I often try and take a trip to our local shopping mall. I hate shopping malls, but they're bloody useful for getting a feel for real people, rather than the fake ones in segmentations.
As it happens, today, I had to go to the Apple store, in said shopping centre, to get a new phone.
The shop was jam-packed, which might put some perspective on the twitter twatter about Apple having had it's day.
Real people decide the fortune of brands, no one else.
And they certainly were not there to buy 'tools for creative minds' and didn't seem to think they were in some hallowed temple.
In fact, eavesdropping on some genius bar conversations and general sales pitter patter, it struck me how much people just wanted stuff they were used to.
That was the safe choice.
Apple is the practical choice for many because it's what so many know, in terms of pure experience.
In numerous opportunties to have a Nexus, Samsung or whatever, I've stuck with Iphones just because I can't be bothered to learn a new operating system.I don't think I'm alone.
Don't underestimate habit, it's far more powerful, and common, than love.
Oh, and one of the genius bar staff was an ex-digital freelancer. Now that's a dose of reality.
Either Genius Bar staff get paid more than I thought or his work dried up.
Since he was one of those digital gurus who seemed to incapable of explaining anything without incomprehensible jargon, I suspect it was the latter.
Nevertheless, plan for the worst and hope for the best agency folk, it only takes a couple of phonecalls to drastically change everything.
Especially if you're the type who relies on knowing more than your clients do.
I've liked Original Source shower gel for a long time. I even worked on it once.
I liked the zing the experience gave, I liked the distinctive, natural, outdoorsy feeling the brand gave off (maybe because I was partly responsible for it).
But I don't buy it very often.
Because my local supermarket doesn't stock the men's range. And that's the one I'm used to.
To be more precise, I'm used to the eucalyptus one.
Like most people, I don't 'love' the brand or the product, I like it a fair bit but it won't change my life.
I don't think about it that much and I've better things to worry about.
So I only buy if I'm at Boots, or another supermarket. Which isn't that often.
I won't bother with online either, I'm not going to waste my time spending five minutes buying from a website when it takes five seconds to just throw an alternative in my supermarket trolley.
Meanwhile, Dove for Men is becoming more of a habit. Because it's there.
You see, brand preference is all well and good. You can can remove reasons not to buy as you go along too - in my case, a mens range and one that would wash my sparse hair as well as body.
But without distribution, making it easy to buy, most people don't care enough to seek you out and will be building up another weak habit all the while.
Or put another way, consumers are a bit like single men after midnight in a bar. They'll happily go with what's available.
The problem with research is that most people, intentionally or not, don't tell the truth.
Sometimes they can't articulate how they feel.
Sometimes they tell you what they think you want to hear. Or what is socially acceptable.
For example, most pollsters think that in the 1992 UK General Election, when the Tories got a majority when all the research predicted a hung parliament, it was because lots of folks thought voting Tory was a social no-no and even worse, some couldn't say they wouldn't vote for a bald, ginger welshman.
In group situations, we tend to conform to the group dynamic, or the person with the loudest voice.
Of course, this mostly means not bothering asking questions and observing. As I've said before, go to the jungle, not the zoo.
But still, we all have to get involved in primary research in living rooms and hotels. Like it or not.
Clients tend to lie as well. Not in a bad way though. It's just that it's hard to disagree with self confident, pushy agency types. Even worse, if you have a close relationship, they sometimes don't want to make you feel bad.
Suits can be that way with planners and creatives too. In the spirit of keeping everyone happy, it's tempting to say what people want to hear then do something else.
So how do you get to the truth?
Well.........
Jeff Hancock and his mates at Cornell University, ran an experiment where they got people to record all their conversations about the times they lied.
They found that people are twice as likely to have lied in face to
face situation as they are in an email. Apparently because emails are
recorded and your words can come back to haunt you.
In fact, he argues that it's possible the impersonal web might actually
breed more honesty from the permanence of writing stuff down.
