Wonderful use of all media - especially the internet. Click throught the headline for the Making of the T-Mobile Dance.
One criticism though...is it a campaign...?
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Help Your Career - Have a Child :)
Years ago I read an interview with several media directors & what the greatest event in their career was. They mentioned satellite TV, the Internet & other obvious stuff. None mentioned having children.
For me the greatest change in my career was the birth of my daughter Inez. Suddenly you see the world from a different angle. Pampers posters, previously invisible, become relevant; Restaurants & holiday destinations are chosen for child-friendliness not the Nightlife.
But most importantly from a professional viewpoint is you start watching family movies, reading childrens books again & when they get bigger - understanding new media. My daughter taught me to use Facebook, how to use an iPhone & has shown me things on YouTube which I would never have found.
In summary if you want to understand new media - get a child. Preferably your own - but in a pinch you could steal one.
My daughter showed me the video above & it started me thinking about how best to use the internet. Nearly 50 Million people have watched this. And yet it is unbranded.
In the past clients understood how to exploit new media - the term Soap Opera comes from Washing Powders sponsoring Radio programming. If you need to know how symbiotic the relationship was between marketing & media watch Quiz Show by Robert Redford.
The internet is 20 years old & no client has yet invented a Google, a Facebook or a YouTube. A poor performance from both marketing & media - maybe we all need to spend more time with our children....?
For me the greatest change in my career was the birth of my daughter Inez. Suddenly you see the world from a different angle. Pampers posters, previously invisible, become relevant; Restaurants & holiday destinations are chosen for child-friendliness not the Nightlife.
But most importantly from a professional viewpoint is you start watching family movies, reading childrens books again & when they get bigger - understanding new media. My daughter taught me to use Facebook, how to use an iPhone & has shown me things on YouTube which I would never have found.
In summary if you want to understand new media - get a child. Preferably your own - but in a pinch you could steal one.
My daughter showed me the video above & it started me thinking about how best to use the internet. Nearly 50 Million people have watched this. And yet it is unbranded.
In the past clients understood how to exploit new media - the term Soap Opera comes from Washing Powders sponsoring Radio programming. If you need to know how symbiotic the relationship was between marketing & media watch Quiz Show by Robert Redford.
The internet is 20 years old & no client has yet invented a Google, a Facebook or a YouTube. A poor performance from both marketing & media - maybe we all need to spend more time with our children....?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Take Movies to the Masses...
Will somebody please sell this idea to a client...A mobile cinema. We all know that advertising in the cinema is the most powerful media. Imagine the impact this would have arriving in a small town in Russia. You never forget the first time you saw Star Wars. This is a golden age of Kids Kino; Harry Potter, Twilight, Pixar...even bloody High School Musical.
If you are reading this then please make it happen. I've been trying for 7 years. Obviously it's my poor Sales skills. But if it works in dour depressed Scotland it can work anywhere. Would only cost around $1 Million a year
If you are reading this then please make it happen. I've been trying for 7 years. Obviously it's my poor Sales skills. But if it works in dour depressed Scotland it can work anywhere. Would only cost around $1 Million a year
Natasha's Dance by Orlando Figes
Wonderful book about the cultural History of Russia. Perfect metro reading material...
Russian Visa...That'll do nicely
You know the Mastercard campaign...apply it to getting a Russian Visa
Flight to London $500
Hotel Bill $500
AIDS test $200
Eye test $300
New Glasses $400
Swimming test $100
Getting Russian Visa Priceless
I will have to make my 5th 'Visa Run' in 9 months. In the time I could have fathered child I have been to London 5 bloody times to sit around waiting for the Embassy to process the paperwork.
I use a wonderful agency based on the Strand. Their link is in the headline above. They are based in an opticians but don't be put off by the bizarre branding. And they always give me as much tea as I can drink & sometimes even a muffin.
But recently getting a Russian visa has made the phrase Kafkaesque redundant. In future Byzantine will be replaced by 'like getting a Russian visa.'
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
All Forecasts About the Oil Price Are Wrong
Nicholas Taleb, Author – The Black Swan, The Times, June 1st 2008
Russia = Oil = Economy = TV Price
http://www.exchange-rates.org/history/USD/RUB/G/180
So the Economy drives the price of TV. And the Oil price drives the economy. To predict the future price of TV all we have to do is understand where the Oil price is going & extrapolate the data. The Economist should have the answers
November 6th 2008 - 'back to $147'
November 19th 2008 - '$75 a barrel'
December 4th 2008 - 'Deutsche Bank sees prices falling as low as $35'
January 19th 2009 - 'our forecast $35'
And 10 years earlier - 'We may be heading for $5'
So that's easy then, anywhere between $5....&...$147
What we do know is that Russia & other ex-communist countries will continue to grow. The only way is up. The question is how far & how fast.
