Earning the !

I attended the Fort Wayne AdFed lunch today, which featured a presentation by Clint! Runge of Archrival, a "youth branding agency" in Lincoln, Neb. Let's start with that exclamation point: yes, it's really there at the end of his first name. When I first saw it I thought it was some cheesy gimmick that he used as a substitute for doing anything worthy of an exclamation point.* However:

1. Turns out that it's the name his mother gave him (or at least that's the story he's telling, which makes it much more palatable than if were just a cheesy gimmick), AND

2. This guy definitely deserves an exclamation point or two

Why do I say that? Well, a few takeaways from his presentation which focused on marketing to millenials/gen Y:

- If you're a Gen Xer (like me, and Runge), you're A LOT different than a millenial. So while you might think you can predict what they'll like since you're fairly close in age, you can't. Don't try. Instead, TALK TO THEM. Listen to them. Find out what they like, and why. And then...

- Be authentic--and you can't fake authenticity. Milenials won't even glance at a marketing message that seems contrived. They're not immune to marketing, but it has to speak their language and respect their low tolerance for artifice.

- Increasingly for everyone, but certainly for millenials, the cell phone is the "first screen," much more important to them than a computer. Marketers should be thinking well beyond simple web pages to consider how their content will translate to a mobile world.

- It's no longer true that cool starts on the coasts and moves to the center. Because of technology, what's cool in New York and L.A. is cool in Fort Wayne and Lincoln, Neb. pretty much simultaneously.

- Millenials want to be part of something bigger than themselves, which helps explain their connection to causes like the environment and the Barack Obama campaign, as well as the growth of social networks

- Niche social networks are capturing more and more of millenials' attention. I was already convinced of that, but it's good to know that I'm not alone.

- Urban gaming is on the rise. And I wish I had thought of Pacmanhattan. So does Runge, but the difference between him and me is that...

- He did come up with National Collegiate Rock Paper Scissors Tournament, which I only wish I had come up with.

All in all, pretty exclamation point-worthy stuff, and a good use of an hour or so, even on a really busy day.

*This would be the typical Gen X skepticism/vitriol rearing its ugly head. Just so you know.

Thursday's AdFed meeting to focus on youth marketing

Click to enlarge

I'm planning to attend this one. If you're going, too, remember that it's at USF this time.

P & G exec to speak at Mar. 27 Fort Wayne AdFed meeting

Dr. Susan Mboya, Global Director for New Business Development at Procter & Gamble, will be in Fort Wayne on Thu., Mar. 27, to present "Winning With Minorities: An Equal Opportunity Industry." Online registration is available.

The growth in minority populations is a good enough reason to attend this session, but minorities' spending power is increasing, too. One example is the growth in online shopping among minorities, as evidenced by a recent study by The Media Audit, a syndicated media ratings service. According to the study, 40.6% of African Americans now shop online, as compared to 27.1% in 2003. Among Hispanics, online shopping has increased to 41.8% of the population from just 27.7% five years ago.

Given Dr. Mboya's expertise, the AdFed meeting is likely to provide new insights into reaching customers who may not be hearing your message. It's a great chance to challenge your perceptions and learn about targeting your message in a way that can pay immediate dividends.

Hat tip: Research Brief

Update: If you're in Indy on April 2...

Click to enlarge, but note that the date is now April 2 (same place, same time). You don't have to be an Indianapolis Ad Club member to attend, but an RSVP is required.

Hey, kids: your chance to work with Seth Godin

Marketing mastermind, guru, and all-around genius Seth Godin is inviting high school and college students to apply for a FREE summer internship with him from June 30 to July 21. You'll have to pay your own way to New York, but you won't find a better resume builder anywhere. A few of the details, from the site:

The idea is to find a diverse group of motivated young people who want to join together to create a few really neat projects. The tools used will range from online video to blogs to copywriting to design.

You even get to decide what to include on the application ("that's part of the application," Godin says), but whatever it is, it's due April 2. Good luck!

