Communication | Lovescott

Posts Tagged ‘communication’

Life Lessons from Car Repairs

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", advice, communication, Des Moines, good marketing, Inspiration, motivation, real life situations
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments 11/11/2010

Car trouble over the past few weeks has consumed me. Having to rely on others for transportation, learning to drive a stick shift (sad, I know.) and just trying to coordinate schedules when there are two people sharing one car is a HUGE pain, but it sort of works itself out. The biggest surprise has been my experience working with a mechanic who sent me to the Dealer. What mechanic sends work AWAY from their business? Looking back, this situation segued nicely with some life lessons we should all be reminded of now and again. Let me back up and tell the story from the beginning.

I’ve been having some dashboard lights going on in my car recently. I took the car to an auto shop to get checked out. They said everything was fine. Took the car home, the lights come back on, wash, rinse, repeat. In fact, I took my car back to the same auto shop three times!!! Each time they told me it was nothing. I was doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.

Lesson one: If you keep trying the same thing, you’re going to get the same results. Try something different if you want something else to happen.

Two weeks ago, I t car repairs ake the car to a mechanic who specializes in my make of vehicle. He tries a few things out, then tells me if the car isn’t running funny the lights are nothing to worry about. But he gives me a warning, “as soon as your gas mileage changes or the car doesn’t seem right, call me!” Well guess what happened one week after I took the car to him? I took it back. Insanity, right? Not exactly…the lights were still on, but the car started to act funny – pardon my lack of proper mechanical terminology – but it sounded like my car was going to explode when it was in idle. I take the car immediately back to the mechanic.

Lesson two: Know what red flags you need to be watching for…and when you find one, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Don’t wait, act!

Mechanic spends several hours trying to figure out what’s wrong with the car. Calls me and tells me he has no idea. He’s stumped. He actually recommends I take the car to the dealer. I’ve NEVER had a private mechanic recommend I take a car to the dealer.

Lesson three: Know when to give up. There is no shame in admitting you’re stumped or don’t have the answers.

So I take the car to the dealer. The dealer gives me an estimate for repairs. I get detail from the dealer on exactly what they think is wrong. I call back the specialty mechanic and ask him if the dealer sounds like they’re legit. I also ask him if he wants the work. He tells me the dealer is legit in the diagnosis, and he doesn’t want to do the work because it’s outside his area of expertise.

Lesson four: Check your sources when you feel like something might be “off.”

AND lesson five: Know when something is outside your area of expertise and communicate that to the person you’re trying to help.

Picked up the car today…and it purrs like a kitten! So who gets my future business – the original auto shop, the mechanic or the dealer? Well, as much as I loved my old auto shop, the mechanic is taking this one. Not only did he try to help me (without charging me when he couldn’t find/fix the problem) he let me know when he couldn’t help me AND he sent me to the place that could. Because of his actions, I’ll remember him as someone I WANT to do business with in the future.

Lesson six: Honestly and integrity will always win in the end.

Media Relations Rules in an Online World

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", advice, blog, communication, Crisis Management, Media, Public Relations, social media
Posted in Interactive, Media, Public Relations | No Comments 10/05/2010

Like most public relations pros, my Google reader is filled with blogs about my clients’ industries, the daily news feeds for several national media outlets and various other job-related queries I need to look at on a daily basis. While that is part of my daily work, I also have blogs related to my personal interests like cooking, crafting and everything home that I follow. It certainly came as a surprise to me when I found some of my personal interest blogs were dealing with a media relations crisis.

Several of my favorite bloggers who write about their healthy living lifestyles and offer recipes, exercise suggestions and support were cited by a large fashion magazine for promoting unhealthy living in a magazine article titled The Hunger Diaries. The magazine paints an apparent unflattering picture of these bloggers, using their online diaries to showcase their “bad, obsessive habits.”

