PIXEL MAVERICK

It has been about a month now since Twitter launched their new advertising model …and for the life of me I am still having some trouble figuring out the value of it to a company/ brand.

This is not a Twitter hater post.  I have found Twitter to be extremely useful and keep my Tweetdeck open pretty much all day checking it as regular as Facebook.

But why would a brand pay money for the new ad model which seems to produce units that have the same type of information & customer value that a brand could create on their own for free with their own tweet.

According to Twitter the ad model works as follows.

Q: What are you launching? What are Promoted Tweets?
A: We are launching the first phase of our Promoted Tweets platform with a handful of innovative advertising partners that include Best Buy, Bravo, Red Bull, Sony Pictures, Starbucks, and Virgin America—with more to come. Promoted Tweets are ordinary Tweets that businesses and organizations want to highlight to a wider group of users.

Q. What will users see?
A. You will start to see Tweets promoted by our partner advertisers called out at the top of some Twitter.com search results pages. We strongly believe that Promoted Tweets should be useful to you. We’ll attempt to measure whether the Tweets resonate with users and stop showing Promoted Tweets that don’t resonate.  Promoted Tweets will be clearly labeled as “promoted” when an advertiser is paying, but in every other respect they will first exist as regular Tweets and will be organically sent to the timelines of those who follow a brand. Promoted Tweets will also retain all the functionality of a regular Tweet including replying, Retweeting, and favoriting. Only one Promoted Tweet will be displayed on the search results page.

OK, so “promoted tweets” is pretty much the same thing as the “sponsored results” that are part of Google’s advertising model.  For Google that makes sense since Google = Search.  For Google it works because the sponsored results are interwoven within the primary content that I am engaged with when using the best of Google (i.e. Search).

That is not the case for Twitter, and here is why.

The primary reason I use the service is NOT for it’s search capabilities.  I use Twitter to stay connected, and to share and receive information and links to great articles that I consider pre-filtered since I know they came from a network of people that I selected to follow based on similar interests to mine.  Sure the twitter search feature is nice and accessing it with Open API has led to some really cool and useful real-time feeds, but I do not spend the majority of my time on Twitter engaged with it’s search function.  If I had to guess I would say I spend less than 5% of my time engaged with Twitter on a search.

If I am not ever using the search feature, then I am not seeing the promoted tweets.  If I am never seeing promoted tweets then what good are they?

Assume that most people are using Twitter in a similar fashion to what I described and are using Twitter search less than 5% of the time they are engaged on Twitter.  Now factor in that only 7% of Twitter accounts are even active.

So, I will repeat my question …what is in this for companies & why should they pay for this?

A short humorous film about how Advertising is changing dramatically calling for agencies to wake up.

Ha ha, ….whoooboy, did you see the foosball table and the bear’s head.  Classic.

Ironically this is a 2 minute TV spot that is using the looming demise of the TV spot, the wasteful partying of addies since the Mad Men days, and the power of the consumer to fear-sell me on attending a Design & Digital conference.

(Those tricky advertising sons-of-beetchiz!)

SOLD!  I’m in.  They better have great booze at this thing in Tokyo and Amsterdam, because I am not flying biz class with my ad buddies just to get low quality foriegn hooch.

Kidding.  This is a great spot and given that it’s target is ad agency geeks like myself who are posting, sharing and blogging about this like wildfire …it will accomplish the objective of selling more conference tickets.

This video has gotten a lot of mentions in blogs this week, and now I see why.  All I can say is “WOW!”.

If you can watch this spot and not get a lump in your throat or feel any emotion, …then you are a cold heartless robot and you really don’t need to wear a seatbelt anyway.

Recently a friend of mine asked me to provide some answers & advice to her niece who is an undergrad considering a career in advertising.

I said “Sure!” of course, and shortly thereafter I received a nice email from “The Niece”.  Apparently, The Niece is a sophomore in college currently and she is studying journalism as a fast track pathway to a career in advertising.  She seems to have it all quite a bit more figured out than I did when I was a sophomore in college.  In fact, The Niece already has some career related options lined up for this summer that she is debating …either intern for an agency in London OR go on a class field trip to Cannes Festival.