Photo: John Abbott, from Businessweek.com

The ADDY Awards--where everyone's a winner (especially B & Y, Ferguson, and OLG)

The Fort Wayne's ADDY Awards took place Saturday night, with a wide variety of the city's ad agency creatives receiving well-deserved kudos, congrats, and huzzahs. A lot of agencies went home happy, as the Journal Gazette reports, but some went home happier than others: Ferguson Advertising took home 13 gold ADDYs, Boyden & Youngblutt received 11, and One Lucky Guitar had an even 10. Catalyst Marketing & Design was honored with a Best of Show award, and LaBov & Beyond, Asher Agency, The Nichols Co., and Katie Kline, a University of Saint Francis student, all received judges' awards. A lot of other agencies did well, too.

Other highlights only hinted at, or not hinted at at all, by the JG:

• One member of the OLG team swears the red sweat suits were NOT a "punk move," but a long-planned show of agency chemistry, fashion sense, and Wu-Tang-Clanness.
• Some people can pull off fake tattoos; some can't (Matt Georgi, I'll let you guess where you fall).
• The T-shirts were awesome.
• If you see SBB reader Beth H., tell her congratulations on her shiny gold ADDY.
  
• Mad Anthony's is a fine location for an after party.

Nice job by everyone involved. Next year, red sweat suits for everyone--but let's leave the tattoos to the professionals.

VisionDirect to host free direct mail seminar for NFPs

VisionDirect, an Indianapolis direct mail and custom printing company, will host a free seminar for not-for-profit organizations on Friday, March 28. How to Create Effective Direct Mail will take place from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. at Leadership Ventures, 303 N. Alabama St., Ste. 230 in Indianapolis. The details, as provided to me by VisionDirect:

The seminar will cover important topics for any non-profit organization that sends out direct mail for fundraising or membership development. We will show you how to improve your response rate, increase donations through effective copywriting, and find potential new members.

Topics will include:

• Mailing list selection: How to find people most likely to help your organization,
• Tell a story: How to increase donations by telling a simple story,
• Less is more: Improve open rates through basic envelope design, and
• How to save as much as 50% on your postal budget.

With Indianapolis less than two hours away, it's well worth the trip to get some free education that can help your organization reach donors and other influencers. To register, email edeckers@vdirect.us. Seating is limited to the first 30 respondents.

Local ADDY Awards this weekend

I'll be at the Advertising Federation of Fort Wayne, Inc. ADDY Awards on Saturday night. I plan to post some highlights after we find out who the big winners are.

My two cents on advertising awards programs:

• Designers, copywriters, and other creatives take a lot of crap from people, including some who don't know what they're talking about. And since opinions about good design can be pretty subjective, it's rare that creative work is judged on an even playing field. The best thing about awards shows, then, is that they recognize the work of some very talented guys and gals who often get taken for granted, and who usually hear much more criticism than praise.
• That being said, awards shows in general can be kind of silly (ergo my lack of enthusiasm for the Oscars, for example). The key is to enjoy the night, but don't take it too seriously. Although the judges are professionals, their opinions are somewhat arbitrary (and I speak from experience, having been an awards judge once myself).
  
• One way to improve upon the current format would be to recognize marketing strategy, not just design. The best work may not always look all that special, but if the goal is to sell a product or service, that should be taken into account. If agencies were given a chance to tell a story about the strategy behind a campaign/ad/marketing piece, and about the results it delivered, I'd bet you'd have some different winners at the end of the night.

Take a bow, Matt Kelley

One Lucky Guitar's Matt Kelley put together another great show with Down the Line 2 last night at the Embassy. Just like last year, DTL was a great intersection of Fort Wayne music, history (as a celebration of the Embassy's 80th anniversary), and creativity, with several local marketing and design folks playing a big part in the show. I had to leave early since the kid was worn out after the B-Sharps, but I'm already looking forward to DTL3. Great job, Matt, and everybody else who made it happen!

P.S. Lou Cuccinelli of I, Wombat is an abso-freaking-lute Guitar Hero.

Leadership Institute application deadline extended to Feb. 8

As mentioned in a comment to this post, the YLNI Leadership Institute application deadline has been extended to Fri., Feb. 8.