Take this with a large pinch of salt, since, in the case of social media, in the UK at least, there's lots of evidence that our social persona is a lot more about who we want to be than we are. The Future Foundation found that a significant number of people agree, "I wish I was more like the image I maintain in social media" (but since this is research I guess you need to by cynical about that too!!)
But at least you're getting to the truth of how folks want to be seen, which is still massively valuable.
Meanwhile, in a face face to face situation, language becomes more impersonal more 'he', 'they' and 'it' rather than 'me' 'mine' or 'ours'. Also, they try to give shorter, less detailed answers to avoid getting caught out. This is far more common than 'body' language where good liars can employ a decent poker face, or even 'poker body'.
In short, if you want to be told the truth, as someone to send you an email. If you want to catch out a liar, close your eyes and open your ears.
So in research, get people to write down responses to stimulus, don't just get verbal responses. In fact, do as many written tasks as you can. In my view, pre-tasks that people know will be shared are particularly useful.
And try and listen to how people are talking, rather than watching. Record the dialogue and listen after, within the distortion of seeing the person.
In the job, get both internal and external people to confirm stuff by email. Look for those impersonal pronouns.
And learn to appreciate suits that religiously do contact reports, especially if they get clients to sign then off. It just might keep suits and clients a little more honest.
Maybe that's an advantage of being a planner. There isn't that much you have to write down apart from a brief.
And another reason to get out of your bubble and go and talk to people. Not only do ideas happen quicker that way, you can get away with murder.
When it comes to connecting with people, persuading them to do stuff for you, similarity works.
It doesn't matter if it's how you dress, speak, background, age, religion or what, we like people who are more like us and find them more persuasive.
Now let's be honest about the main challenge of planning. Planners have no power.
Maybe, they get to sign off creative briefs, possibly in some places, they need to sign of work before it goes to the client.
Honestly though, suits get to decide things all the time, it's their job. That includes strategy.
So do creatives.
It's they who really decide if the brief is right, by working from it or not.
It doesn't matter if God himself has signed it off, if they don't think the strategy is right, they won't use it.
Even worse, they might think it's right, but can't see any good work coming from it. So do something else.
And of course, client's decide everything.
So you, when planners have to persuade everyone, never tell, it makes sense to think about how you be more persuasive.
Because you certainly can't tell anyone, "Because I say so".
One use is that 'peas in the pod' syndrome.
That probably doesn't mean wearing suits because the client does.
I'm sure it means not putting on a Canadian accent to mirror a copywriter.
But look at every person you need to influence and work out what you have in common, or what you could have in common.
What they care about. What they like. What they're afraid of, what get's them frustrated. Their humour.
A quick trick is mirroring body language. In any meeting, don't copy people, they'll think you're strange, but try and subtly echo how they're sitting, what they're doing with their hands.
Lean forward when they do. Body language is an extensions of how we feel. Mirror somone else's and they'll trust you without knowing why, not realising you've made them believe you feel like them saying a single word.
But the reality is taking time to know people's motivations, their hopes, dreams and daily gripes. So you can share them and hopefully help.
That goes for the people we're all paid to influence- target customers.
It's really tempting for planning folk to try and look different. People need to want you because you'll add something different. But, perversely, you might get further if you make them feel you're not that different after all.
One of the problems with planners is their love of powerpoint. Scratch that, it's a problem with agency folk.
Endless stressing over the precise words that go into chart after chart, when, actually, a great presentation swings on people listening to what you're saying, not reading over-written charts.
For what it's worth, here's how I go about making presentation (when allowed to)....
Work on the three to five key points you want to make, rich hooks to hang your thinking on, stuff that's memorable. Make slides for them, mostly as great headlines and great visuals.
Then fill in the gaps.
But try and fill them with your personal script rather than more slides.
Or use props.
Create a new slide only when necessary, and never to help you remember your lines...rehearse, learn your script, so you're able to leave room for conversations and letting your audience in.