The bloggers, already a vocal group, came together en masse to write rebuttals to the article. Not only did the main bloggers cited in the article respond, but their readers and support system rallied around them in just a few hours to share their frustration with the magazine and reporter. Be sure to check out the Magazine’s Facebook page to see the hundreds of comments rallying around the bloggers.

The public relations implications of this incident are very representative of what clients fear every day when dealing with the news media. Clients are cautious of media interviews because they might not trust a reporter’s reputation. Some are afraid to grant interviews because something they say or do can be taken out of context or misrepresented. Add in the element of social media and word-of-mouth and clients are worried their comments can spin out of control before they even have a chance to clarify anything.

While the healthy living bloggers situation is less than 24-hours old, there are already public relations lessons to take away.

Always ask the intent of the story. Make sure the reporter tells you what they are trying to prove with their article. That being said, these bloggers asked the reporter her intent and claim they were lied to so…

Trust your gut. Some of the bloggers didn’t feel right during the interviews and felt there were some strange questions being asked by the reporter. If something doesn’t feel right, end the interview. But just in case, keep copies of all correspondence and don’t be afraid to take notes during your interview on the questions you are being asked and the way you respond.

Make corrections quickly. Within a few hours yesterday morning, the article was live on the magazine’s website. Most of the bloggers mentioned had their responses posted by lunchtime. Some even had point-by-point rebuttals to the author’s claims. If they had waited another day, another week, the story is old news.

Use social media to rally the troops. In this case, all it took was the bloggers to post the magazine editors name, e-mail and Facebook page link to get people to respond with their distaste for the article. By mid-afternoon, hundreds of comments were on the Facebook page against the magazine article. This passionate response was because these bloggers have a large base of followers who are interested and engaged in that community. If your customers aren’t engaged in your social media community, find a way to get them active before something like this happens.

Keep it in context. One lesson learned by these bloggers is that in today’s world, what you post on your blog can be taken for face value – and that’s it. One blogger’s 22-mile-run can sound obsessive, but when framed in context of marathon training, it doesn’t sound so unreasonable. Making sure you tell your whole story is incredibly important.

I’ve managed to keep the magazine’s name out of the entire entry, but since I haven’t seen it yet, Marie Claire, what is your response to all of this?

At The Heart Of Giving

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", Advertising, advertising agency, Andrea James, branding, communication, Des Moines, Inspiration, Iowa, marketing, Meals from the Heartland, Mission Assist, motivation, non-profit, Public Relations, strategy
Posted in Advertising, Interactive, Media, Public Relations | 4 Comments 9/15/2010

Phew! Another successful Meals from the Heartland event under our belts, and it never fails to inspire and energize us all over again. It’s our second year of helping to promote Meals from the Heartland (MftH), a mass food-packaging effort that brings together more than 14,000 Iowans to package and transport more than 4 million meals around the world. When we took on MftH two years ago as our pro bono client, we never imagined the impact working with this group of people would make on our own business. The kindness, the genuine hearts, the “don’t expect ‘no’ as an answer” attitude, and the fearlessness…I am consistently blown away by what this group of volunteers produces. Every year I think they’ve topped the last, but I’m now convinced more than ever, this is still just the beginning

Don’t get me wrong – it’s a lot of work. I’m fairly certain our agency has never put this amount of time toward any other non-paying client. But when we made the commitment, we all agreed we were making a commitment. And trust me, we’ve reminded ourselves and each other many times that we are fulfilling a commitment that we made. Inevitably, it all comes around to remembering the end goal…a starving person receiving a nutritional meal. That’s what it’s all about.

My favorite moment of the last two years working with MftH is standing in the middle of Hy-Vee Hall during the event with literally hundreds of cheerful Iowans buzzing around me – young, old, every race and religion, working together to feed people they will likely never see or hear a “thanks” from, and I get chills as my throat tightens and eyes fill. I get teary just writing about it. It is SO WORTH the time and effort. It restores my faith in humanity, and even in myself.

