In the last couple of days, we've posted a few times on how to improve your presentation skills (Part 1 and Part 2). After a quick chat tonight on Twitter with social media expert / guru David Armano, I'm going to add to the series with a presentation that he recommended (and wrote) called Thinking Visually:
Finding and creating the right visual to help illustrate your point is critical and David has some of the best visuals in the business - they are simple, easy to digest and straightforward. When I asked him how he created them, he said that Adobe Illustrator was his software of choice. Still, it's the thinking behind the design that makes it powerful - not the tool that created them.
Thanks again for the presentation and comments, David!
Sunday
My Wishlist: Better Facebook Metrics
There have been rumours that corporate Facebook pages are changing and become more like profile pages. For some brands with a heavy FB presence, this is exciting news. There's nothing worse than the infinite scroll down content that you don't really care about. The tab system on pages will help to streamline content and allow brands to create more immersible pages with much more content.
1. Page Metrics that go further than the click - what tabs are the most popular and what are users actually doing on them? (ie. The Wall vs. Events, etc) How does tab position differ in terms of impressions (ie. being on the landing tab vs. second vs. fifth in the navigation.) Most importantly, Facebook does not currently show time spent or bounce rate on anything. These two metrics are critical to determining engagement with the page. It's one thing to say "we had 12 wall posts!", quite another to show that the average time spent on the photos page was 10 minutes.
2. News Feed comment tracking / aggregation - now that groups are becoming more like profiles, changes and interactions will be broadcast into the news feed - a huge bonus for brands and viral impressions. As a result, users will be able to comment on those news feed updates. Those comments can tell a brand a lot about sentiment. For example, if Audi uploads new photos of a car to their fan page. Are users going to respond to them as "those our cool" or as "this car sucks"? Tracking all comments could lead to solid insights about users.
3. Unique Return Visits - I have a strong feeling that people join brand groups initially (due to an incentive / contest) and never return. How many users are net new vs. current fans and how many are returning on a regular basis? Facebook always talks about the power of a fan but if that fan doesn't care about any of your page updates, what good are they other than a name on a list?
4. Viral News Feed Impressions - one of the biggest selling points of corporate group profile-like pages is that updates / interactions are broadcast into a users newsfeed. That's great. But how many people are being shown this impression? Right now we can manually see but there is no metric to show the total amount of viral impressions that have been created through news feed updates. It's always surpirsed me that Facebook doesn't share / track this metric. It's the power of their service - the viral impression - and they don't even share the number.
5. Fan Segmentation by Influencer Ranking - said another way, I want to know who are most popular fans are and be able to target them. Who has over 1000 friends? Who is our top person by friend network? Can we get in touch with them for special offers? Or the top 10%? Or users only in BC or another location? All facebook users aren't equal. Those with bigger networks can spread their messages to a larger group and we need to do everything to engage them.
5 Spots You Need to Watch
This afternoon, I was pouring through the Shots DVD's and found a lot of excellent TV spots. While my life is very digital focused, it's always nice to watch some great commercials. Here are my favorite 6:
Australia - "Come Walkabout"
When I first saw this spot, it stopped me dead in my tracks. The problem was it was the 30, not the full length. The 30 comes at you out of nowhere and I think that most viewers didn't get the story. You don't have that problem with the full length. We all know that vacations help us to get away from the stress of daily life. The strategy of ths spot isn't new - but the execution is fantastic.
Carlton - Woman Whisperer
Hilarious.
Herringbone - Small Hands
I don't know if this 3 minute spot ever ran on TV, but it's like a short (fictional) documentary. It reminded me of the current Monster.com campaign but better (and the CGI is great).
Amnesty International - Channel Surfing
What if the important events in the world were on every channel and we couldn't ignore them? In an Amnesty world, it would happen.
Telnor - Rock Star Myth
Epic commercial and although the pay-off at the end is a bit of a let down, it gets the point across - TV has changed.
Thx to Bud for the inspiration.
