Brains on Fire

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  Merry Christmas from Brains on Fire

  Posted on December 22nd, 2011 by Eric Dodds and currently 3 commenting.

  Suits for the men, dresses for the ladies. Put on your best Sinatra, baby…the Brains on Fire Christmas theme was 40s this year.

  Happy Holidays from all of the Pirates in the Firesphere.

  

  Hotness.

  

  Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.

  

  All in a days work.

  

  Dangerous designers.

  

  Lovely ladies of Brains on Fire.

  

  The Boss.

  

  Stirred, not shaken.

  

  Enjoying the roof.

  

  The Amidons.

  

  Stairway to heaven.

  

  The Hammond Gang.

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  5 Things I’ve Learned Working at Brains on Fire

  Posted on December 21st, 2011 by amy and currently 12 commenting.
  

  You can't tell, but I really am holding up all 5 fingers.

  I have always liked Vicky’s brother-in-law’s synopsis of Brains on Fire when she first came to work here. He compared it to “a place people work in the movies.”

  When people find out you work at a place called “Brains on Fire,” their first question is always “What the heck is Brains on Fire?” Their second questions is “What’s it like to work at Brains on Fire?”

  I have been here nine months – and in nine months I have learned, experienced and grown so much, I could easily write a book. But for the sake of sparing you all a really, really long blog post – I decided to distill it down into five little lessons. So with no futher ado, I present 5 Things I have learned working in the creative space (and with the creative people) that is Brains on Fire.

  This line of work wakes you in the night.
  When you choose to work in the creative world, you choose to blur the lines between your professional and personal life, if not erase them entirely. There’s no ON switch or OFF switch. Our work doesn’t stay at work. It can’t be arranged in a neat pile or simply filed away. Our work is an organic, living thing. It follows us home and it wakes us in the middle of the night. At times we find it stuffed in our pockets (post-it notes, anyone?) as well as tucked in the wrinkles of our brains. Why? Because to be good at what we do, you have to care deeply. And caring isn’t 9 to 5.

  You learn a lot about yourself.
  That thing you never imagined you could do? You can. You just have to choose to do it. And once you do, you will. Creative work has no room for the meek. It’s sink or swim. Succeed or fail. There is no place for waffling, self-doubt or riding the fence. It’s a place for making things happen and speaking your mind. One of the best pieces of advice I received was “It’s okay to say ‘I don’t know,’ but it’s NEVER okay to say ‘I don’t care.” You better care, because our work is passionate action, and a magic that happens somewhere between heart and head. You learn by doing. If you’re lucky, you do it well. If you’re really lucky, you do it well surrounded by brilliant, talented people who can teach you how to keep getting even better. Listen to them. Each one is an anthology of experience and wisdom. They know what they’re talking about. Sometimes they’ll give you compliments, sometimes they’ll give you a dose of tough love. Whatever the case, trust in them. They will help you become the best you, because they truly want you to succeed.

  You gain a new perspective on an old world.
  When I was little I loved Mr. Rogers. Specifically, because he so often took little adventures to try on other lives. A visit to the Crayola factory. An afternoon spent with an organic farmer.

  Working in a creative agency is a constant trying-on of different lives. It’s the ideal field for anyone who has ever experienced occupational-ADD. Every day my job allows me to dip my toe into other worlds – from a land of literary pixie dust to a collective of people changing the world by sharing the stories of everything they have overcome in their lives. Each mental and emotional venture into a new space has taught me something. And as a result, every client has reintroduced me to my own world. I see things differently. I have a better appreciation for the world around me. I have come to know myself better in ways I never could have imagined. All by stepping into someone else’s universe for a day.

  You care about your clients – A LOT.
  “Clients” has never felt like the right word. It’s simply not enough. We don’t just WORK for our clients, we advocate for them by working WITH them, side-by-side, down in the trenches. Their success becomes our success. Their struggles becomes our challenge. We meet, we do a little slow dancing, and after a bit of poking around, we begin to see the best in them, and the potential that lies within them. We fall in love with them. We cheer for them. And, as the best loves are known to leave people feeling, we often experience such a sense of kindredship, we find ourselves wondering how there was ever a time in our lives before we knew them. They feel so much a part of us, it feels as though they’ve been there all along.

