http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/Home.aspxYour weekly update in marketingen-usCopyright 2010, CHQTNEWS-NAThu, 09 Sep 2010 03:26:59 GMTThu, 17 Jun 2010 17:43:30 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comIt’s a typical Saturday and you’re doing something you haven’t done for a while. Maybe you’ve finally tuned up the bike and gone for a long ride, attacked the weeds in the back yard or helped a friend move. The next day, what’s the first thing you realize when you wake up? You hurt in places you didn’t even know you had. If you don’t use certain muscles on a regular basis, they don’t perform like they used to. It’s a pretty bland analogy, but it gets the point across – if you don’t exercise your creativity on a regular basis… if you don’t throw yourself outside your comfort zone… your creative muscles can deteriorate. I work in the advertising and marketing world and I’m expected to “be creative on demand” every day. I like to think that I maintain a high degree of creative proficiency in my day to ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10119380Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10119380Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:43:30 GMTSeldom has a story been told so powerfully, eloquently and simply. People who create commercials often strive to create amazing ‘art’ rather than focus on delivering a clear message. It’s rare to find a campaign that can accomplish both. That’s why it was very gratifying when I received not one, not two, but three e-mails from friends containing this spot from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership. At 90 seconds, it was never destined to receive a lot of free PSA time from networks and it would be expensive to air on a paid schedule. It was likely always intended to be a viral campaign and the multiple e-mails I received, indicated to me that it is capturing people’s hearts and fueling its own viral success. There have been thousands of seat-belt campaigns around the world but I have never seen one harness the emotional energy of this offering. A slow ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10112557Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10112557Wed, 12 May 2010 00:07:11 GMTAnother installment in The Spin Doctor's on-going series on Everyday Creativity … as if he knows anything! It occurs to me, because of my abnormally large brain, well, abnormally large in a "I could be really smart if I applied myself" kind of way, not abnormally large like I'm running out of room in my own skull like what happens to Dobermans before they go crazy and kill their owners, but I digress - as I was saying, it occurs to me that before we can discuss ways to be creative, a person needs to decide that it's worth the years of rigorous training and hard work that it takes to actually become a creative person. Why go to all the trouble of trying to inject a little more creativity into your life in the first place? In numerous studies… countless studies actually… billions and billions of studies, although I ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10100495Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10100495Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:30:14 GMTOld Spice spent several years and millions of dollars creating a very specific image. Eventually, that image was firmly ensconced in the minds of consumers: Old Spice is the fragrance my grandpa likes. The sad truth is, it takes a lot more time, money and pain to un-do an image once you’ve created it; much like having a tattoo removed. You can ‘tell’ consumers you’ve changed. You can ‘beg’ consumers to believe that you’ve changed, but it’s much more effective to show them. And, if you are having trouble convincing your primary consumer, it may not be a bad idea to reach them through a secondary consumer who may not share the primary consumer’s bias. For example… Old Spice is scoring an attention home run with their “I’m a man” and “Your man could smell like a man” commercials. They don’t have anything serious to say – they’re just having ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10095066Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10095066Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:16:33 GMTFrom 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 ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10068985Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10068985Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:26:17 GMTThe 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 ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10042696Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10042696Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:13:20 GMTI 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 ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10037785Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10037785Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:34:55 GMTAnd 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 ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10034895Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10034895Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:14:12 GMTHow 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 ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10030928Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10030928Tue, 05 May 2009 10:36:37 GMTI believe in Santa Claus. I believe in love at first sight. I believe that a hundred and twenty pound woman can right an overturned car when she is desperate to free her child. I believe that there is a soul inside each of us, and when we dream of someone we love… our souls are meeting in the dark. I believe that if we could sit down and talk to our enemies we would find that they want the same things out of life that we do. I believe that dreams are an essential component of reality. I know there is life on other planets. I believe that a kiss can make it better. I believe that a positive attitude… simply having faith in yourself… gives you an edge over someone who doesn’t have that. I believe in laughter. I believe that if you attempt the ridiculous, you can ...http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10030537Dhooke@630ched.com (Spin Doctor)http://www.inews880.com/Blogs/TheSpinDoctor/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10030537Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:55:40 GMT