The Inside Lane Blog

Reflections of a MAD MAN. Part 5

2010-02-25T17:33:53Z

It had to be WU

During my years at BBDO, I had the good fortune to work with two renowned, older Art Directors who both had flourished under the strange, insular creative system that demanded that copy concepts always preceded art direction. Each was unique and legendary in their own way. The first was named Kong Wu. Kong was Mandarin Chinese and stood over six feet tall.

In some ways, working with him was a reward for the torture of getting a script approved. After days of rewrites and copy tweaks, I would cross over to the 385 side of the building and triumphantly show up at his door, yellow copy sheet in hand, and he always seemed genuinely pleased to see me. His face would light up and he would proclaim …

”Ahhh, Mark Itkowitz, hot shot young writer. Come in! Come in!”

Reflections of a MAD MAN. Part 4

2010-02-17T16:22:13Z

Career Continuity.

In 1975, my wife Sandy gave birth to our first child – a boy. When it came time to choose a name, we both wanted one that not only connoted strength and decisiveness, but sounded okay with the last name of Itkowitz. Not an easy task. Now by this time, I had already been at BBDO for two years. Every day, our conversations were peppered with the name Jordan and the underlying power that the name represented was never lost on me.

"Jordan wants this."

“Jordan killed that."

"You take it down and show Jordan.”

Not surprisingly, I suggested Jordan to my wife, and Sandy also liked the sound of it. But it clearly didn't carry the same weight as it did with me.

When Jim got word that our firstborn carried his name, he responded with great warmth and pride. The rest of the agency thought it was hilarious. They couldn't believe the lengths I'd go for career continuity. Even Allen Rosenshine, soon to be our Creative Director, President and ultimately the CEO of Omnicom, made me promise to name my next child Rosenshine.

Reflections of a MAD MAN. Part 3

2010-02-04T17:22:22Z

Meeting Jim Jordan.

During my first few months there, I never met or even saw Jim Jordan, though his presence loomed over the creative department. With posters on the agency's walls proclaiming, "He who crosses the Jordan will surely sink,” his fearsome temperament was continually reinforced. He was, however, aware of me. During my first month, there was an agency-wide assignment to create a campaign line for Liberty Mutual Life Insurance. The goal was to define the concept that Liberty Mutual deals direct. Hundreds of submissions came in from the entire creative department. But he chose a line that I had written:

Liberty Mutual deals direct.
It's the shortest distance between two people.

So I was, at least, on his radar as the guy who had written that line. Before long, I was working on a number of accounts, including Campbell's Soup and Dodge Cars and Trucks. Jim had recently written a new song for the national Dodge campaign. It was called: Number One for the money is Dodge.

Behold, the Power Shift.

2010-02-03T18:18:13Z

Mark Twain once said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” Politicians, economists and the media forever can debate how this recession resembles the Great Depression, but no one can argue the fact that the world has changed – and in a big way. We have responded to these difficult times with a seismic shift in attitude and a reset of values. And by “we,” I mean women.

Marketers, are you listening? Opportunity is a-knockin’!

Women are an immense purchasing power and comprise an influential business power. We would be foolish to not study the complexities of women as consumers and as business leaders. We have much to learn about her new views of the world around her.

Tuesday, February 9, from 8:30-10 a.m., E.B. Lane, the Phoenix Business Journal and networking coach, Dave Sherman, are co-hosting The Power of Women: Keys to understanding, marketing to, and networking with women in business. E.B. Lane will share insights about the shift in consumer attitudes among one of our target consumers, the present-day Mom. The Phoenix Business Journal will share insights from its research gathered from more than 1,600 company executives, including 400 women-owned businesses. And Dave Sherman will offer networking tips on making business connections with women.

Reflections of a MAD MAN. Part 2

2010-01-26T17:21:52Z

Life in the ad world.

What else rings true about MAD MEN? Well, certainly the drinking and the smoking and to a large part, the way everyone dressed, acted and looked. Even though the British Invasion swept ashore in 1964, long hair and bell bottoms never made it to our halls in 1973. Most creatives, in fact, wore ties and jackets. Combine that with the row upon row of cubicles, wavy glass shower-stall inside offices plus box- like window offices and the total effect was much like that of a semi-art deco insurance company.

