InsightBlog

2009-01-12T20:34:00.002-05:00

Apologies for the long absence: I had an incredibly busy summer and fall - but that's no excuse for not posting sooner - instead, my excuse is of the professional variety: as of January 2009 I have joined Sentient Decision Science as lead in their qualitative research practice. I am excited about the move, as it gives me access to a whole world of leading-edge research and resources on consumer decision making. Sentient sponsors the Center for Automatic Brand Associations, a global resource on branding research. The Center is led by progressive behavioral scientists and contributes greatly to our body of knowledge about consumer behavior.

While all this may sound very left-brain, I assure you that I am doing my best to bring my personal brand of right-brain philosophy and approach to the company: I'm busy growing my crafts of interviewing, moderating, ethnography-ing (?), filmmaking, and persona development, and sharing this knowledge with our clients to help them make marketing and product decisions.

You can read the Sentient blog here.

Best wishes to all for a productive 2009!

2008-05-07T09:40:00.003-04:00

Kudos to Chrysler for taking a bold stance on the gas crisis by actually doing something to help consumers. Their new "campaign" is more than that; it's a big, industry-changing idea. If they indeed must continue churning out huge gasguzzlers, why not give consumers a real, practical incentive to buy them. They must have taken this idea to market in record time- and they deserve credit for that, at least.

2008-03-25T22:45:00.003-04:00

Thanks to the Business Marketing Association of Hudson Valley for having me out to speak to your group tonight. Thanks especially for indulging me and letting me run over the time tonight. I appreciate your interest in the topic of marketing research.

Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions.

I enjoyed meeting you all and look forward to seeing you again as our paths cross!

-Stacy

2008-02-21T13:45:00.005-05:00

Richard Rapaport's article in AdAge is one of the most provocative articles I've seen in awhile. It really made me think about advertising's role in culture and once again raises the age-old question: is advertising a cultural influencer, or is it influenced by the culture it's in? The answer isn't black or white: advertising has powerful abilities to influence culture if only because of its pervasiveness, but it also is a product of the culture it comes from. As anyone who has ever been involved in a strategic briefing knows, we who make advertising create it with knowledge of the people who will consume it. We need it to be relevant to them, not us. So in this way, we reflect the cultural values of the time among a specific target group of people. On the positive side, the ads cited as examples are very much in touch with the culture they're meant to work within. And, their use of humor and light-hearted tone pokes fun of the problems of culture we perhaps wish were not there.

Advertising as a mirror of culture is perhaps most clear when looking at ads in other cultures: ads in collectivist cultures like Eastern Europe look and feel dramatically different from ads from the US, where individualism is a more powerful cultural force.

But back to the bigger point: in 100 years, if there are artifacts of our culture left, some of our advertising messages will point to a culture that is mean-spirited, competitive, and even a bit snide. But it will also expose a culture concerned about the future of the earth as evidenced by environmentally aware campaigns, a culture concerned about health, as seen in the Truth ads, and a culture aware that something was dramatically wrong with it - as seen in our political slogans, ads and signage.

Could more ads be more socially responsible, more ambitious in their role in shaping culture? Could we take a stand on shaping the culture by putting out ads that reflect more ideal cultural values? Absolutely. It means taking the harder road and digging to find deeper connection points between advertiser and target audience. Connections based on shared values - human truths, if you will. And not to get too philosophical, but it begs each of us in the industry to think about our larger role within the culture, and within history, and to think about the personal legacy we want to leave behind.

2008-02-15T11:44:00.001-05:00

As seen in NYC: so cool!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo

2008-02-05T22:48:00.001-05:00

Something to ponder

In a recent Fast Company article, Duncan Watts, a researcher from Columbia disputed Malcom Gladwell's claim from the Tipping Point that the "Influentials" create trends, saying instead that "everyday" people have more influence starting them.

His research makes for an interesting read on Super Tuesday when you get bored of the primary results.

2008-02-03T22:29:00.000-05:00

In case you missed any of the SuperBowl ads, you can see them all here. Rumor has it they're also posted on MySpace.

We especially liked eTrade's talking baby (for fun), Partnership for a Drug Free America's second-quarter ad for its candor and straight-talk to parents, and thank all the advertisers for being light on the sex and heavy on values this year.

Depsite the upset (we are Pats fans, after all), both teams played a great game and we congratulate the Giants!

The Brand Gap

2008-01-23T00:34:00.001-05:00

The Brand Gap

From: coolstuff, 10 months ago

| View | Upload your own

How to bridge the distance between business strategy and design

SlideShare Link

2008-01-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

Happy 2008!

This year...

I resolve not to be a slave to my blog. No more guilt about not posting everything I want to post but run out of time to. No more pictures relegated to live forever in iPhoto because I don't have the time to post them. No more writing version after version of drafts and analysis paralysis about what I write because whatever it is will forever be linked to me via the great worldwideweb. Starting today, I'm reinventing my blog: I can't say exactly what it will become yet, but it's certain to be different. Stay tuned.

Happy new year and good luck with your own resolutions...

2007-11-16T03:02:00.000-05:00

A quick note to avoid appearing lost in 4th quarter craziness: Q4 is always a consultant's best (or worst ) time of year...everyone spending down their budgets and conducting research to inform their next year's plans...it's glorious...and exhausting!

Some of the highlights of late:
-Conducting focus groups with teenagers to understand their attitudes toward trend-setting (they love attention!) and their views on iPods and other personal entertainment devices (the more attention-grabbing, the better) - as well as their absolute need for personal space and privacy. Great response to our product that offers both attention + privacy. Curious? Check out this year's Consumer Electronic show in January.

-Thirty 1:1s with healthcare practitioners to understand the psychology of pain and pain management from a doctor's perspective...as well as the doc's role in treating pain. We've heard this a lot lately: doctors love direct-to-consumer advertising and it lightens their burden of educating the patient - something in our managed care society they have little time to do. Enlightening!

-Starting soon, a coast-to-coast series of ethnographies to understand the psychology of smoking...and quitting. Stay tuned for toplines due before the Dec holidays-!

And looking forward to hearing about colleagues' interesting learning endeavors at the American Anthropological Association conference in DC in December.

Hope you all are having a happy and healthy end to the year...and looking forward to a slow and peaceful January.

2007-10-09T17:41:00.000-04:00

Water premium

One of the cable channels - ether Discovery or Nature - ran a documentary on water this week. One of the surprising things mentioned was that in 1856, spring water was bottled and sold for $1.75. One dollar, seventy-five! An incredible sum, considering that today our most popular bottled water (Dasani / Aquafina) averages for less than that (not to mention the fact that Coca-Cola and Pepsi take their bottled water from the public water supply and the 1856 water was from an actual spring). It got me thinking about early imprints and how they support- and are supported by - branding...: if our very early memories of bottled water are that it has restorative, healing properties (as imprinted by bottled water's long and illustrious past), we have a perception of high value for it - and we'll pay more. Therefore, brands like Dasani and Aquafina are associated with having restorative, if not healing powers, because in the past, products in their category did. And Coca-Cola and Pepsi reap the benefits still today.

2007-10-05T00:11:00.001-04:00

The Hatch Awards ad show last night in Boston really made me proud to be part of such a talented and supportive advertising community. Congrats to all the winners, and thanks to the Boston AdClub for putting on such a swanky event. Rumor has it that last night saw record attendance, and judging from the many people from my past I saw for the first time in a long time, I believe it. It's strangely inspiring to have been around long enough to see people I worked with almost ten years ago...

Congratulations to all the winners, and to all the agencies - big and small and in-between- doing great work in New England.

2007-09-21T01:01:00.000-04:00

SaveEllisIsland.org + Arrow = a good brand match

Have you seen the new ad campaign to save Ellis Island? The spots are sleek, beautifully done, and feature likeable public figures like Katharine McPhee, Joe Montana, Kristin Cavallari, Christian Slater, Richard Belzer, Elliot Gould, cast members of “The Sopranos,” film producer Hilary Shor, and President & CEO of The Timberland Company, Jeffrey Swartz. They appeal to our connection with EI, noting that their ancestors - and many of ours - first entered the US via EI.

Beyond the obviously good cause and compelling appeal, the campaign is notable for another reason: the effort is being sponsored by Arrow (a division of Phillips-Van Heusen) who has dedicated more than a million dollars (actual spend is undisclosed) in an integrated campaign in entertainment and lifestyle magazines, television and cinema commercials, billboards, in-flight videos, eco-friendly hangers and online ads - to be launched this month.

So what drew these two brands together to create the campaign? Brand synergy, that's what: Arrow is a 156-year old American brand; Ellis Island has been around since 1890 (that makes it 117 years old) - and I can't think of a more uniquely American brand (and yes, using the term 'brand' to discuss Ellis island is appropriate: it's got a personality, a positioning, and a unique appeal).

When we look at partnering opportunities for our client brands, it's important to consider what the brands share in common. These commonalities give the partnerships credibility and authenticity, and make the partnership believable to consumers. When the brands' values are out of whack with one another, any attempted partnering will generate suspicion about their motivations...and eventually, the partnership will fail. It's a bit like personal relationships..but that's a topic for another blog...

