DiarioDeRalo

J&J & the Blogger Power

2008-05-06T10:15:00.001-07:00

With hopes of creating an open dialogue and building some loyalty (and buzz) among consumers, J&J recently invited more than 50 influential mom bloggers to a fancy “Baby Camp” event (with all costs paid) in New Brunswick.

Even though J&J seemed to have great intentions, they took some missteps that got some moms furiously blogging before the event even happened. For instance, J&J did not welcome babies at the the uh…”Baby Camp” event (not even breastfeeding infants).

According to the article below, “J&J did recover its balance quickly and the event turned out to be a success and, by most accounts, the company scored points for reaching out to bloggers with complaints.”

My takeaway is that while trying to connect with moms, J&J could have taken a more “human” approach. One way they could have done that could have been to position the “sans-baby” idea as a suggestion for women to take a fun, deserving and rechargeable break. Instead of prohibiting babies, J&J could have offered the moms some baby care solutions. They could have offered a state-of-the art baby care at the hotel or offered to pick up the bill of the baby care back home.

As we are going through a huge transition with marketing models, brands are still learning how to engage in this new, “conversation” era. It’s important to be open to start that conversation, even when things don’t turn out perfectly. The fact that the J&J event turned out a success goes to show that people appreciate (and sometimes create an even more bonded relationship) when brands are open to have a real dialogue.

To read the full article, go to http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2008/05/jj_sees_potential_in_blogger_p.html

Source: The New Jersey Business News

Comedy is king for teens

2008-05-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

In times of recession and wars who doesn’t welcome a good laugh? It was reported today that the top three movies in the box office this past weekend were comedies: Baby Mama, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
“Comedy is definitely king right now”, says film tracking executive Paul Dergarabedian. As the prolific Jude Apatow consistently reigns king (The 40-year old virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), it’s obvious he’s certainly connecting with the young audience. As Y Pulse’s blog reports “Comedy flicks like "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" have become such mainstays in teenagers' DVD players that you would be hard-pressed to find someone under the age of 30 who hasn't watched (and re-watched) them over and over again”.
Interestingly, it was recently reported that cult-classics like John Hughes’ “Sixteen Candles” and “Pretty in Pink” outrank any of the Jude Apatow current flicks when it comes to teens’ favorite movies.
Regardless, it’s clear that both Apatow and Hughes have definitely been successful at connecting with teens. Apatow has long called Hughes a major inspiration and as such, their movies have similar themes that may explain some of the reasons why teens (of any decade) will watch and re-watch their movies:
Likable, smart and funny characters with real teen problems
A mix of outrageous humor and sweetness combined
Outsiders as the lead characters

If you think about it, teens haven’t changed a lot. Technology has definitely made an impact on how teens live and how they communicate but that genuine teen angst seems to be timeless. Aww.

Sources: The Canadian Press, ypulse.com

Big Retailers Seek Teens

2008-05-06T10:12:00.001-07:00

There’s no denying that this generation of teens is very stylish, design-savvy and, dare I say it, a bit fashion obsessed. From designer handbags to sleek iPods to design-your-own Nike ID’s, fashion and design seem to affect every part of teens’ lives. What’s a bit different from other generations though is that teens today have never had so much access, so fast, to new trends. They know what stores are in and what stores are out. And according to sales, big department stores are out (cue Heidi Klum’s German accent).

Even though JC Penney is the store where 13 to 20 year girls shop most often, it’s not where they like to shop most often. Teens see old-school stores like Dillard’s, Sears, Kohl’s and JC Penney as their mom’s brand and that’s just a big turn off. According to Penney’s CEO Mike Ullman, once teens actually get their driver’s license and credit cards, they choose to go to more hip, specialty stores such as Forevery 21and Abercrombie & Fitch.

In hopes to redeem themselves and find new ways to connect with the savvy and oh-so-sophisticated (and recession-proof) teen target, big department stores like JC Penney are finding innovative ways to win them over (and it seems to be working). First and foremost, it’s all about the product and the experience so they’re adding exclusive apparel lines (e.g. Fabulosity designed by Kimora Lee Simmons) and are focusing on the brand names (vs the company name). JC Penney is also providing better lighting and more displays showing how to wear different outfits (teens are always on the look out for some fashion tips) for different “lifestyles” (from ‘active wear’ to ‘hip city’ styles).