Making it to New York.
Getting into advertising has never been easy. Even though I had cut my creative teeth at a small agency in Philadelphia, it carried little weight when it came to landing a real job on Madison Ave. No one I knew had ever attempted it. Although Manhattan was only about two hours away, it could have been on the other side of the world. Everything up there was bigger, better and certainly much more expensive. I was just recently married at the time and I wound up spending so much money just taking the train up for interviews that it put a serious strain on our fragile finances.

Reflections of a MAD MAN. part 1

2010-01-21T16:00:48Z

Since the rise of MAD MEN as a TV phenomenon, there’s been a groundswell of curiosity about the way the business used to be when Madison Ave. really was the center of the advertising universe. I’ve been asked repeatedly whether what we’ve all seen unfold week after week is close to what I remember from living and working in that time and place. How much of that advertising world is the same, where does it differ and if I ever knew anyone like Don Draper?

From Desire to HIRED.

2010-01-13T18:05:29Z

Recently a colleague, known on this blog as Amanda P., and I attended an intern interview day at ASU. Really, a better description would have been an interview marathon. Twenty interviews in six hours – we could barely form complete thoughts by the time we were done! Out of all the interviews and potential interns, two or three stood out and were offered internships.

We understand that job seeking, especially in this economy, is tough. The desire for a job is simply not enough. We’re learning through friends and colleagues that the experience or ability necessary to do the job also is just the beginning of the qualities desired for any position, including interns. So we compiled a list of the traits our two or three stellar interviewees had, so you can use these tips for your own job search.

Should Tiger do a tell-all?

2009-12-27T20:28:04Z

This was the question our very own Melanie McBride was asked by ABC15.com for its “Hear Me Out” feature. Below is her response, which can also be found at this link: http://bit.ly/5h9wgp

Yesterday as my flight approached landing, a complete stranger in the seat next to me asked me what I thought of the Tiger Woods situation from a woman’s perspective.

I swear, he didn’t know my profession in public relations, and he certainly didn’t know I would be writing this piece. Coincidence? Perhaps. But there’s a reason that weeks later even amongst strangers, we’re still chatting about golf’s golden boy falling from grace.

We continue to talk because Tiger didn’t.

If Tiger hasn’t noticed, the world of communication has dramatically changed. In one single minute, millions of 140-character Tweets of information are being shared across all continents.

Headline news is updated on hundreds of television stations by the second. Text messaging, which apparently Tiger does know about, is being used more frequently than email and phone calling. We walk around with the worldwide web at out fingertips, even on airplanes thousands of feet above ground. Through this explosion of easy access, we have become blatantly transparent and we expect the same in return – especially by those whom we revere as our heroes.

Hopefully Tiger has learned that his disappearing act was a bad idea. He knew the mess of a story he had made yet day after day he allowed others (all 13 of them) to tell it.

Tiger’s loyalist of fans surely wanted the bleeding to stop, but the disaster kept unfolding in slow motion and we kept watching. What’s done is done, but I suspect if Tiger’s draconian father were still alive, he would have his boy enrolled in an intense course of media training rather than sex addiction rehab.

America loves a hero and we love Tiger. We will forgive and Tiger will get another chance to win back our hearts if he plays it right. Just like his next Master’s, he needs a strategy and I recommend his playbook look something like this.

Move fast. It was a wise move for Tiger to go into hiding for a while. This will afford him the opportunity to make a big entrance back into the public eye. But here is where Tiger could take a lesson from David Letterman. Speculation has a short lifespan if it doesn’t have time to grow. Letterman publicly admitted to relationships with his employees less than twenty-four hours of being accused. As a result, his ratings have soared, particularly among men, which is no surprise. Tiger would do well to exit rehab to an audience of eager press double the population of Wickenburg. With all eyes, ears and cameras on him, no one can tell his story before he does.

