Did You Know 4.0
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: October 19, 2009
I was recently introduced to this YouTube video called “Did You Know 4.0.” I started interning at two digital marketing agencies this semester, and every day I am reintroduced to the power of online media and how it will revolutionize the advertising industry the way television did in the 1960’s.
Comment if you feel compelled.
Lots of Airtime vs. Little Airtime
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: September 29, 2009
With the recent onslaught of Starbucks Via Ready Brew commercials, I began to wonder: “Do consumers recognize (and remember) products more if they’re rarely aired?” Does the adage “Less is More” ring true in this situation? Starbucks, for example, “ran its first TV ad in nearly a year just before the November election.” Recently, during the SNL season-premiere, it aired four 15-second TV spots.
Big name brands, such as McDonald’s and Tide, air TV spots constantly; they’ve built their recognition on years of exposure. However, since we see them so often, it’s sometimes difficult for consumers to remember when the ad aired, or what show they were watching while it aired. With Starbucks, since they air so infrequently, it’s easier to remember when and what they broadcast. Or is not?
Shocking Ads: Uncalled for, or Secretly Used to Drive Attention?
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: September 7, 2009
In the wake of the DDB Brasil controversy, where the agency used 9/11 catastrophe scenes in a print and television spot to try and win advertising awards, my roommate had an interesting thought. “Well, its generated a lot of attention, hasn’t it?”
Yeah, but what about the principle of the thing?
“Think about it. Where people talking about the World Wildlife Foundation yesterday?”
No.
I can see his point, and it reminds me of the recent Best Buy controversy. True, these instances do generate attention. Negative attention, but isn’t that whats talked about most in mainstream media? This cannot be denied.
I don’t know what DDB Brasil’s intentions where. Did they just want to win awards? The consensus seems to be “Yes” because it was just a one-off. Or did they really think that connecting 9/11 with the 2005 tsunami was good for WWF branding purposes? I don’t think so.
How to Use LinkedIn to Your Advantage
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: August 20, 2009
A lot of people that I speak with don’t have the slightest clue on how to leverage the power of LinkedIn. Most people assume it is the more “professional” or “business-y” version of Facebook. I’m here to say that, LinkedIn is a very useful marketing and networking tool. It’s one thing to have created a profile for everyone to see; it is another thing to actually go and use it.
Here is the quickest way to connect with people through LinkedIn:
At the top, click the down pointing arrow next to Companies and then click Company Search. Type in the Company Name or Keyword in the search query, and then if desired, select a location in the Location field.
I typed in Saatchi & Saatchi. From there, LinkedIn brings you to the Companies Home page. It provides you with current, former and recently hired employees, along with related companies, key statistics (i.e. different cities that host the company, common job titles, etc.), promotions and the most popular profiles within that company.
Say I want to work for Saatchi & Saatchi in New York. I would select the Greater New York Area (which has 452 profiles), which would then take me to a list of people who work for Saatchi & Saatchi in New York.
Here is where it gets really cool. Suppose I was looking to connect with a Creative Recruiter at Saatchi & Saatchi. I would type in that title in the Title search field and anyone who is a Creative Recruiter at Saatchi & Saatchi in New York would show up. Also, lets say I wanted to see if there were any Michigan State alumni working at Saatchi & Saatchi NY. Under School on the right hand side, I would type in the name of my school, and wait to see if any MSU alumni happen to work at Saatchi & Saatchi NY. Three people do! From there, I could message them, saying I’m a current MSU student and I’m reaching out to you because I found you on LinkedIn and I’d love to work at Saatchi & Saatchi NY.
Pretty cool and easy to use. Now when people ask you what’s so great about LinkedIn, you can counter with how you have used it to your advantage.
The Thinker. The Idea.
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: August 6, 2009
- In: advertising
- 1 Comment
“The frightening and most difficult thing about, being what somebody calls a “creative person” is that you have absolutely no idea where any of your thoughts come from really. And especially, you don’t have any idea about where they’re going to come from tomorrow.”
>>Hal Riney, from the film Art&Copy
The most exciting part (naturally) of being a “creative person” is discovering the big one you’ve been toiling over in your head for so long.
What thinkers have to come to terms with is this never-ending thought process. On vacation, at dinner, at the movies, at the gym, at the park, going to sleep. The mind is constantly active. The mind is constantly thinking: ‘How can I put two and two together to make something special?’
What can get frustrating, but on the same token, so exhilarating is the maturation of ideas at the moment when least expected. I bet 10/10 creatives carry a notepad with them everywhere they go. Falling asleep must take forever. A conversation becomes pretty one-sided when the person talking realizes the listener is too busy musing.
George Lois: “That’s advertising, baby.”
California Wrap-Up
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: July 31, 2009
Let me reintroduce myself…
As some of you might know, I recently returned home from a eight-day trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles to visit ad schools and ask, “Can I see myself living here if I ever get accepted?”
