Category Archives: Marketing

The Cover Letter… And getting hired.

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One of the greatest insights I’ve managed to gain over the last year or so is what potential employers in the ad business or really any business are actually looking for.  And it’s not always what you would expect.  As a creative strategy specialist, you would think ad agencies would look firstly at my creative and problem solving potential.  They don’t and I don’t blame them for a second.  Creative potential doesn’t make money, actual sales make money.  It’s not rocket science, but if you are looking at entering the advertising business, don’t expect to be in a position where you are going to be flexing your creative muscles to your full potential.  It rarely works that way.  You will do much better if you can look at a set of metrics, figure out what’s working, and adapt your creative power to enhancing that trend.  So what are potential employers looking for in today’s market?  The easy answer: numbers.  If you can bring real numbers to table and show potential employers you can not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk, people will take you seriously.

Now that I’ve spilled the beans about what you need to bring to your interview, how do you get there?  Well it all starts with a cover letter.  You get one shot to make a memorable first impression and in today’s economy and you better make it a good one.  And in the advertising world, it’s even more vital.  If you can’t sell yourself, how in the world do you expect anyone to hire you to sell their product?!?

I’ve written somewhere in the realm of 500 or so cover letters in the last year, so I consider myself an expert.  I’ve also done a lot of online PR work with a lot of success.  Through that time, I’ve varied my tactics, looked at the results, and adapted accordingly.  I’m still unemployed this second, but that’s a result of a lack of those pesky “numbers” I talked about earlier.  Like I said, raw creativity doesn’t make money… proven results does.

Numero UNO: Keep it short.  One to two paragraphs is all you need.  Mention how you found them, why you think you would make a good asset, and close with an open invitation for further conversation.  Anything more and you will almost certainly get placed in the skip pile.

Numero DOS: Make sure your contact info is easy to find and 100% correct.  Ornate letterhead that takes a reader away from the letter itself doesn’t help you unless you are a graphic designer.  And even then, think of the golden rule of design… if it doesn’t achieve it’s primary purpose, it’s a piece of ….

Numero TRES: Know who you are talking to.  Do some research and learn about the company.  Form letters go directly into the trash.  Why would anyone even consider hiring anyone who doesn’t care enough about the company to learn something about it?

Numero QUATRO: Send it to the right person.  Once again, do some research.  It may take some time and effort on your part, but avoid sending letters to faceless email addresses like “jobs@company.com.”  This may be difficult, but this is one place you can show off your creativity.  Want an example?  Alec Brownstein.

Numero CINCO: This is the most important one… BE YOURSELF! Pretending to be someone else, changing stories to fit the situation, and outright lying never ends well.  In today’s information age, you will not win.  Period.

And on a side note, another great way to get a potential employer’s attention: have a great online presence.

Red Bull Ad

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While I was cruising through my favorite Ad Industry news sites a few days ago, I noticed something that ended up really catching my interest: an ad contest.  If you know me, you know I love them.  They are one of the best places to show off your skills and make an impression on the Ad World.

Well after a few days worth of thinking and coming up with a clever ad, I’ve submitted my ad and I could use a little support to get it noticed!  So how can you help?  Go to the following link and comment, tweet it, and share it on Facebook, etc.  Any help I can get promoting it would be awesome!

http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Generic/Ad-Detail-021242922148965?CategoryName=Best+Ad+Contest&p=1242808573406&adId=20718

The Role of Demographics: What Product Developers can Learn from Four Loko

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Chances are that if you are under the age of 25 or regularly watch any of the major news networks, the name Four Loko is at least familiar to you.  If you need a refresher, Four Loko is perhaps the worst tasting mass produced alcoholic drink designed specifically for one and only one purpose, to make people go… Loko. I’ve smelled it and if I think it smells bad (thank you very much organic chemistry for destroying my sense of smell), it must be awful.  I’ve honestly smelled road kill that appealed more to me.  But enough of my critic on the smell;  Turns out that if you mix an an 11% alcoholic drink and pump it fun of caffeine, it really leads to people going Loko!  Add in the fact that it sells for $3 and is targeted to college students… even the most naive person can guess the outcome.

That being said, Four Loko can also be apply described as a highly successful product design with dead on advertising and marketing campaigns.  By now you might be asking yourself, “Why Brian, you tell me this awful product exist and that no-one in their right mind would ever consume it… but then you tell me it’s awesome… are you off your meds?”  First, I’m not on any meds (my quirkiness is all-natural thank you very much) and secondly, yes, that is exactly what I am telling you.

