I must say, the new MySpace design is gorgeous! But is it enough to make a come back? Or too little, too late? Check out AdWeek’s latest “Tweets out video showing redesign” by Rebecca Cullers, take on Timberlake, as he tries to bring sexy back to MySpace.
The new look is geared towards the creative networks, such as photographers, filmakers, designers and musicians especially. We’d love to hear what you think! Are you going to jump over to the new.myspace.com and get your invite on?
David Ogilvy In His Day
David Ogilvy was known for saying he was not a good copywriter. But he clearly understood the elements of how to communicate and get results. He promoted the concept of writing naturally, not using pretentious words, or relying on clever cliches to make the easy sell to clients. His idea #4 is about “Big Ideas”, not small ones. Read on:
“#4. Big Ideas: Unless our advertising is built on a BIG IDEA it will pass like a ship in the night. It takes a BIG IDEA to jolt the consumer out of his indifference – to make him notice your advertising, remember it and take action. Big ideas are usually simple ideas… BIG SIMPLE IDEAS are not easy to come by.”
The Takeaway: Nothing could be clearer than Ogilvy’s own words, but if you have found these few tidbits we have shared have piqued your interest in learning more, you can read the full article of all 38 “tips” from David Ogilvy at: http://smartonlinesuccess.com/david-ogilvy-advertising-tips/
For more good reading, I recommend the following books by David Ogilvy: Ogilvy on advertising and Confessions of an Advertising Man.
Interesting article on how we have moved from the “early days” of blog entries, to shorter Facebook posts, to even shorter Tweets, and now, basically no words with social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram. The question poses an interesting advertising conundrum of communicating a brand relying on the visual image rather than the written word. Curious to see how this evolves in the next few years.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3000794/rise-visual-social-media
As a follow up to last week’s post about David Ogilvy’s “How to create advertising that sells,” I wanted to share another gem from the long list of 38 tips.
“#3. Brand Image: Every advertisement should contribute to the complex symbol which is the brand image. 95% of all advertising is created ad hoc. Most products lack any consistent image from one year to another. The manufacturer who dedicates his advertising to building the most sharply defined personality for his brand gets the largest share of the market.”
The Takeaway: Regardless what kind of business you are in, you have a brand image. Even if you don’t really promote it. Your brand is how the world around you defines you. That is why it so critical to be a good steward of your brand, and protect the message you want to send.
David Ogilvy
I recently came across an old document from my early years in business titled “How to create advertising that sells”, written many years ago by David Ogilvy – yes, THAT David Ogilvy, of Ogilvy and Mather Advertising fame. It lists 38 rules of marketing advice that Mr. Ogilvy found had stood the test of time. I wanted to share a few of them over the next few weeks that are just as relevant today as they were when he wrote them.
“1. The most important decision. The effect that your advertising has on your sales depends more on this decision than any other: How should you position your product? The results of your campaign depend less on how we write your advertising than on how your product is positioned. It follows that positioning should be decided before the advertising is created. Research can help. Look before you leap.”
The takeaway: We preach the positioning sermon to clients every day, encouraging them that it is okay to slow things down and start at the most sensible place by asking, “Who are we? And what about our product or service matters to our customers most?” This is a huge step in maintaining and gaining market share as well as credibility for any organization.
Thanks to AdWeek for putting together this little feature of “The 20 Most-Watched Ads Ever on YouTube” This set is sure to inspire your creative juices, and you may be surprised at what made the list. How could you not love BBDO’s “Pepsi Generation” campaign spot from ’84 with MJ, reunited Jackson Five and the young MJ impersonator (soon to becomre Carlton Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air! Nice throwback. Enjoy your Monday, happy clicking!
Do you know your WWW history? Even if you think you do, this is worth checking out! Happy Clicking!
http://www.evolutionoftheweb.com/
evolutionoftheweb
Branding on your mind?! Check out this great infographic of The Most Powerful Colors in the World (via ColourLovers)
http://static.colourlovers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/images/top-web-brand-colors.html
Happy clicking!
Capturing Information
This is a provocative video presenting a different view of the impact of the ‘filter bubble’. With all the changes in search engines happening at lightening speed, it begs the question of whether we are really understanding the full scope – good and bad. Is anyone bothered by having searches filtered based on algorithms about where you are, what computer you’re using or what browser you use, or do you think this just makes marketing more effective? Watch the video and let us know what you think.
Eli Pariser: Beware online \”filter bubbles\”
Today I stumbled upon a blog post from How Blog, that shares insights from Sally Hogshead, the Chief Fascination Officer for Facinate, Inc. and also the author of Fascinate and Radical Careering, where she explains her “7 Triggers of Fascination” and how to captivate any audience with these strategies. I just had to share her valuable advice.
Here she claims, if the “Idea is King” then “Working with smart people is Queen!” Sally talks about why a person should aspire to be the dumbest person in the room in this video snippet from How Design, and how your career can advantage from learning techniques and absorbing information from the people around you. I think she makes a fascinating argument – think about it … if your always the smartest person in the room, how could you possibly learn and continue to grow in your career? “Working with smart people is The Mac Daddy of your career!” exclaims Sally.
So the next time your interested in learning something new, put yourself into a room full of people who are experts at that something your aspiring to learn, try to play on that “A” team and get to learning!
For more insights, check out Erin Semple’s original blog at Howdesign, http://blog.howdesign.com/design-resources/design-career-advice-creative-process-video/
Or jump to Sally’s fascinating website; howtofascinate.com/ or sallyhogshead.com/
Happy clicking!
