You Can’t Make It to the Peak of Success 

If You’re Afraid of Heights

 or

 Which of These Things is 

Not Like the Other Ones?

It’s a funny thing. In close-knit communities you’ll often find many people driving the same kind of car. It could be a Town Car, or a Taurus or an Escalade. One person gets it, then another and another.

Earlier this year I needed to buy a car. My old one was kaput, and I needed to commute to my then-job, and I simply had to have a reliable car.

In my neighborhood, everyone I knew seemed to be buying Hondas. The Honda Odyssey was THE minivan and the CRVs and Pilots were THE SUVs to get. If you wanted a regular car then it was the Civic or the Accord.

So me being, well, me, when I saw that everyone around me was getting a Honda, I decided that I absolutely positively had to get a car that was any brand other than a Honda.

Well, that’s a little too strong. I guess what I mean is, once I realized that a lot of people were buying Hondas simply because other people were buying them, I resolved not to do that.

I did a lot of research, and test drove several cars. Ultimately, I decided on a Toyota Prius V as the best choice for my needs, and I’m happy with my purchase.

But every leasing place I spoke to tried to push me into a Honda. The reasons were numerous. Honda offered the best deals. Hondas were the most reliable. Hondas held their value better. And, of course, I had only to look around me and see how many happy, smiling Honda drivers there were to see what a good choice it was.

And that last argument was all I needed to steer me in another direction. I can’t help it. When I see a large group of people doing something - particularly if it’s for no good reason - I just can’t bring myself to join in.

It also didn’t help that I spoke to people who were already a year or two into their Hondas and not only couldn’t stand them, but couldn’t remember (or wouldn’t admit) why they had gotten them in the first place.

So as I so often do, I struck out on my own and made my own decision. And from this an idea was born.

Cruise Control - Here, There, Everywhere

Something I’ve touched on before continues to astound me. I look at job postings on the various sites - LinkedIn, Monster, etc - and also some higher end executive recruiting sites. The same companies always seem to be searching for the same positions. How is this possible? In recent memory there has never been such a huge glut of talented yet unemployed people? Companies should be able to fill literally any staffing needs in a matter of weeks, if not days! Yet clearly this isn’t the case.

As I’ve said before, at a time when they should be in the position to get the very best people, many employers are making little practical effort to do so. 

I believe there are a few reasons. First is simply overworked HR departments. They are so inundated with applicants that finding faster and easier ways of plowing through the piles of resumes takes precedence over the caliber of hires.

Second, there is a lack of vision in how employers search for workers. Writing poetic, esoteric job descriptions, or descriptions so crammed with requirements that a 20 year veteran wouldn’t qualify for the position doesn’t help anyone.

Some years ago, I needed to recruit staff for the art department at the company in which I was Creative Director. What I DID NOT do was make a “wish list” demanding years of experience in multiple disciplines and expertise in an alphabet soup of software programs, along with a BFA (Masters preferred). What I DID do was draft a straightforward list of practical skills that I wanted candidates to have, along with the responsibilities they would have to fill. Within a couple of weeks I found a fantastic guy.

The difference is I wasn’t looking to impress anyone. I didn’t care whether the candidate had a BFA because in my experience that credential hadn’t made other workers any better at their jobs. I focused on the person - how he presented himself and his work; how he related to me and to the company, and what benefits we could realize by adding his skills to our team. 

I looked at how “everyone else” was doing it, and chose a different path - just as with my car. And just as with cars, the problem in many companies, and with many individuals, is that they look at what everyone else is driving - er, doing, and then they just, well, go along for the ride. 

In fact you find this everywhere, in every department in every industry. Employees, either from apathy or insecurity simply look at what “everyone else” does and so things stumble along on cruise control.

And those Hondas keep driving on.

Do It the Same… But Different

My point in all this is that you’ll never find real success or happiness by following someone else. I’ve seen businesses try it - mimicking the strategies and tactics of larger more successful competitors. And all it made them were pale shadows of the originals. The only real success they had was when they had the courage to differentiate themselves and stand out from the pack.

