Author: o2admin

Tips for Becoming a Digital Account Expert

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Working in client service for an advertising agency is exciting, challenging and ever-changing. Clients switch agencies, technology evolves, new clients are acquired, and somehow you’ve got to learn to adapt to new roles – and fast. Here’s what I’ve learned as someone who’s had a crash course in transitioning from traditional accounts to working exclusively on digital:

Don’t be Afraid to Say What You Don’t Know.
It’s easy to want to build yourself up as a digital account expert to your clients, but sometimes “faking it till you make it” can backfire. When dealing with a new trafficking process, a new vendor or even just new terminology, it’s important to be truthful with yourself and with your clients and speak up when you need more clarification. You’ll gain the knowledge you need, and your clients will appreciate your honesty.

Read.
A wise man once said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.” That man was Dr. Seuss, and while it may sound simple, sometimes the hardest thing to do as an account person is to make time to read up on what’s going on in our industry. Staying current with the latest articles, industry trends, blog posts and online tutorials can help propel you to digital account superstardom.

Stay Organized.
When managing a digital account, organization will save your sanity. With multiple components and large amounts of asset requirements, being organized isn’t an option – it’s a necessity. Here are easy organization tips anyone can implement:

  • Keep spec sheets handy and reference them often.
  • Always make sure all project details are available in writing.
  • Create a naming convention for files and make sure the team sticks to it.
  • Make time to talk through everything face-to-face with the creative team.
  • Don’t rely on email to relay important updates.

Volunteer for More!
This might seem like the last thing you’ll want to do when you’re working on an unfamiliar account, but the more exposure you get, the more you learn and the better you’ll be at delivering on clients’ needs. Always jump at the chance to be a problem solver and a lifesaver for your client.

Digital technology is rapidly evolving and clients’ digital needs are changing even faster, but it’s never going so fast that you can’t catch up. Anyone is capable of working on a digital account as long as they’re willing to put in the time and effort it takes to become great.

The 2015 Weepies

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The holidays are a time for happiness. Togetherness. Celebration. Advertisers have an uphill battle trying to stand out in a market saturated with that kind of unbridled joy, so many head in a different direction: making you weep like a baby, preferably in front of people. Extra points if they can get your nose to run. Even we, as time-hardened advertising professionals, sometimes find ourselves affected, and thus we present the best of the tear-jerking best:

Honorable Mention: Edeka (Jung von Matt)

This ad for Edeka, a German supermarket, doesn’t bring home a Weepy because of agency Jung von Matt’s blatant pandering to the judges: They were just, like, “Hey, you know what makes people cry? Dead grandpas!” (In their defense, people do almost always cry over dead grandpas.) That’s how we get a sweet, lonely, elderly man whose family won’t be able to make it to his house for Christmas — so he fakes his own death to gather his crying, black-clad children in mourning. “How else could I have brought you all together?” he asks. I don’t know, Opa. Any other way. Any other way, Opa.

Bronze: Ballymena (Grafters Design Studio)

Some of us, and we’ll never reveal who, never got past the stage of treating our stuffed animals like they’re alive, which brought special meaning to this saga of a wayward teddy bear’s quest through snowy streets to find the little girl he’s meant for. He does seem to have a fun enough time exploring the stores and restaurants of the small Irish town of Ballymena, but it’s when he’s finally in the arms of his little girl that the tears start to flow, if they weren’t already.

Silver: John Lewis (Adam&Eve/DBB)

British department store John Lewis is known for its annual emotional holiday commercials, and this one doesn’t let us down: It gives us an adorable little girl, a lonely old man and a sweet, wistful cover of Oasis’s “Half the World Away.” As her loved ones gather for a Christmas party, little Lily is determined to do whatever she can to cheer up the lonely old man on the moon so he doesn’t feel quite so alone. We never find out exactly how he got up there, with his little house, but we don’t bother questioning because we’re too busy looking for tissues.

