DF Hobbs.blogspot.com

Season's Greatings!

2011-12-21T13:59:00.000-08:00

(R.O. Blechman is probably my favorite illustrator. This is from 1966)

Building a retail brand from the client out and customer in.

2010-12-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

Brand Strategy for Retail

Project date: 1990

“Domaine feels like a place you'd like to move into: i.e., pay the rent and stay.” John Hinterberger, The Seattle Times

Retail brands are defined at the point of purchase. Retail design, signage, display, product selection, return policies, customer service training, all do more to define the brand than the advertising does. The development of a new retail housewares/home furnishings store in a competitive market requires finding a niche unexplored by others. Duane visited every kitchen and housewares competitor in the market area, and identified their strengths and weaknesses and how the market was being served. Along the way noting the ideal way to display nearly every kind of product offering.

Then Duane partnered with his client to source an Architect/Project Manger, a Construction Manger, and various consultants to produce Domaine, a 2,963 square foot up-scale kitchen/home store. He performed a name generation process. Developed a market profile and roughed out a initial marketing plan to guide his design efforts. He created the initial space plan. Developed design themes, and worked with the experts on fixture details, and interior signage. Duane also sourced key material suppliers and helped with initial store management hiring.

The solution:

By hiring one person with a broad skill set the client saved money.
Duane's broad background helped coordinate the design thinking of Architect/Draftsman, Cabinet makers, General contractors, Display designers, Signage makers, Logo designers, Product buyers, into seeing the project as a whole.
Duane's client orientation helped the client be more involved in the design process and communicate visual ideas to others in the project team.
That process helped the client define a vision of what he wanted and we could better match that to a gap in the marketplace.
The discovery process provided the inspiration that every store has similar product selections, the difference is the environment.
Duane defined the store as "packaging the customer walks through".
Designed ideal fixtures for product presentation, and a "place for everything" feel.
Developed neutral color pallet to let product stand out.
Created finishes for a very polished look.
Opened to a rave review in the Seattle Times, and survived significant market changes over the course of 20 years.

COMPONENT PROJECTS

Competitive Research
Brand Strategy
Space Planing
Store Design
Fixture Design
Name Development
Vendor Sourcing
Hiring Process

Am I the only one that works this way?

2010-11-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

"Call waiting" doesn't work for me.

I found where the "call waiting" off switch is on my new phone. I had it off on my old phone (and on all my phones) so I'm glad to finally have figured this out.

I figure I'm either waiting for an important call, or ON an important call, never both. When I'm talking to you I'm listening to you, not listening for someone else. That's just who I am.

Telling a political story

2010-11-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

How do you remind people of what you've accomplished when "the media" has already moved on to the latest false accusation and celebrity scuffle? Here's an idea.

It's a joke, only a joke.

2010-10-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Stupid Marketer v. Enlightened Stupid Marker - If this hits too close to home maybe you need a new job?

Networking is like making love...

2010-10-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

At the risk of sounding like a pervert I thought I'd share a couple ideas that came to me after a recent discussion with friends about networking. These ideas apply to traditional networking as well as what has come to be known as online social networking.

It's not about numbers it's about quality.

Run around trying to desperately make a connection with everyone you meet is a sure recipe for being known as "that guy". You may make a connection or two. But you'll ruin your reputation in the process.

Do it well and more opportunities will come your way.

An honest, authentic connection and everyone's happy. A needy desperate one and someone feels like they've been #@*%$!. Real connections are based on getting to know one another and aligning interests. It's something very natural that thanks to so many people doing it so badly has become confused with something dirty. Maybe instead of calling it "networking" should call it "getting to know people". Maybe then it would have less of a negative connotation.

There's connections, and there's connections.

The more you let yourself be known, and the more you really know others, the more value your network has to you, and you to it. The real value of a connection is in long term relationships.

"Do or do not; there is no try" - yoda

2010-10-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

[A repost from "Duane's Other Blog"]

Yoda was a tough taskmaster, but there is an important concept inside those words. And I'd like to think it is apparent in the work I've produced for this site. It is "done." That is, good, bad, or mediocre– I put it on display. (Whether you or others comment or not is less important than that I review it myself.)

By completing it I learn. By doing bad work I learn. By doing it over I learn. (Notice the theme here?)

Wouldn't you know it, I found some creators that think along similar lines.

This manifesto is a collaboration of Bre Pettis and Kio Stark found around the net but I bring it to you from the Bre Pettis Blog. (An interesting side story is that they completed this manifesto in 20 minutes, because that was how much time they had.)

