Everyone has opinions. These are some of mine. Some apply to the way we work, others apply to the way brands should work.
Strategy Partners On the creative side, the institution of partners is considered a vital one. I believe that this practice should be the same for strategists/planners. Having another planner to throw thoughts around with and use as a sounding board makes the work better. Have a point of view Gareth Kay, head of planning at Modernista!, talks about how a brand needs to have a point of view to speak from. He says that a brand that just talks about what makes it different within it’s category is not nearly as interesting. Especially because people don’t see categories. It isn’t viral unless consumers say it is You cannot make a viral video. You cannot make a viral video. You cannot make a viral video. If your communications are relevant and interesting enough to audiences, they will do the spreading for you. Measurement “Measure expressions, not impressions.” - Bud Caddell, Digital Strategist at Undercurrent One way to measure success is to If you create a video for your brand and it is viewed 1 million times. Does that mean that anyone cared? Have you successfully created culture? Now, let’s say a video that was built by a brand has been viewed 100,000 times, but within the first two days of it’s debut online, it has been remixed 15 times and each of those videos have been seen 100,000 times. Not only have you created something that culture deems interesting and worthy of their time, but you’ve gotten a lot of eyes on your brand. Open Source Brands say that they want to “engage” with their fans, but continue force-feeding them messages that don’t allow for dialogue. A conversation where one person is doing all the talking sounds like a bad first date. How many second dates do you think that chatty Kathy gets? Open the doors and make your communications start a dialogue. Take the risk that some of what is said back to you won’t be positive. In fact, hope that someone is honest enough to tell you where you are screwing up and then, go fix it. Empower people to feel like they play a role in building the brand. Start Riots “Be a trouble maker.” - Todd Lamb Don’t be afraid to stir the pot. I mean this both for those working at agencies and for brand communications. For folks like me who will find themselves with Jr. at the beginning of their title (and we’re not talking the “Dallas” oil rig-slinging type), I challenge you to bring forth your thinking. Although your superiors may not like your flip-flops or nose-piercings, they will value your insight into culture and if you’re smart, the brilliant and new ways you can apply your thinking. For brands, I’m with Crispin, find the conversation-starters about your brand. What is going to set the brand on fire and get people talking about and interacting with it? About Fitz Resume Work Opinions Recommendations email BRAND STRATEGIST resume