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  Jim 4:37 pm on April 10, 2012 Permalink  

  Jamie Moyer turns back the hands of time. 

  

  Perhaps the most compelling story of the young baseball season is the improbable comeback of 49-year-old pitcher Jamie Moyer. Old enough to be the father of most of his Colorado Rockies teammates, Moyer missed the entire 2011 season to reconstructive elbow surgery. Against all odds, he’s worked his way back to the starting rotation and is playing in his 25th Major League season.

  He’s the baseball equivalent of Picasso who pushed the boundaries of art well into his eighties.

  Or Philip Roth, writing powerful, intricate novels in his seventies.

  Or Bruce Springsteen, still leaping and sweating through 3-hour concerts in his sixties.

  Our ad agency has had a long association with The Seattle Mariners, the team Moyer pitched for from 1996 through 2006. During that span, Moyer won 145 games for Seattle—and promoted Mariners baseball in a dozen commercials our agency produced during that time. We got to know Jamie well, even volunteering our company’s services to The Moyer Foundation which he founded with his wife, Karen.

  We observed many Moyer personality traits during that time that may provide an insight into the secret of ageless creativity and productivity—lessons we can apply to our own careers.

  Never Stop Learning Your Craft
  Moyer’s fastball tops out at 80 miles per hour—the speed of a decent high school pitcher. His success is a result of guile, not power. His pinpoint control, wide array of pitches and ability to outthink hitters are the keys to his success, along with his fastidious preparation. Craftsmanship is the careful tending of talent—and can keep us productive for decades.

  Be Curious
  Jamie was always asking questions. He found the film production process fascinating and was one of the few ballplayers who took the time to ask about technique, look trough the camera, talk to the crew. Intellectual curiosity keeps us fresh, young and constantly learning.

  Stay Fit
  Sure good genes are helpful, but Jamie is fanatical about physical conditioning. Even if we’re not professional athletes, a healthy body often contains and active, healthy mind.

  Be Confident, Be Humble
  Jamie Moyer has immense self-confidence. He’s been dismissed and released by baseball experts many times over his career. But he always finds a way to bounce back, never doubting himself. Yet he’s one of the most unassuming and approachable athletes you’ll ever meet. To know how small we are often makes us big.

  As of this writing, Jamie Moyer has 267 career victories, 33 short of the exclusive 300-win club—a guarantee of baseball immortality. My guess is that Jamie is focused on that seemingly impossible goal. Don’t bet against him.

  I’d like to leave you with two of my favorite Jamie commercials from over the years.
  
  
  “The Change Up” celebrates Moyer’s exasperatingly slow but effective off-speed pitch.
  
  
  
  
  “Tribute” is a tongue-in-cheek jab at his age. It was produced in 2006. We thought he was old then.
  
  

  Take a moment this season to marvel and tip your cap to the amazing #50. He deserves our admiration.

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  Jim 5:17 pm on February 27, 2012 Permalink  

  What does Digital America look like? 

  Remember when we used to rank cities by how “wired” they were? (Austin was high, Biloxi was low.)

  Remember when our media plans excluded digital messaging and social networking for people over fifty?

  Remember when we thought online video viewers were overwhelmingly young, white men?

  The face of Digital America is changing. And while the growth of the Internet is hardly newsworthy, there are a few surprises in a recent study from Nielsen and NM Incite. Here are five nuggets regarding digital and social media usage that might cause you to reconsider your views of online behavior.

  • 54% of visitors to social network sites and blogs are women.

  • Women outnumber men (53% to 47%) among online video viewers.

  • Men are more likely to own tablets than women (53% vs. 47%).

  • 274 million Americans have daily access to the Internet—at home, at work or at a third place. However, 100 million Americans (a third of the country) do not have access to broadband.

  • Whites make up 61% of smartphone owners. The next largest group of smartphone owners are Hispanics  at 17%.

  One thing is certain: adoption of new technologies is a dynamic process and the digital demography will surely be different a year from today. Stay tuned.

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  Jim 5:52 pm on January 10, 2012 Permalink  

  Put a code on it 

  

  If you watch the uneven but occasionally hilarious IFC cable series Portlandia, you are familiar with Put A Bird On It: a design movement that enhances objects by adding a bird.

  Marketers have their own version of this fad: Put a QR Code on it.