Gold: Annual Christmas Lottery Spain: Justino (Leo Burnett Iberia)

Another elderly man here, this one probably related to the old guy from Up, lonely over the holidays. (Hey, lonely old men are in this year.) Justino works the night shift at a mannequin factory, with nothing to do but walk the floor on his rounds and arrange the mannequins in funny scenes for the day shift’s enjoyment: snowball fights, dance moves, a fantastic Rube Goldbergian mannequin Christmas tree. As we watch grainy security footage of Justino’s day-shift co-workers celebrating their win in Spain’s annual Christmas lottery, we start to tear up (poor, left-out Justino). But when he arrives for yet another late-night shift, the entire day shift is waiting — the winning ticket is for him, because his colleagues love and appreciate everything he does for them, even if they aren’t there to show it. If you aren’t openly crying at this point, you have no soul.

Have we missed anything? Which ads have you sniffling this holiday season? Leave your nominations in comments.

Chicago Fires Up Ad Agencies

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We’re still feeling the heat from the Chicago gathering of Worldwide Partners’ North American meetings a few weeks ago.

Top experts in the Advertising and Marketing field fired us up with insights to help carry our clients and agencies into the months and years ahead.

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There’s so much to share, but here are some points that I hope help you as much as they are helping us:

  • “Creativity” shouldn’t be all that an agency is about. Creativity may be the ticket to the game, but creative has to have a purpose. Our mission is to help you improve your results. We have to lay that out for our clients. (Michael Farmer, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer – Farmer & Company)
  • Time is the scarcest resource of all. You can do anything you want, but you can’t do everything. Consumers are telling us, “I want it my way. I want to dictate everything, and I can.” This is why subscriptions and “appointment TV” are all going away. It will continue to be about streaming, binging, time shifting. And authenticity is all that matters. Paid Tweets are BS. (Howard Tillman, CEO – 1871)
  • Change for agency leaders requires “Guts + Grit.” Going after amazing vision requires both. Grit allows you to not get derailed. If you aren’t who you are, it’s incredibly hard not to morph into what others want you to be. Staying anchored in the status quo keeps you attached to your past and confines your future. (Jen Spencer, Founder – The Creative Executive)

I’m glad our agency is an investor/owner in Worldwide Partners, our network of 70 agencies in 45 countries and the world’s 10th largest full-service agency network, public or private. We’ve got the grit, guts and vision to take our clients where they need to be – the top.

Does Your Agency Have a Proofreader?

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grandmaAs a proofreader in the advertising business for more than 30 years, I am astounded at how many ad agencies do not provide this service. Agencies are stewards of your brand and, as such, are charged with safeguarding it at all times. Typos and legal errors scream lack of trust, credibility and professionalism.

  1. First impressions. We all know what people say about first impressions. You could have a beautiful website or amazing print ad, but a typo can quickly kill the effectiveness of any marketing investment.
  2. Pricing/legal compliance. When advertising a product that features a price, your agency should always double-check that figure. I once saw a TV commercial in which the sale price was greater than the regular price! But it doesn’t end with prices and misspelled words; there are trademarks, logos, copyrights and legal disclaimers to check. It is incumbent upon your agency to protect your reputation.
  3. Multiple proofings. A really good agency will proofread a project at all stages: each draft of a document, at layout, after final client approval and at printer-proof stage. Copy may inadvertently get deleted or duplicated, files can be corrupted or an old file gets saved and collected. An error could be missed at all prior stages and be caught on a printer proof.
  4. Multiple proofers. Just as important as having multiple proofing stages is having backup proofreaders, people with a fresh set of eyes and for those times when the proofreader is out. Also, backup proofers each bring their unique visual perspective; one may notice a font change, another may notice a double space. The more eyes on a project, the better.

Don’t wait until that embarrassing breach of trust or integrity. Protect your brand and help position yourself in the best possible light at every exposure. Ask your agency about their proofing process. If it doesn’t have one, it may be time for a new agency.

