There are dozens and dozens of books published every year where some guru tries to promote ways that the average business person can delve into creative work with more success. They offer methods of looking at a creative campaign from off-center angles and allowing yourself the ability to feed the creative voice through a step-by-step process of understanding. I’ve read many of them, but will not mention the titles here for fear of slandering them. You see, I think most of them are frauds.
The primary problem I have with them is that when one tries to provide a set methodology and path to be creative, you’re still making it into something that can be rationalized and diagramed… something that I believe is detrimental to a creative process. Creativity is in part chaotic, but always individualized. No two creative processes will ever look exactly alike. It is often emotional and even a little bit irrational in nature. Yet these books and seminars put out a call that every left brained point-to-point business person feel they can rally behind, and every artist shudders to hear… that everyone can be creative.
It is my experience that this is simply not true. But this shouldn’t be frowned upon. It’s OK to have shortcomings. From an outside perspective, it should make as much sense for business manager to be helping pick design styles as it would for a photographer to be crunching numbers. Sure, there are those that can reach out across those lines, but for the best possible outcome, each person should be aware of their specific skill set and allow those who are better suited for other functions to do that. The best purpose for these “How to be creative guides” in my opinion is to simply open bridges of dialogue. As a creative personality, I spent years honing my ability to explain and rationalize my efforts to those who wouldn’t normally get there themselves, and help each campaign gain a “business sense” of sorts. Those guides did help some with that, and they can also bridge the gap in the opposite direction in giving a non-creative language to “get it”. But I don’t think it’s wise to believe that being able to talk about something is quite the same as finding success in doing it.
Say it with me now. “Some people are not creative.”
In the age where specialization in the marketplace is giving way to cross-training, it’s important to remember that some people are just better at some jobs than others, and there is nothing wrong with that. Truly successful campaigns happen where the chaos of creative and the order of business can meet. It involves trust and communication on both ends and a healthy individual sense of self-knowledge. It involves insightful management of a project where one knows where to draw lines, and where it is called for, to simply trust the artist.
It’s not a philosophy that will sell many books, but it is one that will really benefit your marketing.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Marketing shapes the world again: Welcome, President Obama
In the complete Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams talked about a race of people called the Golgafrinchan who lived on a doomed planet (or, in a very Douglas Adams way, not that doomed, but a story concocted to rid the planet of the least useful third of the population), and in an effort to further its people (works in either story), sent up three giant rocket ships, or the space Arks, each carrying they’re own class of people according to the work they were responsible for. Scientists, teachers, craftsmen and other more noble professions were housed together in the first two ships. The third Ark, carrying the least necessary peoples included hairdressers, telephone sanitizers, and yes, marketers.
The joke is pretty obvious. Marketing in his opinion, and perhaps rightfully so, is seen as peripheral to societies’ needs. But tomorrow morning we will see the culmination of one of the greatest marketing efforts in the modern world during the swearing in of Barack Obama.
Think what you will of his politics, but the truth is, when most people voted for President Obama, they did so because they bought into a brand. He’s likeable, sure, and he gives a mean speech, but it was the marketing over the last two years that sent him from ultimate underdog to the top office in the United States, a position which is largely decided by popular opinion.
To break down the complete success and every tactic of the campaign would be far too long to sum up in a blog, and is likely to one day evolve into a book for some enterprising writer, but here are what I believe to be key points.
First, Mr. Obama established his personality. He’s a top-notch speaker, seems to be pretty affable, forthright, and he doesn’t fit the typecast of most of Washington in that he’s young, black, and for the lack of a better word, cool. He was doing press circuits to promote his book before he launched his bid for presidency, familiarizing the nation with his face on appearances on Conan O’Brien and the like. He built an excitement around the possibility of him running before he began. The entirety of these personality traits could be summed up into a single promise that would be key to his brand: Change.
