Just ran across this, and thought, “imitation is the greatest form of flattery”

brand new: The wedding day
Michael Jager, one of the founders of the great design shop JDK, spoke about the need for brands to create emotion and devotion

“Brands to create emotion and devotion” sounds an awful lot alike with my Next Wave t-shirt I’m wearing today “Create Lust/ Evoke Trust.”

I’ve always been a fan of Jager DiPaola Kemp – especially the living logo concept they pioneered for Burton Snowboards, where the logo morphs as fast as fashion.

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Posted in: Brand relevancy, Change the world, Design, Differentiating your brand, Everything you want to know about advertising, Great ad agencies, The Next Wave in Business

The iPhone is a beautiful device- but it’s an even better marketing case study.
Up until the iPhone mobile phone service providers like Cingular, Verizon, T-mobile, Sprint, Nextel, Blackberry etc. talked about coverage, price, service, products or service. Differentiation techniques included Nextel’s walkie-talkie function, T-mobile’s five friend deal, Verizon with their “network” and “Can you hear me know” tagline, AT&T claimed more bars, Sprint had “an all digital network” and Blackberry delivered e-mail.
Now- everyone is looking for an iPhone killer- with multi-touch screens coming fast and furious and a new look at “Smart Phone” features. But what the telco’s are missing is that the iPhone phenomena isn’t about technology, it’s not about cool design, it’s not (well almost not) about status- it’s about providing a better user experience. It’s experiential marketing- and it’s something all the Telcos have missed from day one.
Apple understands the integration of form, function and the user experience better than most brands. What has set a Macintosh apart from the competition isn’t just the superior industrial design- but the experience of working with a computer. Apple integrates the hardware and the software to just work better and has from day one. Plug-n-play has been the standard since the Mac launched- no configuration necessary. It’s that kind of approach to the integration of technology into the users life that’s making Apple the instant king of the mobile telecom market.
For example: after the third time my non-smart phone had died- and I couldn’t restore my contacts with the help of the people at the Sprint store- I switched to a “Smart phone” that allowed me to sync my contacts to my computer. How hard could it be for Sprint to keep my data backed up on their server for a phone? Easy- and privacy shouldn’t be an issue- since they already log all my calls. Has Sprint thought about that? Of course not- they aren’t concerned with the user- except when the bill doesn’t get paid.
It’s been said that the cell phone is the most important fashion accessory to teens. Marketers who still believe in brand loyalty- always strive to reach this market to develop long lasting relationships- yet few have really analyzed what the teen market wants. Outside of the price of the iPhone- it integrates the complete students wardrobe electronic accessory closet- a music/video player, a phone, a camera, e-mail and IM functions, web browsing. Except for the missing video camera- this is the ultimate teen toy. And if you think price is an issue- remember the first 5gb iPods were $500 and didn’t take long to own 70+% of the mp3 player market.
Apple is once again showing an entire industry that changing the experience of how consumers use a device is more important than price, service, or your “brand.”
Differentiation/innovation is the only sustainable competitive advantage in marketing. Lower prices and sales aren’t what they used to be. Providing a better experience is what is turning the iPhone into the fast selling consumer electronics device ever.
How can you change your delivery of products and services into a better, simpler, easier experience? That should be your first step in marketing anything today.
That’s the next wave in marketing and innovation.

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Posted in: Advertising, Apple Advertising, Brand relevancy, Change the world, Design, Differentiating your brand, Everything you want to know about advertising, Practical Marketing 101

This before and after ad example will never win any awards, but, it could make the difference between being looked at- and being ignored.

The call came at 6pm tonight: Can you take this ad and make it better? In an hour?

This isn’t how to run a business, or how to get the best possible work, but it’s often the reality in advertising: you can have good, fast or cheap- pick any two.

The original isn’t really an ad at all. It’s an announcement. There isn’t really any type of call to action, or anything that would speak to the consumer emotionally. In fact, it’s mostly about the client- “the first place Dayton Bombers.” The ad was done by the ad department for a previous paid placement- you buy the space- we’ll have a flunky design something.

