It is about time there was a "sea" change in Hollywood. I am so happy to see so many diverse faces, women of color, and men of color in movies, as political pundits, on sitcoms, etc. Maybe soon we can have a minority run a major movie studio. Wouldn't that be amazing!
I am ready for my screen test! Someone contact me soon! :)
Hollywood's Views on Race May Be in for a Change
Q&A: Producer Joe Pichirallo on Marketing Black Films to White Audiences, Box-Office Success and the 'Bradley Effect'
By Claude Brodesser-akner Published: October 30, 2008LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- Is there a "Bradley Effect" when it comes to the box office?
'The Secret Life of Bees'For those perhaps not paying close attention to the presidential election, with Sen. Barack Obama ahead in every national poll, political pundits have been feverishly inserting the words "Bradley Effect" into articles and sound bites in an effort to ratchet up the election-eve drama. The expression explains in racial terms the 1982 defeat of Tom Bradley, a black Democrat who was at the time the mayor of Los Angeles, by his white Republican rival, George Deukmejian, in their quest for the governorship of California: The theory goes that despite polls predicting a Bradley win, white voters pulled the lever for Mr. Deukmejian. A quick look at Hollywood's box office results would seem to let some air out of the theory, at least when it comes to how Americans elect to entertain themselves: The success of two new films with largely black casts -- "The Secret Life of Bees" and the thriller "Lakeview Terrace" -- suggests that marketers' conventional wisdom about how race influences purchasing decisions may be in need of re-examination. Having served as a producer on both movies, Joe Pichirallo has gained a firsthand understanding of how Americans consider -- or ignore -- race. Each film has over-performed, with "Lakeview Terrace" cresting $40 million domestically, having opened at No. 1 at the box office last month, and "The Secret Life of Bees" cruising past $20 million, having opened at No. 3. Mr. Pichirallo oversees film for The Gold Co., a production venture headed by talent manager Eric Gold, whose clients include Jim Carrey and Ellen DeGeneres. But before joining The Gold Co., Mr. Pichirallo was head of feature film production and development for Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment. He's also been a senior executive at Fox Searchlight Pictures, where he oversaw "Antwone Fisher," and at Universal's Focus Features, where he supervised both "Hollywoodland" and "Something New." Madison & Vine: Settle this for us: Is there a Bradley Effect at the box office, too? Joe Pichirallo: Let me put it this way: The conventional wisdom of the Hollywood studios is that films that have primarily African-American themes or actors in them are not are not going to do well, because they don't do well overseas. And in the last few years, the rule of thumb is that 60% of box office is actually going to come from outside the U.S. So if you look at even the most successful films that cross over, like "Barbershop," its domestic gross was $70 million, but its foreign box office was, like, $1.2 million. ... So if [black films] get made, you're forced to do them at independent [movie] budget levels, on the theory that you have to make most of your revenue on the domestic side. M&V: How does that affect how we portray black America on the big screen? Mr. Pichirallo: If you're looking at something like "The Secret Life of Bees," on one level if you didn't know the business, you'd say, "Well, here's a best-selling novel. This should be made for the standard Hollywood budgets of $40 million, $50 million, $60 million." But the concern would be that you'll never hit those levels in box office, so you're immediately put into a situation of seeing it made in the $12 million range. M&V: How soon did race enter the making and marketing of "The Secret Life of Bees"? Mr. Pichirallo: You start thinking about it right off the bat. Who are going to be the leads? Are we going to be able to get people with name value to play those leads? ... We also knew we had two things going for us: The book was a best-seller for a very long time, and the book was not perceived as an exclusively African-American book. The underlying material had an existing appeal to a white audience. M&V: And so "Bees" isn't behaving like a typical film with a black cast, is it? Mr. Pichirallo: No. And let me just say something about the second weekend of the film, that shows it's playing both ways: In Los Angeles, at The Grove -- which couldn't be more of a white, upscale, affluent theater -- it out-grossed the Magic Johnson theater, which is the leading African-American theater in Los Angeles. And so that tells you right there that the movie is really playing. Most theaters aimed at predominantly whiter audiences actually held [onto their "Bees" audiences] better in the second weekend than those with African-American audiences. Seattle had just a 12% drop. Those are phenomenal holds for any kind of movie, and give indication that it's reaching a diverse audience. M&V: What can we learn about Americans' racial attitudes from "Lakeview Terrace"? Mr. Pichirallo: We knew we had to walk a fine line, because it's not often that the so-called bad guy in a movie is an African-American. Sam Jackson ultimately is terrorizing this interracial couple who lives next door to him. It's headed toward $40 million because white [audiences] went to see it, and we didn't get any real serious complaints from the African-American audience. They embraced the film and saw the film. The danger would have been that they would say, "You're holding up a negative stereotype." M&V: So if all it takes is some forethought about making a movie that's relatable to everyone, why not make more money by making black films that appeal to white audiences, too? Mr. Pichirallo: [Studios] don't want to restrict their gross, but when they sense that the material is not going to cross over -- and they may often be wrong about this -- they're not going to waste their money chasing an audience that they don't think is coming out. And that's when it gets to be circular: What is the chicken, and what is the egg? Are the audiences not responding because they're not marketing to them and so they're not turning out, or are they right that the audience is not finding it appealing, and so was never coming out? M&V: We've talked about how the box office reveals the racial attitudes of moviegoers, but has the marketing of Sen. Barack Obama as a post-racial candidate changed anything about Hollywood's attitude toward the marketing of black films? Mr. Pichirallo: You're going to see that as we get more sophisticated and evolved as a culture, we're going to have multicultural-themed movies that are going to cross over more. What we're tying to do is break conventional perception that if you have a black-focused story that it's only going to appeal to blacks and therefore you should only market to blacks. M&V: Is the lesson, then, that film ghettos are bad for show business? Mr. Pichirallo: I think we have to work hard from a cultural and social standpoint to break that, but from an economic standpoint it doesn't make any sense, either: You don't want to limit your audience. If you're going to limit your audience, you end up having to do the films for lower budgets, and therefore it gets harder to get those movies made, because some of the bigger actors won't do them. M&V: So, what is the marketing lesson from Obama '08? Mr. Pichirallo: The lesson is, Don't assume past performance dictates future results. Obama has not run as a "black" candidate. The world is changing. Our culture is changing. You have to change with it.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
I think this is great for our industry. Advertising and reaching customers is changing very quickly. I made the decision earlier this year to do more interactive work and approach clients who were interested in Web 2.0 options. This article and quote from Steve Seabolt reinforces how quickly our industry is changing. Enjoy!
Karen
Sims Venture Into Outside World Full of Advertising
Latest Version of Most Popular PC Title Will House Dynamic In-Game Ads
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- When "The Sims 3" launches in February, the popular video game promises to be more realistic than ever, thanks to improved graphics, better processing power and an increase in ads.
Now playing in 'Sims 3:' 'Iron Man' and 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.'
Yes, an increase in ads.
Electronic Arts, maker of "Sims 3," is working with IGA to provide dynamic in-game ads -- which can be switched in and out of the game via an internet connection -- to the latest version of what has become the world's most-played PC game. In its first new version in five years, "Sims" players will be able to venture beyond their houses and lots out into Pleasantville, where they can go to the movie theater, the sports arena or the grocery store. It's a more open experience, akin to newer online virtual worlds, although it's still a single-player game.
'Very organic'
"Advertising is very organic to the 'Sims 3' experience," said Steve Seabolt, VP-global brand development for the Sims label. Movie-theater posters and billboards will host ads, and EA will continue to integrate brands into the gameplay.
Mr. Seabolt cited an example involving an over-the-counter pain remedy. "Suppose your Sim had a tough day, or the Sim kids are out of control, maybe the Sim worked out -- that could be a moment for that particular pain relief," he said. "And they take that pain relief and feel restored, better rested ... less on edge."
