I recently went to the San Diego Auto Show and it was awesome!  I remember my dad dragging me along to the Los Angeles Auto Shows as a kid.  Aside from the time I got to spend with him, I never had an interest in any of the cars or what was going on. 

The San Diego Auto Show changed my mind.

My car is 9 years old now and I’m starting to think – maybe I should get a new car?  I definitely have a couple of years left on my 2003 eclipse, if I want them.  But seeing all the new cars made me seriously think about making a purchase.

As a person who has worked in media my entire life, and has worked on many car lines, I am now seeing the ads on TV as a consumer rather than a media specialist and it’s a completely different experience.  I used to look at the pods the ads were running in and what stations and programming the spots were running in.  I analyzed the categories auto ads were placed next to, and what kind of separation auto ads had from each other.  I looked to see which ads were local and which ones were national.

Since the Auto Show, I  see these ads with a different eye.  Of course, I still look at the creative and where the ads are running.  But now I’m looking for the offer. I’ll watch to see which company has zero down and zero interest for 60 months.  I’ll look at what the payments are on different car lines.  I’ll look at the luxury brands and think “perhaps some day I will buy one of those.”  I’ve even gotten out the calculator on my phone to try to figure out what I can and can not afford.  And now as a consumer, I watch the whole ad and I’ll look for every piece of information I can find.  I try to find out what the features of each car are such as the gas mileage and monthly cost.

And now, with some of the new media technologies, I don’t just have to watch an ad on TV to get the information I want on a car.  I can click my cable On Demand and search the auto section to see what cars they have featured.  Online I can visit the Hyundai (or any other car line) website, then leave their site and be served a Hyundai ad as I click around on other sites (this is retargeting).

We all know that cars, especially new ones, are big ticket items.  Now I see why Auto is usually the largest spending category.  I understand the importance of good creative in advertising and I also understand why putting in an offer is also important. As a marketer I’ve learned that when you are a consumer you want to see an offer, you want as much information as possible – I will definitely keep this in mind when I am putting together media plans moving forward.

I watch every auto ad and I don’t care if they are placed right next to each other.  I watch them differently than I did before I was considering buying a car.

I’ve heard many people say that people who go to auto shows are likely to buy a car within 6 months of their experience there.  That may be true, we’ll see what happens.  Until then, I’ll not only be watching auto ads as a media buyer/planner/supervisor,  I’ll also be watching as a consumer.

Hello 2012. The year flew by fast didn’t it? Do you feel overwhelmed with all the information out there these days? Things are changing so quickly it’s hard to keep up, even for the super techno genius. Even though technology is evolving at light speed, what we really need to pay attention to is how to use these tools to best communicate with our target audiences. As marketers we need to understand the audiences we intend to interact with and how we can best achieve a valuable interaction. Technology will continue to evolve and offer us different avenues to communicate, for commerce, for entertainment, and for business. Oh and it helps us learn in real time.

We are all almost always connected by that little tiny computer we carry around in our pockets and our purses. Let’s be real, most of us do not use our phone for just the purpose of a phone. I know you boomers are facebooking and texting, and I don’t even want to know what my little cousins are doing on their phones. It scares me because it means I’m behind and have to keep up. Stupid early adoption. I don’t know what I would do without my iPhone anymore though.   I use it for everything – phone, calendar, email, directions, recommendations, socializing, entertainment, a remote, shopping list, cooking, exercising, music – you get the point. It’s funny to think that when I was in college I didn’t even have a mobile phone, let alone a smart one. It is a revolutionary invention, and only the gateway to how we as humans interact with each other and technology.  It also gives us huge opportunities as marketers to reach our audiences throughout their day and consumption habits.

Although many things are changing and evolving, the core to how humans interact and consume what we put in front of them does not. Humans have habits, we are social, and we are contextual. As we become busier, technology will help humans to maintain these behaviors. I believe there are three core areas that will be highly influential in 2012 that will affect how we think as marketers. There will be thousands of new products and trends, but the list below will be central to how smart industry peeps think ahead of the curve.

Interactive Television

TV is going to become an even more powerful medium in 2012 as it combines with the Internet and offers a more interactive, on-demand and personalized experience. A lot still has to happen in this industry for TV to get to a truly interactive and digital medium that allows for real time measurement but steps are being made.

