PeakBiety

Branding Advertising Agency Tampa, FL

4A’s Celebrates 100 Years of Advertising.

By Leave a Comment

100YearsAd2

100 years ago, the 4A’s (American Association of Advertising Agencies) was founded as a national trade association to represent U.S. ad agencies. These days, they give counsel to members on everything from new business to best practices to media transparency. As the leading authority representing the marketing communications agency business, the 4A’s provides leadership advocacy, research, database information and training that empowers agencies to innovate, evolve and grow. That’s exactly what the 4A’s has afforded us during our 27 years as members. And, we are one of only two 4A’s shops in Tampa.

From famous ad campaigns to cultural movements, the association has put together a robust and wonderful trip through nostalgia in the form of a timeline capturing moments that stand out over the last 100 years. The overview is nicely divided into sections starting with “Behind The Scenes.” For this segment, the 4A’s interviewed industry thought leaders to showcase more than twenty stories behind some of the biggest moments on their timeline. The “Cameos” page pays tribute to popular figures that have been popping up in advertising since it started. Some of the best cameos from famous people over the last 100 years are captured.

The “Characters” portion includes some of the most memorable characters in advertising history, from the hilarious swagger of the Old Spice Man’s Man to the awkward charm of PC vs. Mac. We were pleased to see an entire area devoted to “Design” to help mark the moments that made design a lasting influence in advertising as far back as Uncle Sam. When pivotal historical and cultural moments collide with brilliant creative minds, we get advertising that better reflects our society. The “Diversity” section captures some of those moments. Groundbreaking milestones are documented in “Firsts” that helped make advertising what it is today. From laugh-out-loud lines to totally “out there” characters, “Laughs” includes some of the funniest moments in advertising that still resonate today.

Great copywriting is showcased in “Lines.” From “Just Do It” to “Where’s the beef?,” some lines just stick. This section tells the stories behind a few of the greatest lines in advertising. Love them or hate them, jingles have been a staple of the ad industry, cementing favorite brands in our collective memories. The “Music” part lists some of advertising’s greatest hits. From the launch of the World Wide Web to the very first use of “bullet-time” (it wasn’t in that famous sci-fi movie you’re thinking of), these are the moments in “Tech” that changed us forever. Finally, we’ve come a long way in 100 years. The “Women” segment celebrates the evolution of how women have been portrayed in advertising, as well as key female figures who’ve shaped the ad industry.

To explore the 4A’s 100th Anniversary Timeline, click here: http://www.aaaa.org/timeline/

Brands Can Get Type Cast Too

By Leave a Comment

Occasionally, clients come to us feeling that their brands have been type cast. Perceptions are powerful and stick. Hence, our brand promise, “The Power of Perception.” So, we found this article on brand perception, written by Paul Friederichsen on “Branding Strategy Insider,” and wanted to share it. Although we’re not exactly big followers of WWE, the example is a good one. Clients large and small may relate to the challenges described here. 

Brands-Can-Get-Type-Cast-Too
Brands Can Get Type Cast Too Article by Paul Friederichsen

Often we will read about a Hollywood star that will avoid a role in a sequel for fear of being type cast. Or a star that will struggle to find a “breakout” role simply because the perception of the star’s work doesn’t match with the star’s desired change.

Brands will have the same challenges. Many years ago, Rolling Stone magazine launched its iconic “Perception–Reality” campaign that intended to destroy the bad-boy rock and roll type cast image advertisers mistakenly had regarding its appeal and readership. As Rolling Stone understood at the time, its typecasting was hurting its ability to attract new advertisers; and so the campaign took on the dilemma head on in side by side comparisons of “perception” and “reality.”

It could be said that typecasting is really the result of a brand exercising sound brand discipline; so strong and so successful, in fact, that to alter, embellish or enhance the understanding of brand may be difficult. This can happen even in industries populated with “knowledgeable”insiders such as writers, editors, bloggers, or, as in the case of the Rolling Stone example, expert media strategists and buyers.

