A marketing resource for CEOs,
CMOs, and VPs of Marketing
with information on the impact of
branding on revenue and profit.
Who Are You? Description, Clarification and Definition in the Visualization of a Brand
July 8, 2009 9:36 AM |
What is a brand?
The word brand is thrown around these days wildly and erratically, like wet pigskin on a rainy autumn Sunday. It seems that the word serves as a catchall – nebulous and mysterious. Certainly it falls into to the category of most used, but least understood terms, not unlike, say, social media or even Wall Street.
So what is your brand? How might you define it?
First, the brand is not separate from the business – it is the business. Companies often overlook truly defining exactly what or who their brand is. For the record, a brand is your personality, philosophy, culture, design aesthetic, social responsibility and, of course, your products or services, all of which create a foundation from which everything else can be built.
Once defined, you need to reflect that, or those ideals, to your employees and customers, ensuring that your staff understands and embraces this. Some think a logo and a tagline can do this. Certainly the logo is vital brand signature, and yet, a signature mark could never impart the details that give a company personality, like, for example, the importance of a company’s customer service or its commitment to renewable resources.
The idea then, would be to create a physical representation of a brand – a singular piece that could make you feel what a brand is all about. We call it a proto-brand. It’s like a brand prototype, but much bigger. We are talking about the creation of a microcosm of an entire brand, something that conveys all those important brand attributes; all wrapped up like a tasty burrito.
So why is it important? Who cares? Well, you should. First, it serves as a brand’s touchstone. It is important when a company considers new ideas and new directions, and the proto-brand serves as a northern star, a reference piece.
Creating something tactile and dimensional gives a brand substance. It offers a simplified view of a company’s culture and personality, so that both newcomers and veterans alike, who work for the brand, clearly understand what that brand stands for.
To demonstrate how Wedgwood, the 250-year-old manufacturer of fine china, would adapt to the new generation’s demand for more flexibility in their dinnerware, Halo created Wedgwood’s Universal Table, redefining today’s casual luxury dinning experience. One table mixed and matched, combining the lowest to the highest priced products, illustrating unlimited versatility, modern elegance and timeless style for the consumer. It is the ultimate mash-up of fine china with the food, music and party ideas that are the elements of an unforgettable experience.
To help re-vitalize Guy Carpenter, the 85-year-old, trusted, “white shoe” firm, we created a stop-motion animated video that transformed a white shoe to embody the brand’s core competencies – creativity, technical savvy, transparency, strength and high performance. The video was then used internally as a rallying cry for the brand’s mission going forward.
These are just a couple of examples, but what it comes down to is that the proto-brand is a mirror reminding a brand of who they are, a visual guide into the future of a focused, healthy brand.
A Revitalization of the Old: The Rise of Indie Craft
July 1, 2009 10:17 AMBy Gillian Kindel, Account Executive, The Halo Group
Today’s pace of life has reached a fever pitch. We thrive on speed and having a constant influx of information at our fingertips about the world, our friends and our family. But recently, there has been a backlash against this obsession with being the fastest and the most connected. Instead, people are being encouraged to slow down, be more considerate of their actions and to focus on value rather than speed.Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill Restaurant and Michael Pollan, the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, are examples within the culinary world of individuals who are taking new approaches to food culture and production. By encouraging people to think not only about the impact their decisions about food make on themselves but also on the world at large, they are helping people to become more aware of their consumption. Additionally, the recent economic downturn has forced people to become more discretionary in their spending habits, as they have less disposable income. According to Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimer, authors of Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design, what will survive this recession are products that people believe have true value, or are items that are perceived as being personal and authentic. People want to feel that they are not only spending their money in a smart way, but that they are also helping to support their local economy by actually putting a face to what they’re buying. Solution? Enter Indie Craft.