And, likewise, employers need to show some vision and forethought to seek out exceptional people. Don’t be afraid of being different! Don’t back away from hiring someone who is incredibly creative and innovative just because he or she doesn’t fit the “mold.”

People with talent, imagination, vision and passion should’t be passed over, held back, or brushed off just because it’s what everyone else does. 

Take a stand. Get that Prius.

What do you think? I’d love to hear!

Danny Kay is a marketing and advertising professional as well as a designer and photographer with over 25 years of experience. He's worked with businesses and organizations of all sizes, up to Fortune 500.

He can be reached through his website, www.dannykaydesign.com, or at dannykay@outlook.com.

PS - This blog is now featured on http://Alltop.com, your source for all the top stories!

7 Red Chairs

What Most People Wish They Knew About Vision, Imagination and Success 

There’s a lot to be said for mediocrity. Lots of companies make lots of money by catering to the broadest possible group of people. Think Walmart or Costco. They spend big money figuring out what the average customer wants and needs, and they make sure they have lots of it in stock.

But in that business model there’s an inherent flaw. When you base your business decisions on statistics, there will always be people - often lots of people - left out.   

For example, I have a large family so I sometimes shop at Costco. They happen to sell a certain shirt which I like. I’m a big tall guy and I wear the largest size they make. But I can almost never find shirts in that size. I used to think there must be lots of people my size buying up all the big shirts, since they had plenty of smaller ones. 

Then one day I happened to notice one of the shipping cases that the shirts come in. Right there, printed on the box, were the quantities of each size that were included in the shipment. The closer a size was to “average,” the more shirts of that size were shipped in each case. So how many of my size (18-36) were in every case? Only one. And I can tell you that I’ve met a number of people at Costco hunting around for larger sizes just like me. 

In some office somewhere the bean counters at Costco have gotten so inexorably bound to their statistics that the actual reality on the ground is irrelevant. The fact that there are piles of unsold “average” size shirts, and untold numbers of larger size customers who can’t find shirts in their sizes is simply ignored. They look at what size the average American is, and sell shirts to fit that person.

They’ve become slaves to mediocrity.

Sorry, Elvis Has Left the Building

Ever since the economy crashed, the job market has been horrible. And these days, more than ever, the power is in the hands of the employers. But have you ever looked at the job descriptions they put out? With an unprecedented amount of power in their hands, you’d honestly think they would look to hire only the very best candidates for every position. Instead, HR departments are looking more and more to automate their procedures - using OCR scanning to search out keywords, and other high-tech tricks to winnow down the big piles of applicants. They pile on silly and irrelevant requirements which are no help whatsoever in finding qualified people. It’s simply a means for the HR people to raise the barrier of entry and to cover themselves. 

A Masters Degree needed for what is basically an entry level job? A BFA to become a low level graphic designer? An MBA required for a sales and marketing position? I’ve seen job postings with all of these requirements. Sure they sound reasonable if you don’t know much about the jobs themselves. These companies claim they want “rock star” employees but their rigid bureaucracies only allow them to find and retain people with the most bland backgrounds and tepid abilities. 

They can’t look at individuals, and so at a time when they should have the greatest choice and therefore the greatest success at finding good people, the exact opposite is true. The process has become more dehumanized, and candidates are not judged on their own skills, personalities or achievements but rather what they can feed into an OCR system or an overworked HR recruiter who is more interested in finding people that will draw the least amount of attention, than with finding truly outstanding talent. 

As much as they say they want the exceptional, they can’t rise above the mediocre.

He Who Laughs Last

Some of the greatest products, businesses and services in the modern era were scoffed at for being silly and impractical. Fred Smith, the founder of Fedex, famously wrote a paper in college in which he outlined his concept for what would one day become Federal Express. The professor gave him a C, criticizing him for coming up with something so impractical.

Steve Jobs was kicked out of his own company for being too brash, dynamic and forward thinking by the dusty old fellows on the Apple board.

Over a century ago, there was a company that came up with a new formula for soap. Can you think of anything more mundane then soap? But they had something which they though was unique. They had developed a formula made from two tropical plants, which they found had truly unique cleansing properties. They met with a number of advertising professionals who discouraged them, telling them things like the product was not marketable, they didn’t have enough capital, there were already enough brands of soap, and so on. 