This is what we had to work with- plus the Kelly Cup logo. Some information could be stripped out- it wasn’t important to the customer: AA Hockey- well, there isn’t another team in Dayton, 1st place- doesn’t really matter in the minors as much as the majors, and the flow of white space is just all over the place.

So- take the elements that they have used all season- and try to make them work. The visiting team logo is only important to the hardcore fans- no one is coming to see the visiting team play so we can make that smaller. The McDonalds promo isn’t happening- so we loose that too. We’ve looked at the audience- and know that this is a NASCAR, WWF, Tough Man crowd- that loves to see fights- and to taunt the other team- so making the word “Fighting” a key part of the ad- may get some attention.

In less than an hour- this is the result. Not an award winner- but, at least bold, clean and making some sort of appeal to the emotional side of the fans.

What do you think?

We also threw together a low-budget TV spot to promote the game. Since we had no existing game footage to use (and couldn’t count on any great stuff in one game) we had to construct a concept that we could control. We were told the leading scorer spoke Romanian (not true) and thought we could have fun with a Borat style low budget spoof. The idea was to do something that would cut through the clutter of local ads (none have ever aired in Romanian in Dayton OH) and get people to look to their sets to see what’s going on. We also posted it on YouTube- where it has received over 600 views in 24 hours. The translator obviously knows less Romanian than we did.

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Posted in: Ad Agenices In Dayton OH, Advertising, Advertising case studies for The Next Wave, Brand relevancy, Dayton Bombers Advertising, Design, Differentiating your brand, Everything you want to know about advertising, Low budget advertising, Media, Practical Marketing 101, Secrets of great advertising

One of the first design and advertising books that really spoke to me was Pentagram’s Living by Design (long out of print). Its basic premise was that design extended to more than graphics, architecture, advertising- but was the entire consumer/brand experience- long before people were talking about experiential marketing.

I was lent the book by a former employer, who had been given it as a gift by one of his professors. After I read it, I tried to talk to him about it, his response: “I don’t read books.” I didn’t stay at that job very long (probably because I did read).

I went to Pentagram’s London office to find a copy, several years later. They were nice enough to give me a copy- that had a section removed- and she copied the missing pages. I later got a complete copy from an art book store in Santa Monica- it’s one of my most prized books.

So, when I stumbled onto Pentagram’s blog- and saw this logo- I was instantly reminded of why I believe design does make a difference.

Take a look at this elegant logo- then read their description:

New at Pentagram: New Work: One Laptop Per Child
Pentagram has designed the identity and website for One Laptop per Child, the non-profit organization with the goal of providing laptop computers to all children in developing nations.

The identity is a hieroglyph, designed to be universally understood, that utilizes the icons of the OLPC laptop interface, also developed by Pentagram. The website design employs these symbols as the basis for navigation. Each icon leads to a corresponding section of information: the laptop to a section about hardware and software, the arrow to a section about participation, and so on. The site launched in English but is currently being translated into many languages.

For all the companies that don’t think they can afford to do a proper logo on start-up, just remember, you can pay now, or pay later. A well designed brand mark can make the difference between having a corporate identity- and becoming a lifestyle brand, ala Nike, Apple, BMW, Mini etc.

And, by the way, if you aren’t familiar with the One Laptop Per Child initiative, you need to read more about it- it’s truly something that could change the world.

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Posted in: Apple Advertising, BMW Advertising, Brand relevancy, Change the world, Creativity, Design, Differentiating your brand, Everything you want to know about advertising, Great ad agencies, Practical Marketing 101, Product and service naming, Secrets of great advertising

There is a printing craft that has taking a beating from Laserprinters, digital presses, direct to plate and inkjet imaging-it’s the old school, hot type letterpress studio.

When I was in Paris a few years ago- I stumbled into an old shop that still was composing type by hand- and it was a joy to look at ink pressed into paper.

I just found a site that is a guide to letterpress shops- and thought I would share:

D*S Letterpress Guide
Welcome- what you’ll find here is a working guide to some of the best letterpress studios in the country (as well as a few abroad).

