Showing posts with label renegade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label renegade. Show all posts

14 January, 2011

If You Can Transform a Brand, You Can Transform Your Agency

Yes, I borrowed that line from the title of an article published in AdAge. Truth be told, it's the platform for this post.

Right now we (Renegade) are in the trenches of re-branding ourselves. And I would be a liar if I said it was the easiest thing we've ever done. It's surprising how difficult the work becomes when it is no longer directed towards your clients and suddenly becomes all about you. Case and point, have you ever had to write about yourself? Perhaps a bio, a blurb, about me, etc... It's more difficult than you think. As Christine puts it "Decode your DNA". Figure out who you are. Figure out what your trying to do/sell/offer. Strip everything away and focus on the one thing that makes you, you.

This is the case with any branding initiative but it's a lot easier to dissect the fruits of someone else's labor. When you are forced into a moment of introspect, things get uncomfortable, usually a bit sticky and ultimately someone steps in something gross and tracks it across the living room floor. Fortunately for this industry, a creative solution can clean up any mess.

Once you have the fancy adjectives and fluff stripped away and you can clearly see your vision, corporate culture and unique differentiator, you can begin the process of putting your brand back together. Don't forget all of the other cosmetic details either - you have to think about curb appeal in this neighborhood.

So now you've got a new look, a new approach and now a new buzz in the atmosphere. Now what? Oh yeah, now it's time to launch. I'll leave that up to you while I segue into the Renegade brand launch.

For some time we've been revamping the Renegade brand - who we are, what we do and how we do it. As I mentioned earlier, it was not an easy process and for any agency that has gone through it, knows that.

It's almost like planning a wedding.

You lock down the foundation that everything else will fall into first - who you are, where you're going and how you'll get there (a.k.a. research). Then you move on to the more detail oriented tasks - brand positioning, brand identity, brand plan. And last but not least, the nitty gritty details that you can't forget but never remember - updating all letterhead, docs, envelopes, business cards and email signatures with your new look, setting the tone for your new culture and rallying your troops (in the midst of all the top-level business decisions, you can't forget about your front line - these folks are going to be your brand ambassadors).

With that said, I highly recommend checking out Christine's article in AdAge and also keep checking back to the Agency Confessional and the new Renegade Communications website for the launch of our new brand.

- Jim Luparello III AE Brand Ambassador


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02 April, 2009

Hasta Ra Vista, Baby.

Who would've thought the Guvinator's Japanese was better than his English? (via these guys)





Kinda reminds me of that episode of Friends where Joey reveals that he'd done ads in Japan for men's lipstick. Don't act like you didn't see it.

You so saw it.

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25 March, 2009

Tales from the Spam Filter: Dirty, Sexy, Money

Spam makes so much more sense when it's rerouted to the proper recipient.


(Please to be Clickking ths photograsphy for her pleasures.)

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24 March, 2009

I hate Facebook's stupid face. Or do I?

Great article in Slate pointing out what H.L. Mencken always knew: the masses are easily cajoled into liking whatever the Illuminati/Politicati/Economati tell them to. It just takes time. Admit it or not, even the most liberal Web 2.0 evangelist is nothing more than a crotchety old man shaking his cane at the neighborhood kids from his lawn chair.


We hate change. We like things comfortable. We like things easy.

But, over time, we'll adjust. Hell, we adapted to the crappy, discombobulated Facebook interfaces of olde. And we'll adapt to this one. And this time, it'll be even easier seeing as how Facebook stole everything but the whale from Twitter.

We'll accept this version of Facebook. And the next one. And the next one.

Carry on, fellow social media succubuses.

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06 March, 2009

Friday Ad Haiku: Responding to a-holish blog comments

So we had a conversation internally today about the best way to respond to lulz and trolls who leave nasty, incendiary, and otherwise jerk-offish comments on blogs. I remembered a post our homegirl Angela Natividad (of AdRants fame) wrote on her personal site, talking about how the Air Force public affairs department handles stuff like that.

The answer: A flowchart.


(If you're a patriot, you'll click to make it bigger)


Totally simple. Totally logical. Totally brilliant.