Be brief. The biggest mistake Tiger made when he finally did go public was his press release that was near the length of the Bible. I wasn’t feeling much sympathy until hearing that copious confession. It pained me. Giving the public that much unnecessary information made Tiger look even worse, and only encouraged the water cooler talk. With any crisis communications, brevity helps manage the message and doesn’t breed more questions. Hopefully Tiger will have practiced a well-written, sensitive statement. And unless his rehab included a session or two on media training, I don’t recommend he take questions.

Facts. I have to give Tiger credit for trying to make up for lost time with his lengthy press release, but he mistakenly offered up pages of arbitrary information when all we hoped for were the facts. We are curious, but we’re not into fluff. Notice how we glommed on to interviews by the mistresses. We knew they had nothing to lose, so we trusted that we would get the facts. And we did. A lot of them. When Tiger reenters his public life, we simply want the facts – and we’ll be satisfied by the smallest portions.

Honesty. I realize the laughable irony in advising Tiger to be honest, but I suppose having hundreds of cameras and microphones in his face when he leaves rehab is a good place to start. No matter the crisis, the truth always comes to surface – even if you have more money than royalty. To have fallen so far from the family image Tiger sold us makes his climb that much more difficult. Time is the only thing that can help regain trust, but Tiger must allow the public the chance to see him being trustworthy – and I mean frequently. I don’t completely buy into the sex addiction rehab, but it’s a good move and at least I know it for the PR tactic that it is. If Tiger is open and honest about the experience, even better.

The only good thing that came from Tiger’s nightmare is it derailed the media and us from talking about Michael Jackson. We want to forgive Tiger and we want him back to his amazing game of golf. Humility and remorse is one thing, but docility and surrender will not win championships. We’re well aware that Tiger has masterfully created and protected his squeaky-clean image, but now he has a chance for the first time, to continue showing us that he is actually human.

So do you agree or disagree? Let your take be heard in the comments below (and you know you have one).

My Favorite Creative People This Year.

2009-12-23T18:25:45Z

“Tis the season to post your retrospective blogs and stories, right? Right?

Well, yes and no.

I have to admit that this particular post won’t have the focus of many in the category. Meaning, I don’t feel confined to the last year in choosing those who make my illustrious list. So please forgive me this structural liberty right up front, and I promise that I will be more rigid in my blogging during the New Year. It’ll be Item #5 on my resolution list – agreed?

Anyway, I’ve been privileged to be on the creative side of the advertising business for a few years now, which has bred a great amount of respect for creative people in any field. I think it’s fair to admit that my background is in copywriting, which surely has influenced my choices. So if you don’t agree, feel free to say so. Post a few of your choices or knock mine around in the comments section.

That said, I’m proud to present my short list of the people who stand out as creative to me in 2009:

Andrew Goldsworthy

I’m ashamed to say that I knew very little about this brilliant man until recently. Few deserve the title of “visionary,” but I believe it truly applies here. In short, he is an environmental artist, creating his works from natural and found objects. Each one blends or augments its natural surroundings with remarkable insight.

I first discovered Goldsworthy flipping around the HD channels on cable. I had stumbled upon the documentary about his work, entitled Andrew Goldsworthy’s Rivers & Tides. With a few simple twigs or some iron powder, he transforms natural landscapes into something new. Something beautiful. If you’ve not had the pleasure of seeing it for yourself, I suggest you change that immediately. There is a simplicity to his work that makes you completely re-approach yours.

Joss Whedon and Kurt Sutter

Two very different writers/TV show creators. Two men very deserving of the critical acclaim they’ve received.

Joss is certainly the more seasoned of the two. He cut his teeth writing on Roseanne, but his career took a series of turns after that. He’s most known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff, Angel – which, undoubtedly, influenced Stephanie Meyer and all the hype that follows her. Still, his most brilliant works to date include Firefly, its movie follow-up Serenity, and the viral Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Currently, his work is on display with the TV series Dollhouse, which, though standing on its last leg, is a smart commentary on the pitfalls of advancing technology.