  As a writer, you will never forget the way you feel the first time you see your work on a billboard. Even more, you will never forget the way you feel when a client you have never met face-to-face comes up to you in the office to give you a hug and thank you for what you have done for them.

  Our clients are not just our clients. They are our tribe. Our pack. And our people. They are why we get up in the morning, stay late in the evening and come in on the occasional weekend. They are why we are here doing what we do.

  You grow unthinkably close to the people you work with.
  When I started at Brains on Fire, I remember Robbin talking about creating a company of best friends. At first I thought it was strange she had specifically chosen the phrase “best friends” over “family,” but over time, I have started to understand. Family is something you are born into. Friends are the family we choose. Every day we choose to share our waking lives with the people we work with. We play off of each other’s thoughts, moods and energy. We generate happy moments, push and pull through sticky moments and celebrate awesome moments. We laugh and tease and bicker and help. We dish out tough love when needed, and love-love the rest of the time. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. And if one of us fails, we all fail. Without one of us, our story is not the same story, because we are a team.

  You cannot change the family you are born into. Their blood runs through your veins. But every day we choose the people we will call our friends. At any moment we could leave and walk away. And that’s what empowers a company of best friends to leave an imprint on universe by changing the world – one client at a time. Every day we choose to show up and be a part of Brains on Fire, because we believe in what we do here, we believe in the people we’re doing it for…and we believe in each other.

  In conclusion…
  Thank you to all our clients – and everyone who has allowed me to be a part of their story in 2011. It has been an honor and privilege. A special thanks to my incredible, team at Brains on Fire. You not only rock my world, you rock my universe. On a daily basis. (And teach me new phrases like “son of a biscuit eater” between rounds of LMFAO.)

  So, so-long 2011. Greetings, 2012. In the wise words of Jack Kerouac, “we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies…”

  Tags: Brains on Fire, Clients, creative agency, creativity, jobs, passion, purpose, Word of Mouth
• 

  What is your ultimate business travel story?

  Posted on December 19th, 2011 by Robbin and currently 1 commenting.

  I saw this post on Mashable. And it triggered a story from my very early years.

  BTW: I think it must have been about 20 years ago when this story happened. If you don’t know Merlin Olsen, the NFL Hall of Famer and FTD spokesperson, it might not make sense. If you do. Read on.

  Years and years ago, I was in New York with my then business partner, Mike Goot. We were editing a series of television spots for a bank in Georgia. Think me, four white shirt bankers and a slightly younger version of this guy:
  

  We were looking for something to do at night.

  Hmmm.

  Someone mentioned Blue Men Group. We took our chances and went up to the ticket office and got the last seats in the house. One of the seats was far removed from the other five. I took it. As I sat down to get ready for the show, I noticed this couple in front of me. One of them looked just like a director I had often worked with from Charleston. But I wasn’t 100% sure.

  What are the odds of seeing someone I know from South Carolina on a random Tuesday night in NYC. Right?

  So I decided to wait until intermission to call out his name and see if he responded. In the meantime, a rather large, older man had sat beside me with his loud, happy group of friends. Since the seats where crazy tight, this man nicely asked me, “Do you mind?” as he put his arm around me to stretch out a bit. I looked at him a little bit closer and HE actually looked sort of familiar. Then he said, “I am going to need to send you flowers after this show is over.” It dawned on me, he was Merlin Olsen. The very large football star turned actor who was had done a long stint of commercials for FTD Florists.

  Anyone remember him?

  I said what anyone would say, are you Merlin Olsen? So we started talking. He was really nice. And he introduced me to his family and friends. He also kept his arm around the back of my chair.

  During intermission I leaned slowly in to the row in front of me and I quietly asked, “Brian?”

  He (it was Brian) jumped, looked back at me stunned and said, “Robbin? Why are doing in New York with Merlin Olsen?”

  So that is my ultimate business travel story.

  ___________________________________________________________________________________________
  Don’t you love how hearing other people’s stories can inspire you to remember and share your own? Cordell quoted someone this morning and from memory it went like this:

  We like each other better when we tell each other our stories.

