El Gaffney

Finding Something Real

This is a response to Clay Parker Jones’ Longing for Something Real.

I was just alerted to Clay’s latest post via Twitter. He sets expectations upfront that it’s introspective, focused on the job of a strategist in the world of communications, and a bit long. I will do the same. This is my initial reaction, also focused on the role of an account planner (another term for strategist), and I have no idea how long it’s going to be.

As I started reading, I found his honesty refreshing and many of themes he touches on relatable—at least to another 27-year-old in the advertising industry. Though I’d imagine much of what he’s offered will be less than foreign to older strategists and anyone looking for professional satisfaction. Anyway, somewhere around his third paragraph, I realized I was going to comment—most likely, “good stuff, brother.” But then when he started tackling his second question—Can strategy be fulfilling?—I started taking notes. (Yes, buddy freehand first - just like your pops taught you.)

I was compelled to write…

You may be surprised (if you haven’t been already) how many people don’t know what to do next, what to do now. Yes, that goes for job searching. However, I’m going talk about marketers. They just aren’t sure what to do for their “brand.” (This is the last time I use the “b” word in this post.) They don’t know what to do say about their companies, its products and/or services. They don’t know how they should be saying it or where. Often, they don’t have know who they should be talking with. A few steps back, they don’t have a clear sense why they want to “communicate” in the first place.

We are problem solvers. And sometimes the most important work we do is helping people (our clients) define the real problem they want to address.

We are storytellers with discipline. And though we don’t create the ads, we can blend strategy and creativity in weaving together a story that’s rooted in a deep understanding of people (our client’s current and/or potential customers) and how we can actually offer value to them.

We, as Denzil Meyers put it, help people find the best way to move forward.

Without us there would be less differentiation, interestingness, and effectiveness. There would probably be less respect for the people many of our clients and co-workers still call “consumers” as if they are waiting around ready to hear about the company’s latest and greatest. Even if now they’re not only sitting on their couches in front of a TV but also at their desks in front of computers, online.

They still need someone to explain the social aspect of communications. Because many have only been broadcasting out for their entire lives as marketers. That worked. It’s all they had to do. They understand the two-way nature of conversations in theory but not necessarily how to practice it. With regards to the respect you brought up and I just mentioned, they are respectful individuals but don’t always practice respectful communications. This respect has to manifest itself online as well as in communications meant for traditional media.

Take the recent Motrin headache. (Yeah, I know hundredth person to go there.) Do you think it matters that it was an online video rather than a TV commercial? Hells no. It’s a piece of communications that showed a lack of understanding of the people they wanted to talk to—moms. To be fair, it’s possible they we’re looking to talk with, or engage, these moms in dialogue. But I’m quite sure this is not the “we get you” takeaway they were hoping for. In short, some moms found the ad to be disrespectful. Yet now they have a community that’s bigger than their yoga class, brunch group, or (insert modern mommy stereotype here), more easily connected, and has a stage to respond. (They weren’t going to buy a TV spot in the past and a strongly worded letter probably would not have made the splash a group of bloggers and Tweeters and YouTubers did.)

Marketers need to understand the expectations of their companies, not just for speed of apology. I feel like it’s more important than ever that they have someone helping them dig down to their essence, truly get to know the people they want to sell to and support, find their voice, and keep them honest while not losing their specialness in communicating with others.

As strategists/planners, this is our job. And while I don’t find it fulfilling every day, on the whole, it’s pretty damn sweet.

Ironically (?) not having written anything on planning in a while has had me feeling less fulfilled. So thank you for putting something out there that made me think and type out more than a half-assed comment.

Also, just so you know, I already consider you a “thinker-doer.” In fact, I have that as a label in G-Mail for convos I have with you, Mike (who you shout-out), Noah, Eric, Chet, Johanna, Amit, Kevin, Leland, Adrian, Paul, and a few others. No joke. I agree I will only be adding more planners and ex-planners to that folder.

And one more thing…Brands! Ah, that felt good.

Tags: blogging, clay, friends, planning

Blog Action Day: Running Homeless

Today is Blog Action Day, an annual event (in its second year) where bloggers post about the same issue on the same day to “raise awareness and trigger global discussion.” Exactly a year ago, bloggers united to bring the environment to the web’s attention. I wrote about greenmail, my friend Kim’s green-tip-filled e-mails (which she’s still doing). This year the topic is Poverty.

We are allowed to interpret the theme as we see fit, which could have been a bit of a daunting task. However, I was excited that a thought immediately popped into mind about what I should write. Last night while watching CNN election coverage (which is pretty standard these evenings), I noticed a promotion to Vote for the CNN Hero of 2008. It gave a quick look at a few of the nominees, one of whom caught my full attention.