First things first, all of the schools were fantastic, which makes it that much harder on deciding which one’s to apply and (hopefully) eventually attend.
My first stop was at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. You seriously can’t round a corner without seeing posters, paintings or banners bearing the Academy of Art logo. The Stephens family owns a lot of property. The Academy is a huge school, with more than 13,000 total students and approximately 3,500 postgraduates (which is what I’m interested in). Some great creative advertisers have emerged from the school, including the copywriter who penned the “Get a Mac” campaign. Impressive
.
Next stop was Miami Ad School SF. I passed the Transamerica Pyramid on my way to the building, which was cool to see, since it is a landmark and almost always seen in the San Francisco skyline. The school has excellent quarter away, greenhouse and internship programs, both domestic and international. So those of you who have studied abroad and wish to return can do so here. Along with an awesome portfolio at graduation, there is also the benefit of having made countless connections through the teachers who work in the field who know who you are and can assist in landing a job.
California College of the Arts was next up. What I fancied the most was the creative freedom implored at the school. There was such an open-door policy that anyone from any department could walk in and give their objective criticism of someone’s work. Which is great, because it’s essential to have people from different backgrounds approve your work, otherwise it will become stale and one-dimensional.
The great thing about all these schools is that they’re located in the Bay Area, which is full of inspiration and different travel destinations. From San Francisco, it’s possible to visit Berkeley, Oakland and San Jose. Lots of agencies have offices or are headquartered there. Plus, you’re adjacent to Silicon Valley, where Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft call home. It really is an awesome place to live and work!
Last but not least was the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Famous alumni include Michael Bay, Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn of Linkin Park, and Roland Young of Capitol Records. It was named by BusinessWeek as one of the best design schools in the world. Their MFA program in Media Design, where students concept and invent new mediums for companies, like iPhone applications or interactive templates, is rigorous but worthwhile.
All of the schools had their own unique voice. I feel like I could attend any one of them and graduate with an awesome portfolio and great connections. Ad school is like undergrad., you’re gonna get out of it what you put into it.
Great Points from a Great Book
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: July 20, 2009
Anyone that read the “Getting Started in Social Networking and Optimizing Yourself” post (which is probably one, my Mom), this piggybacks off that (not my Mom, the article).
David Meerman Scott, author of “The New Rules of Marketing and PR”, explains the differences between the old and new rules of marketing and PR, and then breaks down all the online tools available for making your online marketing plan successful.
His #1 rule is: Focus your co
mplete attention on the buyer of your products.
Excellent key point. So many companies, on their Web sites, brag about themselves, the work they’ve performed, or products they’re selling. However, none of those accomplishments would be possible without your buyers. So make sure to give them attention.
When it comes to implementing your marketing plan, the “first step is to get with the leaders of your organization…and determine your business goals.” Everyone in your business wants to succeed, so it’s a perfect common ground to start from and build your business up.
This next part I deem extremely important, and it’s an element I think is vastly overlooked when developing an online marketing plan. You need to “segment your buyer personas so you can then develop marketing programs to reach each one.” “What are their goals and aspirations? What are their problems? What media do they rely on for answers to problems? How can we reach them?”
“A buyer persona profile is a short biography of the typical customer, not just a job description but a person description.” “The important thing is that you will use this buyer persona information to create specific marketing and PR programs to reach each buyer persona, and therefore you need to have the segmentation in fine enough detail that when they encounter your Web site, your buyer will say: ‘Yes, that’s me.’”
“It’s more effective to listen before you talk.” That can be said about anything.
When writing rich, Web content it’s important to identify the “typical consumer” who visits your site. What books do they read? What words do they use? What do they listen to? Develop your content using the words that they would use, and you’ll be better at attracting new customers and retaining old ones because you speak their language. Scott suggests to “check out blogs in your buyers’ space and study the agenda and topic descriptions for the conferences and seminars that your buyers frequent. When you have a list of phrases that are important to your buyers, use those phrases not only to appeal to them specifically, but also to make your pages appear in the search engine results when your buyers search for what you have to offer.”
I know I’ve quoted a lot from Scott’s book, but that’s to convey that the guy knows what he’s talking about, can articulate his thoughts and ideas clearly, and is easy to read for beginners like myself trying to get there name on Google and make themselves relevant on this Earth.
The “Other” Axe-Effect
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: July 15, 2009
I feel compelled to blog about the frustration I’ve had with various companies (I won’t name names) that post internships on their Web sites and then rescind on that offer.
Literally, I’ve had five companies that I’ve applied for summer internships at and they’ve discontinued their internship program. It’s obnoxious because I put so much time and energy into formulating cover letters, tailoring my resume and altering my portf
olio to their specifc needs.
