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  • Chat pack Friday, living dangerously.

    Posted on August 27th, 2010 by Robbin and currently 11 commenting.


    Photo via flickr via Chuck Sutherland’s photostream.

    I love breaking rules. I do it all the time. Some of them small, some slightly more adventurous. It just makes me feel a little more alive and in control at the same time.

    And it’s funny. One of the reasons I think Brains on Fire is Brains on Fire is this: we challenge the rules of marketing. A lot. It’s a mindset I hope we always maintain.

    Hmmmm….

    So this Friday’s chat pack question is one I love. Ready?

    If, with your safety guaranteed, you could experience something considered very dangerous, what would you want to experience most of all?

    Me. I’d drive a car or a motorcycle or something over 200 mph. What can I say?

    Speed calms me.

    Now you go… come on. I need some “social media” interaction this morning.

    BTW, this will be the last chat pack Friday for while. Starting next week, we’ll have something cool planned for Friday. Stay tuned.

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  • From Shannon: Technological enlightenment (and a side of fries)

    Posted on August 16th, 2010 by Kindling Spirits and currently 1 commenting.

    This post is from our very own Fiskateer-community-heroine, Shannon Kohn. Not only does she have a great singing voice (she performed David Bowie at the FIRE Sessions), killer sense of humor (how many times have we started the day off by searching YouTube for Joe Dirt and Tommy Boy clips?), but she can write too! Enjoy her great thoughts on technology over time.

    I had a girls-only lunch with my daughter yesterday.  As we sat there, dipping our fast food fries into the little paper cups of ketchup and talking about how I can’t believe she’ll be a 5th grader next week, I noticed an older gentleman alone at a table.  On his laptop.  Using the restaurant’s free wi-fi to connect with the world.  Not unusual, you say?  How about if I told you he was wearing dirty overalls, a grungy hat, and dirt-caked boots—a fashionable ensemble that made it look like he had just come in off the tractor (not such a unique outfit, though, in my neck of the suburbs)?  The sight got me thinking about how some people embrace technology and why some people step aside and let it roll right past them.  Up until a few months ago, I’m pretty sure I was the latter.

    I might get called out on this, but I’ve only recently become the proud owner of my very first smart phone.   To be perfectly honest, as “jump-in-without-checking-to-see-how-deep-the-water-is” as I am in other areas of my life, new technology scares me a bit.  I like to watch how others engage with any new “gadget” first, make some assumptions based on my observations, then ease in after the tidal wave rush to purchase with a little dip of my big toe.  That’s probably why I held on to my old phone for all those years.  It did what I needed it to do, after all—make phone calls and take the occasional picture—but really nothing more.  It was simply comfortable for me to use.  When I finally handed it over to the sales clerk in exchange for my new (cough, cough) non-Apple smart phone, it truly was like I was saying goodbye to a friend.  Since I turned on my shiny new phone for the first time, though, I think I’ve rekindled an affair with technology.

    I graduated from a small liberal arts college in ’94 (see, I’m not THAT old).  Back in those days, everyone wasn’t whipping out their iPads at a second’s notice or editing and producing high-def short films on their iPhones (http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/08/10/iphone.imovie.indie/index.html?hpt=T2).   I was one of those lucky graphic design majors who actually had to learn the “old ways” of design and advertising, like cutting amberlith (look it up, kids) and developing photo prints with real chemicals in a real darkroom.  I also got schooled in the “new way” of doing things—computerized graphic design.  Our college computer lab consisted of two Mac SEs with monochromatic screens, but the competition to outdo each other with Illustrator and QuarkXpress (again, look it up, kids) was still fierce.  I was some hot shit back then.  I was fearlessly grasping new technology by the balls and running really freaking fast with it.

    So what happened to me and my wonder for the “new ways?”  Why was I comfortable with a basic cell phone for all those years and afraid to take a plunge into any new technology that came along?  Can’t really say for sure.  I think somewhere over the past 15+ years, it just got hard for me to keep up.  There was too much happening too fast.  I’m ashamed to say I decided to step aside instead of jumping in.

    You’ll be happy to know, though, that I’m giving it another go.  I’ve decided to let my smart phone purchase serve as a springboard to connectivity, engagement, and enlightenment.  Heck, if Older Fast Food Farmer Guy can embrace technology without fear, why shouldn’t I?