It was Anne Malhum, the founder of Back on My Feet–”a non-profit organization that promotes self-sufficiency of Philadelphia’s homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.” (I’m sure great care was taken in crafting that mission statement, so wanted to use her words.) Anne would pass a homeless shelter every morning on her daily run, and one day an idea stopped her in her tracks. What started as one small running club has become so much more (at 5 shelters in just 15 months) without losing its core principles of discipline (that running can show you what your capable of) and community (that life’s a lot easier when you don’t go at it alone). She doesn’t provide food or shelter, rather shoes, structure and support to the homeless. And she provides inspiration for all of us.

What a great coincidence that I saw this last night. Read more about her great story here.

Tags: action, blogactionday, blogging, nonprofit, poverty

Hello, That’s My WordPress

Welcome to the new home of El Gaffney.

Hi to those who are visiting from my “Bye Bye Blogspot” post. Hi to those coming from their RSS reader. Hi to those unsure how they got here. Hi Mom.

Thanks to Eric for helping me make this transition. I’m going to be making some changes over the next couple of weeks, including tagging and categorizing previous posts (which I failed to do back at the old spot). Please bear with me (especially subscribers if old posts refresh). I hope you enjoy the site’s design and content.

[photo via flickr's oskay]

Tags: blogging, hello, new

Just Blog It

Inspired by the image below (via tokyohanna) and of course this Nike commercial (via our Portland office), I made that note to self (and anyone else needing a reminder) above. That’s about as artistic as I get. (Though did I mention I have commercial-worthy handwriting?) That’s all. Now, how about that kiss.

Tags: advice, blogging, nike

So What, Wieden+Kennedy New York?

So what goes on at Wieden+Kennedy New York? I’ve heard this question numerous times since working here. In fact, one of my highly viewed posts is the one announcing my start. I know I asked Whudafxup with W+KNY way before I ever interviewed at this place. Sure, we get that one line in the AdAge Agency Report Card every year that reads something like “Lastly, the NY office continues to pump out entertaining work for ESPN.” Which, of course, is better than nothing or hate-hate-hating. But when you’ve got your one other U.S. office, the global HQ in Portland, doing its thing for years and for clients like Nike, Coke, Old Spice, Heineken, Target, CareerBuilder, EA Sports, Starbucks and who knows what else; and you’ve got London winning Nokia, bringing it for Honda and killing it with their blog; and other global offices opening or coming strong, to put it simply: Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy.

So what did I do when I got here? Nothing at first, except absorb and understand the culture of this office. I identified a couple of opportunities to better our internal collaboration and our external brand. I set objectives, I drew on past experiences, and I started experimenting with solutions. Along the way, I certainly faced some challenges…and I know I’d be a fool to believe it’s smooth sailing from here.

So what am I actually talking about? The creation of Wieden+Kennedy New York’s blog.

I guess the idea was considered way back when I was a prospective employee, working out at Fallon Minneapolis and ready to move back to my home, NYC. The agencies on my radar were the ones people were talking about. They were the ones getting written up. They were part of the conversation, and thus, my consideration set. Wieden was always a favorite agency…too bad they were in Portland.

Yet it wasn’t until shortly after I arrived that John Jay came through our office on his “we’re AdWeek’s Global Agency of the Year” tour that I totally believed in the importance of developing our office’s unique culture and voice. The benefits that could be gained from sharing within our walls, across our network, within the industry and international creative community far outweighed the risks. I really believe this. And I have already seen how much more involved people become once someone takes the very little time to teach them (about the platform or a post).

So, I got people smarter than me to help create it. I enlisted people more interesting than me to populate it with content.

Now doesn’t come the statement, “This is not an agency blog!” Of course, it is. Are we going to be different that some of the others? I sure hope so. And that’s not a comment on agency blogs stinking - there are some fantastic ones that serve as inspiration to me at the very least. We obviously hope to be different because there’s no need for the same content to be regurgitated.

On a related note, while it is an agency blog, it is not a planning blog. Nothing against them. I still read a bunch and enjoy each! But as of now, I’m the only person with that title with a login. We have a design, media director, copywriter, cultural curator (yes, sick title), search director and project manager all set up with logins (though not all have posted). And yes, past experience has shown the heavy lifting will likely be done by me and a couple of others.

So what do we hope to bring to the blogosphere? A window into the world of Wieden+Kennedy New York and New York culture through the lens of our people. So you won’t get someone like me who’s still listening to FutureSex/LoveSounds hollering about the underground music scene. You’ll get a music-junkie. You won’t have me and my Johnston & Murphy zip-up boots poppin’ off about the latest kicks. You’ll get a sneaker-head. And so on. Plus, you’ll get way less alliteration and rhyming!)

This blog is supposed to interesting. It is supposed to be fun. It is only supposed to be self-serving in that we benefit the same way that any blogger does - from engaging in the conversation, learning by doing and learning from others. Hopefully you’ll find it entertaining and every once in a while inspiring. As you’ll see from the archives, we’ve been working on being interesting and honing our collective voice since February - and we’re still a work in progress. (Yes, always in beta - but I’m sick of that phrase.)

So that’s all for now. Come visit and say hi. But don’t leave me…I couldn’t bear it.

Tags: blogging, nyc, wk