2007-08-28T10:01:00.000-04:00

Not all cellular phone users are looking for features

Mobile phone users are split into two behavioral segments: those that use features like Internet browsing and downloading (a younger target) and those that limit their activity to pure phone functions (a more mature target).

This article reports the latest findings from Continental Research with some great data points to support their findings.

2007-08-12T14:22:00.000-04:00

Nokia + Ethnography = 2 billion new users

This article from Business Week talks about how Nokia, through its use of ethnography is identifying new markets, new products, and new customers in an attempt to generate 2 billion new customers in emerging markets in the next 3 years. Yay! Nokia, for living its brand promise of connecting people...

2007-07-21T18:57:00.000-04:00

Meatballs and ligonberries before bed?

Contagious Magazine reported this story about Ikea's new sleepover contest: for the small entry fee of a letter explaining why they want to stay over at Ikea, thirty lucky (?) applicants will get to spend the night in one of Ikea's life-like bedrooms. The new trend, being referred to as sleepover tourism has real potential. The Ikea participants even get Ikea bathrobes - !

2007-07-04T16:09:00.000-04:00

Contrarian hotels part 1: The Standard

Awhile back I promised a summertime full of blog entries about travel, culture, and fun stuff. I've been on the road for over a month, and it's been hard to deliver until now. I am a huge niche-hotel enthusiast, owing to my good friend Scott who himself is the most in-the-know guy I know. Last week I got to combine business and pleasure and stay at The Standard in Miami Beach, and I'm blogging this to highly recommend it to you and yours.

The Standard - as their name intimates - is anything but: Andres Balazs (Chateau Marmont, the Mercer) created an amazing, 360 degree brand experience when he bought the 1960's Lido Spa Hotel and restored it back to the original period style. When I say 360 brand experience - I mean, everything and everyone you encounter here lives the brand. For example, the desk clerk told me the reason they don't slip checkout bills under the door, is that "that's what everyone else does, and we're not like them." Wheyjer you like your bills under the dooor or not, you have to give AB kudos for evangelizing his staff to the point that they talk about being against the norm. Experientially, the hotel captures everything I love about Miami: from its incredible pooldeck overlooking the bay, to its outdoor bar and grille, to the macrame wall-hangings in the lobby...it manages to be casual and decadent all at once.

Travel and Leisure called it a "throwback to Miami's golden age.." and they were right on..! If you go, be sure to indulge in the mineral pool (c-c-cold but healthy) and the waterfall hottub (which incidentally, is open all night and nobody minds if you're in it until 4am!)

I'm checking out the downtown LA Standard next weekend and I'll write part 2.

2007-07-04T15:52:00.001-04:00

Who can get enough of the iPhone hype?

Okay, I admit it: as cool as it is, I haven't bought the iPhone and I have no plans to do so. When it comes to technology I am known as a bit of a "late-adopter". Case in point, I still carry around a leather-bound book (yep, book -with actual paper pages-) in which I write (yes write - with a pen or sometimes even a pencil-) my appointments..and I just recently upgraded my 4-year old Nextel phone to one that has a color screen and camera. It's not that I don't like change - it's that I don't have time to learn how to use new devices unless I'm completely convinced the time investment is worth it. After the hype has died down and it shows itself to be a necessary device, I'll probably buy it - and with my timing, I'll buy the first generation just before they unveil g2...that's kind of my style with technology.

Anyway, when a friend sent me this blog post about the power of duct tape and suggested I make my own iPhone, I had nothing to say in defense of myself - all I could do is laugh. Hope you enjoy!

2007-05-29T00:40:00.000-04:00

Summer hiatus
Summer is close and my Spring fever continues to rise - ! Beautiful weather in Boston meant that Memorial Day weekend was spent on the beach, at roofdeck parties, and hiking in southern Maine. Ahhh...lovely!

In homage to lighter, less serious matters (like summertime), I'm today kicking off Summertime Frivolity in my blog posts: for the next few months, expect my posts to focus on trends, culture, and the occasional brand loyalty story.

Here's a tasty re-blog for today in honor of this summer's planned travel adventures: McDonald's menus around the world. Bon apetit!

2007-05-08T16:17:00.000-04:00

User experience + CrowdControl

This new brand experience from msnbc.com (of all the brands!) demonstrates that (a) people are social beings - (and as much as technology has taken away opportunities to interact with other people, it's also replacing them with new opportunities) and (b) the memorability of a brand has a direct correlation to how often it's used in the course of a person's life and how deeply the experience is felt. In this case, the brand gets you to sway in your chair and shout answers to news questions with a group of complete strangers..sounds like one of those activities that people hate at first, but warm up to quickly. Definitely one that stays with you...

I.e., check out the user experience blog with posts and photos of CrowdControl's debut in LA this week. I can't wait to experience it in person, and luckily I won't have to: it's due to premiere on the east coast (Philly and NY) soon. Yay!

2007-04-30T16:20:00.000-04:00

More social networking

So here's yet more - and perhaps a solid introductory text - on social networking from the Times.

I keep wondering though, does the selling point for these technologies - i.e. the ability to send your network up-to-date info on your whereabouts, etc. - have staying power? The idea that my friends might care that I'm "heading to the gym" seems self-indulgent and gratuitous. (A bit like blogging according to this well-written summary in today's IT World...)

I've never been a fan of technology for technology's sake...I'm curious to know what applications you've found for your clients businesses for these techn'ies. Anyone..?

2007-04-26T10:44:00.000-04:00

MySpace for President

So I'm re-blogging this story about MySpace's program, "independent" which will allow people on MySpace to "run" for "President" using MySpace's subscriber base as a voting audience. It will brilliantly demonstrate the power of social media - an area all our clients should be taking another look at.

You may have noticed there are widely varying reports out on the the numbers referencing MySpace's user base. It could be the world's 5th most popular website, boasting 50 million registered users, or it could have over 100 million users. Either way, the point is, it's big, and it's growing everyday.

The "independence" idea - running an everyday Joe for President - isn't an entirely new notion: my friend Jim Taylor made a film, "Run Some Idiot" about his runs for the Presidency in the last two elections. But having to distribute the "tapes" made it hard to think about reaching even 1 million people, let alone 50-100 million, depending on whose stats you like best.

MySpace is doing a cool thing with the winner, too: they'll be awarded $1 million that they're required to either donate to charity or use for a bona-fide political run in the future. It's a great way to encourage participation in the political process.

2007-04-24T14:50:00.001-04:00

Google, The King of Brands

It's a small surprise that google was voted this year's most valuable brand, knocking Microsoft out of the top spot.

So, what makes a brand "most valuable"? For starters, everyday use, and word-of-mouth figure prominently in the equation. The more people touch a brand on a daily basis, the more opportunity it has to become important and meaningful to them. Google has done a lot in the past few years to create visibility and dependency among its consumer-base users - and they've been progressive in anticipating consumer need - sometimes before consumers themselves.

I was telling this story yesterday at lunch with my good friends Mark and Brian from IdeaPark in Minneapolis: a few years ago when google offered gmail, I accepted the then-coveted invitation and got myself a gmail account. The kicker is, I didn't use that account up until about a month ago, when I did my first google AdWords buy to promote my business and had to use my gmail to access the interface. Today when I log into google, my customized dashboard lists AdWords, gmail, Blogger, and Alerts: services I use everyday. Google keeping them all in one place keeps me in touch with them in a way that is easy, quick and relatively painless (except when having to up the bid on my AdWords, but that's a blog for another day). My point is, google anticipated consumers' need to use these related types of services, and to have them displayed in one easy- to-access location. In doing so, google made itself invaluable to me.

So today, I congratulate google for having the foresight and savvy to tap into and respond to consumer needs. But as with everything, I can't help but wonder if they'll keep up the pace, or stop to revel in this success long enough for another brand to capture the market by creating an even more meaningful brand experience. And no, I don't have ideas about how to do that. But if google wants to contact me, I'd be happy to put together a proposal to get them some customer insight.

2007-04-12T19:27:00.000-04:00

Dodge did WHAT?

This is one of the strangest (if I wasn't somewhat tempered by the realization I only just read about this and there's probably more to it (?), I might have said "stupid") things I've ever heard a brand do. Dodge is truncating its tagline "Grab Life By The Horns" to "Grab Life" - in an effort -get this - to appeal to female buyers. What?!!

I happen to be female - and I like"By The Horns". I get what it means: It's Dodge, it's Americana, it's cars. This is, IMHO, one of the best examples of a brand's tagline communicating vital info about the brand that differentiates it from other car brands AND creates a lasting impression of the brand. It's not generic - it stands for something - I get it, and I like what it says.

But just to make sure I'm not some kind of hyper-analytical anomaly, I talked to some of my estrogen-endowed friends, and we all seemed to agree that the "by the horns" bit IS Dodge. And as women we are capable of seeing the appeal of "grabbing life by the whatever."

