LHWH Advertising and Public Relations

Getting There

2011-03-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

So, instead of arriving in San Jose at 9:30 PM, we touch down in San Francisco at 11:00 PM, collect our bags and find ourselves, compliments of Delta, boarding the “Super” Shuttle, along with a small party of felow travelers. Arriving at our hotel as the last of the drop-offs, we have had a fatigue-hazed nighttime tour of the Stanford campus, the Villages at Cupertino aka Appleland, a swish apartment complex casually at home in all that Silicon Valley wealth and a quick tour of the streets of downtown San Jose pretty much deserted except for an occasional vehicle of suspicious appearances from which one would not be surprised to see gunshots emerging. Or maybe that was just what it felt like at 2:00 AM west coast time, or 5:00 AM east coast time, about when I am usually getting up.

I think we came to SMX West to learn something about the latest and greatest in search marketing and not to provide fodder for travel writing. Only time will tell.

Didn't see that one coming

2011-03-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

(from last night's travels)

Flying west tonight with Pete on US Air instead of on our scheduled flight on Delta. Got to the airport in Myrtle Beach planning to fly to Atlanta and then to San Jose with a scheduled arrival time of 9:00 pm. Instead we are flying US Air through Charlotte to San Francisco with an ETA of 11:00 pm. And then a late night taxi to San Jose for the start of tomorrow's conference. As the helpful Delta agent in Myrtle Beach was rebooking us due to blown Delta connections, she asked us if we were "from here?" "Yes," we told her. "Oh," she said, a bit surprised, "I never fly out of Myrtle Beach. I always drive to Charleston." Who knew?

On our first flight of the day, Pete and I went through the outstanding three day agenda deciding which of us would go to which sessions. We've got a game plan mapped out. Looking forward to sharing what we learn with everyone when we get back.

In Honor of Steve Wilson

2010-11-29T07:12:00.000-08:00

What follows is my tribute to Steve Wilson, spoken at his service on Friday, Nov. 26th...

Steve has been my partner at work for almost 25 years.

He's been a great partner. More than I can possibly express.

Coming to work without him present, without his wry humor, his understated brilliance and his enormous heart, is hard to imagine. There is a loss there that will go on for a long, long time.

Steve was an incredible person. In that regard, I can tell you that I am grateful to have known him, to have spent so much time with him and to have had him so smack in the middle of my life for so long.

Grateful is a big concept to me.

Over the years, the words “cultivate gratitude” have come to signify a way to look at life. A way to strip away any sense of entitlement. A way to access reasons to be thankful for our lives.

For gratitude to become a habit, one must practice it. And that doesn't mean practice it only when it's easy. It means under any circumstance. Even this one.

So, today, the day after Thanksgiving, I want to tell you why I am so grateful to have had Steve as a partner for so many years.

It's actually hard to know where to begin.

I think I want to start by calling out his humility. Steve was a person of huge creative talent and at the same time, one of the least self-promotional individuals I have ever known. I'm not sure I can remember a single thing he ever said or did whose motive was to make himself look better. This is a quiet and beautiful and under the radar quality that few people have. I remember many years ago at a particular juncture in our workload mentioning to Steve that I was aware of the fact that he had given all the really juicy, high profile creative assignments to other people in the agency rather than holding on to them himself and he said, “Thank you for noticing.” Over the years I'm sure there were countless gestures like this, most of which probably did go unnoticed. Steve knew who he was and didn't need the recognition of others to shore up his sense of self.

Steve was a great listener, one of the best I have ever known. He would take in everything and you knew he was really taking it in. And where creative work was concerned, that capacity of his to listen well and then tap into his own deeply original creative mind was a constant source of real pleasure. Day after day, year after year, Steve's creative work connected with, delighted and excited client after client.

In that same light, Steve could always be trusted to come through. You knew you could count on him. You knew he had your back. You knew that he was so deeply engaged and committed to delivering excellence that he was never going to let you down. Under fire, under stress, under duress, Steve would always come through. And always with an extraordinary attention to the most minute detail.

As everyone at our company knows, Steve shouldered huge amounts of responsibility. Always. Without complaint. In ways that were designed to lighten the load of others.

Steve was a person of exceptional integrity. In all the highs and lows of our business life together, there was never the slightest concern or question about the fact that he could be trusted completely with anything no matter what it might be. I thank him for that gift and I know I will miss it.

Steve was a person of kindness. His core of kindness was always present. I cannot think of a single mean-spirited thing he ever did.

He did, however, have a wicked sense of humor. A witty, understated, wry and often deadpan way of totally cracking us up. I came across an email he sent out a few years ago. He was forwarding to a few of us an email he had received with the subject line: Hi from Kristina. Above the complete text of Kristina's email, Steve's email began: “I'm sorry to tell you that Monday will be my last day at the agency. I've fallen in love and am moving to Russia. When you read Kristina's email to me, I'm sure you'll understand why I am so totally smitten. She has such a refreshing way with words--my favorite being: “I shall wait much.” Well, I can't make her wait much, so I must go. I'm now writing to her my story life but am sure things will work out regardless.”