Our modern view of crafts is rooted in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which was conceptualized around the ideas of William Morris and John Ruskin, who proposed that in pre-industrial societies, people achieved fulfillment through the creative process of handicrafts. Crafts allowed people to step outside industrial society to create something personal and meaningful that they could either use in their daily lives as decoration or as a form of gift currency amongst friends. The craft scene, both then and now, is inherently social and the proliferation of online message boards, blogs and websites has caused an explosion within the craft community. What differentiates modern crafts or “indie crafts” from those of the past is the marriage of new materials, like environmentally friendly dyes or recycled materials, to more traditional types of crafting, like knitting, needlepoint and paper cutting. This most recent boom in the craft movement utilizes traditional methods, but constructs them with modern materials. As Oliver Schwaner-Albright wrote in an article about the growth of Brooklyn’s artisan food scene, the producers “share an aesthetic that’s equal parts 19th and 21st century.” Examples of this can be seen in the Mast Brothers’ production of chocolate, which utilizes the most environmentally friendly ingredients but is manufactured using 19th-century chocolate production techniques and wrapping it all up with screen-printed paper by contemporary graphic designers; or Jenny Hart, who started Sublime Stitching in Austin, Texas, and develops needlepoint designs of pop-culture imagery that can be ironed on, instead of designing patterns that focus on specific numbers and griding of stitches.
So how does this resurgence of and shift to ‘craftiness’ affect the marketing of a business? There are some guiding principals about people who are interested in and utilize Indie Crafts that can be integrated into marketing:
• Consumers are interested in knowing the back story for what they’re buying; if there are details that can be provided about how something was produced or tell its story, that is very valuable information.
• Consumers want to feel like they are supporting something good. What they are buying is not just another item from a big box store; rather, they can form a personal connection to the maker. The success of Etsy, an e- commerce site comprised of hundreds of independent designers, can serve as a testament to this (“Handmade 2.0” by Rob Walker in The New York Times, December 16, 2007, gives some great background).
• Consumers want to feel like they’re getting good value for their money; purse strings are being pulled tighter than ever, and people want to believe they’re spending wisely.
What is 21st Century Social Currency?
June 29, 2009 10:15 AMBy Chris Barredo, Brand Planner, The Halo Group
A curious term has been popping up pretty often here lately at Halo: social currency. And the way we use it seems much larger and more important than ever. So it seems fitting that we examine what social currency means today.
Social structure has evolved dramatically due to many innovations in many different areas that allow people to connect and share with each other. It has resulted in the creation of a tribal society with multitudes of tribes (Seth Godin's "Tribes") – tribes of every size, shape and sort; tribes for every interest and taste – and it’s social currency that makes them go round. At one point, social currency stood for the power of the relationships you had, but social currency today should also include the “relationships” you have with experiences and interests. It’s no longer just about who you know, but what you know.
Take a look at any Facebook profile (or Linkedin, if you so prefer) and you’ll likely notice social currency at its best. First you’ll see the number of friends or contacts, but then it gets broken down even more into an infinite number of groups for everything from politicians to favorite soft drinks. Then there are interests, favorite books, movies, music and quotes. All are sources of social currency with different values in different tribes and they help provide deeper, more meaningful insights into who this person is and their stature in the tribe.
For example, in the chocolate lovers’ tribe, knowledge of how chocolate is made and what characteristics to look for in dark chocolate might be highly valued social currency. In this person’s respective Facebook profile you might see “Grenada 60% organic dark chocolate” as an interest along with other gourmet things such as wine or cheese. Perhaps you’ll see favorite books about the benefits of organic foods. From this profile, we might see that it’s valuable for them to know where the cocoa beans come from, how it is manufactured, its unique flavor profile and what other foods or drinks it could be paired with.
Unlike money, the quest to acquire social currency isn’t about power; rather, it’s about individualism. Think of consumers today more as curators of social currency, finding the right balance to represent who they are, what makes them unique, and the value they add to whatever tribes – online or off – they belong to.
The more you understand what are considered valuable interests, experiences and knowledge amongst your target audience and their respective tribes, and how they are used, the more you can understand how to fit your brand into their lives.
Today's Creative Presentation
June 15, 2009 9:22 AMBy Meg Moody, Associate Creative Director, The Halo Group
So you’re a butcher. Or a baker. Or a candlestick maker.* And you’re questioning your creative presentation-—are you using the right media elements to build your message and develop your brand? But you’re inundated with options and choices and articles proclaiming, The new trend is here! It’s sweeping the world. It’s the new obsession with preteens, teens and post-teens.