From a communication standpoint, some retailers are using social-networking sites as a marketing tool. However, they’re using with a purpose and as a way to provide helpful and welcome services, such as hooking teens up with podcasts of interviews with designers, offering virtual dressing rooms and sending emails with sales and discount codes.

It’s good to keep in mind that the experience plays a huge role for teens. They want a bit more than just clothes. They want the little extra they can’t get somewhere else. Be it an “exclusive” collection, fashion tips or even just a behind the scenes peek, teens wants brands that are as savvy as they are.

Read the full article at http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2008-04-13-teen-marketing-stores_N.htm

Gen Y: Life as an open blog

2008-04-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

We all know that for the GenY kids, life is definitely an open blog. Or an open Facebook, Flickr or Youtube. What once was private for previous generations -- break-ups, diaries, dancing almost naked -- today it couldn't be more public on the world wide web.

As Time reports on their latests issue ("Here's looking at you, kids"), this generation has been documented like no other groups before them and sociologists have begun to question the effect of all this “exhibitionism” on young people. Are we really seeing real people online or personas? Who is real, the person being portrayed online or the one offline?

While it's soon to examine and understand how their online behavior may affect their offline behavior and vice-versa or the implications of openly living in the public eye, it’s important that brands acknowledge and take advantage of such phenomena by finding ways to engage with an audience that’s willing to do almost anything online.

Jockey Underwear has recently launched a new campaign/contest called “Jockey UnderWars”, where people can post a video of themselves dancing on their bikini briefs and drawers to compete with other "UnderWarriors" for a chance to win the $25,000 prize. To see how this generation has no problem shaking it online, http://www.jockeyunderwars.com

Big Retailers Seek Teens

2008-04-18T09:01:00.001-07:00

Big Retailers Seek Teens

2008-04-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

it's about time we get some low-achievers

2008-04-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

i've been constantly reading and watching how some teens have been bred to be overachievers. they're so overscheduled and busy all the time. i was just watching "the paper" on mtv and was a bit perplexed. the show is about a high school that has an award winning newspaper and the teens were competing to become the "editor in chief" of the paper. the competitiveness and bitchiness that these teens went through because they all felt they were such hot stuff and deserving of the title was unbelievable. sometimes i feel like americans don't know how to relax and just enjoy life a little. i mean, the same way that it can be great to be an overachiever sometimes, it's also ok to be a low-achiever here in there, right? some teens need to feel like it's ok to chill out a little, take a break and do nothing for a little bit.

Shopping Cart Text Ads

2007-11-20T10:13:00.001-08:00

When I go shopping, I love to feel like I’m getting the best deal one can get. I’m all over “2 for 1” and “25% off” signs at the store. But I can only usually see those signs if I’m actually present in the aisles, and because I usually know what I want, I only enter half of the aisles at grocery stores. Result? My shopping cart is probably half as full as it could be.

A new form of in-store marketing wants to change that by allowing advertisers to wirelessly stream messages to shopping carts. Modstream provides shopping cart handles that are internet-enabled, allowing specific ad messages to be sent to selected stores, regions or even times of day. Since the messages can be changed on the fly, it's easy to adapt the ads for short-run sales or clearance items. Talk about getting up-to-the-minute steals.

Modstream is currently testing their system at Home Depot stores in eight states, so it should be interesting to see how shoppers respond to it. I think that people don’t necessarily want more ads targeted at them, but they probably want some assistance that can help them shop smarter and faster.

For instance, I think it would be very important that these carts could somehow offer customizable offers, based on the shopper’s location at the store or purchases. Also, what if the cart could also “communicate” with the store’s database to let shoppers know if the missing item they want is available in the stock room? Or what if the cart could tell shoppers which aisle to find a specific product? Instead of making the cart seem like another advertising vehicle, they could make it seem like an added service. I’d be much more open to the idea if I perceived this shopping cart as a personal shopper versus a salesperson.

Modern Chicks (on love, career & the future)

2007-11-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

As we all know, 18-34 women can have very different attitudes, behavior, desires and expectations out of life. While some are moving back home after college, others are becoming CEO's of their own first businesses. While some are loving the dating game, others are loving the "mom track".

