Narrative Assets

When Did We Forget How to Dance?

Watching Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dance is pure showmanship in motion. The talent, the moves, the passion for the art of dance are so intertwined that I get lost in the beauty of the moment. My mind wanders to a time when I too danced. As a child, every moment was filled with wonder. There was adventure and pure joy in the beauty of a butterfly, in riding my bike for the first time without help from anyone...and in the sound of the ice cream truck as it clanged down our street in the worst summer heat waves.

Back then, there were few troubles...and I grasped every moment that life had to offer me. In adulthood, we're thrown into roles and our days are met with increased responsibilities. While this is a natural part of growing up, why is that so many of us forget to dance once in a while?

In the "old school" business world, we were taught how to speak, act and dress for success. There was virtually no room for individual style. Times have changed a bit, and it seems the more unique you are - the better your chances of standing out. Yet still, so many are afraid to dance.

Just for today, laugh for no reason. Go break a rule or two. Don't be afraid to separate yourself from the pack. Watch an old Fred Astaire clip. Forget about what others may think. And don't forget to dance once in a while.

How many of you grew up in families who set expectations as to what you would do once you "grew up"? Do you ever feel as if you'd like to be a kid again? Under what circumstances? What do you do on days when you feel you need to dance again?

Why Is It SO Hard To Get Noticed?

Seems everybody nowadays is trying hard to get noticed. Advertising companies spend gazillions creating ad campaigns meant to flaunt the next big thing. Millions of people go to work each day hoping that their efforts will, even in a small way, get noticed by the powers that be. Entrepreneurs sometimes go to extremes to gamble everything they have on the "big idea."

With everyone competing for attention how, exactly, do you get noticed? Experts will tell you that in order to get different results, you have to try something different. Celebrities have been doing this for years. Every time I open the paper, I read about the latest celebrity who found him or herself in rehab (again), arrested, and/or doing something crazy in public. Celebrities know how to get noticed - even if in a negative way. Who is it who said that there's no such thing as bad publicity? Look at Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (Yes, I know she's no longer hip, but it worked marvellously for her for a while).

What baffles me is the amount of attention paid to celebrity media stories, when there are thousands of other people who are looking for a platform in which to express their talents or voice their opinion.

Personally, I feel I'm at a career crossroads, in that I'm not sure (exactly) what my next step will be. I wish I could say exactly where I'll be working - and exactly what I'll be doing - but I can't. I only know where my interests and talents lie, and hope that somehow it will all come together.

Like many, I feel that I'm trying hard to get "noticed", but haven't stumbled upon the opportunity that, in my gut, would make me say "this it IT - this opportunity is MEANT for me."

For now, I'll keep trying to get noticed. And I'll try different things. Instead of taking the usual business courses, I signed up for an acting class. I'm learning how to play golf this summer - an interesting compliment to my yoga classes and interest in competitive skateboarding! Instead of writing an article for a marketing publication, I wrote an article for an internationally distributed skateboard magazine.

Maybe by trying different things and expanding my comfort zone, something will click and I'll find my niche.

Have any of you ever felt this way? If so, how did you change your strategy so that it produced different results? Can you share tips with other readers of the blog?

SHOUT IT OUT. TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT. SOMEWHERE THERE'S A PLACE FOR YOU, AND ME.

Guerlain Sniffs a Winner: Using Scent to Sell Product

Guerlain has introduced a new fragrance that will have us smelling like a baby. According to Sylvaine Delacourte, Guerlain's creative director of fragrances, L'Instant Magic is "built around white musk and these notes are very powdery and soft. I am especially fond of these notes because they remind me of my children's scent and soft skin when they were babies."

According to psychologists, scent is a powerful way of linking our thoughts and emotions to memories. Perhaps the smell of a BBQ reminds us of happy times spent as a family. The scent of apple pie is associated with comfort, happiness - and overall well being. Baby scents are powerful in that they take us back to a time of innocence - a time when everything was new and we were being nurtured by someone else. It's a comforting scent, and as adults we're willing to pay top dollar to bring that memory and feeling back again.

Who doesn't remember the scent of Johnson's baby shampoo or powder? Fred Tewell, group product director at Johnson's says that the smell from Johnson's baby powder "became ubiquitous and that's the underpinning of the baby smell in the American psyche." Tewell says that the baby scent is "calming, nurturing, not sharp - and doesn't immediately grab your senses. Instead, it wafts."