So the Economy drives the price of TV. And the Oil price drives the economy. To predict the future price of TV all we have to do is understand where the Oil price is going & extrapolate the data. The Economist should have the answers
November 6th 2008 - 'back to $147'
November 19th 2008 - '$75 a barrel'
December 4th 2008 - 'Deutsche Bank sees prices falling as low as $35'
January 19th 2009 - 'our forecast $35'
And 10 years earlier - 'We may be heading for $5'
So that's easy then, anywhere between $5....&...$147
What we do know is that Russia & other ex-communist countries will continue to grow. The only way is up. The question is how far & how fast.
Take a free Psychographic Test
http://www.4cs.yr.com/public/
Why a CEO wears a Swatch & a Taxi Driver wears a Rolex. The only research I have seen in 17 years which impressed me
Why a CEO wears a Swatch & a Taxi Driver wears a Rolex. The only research I have seen in 17 years which impressed me
A riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma
Churchill famously said the above about Mother Russia. And Tyutchev wrote 'Russia cannot be understood with the mind...in Russia one simply believes.'
Bollocks
I prefer Ingvar Kamprad of IKEA fame - 'It will take 25 years to furnish Russia, that is what we need to concentrate on' (quoted in the FT, August 1998)
Russia can be measured. And on most measures it is performing poorly. As a friend of mine brutally puts it, Russia is the only poor white country (including Ukraine & Belarus) on the planet.
Despite, or because of, the enormous mineral wealth Russia is behind all the Central European ex-communist neighbours in GDP per capita. The only countries performing worse are the Central Asian Dictatorships. Slovenia has already overtaken Portugal.
However the purpose of this blog is not to discuss why this is so. It is to show how this affects TV Prices. And how TV prices affect the efficiency of other media.
So let's stick to facts. The GDP of Russia is $1,680 Billion. Or $11,880 per capita. And the CPT on TV is around $3.
The GDP of Slovenia is $56 Billion, per person that is $27,690 & the CPT is about $6.
CPT rises directly in line with GDP per capita as Jane Perry of Y&R proved 15+ years ago
Bollocks
I prefer Ingvar Kamprad of IKEA fame - 'It will take 25 years to furnish Russia, that is what we need to concentrate on' (quoted in the FT, August 1998)
Russia can be measured. And on most measures it is performing poorly. As a friend of mine brutally puts it, Russia is the only poor white country (including Ukraine & Belarus) on the planet.
Despite, or because of, the enormous mineral wealth Russia is behind all the Central European ex-communist neighbours in GDP per capita. The only countries performing worse are the Central Asian Dictatorships. Slovenia has already overtaken Portugal.
However the purpose of this blog is not to discuss why this is so. It is to show how this affects TV Prices. And how TV prices affect the efficiency of other media.
So let's stick to facts. The GDP of Russia is $1,680 Billion. Or $11,880 per capita. And the CPT on TV is around $3.
The GDP of Slovenia is $56 Billion, per person that is $27,690 & the CPT is about $6.
CPT rises directly in line with GDP per capita as Jane Perry of Y&R proved 15+ years ago
Dickie Davies Double Barrelled Blog
A colleague's blog about life & work in Russia. Don't tell his mother he works in advertising...she thinks he plays piano in a brothel
Have pity as he's a Chelsea fan. What we have he can only dream about. I'll never walk alone
Have pity as he's a Chelsea fan. What we have he can only dream about. I'll never walk alone
Monday, April 27, 2009
When you control a market you control the prices - Wrong
So very very Wrong.
The above statement was made by Jean Pool, executive vice-president of JWT New York. She was quoted in the Economist in October 1999.
She was later promoted to be head of MindShare.
Another JP, Jane Perry, the brilliant head of Y&R research proved that Jean Pool is wrong 10 years earlier. By comparing media prices around the world Y&R's excellent media cost comparison database showed the following trends. There is a link in the headline to Global Media Costs.
1. The price of TV is always in line with consumer spending power
2. Other media 'follow' the price of TV
3. If they don't price themselves in line with TV costs their share of media budgets drops dramatically
Simply by plotting the CPT (CPM if you are American) against the GDP per capita shows a direct correlation between the two. I have personally witnessed this 3 times. Russia in 1998 during the economic meltdown. Istanbul during their financial crisis in 2001 & finally in Moscow again as I type. In each case when the clients cut their budgets due to the 'crisis' the price of TV fell significantly
Client budgets control the price of TV not the media owners
If clients want to bring down the price they can either start a cartel. Risky & possibly illegal. Or they can engineer an economic crisis. Not good for Sales - but an opportunity to create a monopoly & drive out weaker competitors
The above statement was made by Jean Pool, executive vice-president of JWT New York. She was quoted in the Economist in October 1999.