Content continues to develop in the on demand platform from Netflix to Apple TV to the advent of cable companies such as Cox offering TV Everywhere. I can watch TV on my iPad through my cable company’s app. I can stream my favorite shows via the internet, watch YouTube videos on my television, watch premium channels with apps such as HBO Go, watch all my favorite shows whenever I want either through on-demand, my incessant DVRing, or through new applications. It’s content when I want it. TV habits are going to change to Internet based habits and usability. Free content when and how I like it. Just wait till Apple launches its TV in late 2012.

The growth of 2nd and 3rd screens interaction with TV continues to grow.  Anytime I watch TV now I have my phone and iPad next to me. I recently saw a cool integration that Bud Light did with a Shazam tie in. The ad was aimed at the Hispanic market but had Pitbull’s song playing and as soon as the Shazam icon popped up on the TV I opened my app and it took me to an interstitial branded page allowing me to download the song and sign-up for the Bud promo. We are going to see more and more of this integration between the channels this year.   This year a third of the Super Bowl ads  you see will be backed by a Shazam integration and this trend will continue.

Nielsen reports an ever-growing increase of online video usage and cites that 57% of internet consumers use TV and internet simultaneously at home. I highly recommend you put on your campaign thinking caps and strategize about how your TV ad can tie into an interactive brand experience online through tablets, mobile phones and of course computers. Extend that thirty seconds to minutes in the digital space. Just take a look at what Heineken did with their “dual screen” mobile marketing campaign.

Mobility

Being connected all the time means big opportunities for brands and products to constantly have consumer interaction. Again integrating your campaigns across multiple channels can help activation through mobile devices.

A recent study reports that 40% of Facebook’s 800 million monthly users access the social media giant through mobile apps. Meaning they are socializing with their networks on a regular basis. In 2015 the mobile internet access will surpass wired connectivity. The number of smartphone subscribers using the internet has already grown by 45% since 2010. Businesses will start thinking mobile first and then integrating into other channels.

Shopping and payments will transform forever. I use Chase’s app to pay all my bills and deposit my checks. I also did a lot of my holiday shopping on my phone this year. Why? Because it is convenient and saves me time. And I can do it anywhere! Now that mobile advertising is establishing itself you will see more brands flood this space especially as we see the “traditional” online display ad space evolve and take even more of marketer’s budgets to the digital environment.  Check out how Coke utilized mobile and social to create engagement.

Analytics

Data will start to change the way we look at how campaigns and marketing initiatives influence, engage, and activate audiences. We aren’t just selling products, awareness and consideration any more. Relationship building with brands has become an even more integral part of all strategies now that there are so many social outlets available to consumers. Agencies that are thinking about developing a complete analytical ecosystem to help develop strategies and optimizations to their plans will be thinking ahead of the curve. It’s going to be all about synchronization of this data to allow a deep understanding of the business.

There are so many tools available to clients and agencies that analyzing data has become complex. Especially the ability to tie the data together and make a rational analysis of performance that will effectively help improve insights and strategies. We will see a big movement to data visualization that will help to communicate information clearly and effectively through graphics. Companies that understand data acquisition, analysis, governance, management and mining will be able to transform their learnings into actions. Brands need to start using their agencies to help digest data and simplify it. The digital world is starting to mature and it’s time to start synchronizing data coming from social and web interfaces with marketing strategies, promotions and offers.

Ideas will still always be king but don’t let 2012 pass you by without thinking about all the channels and information available to you as a marketer.  More opportunities for better results.

This agency is about to hit its 17th year (holy cats, where does the time go?!) and over the years we’ve seen all sorts of trends, but during the past couple of years I’ve been seeing something that troubles me deeply. Some of this may be a sign of the times and some of it is generational, but it’s raising a lot of questions for me. The agency business needs people who value a career within the industry. It needs people with longevity who bring strategic insight and experience to its clients. But where are we headed?

Let’s see how much of this rings true to you (perspective will vary according to your age and position

1. Agencies are the best training ground out of college.

2. Agencies are a good stepping stone to that secure in-house job that’s the real prize.

3. I don’t see a career at an agency. Corporations are for careers.

Based on recent conversations with former employees and many people in and out of agencies, it appears the above list is the “new truth” for young professionals. When I ask people in their twenties to be brutally honest they acknowledge that this is indeed what they believe.

Where are they learning this? Are colleges teaching this? Has an uncertain economy resulted in the belief that a big corporation is safer? What a crock!

Let’s look a little more closely at each of these beliefs.