“Well Brian, please explain.”  Gladly.

So here we go.

1) Four Loko fills a niche.  It’s unique.

Although introducing caffeine into alcoholic drinks is nothing new (think irish coffee, coffee stouts), the caffeine in the drink has traditionally been a tangential result of mixing the coffee flavor with alcohol.  When I grab a delicious coffee stout, like my current favorite beer (Big Boss Brewing’s Aces&Ates Coffee Stout), I don’t even think to myself, “why this drink contains caffeine!”  I’m not exactly complaining that it has caffeine, but it’s not why I ordered it.

That all changed with the introduction of the now legendary Red Bull and Vodka sometime in the 1990s.  Some ingenious bartender figured out they could mix the two and make a lot of money, but that’s a story for another time.  The point is a new market emerged: caffeine infused alcohol.

And that’s where Four Loko’s creators are genius.  The Red Bull and Vodka is a lovely idea, but even if you make it yourself at home, you are looking at a $3+ drink.  Red Bull isn’t cheap!  And everyone knows that the vast majority of college students are 1) cheap 2) traditionally large consumers of “adult beverages” and 3) hopefully pretty book smart (although I’ve got my questions about that).  But one thing is for sure: students know a good “deal” when it comes to booze.  Look at what beer sales at grocery stores; it’s always the cheapest/volume.  Add that demography specific trifecta together and guess what… a super lucrative secondary market emerges from the caffeine infused alcohol market; the cheap alternative.

2) Four Loko has great self-esteem.  It knows exactly who it is.

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.  If you are in the advertising and marketing world, figuring out what your product really is is the greatest thing ever.  I like to call it Core Product Value.  It’s kinda like figuring out what you want to do in life and getting the motivation to do it.  Once you figure out what you were meant to do in life, only the sky limits you.  For Four Loko, it may be a cheap, low class, and a horrible tasting excuse for a drink, but it’s going to be the cheapest, lowest class, and worst tasting drink it can be and feel great about it.

3) Four Loko embraces itself.  It doesn’t try to be anyone but itself.

When Four Loko was being developed, chances are a bunch of marketing pros were working alongside the chemist to figure out how to position the product.  A product may have great value, but without a strong strategy to tap into that value, a product is as good as dead.  Think Coca Cola or my favorite, the Volkswagen Beetle: without dead-on marketing and advertising, those products would not have developed as they did.  Four Loko’s advertising and marketing strategies have done remarkably well.  Visually, the packaging is instantly recognizable and if you say the name Four Loko to the target demographic, it taps deep into consumer’s emotions.  It’s got brand personality and has developed exactly the kind of reputation it deserves: it’s cheap, full of caffeine/alcohol, and offers drinkers exactly what they want.

Sometimes It’s A Good Idea Not To Use The First Name That Comes to Mind

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Oh how I love Portland, Oregon.  Clean air, beautiful landscapes, and a unique, never boring culture.

I also do a lot of work in the advertising, marketing, and brand development industry.  I’m all for unique and alluring names, but this one…  this one takes the prize.  I snapped this one day while I was about to cross one of the bridges from the Eastside into the Westside of Portland.

Oh Photography… I could do this as a Profession!

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Pro Photography is a crazy industry.  Once you’re in, you’re good to go for the most part.  It’s all about networking, being adaptable, and most importantly… being reliable.  And that doesn’t just mean being on time and keeping to deadlines: it’s about producing reliable work that suits the client’s exact needs.  Having your own vision and ideas about a client’s project is wonderful, but being a professional is about helping your client take their idea and making it real.  In other words, it’s great to have a creative vision, but be careful how far you express it when you are being paid by a client to follow their vision.  In fact, take that vision and drive and use it in your own personal projects.  If it’s good work, you seriously increase your chances of people hiring you specifically for your vision!  (Yes, that’s a hint)  Once you get that big break, you are golden.  If I ever get mine, I’ll be sure to write something about it.  That will require a day… no…. week of celebration.  For the second, I’m just happy to work when I get the chance and gain experience.  After all, I’m totally about being a creative director at an advertising/public relations/etc firm.  That’s more on the planning/leadership side, but from experience, the best leaders come from the trenches.