She was later promoted to be head of MindShare.
Another JP, Jane Perry, the brilliant head of Y&R research proved that Jean Pool is wrong 10 years earlier. By comparing media prices around the world Y&R's excellent media cost comparison database showed the following trends. There is a link in the headline to Global Media Costs.
1. The price of TV is always in line with consumer spending power
2. Other media 'follow' the price of TV
3. If they don't price themselves in line with TV costs their share of media budgets drops dramatically
Simply by plotting the CPT (CPM if you are American) against the GDP per capita shows a direct correlation between the two. I have personally witnessed this 3 times. Russia in 1998 during the economic meltdown. Istanbul during their financial crisis in 2001 & finally in Moscow again as I type. In each case when the clients cut their budgets due to the 'crisis' the price of TV fell significantly
Client budgets control the price of TV not the media owners
If clients want to bring down the price they can either start a cartel. Risky & possibly illegal. Or they can engineer an economic crisis. Not good for Sales - but an opportunity to create a monopoly & drive out weaker competitors
Most Dangerous Enemy
A book everyone should read....at least thrice. Will teach you everything you need to know about winning strategies
TV, TV....& more TV
I used to work for United International Pictures. They represented Paramount, Universal & MGM Studios in Europe.
Whenever we got a brief for a Spielberg picture the strategy was clear. Use TV....TV...& if there was any budget left buy more TV.
The Spielberg family was originally from Odessa in Ukraine. And young Steven has a better instinct than most for which media will put bums on seats in cinemas. He has a vision....Television.
Why is TV so powerful...?
The Wrigley website used to contain the following quote;
'The lion’s share of our advertising is given to television…it’s the best way to reach a tremendous audience at the lowest possible cost'
Other media acknowledge the power of the black box when they use Television. When newspapers, magazines & radio want more people to read & listen to their products which media do they choose...?
Television.
Media/Marketing people often make the mistake of selecting media which they like. This is irrelevant. We should use media which works to sell products not media which the consumer prefers. Nobody 'likes' posters...but they shift product.
Personally I read magazines, love the Radio & frequently visit the cinema. But when I want to sell more beer, yoghurt or cars I choose TV.
Whenever we got a brief for a Spielberg picture the strategy was clear. Use TV....TV...& if there was any budget left buy more TV.
The Spielberg family was originally from Odessa in Ukraine. And young Steven has a better instinct than most for which media will put bums on seats in cinemas. He has a vision....Television.
Why is TV so powerful...?
The Wrigley website used to contain the following quote;
'The lion’s share of our advertising is given to television…it’s the best way to reach a tremendous audience at the lowest possible cost'
Other media acknowledge the power of the black box when they use Television. When newspapers, magazines & radio want more people to read & listen to their products which media do they choose...?
Television.
Media/Marketing people often make the mistake of selecting media which they like. This is irrelevant. We should use media which works to sell products not media which the consumer prefers. Nobody 'likes' posters...but they shift product.
Personally I read magazines, love the Radio & frequently visit the cinema. But when I want to sell more beer, yoghurt or cars I choose TV.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
It is better to be roughly right than precisely wrong
Thus spake John 'Milton' Keynes.
The brain is more powerful than any computer. Always remember that it took IBM Millions of dollars to defeat Garry Kasparov at chess. And chess is child's play compared to the variables of media & marketing.
'...all Deep Blue could do was the mathematics. What is could not do was devise it’s own strategies for playing a game of chess’’ (Economist, March 2001)
Research & Computers cannot come up with ideas. And the best ideas are the easy ones.
The brain is more powerful than any computer. Always remember that it took IBM Millions of dollars to defeat Garry Kasparov at chess. And chess is child's play compared to the variables of media & marketing.
'...all Deep Blue could do was the mathematics. What is could not do was devise it’s own strategies for playing a game of chess’’ (Economist, March 2001)
Research & Computers cannot come up with ideas. And the best ideas are the easy ones.
An Ideal Media Man...
Oscar Wilde described a cynic as 'a man who knows the price of everything & the value of nothing.' That summarises the ideal media planner.
Many media people, & indeed marketing people, forget that they are playing with real money. And that money belongs to companies & their shareholders. It is our duty to invest it where it will bring the greatest return on investment.