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is contending with type casting … not with their wrestling stars, but with the brand itself. Ironically, in a business that relies on type casting good guys and villains for staged wrestling bouts to enthrall fans, the brand is attempting to shed the notion that it stands for more than “wrestling” but that it’s a powerful entertainment media vehicle for advertisers.

Of course, typecasting can be desirable, as in the case of “Mac vs. PC.” Mac relishes being type cast as the fresh, creative and friendly alternative to the “PC.” Or Subway’s type casting as the healthy fast food alternative to heavy, greasy fast food options. Or Gold’s Gym as the no nonsense strength training alternative to the glitzy, sophisticated LA Fitness locations.

There are two fundamentals that brand marketers must recognize with regard to this issue. Firstly, as consumers of brands in a world saturated with them, we consciously (and subconsciously) categorize them for easy mental reference. This “filing system” is formed by our earliest memory with the brand and is not easily altered. We are resistant to changing a perception that gets hardened like cement over time. Secondly, many reporters, editors, and bloggers are either over-worked or just lazy, and may not dig deeper about your brand when including it in their story.

For example, a very large and successful flooring company began making quality, but affordable products when it started out, but later began adding a wider range of designs, warranty levels and price points. In spite of a considerable amount of marketing efforts to introduce its new lines, it is still often type cast as that company that produces inexpensive flooring by the writers and editors in the industry. Typecasting is difficult to change, indeed.

In her book “Impossible to Ignore. Creating memorable content to influence decisions” Carmen Simon writes,“It is critical for us to help audiences keep in mind valuable information” to prevent “accidental forgetting.” As she observes, “We may forget what we experienced, but we won’t forget what we understood.” Properly understanding brands requires effort, of course, and that’s where marketing must step in.

If the typecasting is unwarranted or undesirable, there are three areas to consider in addressing this:

  1. Bold action. Just as a comedic actor would take on a dramatic role to alter audience and critical perceptions, so should brands take on their new role with strategic timing. Appreciating the resistance to change, the marketing may need to be suitably jarring to challenge the type casting and reposition the brand.
  2. Often brands become lax in telling their own story and then wonder why others are not following them. As in the case of WWE, the brand’s executives are taking their story directly to ad agencies and advertisers emphasizing that they are more and capable of more by means of tie-ins and promotions than the limited view media execs may have.
  3. Brands, just as the markets they do business in, must adapt to a constantly fluid and evolving space. Depending on the category, change can be either at a snail’s pace or almost daily. Brand marketers must carefully consider the pros and cons of such a move in order to eliminate the drag of typecasting can have on sales performance and growth.

Essentially, for brands to have the chance to break free from typecasting their actions must create new memories, based on an altered understanding of the brand. Communicated and received successfully old meanings can be pushed aside to make a new role for the brand.

 

Farewell to an Advertising Legend.

By 1 Comment

by Rayna Lancaster

If you’ve been in the marketing business anytime in the past 50 years, you’ve probably known a few damn-good art directors. But unless you knew Bob Schiffer, you missed one of the best.

Bob passed away June 17, 2018, due to heart disease, ironic in the case of a man whose heart was seemingly big enough to hold the whole entire world.

Bob was just a regular kid who grew up in the Bronx he loved, in New York City. He attended the Pratt Institute and the New York School of Visual Arts and got a sort of low-rent job doing catalog paste-up, I think. He hated it but it paid the bills for his young, new family of three. One day in 1969, Bob took a big chance (one of many many risks he’d take in his professional life). He walked into the offices of the renowned Doyle Dane Bernbach ad agency in Manhattan with his modest portfolio. He got hired immediately as an art director with no degree, not much experience and few, if any, connections. Does that even happen anymore? Well, okay. Augusten Burroughs.

Big thinking led to Think Small.