Because their life stages and goals can be so different, it's hard to nail down what's on the mind of such a diverse group. Is there anything this group of women can agree upon? More specifically, when it comes to their attitudes toward gender roles, the current hookup culture, marriage and work, do they have anything in common? In order to explore the evolving attitudes of modern chicks' towards these topics, Cosmopolitan magazine partnered with The Intelligence Group to try to learn how shifting trends are shaping this generation.

The research identified four types of women: The "Go-for-it Girls" (the go-getter type), the "Housewife hopefuls" (the traditional type), the "Restless Explorers" (the hopeful/undecisive type) and the "Pleasure Seekers" (the 'life-is-too-short type').

In general (the numbers tell you below), young women today are fiercely independent, focused, determined and empowered, but most importantly, they don't feel like they have to stick to convention (in any area of their life).

The Stats (collected from 1,001 women across the USA):

On Attitudes & Goals:
48% would have children on their own if they weren't married by 35.
76% believe they can lead a very fulfilling life even if they do not have any children.

On Career:
72% expect to have more than three careers in their lifetime.
67% said that women are equally or more likely than men are to run a company.

On Dating:
81% would rather be single forever than be married to a man they know isn't right for them.
92% say women are more in charge of relationships now than in their parents' generation.

On Sex:
75% would not be bothered if they had slept with more people than their mate had.
62% said a lasting relationship can develop even if you sleep with a guy on the first date.

On Technology:
73% said technology has made it easier for them to make the first move on a guy.

On Guys:
84% think it's fine for a man to be a stay-at-home dad.
71% said men today are more willing to let women take control than were men in the past.

Source: Cosmopolitan (October 2007 issue)

Men vs. Women: A Happiness Gap

2007-10-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

A few decades ago, women’s goals in life were to have a beautiful garden, a well-kept house, and studious children. Today those goals have been upgraded: not only women want squeaky clean houses and genius kids, but they also want to have great careers, have an impact on the broader world, and look flawless.

According to the New York Times, new research has shown that there appears to be a happiness gap between men and women. Today, it’s the men who report being happier. Part of that may be due to the fact that since the 1960s, men have cut back on the activities they find unpleasant and women have replaced housework with paid work and are doing more tasks throughout the day that they find unpleasant.

“What has changed-and what seems to be the most likely explanation for the happiness trends- is that women now have a much longer to-do list than they once did and they can’t possibly get it all done”, theorizes the author.

I think that not only women’s’ ambitions have increased along the years, but so has their competition. The NY Times reports that a few decades ago, women used to compare themselves only to other women whereas now, they also get to compare themselves to men. What’s worse, I think, we now have a whole other levelof competition: celebrities and because of Internet and our ability to always be connected, women also get to compare themselves to people around the whole globe.

While research shows that there is a happiness gap, most women I know are happy and proud to be women. Maybe women are not necessarily unhappier, they just have bigger dreams and expectations for themselves. What could this mean to us? Maybe we just need to help them to be better and more efficient. Or maybe we just have to encourage them to take a break once in a while. Whatever it is, we need to remember and acknowledge that, more than ever, it takes a lot to be a woman - especially a happy one!

To read more, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/business/26leonhardt.html

Uber, A New Social Networking Site

2007-10-18T15:57:00.001-07:00

Since I joined Facebook, I’ve been so busy updating and editing my new profile that I haven’t even had a chance to handle my MySpace account. Honestly, how many online networks can one person join and manage? How many different identities can one have? From Flickr, to Second Life, YouTube, Del.icio.us, Blogger, to MySpace and Facebook, it’s hard and time consuming to keep track of it all. Why not have all in one place? Well, wonder no more.

Uber.com, "the Visual Index," is a new social networking site that has been getting a lot of buzz lately for being "the next big thing." It has more functions and features than any of the other sites and is known for being the single place to store everything digital. You can also manage other pages and properties from YouTube, Flickr, MySpace and Facebook. Based on the premise of 'creative collaboration', it is quickly evolving into a next-generation media publishing company.

It should be interesting to see how brands will get involved with this new social platform and the creative community that will be part of it.

Actions speak louder than words.

2007-10-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

When every other product on TV proclaims to be the fastest, prettiest or best, it becomes really hard to know what to believe in. So when the relatively unknown Swiss online printer company, Maxiprint.com, decided to advertise that they were indeed the fastest printer in the world, they figured out that their actions would have to speak louder than their words.