******

Now I want to tell you a little about the events of this past week.

As you all must know, many of us at LHWH have been coming to work with Steve as a central person in our lives for ten, 15, 20 years and more.

So, after this past weekend's sudden and shocking turn of events, Vern and I talked and agreed that we wanted everyone at LHWH to know what had happened with Steve after he was admitted to the hospital on Friday, including that he was not going to make it. I spent Monday sharing that news with everyone in our company, not knowing by the end of the day he would already no longer be with us.

You can only imagine the shock and heartbreak of this news.

The lack of warning, the lack of closure, the suddenness, the helplessness and impending finality of losing Steve just like that was devastating and almost surrealistic for all of us. In having to share this news, I was witness to the depth of feeling for Steve in so many people: the tears, the disbelief, the sense of loss, the visceral impact this news had on everyone.

I also reached out on Monday to close friends who used to work at LHWH that I knew would want to hear what was happening with Steve in a more personal and immediate way.

I hope no one here ever has to be the bearer of news like this to those close to you but I want to tell you that across the spectrum of all the past and present LHWH relationships that Steve had there was one common thread that was expressed over and over again: “I really, really loved him.”

The cumulative effect of hearing this over and over again was very powerful. It gave me pause to want to dwell a bit on that depth of feeling Steve inspired around him.

Given that Steve's workplace persona was often overwhelmed, stressed out, unknowingly frowning, intense, serious and rushed, it was amazing and revealing to be exposed to how deeply that inner beauty of his had connected with so many people at such a heart level.

It made me think of my favorite definition of work, something Kahlil Gibran wrote, something that I first read long ago when I was still in college.

Gibran said:

“Work is love made visible.”

Based on this definition, Steve deserves to be honored for the quality of work that he did.

*******

A few years ago the American writer Joan Didion wrote a book called The Year of Magical Thinking. It's the story of the year that followed her sitting down to dinner with her husband one night only to have him drop dead in front of her in the middle of a sentence. “You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends,” she wrote at the time. The book is a memoir of the year that followed that sudden death. The reason that the book is titled The Year of Magical Thinking is that at some point well into that first year after her husband's death, Joan realizes that somewhere in her, she still expects to come home one night and find her husband alive, sitting at the table, life as she knew it returning to normal. She recognizes that deep down, she is still attached to the expectation of a magical reversal of the unreality of his death. This comes to mind because this week I have heard over and over that this all seems unreal, like a bad dream, like it can't really have happened. And I expect that we will all have our own experience with not really believing that Steve is gone, that we will come to work one day and he will be in his office as usual. I know, myself, this week, when I walked by his office, I still felt that he was there or would be there shortly and could not really fathom that the hole of Steve's absence wouldn't somehow be filled by him magically reappearing and all of us waking from this as if it was just a bad dream. I expect we will have our own year of Magical Thinking at LHWH while we all try to process a loss that leaves such a big hole in the heart.

But, on a deeper level, suffering is an inevitable part of life. We are all mortal, none of us know the moment we are destined to go and all of us have to experience the death of people we love. This is often a test of faith. But, it can also serve as a catalyst for deepening one's understanding of what really does matter in life, for reshaping one's priorities, for remembering what has intrinsic, ongoing value and what does not.

It is said that:

"God brings men into deep waters

not to drown them,

but to cleanse them."

And for myself, I believe, in the end, everything comes back to love.

And while it hurts to lose Steve so abruptly, there is some solace in seeing how deeply loved he was by so many.

This is the legacy of his life that I will hold on to. It ties back to the final thought I want to share today, another quote about love:

“Love is the reflection of God’s unity in the world of duality. It constitutes the entire significance of creation.”

Heard It Through the Grapevine

2010-11-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I've recently noticed, it's this: people love to gossip. Circulate. Pass on. Repeat. And often without a second thought. Gossip is, after all, always about tearing down.

In college, I played volleyball. My weeks consisted of so many lifting sessions, early practices, and timed sprints (can't say I miss those one bit...) that I could barely keep track. And despite the fact that I was part of a hardworking team, I had a difficult coach whose actions--mouthing off at refs, making us run during timeouts, throwing things around on the bench--made him a hot topic of conversation within our conference. It was no surprise that this severely affected our reputation. The more people talked, the more we felt like we had something to prove (and we did). Our captains switched things up the very next season: we ran suicides until our legs turned to jello, we added ten pounds to our weights, we had frequent team meetings, and we upped our intensity (now there's a sports term if I've ever heard one). A team that usually placed at the very bottom of the conference became the regular season champs that year; one that everyone would spend their off-seasons preparing for.

It's no different in the business world. Domino's Pizza, for example, has battled quality perceptions over the years. The taste, price, ingredients, you name it, were dissatisfying. Point blank: you knew when you ordered that you were sacrificing quality for a lower price than Papa John's or Pizza Hut. In a smart business move, however, they listened, they interpreted, and they responded. They upgraded their ingredients and improved the taste, announcing their "new pizza" in a major TV campaign. They didn't just stop there: they encouraged their customers to "become the photographers" and send in photos of their pizzas. By listening to the public, they turned what was a negative situation into a positive one. Kudos, Dominos.