Do you think that scent links us back to experiences and memories? What are examples of specific scents that bring you "back" in time? How does the scent make you feel? What are examples of ways in which other companies have used scent to market their products?

Ford Turns to Employees In An Effort To Break Brand Apathy

What do you do if, as VP of an ailing company, you're called to rekindle apathy in an iconic American brand?

If you're Jim Farley, group VP Marketing and Communications for Ford, you turn to your employees. Ford's latest marketing campaign called "Drive One", veers away from traditional marketing and turns back to its roots. People talking to people, in order to revive and engage a brand.

Farley realized that one reason the brand isn't selling so well is that people don't care about it. If they don't care, they won't be engaged, and they won't think of Ford when in the market for a new car. Struggling with the challenge of driving people to dealerships, Ford has asked its 750,000 employees to talk to friends and family about the quality and features of Ford vehicles. In spite of $1.76 billion spent on advertising last year, sales continue to dip.

The campaign will go heavy on TV and print spots which will drive people to the site www.forddriveone.com. It will also feature a series of webisodes featuring people expressing surprise reactions at the quality and "coolness" of Ford vehicles. Ford discovered that once consumers were in a car having a positive experience, they would be more likely to purchase a Ford in the future.

Ford has a battle ahead as it struggles to regain its brand sense of "American-ness." In an effort to remind consumers of its reputation as an American icon, Ford is turning to what might be its last resort in an effort to regain market share - the people.

What lessons can be learned out of this experience?

1) A huge advertising budget is of no value if people are not engaged with your brand

2) When everything else seems to fail, turn to your customers and prospects and give them an experience that leaves them wanting more

3) Appeal to the emotions in an effort to re-engage your brand and you will win people's hearts (and pocketbooks)

4) There are no guarantees in marketing and you can't afford to become complacent about your brand

5) Don't take a brands iconic status for granted - a brand is built on the experiences of the people who buy into it

What do you think about Ford's efforts to regain its iconic status? Where do you think the company went wrong? What would you do in Ford's situation?

Wraps...Schmaps..Just Give Me A Good Old Fashioned Hamburger!!!

Why is it that, in spite of all the hype for nutritional foods in fast food advertising..that I still crave a good old fashioned hamburger?

Recently we took a road trip to attend an out of town funeral. Tradition dictates that we stop at the numerous "truck stops" along the way to grab some dinner and/or a coffee and donut. The stops offer lots of choice in fast food fare and most of the biggest names in fast food are there. Once you enter the stop, you're bombarded with signs advertising the latest and greatest in nutritional food fare - wraps, yogurts, salads, low cal this...low cal that.

In spite of all this choice, why is it that 99% of the time I always seem to walk away with a hamburger and fries? My body would be happier with the salad..but there's something about the taste of a hamburger and fries on the road that's irresistible. Funny thing is...we don't eat a lot of this stuff at home. So what is it about road trips that makes me want to eat junk food?

Here's what I think:

1) The food represents a sort of greasy comfort food - something that reminds me of summertime BBQ's and weekends at the cottage. I want to relive the story and emotions the burger represents

2) The experience of a road trip implies adventure and by eating a greasy burger and fries, I'm reliving a small part of the rebel in me by chowing down on something that isn't normally part of my daily diet. It's as if I'm saying "to heck with all this advertising"...I'm going to eat what I want!

3) A road trip means "away from home" and this implies living by a different set of rules

So...what do you do differently on road trips that you wouldn't normally do at home? Do you follow nutritional guidelines when away..or do you adopt a sense of careless abandon, crank up the tunes, and live life to the fullest?

Chow down everyone!

Why Can't Sales and Marketing Learn To Get Along?

In all my years working in marketing and communications departments (both large and small), it still continues to baffle me as to why sales and marketing teams don't seem to get along. Yes, there is mutual respect to some degree. After all, everyone is interested in the same thing - how to craft a creative and persuasive message that will attract people's attention and prompt them to action leading to increased revenues.

