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You had me at hello ... or did you?
 Posted 10/29/2009 2:22:00 PM
From the "Everyday Creativity For Real People" series
How many times have you met someone and forgotten their name before you finished shaking hands? Dozens?
Hundreds? Gazillions? Don't worry, it's not a tumor - it's just human nature.
But conversely, how many people have made an immediate and unforgettable impression on you? Probably not gazillions, or even dozens, but I'm sure there have been some. In the first few moments of contact something happened that left a mark on you like a crazed monkey on your back with a permanent marker.
Whatever they said or did might have been funny, tacky, intellectual, sexist, rude, erudite, tasteless, mind boggling or just so gosh darn earnest that you wanted to take that person home and keep him as a pet. The question is: was it intentional, accidental or was it just that person unselfconsciously being himself?
Marketers and advertisers spend invest thousands ...
Ever have a day like this? Of course you have.
Posted 7/17/2009 1:11:00 PM
The strength of a great advertising campaign comes from the ability to resonate with the largest possible audience. Many advertisers invest way too much time, energy and money in creating a campaign that is big, visual and splendiferous. I’m not even sure if splendiferous is actually a word although my spell check didn’t bitch me out when I wrote it. But if it was a fake word, that would be a perfect parallel to advertisers who try to baffle you with BS rather than focus on, and reinforce, a credible message.
Barclays Bank gets it! In these tumultuous economic times, people want something real and secure that they can rely on. That’s a pretty simple concept – it’s easy to understand and everybody can relate to it. Barclays could have delivered a simple message simply… or they could have delivered a simple message in a Hollywood-worthy extravaganza. They chose the ...
“You live in… happy town?”
Posted 6/30/2009 7:34:00 PM
I was downtown a few months ago and I was just getting out of my car when I was approached by a stranger, an American with what I recognized as a Bostonian accent. He was asking for directions to a business several blocks away. Somehow, he had become turned around and had spent twenty minutes walking in the wrong direction. I started to explain how he needed to re-trace his steps but I could see he was already becoming more confused.
Finally I said, “You know what, it would be easier if I just drove you there.” I walked over to my car, opened the door and was about to get in when I realized he was still standing on the sidewalk. For a moment, he stared at me with disbelief, obviously uncertain what to do. Eventually he must have decided he could trust me and he got in the ...
THE SPIN DOCTOR surfaces again… finally!
Posted 6/5/2009 11:10:00 AM
And this time he’s meandering on about frogs, creativity and other people’s web sites. Are we paying him for this? We’re not? Good.
My childhood hero, Kermit the Frog, once said, “It’s not easy being green”. He was right. I, however, am a large, rotund fabricator (big fat liar). Kermit wasn’t my childhood hero – I was a fully grown adult when Kermit was created so he was in fact the hero of my second childhood. But I digress.
Because I am involved in marketing and advertising, I try to promote myself by putting a personal stamp on anything I do. I suppose I feel an obligation to demonstrate who I am rather than just tell people. For example, if you call my answering machine you won’t hear “Hi, this is Daryl, leave a message”. However you may hear my friend J’lyn Nye say “Hi, you’ve reached the voicemail of ...
In the 21st century version of David and Goliath, why is David wearing the clown shoes and the red wig?
Posted 5/5/2009 4:33:00 AM
How do you take on a competitor who is bigger than a giant? What kind of stone do you choose for your sling when the guy across the street has become an institution or worse… a cultural icon?
This is the position in which McDonalds finds themselves as they attempt to persuade a caffeine-addicted nation of Tim Horton’s fanatics to look elsewhere for their morning brew.
Where do I begin in describing the challenge? It’s probably becoming less relevant every year that Tim Horton was a beloved Toronto Maple Leaf – but the hockey connection remains, and hockey is still king of the Canadian sports scene. Specific terms like “double-double” and “Roll Up The Rim” are as much a part of the Canadian vernacular as Toques and Don Cherry. Never mind that Tim Horton’s restaurants and kiosks are so geographically ubiquitous that you can’t drive for five minutes without passing ...
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