Marcom A to Z ─ W for Work

I read Steve Jobs’ obituary this morning. The world should feel a little smaller today ─ less innovative ─ without him. And yet the legacy he built throughout his career, and his life, fills any void that might exist.

The article chronicled his life by milestones, work setbacks, and accomplishments. It got me thinking: We spend a quarter of our life (often more) working. Doing what? A task? Checking a mandatory box defined by someone else? Hopefully not. That’s the prerequisite only if

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Beyond the glowing rectangles: Digital downtime

Now there is science to prove what we already inherently know. Too much of a good thing is bad.

A recent New York Times article, ”Your Brain on Computers: Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime” details research and interviews about the negative impact of our three glowing rectangles. The article details how important it is to allow downtime from our digital devices for our brains to learn and create memories.

I too have fallen victim to cleaning out email at my kid’s soccer game and one day I asked myself, “Would I really choose taking out the garbage over going to this game?”

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Recessions create glass-half-full opportunities

I can’t think of a single client who during the last nine months hasn’t asked this question: Should we lower, maintain or increase our marketing budgets during a recession?” Ah, the $10,000 question.

We addressed it before, in a June blog post by Greg Nickerson. But the fact is the question still burns for many marketing executives.

Our counsel on the subject may seem obvious and self-serving; it’s coming from a marketing services agency after all. We’d encourage you to increase your marketing communications activities, such as advertising and public relations, during tough times. The reasoning is that your investment will pay off in increased market share as your competitors instead “go black” during tough times.

But let me assure you, we haven’t grown for the past 35 years by giving our clients bad advice. In fact, we know quite a bit about the roll share-of-voice plays in increased brand awareness, familiarity and differentiation. So yes, we’ll stand behind our recommendation that your business can get a leg up on the competition by not only maintaining marketing spend during a recession, but growing it.

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Copyright vs. Copywrong

Nancy Wolff makes a living as a copyright lawyer protecting the rights of artists and photographers. During her presentation at a recent PACA (Picture Council of America) event, she went through numerous examples where copyright infringement ended up costing the companies that were hauled into court many thousands of dollars. I don’t know about you but “going to court” is not why I got into this business.

(Gina Kelly, AP)
The recent story of an American couple that was shocked to find out their family photo was being used in a European grocery store ad without their permission is yet another example of ignorance of copyright law. In the news, this case has carried a humorous undertone, but other cases are not so benign.

In her presentation Ms. Wolff cites some popular copyright myths:

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Can creativity be taught?

A recent article by Louis Menand in The New Yorker asks the question, “Should creative writing be taught?” The article poses interesting questions about how and if creative writing programs work — a debate I’ll leave to the academics. That said, a twist on this question is valid for advertising agencies that specialize in creative thinking whether it is applied to copywriting, art direction, public relations or web development.

Can creativity be taught? And how can agencies foster creative thinking?

Many of us are the products of post-secondary academia; where we learned to meet deadlines, read the entire question, show up on time, think critically and answer difficult, unexpected questions through the fog of a pounding hangover. Important lessons for the working world.

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A short-course in URL shorteners

A new Web tool is growing in prominence thanks in large part to micro-blogging services like Twitter. The 140-character limit of the micro-blogging site makes sharing lengthy URLs cumbersome, and often impossible. Additionally, longer links can break in e-mails, are difficult to verbalize and remember. That’s why URL shorteners are handy. They abbreviate lengthy URLs into a more digestible format; most less than 20 characters.

Aside from simply shortening a link, one of the most widely recognized benefits of using a URL shortener is the ability of some of them to track clicks. This helps marketers provide instant measurement of the social media effort.

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Global agriculture forecast

In a recent New York Times article, reporter Matthew Saltmarsh discusses the global agriculture forecast based on a joint report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The report forecasted that prices for food commodities would rise 10 to 20 percent in the next decade, compared with the previous decade, while prices for vegetable oils would be more than 30 percent higher.

The report went on to highlight the link between agricultural prices and energy costs, which can make up a substantial portion of a farmer’s overall expenses. It’s important for consumers to understand that link and to realize that as energy prices rise, farmers pay more for their fuel and fertilizer inputs. That certainly was the case last year when crude oil prices reached record levels.

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Passion belongs in the workplace

No, we’re not talking about the kind of passion you’d find on Match.com. We’re talking about the kind that creates inspired, breakthrough ideas. It’s a topic so near and dear to us that it’s one of our core values.

We read a recent article on AgProfessional.com that discusses this topic and we couldn’t agree with the author more. In the article, Lee Froschheiser, president and CEO of Management Actions Programs, discusses how the most successful business leaders create passion among employees.

He writes that one of the most powerful ways to create passion in the workplace is by setting up an effective system of accountability. He goes on to discuss specific ways to create accountability in the workplace, some roadblocks that exist and he shares his checklist for creating accountability.

Has someone inspired you to be passionate about your work? If so, we’d love to hear about it.

Do you Bing?

I use a Kleenex, not a tissue. I TiVo my favorite shows, I don’t DVR them (even though I stopped using TiVo two years ago). And I Google, I don’t search.

But Microsoft hopes I’ll soon be Binging.

As Microsoft officially launched its new Bing search site this week, the question on many marketers’ minds is, does it stand a chance of cutting into Google’s share of the search pie? In a recent New York Times article, reporter Miguel Helft writes about Microsoft’s marketing strategy to position Bing as the new Google. Industry reports estimate Microsoft will spend as much as $100 million to promote the new search site. It will be interesting to see the ROI on that investment.

Give it a try. Bing something today. Do you think Bing will be a search marketing game-changer? Let us know your thoughts.

Twitter tips for the expert or newbie

Are you Tweeting yet?

A recent New York Times article offers shortcuts, applications and tips for getting the most out of Twitter. Social networks beat writer Paul Boutin offers a positive argument in the ongoing debate on whether Twitter has reached its peak by saying, “Twittermania has only begun.” What do you think?