Confessions of an Executive Producer

for all you crispin haters

Before I started blogging I read many ad sites. They varied in focus but as a general rule they had two things in common. They were snarky. And, they loved to bash Crispin Porter Bogusky. If I read a positive posting I figured it was a slow day in Boulder. 

 

Why the vitriolic fervor towards one agency? I kinda understand it. They have raised hype to an art form. The work feels not as good as as the PR would lead you to believe. And, they often ask a lot for not enough money. Ironically they get too many accolades for the average work and not enough for the breakthrough ones. 

Even still, they are pushing the industry like no other singular big agency with the possible exception of Goodby. Don't believe me. Check out their website. It's a virtual bear hug to social media. They are embracing the future and trying to create new platforms. Maybe that's reason enough to mobilize the ad haters en masse. For me, I just found my own reason to love them.

Last week I posted about TIME being our most valued commodity. I placed this in context through the use of an anecdote about a job we were bidding on. The tale was critical of the way the agency handled the bidding process i.e. our time. Adhering to my own standards of keeping parties anonymous unless speaking positively, I didn't specify the agency in question. 

Lo and behold on a Sunday afternoon, a comment appears on that post. It was from David Rolfe, the VP of Integrated Production for Crispin Porter Bogusky, the agency I anonymously referenced. I don't need to recant what he wrote here. Go to the comments section of "Scarcity of Time". Whether he was defensive, which he was not, is irrelevant. What is relevant his transparency and willingness to join the dialog. He had the balls to out his agency, in particular his department. He took the criticism to heart. And most importantly, he is the first major agency figure to publicly comment on my blog. For that I'm extremely grateful. Another barrier broken. Hopefully it will encourage others industry leaders to become more active in social media discussions. Contrary to popular belief, honest constructive dialog helps the community and won't hurt you individually. 

Now for all your Crispin haters who think this is shameless brown nosing to get work, let me assure you...I'm not above ass kissing. Unfortunately, it won't work here. Crispin will use our company when we're right. It's their culture. And, I hope they will but not just for the obvious reasons. Epoch is similar to Crispin in that we are trying to continually reinvent our model. We are committed to being participants in social media not merely observers. David Rolfe personifies that commitment not only by his public comments but by his actions.

David started his own blog, David Rolfe's Posterous. In yesterday's post he gave a rare insight to what an agency is looking for in their relationships with directors. It was honest and constructive. Go read it. I think the kid has a bright future as a blogger.

David Rolfe - Reason #156 why social media is going to save us from ourselves. 

13 days and counting

In less than two weeks from today, I'll be appearing at the 'boards summit. Take a look a the crew who is on the panel with me. If you don't recognize me, I'm the one with the least impressive title and the most unprofessional headshot. 

 

You may recall a few weeks back I posted an S.O.S. It was a plea for someone who could help me avoid public humiliation. Many of you forwarded suggestions, ideas and software. One person, Dominic Lahiff, actually took the time to write a detailed list of ideas. It is very much appreciated. Through this process one person became my savior and muse, Hudson Lines. 

Hudson sent me an email telling me about his experience as a speech writer for a CEO of a major corporation. He had worked on these type of presentations before, not only for the CEO but also for himself. He was willing to offer his services to me for free but in return he wanted career advice and introductions. I love the barter system so I took him up on is proposition. 

When I was in NY a couple of weeks ago we sat down. Wanting to make my down payment in advance, he gave me his story first. His background and talent is impressive but he is still in the career exploration phase. After listening to him all I could think of is how do I create a position for him at my company. There should always be room at Epoch for young, ambitious, creative and smart people. Now, I just need to figure out where, if not in my world then at least in my expanded universe. First, I need him to bale me out.

I started the meeting by pitching my ideas to Hudson on the history of the relationship between agencies, production companies and their audiences. I then segue into how it's dramatically evolved in the last year. He nodded approvingly and told me it was a good idea but completely wrong...for me. He said the speech needs to be personal. I need to talk about my exploration and experiences in social media. How it changed me personally, changed my company and ultimately how it is changing the direction of the entire industry. He then started to reference things I had written. As I listened to him speak, I turned to my computer and dragged my previous notes I spent two hours in the plane writing quietly into the trash.