The next time you find yourself the target of gossip, consider your options. Listen. Interpret. Strategize. Your customers are what drive your business; show them that you care.

Jeff Small to Speak at TEDxMyrtleBeach

2010-10-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

While some dread public speaking, others embrace it; LHWH Interactive Development Director, Jeff Small, is the latter. Having recently accepted an offer to speak at TEDxMyrtleBeach, he—among others—will have eighteen minutes to discuss what he is most passionate about. The answer: “Technology Ubiquity”. And just what is “Technology Ubiquity”? The discussion of how new technology is slowly becoming ingrained in our day to day activities and lives, and how this will affect all facets of our lives. “I'm going to talk about what kinds of radical technologies are rapidly becoming part of our everyday lives, and what effects this might have,” Jeff adds.

TEDxMyrtleBeach will take place on Thursday, October 21, from 9am-12pm in the boardroom of the Chamber of Commerce. In addition to Jeff, confirmed speakers include Jordan McDonald (discussing Women in Mixed Martial Arts), Brian Carter (incorporating social media with stand up comedy), Campbell Thames (addressing pop culture), and Gina Trimarco (discussing improv's ability to change one's life). Limited to forty attendees, event tickets are available for $25. To register, click here.

Why "going" viral often doesn't work.

2010-10-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

You won't become viral by proclamation. In a recent episode of Donald Trump's The Apprentice, the men were pitted against the women in a battle to see who could create the best viral video for Popcorn Indiana brand popcorn. The women bested the men by creating a video that featured a young man gorging himself with popcorn while he worked out at the gym. Finding the winning video on Youtube, I was a little surprised to see that there were only 1,775 views. Interestingly, the "losing" video has 2,849 views. Both numbers are far from what many would call "viral," half a million views and up you're getting there, but it's a prime example that simply proclaiming that your work is viral doesn't make it so.

I'm truly surprised by the number of savvy marketers who still think that they can control the medium as well as the message. Both videos do a good job of showcasing the brand. But anyone watching either of these two videos see's quickly that they are what they are; a brand ad. And while they are mildly entertaining, they're certainly not likely to explode on the internet. So what's a marketer who wants to go viral to do? Well, start by living viral, not proclaiming that you are. Create truly interesting, entertaining, thoughtful, and compelling ideas that go beyond a video. If it's truly a great idea (Old Spice) it will become viral worthy. Old Spice launched their "look at me guy" campaign not as a viral campaign, it was an ad campaign that became viral. To date, the 30 second TV spot has been viewed on Youtube an astounding 21,858,024.

The Zappos Effect

2010-09-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that customer service reps are friendlier and a little more helpful these days?

I have. At first I thought it was just the economy that was forcing companies to re-think customer service. The I saw an interview with Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. One of his examples of delivering a great customer experience hit home with me. Zappos makes it easy for a customer to call them. Their phone number isn't buried in their web site, in fact, not only do they welcome the phone call but they actually keep customers on the phone until they are certain that they have been genuinely helpful.

I recently had to call my cable provider to inquire about an issue with my home cable service. I was dreading the call. The last time I called them was a nightmare. On hold for what seemed like an eternity, customer service reps who sounded almost miserable, handed off to several people in the phone chain, not to mention actually being cut off only to have to call back and re-state my issue. Well I'm pleased to say that this latest call was perfectly painless. When I hung up having had my problem addressed by a friendly person who scheduled a service call at my convenience, I wondered, is it possible that other companies are taking their customer service cues from Zappos? If so, I applaud them for doing so. Let's hope it sticks.

Jeff and Steve Attend WordCamp 2010 in Savannah

2010-09-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Steve Wilson and myself attended WordCamp in Savannah. WordCamp is a two-day conference held all over the world for WordPress developers and designers. This past weekend we were fortunate to score a conference close enough to drive to in a location as beautiful as Savannah, so for us it was a win-win. Held at the SCAD River Club, on the banks of the Savannah River, the conference attracted speakers and attendees from around the world, including WordPress’ founder, Matt Mullenweg and several members of the core development team, the programmers and designers responsible for the software that powers both the WordPress.com website, and open source software available at WordPress.org. It was a rare opportunity to meet and interact with key people in the WordPress universe.

Since the release of version 3.0 in late June, WordPress is being used for much more than blogging. Initially little more than a blogging platform, enabling users to easily deploy a blog for their website or organization, the current release allows for a much richer environment enabling engagement and development far beyond a typical “blog site”. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see WordPress operating as a full blown CMS (Content Management System) allowing for customization and management of all aspects of a client’s web presence. Support for multiple pages, extending functionality with plugins, and modifying the look and feel with themes all work together to give large and small organizations alike the power and flexibility to quickly deploy and easily maintain even the largest stand alone website.

