Disqus - Latest Comments for tbrunelle

Re: Here’s Why The Web Has Failed at Brand Advertising

tbrunelle — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 01:25:28 -0000

Check out the February 2013 MIMA event with Rick Webb for more related insights from Rick Webb: http://vimeo.com/60921287

Re: Haan Makes First Hire as BBDO Proximity Minneapolis ECD

tbrunelle — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 12:02:34 -0000

I'll do that.

Re: Advertisers Should Act More Like Newsrooms

tbrunelle — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 22:40:25 -0000

Back in 2009 my agency pitched an "agency 24/7" concept to a number of brands. At the time, we met with a fair amount of resistance around the timing and frequency of production. We heard it's hard enough to produce ads in the current time frame (i.e. from insight to strategy to ideas to storyboards to pre-pro to post-production to shipping). Who could possibly listen and produce in real time? We also heard concerns that consumers wouldn't appreciate the instantaneous-ness enough to warrant the costs of staffing and maintaining. But clearly times and attitudes are changing. Don't be surprised to see media companies deciding to offer their 24/7 content services to brands eager to listen and respond in real time.

Re: Social Media 101 For Business – WCCO & MIMA

tbrunelle — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:47:18 -0000

And speaking of social media jobs: @armano just posted this piece from the LA Times on the rise of employment in this space. http://www.latimes.com/busi...

Re: Social Media 101 For Business – WCCO & MIMA

tbrunelle — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:44:50 -0000

Thanks for the very kind, and thorough, recap, Lee! It's interesting to see how social media migrates from early adoption to mainstream -- and in less than a few years. Are we talking specific tech? Strategy? Editorial policies? Metrics? So much to consider. I really appreciated you taking the time to summarize and participate.

Re: Setting the agenda.

tbrunelle — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:36:13 -0000

Once again, brilliant insight.

I've been using the metaphor of a journey--our industry settled in a particular realm of habit and expectation which codified into sorts of laws. Then the floods came. Or the meteors.

Now we're back in the boats, back on the trail, on holiday, on exodus.

Our forced "journey" helps me understand the frailty of agenda. We don't have a choice but to redefine marketing and advertising.

Love your slide. Thanks for the boost of inspiration on a Tuesday morning!

Re: Tim misses the door, but agility saves the day

tbrunelle — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:52:49 -0000

Thanks for the laughs, Tim! You've finally got a good intro for your reel. (And thanks for the backstory, Edward.)

Re: Further down the road…

tbrunelle — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:51:51 -0000

Herb. Herb. Herb. The @herb.

You and your enthusiasm and good humor and curiosity will be missed in this town. Thank you for all the great energy you've given us! And good luck to you and Mr. Dickman down in Dallas—I only expect great things.

Rock on.

Re: The Merger of Two Great Cities

tbrunelle — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:19:27 -0000

I think Dan's got a very good point here. Why stop with the two cities? Why not merge Bloomington (almost as big in many aspects, as Minneapolis) and then why not Edina and why not [pick another contiguous suburb]?
Funny, but I had this exact same conversation two days ago with a team that worked on PR for the RNC convention in 2008. Their task: Represent Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington as ONE METRO. Once the convention left town, it was back to petty politics and fiefdoms as usual.
My sense is, you can't ask for the merger to happen. It can't be requested, or voted on. It should simply be done--a coup, of sorts. Perhaps by a new entity (Twin Cities, Inc.?) or better yet, big media, could make it so.
Plenty of value here, as you suggest, Aaron. But I suspect we'd have to go over the top with a new name for the combined metropolis. Totally start from scratch.
But, why not? At least it would be designed well here. ;)

Re: The evolution of the advertising copywriter

tbrunelle — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:57:37 -0000

Mike– Very well said! I teach the Copywriting course at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, succeeding Tom McElligott. Your advice will be incorporated into this week's class.

I advocate that, regardless of medium, it's "ideas first." Or as an old partner used to put it, the job of a copywriter (or art director) is, "80% conceptual thinking and 20% finish carpentry." Maybe with SEO it's more 50/50?

I really appreciate how you've articulated three approaches to writing. They all provide sound "ways in" to a problem.

Thanks for the great post.

Tim

Re: Ideas of scale versus ideas of disruption.

tbrunelle — Sat, 23 May 2009 23:08:13 -0000

Well, another great post, Adrian! I wish my mom jumped into commentary on my blog.

I wonder how media plays a role in this discussion. You note, "The skills and ideas that grab small groups of people are very different from the skills and ideas that grab large numbers of people." The same could be said of media venues.

