Archive for the ‘Sam, Uncensored’ Category

Sam, Uncensored: How to Manage a Campaign When Not In Market

divider

October 2nd, 2013

 

With multiple campaigns activating in different cities simultaneously, I often manage campaign and market launches while not physically present to oversee them in action (if you have an in on some crazy technology like teleporting though, hit me up). That being said, I have learned a thing or two over on how to effectively execute campaigns when thousands of miles away.

The first key to success is to develop a carefully crafted production and event plan that is shared with everyone involved with the account. Knowing who is doing what and when they are doing it is vital to keeping on track. Timelines will become your best friend.

Along with planning comes surrounding yourself with people you trust. Your campaign management team has to include responsible account managers, tour managers, and vendors to pull this off. These are the people you rely on 100% to do whatever necessary to get the job done and not half-ass the results. If you don’t trust someone to complete a task on time, the wheels of the bus will fall off.

As you are planning your campaign, don’t forget to account for the “what ifs.” Contingency plans not only save you time and some grey hairs, but also set your campaign up for success. Consider everything and anything that may be a variable (technology, weather, location availability, staffing, and so on) and account for all options available to iron out any hiccups. Also, make sure your tour manager knows who to call right away if a problem happens to come up, as well as who to call next if your account manager doesn’t answer the call in time.

Finally, communication is the glue to holding everything together. I cannot stress enough the importance of open communication between you and your team, even if it’s simple updates like staffing confirmation or tour manager whereabouts. You want to develop a trusting relationship with the team and have them not be afraid to alert you the moment something may come up.

Managing a campaign when not in market may seem like a daunting task. Planning ahead, having a rock star team, and constantly communicating with all parties involved will result in a successful campaign. If you are panicking about managing your own out-of-town campaign, first off, breathe, then feel free to hit me up and let’s chat.

-S-

 

 

 



Sam, Uncensored: When a loss is a win (No really, a win)

divider

May 9th, 2013

Brilliance takes control and you produce the most beautiful, creative idea. You pitch this mind-blowing idea to your client, confident that you knocked this one out of the park. The response? Thanks, but no thanks.

You don’t win the account every time, but you do win every time you learn something new.

A loss is a win when you learn about a teammate’s hidden talent.

During crunch time, your team rallies together and the “get it done” mentality forces teammates to step outside their traditional roles, revealing this hidden gem of a talent. Play this newly discovered skill to its strength and look for ways to include the talent regularly.

A loss is a win when an idea is that good, it becomes transcendental.

When you hear “no,” don’t scrap your ingenious idea completely. Make an idea so amazing that it can be applied to another proposal.

A loss is a win when a technology solution becomes a long-term tool.

Discovering a cool new technology that you can use in multiple campaigns is a huge achievement. You could have found something that didn’t quite fit for what you were doing right then, but keep this tool in your back pocket for future campaigns.

A loss is a win when you create a winning relationship.

The client chooses to take a different direction based of the right merits and that’s okay. Set yourself up for long-term success by becoming the right partner, a creative confidant if you will. Fight hard and prove that you can provide the solution they need.

You don’t always win the client, but if you lose smarter, you will win more often.

-S

 



Sam, Uncensored: When Cool Technology is Not Effective

divider

April 23rd, 2013

Many brands want to be a part of the “cool kids” group, flaunting the latest technologies and being the talk of the town. Incorporating a “wow” factor into your campaigns can be a homerun with consumers, but sometimes that intriguing element can also be detrimental in helping you reach your goals.

When looking to incorporate a cool factor into your campaign, the most important detail to remember is that your brand is not being overshadowed by the technology. You don’t want your audience to talk about the new, innovative technology they witnessed and fail to associate that campaign with your brand. Hyundai used 3D projections to incorporate a new and emerging technology into their campaign; however, that could have been any brand of car on the wall and it would have still had the same overall effect – the audience was so dazzled by the projection that they overlooked the brand and the message was lost.

When a technology is too complex or confusing, consumers may be put off. Aim to educate your audience on how that technology, or its implications, can be integrated in their lives.

For example, Vine has become a trending new technology that is being utilized in creative ways. People and brands have adapted to using the application as a form of expression, empowering them with a voice.