Sims has previously done integrated deals, which can run into the seven figures, with retailersH&M and Ikea, letting users download branded content into the game. But Mr. Seabolt said H&M wanted to put billboards in the game to promote the fact that users could dress their Sims in the retailer's fashions. IGA now will sell those dynamic ad placements, and EA will sell the integrated ones, but where they can work together, they will.
Key to dynamic ads
Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA, said the key to dynamic ads is that they have developed standards that can work inside myriad games to create a network that gets advertisers more reach. However, he said, unlike many console games, "Sims" doesn't necessarily need to be bought as part of a network because it has such a broad reach. He said EA expects sales of "Sims 3" to eclipse those of "Sims 2."
According to Interpret's Gamemeasure, "Sims 2" reached about 16.5 million gamers, half of whom played within the past month. The average "Sims" gamer will spend 1.7 hours with the game per sitting and has spent 47.6 hours with the game in total.
Jay Krihak, senior partner-group director at MEC Interaction, said "Sims" 1 and "Sims 2" sold enough copies to warrant a look at "Sims 3," but he said the beauty of dynamic in-game ads is that marketers can take the time to see how the game sells in the first few weeks before deciding whether to dive in. What's more, time-consuming custom integrations can be created after the game officially launches.
Filling in the gaps
"You can solicit feedback from the community and get a sense of what the game's missing and chance that as a marketer you can address that," he said.
Indeed, advertisers share with game makers a desire to create something that fits within the game.
"If there's a way to enhance the gaming experience, there could be value for the advertiser," said Amanda Richman, senior VP-director of digital services, MediaVest. She also said in-game advertising could become even more important in a recession because it brings with it an escapist mind-set. "We may be seeing even greater demand in this economy at these times."
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
See the below article from Ad Age. As a small firm this trend is SCARY to me. So many clients are adding in house designers to do all aspects of their marketing and communications. I agree we need to position ourselves as "brand experts" we are working on this now in our new marketing collateral. However, I wonder if those same clients are willing to pay the same or MORE for strategy. Our world is changing....
Let Them Sweat Small Stuff and Pay You for Big Ideas
 Tom Martin |
In virtually every one of those meetings the client's goal wasn't necessarily to spend less money with our agency, but for the client to receive more value and impact from the dollars it was spending with and through us.
And along the way, two very interesting themes have emerged.
The first is the notion of high-value vs. low-value agency services. Traditionally the AOR relationship included a client using agencies for their high-level strategic, media, public relations, interactive and creative firepower but also for the routine grunt work. This grunt work includes things like resizing print and banner ads or simple (often factual) copy changes. Everyone knows it isn't rocket science and truth be told, the agency adds very little "value" in these transactions, but it was just easier (and sometimes less expensive) to outsource all of this to the client's AOR agency.
But in today's rocky economic world, savvy clients are beginning to re-examine how they work with their agencies. In some cases (retail for instance) clients are seeing that it might actually be cheaper for them to have an entry-level designer on staff to handle the routine. In fact I had this very conversation with a client just a week ago. Yet, rather than be upset that our firm might lose billings, I'm excited. Why? Because he doesn't want to just let the savings drop to his bottom line. He wants to invest some of that savings with us in the utilization of high-level thinking. He wants to open projects designed to solve strategic problems and have our agency's best thinkers assigned to those projects.
In other words, he wants to invest his dollars in the unique agency capabilities that he cannot do himself or afford to bring "in-house" because it would just be too expensive and used too infrequently. Thus, everyone wins. He saves money and gets to hire a resource that can do the routine faster and less expensively than we can and we get to offload the mind-numbing drudgery type work that none of our designers actually like doing anyhow. And the whole thing represents a cost savings for him and is revenue neutral for us because we're redeploying those low value hours to new clients or high value hours for this client.
The second interesting theme is the movement from mass media to micromedia planning. For most of our firm's clients, media spend is the single biggest expenditure in the budget. So it's the first place their bosses look to make cuts. Thus, clients want more efficient media plans that show quantifiable results. Because while their bosses are demanding expense cutting they aren't lowering expectations or goals for the coming year.
Initially, you might find yourself instinctively recoiling at the idea of helping a client decrease their media spend when you think about the loss of income associated with such a drastic move. However, what I'm finding is that here again, clients aren't just dropping all the savings to the bottom line. They're asking us to think about how we can create more efficient and effective marketing outreach programs. We're being given the opportunity to move mass media spend into micromedia channels like online, social marketing and direct outreach or events. Here again, the net net is the client is spending less while getting a more effective plan and the whole thing is revenue neutral for us. Another win-win.
So as you begin to work your way through the upcoming budgeting process with each of your clients, ask yourself what the value versus cost equation of your recommendation/contract looks like and if it isn't the best it can be, fix it -- proactively. You'll do yourself and your client a great service and likely ensure a longer lasting relationship.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
I have been following this story for several months -- since the stories began in the media. I find it hard to believe that in 2008 our top agencies are not more reflective of America. As a small business owner, I know how tough it is to try to "compete" with the big agencies. Small agencies don't stand a chance, but I would be willing to bet, that small agencies are more diverse and bring experiences and opinions different from the large "country club" agencies.........
Enjoy!
Ad Agencies Making Progress on Hiring Minorities, After All
Human Rights Commission: Most Met or Exceeded Pact Goals
By Rupal Parekh Published: September 23, 2008 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Many people aren't satisfied with Madison Avenue's progress on the diversity front, but Patricia Gatling, head of the New York City Human Rights Commission, today said she is "cautiously optimistic" that ad agencies will ramp up the numbers of minority executives in their ranks.
Patricia Gatling Ms. Gatling was speaking at a public hearing at City Hall called by New York City Councilman and Civil Rights Committee Chairman Larry B. Seabrook. The goal of the hearing was to discuss the progress (and lack thereof, in some cases) of the agencies that two years ago signed a pact to boost minority hiring and set individual goals. As part of her testimony, Ms. Gatling reiterated statistics released this spring that found that five of the 16 ad agencies that signed on have not met all their minority-hiring goals in the first year of their diversity pact with the New York City Commission on Human Rights. However, the remaining agencies either met or exceeded all their 2007 goals. BBDO, DDB behindOf the shops that signed a memorandum of understanding with the commission in 2006 vowing to boost diversity, five did not meet their goals. Four of them were from the country's biggest holding company, Omnicom Group: BBDO, DDB, Merkley & Partners and PHD. The fifth was Publicis Groupe's Kaplan Thaler Group. While it eventually caved and signed the pact with its competitors, Omnicom went its own way at first. It pledged more than $2 million for diversity initiatives, including the establishment of an advertising, media and marketing curriculum at the historically black Medgar Evers College. Weldon H. Latham, a diversity counsel to Omnicom who testified at today's hearing, said the holding company's CEO, John Wren, has firmly communicated to those shops that they must come into compliance by the end of 2008. "We gotta make sure that those numbers get up," Mr. Seabrook told Mr. Latham, recommending that Omnicom appoint an executive solely to monitor the agencies' progress. Those that failed to meet their self-created diversity goals have hired consultants to help them improve their numbers, Ms. Gatling said as part of her testimony. Hiring up 25%Meanwhile, the other agencies that signed the agreement have all met or exceeded their goals, said Ms. Gatling. They are: Havas' Arnold and Euro RSCG; WPP Group's Grey Direct and Grey Interactive, Young & Rubicam and Ogilvy & Mather; and Interpublic Group of Cos.' Avrett Free Ginsberg, Gotham and DraftFCB (counted as two agencies because it was created out of the merger of Draft and FCB Worldwide). The average goal was 18% for minority hiring and the average result was 25%, Ms. Gatling said. In certain cases, the agencies have raised their minority-hiring goals for 2008. For example, Ogilvy this year increased its goals 2%, and is aiming for 18% of its senior management and 35% of all staff to be of color. The hearing garnered a far better turnout compared with those called two years ago, though agency and holding company chiefs were still absent. During Advertising Week 2006, Mr. Seabrook had called hearings decrying minority-owned media outlets' lack of advertising, and nobody turned up. The agencies, Mr. Seabrook said at the time, "ran like chickens with their asses plucked clean." Reviving that metaphor today, Mr. Seabook said, "I'm putting some feathers back on you now," as a means of commending the majority of the agencies for their progress. In addition to an attorney for Omnicom, Interpublic Exec VP-Strategy Philippe Krakowsky and representatives for WPP also testified today about the status of their companies' diversity initiatives, as did executives from Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi. Saatchi was also one of two ad agencies that turned up for a public meeting called by the Human Rights Commission about the issue in July. Representatives for Havas or Havas agencies did not testify. Nancy Hill speaksAlso submitting testimony was Nancy Hill, president-CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, who Mr. Seabrook commended on her presence, noting that her predecessor, O. Burtch Drake, had not shown up for hearings in the past. There was strangely no talk of a potential threat of a class action lawsuit against the industry, but Mr. Seabrook promised to stay on top of the issue. "The commission is going to stay on your case and I'm going to stay on the commission's case until we get it done and get it right," Mr. Seabrook said at the conclusion of the hearing.