Anyway.
What's even worse in agency land is the way even simple meetings have to accompanied by powerpoint too.
When a conversation should do.When a conversation is much more useful than talking at each other. Presentations tend to sell, you don't sell in a relationship, you talk a bit and listen more.
A useful alternative to the powerpoint madness is the humble flipchart.
For a planner, there's nothing quite like jumping up, marker pen in hand, and drawing something to illustrate your point - looking as spontaneous as possible.
So people will continue to want you in the room for those sudden flashes of insight and interesting, graspable flashes of wisdom.
And flipcharts are interactive, or should be.
Interactive stuff was not invented when digital was. Making images jump up in keynote is not interactive, it's just polish.
Of course, spontaneity is hard.
So plan it.
Once when someone asked Churchill one of the great orators of all times, what he was doing, he replied, "Preparing my impromptu remarks".
Work out what you want out of a meeting, what you feel you want to say, what you want people to take out of it, and plan your killer points beforehand.
And prepare some killer flipchart points too.
In fact, prepare an arsenal just in case.
For example.........here's how you might talk about the fact that markets get more competitive the more they grow.
Iit doesn't matter if you're in a growing market or a mature one, a discussion about long term strategy eventually comes down to communications innovation or product innovation.
If you're talking to the average complacent marketing exec, you'll need to wake them up to the need for ads and stuff to be interesting and make folks feel stuff, rather than simply generating the right take-out.
Or remind them how un-special their product/service is in the face of the competition.
Or the fact that one day, it won't be.
So get up and draw them this....
If you're lucky enough to be in a new market, you have the luxury of creating communications that should stand out because you're delivering 'new news'. But over time, other players always come in and it gets harder to stand out, especially when everyone in a category says the same stuff.
So the best advice you can give to a new brand is to appeal to the heart instead of the head and try and build 'fame' with stand-out ideas that make people talk. The more you 'own' that category, but even more, you're seen as a brand people care about in general, the harder it is for another brand to come in and steal share.
Coming back to all that Ehrenberg Bass work, you need to make as many people familiar with you as possible to build and sustain growth. The more people have heard of you and know what you're about, the more likely the brand is likely to survive over time.
Innocent did this at launch. It's no accident that there are few smoothie brands you're heard of also. And making people care defended them against own label copies. Yes, they've reduced price recently, in the face of a more thrifty culture, yes they do promotions more, but the price cut is less deep than it might have been.
(yes this ad is product attribute but wrapped in oodles of quirky, memorable tone of voice)
And when you're in a mature market, you're in the 'crisis of attention'. Lots of brand banging on about themselves, connecting emotionally rationally, the whole lot. Stand out communications become a must.
Because of the need for salience and distinctive memory structures.
Honda is a good example of this. In one of the most crowded (and samey) markets of all, they did car ads that no one had seen before. Which went a long way to building massive business value.
Now this is all well and good, but as much as many would love communications to the only solution to sustained growth, it just isn't.
Because when more and more brands enter the market, you end up with a crisis of quality. Your product just isn't special anymore. Yes, you can continue to build brand value, but that will only get you so far.
He rigorously shows that KNOWING the future and predicting what will happen in any complex system involving people - an economy, a market or even the dynamics of a local supermarket price war - is doomed to failure. There are just too many variables.
The only route to continued success, survival even, is continuous innovation.
Ahead of the curve.
Writing the future, not waiting for it.
In other words, doing nothing guarantees nothing but failure.
Look at the way Apple's star is on the wane. They have a long way to fall of course, but they haven't lost share because of lack of distinctiveness of brand value.
They're run out of innovation. While Samsung have launched a credible alternative with the the Galaxy. While others have successfully launched mid-priced mini-tablets.
While they've started to rely on incremental improvements rather than great leaps.
Look at Yahoo, or Microsoft. Both got caught out by doing nothing about social before it was too late.