Well, I recently made a little investment in some new camera equipment and I’m in love with my Nikon D300.  It does things I only dreamed of and the control it offers me…  wow.  I know full frame bodies are the future and there is a D300s, but I’m not convinced the D700/D3 are really worth the extra cost.  And the D300s…  don’t waste your money.  In fact, buy a used D300 (be careful though!) and send me the extra money!  But I will say one thing about the rumored D7000… that actually is a nice deal.  It’s DX, but at 16ish Megapixels and a CMOS sensor, this thing sounds like a suped up D300.  Regardless, right now, I think I’ll focus on new lenses.  After all, a good lens on a entry level DSLR will trump even the best of DSLR any day when you use stock lenses.  And yes, I’m easily bribed with camera gear.

This weekend I spent Sunday afternoon with two of my favorite people in the world attempting to do some fashion photography.  I was approached a few weeks ago to help out with the project and of course I wanted to do it.  Ever since I got to see the inside workings of Fashion Week last September, it’s kinda become… dare I say it, a pseudo-interest.  It’s a very cool industry and I’ve been extremely lucky to befriend some seriously talented people working in the industry.  What draws me to them is their pure passion for what they do and how they have turned that passion into a successful life, not just a job.  Very few people manage to do that and it’s something I really admire and aspire to achieve.

So back to the photo shoot.  It was so much fun and I’m totally thrilled to continue with it.  Photography is often extremely challenging (weather, lighting, the personalities involved), but this was anything but.  It’s a great feeling when you find yourself in a situation when everything clicks.  I can’t wait for round two…  an overgrown garden filled with creepy gargoyles.  Well, after I get permission from the garden’s owner (already in the works!)

What’s Brewin’ Today? Revisiting the Tea Card Idea

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Remember the Tea Card Idea from a few months ago? Well, I’ve been working on it and I’m looking at printing options right now. It’s dual layered with a black paper back and a white paper top layer. Not only does it add a nice effect, it makes printing much easier. I’ve looked around for info/pricing for white-on-black printing and it’s not cheap. BUT! I’ve got a better solution. I’ve found a place that does laser cutting and I think I can have them cut plastic templates that allow me to do the exact same thing myself. More on that to come… I’m waiting on their thoughts/estimate. And of course, if anyone has experience/ideas, please add a comment below/email me/etc. So here is the latest group of layouts.

Getting the Word Out… Blog Outreach

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Today I’m either going to bore you or enlighten you.  It’s really one or the other.  But don’t worry, if I bore you, I’ll be back with something whacky in no time…  I think I’m going to build a new pinhole camera and you all know… it’s going to be awesome.  If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, check this out:

http://www.pinhole.org/galleries/

So what am I going to potentially bore you with?  Blog Outreach.  Yes, it even sounds a little boring, but think of it as a great way to make some new friends and discover some wickedly cool blogs.  After all, you spend a lot of time creating great blog post, don’t you want someone to read them?

Step 1) Have good content that adds value

It’s the golden rule of all social media/advertising/marketing.  Have a good product (that you believe in), know your audience, and offer them content that adds to the conversation.  Advertising should never tell someone to buy something.  Advertising should enlighten potential buyers on the benefits of your product be it a phone, a service, or in the case of a blog: the reader’s time.  And trust me, time is very valuable.

Step 2) Search out blogs that you relate with

It’s really easy.  What blogs do you read?  What blogs do you comment on?  Chances are these people might just like what you have to say.  And the great thing about the internet: a lot of these blogs are organized in blog directories like Technorati .  Add personal blog rolls and you are well on your way to creating a strong network of interested and hopefully engaged readers.

Step 3) Find out how to contact blog admins

Each blogger/blog seems to have a different way to contact the person in charge.  Small blogs usually ask for you to email them.  Large blogs…  it’s a minefield and if you don’t do exactly as they ask, people don’t seem to have much patience.  I understand why, but if it’s my project, I’ll bend the “rules” a little if you offer me something cool.  That’s a hint people.  I could use a Cyclo-Ops Power meter…

Another method of getting the conversation rolling is to actively comment on blogs or even write guest post.  From experience, this is much better.  If you add to their blog, they are most likely going to add to yours.  I personally love for people to engage me on my blog.  They are supposed to be conversational right?  If you think I’m doing something right, tell me!  If you have a different opinion, that’s cool.  Tell me… but please be gentle.

Step 4) Don’t get lazy

A lot of people start a blog, but quickly neglect it.  Think about creating a content calender.  If an idea pops up in your head, write it down in a notebook and schedule some time to write about it.  Before you know it, you will have a long list of topics.  And if you really like the idea of blogging, you will find time to sit in a coffee shop, enjoy the spring breeze, and write.