Hudson and I are in the midst of working on the presentation. I hope to get done in time to post before the 'boards summit. I'd love receive some feedback. As I said in my first posting, this blog got me into the mess I'm hoping it can get me out. So, why not take full advantage.

Hudson Lines - Reason #127 on why social media works and is here to stay.  

for the non believers

Tomorrow night, I'll be a panelist for an event called "Blog Out Loud". The purpose of this lively discussion is to talk about the relevance of social media, in particular the power of blogging. 

I know in our industry there are many skeptics of the social media revolution. For those that are, check out this video, it may sway you. For the true believers, not that you need it, the video is further affirmation. At the very least it's thought provoking. 

My good friend, Charles Day, turned me onto it last week. It was perfect timing for the eve of this event. 

Whether it's the savior of advertising is still debatable. But, even the most ardent naysayer will have to acknowledge social media is not a fad but rather a growing fixture in our culture. Will it ever be truly be an effective tool for brands and marketers? Can we monetize it as an industry? How can one personally engage to grow their career, their business, their contacts and their knowledge? These questions and more are the ones we seek answers to. 

If you happen to have to no plans tomorrow night come on by. You may get the answer to some of these questions or just some valuable insight into blogging and social media. If anything it will get you thinking about the future. And, it may make a believer out of you yet. 

The event starts at 7pm. It is hosted by the editorial company THERAPY. They are located in West LA at 2010 S. Westgate Avenue. You were suppose to RSVP by last Friday but if you call the folks at WIREDRIVE (310-823-8238). They are hosting the event. Hopefully, there are some seats left. 

reverse mentors

Rae Ann Fera and Laas Turnball from Boards Magazine were in town for the LA AICP show. Mal and I met them for lunch. At lunch Rae Ann mentioned a concept I wasn't too familiar with but I practice frequently, reverse mentorship.

If mentorship is an experienced individual advising or passing on their knowledge to someone from the younger generation then reverse mentorship is the old learning from the young.

I don't think this is a new phenomenon. Every new generation creates their own culture. Young learns from old and old from young. However there is something different today. The communication and technical revolution has created change quicker than current and past generations can adapt. The ones who are most fluid in adjusting to the rapid advances are the youth.

This past weekend my nephew Josh was in town. He's 13 year old. He lives in NYC. He has two older sisters. During the four days he played many games of Guitar Hero with my kids and continually texted his friends, mostly girls. When he wasn't doing those things, he played games on his computers and watched shows online. I turned him on the Three Stooges on Hulu. He loved it. We also found time to go the beach, play tennis and cook.

Not only is Josh a great kid but an amazing mentor. He's a sports fan but never reads the sports page. He gets all his info on espn.com. He likes TV but rarely watches it live unless it's a sporting event. Why adhere to someone elses schedule when he came create his own. He rarely calls to talk to his friends but is in constant communication. He loves movies but downloads them from BitTorrent rather than use a pay service like Netflix. A recent NY Times article says he has changed his ways. He said the article changed the story. He still uses BitTorrent, mostly because they have a better catalog. Yet another reason for him to disengage from old media.

Josh is not a rebellious kid but he does not conform to the old means of communication and receiving media. I have found this with not only Josh but with many other teens and early twenties. I continually question my kids camp counselors, teachers, babysitters and other friends families. They are my own private focus groups. It makes me realize my business must continue to evolve otherwise I'll end up like bad guy at the end of a Scooby Doo episode. "If it wasn't for those meddling kids...".

I learned a lot from Josh this weekend. Now I finally have a name for it.

crazy rabbit, twitters not for kids

Two different people sent me an article from the Guardian entitled, "Twitter is Not for Teens". They both thought it would be good blog fodder. They were right.

The article was about a 15 year old intern working for Morgan Stanley's London office. His name is Matthew Robson. He was asked to write a report describing his friends viewing habits. It became must reading in the firm and shortly after a front page piece in the Financial Times.

The report provided such shocking warnings as traditional media (TV, Radio, Periodicals) is losing ground as the youth are disinterested. Other mind blowing revelations included kids prefer new media but don't want to pay for it. They don't like being marketed to or pay attention to advertising unless it's good content. Teens prefer communicating via texting instead of phones and prefer video games over TV.