First Direct were a barnstorming success when they were first to market with telephone banking, but didn't innovate with online banking and now with phones and social, franky, they're behind the curve.
Yep, eventually, you have to innovate in the actual business of what you do, not just what you tell people about it.
That's where planning really gets interesting, when you're able to help innovate the business, even advise that RATHER than comms.
Helping clients n new markets see that today's game changer is tomorrow's has-been, and helping them build the innovation pipeline and make the business case for it.
Or helping clients in mature markets see that perhaps the problem isn't 'brand' or 'advertising' it's that the product just isn't special enough to justify the price position - or they're in a market that's doomed to fail.
Imagine if someone had told HMV they needed to build an MP3 offering before Apple launched Itunes?
Now, look at all all that waffle from one, badly drawn little diagram. Imagine talking a client through this stuff as you draw it up.
I once sat on the other side of a pitch, with the client.
It was an eye opener. Partly because, when you're on the recipient's side, it's really easy to dislike the agencies.
The way many of them think they're swooping in to save the day, the sheer arrogance to think that in a few weeks they know your business better than you (in some cases they do, but making someone feel stupid will not win you business).
(The picture is meant to be ironic)
But the good ones, the really good ones are hard too.
They look like they've worked hard, they look like they care and they're hurling their best stuff at, hopefully stuff that makes you think a little bit.It was overewhelming.
Think of how it feels in a creative review. The way a sensible planner never gives feedback first.
So, not only will other's can tell creative's stuff they might not want to hear,rather than you it gives you time to think and not say something stupid, or plain wrong.
Internally, when people hit you with their best stuff, you want to find a way to positive about what they've done, but in any situation, great work that makes you think means you often have fuzzy feelings and gut impressions, but you can't articulate them.You need time.
So give yourself time to think, work out how you feel about the work and, if you've worked out it's great, or could be, watching the discussion gives the best chance of saving it if others are killing it because they haven't thought enough, or if it's off brief and great, helping everyone see how the idea could get through and work.
Now, in a pitch, it's x1000.
Imagine an avalanche of thinking pouring over you over at least an hour. Then imagine the expectant faces waiting for some sort of feedback or Q and A. When You really don't know what you think yet. You need time. This kind of goes for any presentation by the way. Every creative presentation is pitch really.
So when you present, don't force feedback, give folks time to think.
Because if you force someone to say something, they will.
But because they've said it in front of everyone, despite the fact they may well change their minds, or it will come out wrong because they need time to articulate what they'll feel, they will stick to it. Because no one wants to look indecisive.
Everyone goes on about Carousel, but few mention that they didn't ask for feedback. They let the client just leave.
Every pitch, by definition is about newnes, surprise and novelty. Humans are programmed to seek out newness, but we're also hardwired to feel threatened by it and hold on to the familiar for dear life.
So, rule number one, give people time to think.I've often thought that's actually why having budgets at the end of a pitch is effective. It provides a gap to help people work out their response.
It even means you can be positive about having procurement their. If you can engage them in a chat about costs and rates, it gives everyone breathing space.
Now, the more cunning bit.
The Pratfall Effect.
The occasional slip up tends to improve your likeability. But only if you're in danger of being seen as too perfect.
This is not a problem I have experienced that often.
But then again, planners tend to be introduced as the brain of the operation. People can intimidated by the idea of you before you've even spoken. A little self deprecation and the occasional mistake made on purpose can go a very long way.
Many planners are not likeable, because they visibly think others are not as clever as them. Which means, clients and internal folks will be expecting not to like you.
So, at the level of the brief, the briefing and any presentation you make, don't make it utterly faultless. Bury a mistake, an imperfection in there.
Something that really does'nt matter, but something others can correct. Not only will they feel they now own a bit of your work, and support it more, they won't be imtimidated and they'll like you a whole lot more.
At the level of the pitch, insert an inconsequential error in it, something the client will love to correct. Even some flaws or unfinished aspects in the actual work.