Then, after numerous times of following-up with no return, I finally get an auto-generated e-mail that, more or less, is a loser speech.
And I’m speaking on behave of the x-number of other applicants that got their hopes shattered. It’s unprofessional, rude and generates a lot of negative PR. I mean, I talked up a lot of places I applied to, breeding attention and awareness for them.
Free advertising!
Then they pull the plug on the internship. All that hard work was in vain. Nothing tangible to show for it.
It’s not just internships. Friends of mine that were offered jobs had them rescinded, some six weeks before they were supposed to start! It puts them in a sour position because they were counting on moving out and working for this company before they the axe got dropped. Now they need to reformulate their entire plan.
I hope I’m not the only one that has gone to the blogosphere to voice my discontent. I hope viewers read this and share their stories of companies they held in high regard until getting rejected.
Getting Started in Social Networking and Optimizing Yourself
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: June 17, 2009
You know that kid that you can’t stand? The one that seems to never sleep, always attends non-mandatory speaker forums, constantly revises his/her resume, and is always the first to learn the newest software or social networking tip.
Everyone is telling them to relax; there’s always time for that later. It’s Friday! To everyone else, they don’t get it.
Don’t look now, but that person is rubbing elbows with industry professionals after inking there first contract with a job out in NYC. And you? Well…not exactly.
Luckily, I try to surround myself with people much more motivated than I am. Thankfully, their enthusiasm has been contagious and now I hope to pass what I’ve learned from them, to you.
It all starts with getting noticed. And the way to noticed is to prostitute yourself on the Internet, so that anyone searching for you and your company can find you. Quoting from Bill Bernbach: “…they can’t know what you’re saying if they don’t listen to you, and
they won’t listen to you if you’re not interesting, and you won’t be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly.” So when you spread the word about yourself, do it so people will remember you from everything else they are bombarded with.
There are countless social networking platforms to join (like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg, etc.). Usually, there’s a spot to post a URL to another site. For example, on LinkedIn, use it to post a link to your Twitter, and then from your Twitter, use it post a link to your Web site.
You get the drill.
You link sites together. This is how you optimize. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a Web site from search engines via search results. Typically, the earlier a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine.
Jeff Jarvis, author of “What Would Google Do?” gives his rationale for links: “For almost every industry and institution, the link forces specialization. The notion in providing a one-size-fits-all product that does everything for everyone is a vestige of an era of isolation….The specialization brought on by links fosters collaboration—I’ll do what I do and you’ll fill in my blanks. It creates new opportunities to curate….”
Once you’re linked together, promote your sites and wait a couple of days to accrue clicks. Search for your name and you’ll likely find yourself on the first page. Pretty simple. The only time consuming element is writing relevant information about yourself and keeping it updated.
Of course there are better, more efficient ways to accomplish this. I’m explaining how I achieved a level of optimization for my name. I welcome people to share their stories and encourage everyone to help and improve each others name and brand. We’re all in this together.
Ellen Lupton—My new role model
Posted by: brianvandeputte on: June 12, 2009
I’ve recently discovered someone in my life. I’m ashamed to confess I’ve missed her. Her name is Ellen Lupton, and she should be a familiar name to people involved with design.
Ellen is a writer, curator, and graphic designer. She is director of the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, where she also serves as director of the Center for Design Thinking.
Ellen has written four books, two which I’ve read and one which I am going to read.
The first book I’ve read of hers is titled “Thinking with Type“. I first heard of this book during the Fall 2008 semester at MSU. I hate to admit that when my professor first mentioned it, I blew it off. But after hearing how typography is so important to good design, I decided to give it a try. If I remember correctly, Ms. Lupton summed it up perfectly when she wrote “Typography is language we see.” And how many different fonts are there you ask? Between 40,000 and 100,000 according to Microsoft.
Thinking with Type is a perfect book for beginners (like me) who are curious about typography but aren’t fluent in the advanced language of type. It gives quick history timelines, font classes and explains the details that make each font unique. Because I can imagine when people read, they hardly notice the difference between Helvetica and Newhouse DT.
Ms. Lupton’s second book I’m reading is “D.I.Y. Design it Yourself“. This book is perfect for students (like me) because it teaches all the different ways people can make themselves there own brand. It points out great ideas for blogs, designing business cards, logos, T-shirts…and much more. All in very short, very simple and easy to read chapters. I use it for daily inspiration when thinking of new concepts to design, either for myself, my portfolio book or my friends.
Her most recent book, which I haven’t read YET, is titled “Graphic Design: The New Basics” and is a guide to basic design principles. According to Ms. Lupton: “Graphic Design: The New Basics lays out the elements of a visual language who forms at employed by individuals, institutions, and locales that are increasignly connected in a global society. We hope this book will inspire more thought and creativity.”
I look forward to reading her latest book and I suggest everyone pick up there own copy.