  These chunky barcodes are showing up on everything from billboards to, alas, urinals. I recently saw a QR Code on a website which accessed (wait for it) another website.

  In theory it’s a great idea. When scanned, a QR Code provides additional content that enhances the host message. A print ad can turn into a full- motion product demo. A real estate flyer can offer a guided tour of a home. A concert poster stapled to a telephone pole can unleash a music video.

  Unfortunately, the public doesn’t share the marketing community’s enthusiasm for QR Codes. According to a recent Forrester Research survey only 5% of Americans with smart phones actually scanned a QR Code during a recent three-month survey period. Those that did tended to be young, affluent and male.

  Does this mean that QR Codes won’t ever be a viable marketing tool? Not at all. But as with any emerging technology, it requires patience and best practices. Here’s how our agency is using QR Codes for maximum effect.

  Get real
  While it’s easy to slap a code on virtually any medium, be realistic. Are consumers inclined to chase a city bus down the street to scan a code on a transit ad for a casino? Probably not. On the other hand, QR Codes make sense at the point of sale, in print advertising and mobile couponing.

  Make the experience worthwhile
  Consumers who take the trouble to whip out a smart phone and scan a code should be rewarded for their efforts. Make sure the content is more than a pointless rehash of the host message.

  Integrate
  Don’t use the technology for technology’s sake. Make sure the scanned message advances your overall brand story.

  Be Patient
  Don’t expect miraculous results from a QR Code effort. The percentage of those who scan the code will be low. The technology relies on third-party apps that can be clunky to use. But smart phone penetration will continue to increase and the QR Code user experience get better with built-in readers.

  By applying common sense (and some uncommon creativity), there’s no reason why you shouldn’t put a code on it.
  

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  Jim 1:37 am on December 23, 2011 Permalink  

  The C+F Top Ten 

  It’s the time of year for Top Ten Lists: movies, books, albums, even Republican debate bloopers. In this Lettermanesque spirit, we present the Copacino+Fujikado Top Ten Moments—the news and events that made 2011 a memorable year for us.

  #1: Bernandez Mania
  In March, we introduced a Mariners commercial about Felix Hernandez’s alter ego “Larry Bernandez.” The creators, Mike Hayward and Kurt Reifschneider, knew they had a fun spot, but nothing prepared us for the frenzy that followed. Larry went viral—a Facebook Page, Twitter account, a Bobblehead Night, and scores of lookalikes at the ballpark. Advertising is fun when it turns into pop culture.

  #2: Kickball Kingpins
  C+F won the citywide Co-Ed Kickball League Championship with a thrilling come from behind victory in the final game. The champagne flowed freely in the post-game celebration—which lasted several days.

  #3: World Visionaries
  In June, we were awarded a major assignment from World Vision, the global humanitarian organization with headquarters in Federal Way, Washington. We created two compelling TV campaigns, encouraging viewers to sponsor poor children in emerging countries.

  #4: St. Paddy’s Day Part-ay
  Our erstwhile interns, Peter Orr and Cliff McLoe threw a St. Patrick’s Day party that included leprechauns, an Irish feast and a wee-bit o’ the grain. For an Italian-Japanese agency, we did Irish pretty well.

  #5: LifeWise Outdoor Prompts 911 Call
  We created a large downtown mural for our “Boringly Good” LifeWise campaign that featured a dummy, dangling from a harness, to simulate his “painting” the message. The dummy was installed at a bit of an angle, prompting a concerned citizen to call 911 and report a “lifeless man” dangling from a downtown building. That’s Lifewise, sir, not lifeless.

  #6. Responsive Design
  We introduced responsive design to our agency website. This is a new technology that allows web content to automatically configure to any browser—whether on a computer, tablet or smart phone. The result? A better user experience across all platforms. We’re pretty good at this—call us if you want us to build responsive web site for you.

  #7. Taking Our Pulse
  The first annual American Marketing Association Pulse Awards were held in Seattle and C+F was a big winner—with recognition in multiple categories for clients Symetra, LifeWise and the Seattle Mariners.

  #8. Ping Pong Pandemonium
  The paddles were scorching all year long at the agency Ping Pong table. Shawn Herron is the reigning champ, but a group of hungry young upstarts are challenging for the crown.