"Grab life" references ...umm - a beverage? A movie? Ah, I don't know - could be anything. In the words of an old and dear co-worker at Mullen who coincidentally happens to be a carguy, "Grab Life" - "leaves me limp."

I'm going to disclaim this rant by stating that I do believe Dodge's agency wouldn't change the line without an abundance of consumer insight to lead to it, and if that is the case I (a) stand corrected and am humbled and (b) would love to know about such a study.

BTW, the weird thing about this is that Dodge's buyers skew 53% male. I can understand women are a conquest audience, but why risk alienating their base? Seems to me building a product that appeals to women would be the first step in attracting female buyers...

2007-04-05T02:26:00.000-04:00

Do we really need Nikon's new "find a face" technology?

I admit that I'm not the world's best photographer: I like to take photos but I rarely take what would be regarded as a great photo. Still, I can't ever think of a time when I mistook a horse's ass for the face of a loved one, or aimed so badly that I completely missed the subject I was trying to shoot. So I admit, I'm confounded by Nikon's new "find the face" technology that allows you to focus in on up to three faces per photo.

I appreciate the ludicrous nature of the ad campaign - it grabbed my attention, for sure - but how realistically was it meant to portray real human truths? Do people actually have issues focusing on the wrong subject? I can't help but wonder if this 'product innovation' was a result of real consumer needs, or a case of using technology for technology's sake.

Would love to hear any thoughts on the subject...

2007-03-19T15:13:00.000-04:00

Nike's CEO on the need to know your customers better

AdWeek this week ran an article about Nike putting their account into review after over two decades with Weiden+Kennedy. Charlie Denson, Nike brand president, talks about the move away from mass media and toward highly tailored communications based on deep knowledge of your customers.

Denson says: "We used to talk about the consumer in what we thought was specifics, but today feels like generalities. ... We used to put an 18- and a 22-year-old in a same set of psychographic, demographic targets [but] today they're living on different planets. ... We spent the last 20 or 30 years trying to bundle things, adding value to a purchase or a relationship. And now, it's almost in reverse, because you have to unbundle everything if it's going to become customizable."

For those of you that struggle with convincing your clients about the need for custom research, clip his quote and keep it handy. Nike is just one of many important advertisers that are leading the pack depending on in-depth customer insight to inform multi-channel marketing approaches and communications. Your clients are sure to follow...this is something to think about now.

2007-03-18T11:53:00.000-04:00

Disney's foray into online communities

The World Advertising Research Center published an article this weekend about Disney's foray into building an online community. At the URL family.com (still in beta), readers will be able to add content to a wiki, post and contribute to blogs, etc. Content ranges from info about parenting and family activities to birthday gift ideas. The site is a good example of Disney marketing itself in a way that is authentic to its brand by extending its brand promise (family entertainment) to the online channel and giving people reasons to continuously interact with the brand. I wonder what took them so long...?

2007-03-15T13:07:00.000-04:00

Ready-to-air advertising

What do you guys think about this concept of off-the-shelf TV spots that is cropping up these days? My first reaction, from an admittedly biased perspective having worked with large national and global advertisers was Yikes! - they're taking all the relevance out of advertising: with a templatized ad that advertisers can just tag their logo and DR info on, there's no room to target your audience and message accordingly. Surely no strategic advertiser would buy into this? But they ARE: today's article in the Post discusses Spotzer, a new entrant to the business, but other companies such as Cheap TV Spots and vertical companies like Dentists On TV have been at it for some time.

So, I put on my client-advocate hat, took a step back and tried to see it from their point-of-view...and I can see the benefits ready-to-air provides for smaller advertisers - which boil down to cost efficiency and quicker time to air.

Obviously there is a whole category of clients that would never consider this approach, and there is a category that could only consider doing TV this way, but I bet there is a fairly sizable segment in between that might fall smack dab into the middle of your target audience. And it seems that these advertisers might need to better understand the need for relevance in their ads in order to steer them away from ready-to-air and sell them on the value they'll get in an original ad.

For you Second Wind members that are working with smaller, local clients - has this been an issue for your business? We'd like to know...and, we'd like to help arm you with strategies to educate your clients on pros and cons of ready-to-air. We're always here for you and love to chat!

2007-03-06T17:58:00.000-05:00

Zipcar does it again...
So many things happening in the world of branding...and so little time to write about them all. I've resigned myself to writing about the brand issues that affect my life on a regular basis...which I guess is a really good way to describe the motivators for brand loyalty: the products, services and people that influence us deeply and are reinforced often are those we become loyal to...and conversely, dramatically upset by, when they let us down (see my previous post about Apple - who, btw, I am starting to forgive and come back around to).

But I'm writing about Zipcar today. I know many of our readers are in small metros that may not have been infiltrated by the company as yet, so in quick summary: Zipcar allows those of us who chose not to keep a car access to "wheels when want 'em" (their slogan, not mine) - essentially, they operate like a car rental company but charge hourly fees so you can have a car only for as long as you need it. You can also rent various types, from compacts to pickup trucks, so you get the car that fits your exact needs. It's usually pretty easy to get the car you need when you need it since the company stocks plenty of vehicles to ensure good access for all.

Zipcar is an example of a brand developed by consumers, for consumers. Not only was the need uncovered and responded to at the right time in history (@1999), but the program seems to have been designed in response to human pain points about not owning a car, but needing transportation, ex: need an occasional truck for IKEA runs? A cheaper alternative than cabs for a 20 mile trip to a nearby town? Going somewhere public transport doesn't reach in the cold of winter? All issues that have been addressed in Zipcar's products, partnerships and pricing...not to mention their advertising. I confess, I don't know the backstory...but I can't help but envision them talking to many of their potential customers prior to setting pen to paper to design the company.

They've just re-designed their already world-class, completely user-very-friendly website to allow you to more quickly find and reserve a car. The new site launches soon, but you can view a demo here. Even if Zipcar is not relevant to your life, I hope you'll takeaway some lessons about brand loyalty and the importance of consumer insight in designing a new brand from it.

2007-02-26T16:37:00.000-05:00

Boston Women's Congress
Stacy will be speaking at the Boston Women's Congress on March 30th. Her talk, "Personal Branding - the Power and Permission to Be Yourself" is tailored for the audience of women business executives and owners. Connect with all TWC speakers and attendees here:

2007-02-21T08:01:00.000-05:00

Interference CEO speaks

Thought you should read Sam Ewen's interview with Brandweek about the Aqua Teen debacle. He makes some interesting points about guerilla marketing in general and the state of the practice going forward.

2007-02-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

Superbowl shortcut

While we'd love to review every single ad in the Superbowl this year, we only have time to cover the highlights as we see them: one, we're impressed by the lack of t&a and the high-level concepts put forth by most of the ads, and two, did anyone find the AB "men in thongs" pre-game spot funny..? Maybe it's just us. What really matters is what people thought, and to hear the market perspective, you can read the IAG's report from AdAge here.

2007-02-01T11:34:00.000-05:00

Beware of Guerilla Marketing
Boston's public transportation system stopped yesterday when authorities discovered what they thought might be bombs hiding in public places. Turns out, the suspicious devices were part of a guerilla marketing campaign for Turner Broadcasting developed by NY's Interference.

While we applaud the campaign's idea, the ensuing chaos in Boston is a good reminder to think about all possible outcomes before launching (any type of) a street campaign. Yesterday's personal outcome? I had to walk 8 blocks in heels to get my morning latte.. Damn you, guerilla marketing!

Read the story here.

2007-01-29T16:08:00.000-05:00

Candidates get branding!

No matter what side of the political fence you're on - and we at Insight303 are firmly bi-partisan - you've got to acknowledge the significance of Hillary Clinton hiring ad execs to help with her '08 presidential bid. Not an agency, not a consultant - but a team of ad professionals who were among the first hires she's made for her run.
We do a lot of personal branding work with political candidates on the local and state level, but it's heartening to see such a high-profile candidate recognize the value our industry offers to campaigning. We hope others follow suit, and that your agency gets a piece of the pie. Apple pie, that is :)

2007-01-24T10:40:00.000-05:00

Vegas, baby.

We're really excited to be attending the first Second Wind event of the year: Creative Juice - Refreshment for Agency Creatives". We're going to be talking about how planning helps the creative process by adding insight and inspiring new ways of looking, and how it can hurt by "testing" creative to death, among other things. The seminar is aimed at creatives but if the content is well-received we'll repeat it in SW's account management seminar in Chicago in April.

We'd love to hear your opinions on how planning can help or hurt the creative process. Send us a note via our website or comment below.

Stacy & Faith

2007-01-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

Calling all do-gooders!

We know many of you are working with not-for-profit organizations either pro-bono or as paying clients. Well, here's your chance to showcase that work. Enter the Cause Marketing awards and flaunt the good you do throughout the year.

Even though only a few will win, you're all winners in our minds.

Good luck-

Stacy & Faith

2007-01-04T00:40:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!
Our best to you all in 2007.

