Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Communication Strategy, Consultants, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Empathy, Insight, Relevance, Resonance, Rick Rubin, RulesOfRubin
… however having just read a report by a consultancy on Chinese audiences – which was not only utterly generalistic, but out-of-date – I felt I had to write this.
Especially as the Rubin quote is so perfect for it. So here we go …
If you only know your audience through their transactional data … if you only speak to your audience to hear what they think about you rather than understand what you don’t know about them … if you only talk about your audience in generalistic terms … if you only interact with your audience through a one-way mirrored room … if you only interact with your audience by outsourcing to a ‘for profit’ organisation … if you think your audience only care about you and what you do … if you think your audiences lives have remained the same for over a year … if you use international trend reports as a proxy for knowing what your audiences future habits and behaviours will be … if you only talk to the same audience in the same markets [once a year] … if you only care about how to get your audience to buy more of what you’re selling … if you call your audience “consumers” …
Then I assure you, you’re definitely talking down to your audience.
If you want them to respect you, start by respecting them.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand, Brand Suicide, Comment, Confidence, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Honesty, Management, Relationships, Sport
There’s a well-known phrase that says. ‘it’s easier to get to the top than to stay there’.
I couldn’t agree with it more.
That’s not to say getting to the top is easy, but staying there requires a very different mentality.
However, while it should mean you’re always pushing forward … looking for ways to push and provoke possibilities … understanding where culture is heading rather than where you wish it was … defining the future rather than just following it … a lot of companies do it in a very different way.
Abusing their scale.
Buying market share.
Pricing competitors out.
Focused on size not change.
But what makes this ‘optimise the position’ approach even more fascinating is that a lot of these organisations who are like this, were not like that in the beginning.
In fact, they were the polar opposite.
Founded on changing something in their industry they felt was wrong.
They wanted to create change by offering a real alternative.
Something that drove them and defined them.
Where over time, they became distinctive and definitive.
And then … the more comfortable they became, the less they could see what they were turning into.
Silencing the alternate voices that used to fuel their drive.
Replacing the misfits with the people who look just like them.
Seeing a point of view as alienating rather than a beacon for those they once served.
Looking at cost rather than value.
Optimisation over innovation.
But this isn’t just in terms of operational behaviour.
It also affects the people within the operation.
Playing politics more than performance.
Protecting their position rather than growing those around them.
Following the process rather than focusing on what they want to do … create … change.
It’s a question I love to bring up with clients.
Especially when we’re talking about brand and positioning work.
The good ones are open to the uncomfortableness of the conversation.
I’m not saying they like it.
I once asked it to the founder of a rather well-known, global sports brand and he DEFINITELY didn’t like it … but based on the hard, honest, passionate and open debate it stirred – let alone the shifts it later encouraged – it was definitely worth it.
As for those organisations who are too far gone?
Well, they tend to shut down that conversation very, very quickly.
Then try to position you as bad for daring to ask it.
That everything is perfect with them and you should respect them and embrace them.
Of course, asking that question is the ultimate sign of respect.
You’re putting yourself on the line because you do like them. You do want them to do well.
You have recognised something may be misbalanced and you want to help them get that back.
Which may explain why the vast majority of companies I’ve asked this question have been open to it.
That doesn’t mean it has always led to different actions or behaviours, but it has been something they’re willing to debate. And while some may consider this approach ‘career suicide’, the great irony is it has had a huge and positive impact on the majority of my client relationships … because they know I’ll always give them the truth and I know they will always give it the time.
So while I still believe it is harder to stay at the top than to get there … if it means you’ve turned into the beast you were created to slay, then ‘the top’ is really rock bottom.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Colenso, Comment, Creativity, Culture, New Zealand
A few months ago, the disgustingly talented Nils Leonard of Uncommon, posted this on his twitter …
Maybe it’s because I’m old, but it stopped me in my tracks.
Of course, the reality is death is coming for all of us the moment we are born, but when you hit my age – it has a more profound impact.
But what’s interesting is that as much as turning 50 brought up a bunch of issues I never knew I had – driven by the fact my dad was only 60 when he died – it’s also given me more energy to chase after the things I’m interested in.
To be honest, I’ve never needed help with going after the interesting, but when you hit my age you come to the realisation the things you find exciting and intriguing can’t be put on a list to check out later, you have to act now because you may run out of time to do them later.
Of course the shit about all this is that the more you go into something new, the more exciting and intriguing things you find – so the concept of ‘running out of time’ is an unnerving inevitability. But it’s also something else. Inspiring.
While I have always prided myself on doing interesting stuff with interesting people, the last 9 months have been some of the most inspiring times I’ve ever had.