  #9. Selling Seattle
  In the fall, we were named agency of record for Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. To generate holiday tourism, we created the Seattle Snow Mobile—a glass truck featuring a holiday cityscape complete with falling snow. The Snow Mobile toured Spokane, Portland and Vancouver, B.C. with brand ambassadors singing the praises of a holiday getaway to Seattle.

  #10. Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow
  How’s this for a bright idea: We created one of the largest blacklight posters ever to promote the Seattle Aquarium’s glow-in-the-dark jellyfish. Check it out for yourself: Moon Jellies Video

  Thanks to all of our fantastic clients, vendors, staff and friends who made 2011 a year to remember. Let the 2012 fun begin! Happy New Year.

  

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  Jim 8:04 pm on September 16, 2011 Permalink  

  When advertising matters. 

  Someone once described advertising as “the sandbox of business” because it is often fun, frothy and entertaining. True enough. But occasionally, we confront serious and powerful issues.

  Earlier this year, we created a video featuring Dr. Michael Jensen, a scientist at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. Dr. Jensen is developing a therapy for cancer treatment that will spare young patients from the harsh side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

  We learned that kids who undergo chemo and radiation often lose their hearing and sense of taste. They frequently endure difficulties with reproduction later in life. They are subject to a range of physical and mental disabilities. During treatment, they are wracked with pain and nausea. Hair loss is the least of their problems.

  As part of the video, we conducted an on-camera interview with a family from Montana. John, the son and patient, was a normal and happy three-year-old who was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma. Within the last year, his treatment included six rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, followed by high doses of radiation.

  

  For nearly a year, the family lived in a small apartment at Ronald McDonald House as John underwent treatment and surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Their home in Montana was up for sale; their life was in limbo. As John’s dad explained, “You just move forward, one day at a time. What else can you do?” As we prepared for the interview, John moved around the apartment wearing a brightly colored backpack that doubled as an IV.

  His parents are steadfast, intelligent people who spoke directly and technically about John’s medical issues without a trace of self-pity. But as John’s mother described her son’s suffering, her reserve crumbled. Her voice broke and tears flooded her eyes. Those of us gathered around the set—client, agency and crew—looked on silently as the family revealed their grief and pain. It was a deeply touching moment. We left the apartment with the hope that our work, in its small way, would help families like this.

  Shortly after, we completed the video, which is now being used to explain Dr. Jensen’s research and help raise funds to support it. Fortunately, this story has a happy epilogue to this story. Here is a recent entry from John’s father’s blog:

  “Sorry this will be short since it is very late and it has been a very busy four days with packing, cleaning and driving. First and foremost, John’s scans were all clean with a cancer free bone marrow. Dr. Park said he received an A+. We discussed future potential complications and follow up visits every 3 months. They want to see him in one month to make sure his weight is okay.

  On our way home we passed a billboard for Seattle Children’s with their motto of Hope. Care. Cure. How true. WE went there with Hope, his level of care during treatment was second to none and he is cured. We owe so much to Seattle Children’s, the Hem/Onc team, SCAA and staff as well as everyone else who helped us on this journey.”

  Our ad agency authored the theme, Hope. Care. Cure. We are gratified that John’s dad found meaning in it.

  It goes without saying that the heroes of this story are John, his family, the caregivers at Seattle Children’s, and Dr. Jensen’s quest to find a more humane way to treat childhood cancer.

  But occasionally in our business, we get a chance to give voice to this type of heroism and humanity. That’s when our work transcends “the sandbox of business.”

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  Jim 8:58 pm on August 23, 2011 Permalink  

  Is this agency hot, or is it just me? 

  It’s been one of the coolest summers on record here in Seattle. But inside our agency, the heat is cranked up. We’ve had a flurry of new business activity, with the acquisition of three great new clients.

  World Vision is a worldwide Christian relief and development organization that helps people around the world to overcome disaster, poverty, illness and abuse. We are honored to be a World Vision marketing partner—charged with helping to raise awareness and funds.

  Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau will oversee the creation of the new Seattle Tourism Improvement Area. The STIA will create a marketing fund through a hotel room surcharge with the goal of boosting leisure travel to our city. Great product, great people!

  Blue Nile is a highly successful online jewelry retailer. We’ve been assigned a brand enhancement project we’re very much looking forward to.

  We’re a very lucky agency: In a challenging economy, we’re growing our current accounts and attracting new ones. We’ve got a great staff. And future prospects are bright. (Excuse me for a moment while I knock on wood.)