The Cult of Done Manifesto
There are three states of being. Not knowing, action and completion.
Accept that everything is a draft. It helps to get it done.
There is no editing stage.
Pretending you know what you're doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing, so just accept that you know what you're doing even if you don't and do it.
Banish procrastination. If you wait more than a week to get an idea done, abandon it.
The point of being done is not to finish but to get other things done.
Once you're done you can throw it away.
Laugh at perfection. It's boring and keeps you from being done.
People without dirty hands are wrong. Doing something makes you right.
Failure counts as done. So do mistakes.
Destruction is a variant of done.
If you have an idea and publish it on the internet, that counts as a ghost of done.
Done is the engine of more.

Social and personal brand

2010-10-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've said to friends (you're friends right?) that the essential skill going forward is going to be the management of online identity. As a branding guy you'd expect me to say this.

We're all pretty experienced at managing our brand in the physical world. We brand ourselves with attire, relationships, activities, and in all kinds of other ways. We're trying to project either who we think we are or who we want others to think we are. And we edit and package ourselves differently for different audiences.

Online things have changed and the following presentation not only shows how it highlights some of the thinking that needs to go into the future development of online social networking. And every issue raised for how an individual manages their online presence is far more complex for an organization.

Paul Adams (of Google) explores Social in ways you may not have thought of before.

The Real Life Social Network v2

View more documents from Paul Adams.

Fan Fiction and your brand

2010-10-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a first. Taking a historical event, and tweeting about it "live".

The Brand Fiction Factory
Mad Men Collective

Fan fiction is has been around a long time. Enthusiasts creating alternate storylines based on the characters developed by a book, movie, or tv show. There are thousands of these stories out there. (Here's a trove of fan fiction - not all stories work safe, so to speak.)

Why I'm mentioning this.

If your brand is vivid, authentic, "real" it can exist beyond the point of use or purchase. It can own a preferred place in peoples lives. People won't just buy the product they'll wear the t-shirt.

Reaching that level of reality can't be faked... for long. It's the result of a process of discovering internal truths and goals. It's listening to how you are perceived and understanding why that perception exists. And finally it's aligning all your actions with who you really are and who you really want to be.

Then it's all about following through. About your actions. Because the world sees what you value, think, and aspire to being – through your actions. For example: What you think of your customers comes out in how you treat your employees.

Don't be fictional. Be "real".

(And if you're real enough, your fans will create the fiction for you.)

Your brand owns you.

2010-10-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Or at least it can if you're not careful.

By brand I don't mean that carefully manufactured facade you've created for yourself. I mean the real brand.

Brand: The sum of people's understanding of who you are based on their direct and indirect knowledge of you. ("You to Them")

For example: Microsoft has a brand problem. There is lots of direct experience with them and their products and it's not always been positive. The waring tribes within Microsoft created a power vacuum leading to THOUSANDS of messages as to who they are. The result is that a simple, coherent, human message isn't part of what Microsoft puts out. However, a simple, coherent, human message has been created. And that message is of a company that doesn't care about it's customers, values profits over user experience, and technology over humanity.

With a brand message like that is it any wonder you see stuff like this:

Are you waiting to be discovered?

2010-10-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

An interesting presentation: "Don't Let Your Genius Go Unnoticed" by Scott Belsky of Behance tells us a little something about the power of performance when matched with promotion.

(And something extra if you liked the Joshua Bell performance above)

What if computers understood you?

2010-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Utilizing artificial intelligence and ideas that are a part of the semantic technology world has brought to life this (among other) interesting applications. Take a peek. Download here. Then think about what kinds of utility could be brought to your customers with applications that understood the ideas behind the information being sought.

Some of who I pay attention to (today anyway)

2010-10-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

I keep wanting to play with these like a tile game.
Feel free to follow me: @DFHobbs

The resource/goal conundrum for innovation, career, life.

2010-10-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

While his presentation is titled "The Secret Truth About Executing Great Ideas" It might as well be called "things only look obvious in hindsight." The graphic showing goals and resources (repeated below) was most interesting to me. It illustrates well the idea that the more resources you have the bigger bets you can place. HOWEVER, it's still the information gathered from small bets that informs your path to your goal.

Frans Johansson (the Medici Effect)

Social Media isn't about status updates.

2010-09-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

It's not about the numbers of people who visit the various sites, or how much time they spend there. It's about the power inherent in the network of connections we ALL have with each other. These networks have always existed. The only thing different now is the visibility and size of those networks. Here's an interesting paper related to the understanding of social networks within the context of social policy.

There were 10 pages in particular that made me want to share this RSA document (pages 19-29). This is the explanation of the Watts "Simple model of global cascades on random networks" and is much more interesting than it sounds. Particularly when you think of the idea that while the model, when run, showed considerable variation in results. The application of the ideas in a marketing context could mean the difference between success and bankruptcy.