It always amazes me that junior staff who are not allowed to buy office supplies without permission from purchasing are allowed to waste money on frivolous media. In many cases this is either due to incompetence or corruption. In developed markets usually the former, in ex-communist countries probably the latter.
Luckily media is an easy cost to control. The price is always right. And a few easy procedures will ensure that no client is ever ripped off. So all you have to worry about is the other 50% of your cash being wasted on leaflets, events, packaging & promotions. A word to the wise, distribution is usually the source of most dodgy deals.
Many media people, & indeed marketing people, forget that they are playing with real money. And that money belongs to companies & their shareholders. It is our duty to invest it where it will bring the greatest return on investment.
It always amazes me that junior staff who are not allowed to buy office supplies without permission from purchasing are allowed to waste money on frivolous media. In many cases this is either due to incompetence or corruption. In developed markets usually the former, in ex-communist countries probably the latter.
Luckily media is an easy cost to control. The price is always right. And a few easy procedures will ensure that no client is ever ripped off. So all you have to worry about is the other 50% of your cash being wasted on leaflets, events, packaging & promotions. A word to the wise, distribution is usually the source of most dodgy deals.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Six Degrees of Separation
In historical order media developed as follows; Posters (cave paintings) Print (Gutenberg) Cinema (Mr.Kino) Radio (Marconi) TV (Logie Baird) .... & the Internet (Al Gore)
And with each new development business experimented which was the best to sell stuff
Carved in stone in Efes Turkey is the directions to a Bordello. This is the perfect example of the oldest media showing the way to the oldest profession.
Strangely despite the rise of other media posters remain one of the best ways to get fools to part with their money. Marlboro remains one of the strongest brands in the world with a simple smoking horse as it's key image
So media is a simple profession. We only have to decide which of the 6 to choose & use. We are all consumers. The problem is so are our clients. Everyone has an opinion
And with each new development business experimented which was the best to sell stuff
Carved in stone in Efes Turkey is the directions to a Bordello. This is the perfect example of the oldest media showing the way to the oldest profession.
Strangely despite the rise of other media posters remain one of the best ways to get fools to part with their money. Marlboro remains one of the strongest brands in the world with a simple smoking horse as it's key image
So media is a simple profession. We only have to decide which of the 6 to choose & use. We are all consumers. The problem is so are our clients. Everyone has an opinion
The 3 F's
If you want to know about creative first read Ogilvy on Advertising. Then read Peter Mayle - who also wrote 'Year in Provence' & Wicked Willie. All I can add to their fine words is the following;
3 F's - New clients should be fun, or make you a fortune or make your agency famous
And another 3 F's - Good, Cheap, Fast. Clients can have 2 of the 3
Stole the first 3 from Dr.Zekely - a man who looked like Picasso & spoke like Donald Duck. The second rule I stole from an eccentric Brit in Kyiv/Kiev
Other rules that I remember (education is what you remember after leaving school)
Be consistent...but never the same
Make complicated things simple...& simple things complicated (that is media)
And know something about everything...& everything about something
Finally some wise words from Mr.Bernbach. 'We don't ask research to do what it was never meant to do & that is to get an idea'
I think he also said that we spend too long looking at research & forget that we can change the results...
3 F's - New clients should be fun, or make you a fortune or make your agency famous
And another 3 F's - Good, Cheap, Fast. Clients can have 2 of the 3
Stole the first 3 from Dr.Zekely - a man who looked like Picasso & spoke like Donald Duck. The second rule I stole from an eccentric Brit in Kyiv/Kiev
Other rules that I remember (education is what you remember after leaving school)
Be consistent...but never the same
Make complicated things simple...& simple things complicated (that is media)
And know something about everything...& everything about something
Finally some wise words from Mr.Bernbach. 'We don't ask research to do what it was never meant to do & that is to get an idea'
I think he also said that we spend too long looking at research & forget that we can change the results...
Why 57 Rules....???
It's not going to be 57 Rules. It's just I got tired of changing the number of Rules whenever I updated the presentation. And Heinz doesn't have 57 Varieties...
This presentation began in the Fall of 1998 during the first Russian crisis. I had nothing to do so I started putting together all my favourite charts....to collect all the wisdom I have stolen over the years working at Zenith, Y&R, Initiative, MPG & Universal McCann
What I have discovered is that "Nobody Knows Anything..."
And if you don't know who said that...read on
This presentation began in the Fall of 1998 during the first Russian crisis. I had nothing to do so I started putting together all my favourite charts....to collect all the wisdom I have stolen over the years working at Zenith, Y&R, Initiative, MPG & Universal McCann
What I have discovered is that "Nobody Knows Anything..."
And if you don't know who said that...read on
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