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  • A Quick Thought on Purpose, Not Profit

    Posted on August 12th, 2010 by Eric Dodds and currently 9 commenting.
    Cash money

    Dodds showing off some plastic. Photo via the new intern, Suggs.

    The other night I had a conversation with a friend about marketing, and he asked me a really good question.

    “It seems like there are so many companies out there just trying to peddle me a product - so how do you explain how what you do is different from what they do?”

    A great question, and more challenging from a non-marketer with little frame of reference for the industry. After a few minutes of hard thinking, here’s where I ended up:

    “At its fundamental level, my job at Brains on Fire is to develop meaningful relationships between companies, their employees and their customers.

    There are lots of marketers out there who do simply pedal products, and that’s why you see endless new waves of advertising and other promotions - they have to keep  providing cheap entertainment for their customers to retain interest.

    And that’s the easy route - it’s easy to have a one night stand - but anyone who’s ever been in a committed, long-lasting relationship knows that it takes lots of time and hard work, and that the payout isn’t necessarily immediate.

    It’s no different for companies: long lasting relationships with customers takes time and hard work.

    So, I submit that the reason you feel like so many companies are peddling you a product is because they are. They are more interested in the short term reward of your wallet than they are in the work of an actual relationship with you.”

    Today, I’m thankful to work with a group of people who value the purpose of building relationships over entertaining for short-term profit.

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  • You get back what you give.

    Posted on August 10th, 2010 by Robbin and currently 3 commenting.


    Don’t you wish we could all keep our child like wonder of the world especially in the work we do? Photo via flickr via Dr. Nicoló Nobléza

    Okay. We all know it. We do. But here’s story and a lesson that proves it.

    Years ago we used to have the occasional intern. Sometimes it was good. Sometimes meaningless for both ends. We really were not taking it that seriously. Just going through the motions. Then we talked about it and made a really key decision. If it was worth doing, we were going to make it count. We were going to make being an intern at Brains on Fire a meaningful experience or we were going to stop doing it.

    Good. Good decision.

    So we set in motion a process to interview. We even try to make those interviews meaningful. Then we decided made “meaningful” happen. We have in turn gotten way more then we have expected. We’ve made lifelong friends. We have learned a lot about ourselves by seeing ourselves with fresh eyes. We have listened to the youngest among us with eyes wide open. We have started new practices that I believe make us better.

    We have even hired one or two. Right Doddsie and Joe?

    So Sunday night we got a letter from Elizabeth. Our last intern. Friday was her last day. We seriously tried to convince her to give college up and join us. It touched me and reminded that you truly do get back what you give. At the risk of sounding like we are tooting our own horn, I’d like to share. She agreed of course.

    Dear Brains on Fire,

    Reality will probably only set in for me tomorrow morning when I don’t get up and go to work, and most especially when I don’t have a traffic report in my inbox, but I just wanted to express again how very grateful I am for you all and for my experience this summer at BOF.

    I had kind of a nervous fascination with BOF before interning. Sort of like when you want to date someone but aren’t sure if they like you too or if they’re all they seem to be. People have some weird habits, you’ve got to be wary of these things :) Well, three months in and now out and “recovering,” you were, are, etc. everything I hoped, plus some tequila and a bunch of pieces for my portfolio. You are a BRILLIANT bunch of people. Brilliant personalities, brilliant ideas, brilliantly creative; and even with all of your skills and talents aside, you are just fun to be around, and I’ll really miss you (corny, but whatever, it’s honest). You have all been so patient and willing to explain, help, teach and advise. You do it right, and I’m really honored to have been able to work with and learn from you. Like I told Robbin one time at the Goat, being the intern made me feel like one of the cool kids at a party.

    My real-life, non BOF contact info is below. I hope you’ll keep in touch, even if that just means we Facebook stalk each other when we’re bored at work/school. And I’ll be calling to haze the new intern for the next week or so, so let me know if you think of anything in particular you’d like for him to learn from that.

    A million more “thank yous” and a huge hug, for everything,

    Elizabeth

    Do everything you do with meaning. Or decide it’s not worth doing. And you will get back way more than you ever dreamed possible.

    OX,
    Robbin Phillips

    P.S. We have new intern this week. Zack Suggs. We’re calling him “Suggs” and we are crazy about him already.