Australia - "Come Walkabout"
When I first saw this spot, it stopped me dead in my tracks. The problem was it was the 30, not the full length. The 30 comes at you out of nowhere and I think that most viewers didn't get the story. You don't have that problem with the full length. We all know that vacations help us to get away from the stress of daily life. The strategy of ths spot isn't new - but the execution is fantastic.
Carlton - Woman Whisperer
Hilarious.
Herringbone - Small Hands
I don't know if this 3 minute spot ever ran on TV, but it's like a short (fictional) documentary. It reminded me of the current Monster.com campaign but better (and the CGI is great).
Amnesty International - Channel Surfing
What if the important events in the world were on every channel and we couldn't ignore them? In an Amnesty world, it would happen.
Telnor - Rock Star Myth
Epic commercial and although the pay-off at the end is a bit of a let down, it gets the point across - TV has changed.
Thx to Bud for the inspiration.
Thursday
Bill Gates in 1996
I just came across this quote from the Microsoft man himself. It's amazing to see the amount of foresight this man had into the future (even though banner CTR isn't exactly stellar in this day in age). And also amazing how many people still don't understand the true value of the digital space.
"Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet.... I expect societies will see intense competition-and ample failure as well as success-in all categories of popular content-not just software and news, but also games, entertainment, sports programming, directories, classified advertising, and on-line communities devoted to major interests....
...If people are to be expected to put up with turning on a computer to read a screen, they must be rewarded with deep and extremely up-to-date information that they can explore at will. They need to have audio, and possibly video...
...For the Internet to thrive, content providers must be paid for their work. The long-term prospects are good, but I expect a lot of disappointment in the short-term as content companies struggle to make money through advertising or subscriptions. It isn't working yet, and it may not for some time.... In the long run, advertising is promising. An advantage of interactive advertising is that an initial message needs only to attract attention rather than convey much information.
A user can click on the ad to get additional information-and an advertiser can measure whether people are doing so.... ...technology will liberate publishers to charge small amounts of money, in the hope of attracting wide audiences.
"Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet.... I expect societies will see intense competition-and ample failure as well as success-in all categories of popular content-not just software and news, but also games, entertainment, sports programming, directories, classified advertising, and on-line communities devoted to major interests....
...If people are to be expected to put up with turning on a computer to read a screen, they must be rewarded with deep and extremely up-to-date information that they can explore at will. They need to have audio, and possibly video...
...For the Internet to thrive, content providers must be paid for their work. The long-term prospects are good, but I expect a lot of disappointment in the short-term as content companies struggle to make money through advertising or subscriptions. It isn't working yet, and it may not for some time.... In the long run, advertising is promising. An advantage of interactive advertising is that an initial message needs only to attract attention rather than convey much information.
A user can click on the ad to get additional information-and an advertiser can measure whether people are doing so.... ...technology will liberate publishers to charge small amounts of money, in the hope of attracting wide audiences.
Wednesday
Peer Into a Soul
Full disclosure before this post. This campaign came from my agency and I work with a ton of the great people who helped put it all together. It's been getting a lot of attention in Canada (and around the world) and we couldn't help but post about it. So here it goes.
Recently, Kia launched a series of TV spots and a tease microsite to promote the launch of their new car - the Soul. The spots get your attention immediately. Here's the 60 (there are 3 in total, edited into 15's, 30's and this 60):
My favorite:
And the third:
Pretty good stuff. In the first phase of the campaign, a series of short spots were launched that were just a tease of the main character(s) looking peering into the cars. All the spots ended with was the URL: peerintoasoul.ca
On the microsite, users could explore images of the new car and register to be the first to learn more about it (and see the spots before anyone else had).
A number of blogs are picking up the campaign and I suspect that as the TV spots begin to hit airwaves harder, traffic to the site is going to increase dramatically.
What I love about this campaign is that it shows how digital thinking can amplify a traditional tease campaign. As Marketing magazine reported, people watch TV with their laptops. If something peaks their interest, they search it or type in the URL - immediately. Campaigns that know that and can work off that insight will win and be remembered. I suspect Kia will be one of them.
Nice work team.