This year made me especially proud of everyone involved. The special vignettes constructed by MftH volunteers who visited Haiti served as a life-size visual of how people are living there. “Tent City”, as we called it, brought reality closer to home for most of us who have only seen the images on TV. I watched as adults cried their way through the maze of tents, and children asked their parents “but where are the bathrooms? What about bedrooms?” and their eyes grow wide as they were told the truth. When the idea of building the vignettes was first discussed in a committee meeting, I remember thinking it’d be a miracle if it really came together…so much effort, so much work. But it did. And it was my favorite place to be while volunteering that weekend.

I’ve taken lessons from the Meals group on how to make things happen, even if the rest of the world (literally) deems it impossible. It is this experience that has led our agency to a new venture in our business. While we can’t offer this same free service to all non-profits and still keep our doors open, we can offer our expertise and hearts to these organizations through an affordable and practical program that provides fundraising and marketing expertise. We’ve spent a good portion of the last year brainstorming, developing, refining and polishing our Mission Assist program, and I’m proud to say my heart is wrapped up in the offer.

As I ushered people into Tent City last week, a little girl who couldn’t have been more than 6-years old, walked by me and said in a shy, sweet voice, “Thank you for helping people who need it.” THAT, my friends, was my payment in full.

Defining Your Area of Suckage

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", ad agency, Advertising, advertising agency, brand, branding, communication, creative, expectations, funny, good marketing, Inspiration, motivation, strategy
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments 7/15/2010

I am a big Dave Barry fan. Not so big that I follow everything he writes – in fact, I just finished my first, and his latest, book entitled “I’ll Mature When I’m Dead”. It was funny. Like, sitting in bed laughing OUTLOUD hoping not to wake the kids kind of funny.

But tucked among the sarcasm, humor and self-deprecation, Dave actually incorporates little nuggets of wisdom, whether he means to or not. Last night I came across one passage that really got me thinking (one reason I liked this book so much right now was that, for the most part, it didn’t require ANY thinking).

Dave was talking about kids’ sports these days and how parents are so involved, sometimes a little too much. He cites examples like screaming on the sidelines and convincing kids of being really great at something they actually show little ability to grasp. Of his own athletic abilities as a child he said,

“I learned, for example, that even though I was not as big, or fast, or strong, or coordinated as the other kids, if I worked really hard—if I gave 100 percent and never quit—I would still be smaller, slower, weaker and less coordinated than the other kids. In other words, I learned that even though I enjoyed playing sports, I sucked at them. And understanding that you suck at some things is useful information in life. The world would be a better place if people were fully cognizant of their areas of suckage.”

Amen. I’m known for being fairly straight-forward, and will readily admit when I’m really not very good at something – math, computers, miniature golf, and swimming for any purpose other than not drowning. And it’s funny, and sometimes incredibly frustrating, when someone tries to convince me otherwise. “Oh, I bet you’d really like mini-golf, and are probably really good at it, if you’d just try.” Ummmm, no. I’ve tried many, many times, and I a) don’t like it at all, and b) really suck at it. TRUST ME.

I started thinking about this in professional terms. How many times have I come across someone who thinks they can do everything for their business? They know what their customers like, they know how to reach and sell to them most effectively, they know how to write copy for things ranging from newsletters to ads. There’s little they don’t know, and by golly, they sure don’t suck at any of this! That’s their business!

No it’s not. Their business is to make a profit (or, in the case of non-profits, to keep the organization going and growing). They are where they are in the business because they know how to do certain things really well. There are areas where they excel, and areas where they really aren’t very good. We all have these. The best thing to do is to admit what you’re NOT good at, and find someone who is good to help you! There is nothing wrong with admitting that. In fact, I admire people who do it.

I’m not going to get specific because everyone is good at different things. I just thought I’d start the reflection process for others as Dave started it for me. What are you good at? What are your areas of suckage? Are you trying to convince others that you’re really good at something you’re not? Why?