You start to ask yourself, “what is a post-teen?” and make a note to google Wikipedia for the definition of post-teen just as your phone rings ... and it’s your ad agency, or your marketing guy or your kid, for that matter, singing the praises of the next new thing, which happens to contradict the article you just read about the previous new thing... You sigh, and mutter, “too many things, too many channels, far too complicated.”
But rest assured, there’s a small secret that communications folks would like to keep on the down-low: The basics are the same. There are just a few new ingredients. And so this brings us to cookies...
Cookies aren’t too complicated are they? No. Never. They are delicious. And consumable. And easily made into a metaphor for today’s creative presentation.
In your basic cookie, let’s say chocolate chip, you’ve got butter and flour—print media. You’ve got sugar—radio. You’ve got eggs—outdoor. Baking soda—sponsorships, and chocolate chips—television and product placement. You used to have to decide the simple ratios, cream the butter and sugar, add your dry ingredients and pop them in the oven. And if you were really adventurous, you chose dark chocolate chips instead of milk (gasp!)....
But today, you’re bombarded with candy-covered chocolates, chocolate chunks, sprinkles, coconut flakes, peanut butter, oatmeal ... in the guise of interactive site buyouts, banners, sponsorships, ambient outdoor ... Twitter, Facebook, YouTube...
Today, a new monster cookie** has been created, leaving you to decide which ingredients will come together to make the best creative presentation.
Well, it’s really pretty simple. When you boil it all down, today’s creative presentation is the same as it has been since the dawn of time. It begins with your message-—what do you want to say to your consumers? Are you chocolate chip, are you sugar, are you peanut butter or are you oatmeal? Then, decide which ingredients will best enhance that message.
Look at your ingredients-—your various media options—as a way to give your brand some personality, some texture and a flavor that makes it stand out from the competition.
Use your ingredients purposefully. Use interactive site buyouts to talk to very specific groups of people-—Twitter to make a direct connection with consumers who have already opted in, Facebook to build a virtual community around your brand and ambient outdoor to put your brand in the middle of actual community.
While the recipe can get a bit complicated, the good news is that most of today’s media options are quantifiable, trackable, justifiable, customizable, targeted and if by chance you don’t see the results you might be hoping for, they’re easily changeable.
The good news is that if you begin with the basics, if you begin with your message, you can have some fun with the ingredients to make the best darn cookie on the market.
* The Halo Group realizes that you may not be a baker, a butcher or a candlestick maker.
But there are nuggets of wisdom still to come, so we do hope that you will continue reading...
** In case you’re curious, Monster Cookie: 1/2 C flour
4 tsp Baking Soda
1 lb Brown Sugar
1.5 tsp Vanilla
2 C Sugar
6 Eggs
.5 lb Butter
1.5 lb Peanut Butter
9 C Oatmeal
1lb of any kind of candy you’d like
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, vanilla and peanut butter,
fold in dry ingredients followed by candy.
Bake 10–12 minutes at 350.
Environmentally Conscious Printing Practices: Are They Ready for Prime Time?
June 12, 2009 12:03 PMBy Michael Aaron Frandy, Studio Manager, The Halo Group
Even if it's not yet a company-wide mandate (or goal) to implement environmentally friendly "green" practices in your business, there is certainly a global paradigm shift toward compliance to the utilization of renewable resources in the workplace. At a minimum, many companies and governmental entities now require the procurement of 30% post-consumer-waste paper stock. Some even require the use of soy-based inks in jobs that are offset printed.
In marketing communications, where voluminous quantities of paper and ink are utilized to manufacture printed materials, the shift in ad agency procurement of printing vendors leans toward those who have certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) — a non-governmental agency that gives its seal of approval only to member organizations who comply with a stringent set of rules about paper stock procurement only from well-managed forests. According to the FSC, each ton of paper equals approximately 8.5 trees.