At DDB, those were the real-life Mad Men days. Bob worked on national and international accounts like American Airlines, Mobil Oil, and Clairol to name a few. He was involved in creating the then revolutionary and groundbreaking “Think Small” campaign for the Volkswagen bug. He was ahead of his time, at just the right time.

Bob and family left the New York advertising mecca for John Malmo Advertising, now Archer Malmo, in Memphis, Tennessee. He loved John Malmo and the favor was returned. “He was the best idea man I ever met,” John said. He told Bob’s son Rob about the day they were doing a photo shoot for an outboard motor company. The concept was “three men in a tub.” Bob had the tub but no men. So he so ran out on the street and grabbed three big fat guys, strangers, and pulled them in for the shoot. John still howls telling that story.

After Malmo, Bob moved the family to Largo, Florida, to work at a Young & Rubicam agency then called Zemp Advertising where he worked on Publix, Florida National Bank and Florida Power. From there he went to Bozell Advertising in Tampa to work with Howard Ellis and company on the Florida Lottery, Nehi Soft Drinks, Tampa Electric and Val-Pak.

Over the course of his nearly 60-year career, Bob would garner an almost uncountable number of advertising awards of excellence: Numerous awards from the Advertising Club of New York, the C.A. Show, Art Directors Club of New Jersey and of Memphis, Clio, C.A. and Telly awards, a National Addy and dozens and dozens of regional Addys.

He certainly left his mark.

Who’d think just driving in a car with someone could be as interesting as riding with Bob? Gregory N. King knows. He described driving to lunch with Bob at the wheel when Bob noticed some guy on a motorcycle harassing a woman jogger. “Bob throws the car into a hard brake slam, jumps out as it’s still moving, I’m in shock thinking about his several heart attacks…” Cops were called, woman was safe, jerk was chastised. “That was Bob,” Gregory said. “He was such a great guy.” When young Gregory asked Bob how to succeed in advertising, Bob poked him in the chest and said, “Follow your heart.”

One day long ago at Malmo, a 14-year-old kid called the agency and asked to speak to anyone in the art department. Bob answered and the kid asked what kind of degree does he need to become a commercial artist? “None,” Bob replied, “Come see me.” Thus began a lifelong mentorship by Bob for that young man, John G. Schmitz. Today John is a successful games designer and illustrator in Reno who said, “Bob Schiffer is the single most important person of my artistic life and the best creative director I have ever seen.” Bob racks up another groupie.

Tampa Bay area art director Ron Roman calls Bob, “The consummate ad man…old school, hands on, and a true artist.” Amazing in the ad world, Bob could actually draw. Ron and Bob were long time friends and Ron calls him the “art director’s art director.” He remembers interviewing with Bob at Zemp in the early 80s, seeing his cluttered desk full of hand-drawn TV storyboards, and thinking, “That’s what I want to do.” And he has, to great acclaim.

Howard Ellis, principal of the former Bozell agency, describes Bob with equal affection. He said it took some doing to pry Bob away from Y & R but he succeeded after a year of trying and was glad he did. The agency benefited greatly, Howard said.

Bob was famous for his temper. Or infamous I guess is the right word. I had the good fortune to be Bob’s writer at Y & R. What a team, if I do say so myself. After I left to free-lance, that sweet Y & R receptionist and all-around problem-solver Shirley Fletcher would call me to talk Bob down off one of his notorious tirades. He calmed down for me, thank God. Now, about 40 years and 500 lunches later, I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do without Bob Schiffer in the world.

A heavenly calling.

Bob Schiffer was a man of deep Faith, with a capital F. But he didn’t preach at you. Or bust your arm to convert you. He also wasn’t content to just sit around and read the Bible. His Faith showed up in action. He lived it. And not just on Sundays but on every day of every week of every one of the 40-plus years I knew that man, and long before that I am sure.

Bob officially retired from Bozell but he never really retired. He told me that God came and spoke to him and what God said was, “I gave you a talent to create and many of your friends I gave the same talents. I want you to ask them if they would be willing to share those talents for His work here on Earth.”