RSA Pamphlets - N Squared - Public policy and the power of networks

How one brand consultant presents themselves

2010-09-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing too elaborate. Just a little about who I am and what I've done. Since I'm principally an account guy with a brand consulting background this is somewhere between a portfolio and a resume. It demonstrates and articulates some of my design skill background. (And supplements rather than a replaces my resume.)

Different people process information differently. A slide deck is just one more way you can present yourself to stand out of the pack. (I suggest viewing at fullscreen - Menu at the lower left corner)

Duane's Deck

View more presentations from DF Hobbs.

(Created in Apple Keynote and uploaded to slideshare)

AIGA at Wayz-Goose 2010

2010-08-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

Developing a consistent vision for the blind

2010-08-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

Brand Strategy Development

Project date: 2010

As his first project as a volunteer with the Taproot Foundation Duane lead development of Brand Strategy and Key Messaging for Seattle’s Lighthouse for the Blind.

A dynamic new president had been charged with increasing the visibility of the organization. There was also recognition that the organization needed to improve their marketing messages. Our team was tasked with developing Brand Strategy and Key Messages inline with general Taproot guidelines.

With Robin Staples as Account Director, Carrie Zheng as Marketing Manager, Anne Geurts as Copywriter, and Britta Michalove as Project Manager, Duane lead a discovery process that included developing a survey, interviewing representative stakeholders, and auditing the organization and competing brands.

We uncovered inconsistent naming, unneeded communication tools, and an organization that while remarkably clear in its values and mission, was unclear in how to communicate that focus.

We discovered an inherent inspirational ideal shared by all stakeholders of wanting to make a difference in the lives of the blind, and the shared belief that nothing makes more of a difference than helping someone help themselves.

Our process and deliverables gave the organization a better understanding of itself and its relationships with stakeholder groups, and provided a guide for communication when talking to those groups. Now Seattle Lighthouse has tools to prioritize future marcom projects and an understanding of its chief brand asset: it’s pivotal position in changing the lives of Seattle’s Blind, Deaf-blind, and blind with other disabilities through skill training and the development of work opportunities.

COMPONENT PROJECTS

• Brand Strategy
• Key Messages
• Marcom Audit
• Naming / Identity Brief

What's at your core?

2010-08-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

This video is popping up as the introduction of the "think different" campaign by Apple. In some forums it's being called the introduction of propaganda through pomposity. Some are touting it as classic Steve Jobs as a presenter.

I on the other hand, think it makes an important point about branding. (Actually, it makes several, but I'm going to focus on one for now.)

Like Steve, I believe central to marketing and branding are your values.

The strongest brands are built from their core values out. Branding (the process) is definitional. It's you, understanding who you are, and staying true to that understanding through your actions.

Anyway, I ramble. Please enjoy the video.

Are you beating yourself up?

2010-08-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Getting the best out of people begins with understanding what they need. And one of the things the worlds most successful innovators have always needed is room to fail. So see the successful person inside you and keep going. The only failure is to quit.

An inventor is simply a fellow who doesn't take his education too seriously. You see, from the time a person is six years old until he graduates form college he has to take three or four examinations a year. If he flunks once, he is out. But an inventor is almost always failing. He tries and fails maybe a thousand times. It he succeeds once then he's in. These two things are diametrically opposite. We often say that the biggest job we have is to teach a newly hired employee how to fail intelligently. We have to train him to experiment over and over and to keep on trying and failing until he learns what will work.
— Charles F. Kettering

The "Impostor Syndrome" explained:

When Steamroller meets art

2010-08-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Wayz-Goose Card

Chandler O'Leary created this great announcement for the School of Visual concepts WAYZ-GOOSE this year.

August 28 2010, 1pm - 6pm
500 Aurora North

More details on the SVC website (plus you can sign up for cool classes in letterpress arts, graphic design, and advertising skills)

Social for the socially inept

2010-07-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

For all those who wonder how they'll ever find enough time in the day to keep up a online social existence. Google comes to the rescue and lives your online life for you.

(this is a jk btw)

Think different.

2010-07-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Try asking the "opposite" question. While everyone else was asking "how do I use this technology to find out where my friends are" these guys were using it to ask "how do I know where my enemies aren't"

How would your brand deal with a problem?

2010-07-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

Let's just say you're catching grief about a product problem. How would YOU deal with it? Panic? Deny it's a problem? Calculate the cost/benefit and deal with it by selling harder? Maybe throw your PR firm at it? (Maybe do whatever it was exactly Microsoft did about Vista?)

Would you have a press conference where you pull out all your big guns? Would you acknowledge that problems like this exist. Would you describe the ways they are and are not unique to your product? Would you talk about how to mitigate the problem? Would you hold a press conference like Apple did?

And would you play this as the media was assembling in the conference hall? (Arrogant- sure, funny- yep, in character for the brand- spot on.)

