Logitech Goes Back to Bacon

I just saw the new Logitech Revue TV spot with Kevin Bacon and I love it! Of course, I don’t have a freakin’ clue what the product does. But here’s what the creative does:

• They used a celebrity in a fun and interesting way. How often does that happen with celebrity endorsers?

• They used the perfect celebrity. We’re all six degrees from Kevin Bacon.

• They used the perfect mix of charm, message, and creepiness to make me want to watch it again, and pray that more spots will be coming our way soon.

The potential downside, like I mentioned earlier, is that the spots don’t do a great job of explaining the technology. But they put the product on the map and very much in the discussion by playing up the benefit to the average consumer without bogging us down in details. Would anybody email you a techy, descriptive TV spot?

Add it all up and it’s one more formula for going viral (assuming they get a working link up on the internet. I can’t find one right now).

Really, Microsoft? That's Your Insight?

Microsoft is about to unleash Windows Phone 7 on the world. And they’ve already started teasing us with commercials for the world’s newest Smart Phone. There are two that I’ve seen. If you haven’t seen them, watch them HERE and HERE.

They’re beautifully shot, well executed, simple and cool. I can’t say enough about them. But in my opinion, there’s one glaring problem here. The human insight that makes these spots go, just isn’t true. Kind of makes the creative a moot point.

Here’s the rationale from David Webster, chief strategy officer in Microsoft's central marketing group. I just pulled this quote off the internet without really checking my sources. I’m not a journalist, so cut me some slack here.

“Our point is to say that the right phone design can allow you to get in, get that done and get back out, which is really what I think most people would strive to do if the phone didn't interfere with that by making them do too many steps, go down too many silos, switch paths too many times.”

Well sir, I disagree. Sure, iPhone and other Smart Phone users might be annoyed about the number of steps (by my estimate, it takes three touches just to get to the phone keypad on my iPhone). But we don’t walk around staring at our phones like zombies because they’re slow or technologically cumbersome.

We’re staring at them because we’ve never held so much information in the palm of our hands before. This is new to us. We’d rather be engaged with our new toy than the world around us. In fact, I’m most zoned into my surroundings during the 30 seconds while I’m waiting for my Scrabble app to load.

I’m surprised Microsoft would build their creative campaign around this insight. Haven’t we learned anything from the other technological advances over the years that were supposed to make our lives more efficient? They don’t make life easier, they just bring on more work, longer to-do lists and tighter deadlines.

Now that’s a strategy I would love to see a strong advertising agency tackle. Really.

Leaping Over the Digital Divide

Somebody recently asked me how I successfully made the leap from being a copywriter for mostly traditional media to handling Social Media and Digital projects as well.

My first response was that I’m merely a survivor, not yet a success story. Everything is still moving and changing way too quickly to announce to the world that you know everything there is to know.

I have no doubt that most creatives with a solid background in print, broadcast, promotions etc can make the transition. But in my experience, the hardest part of the transition is convincing somebody else you can do it. But here are a few helpful hints for traditional creatives (especially copywriters) to help build a foundation and hopefully make a smooth transition into the future.

• Grow your digital footprint: If this piece of advice never occurred to you, you might be too far behind the curve already. But hey, it’s never too late. Get your profile up (and more importantly, up to date) on the major sites.

• Treat Twitter as a professional tool: Don’t just use it as another venue to tell your friends what you ate for lunch. Follow leaders in advertising, marketing, social media, PR and any other industry that interests you. And if you’re having trouble finding “leaders,” the next best thing is to follow me ;) here.

• Track the digital presence of potential bosses/clients: If you sniff a job opening at Agency Y where you’d be working on Client X, of course you know to go to these company websites. But make sure to find out what else they’re saying online and where they’re saying it.

• Teach yourself how to put together a Facebook Business Page: Do you have any spec print work in your book? Well, now you can do SM spec work without calling in the digital cavalry to help put it together.

• Know the basics of all the latest in digital, social, and mobile: You don’t really “get” foursquare? That’s ok. But you better be able to check-in, and more importantly, understand why so many people enjoy doing so.

• Keep generating ideas: Nobody really knows what will be the next big thing, and we’ve barely scratched the surface on how to engage consumers with the options already out there. But if you keep thinking and jotting down thoughts, agencies will believe you could be just the person to help them successfully make the leap too.

I’m sure I left out a few hints. And I’m even more certain that in six months time there will be even newer info to consider. But for now, this advice should help keep your goals in perspective for what seems like a very daunting task.

Hey Creatives, I'm on my high horse

Have you seen the big plunge Old Spice has taken into the world of Social Media? Here’s a behind the scenes look at what it’s all about.

And here’s an interesting quote from Iain Tait, the Global Interactive Director at Wieden & Kennedy: “If the message that comes out of this is that you can make TV commercials in 30 minutes, then we're all out of a job.”

Of course, that was said a little tongue-in-cheek (but just a little). But I actually think the success of this campaign is some of the best news in a while for traditional creatives and those trying to find their place in a constantly evolving web 2.0 (or is it up to 3.0 now?).

Here’s why:
• This was a collaboration of SM-savvy talent with traditional creative. They both needed each other and leaned heavily on each other’s skills.

• Whether it was designed and put together in a day, a week, or had been in the works for months, this was professionally produced, TV-quality work. Strategically, its not much different than the “Subservient Chicken.” But executionally, it has nothing in common with a webcam.

• This campaign started as a traditional creative campaign. The viral way it exploded owes to the internet, but it had the head start of a high profile TV debut.

• Most importantly for copywriters such as myself, from the original TV spot all the way through the 87th video, the success depended on a specific type of copywriter. One that’s funny, full of ideas, works quickly, and has such a complete understanding of the brand voice that they can speak for the brand through a unique character.

So creatives can only hope that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I’m not looking for Starbucks to say “I’m on a horse.” But I’m looking for agencies that work with great brands, and those that aspire to be great to start seeing the value of the full spectrum of skills required by their brand messengers.

Reality Bites for Social Media

I don’t know the exact number or percentage, but let’s just assume a lot of 30-40 year olds use some form of social media. Most of them are at least using Facebook, This isn’t exactly news (unless you’ve jumped into your Hot Tub Time Machine and set it for 2007).

So why was Corey Haim’s death yesterday not really that big of a deal? Some factors might be that based on his past history, it wasn’t exactly shocking. Or maybe his story is truly a tragic tale, and the internet is a bit more lighthearted. Or maybe a has-been is still a has-been, even in death.

I’d like to throw my theory into the ring…30+ year olds “use” social media, but don’t “utilize” it. What I mean is that good old Generation X (of which I’m a card carrying member) isn’t taking advantage of all that Twitter and its real-time venues have to offer.

Everybody 30-40 knows the Corey Haim movies, and his decades long struggle with drugs. But based on what I noticed from my social network and Twitter’s trending topics, most people just said “RIP Corey” and moved on with their day. From the new stay-at-home moms to the hipsters, there was hardly any ongoing discussion.

For my tiny sliver of the online community, this should’ve been almost Michael Jackson-esque, but it was closer to Tito Jackson-esque. I don’t think it was the story, I think its that the story was targeted to a group that spends a lot of time online but not in a way that’s drastically different than how we used it 5 years ago. Too many of us get our online information from the same websites we ‘ve always used. This is just another way that demonstrates we’re slowly becoming ingrained in our patterns, just like our parents.

If your brand is speaking to this 30-40 year old market, you can definitely reach them online. But be sure to ask yourself whether or not you truly believe they’ll reach back.