  By the way, we’re looking for an experienced Account Supervisor and a highly capable Production Manger. Check out the job descriptions:

  Account Supervisor (PDF), Production Manager (PDF)

  If you have any recommendations, please send them our way. Provided they don’t mind the heat.

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  Jim 4:17 pm on July 6, 2011 Permalink  

  Abe Lincoln, CEO 

  

  If you read one management text this year, I’d suggest a history book: Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It’s a compelling biography of Abraham Lincoln focusing on the management of his cabinet during the Civil War years. Goodwin’s book takes us deep inside Lincoln’s challenges and triumphs.

  He was nominated at the Republican national convention in 1860 as a compromise candidate. His better-known and better-financed opponents—Seward, Chase and Bates—cancelled one another out. Lincoln rose from relative obscurity to the presidency during the most perilous time in America’s history.

  Over the next four years, he performed brilliantly as the nation’s CEO.

  As president-elect, he convinced his Republican rivals to join his cabinet. Each felt himself superior to the humble and self-effacing Lincoln—and each accepted his appointment with the certainty that he would act as the de facto president. But over time, all were won over by Lincoln’s intellect, political acumen and compassionate nature. Now, nearly 150 years later, Lincoln’s legacy provides valuable lessons in management training:

  Hire well, set goals, avoid micro management
  Lincoln surrounded himself with powerful, accomplished and self-confident personalities. He set the course for his administration, but delegated broad powers to his appointees.

  Credit others for success, assume responsibility for failure.
  Lincoln was quick to applaud others when things went well on the battlefield or in government. But he stood alone in accepting responsibility for setbacks.

  Be firm in mission, flexible in strategy.
  Lincoln’s mission was to preserve the union. He entered the White House willing to support slavery if it meant keeping the nation intact. However, he grew to see slavery as a political impossibility and a moral wrong. He shifted his strategy in service to his ultimate goal.

  Use the power of language to lead and inspire.
  Lincoln was one of the great literary presidents. He framed arguments in simple but elegant prose that still speaks to “our better angels.”

  Malice toward none, charity to all.
  Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Lincoln was his refusal to harbor ill will toward others, regardless of how deeply they hurt or betrayed him.

  Humor as a management tool.
  Lincoln loved storytelling and jokes, using them as a way to defuse conflict and lift spirits. His humor was homespun, self-deprecating and an effective way to communicate larger truths.

  Step aside Jack Welch and Steve Jobs. Abraham Lincoln was undoubtedly the greatest CEO in American history.

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  Jim 11:30 pm on April 26, 2011 Permalink  

  Digital Firms Face the Music 

  For the past several years, advertising agencies that built their reputations by way of traditional media (read TV commercials) have been harshly criticized for not fully embracing the digital and mobile worlds. Even the mighty Wieden & Kennedy was publicly called out by flagship client Nike for being slow to build up its new media capabilities.

  Some of the shrillest critics were the upstart digital shops who dismissed mainstream agencies as clueless dodos, doomed to extinction in a world of UX, CMS and API’s.

  There was certainly some truth to their charges. Many agencies went through an awkward period of retooling as they struggled to grasp new digital opportunities. And marketing heads, always in search of a panacea, diverted large portions of their budgets to interactive initiatives through digital-only agencies.

  So it was somewhat surprising to read a recent ADWEEK article entitled, “Marketers to Digital Shops: Diversify or Die.” It cites results from a survey conducted by RSW/US of 174 marketing executives. “More than two-thirds…said the digital shops need to offer more traditional services to remain relevant, while just a third thought digital-only firms could survive long term.”

  So it turns out that being a pure digital play is just as self-defeating as ignoring the explosive growth of the Internet and mobile. This little corner of cyberspace has a response to this startling revelation:

  Duh.

  What sensible professional working today thinks (a) technology alone is the answer to marketing problems or (b) the Internet doesn’t matter? All but the brain deadest among us long ago understood that the best IDEA wins—and that a great idea straddles traditional and digital media.

  No wonder, as the ADWEEK article points out, digital shops are hiring creative directors and strategic planners “from the traditional world.” Hello. That’s how you compete in a multi-platform marketing arena.

  The creative high point of 2010 was almost certainly the Isaiah Mustafa Old Spice phenomenon: a sparkling idea, brilliantly executed. Thanks to traditional TV commercials, it exploded instantly on to the pop culture stage, with the speed and scale only broadcasting can achieve. Once established, it became a social media sensation through innovative and intimate real-time, global conversations that only the Internet can support.