Second, when he began his bid, he targeted the disenfranchised voter populations rather than trying to compete for the mainstream. This meant the young voters, minorities, and others who didn’t fit into the classical image of a voter in the democratic party were being championed. This was risky in that if these people weren’t enough to make his bid seem legitimate, he could be shut down by the party, but they were, and as time went on, more traditional audiences became swept up in the excitement of his promise. This was only furthered by the fact that the nation was so disappointed about the current state of our nation that the single promise of change was an easy call to buy into.
Third, marketing efforts went to where the consumer was. The multilayered online aspect of the campaign was one of the first points built, making it easier for those interested to find out more. Becoming involved with Barack became more and more of a social event. People took up the campaign's seeming tagline "Yes, we can" as a personal banner, and like many effective tags, the seemingly vague statement became one of great meaning to the individual stakeholder.
Fourth, the campaign did not simply sit on the good will it was receiving, but bought into it. It asked for participation by its stakeholders, which is so essential to successful marketing efforts today, and in any means possible. Small cash donations were met with great applause, and frequently mentioned as a strong point of fundraising. Grassroots level advocates got training and talking points sent to them. It became a campaigned OWNED by the advocate, not simply endorsed by them.
Fifth, messaging was crisp. This should be expected from political campaigns to an extent, however, many politicians have been caught in a trap of being branded from the outside (read up on it, Microsoft). Instead, even when the most outlandish and obvious attacks were thrown his way, the response wasn’t to jump back and be defensive, but instead to remain on strategy. This was even true when in locations where to step back on the key points would have been very crowd pleasing for the moment, such as when he was asked on his opinion of abortion laws while sitting before a group of fundamentalists, Barack instead stayed on the messaging he had maintained throughout. For the moment, it was unpopular, but it was true to his brand.
Sixth, partnerships and public endorsements were chosen wisely, as they are in all campaigns, but with an interesting twist. “Unofficial” endorsements were greeted warmly and dismissed slightly, but only enough that they couldn’t be applied directly to the campaign, but that they could reach the public eye. The universal appeal of Oprah’s endorsement was used frequently, while part of the effectiveness of Will.I.Am’s “Yes we can” video partially came from the fact that he made it clear he was not a part of Barack’s campaign, but as an interested individual he felt the need to promote the candidate in his own way. It humanized the buy-in effort of a celebrity without looking like anyone had “sold-out”. It was enough distance to make the effort seem both widely appealing and still within the perception that it was part of a counter-culture movement.
Finally, when the campaign was at its utmost height, the competition scrambled for a response to combat the momentum of the campaign, the response was minimal. The competition started to claim they were true voices of change, rolling out the word “Maverick” with an overwhelming consistency and offering a VP nod to someone who might compete with Barack in simply being different from previous political offerings. But at that point, Mr. Obama’s campaign already owned that marketplace, and so such efforts were regarded as little more than amusing.
The true ask of the election, for people to simply vote, was at hand. And it worked.
Yes, there were many aspects to this campaign, some tried and true, some were incredibly innovative and responsive, but the success of the campaign at its core was simply the establishment, maintenance, and consistency of a single brand. It tapped into a specific market, created buy-in, then involvement. It also recognized trends without falling victim to them, and treated competition in its own back yard as a non-threat. It was modern marketing and advertising as never seen before.
Now, this isn’t to say I didn’t buy in either. Just because one recognizes the business doesn’t mean they’re immune to it. The truth of any brand is that there also must be a quality offering at its core, or it will fail. Modern consumers aren’t stupid. But as we welcome in the new President tomorrow in an atmosphere of a modern Woodstock and watch for the world to change, I have to think back to Mr. Adam’s opinion and laugh a little. Peripheral my hide.
However, upon further evaluation, I have been reminded that the third ship might (or might not) have settled upon the earth and gave way to humankind. So maybe he had a point there as well.
The joke is pretty obvious. Marketing in his opinion, and perhaps rightfully so, is seen as peripheral to societies’ needs. But tomorrow morning we will see the culmination of one of the greatest marketing efforts in the modern world during the swearing in of Barack Obama.