Media Pitching 101

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Pitching to the media is a crucial part of public relations. Every story must be specifically angled to immediately grab the reporter’s attention.

Here are 3 quick and helpful tips on how to better pitch and land your story!

  1. Get. To. The. Point!
    Journalists and reporters receive hundreds of PR and advertising pitches all day. With so many frequent requests, it’s easy for your pitch to get dumped if it’s too long. When you get straight to the point and cut the fluff, it makes their jobs so much easier. List the “Five W’s” and you’ll be good to go: Who, What, When, Where and Why!
  2. Follow Up With A Call
    You can assume that if you didn’t get a response to your email pitch, it probably wasn’t seen. Follow up with a call to the reporters to trigger their memories about your pitch. Regardless of their decision to cover your story, they’ll remember the personable voice interaction.
  3. Know Your Beat
    Double-check your media lists and know your beat. If you’re pitching a story concerning sports, don’t email the education reporter just because they work at the specific outlet in which you want coverage. Over time, you can build great relationships with the journalists and reporters whom you frequently contact. This can also give you a better chance at scoring coverage as well.

Contact us today about successfully executing your next PR campaign.

Five Lessons About Creativity, Taught by Funny People

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Comedy writers and performers have, in many ways, the same job as copywriters and designers. They all need to discover their own style. All of them must figure out ways to ignite their creative spark. same sites . They all have to present their work to their audience, except copywriters and designers rarely do so in smoky clubs after midnight.

Here are five lessons about creativity that creatives can learn from funny people.

1. Procrastination is its own reward.
“You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic.” –Bill Watterson

2. Confidence is key.
“I have always been a huge admirer of my own work. I’m one of the funniest and most entertaining writers I know.” –Mel Brooks

3. Keep working on the work.
“This is the extraordinary thing about creativity: If you just keep your mind resting against the subject in a friendly but persistent way, sooner or later you will get a reward from your unconscious.” –John Cleese

4. Don’t know what you don’t know.
“Despite a lack of natural ability, I did have the one element necessary to all early creativity: naïveté, that fabulous quality that keeps you from knowing just how unsuited you are for what you are about to do.” –Steve Martin

5. The creative feeling is a good one. Embrace it.
 “Your creativity is not a bad boyfriend. It is a really warm, older Hispanic lady who has a beautiful laugh and loves to hug. If you are even a little bit nice to her, she will make you feel great.” –Amy Poehler

A Great Brand in Action

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maui_jims_adWhile we’d always love to blog about all of the great work we do for our amazing clients, today I’d like to brag on another agency’s client. Many of you have probably seen Maui Jim’s current ad campaign on TV or in print. The campaign shows the brilliant colors and detail that people can see every day when wearing Maui Jim sunglasses. Colors are shown literally bursting on the screen/page with the tagline “Like You’ve Never Seen.”

lisa_and_scottI own a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses that I actually bought in Maui in 2011 on my 10th anniversary trip with my husband, Scott. My husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor four months after we got back from that trip and passed away two years later. The Maui Jim glasses were my only souvenir from our trip and I have been reminded of that vacation every time I put them on. Three weeks ago, I accidentally sat on the glasses and bent the frame. Yes, I know they’re just glasses, but at that moment, I was heartbroken.

sunglassesBecause their ad campaign was fresh in my mind, I thought of looking to see if they had a repair service. I visited their beautiful and easy-to-use website, printed off a repair form, called the toll-free number and talked to a very nice and helpful lady (who answered the phone with a friendly “aloha,” even though she was in Peoria, IL). The rep walked me through everything that I needed to send, including a $10 processing fee, and said that the repair department would contact me for any additional charges. The next Friday, I got my Maui Jim glasses back in the mail. Not only had they been repaired, but also had new nose pieces and a new case. All for a whopping $10. I was excited, extremely grateful and overwhelmed at how easy the whole process had been.

Because of a superior product, brilliant and effective ad campaign and excellent customer experience, I have gone from having an emotional connection to a product to having an emotional connection to a brand. That’s a winning strategy for any brand looking to gain customer loyalty.

