Agency lessons I learned from Mad Men, part two

In just over three months, I’ve watched 52 episodes of the best series on TV (IMHO): Mad Men – a show that makes me long for the ’60s and the heady days of the ad biz. (Now, I’m holding my breath till season five.)

Earlier this year, I wrote about some agency life lessons I learned from the show.

As I reflect on season four, a few more spring to mind: (more…)

PR… meet PRketing

I was at a meeting with a group of agencies not too long ago – PR, ad, digital and media buying. We were working together on a campaign that included various components from each of our firms. When the plan was presented, I was struck by the similarity of social media executions across all disciplines.

This is markedly different than it’s been in the past, when PR focused on publicity, events, speaking engagements, internal communications and other influencer outreach. Advertising was all about creative – usually TV, print and radio. Digital was the web presence; did someone say microsite? Media was spreadsheets and GRPs peppered with the occasional advertorial or promotion.

And the world turned…

(more…)

Agency lessons I learned from Mad Men

… how to stock my office bar,  tips on merging two firms in 72 hours, the importance of ice  …

OK, I’m a bit late to the series, but I got Mad Men seasons one and two as a Christmas gift and did a marathon viewing of all 26 episodes during the holidays (it was a battle not to take up smoking).   (more…)

Why I hate asterisks*

I was on the subway yesterday looking at the sale ads and getting ready to score an amazing deal…on something.

But my hopes were dashed when I noticed that fateful symbol perched on BIG OFFER’s shoulder. And though it’s barely visible, it packs a wallop that slaps you back to your senses.

I’m talking about the asterisk.

I don’t like asterisks because they represent exceptions. Exceptions, usually, to a screaming overpromise.

What I resent most are the enticements that purport to ‘build me up buttercup, just to let me down’. Having an asterisk is like keeping people spellbound by a sprawling story, only to admit in the end that, well, maybe much of what you said, just didn’t happen.

Granted, the promises seem too good to be true. And they’re easy to spot. In fact, the front section of today’s Toronto Star featured 24 ads; 17 of which had a disclaimer of sorts, 11 with the ubiquitous asterisk. That’s nearly 50 per cent.

Now, although I’m singling them out, asterisks aren’t the sole culprits. And to be fair, there’s a group of other hench-symbols (they know who they are) often found lurking with expressions like ‘up to 80 per cent’, ‘for a limited time’, ‘select merchandise only’, ‘dealers may vary’, ‘quantities limited’, ‘some items not exactly as shown’, etc. And while they may be just as bad, asterisks are the ones you notice most often at the scene of the crime.

Perhaps as a new, more balanced economy emerges from the tatters of our old reckless one, we can ask for a straight exchange on the asterisk and the worst parts of the sales pitch. And if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll receive a credit toward credibility – all at no extra cost!

*Not to be confused by the French comic Asterix, of which I have yet to form a definitive opinion.

A 'Bold' failure to communicate

I’ve been having a few email issues lately. Mostly related to my Blackberry.

Sometimes, when I forward an email, random words (and even whole sentences) get cut up, deleted and garbled (or as one email said, rbld). It’s as if I’m writing in a bizarre IM-ish shorthand code.

So after checking with my office tech support, I finally called Rogers, knowing I’d have to commit a fair amount of time on the phone. But I was determined to weather the situation, accept my fate and not get riled up. And sure enough over the next couple of days, I had four calls and spent three hours attempting to upload, download, reload and resolve things.

And, I have to say the people at the other end were pleasant, funny and helpful. They concluded the issue was with my BB itself and not their network and they said I qualified for an upgrade – e.g. a new device at a discount. (A backhanded sales ploy or what?)

But a chatty rep from Sudbury rejigged my plan to save me money and offered me such a good deal that I couldn’t pass up the idea of getting a new BB Bold. She gave me the option of having it couriered to me (3 to 5 days) or, if I didn’t want to wait, I could pick it up directly from a Rogers store.

Being in Toronto and excited about a new toy, I opted for the latter. I went to a store near my office and discovered they hadn’t received their stock yet. No worries. Another Rogers outlet was a few blocks away. They, too, didn’t get their shipment and weren’t sure when they were going to arrive. Try back later, was all they could muster by way of help.

I was starting to lose my state of zen, but I didn’t give up…

An hour later, and completely un-Boldened, I returned to my office, frustrated and hot under the collar yet again.

I wondered if the bare shelves was a Rogers ploy to increase demand (a la iPhone). But there were no line-ups at the stores. Then I thought it’s more likely a logistical screw-up (so what else is new).

Either way, Rogers missed yet another opportunity to truly connect with their customers (rather than holding us hostage). And all they had to do was provide a simple update; communicate with their retail front-line.

I’m still waiting for my Bold but I’ll let you know what it’s like when I get it.