1. Indeed, agencies are the best training ground. Let’s look at why. Agencies believe in growing their people. Agency employees know that they  have to be at the forefront of our industry in order to educate and lead our clients, so they continually invest in getting better, learning more and being on the cutting edge of what’s happening. That isn’t a two-three year experience. It’s what an entire career in an agency is about. Growing, learning, selling and using your expertise.

I have lost count of the number of conversations I have had with former employees who went in house, only to discover that not only does no one understand what they do, they don’t highly value it, yet everyone has an opinion about it. They find themselves silo’d and often concerned about how they will grow their skills.

Do you view agencies as a good post-college choice? What about in-house? Tell me about your post-college expectations?

2. My first job out of college was with a big multi-national corporation. You couldn’t have asked for a more blue-suit, solid, I’ll never worry about my paycheck kind of place. In my first year I was sexually harassed and watched the company scramble to cover it up and get that guy out of the building. Not out of the company, just re-positioned in another state, which didn’t give me a great sense of trust or value. A year later I watched a man who had given 20 years of his life to the company be summarily fired because he didn’t get along with our general manager. Just like that. Done.

I don’t believe that large corporations care more about their employees than agencies. Often, shareholders mean more and employees are viewed as an expendable line item. If you don’t agree, just read the headlines this month. Every December hundreds and thousands of jobs are shed as corporations adjust their new year’s budget. Security indeed.

Now I’m not telling you that agency jobs are any more secure. But I will tell you that agency owners will sweat and cry and do everything they can to keep you. Layoffs, at least in smaller shops with integrity, are not done lightly.

What is it about in-house corporate jobs that make them appear more secure?

3. I am a member of PRSA’s Counselors Academy, a section comprised of senior level PR/Marcomm professionals and it has been a revelation and delight to spend time with so many seasoned pros. These are people who saw a career for themselves in an agency and loved the energy, learning and ever changing environment so much that, like me, they’ve never left. Will your career trajectory be as fast or offer as many title options? Perhaps not, but you will be part of a community where people treat each other like family. A community that values creativity, learning and creating a place that is great fun to come to every day. Agencies are filled with people who love the fact that every day is different, who get to shape their culture, where clients change and offer new opportunities and the learning never stops.

Have you had a long term career in an agency? What made you choose that over an in-house job? If you’re just getting started, what do you think? What makes one choice more appealing than another?

*This post is part of a series that takes a closer look at advertising in the massive, and still-growing, Hispanic sector.

As I’ve said before, if you’re going to do it, do it well. A mediocre attempt at including what should be one of the largest target audiences for your product or service can seem patronizing, opportunistic or even downright offensive.

With Hispanic Heritage Month just behind us, it’s a great time to review what the month meant for brands and Hispanic consumers.

The month of celebration was established in 1988 to celebrate Hispanic culture, its achievements and its contributions to society–after all, what would a portrait of America be without cowboys, barbecues, corn, rodeos and gold mining? As American as these all may seem, they were, in fact, all contributions from countries of Hispanic origin. In the modern era, however, companies big and small have become keen to the fact that this is a great time to introduce themselves (a.k.a. advertise) to, or expand their relationship with, the Hispanic community. While some companies launched Hispanic marketing and advertising initiatives or campaigns, others commemorated the month by creating goodwill within the Hispanic community through scholarships, or developing more Hispanic-friendly communications and social media.

Below is my report card of several marketing campaigns targeted towards Hispanics during this special month. In the spirit of celebrating everything Latino, I’ve rated the following initiatives based on their relevance, strategy, longevity and execution into the categories of Maravilloso, Bueno, Más o Menos, Malo, and Horrible. For those who don’t remember their Spanish 1 class, that’s Marvelous, Good, So-so, Bad and Horrible.

Okay, just kidding. I’ve only featured three top campaigns below for your enjoyment. Las campañas más maravillosas:

1. Proctor & Gamble: “Orgullosa“

What it is: P & G launched a new site called Orgullosa.com, with momentum as both a campaign AND a goodwill initiative.

P & G's Orgullosa Homepage

The site name translates to “proud” and celebrates the uniqueness and beauty of Latina women. Orgullosa aims to connect Hispanic women, share timesaving recipes and organizing/decorating tips, and oh yeah…also remind women just how many life-bettering products they offer.