I’ve got one more Silver Dollar, but I’m not gonna let them catch me! Part III

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It’s been a week or two since I’ve talked about my #saysomethingnice project, but life sometimes works out that way.  The old saying about everything happening at once: totally true. When it rains, it really does pour!  A lot of new projects are getting started at my internship and I’ll be honest, my brain can only take so much before turning to mush.  Luckily, I’m thrilled with our new projects.  They just take a lot out of me!  And of course, St. Patrick’s Day is coming up!  Savannah, here I come!

Well, one of the great things about interning is the chance to experience a little of everything.  And because Method Savvy is a startup, double that!  It’s hard work, but I like challenges.  Every week, it seems like I’m jumping head first into something new.  It’s not a job for someone who likes doing the same thing over and over.  Sometimes it’s stressful and sometimes it’s the best experience in the world.  The situation really is the ideal setting to learn about the industry and gain some invaluable experiences.  After all, being adaptive is essential to any career.  Especially today.

A lot of what I do consist of looking at media and marketing strategies through the perspective of  a marketer.  It’s very business based, but not like running a company.  I don’t really do financial numbers.  I do metrics.  We attempt to increase sales, but we do it by looking at how a company connects with clients.  It’s all about creating valuable relationships with people.  My job is 1/3 business, 1/3 art, and 2/3 intuition.  Yes, having a sixth sense for knowing what will be effective is worth an extra 1/3.  Glue that all together with the ability come up with creative ideas that are actually do-able and that’s my job.  And did I forget deadlines?  Concepts such as ROI advertising, cost per click, and conversion rates dominate a lot of what I do in a very artsy way.  Think of evaluating and creating art as a business strategy.    It’s Andy Warhol meets CEO.

The experience is wonderful, but I ultimately want to work more as a creative.  I like not only coming up with the big idea/strategy, but actually executing the strategy through creation.  But I also know understanding the industry through the eyes of a marketing department will help me design better.  If your client has a business goal and approaches you to work on a project as a creative, you will do yourself a huge favor if you start your design understanding exactly what that goal is.  I think experiencing the marketing/advertising/pr industry in a business oriented setting will help me understand the business side of advertising and ultimately  guide my methods as a designer.

So, back to the #saysomethingnice project.  Here is the latest set of card ideas.  I’ve of course got my thoughts, but I want to hear what other people have to say before I comment.  And if anyone has any experience with Dreamweaver/Flash, I’d really appreciate a few minutes of your time!

I’ve got one more Silver Dollar, but I’m not gonna let them catch me! Part II

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My latest project, #SaySomethingNice is developing nicely!  And thanks to the start of the road season being pushed back another week because of snow… again, I decided to brew some green tea, turn up the speakers, and play around with InDesign.  Not a bad way to spend the day.  I’m getting some good feedback on the project and yes, I finally got my hands on an old copy of Adobe CS2.  Thank you Lauren!  And if you are looking for a good Architect specializing in Sustainable Design, I’m sure she would love to hear from you.  I may  be a little bias, but then again, I get to spend a lot of time in OREGON!

Well back to my project.  Having access to CS makes life way easier in some ways, but at the same time, I’m more than a little rusty with Photoshop, InDesign, and that wonderful program known as Illustrator.

So I’ve been playing around with my card design and I have some ideas I think may help make the design be more effective.  After all, I’m relying on a catchy design to help get the word out and hopefully get people to participate.  Part of any good social media program is getting people to interact right?!?  Well, that is an issue I hope to solve by introducing my project personally and by using my card to visually remind people of what I want them to do.  If my design is potent, I think I have a good chance of getting this thing to go viral.  As good of chance as you can have.  Sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t.

By now, you are probably asking, “why are you even using cards to get the word out?”  Besides the fact that I really want to play around with CS, I think using well designed cards makes my project unique and ultimately more likely to succeed.  Part of catching someone’s attention and getting that person to do something is based on being unique and personal.  Asking people to participate in a social media experiment by introducing the project through online social media seems like a weak choice.  I don’t know about you, but I get social media based invitations to groups, movements, etc all the time.  It’s both extremely impersonal and a really boring way to introduce something.  There are plenty of times when this kind of invitation is a good option, but not for this project.  It really goes down to one of my basic beliefs: advertisement and promotion should be multi-channel.  If you are trying to get the word out about something effectively, use unique and varied methods.  Create communication that appeals to the senses, gives clear information, and most importantly: BE MEMORABLE.  After all, you want your product/idea/etc to stand out above its competitors.  In the case of my project, integrating a simple, but powerful idea, a memorable design, and a personal touch will hopefully lead to success!