To move mass quantities of goods, one might presume you need mass quantities of impressions.

Yet it seems that we're moving, in some instances, towards a desire for quality or intimacy or strict relevancy of communication--which contradicts the old "reach/frequency" model. Is there a contradiction in developing "innovative" ideas then displaying them in mass media? Is that the crux of BK and the post cited by Geoff Northcott?

Thanks, as always, for the brilliant insights.

Tim

Re: Great examples of how operations can become marketing.

tbrunelle — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:52:23 -0000

On the Delivery end—love Zappos. Personal story: I ordered two pairs of Adidas. An hour after submitting my order online, my mobile rings. It's "Keith at Zappos." Turns out Zappos customers had been returning one of the Adidas I'd ordered because the sizing was too small. "I think you should get a half size up," suggested Keith. "I'm holding the box now. Do you want the change?" Of course I did. And the order shows up the next day (love the overnight!) along with a note from Keith. Why would I order shoes anywhere else ever again?

I think Moo.com is a great example of how an organization integrates Ordering, Processing, Delivery, Billing and Customer Service. And they've just opened up US printing and delivery, which speeds up the process--and lowers the cost! They didn't raise prices for the added efficiency! Moo demonstrates the value of Style and Tone throughout the customer contact process. Every email I get from them, even the automated "We got your order" messages have wit to them. Again, why would I order business cards anywhere else ever again?

And finally, a comment on Chris Wiggin's point: Why can't agencies or modern agencies supply ideas and thought leadership in this area? Who else is better positioned? In a way, agencies can come in to an organization and get all the warring factions to leave the guns and knives outside the conference room to have a conversation around the amorphous and non-threatening topic of "the brand." An agency can guide discussion around how the "brand" can be defined or delivered or made more true by enhancing Delivery, or improving Billing or investing in better Repair processing. The brand becomes an avatar for operations in the age of transparency and empowered consumers. Good luck in Redmond, Adrian!

Re: Op-Ed: The Trolls Of Madison Avenue By Alan Wolk - mediabistro.com: AgencySpy

tbrunelle — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:40:09 -0000

I'm gonna crank Prince's old track "Positivity" all day today. The primary drivers for all this negativity are 1) the easy ability to be anonymous, and 2) the economy. No one complains, as much, when the going is good. The real question is, "Who do you want to be?" Happy? Optimistic? Loved? Or not? Thanks for the observations, Alan. As always, well said.

Re: Business Isn't Personal

tbrunelle — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:17:30 -0000

John,

I mentioned on Twitter that, "I love and reject that quote from @ducttape, 'Don’t confuse personal branding with building a business.'" The "more on this" you requested is aptly dissected by both Peter Renton and Eric Holmlund below. I struggle to add more to their wisdom.

We started Hello Viking as Hello Viking because we just weren't attracted to the idea of an ad agency with our names on the door. But in the marketing industry, Who You Are is quite often strongly associated with Where You Work. So I do very much equate my personal brand with my business brand. I think I absolutely have to.

At least, for now. Much of what you discuss here has to do with time, doesn't it? Until the point comes where others see value in your business, and want to acquire it, who cares how much or how little the business and personal brands are intertwined? The point is to get to that point, by whatever means, right? If the personal brand gets you to the sale, then that's great.

So I love the idea you've put forth—after a fashion. But at the outset, I think any effort is good effort (personal or business), provided it grows the business.

Thanks for getting my brain going.

Tim

Re: Don't wait for a crisis

tbrunelle — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:27:02 -0000

Mike - Thanks for the kind words on the event. What's interesting is that the general topic (social media) always draws a large crowd; and this specific focus (on community managers) was one of MIMA's largest ever monthly education events. Right around 300 people attended! I suspect the broad nature of social media kind of requires a bit of constant emersion to stay afloat.

I, too, really appreciated Gary's candor and the specific insight you pulled out. If not now, when?

And many thanks to Paula Berg from Southwest Airlines for jetting in to spar with Gary and the rest of the astute panel: Rick Mahn, Connie Bensen and moderator Albert Maruggi.

Tim
p.s. I'm not *the* programming director for MIMA. Only a co-chair.

Re: Don't wait for a crisis

tbrunelle — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:27:02 -0000

I, too, really appreciated Gary's candor and the specific insight you pulled out. If not now, when?

And many thanks to Paula Berg from Southwest Airlines for jetting in to spar with Gary and the rest of the astute panel: Rick Mahn, Connie Bensen and moderator Albert Maruggi.

