FOR THE DESIGNER IN EACH OF US.

Script sample:

“And on the 9th day,

God looked down on this blank canvas of life and said, “We need a way to be reminded of the finer things.”

So, God made a designer.”

In a nutshell, Dove recruited several women from a variety of ages, ethnicity and backgrounds to participate in a new campaign. The spot features an FBI forensic artist sketching these women, which he can not see, by the way in which they describe themselves physically. Then strangers were brought in to describe those same women who had been sketched earlier. The two sketches are then hung side by side, resulting in stark contrast. The concept is that women are simply too critical of themselves. Hence, the tagline: “YOU are more beautiful than you think!”

After viewing it, I for one am not surprised that it went viral so fast. It’s a perfect combination of true emotion and honest insight and really pulls at the heart of the consumer. I love seeing marketing efforts get honest buzz amongst the public that goes beyond traditional advertising trade publications! Kudos for taking such risks Dove.

Published on Apr 14, 2013

Have a look at the ad yourself, if you haven’t seen it already! Dove Real Beauty Sketches

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the spot.

Managing communications between a business and its audience is the traditional definition of Public Relations. And that perfectly describes how social media and SEO function in this brave new world of marketing.

The  drawback however, is content-overload; sometimes companies are more focused on having constant ‘marketing touches’ to their audience and they ignore whether that message is relevant.  And that is where the ‘old school’ teaching of Public Relations comes back into play – evaluate the message, rank its relevance to the audience, decide which media channel is appropriate, and examine if it even has any positive impact on the organization’s marketing presence.

“Content is king” has always been and will continue to be true, but managing all that content in a memorable, actionable and meaningful way is an art form in itself, and puts Public Relations smack in the driver’s seat.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. -Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)

After 5 years of being home with my 2 favorite children, I am back to work for the company I love.  But don’t think I have been out of practice for 5 years.  My son who is now 7 and my 4 year old daughter are constantly pushing my creativity.

For example, with the several inches of snow on the ground, I spent a couple hours yesterday building a fort with my children.  When we were finished, my daughter decided we needed to decorate it.  She found a mirror and placed it at the entrance.  The purpose:  so that it could scan a visitor’s eyes to detect if they were aliens or not.  I was amazed and amused that from a child’s perspective, our simple fort wasn’t just a place to hide out in the snow, but also a high-tech fortress to protect us from alien life forms.

A lovely picture created by one of my little artistic geniuses, Haven.

From playing make-believe to finger-painting, children find new ways to be artistic daily.

The best way to become creative adults is to tap into the child inside all of us.  Try these easy and fast exercises to get your brain in the right framework to be its most creative:

1. Look around the room and find an object that has a specific use – such as a plate.  What other ways could you use the object that normally you would not think of?  A Frisbee that shatters on impact.  Use a dry erase marker to draw a face on it. Balance it on your head.
2. Go an entire evening talking in a foreign accent – mine always end up sounding like a pirate.  And while you are at it, rename yourself to match your new accent.
3. Dream up a BETTER electronic (for example an iPhone).  I am truly addicted to my iPhone and honestly don’t know if it could be any better at keeping me organized.  But what if it actually had wings and a way to fly out of hiding when you were looking for it? And what if it had an alarm so that when a person other than you (with finger print technology of course) grabbed the phone, it would play Gangnam Style at a very loud volume to let you know? Who would run away with a phone playing that song extremely loud?
4. Something less silly? Sit down for a half hour and color/draw – with crayons.  Try different techniques, such as coloring and then scraping it off, or coloring with 3 crayons at the same time.

Adults take life way too seriously, that is why we find ourselves stuck on a project.  So relax a bit – take 10 minutes to be a kid – and you will be amazed at the ideas that you can come up with.

Need more wacky creative ideas to “wake up your brain”?  Option 1: One of my favorite resources is “Caffeine for the Creative Mind” by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield.  Or, Option 2, just spend the day with a toddler!

Have a look at this full article from the Social Media Examiner on, “6 Ways to Use the New LinkedIn Features to Get More Business” by Viveka von Rosen. This post will show you how you can use LinkedIn for your business to make better connections, engage and create more business with the latest features.

1. #1: LinkedIn becomes more Image-Centric
2. #2 Cool, Clean New Look
3. #3 Get Introduced and Get More Business
4. #4 Whom Do You Know?
5. #5 Get Active and Get Business
6. #6 Common Interests for Engagement

So basically, LinkedIn’s new interface allows you to easily generate new connections to add to your  network, review potential prospects and ultimately interact and engage with them. We encourage you to take a look at your LinkedIn account and consider using some of these new features and follow Viveka’s advice!

Bonus: Below is an article from Forbes, “3 Ways LinkedIn Just Made It Easier to Find a Job” by Nancy Collamer, if you’re on the hunt for your next gig! This post covers the New Job-Hunting Free Features, and LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Searches.

Happy Clicking!

Yes, it’s true. You may have recently noticed the trend in celebrity A-listers in marketing “partnerships” with various brands. Gone are the days when marketers paid big bucks for the usual celebrity endorsements, where the stars grace a box of Wheaties or sip on a beverage in a commercial. You could basically pay a celeb to say anything to represent a brand.

Now, brands are working with celebs to fill specific roles on their marketing teams witch such titles as “Brand Ambassador, Creative Director, Musical Curator”, etc.  This is all in an attempt to position the pair as a more authentic team, a true ambassador, in a time when consumers are much less impressed by the usual endorsements.

There are pros and cons to this idea, and there is no doubt it will have an impact on traditional celebrity marketing.

Check out the recent article by Ad Age;

“More Than a Pitchman: Why Stars Are Getting Marketing Titles”

“If you wanted to take a very cynical view, you could say these brands are taking borrowed equity to another level, trading on the celebrities’ name at a higher level,” said branding consultant Denise Lee Yohn. “But in some cases, a lot of value is being provided by these celebrities.”

“So what do real creatives think of celebs getting these titles? “Most is hype,” said Pete Favat, chief creative officer at Havas-owned Arnold. “But no doubt some people become celebs because they are truly creative people, so why not experiment?”

That said, he added, “If brands are doing it for PR buzz, it’s a stupid idea. … No one cares who the creative director is as long as the work is great.”

For the full article visit:
http://adage.com/article/news/timberlake-beyonce-marketing-titles/239712/

Happy clicking!

Brotherhood by Budweiser

I doubt I was the only one who thought the Budweiser Clydesdale ad was awesome. It was great to see them going back to an iconic image associated with Bud.  And more subtly, the Stevie Nicks “Landslide” song evokes some good memories for anyone over 40.  I even loved the ‘name the baby Clyesdale’ campaign at the end. I don’t even drink beer, but could almost like Budweiser after this.

To all our clients past, present and future – thanks for letting us be a part of your story!