There are two things that amazed me about this article. Morgan Stanley hires 15 year olds. No, that's not it. It's that the London financial community were somehow enlightened by this report. So much so that it became mandatory reading at Morgan Stanley and was passed around through out the industry. Does no one in English Finance have kids? To me these realizations aren't news, they are givens. Everyone in media has been trying to adjust to these trends to keep their businesses relevant.

The other thing is how Matthew's report was views as cautionary investing advice on the value of social networking outlets. Teens like free stuff so Facebook and Twitter aren't worth anything? Eventually these kids become adults. They'll make money (barring of course the economy rebounds in our lifetime creating actual jobs). Is it possible that as they age they will spend money to receive information and stay connected in the way they have grown accustom to? Those who don't want to client to maintain the same models cling to any hint of information that indicates social media is a fad not a trend.

Sometime around 1975 there was a meeting at a TV network or maybe a media company. At the meeting someone predicted that within 15 years everyone in America will not only be paying a monthly fee to watch TV but also they'll continue to be paid advertising. Not that I believe social media or online content will follow the same model as cable TV. But, it certainly proves its possible to change and monetize communication.

The question isn't if, it's when and who is going to be on the winning side.

revolution

I love politics. Always have. Although I consider myself well versed on current events, I shy away from blogging about it. I prefer to leave the opining to the professionals. However, the recent events in Iran give me pause.

I'm not going to wax on about the spread of democracy. Although, if you are going to fix an election, create a better narrative so it's not so overtly cheating. Build some drama. Make it seem close, like 54-46. It's enough of a mandate to rule but not such a blowout that it questions the validity. I'd also wait at least 3 days not 3 minutes to certify the results. This post isn't about better ways to cheat. It's about witnessing the amazing power of the social media revolution relating to real life events. For those of you that still think it's a fad. Think again.

When social networks were designed they were done so without any set intention to their applications. They only provided a platform. It would be the users and the communities who would figure out its function and viability. There is no better example of this than the uprising in Iran. It's being spurned on by everything from Twitter feeds and Facebook updates to Youtube videos, text messaging and blogging. It's mobilizing the masses and the world is watching.

No matter how this ends, it is historical. It could be a turning point in the Iranian political system and along with it a major power shift in Mideast geopolitics. Even if the revolution is crushed for the moment, the powers are only buying themselves time. Sixty percent of the Iranian population is under 30 years of age. They have been exposed to the power of modernity. The ability to communicate and mobilize. To understand the world outside of their own controlled environments. The irony is that the 1979 Islamic revolution encouraged and basically mandated a baby boom. The enforcement of this policy to aid in sustaining generational power may ultimately be the very thing that leads to its downfall.

The era of controlling a population through tyrannical forces is becoming increasingly difficult without the ability to control the message. With so many competing forces placing their views, pictures and videos into the ether, we may be witnessing the death of state run propaganda. The more information is out there the less controlled the messaging. The less controlled the messaging the more educated and questioning the population. The absence, or at least the diluting, of propaganda raises the hope of democratic rule. Unfortunately very few regimes cede power without bloodshed. I'm afraid this will be no different.

Amazing times. Scary times. Peace.

blogging

Last weeks NY Times Sunday Style section ran an article entitled "When the Thrill of Blogging is Gone". The crux of the piece was the number of blogs that are discontinued. People start them with the hope of creating a voice that will attract a specific and large audience. Very few succeed.

"According to a 2008 survey by Technorati, which runs a search engine for blogs, only 7.4 million out of the 33 million blogs the company tracks had been updated in the past 120 days. That translates to 95 percent of blogs being essentially abandoned, left to lie fallow on the Web"

I get it. It's hard to find a niche. It's even harder to write consistently. And if you can do both there is no guarantee you'll find an audience. If so, why have I have read so many articles recently in the mainstream media minimizing the importance of blogs? It's as if they keep pointing out the flaws, people will stop reading them or writing them. Journalists love free speech as long as they're the only ones talking.