The conference began on Saturday morning and split into two tracks, one for developers and one for designers. The developers in attendance learned about core technologies, how to create WordPress plugins, how to implement other programming technologies, like javascript and ajax into already existing sites, and a host of other detailed technical topics.

The designers were given a first hand look “behind the curtain” and learned how themes work in WordPress; how to modify the look and feel of a theme; best practices for successful designs, and even spent some time sharing experiences, pitfalls, and triumphs associated with engaging WordPress sites.

Highlights included a showcase of some of the best and most successful WordPress sites that featured an impressive list of websites both large and small built upon the now familiar platform, including Wired Magazine, CNN, and Musicians Kanye West and Jay-Z’s official websites.

The beautiful setting of Savannah, with its remarkable city layout, gorgeous parks, and historic waterfront district provided ample opportunity to experience their famous Southern Hospitality and sample some of the more famous aspects of the “Savannah Experience”, including a trip to Paula Deen’s “Lady and Sons” restaurant. While not as impressive for two guys familiar with collard greens, black eyed-peas, fried chicken, and our moms’ home cooking, it was still fun to ride the elevator to the third floor of Ms. Deen’s “little ole restaurant”. Spirited discussions about all the possibilities of the WordPress platform were more memorable the next night, sitting on the porch of Fiddler’s Crab House people watching and enjoying fresh local seafood.

WordCamp was a great opportunity for LHWH to touch base with the WordPress community, exchange ideas, and experience firsthand how this terrific web platform can help deliver multi-functional impact in the most effective way possible. What started off as blogging software has quickly grown into the most robust, easy-to-implement and manageable software on the web today. With a wealth of plugins and themes, it helps fast track the development of an extremely robust website. Ask us how we can deploy this powerful update to WordPress for you.

Turning Fans into a Community.

2010-07-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

Who do you believe? A business telling you how great they are? Or, a past guest, repeat customer or ardent advocate telling you how great that business is in their own words and from their own experience? This is the major paradigm shift in marketing brought about by social media. The business's role in this space is to facilitate and respond appropriately to the conversation going on, not dominate it.

Since LHWH launched a Facebook page for Carolina Beach, NC, its fan base has grown from zero to nearly 17,000 in almost a year. The conversational tone of our postings has helped to engender a high degree of interactivity among fans. It's all about giving people who love this place a forum to talk about it, ask questions and share their vacation memories and photos with a group that also has an affinity for this seaside destination on the North Carolina coast.

"Are there public accesses to the beach if we stay off the beach?"

"Is that ice cream parlor still on the pier?"

"Who serves the best crab cakes?"

Our client, in fairness to all their member businesses, can't answer all questions. But, other fans can and do! And that's what it's about. Create a vibrant online conversation that's consumer driven and ultimately believable.

The success of our social media efforts on behalf of Carolina Beach (and neighboring Kure Beach) led LHWH to new social media responsibilities for both Wrightsville Beach and the Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast CVB. Extraordinary fan growth and fan interaction occurred within the first month of the new assignment.

With an Eye to the Sky.

2010-07-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

LHWH Senior Art Director, Steve Ellwood, has combined incredible patience and creativity to become quite an accomplished photographer. He started out a few years ago with a small telescope and camera to get incredible shots of the moon from his back yard. He eventually moved on to larger telescopes and more advanced cameras and equipment and started shooting long exposure photography. That opened up the entire universe and so many fascinating deep-sky objects that include various nebulae, galaxies and star clusters. Doing all the things it takes to get the right exposure as the Earth is rotating was quite a long and steep learning curve, but the results show he's mastered them. Going from that to his bird photography is what he calls a breath of fresh air -- because it's not nearly as technical as telescope-assisted astrophotography. It's much more about being in the right place at the right time, understanding the behavior of birds, and waiting for just the right shot. In his nylon camouflage outfit, he can wait and crawl undetected in almost any birding locale to capture images of amazing quality and clarity. From Belted Kingfishers and Snowy Egrets to Roseate Spoonbills, his stunning collection now includes hundreds of species in their natural settings. His dream is to compile and publish a beautiful coffee table book sometime in the near future. Check out Steve’s astrophotograhy here or his bird photogrpahy here.

Our Multi-Talented Media Director.

2010-06-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

LHWH Media Director, Erica Boardman Thomas not only won an award for her novel, Knowing Things, but walked away with the top prize of "Best Book of the Year" as selected by the judges for the 2008 Premier Book Awards.Submissions were judged on editorial excellence, engrossing subject matter, originality, accuracy, and professional packaging. Erica's novel was outstanding in all of these criteria. The judges felt Erica wrote with warmth and sensitivity, creating a story that would not only hold the reader's interest, but would be remembered well after turning the last page.Erica is also an artist and painted the illustration for the book cover. See the complete winner’s list.

"It's the Most Fun I've Ever Had."