Lots of ways to deal with a problem. Not dealing with it is the surest way to turn it INTO a crisis. Lesson: HOW you deal with it tells people what kind of organization you are. Everything is branding.

"Brand Utility"

2010-07-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

A different way to think about the brand - market relationship.

It's almost biblical.

At it's core is the idea "We aren't known by our words but rather by our deeds." The ramifications for marketing communications should be pretty obvious. If you want to be more valuable to your clients don't just help them say things, help them DO things.

Take a look at this presentation by Ingmar de Lange of Mountview.

A useful guide to the brand utility

View more presentations from Ingmar de Lange.

The finest marketing blogroll on the net

2010-07-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

Of course there is no such thing as the best blogroll. There are no perfect lists. Each is arbitrary. Every "top ten" is nothing more than a temporary hot list. Or a joke.

But that never keeps such lists from being constructed.

For unknown reasons (I'm looking at you google) my blogroll disappeared a little while back. I've attempted to restock it with what I consider to be the the most interesting marketing and branding thinkers I can recommend.

I hope you'll check them out for yourself.

Today's Blogroll
(Next time you look it will probably be different)

Mark Earls' Herd - the Hidden Truth about who we are

Todd Anthony's The Bullshit Observer

Dave Trott's Blog

Rohit Bhargava's Influential Marketing Blog

David Armano Logic + Emotion

Faris Yakob's Talent Imitates, Genius Steals

Edward Boches' Creativity Unbound

Seth Godin

Jeffre Jackson's Pink Air

Bruce DeBoer's Permission to Suck

Claudiu Florea's Sparkling Curious Mind

Karl Long Social Culture, Design & Strategy

Russell Davies' Planning

Branding Branding

Hugh MacLeod's Gaping Void

The Hidden Persuader

The Madison Avenue Journal

Jay Baer's Convince & Convert

Branding Strategy Insider (the Branding Blog)

Clive Maclean

Todd Knutson's New Business Intel

Dave Currie's The New Business Dingo

A model for social creative..

2010-06-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

I love this campaign. The product brand is placed into the context of the target audience's existing attitudes toward the category, and the creative is a fun expression of the audiences self concept. By expressing this self concept in such a fun way this is exactly the kind of work that people like to share.

Indeed, as a Youtube video it's been shared more than 3.5 million times, on facebook it's been "liked" by approx 32,000. This has helped identify the most popular spots to present on traditional media, which then circles the traffic back around again to the social channels where the sharing can begin again.

Toyota Sienna - Swagger Wagon

Modern man, welcome to the modern world.

2010-06-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Case of the Vanishing Blogroll

2010-06-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

I don't know when it happened exactly, but when I checked today I discovered my blogroll had vanished. I guess that means I get to decide all over again who to put on it.

Designing a business from the idea out.

2010-06-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Business isn't done differently just to do things differently. It's done differently because the old ways don't work as well as they used to. It's done differently because the competition is getting an edge. It's done differently because there is an opportunity gap left by those that do business "the way it's always been done". And of course it's done differently by accident.

Marketing professionals are by nature strategists and tacticians. We LOVE to puzzle over how to solve a business problem. The designer/creative mindset is similar, with the added desire to "solve the problem" in a way that it's never been solved before. Combine marketers and creative minds and you're bound to develop some testable new ideas.

As an aside: Inviting your client to brainstorm new models is a great way to build your relationship with your client or conversely if you are the client, it's a great way to partner with your agency.

10 New Business Models for this Decade

View more presentations from Ouke Arts.

Business Model Innovation Matters

View more presentations from Alexander Osterwalder.

Business Model Canvas Poster V.1.0

View more presentations from Alexander Osterwalder.

Case Studies are fantastic, but difficult to write.

2010-06-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ever try to remember what it was about a project that made it worth doing? What problem was solved? Or what key result made the biggest difference for the client?

Ever wanted to share that information with a prospect and were tongue-tied?

Or perhaps you are a firm believer in case studies, you just hate writing them.

I have had all of those issues, so I thought I'd spend some time researching how others had solved this problem and develop a guide for writing a case study that captured the information I needed, and was flexible enough to allow me to use it in a number of different situations. The result was this matrix/template. Feel free to download it and use it for your own projects. (Check out Debbie Weil of Wordbiz Report for the inspiration for this form.)

Let me know it this helped you, or if you think there's something I missed.

Case study matrix

View more documents from DF Hobbs.

I hope you have time to watch this

2010-06-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Another way to look at the divide between digital natives and digital immigrants.

A positive use for Chatroulette

2010-05-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

Turning the internet phenomenon Chatroulette (the sodom & gomorroah of the internet) and the viral world of youtube into a vehicle for something positive.