Orgullosa de ser mujer, orgullosa de ser Latina. (Proud to be a woman, proud to be Latina)

What I liked: P & G scores points for celebrating biculturalism and realizing that women pull rank in Hispanic homes when it comes to deciding what products make it in to the house. Also, great use of Spanish sayings (“Mujeres con la falda bien puesta”, more or less referring to ladies who are well-rounded and put together). Their website is not directly pushing their products, but rather attempts to establish a relationship with their intended consumer. A wise woman (*ahem*) once said that marketing to Hispanics is more about establishing relationships than selling products. Underlining the fact I mentioned in an earlier post that Hispanic consumers are more brand loyal than the average consumer, why not get them used to having or using your products? They also recently awarded 10 “Mujeres con la falda bien puesta” with a trip to the Latin Grammys–extra points here for cohesion and longevity of the campaign, rather than ending it as soon as the month wrapped.

What I didn’t like: They lose points in my book, however, for mixing Spanish and English throughout the site (mid-sentence), but that’s a personal preference I suppose. Additionally, the site is only in English (with the exception of Spanish phrases here and there).

2. Nestlé: “Construye el Mejor Nido”

What it is: This is the first time Nestlé has ever run a campaign leveraging and reinforcing their iconography (the nest) and with their campaign “Construye el Mejor

Nestlé's iconic nest takes on a central role in the "El Mejor Nido" campaign

Nido” (Build the Best Nest), the company expertly did just that. The slogan reinforces the idea of a nest as a home, conveying the ideas of family, trust and well-being to Hispanic audiences. They launched a Facebook page and new site for it, as well as instore marketing and promotions. The online executions feature tips, blog posts, articles, recipes and videos.

What I liked: I loved the idea of using the iconic logo and fully adapting the message and website to Hispanic audiences in both English AND Spanish. I also really enjoyed the variety of content they featured and that it isn’t just directing you to their products…kind of like that friend who just wants to help you out and you wonder what they’re getting out of it. Also, this campaign is not scheduled to end when the month ends, which gives this one a longer shelf life (pun intended) and more chance of reaching a larger number of people.

By using Facebook, Nestlé can attract the 98% of Hispanic women who go online.

There is even a page on the site (“Maintaining & Passing on Culture”) where you can select any Hispanic country and read a little bit about their food and traditional plates. In addition to sending the correct message, they made sure to use the right channel, recognizing that 98% of  Hispanic women between 35 and 49 who are online use Facebook.

What I didn’t like: There was a typo on the Colombian “Maintaining & Passing on Culture” page (a bit offensive to me as a Colombian to see it written “Columbian”, especially on a Hispanic-targeted site.)

3. Verizon: “Somos FiOs” and partnership with Hispanic Heritage Awards

The recently launched Spanish site

“When reaching out to Hispanics, it’s not only about language, it’s about the overall experience…We will continue to foster two-way dialogue between the brand and our Hispanic consumers through social media tools that allow customers to engage with FiOS on their own terms”-Orlando Zambrano, Verizon multicultural marketing manager.

What it is: “Somos FiOs” translates to “We are FiOs”. As part of the campaign, Verizon launched a fully Spanish website, its first ever bilingual Facebook page and took to Twitter with the hashtag #SomosFiOs where “attendees” of the online party were invited to compete for prizes, discuss their favorite Hispanic customs and traditions and celebrate their Hispanic heritage. Expanding on their online presence, they let users contribute to a hashtag art piece and for every picture contributed, donated $1 to end domestic violence in the Latino community.

Somos FiOs Hashtag Art

What I liked: The fact that Verizon completely thought through their campaign is evident as they used various forms of digital execution for this campaign while allowing participants to celebrate their heritage. Additionally, allowing members of the Hispanic community to feel as

Great use of Facebook's photo preview function

though they had a hand in helping their own through the hashtag art (which in and of itself was a neat and innovative idea) was ingenious. Lastly, Zambrano’s quote beautifully summarizes the strategy behind the campaign, which was well developed and well executed. Sidenote: good use of the photo preview function on Facebook.

What I didn’t like: Once on their Spanish site, there is not much room for user or community participation.

Shout-out from Pappy!

Honorable mention goes out to the following companies for other initiatives that included scholarships, Hispanic programming and recognition of the month in general: Pappy Hazard (of Hazard Center, full disclosure – agency client), Southwest Airlines, Walmart, the NFL Univision, Macys,  and Payless Shoes.