At Globe Litho, one of Halo’s offset printing vendors, Vice President Bob Lion has received another title, which reflects upon his company's commitment to environmentally sound practices: Chief Sustainability Officer. In a recent television interview with BBC News2, Lion states, "If (Globe) weren't FSC-certified today, there's a possibility we might not even be doing business." Aside from ensuring procurement of paper stock from FSC-sanctioned channels, Globe also purchases electrical power for manufacturing from renewable sources such as solar-energy and wind-turbine power.3
The next time you’re in a situation to direct the green efforts of your company’s printing process, we present you with the following facts — covering both sides of the recycling debate — to consider:
PROS:
The main advantage of utilizing recycled paper product is the contribution to conservation of natural resources, such as habitats where virgin timber is harvested, the trees themselves, water used in both the logging and paper milling processes, and the energy used to operate the machinery during the entire process — usually electricity and petroleum-based fuels. Also, less chlorine-based bleaching agents are necessary to make recycled paper white, as the raw materials have been through the process before. Purchasing recycled stock also ensures that there is that much less paper being treated as waste — taking up space in landfills and emitting environmentally damaging gases, such as carbon dioxide, during decomposition. From a technical standpoint, recycled paper stock handles application of inks and varnishes and is able to be run in virtually any type of offset-printing press as comparable paper stock made from virgin timber.
CONS:
In the arena of business practicality, there are actually a few disadvantages to relying solely upon recycled paper product for printing: There is generally a longer lead-time for print vendors to obtain recycled paper stock (which can add a few weeks to tight production schedules); the brightest of the whites in the recycled category are still dull by comparison to a bright-white virgin stock; the cost of most stock in the recycled category tends to be about 3–10% more expensive than virgin stock; and there is a considerable lack of information — from even the most verbose recycling vendors and proponents — as to where the solid waste product (i.e., ink, clay, paper) from the de-inking process ends up after the recycled pulp is harvested.
On a much smaller scale, we can all take baby steps toward less waste in our immediate working situations. Staples, Office Depot and other big-box office supply chains have myriad 30% post-consumer-waste paper products for sale. GreenPrint4, a unique Windows and Mac software program, eliminates wasteful pages in any printout. And it’s easy enough to read a document, PDF or email on your computer’s display — as opposed to hitting “print” each time. Many corporate email footers now end with “Please consider the environment before printing this email.”
No matter any of our personal or professional opinions on the matter, there’s a strong likelihood that we will, to some degree, be corralled into adopting greener processes — especially in the hopes of obtaining/maintaining working relationships with governmental and municipal entities.
1 FSC
2 http://www.globelitho.com/company-info/bbc-features-globe-litho/
3 Center for Resource Solutions (CRS [green energy])
4 http://www.printgreener.com/
Recession! Crisis! Scandal! Steady Your Brand with PR and Grab a Little Market Share While You’re At It
May 29, 2009 2:34 PMBy Denise Goodwin Pace, CCO/Co-Founder, The Halo Group
What do you get when you add a 24-hour news cycle to voraciously expanding social media to a pressured and shrinking cadre of experienced journalists to a worldwide recession to chilling headlines about multi-billion dollar swindles, tainted food sources, and corporate wrongdoings?
A crying need for good old-fashioned public relations.
Tell Me the Truth
Smart marketers keep PR as a central steadying component of their brand work. It’s part of the way they tell their story to the various people, customers, and “publics” that should know it. Right now, in the tumult of these crazy times, consumers are begging to believe. They want to find someone, ANYONE, to trust.
It’s basic – the brand must be true, inside and out, and the brand’s voice should be steady, trustworthy, clear. That message constancy, the happy hum, has always been created best through proactive public relations efforts. It’s not news to anyone in our business that positive media coverage is seen by consumers to be more credible than advertising. And fee-based PR, more “affordable” than traditional advertising buys, is a great way to reach them. It should always be part of the mix and its efforts can be targeted anywhere, from traditional consumer and trade print and broadcast, to the Internet and the exciting new world of social media.
How do you know when a brand is doing it? Simply ask yourself, “What company do I admire?” Even in the face of unexpected crises, that company generates good will. That company is true to itself, behaves responsibly, and then lets the world know. That company tells the good news. Hershey’s Chocolate, with its long-standing corporate social-responsibility commitments, national baking events, and cookbooks, is a great example of smart and proactive PR at work.