This video has been made for WaterAid as part of the YouTube Cannes Young Lions Ad Contest. Dupla: Hans Liesen e Nathália Cantanhêde Please sign up www.wateraid.org/drop

A revamped view of social media

2010-05-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Social Media Video by Erik Qualman - Reveamped (Statistic sources are on his site)

What does Social Networking reveal?

2010-04-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

While this video is a bit sensational, the idea is reasonably valid. Information is power. And the new social tools allow for greater information gathering than ever before. Something to think about.

My hobby was getting all wet

2010-03-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

The year before last I thought one interesting way to get back in the pool more would be to make a little contest. I decided to "swim the county." Visiting a variety of pools racking up the laps. Ala Burt Lancaster but without the tragic back story.

The map is of the area pools I got to, and the ones that are still on my list. Nice way to see more of the community, and worked at getting me in better shape.

View Area Pools in a larger map

Now maybe some of this will make sense

2010-02-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

An example of how social networks work. Someone sees something somewhere and talks about it. Other people see that and share again. And so on. Like a old Breck™ shampoo commercial.

Illustration taken from Gerald Hensel's blog "davaidavai.com" who took it from SocalRflexion

When ad agencies put their foot down... Pixels suffer

2010-02-11T11:45:00.001-08:00

Just read about a group of some 20 Belgium ad agencies - including some international guys: JWT, Ogilvy, BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann - that have a little protest going on this week. They are ticked off about advertisers taking advantage of them in pitches.

The protest is being expressed with this image up on a number of agency sites and the story completes itself as you bounce from agency to agency to agency.

They apparently have some actual rules in Belgium about pitches, interesting.

Check out the story on AdAge (quick, while it's still free to read) Or read read the protest yourself (here's a link)

kernel of truth + humor = Parody

2010-02-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Interesting... Community begins with giving

2010-01-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

Read and watch the story of John Morefield a Seattle area architect that offers architectural advice for a nickel. (click on the picture)

Want something to go viral.. try asking

2010-01-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

Of course whatever you've want people to share has to have value as a shareable thing. But then, why not ask for the sale? (so to speak)

Show don't tell

2010-01-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

Campaign by Creature Seattle for Umpqua Bank

read a book this weekend, instead

2010-01-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

Click on the image: (yea, it's legit)

Merry Christmas... and then again, maybe not

2010-01-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

How to say "Merrry Christmas" in a memorable way

2010-01-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

AKA: "the Honest $10,000 spam"

Interesting: Additions to the Blogroll

2010-01-01T09:00:00.001-08:00

A little something interesting to start off the new year.

I guess there are methods to the madness I see in some blogrolls. If someone wants to enlighten me I'd much appreciate it.

Anyway... I populate mine based on two criteria:

"Interestingness" Does it make me think or entertain me. And "relevance" Do they do a better job than me at explaining the same ideas I try to explain.

Here are five new additions that I'd like to share with you.

First: Nudge
It will shift your thinking and get you inspired. (btw, great for job hunters as well as those who still have jobs... both of you.)

Second: Feeding the Puppy
I swear John Willshire is a planner's planner. Which of course makes sense, PHD is uniquely a planning and media buying agency. They independently sell what is a line item inside many other agencies. When your ideas ARE the end product, you get really good at explaining them.

Third: Everything can always be made better
Paul Isakson is also an independent planner. He's also the former head of strategy at Space150. (You might know him as the guy who twittered as Don Draper.) But anyway, he's wicked smart. Want to be inspired? Read his blog from time to time.

Forth: The Creative Generalist
Niche thinking is for narrow minds. Bust out, skip the tracks, understand (or at least contemplate) how ideas fit into the larger world.

and lastly: I AM THE CLIENT!
Just read it, or don't. It's fucking genius.

A little break from my "me-ness"

2009-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas...

What would Peter Drucker think?

2009-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Note: I'm not sure exactly what I think of Victors & Spoils. Or many other crowd source based platforms for that matter. There is a part of me that thinks it's great, and a part of me that wonders where this is all heading. Is this the "race to the bottom" for creative services? I don't know.

A lot of companies are probably asking themselves: "How can my organization's core competency be replaced by crowd sourcing principles?" Not as many: "what are my organization's core values and what do those values inspire us to do?"

If I recall my Drucker, organizations have two sources of value creation: Innovation and Marketing. Everything else is just costs.

Thinking about the clients of a "crowd sourcing agency"... What value is being created by an organization that has outsourced its second highest function to a faceless mob? Will product development go that way as well?

Can a bunch of 15 year-olds with pirated copies of Photoshop competing for a cash prize produce graphically pleasing logos? Yes. Can they write your copy? Or a creative brief? Produce a media strategy? Or a marketing plan? Can they develop new products? Can they focus your corporate mission? Can they source components? Open new channels of distribution? Can they retool your production line? Can they manage your support services? Can they make you better?