At the end of their rope, they met with a new ad agency that had a very creative team, and who felt there was some promise here. They did a test promotion in a small town called Benton Harbor, MI, which was a great success. That led to further promotions and then to a nationwide rollout, the success of which is still being felt to this day. The soap that was made of the oil from two tropical plants - the palm and the olive - Palmolive - and almost wasn’t, because most people - even most professionals - couldn’t see beyond the mediocre.

7 Red Chairs

So what’s the deal with the 7 Red Chairs?

It’s a well known fact that if you ask a bunch of people to choose a number from 1 to 10, most of them will say 7. If asked to name a color, the majority of people will say red. Likewise, if they are asked to name a piece of furniture, most people say a chair. Hence, “7 Red Chairs.”

It’s my personal metaphor for the ultimate in mediocrity. 

Except that it’s not. When viewed by themselves, 7 red chairs are unique; something that attract attention, and not at all mediocre.

The point is that by looking at common elements among people -  common ideas, common tastes, common feelings, common needs - it is possible to come up with ideas that are fresh, different and new.

But you have to be open to these ideas and ready for them when they come.

What do you think? I’d love to hear!

Danny Kay is a marketing and advertising professional as well as a designer and photographer with over 25 years of experience. He's worked with businesses and organizations of all sizes, up to Fortune 500.

He can be reached through his website, www.dannykaydesign.com, or at dannykay@outlook.com.

PS - This blog is now featured on http://Alltop.com, your source for all the top stories!

The Secret Ingredient 
Every Good Ad Must Have

or…

Everything I Need to Know 
I Learned From My 2 Year Old

I was running an errand one day, and I had my very active 2-year-old daughter Miri strapped into her car seat keeping me company. I flipped to the classical music station (really!) and turned up the volume, hoping the soothing tones would keep her quiet. 

“What’s that music?” she asked. 

“It’s some nice music for you to listen to,” I answered.

“But what is it?” she persisted.

“Just nice music, sweetie. Why don’t you quiet down and listen.”

We went through a few more rounds before I zoned out, letting the lilting melodies carry me away from that perky, demanding little voice. And I distinctly remember thinking how silly it was to think that a 2-year-old could actually relate in any way to this beautiful sophisticated music.

All of a sudden, Miri’s voice broke into my thoughts. “It’s ‘Twinkle Twinkle!”’

“What?”

“Twinkle Twinkle!”

I directed my attention back to the radio and, sure enough, it was playing “Twinkle Twinkle.” Well actually, it was playing a piece by Mozart, “Ah, vous dirai-je, maman,” also known as, “Variations on Twinkle Twinkle.”

I burst out laughing. Here I was, the big sophisticate. I had thought this music so far above the level of my young daughter, and yet within a couple of minutes she was able to find something in it to relate to. They were playing her song!

The fact that it was a piece by a great composer was irrelevant. All the subtleties and nuances and harmonies of the variations went right over her head but it didn’t matter. She only had ears for “Twinkle Twinkle.”

The Secret

Although it took me a while to realize it, I learned a powerful lesson that day. No matter what you’re promoting, you absolutely, positively have to find a way to make it interesting and engaging to your audience.

You may think that’s not possible, but if my daughter Miri could find something to appreciate about classical music, you can find something interesting and engaging about whatever you’re selling.

“But,” you’ll argue, “she wasn’t really interested in classical music. She thought it was kiddie music!”

I say it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to capture people’s interest and get them to let you in to tell your story. I’m not saying to misrepresent what your product is or does. But use some kind of storytelling device to peak people’s interest and draw them into your little artificial world where you can let them know how much their lives would be enriched with your product or service.

It does’t need to be complicated. In fact it’s usually better if it’s not. I once created some ads for a company that sold ready-to-bake muffins. The batter came in a tray, and you just had to pop it in the oven to get fresh baked muffins. One version of the ad had a fresh hot muffin next to a cup of coffee. The headline read, “Mmmmmmmmm.”

