Cross your Creative Team With a Capital T.
Last week we profiled Edward Boches, CCO of Mullen. This week we’ll do it again because once again he’s laid it down with a great blog post, The New Creative Team and Getting It To Work. Not much to say other than “read it”. Also, follow the breadcrumbs to other great reads such as Tim Brown’s Change by Design and the Derek Robson presentation, Agency Evolution.
Sharp Thinkers & Digital Guides. Part 2.
Around Hero we’re still feeling inspired by the Boulder Digital workshop 2 weeks ago. We’re clicking through the presentation decks almost daily, encorporating what we learned into our thinking. One of the workshop decks, A Generation Has to Die by Edward Boches, has become a bit of a touchstone for us.
It’s a sharp overview of the changes taking place in the minds and behaviors of consumers in this post-digital age. Its also a wake-up call for marketers and agencies who are still clinging to things as they were. Read the rest of this entry »
“Everything is Digital” – @edwardboches
Today I attended day one of a three day workshop at Boulder Digital Works called Making Digital Work. Today’s stellar presentations left me with these thoughts:
Over the past few years advertising agencies have worked to integrate digital and social media capabilities into their service offerings. They even used the phrase integrated marketing to show clients they were smart enough to put all the pieces together—traditional, digital, research, social and pr. Well, those days are gone. Integrated isn’t special anymore, it’s the norm. And digital isn’t a bolt on service. As Edward Boches says “Everything is digital”. No doubt, he’s right.
The word, digital, has come to represent a host of discreet tactics such as websites, video, web apps, mobile and social media. It’s also the glue that connects all elements of a campaign together. Ex. A campaign is begun in social media, anchored by a fan page, supported by a website that aggregates user content, which is published from a mobile app, promoted by paid media (online, tv, print), fulfilled by direct-mail, editorialized by PR and posted back out in social networks. At every point the web, mobile or networked, is the bridge from one point of engagement to another. It’s the feedback loop that rewards users with what Michael Tabtabai calls “digital souvenirs” and it provides the analytics that agencies use to monitor, adjust and evaluate a campaign.
So the question about digital today is not whether to use it, but how to use it. How to express a big idea through the right mix of channels, platforms and technologies. It’s a question I’m hoping my time at the Making Digital Work workshop will answer.
More thoughts tomorrow.
Sanjay Patel Interview from Grain Edit
Catching up on my RSS feeds this morning I came across this interview with Sanjay Patel about his just released book Ramayana: Divine Loophole.
from Grain Edit…
As one of the core legends of Hindu mythology, Ramayana recounts a tale of Rama, a god-turned-prince, and his quest to rescue his wife Sita after she was kidnapped by a demon king. Sanjay is able to breath new life into this 2500-year-old epic tale with over 150 pages of lush, detailed illustrations.
The quality of Sanjay’s work is amazing and the interview provides surprising insights into the personal motivations of a professional illustrator. We’re definitely going to add this book to our studio collection. There is also a limited edition silk screened poster that is signed and still available.
Read the full interview here>>
Find the book here>>
And the poster here>>
Our new freelancing friends often ask us about how much their hourly rates should be. It’s a common dilemma and one that inevitably ends with the phrase “it depends”. Sure there are average rates in the market, a range that collectively we feel the market will bear. But that’s a very localized thing. So much so that across the Denver metro area you’ll find significant differences north to south, east to west.
What everyone should be focused on is find a balance point between the market average and their skills—one that leans toward value for the client. It’s that value quotient that keeps you at the top of the list when clients have new projects. How do you figure out your pricing for new clients? What about repeat clients? What about work that comes to you through other freelancers?
Today Seth Godin takes and interesting view on issues around these questions in his post Open Buying and Open Selling.
A New Era of Sucking Less Begins Today.
Congratulations to our anonymous friends at The Denver Egotist for taking their site into the promise-land. They now join the other great franchises who were home-grown in Colorado. Including Noodles, The Spicy Pickle, Chipotle and of course Big O Tires, who have that cute mascot I’d like to strangle, Little O. I wonder if TDE will have its own mascot? Or better yet, a signature hot sauce like Chile Fired Client or Red, Hot Intern.
Cheers to you, Egotist. Whoever you are.
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