Enjoy!
Ad Agencies Making Progress on Hiring Minorities, After All
Human Rights Commission: Most Met or Exceeded Pact Goals
By Rupal Parekh Published: September 23, 2008 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Many people aren't satisfied with Madison Avenue's progress on the diversity front, but Patricia Gatling, head of the New York City Human Rights Commission, today said she is "cautiously optimistic" that ad agencies will ramp up the numbers of minority executives in their ranks.
Patricia Gatling Ms. Gatling was speaking at a public hearing at City Hall called by New York City Councilman and Civil Rights Committee Chairman Larry B. Seabrook. The goal of the hearing was to discuss the progress (and lack thereof, in some cases) of the agencies that two years ago signed a pact to boost minority hiring and set individual goals. As part of her testimony, Ms. Gatling reiterated statistics released this spring that found that five of the 16 ad agencies that signed on have not met all their minority-hiring goals in the first year of their diversity pact with the New York City Commission on Human Rights. However, the remaining agencies either met or exceeded all their 2007 goals. BBDO, DDB behindOf the shops that signed a memorandum of understanding with the commission in 2006 vowing to boost diversity, five did not meet their goals. Four of them were from the country's biggest holding company, Omnicom Group: BBDO, DDB, Merkley & Partners and PHD. The fifth was Publicis Groupe's Kaplan Thaler Group. While it eventually caved and signed the pact with its competitors, Omnicom went its own way at first. It pledged more than $2 million for diversity initiatives, including the establishment of an advertising, media and marketing curriculum at the historically black Medgar Evers College. Weldon H. Latham, a diversity counsel to Omnicom who testified at today's hearing, said the holding company's CEO, John Wren, has firmly communicated to those shops that they must come into compliance by the end of 2008. "We gotta make sure that those numbers get up," Mr. Seabrook told Mr. Latham, recommending that Omnicom appoint an executive solely to monitor the agencies' progress. Those that failed to meet their self-created diversity goals have hired consultants to help them improve their numbers, Ms. Gatling said as part of her testimony. Hiring up 25%Meanwhile, the other agencies that signed the agreement have all met or exceeded their goals, said Ms. Gatling. They are: Havas' Arnold and Euro RSCG; WPP Group's Grey Direct and Grey Interactive, Young & Rubicam and Ogilvy & Mather; and Interpublic Group of Cos.' Avrett Free Ginsberg, Gotham and DraftFCB (counted as two agencies because it was created out of the merger of Draft and FCB Worldwide). The average goal was 18% for minority hiring and the average result was 25%, Ms. Gatling said. In certain cases, the agencies have raised their minority-hiring goals for 2008. For example, Ogilvy this year increased its goals 2%, and is aiming for 18% of its senior management and 35% of all staff to be of color. The hearing garnered a far better turnout compared with those called two years ago, though agency and holding company chiefs were still absent. During Advertising Week 2006, Mr. Seabrook had called hearings decrying minority-owned media outlets' lack of advertising, and nobody turned up. The agencies, Mr. Seabrook said at the time, "ran like chickens with their asses plucked clean." Reviving that metaphor today, Mr. Seabook said, "I'm putting some feathers back on you now," as a means of commending the majority of the agencies for their progress. In addition to an attorney for Omnicom, Interpublic Exec VP-Strategy Philippe Krakowsky and representatives for WPP also testified today about the status of their companies' diversity initiatives, as did executives from Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi. Saatchi was also one of two ad agencies that turned up for a public meeting called by the Human Rights Commission about the issue in July. Representatives for Havas or Havas agencies did not testify. Nancy Hill speaksAlso submitting testimony was Nancy Hill, president-CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, who Mr. Seabrook commended on her presence, noting that her predecessor, O. Burtch Drake, had not shown up for hearings in the past. There was strangely no talk of a potential threat of a class action lawsuit against the industry, but Mr. Seabrook promised to stay on top of the issue. "The commission is going to stay on your case and I'm going to stay on the commission's case until we get it done and get it right," Mr. Seabrook said at the conclusion of the hearing.
Friday, September 12, 2008
A nice surprise this week......I was asked to pose in a photo about changes in Prince Georges County. Check out the link on local Bisnow Real Estate.
Enjoy!
Karen
http://www.bisnow.com/washington_dc_commercial_real_estate_news_story.php?p=1502)
Enjoy!
Karen
http://www.bisnow.com/washington_dc_commercial_real_estate_news_story.php?p=1502)
Monday, September 08, 2008
This is an interesting turn in the industry. If you look at the hourly rates, you could reason that the "consultants" are making much less than they would in permanent jobs. Sad...and scary times for our industry.
With an increasing number of companies looking to reduce the full-time head counts in their marketing departments, and a glut of experienced baby boomers available to do consulting stints, a growing number of marketers are looking to fill brand-manager, project-leader and even marketing-director positions with short-term employees.
A trend tracker on Indeed, a search engine that scans U.S. job listings throughout the internet, shows a sharp spike since May on listings that include the word "temporary" in ads seeking marketing managers, directors and researchers. The spike punctuates a general uptick in such marketing listings relative to all postings since 2005.
The percentage of online job listings containing the words "temporary," "marketing" and "director" surged roughly 50% between May 1 and July 31, according to Indeed.com, even though the trend line for just "marketing" and "director" remained flat during the period.
"I'm finding a lot more companies now are [using] contract employees and consultants at the higher-level jobs, such as director of marketing and senior brand managers," said Michael Carrillo, president of CPG Jobs, which operates the job site CPGjoblist. He also works as a recruiter.
While the move is clearly aimed at controlling head counts and cutting costs, Mr. Carrillo said he believes demographic factors are at play, such as baby-boomer employees who are downsized out of positions but aren't ready to retire and have valuable experience.
Broad range of marketers
A variety of firms specialize in the burgeoning area, including conventional temporary-service firms such as Kelly Services and Manpower. They're seeing temporary marketing jobs on the rise even as temporary employment overall has declined steadily since early 2007 due to the slowing economy.
The surge appears to be coming from a surprisingly broad array of marketers, as well as old and new media.
An ad last week from Creative Group, a unit of Robert Half International, for an unnamed Southern California beauty marketer seeks a marketing director for a temporary assignment possibly converting to full-time -- and offers someone with eight-plus years of industry experience $50 to $60 an hour.
Apparently the same Southern California beauty marketer seeks to round out the team with a product-development manager at $20 to $30 an hour, a bilingual media planner at $25 to $35 an hour and a "marketing guru" at $43 to $50 an hour. Creative Group stands to be the employer of the outsourced team.
Media companies also appear to be stepping up temporary hires. Among temporary positions advertised online: a sales and marketing coordinator for Time Warner's Health.com; a marketing program manager for EchoStar's Sling Media, marketer of SlingBox; and a site manager whose duties would include marketing of a national portal and social-networking site from Gannett Digital, MomsLikeMe.
"Everybody is looking at head count and ways to reduce it," said Joe Hawley, who helped lead the turnaround of Doctor's Dermatologic Formula for two years before the business was sold to Procter & Gamble Co. last year.