It was a great ad with a simple message. Fresh muffins + hot coffee = delicious! The campaign was a terrific success. Stores could not stock the product quickly enough to supply the demand.

Of course not everything is as easy to sell as a muffin. But as I’ve said in other posts, you’re not just selling a product you’re selling a feeling. 

Give me almost any product or service, and I’ll find an emotional hook. 

Here are some examples of products and the emotions and ideas associated with them that could be used to write effective advertising.

Home alarm system - security, fear, wife, children, possessions, physical safety

Car - comfort, style, envy, technology, eco-friendly, 

Makeup - vanity, desire to look beautiful and attractive, if there’s a celebrity sponsor then a desire to look like or be like the celebrity, if the product solves a specific problem (dry skin) then it will attract people with that problem

Food or other consumables - Usually presented in way to make you want to eat it. But even more, to make the viewer identity with or even want to be the person in the ad doing the eating (Think Marlboro Man)

Health Care - Product will solve a problem, improve quality of living, make people happier

I could keep going, but I think you get the idea.

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Advertising needs to reach your audience in a specific way. But truthfully every communication - every ad, every PR piece, every interaction - between you and your customers has got to reach them in some real and meaningful way. They need to relate to it and feel that your brand or product is relevant to them personally - that there is somehow a two-way relationship between you. Companies like Apple, Disney and Nordstroms are all known for just this sort of branding and relationship building.

I once brought my Apple laptop into one of their stores for a non-warranty repair. I wound up having to wait at the Genius Bar longer that is considered normal, so they did the repair for free. In other words, I was treated like I mattered. And I’ve had other similar experiences with Apple in the past.

To explore Apple a little further, the entire Apple Store experience from the moment a customer crosses the threshold is crafted to bolster positive feelings and proactively manage customers’ expectations, so no one is left feeling slighted. Employees are instructed in how frequently they need to interact with customers - even if only to let them know they haven’t been forgotten - to reset people’s mental clocks so they don’t feel as if they’ve been kept waiting for too long a time. Laptops are displayed with the screens at an angle that requires customers to adjust them in order to try them out. That makes people put their hands on the products, which increases sales. And there are many more tricks of the trade employed to engage and involve customers. It’s no wonder that Apple Stores are among the most profitable per square foot of any retail stores in the world.

Even something as mundane as purchasing a product and opening the package can be transformed from a meaningless “rip the box open” moment to a significant point of contact between you and your customer. With proper design and planning it can become an “unboxing” experience that introduces people to your product and your brand and creates a bond that can ultimately lead to positive feelings and tremendous loyalty.

I’ll end with one last example. I worked on packaging for a product a while ago. It was a teddy bear with Bluetooth speakers built into it. How do you advertise something like that? By trumpeting which version of Bluetooth it uses? How loud the speakers get? Maybe how long it will last on a single battery charge? I humbly suggest that if you use a strategy like that, you won’t sell very many pieces. You need to sell it with love. Show a kid playing with it. hugging it, dancing with it while it plays favorite tunes. It’s the feeling that will sell, not the features.

What do you think? I’d love to hear!

Danny Kay is a marketing and advertising professional as well as a designer and photographer with over 25 years of experience. He's worked with businesses and organizations of all sizes, up to Fortune 500.

He can be reached through his website, www.dannykaydesign.com, or at dannykay@outlook.com.

PS - This blog is now featured on http://Alltop.com, your source for all the top stories!

The Fix is In - What You Need to Know Before Making Your Next Ad or PR Move

I love being on the cutting edge. I always want the latest tech gadget from Apple, and I’m always looking at the newest stuff being worked on in Silicon Valley. But sometimes the oldies really are the goodies. 

In this case I’m referring to old ideas about advertising. They may be old, but they are sure on the mark. And the man who devised them spent a career spanning over six decades testing and refining them. I’d like to share some of them with you here.

Salesmanship in Print

Selling a product, service or idea in print is not, after all, much different then selling it face to face. Some call it “salesmanship in print.” You have to make an opening pitch to draw the customer’s attention. This is the headline, title or cover of your ad or marketing piece.