The difference between sales and marketing isn't always obvious, but one could say that:

• Marketing is the process of defining and/or creating a market niche(s) in which to "sell" a product or service. To do this requires a fairly structured and managed process that involves input from numerous stakeholders and a plan in which to "attack" the market.
• Sales is the tail end of the process and is focused on getting the order.

Considering that they both share the same end goal, why is it that sales and marketing departments don't get along?

Here's my theory (gained from years of experience working on both sides of the fence):

1) Sales departments often don't have a keen understanding of the dynamics and thought process behind the creation of effective marketing strategy

2) Marketing departments are often seen as "dumping grounds" for marketing and communications materials versus places where strategic thought is originated

3) Marketing professionals often play on the stereotype that salespeople are 'pushy' people with no other goal in mind than chasing the almight dollar - the image of a "slick" salesperson comes to mind

In the midst of all this misunderstanding, one thing remains true. For a company to make profits, both departments need each other. Without the preparation needed to bring a product or service to market, sales teams would be wasting valuable time in the field chasing prospects with absolutely no potential. Without an effective sales team, product wouldn't be sold, and this would have tremendous impact on the bottom-line.

So, before you resort to that corporate practice of game playing and start "passing the buck" to other divisions...remember that it's in a company's best interest to learn to get along. Without sales and marketing, there would be no product and no sales. And, as we were all taught in business school, nothing happens without a sale.

What experiences have you had working in sales and/or marketing departments? Did you sense tension between the two areas? What, if anything, were you able to do about it?

Citibank Card Helps Customers Write Their Story

Citibank's (citi) new ad campaign offers an intriguing look into the lives of some of its credit card customers. The campaign, entitled "What's your story", shows how the Citi card can help us design a life that is both different and creative.

The March issue of Vanity Fair magazine features an ad highlighting the story of a self-confessed big city shopaholic called Grace who uses her card to redesign her small apartment. Grace, who is unable to cook, decides to turn her kitchen into storage space complete with organizers and racks to fuel her passion for shopping. After redesigning her "kitchen", Grace decides to leave some space for a large drawer stuffed with take-out menus.

What's interesting about Grace is that she appeals to so many women who choose to live the big city lifestyle. In a manner reminiscent of Carrie Bradshaw, Grace makes no excuses about her inability to cook and decides instead to turn her kitchen into a walk-in closet. The ad not only appeals to a large demographic of women who fall into this category, it also portrays Grace as being creative, smart and innovative by choosing to turn a potential "negative" trait into a positive. She can't cook - but who cares. Who needs to cook while living the hip big city lifestyle anyway?

Stories appeal to people because they are real. Real stories about real people attract attention, something citi is hoping will lead to increased sales of their product. Whatever your story, the citi card will help you write it.

What do you think of the citi approach to advertising? Do you think potential citi users will identify with Grace and decide to take the same approach to writing their story? Do you think the ad sets a bad example by implying that people like Grace have to use a credit card to "get it done?"

Your Life Story in Six Words or Less

LIFE STORY...six words or less

In November 2006, editor Larry Smith posted a challenge on his website smithmag.net, asking people to write their life story in six words or less. Smith received 15,000 replies within the first two months, the best of which have been published in the New York Times Bestseller "Not Quite What I Was Planning."

The Toronto Star decided to pick up where Smith left off, and threw the challenge out to Star readers. Here are some of the most memorable entries:

1) Started out strong, what went wrong? (Robert Smith, Boston)

2) Evidently, I was homeschooled by nuts. (Christopher Murphy, Toronto)

3) Overeducated janitor: My ambition lacks ignition. (Chelsea Maloney, Dunnville)

4) Financially good - everything else a bust. (Emanuel Samuel, North York)

5) I have not accomplished much - yet. (Daniel Rudmin, Vancouver)

6) I was good to my dog. (Frank Green, Paisley)

7) I have lived in total obscurity. (Sonia Holder, Hamilton)

Here's a shot at my own: "Didn't listen to my parents. Oops..."

Someone once said that everyone has a story to tell. What's yours? Can you tell it in six words or less?

Why The Movies Are A Reflection Of Ourselves

There's something about the movies that brings out the best - or the worst - in us. From a very young age, we are able to relate to heros on the silver screen. We sit there mesmerized watching Spiderman and Superman save fellow citizens from impending doom. Their world became our world, and soon enough we found ourselves donning a homemade towel cape and jumping off our living room couch shouting..."I'll save you!" Through interaction and involvement in the story, we wanted to be (and for a brief moment) became our heros.

