What I'm getting for the holidays

I'm getting nothing and I'm quite happy about that. I'm extremely lucky in that I really don't need anything. My birthday was last month. I got good books, a blue sweater (it's in the pile with other blue sweaters), and a pair of winter running briefs that keep key parts from freezing. Without those running briefs I could find myself in need of something that's quite hard to buy at the mall.

This isn't about simplification, sustainability, religion or anti-consumerism. It's just reality. Judge Smails was right, "you'll get nothing and like it!"

First one to name the film gets ... yep, nothing. Happy holidays.

What makes a great client?

As our agency is active in a couple of parallel new business efforts we got around to talking about what makes a great client. We all tossed out some buzzwords and then I recalled an article from the November issue of Harvard Business Review. In the article celebrated architect Frank Gehry provided an excellent response to the question and to balance in the creative process. Here's an excerpt from that article.

You’ve said that one of the reasons the Guggenheim Bilbao is a great building is that you had a great client. What makes a client great?

It’s a collaboration. I’d say it’s 50/50. The client has got to be willing to talk to you. Imagine you get a job with IBM, you’re working with an executive vice president, and he shows the model to the president, and the guy says, “What the f--- is that? That won’t work with my work.” So I only accept jobs where I work with the decision maker.

How do you balance your clients’ desires against other concerns?

The client hires you, so the client is the priority. But you can’t just build a building based on what the clients say, because their vision is based on what’s normal. How do you get out of the normal? You’ve got to question everything. Spend time with the user group. Glean all the information you can. And then throw it all away and begin to play.

How do you go about solving design problems?

I’m like a pussycat with a ball of twine. It goes over there, and he jumps over there. It falls on the floor, and he goes there. I’m opportunistic. Once I understand the problems, I try things. I see what works and what doesn’t, and then I try again. When it looks like something I’ve done before, I abandon it. I have learned to trust my intuition.

Thank you Mr. Gehry for helping us think about and "build"  great client relationships.

SMZ Wins Big at the 2011 "D" Show

Last evening was a special night for the advertising community in Detroit and for SMZ as well. The fifth annual "D" Show took place down at The Max in Detroit. The D Show is the yearly creative showplace for agencies big and small.

This year the show received over 400 entries. After a first round of judging done by the D Show committee, the finalists are then reviewed by a jury of our peers from around the country. Last night, those judges recognized our work for the Detroit Red Wings as being some of “the best of the best” in this year’s show: 
· Outdoor: “Zamboni”
· TV—Consumer under $75,000: “Pre-Game”

London, Ontario Outdoor

Not only were we recognized for those ideas, in addition we were honored by receiving one of the top awards, “The Joe,” for “Zamboni.” Unlike other awards that are judged by our peers, The Joe Award is judged by a panel of distinguished journalists. They see the best the world of advertising and marketing has to offer. Those journalists were given access to the top-scoring entries from all of the categories for judging. They then scored the entries based on their assessment of the creativity, concept, production value and the overall merit of the entry.

Congratulations to everyone at SMZ and to our clients at the Detroit Red Wings!

Swift and surprised

My daughter is a huge Taylor Swift fan. When I heard a local radio station discussing a video by Vh1 Blog Editor Rich Juzwiak this morning I had to check it out. This is a surprise to Brooke showing how Ms. Swift is so often, like at last evening's American Music Awards,  "genuinely" surprised.

BlogThis!

Black Thursday?

Black Thursday, doesn't that mean you burned the Thanksgiving turkey? Not anymore. After 15 years of working on mall marketing - watching Black Friday go from a retail industry term to a consumer selling message - the calendar has been broken.


Last year our client, Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills, MI pioneered the midnight opening. Still technically on Black Friday. This year an hours arms race began. Retailers like Target, Macy's, Kohl's and Best Buy announced they'd be opening at midnight on Black Friday. Now Walmart has announced it will be opening at 10 pm on Thanksgiving night.

"Our customers told us they would rather stay up late to shop than get up early," Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer of Wal-Mart United States, told the New York Times.

Not sure where this goes next? Although Thanksgiving in brunch form is starting to make some sense. Enjoy your doorbuster circulars on November 23.

ChapStick® and silly social media reaction

In every pocket of every jacket I have a ChapStick®. When my lips get sensitive I apply some moisturizer. Simple as that. Today a client shared with me how a number of people's sensibilities became "sensitive" about a seemingly innocent ad posted by ChapStick brand.

Click the ad image for a link to the full story and let me know if you get "chapped" about the whole thing?

Should we drive a Lincoln or Listen to Lincoln?

“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. 
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. 
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. 
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. 
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. 
You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence. 
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.” 
― Abraham Lincoln