From what I’ve helped create to who I’ve helped create it with to what I have learned … I’ve thrown myself into anything that sounded beautifully bonkers and the result is that I feel like I’ve had a 10 years of experiences crammed into less than a year.
And while the pandemic helped make that happen … as did being made redundant from R/GA … so did turning 50 years of age.
That feeling that death is coming so I’d better live more.
Focus on the interesting not the banal.
Creativity not the endless talk of how to do it.
It’s a big part of why we are in New Zealand. At Colenso.
While it would have been easy to stay in England after 25 years away – and I totally acknowledge will be back eventually – the idea of being in an interesting and stimulating environment we had never lived before was pretty hard to resist.
Not just because it was Colenso …
Not just because it was closer to Jill’s Mum …
But because we have always evaluated our life by what we’ve done, not what we have and this allows us to add a shit-ton more weird and interesting experience to our lives.
Which isn’t bad when you’ve turned 50.
So thank you death.
You may be an asshole, but you’re one hell of a motivator.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Brand, Brand Suicide, Comment, Confidence, Creativity, Culture, Differentiation, Distinction, Diversity, Innovation, Insight, Loyalty, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Perspective, Planners, Point Of View, Resonance, Respect, Rick Rubin, RulesOfRubin
So this is the end of the week so this is the final Rules of Rubin.
To be honest, I’ve got at least another 3 weeks worth of posts I could do, but I want to write about some other stuff.
Yes, less valuable, less relevant, less interesting stuff.
Hey, this blog hasn’t got to where it is by writing stuff that is good. That’s why where this blog is, is at the bottom of everything.
But in all seriousness, maybe I’ll write more about the lessons from Rick later – I’ve certainly enjoyed it – but if you are interested, below is the list of quotes I’ve used and if you click here, you can read my write-ups on all of them.
However this last one is one of the most important.
One of the things I’ve never understood are brands consistently playing to the middle.
I get their thinking.
It’s a mass audience.
It’s a relatively safe audience.
It increases the odds of scalable success rather than risk.
But the thing is, playing to the middle is just the illusion of safety.
Apart from the fact lots and lots of brands are all playing there, all you’re actually doing is – at best – staying where you are, but more likely going backwards.
You might not notice it at first.
You may think everything is fine and dandy and slap yourself on the back for being so brilliant and successful.
But what starts off slow eventually turns in the blink of an eye as the brands or people who play and push to the edge take away all the safety you thought you had.
And what’s worse is because you’re high and dry and left far behind, your legacy and capabilities are impacted.
You’re tainted with being part of the past rather than the present, but even worse than that, your operational capabilities have been built around optimising rather than advancing so the best you can achieve is to play catch up.
This is a nightmare situation, based on one simple reality.
When you are playing catch up, your starting point is where everyone else is. But the problem is that by the time you get there, everyone is even further ahead and you’re back where you started.
A bit like Kyle in this episode of South Park
Of course it doesn’t have to be that way.
Some get that the only way to truly catch up is to leap frog current standards to set the next standard, but few companies have the courage to do that, let alone the money.
Oh they’ll suggest they can.
They’ll make all the right noises.
They’ll invest in some new technology, research or corporate ‘tagline’
They’ll even hire the odd new person from a new discipline with new ideas [though in many cases, they’ll then get moved on with the excuse ‘they weren’t the right cultural fit’] … but the reality is they’ll remain in this endless cycle of catch up.
I’ve seen it.
Hell, I’ve worked in some companies that have practiced it.
Because for all the desire to not get left behind, nothing feels as good as feeling in control.
Even if that’s just an illusion.
Because doing this means their position is protected.
It means they don’t have to look at their entire business model.
But more importantly, it means they don’t have to take a long hard look at their contribution for being in this situation.
So while I totally get why choosing to stand still may sound like the wisest option for so many, the problem with it is that it ignores one pretty vital consideration.
Culture never stops moving.
If you don’t want to get left behind, always play to the edge.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Colenso, Comment, Creativity, Culture, Distinction, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Relationships, Relevance, Research, Resonance, Respect
When I joined Colenso, they organised some workshops for me to start having a deeper understanding with the Maori culture. It was – and is – amazing and I am so grateful.
In one of the classes, the professor said something that I thought was brilliant. While her analogy was about how many white people in New Zealand like to view New Zealand, it is so easily transferable to all nations.
While I’m probably paraphrasing her, what she said was this:
“We’re a world of fruit salad that governments, companies & media present and view as a smoothie.”
What’s terrible is adland is a major contributor to this.
Blending people and cultures to a bland, beige mess …
Saying a lot but telling you nothing.
Viewing individuality as an obstacle not a gift.
Which is why next time you write a brief or read an ad, it’s worth asking yourself … are you making fruit salad or a smoothie?