A new year, a new look at things

I've always been fascinated by stories that knock perception on its ass. We're so tuned to think a certain way - blame education, culture, media, whatever. And when what we perceive to be a certain way isn't, it jars us. Good ads work that way. Remember the Awareness Test? Or even the ageless, and ever-parodied "I learned it from watching you, Dad."

Works the same for people, too. We perceive someone to be one way. Usually, they prove us right. And sometimes, we're delightfully wrong:


I'm taking some inspiration from Ted Williams. This year, I've made a resolution to push myself to make clients sweat...more than usual. Make myself sweat...more than usual. For our own good. For the good of our brands. I want to destroy the image of what we're used to seeing in our categories. Do something more unexpected than ever. Something uncomfortable, even.

I believe that our clients have it in them, too. We're lucky to work for some very smart brands. And this year, I'm challenging them to step out of their safe zones. To buck perceptions. To be honest with themselves. To put it out there for their customers. And to let go for their own good. It may be a wild ride, but when it finally comes to stop, I think we may just capture some of that same magic. And it'll be just as golden.

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Intern Sweatshop: 3 Ways Video Games Outplay Other Brands

Halo: Reach, the final installment of Xbox’s enormously successful Halo video game series, was released this week to epic fanfare. Game trailers on YouTube have over have views in the millions-- each. Fans camped out in front of game stores to attend midnight launch parties. This prequel to the trilogy made over $200 million its first day. This franchise is the Harry Potter of video games.

Starcraft 2, another critically acclaimed sequel, was released in July and also had fans lined up around the block. It has a 93 on Metacritic, compared to Reach's 92. And, according to VGChartz, Starcraft 2 sold 1,341,583 copies in its first week worldwide. Reach sold a staggering three million copies on its FIRST DAY. With so many critically acclaimed games, some with strong established fan bases, coming out every year, why Halo?

One word: Bungie.

If you aren’t a Halo fan, that word probably brings to mind those rubber cords you used to keep that mattress from flying off of your car. To the Halo fan, Bungie, the developers of Halo, are king. Even more so, fans actually consider Bungie their friends. Companies would kill to have millions of people referring to them as their friends. That's the dream of every business that has ever taken a stab at social media and "starting the conversation." Bungie did it and they did it before it was vogue. In my opinion, there is a full case study in Bungie's story, but let's hit three quick things every company can learn from them.

1. Be open to us.
For years, Bungie has done an update post every week. These weekly updates are full of info about progress on games, what Bungie is doing, and all the things any seriously committed fan would want to see. When Bungie is working on a new game, they periodically release video documentaries showing the progress on various aspects of the development. Bungie never leaves their followers in the dark (the anti-Apple, if you will). We, the public, love it when our company keeps us up to date.

2. Be honest with us.

If you ask diehard Halo fans what they think of the overall series, most will say something like, "IT'S AMAZINGG G!!1... except for Halo 2." Halo 2 had a half-finished story and a host of technical bugs. Who's at fault is a bit of a gray area (Microsoft is sometimes blamed for rushing Bungie). But Bungie didn't play the blame game. When fans expressed disappointment, Bungie took full responsibility. They explained their decisions, acted quickly to resolve issues, and apologized for not delivering the absolute best product they could. When Halo 3 was announced, Bungie was very clear that they would not make the mistakes they did with 2 and that the game would NOT be released until it was perfect.

3. Be one of us.

The people at Bungie are nerds. They have this weird obsession with the number “7”. Every year on July 7th (07/07) is "Bungie Day," and they do something fun for their fans. In past years they have released new downloadable content for Halo. This year they released a video showcasing new features in Halo: Reach. All throughout the year, they add whacky scenarios to Halo to entertain their players. A group of fans started using the game to make a web sitcom and Bungie loved it, even promoting it on their website. Fans are a fickle bunch, and we love a company that relates to us. If your fans are nerds, be nerds too! If your fans are vampires, better grow some fangs. In the last weekly update, the writer said:

“For the first time since I started working at Bungie, I really don’t want to write this update today. I really don’t even want to be here at all, parked at my desk, staring into this computer monitor. Fact is I’d rather be playing some Reach.”

