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DRAFTFCBlog is a collaborative blog written by the employees of Draftfcb, one
of the world's largest ad agencies. It's a chance for us to share our thoughts,
insights and opinions on the state of the ad industry and business in general.
Because, let's face it, there's a lot to talk about. To learn more about DRAFTFCBlog, visit our
Terms of Use. |
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2/2/2012
Posted by Jim Lucas, EVP, Global Director of Retail Insight & Strategy
JC Penney’s (JCP) recent announcement of their vision to become America’s Favorite Store — win, lose or draw — will be one of the most closely followed retail initiatives in 2012. Born of the necessity to improve JCP’s performance, the reason it is being followed so closely is because it is probably the most audacious attempt at reinvention in the history of the chain store!
There are three main pillars to JCP’s plan, revolving around pricing, promotion and store.
1. Fair and Square Pricing (FSP): Read simplified pricing, comprised of three basic building blocks of pricing, e.g., everyday low price; month-long specials and twice-monthly sales (i.e., Best Friday Pricing on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month); and flat pricing (prices rounded to the dollar, no cents).
2. A Streamlined Calendar: Reduced from 590 promotions a year to 12. This allows JCP to align its creative efforts (each month has a color, each month will have a 96-page catalog) with a smaller number of seasonally-based promotions. This will also enhance their efficiency (instead of spending $2M on each of over 500 promotions last year, they will spend $80M against each of the 12 promotional periods).
3. Putting the “Department” Back in the Department Store: JCP plans to add two or three shops to their stores every month through 2015. Similar to Sephora and MNG (Mango) now in their stores, shop-in-shops allow better in-store expression of brands and help to elevate the in-store presence of brands. Over the course of the next year, shops from Liz Claiborne, Izod, L’amour, juniors brand by Nanette Lepore, and Martha Stewart will be introduced in JC Penney stores. The stores will be featuring 100 shop-in-shops and will be developing additional ones every two or three years . The final touch, a new prototype will be launched in 2014.
Like a younger sibling closely watching an older sibling asking parents to break new ground, we marketers, retailers, and agencies together are all eagerly watching JCP in the hope we will all learn something from their experience. Audacious plans, such as this one, usually have a key inflection point. JCP’s has two:
1. In the short-term, whether the fair and square pricing is attractive enough to bring in new shoppers and/or get current shoppers to shop more frequently. JCP is unlikely to stake out the lowest price position in apparel or home fashion, but if FSP is used to reinforce its image as consistently offering good deals on good quality merchandise, JCP may be able to both keep and win some shoppers.
2. The second inflection point will be whether the ongoing changes (e.g., shop-in-shop, more and better brand expression in-store) will keep shoppers coming back for more. In essence, will their new plan turn JCP into a desired destination? 2/1/2012
Posted by Josh Dysart, Manager, Corporate Communications
Draftfcb has four finalists in the 2012 TED Ads Worth Spreading competition, and we need your support.
The Dow “Giant Chalkboard” and Sharpie work from our Chicago agency, and the campaign for PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) created by our Toronto team, have all been named finalists.
Click on each of the links below and cast your vote. Then help us spread these ideas far and wide. Voting ends in early February.
1/28/2012Posted by Tom O'Keefe, Executive Creative Director, Draftfcb North America
Friday night was SCAD’s Oscars, affectionately known as the “Scaddys”. The culmination of a year’s worth of work celebrated in one big award show gala extraordinaire. To give context to the growing size of SCAD, in 2007 they had about 200 student entries; this year they had over 2,000 -- in categories ranging from copywriting, design, motion graphics, production, digital, graphic arts and a host of others. What’s so impressive about SCAD, unlike many of the other “ad” schools, is how they ultimately feed so many different areas of the creative arts. Sure, top ad agencies are aggressively recruiting from here, but so are companies like Pixar and Disney and top-tier graphics houses like Superfad and The Mill. The school teems with creative excellence in almost every imaginable field.