That’s when Ads4aCause was born. Bob felt his mission was to assemble us old pros and create an ad agency that provided creative services at no cost for worthwhile charities. He enlisted veteran art directors Ron Roman and Rob Chapin, Tim Schaedler as photographer, Glen Peak as marketing guru, ex-Y&Rers Gwen Peterson and me as copywriters, and Jennifer Frazier, too. Curtis Graham even succumbed to Bob’s charms and produced magic, as usual. Through Ads4aCause.org, this group of volunteers under Bob’s able creative direction provided free creative for the American Red Cross, Homeless Emergency Project, Police Athletic League, WMNF community radio, Week End Hunger, Christian Outreach Center, and other groups that really truly help people.

Talk about a parting shot.

Besides his faith, there was one other constant in Bob’s life. His rock. His inspiration. His muse. His Jean. Childhood sweethearts, they were married for 52 years, raised three great kids who gave him five grandkids and two great grandsons.

After Jean passed away six years ago Bob was adrift.  He leaned on his faith, his kids, and his friends and rallied to live the best possible life he could without Jean.

Bob was a salty dog, really. His tantrums are legendary. What bugged Bob the most was BS. He hated it. Bad input. Rotten clients. Stupid rejections of good concepts. Jerk AEs. Dumb rules. He was pretty tired of that by the time he left this world. Ever the advertising pro, Bob Schiffer wrote his own obituary and entrusted son Rick to see it was implemented. All he wanted it to say was:

No_BS

Artwork by John G. Schmitz.

When Rick told me, I literally howled out loud. So Bob. So funny. Pushing the limits right up to the end. I’m told that Bob’s double-entendre concept is being used, as requested, as the memorial pamphlet at his service, and the line was in his very brief Times obit.

So, farewell old buddy Bobarino. You were too kind to me and I learned a lot from you, as did just about every person lucky enough to work with you, know you, or even simply meet you.

Ciao, BS.

 

Opinion: It’s time to get flexible and break away from groupthink

By Leave a Comment

kelly-sikkema-291518Good reading this week comes from our 4A’s (American Association of Advertising Agency) membership via their 4A’s SmartBrief, news for the advertising, media and marcom industries. Agencies need to break away from the homogenized confines of an office in order to allow creativity to flourish, writes Creative Equals’ Ali Hanan. Flexible working arrangements — or a day shaped by core hours — would give creatives space to think and encourage more women to stay in the industry, she writes. The article appeared on June 20 in the online British publication, The Drum, run by industry experts that “believe marketing can change the world.” We tend to agree. We contacted Ali to ask about the statistic, “88% of all creative is shaped by a homogenized group of creatives (male, white, educated).” She replied, “That is the case in the UK from my research. Only 12% of CDs are women so that means 88% of them are men and that group is very white!” Wondering about how the US stacks up, we found a 2013 Fast Company article stating, “Women control a whopping 80% of consumer spending, yet only 3% of creative directors are female.” A 2014 3 Percent Conference report states, “The percentage of female Creative Directors in the Communication Arts 2013 Advertising Annual reached 11.5%.” Looking beyond all the stats, we were pleased to see in this June 2017 article by Hanan, attention drawn to the “flexibility” issue. Well aware that a willingness to change or compromise regarding work style and working hours to accommodate valuable workers with lives outside of work is an issue for all industries. We are also well aware that inflexible working hours affects men, too.

Could flexible working save creativity? Article by Ali Hanan

At McCann Japan, the company’s new artificially intelligent creative director, AI-CDβ is busy responding to live briefs from clients with logic-based creative direction based on past trends and success of TV ads. Last year, a human advert showing the hand-drawn beauty of giant calligraphy artistry narrowly beat AI-CDβ’s ‘superhuman flying dog’, in a consumer vote, by just 9%. Only with divergent human thinking will creativity defeat the robots.

Currently, creativity is in a workplace straitjacket.