Again, the client will feel they're part of it when they correct you, it gives them more time to think, they won't be intimidated and they'll probably like you a whole lot more.
By the way, this also should make anyone not confident making presentations feel pretty good.
If your work is sound and you look like you care, a little bit of stammering, a few visible nerves and stuff are good, it makes you look human, It makes people like you because you don't intimidate them.
Think about that next time you want to flash bastard a presentation, pitch of briefing.
There's a great Howard Gossage quote about advertising, how work should leave space for people to work something out and get involved.
It also applies to how you sell work, or strategy.
"When baiting a mousetrap with cheese always leave room for the mouse".
One of the challenges of being a planner is having impact in any meeting where most will see you as a necessary evil - or unnecessary evil.
Creatives think (rightly in many cases) they can do strategy.
So do suits, who like maintaining control of client meetings - many see you as a threat to their relationship.
Clients think they can do strategy too, many are either lazy, follow recieved wisdom or love overcompliacting things with needless data and research. Your skills of boiingl things down quickly AND uncovering the real truth can be viewed as a threat.
Now, over time, there's the hard work being interesting, helping people thinking they cracked it themselves, liberating others skills, being a positive force for good rather than a know-it-all sophist.And general reputation building.
But why work harder than you need to?
If you want to make a good impression quickly, just sit towards the middle of the table.
Priya Raghubir and Ana Valenzuela analysed the Weakest Link gameshow- where contestants sit in a semi-circle. Those in the middle reached the final round 42% of the time and won 45% of the time. Those at extreme positions got to the last round just 17% of the time and won just 10% of the time.
In another experiment, people were shown photos of five candidates for business internship, in a group. They were asked which should get the gig and chose those in the middle much more frequently.
They reckon there' a basic rule of thumb, important people sit at the middle that we all follow without knowing it.
I think it's simpler, at the extremes of a table, it's hard to get into the converation and make eye contact, but if you're in the middle, everyone tends to be looking in your general direction and it's easier to be heard. People at the edges have to try harder, and can look like they're struggling, or even worse, plain trying too hard (which they are).
Funny when tradition has it that the 'head' sits at the 'head of the table'.
Oh, and try and sit opposite the people you want to influence.
So yes, don't be the shy planner who hovers around until everyone has taken their seats. Don't be late and end up in the corner. Sit down first, sit in the middle and you'll be amazed how much easier meetings go for you.
"People have a much higher tolerance of boredom from advertisers than they ought. They wouldn't stand for such yawn provoking intrusions from their children or friends, so why should they take it from any Tom, Dick, or John Cameron Swayze who happens in? But they do take it, poor souls, and it's a pity"
"My idea of a piece of sculpture is a road. That is a road doesn't reveal itself an any particular point or from any particular point. Roads appear and disappear. We either have to travel on them or beside them. But we don't have a single point of view for a road at all, except a moving one, moving along it"
A long time ago, 1988 to be precise, there was a great TV movie about the Roger Bannister story- you know, breaking the four minute mile.
The actor that played Bannister, Richard Huw was an OK runner, but had to train to look credible and copy Bannister's precise running style. What was interesting was his claim that as Richard Huw, he could run OK, but as Bannister, he was quicker.
That's right, when he was acting as a famous runner he was faster than running as himself.
It doesn't make any sense, but it makes all the sense in the world.
The mind, and what it believes it can do, are far more maleable than we lead ourselves to believe. So is the actual self.
You can atcually change your personality by 'acting' like the person you want to be. If you want to be more confident, pretend to be more confident, copy the mannerisms and traits of someone confident you admire and eventually you won't be pretending any more.
But you can have an instant effect too, with all sorts of ways to trick the mind. That's why wearing the sports gear of your heroes isn't so dumb- you feel a bit more like them and start to play a little more like them.
Even more, copying Federer's forehand does't just help technique, it makes feel a little more like Federer and that precious mental spark makes you hit the ball that little bit better.