From the Desk of the Interns

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Many internships are a joke. Maybe sub-par at best. You don’t get taken seriously, you never work on real projects, and no one wants to hang out with you outside of work. At least, that’s what we hear from our friends. But sometimes, when you’re in the right field, you find the right place. For us, the Right Place was o2ideas.

Here’s what we learned:

Emily, Art Director: After my 10 weeks at o2, I now have a better insight on the ins and outs of advertising. It is full of collaboration and improvisation. Along with some cool new Photoshop tricks (that I’ll definitely be showing off to my friends), I have learned how to design on a tight deadline. This skillset isn’t always taught in school. We might have an entire month to polish one project. I’ve learned to go with my instincts, be bold, and get the job done. Ipaddress . I couldn’t have asked for a better experience or co-workers to build me into a stronger art director.

Anna, Copywriter: I learned how to make progress through criticism – how to present my work, accept rejection, and completely start from scratch (to present later that week). I was accustomed to the evenly spaced project load in school. Here I learned time management because, in the real world, tasks come in consistently and almost always overlap. I learned that, although having sole creative control is lovely, it can be way more rewarding to work with a team, especially when it’s the right one. And the most important thing I learned during my life as an intern? Just keep writing.

Mitchell, Client Services: Oftentimes, the first thing people think of when they hear “ad agency” is what they see on an episode of Mad Men. That makes for great television, but that’s not how it works in the 21st century. After my experience as the lone intern in 2014, I had to learn to let other people do what they were hired to do, and for me to focus on my own responsibilities. After this internship, I found that a successful agency means everyone plays their part as well as they can. And, when everyone does that, then the finished work will ultimately benefit.

The past 10 weeks have presented challenges and successes that inspired us to work harder, faster and smarter. However, the most profound part of this internship was how we were embraced by the team members (sometimes literally). We felt valued, respected and competent – and, as interns, that’s a pretty cool feeling.

We’ve loved the time we’ve spent at o2ideas and the people who have guided us. The culture here is unique, nourishing and productive, and we wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.

Thanks, o2!

Five Reasons to Join a Professional Organization

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So, you’re a young professional or recent grad who wants to network more. You have big hopes, big dreams and an even bigger passion for your field, but you’re looking for the right way to get keyed in. Whether you’re on the hunt for your dream job or want to become more involved, professional organizations are a great way to expand your horizons as you grow within the industry.

Within the agency world, two organizations are highly frequented by my co-workers and me – The AAF Birmingham and AL PRSA. I’ve been involved with PRSA since college, and still use it as a way to grow within my field today. Whether I was seeking mentors that are now professional friends or meeting Bill Todd and learning about an opening at o2, professional organizations have played an integral role in my growth within the industry and proved their worth in these five ways:

1. Networking
You can never know too many people within your field. It still amazes me how I can call upon an old contact and pick up where we last left off. In PR alone, it’s important to attend these events and make connections within the city where you live and work, because you never know where one handshake could lead.

2. Advice
Truth be told, you aren’t the only newbie in the city, and professionals within the organizations have been in your shoes before. It’s important to make connections and grab coffee or lunch with someone who is seasoned in order to gain the ins and outs of the industry.

3. Leadership
So, you want a chance to share your ideas and bring something new to the table, or simply give back to the community. Organizations allow you to use your talents in a vast array of areas and grow not only in your job role, but in a community-focused role as well.

4. Potential Job Leads
As someone who found out about my last two positions through PRSA, I am a firm believer in using organizations to find out about openings that may not be posted to the public. If you’re in the job market, meetings and networking events give you the chance to meet a potential employer face to face and potentially gain access to the position of your dreams.

5. Industry Insight
In the field of PR and advertising, trends and information mediums are constantly changing, and it’s important not to get left behind. Going to events and listening to key speakers who are trained on these topics will help grow your knowledge of what’s to come, allowing you to take it back to the office and bring something new to the table.

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