2010-06-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

As both a featured artist and musician, LHWH Creative Director, Keith Borshak, was tapped by show producer and accomplished area artist in her own right, Kim Clayton, to join 30 hot new artists and 60 cool music acts on October 2-3 at the 9th Annual Battle of the Blues Art and Music Festival at the House of Blues in N. Myrtle Beach. He displayed 6 of his hand painted guitars depicting such Blues greats as Robert Johnson, Son House, BB King and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. And following the art show, he hit the Sugar Shack stage with his Truluck Johnson bandmates to peform a moving set of blues and rock & roll. All proceeds from the Festival were donated to South by Southeast, a local program that puts music instruments in the hands of kids who otherwise could not afford them.

Check out a short clip of Truluck Johnson performing at our 2009 Holiday Party.

Sharing the Good Times.

2010-05-19T11:59:00.001-07:00

Sharing vacation pictures with friends and family has been around as long as the first snapshot ever taken. But, (thankfully) gone are the days of dreaded, hours-long vacation slideshows in darkened living rooms. With social media sites like Facebook and Flickr, sharing our good times has never been easier or more efficient.
One reason social media has become so viral is because it taps into a basic human desire to share our experiences. We enjoy sharing our good times (and sometimes bad), and enjoy being part of a community of like-minded people.
Since launching a Facebook page for the Family Kingdom Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, SC, we've a accumulated a significant fan base in less than a year. The consistently high fan interaction rating since it was launched shows that Family Kingdom customers have deep feelings about their visits to the park and look forward to returning.
A photo contest last fall resulted in over 200 submissions -- a 21st century version of the old family slide show. And what better way to showcase the park and the experience than through the eyes of its guests. Nowadays, real, customer-generated content will always trump the commercial in the minds of the consumer.

Can Social Media Enhance Customer Service?

2010-05-12T12:48:00.001-07:00

The answer is absolutely, assuming it's done right. But, it's not just about putting out sales messages, the deal-of-the-week, etc. If your strategy is to cultivate a dialogue, not a monologue -- and your voice is genuine and responsive -- social media can be a great channel for connecting with your customers or prospective customers.
Fans of the LHWH-moderated Mar Vista Grande Facebook page are using the site to ask questions of this luxury beach resort, rather than picking up the phone or sending an email. The added benefit of this channel of communication is that other fans can see the questions and answers as part of deepening the engagement of the Mar Vista Grande community.
Actively-managing, daily responses to inquiries via Facebook hasn't just led to customer goodwill (a worthy goal in and of itself), but has actually been tracked to direct bookings. If you're serious about utilizing social media to augment your existing marketing and customer service you have to be totally on top of it...and keep it real.

As the Wood Turns.

2010-05-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

Just back from his latest showing at the 34th annual Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival in Huntington Beach, S.C., LHWH Studio Artist, Terry Lee Johnson, is already working on his next new collection of spectacular woodturnings. Self-taught, he began working with wood about seven years ago in his home workshop, where he now has one of the most extensive assortments of hand tools, saws and lathes imaginable. His work has included both furniture and what he calls his "wooden vessels." But the latter appealed to him most. Hundreds of pieces later, he's sought after by galleries, collectors and individuals who appreciate the richness, artistry and attention to detail in his pieces.

From natural-edged bowls to elaborate lidded containers, his designs incorporate various wood types from all over the world -- including Brazilian rosewood from South America, Brown Malle from Australia, and Zebrawood from Africa. One of his most fascinating and talked about pieces, however, was crafted from a native wax myrtle tree that once stood outside the LHWH offices. Blown down in a recent storm, part of the tree's main trunk yielded a small urn that is every bit as exquisite and desirable as one made from the most precious and exotic materials on the planet.

Check out Terry Lee’s wooden vessels.

What's on your mind? Why updating your business Facebook page is so important.

2010-05-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

We all have friends on Facebook that seem to spend every waking moment online updating their status. Several times a day their profile picture pops up with some mundane information about their life. Or what about that person who asked you to be their "friend" and you haven't seen a post on their page in months? Personal Facebook pages are hit or miss, but when it comes to your company's page, there's a delicate balance. It's a balance you need to be very aware of.

If you can't remember the last time you updated your business page on Facebook, you need to start paying more attention or risk losing fans and credibility. Posting too frequently can have the same result.

It may seem like a simple plan: update your page regularly. But you'd be surprised how many businesses are still setting up Facebook pages without a strategic plan to follow up. If your business has a page and no plan, your reputation could be at stake.

If you're feeling a little lost, here are some tips:
1) Make your posts engaging and invite interaction. People want to interact. Give them the opportunity.
2) Answer questions. People are looking more and more to social media as "customer service."
3) Don't let them down. Be responsive and be honest.
4) Posts should be unique, informative and interesting to read with a personality -- and not mostly advertising messages.
5) and, most importantly, have a plan to regularly update your status. What does "regularly" mean? It could be a couple times a week or a couple times a month, as long as the content is interesting and relevant.

Facebook can be a great business tool if used correctly. While showing a return on your social media investment is still in its infancy, it's clear that the more you connect with and engage your customers and prospective customers, the better it is for your business.

So, tell everyone "what's on your mind," and then listen.

