Regret is for Smart People

Righteous Wealth

Profit and social responsibility seem to be diametrically opposed in most current business settings, or at least, what happens when prices are calculated without long-term interests. Here's a cool article from Egg, an ad agency specializing in sustainability and social change:

The Fourth Way

(Also: a wikipedia article explaining origins of The Fourth Way)

That'd be a cool identifier on a resume for individuals or a community to start up. Seth Godin tried to get people to put a "z" at the end of their resume to say that they're "zoomers" who subscribe to the ground-up, feedback-based decision-making prescribed by Fast Company. Why can't we do the same for the idea of sustainability as a marketable, profitable endeavor?

4th Way
z

Translation Please?

Everyone can appreciate brevity. Take Joe Biden's response in the Democratic Presidential Debate for example:

Williams: An editorial in the Los Angeles Times said, "In addition to his uncontrolled verbosity, Biden is a gaff machine." Can you reassure voters in this country that you would have the discipline you would need on the world stage, Senator?

Biden: Yes.
(Laughter)

Williams: Thank you, Senator Biden.
(Laughter)
MSNBC.com

Nobody wants to pour over text or wait for the point. The longer it takes to say something, the less meaningful the message. That doesn't mean a book or lecture or meeting can't be long, but it should be dense with relevant information. Here's another example from Book-A-Minute:

(Gulliver visits some places.)

A Lilliputian: We're small.

A Brobdingnagian: We're big.

A Horse: We can talk.

(Gulliver goes home.)

Gulliver: Humanity sucks.  I hate people.

THE END

OK, maybe literature isn't the best example, since it's as much the experience of reading as it is the story that we enjoy. But that's not the case with meetings or educational reading. Check out The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier. It's short and sweet, taking all the complexities and nuance and misconceptions about what a brand is and turns it into page after page of simple gold nuggets -- without panning the river. Thanks to Sam for telling me about it. E-mail me if you want the complimentary PDF.

...

If this post was too long. Here's a summary:

Read The Brand Gap by Marty if you appreciate brevity. You're welcome.

 

"Anonymity is Death"

From AdAge:

"A client's hire is a difficult choice these days, but I'm willing to bet the most unique agency almost always gets the win. Without notable differences, clients tend to go with the safest bet: a preexisting relationship within the agency or, quite frankly, the largest agency. But with a true identity, small agencies can trump these factors. Anonymity is death, and the lives of your accounts are on the line."

- Bart Cleveland

Comparing a small agency to an entry-level art designer or account planner doesn't seem too far-fetched. Be unique, win the job. Easy enough, right? But I'm starting to think that having a smart book simply isn't unique. There needs to be more than the perfection of content, as defined by the current standards of what people recognize and what they understand from their own experiences.

"If I'd asked my customers what they would have wanted, they would have said a faster horse."
- Henry Ford

The same think big paradigm applies to agencies; to clients; to business and the world at large; to yourself. Here, try to finish the following:

Horse-drawn carriages are to ad agencies
as motor cars are to  _________

Answer that, then go ahead and tell me how to put it in a portfolio. I'll split the earnings with you.

Serious.

Bite of the Apple

We just finished our trip to New York and have come back with reeling brains. BBH is doing some incredible stuff with their brand think-tank group, ZAG. The idea is to come up with a brand and market it from within the agency. Though the program is still small, it sounds like it has plenty of potential.

Meanwhile, the ONE Show was an incredible massing of advertising enthusiasts from the industry. Chiat Day won most of the major awards for their work with Masterfoods (Combos "Man Mom," Skittles craziness). We had just toured Chiat the day before and met with the creative teams who won all of those pencils. They told us about the agency, their hiring preferences emphasizing a strong print campaign book, and looked at some of our work, including idea journals.

We heard much of the same recommendations concerning portfolios at all of the agencies we visited. Everything depends on The Book. Knowledge is good, curiosity is fine, but it's really about the first impression your Book has on the person looking at it. If it's good, you're set. Even if you don't get a job, you can comfortably ask who else could look at it. If it's poor, you've basically blown it.

When asked about showing creative process, creative directors said that they'd rather see work. Good work is evidence of a strong understanding of process. When asked about extra projects, marketable ideas, media uses, explanations, or campaign ideas that go beyond a 3-piece print campaign, the directors basically said that was all fine and interesting, but is only icing on the cake; to be included in small doses after the rest of the Book. Either they're all a bit old-fashioned, or it's just a matter of having damn good work to show. Kneel before the Book.

Either way, I'd better get mine ready last week.

Sell Yourself

This week, Richard Ward took the time to help students understand the state of the industry and gave some practical tips concerning what employers look for in prospective hires. It all comes down to expressing what's going on inside your head. Intelligence, passion, and teamwork are the key values for most agencies. (Some exceptions include the uber-creative funk-factories, where shoe lace color patterns may become an issue.)

UO Alumni guests included: Sheila Vineyard, Steve O'Leary (O'Leary and Partners), Richard Ward (West Wayne), and Tamera Geddes (Weiden + Kennedy)

Some Richard Ward wisdom:

"The main descriminator in hiring is whether or not you express a passion for something."
"Part of succeeding is learning to rebound."
"Getting a job means losing all humility."
"Where you plug in, in the industry, doesn't necessarily determine your success in the field."
"Show me how deep it goes." (pointing at gray matter)
"Organize your thinking, to be prepared for unexpected questions. Come up with 50 questions an interviewer might ask you."
"Don't ever confuse selling yourself with selling out."
"We choose to opt in to a capitalist society."
"We embrace brands. They develop our identities."
"It's a business of very passionate, very smart people."
"From our side, it's about how bad do you want it?"
"Tell me something smart."
"A good rule of thumb is to not lie."
"The business has gotten serious."
"We want to know, are you serious about this?"
"We want to know if this person gets it."

When I asked him where I should go and what I should do to gain experience for the future of my career, he simply responded, "Work." Upon further inquiry, "Get work experience."

'Nuff said.