one of many yardsticks to measure client/agency relationship.  In this case, both client and agency get it; and here’s the interesting part: client got it long before agency came on the scene.  That’s the mark of a good client.

Ask your staff in your next new business strategy meeting: “Do we have clients who are willing to take risks with their brands?  And perhaps, more important, “Do they trust us to take those risks with them?”

Clients and agencies willing to engage in projects that are inherently risky stand a far greater chance of having their marketing succeed than do the teams who take no risks–or teams who just take risks their research shows is palatable to their audience.  Memorable versus milquetoast.

Clients who aren’t willing to take risks with their agency are confirming their level of trust in the partnership.  That doesn’t mean, get your ass on your back when they don’t buy your idea.  If you’ve not learned yet to let the client talk about their concerns, you’re in the wrong business–or at the very least, shouldn’t be at the pitch. Examine the issues together. And here’s a shocker, the client just might be right. And that last edit may be the one that works for everyone: the agency, the client and most importantly, the customer.

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