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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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5/10/2012
By Jillian Sorgini
Corporate Communications Associate
The Intelligence Session left us with much to discuss. In the New York City response group, Jeff Tarakajian, EVP, group management director at Draftfcb, and Ken Muench, SVP, director of strategic planning at Draftfcb, co-moderated the discussion. The panelists included: Edd Griles, partner and art director at Senior Creative People; Jackie McDougall, student at Brown University; Mary Nittolo, president and COO at the Studio; Lisa Llewellyn, VP, group creative director at UniWorld Group. Like the Washington, D.C. panel, the New York City panel began by discussing youth. “We are a youth-obsessed culture,” Lisa Llewellyn, VP, group creative director at UniWorld Group. said sparking the conversation.
It seems as if we are bombarded with images of youth everywhere we turn. Mary Nittolo, president and COO at the Studio, turned to women’s magazines as an example, saying that women over 35 are cast aside. “Things are more subliminal, but that doesn’t mean they are not there,” she said.
The debate on our youth-obsessed culture could have been its own panel. The panelists discussed various ad campaigns, but Ken Muench, SVP, director of strategic planning at Draftfcb eventually raised the point of Boomers not being impacted by advertising because the industry doesn’t know how to talk to them.
As we learned from the first panel, there are so many ways to reach Boomers. They still embrace the more traditional forms of advertising—newspapers, radio, television—so there is a multitude of options to reach them.
“Every generation has had different types of technology thrust in front of them and it has given us certain separation,” one of the New York City panelists pointed out.
Many would argue that the technology thrust in front of Millennials may make us socially savvy, but come at the cost of our social skills. For some of us, texting is tantamount to breathing. We are so hungry for information that we get the reputation of being a generation consumed with the desire for instant gratification.
When I thought about the dichotomy that exists between Boomers and Millennials, I was struck by the similarities that exist. We’re both driven by the idea that we can do better. We have the same idea of success, but see a different path to get there. Boomers have the wisdom of knowing the value of hard work and Millennials are constantly finding new ways to prove themselves.
The idea of youth is something that both generations are struggling to grasp. While Boomers are coming to terms with the reality of aging, Millennials are trying to find ways to use their youth to their advantage. It’s almost as if we eschew the idea of youth and are in a rush to grow up.
Unfortunately, my previous belief about Boomers being old and out-of-touch is one that is often falsely projected on them. In reality, we are two generations that could learn a lot from each other if we could put the stereotypes aside.
5/8/2012
By Jillian Sorgini
Corporate Communications Associate
On Thursday, April 26, I attended the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) latest Thought Leadership installment — Boomer’s Perspective on Multicultural Brand Messaging and Media Content.
I was sent to the panel so I could Live Tweet and blog, but initially I wondered if I would even understand any of it. How does the Boomer’s perspective pertain to me and why should I (or anyone for that matter) care about it? A typical Millennial reaction I suppose, but I knew next to nothing about Boomers. From the few articles I had read, it seemed that Boomers were slow to embrace technology and generally stubborn in their ways.
I confess I didn’t take the time to look up the actual definition of a Boomer until after the panel. A Boomer, I learned, is someone born between 1946-1965.
Armed with the real definition, I realized I knew more about Boomers than I once thought. I spent my life surrounded by them. My parents and all of my friends’ parents are Boomers. Essentially, I was attending a panel on my parent’s perspective — something I could easily relate to as my parents are always quick to share their opinions, whether welcome or not.
Moderated by Lorrain Cortés-Vásquez of the AARP, the Intelligence session was simulcast from Washington, D.C. and featured the following panelists: Stephen Hahn-Griffiths, chief strategy officer at Leo Burnett; Marta Insua, VP, strategic insights at Alma DDB; Jim Lucas, EVP, global retails insight and strategy at Draftfcb; Sharon Panelo, brand strategist of digital and social at McCann Erickson; Emilio Pardo, chief brand officer at AARP; Chuck Schroeder, partner and copywriter at Senior Creative People. Each of the panelists possessed a deep knowledge of Boomers and the ways to market to them, but not all of them were Boomers.
The panel wasted no time getting things starting and began by examining the attitudes that Boomers have of themselves. Youth was a dominant theme. As the panelists debated the definition for Boomers, one panelist chimed in saying “If you’re younger than Mick Jagger, you’re young.”
It seemed that this was something that everyone could agree upon. Curiously, I looked up Mick Jagger’s birthday. He was born in 1943, missing the Boomer group by three years, which makes him a fascinating barometer of youth.
With a grasp on youth, the panel went on to discuss social media. Sharon Panelo, brand strategist of digital and social at McCann Erickson, accurately summed it up when she said, “We know that younger generations are driving social media, but Boomers aren’t far behind.”
For Boomers, a lot of the hesitation to embrace social media stems from the fact that they are slow to trust. Boomers are incredibly concerned with privacy, particularly with social media. There is a distinct generational difference between the Boomers and the Millennials regarding what to keep private. Rather than putting it all out there, the Boomers are much more thoughtful in their social interactions.