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  • FIRE Sessions Recap Part 3 - Max Lenderman and the Power of Experiential Marketing

    Posted on August 2nd, 2010 by Kindling Spirits and currently 5 commenting.

    The third and final re-cap post from @mackcollier. But first, a look at what our kick-off looked like. Long live David Bowie.

    If you’re a mobile provider in the United States, you have a plethora of traditional marketing channels available to you to reach new customers. But what if you are a mobile provider in India trying to reach potential customers in rural areas? Your problem is two-fold; First, simply getting your message to these remote towns and villages is a struggle. Second, many of the people in these areas don’t own a mobile phone, and have no idea why they SHOULD own one. So you have to educate Indian villagers first on why they should want a cellphone, then you have to convince them to buy from you.

    So how are mobile providers in India accomplishing this? As Max explained, they are sending trucks into remote and sometimes even forgotten villages, to connect directly with the people. Providers such as Nokia send trucks full of brand evangelists into these areas where they set up shop in the middle of town, then let residents try out the phones, as they explain how owning one could benefit them. The trucks don’t even take orders for phones, they are there simply to educate residents about what a cellphone is, and to build awareness for Nokia’s handsets.

    But here’s the thing; Before any of this happens, the trucks arrive playing popular Bollywood songs, and then the evangelists performs skits for residents. The plots of these skits are always similar to ones the residents have likely seen in popular Bollywood movies, and the characters work in the usage of a Nokia handset into the production (which goes back to the educational element). The arrival of the trucks and their performances can create a carnival-like atmosphere for these remote villages, and gives them a very-appreciated source of entertainment. Then, if they want to stick around and learn more about Nokia handsets, they can.

    This approach works because mobile providers first create something of value for the customers. Again, these trucks are going to very isolated areas, in some cases, they aren’t even sure if the village they are headed to is still there or not. So an impromptu source of entertainment is very appreciated by most of these townsfolk. By first giving these villages some free entertainment, that makes these villagers more likely to stick around and learn more about the cellphones.

    According to Max, event marketing such as this example is the 2nd fastest-growing area of marketing. But it isn’t working just in rural areas of India. Max also told about how the Army slashed recruiting costs via event marketing. In years past, recruitment costs was a staggering expense for the Army, with the average recruitment cost of each new solider being $18,000! So in an effort to lower that cost, the Army created The Virtual Army Experience, which gives potential recruits a taste of what life in the Army could be like. This virtual experience includes putting recruits in a jeep and simulating a live battle. The results have been remarkable, with the Army noting that recruitment costs have fallen from $18,000 per solider, to just $800 with the Virtual Army Experience.

    Other examples: In the past, Charmin has created branded public restrooms in the middle of NYC that are not only extremely clean (and available!), but individually staffed by employees that are there to keep it clean and take care of the patrons. Tide sent trucks into areas affected by Katrina to clean clothes for hurricane victims. As Max explained, the service Tide provided wasn’t giving these people clean clothes, Tide gave these people back their dignity.

    “The way to think big in this world is to create experiences without expecting anything in return, and customers will follow” - Max Lenderman

    This is an important lesson for brand managers everywhere. Create an experience, something of value for the people you are trying to reach, and they’ll not only be more likely to buy from you, but to evangelize you to others. Max closed with a great point about knockoffs. Think of how popular brands such as Nike and even BMW are falling prey to copycat and knockoff products. As Max asked “What’s the point of branding, if your brand can be knocked off completely?” The difference lies in the experiences we have and associate with that brand. That cannot be copied or knocked off.

    I have to say, as I was listening to Max, and having absorbed a simply overwhelming day at the FIREsessions, I thought to myself ‘This must be what being at TED is like’. For the first time in years, I attended an event where I felt like I was experiencing what TOMORROW would be like. I wasn’t hearing about what was hot NOW, but what is going to be talked about and discussed in 2011, 2012 and beyond.

    I feel like I saw the future. And that was inspiring.

    I want to end this by again thanking Robbin, Greg, Geno and everyone else at Brains on Fire for inviting me to the FIREsessions, and for being extremely gracious hosts to all of us. Those of you that read this blog regularly already know this, but the BOF gang is amazing. These people just ooze passion and enthusiasm for their clients and the good work they do for them. Thanks again to them for hosting us, and thanks to Robbin for letting me recap this amazing event, and thanks to ALL of you for reading!

    Thank you, Mack, for being our guest and providing wonderful coverage.

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