Truthfully, I read quite a lot of blogs although not many regularly. The ones I frequent not only post consistently but also have a unique insight that only someone with intimate knowledge and daily exposure would have. That's probably why I'm so adverse to political blogs unless they are by some type of public servant or an accomplished reporter. A political blogger without the professional dedication lacks the experience to be taken seriously. They are just ranting. Or worse, stating opinion and rumor as fact.

What I do enjoy is perspective from someone who is in the game. As it relates to my industry I read more blog postinga and Twitter feeds then I do feature articles in the trade publications. Trades are useful to report on new and noteworthy. On occasion, they provide an interesting outside perspective or identify a trend. The problem is they rarely address the underlining problems and issues our industry encounters everyday.

Unlike newspaper reporters, trade writers aren't under any societal obligation to uncover truths to an otherwise unknowing public. Their job is to relay industry news without offending or creating controversy. Understandable since the industry leaders they cover can represent both potential print ad revenue and possible sources for stories. This is why I've found it more helpful to read blogs or tweets by creative directors, marketing strategists, designers, etc. They are the ones creating the innovations and trends impacting our industry. More importantly they are candidly willing to share.

I wish one of the trades would prominently place on their site links to top industry bloggers. Or tweet daily about postings they find relevant. May be even ask some bloggers to be regular contributors by asking permission to reprint a topical posting. It's a front line account like war correspondents reporting from the battlefield.

Media companies, in particular trades, are losing ground everyday to maintain their audiences and keep up ad revenue. Rather than bashing or ignoring the blog community maybe it's time to embrace them. I hate to be cliche but if you can't beat 'em...hire 'em, link to 'em, and read 'em.  

oppportunites in social media

Has anyone seen the new Sprint commercial for the Palm Pre? Or is it for Facebook? I can't quite tell. Maybe it's a little bit of both.

The Palm Pre is competing against the iphone. To do so they need to highlight the ability to deliver internet content in real time. What better way to feature this function than by clearly illustrating easy access to everyone's favorite social networking site, Facebook. This marketing strategy makes Facebook the benefactor of free promotion, not by one but by two major phone companies. iphone has also featured them on a recent spot.

One brand providing free advertising to another brand, to this degree and expense, is unprecedented. It shows not only the popularity of social media but also desire of brands to be associated with this cultural phenomenon. This is not surprising. Brands have always been adept, albeit slow, at capitalizing on trends. What is surprising is how Sprint wasted this opportunity.

Did anyone consider the URL end tag should be the Sprint Facebook page? Maybe a special offer for those that become fans? Use the social media network (you just footed the bill to promote) to make a genuine connection to the consumer. Solicit advice on phone functions. Create a sense of ownership in the development of the device. Make the phone less the property of Sprint and more the property of the consumer. Strangely, on Facebook, there is a series of Sprint pages none related to the Palm Pre. In other words, Facebook works for the potential Palm Pre consumer but doesn't work for Sprint.

I believe the most effective means to sell product is through broadcast commercials. I also believe there will be no more effective means to build brand loyalty than through social media. Sprint had a seamless opportunity to do both. Unfortunately they didn't make the most of it.

go public

An unexpected lively debate took place over last weeks posting "missing links". Bill Sewell, the President of Wiredrive, and Andreas Wacker, the head of Interdubs, sparked an interesting dialogue of where this technology is heading. It was joined by another commenter named Jason who threw out a generalization on how Wiredrive had "lost touch with their consumer base". About 12 hours after that comment was posted, Andreas sent me an email requesting its removal. 

Andreas felt the statement was non-factual and placed by a dubious source. The commenter in question, Jason, implied he was a dissatisfied Wiredrive customer and preferred Simian. Andreas claimed Jason was posing as a production company and was using this forum to promote Simian by making false comments about their main rival. Andreas went further by suggesting I should not only remove Jason's comments but also his own since he also used the blog to promote Interdubs.

(As a side note, I'm fine with Andreas or anyone else promoting their company through the comment section as long as it's relevant to the topic. Not sure what good it will do but it's earned media...and I love earned media)

Although Andreas made a strong argument for removal, I had no concrete proof.  I also don't want to censor. I decided not to delete the comment since Jason did provide an email address. Instead I replied to Jason requesting he provide specifics to back up his claim. This action invited Andreas and Bill to counter. Bill actually call out Jay Brooks, co-owner of Simian. We have yet to hear back from Jason however it did bring Jay into the conversation. Jay said that the statements Bill made about his company were false but the previous ones made about Wiredrive were accurate. The whole things a mess.