A surprisingly user-friendly tool for we social media shills (and I say that with much love, respect, mad proppers and what have you) tasked with convincing clients to put themselves out there in the cold, scary woods of blogdom. I endorse pilfering the flowchart for fun and profit.



Proprietary?
Schmaprietary. You can't

patent common sense.



Previously in the Friday 5-7-5: Blog Pimpin'

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04 March, 2009

Twittery Twitterness: The Daily Show's tweet release; Google CEO shakes fist, tells Twitter to get the hell off his lawn.



Jon Stewart's curmudgeonly take on Twitter is echoed (for real) by Google CEO/Professional Twitter-hater Eric Schmidt.

Calling it the "poor man's email system", Schmidt manages to not only alienate millions of Twitter users, but also look like a titanic dufus when he confuses the character limits in a tweet with those of mobile text. After hearing that, I suppose this makes more sense now:



(picture clickin von biggun)

Previous Twitter worship in this space.

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16 February, 2009

The Blanket with Sleeves! Seriously?



Sure, the Snuggie is a craze sweeping the nation. Just try and watch TV without seeing the ad or read a blog that doesn't have a post about it (Sorry). Like all fads it will soon fade into oblivion. Before I get into that, here's a quick money saving tip.

Instead of buying a Snuggie, go upstairs to your closet. Probably the section where you have things you never wear. Now grab your bathrobe off the hanger and PUT IT ON BACKWARDS!

A colleague of mine asked me to think about how the advertising style for products like the Snuggie, or Sham Wow, or Old Glory Insurance works. Honestly, I tried for maybe twenty seconds before I came to the conclusion that there are only four types of people who buy these products.

1. The person with more money than they know what to do with. (See: Wall Street CEO)
2. People purchasing a gag gift.
3. The extremely gullible.
4. The extremely stupid.


Demo one is too small, and they usually spend their money on Ferrari collections. Now demos two through four are a huge portion of the US economic market. This leads to the short term success of these products. However, the dumb, gullible, and lazy shopper have short attention spans and soon enough it's on to the next ridiculous product. Then the only place you'll find a Snuggie is at your local Good Will Superstore.

The only product like this that has actually had staying power is the Chia Pet, but I chalk that up to the countless and ever-changing things/people we want to see green hair grown on.

Let me end with this...If Billy Mays were modeling the Snuggie in the spot, I might not find it so irritating. His beard makes me jealous. That just gave me a thought...a Billy Mays Chia Pet! I'm going to go run and copyright that idea or something.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments section.

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21 December, 2007

Crank Dat Holiday Party

Once again, the Renegade Agency holiday party revealed the magic that happens when eccentric individuals and free alcohol intermingle. Renegade Idol Karaoke-tacular. A Soulja Boy Christmas. And let's just say that the gift exchange gave us a much clearer idea of what you can wrap up and give to folks when you're gifting anonymously; thankfully, it was a rare instance batteries were not included.

Clips and pics, more for our own amusement than yours. But enjoy all the same. And from all of us here at Renegade. Happy Everything and Merry You Know What.





Avid Editor Craig Anderson showing us why he deserved the award for Most Enthusiastic Thumbs Up.

The evening quickly descended into chaos once Rick James' albino, Princeton-educated cousin arrived to sing 17th century Eastern European folk hymns.

Renegade President Tim Watkins, world renowned for his solos on the Air Clarinet.

Traffic Coordinator Desiree Clark channels Macy Gray as a demon nods its approval in the shadows.
The Creative Department acknowledges a guest appearance by Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda.

VeeP Jen Stine and Prez Watkins bond over pilfered presents.

(You write the caption. Best entry wins whatever's in the yellow cup.)

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Crank Dat Holiday PartySocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

08 August, 2007

“Mad Men” and the Writings of a Mad Black Woman

FLASHBACK – It’s last November (that’s November of 2006) and I was in New York at an Ad Week function where Mark Cuban was a keynote speaker. He asked how many in the assembled groupage of advertising executives had HDTV. When just a smattering of hands went up, he looked shocked. But not as shocked as I looked mere moments later when I turned around to see for myself and came to the sobering realization that I was the only African American in the room of about 100 people.

