2010 August | T2 + Back Alley Blog

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August 30th, 2010
by Teri Rogers
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Want to Run a Better Agency? Kill More Good Ideas

I’ve been reading Robert Sutton’s blog over at Harvard Business Review on a regular basis and really enjoying it. He’s a professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford and his book, Good Boss Bad Boss: How to Be the Best and Learn From the Worst is on my reading list. I’m finding that he regularly generates good stuff.

My favorite Sutton post (so far) is about the importance of killing off ideas – even great ones. This comes from Sutton’s 12 Things That Good Bosses Believe post, and it centers on the premise that good bosses regularly kill ideas – even good ones. What he means is this: as leaders, an integral part of our jobs are to inspire and encourage our people to be innovative, and regularly create lots and lots of ideas and new concepts. But, as important as creativity and innovation are, especially when it comes to the success of any creative services agency, the ability to kill off the bad ideas is critical.

Equally important, says Sutton, and often harder, is the ability of a leader to walk away from really good ideas. Sound crazy? Not really. Sometimes great ideas are just too difficult to execute. And a good user experience or piece of experiential design that’s too difficult or too expensive to execute – well, that’s an idea that just doesn’t make sense. For any one great idea to succeed it needs a lot of time, attention, resources and ingenuity in order to reach its true potential.

Apple’s Steve Jobs is a big proponent of the importance of killing good ideas and calls the ability to do that the hallmark of a great company. Using the premise of Jobs’ argument, here are the metrics that Sutton suggests tracking:

1. How many good ideas are killed? If this number isn’t high enough, that is a bad sign. It means either that not enough ideas are being generated, or that important hard choices aren’t being made.

2. How many people are complaining — even leaving — because of good ideas being killed? This really is what makes the pruning so hard. It’s tough on the people who came up with ideas and are emotionally invested in them. Being the direct cause of their complaining, and even departure, is awful — and certainly doesn’t make you feel like a great boss. But if no one is complaining, that’s a worse sign. This kind of frustration is an unfortunate byproduct of an effective innovation process, and if your people don’t have enough pride and confidence to get upset when their innovative ideas are killed, then something is wrong with them — or your culture.

This makes sense to me. Killing good ideas. Making important, hard choices. And tracking them. My management lesson of the day.

August 26th, 2010
by Teri Rogers
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Objects: Becoming a Part of the New Business Win

iPad

Reading a piece in the Harvard Business Review about devices and how integral they’re becoming to the art of the pitch really struck home with me.

As a creative services shop, we pitch new business all the time. And, being immersed in the digital space, we’re always considering how our clients’ products and services can best be maximized in that space. So even when our clients come to us asking for what they think they need, we’re always thinking about what they might not know they need, but what would make their end result even more impactful.

The reason the HBR piece hit home is because it mentioned that at Fortune’s recent technology conference in Aspen, it was not unusual for innovators to pull out their smartphones and run through a quick presentation on their device when asked for more information. Seeing really is believing and the author of the piece said just that. When you can touch, feel and experience a concept, and see all the different applications while holding a device in your hand, it really makes the selling process more personal.

It’s not unusual that we use our seemingly omnipresent iPads during new business pitches or even during meetings with existing clients. We use them to demonstrate an idea or walk them through a presentation or an experiential design piece and that really seems to resonate with them. Sometimes we even build a technology element into a project for a client, that they can subsequently use for their new business pitches.

In fact, Michael Schrage, author of the HBR piece, put it this way:

“My professional bet is that “hand-it-over” innovation pitches will double smartphone and mobile device sales worldwide. Entrepreneurs, salespeople and innovators alike will socialize with at least two devices in the backpacks and breast pockets — one for their personal/professional use and the other to “hand over” for interpersonal play.”

Technology – it pretty much rules all of us these days. Thoughts?

August 20th, 2010
by Teri Rogers
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Citizen Brand Ambassadors – The New Norm?

Gillette's Razor Guys
Gillette’s “Razor Guys” are the latest in a series of brands turning to consumers to help market or launch a product.

This isn’t new – other brands have done similar campaigns, but it is a new strategic move for P&G, which often taps famous athletes or other celebs to align with its products. For this particular product, the Fusion razor, the desire was to reach a younger demographic. By tapping a couple of young, hip, “every dude” kind of guys for this once-in-a-lifetime experience, P&G shows some savvy when it comes to buzz building and understanding how younger consumers both consume – and generate media. For P&G, the Gillette campaign is an example of a significant social media initiative. The Razor Guys (selected by winning a contest), traveled the country, did a ton of blogging and microblogging, posting reactions on the company’s microsite along the way and even tossed in some celebrity interviews for good measure. They created a lot of buzz, gave away over 10,000 samples and got the Gillette Fusion brand out there, in front of their desired audience, in a big way.

Creating campaigns that allow consumers to be a part of the brand experience is rapidly becoming a tactic that just makes sense. I think this kind of consumer outreach is but one of many “new norms.” More importantly, positioning your business – no matter what it is, so that you are open to change, and regularly adopting and testing different strategies is a critical component of growth and success. Especially when it comes to new media and a consumer group that is technically savvy and as used to creating their own content as they are consuming it.

August 12th, 2010
by Teri Rogers
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For Target, Animation is a Natural Choice

Target tapped Venice, California-based Motion Theory to do a spot for them integrating animation design into their marketing mix. The spot was designed to showcase the creativity, team spirit and personality of the Target brand in a manner completely different from traditional TV spots.

The “A Better Bullseye” campaign was directed by Motion Theory’s Chris Riehl. Their goal was to create a memorable cast of characters – and a spot that viewers wouldn’t tire of, even after seeing it multiple times. Today’s consumer is easily distracted – or bored – so smart brands and creative shops are using tactics like animation design and creating interactive design experiences in innovative ways.

I love the spot and think they accomplished just what they set out to do. And I also love the fact that major brands are continually looking outside the realm of the traditional and allowing motion graphics firms and 3D animators the chance to showcase their talents – and contribute to the overall brand message – albeit in a different way.

August 12th, 2010
by T2 + Back Alley Team
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Android Tablet To Challenge iPad

Android Tablet to Challenge Apple iPad

The new rumors of an Android-based tablet from Motorola and Verizon have surfaced claiming the 10-inch device may be on store shelves by the fall. Motorola’s tablet would be a direct competitor to Apple’s iPad. But unlike Apple’s tablet, you would be able to watch television on the Motorola device thanks to integration with Verizon’s FIOS digital TV service, according to the Financial Times.

The Times doesn’t provide any detailed specs for the tablet, but does say it would support Flash video–another feature the iPad lacks. The 10-inch device would also have a rear-facing camera for taking snapshots and a front-facing camera for video conferencing. You would also be able to turn the tablet into a Wi-Fi hotspot, according to the Times, suggesting the device would likely have 3G connectivity provided by Verizon.
Reports have been circulating for some time that both Verizon and Motorola are planning Android-based tablets. In May, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam told The Wall Street Journal the carrier is collaborating with Google to produce an Android tablet that will compete directly with the iPad. McAdam did not say anything about a partnership with Motorola during the interview.

The tablet market is considered the next battleground in the mobile devices war and it will be interesting to see what transpires in the coming months. One thing for sure, we find more uses on a daily basis for our iPads.