Happy Branding-

Stacy & Faith

2006-12-10T18:40:00.000-05:00

Hi All.. I really hate to read a blog or website that hasn't been updated in awhile. It depresses me! So, I'm writing from amidst the holiday chaos to say we're still here... jamming on year-end projects. I'm sure you can relate. In any event, we hope to re-connect (or connect) with you all in 2007. Happy Holidays!

Stacy & Faith

2006-11-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

Why Apple is making me take a second look at PCs

I'm doing something that's against my standards (normally) - but doing it is going to make me feel sooo much better afterwards. I'm blogging from inside the Apple store to demonstrate the powerful negative impact a bad brand experience can have.

I switched from PCs to Macs about 4 years ago and since then I've gone completely Mac - 2 Powerbooks, an iPod, and an iMac - not to mention countless supplies and peripherals, and conversions of at least 3 of my friends and family to Macs - the complete brand loyalist profile.

Today, I am seriously considering getting a PC for my next laptop. Why? The Genius Bar is killing Apple. I firmly believe this. If you've ever had the displeasure of standing in line at one - a simple thing, maybe you dropped in to replace a powercord or ask a quick question - and ended up in line with other disgruntled users - you know what I mean. In the loooong line is where I've heard about iPod problems, operating system incompatibility, and overall bad service from reps who think only they can possibly understand the complex workings of a Mac. (And I thought they were democratizing computing..? ) But it's also here that I've been forced to wait forEVER to get my questions answered, leaving me feeling unempowered and unappreciated by a brand I once pledged my loyalty to. Where is their loyalty to me? Apparently buried in the reams of customer requests they tell me they need to sort through before they can get my damn powercord.

It's a combination of the stuff breaking (my last iPod after one year with a simple shrug of the rep's shoulders and a flip "this happens all the time") to the letdown of thinking the Genius Bar is going to (a) be accessible and (b) help - that finally got me. I'm SAD about this - I hate feeling like I was wrong about a brand...but my time and self respect is too precious to give this brand another chance. I'll stay with what I've got for now, but when I'm in the market again, I will positively look at PCs. They have gotten a little cooler...haven't they?

You've heard me say this before and this time I'm screaming it: brands need to keep the promises they make ...and the great ones overdeliver. Apple, I'm afraid, has sorely and gravely underdelivered on high brand expectations.

The biggest and most passionate brand enemies were once brand loyalists.

I feel better. Thanks for indulging me.

Has anyone else been letdown by their favorite brand? I want to hear. We're all in this together.

-Stacy

2006-11-08T23:14:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the good time in Baltimore...hope to see you all again soon!

Stacy & Faith

2006-11-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

InsightGrrls in Baltimore!

We'll be in Baltimore on Wednesday November 8th talking to a group of Second Wind members about account planning. If you haven't made your reservations, go to Second Wind's website to do so now, or register at the door.

Hope to see you there!

2006-11-06T17:35:00.000-05:00

Top US agencies according to the international community

Believe it or not, some of the agencies we've talked with recently employ creative people who don't know much about top-tier US agencies or their work. We think this is a pretty serious issue: you wouldn't recommend to your clients that they ignore the companies in their field that are bringing best practices to their industry. Or tell them ignore their competitors...right? Why then would you consciously ignore a great source of learning?

We hope these folks are just anomalies and that most of you embrace each and every opportunity to learn from the best by reading about them, talking to them, and generally doing what you can to get smart like them..? That's what we thought.

To help you in this quest, we've committed ourselves to regularly bringing you news about WHO,WHAT, WHERE, WHY and WHEN (or some combination thereof).

First, read the coverage of the 21st London International Awards. Crispin Porter, Saatchi, and DDB topped the charts in American agencies at the show held tonight. Then, go explore these shops on your own to see what kind of agencies create great work. Then, tell us what you think makes you as good - or better - than them...or what things you can do to become a great agency yourself.

2006-11-06T15:40:00.000-05:00

Big ideas from the Idea conference

Alex Bogusky from Crispin Porter. Ann Saunders from Starbucks. And the guy that built Second Life...they were all there to exchange ideas and "ideate" further at AdAge and Creativity Magazine's first ever Idea Conference.

AdAge has a list of the 18 Big Ideas to come out of the conference, and curiously #2 and 17 conflict just a tad. One of the big ideas to come out, which we hear every, say month or so (and do believe in, incidentally) is to "trust your gut and not research." What we believe about this is that great advertising resonates the most with the people who create it - and many times those creators are not inspired by a research deck, charts, and graphs, etc. - but by a human truth that resonates among the team creating it. Great ideas are met with a collective "ah-ha!" and typically applauded for their simplicity. Ever seen a brilliant ad execution ("Got Milk" kind of a thing) and said to yourself, "that's so simple - I could have thought of it?" That is a brilliant idea formed by the team's knowledge of human truths. And was it "tested" with consumers? No! Because brilliant ideas don't need to be validated - they just are. So on one hand we agree wholeheartedly with the notion that a team must trust its gut.

But number 17 on the Big Ideas list illustrates how a designer working on IKEA found inspiration by following a child around for a day and observing life from his vantage point. This led to fresh, eye-opening insights that had a direct impact on new product development. THAT, my friends, is research - not the kind of statistically-based research our clients often think of because their reference point is their quantitatively-driven marketing analytics department - but the kind of research that leads us to human truths that make emotional connections between people and advertising, and people and products.

So when your client objects to doing consumer research, citing a silly reference like "96.8% of statistics are made up" - be sure to point out that research takes all forms - and that the insights we look for in advertising - human truths - have at their core the desire to find the "ah-ha" moment that resonates with us all. Trusting our guts is positively always a good thing - but sometimes we need to be inspired with new ideas and insights to elicit the desired reaction.

2006-11-02T11:31:00.000-05:00

Follow-up to previous post: McDonald's today selected AKQA's interactive division for global brand responsibilities...wonder how much their China office helped..?!!

2006-10-31T13:57:00.000-05:00

China! China! Get to know China!

Dear readers: just a little reminder about WHY we write this blog. Simply put, Insight303 is in business to help YOUR business. We want small agencies to succeed and we do everything in our power to arm you with what you need to win! So when we scour the trades and mass media for relevant news stories, we do so with the intention of bringing you insight on what you can do with the info. You might say we put general market news through the agency "human truths" filter. That's it, plain and simple, no hidden agendas. Our goal is to help you sell strategy to your clients...because when YOU sell strategy, it opens a door for us to do business together. So when YOU win, WE win. It's a beautiful thing. :)

So having said that, I can't say enough about this next topic: your agency needs to be paying attention to China! In case you've been living under a rock for the last year or so and haven't seen the news, TV, radio, or talked to another human being...China is arguably today's fastest-growing market. This means it has people - otherwise known as "consumers" - with tons of purchasing power, and it so happens, a penchant for brand name luxury goods. I'll say it again. It's EMERGING people! You may have heard my rant about the ad industry following trends and being generally slow on the uptake, so I'll spare you that...but I will tell you that if your agency isn't already intimately knowledgable about China, you need to be. Soon.

I know, not everyone has a client launching into or already in the China marketplace. But to be sure, just like speaking Spanish 20 years ago, knowing China by understanding its culture and people and having at least a basic awareness of the marketplace is a body of knowledge you don't want to be caught without 5 years from now.

The latest agency to make a move to keep pace with what's happening in China is AKQA, who made the move to ready for the 2008 Olympics. In addition, R/GA, and RGA/Razorfish have also opened offices in China recently.

So what can you do if you're not ready to open an outpost quite yet? A few ideas:

- Get to know the Chinese marketplace - understand the major companies, recent M&As, and who they're importing / exporting with
- Understand the Chinese consumer - there are tons of commissioned studies that you can buy or download free. Here's a good one you can buy if you have $3K burning a hole in your pocket, or access for free slightly dated research.
- Read how other companies have designed studies to educate themselves about China and seize market opportunity.

Whatever your method, you need to get to know China. STAT!

2006-10-30T09:52:00.000-05:00

Voting season is in full swing!

This one is from Brand Channel who is running their annual Reader's Choice Awards to select the peoples' favorite brand of 2006. Vote here if you'd like.
We especially like that they allow write-ins and make it a point to mention that personal brands count, too. You know I'll be writing in the InsightGrrls for my #1 pick :)

2006-10-25T10:31:00.000-04:00

Word-of-mouth conference

For their upcoming conference in December WOMMA is holding open six slots on the agenda for sessions created by marketers like you. It’s being called the YouSessions...umm, because you submit an idea for a session and then you vote for the sessions you want to see at the conference (get it?). The six sessions receiving the most votes will be scheduled into the WOMMA Summit 2 Conference agenda.

You have until Saturday, October 28 to submit your session idea. Voting opens on Monday, October 30 and closes on Friday. November 10. For more info and to submit a session idea go here.