Andrea James
President

Keeping the Faith

Tags: "Love Scott & Associates", ad agency, Adam Jensen, Advertising, advertising agency, Andrea James, brand, branding, client, communication, faith, good marketing, marketing, Mission Assist, research
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments 6/09/2010

Last week I found myself reflecting a lot about the paths we take in life – both personally and professionally – and what outside influences affect and change them. I interviewed with the Des Moines Business Record for a story on branding/rebranding last week which had me thinking a lot about why businesses do, or don’t, make decisions that can affect their futures (ours, obviously, being the decision to rebrand) .

Additionally, and totally unrelated, our creative director, Adam Jensen, signed himself up for a 10-week intense group fitness challenge that one year ago, he wouldn’t have dreamed of taking on. In a sense, he’s been pursuing some personal rebranding, focusing on his health and fitness for the last year. After watching how hard he’s worked to lose 75 pounds and get into better shape, it was inspiring to see him take on something he’d once thought impossible. Both Love Scott’s rebranding efforts, and Adam’s new undertaking, had me thinking about the one thing they have in common. Making the decision to act on fear or faith.

Decisions aren’t always simple. For some companies, decision-making processes, like whether and how to brand/ rebrand, are daunting. Spending the time and inviting internal and possibly external criticism are not always pleasant thoughts. Likewise, personal decisions such as Adam’s, which require self reflection, motivation and determination, are filled with unknowns around every corner. Think about every decision you’ve ever made in your life. Each and every one was driven by the stronger influence of those two things: fear or faith.

Fear of failure. Fear of change. Fear of the unknown. Everything (non-life-threatening) I’ve ever not tried, I can attribute to overwhelming fear. Now, fear can also be a blessing, and it’s actually required for faith to even exist. But for many (and too many companies I care to mention), focusing on fear can be tragically prohibitive when it comes to making effective marketing decisions. What if a campaign doesn’t work? What if it’s too radical for their public? There’s no proof an effort WILL work, so why take the chance?

And then there’s my favorite word – faith. Faith in what’s possible. Faith in doing things right. Faith in discovery through effort. Every time I’ve succeeded at anything, I’ve counted on faith. Faith in myself, faith in God, faith in others. And there have definitely been times when I’ve leaned on faith only to fail. But those are also the times I learned the most about what was needed to later succeed. What if I’d listened to the fear and never tried? I wouldn’t have learned how to do it right, better, the next time.

Faith doesn’t mean entering blindly into a situation, counting on a miracle for something great to happen. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary offers this as a definition:

Main Entry: ¹faith

Pronunciation: \ˈfāth\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, fei, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide

Date: 13th century

1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1) : fidelity to one’s promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs <the Protestant faith>

Sincerity of intentions. Firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Complete trust. With a strong belief in any of these, good things will eventually happen. If your intentions are to market your company right, have faith in yourself and your convictions that it will happen. If you hire a company to do it for you, have faith in yourself to choose the right company, then have faith in them to do what needs to be done…right!

With our rebranding effort, it took faith in the time we’d spend and the system itself that got us through the process. We could have feared what we’d discover from surveying our past and current clients, or that extra time we had to invest might be wasted, but we didn’t. We kept the faith that it would all lead to something great. And it did.

Likewise, Adam let fear rule his decision a year ago and didn’t step up to the challenge he now has faith he can complete. He took some convincing, and had to dabble a little here and there to find his faith-footing, but he found it and is now charging forward.

What drives you and makes your decisions – both personally and professionally? Fear or faith? Which do you want to drive your decisions?

The Key To A Great Marketing Program!