The guide is meant to be searched by the following categories: State, City, E-commerce Enabled, Custom Work and Pre-Made work. You’re more than welcome to read down the center column as you would with a blog but the list is much more useful when organized by search results.

If you know of any letterpress printers around Dayton OH- please add them to the letterpress guide- and drop a comment on this site.

Unbelievably, the Letterpress guide makes no reference to Hatch Show Print, the coolest place for band posters this side of Mars.

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Posted in: Creativity, Design, Differentiating your brand, The craft of advertising

I’m totally convinced that within 5 years, the only people selling targeted ads in video will be Google. The networks (broadcast and cable) will be toast. Content producers will be uploading their content to Google Video- where we will go to download our programs. Some will be free, others will cost, and if you can’t afford to buy the program at full price, you’ll be able to opt in to sell your eyeballs to some marketer who wants to reach you.

So, when Google wants to know it’s future, they call on Seth Godin- and this 48 minute video shows you why Seth Godin is one of the go-to guys for the future of marketing and advertising.

When I have some more time, I’ll pull out the juicy parts- but for now- I’ve pointed you in the right direction.

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Posted in: Advertising, Brand relevancy, Change the world, Creativity, Design, Differentiating your brand, Everything you want to know about advertising, Future of TV, Future of advertising, Marketing & the Web, Search and Business, Viral Marketing, Web strategy

Sell your stock in ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, say goodbye to the cable companies, and look at Apple, Cingular, Yahoo and Google. Kiss phone books goodbye as well. Credit cards may go away too. The iPhone is coming this June, and it will change the world.
Already, Research in Motion (the Blackberry people), Palm, Motorola and other “Smart Phone” makers stock dropped, and deservedly so. My Treo 700 is a pain in the butt to use and it’s one of the “better smart phones.”
Steve Jobs has 30 years experience in changing the way people and computers interact and with yesterday’s introduction of the iPhone, he showed why Apple is the master of the GUI (Graphical User Interface). First came the mouse, then the click wheel and now- the scrolling gesture and MultiTouch interface (most touch screens can only read one point at a time). All, in all, it’s brilliant. A phone, iPod and Internet device- but, watch out, it may be way more than that.
When the video iPod was introduced, it wasn’t that the iPod could play video that was the groundbreaking news- it was that Apple was selling “free” TV programs for $1.99. The beginning of a la carte programming delivered over IP. Now, with the iPhone and the new Apple TV set top box, we have the “Remote” that pulls everything together, including a billing system (Cingular) and a whole new way for advertisers to reach highly targeted consumers. Just think, your cell phone bill could be subsidized for you agreeing to watch highly targeted content- based on several different criteria to begin with:

• Your geographic location- cell phones are mini GPS devices, and as Jobs demonstrated the iPhone integration with Google maps/Google local, he showed us the beginning of a brand new way to access advertising, custom crafted to your longitude and latitude.
• Your buying habits and payment processing might be handled through Google wallet, with you keeping your running account balance on your phone. Phones have been used in Japan to pay vending machines for years, the iPhone brings whole new levels of integration to your pocket.
• The end of “Sales” for bricks and mortar stores- if your price doesn’t match what comes up in Froogle, you won’t make the sale. The “true browser” with easy input, coupled with a camera that can probably read product bar codes will put so much power in the consumers hand that all retailers will be able to compete on is better service or immediate delivery. Will that be worth paying a premium? Take a look at what the iTunes store has done to the music industry if you need hints.
• With its superior interface and WiFi/phone system Internet access, the iPhone will allow users to access company websites on it’s small screen. Jobs didn’t show any Flash sites in the demo, but, by partnering with Yahoo and Google- and showcasing the New York Times- he did hint at the importance of CSS coded HTML which scales, and reformats to different screens easier than Flash. If you have a website that is in Flash come June, you will be missing many of the opportunities of true Mobile connectivity.
• Last but not least, with a real browser- and an 8 gig drive, consumers will be able to carry your ads, your product literature- right to the point of sale- or discuss your products or service over lunch with friends- complete with sound, motion and data. No more need for brochures- even PDF’s online that don’t easily fit the new screen won’t be as handy a well-designed web interface. Think of having infomercials on your site that entertain and allow 2-way feedback- as well as click to buy options- all accessible from anywhere- anytime, in your customer’s pocket.