Instead of having their ads say they were the fastest, they proved to be so by creating the fastest advertising campaign. Their ads didn’t necessarily say they were fast, but by 6am, Zurich business executives were able to read the news that had just broke at 2am. By being able to get their ads/posters before the newspapers, Maxiprint no longer had to say they were the fastest. They just were.

Maxiprint estimates that their campaign generated about 2.8 million contacts due to the amount of press coverage they received.

Check out their campaign here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xsQUcCblFs

Click to watch ads, not skip them

2007-09-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

For me, ads have always been more entertaining than most TV shows out there. But in case I had any doubt, research has increasingly proven me that not everybody shares this opinion. That’s why I was a little surprised when I found out that soon we’ll have some websites online where their sole purpose will be to feature ads as a form of entertainment.

In October, Droga5, an ad agency in NY, will debut www.honeyshed.com, a new site that will offer 18-30 year olds product information in the form of entertaining video clips rather than traditional commercials. The USA Network will also climb aboard with www.didja.com, a site showcasing commercials and movie trailers and featuring social networking and tools that would let visitors make ads of their own.

“I don’t think it is so much about putting entertaining commercials on the web as it is about brands providing immersive experiences for consumers of which entertainment is a component,” said Mr. Jacobs of MRM, whose agency recently won praise for musical webisodes for Intel. http://youtube.com/watch?v=12Icxthmpis

It’ll be interesting to learn whether these sites will actually be able to constantly filter work in order to provide fresh content that lives up to their mission of entertainment. But if they succeed, these new sites could serve as a great playground to reach young consumers who are hungry for work that ‘speaks to them’ in an exciting and less traditional way than everyday TV ads.

Full article on NY times at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/business/media/17adco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Marketing as a value-creation tool

2007-09-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

We live in an era where ideas and creativity are becoming more important than technology. After all, we all know that, as far as consumers are concerned, there are not major differences between a Kyocera and a Nokia cell-phone. But anyone will tell you that an iPhone, oh, that may not even qualify as a justa phone.

Why is that? Well, a phone doesn’t have to just make phone calls, does it? We have such hi-tech capabilities these days that consumers expect much more out of their products. They expect products to not only deliver what they’re supposed to do, but to deliver a new, original experience (something different than products a, b and c sitting next to your product on the shelf).

Adrian Ho and Rob White, from Zeus Jones, said it best “marketing needs to move from a communication-orientation role to a value-creation tool.”

According to them, brands can no longer just try to meet consumers’ expectations these days; they need to surpass them by delivering a service, a new experience. That way, brands can continue to strengthen their equity, the emotional link they have with consumers and the ability to differentiate themselves in a ‘sea of sameness.’

Here are some examples of how some brands are providing that added-value and new experience to their consumers while leveraging their equity.

- Volkswagen’s Rabbit widget allows those who download this widget to find out about free events happening in their city (the “rabbit” is a cheap car and it targets young adults who don’t have a lot of extra cash around).
- Time.com has recently launched a quote of the day application that leverages Time Inc. imagery to provide an almost historical, yet updated component to facebook profiles.
-BMW recently announced that Google's local search will be available from their in-dash navigation.

AdTube

2007-08-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

Since Google/YouTube announced their “new” video ad program last Tuesday, the blogosphere has exploded with people, from marketers to youtubers expressing their mixed feelings and predictions about what’s being called by some as a “possibly game-changing” event.

If you haven’t seen it already, the ads are approximately 10 seconds long and they kick in within 15 seconds of a given clip. They are similar to the TV ads in which graphics pop up on the bottom of the screen (usually announcing another TV show). If clicked on, it will take you to a larger ad. When the ad is done, your clip immediately resumes.

Some people say they’d prefer it if they showed the ad beforehand (much like movie trailers) or afterwards instead of during the video because it takes over 20% of the bottom of the screen.

As expected, YouTubers are not ecstatic about being interrupted in the pretty much only place they could navigate virtually ad-free until last Tuesday. Some skeptical media experts suspect advertisers may end up not getting “the bang for their buck”, either because people may just decide to “close” the ad as soon as it kicks in or because people may just ignore the ad, or worse, have a negative perception of the brand that is intruding their ‘personal space’.

Like Sir Ken Robinson, expert on innovation and creativity, said recently at an advertising conference “we now live in a permanent state of change and we just have to accept it and be a part of the changes.” With that in mind, I want to be optimistic and believe that change can be a good thing, even in this case. Although invasive right now, we all know that technology changes incredibly fast and soon this format will probably improve, or at least become less annoying.