  Stories are how we connect as humans. And telling your organization’s stories is powerful for that very reason. Stories trigger emotional and spark sharing. Which creates connection. And word of mouth.

  So come on. Let’s share this morning. What is YOUR ultimate business travel story?
  ____________________________________________________________________________________________

  Tags: Blue Men Group, Mashable, Merlin Olsen, Mike Goot, Storytelling, Ulitimate Travel Story, Word of Mouth
• 

  New Spins

  Posted on December 15th, 2011 by Eric Dodds and currently 0 commenting.

  Every so often someone realizes that the market for a certain product or service has achieved a really high level of similarity, and that the customers in that market have become accustomed to that similarity. And every so often, someone figures out how to break the mold of that similarity in a really striking way. Today’s lesson: tents.

  

  Meet FieldCandy Tents (1).

  I’m an avid outdoor enthusiast, so when I first stumbled across this post, it took me completely off guard. The Cool Hunter says it well (2):

  When we saw the first images of these limited-edition designer tents with their cool flysheets, we had to really stop and think. Is it true that no-one else has manufactured these types of tents for sale before? We have seen individual pieces displayed as art, but we had not seen anything quite like this.

  It was one of those moments when you think: Why have all tents always looked pretty much the same? We customise everything else, why not tents? And even more remarkably: Why have we been satisfied with those boring, standard tent colours for so long?

  Fascinating stuff, and awesome looking tents.

  

  A few side notes:

  - One guess at the similarity in the market is price – FieldCandy tents ain’t cheap, and your average couple or family is going to be hard-pressed to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars just for a cute rain fly.

  - Another thought is that many outdoor enthusiasts are highly focused on 1) performance and 2) weight. Looks are great, but they play second (or third or fourth) fiddle to staying sheltered, warm, dry, and out of the wind.

  ————

  • (1) – You can find out more about FieldCandy on their website.
  • (2) – You can read the CoolHunter article here.
  Tags: branding, break the mold, coolhunter, fieldcandy, Innovative, product development, tents
• 

  Co-blogging goodness: Eric and Jamie Tackle Communication Plans that Kill

  Posted on December 14th, 2011 by Eric Dodds and currently 4 commenting.

  

  Co-bloggin’ goodness: One is a seasoned corporate marketer working for Best Buy. The other is a small-agency young-gun in a constant quest for his spurs. Both are passionate about making positive change in the industry, and they want to share their thoughts with you. Jamie Plesser and Eric Dodds are starting a monthly co-blogging series that will tackle tasty marketing topics from both sides of the line. Meet the crew:

  Eric: I was raised in Upstate South Carolina and roped in by a small, big-hearted agency called Brains on Fire. I’ve had my hand in qualitative research, account management, community management, and even a little bit of strategy. You can usually find me hiking outdoors, tinkering with a bicycle, or tackling the next improvement project at my house. (Oh yeah, I just started using Twitter again, too.)
  
  
  Jamie: I’m a native Kansas Citian but call Minneapolis home. The Twin Cities rock on many levels…except for the length of the winter. Work-wise, my gig is in the consumer marketing space at the corporate HQ for Best Buy. I dig live music. I wish I was better than a novice guitar player. I love Kansas Jayhawk basketball. And I am a Royals fan in hibernation. (If you’re into the Twitter thing, you can find chatting or ranting with friends and colleagues over there.)
  This month’s menu: “How do marketing communication plans kill connection with your customer?”

  ————————

  Dodds
  
  

  First of all, I think we could do something better than the term “marketing communications plan.” I don’t know anyone who would get excited about those words. Maybe something like “customer inspiration plan” would make the concept a little less clinical-feeling, but I digress.

  Being part community manager, part account executive, my experience with marketing communications plans has meant that I help figure out what brands contribute to communities. I’ve heard some people refer to the process with fancy names like ‘content strategy.’

  So, as I began to think through this post and my experiences with content strategy, I found myself asking the question, “How much content from brands do I actually consume?” I think it’s a great question, and the answer for me was simple: very little. I’m guessing it’s probably the same for you. Naturally, the next question is, “Why?”