There is much more to this iPhone than an iPod, Phone, Internet connectivity- there is the first step of the true 1 to 1 revolution.
Apple stock went up 8 points yesterday. Just wait until June and the full power of this new phone is realized- by developers and marketers.
If the phone works as promised, and the reviews are good, Apple’s stock will climb like Googles- and the web will be a whole new place for marketers to (re) learn.

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Posted in: Advertising, Apple Advertising, Change the world, Creativity, Design, Differentiating your brand, Everything you want to know about advertising, Future of TV, Future of advertising, Marketing & the Web, Public Relations in the Web 2.0 world, Retail, Web strategy

When we do our job really well- our clients don’t get PR for free.
Dan Wolt was another window salesman, who knew the high-pressure business inside and out. He’d been at the top of a huge window mill- with 150 people setting appointments in a pressure cooker- and then he walked away and went solo.

But how to compete? How does a sole practitioner make enough noise to get noticed above the din of one of the most cut-throat industries known to man?

Our solution was “Zen Windows” a brand that was the antithesis of the standard positioning. His new slogan “Relax, window quotes in five minutes” opened a new conversation with customers who had already experienced the grueling three hour sessions of the competition.

So successful is his strategy, that About.com wrote about it.

Replacement Windows – Profile of Zen Windows – Replacement Window Company
Zen Windows – Doing Replacement Windows Differently

If you think your business can’t compete with the Goliaths of your industry- consider what is accepted practice- and think about how you can differentiate yourself. BMW motorcycle dealers are different because they let customers ride demo bikes. Apple built it’s own network of Apple stores- that are as much an experience as a retail environment. Target asked it’s vendors to help them differentiate the product offering with high design products at a reasonable price. What makes your business different?

Can an ad agency like The Next Wave help? Ask Dan Wolt for a reference.

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Posted in: Advertising, Apple Advertising, BMW Advertising, Creativity, Design, Differentiating your brand, Everything you want to know about advertising, Guerrilla campaigns, How to select an ad agency, Practical Marketing 101, Product and service naming

Working with small clients, doing great work is what got Fallon, McElligot Rice started in Minneapolis when most big clients thought they had to work with a NYC, Chicago or LA agency. We view work with independent local restaurants as part of keeping our city unique, interesting and fun. It’s also nice when a national publication includes examples of our work as part of a how to differentiate your small business to compete with the big chains.

Dayton’s Original Pizza Factory will never sell more pizza than Domino’s, Papa Johns, Donato’s or California Pizza Kitchen, but, they will have a loyal following and leave every customer smiling.

Restaurant Business Magazine Online – How to build buzz

New Rule #3 Surprise people (and they may surprise you)

Nothing gets customers buzzing like a surprise. Sometimes it’s a new product, or even a stunt.
“Target does great word-of-mouth stunts,” says Andy Sernovitz, CEO of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. “They didn’t have a store in Manhattan, but they brought a truck of $99 window-unit air conditioners, parked them in Union Square and sold them off the back of the truck.
“The Drury Inn hotel chain gives you an hour of free long distance for every guest every day. It costs them nothing, but the first thing you do when you pick up the phone is to say, ‘Can you believe there’s a hotel with free long distance?’”
Even your humblest item can offer a surprise, says David Esrati, chief creative officer of ad agency The Next Wave in Dayton, Ohio. Like the pizza box he designed for Dayton’s Original Pizza Factory. The front of the box reads, “Smile! Your pizza’s here,” while the bottom says, “If you can read this, it’s time to reorder.” Says Esrati, “Everything you do in a restaurant is an advertisement.”
Unique service also gets people talking, says McConnell. At Cyrus, a fine-dining establishment in Sonoma, California, the hostess alerted the kitchen to a new guest’s arrival. Once seated, a cart came up with champagne and caviar. “It’s an experience I’ve talked about hundreds of times,” McConnell says.
Another gossip-starter is to offer dishes that aren’t on the menu but can be requested by people in the know. California’s In-N-Out Burger has a cult following for its “secret menu,” with burgers like the Animal Style, Protein Style, Flying Dutchman and 4×4. Jamba Juice has a similar reputation for smoothies, with unofficial concoctions like White Gummi Bear, Strawberry Shortcake and Peanut Butter and Jelly.