And While You’re At It, Inspire Me
Please PLEASE tell us something good. With so much wrong in the world, we want to know what’s right. Add the power of social media to the mix and who knows what can happen. Ask Susan Boyle.
Of course, she is not a company (though she IS developing as a brand), but within two weeks her talent-show performance, uploaded on YouTube (well over 100,000,000 views) and buzzing through the social media world, spilled over into traditional media with major TV, newspaper, radio, and magazine placements, turning the unknown Scottish woman into a worldwide phenomenon … with a brand new lucrative recording contract.
On the corporate side, think about Patagonia and Tom’s Shoes too – more good examples of good companies telling good stories and seeing growing numbers of customers because of it. All because we consumers are human first – we adore being inspired.
These are turbulent days. The brands that speak consistently, in a clear, powerful, coherent, and positive voice, like that delivered through a PR program, will be the ones heard. The ones remembered.
Luxury: Aspiring to a New Ideal
May 22, 2009 9:27 AMBy Mark Sutter, Chief Strategic Officer, The Halo Group
There has been a lot written lately about the death of Bling. Could the confluence of social, economic and political change finally be the consumer tipping point? Karl Lagerfeld noted a shift in global cultural values, calling it an “era of new modesty.” President Obama has called for a “new age of accountability.” Others have proclaimed that the age of consumerism is over and that emerging American values will forever change luxury brand marketing as we know it. Luxury marketers are being told that consumers are rejecting the trappings of wealth, and are instead reconnecting with family and friends, and joining a kinder, gentler, less conspicuous world of consumption. But is that really true?
It seems that with every recession we seem to get the same populist message: Luxury is dead. Restraint and simplicity will rein. According to Fortune magazine, Faith Popcorn, Chairman of BrainReserve, a consumer research firm, calls the phenomenon ‘cashing out’: less concern for material things and more emphasis on things money can’t buy. She sees it as symptomatic of “America’s fatigue with excess.” Funny thing is that quote was printed in 1990, nearly 20 years ago. Since then, three recessions have passed and arguably we have enjoyed one the most decadent luxury bull markets in American history.
So is Bling really dead? Or have we just come down with another mild case of affluenza? With each upswing, our aspirational culture proves the pundits wrong. The American capitalist culture can’t be shaken. The desire to acquire beautiful things is irrepressible.
Certainly, there’s no doubt that the way consumers value luxury brands is now under scrutiny, perhaps more so than ever before. But smart marketers have known for years that there has been a shift from conspicuous consumption to life enriching consumption.
Live Life Enriched
Consumers are aspiring to a new luxury ideal. They have become collectors of life experiences.
High-end hotels like The Ritz-Carlton have moved beyond service excellence to position themselves as global portals to new life-enriching experiences. Louis Vuitton luggage is a “worthy companion for life’s incredible journey,” and Tiffany helps you hold on to those moments that that matter most, capturing “The Story of Your Life” for all time. These are the aspirational qualities that consumers seek from luxury brands today.
All of these products offer more than status and prestige— they help consumers savor and celebrate life and connect them with the world around them. Product authenticity and craftsmanship help them tell their personal life stories. And socially responsible brands help them contribute to something larger than themselves. These brand qualities are timeless, and offer the lasting value consumers have come to expect from luxury today.
So while some in the industry are retreating or irrevocably tarnishing their brands, those that understand how to communicate the value of luxury to today’s consumers will survive, and perhaps even prosper in this downturn — emerging more powerful than ever before.
Reporting from Millennial Island: Recession Edition
May 4, 2009 9:12 AMby Chris Barredo, Brand Planner, The Halo Group
Because no (wo)man is an island… but all islands are special and unique, right?
Recession? What Recession?
Ok, I don’t mean to be so blasé about a financial downturn whose full potential is yet to be realized and will undoubtedly have an impact on many people. It’s just that people often cite one seminal moment or event that has shaped every generation’s identity – WWII for the Greatest Generation or The Vietnam War and Sexual Revolution for the Boomers – and many think this recession going to be the test for us Millennials.
