Where Ideas Come From

KEY FACT: You can't extract something from your head that's not already in there. That is a particularly important point for those of us involved with conjuring up ideas. Therefore, as one of my early mentors proposed:

Think of your mind as a computer. It's being fed information constantly. Don't put the intake button in neutral and most importantly, DON'T EVER PUSH THE OFF BUTTON.

Quotes of the Day

Over the years I have kept track of what I judge to be inspirational quotations from leaders, past and present, in the ad business (mostly). I have roughly 250 pages worth, a healthy handful of which are taped to my office wall. Rather than let them simply molder in a file, I thought I'd pass a few along in hopes you might find them as motivational as I have. Even if you're not associated with the MAD MEN society, there still may be something of value. Here goes:

“Train, eat your vitamins, say your prayers, and believe in yourself.”
Hulk Hogan

"Talent alone doesn't really count for much. Success comes from focusing single-mindedly, with the intensity of a laser, on your craft, on your goal. It's not complicated; you just decide what you want to do, where you want to go, what you want to acheive, and then don't let anything or anyone distract you."
Andy Berlin

“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.”
Oscar Wilde

“Merely to let your imagination run riot, to dream unrelated dreams, to indulge in graphic acrobatics, is not being creative. The creative person has harnessed his imagination. He has disciplined it so that every thought, every idea, every word he puts down, every line he draws makes more vivid, more believable, more persuasive the product advantage.”
Bill Bernbach

“There is no such thing as a me-too product, just me-too advertising.”
Tom McElligott

“Shake the Etch-a-Sketch in your head, start over constantly, and come at the problem from wildly different angles. Don’t keep sniffing all four sides of the same fire hydrant. Run through the entire neighborhood.”
Luke Sullivan

Practice What you Preach

Normally an ad agency promotes itself via direct mail and trade ads, if at all. It's always been surprising to me how few agencies actually advertise themselves. Don't they believe in it? Some might scoff at the thought of using outdoor billboards, with their broad audience reach, to promote an agency. Richter7 has actually had fair success using the medium. It was particularly valuable when we introduced the agency's new name several years ago, and continues to elicit feedback and phone calls whenever we've posted since then. Here are two that were recently posted along the I-15 corridor of Salt Lake City. We created landing pages with the featured addresses, which link to our website. And even if someone doesn't remember the oddball URL, we wanted them to realize that Richter7 offers considerable web marketing skills.

To Write Is To Live

I'm a Peter Principle kind of guy -- promoted beyond my usefulness at Richter7. So every now and then I steal a chance to do what I enjoy most -- writing ads. You are hereby subjected to the end result. This is one in a series of posters for an exhibit of 18th century Native American art. Too bad there are so many little logos at the bottom. Ah, the visual compromises inherent in working with a sponsored exhibition.

Peace, be still.

I believe inspiration comes in peaceful settings.

Words such as quiet, secluded, still, and peaceable have always been, in my experience, associated with clear thinking and imaginative writing. Little wonder, writers in ceiling-less, wall-deprived office scenarios wear headphones and earplugs. I visited CPB in Boulder last week and while walking through the hallways at 9 PM noticed so many of the creative staffers hunched over monitors with headphones on. Noise blocking out noise. It's too bad offices -- even small ones -- with doors can't be provided to everyone, but that's not the trend these days.

I recognize all writers may not feel the same way. And I realize that walls and doors cost money. I tried to deal with an open-office setting while working for Cole & Weber, and even earplugs didn't always create sufficient quietude. When they did, I couldn't hear my phone ring. Not good. I feel badly for our writers at Richter7 who face the same predicament. When offices were originally assigned, I should have been more wise -- even if the offices they should have received weren't as "cool."

The world grows increasingly noisy. I fear the trend won't abate. As I understand it, the first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of enemy communication channels. Call it "black noise."

In today's world of communication overload, there always seems to be a TV on in the background -- sometimes the foreground. The radio, or an iPod, constantly blares. As anyone with a teenager will admit, Guitar Hero is not an eardrum's best friend. My son is savoring, at high volume, a YouTube video on a nearby computer as I write this -- or try to write this. I'm just not tough enough to mentally focus when there's non-stop noise all around. And I'll bet I'm not unique.

For me, and many others, solitude and quiet are particularly conducive to idea generation, inspiration and creativity. Since the ad business is built on those precepts, it seems rather critical to orchestrate moments and physical environments that are noise-free. Op-ed over and out.

Advertising Creativity Matters. A Lot.

Don't ever, ever, ever feed me that false, yet oft-repeated advertising motto, "It isn't creative unless it sells." The bold-faced fact is, it won't sell unless it's creative -- simply because it won't get noticed. Period. Exclamation point.

In support of that premise, I wrote a nationally distributed booklet titled "Why Creativity" that offers research-based facts touting the cause of intelligent creativity. (Email me at Richter7 for a free copy.)

It doesn't include, however, findings from a relevant, new study published in the September 2008 issue of the Journal of Advertising Research. I shouted hosanna when I read the title: "Advertising Creativity Matters." The study was conducted by three professors at the Stockholm School of Economics. Here are just a few, quick excerpts:

“Brand interest was significantly higher among consumers exposed to more creative advertisements…revealing a more significant effect on purchase intention.”

“...an extra degree of creativity may send signals about the advertiser that rub off on consumer perceptions of the brand. In our experiment, more versus less creative advertising signaled greater effort on the advertiser’s behalf and was taken as proof of the brand’s smartness, and ability to solve problems and develop valuable products. As a result, consumers became more interested in the brand and perceived it to be of higher quality.”

“Our analysis reveals that more versus less advertising creativity produces a signal of marketing effort that is similar to advertising expense. This is good news, as this revelation implies that the advertising does not need to spend excessive amounts of money to signal confidence in the product. Instead of spending money on bigger advertising spaces or more frequent campaigns, the same effects may be attainable by increasing creativity instead. Thus, the study provides compelling evidence that creativity could be a way to produce greater results per advertising dollar.”

“This study shows that high versus low creativity works as a signal for familiar and established brands…they need to stay interesting to consumers even when they have nothing new to say. Creative advertising does increase consumer interest in brands, not by communicating a new message, but by communicating the same message in another way.”

In short, the authors confirm that advertising creativity is a powerful, positive signal when promoting familiar or unfamiliar brands. Too many creatively inept agencies cop out by saying, "We don't care about creative awards, just about results." In my opinion, that's a cheap excuse for poor ability and/or laziness.

Another research study, quoted in the booklet mentioned above, suggests creativity and effectiveness are inseparably linked, and specifically declared, "Award-winning advertising is four to five time more likely to reach client goals than non-award winning work."

In reality, awards send a clear signal that the work stands out, is memorable, and is meaningful. Any other kind of advertising is a waste of money. In today's economic environment, where fewer dollars have to work harder and where it's increasingly difficult to differentiate brands, that would be a crying shame.

The Ultimate Creative Effort

Here's a shout-out to my eldest daughter, Farrah, and her husband Jon, for their latest creative (or, more accurately, pro-creative) effort -- 10-pound, 22-inch Graham. Initial indications suggest he will be a world-class copywriter, creative director, baseball player, football player, basketball player and consumer of dairy products.