It’s nice to be quoted in the same article as Laura Ries, Jay Levinson and a mention of Crispin Porter Bogusky’s “Subservient Chicken” site- but what was more important is the results Pizza Factory has enjoyed over the years.

We’ve introduced blogs as a tool for our other restaurant clients, Eclipse and Coco’s Bistro, and although they haven’t fully taken advantage of them yet, once again, The Next Wave is on the forefront of Marketing Innovation.

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Posted in: Advertising, Brand relevancy, Creativity, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Design, Differentiating your brand, Everything you want to know about advertising, Great ad agencies, Guerrilla campaigns, Low budget advertising, Practical Marketing 101, Secrets of great advertising

As always- when the results are good, no one ever says “the ads did it”- but when the results are bad- it’s always the advertising that’s to blame.

When I first saw the “Get a mac” campaign- with the two guys chatting it up in front of a simple white screen- with “Hello, I’m a Mac” and “I’m a PC” I thought that Chiat/Day had hit a home run for Apple. Not only had they gone to a direct product comparison, they had captured the “user friendliness” of the Mac perfectly.

It was also an affordable campaign- with the potential for having legs. With a rumored 27 different executions already in the can- it stays fresh- and on target.

If there was any doubt that this campaign is resonating, Apple just released it’s latest quarterly results- and the news is great.

Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results

CUPERTINO, California—October 11, 2005—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2005 fourth quarter ended September 24, 2005, reporting the highest revenue and earnings in the Company’s history. Apple posted revenue of $3.68 billion and a net quarterly profit of $430 million, or $.50 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $2.35 billion and a net profit of $106 million, or $.13 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 28.1 percent, up from 27.0 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 40 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Not to say all honors belong to Chiat/Day- Apple completed their move to Intel processors- making their computers capable of running Windows should you absolutely have to (and unfortunately- due to some bad web coding- there are still some sites that only work for a PC running Internet Explorer). Apple also introduced the new MacBook to replace the iBook giving them one of the sexiest laptops on the market, albeit at a higher price than most entry PC laptops- but here’s the difference- you really do get what you pay for.

A Next Wave teammate who likes to hack things bought a Dell laptop for $800. It had more ram, more HD and a DVDr drive and a 15″ widescreen- feature wise, it looks like a great deal compared to a similar Mac laptop. But, here’s the catch- it’s all plastic- designed like a kids Lego version of a laptop- instead of the sleek, sexy, smooth lines of the Apple product. We’re comparing a Citroen 2cv to a Lotus Elise. If you need a hint- the 2CV is on the left in red- and the Elise is in blue on the right. 

Apple is delivering a clearly differentiated product- competing on factors other than price, with a consistent brand voice, in a highly competitive market. Will they be number 1? No. Do they have to be? If being number one means you are delivering the most product- at the expense of profits, sustainability will be short lived.

Apple is working on expanding their brand to be central to the “digital lifestyle”- with the iPod being given more credit by stock analysts than it is due. The idea of making life easier for Apple users which is reinforced in every Get a Mac ad- is part of the strategy for Apple’s move into other areas like the delivery of digital content- with the iTunes store- and the much rumored iPhone.

Could these ads sell the new products- definitely. That’s the mark of great ads that bring brand voice, design and company strategy together for results.

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Posted in: Advertising, Apple Advertising, Brand relevancy, Design, Differentiating your brand, Everything you want to know about advertising, Great ad agencies, Secrets of great advertising