Just as my defective freestyle stroke was healed by trying to copy Micheal Phelps' distinctive stroke. Not just because of the technique, more that trying to BE more like Phelps enough tricks the mind into thinking you are.
Just as the biggest crunch meeting of the last few years for me saw myself and the very pretty account director decide to go as Don Draper and Joan. Now, it surprised the clients, expecting the usual overpriced, agency smart casual garb, but more than that, we nailed it. I really felt like I was presenting carousel.
Anyway, what I'm driving at is that if you want to address your personality, or if you want to be better at something, or get through a difficult twenty four hours, the only thing stopping is you is you.
If you're a suit wanting to be a planner, look at planners you admire and copy them. Their mannerisms, how they come accross, in fact, dress like them. But do more than that, read what they read, watch what they watch. And by acting like them, you'll find you become them.
That goes for planners wanting to be a bit more organised, or hold the room like a suit.
Just as,if you want to be patient fun parent, copy parents you admire, become them. Flick that mental switch when you become someone else.
Just as, if you want to hit better topspin forehands, invest in some Nike tennis gear and copy Nadal. Pretend you are him.
Just as, when Richard Huw copied Bannister, he ran faster.
That's why using relevant celebrities in brands isn't that daft. L'oreal might not make you look like Beyonce or Cheryl Cole, but it will make you feel a little more like them and perhaps that's all that matters.
So yes, it's not so much that you can be who you want to be, it's more that acting like someone else actually MAKES you someone else eventually.
When I was a student, there was a girl in the swim team. She was beautiful.
But she never really spoke to anyone. We all thought she wanted to keep to herself and had a hidden clique of equally beautiful and cool friends she'd rather be with.
We thought she just came to swim.
Until she came out on my final years sports ball (Always an interesting affair, since teams wore their respective sports kits. We made it respectable by wearing our training tops and baggy swim shorts - skin tight lycra wasn't a good look even in 1996).
As is traditional, the beer was cheap and plenty was consumed. By midnight, it was the usual mess. But there she was, nursing a drink by herself in a corner.
Looking lonely.
So, thanks to alcoholically fueled courage I decided to go talk to her. And the ice queen melted.
Not because of any charm, or because she'd been waiting all this time for moment I'd talk to her.
Now that would be silly.
Simply because I'd bothered. Because she was painfully shy and found talking to people hard. And because people assumed she was the usual self confident cliche with cool friends, no one bothered trying.
She joined the swim team to swim, but also make friends. But she didn't know how.
The only people that talked to her were louts trying to get off with her and other beautiful (but shallow) people.
When she came for training next week, she started chatting to me, and then others joined in and found out how nice she was.
That's the problem with perception. It becomes reality.
What you see isn't what you see, it's what you think you see.
You see the impossibly arrogant, beautiful girl instead of the shy lonely human being because culture teaches us that pretty girls have it all and have all the confidence in the world.
Just as you see people don't want to talk to you in your new job because they're all aloof. When they might be intimidated.
The creative director who is an egotist but is really insecure.
The aloof client, who is actually intimidated by self-confident agency types.
The creatives who won't talk to planners, not because they're arrogant, they're just scared that the 1% of their work that doesn't end up in the bin will be credited to someone else.
Or your perception of youself. "I'm not good enough for that. I'll never be allowed to switch departments. I can't say that, they'll think I'm mad".
Your perceptions and beliefs of situations, other people, and even yourself, are based on past experience, cultural conditioning and past experience.
They become your reality. If you want to change your reality, simply change your perception.
I was at an excellent Future Foundation conference this week. You don't usually say that about trends companies, but this one bases their stuff on data and is good at proper digging. And it's more about what people care about, rather than what's cool.
Come to think about it, that's a decent descriptor to good planning, but anyway.
One of the things they raised was the gap between between the 'social self' and the real self. Cut the pretention of that statement and you get into the fact people will often tell you what they think is socially acceptable, rather than how they actually feel or think. Now that social media is making lots of people create a 'better version of me' alter ego, not only does it mean social medai gurus should watch out spouting 'free research' and listening exercises as reliable, it points to something fundamental.