Can they make you matter?

I don't know. Perhaps this is all "20th Century talk." Marketing staff are unnecessary. Innovation is irrelevant. Just listen to the crowds.

Heckler... On my top 10 list

2009-11-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

Back in the 60's Rainier had Gossage working his magic for them. In the 70's Heckler & Associates took it over. In the 80's the brand left town and the account did too. (Cole & Weber briefly had it, but they mostly regurgitated the old stuff.) Anyway, IMO Rainier's work hasn't been any good since.

More creative I like:

2009-11-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

Some creative in favor of health care reform you should see. It's one spot in a contest to find good advertising, which is part of how the Obama "Organizing for America" people have introduced community participation into their campaign to pass health care reform. Check out the other 19 spots here.

If you haven't seen this already, enjoy!

2009-11-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

Fad?

2009-11-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

Thought this YouTube video put the social media revolution into perspective. While the specific companies mentioned (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) may not be the ultimate channels. Social is the "5th P" (Participation) that HAS to be considered when developing marketing plans going forward.

(Actually, I've always considered the "5th P": People. The WHO that helps you execute the strategy. So, now I'm up to 6 'P's: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Participation. Anyway, more on that in another post.)

What's your attitude about people?

2009-11-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

This video drives traffic to a micro site "the Fun Theory" by Volkswagen. Which is a contest, ie: social participation site, that is developing ideas around an interesting concept. That fun is a tool for social change.

Overall, this idea is based on the belief that people are smart and want to have fun. And that adding fun is a better way to motivate people than assuming that they are stupid, lazy and need to be threatened to do things. (Or penalized into not doing things.)

I like it.

Interesting: Suit worth adding to the roll

2009-10-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

So rarely do you find good role models for those who aspire to account service roles. Well, now for me there's AdLand Suit. He (he writes using the male personal pronoun) claims to be a "Senior Suit" in the world of advertising. And he's rare in that I haven't come across many suits who blog. (Creatives, Planners, yes. Suits, no.)

AdLand Suit cares a lot about the product of the agency. And the product of the industry. And he does a great job of talking about where 'the suit' fits in the product. He's more than worth your reading.

I hope this game doesn't catch on

2009-10-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Shoot the Account Guy

Process... A Creative Brief for ME

2009-10-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

The creative brief is an often overlooked tool for inspiring the people who actually develop the creative product for a marketing effort. Whether that product is an advertising campaign, trade show booth, sales presentation, retail design, or branding project.

The brief is a document providing the key inspiration that guides what the "message" of the project is, and sometimes what the "message" of the company delivering that message it is. (how's that for "meta"?)

There are as many formats for a good creative brief as there are creative briefs. Sometimes I've seen templates, sometimes forms, sometimes custom reports. But even with all the variety possible, there are about five things that are pretty much common to all briefs that I have seen.

Brief Basics

If the brief doesn't inspire the creative team to get excited it's worthless.

01: The Big Picture: Simple declarative statements about the brand, the company, or the audience that provide insight into the world the work will be existing in. Research insights and opportunities. Features and Benefits, Positioning and Strategic information is very useful here.

02: The Leave Behind: What knowledge or feeling do we want the audience to know or be left with after being exposed to the creative. (ideally, measurable)

03: The Proof: What proof exists to support the message we want to deliver: How can claims be supported, or "facts on the ground" and misinformation be countered.

04: Expected Deliverables: It's fine to discover ideas beyond the scope of the work, but the creative team must deliver what's expected at a minimum.

05: The Manditories: What either has to be there, or has to NOT be there. What is the approval process, etc.

The following isn't a typical Creative Brief because it's for my own "professional identity". It doesn't include a sign off, or process info (because I'll be the designer, production manager, account exec, and client). Because I'll be creating a "Descriptor/Tagline" I've included more strategy info than is usual for an identity project. Also I've included a "inspiration" slide. (Something I often do with identity projects to display the competitive environment the work will appear in.)

This is the document that I'll use to re-create this blog, my business stationery, and other projects associated with my professional representation in print and on the net. I'll probably document the design process too, just to give you a peek behind the curtain.

Duane's Design Brief

View more presentations from DF Hobbs.

(I'll be presenting old creative briefs and sometimes the resulting work in upcoming posts.)

Crispin + Porter Interns

2009-08-04T22:40:00.001-07:00

Sharing where I go..

2009-08-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

View My unofficial office (and coffee break) in a larger map

Other than my office at home, this is where you'll find me on any given day. ie. ANYWHERE.

1993

2009-07-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

A little "back to the future" for you.

What I'm reading today...

