Category: The day job
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Seriously, Dan Pink's selling book is ace, a treasure of little insights. You should read it. I liked the story of how Amazon makes sure it's plans always have proper customer input. It's simple, they're in the room whenever any decision is made. Because a spare chair is always allocated as the customer chair. It's…
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Rosser Reeves gets some stick these days. Mostly from being the father of the Unique Selling Proposition. Maybe the USP is outdated, but my own point of view is that you should always find something unique about you offering. Byron Sharp’s work corroborates this – brands need to build distinctive memory structures and so on.…
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Creative sensibilities usually mean the end of an ad should be a pure as fresh snow. Somehow, the convention is that it’s more creative without a call to action. The end frame in a film, the bit at the end of the way the eye peruses print – after headline/visual idea and copy (if any).…
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I'm really enjoying Daniel Pink's 'To Sell is Human'. I'm a little unsure of the entire premise – that we're all in sales now. Not that I question his overall thesis, all life is about persuading others to do stuff they otherwise wouldn't afterall, it's just that the book perhaps leaves out nuance to fit…
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So it’s nearly three months into the new job. When I left a creative agency and joined a media one. Opinion from peers was divided on the subject. Basically, ‘wow great gig’ to ‘what on earth are you doing’. I thought I knew what I was doing. I was finding that the strategy role bit…
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If you read Rob Campbell's blog, you may have observed he's very enthusiastic about his employers' work. I'm sure it's not corporate toadiness but pure enthusiasm. I claim the same excuse for promoting my own employers' work. Namely, the Sainbury's Christmas campaign. When I say 'their work' that's a lie, because it's a great…
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I was showed this Carlton beer ad. You've probably seen it. If you haven't I know you'll thank me for sharing it. Just genius. Not only the genius inciting incident – the cops and robbers happen to be in the same bar. The brilliance of using the cultural treasure box and messing with it.…
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I love the song. But more importantly, it feels like something new. I don't know what she was talking about with her fella or why she is so sad, but I don't need to. I love it captures how music can make you feel. I love the acting, especially, capturing how most people dance alone. …
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Another person seems to think I have a clue what I'm talking about. They emailed me asking for some thought on moving from agency to client side. Below is the response. This is based on my experiences and those of some people of know and respect. Don't take is as gospel truth. Take anything you…
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I have a fear of focus groups. I'm not one that rejects them out of hand I might add. In the right location, an actual dealership if you're researching car buyers for example, rather than a faceless hotel room, they can still shed light on all sorts of stuff. They might only expose group think…
NORTHERN PLANNER 