But even if the format improves, what about the content? It would be interesting if there was a way to regulate what type of ads were allowed to be part of their ad program. What if YouTube engaged some of their most loyal and active viewers as well as some of their top ranked directors/video bloggers in order to decide whether or not the “intrusive” ad is worthy of interrupting your video? Rather impractical, I know, but it’s like one of the Facebook founders once said “I don’t hate advertising, I just hate advertising that sucks.” If I knew these invasive ads were better –or at least same quality- as the video I wanted to watch in the first place, I would be embracing this change a little bit more excitedly.

Check out the link below to see one of new YouTube videos with ads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee_rDSvOSnY

Dove: "We promise to listen"

2007-08-21T10:39:00.001-07:00

Dove: "We promise to listen"

Last night, while reading through my email, I ran into an online banner from Dove asking me to be part of their biggest beauty survey. "Make your voice heard", pleaded the ad.

As an ad nerd, I immediately clicked on it. From what I remember, the online banner didn’t advertise any product per se, but they certainly advertised their uncanny desire to listen what I had to say.

The survey was brief, 17 questions only. But to be honest, a good part of it felt like a big ad where they would ask whether I had used [insert product name/picture here].

Regardless, it’s commendable that Dove is taking advantage of consumers desire to have an open conversation with their favorite brands. And it really felt like a conversation. I talked, they listened and talked back to me. I explain. After the survey was done, they immediately provided some of the results ("94% would recommend Dove to their best friend") and also allowed for a potential "Live Chat" to happen with a "beauty consultant". They also showed a real time count of how many people had taken the survey (around 999,040 last night). In the end, it wasn’t only about my input, but about what everybody else had to say. Due to this transparency, all of a sudden, Dove seemed a bit more authentic and honest.

It seems like these days, brands need to be better listeners. "We trust people that trust us", responded a teen recently when asked what brands her generation trusts.

Method: A "Belief Brand"

2007-08-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Method: “A Belief Brand creates a share of culture versus share of voice.”

We had some great presentations at the Planning Conference last week, but one of the most talked about afterwards in the hallways was the one given by the founder of Method, Eric Ryan and it was about what it means to be a “Belief Brand”.

Method is about creating a revolution and changing the way we think about traditional cleaning products, but most importantly, traditional marketing. As a challenger brand who last year had an advertising budget of $3.1 million versus $2.7 billion combined from their main competitors, Method set out to sell a belief and a culture, not just products.

Method is about asking ourselves why are we polluting when we clean? Why are we using poison to make our homes healthier? As Ryan puts it, Method is about transforming a clean environment into a healthy environment.

Instead of positioning their products as “eco-cleaners”, which would attract a very small percentage of consumers, they decided to position themselves as “healthy”, making their products more personal and relevant to consumers, their families and their homes.

By redefining what it means to be clean on a personal but also moral level, Method is a Belief Brand that is creating a culture of likeminded, loyal “people against dirty”.

Here are a few thoughts on how to create a Brand Belief, according to Ryan:

#1: A Belief Brand stays ahead
Every year, Method releases 2 innovations in the category. In the past, they have launched innovations such as the stylish Omop and their 3x Concentrated Laundry Soap, which was born out of consumers’ complaints about the traditional huge, heavy bottles of soap.

#2: A Belief Brand treats design as media
Due to the amount of fragmented media we have today, Method treats design and packaging as media and PR opportunities. Their goal is to be off paid media in 3 years. In order for that to happen, they continue to focus on creating great products packed in great designs that create stories and make people want to talk and share opinions about it (type ‘method’ on flickr to check it out).

“Love that! Those bottles look so cool and a bit like art objects!” (flickr user)

#3: A Belief Brand owns share of culture versus share of voice
Ryan believes that a belief brand is about owning a share of culture, not a share of voice (especially as the latter becomes more and more expensive). In order to own a share of culture, Method has recently hired a Hollywood talent agency to seed Method into culture by treating “people against dirty” as if they’re talent. Earning media as opposed to paying for it is definitely one way to be innovative and own share of culture.