Tags: advertising agency, appreciation, Bill Love, brand, branding, c-level, CEO, client, communication, creative, Des Moines Advertising agency, expectations, good clients, good marketing, great marketing, marketing, power trip, research, strategy
Posted in Advertising | 2 Comments 6/02/2010

I’m often asked what, in my opinion, is the key ingredient to creating a great marketing program. My answer seems to surprise most people, not so much because they disagree, but because it’s an ingredient often overlooked.

I think they expect my answer to be one of the following:

a) rock-solid marketing intelligence, well researched facts and figures on which to base everything
b) a well thought-out strategy that is on target and incorporates relevance and value in the proposition
c) stand-out, attention-getting creative
d) or; developing, articulating, building equity in, and then defending from all foes, foreign and domestic, a brand for your company or product.

All of those things are important to creating a world-class marketing program. But from an advertising agency perspective, I think the single most important ingredient to a great marketing program is having a great client.

I can think of no ingredient I would rank as more important. Great clients allow great marketing programs to happen. Not-so-great clients invariably end up with not-so-great marketing programs and, because they are by their very nature not-so-great clients, they usually end up blaming their “not-so-great advertising agency” for the poor performance of their not-so-great marketing program.

So, what is a great client? From my perspective, first it’s a client who deeply appreciates the importance and incalculable value of good marketing to the success of a business. They get it. They know that marketing is an investment that should realize a good return and that great marketing usually produces great returns.

Next, they are a client who knows what they don’t know. They may be a great businessperson, but unless they’re also a great marketing person, they know they should leave those chores to people trained in the marketing disciplines. They seek out great marketing people and then trust them with the company’s marketing program. Are they totally detached from the marketing program? Of course not. They supply much needed C-level input, but in doing so, they also avoid screwing up good marketing ideas by imposing their power trips on the people responsible for producing marketing results.

And finally, they encourage and reward great thinking from their marketing people. This takes guts! Giving people who hail from a totally different side of the brain free rein to be inventive, creative and cutting edge with your marketing dollars is an act of courage that I have not often witnessed in my 40 years in the business.

But I have occasionally seen it. And it’s a beautiful thing to behold when it happens. It also invariably results in great marketing.

Great marketing starts with a great client. Period.

We’ve all worked with an endless list of not-so-great clients, but can anyone out there give me an “amen” on the joys of working with a great client?

Bill Love

Hang On Every Word

Tags: ad copy, Advertising, auto ad, communication, compelling, copy, copy writing, copywriter, copywriting, creative, Des Moines, genius, good copywriting, IA, Inspiration, Iowa, Mark Twain, marketing, power, quality, Volkswagon, West Des Moines, written word
Posted in Interactive | No Comments 5/19/2010

I love words. I love how they form in your head, rattling around like jellybeans in a glass jar until they come clinking down through your inner ear, into your throat and out your mouth. With steamy, sensual passion or sand-blown rage these simple words change the world around us one syllable at a time.

As consumers, listen to the words that are spoken to you. Don’t just hear what the voice over is saying, but listen to the tone, the timbre and the way that they form the words before they roll out. Do they feel crafted? Do they have substance? Are they soothing or inspirational? Do they feel rehearsed or recited? Do they grate and scale against the soft parts of your emotional under belly?

Words have a lot of power. Especially when it comes to marketing and advertising. A client’s need to move a product or provide a service must be communicated to the audience in such a compelling manner that the burden on copywriters is sometimes overwhelming. But with that responsibility, a lot of ad copywriters have genius when it comes to crafting copy or dialogue that moves people. Think of your favorite television spots or your favorite print ads – ads that made you think or moved you into action. That’s copy writing genius.

***

On the other hand there is the dry, uninspired, rote, garish and simply boring side to that world as well (We’ve all seen those, so no need to embed one here…).

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
– Mark Twain

Clients need to understand that the message with which their brand is associated will last long after the commercial has gone off the air or the magazine has been thrown away. If the words move a person to turn the channel or flip the page, then they’ve just embedded their perception to your brand. If the words, dialogue or copy make the reader pause and takes them to an emotion other than boredom or frustration, that too affects the brand perception. Which would you rather have? Good language can be wasted in a matter of seconds and redemption takes an eternity when it comes to building and maintaining a strong brand.