Think what you will of his politics, but the truth is, when most people voted for President Obama, they did so because they bought into a brand. He’s likeable, sure, and he gives a mean speech, but it was the marketing over the last two years that sent him from ultimate underdog to the top office in the United States, a position which is largely decided by popular opinion.
To break down the complete success and every tactic of the campaign would be far too long to sum up in a blog, and is likely to one day evolve into a book for some enterprising writer, but here are what I believe to be key points.
First, Mr. Obama established his personality. He’s a top-notch speaker, seems to be pretty affable, forthright, and he doesn’t fit the typecast of most of Washington in that he’s young, black, and for the lack of a better word, cool. He was doing press circuits to promote his book before he launched his bid for presidency, familiarizing the nation with his face on appearances on Conan O’Brien and the like. He built an excitement around the possibility of him running before he began. The entirety of these personality traits could be summed up into a single promise that would be key to his brand: Change.
Second, when he began his bid, he targeted the disenfranchised voter populations rather than trying to compete for the mainstream. This meant the young voters, minorities, and others who didn’t fit into the classical image of a voter in the democratic party were being championed. This was risky in that if these people weren’t enough to make his bid seem legitimate, he could be shut down by the party, but they were, and as time went on, more traditional audiences became swept up in the excitement of his promise. This was only furthered by the fact that the nation was so disappointed about the current state of our nation that the single promise of change was an easy call to buy into.
Third, marketing efforts went to where the consumer was. The multilayered online aspect of the campaign was one of the first points built, making it easier for those interested to find out more. Becoming involved with Barack became more and more of a social event. People took up the campaign's seeming tagline "Yes, we can" as a personal banner, and like many effective tags, the seemingly vague statement became one of great meaning to the individual stakeholder.
Fourth, the campaign did not simply sit on the good will it was receiving, but bought into it. It asked for participation by its stakeholders, which is so essential to successful marketing efforts today, and in any means possible. Small cash donations were met with great applause, and frequently mentioned as a strong point of fundraising. Grassroots level advocates got training and talking points sent to them. It became a campaigned OWNED by the advocate, not simply endorsed by them.
Fifth, messaging was crisp. This should be expected from political campaigns to an extent, however, many politicians have been caught in a trap of being branded from the outside (read up on it, Microsoft). Instead, even when the most outlandish and obvious attacks were thrown his way, the response wasn’t to jump back and be defensive, but instead to remain on strategy. This was even true when in locations where to step back on the key points would have been very crowd pleasing for the moment, such as when he was asked on his opinion of abortion laws while sitting before a group of fundamentalists, Barack instead stayed on the messaging he had maintained throughout. For the moment, it was unpopular, but it was true to his brand.
Sixth, partnerships and public endorsements were chosen wisely, as they are in all campaigns, but with an interesting twist. “Unofficial” endorsements were greeted warmly and dismissed slightly, but only enough that they couldn’t be applied directly to the campaign, but that they could reach the public eye. The universal appeal of Oprah’s endorsement was used frequently, while part of the effectiveness of Will.I.Am’s “Yes we can” video partially came from the fact that he made it clear he was not a part of Barack’s campaign, but as an interested individual he felt the need to promote the candidate in his own way. It humanized the buy-in effort of a celebrity without looking like anyone had “sold-out”. It was enough distance to make the effort seem both widely appealing and still within the perception that it was part of a counter-culture movement.
Finally, when the campaign was at its utmost height, the competition scrambled for a response to combat the momentum of the campaign, the response was minimal. The competition started to claim they were true voices of change, rolling out the word “Maverick” with an overwhelming consistency and offering a VP nod to someone who might compete with Barack in simply being different from previous political offerings. But at that point, Mr. Obama’s campaign already owned that marketplace, and so such efforts were regarded as little more than amusing.