Amen.

Bungie makes gamers feel like they are part of something bigger. That is why people stand outside of stores for hours waiting to get the game at midnight. It is a cultural moment. You have to make your consumers feel like buying your product and being loyal to your brand is something worth fighting for, not something they could take or leave tomorrow. That will never happen if your customers don't trust you. Be genuine, be open, and customers will listen. I’d know, I’m one of these fans and I’d follow Bungie to the ends of the Earth. I actually hear that's the plot to their next title.

--Kyle Sacks, Nerd-Wise Creative Department Intern

(PS "Nerd-wise" was Kyle's idea. He embraces his inner nerd as we all should. Now excuse me, I'm taking my lunchbreak to go watch some Thundercats. Oh, and am I the only person who thought Ben-Gali was just like a blue Tygra? Way to phone it in on that character design Rankin/Bass.--George)

Recently from the Intern Sweatshop: Imitation is the Greatest form of Flattery...as long as you don't suck at it

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5 Ways to Be Authentic: Copy Us

Read an interesting post at PR-Squared the other day. It talked about being "authentic" in the twittering world when you work for a company/brand that may not agree with your desired level of "authenticity."

When I hear the word authentic, I think both being original and not being a corporate shill. Now we're all in advertising, so we're all shills to somebody. And as far as freedom to be original, at the confessional we work for a pretty relaxed company. Sandals are unisex office footwear around these parts, and interns here for interviews are usually the most dressed up people in the building (with the exception of our Account Director's, but they have to leave the office to go make us money, so we forgive them). So it's a relaxed, fun atmosphere. That being said, I did come up with some quick thoughts on how to maintain some level of personality and interesting level of thought for bloggers, twitterers or people who, well...these people.

1) First ask, what are the personalities of your brands and your higher-ups. If your image is stiff and the higher ups like it that way, you’re probably going to be stiff too.

2) Second what are the personalities of your clients. They may have a stiff brand, but they may be just like you; however, if your clients are stiff and and may be offended by your ribald wit, be careful, and try not to praise their direct competitors.

3) That being said, work within your boundaries. You don’t have to be shocking or “edgy” to be effective or funny. If you keep pieces informative and topical, smart people will want to read them. If you feel they're dry, keep them short and people won't have time to think, This is kind of boring, because they'll be finished reading before they get to that thought.

4) If you work for a a more “stiff” company, grow your personality slowly. Start off walking the company line, then work in a little flavor or humor. If no one bats an eyelash, continue to work in personality. If you go too far, trust me, you’ll here about it, but by moving slowly, you minimize your chance of going so far that the effects will have any lasting repercussions. In my very first blog posts, I didn't attempt to draw an allusion to myself and this fashionable orangutan, but when people got a slow feel for my personality, that tone and sense of humor made complete sense.

5) Style is subjective. Be yourself, but be smart first. No matter how funny you think you are, the whole world may not agree. I remember watching a guy completely bomb at an open mic comedy night, which happens. Now I assume he was "the funny guy" among his friends, but a big joke he had about constipation and pulling on some sort of chain a la tug of war to rectify the matter was too gross for the crowd's taste. A valuable lesson I learn every day: My funny ≠ everyone's funny. Oh, and no matter how funny you actually you are, you inevitably will say something too stupid or too offensive. People keep telling me I'm going to do that some day. So, I go back to: Be Smart.

In 3 years of being a blog, we've had advertisers call us out and tell us our opinions were wrong. We said, You have a right to your opinion. We’ve had also had 2 or 3 posts we took down–and that was mainly because we didn’t think, Oh, right, we probably shouldn’t praise one of our client’s direct competitors. As much as we thought a campaign was pretty smart, it's just not wise to make the people who put bacon on your sandwich feel you like the other guy better. Besides, that was probably an intern anyway. Silly interns.

But we've had good conversations with advertisers who responded to both criticism and praise. We've befriended many other wise people in the blogosphere, who thought we were smart enough to follow us, and we do the same. And we've brought in new clients, because they read us and thought, These guys might actually have a clue.