But not so fast there. We have bigger plans, grander goals, than just overcoming a recession. There are a few Millennial traits that make us well suited for the task and that should be important to brands who count Millennials as key to their success. Ultimately, you should feel confident handing over the keys to the Porsche.
Our Confidence and Optimism will not be Overcome
If there’s one thing that’s lacking during recessionary times, it’s consumer confidence and optimism. Above all, those are the things Millennials have an overabundance of. Millennials are so confident and optimistic in their ability to succeed, what makes you think a recession – even one longer and deeper than imagined – can stop us?
For example, Generation Blend’s take away from Randstad research about the Millennial attitude towards work during a downturn sums it up nicely: “Across several metrics, Millennials are tops among all cohorts surveyed in their willingness to change jobs, and the most optimistic about the prospects for getting hired elsewhere if they move on.”
Individuality Spawns Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Another important factor in pulling an economy out of the gutter is harnessing intellectual capital and focusing it on innovation to create momentum. Millennials are the most educated generation ever and a recession will only ignite more academic endeavors as Millennials seek out new skills, new experiences, and/or return to school. According to the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) applications were up for the majority of MBA programs in 2008 and are expected to continue through the 2009/2010 school term.
Much has been made of the Millennials’ obsession with individuality, good or bad; the result is a constant belief that they can do better and that is the seed of innovation. With a majority of the generation still in school or returning to school, we have yet to experience the first true wave of entrepreneurial innovation from Millennials (if you thought Facebook was it, watch out!).
Social Responsibility is Ingrained in our DNA
While overstated, Millennials do have an affinity for environmental sustainability and both social and corporate responsibility. We recycle, celebrate Earth Day, witnessed the Berlin Wall fall and saw Enron implode. We’ve seen multiple bubbles burst. We were taught about global warming and we were in school on 9/11.
This doesn’t mean we only eat at Whole Foods or only wear Tom’s shoes and American Apparel (not yet, at least). But we gravitate towards brands that are seemingly honest and transparent, and as much as you might argue about the merits of their cause, what’s important is that they have one. Millennials know that brands, like people, are not perfect. Responsibility doesn’t mean you don’t make mistakes, it means you own up to them, and, like a good Millennial, always strive to be better.
Motivating Millenials
What sets us apart from Gen Xers the most is that we are self-centered enough to believe change can start with one person. The best, most successful brands make connections by empowering, encouraging, and facilitating Millennials in their pursuit of individuality, freedom and innovation. They do so by staying positive and optimistic and back it up by being real and authentic. The 2008 election and Barack Obama’s campaign – rooted in hope and change – was a good example of how to motivate and move Millennials into action (as are the three brands listed above).
I should not be so quick to say our problems can and will be easily solved by Millennials. There are many skeptics about this generation’s ability, or inability, to overcome bumps in the road. Truth is Millennials haven’t actually done much yet. But when the smoke clears, it’ll be the Millennials leading the way. Why? Because there is no other way. Eventually you just have let go and do as Millennials do: be optimistic that we will succeed.
The Mercurial Marketing Mash-up
May 4, 2009 9:04 AMBy Tim Woods, Executive Creative Director, The Halo Group
To market a company or product in the 21st century, we can no longer rely simply on the single benefit of a television spot, thrown like spaghetti on a wall to reach the masses. We need to combine the best ideas of print, television, interactive, and other tactics to connect to our customers in interesting and relevant ways. It’s taking this mix and match approach to marketing to survive in this mash-up culture we now inhabit.
So then, what is a mash-up? In its simplest form, it is creatively combining elements from different genres, cultures, and categories to create something new. The mash-up was a term coined first when DJs began taking digital music files and mixing them together, stripping away the vocals from one track and adding beats and riffs from one or many songs to create something entirely new. Some say DJ Hellraiser was first when he artfully blended together The Strokes and Christine Aguilera.
What has made mashing up a current cultural phenomenon is technology. It’s easy to mash-up music, video, fashion, design and put it on the web. Now, like many ideas in this age of information, the mash-up has spread like wildfire. There are movie trailer mash-ups (The Shining as a comedy), web app mash-ups (Flickrvision), news mash-ups (Digg), data mash-ups (using Google Maps and overlaying other data like Starbucks locations). The list goes on.
