Romance and business - same rules apply. Just listen to Simon Sinek...

What separates the best from the rest? According to Simon Sinek it´s those who know their "why" who are winners.

In the language of romance I usually say you need to know yourself first, before you start looking for a partner. When you know what drives you, what your passions are, what you are proud of and what your purpose is, you are stronger and more confident as a human - ready to find the person who mirrors you.

We tend to be drawn to people who are like us. If you feel rubbish, you attract those who 1. feel rubbish too, and 2. think that you are rubbish. Our relationships mirror our soul. Which is why true LOVE - whether from a romantic partner or a business partner - always start from within.

TED talk from 2009 by Simon Sinek:



Check out his site too: http://www.startwithwhy.com/

In this blog post I write about the 4 types of strategic planners, of which the management consulant types will love Simon Sinek :) http://howwemove.blogspot.com/2011/07/there-are-4-types-of-strategic-planners.html

Trendcentral.com: The Espandrille is back

The latest newsletter from trendcentral.com predicts a fashion trend:

Soludos: The son of a diplomat and a fashion model, Soludos founder Nick Brown grew up as a globetrotter. During childhood summers in Spain (when he first spotted espadrilles), his European style sensibility was born. Once transplanted to the U.S., he was surprised to learn that espadrilles were not the affordable, accessible basics he’d known them to be in Europe. So, last year he launched Soludos, an espadrille brand that’s become a key ingredient in the summer uniforms of fashion insiders. In addition to its primary collection of Mediterranean-inspired solids and stripes, the line’s new collaboration with Opening Ceremony sees the rope soles paired with bold floral and ikat prints.

Almost ten branded conversations a day - The power of WOM

Word of mouth marketing is one of the hottest areas in the social media obsessed world we live in. WOM uses the fact that we trust and listen to those who are closely connected, and are more influenced peer-to-peer than from above.

Edelman´s studies tell us another story though. According to the Trust barometer, people trust experts more than people like themselves. But when looking at Reader´s Digest Most Trusted People poll from 2010, Australians trust those they know by heart.

1. Partner

2. Mother

3. Closest Friend

I think it´s hard to really know who you trust and why. Trust is subconscious and difficult to grasp and rate.

A study by Soup revealed that Australians had about 68 “branded conversations” a week, and that Apple had the most positive word-of-mouth.

More than half of the branded conversations included a positive recommendation to try or consider buying a product. The majority of advice came from one’s “inner circle” — spouses/partners (29%), friends (25%), or family (24%).

Following Apple on the list of Australian brands that received positive word of mouth was Coles, Sony, Coca-Cola and Holden. Rounding out the top 10 were Toyota, Nokia, AFL, LG and iPhone.
The survey also offered a ranking for overall word of mouth — positive and negative comments. The top 10: Telstra, Optus, Coles, Apple, Coca-Cola, Sony, AFL, Woolworths, Qantas and Toyota.
In terms of broader categories of products, the most-talked-about subjects were food/dining and media/entertainment.

What to learn from these studies, sometimes pointing in different directions? Know YOUR target and YOUR product. When it comes to some products we might listen to mum, but for others and expert will influence our behaviour. Use both channels to make sure you are fully covered, and don´t just read what´s said on Twitter. NONE of my close friends use that media, and it seems like a tool mostly for people working with social media... Common sense, good research and flexibility is the key.

If you work in advertising you should be ashamed!! And excited about becoming proud

A few years ago Amazon started offering free shipping of orders over a certain amount. This worked well – people bought more – except for in France, where there was no increase in sales. Instead of offering free shipping on orders, the French division priced the shipping one franc. When they changed to free, there was a dramatic sales increase.

Yes, it´s another proof of how irrational our behaviour is. We are not doing what is best for us but are attracted to alluring messages that we interpret as good for us, even if they are not.

In a study, presented at Neuroscience blog, researchers at the National Sun Yat-Sen University in Taiwan told people they were receiving a vitamin pill or a placebo, and then monitored their behavior in several situations.

The group who thought they had consumed a vitamin pill were more likely to show less interest in exercise, to show more interest in enjoyable but potentially unhealthy “hedonic” activities, and to choose a buffet meal vs. healthy organic fare. In another experiment, the “vitamin” group walked shorter distances than the placebo group.
(All of them actually got a placebo pill…)

Perhaps we all want to live in a fairy tale, where we can doze off on the couch and eat whatever we want, and still be healthy and happy. We want to think life is a free ride at the Luna Park and that we can buy ourselves both love and joy. Our goal is to get this life, and we are fooling ourselves to believe our choices – dimmed by marketing promises - take us there rapidly.