The lesson to take from all of these examples is that the more you consider your campaign as an attempt to establish a relationship with new, potential consumers rather than an attempt to sell products, the better your campaign will do. Developing your campaign strategy to involve various platforms and attract, but more importantly engage, multiple audiences, the more authentic the campaign will feel and Hispanic audiences will be more likely to buy in.

Do you think the campaigns mentioned above are comprehensive enough, or did they miss a crucial component? Did you see any good ones I missed? What’s the worst campaign you’ve seen?

Organization can vary by industry, by company, by job, and by person. I have mentioned in previous posts about the importance of organization, but what does that really mean in a fast-paced, full-service marketing agency? Here at Bailey Gardiner, there is no shortage of organization and everyone has their own style. I decided to check out different departments here on the advertising side and showcase some strategies for keeping things in order and running smoothly in the advertising world:

The Account Side: Camila

Our role at BG is to work with clients as the agency contact and oversee all the moving parts within the agency for an account. From client meetings to conference calls to internal kickoffs, the day is never dull and requires a lot of organization and time-tracking. Camila is one of the newer members of BG but has already come up with some crafty organizational techniques.

As a self-proclaimed organization-aholic, Camila creates her own daily to-do sheet and also tracks her time with a clever color-coordinated system. All of this lives in one binder with other important documents. Why so much detail? Projects and tasks shift from day to day, things get rescheduled, and it’s always great to go back and check where you spent your time for the week.

Camila’s advice: “Write EVERYTHING down. The important thing here is to keep everything central, though you may write it down on a random post-it or the back of a meeting agenda, writing it on the master to-do list is the only way you can keep entirely on top of your tasks. While this sounds like more work up front, it will make your life easier in the long run!”

The Project Management Side: Heather

While the Account team works with the client to bring the projects into the agency, once they are here – they are managed by Heather – the queen of organization and schedules. Heather manages the schedules of the entire creative team and makes sure projects stay on schedule to be released for deadlines. Everything Heather manages affects multiple departments within the agency, so it is her impeccable organization that sets the tone for the rest of us.

Because she has to manage so many team members, Heather relies heavily on iCal (she also has about 6 different calendars around her desk) and uses our project management system Workamajig to keep everything in check (including our 20-page “Hot List” of every project that gets distributed daily). Her methods have come mainly from trial and error as she adapts to new processes, new technologies, and our growing number of staff.

Heather’s advice: “Establishing your own method of keeping yourself organized is key. Once you have your process down, others will follow.”

The Creative Side: Susannah

Susannah is our Senior Graphic Designer and keeps us digitally organized and archived. If someone needs to reference a project from 2001, Sus can pull it off the server quickly and efficiently because she has our files so well arranged. Also, Sus manages all of our production, which means she is the last person to touch projects before they are out the door – all the more reason we are glad Susannah is a well-oiled organization machine!

Coming from a family of engineers, we think she has a genetic inclination for process and details. Susannah uses her own journal with her job list from Heather’s Hot List, and then works on our file server to design and output jobs. Her desk is always full of creative work and job bags, but each one is accounted for and follows the proper steps to make sure the jobs are done.

Susannah’s advice: “Throughout my career I have seen other graphic designers and creatives who appear to be or are messy and disorganized. This is where artists get labeled as flaky dreamers. I wanted to be professional – a good designer AND be organized. The combo is a money maker!”

The Media Side: Michelle

Our media department works closely together on every media project, so closely that they have a joint to-do list that they both tackle. They use a giant whiteboard on their office wall to keep track of all tasks and cross them out when complete. This board also attracts some doodles and quotes from visitors, but it is the main way Michelle and Meredith stay on schedule and on the same page. A lot of client money is handled in their department on a daily basis and it is their organization and communication on all projects that makes sure money is never lost, wasted, or misused.

Michelle’s advice: “At the end of every day, take the time to organize your desk and inbox before you leave. That way, as soon as you are in the next day, you are ready to start the day fresh and prepared.”

Now it’s time for your input – what is your position and how do you best organize yourself? I truly believe that organization is half the battle on the way to success, and I love picking up new tips, tricks, and pieces of advice… Let me know your favorites!

Bailey Gardiner is looking for an Advertising Account Intern for the winter quarter or semester beginning in January 2012.