The movies have always been magical. Even as adults, the big screen and the characters in it seem larger than life (or lower than life), yet movies and stories speak a universal language that knows virtually no bounds.

What we often miss in our everyday lives is the sense of adventure and drama faced by our movie heros. Their dogged determination and fierce belief in a cause are things we admire. Our heros are usually up to something "really big", yet in many cases they went through incredible obstacles to get there. On some level, we identify with their struggles. We're there when they win and beat the bad guys, and we're there when they lose and have to give it all up. Yet it's the defiant hero, the one who fights until the end without giving up his scruples or beliefs that wins our hearts.

Mel Gibson in Braveheart is one such example. William Wallace's fierce determination and rebellious streak were traits needed to lead the Scottish uprising against English tyranny in the 13th century. This fear of living under someone else's rule is something just about everyone can identify with. In a sense, his war becomes our war, and we follow him on his incredible journey to rule out injustice and ruthless domination.

Then there's Jimmy Stewart in the classic "It's a Wonderful Life." A man is driven to despair by circumstances around him, and wonders if anything he has done has any real consequence in the world. Suddenly, everything around him lacks meaning until an angel appears to reveal an entirely different story.

And what about James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause? Who couldn't identify with the classic tale of teenage angst at its finest?

We even learn from the bad guys. Remember Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street? How many of us were proud that we weren't like him? On the other hand, how many of us almost secretly wished that our personalities would allow us to be ruthless and greedy enough to be able to accumulate Gekko's wealth and lifestyle? On the one hand we despised him, yet on another level we wished we could be more like him.

Regardless of our stage in life, there's something about the movies that reminds us it's not all bad. When faced with the most desperate times on the silver screen, directors always have a way of showing us that there's beauty to be found - if only one took the time to look for it. Good advice as we continue to face complex challenges in a world that shows no signs of slowing down.

Heros on the silver screen can inspire us, move us and lead us to action. We will always have this insatiable need to act out some lived (or unlived) part of our lives through characters that live in the make-believe world of motion pictures.

Which heros did you identify with as a child? Has that changed in adulthood? What qualities of your heros did you wish you had? What is it about the movies that can inspire us to believe in something bigger again?

Has Technology Killed The Hollywood Story?

Will the advent of technology and developments such as YouTube, reality shows and video games mean the end of business as usual for the Hollywood system as it exists?

In the March 2008 issue of Vanity Fair magazine, Michael Wolff describes what Hollywood would be like without its driving force of plot driven narratives. A world where legions of producers, directors, agents, executives and writers cease to operate as "business as usual", because the medium in which they were taught to write and operate no longer exists. When scores of writers are taught to write for a medium that no longer exists - and the Hollywood elite (fast approaching their 70's) have no idea how to adapt their business for radically different audiences and distribution systems - what happens to story as we know it?

The business of Hollywood is the business of story. Without a story, there is no film. Conventional storylines are plot driven with many replicating proven formulas that have a good chance of driving box office receipts.

But what happens when the formula changes? What happens when the new audience is radically different than the old one? What happens when the technology changes to include radically different new means of distribution? Will Hollywood as we know it, cease to exist?

Reading Wolff's article leaves me with mixed feelings of sorts. On the one hand, traditional storytelling faces potential extinction as video games continue to rival box office receipts. In 2007, video game receipts totalled $8.7 billion, while box office receipts came in at $9.7 billion. On the other hand, should the migration towards more interactive and mobile technology not trigger some sort of business opportunity for Hollywood's power elite?

If Hollywood players could find a way to incorporate story into the increasing demand for more interactive types of technology and network television, then perhaps story as we know it wouldn't be dead. Maybe the opportunity is just sitting there, waiting to be reborn.

It's time for Hollywood to take notice, and shift their way of thinking from being players in the entertainment business to being players in the technology business. Wake up Hollywood - a new world awaits!

How do you see Hollywood capitalizing on new technology? Is there some way to incorporate elements of moviemaking and storytelling into video games and reality shows? Is technology such as YouTube a threat or an opportunity to the traditional Hollywood establishment? What's the new form of story in the future?