The veteran of Avon Products, Unilever and Liz Claiborne is now working as a consultant with his own firm, Hawley Global Partners. While he's open to another permanent position, he's also plying a series of consulting gigs and believes marketing -- and even general management functions -- increasingly will be outsourced in the way information-technology and human-resources positions have been in recent years.
Most of these marketers aren't contractors directly through the employer, he said, but through third-party firms such as Aquent, which specializes in providing temporary marketing-industry help from its own pool of permanent employees and says it serves 90 of the Fortune 100 corporations.
The downside
"You'll look at a company and not be able to tell who's a contract employee, who's [a permanent employee] from a third-party resource and who's [an employee of] the company," Mr. Hawley said.
Of course, the downside can be quality, said Dave Gallagher, president of Boyden, an Atlanta-based executive-search firm. "Nobody is going to leave their job," he said, "to be a 90-day temp contractor."
But Mr. Hawley said temps aren't always getting worse deals, and some can even be of higher quality.
"I call it rent to buy," he said, adding that many of the positions have permanent potential, sometimes involve equity stakes or involve efforts to bypass corporate salary caps, and can attract people with broader or more current experience than permanent employees.
Beware, CMO: A Temp Might Steal Your Post
Economy Stokes Trend Toward Short-Term Hires in Marketing Suite
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- The hard times facing the marketing industry may be only temporary, but so, it turns out, are a lot of the jobs.With an increasing number of companies looking to reduce the full-time head counts in their marketing departments, and a glut of experienced baby boomers available to do consulting stints, a growing number of marketers are looking to fill brand-manager, project-leader and even marketing-director positions with short-term employees.
A trend tracker on Indeed, a search engine that scans U.S. job listings throughout the internet, shows a sharp spike since May on listings that include the word "temporary" in ads seeking marketing managers, directors and researchers. The spike punctuates a general uptick in such marketing listings relative to all postings since 2005.
The percentage of online job listings containing the words "temporary," "marketing" and "director" surged roughly 50% between May 1 and July 31, according to Indeed.com, even though the trend line for just "marketing" and "director" remained flat during the period.
"I'm finding a lot more companies now are [using] contract employees and consultants at the higher-level jobs, such as director of marketing and senior brand managers," said Michael Carrillo, president of CPG Jobs, which operates the job site CPGjoblist. He also works as a recruiter.
While the move is clearly aimed at controlling head counts and cutting costs, Mr. Carrillo said he believes demographic factors are at play, such as baby-boomer employees who are downsized out of positions but aren't ready to retire and have valuable experience.
Broad range of marketers
A variety of firms specialize in the burgeoning area, including conventional temporary-service firms such as Kelly Services and Manpower. They're seeing temporary marketing jobs on the rise even as temporary employment overall has declined steadily since early 2007 due to the slowing economy.
The surge appears to be coming from a surprisingly broad array of marketers, as well as old and new media.
An ad last week from Creative Group, a unit of Robert Half International, for an unnamed Southern California beauty marketer seeks a marketing director for a temporary assignment possibly converting to full-time -- and offers someone with eight-plus years of industry experience $50 to $60 an hour.
Apparently the same Southern California beauty marketer seeks to round out the team with a product-development manager at $20 to $30 an hour, a bilingual media planner at $25 to $35 an hour and a "marketing guru" at $43 to $50 an hour. Creative Group stands to be the employer of the outsourced team.
Media companies also appear to be stepping up temporary hires. Among temporary positions advertised online: a sales and marketing coordinator for Time Warner's Health.com; a marketing program manager for EchoStar's Sling Media, marketer of SlingBox; and a site manager whose duties would include marketing of a national portal and social-networking site from Gannett Digital, MomsLikeMe.
"Everybody is looking at head count and ways to reduce it," said Joe Hawley, who helped lead the turnaround of Doctor's Dermatologic Formula for two years before the business was sold to Procter & Gamble Co. last year.
The veteran of Avon Products, Unilever and Liz Claiborne is now working as a consultant with his own firm, Hawley Global Partners. While he's open to another permanent position, he's also plying a series of consulting gigs and believes marketing -- and even general management functions -- increasingly will be outsourced in the way information-technology and human-resources positions have been in recent years.
Most of these marketers aren't contractors directly through the employer, he said, but through third-party firms such as Aquent, which specializes in providing temporary marketing-industry help from its own pool of permanent employees and says it serves 90 of the Fortune 100 corporations.
The downside
"You'll look at a company and not be able to tell who's a contract employee, who's [a permanent employee] from a third-party resource and who's [an employee of] the company," Mr. Hawley said.
Of course, the downside can be quality, said Dave Gallagher, president of Boyden, an Atlanta-based executive-search firm. "Nobody is going to leave their job," he said, "to be a 90-day temp contractor."
But Mr. Hawley said temps aren't always getting worse deals, and some can even be of higher quality.
"I call it rent to buy," he said, adding that many of the positions have permanent potential, sometimes involve equity stakes or involve efforts to bypass corporate salary caps, and can attract people with broader or more current experience than permanent employees.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Myspace – Not Just for Kids Anymore
Recently Myspace.com has been taking on advertisement campaigns that don’t only target a younger audience. It’s newest brand campaign, Cartier, wants to reach a diverse group of people and feels that myspace.com is the social networking site with the influence to do so. By taking on such big names, myspace is transforming from social site to marketing space.
MySpace Signs Up Glam New Member: Cartier
Global Campaign Challenges Assumptions About Social Networking
By Abbey Klaassen
Published: June 30, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The latest marketer to target the reaches of MySpace? Cartier.
Cartier, a brand better known for diamond necklaces and $10,000 watches, will advertise its latest collection, Love by Cartier, in a deal which was done out of MySpace's office in France but will span multiple countries.
Love by Cartier
Enlarge
Cartier's deal with MySpace is an endorsement of a global ad market and the appeal of doing one buy that can stretch across multiple geographies.
It's yet another reminder that mainstream Web 2.0 sites have broader audiences than people often assume (last year Neiman Marcus chose YouTube as a place to publicize its 100-year anniversary). It's also an endorsement of a global ad market and the appeal of doing one buy that can stretch across multiple geographies.
It's not just for kids anymore
"There's this misperception in the market about MySpace being a youth site, a site for teens," said Travis Katz, managing director-international operations for MySpace. "But 85% of our audience in the U.S. is over 18, and 40% of all moms in U.S. are on MySpace." He claims that MySpace reaches more people making $100,000-plus than other social-network competitors, such as Facebook and Yahoo 360.
Still, a bigger reason brands are feeling more comfortable with MySpace is that the site has created well-lighted areas around video, music, games and celebrity. Some call it the "portalization" approach. According to people familiar with advertising on the site, cost-per-thousand viewers, or CPM, for integrated campaigns such as Cartier's tends to run in the mid-single digits, around $5.
But Mr. Katz seems more excited that Cartier's is a global deal, and that MySpace is figuring out ways to derive revenue from its international traffic -- 40% of its audience is outside the U.S., he said.
"If you're working with a traditional portal or media company, in each country you have to deal with a separate team, sales force. ... We can take a global message and localize it for each territory," he said. This is not MySpace's first global deal (previous multiterritory deals have included Sony Ericsson, Intel and Nokia), but it is the most far-reaching, with the campaign spanning eight languages.
Free downloads
Cartier's MySpace profile has songs from 12 artists, including Lou Reed and Marion Cotillard, that commemorate the collection. Users can listen to them on MySpace or download them for free at a Cartier mini-site. In the first few days, the profile logged 100,000 views, said MySpace.
Recently, TechCrunch took a look at international social-network users and the strength of the online ad market from which those users hail. It determined that even though MySpace is second to Facebook in worldwide unique visitors, MySpace's visitors were from countries that spend more on online advertisers, thus making MySpace potentially more valuable. Such figures certainly excite MySpace executives. Also exciting? Having good traffic in locales with strong currencies, such as the U.K. and across Europe. For U.S.-based companies at a time when the dollar is weak, that can be doubly nice (literally, in the case of the English pound).