2009-07-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

"Therefore brands aren’t just about the product or service they provide, but the meaning they represent, which people are using, in turn, to represent themselves." Brand Culture Whitepaper

ID Branding. (who also has a great blog: ID-ology) I'm not associated with them. But I think they've great! And they've done a good job of explaining branding in this age of the conversation. Essentially the Cluetrain Manifesto as it applies to branding. Check out this white paper: "Give Them Something to Believe In: the Value of Brand Culture"

What I'm reading today...

2009-07-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Adliterate is one of my favorite blogs. (link in the blogroll) Richard Huntington always finds the most interesting things. And presents great ideas of his own. Check out his synopsis of TED. AdLiterate: Best of TED Day one

People for the ethical treatment of advertising people

2009-07-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

James P. Othmer raises some powerful questions for those in advertising, marketing, heck... anyone with a job really. (and his other blog: Adland)

Creativity sells...

2009-07-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Strategy: Add an interesting voice to an ordinary product. Result: wow!

CMA creative

2009-07-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

Double Dutch from Canadian Marketing Association on Vimeo.

Great work over on the CMA (Canadian Marketing Association) site.

Creativity is important for account people too...

2009-07-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

A great idea or insight can come out of anywhere. And ultimately there is no "One correct solution" to an advertising or design problem. There are only better and worse solutions. The way I always put it was solutions could be more or less appropriate.

By "appropriate" I mean on strategy, resonating with the target audience, fitting into their lives, media channeled to be presented in front of them, in the "voice" of the messenger, truthful in its claims, interesting in its content, and supportive of the brand.

To brush up on my skills I've decided to take a couple classes at SVC this quarter. A copywriting class with Craig Hoit and an interesting Agency leaders tour of Seattle's better agencies guided by Larry Asher. Perhaps I'll see you around.

Social Media has many dos and don'ts

2009-07-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a few as they pertain to Facebook and personal relationships:

A plug for continued education...

2009-06-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

Turns out vibrant, exciting, creative Seattle with so much going on for it also has a lot of creative professionals working to hone their skills. And where do they all go? Why the School of Visual Concepts. Seattle's advertising and design finishing school and a leader in bringing the creative world into Seattle.

Over the years I've had the pleasure of taking classes a number of times at SVC and have never been disappointed. I've been especially pleased with their one day business seminars. Check out the current class offerings to see if anything appeals to you. (then check out the SVC Blog, just for fun.)

There Larry, how was that?

Interesting... Client / Vendor Relations

2009-05-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Alas... I wish this were never the case. I think this kind of leads back to my last post about relationships and trust. If one sets the expectation that you've got a lot of flexibility in your pricing, schedule, or operations you should understand that the customer is going to want to take advantage of that some day. Set clear, firm expectations. Avoid discounts, un-reimbursed rush jobs, client demanded spec work, and it shouldn't be a problem. (I know, easier said than done) Thanks to George Riddell for pointing this YouTube out.

Process... Relationship Management

2009-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

In the last year it's occurred to me that I've been evolving into an Account Executive. It hasn't been a sudden thing. It's been very gradual. Years and years even.

As a freelance designer one naturally develops one-on-one relationships with ones clients. The focus however was always on the work to be done. I have always been very comfortable working directly with decision makers, speaking my mind, and giving my sincere best advice. However, my lack of focus on the importance of the relationship itself never really struck me... until recently. So I took a few classes.

I took the classes because I recognized the importance of processes in managing those relationships. If all one has is intent you'll get overwhelmed, but with process and intent you can actually be good.

Account Executives. "Suits." "AE's". Provide an important role in an advertising agency or design firm and an important position for those firms clients. And it's easily dismissed.

It's a critical role because the glue that bonds an agency with it's client is formed in the relationship the Account Executive has with all parties in the process of making things happen.

The AE develops the clarity of purpose that guides the work, brings others into understanding what is going on, sets forth the deliverables, links the budget to the work, links the time line to the work, negotiates how the work will be evaluated. In general: sets expectations. And everyone knows, the closer reality matches expectations the happier everyone will be. (and should expectations be exceeded, so much the better.)

For those who cherish exciting "out of the box" thinking (I hate that phrase), THAT TOO falls under the umbrella of expectations. Pushing past the ordinary is only possible when all the basic expectations are met first. Pushing boundaries begins with knowing where those boundaries are.

Making someone uncomfortable isn't the key to getting them to take chances. An environment of understanding and trust is.

Just my thoughts.

Interesting... Tim Girvin

2009-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of Tim Girvin since roughly around 1984. Back in the days before personal computers dominated graphic artists lives Tim was known as a premier calligrapher and lettering artist. Today Tim is far more than one of the nations most respected graphic designers. He is truly an artist. That is, he is a man exploring his thoughts and skills through media. Ever growing in his capabilities and his understanding of the world through the projects he works on.

Take a look at his website and blog to get a glimpse into this growth.