2006-10-22T19:56:00.000-04:00

House parties for brands

We like this one: companies like Aerosoles, Jockey, and AT&T have brought brand loyalty to new heights, paying their best customers to introduce their friends to the brands' products in the privacy and comfort of their own homes. The idea, like most good ideas, is not new - companies like Tupperware and Mary Kay have been using the strategy successfully forever - but these brands have the power to bring it mainstream. As the Brandweek article points out, the reach of such parties is very limited - but we think the idea could work for smaller marketers with smaller budgets - i.e. your local pizza joint giving a bunch of pizzas away to one of their best customers on the premise they'd invite friends that hadn't tried before with hopes of getting them to come in on their own. The pizza shop could offer coupons for the next visit and incentives to host your own pizza party. Okay, if that's too hokey, try the idea out on your own clients...do you have a local business or retailer that could benefit from having more brand advocates? We thought so. A house party might be something to test in your clients '07 plans. Food for thought.

BTW, since we mentioned it, Mary Kay Ash is one of our most favorite (and underplayed) personal brands. More than just a pretty face in a pink suit, she was indeed a force to be reckoned with in the boardroom and shared her success freely to support women's cancer research and combat domestic violence.

Happy Monday!

2006-10-19T14:20:00.000-04:00

Keep your blogs transparent!

We've been following the press about the latest blog-troversy. As you've probably heard by now, the blog "Walmarting Across America" was not started by two random Americans but in fact, it was a carefully constructed media ploy designed by WalMart's PR Agency.

Between the two of us we know of several other "consumer-written" blogs that have been started by well-meaning agencies - Edelman's tactic is certainly not a new one. Those others slid by undetected just months ago, but with blogging fast becoming a ubiquitous strategy to broaden a brand's reach there's a new focus on who is writing and what is being written. As you know, the first rule of branding is authenticity - and this applies to not only your brand values, but how you express them as well. Kudos to Edelman for trying to battle WalMart's sullied reputation in the marketplace...but ouch! - what a monumental backfire.

Read what other bloggers are saying about the misstep.

2006-10-19T10:51:00.000-04:00

Brands Heart Celebs

Have you noticed the rash of celeb/brand marriages lately? Three rather high-profile ones:
- Diddy+Burger King
- JayZ+Anheuser-Bush
- Carmen Electra+MasterCard

It got us thinking about the brand benefits for all in a marriage of this sort. The individual gets to express his brand to a wider audience and enjoys the added credibility that being associated with the Big Brand brings. The Big Brand gets the benefit of extending into audiences they might not have reached otherwise, and in this case, all three deals have the brand targeting an audience that leads trends in cool. These kinds of deals are key in reaching the coveted 18-34 y.o. audience that simply can't be reached by traditional media.

But, what about the backlash from those that consider themselves Brand Loyalists to the individual and don't buy-in to "their" celeb partnering with brands when the marriage is perceived to be one of marketing convenience? There are certainly legions of vocal fans protesting the Diddy/BK union. We wonder if JayZ will be as controversial, since the product he's promoting (beer) has just a slightly different image than fast food. As for Carmen Electra promoting MasterCard? That's something I think 99.9% of us would agree is a revenue pure-play for brand Carmen. Thoughts?

2006-10-18T11:24:00.000-04:00

Al Gore's personal brand expressed

Readers, I'm late to the game, I admit: Al Gore launched his television station, Current, eons ago, but I only just made it up to the 200s on my cable box this weekend to see it for the first time. In our personal brand workshops we spend a lot of time talking about creative ways to express your brand. Blogs, publishing articles and whitepapers, and speaking at local events always rise to the top...but a TV station? This is such an incredible expression of a personal brand, it's inspirational! The best thing: Al's station features user-generated content - everything is created by viewers, the world over. This weekend I watched a segment on a custom shoe manufacturer in Germany, which was interspersed with viewer-created ads...so, forget about throwing away your b-roll footage or that artsy piece you shot in the subway...make it into an ad and send it in to Al!

Here's an interesting blog from a guy who designed a version of the channel's logo. For you art directors, it includes some interesting design commentary. I just love how the station truly lives its promise to involve users every step of the way...they truly couldn't exist without their audience!

The channel's viewership is 18-34 year olds, but, like MySpace, something tells me there are aspirational viewers on both ends of that age range.

2006-10-16T18:23:00.000-04:00

Keith Ferrazzi strikes again...

This time, Keith recommended to Brandweek that companies create a new position, VP of HTM - High Touch Marketing. The position would focus soley on creating and nurturing long-term relationships with customers, vs. casting a wide net in prospecting for new ones.

A CEO of a very cool, boutique agency in Seattle recently told me that his strategy to build client relationships is just this: to court PEOPLE, rather than COMPANIES. His rationale? Marketing directors tend to change jobs fairly regularly - and even though they might not have need for a new agency at one place, chances are they will at another. And, even if they don't change jobs, marketing folks are notorious for (at least these) two things: being superior networkers and placing high value on brand loyalty. So, developing strong personal relationships with a group of key marketing professionals is a good strategy for building your client roster organically and efficiently.

Keith's recent article deals with organizing this job into one position that reports directly to the CEO. I can see it now: breakfasts, and lunches, and drinks, oh my!

All joking aside, in a time where agency-client relationships are tenuous at best, it seems like a worthy addition to agency staff and certainly one that could justify itself financially with one or two big wins. Of course, you could argue that it's the job of new business, and you'd be right...but if you have the luxury of adding another FTE to staff - one that could focus entirely on people - it would surely free up these folks to focus on business strategy, competitive intelligence, and getting the pitch decks in order.

BTW, this is perhaps my most ideal job, so if any of you seriously consider it, let's talk. Seriously.

Stacy

2006-10-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

Annual State of Branding Survey

Brand Channel and InterBrand are conducting their annual study on brands, the State of Branding Survey. The results will be released in January and I'm sure will be ones that we all quote in pitches, client meetings, etc. As branding professionals, our opinions matter...so take a few minutes out to contribute yours.

2006-10-12T17:16:00.000-04:00

What do diet soda and calorie-burning sparkling green tea have in common?
Well now that you've asked...they both are brought to you by Coca-Cola.

What the &^%@>> are you talking about you ask? Well it's true. Drink three cans of Enviga and you can lose an average of 106 calories. This is the promise Coca-Cola is making in regards to its new line of sparkling green teas launching next month, according to Brand Week.

I can think of a lot of things to wax poetic on this issue, but the two main ones that come to mind are 1) what's a company - whose main goal has been to refresh our parched pallets primarily with carbonated beverages - doing making what amounts to a "drug" of sorts aimed at burning calories and by extension getting into the weight loss business? and 2) do we as consumers give them permission to go there? Are they believable in this area? Do we give them license to burn our fat?

Clearly, the company is addressing a key societal issue. Today, taking about weight issues and obesity, specifically, as an epidemic in our nation is the new black.

According to NewsTarget the diet industry was a hefty $46.3 billion and is projected to tilt the scale at $61 billion by 2008 and Coca-Cola wants their share of it. Coca-Cola plans to develop marketing messages that will position Enviga as a “delicious, refreshing sparkling green tea proven to burn calories,” said Deborah Roberts, senior brand manager Enviga, Coca-Cola North America. What the ^^%#@@? Are we buying this? Really people, let me know.

Coca-Cola says their drink is the real deal. “When they see the science behind it and the claims are not just pulled out of a hat, I hope they’ll use this as the benchmark to judge other products. There are a lot of products out there [making promises]. ”One such product is Celsius calorie-burning soda created by a Delray Beach, Fla., company, which is currently available in five different flavors.

Somehow this just smells like marketing to me. I don't believe for a second that Coke cares about my health. They're just pissed off that there is another brand out there making money from the diet craze and is determined to use their marketing might to put an end to it. So... the question is: how far should a brand stretch its image in the name of the almighty dollar???. I for one will give Starbucks license to sell CDs and books with my coffee. But carbonated-sugary soda and a calorie burning green tea from Coke...not so much. Tell me I'm wrong!!

Faith

2006-10-11T10:50:00.000-04:00

What makes ads engaging?

Leo Burnett, CanWest MediaWorks, and The Ideas Research Group just completed a study on engagement in Canada. The purpose of their research was to explore consumers' engagement with ads - tv, print, etc. - and to discover what makes people actually stop and take notice of said ads. The study used multiple methods to gather data - here is one of the more interesting things they did:

"We armed people with digital cameras and had them take pictures for a week of advertising they noticed and found engaging. We let them define advertising and engagement themselves to truly understand what was engaging to them.

Conclusion: Engagement seemed to be driven by several factors, which we group as "Conditions," "Context" and "Content."

Conditions include pre-existing brand interest. People are more likely to notice an ad if they have used that brand before, or if they have enjoyed communications from it before, or if they are in the market for that product/service.

Context includes what else they were doing, where the ad was located, whether it interrupted them or whether they chose it.

Content is driven not by the message of the ad, but by how it made them feel. People noticed ads that had humor, were thought-provoking, made them feel intelligent, that were beautiful/aesthetically pleasing, were surprising, had depth and different layers of meaning, made them feel important, gave them something to talk about with friends/family, and even sometimes had elements that made them feel negative. This is why we call it content - because effective advertising seemed to fulfill the same human needs that media does.

What is interesting is that across all three factors, engagement is driven by people's own situation and feelings, rather than by messaging. People are more likely to notice things that fulfill their needs and add value to their lives. This is not to say that messaging is unimportant, but that messaging by itself is not enough."