If you're smart, the time you spend blogging and twittering may actually make you some money...provided you don't completely suck at it.

--George C. Convery, Copywriter

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Friday Ad Haiku: Empty Office

M.M. McDermott



So, it looks like all the bosses are away on business or off to their holiday destinations. And they've left a fridge fulla beer in the studio. Hallelujah.

You think it'd be sweet
Having free run of the place.
And you'd be correct.

Now go grill something. Drink too much. And buy a car at ridiculously cheap Memorial Day prices.

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Friday Ad Haiku: Eating for free at the agency

I'm a liar.

A few haikus back, I made the statement that there are "no free lunches." Metaphorically, that's probably true. But in practice, I've found it couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, I've developed a reputation as an unapologetic mooch. In my time at Renegade (from 2000-2002, and then 2006 to present), I've perfected the art of eating for free.

And now, I'm sharing my secrets. Just remember, with this kind of power comes great indigestion - and the ever-constant threat of an ass-kicking.

1. Anything without a name on it.
At our agency, the policy regarding foodstuffs is simple. Put your name on it. Stick your flag in it. Leave your brand on it. Whatever you have to do, mark it as yours. Otherwise, people like me will swoop down during off-hours to pilfer. Having no name on something is an invitation for lunchtime Communism. When that happens, your yogurt is mine, comrade.

2. Expired frozen foods.
It's inevitable. People get busy. A flustered AE will stick a Lean Cuisine Salisbury Steak dinner under an ice cube tray. A crusty designer will leave a Kashi stirfry dish in the company freezer and forget about it. And time will pass. Epochs. Millennia. At least, it feels like that as I make my weekly rounds, checking to see what stock is about to turn - much the way a winemaker checks his oak barrels, waiting for them to mature. And don't worry about getting sick; the date says BEST if used by April 10, 2007. It's not a warning. It's a suggestion.

3. Expatriate leave-behinds.
Face it. We're in a business that has high turnover. Mercurial personalities. Intense competition. New opportunities. It's a breeding ground for egress. And a fantastic source for free food. I make it a point to check and double check names. When someone leaves to pursue a new career, the last thing they're thinking about is their ham and cheese Hot Pocket.

4. Client meetings.
If you can't manage to get yourself on the account, at least introduce yourself to the client when the food arrives. I'm like a stray dog when clients come in for a lunch meeting, sniffing around the conference room, nosing through leftovers. Half a free bagel beats a whole $6.99 sandwich, know what I'm sayin'? I think you do.

5. Vending machine "shakins".
If your kitchen or cafeteria is blessed with an old vending machine, that's pretty much a guarantee there's free food to be had. Now I'm not advocating stealing. I don't stoop to such things. It's wrong. And I've got a bad back. I'm just saying. Product just kinda slips out of those rusty old spiral holders with hardly any vigorous shaking at all. And for a different kind of shakedown, check the tax license sticker on the side of the machine. You'd be surprised how much cheaper it is for the owner of a vending machine to give a talkative employee free Tastykakes than to pay the license renewal fee.

6. Parties.
I don't care how much you dislike someone at work. If it's their party, you're their best friend. Stand by their side. Give them support and well wishes. Help them cut their cake. As the cake cutter, only you truly know how many pieces someone's had. Help yourself to seconds and thirds. If need be, change clothes or put on a fake mustache each time you come back for more as not to arouse the suspicions of your coworkers.

7. Drivebuys.
If a coworker gets up from their lunch and leaves the room, you've got a window of opportunity. Sneak in for a free bite. But be careful. The laws of the elementary school lunchroom are applicable in perpetuity; don't be surprised if someone licks their french fries or sprinkles copious amounts of pepper on their salad to protect their food from people like you.

So there it is, grasshopper. I've shared my secrets. Use what you've learned wisely, though. And if you get caught. Blame it on the Cap'n. I know nothing.

There ARE free lunches.
But they are not served with a
side of self-respect.


Previously in the Friday 5-7-5: Filchbook.

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