Experience and testing have shown over and over the overwhelmingly critical importance of having an effective headline. In fact, did you know that as much as 80% of the “pulling power” of an ad is determined is determined by the effectiveness of the headline (cover, etc.)?

Yup. That means eighty cents of every dollar spent on advertising is going into the headline. And years of trial and error have shown what types of headlines are most effective. Since we know this with such certainty, you’d think that advertisers would spend some extra effort to make sure that their headlines actually work. You’d be wrong. Flipping through any magazine or newspaper you’ll see many ads that fail to make use of this vital information.

So what is this magic formula for good headlines, and why don’t more people use it?

What’s In a Headline

Among the best pulling types of headlines are those that feature some type of news. E.g. “New!” “Announcing!” “Coming Soon!” As cheesy as they sound, they let readers know that there may be something new in the ad - something that may possibly interest them. And so they are drawn into the copy.

Another powerful draw are headlines that promise savings - “Sale!” “All Merchandise Marked Down!” “End of Year Savings Blowout!!!” Are they classy and chic? No. But they sure get results!

A third strong headline is one that addresses a specific problem. “Do You Suffer from Migraines?” “Do You Think Allergy Season is Stay-in-Bed Season?” “Is Your Basement Musty?” These types of headlines quickly qualify interested customers - only those with a particular problem will continue reading, and will very likely be interested in a solution. They can also be modified to be a little more imaginative - “Don’t Let this Allergy Season Keep You Down for the Count!”

Related to this idea are headlines that promise a solution to a problem. “Bedbugs? Call Us.” “Overweight? We Can Help.” “Learn to Speak a Foreign Language in 30 Days.” The appeal is obvious. Anyone with a need for the product will be attracted to the ad.

An additional factor to consider is the kind of words you use. They should be as simple and direct as possible. In one well-known example, an ad for a do-it-yourself car repair course saw a dramatic increase in sales simply by changing the phrase “Learn How to Repair Your Car” to “Learn How to Fix Your Car.” ‘Repair’ sounded complicated and hard, but ‘Fix’ was easy!

Hello? Is Anyone Listening?

If advertisements are “salesmanship in print” then they have to follow the pattern of a real sales conversation. The headline is the opening, but then you have to deliver the rest of your pitch.

After all, if you were trying to sell something in person, you wouldn’t give the customer a big smile and a handshake, look them in the eye and not say anything - would you? The rest of the copy has to do the job that you would do if you were there yourself. Spell out the benefits that your product will provide - its ease of use, economy, attractive, modern design, and how much pleasure it will give anyone who owns it. Sound corny? Maybe. But it works. 

The balance of the ad copy must follow this strategy. It should anticipate reasonable objections someone might raise, and deal with them effectively. “$299.99? Isn’t that a lot for an automatic napkin folder?” says the imaginary reader. To this you could write, “$299.99 might seem like an awful lot of money for such a simple device. But when you think of the convenience and the admiring looks from your family and friends for your elegant table settings, you’ll realize that the cost is very reasonable indeed! And we offer a convenient payment plan - just six easy payments of $50 per month. In addition, for a limited time, if you order the Acme Automatic Napkin Folder you’ll receive a handsome set of eight monogrammed linen napkins, trimmed in lace and taffeta, with exquisite gold embroidery. They’ll look fabulous on any table and transform your ordinary dinner table into 5-star elegance!”

A well known copywriter used to say that the purpose of the headline is to get you to read the subhead. The purpose of the subhead is to get you to read the first line of copy. The purpose of the first line of copy? You guessed it. To get you to read the next line. And so on and on. The entire ad should be constructed to draw in a reader, just as you would in a live conversation, keeping the reader interested and engaged until the very end.

Feelings - Wo, Wo, Wo, Feelings…

The key is to place the emphasis on benefits - what the product will do for the customer - and not necessarily what the product does. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s true. Most people care much less about how a Mercedes Benz works then they do about how it will make them feel to own it.

You’re selling feelings and not goods and services. If it’s a piece of equipment, you may actually be selling security, pride, ego gratification, or some combination of the three. But never just equipment.

In future articles I hope to go into some of these ideas in greater detail.

I’d love to hear what you think!

