Are creative marketing types a dying breed?

This is a guest post by Brian Halligan. Over the last few months I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Brian, the co-founder and CEO of HubSpot, author of “Inbound Marketing:  Get Found in Google, Blogs, and Social Media,” and an EIR at MIT. You might think that a “Modern MadMen,” as Brian refers to me, and an inbound marketer might not have a lot in common.  But in fact we do.  We share an understanding of how much has changed and just what it takes to market in the new age.  Enjoy.

Are creative marketing types a dying breed?

By Brian Halligan

I have been thinking about my mom and dad sitting on their couch in 1979 watching “Dynasty” and being interrupted five minutes into it by an Irish Spring soap ad.  Something remarkable happened after that ad played:  my dad actually spoke with my mom about soap and they decided to switch from Dove to Irish Spring!  I think of my parents today sitting on their couch watching “The Office” and being interrupted 5 minutes in by an Irish Spring ad.  Something very different happens this time:  dad grabs the clicker and either fast-forwards or turns to ESPN.

In those pre-historic times before the age of cable, DVR’s, and clickers, I might argue that the key factors in order of marketing importance were time slot, segmentation match with the product to the audience, and then creativity/quality of the advertisement itself.  In other words, it was important for the advertisement to be creative/good, but mom and dad were going to hear the message by hook or by crook.

I have heard many people argue that creative marketing types are becoming obsolete. I don’t buy it.  In fact, I think the creative marketing type is 10x more important today than it was 30 years ago when you had mom and dad captive on the couch.

To get mom and dad’s attention today, you need to create remarkable content.  I use that word “remarkable” because the content has to be so good that it compels other users, content creators and web site owners to remark about it in the form of links back to it.  These links inform Google of how remarkable the content is which drives you up the rankings.  If the content is really remarkable, it will spread virally through sites like Twitter.  Rather than creating a 30-second “spot” for a captive mom and dad, the great creative types today are creating remarkable content that is essentially voted on by the web community through links which will ultimately get it in front of mom and dad if it is deemed worthy.  This is really hard and the content needs to be fantastic to spread through a skeptical, non-captive audience.

There’s talk that the quant jocks are taking over marketing, but I think creative types are more important than ever and that the very best creative types who can get through the clutter will be in high demand as we move to a new era of marketing.

I know that I agree with Brian.  I have written about it more than once.  But what is and who is the “creative type” Brian refers to today? What are your thoughts? Are we only creating for Google’s algorithm, or to surprise and delight our community? Or is it the same?

Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce: are you inspired?

If you watched Mad Men’s finale the other night, and have even an ounce of entrepreneurial blood running through your veins, your heart had to start pumping a little faster with thoughts of being in that hotel room at the Pierre, ready to start something new. Nothing is more exciting than the launch of a new venture.

Of course in those days, it took money; the Madison Ave boys (and girls) estimated they needed $30 million in billings to start the new Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce. Fear and the risk of failure come cheap. But office space, Xerox machines, furniture, and phone lines all called for a hefty balance in the checkbook.

Granted even then it was possible to start a new company with less. Anyone who has ever worked in Boston has undoubtedly heard the story of Jack Connors, the legendary founder of Hill, Holliday, who launched his agency with a “roll of dimes and a phone booth on Newbury St.”

But today it really is a lot easier. Your only mandatory equipment is a laptop, an Internet connection, and cell phone.  Free platforms, free applications, free tools and free advice are the norm.

If you’re making a new ice cream machine or a product that has to be manufactured and distributed, sure you need investors and capital. But if you want to start an ad agency, a social media consultancy, a company that designs blogs and websites, or a new online publication, you don’t need that much:  just a crazy commitment to working hard, an abundance of imagination, and the ability to dream.

In the last few months, I’ve watched my friend John Winsor announce Victors and Spoils.  I’ve cheered on Erik Proulx as he’s started plans to grow his Please Feed the Animals blog and service. I’ve met the folks at Dart Boston, who are encouraging under 25-year old entrepreneurs. I’ve envied the likes of Laura Fitton who’s introduced us to oneforty, the new Twitter app “store.” I’ve gotten to know Gary Vaynerchuk as he’s brought yet another new venture online. All these folks work their asses off. Some of them did have to raise money. But from what I can tell, they’re pretty happy. None of them are sitting around complaining about the economy or what’s happening to them, they’re too busy making things happen for themselves.