The common denominator we have in communication is the word. Whether spoken, written, illustrated or otherwise, don’t underestimate the power of being human.

Sincerely,
Andrew B. Clark, Interactive Director

How Do You Create Value – Invite To Invoice

Tags: account management, ad agency, add value, advertising agency, Andrea James, communication, customer servive, Des Moines, Iowa, marketing, Pitney Bowes, Public Relations, response, Service, social media, Successful branding, Twitter, Value, value added, West Des Moines
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments 4/23/2010

We had a discussion among the Love Scott staff the other day about how businesses create value. When it comes time to pay a bill, you automatically measure the perceived value of that item against the price before handing over your money. If the value is considered less than the price tag, there are bound to be complications. But creating value is so much more than a product or service – it’s really about the entire experience.

When was the last time you walked away from a business transaction thinking, “WOW! That was worth every penny AND my time!” What was it that made you feel that way? Was it a unique product? Was it outstanding service? Most likely, you were “wowed” through the entire experience – from invitation to invoice. Or in this digital age, from log-on to log-off, because your website is certainly an extension of your brand’s perceived value.

Customer service/relations has changed a lot in the last decade with the emersion of social media in business. I still see ambiguity from business leaders to the idea of getting involved in social media marketing. While there’s definitely been a shift from the idea of social media being a “phase” to a general acceptance of it as a tool that will be around for awhile, many businesses are still not completely understanding the magnitude it can have in terms of hearing the customer, communicating with the customer, and improving customer service.

I faced it head-on a couple weeks ago when I innocently tweeted about trouble I was having with our postage machine. This is what I said:

I didn’t expect anyone to really care or even pay attention. Not five minutes later, I got this response from @PBCares:

It was, in fact, a Pitney Bowes machine, and long story short, there was a repairman in our office within 24 hours. Voila! Without even a phone call, Pitney Bowes made it clear that they noticed, appreciated our business, and valued us as customers. They created very real value. And my response was – WOW. Their Twitter handle is “@PBCares”, and they proved to me that they do.

As a necessary brand-building exercise, we are focusing on how we create value for our customers. From invite to invoice, do we go the extra step to help them understand the way we do things? Can we help them to feel more comfortable, even if it takes us a little out of our own comfort zones? When they get our invoice, do they scratch their heads or do they accept it knowing we created real value equal to the price on the paper?

So, how do you define value? How do you make sure your clients/customers are feeling valued? Put some thought into it and let us know what perceived value your customers should expect. Because at the end of the day, without value, what are you providing to your customers?

Andrea James, President / Public Relations Director

Fart Bubbles & Other Nefarious Myths

Tags: Advertising, Circut City, communication, funny, Jack Daniels, marketing, Max Factor, myths, Pontiac, silly, the 4 p's of marketing
Posted in Interactive, Media | 1 Comment 4/07/2010

Oh, for the love of the gullible 10-year olds of the world. OR… what an IDIOT I must have been? My uncle Teddy said with such conviction, “If you swallow your gum, you’ll fart a bubble.”

So, for the last 32 years, I’ve actually been swallowing my bubble gum in the hopes that I would prove my uncle his hypothesis true. You CAN fart a bubble!

Well, only part of that is true. I stopped chewing bubble gum quite a while ago – shortly after offending my soon-to-be ex girlfriend and her entire sorority pledge class at a football game in 1992. I actually stopped believing in the mysterious “fart bubble” about 12 minutes after that…

While it’s a humorous story and gets a HUGE giggle out of my own kids, it’s not at all the truth. So why mention it on an ad agency Web site? Because, just like the fart bubble, there are some MAJOR myths out there about advertising, and specifically ad agencies, that… well, let’s just say I’d like to “Clear the air…”

Ad Agency / Advertising Myth #1 – Advertising and marketing do the same thing.

