Highway 101

Archive for October, 2009|Monthly archive page

“!!!??#**!! – rude email to follow”

In Opinion on October 27, 2009 at 4:21 pm

shutterstock_21286723Like most people in business nowadays, I communicate mainly by email to business clients, colleagues, friends and, occasionally, foes. It’s fast, easy, convenient and, sometimes, less challenging than a phone call. And it’s for all those reasons, sending an email isn’t always given the attention it deserves.

I’m amazed how many people in business bang off an email at great speed, without considering how it might be perceived by the recipient. I’m not talking about being late for lunch, I mean the important emails that are likely to have a real impact – the serious matters that can seriously affect a business relationship. Here are a few examples:

  1. A short while ago, I had several emails from very senior executive, who worked for a large, international company. The poor use of language, appalling punctuation and terrible spelling contained in the emails was so bad, it was impossible not to re-consider just who I’d been dealing with. When I met him face to face, he came across as a reasonably smart guy, but in his emails he sounded like a complete idiot. He was a client of our agency, so I didn’t think it wise to comment on the quality of his writing, but I did wonder what impact his emails had on his business reputation.
  2. Emails can also be an early warning system, too: our business was about to entertain a relationship with someone new. Initially, they came across as warm, friendly, intelligent and well-versed in their specific area of expertise. Then, after a short while, we began to receive emails which sounded like they came from a different person – this one was blunt, aggressive and cold as ice. We had a few more meetings which saw a return of the warm, friendly human being again, followed by another volley of combative emails. They told us what our team needed to know – the tone of the emails revealed so much more than the actual content. We had seen the dark side and it was time to say goodbye. Very politely.
  3. Some friends had been told by a long term client that they would not be continuing their contract. Naturally, they wanted to retain the client and were about to send an email which proposed to explain the reasons the client should re-consider. Before they did so, they sent me two versions, long and short, and asked which I preferred. In fact, there were problems with both. One was too detailed and matter of fact, while the other was overly assertive and exposed their emotional feelings about the matter. It took outsider’s perspective to see what our friends couldn’t – they were simply too involved to appreciate the tonal emphasis each email expressed. They were delighted that they were made aware of the issues before they were sent.

If there’s one golden rule regarding emails, it’s to imagine that the person you’re sending it to is sitting right next to you. If it doesn’t pass this test, don’t send it.

Posted by Ian Minter

What happened at home when I was busy at work?

In "Wish I'd thought of that" on October 22, 2009 at 10:03 am

shutterstock_13345297Hours fly by, days become weeks and I just about realised it was October, without having a clue what the date might be. Working in the creative business (daren’t say advertising anymore), this situation isn’t one to complain about, especially in these precarious times, even when we’re supposedly post- GFC.

However, when I’m rushing out of the door in the morning, or crashing onto the couch at night, I’ve noticed the house is in disarray. Books and magazines are piling up, gadgets bought are still unopened and, the electric bike that I won in a competition weeks ago, has yet to be ridden.

Then, when I looked under the house for important files, I realised that there were mountains of boxes to be cleared out of the way before I had any chance of finding anything.  The wardrobe situation is equally bad – I’m only wearing the clothes in view, ignoring the vast selection that are at the wrong end of the rack, or on a higher shelf. All unworn since I don’t remember when.

In short, I realise I probably have way too much “stuff” and it’s taking over my life.

Which is why I was blown away with a new concept that’s taking off in California, called NeighborGoods. It’s a social network that keeps track of all the great stuff you’ve forgotten you own, so your neighbours can borrow, lend, rent to buy it.

What a clever thought. One of those, “ why didn’t I think of that?” ideas. I’d  like to start something like this in my neck of the woods, if I wasn’t so busy.

Posted by Ian Minter

Good Old-Fashioned Advertising.

In "Wish I'd thought of that", Opinion on October 6, 2009 at 11:02 am

AmbiPur_Poster1_mainLike many industry observers, I’ve been admiring the recent Ambi Pur air freshener campaign which appeared recently. (If you haven’t seen the campaign, just click on the image.)

I really like the creative concept, which works particularly well for the print ads. (The tv spot is a bit bleeding obvious for me.)  Let’s not split hairs though, overall, it’s a strong idea. What I also find interesting is that it’s very much a traditional advertising campaign (haven’t read a word about viral ideas, or Twitter).

Which, like the campaign, is really rather refreshing (no pun intended). It seems that everyone in the communication business is so intent on being edgy, alternative and ahead of the curve, they seem to forget that, sometimes, a good old fashioned creative idea (with a usp, no less! ) can still do the business very nicely, thank you. It can even translate online, if required.

I mean no disrespect to the creative team or the agency when I say that this campaign  (with some small visual updates) could have been produced any time from the late 60’s onwards. It takes a few basic perceptions about the product category, then turns them on their head to create a brand with a real personality, sense of humour and a memorable differentiation point. Something like Collett, Dickenson and Pearce might have conceived in 1975 and won a few gongs with.

It’s not rocket science. Usually, all you need is a good creative team, a half decent “suit” and a client that knows the difference between a good idea and a bad one. I’d wager that over the last couple of decades, a few hundred good creative concepts for air freshener products have probably died at the hands of unimaginative brand managers, who thought they knew best: “the research says…” “our worldwide brand guidelines must be adhered to…” etc., etc…

So, in some ways, this campaign is already a winner, simply because it was allowed to exist at all. So, well done to everyone involved, both client and agency.

Posted by Ian Minter

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