reassurance is nice sometimes

Last week I was sent this article from Yahoo News stating that although the Old Spice Guy has garnered huge popularity and media attention, Old Spice sales are declining. The article then went on to discuss how sometimes really great creative can still fail. I was a little shocked by reading this article for two reasons; the online social media campaign launched just a week prior to these numbers coming out was, in my eyes an almost flawless strategy. I even considered switching my male body wash last time we were shopping, however I prefer the scent of Dove (when did I start caring?).

As I read all the comments for the article, talking about how the product is a dud and how the creative was too big for itself, I begin to feel this was way to early to be measuring the success or failure of the online campaign (7days). I couldn’t get my head wrapped around it and though it made a great follow up to my previous post on this campaign I chose another topic.

Now once again a week later this is all over the news. Old Spice body wash sales had zoomed 107 per cent in the last month. I have to admit that I was greatly pleased to read these articles and posts and to even learn that the Old Spice Guy himself was landing a movie role with Jen. I don’t use Old Spice, or even like Old Spice and I have never supported any of the NFL teams Isaiah (Old Spice Guy) played for. There was something though inside me that wanted this campaign to be greatly successful. How does one create that type of support, loyalty to a product I don’t even use (yet). Or is it simply that I wanted this great social media campaign to succeed so I can continue to push this form of media and these types of strategies into all of the projects and jobs we do. Maybe I just wanted the reassurance.

storming of the brains

Apparently group brainstorming doesn't necessarily produce more or better ideas than individuals brainstorming on their own. Studies show, however, that it does improve teamwork and morale. Keeping a team on-page about the thinking behind an idea is invaluable to maintaining focus and motivation.

With that in mind, here's a refresher on the four basic rules on brainstorming, for individuals and groups alike:

1. Focus on quantity Creativity is gauged by divergent thinking. The more paths of thinking you follow, the higher chance you have of producing an innovative and effective solution.
2. Don't say "no" This is not the time to tie down your thinking cap. Let it fly! Leaving criticisms for a later time allows unusual ideas to emerge. These ideas can be evaluated later for their effectiveness, alignment with the brief, and feasibility for the budget.
3. Nurture the unusual The best solutions come out of new ways of thinking; otherwise there wouldn't be a need for the job. Try new perspectives. Wear different shoes. Ask strange questions.
4. Combine and improve ideas Working with association provokes the next step. What have people done before you? What is your client currently doing? How can it be better? What's working? How can that combine with something new? It's helpful to have a springboard to get started…as long as you don't say no to those out-of-the-blue ideas as well!

shifting winds? on Yukon time

Over the past few years in the advertising industry there has been a shift in the way we view our business models. Some agencies have pioneered these shifts and others have felt that it’s just a fad. The notion that this shift is a fad has itself become a fad. The time has come for us to recognize the changes taking place around us. The shift I’m talking about is away from a focus on paid media to a primary focus on owned media and then earned media. Sean Cornoran wrote a great blog defining each of these three forms of media. 

In the Yukon we have the privilege of time — well to be more exact we have the privilege of Yukon Time. In the North there is still a heavy reliance on paid media as traditional print and radio is still one of the most effective ways to reach communities outside of central hubs. That being said we have a great vantage place to sit and observe what fads are coming and going. At this particular time, with the shifting communications model, the Yukon is ready. In a city as small as Whitehorse, with the right approach, earned media is at our fingertips. Word of mouth, buzz and media stories are all ways we can focus our strategies to gain us more cost efficient earned media. More and more companies are realizing the importance of owned media as well and are taking steps to generate their own. Company blogs, Micro Sites, Facebook and Twitter accounts are all being used to help companies own their stories. Brook Johnston has a great blog on the Golden Rules of Blogging. I struggle with a number of them, particularly, “Don’t Suck.”  

You have to remember that as shifts occur in the industry, you have to stop and examine your surroundings to see how these shifts play out in your own world. Here in the Yukon we have to balance all three forms of media. Focus on identifying your target audience and of course your budget constraints, then categorize each form of media and the specific tactics at your disposal and make your decisions based on your goals.

Easy, right?

chipmunk cheeks & a yellow mark

It's my first day back in town and back at work after two weeks of canoeing the Yukon River. With no food in my house, no cash in my wallet, and my car somewhere on the other side of town, I needed lunch somewhere nearby that accepted credit cards. What else? It's a busy day catching up in the studio, so I got a Subway sandwich and ate it while walking back to work.

I've never had so many people smile at me on my lunch break. It was a little weird and I'm now contemplating what it was they were smiling about? Was it their understanding of lunch on the run? The big sunglasses and cheeks stuffed like chipmunks? Am I selling Subway with my high-heeled stroll through town?

As I peeled back the logo-covered sandwich wrapping, a mom with her two boys passed by and commented, "Subway looks good. Let's go there and then to the park." It was just a sandwich and pop, but the bright yellow mark with the little "on-the-go" arrows sent at least three hungry people back to its source.

Shirtless and Envious

I’m not the first to mention this in a blog and I surely won’t be the last. Marketing gurus and creative minds everywhere are all wishing that they had come up with Old Spice’s latest social media marketing initiative. So they should, I wish I had. The level of customer engagement and earned media is outstanding.

The popularity of the Shirtless Old Spice Guy replying on Twitter with personalized videos has even grabbed the attention of celebrities who are wanting in on the fun. You can find a great article about this campaign here at TNW.

We hope you enjoy these as much as we do and thanks to The Next Web for putting these articles together. Let me leave you with parting words from the Shirtless Old Spice Guy himself.