Now that you have another week to apply, consider this endorsement from one of last year's attendees:

I participated in this last year and found it well worth my time. Not only did I make some fantastic personal and professional contacts, but I also learned a great deal from the sessions themselves. This is an outstanding program for both those currently involved in YLNI and those looking to participate in the organization and the community overall.

Click here for a flyer, or visit ylni.org to apply.

YLNI Leadership Institute application deadline is Friday

Applications for the 2008 Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana Leadership Institute are due this Friday, Feb. 1. Participants will attend five Saturday sessions and Thursday kick-off and graduation events. The cost is $225/person, with discounts available for YLNI members.

I will be presenting at one of the sessions, with a focus on workplace communication skills. Click here for a flyer, or visit ylni.org to apply.

AdFed accepting 2008 Silver Medal nominations

The Advertising Federation of Fort Wayne is accepting nominations for its 2008 Silver Medal Award. The award honors "individuals who have made outstanding contributions to advertising and who have been active in furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern."

Past recipients include three members of the Bonsib family, Helene Foellinger, Hilliard Gates, George Nitecki (with whom I had the pleasure of working when I was at Parkview), Roger Diehm, and last year’s winner, Alan Nauts of University of Saint Francis.

All AdFed members are invited to submit a nomination in accordance with the guidelines shown here. The deadline is Feb. 8.

My takeaways from the Seth Godin seminar

Yesterday’s "How do you avoid the meatball sundae?" online seminar was pretty good. Not much new for those who are familiar with Seth Godin’s work, but it was a solid review of some of the changes that today’s marketers are facing—and how we can respond.

Here are the five takeaways that have stuck with me during the past 24 hours:

1. Seth presented some great examples of organizations that got defensive about new media instead of being innovative in how to approach it. The Yellow Pages could have evolved into Google. TV Guide could have evolved into YouTube. AOL could have evolved into Facebook. Unfortunately for them, they were too invested in doing things the old way. (After taking all this in and absorbing a question a friend asked me, here's another one: Classmates.com could have evolved into Facebook.)

2. Seth was asked what role ad agencies can play amid all this change. His response? “They have a great opportunity, but I think they’re going to blow it.”

Let’s start with that whole opportunity thing: if ad agencies are willing to do work that’s vastly different than what we do today, we can be more valuable than ever to our clients. This new work will involve sitting side-by-side with clients from a project’s conception, giving them an objective opinion on how to make their product or service truly remarkable. Agencies also can channel their creative energies into helping shape a differentiated message for that product or service, although that message will take the form of traditional advertising much less frequently.

Now, when Seth says “they’re going to blow it,” I don’t completely disagree. The agencies who aren’t focused on strategy, and who are more concerned with awards than getting results for their clients, will be irrelevant before long. But those who are committed to the principles of new marketing won’t “blow it”—they’ll simply take the place of agencies who can’t adapt.

3. Every organization needs to think of itself as an online business. Every organization needs to think of the opportunities inherent in social networking. If you don’t think those possibilities exist, you’re either not thinking creatively enough or you’re headed towards extinction.

4. The phrase “everyone’s a critic” must be taken literally today, because every customer has a voice, all those voices are equal in volume, and prospects will listen to one of your customers before they’ll listen to you. (If you don’t agree, watch this clip. Then look at the number of views it’s received.)

5. Today’s marketer should strive for permission: an invitation from customers or prospects to speak with them. It’s an invitation to take some of their discretionary time, which is the currency of the new marketing era. How do you know when you have permission? When your customers miss you when you’re not there (in their in box, on your blog, or next to you at the conference table, for example).

The best thing about attending the seminar, though, was that it sparked an idea for an organization I work with. That alone made it a worthwhile hour.

If you’re interested in learning more from Seth Godin, check out his books--including his latest, Meatball Sundae.

Free Prize Inside: Seth Godin Seminar on Jan. 23

Seth Godin, author and all-time, all-star marketing guru, is offering a free online seminar on Wed., Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. "How do you avoid the meatball sundae?" is "targeted at freelancers, copywriters, web designers, SEO experts, SEM consultants and the very frustrated VP of marketing who is tired of banging her head against the wall." If that sounds like you, click here to register.

What's a meatball sundae, you ask?