The true ask of the election, for people to simply vote, was at hand. And it worked.
Yes, there were many aspects to this campaign, some tried and true, some were incredibly innovative and responsive, but the success of the campaign at its core was simply the establishment, maintenance, and consistency of a single brand. It tapped into a specific market, created buy-in, then involvement. It also recognized trends without falling victim to them, and treated competition in its own back yard as a non-threat. It was modern marketing and advertising as never seen before.
Now, this isn’t to say I didn’t buy in either. Just because one recognizes the business doesn’t mean they’re immune to it. The truth of any brand is that there also must be a quality offering at its core, or it will fail. Modern consumers aren’t stupid. But as we welcome in the new President tomorrow in an atmosphere of a modern Woodstock and watch for the world to change, I have to think back to Mr. Adam’s opinion and laugh a little. Peripheral my hide.
However, upon further evaluation, I have been reminded that the third ship might (or might not) have settled upon the earth and gave way to humankind. So maybe he had a point there as well.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Shared music and big results
A friend recently directed my attention to an interesting article about the top selling albums of 2008 recently, most notably the top grossing MP3 album of the year being Nine Inch Nails’ “Ghosts I-IV”.
As the article points out, this album was issued under a creative commons license, allowing a looser rights management for consumers who have been burdened by rights management issues through major labels and music outlets, such as Apple's iTunes. This right's management even allowed "anyone to use or rework the material for any non-profit purpose, as long as credit is provided and the resulting work is released under an identical license". So, share and share alike.
I’ve already mentioned in this blog, and I believe it to be true, that in order to know where the business of online consumption and business is going, one should look to the music and film industry. It has been the battleground of some of the most important questions in online business development, and NIN has always been one of the trailblazing groups in helping pushing that envelope, but few, if any experts could have foreseen that by allowing music to be shared and redigested in mass could have equaled out to a top grossing effort
Well, I have a couple points of reason that I think contributed to it.
1. Brand loyalty – Like it or not, NIN is a brand in themselves, and over the years of making music, they’ve gained one of the most stalwart fan bases in the world. Their fans want them to succeed, and so even when presented with the option, as they were with the first volume, they chose to pay.
2. Customer education – Trent Reznor and those who work with him have worked hard to educate their fan base to what they hope to achieve, and the possible pitfalls. Their mantra has been largely to further art first while trying to operate within a business. Educating their fans to the difficulties and pitfalls of the business enables the consumer to choose to promote the art themselves.
3. Customer loyalty – NIN rewards fans for caring. It plays heavily into the first point. This even went so far as to the band asking fans to contribute visuals through the band's youtube page to further invest them in the project.
4. Convenience – The album was made available on Amazon, where people are already shopping for music, as well as smaller, less trustworthy sites. You must be where your customer is.
5. Quality – The album has received critical and fan base rave reviews, including Grammy nods. By not diluting their product, the album became something worth choosing to pay for.
6. Distribution options - The first volume, Ghosts I was available for free download. Other options of getting the album were made available, including the full set on Amazon, or collector's editions up to $300.
As time goes on, many places are going to face challenges of effectively competing in the digital world. As time goes on, it becomes more and more apparent that customers are not stupid, and if motivated correctly, will choose to support you.
I believe the strongest point in this is that in order to succeed, you must allow your consumer to participate with you brand directly. By investing in them, you make it easier for them to invest in you.
As the article points out, this album was issued under a creative commons license, allowing a looser rights management for consumers who have been burdened by rights management issues through major labels and music outlets, such as Apple's iTunes. This right's management even allowed "anyone to use or rework the material for any non-profit purpose, as long as credit is provided and the resulting work is released under an identical license". So, share and share alike.
I’ve already mentioned in this blog, and I believe it to be true, that in order to know where the business of online consumption and business is going, one should look to the music and film industry. It has been the battleground of some of the most important questions in online business development, and NIN has always been one of the trailblazing groups in helping pushing that envelope, but few, if any experts could have foreseen that by allowing music to be shared and redigested in mass could have equaled out to a top grossing effort
Well, I have a couple points of reason that I think contributed to it.