Mr. Katz said that CPMs are much higher in countries such as the U.K. and Japan partly because of that currency strength but also because they have strong online ad markets. But he said even in markets where CPMs are weaker and fewer dollars are devoted to online interaction, the shift to digital is happening. He cites Spain, where online ad spending is growing at 35% a year, though it represented just 4% of total marketing budgets a year ago. MySpace's strongest international markets include Japan, Australia, France, Germany and Canada.
Global spending expected to surge
PricewaterhouseCoopers data estimate that while the U.S. has the largest base, internet ad spending in all other regions will outpace domestic growth over the next five years. Given the small base of international business relative to domestic business, it's not surprising that MySpace's international ad growth is outpacing its domestic ad growth.
Recently Myspace.com has been taking on advertisement campaigns that don’t only target a younger audience. It’s newest brand campaign, Cartier, wants to reach a diverse group of people and feels that myspace.com is the social networking site with the influence to do so. By taking on such big names, myspace is transforming from social site to marketing space.
MySpace Signs Up Glam New Member: Cartier
Global Campaign Challenges Assumptions About Social Networking
By Abbey Klaassen
Published: June 30, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The latest marketer to target the reaches of MySpace? Cartier.
Cartier, a brand better known for diamond necklaces and $10,000 watches, will advertise its latest collection, Love by Cartier, in a deal which was done out of MySpace's office in France but will span multiple countries.
Love by Cartier
Enlarge
Cartier's deal with MySpace is an endorsement of a global ad market and the appeal of doing one buy that can stretch across multiple geographies.
It's yet another reminder that mainstream Web 2.0 sites have broader audiences than people often assume (last year Neiman Marcus chose YouTube as a place to publicize its 100-year anniversary). It's also an endorsement of a global ad market and the appeal of doing one buy that can stretch across multiple geographies.
It's not just for kids anymore
"There's this misperception in the market about MySpace being a youth site, a site for teens," said Travis Katz, managing director-international operations for MySpace. "But 85% of our audience in the U.S. is over 18, and 40% of all moms in U.S. are on MySpace." He claims that MySpace reaches more people making $100,000-plus than other social-network competitors, such as Facebook and Yahoo 360.
Still, a bigger reason brands are feeling more comfortable with MySpace is that the site has created well-lighted areas around video, music, games and celebrity. Some call it the "portalization" approach. According to people familiar with advertising on the site, cost-per-thousand viewers, or CPM, for integrated campaigns such as Cartier's tends to run in the mid-single digits, around $5.
But Mr. Katz seems more excited that Cartier's is a global deal, and that MySpace is figuring out ways to derive revenue from its international traffic -- 40% of its audience is outside the U.S., he said.
"If you're working with a traditional portal or media company, in each country you have to deal with a separate team, sales force. ... We can take a global message and localize it for each territory," he said. This is not MySpace's first global deal (previous multiterritory deals have included Sony Ericsson, Intel and Nokia), but it is the most far-reaching, with the campaign spanning eight languages.
Free downloads
Cartier's MySpace profile has songs from 12 artists, including Lou Reed and Marion Cotillard, that commemorate the collection. Users can listen to them on MySpace or download them for free at a Cartier mini-site. In the first few days, the profile logged 100,000 views, said MySpace.
Recently, TechCrunch took a look at international social-network users and the strength of the online ad market from which those users hail. It determined that even though MySpace is second to Facebook in worldwide unique visitors, MySpace's visitors were from countries that spend more on online advertisers, thus making MySpace potentially more valuable. Such figures certainly excite MySpace executives. Also exciting? Having good traffic in locales with strong currencies, such as the U.K. and across Europe. For U.S.-based companies at a time when the dollar is weak, that can be doubly nice (literally, in the case of the English pound).
Mr. Katz said that CPMs are much higher in countries such as the U.K. and Japan partly because of that currency strength but also because they have strong online ad markets. But he said even in markets where CPMs are weaker and fewer dollars are devoted to online interaction, the shift to digital is happening. He cites Spain, where online ad spending is growing at 35% a year, though it represented just 4% of total marketing budgets a year ago. MySpace's strongest international markets include Japan, Australia, France, Germany and Canada.
Global spending expected to surge
PricewaterhouseCoopers data estimate that while the U.S. has the largest base, internet ad spending in all other regions will outpace domestic growth over the next five years. Given the small base of international business relative to domestic business, it's not surprising that MySpace's international ad growth is outpacing its domestic ad growth.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Toyota Targets A New Customer - African American Women
In order to boost sale’s, Toyota reaches out to a new demographic of African American women. Creative marketing may be what’s needed to persuade this group. Advertisers must continue to innovate and constantly bring fresh ideas to attract even unlikely consumers.
Toyota: No One's Targeted Black Women Like This
Alternate-Reality Game Challenges Camry's Rep as 'Suburban,' 'Boring'
By Claude Brodesser-Akner
Published: June 09, 2008
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- With companywide sales down 8% this May compared with a year ago, every sale suddenly matters to Toyota Motor Corp. And so the carmaker is launching what it calls an "episodic interactive campaign" to connect with a car-buying audience it has never targeted: professional African-American women.
Toyota's 'If Looks Could Kill' interactive site will target African-American women.
The automaker's Camry has been the best-selling car in America for nine of the past 10 years, but it seems African-American consumers would rather hitch their wagons to just about any other brand.
"Here's this nameplate that's ubiquitous," said Monica Warden, account director for Burrell, Toyota's agency of record or African-American advertising. "But for an African-American woman, it's not even in her consideration set. Our preliminary testing found they think of it as suburban, not urban; as solid but boring. And for this woman, she doesn't see herself as boring."
To shift the car's perception and increase purchase consideration, Toyota and Burrell have turned to the Pasadena, Calif.-based 42 Entertainment, a company that specializes in creating alternate-reality games, including a recent innovative viral campaign for Warner Bros.' forthcoming "Batman: The Dark Knight."
In the game, which makes its debut today, Bianca, a good-looking assistant designer at an urban fashion house, finds herself -- and her new 2009 Camry -- enmeshed in a world of espionage. A $5 million print, radio and online campaign that will run in media primarily consumed by African-American women aims to drive the target demographic to iflookscouldkill.com, a site where "fashion and espionage collide," said Susan Bonds, president of 42 Entertainment.
Espionage, mystery
Naturally, Bianca's unwitting involvement in spy tradecraft will be assisted by Camry's onboard Bluetooth, navigation and push-button ignition system, all features that will be "seamlessly integrated" into the content, Ms. Bonds said.
Why Camry hasn't caught on with African-American women is something of a mystery.
If the demographic simply wasn't buying any midprice sedans, one could to point to U.S. Census Bureau statistics that show that black women are the least likely to marry (in 2001, according to the U.S. Census, 41.9% of black women in America had never been married, in contrast to 20.7% of white women) and also the most likely to divorce. Lacking a double income, they might opt for cheaper wheels.
Or one might look to a November 2007 study by New York University's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy that found that black and Hispanic borrowers were more likely to be steered into subprime loans than others, even adjusting for income, loan size and property location -- indicating they don't have money to buy a car.
But U.S. Census data from 2005 show that black and Asian women with bachelor's degrees earn slightly more than similarly educated white women. And a recent study conducted by Burrell found that black women do buy midprice sedans; they just tend to buy Altimas, Accords and Avengers. Indeed, the Camry was being outsold almost 2-to-1 by Dodge's Avenger among black customers -- a car that suffered from less horsepower and lower fuel mileage than just about every six-cylinder competitor, including the Camry.
Disrupting perceptions
The game developed by 42 Entertainment is designed to target exactly those professional black women between 25 and 40 who earn at least $70,000 a year -- the same group that, Ms.Warden said, had previously written off the car as a suburban yawn.
"They think they know the car, but we're going to disrupt those perceptions," she said. "When you think that someone actually cares enough to make their product relevant to you, it can change your mind."
She added: "No one has ever targeted African-American women like this."