Interesting.. Food for thought

2009-03-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

"Happy Hour"

2009-02-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

The Puget Sound Chapter of the American Marketing Association had a Happy Hour get together at Elysian Fields in Pioneer Square this last Tuesday. I really enjoyed myself.

Karin Zabel did a great job of getting the message out (I heard about it through the Facebook Link). Met quite a few people who are also beating the bushes for work. And It surprised me how many who have websites/blogs on their business cards are promoting "dead links". Was a clue to me to get in gear and finish making this blog "current".

Anyway...

I was glad to have met (among others) Sven a Puget Sound University Marketing Professor, Robert a former Creative Director, Susan who has been doing sales in wholesale wearables, Charles a recent UW grad doing SEO, Geoff who's marketing another networking event but has an extensive resume, Jen a freelance marketing consultant, Sandy who does business development as well as personal branding, Kathrine the Current PSAMA President, Geoff the President-elect, Carlos who just wrote a book on analytics, Mark who's a account executive for Windward, and Kelsye who does Seminars and who I met briefly at the last AMA Luncheon.

Given all the friendly talented people I met you can be sure I'll be back.

Interesting... Howard Gossage

2009-01-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Many in the advertising business point to Howard Luck Gossage as a hero figure. So, I'm not alone. And luckily for me I can point you to plenty of great sites to give you a flavor of who this creative powerhouse was. I don't think there's much out there to tell you who the man was (From what I understand his personal life was complicated). But enjoy these links.

LA Creative Club
Site at UTexas created by Meenakshi Gautam
AdBuzz.com's site about Howard
The First Interactive Ad Man, on ClickZ
"The Howard Gossage Four Point Program. Four Simple Steps for Better Advertising, a Better World, and a Better Life." By Bruce Bendinger

Interesting... Mark Earls' "Herd"

2009-01-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

One of the most influential marketing books I've read in the last half dozen years is Mark Earls' "Herd." In it he postulates the core idea that companies don't own their brands, their stake holders do. (Stakeholders of course meaning Shareholders, Employees, Customers, and even the public at large)

This is for sure a 21st century conceptual framework for what a brand is. And it feeds very comfortably into the "Cluetrain Manifesto" and other conversationalist ideas of what marketing is about in an era when communication between people is becoming more and more "frictionless"

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. And suggest you go over and visit Mark's Blog [Herd - the hidden truth about who we are] to get a feel of what he's talking about.

Who's Duane? (a FAQ)

2008-12-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Duane, in 15 words or less...
Duane is a client focused brand and business development consultant.

What drives Duane, in 15 words or less..
Discovering and articulating the value of people, places, things, and ideas.

What are Duane's key attributes and background?
Duane has a designer's eyes.
A copywriter's ears.
An art director's sense of appropriateness.
A project manager's need for organization.
A planner's concern for the users experience.
And an account manager's concern for reaching the client's goals.
Duane has worked on exhibit design, packaging projects, publishing, retail design, collateral, corporate identity, advertising, public relations, new business development, and general business consulting. He's done work with regional non-profits, garage based start-ups and at least one company in the fortune 500.

Duane's own value proposition?
Duane helps start-ups and non-profits discover and better articulate their value proposition. This results in a stronger more focused brand. Instead of "cookie cutter" models Duane creates processes custom tuned to his clients branding knowledge, timelines, and budgets.

What makes Duane successful?
Duane knows success begins with showing up and doing what you said you'd do.
Duane knows that "the work" is what's important to the people doing it, "the results" to the people paying for it. Both views are valid. The standard of "does the work work?" is not one or the other but that it live up to both sets of expectations.
Duane knows that people who say "surprise me" don't usually mean it. And people that say "they'll know it when they see it" won't "know it" until after no one wants to see them. Developing clear expectations and criteria for approving a project is sometimes more important than the deliverables themselves.
Duane knows it doesn't matter who on the team drops the ball, his job is to pick it up.
Duane knows that not every deadline is firm, and not every deadline is flexible, but failure is guaranteed when you don't know which is which.
Duane knows you can't over-deliver when you over-promised.
Duane knows you can't do what you don't try.
Duane knows he'll never know it all.

20+ years in Marketing Communications means what?
Depth, breadth, and dedication. A mature partner in solving client problems. More gets done better.

Tell me one last thing that makes Duane right for me.
Duane always believes in reducing risk for his clients. That includes in hiring him. Start with a conversation. Then perhaps a small project with a limited scope. (A cursory brand audit perhaps?) Then finally something more comprehensive. Duane doesn't believe in you buying something you can't use.

First Posting...

2008-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

1. The mission of this Blog is to unroll personal observations and marketing or advertising related opinions, display my old portfolio of work, and perhaps to play a little. That is, to direct you to some things I find interesting all across the net. With luck you may find those things interesting too.