FAST FORWARD – July, 2007. AMC Network debuts their original series, Mad Men, which chronicles the exploits of Madison Avenue ad guys in the 1960s. A couple of things you’ll notice about that show, everybody smokes (sorry Disney), the clothes are awesome and there are no black people. Gee. I guess nothing’s changed in 40 years.

Now I know the ad industry has come under fire lately for the lack of minorities-- particularly blacks--at the executive level, but I wanted to do a little informal digging around as to why this is. I mean blacks have an estimated buying power of $679 billion so one would think the industry would be interested in having folks from that market represented in their boardrooms. So I started reading and making some calls. I talked to a friend who is the CEO of a black-owned agency in DC. He felt the onus for lack of black representation lay, in part, at the door of corporate racism.

Case in point. I found an article in Black Enterprise written by Brian Wright O’Connor in March of 1993 that quotes Charlie Rice, associate creative director with Caroline Jones Advertising Inc., a black-owned agency in New York. Reportedly, Mr. Rice had received dubious words of praise while employed at a general- market firm that, in essence, congratulated him for being able to think like a white man. On a scale of 1 to 10 on racist comments, this has got to be a 9. Not quite Imus worthy, but obviously showing a complete lack of understanding of the African American experience.

What the decision makers at general-market firms are slow to appreciate is that blacks have to know how to “think like a white man.” Now don’t start getting all ruffled, and think I’m going to get all militant on you, but it’s the truth. Successful African Americans in all fields have learned to maneuver in two different worlds. You could say that we are bi-cultural and even bi-lingual. We have to know how to talk the talk in the boardroom and we have to know how to “keep it real” in various parts of the African American community. How many Connecticut commuters could really hack it and feel comfortable at an all black function? Us black folks? We have to excel and do what we do even when we’re the only black person in the place.

Some people don’t understand why just the fact of being black makes our American experience so different. I came from a middle-class family. I went to private school. My mother sent me to Europe during my senior year in college. Some people might say that I come from a privileged background and I might agree, but even with that I have certainly experienced out-and-out racism, having been called the “N” word once and I’ve definitely encountered cultural insensitivity more times than I care to count. I say it’s more than time to turn the tables and expect Madison Avenue to better reflect the markets it sells to. Perhaps if we can encourage a more balanced atmosphere, companies like Intel won’t have to apologize for their sorry excuse for an ad (pictured left). And if you don’t get why that ad was an issue, and you’re in this industry, well… call me, and I’ll explain it to you.


--Gay Pinder, Director of Program Devlopment

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09 July, 2007

The Winter of Chivas's Web-Content


Poet George Santayana said it best: Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

In 1812, Napoleon’s Grande Armee’ invaded Russia with 610,000 troops—in the middle of winter. Within a year, he lost 85% of his men to starvation, disease, and desertion. Fast forward to 1941; in the thick of World War II, the German army makes a move on Moscow with temps already plummeting to -30ºF in an attempt to do what the French were unable to. Result: over 730,000 casualties on the German side.

And then, there’s BudTV.com. Launched in 2006, the online TV channel sponsored by Anheuser-Busch featured branded content, games, original entertainment, longer form commercials, and a potpourri of humorous vignettes. Despite the big expectations, it lost over 100K visitors within its first month and is expected to get the yank by the end of the year.

Now, for the big SAT analogy: The French army in Russia is to BudTV.com as the German army in Russia is to_________.

If you said the Chivas channel, you obviously weren’t in any of my classes at the Junior College of Ceramic Arts and Automobile Sciences. Apparently whiskey brand Chivas isn’t too concerned with history. They’re moving full-speed ahead with their new branded online network dedicated to livin’ large: sailin’ boats, travelin’ abroad, smokin’ see-gars, and drinkin’ scotch. Because, as we all know, the masses want to watch rich people enjoying themselves, right?

Don’t worry, folks. Some seem to think Chivas has a plan to bring in more visitors and avoid the fate that befell Anheuser “Moscow’s balmy in January” Busch. Based on their “state of the art” age verification system, they’ve all but opened their site to an untapped market: underage visitors. If you’re old enough to outsmart a pull-down menu, you’re old enough to live it up online with Chivas:




While not Fort Knox by any stretch, BudTV at least gave it the old college try in its efforts to deter minors, utilizing software that required info directly from an ID.