You need to work out if your targeting someone's self image or the real thing. And sometimes you're best resolving the tension between both.
For example, most people in the UK agree they're not influenced by celebrities. Many gurus will tell you it's all about peer to peer these days (the social graph if you're a jargon idiot). But success of the Mail Online (how big us Kim Kardashian's but today?) suggests otherwise, as does the continued success of celebrity endorsed brands. We're fascinated by celebrities, we just don't want to admit it.
So do you omit celebrity endorsement and make a big thing of it? Targeting the social self? Do you target the reality and use celebrity - but make it relevant and even ironic to make it socially acceptable?
Just as the myth that the British are getting angry and we're facing a generation war as young people realise baby boomers have left them with nothing. When actually, young people seem to be less bothered and are knuckling down and working harder. Or are they? Are they saying this but really waiting for a catalyst to get angry?
Pepsi with it's 'Live for Now' position is very much about 'Safe Rebellion' but not many brands are owning the idea of hard work and finding a way to make it cool - or even rebellious to make it work for both.
Take the 'Naked Citizen'. Right now in the UK we agree 'were on our own' and personal responsibility is on the up as the accepted social norm.
But not only do I have a hunch this is more lip service, there will be a gap between cultural pressure to control your own life and the realities of the skills and confidence of real people out there. Big chance to provide real help -or resolve tension to make us feel good, to provide an outlet.
Just Do It is a classic example of how this might work.
This really matters. Advertising really deals with how you feel about a brand, it creates memory structures that make the brand easy to buy. The long term effect of this lasts longer than the 'messaging' that quickly gets forgotten.
So, when you think about how you want to make people feel, ask yourself which person you're trying to get a response from. The real person, or the one they want people to see. Ideally, find a way to deal with both and resolve the tension between cultural pressures and the pressures of everyday life.
I was at an excellent Future Foundation conference this week. You don't usually say that about trends companies, but this one bases their stuff on data and is good at proper digging. And it's more about what people care about, rather than what's cool.
Come to think about it, that's a decent descriptor to good planning, but anyway.
One of the things they raised was the gap between between the 'social self' and the real self. Cut the pretiousness of that statement and you get into the fact people will often tell you what they think is socially acceptable, rather than how they actually feel or think. Now that social media is making lots of people create a 'better version of me' alter ego, not only does it mean social medai gurus should watch out spouting 'free research' and listening exercises as reliable, it points to something fundamental.
You need to work out if your targeting someone's self image or the real thing. And sometimes you're best resolving the tension between both.
For example, most people in the UK agree they're not influenced by celebrities. Many gurus will tell you it's all about peer to peer these days (the social graph if you're a jargon idiot). But success of the Mail Online (how big us Kim Kardashian's but today?) suggests otherwise, as does the continued success of celebrity endorsed brands. We're fascinated by celebrities, we just don't want to admit it.
So do you omit celebrity endorsement and make a big thing of it? Targeting the social self? Do you target the reality and use celebrity - but make it relevant and even ironic to make it socially acceptable?
Just as the myth that the British are getting angry and we're facing a generation war as young people realise baby boomers have left them with nothing. When actually, young people seem to be less bothered and are knuckling down and working harder. Or are they? Are they saying this but really waiting for a catalyst to get angry?
Pepsi with it's 'LIve for Now' position is very much about 'Safe Rebelllion' but not many brands are owning the idea of hard work and finding a way to make it cool - or even rebellious to make it work for both.
Take the 'Naked Citizen'. Right now in the UK we agree 'were on our own' and personal responsibility is on the up as the accepted social norm. But not only do I have a hunch this is more lip service, there will be a gap between cultural pressure to control your own life and the realoties of the skills and confidence of real people out there. Big chance to provide real help -or resolve tension to make us feel good, to provide an outlet.