#4: A Belief Brand creates advocates, not consumers
Although they only have 1% penetration in the market, their marketing efforts are focused to drive loyalty, not trial. They have a group of brand advocates who are showcased on their website and are consulted when necessary. For instance, when new products are about to be released, Method sends them media kits 2 months ahead of time for their feedback.

Method has reframed cleaning from a boring, dull and toxic experience to something fun, exciting and healthy for us and the environment. How an we redefine our categories by waking up the Belief Brand in us?

Through a kid's eye

2007-08-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

I was just coming up to my floor and ran into a mother with her 3 year old daugther coming up in the elevator. The way the little girl got excited to press the button and get to visit her mommy's job was so refreshing...given that everyone else around us, including her mom, looked like zombies, think Shaun of the Dead. I wish I could feel that excited every single day. On second though, she probably doesn't look like that on her way to daycare...

You are your hair

2007-08-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Old Friends
"Old friends? We must be. You’re delighted to see me. I’m delighted to see you. But who are you? Oh, my God, you’re Jane. I can’t believe it. Jane. “Jane! How are you? It’s been — how long has it been?” I’d like to suggest that the reason I didn’t recognize you right off the bat is that you’ve done something to your hair, but you’ve done nothing to your hair, nothing that would excuse my not recognizing you. What you’ve actually done is gotten older. I don’t believe it. You used to be my age, and now you’re much, much, much older than I am. You could be my mother. Unless of course I look as old as you and I don’t know it. Which is not possible. Or is it? I’m looking around the room and I notice that everyone in it looks like someone — and when I try to figure out exactly who that someone is, it turns out to be a former version of herself, a thinner version or a healthier version or a pre-plastic-surgery version or a taller version. If this is true of everyone, it must be true of me. Mustn’t it? But never mind: you are speaking. “Maggie,” you say, “it’s been so long.” “I’m not Maggie,” I say. “Oh, my God,” you say, “It’s you. I didn’t recognize you. You’ve done something to your hair.” " - http://www.nytimes.com/
This is pretty funny. I just saw the 3 Bourne movies this weekend (identy, supremacy and ultimatum) and I had forgotten how the first thing women (men too) do when they want to hide from the police or look unrecognizable in an action movie, is to dye their hair and cut it. Your hair really does change who you are, doesn't it?

Charity Is Selfish

2007-08-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

some professors have just released a new study that suggests that charity is actually selfish.

http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9581656
the more i think about it, the more i think that makes sense. after all, isn't that what "activism lite" is all about? i mean, sure, the fact that it's so easy to help others these days definitely helps and plays a big role in making this trend bigger by the day, but if it wasn't for the badge value that some of these products give us, i wonder how popular altruism would be these days.

Today Is The Day

2006-03-27T12:08:00.000-08:00

Ai que nervoso que da. Here I am in the search for a job again. I've been dreaming about New York, literally. I had a couple of dreams tonight where a potential employer at TVP said, "sorry, I tried but we don't have the budget to hire you". Did I say dream?? More like a nightmare for sure.

Nothing worse than daytime TV and the many ads about debts and community colleges. It sucks the ambition and encouragement right out of you. I need to keep in mind that in order to keep excited about searching for a job, I need to get out of this house. Go to wireless coffee shops. That's right, that's what I'm doing tomorrow.

Some caffeine never hurt anybody's confidence.

Open Eyes

2006-03-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

I was born one month earlier. Some people say that’s because I’m always in a hurry. I say that’s because I’ve always been curious.

When you’re curious, you seek out. And that’s what I have always loved to do. My favorite part of everything has always been the middle, the courtship, the process, the seeking out, the means to an end. That’s where the fun happens; learning, observing, absorbing, connecting the dots and making something out of it. In another words, making ideas happen out of it.

Someone once asked me what animal I have a lot in common with and I picked fish. “Because I always have my eyes open and I could die for a snack”, I said. It’s true, my eyes always wonder and roam, searching for new experiences and emotions, for human truths, and big ideas.

I love to uncover new insights and use them to develop new ideas through different mediums such as paintings, short stories, movies and advertising. I believe you can find insights everywhere, especially in the shower and through random train conversations. A professor of mine once said, “If you are not excited about thinking of ideas during your morning shower, it’s probably time to quit your job”.

I live for the moments where ideas spark on my brain and spit out of my mouth.