All the offers around us, all the ads that we in adland are guilty of creating, and all the temptations… Few listen to their bodies, to do what their souls and natural selves are craving – those voices are drowned by the marketing industry spraying them with their copy/ad hoses.  

It is sometimes hard to work in advertising. You feel like Machiavelli. As if you are trying to trick people into consuming stuff they don´t need and that is not good for them. You are using all these little tricks you know work and that will push people into becoming customers, and in a cynical way you are helping people become fat, poor and crave more of the empty calories of life – new shoes, one night stands and a need of looking hot – instead of searching for the true meaning.

Yes, sometimes I´m ashamed. Are you?

I believe there is another way. If you look for it.

My mission is to transform the strategic planning world into creating work that is meaningful for people, hence work that reach their hearts and play an important role in their life. When digging deeper into what people long for I trust there is a way to present products and services to them that will enhance their happiness and make their lives truly better. Sure, we will all use the little tricks – it´s a part of the game – but without another vision, how can our souls survive…?

When we think of the ten commands we do not cheat

Human behaviour is so fascinating. For example, in a study about cheating, people who did a test where they had the chance to cheat if they chose to - did not cheat at all if they had been asked to think of the ten commands before doing the test.

Just by switching on a memory of goodness, of God and positive messages, we behave different.

In another study some students were offered a drink (SoBe Adrenaline Rush, a drink that promises to “elevate your game” and impart “superior functionality”). Half the students paid full price. The other half paid 1/3 of the original price.

It turned out that the students who drank the higher-priced beverage reported less fatigue than those who had bought the discounted drink. When paying more it was like they were more committed. They had invested in the product and sort of had to justify that by experiencing what was promised.

When working with marketing we constantly need to consider these quirky ways of the human psyche. Nothing is black and white. Cause and effect are not clear and logical; no, people base their decisions on rules beyond the "rational".

More studies in the fabulous book "Predictably irrational" by Dan Ariely. Enjoy!!

The ultimate search engine - he he - clever copy makes me happy

I just love clever copy, when worlds collide - or borrow words and expressions from one another, like this campaign for Grand Cherokee.

Are sexist ads good? Should strategists change or conserve the world?

A milk ad campaign has been withdrawn since it´s been accused of being "sexist". Apparently it´s not ok to talk about PMS and in a funny way show how this affects boyfriends and husbands around the world.

I am most times the first to attack sexist ad - both because they are inefficient in reaching the heart of the market, and because they create a culture that reduces people to Genders, robbing them of their potential to be Individuals. I was a libertarian feminist debater for many years in Sweden and have written books (for the think-thank Timbro) and tons of articles about how we are all responsible for the way we interpret "women and men", "femininity and masculinity". The society judges people based on gender, and it´s up to us all to be careful about this, to be respectful and give everyone freedom to become anything - not just be pushed into a box.

I understand most art directors, copy writers or marketing directors don´t give a damn about this. Marketers won´t change the world - and they´re not supposed to. That little girls grow up to become "pink" and boys are limited to become strong and tough because "media" is shaping them that way, is not adland´s problem. Agencies earn their money from analysing, understanding and following the culture. The more they listen to trends, movements and the deep needs of the customers, the more successful they will be. If we as strategists try to be Martin Luther Kings or some kind of politicians we are not doing our job. If we go against what "works" to do what´s "right" we use our client´s cash to fight for our own values, and that is not ok.

It doesn´t mean we are bad. If you don´t agree with what "Works" - just Man up and say no to the account, or convince the client that they should do "Right" and perhaps encourage others to do so as well; that they should use their position as strong brands to improve the state of the world, spread more love and increase the level of freedom or comfort for people. Create peace on earth. Release little girls or boys from the gender chains.

I wonder if the problem is that you can´t have both freedom and comfort. Freedom sounds lovely - but it´s also connected with loads of responsibility - something many many many try to avoid. Most people want to have a sense of freedom - as IF they could choose what drinks to drink, what schampoo to use or what jeans to wear - but they still wish to be guided into doing what everyone else is doing. Politicians traditionally talk a lot about freedom, perhaps thinking this is what people really want. But I´m not sure about that.

What we as marketers play with is most times instead people´s need of comfort. We know that most people want to be happy, and are afraid of sticking out, making the wrong decisions, becoming outcast (= not be loved). Hence a good strategy is most likely one that leads to ads that explore things like gender roles. Ads that are a little sexist. Ads that do not change the world, but conserve it.

So am I pro or against sexist ads? Neither. Balance, harmony, consideration. Grey zones are King. Just be aware. Know who you are. Make enlightened decisions.

Read all about the milk ad in AdNews: http://www.adnews.com.au/adnews/sexist-milk-ads-withdrawn

What do you think? Am I wrong, right, insane or on to something... ? :)