Just Do It is a classic example of how this might work.
This really matters. Advertising really deals with how you feel about a brand, it creates memory structures that make the brand easy to buy. The long term effect of this lasts longer than the 'messaging' that quickly gets forgotten.
So, when you think about how you want to make people feel, ask yourself which person you're trying to get a response from. The real person, or the one they want people to see. Ideally, find a way to deal with both and resolve the tension between cultural pressures and the pressures of everyday life.
It was my father in law's, but he's long past going out on the road. I wanted to get back into road biking, so he gave it me. At that piont it was still his. Basically, it was a frame that needed building back up.
But now it's mine.
I wanted to do this partly because this is the year of not buying anything, so I couldn't buy a new one anyway.
But it's more than that.
This is a Raleigh bike. That used to mean something, when they were made in Nottingham,like this one, rather than a factory somewhere abroad. I grew up with Raleigh Strika's and Grifters. I love Raleigh.
My father in law loved cycling, still does. When the Tour De France comes through Yorkshire, he'll be up at 4am to make sure he gets a good spot. He loved this bike and seeing it come to life means something to him.
And if I'm learning anything this year of not buying what I don't need, it's that you can't buy happiness. You get out what you put in. I could have bought a bike, but I wouldn't have loved it like I love this one. Because I've helped build it back up. It's mine in a way a brand new one never would be.
Cycling to me is freedom. So much of it now is about aesthetics and having the right gear. That's not what it is to me. It's something simple and real. Road biking just seems like the purest expression, the level of wind, the breathtaking speed. It's real.
Now it's been a while since I was on a road bike. My legs are killing me, by back isn't used to that crouching position yet, but the sense of velocity, of being out there by yourself...and being able to go so far on your own steam is pretty special.
And doing it on a bike that, in so many ways, feels like 'mine' makes it feel more special. Because we all feel more attached to stuff that has required some effort, things we've had a hand in making. Stuff with history and story.
So when I'm on this bike, I'm not just riding with my father in law, I'm riding with all those craftsmen in Nottingham, I'm riding with the blokes in the little independent shop that helped me restore her, I'm riding with 10 year old self on a Raleigh Strika, a 15 year old me with racket bag on my shoulder, haring through town on my racer,to play tennis, a 20 year old me whistling through the streets to get to lectures or make swim training in time.
In fact, this bike might be 'mine' but you could say it's 'ours'.
Part sponge, part despot, part aggressive protector of team, part diplomat, part crafts-person, part researcher, mostly ideas fountain
Never undermines their team, looks to build their confidence, leads by example and guides rather than tells
Sometimes not a little bit frightening
Excellent judge of strategy and ideas, even better at presenting them
Never says 'No' to anyone without giving a good reason
Draws out the best in people without doing their job for them
Knows when to advise their team the creatives or the suits are right. But also knows when to defend their team when they are not
Never throttles bad thinking without inspiring the thinker to think better
Still trying to change things and learn, rather than boring everyone with the stuff they did ages ago
Exists to help others shine: their team, creatives, suits, the clients, rather than existing to maje it work the other way around
Is adept at politics, but doesn't believe the route to success is being political
Believes great planners care less about planning and more about real people in the world, and looks to build a team of people who are experienced in life, rather than advertising
Kicks their team out of the office to go look at real people living real lives
Exists to liberate creativity that builds businesses, rather than exists to do (insert proprieratary process here)
Encourages their team to understand their clients' business from end to end, not just the 'brand' bit
Bans marketing speak, brand bollocks and general jargon
"Every human being at every stage of history is born into a society and from his earliest years is moulded by that society. Both language and environment help to determine the character of his thought; his earliest ideas come to him from others. The individual apart from society would be both speechless and mindless"
"I am already discredited, I am already politicized, before I get out of the gate. I can accept the labels because being a black woman writer is not a shallow place but a rich place to write from. It doesn't limit my imagination, it expands it"
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