ml haynes design

I recently had a conversation with a new acquaintance that started with the old question “what do you do exactly?” My answer to her query was rather short, but the dialogue that followed stayed with me and has prompted me to ask myself (more than a few times), “Can I wear too many hats and is being a jack-of-all-trades a product of an insatiable curiousity or a lack of commitment, amounting to being nothing at all?”

This is typically how the script plays out in my head:

Me: “What do you do? Give me your elevator pitch.”

Myself: “Would you like the long or short answer? And how many floors are we going up?”

Me: “You teach clients and staff day in and day out on the merits of a simple, clear and concise message and you can’t manage to do it yourself?”

Myself: “Well, it’s different. At least I think it’s different. What’s the weight limit in this elevator again?!”

Me: “You’ve got 15 seconds. Go! Do it!”

Myself: “Look, I’m going to take the stairs. I’ll meet you up there.” And here’s where I’m shot down the rabbit hole — I’m thinking to myself (as I’m talking to myself, not something to do without proper training) “Damn, I really do need that elevator pitch.”

So, as of today I’m sticking to the do-it-all storyline — I’m unable to shake loose the belief that knowledge is valuable currency — and while taking the stairs would be great for my health I’m going to commit to the elevator and work up my new pitch in the next week.

Check back to see where I’ve taken this. Or, better yet, take an inventory of your arsenal and ask yourself if you’re prepared for the simple question: “What do you do?” Then come back and get on the lift with me. I’d love to know your answer, your approach, your apprehensions.

Hats off to you!

I recently attended a one-day working session at HP headquarters in Palo Alto. With nine presenters scheduled in just as many hours I came prepared to gain actionable insights on technology, strategy and the future of interactive advertising. Presenters showcased the agency, advertiser, supplier, VC and developer challenges each face today and hinted at how they planned to meet new challenges in the future. Here are some of the more interesting take-aways:

Gary Elliot of HP
Everything is a service.

Michael Theodore of IAB
Online brand building is ineffective. Sponsorships, search and digital video are most effective.
As the “most accountable medium” we are still tweaking and arguing over measurement models and methodolgy; we need cross-industry consensus on this.
To avoid FTC regulation, there is an immediate need to create a self-regulating framework and process for working within that framework.

Curt Hecht of VivaKi
After a spending a year and observing 25 million users, the efficacy of user-selected pre-roll ads on Hulu.com is confirmed. Users will choose which ads they watch in exchange for the video content they crave.

Chris Curtin of HP
“Searchandising” — make it easy for users to find the product that interests them.
Technology + behavior = Mobile at retail
Ideas don’t count until you do them.

John Coyne of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Bring your discipline, leave your department.
The fear of irrelevance should drive us all to change.
Change + Convergence + Collaboration

Emma Cookson of BBH USA
When looking for creative talent consider two key attributes: Diplomacy and Generosity.
“Getting it done” is the new heroism.
Moving beyond networking, working harmoniously and to each person’s mutual benefit, sharing expertise and disseminating information through the agency is key to an agency’s evolution.

George Gallate of Euro RSCG 4D
Put digital at the core of everything.
Technology does not equal ROI. But technology to the power of creativity does.

Erin Clift of AOL
Build platforms to scale, allowing for smart growth.
Even with perishable content, the portal can flex to deliver relevant content to a built-up “fan base” user group.

Nancy Hill of AAAA
Work to extinguish outdated compensation models and tensions between agency and client

Calvin Lui of Tumri
Chic versus Geek — we need to marry art and science, knowing how to inspire consumers.
Consider “interest-based advertising” versus behavioral targeting

Checking in with a progress report for my work with Taproot. Our team of six has completed the discovery phase and delivered findings to our client, Marin Agricultural Land Trust. We have also prepared, presented and await approval on the Requirements Brief AKA the Creative Brief. So, after weeks of preparation and presentation we now stand poised to begin the “real” creative work.

MALT, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, began work as a non-profit thirty years ago. At the time there was a concern that family farms in West Marin could cease to thrive if developers were able to buy up the fertile land and forever change the landscape with buildings and pavement. Preserving the farmland was and is their mission and our team has been charged with reinvigorating the brand, redesigning the visual identity and enabling this passionate group to tell their story in new and meaningful ways.

And that is one of the most challenging aspects of this project — making farmland meaningful to folks who take their food very seriously, shop at local farmers markets, believe in sustainable living but have never stepped foot on a working farm. Creating a mark that will telegraph the import of that land to their quality of life, and directly impact their thoughts and actions AKA making donations to a cause they believe in. And to do this in such a way that this message passes the “bumper sticker test” from twenty feet.

Bring it on! I am thrilled to be starting up this phase and cannot wait to dive into what promises to be a very rewarding project.

More as we progress.

Every year I set the DVR, rearrange the furniture, stock up on salty snacks and spend a few hours watching television commercials with some football to break it up. This year a perennial contender bowed out, opting instead to put their mouth where their money was. Instead of fighting it out with lite beer and sports cars, Pepsi choose to put their energy, and sizable budget, into social media.

Leaving other predictable brands in ever-predictable broadcast media, the other cola promoted their latest initiative, the Pepsi Refresh Project. And while it hasn’t received the buzz of the ManCrunch, Tebow or Betty White/Snickers spots, the industry will be watching and taking note of just what happens when one of their own decides to sit out the Super Bowl. Refresh, indeed.