Could our inflexible, outdated working systems be holding us back? Currently we’re in a ‘groupthink’ situation where 88% of all creative is shaped by a homogenised group of creatives (male, white, educated) within a traditional 9-6pm time structure. To creatively outrun artificial intelligence, it’s time to add in fresh, divergent perspectives into the mix, fast. To do that, we have to rewrite the workplace.

Trailblazing ideas rarely come during office hours.

Laura Jordan Bambach, chief creative officer at Mr President and co-founder of SheSays dreams her ideas (she scrawls in a ‘dream diary’ beside her bed, some time in the small hours), while chief executive of J. Walter Thompson, James Whitehead, cites his Saturday run as his most productive thinking time. Ana Balarin, executive creative director at Mother London, uses her breast-feeding time to solve creative problems, while Dentsu Aegis UK and Ireland chief executive Tracy De Groose says conversations with her sons have sparked some of her most creative ideas.

Our notions of time are outdated.

Imagine if our workplaces focused on a six-hour day, instead of our 24/7 model. Or, we worked around ‘core hours’ of 10am-4pm, like a recent workplace initiative from Wieden + Kennedy in London.

It makes sense; a recent study from Sweden showed that a six-hour working day significantly increased productivity. Nurses who worked a six-hour day were happier, healthier and had more energy compared to working eight hours. Additionally, they took less sick days and were less stressed, more active and experienced less back and neck pain.

If creatives could come in and focus on six-hours of ‘core working’ just consider the fresh, divergent approaches that could spark. A recent initiative from AMVBBDO has introduced permanent half-time working roles for parents, which may shape a path back to work for those we currently force to leave in droves: mothers.

Inflexible working hours mean we lose a huge majority of mothers.

While not considered a ‘diversity’ group (like race, LGBTQ, age, ability), the fact is so few mothers shape work within our business. Yet research from Digital Mums shows six out of 10 working mothers don’t have access to flexible work, despite laws introduced in 2014. Almost seven out of 10 stay-at-home mums would go back to work in some capacity if flexible work was an option. Creative Equals research shows an incredible 60% of our young female creatives believe they won’t be able to stay in the industry with a young family.

With open flexible workplaces, there is no doubt we’ll retain our mothers, attract Generation Z and, with multiple points of view at the table, unleash creativity. Just maybe we’ll daydream those unexpected, impossible ideas no algorithm can possibly predict, let alone create.

AdSpeak #36 – By carefully balancing science with creativity, marketers benefit.

By Leave a Comment

AdSpeak_36_BrainThe human brain is enormously complex. It takes both left and right sides to successfully function in life. The same is true in marketing. With all the tools available to marketers today, what was once considered more of an art, has now morphed into more science.

Historically, striking the right balance between art and science has always been a challenge for brands. In 1990, we built PeakBiety on a simple core philosophy, one of “balancing marketing knowhow with creative vision.” Admittedly, this was nothing new at the time. It’s the same philosophy that had propelled the Leo Burnett agency to greatness decades before.

Although, the tools and means for achieving marketing success have changed greatly over the years, this core philosophy remains as true as ever. Successful communication requires both right and left sides of the brain. The left brain enables us to understand customer perceptions and user needs. This can be as simple as research gained from sorting through readily available information, or as complex as conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research.

With such knowledge in hand, the creative team gets solid strategic direction to anchor the communications they create. No matter how visionary the creative execution, everyone understands the main idea to be conveyed, thus eliminating the usual guesswork as to whether an idea is right, or whether it will resonate with the intended audience.

More important, this information is received before, rather than after the idea is shared with the audience. Mistakes like the controversial Kendall Jenner Pepsi commercial could have easily been prevented with a little well-planned science and testing beforehand.

For this reason, PeakBiety’s simple combination of marketing insight and creative execution remains essential to a marketer’s success. It is only through the careful balancing of both sides of the brain that marketing initiatives get their fair shot at achieving, and even exceeding stated goals.