Thoughts on a Logo

Twitter uses hash-tags.  It’s great for tracking trends because it creates a universal marker for an idea/name/etc.  Instead of people spelling whatever they want to mention differently or using different words to describe something, hash-tags act to capture ideas/names/events/etc with a universal tag, #Whatever.  For my project, I want people to attach #SaySomethingNice to their tweets.  And that’s how I came up with the idea of using the “#” for a logo.  Check it out!

I think I may add the logo to the backside of the card where I had a penny.  I still plan on attaching a real penny to the card.  After looking at pricing, if I print the card totally in black and white, the savings would pay for the pennies.  Same cost, way more powerful.  Any thoughts?

I’ve got one more Silver Dollar, but I’m not gonna let them catch me!

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Well they will!  Or at least someone will.  Im not exactly sure who they are yet,  but I’m not going to let them catch me just yet!  That will have to wait.  And thank you Allman Brothers.  Don’t worry, all will make sense in just a few paragraphs.  I promise.

Here is a question everyone should consider: what is the value of saying something nice to someone?  It depends who you ask, but I think it’s invaluable.  The old saying that “nice guys finish last” is totally wrong in my experience.  Nice people go places.  Sometimes it’s not instant, but good things happen to good people.  And I think that’s something everyone should keep in mind.  People generally like to help their friends.  I can’t tell you how many doors have opened and new opportunities appeared because someone decided to lend me a helping hand.  Add a little perseverance and the sky is the limit.  It’s Karma I tell you and yes, it’s very real.

So I have come up with an idea that I’ll openly taunt as a genius little social media experiment to help us all improve our Karma.  It’s so simple, it’s stupid: SAY SOMETHING NICE!  And if plans totally work out, I think it can prove a lot of things about social media and help some people out as a result.

The Plan!

In a recent post I talked about the power of Twitter.  It’s a phenomenal way to pass on “in the moment/trendy” information.  Gossip, the latest news, what Ashton Kutchner thinks about that new widget… these things go viral on Twitter.  Don’t believe me?  Check out a Twitter Trend report like TweetStats.com.

So how does this help me?  I don’t really care about what Ashton Kutchner thinks about widgets, but I DO care about how powerfully efficient Twitter can pass along information.  It’s sick.  And I want to use that to my advantage.  So here is the basic plan.  I’m still scheming, but the details are close to being worked out…

College campuses are a hotbed for activism.  If you have a message to share, they are a great place to start.  Even if you only reach 5% of the population and persuade 10% of that first group to act on a call to action, that’s a lot of people.  And better yet, if you can start something viral on Facebook or Twitter, college campuses are wired.  Viral events spread like wildfire with students.  Plus, we like being part of the “it” crowd.  Put a bunch of highly connected people together and boom!  Call it the “Meningitis Factor!”  What goes around comes around.  That counts as my bad joke of the post.

I plan to use this theory to get people to do something really simple.  Tweet something nice about someone.  So how am I going to get the word out?  The old fashion way… business cards and by being nice.  It’s amazing how powerful this method can be!  My whole scheme is based on something I like to call “engagement marketing.”  I will design a simple card (prototype to the left…  thank you Adobe InDesign!) with a penny either printed or glued on one side and some catchy text on the other side.  All I’m asking is for people to say something nice to someone and add #SaySomethingNice to their tweet.  That’s it.  And I’m doing it pseudo-anonymously.  People will have to work to catch me!  From there, curiosity will hopefully make this thing go viral.  It worked for Moonfruit didn’t it?

Well people are very curious.  Do something a little different and people investigate.  Do something with a smile on your face and people generally do something nice back.  That why I say, “being nice is invaluable.”  It really is.  I plan on using that curiosity to draw people to my newly formed Twitter Account, SaySomethingNice.  Chances are they will read my profile and click on the website link.  Even if they don’t, the profile says pretty much everything.  But if they do click on the link,  it will bring them to SaySomethingNice.info.  This is where the plan gets fun!  I hope to use the site to visually show how Say Something Nice grows virally.

How I’m going to do this?  I’m still playing around with some ideas, but I think pennies are going to be involved.  For every Tweet I track mentioning SaySomethingNice, I plan on adding a penny to a jar.  I’ll post a picture everyday of the jar growing.    And if I can manage to do it, I hope to get some sponsors who will donate that money to good causes.  I wish I could do it myself, but I’m unemployed people!  More details to come soon!