Who we want:

• A college student (junior or senior) majoring in Advertising, Marketing, Communications, English, or closely related field with 3.0 GPA or above
• Must be able to obtain college credit for the internship
• Willing to commit to a minimum of 20 hours per week, set hours preferred
• A well-organized, self-starter who shows ownership over assignments
• Excellent communication skills- both oral and written
• Eager to learn
• Creative

Responsibilities:

• Assist the Traffic Manager by helping with the flow of projects
• Assist the Account Team with monthly analytics reports
• Assist the Account Team with ongoing projects
• Handle insertion orders and assist with organization of the media placement process
• Research new publications, new business prospects, online opportunities and guerilla marketing, which sometimes requires going out in the field and gathering information, materials and photos
• Writing for “Feed The Interns Blog” with other Bailey Gardiner interns
• Responsibilities will vary and can grow with your willingness

This position is unpaid and only open to current college students who can obtain college credit through the internship.

The experience you will receive at Bailey Gardiner is invaluable. We will take the time to teach, support, provide you with responsibility and have some fun.

For a little more information about us, visit our website or the blog by our interns.

If you are interested and meet the criteria above, please email your cover letter, resume and preferred schedule to adam@baileygardiner.com.

Please, no phone calls.

“Brook” lives in New York City and is a Jr Art Director. She loves to share knowledge, help and inspire others who want to be in advertising or any other creative industry. Her motto: Juniors Unite! Dear Brook Blog was born with one mission: A Junior in Advertising helping other Juniors in Advertising. Here is a post she wrote just for our BG readers…

Plan your next move.

Whether you’re looking for your first job or looking for your next job, there’s a lot to take into consideration before you make that decision. Most of us juniors are so in a hurry to get a job that we overlook some things. Besides the obvious things to consider (salary, size of the company, position…) There are three not-so-obvious things you cannot forget about: Technology, Talent and Tolerance.

When I was in college, a wise creative director introduced me to Richard Florida’s work and research. He wrote this book called The Rise of The Creative Class. Richard says that in order for a place to be considered creative, it needs the 3 Ts: Technology, Talent and Tolerance. Later, I discovered that the 3 Ts are particularly important in the Ad business and I think if you learn that early on, you’ll have a clearer idea of where you want to go next.

Technology:

Why? Because it’s the future. By staying educated about what’s new, you’ll one day be able to almost predict the future of technology. That ability alone will set you apart from many.

Same goes for the agency you’re heading to, you need to make sure the work they do is current and fresh. That will tell you how savvy they are and how well they will receive your crazy and cool ideas. The only way to learn new technologies is if you’re surrounded by them.

Talent:

First, let’s talk about you. You need to find what you’re good at, what you’re passionate about and work hard at perfecting your talent.

Your next agency needs to be able to see and recognize your talent; otherwise it’ll go to waste. Your boss should be nurturing and someone who will help you get better at what you already love to do. It takes talent to recognize other’s talents.

Plus, if you’re surrounded by talented people, you’re more likely to learn and develop new talents along the way. Wouldn’t that be nice!

Tolerance:

To me, this one is the most important of the three. No tolerance to diversity, mistakes and different opinions is the worst, I tell ya. First of all, whoever says that you cannot make mistakes is wrong. People who make the most mistakes, usually learn faster and are generally more daring – which is good – you should be daring. You should be different. This business is all about standing out. You should feel free to be your unique self because guess what, the more diverse the agency, the better work they produce.

Most agencies love juniors because they have a fresh view of the world. Their inexperience can be a breath of fresh air to the agency. Now, that’s where you want to be.

Some agencies on the other hand, don’t want you to experiment or make mistakes, they want you to simply follow the rules and do as they say. If you sense that, move on and don’t look back. But remember that wherever you end up, work super hard and give it all you got. Always.

Another thing to keep in mind when interviewing somewhere is that they’re not only choosing to hire you but you’re also choosing to share your talent with them. You might be an inexperienced junior but the first years of your career can make it or break it. Choose wisely and don’t settle.

Steve jobs said it best: “ Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become. You’ve got to find what you love. Don’t settle.”

Brook

The “Good Reads” series is dedicated to quality marketing content we’re reading throughout the week. We hope to share and inspire you to pass on the love. Enjoy.

Choose Your Own Ads

The marketing world was pretty excited at the possibilities of letting people choose their own pre-roll ad to view with online video. A cool idea, but according to Hulu and YouTube, it hasn’t seen the success that was expected and viewers are indifferent to choosing ads or are only doing whatever option requires the least amount of time. Although relatively new, companies are already beginning to question if the “Choose Your Own Ad” model has a future.