1. Brand loyalty – Like it or not, NIN is a brand in themselves, and over the years of making music, they’ve gained one of the most stalwart fan bases in the world. Their fans want them to succeed, and so even when presented with the option, as they were with the first volume, they chose to pay.
2. Customer education – Trent Reznor and those who work with him have worked hard to educate their fan base to what they hope to achieve, and the possible pitfalls. Their mantra has been largely to further art first while trying to operate within a business. Educating their fans to the difficulties and pitfalls of the business enables the consumer to choose to promote the art themselves.
3. Customer loyalty – NIN rewards fans for caring. It plays heavily into the first point. This even went so far as to the band asking fans to contribute visuals through the band's youtube page to further invest them in the project.
4. Convenience – The album was made available on Amazon, where people are already shopping for music, as well as smaller, less trustworthy sites. You must be where your customer is.
5. Quality – The album has received critical and fan base rave reviews, including Grammy nods. By not diluting their product, the album became something worth choosing to pay for.
6. Distribution options - The first volume, Ghosts I was available for free download. Other options of getting the album were made available, including the full set on Amazon, or collector's editions up to $300.
As time goes on, many places are going to face challenges of effectively competing in the digital world. As time goes on, it becomes more and more apparent that customers are not stupid, and if motivated correctly, will choose to support you.
I believe the strongest point in this is that in order to succeed, you must allow your consumer to participate with you brand directly. By investing in them, you make it easier for them to invest in you.
Monday, January 5, 2009
The art of the personal brand
It’s the time of year when resolutions are usually made, where we take the time to think about our strengths and weaknesses, and the lessons of the year past. In essence, it’s a very strong equivalent to a brand analysis. This may seem a little belittling to some people, because a brand represents a product or a business, and an individual is considerably more complex, but our personal brand is communicated every moment of our lives. It shows itself in the way we interact with one another, how we approach the world, the jobs we take, and how we choose to entertain ourselves.
Much as any corporation, there are certain basics which are key in determining your brand. I, for instance, am an optimist. I see reality, but I cast it in the most positive light. I am an introspective over-thinker with a large drive to care and protect the people I surround myself. My truest product is what I write. These basic facts play into the essence of who I am, or my brand essence, and whatever I choose to do or how I present myself, these things are going to have to be part of it. For me to try and forward another image, such as to show myself as a shallow braggart or try and look too “emo” and depressed stands in contradiction to my essence, and will create not only a conflict in how I am perceived by others, but in turn how I am treated, creating a sort of rift and difficulty in myself.
Now, there are elements, say, if I have a beard or not, or whether I post a blog this week are smaller issues. They can be adjusted and tuned to my current goals and interactions. The clothes I might wear can change dramatically whether I’m going to a coffee shop, a bar, or a job interview. These are simple executions of my personal brand, and they become more pliable depending on my goals at the time.
I think as one contemplates their New Years resolution, it’s important to go through a mental checklist. I’ve compiled some of the self-branding questions I like to ask myself. If you decided to follow suit, remember a few key points. First, be honest; and while it helps to be optimistic, be careful not to cross the line to delusional. Second, try and be brief in answering. If something is taking paragraphs, it’s not going to be easy enough to remember and apply in real life. Aim for a sentence in part 1, and only stretch it as needed further on. Third, remember it’s more important to know what you want than to list what you should want. As they say, the road to hell is paved with the best of intentions. The most important thing to remember is the order of things. There are three sections. Once Part 1 is answered, everything in Part 2 should be able to stand being filtered through it. Everything in Part 3 should make sense when filtered through both Part 2 and Part 1. Remember, few things can be more damaging to your personal brand that a personal paradox.
Jason McCormick’s Personal Brand Questionnaire:
Part 1:
Who am I? (Keep it brief)
What does my background say about me?