Sutter, on the other hand, has achieved notoriety with a couple milestone TV shows. Both have aired on the FX Networks, which immediately identifies them as grittier fare. The first was The Shield, one of the smarter and darker takes on the cop-drama I’ve seen. Just finishing its second season is his current offering - Sons of Anarchy. I’m not sure why this bit of biker brilliance has been overlooked by the industry awards to date, but it’s one of the best dramas on TV.

On a side note, also check out his blog. Particularly his post on October 30^th. You have to love the fact that he’s doing it his way.

Ed Brubaker and Warren Ellis

Okay, I’ve outed myself with these choices. I read comic books. There, I’ve said it. It feels good. Want to know why? Because comic creators are shaping some of the smartest fiction out there right now. And though many comic creators could occupy this space, these two are doing some things that impress me most.

Brubaker is my current hero when it comes to writing dialogue and finding a niche where there wasn’t one before. Case in point is his current run on Captain America. Once a tired icon of a hero, Brubaker transformed his voice, making him quite cool again. Of course, he also killed him off, but that’s neither here nor there. Also noteworthy are Sleeper and Criminal – a series that has brought the hardboiled crime comic back into the spotlight.

Ellis has created so many comics, I’d bore you to death if I ever tried to list them all. So I’ll call out some I think are his best – the ones that defined the “widescreen style” that many other writers ape today. Personally, I love his work on The Authority, but his unexpected takes on the art form are best displayed in Global Frequency and Planetary. Once you digest those, you’ll be ready for more.

Lady Gaga

Honestly, I didn’t want to like her. I fought her the whole way. I thought she was the pop equivalent of the shock jock, but since then, I’ve surrendered. I’ve been won over, dammit all.

You win this round, Gaga. Not only have you made me appreciate your unique fashion sense, but I’ve also loved your cynical take on fame and love with Poker Face, Paparazzi and Bad Romance.

Frankly, it’s shown a business sense akin to Madonna. So well played, madam. You’ve become my guilty pleasure. I look forward to seeing and hearing what comes next, as I suspect you’ll be around awhile.

Jonathan Ive

Ever heard of him? Many haven’t, and yet, he’s been responsible for so many things we use in our daily lives. You know that song you just listened to? It was played on a device he designed. You know the market share Apple has grabbed on style alone? It’s because of his eye and influence.

As Senior VP of Industrial Design at Apple, Ive gave color to the iMac, made white plastic cool with the iPod, smacked aluminum on the Macbook, and kept the lines on the iPhone simple when every other smart phone tried to be something out of Blade Runner. Personally, I’m curious to see where he goes from here. Considering how many are dialed into Macworld, I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only one.

Whoever writes Lee Clow’s Beard

For those tuning in from the wide world of communications, you may already know about this little Twitter gem. Some of you may know who’s behind it. I don’t – so please don’t spoil me.

I’ve purposely stayed away from any such information, as the wisdom is dead-on to anyone in the business of advertising or anything related. One of my faves was a recent holiday tweet: “Dearest client, In the spirit of the season, we're donating all our remaining 10%-bigger logos to charity in your name.”

Wit and wisdom in only 120 characters – 20 to spare. You’ve become the wizard of whiskers, LCB. So razors beware – you’ll have to go through me first.

Well, there they are. Agree or disagree? I know I missed some, so give me a hand. Who do you think deserves some creative recognition for their work this past year?

The Three Bs of 2010.

2009-12-17T17:05:17Z

Recently, I was asked to speak at an event hosted by our client, Starpointe Communities. The event, Prepare for Success in 2010, was for real estate industry leaders in Scottsdale. Now, I don’t claim to have a crystal ball and I wouldn’t dare make economic projections about one of the worst housing markets in the country. But the topic I was asked to address, I happen to know a little about – Promote Yourself: Tips for Personal PR.

As I mingled with this group of professionals, I couldn’t help but empathize with them. Was I expected to show up like some triage unit and deliver a big Hoorah! speech to stop the bleeding? As I gathered my thoughts, I paid close attention to the casual conversations I could hear around me. Besides chitchat about Tiger Woods, it was then that I realized the message I prepared would resonate with this crowd as much as it would any group of professionals. Be Prepared, Be Positive, Be Engaged.