  Well, there are a whole lot of answers, and it varies by situation. As a start, though, from the perspective of both a consumer and community manager producing and distributing content, I think part of the reason is that many of the things that companies want to say are less interesting than probably 80% (or more) of the other stuff their customers consume.

  

  Hugh MacLeod (1), as usual, makes the reality of this concept blunt and funny.

  Hugh’s point is an understandable dilemma, though. At the end of the day, the responsibility of most marketers is to add to the bottom line. Which means they have to communicate messages to people that will compel them to open their wallets. So how does this process ‘go wrong’ so often?

  Here at Brains on Fire, we have a theory that things often go wrong because companies spend most of their time planning what they want to say to their customers (from the inside), as opposed to actually going out and talking with them to find out what they might be interested in.

  You could look at it as a direction problem. Where are you starting?

  I’ve seen a good number of companies form content from the top, letting the communications plan trickle down to all of the various outlets they talk through. “We’re the most durable product in the industry,” might be the new line from the people at the steering wheel. Marketing managers send briefs to their teams, copy points are written and the community manager is told, “September’s the month where we’ll talk about how we have the most durable product in the industry. Send us the calendar of posts when you’re done.” That’s not a good recipe for producing anything great.

  In my experience, there’s a lot more success to be had when a company determines that it’s truly valuable to talk through a certain outlet, and ask the people on the other end of the line what they actually want. It helps to ask questions like, ‘Will anyone care about anything we say?’ Sometimes just being a large company can make the answer to that question an automatic no. Other times you realize that most of the people are just looking for some sort of discount.

  But I also know that sometimes when you ask people, ‘How can we provide real value to you?’ they will tell you. That gives you a pretty remarkable platform for molding a communications plan that’s going to have real impact when the messages reach the people at the end of their journey. Those people, after all, are the reason we do business in the first place.

  • (1) You can see the original comic by Hugh on his website.

  ————————

  Jamie

  Marketing isn’t supposed to be difficult to approach, is it?  You’re trying to either acquire customers or retain them.  You do this by competing on price or by differentiating your offering.  And you communicate this by delivering the right message to the right consumer at the right time.  Boom – there you go, Marketing 101.

  Except in practice it’s not that easy.  Often times for companies it is about acquisition and retention.  Brands are competing on price and by trying to differentiate themselves.  Getting the messaging and media strategy right is tougher than ever.  But I think that just because it’s not that easy doesn’t mean that the principles behind what we are trying to do should be tossed aside.

  If you consider marketing communications in particular, it is getting harder for brands to manage this space.  Compared to what it looked like 10-15 years ago, the media landscape has broken apart and fragmentation is here to stay.  We as consumers own communication channels just as much as brands do.  This means that companies can no longer default to push-only communication strategies.  Instead, they have to figure out the appropriate balance between pushing messages, getting involved in conversations and knowing when to steer clear altogether.

  
  The wrinkle here is that marketing communications plans are often the first time that a brand has to get in front of or interact with a consumer but often times they are the last in line in terms of emphasis.  So how does this play out?  If you work in the marketing space then you’ve likely seen this happen – time lines get squeezed, messaging strategies are cobbled together and the media plan doesn’t connect with the messaging approach.  The right message at the right place at the right time doesn’t come to fruition.
  Lately in my work I’ve been thinking about the theme of “less is more.”  This comes into play in a couple ways relative to how marketing communications can be an enabler rather than a disabler. First, there is an opportunity to be more consistent in messaging.  To me this means that brands have to rein in all the different messages that are put out in the market place.  Consumers are already bombarded by the sheer number of marketing messages that face us every day.  To help cut through that clutter, brands should say a smaller variety of things but say them more consistently.
  
  Secondly, the types of messages and tone associated with those messages should be appropriate to where they appear.  In my personal life, I don’t expect to have the same kind of conversation take place with my friends in person versus how I interact with them over Twitter versus what our e-mails look like versus how we connect on Facebook.  Why should this be any different for how brands try to communicate with people?

  (Photos courtesy of creative commons license: Clappstar and Matthew Miller.)

  Tags: agency, Brands, channels, coblogging, communications, communications plans, customers, Eric Dodds, Jamie Plesser, Marketing, plan, Social media