Inspiration

2006-03-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

Tonight I just feel like writing. Like mapping out my thoughts and feelings like Scott (Mullen) said. If I were a brand, what would that experience be like for the people around me? For my potential hire? For God's Sake, let it be a hire. Let my writting make sense and let my brain communicate well with my mouth. Let my nerves chill and my heart beat faster. Let me come out. The real me, the motivated, interested, hard worker, dependable, excited, idea-driven, fact searching, idealist, professional amateur come out.

Dan is such a great husband. He compared planners with movie directors and music producers. They conduct. They direct. They demand. They are infectuous. They know what will work or if they don't know, they have the best huntch. They inspire. Bravo, Dan.

I also want to acknowledge Russel Davis. Just learned about him from Claire Hassid. I just read a few of his postings on his blog. Love it. Love his Valentine movie for his wife and his appreciation for his son's poem ("The seaside is open" The best line, he says).

I wish I could write and archive everything I notice and appreciate. Or at least the things that I notice and are different and weird. Like that Opa restaurant in South Beach. Women dancing on top of the tables while the middle-aged tourist from the Midwest quietly sits on the next table eating his food. Well, not so quetly since he went on and danced on top of the table himself. This is South Beach.

Change

2006-03-03T22:10:00.000-08:00

I think I am pro change. I just recently cut my hair out of impulse but also boredom and heaviness. I just moved from Chicago to Miami out of hope and motivation. I just left a job in project management to pursue one of the hardest jobs in advertising, become a planner. I left my home country when I was 15 to live in a town that was not even on the map. I left my pc laptop for an Apple one. I am about to leave the 20's behind. I have started to seriously consider the possibility of motherhood. I have just asked my brother for a financial favor which I would never have done that last year out of pride. I decided that I do not indeed like cats (I was under the impression that I did like cats when I first moved in with Carolina but Mushy just pisses me off). I have left my husband to live with a lesbian roomate. I have become more of an American than I ever wanted to.

Rick from Leo Burnett said that planners are change agents. We need to be comfortable with change and being the change agent. We have to not blink. We have to come from a place of Integrity. We gotta find who is that one person that is more receptible to our ideas and invest in him/her. We got to embrace tension and trust our instinct.

Had I trusted my instinct, my TrueBetty, Oil and Heineken projects would have had better creative. I need to learn from that without killing myself over it.

Total brand experience

2006-03-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

I wish I had though of this before but why the hell didn't I write the most interesting learnings that I collected from this bootcamp?? Why? How dumb. I have to start thinking faster on my feet.

We had a visiting planner from Mullen. He was interesting. He was a runner and his toe nails were the longest I've seen in a guy. I'm sorry that this is the one thing that I think of when I think of him, but I was sitting in the first row. Anyway, he talked a lot about the brand experience and how can it become better? We discussed Amazon (make the boxes more interesting, with copy on them or a cool design?), Tide (better engineered lids), Base (super cool store on Lincoln Road--make it more local by having local artists displaying art or a fashion show or change bits of the decor every month)...It was encouraging to think that whatever it is, there's always a way to make it more of an interesting experience (except for Apple maybe because it's already absurdly amazing).

He also told us to "map our brand experience". Be very detailed about everything that happens in the store. How the consumers behave, do they buy anything, do they spend a lot of time at the store, do they come to socialize, etc... He also talked about how can your brand be an authority in something. For instance, they did a campaign for carbohydrates where they talked to nutritionists who backed them up by saying carbs are healthy. How can Starbucks be the authority in coffee? Or Apple in creative technology?

People also always ask what is a brand? A promise, an idea, a person, a friend? I guess I think of it as acquaintances. There are lots of people out there that you don't know, lots that you recognize and you smile to and that you flirt with, lots that you have actually taken the step to interact with and there are those that you liked that intereaction and you continued to come back for more and they become friends. So I guess that brands are like people...they can be strangers, acquaintances, friends and best of friends. There are brands I can't live without: Apple, Trader Joe's, Ben&Jerry's, Gap, H&M, all drugstore cosmetics, Diet Coke, Payless, FOX, wow, this is harder than I thought. I don't know how loyal I am to brands actually.

He also talked about the 5 senses and how that is important to a brand experience. Base, for instance, has the best smell as soon as you walk in. Design is amazing, music is inviting and intriguing (world music). They don't have a cafe which it would be a cool place to hang out at while reading all the amazing worldly magazines they have.