At this point my “summer options” jealousy has kicked in and I am pretty sure that I hate The Niece …also I developed a working theory that she is mixed up in some sort of hush-hush co-ed scandal.

After getting over the internship envy and dismissing her alleged co-ed scandal, I looked over The Niece’s list of questions and prepared an email response and hoped that it will be helpful to her.

As I looked over my response before I hit SEND I realized that some of this information would be helpful to anyone who is thinking about pursuing a career in Advertising.

Here is what I wrote:

Hello ["The Niece"],

First, congratulations on your difficult summer options.  Between Cannes or London …those are both excellent work experience options.  I would need to know more about the London option in order to truly compare it against Cannes and make a recommendation.  Assuming your London option is to work as an intern at a quality agency/ shop >> my gut tells me that this would be the most helpful experience to your future.  The Cannes thing will be an excellent opportunity to network and make contacts, but you will work your butt off and learn as an intern dropped into the mix of the normal agency operations.

Now, to answer your list of questions:

How did I get started in Advertising? By accident.  I got out of college (undergrad) with a lot of ambition, but no clue about what I really wanted to do for a career.  I graduated right in the middle of all the dot.Com craziness and worked at a startup.  At this startup I was in sort of a hybrid sales & marketing role, and I quickly discovered that I loved two things; The Internet and Marketing/ Advertising.  After that startup flopped along with most of the dot.coms of that time I worked and held leadership positions at a couple different smaller agencies (web design agencies) for several years before joining a large digital agency in Dallas.  During this time I also went to grad school and earned an MBA which has been helpful in my career advancement.  After a couple years at the large digital agency I left and joined my current agency, The Martin Agency (traditional agency), and am helping them build their digital capabilities & integrating digital better into their work for clients.

What do I enjoy about The Martin Agency? The people & the brands.  I have an opportunity to work with some of the biggest brands out there, and do so while standing side-by-side with some of the most talented and humble people in the advertising industry.  There are several really great ad agencies out there today (Goodby, Crispin, R/GA, W+K…to name just a few) but The Martin Agency is a little different than all of them.  Maybe it is because they are all based in the big cities of NYC, LA, SF and we are in Richmond, VA, but the culture here is quite a bit different than many of the agencies out there today.  People come here because we are one of the best agencies forsure, but unlike everywhere else where the tenure shelf life is like 2 years …most people here at Martin stay for 7 – 10 years or even (gasp) longer.

My advice for you as you enter this industry. I am not sure which part of advertising you are pursuing a career in …copywriter, art director/ creative, producer, or account person …so there are definitely tweaks on my advice to be appropriate for each.  That said, I would advise that you follow the guidelines that I have listed below (no particular order):

• Understand Digital & Social for Advertising: Do not, I repeat do not try and come into advertising with only print or TV skills.  You will be lucky to find a job and if you do you will be asked to do digital work anyway and will get fired if you cannot hang.  So, while I do think you need to understand print, TV, outdoor, etc as part of your base of marketing understanding ….if you would like to start off on in this industry on the right foot then you should position yourself closer to the digital side.  By position, I mean know it inside and out as a marketer & also as a consumer/ user of digital media and social media.  For today, and for how things will be in the future this is probably my most important point to you.
• Go to Grad School or Advanced Degree: Depending on which (creative, account, etc) applies to you I would advise that you get a graduate or advanced degree at some point in your career.  My personal opinion is that you are better off going to work at an agency straight out of undergrad, then going back before you are 30 to get a grad degree …but I know that some advertising-specific advanced programs piggyback right ontop of undergrad so if you have that option I would take it then.  Either way, a graduate degree will set you apart from 95% of the rest of your peers that stop after undergrad.
• Experience a Nice Mix of Big & Small Agencies: People who have only worked at big agencies grow up in their career cacooned in their own silo area (creative, account) and clueless about most everything else.  On the flipside, people who only work at small agencies never know what it is like to deal with the good and bad of large agency operations, nor do they ever gain adequate experience with major brands and multi-department clients.  My advice is to not be afraid to spend a nice mix of small and big agency in your career ultimately ending up in the setting that fits you best.  Either way, you will better off if you get experience from both vantage points.
• Try on Different Hats: This sort of goes with the Big Agency vs Small Agency thing.  Most people who only work in big shops get blinders on with their specific role.  Bad idea to have blinders.  Find out what other people on your teams do …understand their role & the knowledge they have to have.  Occasionally you should work on some projects where you take on a role that is a bit outside your skillet so you can learn it and be more rounded.
• Join Local Advertising Networks/ Groups: It will pay off to know people outside of your own company & personal connections.  Find a couple things related to advertising that you are REALLY passionate about (social media, word-of-mouth advertising, ad club, whatever) and look for local networks, clubs, and/ or groups that meet regularly.  Join a couple of these and be active in it.  Don’t just go, but be active and sit on the board and be on committees, etc.  You will find entirely new opportunities and paths that you would have missed this way.