Many people think that advertising is the same thing as marketing. Or that advertising is the same as selling. Aw, heck, they can be interchangeable for all we care…

WRONG!

Marketing encompasses all the activities it takes to move a product from inception to sales. This includes everything from market and demographic research to brand development, integration, design and packaging. Think of a discovery process using the “4 Ps of Marketing” – Product, Price, Promotion and Placement. Once this information has been tallied and compiled, THEN you start thinking about advertising.

Advertising, what I’d consider the more “cerebral” component of the team is the way we “Ad Folks” educate people about a product or service. Advertising can be used to communicate what a product is, how it fills a specific need or enhances someone’s life. Advertising covers how much something costs and where the buyer can get it. And from a branding standpoint, advertising can differentiate a product or develop an image for a specific consumer.

In most cases, it’s when these two are working together that sales happen. Good marketing can build a roadmap to get the product to the consumers, but without advertising stirring up traffic, interest and positioning the product in relation to its competition, not a single widget will be sold.

Hey, ya know what? Uncle Teddy had a great road-kill-skunk carcass-to-jerky machine built in his garage, but couldn’t sell the darn thing. I wonder why?

Speaking of skunk jerky…

Ad Agency / Advertising Myth #2 – Advertising sells you things you don’t want.

If this myth were true, then some ad executive somewhere (and my uncle Teddy) would be sitting pretty on a beach next to his or her own little airport in the Bahamas (or in a triple-wide with a cleaning lady named Trixie… pick yer’ poison). If a secret to advertising success exists, why do 80 percent of new products fail? And, why do seemingly well-established products drop from sight? Can you say, “Max Factor,” or “Circuit City,” or “Pontiac?” (And that was just in 2009!)

People have needs for products and services, but they have choices on how those needs are filled. Their decision to buy a product or service will be based upon their belief that what you offer satisfies their need. It will also be based upon their readiness to buy.

Ad Agency / Advertising Myth #3 – Ad agencies are full of a bunch of narcissists and crooks.

Smarmy Guy When I was interviewed for my first “Ad Agency” job, I distinctly remember saying, “I just want to do good work for good people.” (Jiminy Cricket has nothing on me…). Naive? Sure, but at 22 (and just off the search for the elusive fart bubble) I took relationships pretty seriously. I knew I had the skills to add value to any creative department, but if it wasn’t for “good people,” as I put it, then what would be the point? I might as well just jump right to the “scotch-guzzling, Camel non-filter smoking male chauvinist pig” stage. Thank God I found “Good people…”

Here’s where I bite my tongue. Yes, I’ve seen some pretty frightening things done and said in the name of “Advertising.” But trust me when I say, “There isn’t an industry-wide plot out there to bilk the public out of their valuable pennies.” It’s just not true. Of the handful of agencies I’ve worked for, the value clients receive is directly equal to the quality of craftsmanship and diligence the agency puts into their work. The clients will see results when the heart of the agency is truthful and honest. And consumers will be equally rewarded when it’s time to purchase.

With that, I’ll offer one last uncle Teddy-ism…
(Said through a cloud of smoke and on the breath of Jack Daniels himself…)

“If I spit on yer’ head and tell you it’s raining, would you believe me?” Of course we would uncle Teddy. You’re a very wise man.

Uncle Teddy or not, did I address some of your questions about advertising and ad agencies? What are some other aspects to our industry that may concern you? Please leave a comment and let us know. (I promise not to bring uncle Teddy to the next meeting.)

Andrew B. Clark
Interactive Director

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Posts Tagged ‘communication’

Life Lessons from Car Repairs

At The Heart Of Giving

Defining Your Area of Suckage

Keeping the Faith

The Key To A Great Marketing Program!

Hang On Every Word

Fart Bubbles & Other Nefarious Myths

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