While this is not new information, it's a good reminder that advertising creative in and of itself does not drive customer interaction and increase brand awareness or affinity. The only way we can achieve our brand loyalty goals is by meeting consumers on their terms - finding them in magazines they read, tv they watch, websites they frequent, and presenting ads to them in a way that complements what they're doing, not distracts from it. But, in order to reach them, we need to first understand them. Focus groups, interviews, shop-a-longs, ethnographies - these are all good and valuable ways to do so...and because of the plethora media choices available to consumers today, "guessing" is no longer an option.

We've said it before and we'll keep saying it: customer insight is an absolute necessity that should drive both creative development and media selection.

Thanks to our friends up north for this useful reminder.

You can read the full study here

2006-10-05T13:59:00.000-04:00

What's all this hype about a brand image?

This week the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Coach is suing Target for selling "faux" Coach bags in their stores. Target says that the bags are the real deal and that they have confirmed their authenticity.

Clearly the issue of whether the bags are faux or genuine is a big deal, however, the thing that Coach is even more annoyed about is that fact that their brand image is being compromised by being associated with the discount retailer such as the Target brand. Target's spokeswoman, Carolyn Brookter, said, "Target has procedures in place to ensure that we do not sell counterfeit products to our guests." According to the Strib, this is not the first time that Coach and Target have gotten in a tug of war about purses. Coach recently complained that some of Target's private label handbags are too closely similar to the Coach design. Now doubt this drama will continue, but it raises an issue that we talk about in our Personal Branding seminars--which is about being authentic to your brand.

Coach has a well defined brand essence and clearly they will take it to the mat to ensure that their brand image remains true and consistent. This is a clear example of the importance of branding. Coach has spent millions of dollars establishing their brand and are not about to let that brand image be diluted --at any cost. One point of negative brand impression quickly translates to millions of dollars in lost revenue. Coach understands that a successful brand must remain true to its personality and the relationship that its consumers have come to expect. And while Target is a distinctive brand in its own right--Coach is saying loud and clear that there will be no consorting of an kind.

We should all take a page from the Coach brand play book and remain resolved to express our own personal brand in its truest and most authentic form.

2006-10-05T12:44:00.000-04:00

Crate and Barrel's Ad Sharing

Crate and Barrel has posted two new spots from its fall campaign on its website for all to watch. The spots in themselves are very nice - lighthearted yet elegant, like the brand itself - with very clear and concise messages about entertaining and gifting. What I really like about the idea though, is that not only can you watch the spots from their homepage but C&B has provided a clickable list of products featured in the ads right below so you can easily purchase the featured products.
An advertiser offering up its advertising to its customers makes one feel conencted to the brand...and furthering that connection with a convenience that makes it easy to purchase featured products goes a step further to connect customer with brand.

I found out about the ads because C&B sent me an email telling me they were there. I wasn't annoyed by it, just intrigued, as it was the first time I've seen an advertiser promote its own ads. The interesting thing is that I'm not an active C&B customer! I purchase from them once a year - holidaytime - and never for myself. Nonetheless, I trust that at one point I agreed to get emails from them and that is how I ended up on their list. I wonder if their loyal and active customers got a different email this time.

In any event, I think it's a courageous attempt to get customers to buy into advertising and, since the ads were done well, I came away feeling positive about the brand. I like that they're using "say it in black and white" as a theme to associate their distinctive packaging with the brand, and hitting at the personal expression involved in housewares.

See the ads for yourself on C&B's website.

2006-10-04T17:23:00.000-04:00

Does size matter?

Brandweek today ran an article about marketers that contained - among lots of other content - a quote from Baruch College professor Robb Hecht, who said: "The power of brands is what attracts people to marketing. Most marketers want to work on the biggest brands, brands [with sales] the size of some countries' gross national products. Many marketers, once behind the dashboard of driving a brand, feel the power of the reach of a brand."

While I can see validity in his point, particularly when looking at it from the client-side, I wonder where agency folks weigh in? For instance, we've been privileged to work on some large brands(think IBM and GM) - but equally happy to work on very small emerging brands that you've probably never heard of (and that's okay; the nature of these assignments was speculative for the agencies involved - often, these types of accounts are sought out for their willingness to draw outside the lines with creative and media).

It got us wondering about you, our readers, who work at small and mid-sized agencies. Why do you choose to work on smaller accounts in smaller markets? Is it the challenge that motivates you? The necessity of realizing champagne dreams on a beer budget?

What's your motivation? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Read the story here.

2006-09-28T22:04:00.000-04:00

It's all about the bag....shopping bags that is.

And no I am not talking about the paper or plastic variety that you get at your local grocery store-but rather the highly conceptual ones that you get from your everyday high-end, high-style and all luxe boutiques and department stores. It's often said that the "clothes make the man" and if you subscribe to that theory, then the shopping bag speaks volumes as well. The shopping bag acts as a "free pass" into the club that says " I have style, high taste and that my "money is long"--because quite frankly, whether you buy a key ring or a $500 wallet at Coach--you get the same badge (the shopping bag) that says "I am a member of the Coach" club. If we see a woman strolling through MOA or Rosedale with shopping bags from Bebe, Betsey Johnson, Neiman Marcus - we apply the lable of "style maven" and assume she has the inside track to Fashion Week. We attribute positive images to her of wealth, class etc. simply based on the power of each brand emblazoned on the shopping bags. And it's no surprise that the trend highly stylized and well designed shopping bags has become even more popular--brands get this phenomenon of generating appeal and aspiration through the shopping bags and capitalize on that trend daily.

And it's not just high end brands that have highly stylized shopping bags--even Macy's has redesigned their bags to have a more clean and streamlined look.

The power of the bag is well defined--the fact that the only thing in the bag is a $24.99 t-shirt from the 60% off the sale rack is just a boring detail.

2006-09-28T15:10:00.000-04:00

Personal Branding in Atlanta

We had the pleasure of presenting our Personal Brand workshop to a group of consultants at the annual QRCA (Qualitative Research Consultants Association) today. The workshop was all about empowering individuals to use their authentic and unique attributes to assertively project their brand as a marketing tool. Every time we present the workshop we see lightbulbs go off in the crowd when people realize that actually being themselves and marketing themselves in a way that feels true and confident to them, is the most effective way to market yourself. It is truly fulfilling to be part of this type of realization and we wish all the workshop attendeed the best as they work toward defining their personal brands.

On a side note, I had a brand epiphany this morning traveling out of Boston to the conference. The FAA has relaxed its lotion / gel ban in carry-on luggage, but requires you now to use clear baggies for all your approved (under 3 oz.) toiletries. Naturally, they can't give the bags away, so they're being sold at Logan for .15 each (thank you, Logan, for not exploiting travelers on price point.). As I was in line buying my baggies at 6AM, the woman next to me turned to me and said something along these lines "I'll be damned if they're going to take my Keihls!" (as you know, I do love New Englanders for their candor) I then replied in the same vein - "They'll never get my BodyShop Hemp handcreme either!" - proving once again that brands do act as "badges" identifying us with certain characteristics (luxury-oriented, urban, environmentally-conscious, etc.), that we're proud to publicly declare and in fact even look for opportunities to talk about. It also illustrates the steadfast loyalty encouraged by brands we interact with on a regular basis. The more we interact with these brands, the more loyal we become - so for advertisers, the value is in keeping customers, not constantly looking for new ones. Loyal consumers not only buy your product, but they tell others about it, becoming an unpaid PR person for your brand.

Seriously, I think I would have missed my flight before I let them take my $6 product...I guess none of us is immune to irrational brand loyalty.

2006-08-23T14:31:00.000-04:00

Tom Cruise proves the necessity of managing your personal brand

Well, it finally happened...Paramount terminated Tom Cruise's contract due to his recent 'unbecoming behavior,' proving that even H'wood has its standards. Tom's brand: boyish charm meets hot, well-poised, likeable action hero - left no room for jumping-on-various-furniture-and-automotive-platforms while screaming-and-declaring-his-love-for-Katie-Holmes-under-the-influence-of-scientology-while-attacking-Brooke-for-using-medication-for-PPD-Tom. In fact, you could argue, as Paramount is apparently doing, that the two personalities dramatically conflict with each other.

Let's look at Old Tom vs. New Tom:
- Boyish charm? yes
- Hot? yep
- Well-poised and likeable? Aha! Here is the problem...Tom's recent expressiveness led him into a dark hole not unlike the one Howard Dean was forced to contend with during the last presidential race. And his attacks on Brooke Shields for using medication to treat her Post-partum depression were just downright mean. Is it fair to judge someone's character by one or two random acts? Maybe not...but herein lies the power of audience in evaluating brands, and it underscores a key point: every single opportunity to show your brand counts. You MUST feed the public what you want them to takeaway from their interactions with your personal brand, because if you don't, they will create a brand for you. And more often than not, it'll be 'unbecoming,' too.