In my opinion, Chivas’s relaxed age verification system is of little consequence, though. Honestly, how many kids are going to be clamoring to watch videos that range from learning the bagpipes to enjoying foreign cuisine? Hell, I’m 30 and I’d rather mow my neighbor’s lawn than watch video of an investment banker sunning himself on a pontoon boat off the coast of Morocco.
Minors or not, the Chivas channel has an uphill climb; its online features are geared to a narrow demographic: the young and affluent. BudTV’s content appealed to a much wider audience, and still couldn’t bring in the numbers it needed to stay afloat. At least, that’s what I’ve heard, anyway; I never did get around to visiting it.

-M.M. McDermott, Senior Copywriter

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30 June, 2007

Jim Luparello III, Account Management



I am from Pittsburgh and yes, by law, that makes me a Steelers fan. If it makes you feel better, I'm also a Pirates fan - 17 years and counting!

I love advertising and hate the winter months. So far, Baltimore has been good to me. I've grown fond of Natty Boh and crab cakes but would be just as content with an Iron City and Primanti's sammich. I've been in the ad game for 5 years and everyday is just like my first - a lot of awkward pauses, indigestion, energy drinks and great creative work.

And I do my best to not end sentences in prepositions so if you catch one, please let me know - recovery is a long process.

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28 June, 2007

Jason Stern, Director of Production

Hey, I'm Jason, Director of Production at Renegade. More of a video professional than a long-haired outlaw dishing out vigilante justice on a motorcycle.

Do I look familiar? You might have seen me cutting a rug at your holiday party or declaring myself the winner of the Renegade Beard-Off. But dancing and growing beards aren’t the only things I’m into.

Like all Renegades I wear many hats, only I wash mine between uses. I’ve dabbled in writing, directing, producing, acting, lighting, photography, and camera work.

Outside of the office I’m always looking out for new types of media. Like the product placement in my video games and the ads that line the boards of the SoccerDome. (Reminder: Tuesday night mens league ≠ World Cup.)

ANYWAY, it’s nice to join the contributing team of the Confessional. And don’t worry…you’ll never get a post about Mad Men from me. McDermott’s got that market cornered.

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26 June, 2007

Phillip Morris: Happy Trails, Marlboro Man


Ad Age recently ran a write-up on the Marlboro Man going MIA. In the US, Phillip Morris put the clamp on measured media spending for cigarettes, and 2006 marked the first year the stetsoned smoke hound and his trusty stud were absent from the ad range since 1955.

That in itself is of little concern when you consider the net results. While media spending has plummeted, Marlboro’s market share's climbed faster than a monkey on PCP. For some, it may be tough to wrap their head around the equation. Less add spending equals more market share? Sounds counterintuitive. But consider the fact that cigarettes were chased out of the traditional ad channels (namely TV and radio) long ago, leaving print to carry the weight. Now, it appears the sun has set on that channel, too.

The range has changed. Advertising is more about instant gratification, more sophisticated demographic targeting, and personal interaction. There’s a new sheriff in town. Actually, there’s a bunch of new sheriffs, and they’re wielding online coupons and free swag. The Internet and Point-of-Sale promotions have shaped the new frontier. They’re more immediate, more interactive. And they play perfectly to a consumer base with a contemporary attention span (read: short) that demands more. And while many consumers believe that smoking is cool, smoking while wearing the visor and t-shirt that came free with the carton ($2.00 off with online coupon) is like breaking the sound barrier of awesomeness!

With that said, I can’t help but ask: have we just made it a lot easier (and a lot less expensive) for tobacco companies to reach consumers? Traditional media buys swallow ad budgets whole while POS and interactive tactics cost a relative pittance, yet have produced some impressive results. By forcing tobacco companies out of the mass advertising venues, we've encouraged them to get a little more creative, and in the process, get a better ROI from every ad dollar they spend. They’ve adapted like those dinosaurs in Jurassic Park that found a way to breed anyway. And, well, we all saw how that ended.

So, while the cowboy has moseyed onward to the big ad Valhalla, we're left to wonder: does it really matter? The scary truth is that Phil’s doing just fine without him.

Ashes to ashes, my chain-smoking compadre.

-M.M. McDermott, Senior Copywriter

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