This Week in Strategy: You can throw an envelope as far as you want, but it'll still be stationery.
Hi Strat Pack,
So Snapchat finally figured out how to get me to open the Snapchat app this week. It feels like the entire office has been been playing with the Gender Swap filter and it is wonderful. But not nearly as clever as this Tinder experiment that Leaves Men Objectified.
In other news, my favorite news story of the week has to be: Politician puts ad on Pornhub and says 'you have to be where your voters are' (Yes it's safe for work) The Danish shot-putter-turned-politician Joachim B Olsen says: "There is no limit to how far I will go for the nation. Weird, cool. Let's see if this guy wins.
Alright, stop messing around trying to re-download Snapchat and let's jump right in.
The one thing to read this week
1)The Best Ideas Are the Ones That Make the Least Sense [Entrepreneur]
A medium-length but worthwhile read from Ogilvy Chairman Rory Sutherland with a bunch of different examples of how irrational ideas often lead to the best results.
Test counterintuitive things, because no one else ever does.
Nearly all really successful businesses -- like Dyson, Apple, Starbucks, and Red Bull -- owe most of their success to having stumbled onto a psychological magic trick, even if unwittingly. But you don’t have to stumble onto it. To find that magic, you must embrace the idea that anything -- from consumer behavior to people’s perception of a product -- can be transformed, so long as you’re willing to think like an alchemist.
Would you rather own an ordinary 25 cent coin, or one that was once in Marilyn Monroe's purse? We don’t value things; we value their meaning. What they are is determined by the laws of physics, but what they mean is determined by the laws of psychology. That's alchemy.
Consider Ingvar Kamprad, Ikea’s eccentric billionaire founder. He was convinced that -- rather than offering finished tables and chairs -- the effort invested in assembling his company’s furniture would add to its perceived value. (When working with Ikea, [Rory] was once advised, “Do not, under any circumstances, suggest ways of making the Ikea experience more convenient. If you do, we shall fire you on the spot.”)
So often it pays to consider the less logical and more magical solutions, which can be cheap, fast-acting, and effective. It is never too late to discover your inner alchemist.
2) Why Consultancy Part and Sum asks every employee to watch Netflix’s “Queer Eye. [Part and Sum]
Look, not every consulting team can compete on the level of the Fab Five because they’re iconic.. But every consultant can learn from this tight-knit team. Imagine your client as a makeover target, and you could transform your business with these key lessons.
The client brings vital domain expertise: Each “Queer Eye” episode opens with the Fab Five reading a dossier about their client. They get to know the person’s backstory. It’s about gaining an authentic understanding of the person they’re going to meet, and what their unique needs, passions, and values are. This allows the guys to begin thinking strategically about the opportunities and challenges that may lie ahead.
Listening and empathy are essential to building trust: Ask empathetic questions in order to drill down into what’s at stake and what people really want. Not only does this result in useful information, but it also starts to build a foundation of trust between consultant and client: The client feels seen and valued, not judged. It’s the difference between asking “Why did you ruin your hair?” and “What do you see when you look in the mirror?”
Don’t be afraid to bring your personal perspectives and experiences to the table: As consultants, we need to bring our whole selves to the job. The Fab Five march into that home in high heels, bold prints and cuffed tees, ready to laugh, cry and swap stories right along with their client.
Meet the client where they are: One size doesn’t fit all. The Five develop realistic solutions tailored to each person’s resources, ability and taste
It’s always okay to sob from happiness when a plan comes together: remember that your ultimate goal is to connect with your client an improve their business
3) What Happens When Brand Storytelling Isn’t Built on Authenticity? [AIGA Eye on Design]
Authenticity in the context of branding, then, is the communication of values and beliefs that are core to that brand—the essence of what makes it distinct and unique.
But the bigger the brand, the larger the empire, the less likely it is that its beliefs are relatable to the individual. The more the word ‘authentic’ becomes a buzzword for brands, the less it has a substantial meaning upon which to hang real values.
“Trust is at a premium in our Dislocated World,” reads the introduction to Beyond Authenticity, a recent report by Monotype. “Skeptical consumers are rejecting traditional media and advertising communications in favor of transparency and truthfulness. People want to opt in and be part of a brand’s story, rather than feel they are simply being sold to. Against this backdrop, the whole concept of brand authenticity is being called into question.”
The false narratives spun by over a century of advertising have sharpened consumer noses to be sensitive to bullshit, making them keenly aware of when they’re being sold a lie.
Monotype concludes that its wide range of custom fonts are the answer—which feels transparent at the end of a document that spends so much time acknowledging consumer savvy. Updating Uber’s brand fonts won’t win them back nearly a quarter of a million clients, just as redrawing the Dove logo won’t pay factory worker’s healthcare bills.
Branding has become so entwined with storytelling that reality can often be lost along the way. And when storytelling and fiction become intertwined brand authenticity becomes little more than a fiction itself.
4) Instead of surveillance, what if we told advertisers what they wanted to know? [Fast Company]
Making the case for a shift to zero party data, declared data or information that users voluntarily provide through surveys, forms, polls, and apps.
Companies may one day decide to forget everything they think they know about us, and just use the data we give them.