Tim
p.s. I'm not *the* programming director for MIMA. Only a co-chair.

Re: Minneapolis Report

tbrunelle — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:26:35 -0000

Dude,

It was our honor and pleasure having you visit us here in the Twin Cities. Thank you so much for the insights, the good humor and your enthusiasm. Conversations About The Future Of Advertising (http://catfoa.blogspot.com) is better having had you on the roster.

Thanks again,

Tim

Re: What Matters: Being Thankful in Thankless Times

tbrunelle — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:04:15 -0000

As you put it, David, this "opportunity to reflect," is indeed a gift. I'm grateful my family hasn't been uprooted by hurricanes or factory closings. For me, the "opportunity" is primarily born of the empowerment offered by technology and the positive attitudes of our evolving digital culture. Despite what appear to be thankless times, I sense many seeds of hope and optimism coming up fast. For that encouragement, I am also quite grateful.

Tim

Re: What Matters: Being Thankful in Thankless Times

tbrunelle — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:04:15 -0000

Tim

Re: Social Media and the Tech Entrepreneur: Now on YouTube

tbrunelle — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:08:36 -0000

Alan,

Nice. And can I say what a nice voice you have? Radio, perhaps?

It's great to see a lot of your great thinking and writing made available in video. I appreciate hearing your inflections and emphasis on topics I've read.

Rock on,

Tim

Re: Is Management the Enemy of Creativity?

tbrunelle — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:39:09 -0000

The author Robert Grudin synthesized many of these comments when he wrote The Grace of Great Things. From the back cover, "Creativity is dangerous. We cannot open ourselves to new insights without endangering the security of our prior assumptions. We cannot propose new ideas without risking disapproval and rejection." Such is the responsibility and the burden of being creative, as well as the challenge of managing creative people. Thank you for writing so deeply on this subject and encouraging others to think about them.

Re: The Agency of the Future

tbrunelle — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:14:28 -0000

Alastair - Isn't that an interesting survey? Maybe this one will be the straw that broke the camel's whatever. TNS Media had a similar poll featured in Adweek back in February on the same subject. My take on that story: http://usefullunacy.typepad.... Great to see you blogging! I'm adding you to my reader. - Tim

Re: Tiny Bubbles

tbrunelle — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:09:26 -0000

Alan - I agree you and David Armano seem to be of like minds today! I can't recall who suggested this, but early in my ad career I was told I ought to read one magazine (especially a trade pub) a week that I'd never normally look at. In other words, get outside my comfort zone. Or as David might have put it, empathize with a different POV. Another great post. Thank you.

Re: It's All About The Benjamins

tbrunelle — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:37:21 -0000

Just saw this column on the same topic, from Dan Goldgeier. More fodder...

"Aside from a inside-the-industry squabble over trinkets and credits, the story exposes what is rapidly becoming the next battle in the advertising: Where do the interactive people belong?"

"it’s time for interactive agencies to step up. And open up. Or step back."

http://www.talentzoo.com/we...

Re: It's All About The Benjamins

tbrunelle — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:41:07 -0000

I agree with Toad's 6th Reader and Jaffe. Now we all know just how involved BSS was in the HBO piece with BBDO. So, in respect, BSS has their credit. Now we all know. But if BSS didn't stand toe-to-toe with BBDO in all the client meetings, didn't help sell the work (and wasn't financially responsible for its potential failure), then there's no reason to credit them on stage at Cannes--at least as an equal partner with BBDO.

But it is about the $$$, isn't it?

In the first dotcom bubble, I remember trying to hire creatives. It was almost impossible. You'd have some 20 year old with six months of Photoshop under their belt asking for $80k and a Creative Director title. And some other agency might just cave on that. Many did.

And (this was at Arnold in Boston), we could apply a much higher multiplier to interactive salaries in part because of the talent scarcity. So the agency made more money off interactive creatives than traditional.

Digitalent makes a great point: digital creative has, in general, positioned itself as being less expensive. And I think we're all disgusted with the results. But clients just aren't willing to pay what it takes, or what it should take. And since you gotta eat, you end up accepting the lower salary.

Which means Jaffe is totally spot on. Digital shops, especially production shops, ought to consider simply saying "No!" to working with traditional agencies. Make the old farts either learn the shit, or die. Make the clients come direct to the digital talent, or die--hoping their traditional agency will figure something out.

Thanks for another great post that inspires great conversation, Alan.