Read the story:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Business/story?id=2344327

BTW, Insight303 conducts a workshop on personal branding called "The Power And Permission To Be Yourself." Email us for information about bringing it to your company. talkback@insight303.com.

Stacy & Faith

2006-08-02T19:53:00.000-04:00

Is innovation the new integration?

So we've been reading tons lately about giant corporations needing to "innovate." Just last week, Wendy's announced it formed an innovation and strategy group which will "oversee research and development, insights and other functions." Ian Rowden, evp / chief marketing officer said ""We know that innovation at all levels, from the menu to packaging to the customer experience in our restaurants, is critical to our success. Everything is now strategically linked and will work tightly together." Hmm. Sounds. Like. What people meant when they talked about integration a few years back. Not to pick on Wendy's - the word has been coming up more and more in our observation.

The act of innovating, in the dictionary's opinion, just means "to bring in new ideas". This, in our mind, is a good idea in itself. For too long, companies have let the impersonal corporate structure take over not only their internal operations, but their public persona. People, and customers have been replaced by "consumers." Ideas, and thoughts have been replaced with "process" and buzzwords. "Surprise and delight" is an old-fashioned ideal, and human emotion has been replaced with computer-facilitated relationships. If "innovation" is the label applied to questioning this way, and "innovating" brings back simple human truth to the corporate sector, we're all for it! Let the innovation begin..!

2006-08-01T17:38:00.000-04:00

Turning your lifestyle into a brand

In our personal branding work with groups and individuals, we see an increasing need for the way people spend their precious time to be relevant and deeply fulfilling in their lives. The NYTimes recently ran an article on the cultural need to do meaningful work and to be deeply connected with how we chose to earn a living. With the popularity of the new individualism, we see more and more people (ourselves included!) striking out on their own, making compromises about salary and work hours to regain self-control and responsibility for self-satisfaction. The article profiles a seemingly unlikely candidate to do so...maybe it'll inspire someone you know to use their personal brand to achieve their dreams.

Read the article here.

2006-06-27T10:49:00.000-04:00

A story in twenty words or less?

My good friend, writer Brian Lewandowski forwarded this: Bob Sassone (of AOL's TVSquad and Slashfood fame) asked a gaggle of writers to tell a story in 20 words or less. The results can be seen in this week's issue of Professor Barnhardt's Journal (http://www.professorbarnhardtsjournal.com)...it got me thinking about the (lost?) art of choosing the right words to tell a story. In advertising, we do this fairly well out of necessity...but what if everyone chose their words as carefully? On one hand, conversations would become more meaningful - but would emotion be lost? Anyway, the 20-word stories are interesting reading.

In a related news item, Maurice Saatchi suggested last week that since media has become so fragmented, advertisers should reduce their brand positioning to one word (i.e. Google = Search). Didn't we used to do this? I remember the examples of "Porsche = fast" and "Jello = fun" from Marketing 101 back when I was in college, in the day.

Stacy

2006-06-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

Dunkin Donuts vs. Starbucks

Having grown up on the east coast, I love my Dunkin Donuts regala coffee in the AM - so it's with great interest that I've been following the new DD ad campaign: "America runs on Dunkin" - designed with a national takeover in mind. Apparently, Dunkin's is poised to take on the big boys - expanding across the country and tripling its size in the next few years. And this new campaign's tagline reflects a brand positioning that is almost diametrically opposed to their biggest competitor: Starbucks. While Dunkin's campaign is focused on helping Americans to get things done, Starbucks steadfastly holds onto their position of 'the third place' - the place where you take a break from your home and work lives and enjoy time to yourself - in their tv spots.

So Dunkin's campaign is about motivating people to do more, and Starbuck's urges people to take a moment out and relax. One could argue that Starbucks seems to espouse both messages, as giving you permission to take time out to enjoy Starbucks intimates that you've done something to deserve it.

Both campaigns have appeal among their target audiences, which are in fact, very different. As stated by Baba Shetty of Hill Holliday, the agency that created the campaign, Dunkin's target is "the everyday folks who get things done. They're unpretentious, comfortable just being themselves, and like to order their coffee in small, medium or large, thank you very much. They're busy people who use Dunkin's to get fueled up for work or play. They don't have time to linger, because they've got things to do. But they do like to have fun. This is their brand."

Starbucks targets, according to an early (1992) research study, are "more sophisticated consumers that are health conscious, like to travel and identify with gourmets."

So there are psychographic and probably demographic differences among the two groups when you look at them in this way.

But unlike the old days of brand consumerism where you had "your" coffee shop, or your brand of X, many people today identify as consumers of both brands and the choice depends on the experience one is looking for vs. a distinct target group one identifies with. I.e..: on my way between the gym and grocery store, I drive through Dunkin's to grab a medium regala to take with me on the road. I usually keep a few dollar bills in the car for tolls, so I can almost guarantee I'll have cash readily available to speed through Dunkins ($1.63 here in the northeast). On the other hand, when I have writing to do, when I'm meeting someone, when I've had a crap day and think I deserve a special something - it's Starbucks for me without question...and the $3+ for my grande double-pump soy white mocha seems a pittance to pay for my momentary happiness.

This idea manifests itself in other categories as well: it's common knowledge that Target, Macy's, and Barney's peacefully co-exist in some consumer's brand portfolios. So it shouldn't surprise that the same holds true in a truly experiential category like coffee shops. And it seems the market can support an array of coffee shop brands. But I wonder, when Dunkin Donuts goes national and is literally located on the same block as Starbucks, will a consumer like me be confronted with the choices of loyalty and betrayal? Will this more obvious competitive environment force the consumer, once again, to brand loyalty?

As always, love to hear your thoughts and predictions on the coffee wars and brand loyalty in general.

And kudos to our friends at Hill Holliday! The new campaign is getting lots of press and positive reviews. And they've supported the launch with a blog where you can read more about the concept and leave your feedback. You can read the blog here.

2006-06-15T21:52:00.000-04:00

The role of the agency planner

Just about every agency that we deal with defines "planning" differently- both in terms of role and process. Every time we hear a new or variant definition, it inspires us to re-think our roles and push ourselves to evolve.

One of the best and most inspring descriptions we've heard of the planner's role is from our friend John Griffiths, British planner extraordinare and mastermind behind Planning Above and Beyond . John wrote:

"... account handlers develop campaigns that clients feel comfortable with. Creatives develop campaigns that are eyecatching, provoke reaction and discussion and win awards. But neither of these lead to effectiveness and neither leads to relevance to the audience. Enter the planner as the consumer representative - the 5th columnist whose job it is to counteract the tendencies of the other 2 roles. Another metaphor I've heard is the transactional analysis one where account handlers are parentalk, creatives childish, and the role of the planner is to restore adult to adult communication!

...we'd love to hear YOUR idea of the planner role in your agency.

2006-06-14T13:59:00.000-04:00

To give or not to give?

It seems most people fall into the "give" category with one special caveat: It must be an organization/charity they have an emotional and deep connection with. Evidence, the two fund raising events that I attended this past weekend. The first was the Annual Reggae Boat Ride hosted by the Jamaica Minnesota Organization on June 10th. This event is held to raise scholarships for high school students in Jamaica. The tickets were $30 dollars per person ($35 at the door). The boat was docked at the St. Croix river in Stillwater and there were people arriving from all parts far and wide across the Twin Cities. Not only was this event an opportunity to celebrate our Jamaican culture and heritage--live band and dJ/dancehall music--but it was for a cause that is near and dear our hearts--educating our children. So the fact that it was quite a haul to get there and the boat was only going out for a few hours, people happily made the journey for a greater good.

On June 11th, the Penumbra Theatre held their Annual Jazz Jam fundraiser at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. The Penumbra is one of the nation's premier black theatre companies and produces a variety of culturally relevant and thought-provoking plays. Tickets to the event ranged from $50 for general admission to upwards $400 for a table for four. Regardless of the cost of entry, the place was packed and jamming. During the silent auction portion, items were bidded on furiously and with great zeal. I even got in on the action and had the winning bid of $2100 for Season Tickets to the Vikings Home Games! Now normally I would not be in the business of buying season tickets, but because the success of the Penumbra Theatre is so vitally important--I was compelled and moved to outbid at any cost.

This gets me to my main thought of how companies can generate goodwill and loyalty among their clients and customers. People want to do business with companies they feel good about. One way to do that is to identify a charity that makes sense for your brand and contribute/support that cause in a meaningful way. It's a proven fact that, with all things being equal, people choose brands that are relevant to them and their lives.

Regardless of the state of the economy, people will rise to support causes that make a difference in the world.

How's your charitable giving going? We want to hear from you.

2006-06-13T17:46:00.000-04:00

Brand elasticity

Question: What gives a brand permisison to launch a product line extension?
Answer: Its customers!

A brand can only branch out into new areas if it has established crediblity with its target audinece, and if that target audience gives it permission to branch out into a new, yet relevant area. A brand cannot- or should not - branch out into an area that conflicts with its core attributes.