Recently I’ve been working to satisfy my own urge to start something with The Next Great Generation. It’s energizing. I highly recommend it.

Maybe you’re out of work.  Maybe you’re tired of working for someone else.  Maybe you just need a change.  If so, now’s a good time to start something. What’ll it be?

Photo by:  Carin Baer

Social media changes everything, except the need for creativity

Last summer I was asked to write the advertising column for this month’s Communication Arts. I submitted the piece in August; it only appeared this month. In the print world, space is limited and deadlines can significantly precede publication date.  So below is a slightly modified version representing what would appear if I wrote the piece today.

The tools may be the same, but what we create might be different.

A year ago, if you went around espousing the value of social media you probably found few listeners. Twitter had barely two million users. There weren’t enough participants for any but the most forward thinking clients. And while plenty of bloggers championed conversation marketing, the majority of advertisers were not asking you to engineer their social media presence and build them a community.

Man, the world changed quickly.

If your clients resemble mine, they’re now requesting full-blown social media programs. They want you to launch their brand on Twitter, create apps for their fan page, and introduce them to crowdsourcing.

What happened? Three things created the perfect storm.

The recession. Advertising and marketing budgets plummeted, and as a potential alternative, social media started to look quite appealing. Trying to save money might be the wrong reason to embrace social media but it’s a reason nonetheless.

Barack Obama. Our new president actually used social media and crowdsourcing — in the form of Twitter and a YouTube channel – to get elected.  Hard fact to ignore.

A media circus. Everyone from Ellen to Oprah to Ashton to Lance embraced Twitter. Millions of new users joined. Newspapers and magazines devoted millions of column inches to the covering the new medium. And CMOs and CEOs started to pay attention.

So what does this mean for creative folks? Will there be less traditional advertising?  Is TV going to matter less? Will budgets get chopped even more?

The answer to all of those is an obvious and resounding “yes.” But who cares? Our clients will still need creativity, perhaps more than ever.

Think about it.  Right now being on Twitter or Facebook is still relatively new for advertisers. Marketing through a conversation remains novel. So simply engaging and listening is enough to grab a customer’s attention.

But that won’t last. In another year, every company will post on Twitter, collect fans on Facebook, broadcast on its YouTube channel, and share content on a blog. The cacophony of conversation will grow deafening and the proliferation of communities will be overwhelming.

Once that happens we’ll need new creative ideas — fresh, original, attention getting platforms, experiences and techniques — to grab attention, get remembered and generate results.

There is one catch.  Creativity — the idea, the team that creates it, how it’s brought to life — will all be different.   It ain’t gonna be a print ad or a 30-second TV spot. We may still need the big idea (The Axe Effect, Drivers Wanted, Got Milk) but more likely it will be achieved with a long lasting digital platform or an innovative way to inspire community. Even executions will be different:  viral avatars will convert a target audience into a distribution channel; iPhone applications will become the gateway for capturing data and starting relationships; tools rather than messages will become the new creative currency.

As I look at all the new stuff — digital video, social media, iPhone apps, augmented reality, and the amazing power of crowdsourcing  — I feel like a kid in a candy store.  Never have so many creative opportunities presented themselves.  Yet many people in the so-called advertising business continue to cling to the familiar forms of print and TV.  Dinosaurs didn’t know that extinction was coming; but we’ve been forewarned.

If you’re determined not to be among them, here’s what you might consider doing.

Learn to create in the new media

We’ve seen the power of Facebook apps.  And they’re going to get even more robust.  But you can be creative on Twitter, too. Look at the MadMen avatars, or the fake Don Draper character. But there’s more to come. Someone’s going to use Twitter to redefine how a story gets told, how the characters interact, how a consumer gets to participate. Why not you?

Make friends with a developer

The relationship between technology and creativity deserves more than a sentence or two. But what can be done with a smartphone, Twitter’s API, or a platform like Posterous should excite you. Why not become more familiar with the technological possibilities? You might find they inspire ideas that would otherwise never pop into your head.

Embrace crowdsourcing

I’m not talking about design competitions. Think co-creation instead. You can stick a lyric or a guitar lick on a website and end up with a crowdsourced music track.  You can inspire customers or fans to co-create a piece of art or a multi-screen video. You can create a viral meme that spreads further if the crowd plays a role in creating it.

