Sparking - Moving you forward

Do you want to show up more creatively for your clients and your colleagues, your family, and your friends?

Do you want to default to thinking about opportunity versus focusing just on problems?

Discovering Hope is full of proactive steps you can take right now, to achieve a more positive mindset or to help maintain the positivity you already have

Getting Positive reveals that more optimism is close at hand

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Personal Brand

We hope that companies that provide services to us do not exploit their workforce or wreck the environment, but is there a benefit to brands when they adopt a philanthropic approach to funding people and causes? Price is often key, but increasingly so too are the actions of companies in our crowded planet.

Philanthropy is generally perceived positively but more than seeing brands shower cash, astute consumers want to see cause or purpose driven marketing aimed at achieving ‘actual social impact.’

It’s the difference between sending food to starving people (philanthropy) versus helping people to learn how to feed themselves (purpose).

This reality is particularly evident with younger target audiences; Recent research revealed that 47% of consumers that buy a brand (at least monthly) that is associated with actively supporting a cause, are themselves prepared to ‘take action/advocate’ on behalf of that brand, which in turn generates earned media. Do your clients embrace this reality?

Stuart

PS. Have a look at my past newsletters

Articles and commentary that might be of interest…

Purpose Driven Marketing

We hope that companies that provide services to us do not exploit their workforce or wreck the environment, but is there a benefit to brands when they adopt a philanthropic approach to funding people and causes? Price is often key, but increasingly so too are the actions of companies in our crowded planet.

Philanthropy is generally perceived positively but more than seeing brands shower cash, astute consumers want to see cause or purpose driven marketing aimed at achieving ‘actual social impact.’

It’s the difference between sending food to starving people (philanthropy) versus helping people to learn how to feed themselves (purpose).

This reality is particularly evident with younger target audiences; Recent research revealed that 47% of consumers that buy a brand (at least monthly) that is associated with actively supporting a cause, are themselves prepared to ‘take action/advocate’ on behalf of that brand, which in turn generates earned media. Do your clients embrace this reality?

Stuart

PS. Have a look at my past newsletters

Articles and commentary that might be of interest…

Personal Brand

There’s much talk about personal branding but does it really matter when it comes to you? It does, for two reasons:

Defensively – The best way to keep your job is to be known for doing something well that ideally correlates with making money. Ideally, you will have a unique expertise in a discipline, practice or process, or specific knowledge of an industry vertical or own key client relationships.

Offensively – You optimize your chances of success in your current agency or with prospective employers if what you deliver has a uniqueness or ‘stand out’ factor. So it should concern us when Peter Drucker says ‘Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong.’

There are two aspects to the personal branding ‘thing’ to focus on:

The reality – What you actually do; And, The ‘spin’ – What people perceive you can do, as a result of marketing.
For expert commentary, see the attached list of links.

Stuart

PS. Have a look at my past newsletters

Articles and commentary that might be of interest…

Admire Mad Fan (Adam Friedman)

Adam Friedman

Creative Strategist

Inspiration: “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus facilisis mollis nunc, a ornare odio vehicula quis. Nulla vel luctus velit. Nulla facilisi. Nulla volutpat.”-Adam Friedman

My Song For You: [cincopa AcDAKp7fI1ci]

Brand Beats

On most occasions I enjoy Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’ Then again, Heaven 17, REM and Crowded House are favorites too. What does that say about me? Or more to the point, from a marketing perspective, how could brands use this knowledge to gain my attention and my loyalty?

According to William Chipps, author of the IEG Sponsorship report, corporate sponsorship by consumer brands incorporating music into marketing programs was expected to exceed $1.17 billion last year, nearly double what it was six years earlier.

So, what does it take to effectively harness music to build your client’s brands? Attached are some thought provoking articles on the why, how and which music can make your storytelling all the more impactful.

Happy reading

Stuart

PS. Have a look at my past newsletters

Articles and commentary that might be of interest…

The Power of a Story Told Well

At the EFFIE awards last week, which is all about business effectiveness (aka, selling stuff), the campaigns that won plaudits were invariably engaging and meaningful. As significant, the themes were easily understood.

What did the audience respond to? Great story telling with a ‘hero’ the audience could relate to and care about.

‘Truth well told’ sounds simple, but even if you have perfect understanding of your audience and your story, it’s surprisingly hard. We’re all in the story telling business and I believe most (all?) of us could all benefit from better ways to do that.

Nearby are a range of links which are both examples of effective narrative and methodologies that can enhance it.

What do you think? In your opinion, what one factor has been key for you in helping create a great story?

Sincerely,

Stuart

PS. Out June 28th ‘The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning’ by Christopher Kocek, provides a straightforward, no nonsense approach to understanding what Account Planners do on a daily basis and how they do it. Congratulations to Chris! Anyone else have announcements?

Articles and commentary that might be of interest…

Anticipating 2014

Stuart ParkinHappy New Year one and all.

We all have a perspective on ‘big data,’ ‘ID security,’ ‘selfies’ and the ‘Polar Vortex!’ But, what are you anticipating  for the year ahead?

Your ideas, your anticipation could be the difference between an average and a great year.

Please find below a few perspectives, trends and forecasts that will, to a greater or lesser extent, consume your personal and professional lives in the year ahead.

All success.

Stuart

Articles and commentary that might be of interest…

Fancy a Laugh?

Peter Dabell (CEO, Ace Matric) tells us “Some form of humor is used in one in five commercials” and “most of the top Super Bowl ads of the last three years used humor”.

Why? Because funny advertising lowers our guard and our resistance to ‘being sold’, and we accept that in exchange for our attention we will be entertained. Yet, Nielsen research suggests there is “little correlation between humor and effectiveness”, and indeed, it carries a risk of alienating some consumers.

For humorous advertising to have a chance of working it must tap one of the ten humor archetypes (*) that connects with human emotions. And the advertising must be built on substance with humor used as a supplement; funny is pointless without a clear association with the brand.

Which brand do you think has most effectively harnessed humor? Let us know. If your answer is the same as Ivan Wicksteed, Chief Marketing Officer of Old Navy and is selected from ‘correct’ responses, you will win three free career planning sessions in 2014.

Enjoy.

Stuart

Articles and commentary that might be of interest…

 

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Job Search – Keeping Motivated

Getting your next job ideally is a seamless experience, ideally stepping from one to the next challenge. But at some stage in our lives it might not work so smoothly and I know through talking with a number of you, there are some dark days of self doubt. Some uncertainty on the inexorable path to the next challenge, which isn’t happening fast enough for you. So note the following:

Remember, on a ‘challenging day when you are your less enthusiastic self, when the job hunt is grinding you down, or for that matter the unreasonable client, it is your energy last week/month that makes things happen for you; This is the reason for the phone call you get on the challenging day that brings about the great connection, thought, meeting or interview you really want.

Progression comes from your energy focused on pursuing new contacts, developing new ideas/solving business problems, writing a new blog, attending a meet up. It is when you drove yourself forward, perhaps apprehensively, somewhat lacking in confidence but you did anyway.

So even when you are feeling less than motivated, remember it is not about one off days but a general persistency and consistency of initiative on your part. It is about the totality of energy you put out. And, if you are energetic enough (albeit in a focused way) there will be a natural flow of activity and fewer challenging days.

Let me know what yu would advise individuals to do to keep themselves motivated. Thanks, S