Here are some recent brand extensions that we wonder about:

(???)
McDonald's recently started offering healthy food alternatives to its traditional quarter pounder and super-sized portions. You could argue that McDonald's brand was built on convenience, and if this is the case, that offering apple salads and yogurt smoothies doesn't inherently violate the brand attributes. BUT...so many of us have grown up knowing McDonald's as not just fast food - but BAD, unhealthy food - that we wonder if they'll ever really be credible as a brand that cares about our health. To be sure, the new products have opened McDonald's to a whole segment of customers who previously wouldn't eat there, so if increasing consideration and sales for the chain was the goal, they seem to have at least a temporary success on their hands. And, it's not as if they've introduced even unhealthier products to their brand - this is one example of a brand that can only improve its image in this particular area. "It's what I eat and what I do. I'm lovin' it" has been running since earlier this year.

(yay!)
Maxim magazine recently announced it will build a new casino in Vegas. In keeping with the brand promise, the casino will be fun and flirtatious, and positively indulgent for its patrons. This strikes us as a good example of a brand extension that has promise - especially since the magazine's average readership is men, aged 28: loosely speaking this group has high disposable income and seeks out adventurous and fun lifestyle-focused entertainment. The target will also attract men and women who aspire to be...umm, 28, and adventurous and flirtatious. The casino is slated to open in 2010.

(boo!)
This one we just don't like: Music licensing agency Signatures Network has secured exclusive licensing and branding rights to Woodstock, the 1969 peace, music and love festival. Woodstock, if you think of it as a brand, stands for individualism, intense creativity, respect for one's neighbor and stewardship of the environment as the brand's defining traits.
Signatures will develop Woodstock as a lifestyle brand that extends to apparel, accessories, home decor and other categories. While the original concert was a cultural milestone for baby boomers, Woodstock's licensed brand will be geared to all generations, particularly young people who've embraced recent retro '60s fashion trends, such as mod and peasant/boho looks. We can't help but think the brand's core followers will NOT be the ones buying these products, since inherently they are anti-commercialism and even anti-brand. We wonder what cultural effects this one will spawn..it can't be good. Will the name Woodstock take on a whole new meaning in the wake of this product launch? In fifty years, will "Woodtsock" be shorthand used to describe a company's hijaking of a brand for their market exploitation? I.e. "My company used to be cool, but then they woodstocked Earth Day." The line is scheduled to launch in 2007.

Comments? Arguments? Bring 'em on!

2006-06-06T09:29:00.000-04:00

Cultural anthropology and business

If you're an agency planner, researcher, or marketer who is interested in cultural anthropology, check out the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA). NAPA has a long tradition of providing support and networking for classically-trained and practicing anthropologists. The Boston chapter, which is currently being formed and efforts spearheaded by Insight 303, brings together practitioners from academia and the business world to learn from one another. Corporations like IBM and Microsoft employ anthropologists to conduct ethnography, user-centered design labs, and field observation to help strengthen their connections with their customers. In fact, it's a growing trend for corporations to employ anthropologists alongside market researchers in team situations. By bringing together these two groups, we hope to create an amazing thinktank that benefits both disciplines.

If you're in the Boston area this week, stop by John Harvard's Brewhouse in Harvard Square at 7:00 PM. Call me (Stacy) for directions and more information (978) 361-7185.

2006-06-05T03:00:00.000-04:00

The MySpace effect!

We've been doing a project with "tech-savvy" 20-somethings and learning a lot about this age group's relationship with MySpace. Both Faith and I have MySpace profiles, even though we're a bit outside the target age group (previously 14-29, but growing beyond that by leaps and bounds everyday). We also recently posted an Insight Grlls MySpace page, and are regular visitors, primarily so we can learn about this group more by observing them in a natural habitat. What we've found is that MySpace is changing the way people relate to the world, and each other in some very interesting ways. I.e.:
The art of the self-portrait...MySpace has almost singlehandedly created permission and in fact demand for self-portraiture. Frustrated artists now have an outlet to experiment with photos...and affordable digital cameras, scanners, and Apple- with
iSight built into new macs facilitates the trend by making it easier and quicker to take and post portraits any fledgling artist or artist wanna-be can proud of. We think this creative self-expression is a positive contribution to our artistic liberation...and the need to be artistic IS a human truth that we all share. Thank you, MySpace!

Another interesting note...MySpace has become a factor in breakups. When I say factor, I mean another thing to take into consideration when "elegantly exiting" what was once a beautiful relationship. You've seen that cell phone commercial about taking your bf/gf out of your phone after a breakup? Well, MySpace comes with its own set of mandatory actions as well. Witness: the famed Top 8 on which you can put your most special and/or high profile friends. While in a relationship, your s.o. is typically moved into the #1 spot. When breaking up, the dilemma ensues: do you move him/her down the list, to spot #7 or 8, or drop them from your Top 8 altogether? Maybe you should drop them off your friends list entirely and pretend you never knew them in the first place? An interesting quagmire to be sure...but it brings up a great point about technology, one that we've been wrestling with ourselves: see, we believe that technology can be beneficial to society inasmuch as it helps to bring human beings closer together. When it causes you not to pick up the phone, not to visit a friend, not to break up by having a good old-fashioned conversation, that's when we think it's gone too far. We're not faulting MySpace for any trend away from personal relationships - to be sure, the responsibility for upholding human contact still rests with...humans, after all. But we think pointing out potential dangers in using technology in human relationships will help us to have conversations and be more considered about our intentions with others. After all, don't we all want to have richer, deeper, more honest dealings with people in our lives? Another (obvious) human truth, just pointed out by Insight 303.

Lastly, we want to credit MySpace for making all bands' music accessible. We are champions of new and local bands, and it inspires us to know that any band with basic recording equipment (thank you, Apple, for Garage Band) can have its music heard by as many people as they can connect with via the huge network (38 million and growing) of MySpace subscribers.
MySpace claims some pretty high-profile subscribers from Tom Waits to Tina Fey to Coldplay...and just knowing they might
encounter the hot new act, two-rockers-in-a-garage-on-your-street, gives us all cause for optimism and inspires us to chase our dreams! And dreaming, after all...you know what I'm going to say: it's a human truth.

Readers, we'd love to hear what YOU think about MySpace's affect on our culture...feel free to post away!

2006-05-24T11:01:00.000-04:00

Empowering women

We had the pleasure of attending and presenting two sessions of the i3 personal branding workshop at the White House
Project's Minnesota women's leadership training last weekend. In addition to Geena Davis, several other amazing women were there: Marie Wilson, founder of Ms. magazine and the White House Project, Anne Bancroft, arctic explorer, Nila Gouldin, health advocate extraordinarre. The conference was organized by Liz Johnson, super-community organizer.

As you know, Insight 303 was founded by the two of us- and with an abundance of estrogen we have a special place in our hearts for helping other women find and live their passion.

Geena gave a powerful speech about the importance of being in touch with your authentic self - she admitted to having
spent the better part of her life reacting to other people's criticism of her, and bending to change whatever was not liked, rather than having conviction about herself. She told a funny story about one of the turning points in her life, on the set of Thelma and Louise, when she saw Susan Sarandon passionately arguing with Ridley Scott...and her realization came when she realized Susan wasn't getting fired...in fact, she was respected for standing up for herself.

This story, coming from any one of us, would be entertaining at best, but coming from Academy Award-winning Geena Davis, made us really understand how even the strongest among us can fall victim to criticism...and how powerfully it can affect our lives when we refuse to accept it.

When it was our turn to take our photo with Geena, I barely managed to find the words to tell her how much her speech
meant...but I did blurt something along those lines out, and she was every bit as genuine and humble as I thought she'd be. I'd like to go out on a limb and add Geena Davis to the 8 in '08 field of women running for President in the next election.

There were over one hundred women at the conference - many running for public office currently. And at least three young women (under the age of 21) who declared they'd make their bid for the Presidency before 2020. It's our hope that after the inspirational weekend, even more women will decide that now is their time to run for office or take a leadership position in their company. As one of our workshop participants said, "I have lived, therefore I lead." What better qualifications are there to help others?

In case you missed it, NY Times columnist Bob Herbert wrote a provocative letter about a woman candidate for President being "handicapped by her gender." Read his letter here.

and Marie Wilson's response here.

Who the hell are the Insight Grrls?

2006-05-23T19:42:00.000-04:00

Who the hell are the Insight Grrls?

Stacy Graiko:
provocateur.
brand loyalist.
question-asker.
picture-taker.
party-giver.
connector.
ex-ad-slick.
prone to running into metal posts when walking down city streets.

Faith James:
Child of the world
Often heard saying "I'd like to thank the Academy"
Heat Seeker
Defender of the truth
Frustrated singer
Fashion celebrator
Chameleon at heart
Have e-ticket; will travel
Rails against the oft used excuse "that's the way it's always been done"

Together, we founded Insight 303 - a brand strategy company designed to be a friend to small and mid-sized agencies that don't have their own planning departments. We're a swat team for that big pitch, new campaign, or wow-generating workshop. We talk a lot: to groups around the country, about topics ranging from brand planning and qualitative research to personal branding and empowerment. We'd love to talk to you!