Expand your tribe

In The Element, Sir Ken Robinson suggests that we become more encouraged and stimulated when we find our tribe.  If that’s true, then shouldn’t we constantly look for ways to expand the one we have? With all the new technology and social media platforms available, we can find inspiration from other creatives anywhere in the world. Beats staring at YouTube videos all day in search of ideas to rip-off.

Build your personal brand

Finally, take your career and your reputation into your own hands. Put your opinions and perspective out there. Share what you know. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much you’ll gain personally and professionally. Just look at what it did for Erik Proulx in the realization of his film Lemonade.

Much about marketing and advertising has changed.  What hasn’t is the need for creative people. We just have to re-invent advertising’s forms and in the process ourselves.

As always, please join in. Share, leave a comment, and if you’re interested, subscribe to my RSS. Button’s in the upper right.

Photo by: laffy4k

Everything starts with the consumer

In a recent interview at Boards 2009, R/GA’s Bob Greenberg gently accuses agencies of selling what they do, rather than doing what will sell to consumers.

“A lot of agencies aren’t focused on the consumer and that’s a problem if you look at consumer behavior.”  Problem?  It’s worse than a problem. Consider the fate of the once great Cliff Freeman and Partners.

Anyway, in this brief video, Bob goes on to remind anyone who’s listening what the younger generation is up to. “They’re working with multiple devices. They can block out advertising at will.” (Obvious. But worth remembering.)

Granted, Bob and friends find every opportunity they can to push their model (platforms rather than campaigns) as the ultimate solution for the digital age. And even as Bob compliments his analog competitors, he never misses the chance to explain why the R/GA’s approach is the most relevant to where the world is going. (Full disclosure, R/GA is a sister agency of ours in that they’re owned by IPG, which also owns Mullen.)

But Bob is right. Everything an agency does should start with the consumer.  And I don’t mean the insight that tells us how a consumer feels about a brand or a category; that’s just basic planning. Today it’s more important to understand a consumer’s relationship with media and content. Is she a spectator? Socializer? Critic? Content creator? What role does she want to play in the brand experience?  Does she simply want to conduct a transaction? Or is there an opportunity to forge a relationship?

Ask and answer those questions and you’re far less likely to come up with an ad and more likely to conceive a mobile application that offers genuine utility. Or a way to access information about a product while you’re in the middle of shopping. Or a community that connects your prospective customers to your existing customers so they can hear from each other rather than from you. Or a digital platform that becomes as much a part of a brand experience as the products the bear the logo.

As Bob says you’ll have to learn to make those engagements as interesting and entertaining as the best TV spots you’ve ever made, but that’s a different challenge. The first one is to stop selling what you make and start creating stuff you may never have made before if that’s what it takes to engage your prospects and involve your customers. Hint: change up the people in the room. Add a UX person, a developer and a digital media planner to your creative team.

Thoughts? Please share. And if you’re interested, here’s more great Bob Greenberg content.

Does the world really need another blog?

Don’t answer that.  It might discourage me.

For the last couple of months I’ve been working toward launching a new one. It’s called The Next Great Generation. It’s an experiment in everything from crowdsourcing, to personal branding, to the concept of Free as put forth by Chris Anderson.

Crowdsourcing because The Next Great Generation will call on dozens, if not hundreds, of aspiring Gen-Y bloggers and writers for its content. Personal branding because it’s my hope that a lot of these writers will establish reputations, find readers, and use their experience to land their first job or advance to a better one.  And Free, because I’m not paying them. At least not yet. The idea is that attention and recognition constitute fair compensation.

So far it’s been way more work than I thought, and it’s barely even up yet. But there seems to be no shortage of interest.  The students, writers, professors, marketers and researchers I’ve spoken with consistently respond with enthusiasm and even excitement. So we’ll see what happens.

We go live today. Wish us luck. And don’t be too harsh with your reaction. At least not yet. We’d rather your encouragement, as we have a long way to go. Nevertheless, we do want to hear what you think, and know what you’d like to see. And, of course, if you’re a Millennial, we invite you to join us.

So please visit us at The Next Great Generation. Check out the About page. And feel free to contact us. Also, leave a comment and answer this week’s question. Would you ever pay for a newspapers?  And finally, tell your friends, marketing acquaintances, brand managers, and other “grownups” to check us out.

Thanks for stopping by. And while you’re at it, what do you think? Does the world need another blog?