Though they do keep their guard up, Boomers should not be excluded from the social media world. In the end, it’s all about the value exchange. If the Boomers deem something worthy, they are quick to get on board. “As Boomers start to understand, they will take on social media,” Jim Lucas, EVP, global retail insight and strategy of Draftfcb said. “That’s where the opportunity is for a two-way conversation.”
Everything came full circle as the panel wrapped up. From social media and two-way conversations, the discussion jumped to the importance of storytelling, our most basic way of sharing information. As Chuck Schroeder, partner and copywriter at Senior Creative People, put it, “We need focus on the value of storytelling. It’s how we share information and how we evolve. We need to re-appreciate the value of the story.”
4/27/2012
Draftfcb London welcomed acclaimed author and journalist Jonah Lehrer on Wednesday to speak about his latest book Imagine: How Creativity Works. From productive daydreaming to serendipity, he shared stories, studies and thoughts on how we can stimulate and nurture creativity.
We caught up with Jonah after the event to talk to him about some of the highlights of his presentation, watch the video here.
Jonah Lehrer Talks to Draftfcb London
4/24/2012
 A just released 2nd edition of the best-selling Shopper Marketing book again features a leading chapter by Jim Lucas, Draftfcb Director, Global Retail Insight & Strategy. The new edition includes 12 fresh chapters by new global experts discussing the latest developments, international scope and online context of the shopper marketing discipline, a continually growing global phenomena.
Here’s what Jim has to say about the new volume:
"Shopper marketing (SM) has experienced both significant growth and evolution in recent years. Witness the increased SM spending, the growth and popularity of SM conferences and seminars, and the recent addition of the shopper marketing category to prestigious awards (Cannes, Effies, etc.).
Shopper Marketing (2nd edition) reflects much of the evolution of thought around the subject, and the new chapters serve as a snapshot of the current state of shopper marketing. Increased globalization means that past learning curves, innovations and trends can and do come from all parts of the globe. Chapters on the motivations of Chinese shoppers, the evolution of retail and categories in Russia, or understanding that the Indian market is driven more by the need for access than efficiency, serve as reminders not only of the globalization of today’s marketplace, but also to the fact that we must be sensitive to the emerging need to understand local shopping eco-systems. The changing shopper eco-systems represent a shift from 'store back' to 'in-and-around the purchase journey' and require rethinking of the roles digital/mobile now play in the eco-system in order to maintain relevance and effectiveness (especially among younger shoppers) of any shopper marketing efforts.”
4/18/2012
It wasn’t until Bob Dylan attempted to quit music and retreat to the serenity of Woodstock, New York, that he wrote his opus Like a Rolling Stone. This week in New York and Chicago, author and journalist Jonah Lehrer spoke to 450 Draftfcb employees, clients and consultants, relating much information and many tales related to creativity. He said that Dylan, once described as an “underfed angel,” felt “drained.” He was singing words he didn’t want to sing and tired of existing for others. He headed to the country without his trusted guitar,but couldn’t quiet his creative mind. The 20 page “flow-of association” Lehrer said Dylan couldn’t contain led to iconic lyrics that today span generations.
“Insights happen when you least expect them,” said Lehrer (The Guardian-labeled prodigy often refered to as the next Malcolm Gladwell). “They feel like a revelation and come attached with a sense of certainty.”
Insights are not that easy to come by. You can come at them with a high-level of grit, said Lehrer, a contributing editor at Wired and contributor to The New Yorker. “You can pay attention until it hurts” or attempt creative collaboration. But, the best way to let the creative juices flow is to stop brainstorming. Brainstorming, according to Lehrer, precludes criticism and can lead to lots of useless ideas. He favors collaboration, saying: 21st Century problems are getting bigger and collaborating is proving to be the answer. Work together or fail alone.
Lehrer, author of the newly released book Imagine: How Creativity Works, insists that creativity comes by simply connecting people. “Bring a diverse mixture of people together, in the flesh! Because human friction makes the sparks,” he said. Ideas might come from an unexpected chat on a bathroom line, a walk, a game of Ping-Pong. The Columbia University grad and Oxford Rhodes scholar encouraged Draftfcb’s audiences to relish in idle conversation, to travel for meetings and to get up from behind their computer terminals and personally connect. “Something magical and intangible happens when you put people together in a cool space,” Lehrer said. “Make time to waste time. Creativity is not about efficiency, it’s about serendipity and random conversations. It is never anticipated.”
Lehrer believes that more than talent, what really matters in creativity is effort and grit. High levels of grit are usually the most accurate predictors of success.
Read Lehrer’s book to find out why we should make youngsters “choose easy and work hard,” how to “productively daydream,” and why and how unknown lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s first effort turned “West Side Story” into a Broadway icon.
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