This line struck a chord with America in "Office Space"

In his book Drive, Daniel H. Pink discusses the motivation of different generations and the question of why people choose the careers/jobs they do. At a certain point most of us look back on our XX number of years on the planet and wonder “When am I going to make a difference in the world?”

Boomers are reaching the age where they are looking back on a lifetime of accomplishment and asking this question. For those that feel this question still remains unanswered, how can they make that difference? Many are starting second careers based on what they hold important to themselves, not just what pays the most. Purpose becomes the motivating factor for these individuals.

This soul-searching does not limit itself to just Boomers, however. Their children, the Echo-Boomers or Generation Y, seem to have inherited the trait of purpose driving decisions. Salaries alone are no longer enough to attract top talent. Incentives like work/life balance, charitable giving and work environment all play a larger factor to this generation than they did with their parents and generations before that.

So I’d like to pose a couple of questions. Why did you choose the career you did? Was it money? Prestige? Good will? And what benefits are more important to you than the almighty dollar? Are you willing to get paid less in order to enjoy life more? What motivates you?

Cartman's Favorite

Like them or hate them, Matt Stone and Trey Parker are marketing geniuses and many of us could learn some things from them. For the people that don’t recognize those names, how about names like Kenny and Cartman? Matt and Trey are the creators of the 15-year running “South Park” and have created a small empire from an idea that started off as construction paper cut-outs. With a successful TV series, a box-office hit (Baseketball) and numerous other side projects and endorsement deals, they are the epitome of success.

And now, they have finally cashed in on the most obvious and most sought after item of all for South Park fans: Cheesy Poofs. The favorite snack of Eric Cartman, these cheese puffs (basically puffed Cheetos) will now be sold in Wal-Marts beginning in August. The prediction is for huge sales, if for no other reason than the novelty of it.

But more to the point of this post is the fact that Matt and Trey were able to take a fairly simple idea and turn it into a blockbuster by following some very basic marketing rules that even the professionals can sometimes forget when getting caught up in details.

1. Connect with your audience – South Park is such a tremendous hit because it strikes a chord in those of us fed up with the level of PC-ness these days. The biggest reason (IMHO) for the success of South Park is that they use kids to say all the things we’re told we can’t. Who can really be upset with a kid? After all, they say the darndest things.
2. Make your message simple and straightforward – If it makes sense to a fifth grader, how hard could it be for an adult to understand?
3. Avoid the small print – There are some times when this is impossible, however people never read it and tend to think the more of it there is, the less they can trust the message. The only mumbling in South Park is done by Kenny, and only the other characters can understand him. Sounds like legalese, right? The rest of the messages on South Park are right there in your face for you to deal with however you choose.
4. Protect your brand – South Park is known for being brash, bold and very opinionated. It doesn’t matter what the topic, on every episode you know there will be moments that make you laugh and moments that make you cringe. That’s their brand. It’s what they stand for. Can your brand say the same thing (and stick to it)?

There is no question that once a show has reached the level of success that South Park has that there are some very smart marketers behind it. Matt and Trey are two of the best. Who are some of the best celebrities/marketers that you know? Timberlake? Gaga? Beyonce? Shaq? Kenny Powers? What do you think?

Image from www.basketball-wallpapers.info

As my co-worker and creative savant Nick Pipitone wrote earlier, LeBron James’ brand was damaged – badly – by his over-hyped move to South Beach. But within the hurricane (okay, poor Miami reference) lies an opportunity for both LeBron and the NBA to come out ahead here. And here’s the key: think professional wrestling. But first a little background.

In order for a hero to emerge there must be the villain. While most basketball fans probably like, or at least respect, Dirk Nowitzki, would he have reached the level of admiration and stardom he has shot to (that pun was unintentional) by playing against “The King”? There are always those who will root for each side, but generally the odds are in the favor of the hero. Because of the villian, the hero rises to new heights and unifies the masses behind him/her.