Overall, the winning work was very strong, exceptional in some cases. I was most impressed with the design sensibilities that carried across everything -- the amount of detail and sense of aesthetic in composition was striking. For example, there was a promotional piece called “Hot Popsicle” that offered stationery paper products in striking fluorescent colors -- a brilliant flash of originality that even the most experienced designer could learn from. I have long believed that more than anything, it’s design that will set us free as an industry, regardless of medium or message - and these students truly grasp this. Design seems more second nature to them than something taught.
Of course, the highlight for me was the honor of presenting the first ever Draftfcb “Best of Show” Grant, which went to a very smart idea called “Rewind” for, of all brands, Sharpie. As rehearsed, I announced that this wasn’t just any grant, this was a grant that was going to send the winning team to Cannes, as our guests -- to take in the greatest work in all of advertising and mingle with its biggest stars. And as the audience went wild with appreciation and excitement, the two winners stood stone-faced on the stage. They had absolutely no clue what I was talking about. “You’re going to Cannes!!” could have been “You’re going to Jail!!” as far as they were concerned. As talented and advanced as they are, it’s nice to know they still have something to learn. And apparently, so do I. 1/27/2012
Posted by Tom O'Keefe, Executive Creative Director, Draftfcb North America
On Wednesday night I presented Draftfcb’s creative philosophy of Simple Enough to its toughest audience to date – college students. Thankfully, they seemed to really embrace the principles behind great work that is Simple Enough and the filters that define it. More importantly, they understood that Simple Enough is actually hard as hell, especially at a young age where they’re just trying to find their voices as artists and creative thinkers. And if asking a lot of questions is any indication of an engaged audience, then this group was engaged, because they asked a lot of smart questions. “How do we know Simple Enough’s a timeless concept and not just a trend?” “Are ideas born as Simple Enough, or does Simple Enough have to be reduced from more complex thoughts?” But the question that struck me the most had little to do with Simple Enough – it was about the heavy issue of moral dilemma. A young student wanted to know what to do if he was ever asked to work on tobacco products, and if I myself would work on a tobacco product today. I sensed that this question was something he had thought a lot about, that the issue was truly conflicting him, and that my answer was going to help him decide whether or not advertising was the right career for him. Both the naivety and purity of his question impressed me immensely.
Which brings me to this point.
There’s something about speaking to students that’s unlike clients or peers – and we really must make sure we do everything we can to say the right thing. Unlike us jaded “professionals”, their creative souls are worth protecting and I, for one, don't want to be responsible for having a student’s beliefs in this business going off track or being disenfranchised by some insipid comment or demotivating presentation. I find the pressure even greater speaking to a group of students than it is talking to a boardroom full of our most esteemed clients.
On a lighter note.
Thursday, I joined our own super-recruiter Tammy Skuraton on a tour of the ever-growing SCAD campus. There many buildings frame the city and each is unique with its own sense of history and architectural power. One’s ideas would seem to automatically elevate an entire grade just because of the inspiring environment that gave birth to them. The highlight was the new SCAD Museum Art, which stands as a monument to Savannah heritage and breathtaking modern ambition.
Tonight: SCADDY Awards and our presentation of the first ever Draftfcb Best of Show Award. Stay tuned.
Posted by Rodrigo Burdman, Associate Creative Director
The best way to attract creatives is by being creative. That’s why a team from Draftfcb created a poster featuring Comic Sans, the font known as the most hated typeface in the world.
The team, which included writers Darren Moran and Frank Anselmo, crafted the recruitment ad for The Shillington School of Graphic Design in New York to prove a point. “It shows that no matter the size of the client or the agency, it is always creativity that matters most,” said Burdman, who illustrated the poster. “We wanted to show prospective students that everything can be improved with design, even the most despised font.”
Burdman added that creatives should think in all mediums, big and small, every day “because the idea always comes first.” Stand by to see what the next generation of talent that graduates from Shillington creates. |
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