Recently, Kia launched a series of TV spots and a tease microsite to promote the launch of their new car - the Soul. The spots get your attention immediately. Here's the 60 (there are 3 in total, edited into 15's, 30's and this 60):
My favorite:
And the third:
Pretty good stuff. In the first phase of the campaign, a series of short spots were launched that were just a tease of the main character(s) looking peering into the cars. All the spots ended with was the URL: peerintoasoul.ca
On the microsite, users could explore images of the new car and register to be the first to learn more about it (and see the spots before anyone else had).
A number of blogs are picking up the campaign and I suspect that as the TV spots begin to hit airwaves harder, traffic to the site is going to increase dramatically.
What I love about this campaign is that it shows how digital thinking can amplify a traditional tease campaign. As Marketing magazine reported, people watch TV with their laptops. If something peaks their interest, they search it or type in the URL - immediately. Campaigns that know that and can work off that insight will win and be remembered. I suspect Kia will be one of them.
Nice work team.
How To: Create Better Presentations (Part 2)
Found a great post on the Fallon blog tonight called "How to present like Steve Jobs." They provided a link to the video below and the tutorial is great - from slide creation to speaking style, it's worthwhile for anyone to watch who is doing presentations constantly.
The best point? Reherse, reherse, reherse. Don't wing it. You're not good enough.
The best point? Reherse, reherse, reherse. Don't wing it. You're not good enough.
Monday
How to Present Better [Wired]
I've been reading a few books lately on how to create and develop better presentations. One of the best (from a practical, slide-layout perspective) is Presentation Zen. It's a guide that helps you think differently about the power of the slide and the type of story that you are trying to tell. The main message that I've gathered from it so far? Slides support you, they are not there for you to read from.
I'm sick of slides with 100 words on them in 10 point font. It's visual time, baby. And notes.
To that end, I've also been doing a quick search for various presentation posts / blogs to help give me ideas on style, comfort and public speaking. I've copied a great post from Cory Doctorow (BoingBoing) that Wired did in 2008. Some great thoughts:
I'm sick of slides with 100 words on them in 10 point font. It's visual time, baby. And notes.
To that end, I've also been doing a quick search for various presentation posts / blogs to help give me ideas on style, comfort and public speaking. I've copied a great post from Cory Doctorow (BoingBoing) that Wired did in 2008. Some great thoughts:
1. Don't read a speech. Write out bullet points on index cards and practice elaborating extemporaneously on each one. Focus on the transitions. Be sure to number your cards in case you drop them.
2. Videotape yourself practicing the presentation. Note awkward body language, stilted movements, and annoying verbal tics. OK. Now stop doing that.
3. Don't read from PowerPoint slides like they're cue cards. If you must use them, keep the text short (two words and a picture).
4. Don't use the conference's Net connection for your demo. It's embarrassing to stand on stage whining, "Everyone please stop using the Net!" Turn your demo into screenshots or bring an EVDO card for your own high-speed connection.
5. Don't rely on the event's A/V setup, either. To play an audio clip, try holding your mike up to your laptop's speaker.
6. Use your Q&A time wisely. Field the big-picture queries while you're onstage and deal with the minutiae offline.
Some fantastic thoughts. I'm sure most people would hate video taping themselves and watching it. But that's the only way to see what everyone else is looking at. I remember doing this in some communications training a few years ago. It was humbling but very effective (and it made me see that crossing your hands while standing up is extremely weird...). Any good tips to share?
Nice Work, Heineken
PJC posted a spot a few days ago for Heineken's new global campaign - featuring a male's dream walk-in closet full of cold Heineken's.
Advergirl recently posted a follow up that a couple of guys (most likely with the help of a good ad agency), just made. Call it, the ultimate follow up to the global launch spot:
What do you think?
Advergirl recently posted a follow up that a couple of guys (most likely with the help of a good ad agency), just made. Call it, the ultimate follow up to the global launch spot:
What do you think?
Sunday
Account Service Tip
While reading "The Art of Client Service" by Robert Solomon, I came across a great tip (#19):
"I didn't understand my job was to improve the work not approve it."