Truth is, I don't know the truth. I'm not a reporter or fact checker. I'm just a blow hard with a laptop. The best thing that came out if this incident was it got me thinking about the entire concept of public dialogue, at it's best and worse. 

In the two months since I started blogging, I have seen the audience grow. It has attracted agency people, competitors, vendors, freelancers, and even a few folks completely unrelated to the business. All of these voices have value. My wish is that more people would put their thoughts on the record, like the companies mentioned above.

Currently I receive about 7 emails or direct Facebook messages for every blog comment. I have responded to every message and will continue to do so. These correspondences are much appreciated and inspiring. However, I encourage anyone inclined to participate to make your views public by posting, when applicable, rather then contacting me directly.

If there is anything I have learned from writing is that I'm forced to truly think about the challenges facing our industry. Much is wrong but much is right, and mostly its the smart and talented individuals that make up this industry. Unfortunately, many of them feel powerless to alter the direction we are heading in. They are simply circling the wagons and protecting their own. This strategy may lead to survival for some but what remains may be scorched Earth.  

I believe it is the responsibility of the leaders and those on the front line to publicly share their experiences and express their opinions to the community. We are fortunate to live in a revolutionary era where individual voices can be broadcast instantaneously to a targeted audience. When they are heard it raises conversation. Conversation inspires thought. Thought leads to inspiration. Inspiration provokes mobilization. And, unified mobilization empowers action. This action can move our industry in a more positive direction. It won't be the AICP or Omnicom or any other institutional power, that will enact change. And it certainly won't be this blog. It will be the unified will of voices that redirect our fate. It begins with open and public debate. It spreads from there and its potential is limitless. I hope you join in. Your voice is needed.

staying connected

        

I was flying back to LA after a long week in NY. Nothing like being in The City with perfect spring weather. I flew Virgin Atlantic. Being a truly modern airline, internet service is widely available. Upon announcement that it was now safe to turn on all electrical device, four of the six people in my row opened up their computers. One went right to Facebook. One opened their Tweetdeck. One checked their email. And the other one started writing a blog posting. That would be me.

There is a state of the art media console on Virgin. Live TV. Movies, On Demand series. Video games. Even still 2/3 of the people on my row went right to the computer and, even more relevant, to some form of communication. 

A month ago, I posted a Twiter feed (that's also linked to my Facebook status) and asked should i get online while in flight. It's one of the last remaining acceptable refuges of disconnection. I was questing whether i should allow that space to be penetrated. Almost unanimously the answer was NO. I did it anyhow. Truth is I like being connected.

Even more interesting is that on my plane ride on Sunday night we were beginning our descent into NY. After we landed I turned on my cell phone to text my wife that I had arrived safely. While we were taxing to the gate, I killed time by browsing through Twitterific on my cell phone. The first feed I read was by my friend Doug Hirsch. It said "5.0 right underneath my house". I was like, holy shit was there an earthquake in LA? I called my wife immediatley and sure enough there was. Nothing wins you brownies points like leaving your wife alone for the week with 2 kids, a dog and an earthquake. Once we hung up I went on my phone web browser to check the news services. I was curious if there was any mention of the quake. Not a word. I've read reports about how they were using Twitter to locaate fires in Santa Barbara and how Twitter broke major stories. This was my first direct personal experience with the power and immediacy of a newsworthy Tweet. 

Another great social media story this week. My NY sales rep, Tara, got proactive and started an Epoch Films fan page. On the page she posted a spot we facilitated for MOMA directed by the very gifted indie filmmaker, Aza Jacobs. Tara forwared me an email an agency producer sent her about the spot. This posting on the fan page not only introduced this producer to Aza but also led to a possible Epoch project. This connection was made entirely through the Epoch fan page on Facebook.

I know there are still a lot of non-believers out there. Some even think it's just a fad. I think it's a revolution and we have only begun to scratch the surface.