What does my current environment say about me?
What do I really enjoy about being me?
If I were to sum all of that up in one sentence, I would say that “I am…”
Now you’ve got a sense of your essence.
Part 2:
What do I want to achieve?
What resources do I have available to me?
What am I lacking?
That’s going to help zero you in on where you’re looking for your path to lead you. Many resolutions are born out of this second set. But then you have to put them into action…
Part 3:
To achieve the above goals, I must present myself as:
My best method of communication is:
I must learn to:
I must eliminate:
What can I positively associate myself with:
What should I stop associating with:
This section is more about the direct application, sort of a game plan to achieve goals.
I hope this sheds some light in how I believe a personal brand can start to be built, or at least help focus some of those New Year’s resolutions. I’ve always believed that understand the want to do something is more important than the act itself. It’s not so much about wanting to lose weight or quit smoking, but why you want to lose weight or quit smoking. It’s in understanding that “why” that you can find the true motivation to make it happen.
I wish everyone a very happy 2009.
Much as any corporation, there are certain basics which are key in determining your brand. I, for instance, am an optimist. I see reality, but I cast it in the most positive light. I am an introspective over-thinker with a large drive to care and protect the people I surround myself. My truest product is what I write. These basic facts play into the essence of who I am, or my brand essence, and whatever I choose to do or how I present myself, these things are going to have to be part of it. For me to try and forward another image, such as to show myself as a shallow braggart or try and look too “emo” and depressed stands in contradiction to my essence, and will create not only a conflict in how I am perceived by others, but in turn how I am treated, creating a sort of rift and difficulty in myself.
Now, there are elements, say, if I have a beard or not, or whether I post a blog this week are smaller issues. They can be adjusted and tuned to my current goals and interactions. The clothes I might wear can change dramatically whether I’m going to a coffee shop, a bar, or a job interview. These are simple executions of my personal brand, and they become more pliable depending on my goals at the time.
I think as one contemplates their New Years resolution, it’s important to go through a mental checklist. I’ve compiled some of the self-branding questions I like to ask myself. If you decided to follow suit, remember a few key points. First, be honest; and while it helps to be optimistic, be careful not to cross the line to delusional. Second, try and be brief in answering. If something is taking paragraphs, it’s not going to be easy enough to remember and apply in real life. Aim for a sentence in part 1, and only stretch it as needed further on. Third, remember it’s more important to know what you want than to list what you should want. As they say, the road to hell is paved with the best of intentions. The most important thing to remember is the order of things. There are three sections. Once Part 1 is answered, everything in Part 2 should be able to stand being filtered through it. Everything in Part 3 should make sense when filtered through both Part 2 and Part 1. Remember, few things can be more damaging to your personal brand that a personal paradox.
Jason McCormick’s Personal Brand Questionnaire:
Part 1:
Who am I? (Keep it brief)
What does my background say about me?
What does my current environment say about me?
What do I really enjoy about being me?
If I were to sum all of that up in one sentence, I would say that “I am…”
Now you’ve got a sense of your essence.
Part 2:
What do I want to achieve?
What resources do I have available to me?
What am I lacking?
That’s going to help zero you in on where you’re looking for your path to lead you. Many resolutions are born out of this second set. But then you have to put them into action…
Part 3:
To achieve the above goals, I must present myself as:
My best method of communication is:
I must learn to:
I must eliminate:
What can I positively associate myself with:
What should I stop associating with:
This section is more about the direct application, sort of a game plan to achieve goals.
I hope this sheds some light in how I believe a personal brand can start to be built, or at least help focus some of those New Year’s resolutions. I’ve always believed that understand the want to do something is more important than the act itself. It’s not so much about wanting to lose weight or quit smoking, but why you want to lose weight or quit smoking. It’s in understanding that “why” that you can find the true motivation to make it happen.
I wish everyone a very happy 2009.
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