Suits exist to help sell creative work and be the client voice within the agency. Don't ever forget that your role is to help create the best work in the world - not tear it apart.
"I didn't understand my job was to improve the work not approve it."
Suits exist to help sell creative work and be the client voice within the agency. Don't ever forget that your role is to help create the best work in the world - not tear it apart.
The trailer I never watched
After what feels like a lifetime I finally saw the move Slumdog Millionaire. The trailer that is currently the second most viewed ad on YouTube in the past 30 days with 999 post (I will be 1000 if I am quick enough) and around 3.2 Million views was sent to me about 10 times and I refused to watch it. Why? Because trailers spoil movies.
After seeing the movie I watched the trailer and I am completely happy with my decision. This trailer would have ruined the movie.
Trailers should pique interest, allow movie-goers to understand a premise, the style of a movie (horror, drama, porn, etc) and identify if favourite or hated actors are in the movie. Too many trailers these days turn the entire movie into a 60 second long version.
Movie trailer industry please quit doing this. Ok thats my advertising rant for the week.
After seeing the movie I watched the trailer and I am completely happy with my decision. This trailer would have ruined the movie.
Trailers should pique interest, allow movie-goers to understand a premise, the style of a movie (horror, drama, porn, etc) and identify if favourite or hated actors are in the movie. Too many trailers these days turn the entire movie into a 60 second long version.
Movie trailer industry please quit doing this. Ok thats my advertising rant for the week.
Tuesday
Does School Kill Creativity?
When Presentation Zen recommends a TED talk (and calls it his favorite of all-time), I watch. This is a fabulous talk about how the foundation of education needs to foster creative thought - not kill it. So many industries operate under the same "follow this path to success" model that many creative ideas are killed because they fall outside cultural norms. People who can foster change within their agencies through creative process and thought will be big, long-term winners.
Nothing sells like a baby
I have been seriously entertained by this E*trade campaign. Press play on all the goodness below:
Amazing copywriting, cute as hell visor:
Check the golden pipes:
And of course we have shared this campaign before...here, here and here.
Amazing copywriting, cute as hell visor:
Check the golden pipes:
And of course we have shared this campaign before...here, here and here.
Monday
Want to have an affair?
Then register a profile on AshleyMadison.com. The dating site for people in a commited relationship who are looking for a random outlet (not a relationship) from their day-to-day partner. Their tagline?
"Life is short. Have an affair."
Think I'm making this up? Here is a TV spot that the site tried to run during the Super Bowl (banned in Canada and the majority of the US)
What an idea. Nothing shows how long the Long Tail is better than a site like this. By last count, the site has over 3.2 million profiles. Need an example of a niche social network in your next presentation? This is it.
Thanks to EV for the video link!
"Life is short. Have an affair."
Think I'm making this up? Here is a TV spot that the site tried to run during the Super Bowl (banned in Canada and the majority of the US)
What an idea. Nothing shows how long the Long Tail is better than a site like this. By last count, the site has over 3.2 million profiles. Need an example of a niche social network in your next presentation? This is it.
Thanks to EV for the video link!
Sunday
Here Come the Ads...
It's the most important day of the year for TV-obsessed brands: the Super Bowl. A number of lists have been released already (and I'm hoping the place we are watching get's an American feed) and tomorrow will be a big day of "best commercials" from the big game.
We'll be doing a search for the new "Canadian content" out there and will hopefully find a few gems...
We'll be doing a search for the new "Canadian content" out there and will hopefully find a few gems...
Tuesday
Kobe Bryant selling Ankle Insurance
Another video from Nike showcasing their superstar Kobe Bryant. It would be a lot more cool if they actually began providing ankle insurance with the purchase of the shoes.
The Worlds Worst Ad Placement
Over the past year and a half I have posted a few different examples of horrible ad placements but this one takes the cake.
I won't spoil it for you but it is well worth watching. Over fast forward to 1:23.
I won't spoil it for you but it is well worth watching. Over fast forward to 1:23.