None of this advice is earth shattering new information, but I think it is solid direction for anyone who is thinking about starting a career in Advertising today so I thought I would share it.

I would love to hear from anyone who follows this blog about what you think about my list of advice for Ad Newbies …make comments on my recommendations, disagree with me and tell me why, add some recommendations of your own.

As for The Niece, …I expect to hear from her in about 10 years when she is kicking ass and taking names in what will undoubtedly be a VERY different Advertising industry (proof that a nasty college scandal can be overcome).

At the very end of 2008 an opportunity knocked on my door & I took it.  I made a very tough decision to leave IMC2 to pick up my family and move them halfway across the country (literally) to join The Martin Agency.  Although my family is ravenously homesick for quality Mexican food and we still have our subscription to D Magazine, …I think I made a wise decision.

The Martin Agency — Agency of The Year 2009

Now, can someone tell me why the hell East Coast people have not learned about real queso?

They happen everyday.  They are the things that things that mean the most to you — a compliment, a friendly gesture, something your child did that pulls a heartstring, a lucky break.  Ironically they are the things that probably go unnoticed 80% of the time because we are all too damn busy to appreciate them.

Walmart recently launched an amazing TV spot that highlights all of the little things that we should really slow down enough to capture.

Think about your last 48 hours.  What are some of the special little things that you overlooked that you wish you hadn’t?

Lawyers do it.  Pilots do it too.  Men & Women both do it.  Face it — we have all done it at some point.  In fact, you probably did it at a conference or some sort of training seminar away from home.

"Hello Mr. Draper -- how was the conference?"

Before you get all self righteous and defensive on me, …chill out because I am talking about mock trials,  case study team simulations, situation scenario role play.

We have all been to conferences and training seminars for work.  What is the best part of these events (other than the break from the office routine & the free booze)?  Sure there are usually 1 – 2 really captivating speakers on the roster, but the part of the agenda that always seems to be the most educational and inspiring are the breakout work-sessions.

Since I have participated in my fair share of lame breakouts, I will be more specific.  I am referring to the breakout sessions where people are broken into small teams, and they participate in a “How Would You Handle …What Would You Do Different …What Would You Recommend?” type of team simulation based on case studies that are realistic.  The teams are given a challenge/ objective, and the teams work separately to develop their solutions & ultimately return to the room where each team presents their final recommendations.

Typically these sessions begin with the session moderator handing out a thick case study document and briefing all teams on the setting of the scenario (Fictitious Company A is doing this …), and explains how the simulation will run & what the challenge specifics are.  Then the teams break off on their own and assign individual roles from within the fictitious company, and begin to dig into the challenge.  And then the game is on.

"First order of business, Bob needs kleenex"

So in the case of advertising, it would be something along the lines of …

This is an agency called Sterling Cooper; your billings have dropped by 10% over the last year and you have lost your last three new business pitches; you are invited to pitch an account that would replenish the billings shortfall but there is a conflict with an existing account & half of exec leadership wants to pursue but the other half does not …

OK, in this case study I want to be Don Draper, but since I am not a creative can I at least be Roger Sterling?

Maybe I am just a learn-by-trial type of guy, but I learn and retain more from 1 of these mock scenario challenges than I do out of listening to 100 speakers who might be covering the same topic as the scenario.  It is engaging, you learn more about the topic(s), and about how reality and group dynamics can affect the topic and your decisions — plus the competition makes it fun.

So, why do we only see these sessions at conferences?  Why isn’t this a standard part of an advertising agency’s ongoing training program?