Design on a Dime

2010-03-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Producing ads and graphic design to solve business problems for clients can be rewarding. Not just financially rewarding but spiritually as well. Knowing that the work you do can help sustain a business, create jobs, or facilitate growth for your clients is a great feeling. Even better when the work produced touches or elevates the creative sensibility of clients and consumers. We recently re-designed the website for our local art museum. On occasion we work pro-bono for clients and causes that go beyond our day to day workload. The Burroughs & Chapin Art Museum is a wonderful respite from the typical entertainment venues in Myrtle Beach. Like so many art museums they are a bit of a hidden jewel within their own community.

Everyone involved with the art museum would agree that the community could truly think about the art museum as "their museum" When you visit the site www.myrtlebeachartmuseum.org the first thing you'll probably notice is a simple play on the word museum, a simple reminder to visitors that they can think of this place as their own. Producing work like this is indeed rewarding for us. We hope it's rewarding for you too.

If Content is King, Customer Service is Queen.

2010-03-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

Positive word of mouth advertising is more important today than it has ever been. As important as useful content is to your web presence, consistently good customer service is just as important.

Disney believes they don’t have customers, they have guests. Walk around Disneyworld and you see that they believe this. On line retailer Zappos quickly became the most talked about shoe seller on the web. A recent story from the New York Times features a new campaign from Zappos starring puppets, styled after actual company employees, interacting with customers and demonstrating their patience. There are countless stories shared everyday between people about brands they deal with. Smart brands are rigorously managing the conversations taking place by engaging with their customers in meaningful, helpful, and sincere ways prior to, during, and after the sale.

So much time, money, and effort are spent on selling to the consumer prior to a purchasing decision, but how much is being spent after the purchase? Zappos “gets it” the customer rules our destiny. They now have the bully pulpit that can make us or break us.

Is there still room for art?

2010-02-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

Jeff Goodby once stated that he indeed believes that "advertising is art"

I think he has it right. Advertising (and graphic design) IS art. Granted it's art for commerce but it's still art. The creative solutions to business problems that we create have an element that goes beyond the factual, the literal, the practical. There is the visual. The artistic sensibility that telegraphs to the viewer or reader that what our clients have to say is worthy of craft and therefore worth their time.

New media allows executing and changing communications practically in real time. A client can view an on-line ad minute by minute and see what is working and what is not. Agents need to be able to react in real time. "Change the headline" "Try a new visual" "Change the color"

So where does a Brand's visual identity fit in a world of selling and communication that changes so quickly? It may be as simple as the words we choose. Artful language may just have to do the job of conveying the promise and story of a brand. We've all relied pretty heavily on visuals to help convey emotion and trust in what we have to convey.

Perhaps now, words are the new ART.

"I'll Call You"

2009-11-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

I promise.

I have like so many become reliant on e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter for most of my correspondence with friends, relatives, and co-workers these days. On average I get anywhere from 50 to 60 e-mails on a typical day. That's just my office e-mail account. Add another dozen or so with G-mail. Our technology has allowed for more communication but it is often hurried without the proper niceties. Voice mail is another form of communication that clogs up our days. We stare at the blinking light and wonder if we have enough time between all of our other daily responsibilities to return a few calls. More often than not, we don't get to those callers as quickly as we would like.

The other day I had watched a video online that featured David Ogilvy giving a Pep Talk to the Direct Marketing group at Ogilvy & Mather in New York Circa 1977. I was curious about the video and what was behind asking the man to come out of retirement long enough to film a speech. I worked for a Creative Director years ago who is currently Worldwide Creative Director for Ogilvy and I decided to get in touch with him. Thinking maybe there was a slim chance he would be in his office and I could ask a few questions about the video, I called. His secretary put me through to his voice mail.

A day later I was on my way home from the office when my cell rang and the area code was 212. It was David Fowler calling me back. We spoke for a few minutes and I thanked him for returning my call. The exchange somehow meant a lot more to me than a text, an e-mail or a comment on my Facebook wall. He took time out of his busy day to call back. It dawned on me that I may have neglected people in my own life by hiding behind the easier and less personal methods of modern communication.

I have another Creative Director friend with whom I've stayed in touch over the years and he laments often (and sounds very much like my mother) that I never call him back. Well Glenn, I promise to call you back when you leave a message, you too mom.

Forget Nostradomus, David Ogilvy was a true Prophet.

2009-11-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

I don't know of any other ad man who had so many rules as David Ogilvy had regarding art direction and copy as they related to advertising and direct mail. Some friends of mine would still roll their eyes and scoff at such hard and fast rules as "NEVER use all cap headlines" "Long copy is always better than short" And let us not forget my favorite; "No Reveresed Copy"

Shortly after attending a seminar about where the advertising agency business is headed, I found a video on You Tube of David Ogilvy. It looks as though it was shot on 16mm film complete pops, scratches & flutter. What a great find. As you watch this, keep in mind all that you've heard and read over the last few years about the internet and how it's changing the game. In particular David's words about Direct VS. General advertising. He speaks about the importance of measurability. Was he really ahead of his time or are we in the same business we've always been with a bigger toolbox? Just when I was ready to accept the old ad men who came before us (and the internet) as somewhat irrelevant in today's world, I am reminded that David Ogilvy had it right already, he just didn't have a laptop with internet access.