In order to boost sale’s, Toyota reaches out to a new demographic of African American women. Creative marketing may be what’s needed to persuade this group. Advertisers must continue to innovate and constantly bring fresh ideas to attract even unlikely consumers.
Toyota: No One's Targeted Black Women Like This
Alternate-Reality Game Challenges Camry's Rep as 'Suburban,' 'Boring'
By Claude Brodesser-Akner
Published: June 09, 2008
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- With companywide sales down 8% this May compared with a year ago, every sale suddenly matters to Toyota Motor Corp. And so the carmaker is launching what it calls an "episodic interactive campaign" to connect with a car-buying audience it has never targeted: professional African-American women.
Toyota's 'If Looks Could Kill' interactive site will target African-American women.
The automaker's Camry has been the best-selling car in America for nine of the past 10 years, but it seems African-American consumers would rather hitch their wagons to just about any other brand.
"Here's this nameplate that's ubiquitous," said Monica Warden, account director for Burrell, Toyota's agency of record or African-American advertising. "But for an African-American woman, it's not even in her consideration set. Our preliminary testing found they think of it as suburban, not urban; as solid but boring. And for this woman, she doesn't see herself as boring."
To shift the car's perception and increase purchase consideration, Toyota and Burrell have turned to the Pasadena, Calif.-based 42 Entertainment, a company that specializes in creating alternate-reality games, including a recent innovative viral campaign for Warner Bros.' forthcoming "Batman: The Dark Knight."
In the game, which makes its debut today, Bianca, a good-looking assistant designer at an urban fashion house, finds herself -- and her new 2009 Camry -- enmeshed in a world of espionage. A $5 million print, radio and online campaign that will run in media primarily consumed by African-American women aims to drive the target demographic to iflookscouldkill.com, a site where "fashion and espionage collide," said Susan Bonds, president of 42 Entertainment.
Espionage, mystery
Naturally, Bianca's unwitting involvement in spy tradecraft will be assisted by Camry's onboard Bluetooth, navigation and push-button ignition system, all features that will be "seamlessly integrated" into the content, Ms. Bonds said.
Why Camry hasn't caught on with African-American women is something of a mystery.
If the demographic simply wasn't buying any midprice sedans, one could to point to U.S. Census Bureau statistics that show that black women are the least likely to marry (in 2001, according to the U.S. Census, 41.9% of black women in America had never been married, in contrast to 20.7% of white women) and also the most likely to divorce. Lacking a double income, they might opt for cheaper wheels.
Or one might look to a November 2007 study by New York University's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy that found that black and Hispanic borrowers were more likely to be steered into subprime loans than others, even adjusting for income, loan size and property location -- indicating they don't have money to buy a car.
But U.S. Census data from 2005 show that black and Asian women with bachelor's degrees earn slightly more than similarly educated white women. And a recent study conducted by Burrell found that black women do buy midprice sedans; they just tend to buy Altimas, Accords and Avengers. Indeed, the Camry was being outsold almost 2-to-1 by Dodge's Avenger among black customers -- a car that suffered from less horsepower and lower fuel mileage than just about every six-cylinder competitor, including the Camry.
Disrupting perceptions
The game developed by 42 Entertainment is designed to target exactly those professional black women between 25 and 40 who earn at least $70,000 a year -- the same group that, Ms.Warden said, had previously written off the car as a suburban yawn.
"They think they know the car, but we're going to disrupt those perceptions," she said. "When you think that someone actually cares enough to make their product relevant to you, it can change your mind."
She added: "No one has ever targeted African-American women like this."
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Key to Success – A Diverse Staff
This week the media and advertising world is in an uproar over the Dunkin Donuts ad campaign and Rachael Ray. The controversy of the Dunkin’ Donuts ad brings attention to the importance of having a diverse staff, and how those opinions can positively influence the decisions made by advertisers. It also shows how costly it can be to not have diverse opinions in the creative process. Or to plan for what could happen when an ad goes horribly wrong.
Dunkin' Donuts Kills Rachael Ray Ad
Scarf Worn by Celeb Chef Reminded Some Bloggers of Arab Militants
By Emily Bryson York
Published: May 28, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an online ad starring Rachael Ray after conservative bloggers suggested the scarf she wore in the ad looked like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men that some associate with jihad.
Margie Myers, senior VP-communications for Dunkin' Brands, said in a statement, 'Absolutely no symbolism was intended.'
Margie Myers, senior VP-communications for Dunkin' Brands, said in a statement, 'Absolutely no symbolism was intended.'
"In a recent online ad, Rachael Ray is wearing a black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design. It was selected by the stylist for the advertising shoot," Margie Myers, senior VP-communications for Dunkin' Brands, said in a statement. "Absolutely no symbolism was intended."
Distraction eliminated
"However, as of this past weekend, we are no longer using the online ad because the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee," she said.
Conservative bloggers including Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin took up the cause last Friday, and Dunkin' quietly pulled the spot from online agency Studiocom, Boston, over the weekend. But today the controversy was being called the "keffiyeh kerfuffle," with stories in the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times.
"It was with some dismay that I learned last week that Dunkin' Donuts' spokeswoman Rachael Ray, the ubiquitous TV hostess, posed for one of the company's ads in what appeared to be a black-and-white keffiyeh," Ms. Malkin wrote on her eponymous blog.
Left-wing plot?
The keffiyeh, "for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad," Ms. Malkin said. She added that it has been "mainstreamed by ignorant and not-so-ignorant fashion designers, celebrities and left-wing icons."
Ms. Ray declined to comment.
This week the media and advertising world is in an uproar over the Dunkin Donuts ad campaign and Rachael Ray. The controversy of the Dunkin’ Donuts ad brings attention to the importance of having a diverse staff, and how those opinions can positively influence the decisions made by advertisers. It also shows how costly it can be to not have diverse opinions in the creative process. Or to plan for what could happen when an ad goes horribly wrong.
Dunkin' Donuts Kills Rachael Ray Ad
Scarf Worn by Celeb Chef Reminded Some Bloggers of Arab Militants
By Emily Bryson York
Published: May 28, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an online ad starring Rachael Ray after conservative bloggers suggested the scarf she wore in the ad looked like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men that some associate with jihad.
Margie Myers, senior VP-communications for Dunkin' Brands, said in a statement, 'Absolutely no symbolism was intended.'
Margie Myers, senior VP-communications for Dunkin' Brands, said in a statement, 'Absolutely no symbolism was intended.'
"In a recent online ad, Rachael Ray is wearing a black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design. It was selected by the stylist for the advertising shoot," Margie Myers, senior VP-communications for Dunkin' Brands, said in a statement. "Absolutely no symbolism was intended."
Distraction eliminated
"However, as of this past weekend, we are no longer using the online ad because the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee," she said.
Conservative bloggers including Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin took up the cause last Friday, and Dunkin' quietly pulled the spot from online agency Studiocom, Boston, over the weekend. But today the controversy was being called the "keffiyeh kerfuffle," with stories in the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times.
"It was with some dismay that I learned last week that Dunkin' Donuts' spokeswoman Rachael Ray, the ubiquitous TV hostess, posed for one of the company's ads in what appeared to be a black-and-white keffiyeh," Ms. Malkin wrote on her eponymous blog.
Left-wing plot?
The keffiyeh, "for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad," Ms. Malkin said. She added that it has been "mainstreamed by ignorant and not-so-ignorant fashion designers, celebrities and left-wing icons."
Ms. Ray declined to comment.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Recession! Recession! Recession!
Business is slow and I have nothing but time on my hands to catch up my reading, improve my Spider Solitaire win percentages and contemplate how to get new clients. Since money is tight and everyone is afraid to spend any money on marketing, including me -- I have to be creative in this tough market.
So here are my surefire recession proof marketing ideas. (We will know post recession if they are indeed surefire and recession proof.)
1. blog - Post all ideas! Aha moments! Articles! Creative inspirations! Etc., post everything on your blog.
