With the snow storm that hit the New York metro area over the past couple of days, I have been forced to work from home.
This was a result of my own choosing yesterday but the company decided (rightly) to shut the office today.
We are in the process of going to a new "agile" way of working any way so I decided to see what the future could bring.
I have to say, I struggled. I have worked from home before but that was when I had planned to work from home on a particular subject (writing a brief, providing agency feedback, appraisal writing etc etc). This time around, there was no planning for it so it was under normal working conditions.
What did I struggle with?
- At one point 5 people we IM'ing me rather than pick up the phone or come over for a chat (which we would have done in the office)
- I do not have a desk or chair at home which would pass Occupational Health's guidelines I think! I now have a sore back and neck.
- You actually find that you work longer hours. I started 30 minutes earlier than usual (no need to drive to work) yet I was still working probably an hour after I normally do. Why? I think it is because you lose track of time and do not have the reference point of other people leaving the office to go home!
What did work?
- The technology - good to see that everything more or less worked so I could work effectively and efficiently
- Apart from the IM'ing incident, I had a chance to think about things
However, the main challenge I had was the fact that I had no one to interact with face to face or walk around even if it was to have a chat about nothing. That was the singest biggest issue - as humans we are programmed to interact.
Lesson learned? Yes. I used to think that companies could just get rid of offices altogether and rely on people to work from home 100% of the time or to meet up as a team every now and again.
Yes, there is a place for "agile" working but our roots should always be back in the office. That is how you create a culture......
Written whilst sitting back in an office (my agency's) as I needed human interaction after 1.5 days of working from home!
KMcN
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
What would happen if mom's created advertising?
Anyone in marketing or advertising asked the question?
I did today and I can honestly say that they would probably do a better job at communicating the core benefit of our brands than some of our people and teams.
Don't believe me?
Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb0C4ei_JUQ
KMcN
Follow me on Twitter @jossiesgiant
I did today and I can honestly say that they would probably do a better job at communicating the core benefit of our brands than some of our people and teams.
Don't believe me?
Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb0C4ei_JUQ
KMcN
Follow me on Twitter @jossiesgiant
Why We All Should Have Creative "Tissue" Meetings
Some people have asked what is a "tissue meeting"....
I think it comes from the fact that most tissues have 3 layers and it is meant to be the one in between both ends.
In simple speak, it is an interim meeting where the agency can share half baked ideas with the client and the client can see if the agency have got the right idea from the brief before presenting fully worked up ideas. What is presented can range from a thought to a print ad to a TV script.
Other benefits include: saves time (what happens if the agency went in a direction you did not think was appropriate but you saw this weeks later?); Creates a sense of "one team; we can filter some ideas a lot earlier allowing the agency to focus, and; you can start thinking about how to land ideas with customers at an earlier stage.
We had an excellent tissue meeting with my agency yesterday and I hope that the agency felt the same way too. There were some great ideas and some not so great ideas. But, that does not matter, the point is that we had a room full of good people, keen on being transparent, honest and building upon ideas.
I would strongly encourage any client / agency team to build these sessions in to their creative process. We now have a far clearer path and have probably saved a lot of time and energy working on the wrong things.
But it does take some skill as a client and agency in these meetings:
For the client
- Be open to the thoughts from the agency
- Work with them on understanding what is the thought behind the script
- Be honest - it is ok to say you don't like it even if you can't explain why
- Provide direction - the agency is looking for it
- Provide written feedback - ideally within 1 working day
For the agency
- Be open to ideas from the client
- Provide a view on where your energies lie
- Ensure you get written feedback post meeting
I hope this helps you get to better work in a more efficient way.
KMcN
Follow me on Twitter @jossiesgiant
I think it comes from the fact that most tissues have 3 layers and it is meant to be the one in between both ends.
In simple speak, it is an interim meeting where the agency can share half baked ideas with the client and the client can see if the agency have got the right idea from the brief before presenting fully worked up ideas. What is presented can range from a thought to a print ad to a TV script.
Other benefits include: saves time (what happens if the agency went in a direction you did not think was appropriate but you saw this weeks later?); Creates a sense of "one team; we can filter some ideas a lot earlier allowing the agency to focus, and; you can start thinking about how to land ideas with customers at an earlier stage.
We had an excellent tissue meeting with my agency yesterday and I hope that the agency felt the same way too. There were some great ideas and some not so great ideas. But, that does not matter, the point is that we had a room full of good people, keen on being transparent, honest and building upon ideas.
I would strongly encourage any client / agency team to build these sessions in to their creative process. We now have a far clearer path and have probably saved a lot of time and energy working on the wrong things.
But it does take some skill as a client and agency in these meetings:
For the client
- Be open to the thoughts from the agency
- Work with them on understanding what is the thought behind the script
- Be honest - it is ok to say you don't like it even if you can't explain why
- Provide direction - the agency is looking for it
- Provide written feedback - ideally within 1 working day
For the agency
- Be open to ideas from the client
- Provide a view on where your energies lie
- Ensure you get written feedback post meeting
I hope this helps you get to better work in a more efficient way.
KMcN
Follow me on Twitter @jossiesgiant
Are Some Clients too Weak?
I noticed an interesting comment / discussion on Twitter today where a consumer insight manager who I respect a lot recommended that marketeers need to improve the legibility of copy and increase size of pack / branding as even consumers are now saying it is too small.
This is one of those classic things that must happen during every creative process between client and agency. As a marketeer, this is always a painful discussion...
Agency starts off with small pack / copy because the brand / pack gets in the way of their creative idea forgetting that we are creating an ad to drive sales rather than create a work of art. Client spends time and energy trying to get agency to change etc. If you have ever worked on creative you know the story.
Ultimately it comes down to two things:
1. Leadership
Is the client / marketeer strong enough a leader to ensure that the agency do what they are paid to do - create a piece of advertising that drives sales of a brand?
2. Relationship with the agency
How does the agency / client team work? Does the agency think that there client is good? Does the client trust that the agency will do the right thing?
Too often I see clients get bullied in to making the wrong decision based on the fact that they have not got the leadership capabilities to demand what deep down they know is right and they have not got the right relationship with their agency to ensure they can have a good discussion about it but ultimately, respect the fact that the client is the decision maker and is paying for this work.
But the true test is the consumer - could they read the copy clearly enough and notice who it is from? If they can't then you know you have a problem but I would still suggest that every client should be able to take a call and provide leadership on the decision before a consumer even sees the work.
KMcN.
Follow me on Twitter @jossiesgiant
This is one of those classic things that must happen during every creative process between client and agency. As a marketeer, this is always a painful discussion...
Agency starts off with small pack / copy because the brand / pack gets in the way of their creative idea forgetting that we are creating an ad to drive sales rather than create a work of art. Client spends time and energy trying to get agency to change etc. If you have ever worked on creative you know the story.
Ultimately it comes down to two things:
1. Leadership
Is the client / marketeer strong enough a leader to ensure that the agency do what they are paid to do - create a piece of advertising that drives sales of a brand?
2. Relationship with the agency
How does the agency / client team work? Does the agency think that there client is good? Does the client trust that the agency will do the right thing?
Too often I see clients get bullied in to making the wrong decision based on the fact that they have not got the leadership capabilities to demand what deep down they know is right and they have not got the right relationship with their agency to ensure they can have a good discussion about it but ultimately, respect the fact that the client is the decision maker and is paying for this work.
But the true test is the consumer - could they read the copy clearly enough and notice who it is from? If they can't then you know you have a problem but I would still suggest that every client should be able to take a call and provide leadership on the decision before a consumer even sees the work.
KMcN.
Follow me on Twitter @jossiesgiant
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