For one, volunteered data is more accurate than the so-called inferred data that companies generate based on your online and offline transactions and behaviors. In a 2017 study of 107 U.S. professionals titled “Predictably Inaccurate,” Deloitte found that, across all categories, respondents believed 71% of their purchased data to be 0% to 50% correct. Even in binary categories like “owner of life insurance policy,” buyers found purchased data to be less accurate than a coin toss would be
Beyond being quick and easy to share, the minimal amount of declared data needed for most marketing activities benefits consumers in other ways. Companies that collect less consumer data are inherently less risky (in the regulatory sense) than companies that grab everything they can.
Declared data can’t solve the problems of the multibillion-dollar ad-tech industry, at least not any time soon: The demand for third-party data continues to surge. In the meantime, the advertising industry could gain more trust among consumers by proactively adopting zero-party data and other privacy-protecting practices.
5) Quick Hits: A few articles that are concise, important, interesting, impactful, and I'm not going to write long descriptions for them.
How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster [Bloomberg] In interviews, current and former employees say brand building became more important than serving shoppers. Where they missed the mark: serving shoppers IS building the brand in retail.
The real impact and effectiveness of Gillette’s ‘#metoo’ ad [Marketing Week] While the new campaign might not have done much harm, at best, it is a waste of time and money. The content is off-character and therefore off-brand, it builds no memory structure, and has a negative effect on purchase intent.
Turkey of the Week: Sky TV's Idris Elba campaign is tired [Campaign Live] Downside: this is a really bad ad. Upside: Turkey of the week is a brilliant idea (and name) for a content series
The humble receipt gets a brilliant redesign [Fast Company] Today, a receipt is nothing but a piece of paper most of us throw away. But if it could actually be designed to explain our purchases, it could teach us to shop more mindfully over time.
And a quick ad agency whiparound...
Top Media Buyers Allege Networks Lied -- And Stole From Them -- In Last Year's Upfront [MediaPost] “It’s a model that is completely broken,” Law said, adding, “If we come back and everybody walks back to the table with the same amount of money for television, like, shame on us, because it’s just playing right into their hands.”
Havas consolidates PR and social into Red Havas in latest phase of ‘aggressive integration’ [The Drum] Global Chief James Wright said the merger of traditional PR with social, content and experiential reflects the modern need for brands to invest in fast-paced owned media as much as they do with earned.
Agencies should move from 'marketing' to 'mattering' [Warc] “As we evolve marketing to mattering,” Nick Brien CEO of Dentsu Aegis Americas continued, “we need brands that matter … that are making sure that they have engaging experiences.” Vom. If this isn't your Friday morning hate read, I just don't know who you are anymore.
Agencies Balk at ‘Insane’ Conditions of New General Mills RFPs [AdWeek] Thanks, procurement.
6) Department of Great Work
Everybody's working for the weekend....
Zalando "Dress for yourself, nobody else" by Mother [Campaign Live] This is weird and amazing and I love it so much. If you saw me at the Webbys on Monday you know that I subscribe to a very similar style of dance.
Taco Bell is opening a hotel in brand's biggest lifestyle play yet [Marketing Dive] The Bell Hotel in Palm Springs is billing itself as the first ever "tacoasis"
Dodge Mexico's Muscle Car Microsite [Dodge] Fucking amazing web design. Do we know who did this? Play around with the sound on. Not only is it gorgeous but it's so on brand.
Warburtons on its new bagels ad: ‘Without De Niro we wouldn’t have run that creative’ [Marketing Week] A 2 minute film where De Niro gets to be his most De Niro.
Minecraft Resurrects Lost Monuments [Stylus] History Blocks lets students collaborate to digitally resurrect monuments that have been destroyed during conflicts
When You're Friendly, You Get Friendly's [Little Black Book] Two silly spots from Forsman & Bodenfors
MRM//McCann Leverages Voice Technology to Give Verbal Abuse Victims a Voice [Little Black Book] The haunting new campaign – devised as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month - uses voice technology to demonstrate that verbal abuse towards any woman is unacceptable
How Hong Kong Ballet Created Glorious Dance Ads as Charming as They Are Impressive [AdWeek]
7) Platform Updates
Facebook! Google! Pinterest! Resy!
Google unveils slew of new advertising formats in Amazon battle [AdAge] It’s giving advertisers a ton of extra digital real estate
Google is bringing Electronic IDs to Android [VentureBeat] Creepy.
How will in-game advertising change as Google, Facebook, Snap and Apple level up? [Mobile Marketer]
Facebook warns advertisers ‘Clear History’ tool may impact ad targeting [MarketingLand] This means that targeting options powered by Facebook’s business tools, like the Facebook pixel, can’t be used to reach someone with ads. This includes Custom Audiences built from visitors to websites or apps,” writes Facebook. The company recommends advertisers take this under consideration when planning their strategies for the second half of the year. To be clear, this is a win for consumers.
American Express has acquired reservation platform Resy [Fast Company] Interesting, interesting.
TV ads have 'variable shelf life' on DVRs [Warc] Television spots may have a “variable advertisement shelf life” among DVR audiences depending on the genre of content they appear in, according to a study published in the Journal of Advertising Research
Pinterest shares plunge 15% after first earnings report on a weak outlook [CNBC] The company reported a loss per share of 32 cents, compared with the 11 cent loss analysts were expecting
Phew! That was a marathon, not a sprint. As always, the full archive is available here. Was this email forwarded to you? Want to start getting this on a weekly basis? All I need is your email, everything else is optional.
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