  It wasn’t a traditional win. It wasn’t a digital win. It was a victory for creative storytelling. So let’s stop firing salvos across a digital divide that doesn’t exist anymore. The traditional/digital war is over. Inspiration is the clear winner.

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  Jim 6:13 pm on February 25, 2011 Permalink  

  Cockroaches, Dinosaurs and Advertising 

  “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic cockroach.”

  —Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis

  

  I was thinking about the first sentence in Kafka’s novella the other day. Many of us advertising veterans are having uneasy, Samsa-like dreams of our own.

  Our fear is that we’re a waking up as dinosaurs in an industry that’s been radically transformed in the last few years.

  In the not too distant past, even a modest media budget was an assurance that we’d reach our “target audience” with a “brand message” through the trusty mass media of broadcast television, drive time radio and daily newspapers.

  Our job was to craft clever ads that would bust through the clutter, attract attention and succeed through repetition. We interrupted programming that people wanted in order to force-feed them something they grudgingly tolerated—our ads. It worked because the consumer was a prisoner of mass media.

  That was then. But that ain’t now.

  Advertising is no longer a series of controlled messages tidily distributed to passive masses. Not only do consumers control when and how they receive information from a brand, they are creating their own brand content. (Exhibit A: Some ten million people have watched “United Breaks Guitars” on YouTube.)

  The traditional marketing campaign—a one way message pushed out to a defined audience for a limited time period—is less relevant in a rapidly moving, real-time, interactive world. Today, progressive marketers are creating brand platforms: open-ended, ongoing, curated conversations with customers and prospects in all media and beyond media.

  A platform extends beyond the walled garden of the marketing department into all areas of the organization—sales, R&D, HR, customer service. A platform captures the soul of a brand and presents it as a robust, interactive experience. It’s the Pepsi Refresh Project or IBM Smarter Planet.

  Our agency is restructuring so that we can better succeed at painting these sort of big canvases. We’re getting there–having launched brand platforms for LifeWise Health Plan (“Boringly Good“), Symetra Financial (“Don’t Fear 65“) and the Seattle Aquarium (“Let Leonard In“).

  Here’s the catch: platforms are hard. They take time. They require far more effort than a traditional campaign because they demand orchestration of multiple disciplines—art, copy, public relations, event marketing, digital programming, and more.

  But dinosaurs be warned: Platforms are the future, and the future is now.

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  Dan Goldstein Creative Services, and Lee McKnight Jr are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    Lee McKnight Jr 3:43 pm on March 22, 2011 Permalink

    Nice post Jim. Sounds like the restructuring is well on its way.

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    Dan Goldstein Creative Services 10:59 pm on June 30, 2011 Permalink

    As one rapidly evolving reptilian to another, it’s exciting to think of these platforms as metacampaigns that take even bigger picture thinking. And a new creative consciousness.

    Seems, through my lidless eyes, anyway, that there are still those occasional throwback moments when a great product or service should just spew its consumer news.

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  Jim 11:05 pm on November 30, 2010 Permalink  

  Live from New York, it’s Branding 101 

  Branding lessons often come from sources outside the marketing world.

  Here’s one from an interview several years ago with the Saturday Night Live comedian Darrell Hammond. You may recall that he did a brilliant impression of Al Gore. (Al Gore, the bumbling presidential candidate not the resurrected Green Saint.)

  Hammond said he was struggling with the Gore impression. He was focusing on the speech pattern, the body language, the hair—but we wasn’t getting the character. He “found it” when he realized the key to Gore’s personality was that “he was a guy who tries too hard.” Tries too hard to be liked. Tries too hard to be sincere. Tries too hard to be funny.

  This key insight unlocked Hammond’s brilliant creative execution.

  There’s an inherent truth and drama within every brand. As an ad agency, it’s our job to identify it with a key insight. And it helps to distill it to a one-phrase revelation.

  For Seattle Children’s Hospital it’s “where science meets compassion.”

  For LifeWise Health Plan it’s “boredom as a virtue.”

  For Symetra Financial it’s a “fearless third act in life.”

  We call it a Brief Brief. It’s the crunchy center of a brand. And it can be a springboard to big, compelling creative ideas.

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