The New Siren's Song - Branded iPhone Apps
While giving a presentation to a few colleagues on digital today, I talked a lot about how the App Store from Apple is changing the game for mobile devices. As a user, I can go on everyday and download thousands of applications (for free or a nominal sum) that enhance my mobile experience about 1000%.
I love the App store and go to it daily. I'm addicted to testing out new apps (especially GPS ones) and enjoy seeing how random developers are using this device to change the world of mobile.
During the presentation, a friend asked me about brands and iPhone applications. Is it worth creating? Should all brands run to this new medium and start testing stuff out?
No. Definitely not.
In Canada, iPhone penetration might be around 200-400K (based on Rogers quarterly wireless business reports). Although that number is going to increase rapidly, it's still an early adopter crowd. Brands like Swiffer might want to stay away. But tech related products might want to jump in (cell phone manufacturers can you hear me?)
Audi, always a brand trying to innovate in terms of advertising, made the jump quickly - launching the first car manufacturing gaming app that allowed you to test out the new Audi 2009 A4. Decent game and because it was a category first, it generated a lot of buzz. Nice idea, in any case.
Cue the followers.
MINI has done some great work in the past but their new iPhone application (shown below) misses the mark. Not only does the game look boring as hell, I really have no idea how it ties back to the 'coolness' of the brand. Why not do something different? Drive through the streets of London or go places (that are super small) that no other car could get into?
Audi 1. Mini 0.
Just remember - most people don't want to engage with your brand. They like free, cool stuff and they love their iPhone but don't just make something to be there - make something with a purpose that adds value to the user. Sounds basic, doesn't it?
Thx to Pantyboy22 for the Mini link.
Quality Impressions are related to Time
In my ongoing quest to change media planning (I'm not in media, nor to I have a specific desire to be), one of my new rants is about time.
When television emerged in the mid-1900's as the new, dominant consumer medium, ad buying revolved around time. What time were the top shows on and how could I ensure that my spot was in the middle of them? This broadcast model still exists today. Major networks - whether it's CTV or NBC - value their media space by time and broadcast content. Weekly lists are published to show advertisers what the Top 10 TV shows of the week were and guess what? The better the show, the more the ad costs to buy and the easier it is for consumers to watch (usually between 8-11PM on Monday-Friday).
With the emergence of the Web and the PVR, the question of time fell by the wayside. Now that consumers could consume content whenever they wanted, time became less of an issue. Advertisers were more concerned about getting their products into the actual content to avoid the apocaplyse of the fast-forward button than buying the right placements - even though recent neuro-studies have shown that brand integration within movies and TV shows doesn't exactly well...work.
When display advertising became one of the main, revenue models for websites, media companies took the old model and applied it to the web - tell us the number of impressions you want or the number of clicks and we will give you the price. Then you're ads will run on our site for the duration of the campaign period. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Time is not a concern. Final results (impresisons mainly) are.
But why can't a brand buy their executions based on site time usage. Why can't we have our ads served at the peak of a site's traffic on any given day?
A few years ago, I was working on a campaign for a national brand. The product revolved around music and we were targeting youth wherever possible (a ton of mass, loads of TV GRP's and, of course, a run-in-the-mill online display campaign). After doing a quick Google search, I found that youth web usage to music download sites peaked between 3-5PM on weekdays. Why, then, could we not have our banners run heavy on music sites during this time and not throughout the entire buy?
Because it was never a question media had considered and, as a result, the site had no idea how to handle a request like that. So they didn't. And our display ads just ran the entire time. Generating the industry average 99.95% fail rate (assuming that the average CTR for a display campaign is around 0.05%).
So here we are. Forced into a world where we don't buy the best time but just assume because we are on a popular site (like Facebook) that all ad impressions are created equal. They aren't. And I really hope someone out there in the media world is trying to do something about it.
There's a media innovation award in it if you do. Promise.
Monday
Carnival Cruises - Play for All
This campaign is exceptional. After seeing these spots Carnival is the cruise line that owns fun. I can't remember a single cruise ship commercial. I imagine I have seen one before but nothing worth noting.