2. Cheap Marketing Tactics -- Remember when you came up with that idea to sell ice cold bottled water on a hot day? I know someone already is capitalizing on your idea. Well, find cool and fun ways to get your company's or businesses name out there. I am going to send extra large post cards to all of my dream clients. The post cards costs $199.00 on www.modernpostcard.com and I am sending one to Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, and so on...........hey it can't hurt?
3. Stay inspired - Read -- Now is the time to catch up on all of that reading you never have time for when you are busy running your life or business. Here are a few of my favorite publications!
Inc Magazine
Fast Company (The Design Annual is my Favorite)
Dwell
Hospitality Design
Metropolitan Home
HOW
Business 2.0
The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
Let's hope this recession ends soon. I will update the blog in a few days with a copy of our postcard. Recessions are great for lots of creative ideas!
Karen
Business is slow and I have nothing but time on my hands to catch up my reading, improve my Spider Solitaire win percentages and contemplate how to get new clients. Since money is tight and everyone is afraid to spend any money on marketing, including me -- I have to be creative in this tough market.
So here are my surefire recession proof marketing ideas. (We will know post recession if they are indeed surefire and recession proof.)
1. blog - Post all ideas! Aha moments! Articles! Creative inspirations! Etc., post everything on your blog.
2. Cheap Marketing Tactics -- Remember when you came up with that idea to sell ice cold bottled water on a hot day? I know someone already is capitalizing on your idea. Well, find cool and fun ways to get your company's or businesses name out there. I am going to send extra large post cards to all of my dream clients. The post cards costs $199.00 on www.modernpostcard.com and I am sending one to Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, and so on...........hey it can't hurt?
3. Stay inspired - Read -- Now is the time to catch up on all of that reading you never have time for when you are busy running your life or business. Here are a few of my favorite publications!
Inc Magazine
Fast Company (The Design Annual is my Favorite)
Dwell
Hospitality Design
Metropolitan Home
HOW
Business 2.0
The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
Let's hope this recession ends soon. I will update the blog in a few days with a copy of our postcard. Recessions are great for lots of creative ideas!
Karen
Monday, March 17, 2008
I found this article in this week's Advertising Age. I think it speaks clearly on an issue within the advertising world. The Hispanic community is a vast community, made up of many people from various backgrounds and cultures. As advertiser's we need to represent all colors in the Hispanic diaspora. Enjoy the article!
Crossing the Hispanic Color Line
Latino Efforts Need to Include More Dark-Skinned People
By Rudy Duthil Published: March 12, 2008
Rudy DuthilI am honored to have the opportunity to write for the Big Tent blog and also get the opportunity to share some of the opinions from the "Jay-Z Generation" about the advertising industry as well. I know some of you may not know what the Jay-Z Generation is, but it is nothing more than those of us who grew up listening to rap artists (like Jay-Z) tell us (young urban youth) that we can do anything that we have ever dreamed of doing as long as we were focused on our goals and passionate about what we do. For starters, my parents named me Rodolfo, but my mother and all my friends call me Rudy. I'd like to consider those of you reading my entry my new friends, so you can call me Rudy, too! I'm the West Coast manager of experiential marketing for Zoom Media & Marketing. Another thing that I would like you to know about me is that I am Latino. Yes, I know, kind of shocking huh? My mother is of Dominican descent and my father of Cuban descent. My mother falls into the "Brown Latino" category, as would Eva Longoria, and my father falls into the "Black Latino" category, as would Sammy Sosa. I only mention this because although I grew up in a Latino family where some members look like me (and some don't) and have traveled to different Latino countries where I've seen many dark skinned Latinos, I've yet to see them represented in any of the ads or campaigns that I've come across since entering the marketing/advertising industry in 2004 after graduating from college. This is actually one of the main reasons why I decided to pursue a career in marketing and advertising. I understand that most clients who work on Hispanic accounts and who aren't of Latino backgrounds (and some who are) may say that an image of someone like me appearing in any ad directed towards Latinos may confuse the Latino consumers. However, Hispanic ad agencies should educate their clients as to why images of dark-skinned Latinos like myself should be given a fair shot when it comes to appearing in a campaign's creative and not rely only on the old generic, stereotypical images of Latinos who look Caucasian for these campaigns. According to a study by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, about 90% of the contemporary Dominican population has African ancestry or African roots. So why wouldn't you use a dark skinned Latino in an ad targeting this group of Latinos? Let's think about a general market ad for a second. Take for example, 50 Cent's G-Unit Clothing's ad campaign as an example of the point I am trying to make here. The better percentage of G-Unit Clothing's ads use images of the members of the G-Unit rap group (50 Cent, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, and Young Buck) in their creative and they are all dark-skinned African Americans. However, a good portion of their clothing is bought by young suburban white kids, as well as young urban Latinos. Although they are darker-skinned Americans, they still manage to get the "young and fresh" message of the brand across and it connects with all American consumers who believe in that message despite their color, resulting in the targeted consumers going out and buying the product. The white kids, in other words, aren't turned off. And it should work the same in the Latino market. If your brand messaging is clear, the color of the Latino person in the ad should be irrelevant. Your product will sell to the overall Latino market you're targeting because they know it's made for them regardless of color. And it may pick up more consumers among dark-skinned Latinos who've felt left out of such messaging before. We should all, as an industry, aspire to make innovations with regard to this matter, and not be afraid to change the landscape of Hispanic-targeted advertising by adding more "color" to it. The next time, for example, an agency is making a creative campaign targeting Mexicans, I ask them to create at least one concept where the main character reflects someone of the Mestizo population (a person of mixed Spanish/Amerindian blood) of Mexico, which accounts for the greater portion of the Mexican population. It has been a longstanding Latino tradition to believe that being fair skinned with blonde hair is the only standard of beauty and sophistication there is. Obviously, they've crossed the hair-color line, but skin color and other physical characteristics in ads are still pretty much the same. But isn't it about time we break this tradition? I need not remind us of the once popular brown paper-bag test for social acceptance in certain sectors of the African American community or of historical Hollywood color consciousness. Though color bias is arguably still prevalent today with regard to black women, particularly when it comes to casting leading roles in cinema and music videos, extreme color consciousness with regard to African Americans in media and advertising has mostly been broken. I'm hoping we can collectively do the same with Hispanic advertising, and I will make sure I do everything in my power to speed up the process.