Often times, simplicity is underrated. BMW executed a brilliant campaign in which a wall display transformed passing cars into its future model. While the specific technology to make it happen may not be everyday knowledge, the results it produces isn’t complicated to understand—viewers are given a glimpse of the future of streets populated with BMW’s concept cars.

Want to chat about how to be cool and effective at the same time? Give me a call at 206.599.9855.

Cheers!

-S

 



Sam, Uncensored: How to Make the Most of Your Mobile Tour

divider

December 20th, 2012

More and more brands are capitalizing on the benefits of launching a mobile tour program – they’re nimble, they allow for flexibility and invaluable one-on-one consumer interactions.

Brands, such as Wendy’s, Burger King and McDonald’s have launched national mobile tour campaigns betting on the effectiveness of guerrilla-style sampling, which is basically what happens when you don’t have a plan. In 2011, one fast food giant rolled out a fleet of 30 sampling trucks to distribute fresh smoothies and salads from it’s fresh menu makeover – the vehicles attempted to pass out samples without permission from venues or ties to any established events. This led to their vehicles being escorted out by security and infuriating fans who visited promoted locations, hoping to try new samples, only to realize that the highly touted food truck had already been kicked off the premises.

At Beyond Traditional, we don’t need 30 trucks – with a well thought-out campaign timeline and a concrete calendar of contracted and well-attended events, we can generate the same results for our clients with a single vehicle, a seasoned driver and a crack team of mobile tour experts working tirelessly behind the scenes.

When planning mobile tour campaigns, our team designs a tour schedule based around popular, established events where we have permission an­­1d documentation stating that we are welcome. This guarantees us a steady flow of traffic and vastly increases the number of brand impressions and quality consumer interactions.

While we have an extensive history of launching and coordinating wildly successful mobile tours, our most recent mobile campaign was with Verizon. We outfitted one of our 3D glass showroom vehicles with a flat screen television and eye-catching red lounge chairs and toured the Pacific Northwest spreading the word about the company’s new HomeFusion service.

Over 21 days, the vehicle travelled more than 2,000 miles and made stops at 33 targeted venues across Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The attention-grabbing vehicle garnered over a million impressions for Verizon and was most successful at the Seahawks blowout game against the Cardinals. Instead of paying an expensive sponsorship fee in order to advertise on CenturyLink Field property, we thought outside of the box and sought out a prime, privately owned location, on a major foot traffic thoroughfare, used by hoards of fans heading to the game. The vehicle and brand ambassador team was able to directly engage with crowds of fans and garner the same number of impressions as they would have on stadium grounds, but for a fraction of the investment cost.

If you’d like to chat about how to plan a thoughtful and strategic mobile tour, give me a call at 206.599.9855.

Cheers!

-S



Sam, Uncensored: Innovate, Don’t Replicate

divider

November 16th, 2012

 

Like most everything in the world, advertising is an industry of fads. Once a concept is projected out into the universe and achieves “cool” status, every agency, marketing company and design shop will line up to grab a piece of the cake, chew it up and spit it out, over and over again. Once an agency grabs onto one of these popular, proven concepts, it’s easy to fall into a spin cycle that can last for months—with the same ideas being tossed around until both the staff and the clientele is sick of hearing about it (i.e. flash mobs).

That’s not to say the idea itself should be completely thrown away, just for the sake of breaking the cycle. For example – in 2011, the flavor of the year was photo booths. Incorporating a photo booth into a campaign works because it’s nostalgic, it promotes a fun interaction between brand and consumer and audiences will walk away from the event with an instant photo memory to share with others in-person and through social media. Instead of removing photo booth experiences from your agency’s repertoire, focus on what elements made it work and innovate outward.

Rather than pitching the same, tired photo booth concept, take the roots of what made it a good idea in the first place (social media potential, connectivity, fun, personalized takeaway) and creatively pursue new frontiers. With advancements being made everyday in 3D printing capabilities, brands can easily recreate life-like scenery, environments and scaled figures to pose with and share with friends online. Who knows – in a few months, printing 3D miniature takeaways, on-site, of consumers having fun at your event could soon be a reality.

Check out this article on 3D printing being used for portraits in Japan: http://www.webpronews.com/you-can-get-a-3d-printed-model-of-yourself-in-japan-2012-11

Interested in learning more about how to upgrade old campaign ideas? Contact Sam at 206.599.9855.