The current version of this training is actually seen within most agencies every single day — but it is not really training, it is the actual client work using billable hours while people learn as they go.  Of course in real client work situations there is hopefully several people within the group that have vast experience with the challenge at hand to lead the rest.  That type of experience is even better training IMHO, and I would not suggest altering that.  I am, however, proposing that case study simulation & role playing training should be something that is used regularly to compliment what is learned in real client work experience.

This type of training is effective for everyone within the agency from the clueless junior Rookie, to the wise old crotchety Partner that does not “get The Whole Facebook thing”.  They can all read the books, and may pretend to pay attention in the Lunch-N-Learns …but at the end of the day they will learn a lot more from getting hands on and applying the topic in a simulation combined with a little healthy competition.

If you work in advertising, or are a digital advertising junkie like me then you have noticed that Razorfish has published some really great research studies this year — most notably Digital Moms earlier this year and Fluent just last week.  What is so great about these reports is that instead of the boring white papers that were the norm, these reports have been eloquently prepared with magazine-like visuals and layouts as well as editing to make the information presented appealing to a larger audience (beyond just the research & analytics junkies).

I read a post from a really great blog that I read daily, Conversation Agent, that covers a recent interview she had with Shiv Singh — the VP & Global Social Media Lead for Razorfish and one of the primary proponents of the great research studies that his agency has published this year.  You can read her full interview/post with Singh here, but the key quotes from Singh that really stood out to me are the following:

“What’s interesting is that on the advertising front, we’re seeing that social media being the perfect complement to all the traditional forms of advertising. It doesn’t replace advertising as we know it but extends it enabling companies to form much deeper, longer term emotionally driven and more balanced relationships with consumers.”

“I sometimes feel that folks on the agency side of the industry underestimate their clients. Our clients are more cautious than us for good reasons. Their jobs are typically on the line, they’re less likely to be over the top on a specific phenomena and they’re always constrained by the politics of their organization.”

“I think agencies are about to transform significantly. Firstly the separation between digital and traditional agencies is going to continue to blur. Separating those two worlds doesn’t make sense anymore. Everything is digital even TV is going digital.  Secondly, agencies are going to realize that a big idea with multiple executions needs to be replaced by the notion of many small ideas that are created in response to consumer behavior and are adapted, changed or pulled as consumers interact with it. These small ideas when strung together create the brand story. To think along these lines requires a totally different mindset and organizational structure for many agencies.”

“I also believe that agencies are going to need to focus on business transformation. Helping businesses transform themselves through digital technologies to increase the value they provide consumers.  It isn’t going to be just about marketing but how can you reorient your organization to engage with consumers in real time, incorporate their thinking into everything from product development and customer service and yes also serve as the influencers for your brand. The agencies that can play this role too and move beyond the strict worlds of advertising will win.  The dependence on media is already reducing. The new model will have to be a more consultancy oriented one.”

“…I try to practice what I preach and get my hands as dirty as possible. I learn the most when I work with teams on the ground and that’s one of the special benefits with working for Razorfish – lots of really smart people who are generous with their time, energetic and collaborative.”

Huge thanks to Conversation Agent for asking great questions to produce these nuggets of insight, and in general for consistently being one of the most talented bloggers in the Advertising/Social Media niche.

This is hands down one of the most creative efforts I have ever seen from people trying to get a job at an agency.

I am not sure who these two interns are but…holy crap what a resume.  If I followed the video correctly, not only are they graduating from a great advertising school but they basically interned at most of the reputable agencies today in a variety of locations around the world.  I am still blown away by their creativity, but now I am a little jealous of their freakishly amazing internship experience

Lastly… anything with stop motion + a really great song is very cool in my book.  Enjoy, and pass this along so these two will hopefully land their dream job at Crispin.

If you work for in advertising on the agency side, you have probably suffered the total WTF?! moment when the client makes an absolutely ridiculous financial request.

If this incident occurred over the phone you probably were stunned and had to hit the mute button while you and your colleagues all stared at each other with your WTF faces.  If this incident occurred in person then you still had your WTF face on, but the client stared back unphased as if they had just done you a favor.

This video will not undo the terrible treatment you have received, but it is spot-on hilarious for this situation so maybe it will help ease the pain a little bit.