Crossing the Hispanic Color Line
Latino Efforts Need to Include More Dark-Skinned People
By Rudy Duthil Published: March 12, 2008
Rudy DuthilI am honored to have the opportunity to write for the Big Tent blog and also get the opportunity to share some of the opinions from the "Jay-Z Generation" about the advertising industry as well. I know some of you may not know what the Jay-Z Generation is, but it is nothing more than those of us who grew up listening to rap artists (like Jay-Z) tell us (young urban youth) that we can do anything that we have ever dreamed of doing as long as we were focused on our goals and passionate about what we do. For starters, my parents named me Rodolfo, but my mother and all my friends call me Rudy. I'd like to consider those of you reading my entry my new friends, so you can call me Rudy, too! I'm the West Coast manager of experiential marketing for Zoom Media & Marketing. Another thing that I would like you to know about me is that I am Latino. Yes, I know, kind of shocking huh? My mother is of Dominican descent and my father of Cuban descent. My mother falls into the "Brown Latino" category, as would Eva Longoria, and my father falls into the "Black Latino" category, as would Sammy Sosa. I only mention this because although I grew up in a Latino family where some members look like me (and some don't) and have traveled to different Latino countries where I've seen many dark skinned Latinos, I've yet to see them represented in any of the ads or campaigns that I've come across since entering the marketing/advertising industry in 2004 after graduating from college. This is actually one of the main reasons why I decided to pursue a career in marketing and advertising. I understand that most clients who work on Hispanic accounts and who aren't of Latino backgrounds (and some who are) may say that an image of someone like me appearing in any ad directed towards Latinos may confuse the Latino consumers. However, Hispanic ad agencies should educate their clients as to why images of dark-skinned Latinos like myself should be given a fair shot when it comes to appearing in a campaign's creative and not rely only on the old generic, stereotypical images of Latinos who look Caucasian for these campaigns. According to a study by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, about 90% of the contemporary Dominican population has African ancestry or African roots. So why wouldn't you use a dark skinned Latino in an ad targeting this group of Latinos? Let's think about a general market ad for a second. Take for example, 50 Cent's G-Unit Clothing's ad campaign as an example of the point I am trying to make here. The better percentage of G-Unit Clothing's ads use images of the members of the G-Unit rap group (50 Cent, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, and Young Buck) in their creative and they are all dark-skinned African Americans. However, a good portion of their clothing is bought by young suburban white kids, as well as young urban Latinos. Although they are darker-skinned Americans, they still manage to get the "young and fresh" message of the brand across and it connects with all American consumers who believe in that message despite their color, resulting in the targeted consumers going out and buying the product. The white kids, in other words, aren't turned off. And it should work the same in the Latino market. If your brand messaging is clear, the color of the Latino person in the ad should be irrelevant. Your product will sell to the overall Latino market you're targeting because they know it's made for them regardless of color. And it may pick up more consumers among dark-skinned Latinos who've felt left out of such messaging before. We should all, as an industry, aspire to make innovations with regard to this matter, and not be afraid to change the landscape of Hispanic-targeted advertising by adding more "color" to it. The next time, for example, an agency is making a creative campaign targeting Mexicans, I ask them to create at least one concept where the main character reflects someone of the Mestizo population (a person of mixed Spanish/Amerindian blood) of Mexico, which accounts for the greater portion of the Mexican population. It has been a longstanding Latino tradition to believe that being fair skinned with blonde hair is the only standard of beauty and sophistication there is. Obviously, they've crossed the hair-color line, but skin color and other physical characteristics in ads are still pretty much the same. But isn't it about time we break this tradition? I need not remind us of the once popular brown paper-bag test for social acceptance in certain sectors of the African American community or of historical Hollywood color consciousness. Though color bias is arguably still prevalent today with regard to black women, particularly when it comes to casting leading roles in cinema and music videos, extreme color consciousness with regard to African Americans in media and advertising has mostly been broken. I'm hoping we can collectively do the same with Hispanic advertising, and I will make sure I do everything in my power to speed up the process.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Greetings,
This is Alecia Hudson and I serve as the Office Manager for AM+G. Just returned from a relaxing birthday getaway to the Poconos for myself. I had a blast, did some gambling,swimming and even took a plunge and went snowmobiling(was scared at first) but I conquered my fears. I would highly recommend that you visit the Mt Airy Resort and Casino in the Poconos, service is great and the rooms are wonderful. http://mountairycasino.com/
Alecia
This is Alecia Hudson and I serve as the Office Manager for AM+G. Just returned from a relaxing birthday getaway to the Poconos for myself. I had a blast, did some gambling,swimming and even took a plunge and went snowmobiling(was scared at first) but I conquered my fears. I would highly recommend that you visit the Mt Airy Resort and Casino in the Poconos, service is great and the rooms are wonderful. http://mountairycasino.com/
Alecia
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
January 30, 2008
My name is Jane and I am one of the AM+G members. I am a bit embarassed to admit that in 2008 this is my first blog post ever. I am usually long winded but today I am feeling a bit shy. This is totally out of character for me. So here is bit of information about me.
I spent 12+ years of my professional life as a designer for National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. I have traveled all over the world from one of the highest peaks in the Andes, to the rift valley of Tanzania and to the sub zero tundra of Siberia.
I am looking forward to sharing with you some of my thoughts on the design world as I uncover gems in my daily research. Today I stumbled upon Designpolice.org. I think everyone should have a Design Police's Visual Enforcement Kit. This will allow you the opportunity for anonymity in critiquing bad design or you can be brave and forthright with your designers.
Jane
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Happy New Year!
The month of January is almost over and we are well under way into 2008. This month the discussion at AM+G has focused on branding and the new look and feel of our company. On January 1, 2008 we celebrated five years in business. It is a great American story of a small business that started with a dream of its founder and has grown to a dynamic marketing communications company full of talented creative people. We plan to celebrate this year with a party for staff, clients and potential clients. The tentative date is May 15, 2008.
On this blog, we will share our personal stories, dilemma's and challenges as we navigate the business.
January is always a time of renewal. This month the team looked at our future, we discussed our current clients, the client mix, and our dream clients. Some would say we are practicing 'The Secret' we are visualizing where we want to be and the clients we plan to have in the next few years.
This week, we are working on a large proposal. A big social marketing campaign. It will require a great deal of writing and a colloborative effort of the entire team.
It is cold and rainy today in Washington, DC. A great day to write!
Karen
The month of January is almost over and we are well under way into 2008. This month the discussion at AM+G has focused on branding and the new look and feel of our company. On January 1, 2008 we celebrated five years in business. It is a great American story of a small business that started with a dream of its founder and has grown to a dynamic marketing communications company full of talented creative people. We plan to celebrate this year with a party for staff, clients and potential clients. The tentative date is May 15, 2008.
On this blog, we will share our personal stories, dilemma's and challenges as we navigate the business.
January is always a time of renewal. This month the team looked at our future, we discussed our current clients, the client mix, and our dream clients. Some would say we are practicing 'The Secret' we are visualizing where we want to be and the clients we plan to have in the next few years.
This week, we are working on a large proposal. A big social marketing campaign. It will require a great deal of writing and a colloborative effort of the entire team.
It is cold and rainy today in Washington, DC. A great day to write!
Karen
Monday, January 14, 2008
A New Year, A New Look
After spending the first 5 years of our company existence focused on the marketing needs of other organizations, we have finally taken the time to focus on our own marketing. We are currently working on the redesign of our website and company materials to create a new identity for ourselves. The whole team is really excited about this fresh new look. Instead of the long name "Alston Marketing Group" we have decided to use the acronym "AM+G" which adds a little edge and trendiness to our identity. We even tweaked our colors a bit, from the orange and brown to red, brown and white.
I particularly like the new company brochure which pulls in all the parts of our new identity. The brochure emphasizes our focus on bringing the clients ideas to life regardless of how big or small they are. "Small ideas! We love them. Small ideas generate endless possibilities. Our team of experienced designers, creative talent and marketing strategists bring our clients brands to life." My favorite visual in the brochure is a sketched hand that shows the different branches of AM+G: Marketing Strategy, Brand Design, Advertising, Packaging, New Media and Environments.
The website is truly the piece that will bring this new look to life. The flash design will create an outerspace environment where the user can navigate through the different topics to learn more about who we are as a company. The user can also click on a video of our President talking informally about the company and what we do. By exploring this outerspace environment, the user will be able to explore for himself what AM+G is all about.
These two pieces, the brochure and the website will form the backbone of AM+G's new image as we embark on the next phase of our growth.
After spending the first 5 years of our company existence focused on the marketing needs of other organizations, we have finally taken the time to focus on our own marketing. We are currently working on the redesign of our website and company materials to create a new identity for ourselves. The whole team is really excited about this fresh new look. Instead of the long name "Alston Marketing Group" we have decided to use the acronym "AM+G" which adds a little edge and trendiness to our identity. We even tweaked our colors a bit, from the orange and brown to red, brown and white.
I particularly like the new company brochure which pulls in all the parts of our new identity. The brochure emphasizes our focus on bringing the clients ideas to life regardless of how big or small they are. "Small ideas! We love them. Small ideas generate endless possibilities. Our team of experienced designers, creative talent and marketing strategists bring our clients brands to life." My favorite visual in the brochure is a sketched hand that shows the different branches of AM+G: Marketing Strategy, Brand Design, Advertising, Packaging, New Media and Environments.
The website is truly the piece that will bring this new look to life. The flash design will create an outerspace environment where the user can navigate through the different topics to learn more about who we are as a company. The user can also click on a video of our President talking informally about the company and what we do. By exploring this outerspace environment, the user will be able to explore for himself what AM+G is all about.
These two pieces, the brochure and the website will form the backbone of AM+G's new image as we embark on the next phase of our growth.
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