The next logical question becomes, how then can this mash-up philosophy be used in business? Converse is a good example. To celebrate their 100th anniversary, Converse wanted to acknowledge personalities who bucked the status quo; remarkably, many individuals, both figuratively and literally, could all be connected by their love of the Chuck Taylor sneaker. To further that idea, besides creating a website, Converse commissioned three disparate and commercially successful artists to write, produce, and perform a song. Converse became a catalyst of creativity, because of the uniqueness of its product, and because of its joy in the core identity of its hipster individualism. The facts back up the idea — visits to the Converse website resulted in thousands of downloads of the song, not to mention the radio airplay and the public relations garnered from the unique and groundbreaking partnership of Converse and the musicians.
How can mash-up ideas work to reimagine products in other categories? The entire category of fine china, for example, needs to examine how it is talking to people and make china more relevant to customers who are shying away from luxury goods and no longer see dining at home as a formal affair. The Halo Group would recommend dismantling old ways of thinking about eating and turn every meal into entertainment. Begin by giving customers the ability to collect, over the course of their lifetimes, customized sets of china, allowing them to mix and match in whichever fashion they desire. Mash-up music, menus, and party recommendations should be part of the brand experience.
New creativity is always born out of the old. It is the blend of what is and what has been. Mixing different ideas isn’t a new concept; consider the Reese’s peanut butter cup. No longer can companies dictate how their products can be used. It is truly up to the customer. It’s an important shift to note. So when you think of your brand, don’t be afraid to put it in a blender.
Looking for an Agency? It’s Not the Same as Searching for a Washing Machine
April 9, 2009 4:14 PMan Interview with Tim Brenton by Denise Goodwin Pace, CCO/Co-Founder, The Halo Group
The success of any marketing communications agency search is predicated on creating an honest and open dialogue between the client and the agency. Only that openness can ignite chemistry. We talked to Tim Brenton, CEO of The Brenton Group, who trains businesspeople to facilitate business relationships built on trust and confidence. He’s very clear on what’s required.
“During a search for a new agency, clients play their cards close to the vest from fear of being taken advantage of,” says Brenton. “But sharing during the process is exactly what is needed to assess compatibility – the heart of the potential relationship.”
Brenton has seen client behavior during the search process that is often antithetical to the formation of a strong client-agency relationship. He claims that a good agency must be a diagnostician about the hopes, dreams, goals and aspirations of the potential client. Yet clients are often loath to share that during the search process.
What the client should bring to the table
According to Brenton, there are specific steps a client must be accountable for at the beginning of the search for the right agency:
- An understanding of the real problem that led to this new agency search. Brenton believes that the client, in collaboration with the new agency, should delineate the “lessons learned from the past” – specifically, what worked and what did not work in the previous client-agency relationship.
- An inventory of the actions taken to solve the problem. The client must be open and honest so that history does not repeat itself.
- A realistic and true budget. “No agency can offer recommendations on a zero-based budget and it’s an exercise in futility for a client to project an inflated budget. It’s not fair to the agency and it dishonors and devalues both the client and the agency,” says Brenton.
- Your expectations on ROI. Ask the agency to demonstrate projected ROI. Brenton says, “If an agency truly believes in ROI, that agency should almost become an aggravation to the potential client, continually asking about the budget and the expectations on return.”
- The decision makers. Who is involved? The agency that is given the task of solutions has an obligation to look at possibilities through different filters. The client should be upfront about who is involved and give the agency access to those people.
According to Brenton, if the client consciously avoids being its own worst enemy, the successful client-agency relationship is born and both sides are open and honest from the outset. That willingness to share information leads to the partnerships that make marketing history.
As EVP at Arnold Advertising, Tim Brenton led his company in providing world-class advertising and marketing programs to his clients. Tim founded the Brenton Group to help CEOs and senior sales management make quantum leaps in the performance of managers and sales representatives. Tim delivers custom sales programs to corporate clients, as well as frequent sales and management workshops. He brings over 25 years of advertising, marketing, sales management and recruiting expertise to his clients.
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