Danny Kay is a marketing and advertising professional as well as a designer and photographer with over 25 years of experience. He's worked with businesses and organizations of all sizes, up to Fortune 500.

He can be reached through his website, www.dannykaydesign.com, or at dannykay@outlook.com.

The Other Road - May be a Dead End

A Primer on Good Advertising

I remember exactly where I was on the morning of 9-11. 

I was driving to work, half listening to the radio, when I suddenly heard someone talking breathlessly about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. From where I was, I had a clear view of the Manhattan skyline, so I looked out my car window and just stopped my car (not a good thing to do) frozen with shock, watching the smoke pouring out of the North Tower.

It's something I'll never forget.

I remember exactly where I was when the Gulf War broke out. It had special significance for my family because my wife's brother was deployed there at the time (his was one of the first units sent to Kuwait), and she was beside herself with worry.

People who were around when JFK was assassinated remember every detail of what they were doing when they heard the news.

And there are happy occasions that I remember equally vividly. My wedding, the births of my children, to name just a few.

Folks in the advertising business spend sleepless nights trying to create unforgettable moments. They have 15, or 30 or 60 seconds to make an impression on you. 

I like to use the example of an EKG. The viewer comes into the ad with a flat reading. The goal of the ad agency is to provoke a reaction - to make the needle on the EKG move - whether up or down - to try and get you, the viewer to feel something. It can be happy, sad, excited, scared, shocked, angry, desirous - but something - as long as that line doesn't stay flat. 

It doesn't matter what the venue is - print, radio or on screen. The ultimate purpose of the ad is to get a person to react.

The Dead End

So imagine my surprise when I came across an ad online for the all new Acura RLX sedan. 

Acura's had some impressive advertising in the past. There's a nice one for the Acura TL Special Edition called Best Kept Secret which is very well done (see it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aSiNhgxqCg). If you look around on their YouTube channel, there are some other very imaginative ones there as well.

But this one for the RLX is called The Other Road (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeTlelQFia4), and quite simply, it stinks.

You'd think a big company like Acura would know better. Or at least that their agency would.

Taking my EKG metaphor and applying it to this ad, it would be flat coming in, and flat straight on through. Not one bit of emotion is stirred up as a bland voice intones bland, meaningless dialogue overlaid over bland, generic shots of a car streaking across the bland background.

Let me back up for a moment and give you some context. In classic advertising, the idea is to create a fantasy setting in which the viewer can imagine him/herself being the central character. Ideally, the viewer should be able to imagine him/herself being the one eating the luscious slice of pizza, chatting happily on the iPhone, or racing down the road in the gleaming sports car.

With this Acura spot? Meh. Rather than imagining myself behind the wheel of this $60,000 car, all I could think of was the 30 seconds of my life that I'd just used up by watching it.

So why did they do it?

I can only guess. But it may not be the agency's fault. This may be a case in which the client had too much creative input, and wound up stifling the creativity amongst those who are supposed to excel in it. I've seen it many, many times. An executive has an agenda or a vision for a campaign, and bullies it through, despite being warned that it's off-track. But that's only conjecture.

End of the Road - Or The Beginning?

Every PR piece or advertisement should be geared toward getting a reaction from your audience. What that reaction is depends on the piece. If it's a sale on widgets, you want them to bring the coupon in to your store (or mail it in, or enter it on a online order form) and buy some widgets. If it's brand reinforcement, you want them to walk away with a certain perception of your brand. If it's a fundraising appeal, then a different action will be called for; either a straight donation, or perhaps a reservation at a fundraising event or an ad in a journal.

But whatever the action, the person has to feel something strongly enough to do it. Sympathy and envy are both strong motivators as is physical desire. A major complaint on the entire advertising industry is that it is too quick to resort to playing on the basest of human desires in order to drive up sales. They answer quite honestly that it's easy and it works.

Personally, I try to hold to a more refined standard that takes a higher view of human nature. But whatever the vessel, the method is essentially the same.

What I'm trying to convey to you is what not to do. Don't become so bogged down in bureaucracy or egos or small-mindedness that you forget what the purpose of your ad or PR piece is - namely to get a reaction. If it fails to make people feel - if that EKG needle doesn't budge when they watch or listen or read your material - then the road you took really was a dead end.