Professional wrestlers are masters of tugging at the heart strings of adoring fans, and even more so by pushing the buttons of detractors. LeBron and the NBA need to go back and recall when Hulk Hogan turned heel and became a member of NWO. In that one moment Hulk Hogan went from a great American hero to the most hated man in the sports entertainment industry. This is the opportunity in front of LeBron if he can live with being the bad guy for a few years.

As Nick wrote, LeBron was the ultimate good guy – Ohio kid drafted by Ohio team to save the franchise – so who better to become the ultimate bad guy. LeBron will still draw just as many people to his games, only in this case it will be to curse his name. It can lead to a whole new catalog of LeBron-hater clothing/signs/bumper stickers.

And just when everyone has come to accept that he’s a bad person who probably hates his mother – BOOM! LeBron does something amazing to win back the hearts of those who hate him. If I knew what that “something” was, other than going back to play for Cleveland again, I sure wouldn’t be writing this post. I’d be talking with David Stern about how to make this happen.

While LeBron is currently the guy that everyone loves to hate, there’s one thing that people love more than hating the bad guy. The comeback. The return to glory. The opportunity is there LeBron. Play your cards right and you might just become the global icon people want to cheer, not jeer.

How many laughs were had before "Sally" changed her name?

Those of us in the advertising business have invariably heard the term “Creative is king.” Coming from an industry known for developing some of the great pop-culture references of all time (think “Where’s the beef?” or “I want my MTV”) it’s no surprise that this is a common phrase in ad agencies across the land.

While being creative is definitely a very important part of advertising, and those that do it well can truly leave a mark on society, I’d argue that there is one phrase that might be more accurate: Common Sense is King.

I’m not trying to downplay the creativity required in advertising or those who come up with the ideas that leave people asking “Did you see that new (fill in the blank) commercial?” I’m just suggesting that common sense has a very important “checks & balances” role to play with creativity. I would argue that the three branches of good advertising are creativity, strategy and common sense. If any one of these is left out of the mix an advertisement has the potential to go terribly wrong.

Our industry prides itself on being creative but also digging into our clients’ business to completely understand their goals, missions, strategies, etc. And after hours of research and concepting there are still far too many ads like the one above that don’t pass the common sense test. If you want a laugh (or cry depending on your point-of-view) check out adfailure.com to see more.

It’s easy to understand how, when entire teams of advertising and marketing professionals are focused on making sure logos are correct and no typos exist, sometimes the bigger picture can get lost. But when a 13-year-old looks at your hard work and sees something you missed, consider that an epic fail.

So while creativity and strategy play very important roles in the development of all marketing elements, common sense plays the ultimate trump card. Long live the king.

Huh?

So the day of the 45th Super Bowl is almost here. Wait, can I say that? What I meant is the day of the big game is almost here. Please don’t sue me Mr. NFL. And so comes my question of the day. Is the NFL simply protecting its product and brand, or has it become the greedy old man looking to suck every last nickel out of its adoring audience?

There is no question that football is the king of sports in the United States with the NFL coming in as the top dog and college football ranking number three in a recent Harris poll. But is the NFL going overboard with the protection of their product? Obviously steps need to be taken to protect ticket prices and discourage profiteering, but it seems a little ridiculous that even though everyone alive knows “the big game” is synonymous with the Super Bowl when used in the winter of every year.

Why can’t we just call it the Super Bowl? I understand the NFL not wanting its prize game to become a generic term like Kleenex or Post-It, but is there really a threat of Super Bowl becoming the name that refers to all championship games everywhere? I just don’t see SB replacing the fall classic and it becoming the Major League Baseball Super Bowl.

If the NFL is protecting its brand and is concerned with the image of the league (as they should be) then why are they so reluctant to hold its players – the product – to the same standards? This past week it was announced that Michael Vick just signed a deal to endorse shoulder pads. How quickly we forget that he was recently in jail due to being involved with dog fighting. Or the fact that Ben Roethlisberger and Brett Favre have both been linked to inappropriate behavior with very little in the way of repercussions. Hell, Roethlisberger is even in the “big game”.

If the NFL is so concerned with its brand, perhaps it should start looking in the mirror instead of looking for churches with a big screen.