The final word on keywords . . .

2009-09-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

Matt Cutts, the head of the Google "Search SPAM police" and has come out with the definitive official word - Google does NOT index the "keywords" meta-tag in web search rankings. Since Since Google is the predominant search engine on the web, we pay attention to what they say.

The keywords meta-tag used to be a way to insert keywords into the code of your site that wasn't part of the page that users actually saw, so you could "hide" keywords there. And . . . lots of folks tried to. We moved away from the keyword meta-tag about a year ago, but there are still some SEOs out there that are saying "you need meta keywords!"

Google doesn't like to be fooled - they really really want to deliver search ranking to sites that actually have content relevant to what a user is searching for. Not a list of arbitrary keywords that someone stuck into the code to try to fool the web crawlers.

Here's a link to a video of Matt's comments.

Lauren Cobb, Interactive Marketing

Do more “Safe” work than “Risky”: Bring on the Jeers.

2009-08-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

Often overheard within the walls of many a creative department is the art director’s or copywriter’s lament:

“My client only wants to do safe work and never wants to take any risks”

Well of course. Why would anyone suggest to a client to take a risk with it’s advertising budget? It’s not your money. What if your banker were to call you one day and asked if they could take a significant portion of your bank account and invest it in a “risky” stock. If you’re like me you would say Hell N0! I don’t like being risky with my money. Neither do clients.

Ay, there’s the rub.

When it comes to producing an ad, we just know that the more unique, the more outrageous, the more creative a communication the “Safer” it is. Opposite of what you and your client sometimes think. All too often what the client thinks is a “safe” ad is actually the most risky thing to do.

Stress to clients that the safe ad is the one that sticks out like a sore thumb.

George Lois once said, “good advertising is like noxious gas, it should take your breath away and bring a tear to your eye”

So don’t lament that your client won’t take risks. They shouldn’t.

Just be better at selling “safe, sure bet” ideas.

Don't "Get" Twitter? Could be your own fault.

2009-07-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

Several (actually more than several) people have said to me things along the lines of "I don't get Twitter - why do I want to know what people are doing all the time?" "Twitter is stupid, it's a waste of time." Ok - while I'll agree that Twitter can be a time-sucker, I absolutely don't think it is stupid, because MY Twitter isn't.

That's right MY Twitter. Lot's of folks don't understand that the beauty of your Twitter feed is that YOU build it yourself. You decide who to follow. You decide who you want to hear from. My Twitter is completely unique, to me. If I'm following someone who is uninteresting to me, or adding too much "noise" to my feed, I un-follow them. I'm sure plenty of people have un-followed me. No big deal, doesn't hurt my feelings. I don't see Twitter as a popularity contest.

How do I use Twitter? For me, I follow primarily 4 types of tweeters.

#1 People in my business - specifically in Internet marketing, search, social media. The links shared and questions answered are immensely valuable in keeping me on top of changes and new ways to be effective in the interactive space.

#2 Funny, witty or cool tweeters - My life requires comic relief - my tweet stream brings me some every day. I love @roland_hedley, the uber-correspondent from the Doonsbury cartoon. Cool - like @Astronautics - keeping up with what the astronauts are doing on the space station.

#3 Friends and inspirational folks - Inspiration and connection are also a requirement for life. (But even friends may get un-followed if their tweet streams become only noise for me.)

#4 News outlets - local news like @TVAmy , @wmbfnews, @gcemd (my county's emergency management division) national & world news @breakingnews etc. Also, since I live on the coast, weather feeds @HurricaneAlerts @usoceangov (NOAA's feed).

So, that's what Lauren Cobb's Twitter looks like. Tomorrow, I'll post about the best tools to use to sculpt your feed into something that is valuable for you.

By the way - if you want to follow me - I'm @llcobb. Go ahead, if you decide to unfollow me later, I understand. ;-)

Beware: The shrinking sphere of influence

2009-07-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

I caught myself doing something on Facebook that I wouldn’t dream of doing in the “real” world.

I was un-friending people from my list of friends. My list of friends is a pretty healthy mix of personal and professional relationships. Several friends are former co-workers in Dallas Texas. People I worked closely with. Smart, funny, engaging, interesting people who I considered myself lucky to have worked with and know.

So why was I in the process of shunning some of the very people I sought to re-connect with?

I’m a little embarrassed to say that It’s because they have different politics. What?
Differing political views is enough for me to cut ties with people I used to find so interesting? Wow. I never thought of myself as narrow minded. Again, why was I doing this?

Simple: I wasn’t practicing something that I’ve always told my kids is so important;

“Keep an open mind, Welcome people in to your life who challenge you. Be confident enough in your own ideals and beliefs that you allow them to be challenged.”

Is it possible that the bigger our on line Social Network becomes, the smaller our scope of influence also becomes?

I think I should stick to my own advice and keep an open mind. I know I’ll be a better person doing so.