What do you think? I'd love to hear!

Danny Kay is a marketing and advertising professional as well as a designer and photographer with over 25 years of experience. He's worked with businesses and organizations of all sizes, up to Fortune 500.

He can be reached through his website, www.dannykaydesign.com, or at dannykay@outlook.com.

2 Secrets of Superior Leadership

Be Careful What You Wish For

It's just human nature. We think we know what we want - until we get it.

There's an old gag that newly wed husbands who don't want to get stuck doing dishes throughout their wedded lives do such a bad job the first few times that their wives never ask again. Why? Because, while the Missus may want the dishes done, she only wants them done a certain way.

So what about you and me and our stuff? We want it done, but HOW?

I was once hired to work in a place and the CEO was positively bursting at the seams with excitement, telling me how much the company needed new blood. "We need you like a drunk needs a bottle of wine," he said. 

He went on to say that they desperately needed to change the look of all their forthcoming products. I picked up on his enthusiasm and eagerly jumped into my first assignment - designing a cover for a new publication.

I felt pretty confident when I handed in my design. It was fresh, modern, new. 

Boy was I in for a surprise. It was utterly and completely rejected. I don't think there was one element in that cover that was not ripped to shreds.

"How could you come up with something like this?" the boss lambasted me.

"What do you mean?" I replied. "You said you wanted a completely new, modern look. I changed everything from the way you did it before - the color scheme, the typeface - "

"But we didn't want you to change THAT!" he shot back.

"If I change those things back, then it will look just like all your other stuff!" I replied.

The boss looked thoughtful for few moments.

"Well then maybe we have a distinctive look and we should stick with that."

Big gushing sound, as the air rushed out of my lungs.

"But…but…you said you wanted me to…" I stammered.

"Yeah, I know what I said, but THIS is what I want!"

And that, as they say, was that. The remainder of my time at that company was spent churning out duplicate after replica after copy of what had come before. And it wasn't my fault.

The boss thought he knew what he wanted. He thought he wanted to be new, exciting and different. But once he saw it on paper, it was just too radical a departure from what he'd done before. He couldn't bring himself to make the change that he'd said he wanted (and which might have actually been the right thing for his business).

It's something we're all guilty of at one time or another, and the damage can be considerable - ranging from a bruised ego to a crippled career. Open communication is crucial through all stages of a project, and between all levels of management. 

So Secret Number One is: Expectations ought to be clearly defined and managed. And make sure that you really know what you want before you ask for it.

Survival of the Loudest

Maybe you've seen this scenario as well. The Meeting from You Know Where. 

Production vs. Sales vs. Marketing vs. Creative vs. Accounting vs … I dunno - Maintenance? All giving their ideas and urgent input on the upcoming product launch.

"We need a unified 'message'" whines the new advertising intern.

"The new packaging doesn't pop enough," shout the marketing folks at the creative guy.

"This thing has to hit store shelves by Q2 or our budget forecasts will be in deep trouble," intones the CPA ominously.

"We need a final decision on that component design by Thursday or the factory won't ship product on time!" warns the production gal.

What's a boss to do? 

Sadly, it very often comes down to what I call Survival of the Loudest. The boss can't possibly keep track of all the piddling details of actually running the business. That's what underlings are for.

But how is a boss supposed to know which underling is most important; most valuable; most profitable; most competent? Those are tough, painful questions. And finding answers to them is hard work. It's much easier to just..LET THEM FIGHT IT OUT!

That's right! Welcome to the Hunger Games School of Management. Throw your staff in a room and let them duke it out. It's Evolution 101 - survival of the fittest. Whichever one is most aggressive is obviously the one who's most valuable to the company, and therefore the one who should be listened to!

The problem with this method (for those who need it pointed out) is that arrogance and sheer volume are not, after all, substitutes for experience, good sense and basic competence. 

And this brings us to Secret Number Two: It behooves those in positions of authority to remember that sometimes it's the quiet people - those who make the company work - who ought to be given serious input and credence when heavy decisions have to be made, and not the "me first" blowhards that hijack every meeting and every planning session. 