Flo from Progressive for Halloween

If you wandered around this Halloween wondering why there were so many Progessive Insurance’s Flo characters out, it’s because Progressive had a large push to get people in the costume. The company gave a checklist to make your own Flo costume, also sold a cheap complete costume on Amazon, and started the #DressLikeFlo hashtag on Twitter. Seven years ago I would have laughed if you told me people would be dressing up as an insurance company character.

Vintage Ads

I am a sucker for vintage advertising – the hand-drawn illustrations, the two-mile copy blocks, the unbelievable sexism – they are hilarious to me. This is one of my favorite websites to browse for old ads and is worth scrolling through to see just how far we have come in this industry.

What else where you reading this week? Let us know.

Developing a successful email marking campaign takes a lot more than compiling as many email addresses as possible and spamming everyone with your brand’s message. It is about building a relationship of trust with your target audience and providing relevant information that they may find useful. Just as we represent company values and image through a website, logo and brochure, an email campaign can also reinforce these key messages. It’s just as important to make sure email campaign fall in line with the rest of the brand’s communications. But no need to fear, there are plenty of tools out there to help marketers reach the right audience via email, and the one tool we recommend using is MailChimp, here’s why…

User Interface

MailChimp is run by one hundred or so very talented developers and designers, which is immediately evident by its beautifully designed homepage. It only gets better from here. Simplicity, interactivity and an intuitive campaign creation and management process make using MailChimp a breeze for those with and without a lot of email marketing experience. Chimpanzee jokes and videos also lighten the mood and provide a fun experience.

Creating a campaign is a snap. Anyone can use the built-in WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor to customize one of MailChimp’s hundreds of professionally designed templates or if you know your way around some code, you can build out your own HTML templates.

Compatibility

The web may have standards, but emails do not. Subscribers may be using Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Apple Mail, Hotmail, the list goes on – but with MailChimp, the software automatically selects the 10 most popular email clients from the subscriber’s list and displays exactly what the campaign will look like for each person. One can see why this feature might help marketers choose a layout and design that will be aesthetically pleasing for their most important subscribers. MailChimp also offers mobile optimized templates that allow subscribers to access email campaigns while on the go.

Help & Support

This is an often-overlooked factor in selecting new services, but we’re firm believers that a good product must have a good support system. Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran, questions and obstacles will always pop up, and it’s important to have the necessary resources to solve any problems that may arise. MailChimp offers wonderful support in a variety of ways all located on the convenient resources and support pages.

MailChimp also provides Academy Videos, these entertaining and informative videos cover a range of beginner and advanced topics. There is an advanced search bar that delivers answers and articles pertaining to keywords and phrases. One can live chat or email MailChimp directly, and the customer service reps will quickly provide a response. MailChimp also offers free eBooks on various topics regarding email marketing, to educate marketers on everything they need to know about email campaigns.

Analytics

MailChimp does all the work when it comes to analytics, and thanks again to the wonderful team of designers and developers, it’s presented in an easy to understand and visually appealing way. Monitor subscription growth, click maps, location information, social interaction and much more.

Summary

MailChimp makes it easy for clients, designers, developers, and all those involved with email marketing, to create effective campaigns reaching the target audience in an effective manner. Not to mention, the amazing giveaways for loyal customers. For MailChimp’s one-millionth-subscriber celebration the company gave away T-shirts, hats, and plushy toys! And you know how much we enjoy a good freebie every now and then.

Do you utilize MailChimp for your email marketing campaigns? Tell us what you think works best.

With our latest round of holiday creative executions for Hazard Center, our Avoid-a-Hazard campaign comes to a close for 2011.

First launched at the start of last year, the Avoid-a-Hazard campaign was born out of the notion that life is filled with everyday hassles. Some of them small, like personal grooming. Others, a little complicated, like the pitfalls of gift giving. But whatever these “hazards” might be, we positioned Hazard Center as being the place that could help you avoid them. We playfully played off of Hazard Center’s name, while conveying the many different things you could do/buy/eat there.

Over the last two years, we extolled the virtues of waxing, directed men to better anniversary gifts and helped college students stay awake in class. We even offered Chargers fans a reason to drink on opposite sides of a vending machine. Along the way, we also won an ADDY for our efforts.

With our latest round of work, we show how Hazard Center can make for an easier holiday season. Sample ad below, another one here.

Are there any hazards that we missed? Let us know.