Kids say the smartest things.

2009-06-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I was asked to design a new identity for a YMCA Kid’s Camp in North Carolina named Camp Hanes.

I met the client at the camp and took a tour, asked questions, listened and learned a few things about this wonderful camp. I learned a few things about selling my own work in the process.

On the client’s request I designed several marks that included camp fires, kids, the visual of the Sauratown Mountain slope that overlooks the camp as well as one that didn’t include any of those things. During my tour of the camp, the director spoke at length about the friendships and sometimes life long bonds that are created at Camp Hanes.

A stylized “H” with hands reaching out to one another was the overwhelming favorite of several focus groups made up of moms, staff, and a group of campers.

The director had his favorite. It was a stylized camp fire with stars as embers. When he announced his preference to the group, a 13 year old girl named Tracy raised her hand and asked the director why the camp fire was his favorite when nearly everyone else preferred the hands. He told Tracy that he felt the camp fire was the most representative of something that campers see and participate in at camp. He went on to say, “I don’t see our camp in the hands, I don’t see our mountain, our kids, or our camp fires”

Tracy raised her hand and said one of the smartest things I’ve ever heard in a creative presentation:
“You don’t really see a hamburger in McDonald’s logo but you think it don’t you?”

I think every adult in the room said to themselves, wow, why didn’t I think to say something that smart?

Based on Tracy’s comment, the director’s response was “well Tracy, you are exactly right, thank you”

With that, the Capital “H” with hands has been the cornerstone of their identity since.

Thanks again Tracy.

Social Media - Blurring the professional and personal?

2009-05-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

When I teach a social media class, I always get this question, "How much personal do I put in my profile if I'm using it for business?" Sometimes I get this statement, "I don't want anyone I work with knowing anything about my personal life." (I don't wonder about those folks, really I don't . . . really.) (just kidding - you know who you are)

But really, some of us are open books, well at least partially open and others are more private. That's perfectly fine - great in fact. I currently have two blogs (well. . . ok, three). Two are business, one is personal. The folks who are interested in reading my personal blog may not care one whit about social media or search marketing. Those folks who want to know about business issues - may not want to know about my personal musings on life.

However, on Facebook, my profile is a big mix of both personal and professional. I like to know some of the personality of the folks I do business with, and I don't mind sharing my personality with most people I do business with. However . . . as more of my college and high school friends come on my friend list do I need to worry about photos being tagged of me that might project a less that professional image? (hey, come on, it was spring break and I was 19!)

So, to paraphrase an iPhone ad - the "new" Facebook has a privacy setting for that.

Here's how to use it:

Look at your Facebook Home page, on the left side you have a "News Feed" with lists. At the bottom of that list is a "+ Create" link. Click there to create a list and choose what contacts are part of that list. OK, let's create a list "business" and choose all your business contacts to be part of that list. Save it.

So, let's say I don't want my "business" list to be able to see photos other people tag of me.
I go to my Settings>Privacy Settings and click on "Profile"
Down the list I see "Photos tagged of me" with a drop down menu next to it.
I click on the drop down menu and choose "customize. . ."
At the bottom of the customize box is a place that says "Except these people" - there you can enter specific people OR a list of people that you have defined. So I choose my new list "business."

Now, my business contacts can see my profile, except for photos tagged of me.

Whew . . . safe. :-)

Website or "Blogsite" for small business?

2009-05-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

The beginning of this is a post I wrote in back in March of 2005- I've added to it for today.

One of the biggest problems with company websites is they are boring and many seem to be out of date. I have visited many sites and clicked on a "news" tab to find that the "news" was last updated an average of 2.6 years ago.
OK - I didn't average them all, but that feels about right.

What's the answer for small business? A boring, seldom updated website - or a "blogsite?"

----------- jump to 2009----------

Now more than ever, I believe a "blogsite." Not to the exclusion of an informational website, but a blog of regularly updated, relevant, and interesting content is essential. A blog can be a stand-alone, it can link to your website or it can be incorporated into your website. It isn't an either/or question, it's the "you can have it all" answer. Your blog content gives people a reason to come back to your online space.

I work with many Realtors and I've been a Realtor. (in one of my many past lives - another story or 1000) The big news back in the day (read mid to late 90's) was this thing called the Internet. It seems that every real estate services vendor was selling website design and hosting packages - and they were pretty expensive for a new agent on a commission-only-I-don't-think-these-sales-will-ever-close budget.

The blogosphere has changed all that. Low or no-cost entry to the Web has democratized the Internet. And in my opinion, made it better and much more interesting.

Why blog?

2009-05-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's obvious.

To communicate.

We've taken the lead in teaching social media to clients but as the old fable of the cobbler's children who have no shoes - we took care of others before building our own blog.

So without further ado - we launch the LHWH Advertising & PR blog.

Think First.

Why "Think First?" It's our tag-line, our mantra, but more than that, it's our corporate personality.

We're a group of thoughtful people and we believe you will enjoy meeting the variety of talents and personalities within our walls.

Come back often, subscribe to our feed, enjoy.