In fact the only time when they're not there taking center stage is when their latest brainstorm goes up in flames, and the boss bellows for the rest of us - the quiet ones - to come clean up the mess.

Danny Kay is a (very quiet) marketing and advertising consultant, designer and photographer with over 25 years of experience. His work has appeared in chains like Costco, PC Richards, Target, Toys R Us, BJs, Sams Club and A&P. He has consulted for businesses and organizations of all sizes up to Fortune 500.  He can be reached through his website, www.dannykaydesign.com, or at dannykay@outlook.com - If you're sure you know what you want - ;-)

"We're in Advertising, and We Only Want to Help You"

You've all heard that line before in reference to elected officials.

But you should be downright terrified when an advertising guy or gal uses it.

Maybe I should rephrase that. What I mean is you need to make dead sure that your advertising/marketing firm is really trying to help YOU.

Huh? That sounds really mixed up. I mean who else would they be trying to help? Would any agency deliberately try to make a bad ad? 

Well actually, yes. But not 'bad' in the sense that you think.

Let's back up a little bit. Every business has a fundamental raison d'être - a reason for being. McDonalds sells burgers. KFC sells chicken. Starbucks - coffee, and so on and on. So what is the purpose of an advertising agency? The owners of the agencies will say, "To create great advertisements!" 

Well, yeah. But what is the purpose of those advertisements? And how does one define "great?" And here is where the answer starts to get muddy. 

The clients will undoubtably say that the purpose of the ad is to either sell products or help build their brand (or both). And it therefore follows that the "greatness" of the advertising is measured in how well it does those things. 

But what about the creative staff and the executives at the agency? Well, there you have some issues. Many agencies are driven not so much by what reward you the client get, but rather the professional recognition that they can glean from your campaign. And I've got news for you - while there are some awards given for great results, many (or most) sought after awards in the advertising biz are strictly based on perceived creativity and "WOW" factor. The result of this is that agencies that tout the number of awards they've won may have done little to actually sell their clients' products, even though they've produced millions upon millions of dollars of flashy advertising. Often, ads are trumpeted for "retention" or "penetration" or for other ambiguous terms. That's fine and good if you're trying to win bragging rights for "agency of the year," but when people are spending hard-earned money on advertising, they can't afford stuff like that. They need "results" not "retention."

Don't get me wrong! The two are not mutually exclusive. Flashy ads CAN work, They just don't ALWAYS work. The primary focus should always be on finding the best solution for the client - even if it's not the glitziest.

Case in point - I know a fellow who runs a small business. A while ago I happened to speak with him and he mentioned that he was looking to do some advertising. I told him what I felt was the best approach. Namely a well thought out presentation of what he offered, and what concrete benefits consumers could hope to get from his firm. He happens to be a very "with it" kind of guy, and he felt my style was not cool enough. He decided to use a designer who, while extremely talented, was not that schooled in advertising and marketing fundamentals. The ads looked really great. They were very - ahem - eye catching and I'm sure they were great performers - for that designer's portfolio. But I don't know how much business they brought in. I recently saw a new ad for the same place, designed by a more established firm, pretty much exactly following the formula that I had suggested in the first place.

I know this will sound heretical, but the bottom line is that if an ad or marketing campaign fails to sell then it's not a success - no matter how many awards it wins, or how many people if impresses.

Moral of the Story: Don't be won over with ad-speak and marketing lingo. Make sure that your advertising pro really is in it for you, and has the chops to deliver.

Danny Kay is a marketing and advertising consultant, designer and photographer with over 25 years of experience. His work has appeared on products sold at small little known establishments like Costco, PC Richards, Target, Toys R Us, BJs, Sams Club, A&P, and other national chains you've probably never heard of. He has also done some work for small firms such as Glaxo SmithKline, Lilly, Novartis, Proctor & Gamble, J&B Scotch, The Miami Heat, Anaheim Angels, and a number of other piddling professional sports teams and mom 'n pop Fortune 500 shops. He can be contacted through his website, www.dannykaydesign.com, or at dannykay@outlook.com.