Its great how people take notice when you have something interesting to say...cue next post.
Its great how people take notice when you have something interesting to say...cue next post.
Do you have something interesting to say?
Whats changed in the world of advertising since 1940? Click play.
Found on the Social Path via German agency Scholz & Friends and Reg Saddler on Twitter.
Found on the Social Path via German agency Scholz & Friends and Reg Saddler on Twitter.
Sunday
Social Networks will become as important as air
Big thanks to Mike for sending us a link this social network presentation. It's a holistic view of some of the changes (some identity related) that social networks will be going through over the next few years.
Essentially - you're network and friends are going to come with you, everywhere. Sure, you can change your privacy settings but if you want customized content based on your interests, network and desires you're going to have to give up some of your personal details.
Is this a trade you're willing to make?
Essentially - you're network and friends are going to come with you, everywhere. Sure, you can change your privacy settings but if you want customized content based on your interests, network and desires you're going to have to give up some of your personal details.
Is this a trade you're willing to make?
Saturday
Cadbury Gorilla Follow Up ("Eyebrow Dance")
Cadbury made it big in 2008 with their Glass and a Half Full "Gorilla" video (which went viral and was then released on cinema's as a 2 minute spot across the world).
Here's the follow up:
Right now, it's only got about 2,700 views on YouTube but I think that the randomness (and the fact that it's the next thing from Cadbury) should help it go "viral" fairly quickly.
I'm a fan of the old school Chemical Brothers track but this spot might hit the 'random meter' a bit too hard. What do you think?
Here's the follow up:
Right now, it's only got about 2,700 views on YouTube but I think that the randomness (and the fact that it's the next thing from Cadbury) should help it go "viral" fairly quickly.
I'm a fan of the old school Chemical Brothers track but this spot might hit the 'random meter' a bit too hard. What do you think?
Thursday
The links - Pauls edition
- Obama's inaugaration is the 5th most watched event in internet history. See the list.
- Mark Hurd, CEO of HP likes food. $243,000 worth of food in 2008. Believe it.
- Merrill Lynch CEO spends $1.2 million on office make-over. Then gets canned. Sweet justice.
- Mobile Predictions for 2009 on burning the bacon.
- Not sure what I think about Google quotes. Have you checked it out?
- This video is amazing. Watch it.
Don't Blink. You'll miss the High Life.
MillerCoors said Tuesday that it will premier a one-second ad for its Miller High Life brand during the Super Bowl broadcast Feb. 1.
The spot will focus on the brand's current campaign that features the burly High Life delivery man who aims to reinforce the brand as a "good, honest beer at a tasty price." MillerCoors notes that air time for a 30-second commercial during the game is selling for as high as $3 million.
“Miller High Life is all about high quality and great value, so it wouldn’t make sense for this brand to pay $3 million for a 30-second ad,” said High Life senior brand manager Kevin Oglesby, in a press release. “Just like our consumers, High Life strives to make smart choices. One second should be plenty of time to remind viewers that Miller High Life is common sense in a bottle.”
God knows I absolutely love the High Life Common Sense campaign. Check it here and here.Visit the 1 second ad site here.
Tuesday
Stand By Me - International Version
Found on Bit Pakkit:
Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire , connect and bring peace to the world through music. They have created an amazing video.
Ben Watson of Bit Pakkit sums up the following video beautifully, "Bill Moyers takes us around the world mixing the voices and music of musicians from across the globe to a beautifully orchestrated and shared experience that transcends the original message of the song in a beautiful and compelling way."
Visit their site to learn more about the film, the journey and the movement.
Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire , connect and bring peace to the world through music. They have created an amazing video.
Ben Watson of Bit Pakkit sums up the following video beautifully, "Bill Moyers takes us around the world mixing the voices and music of musicians from across the globe to a beautifully orchestrated and shared experience that transcends the original message of the song in a beautiful and compelling way."
Visit their site to learn more about the film, the journey and the movement.
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