25. The World Is Your Studio

Adobe is capitalizing on the understanding that great ideas can show up anywhere, with the invention of their new touch applications for digital sketchpads. The first app that caught my attention was Adobe Ideas. Not only do I want the app, but also an ipad to use it with. Paper notebooks are great, but everyone knows that the world is moving in a digital direction. Adobe Ideas allows you to use creative suite methods to capture ideas anywhere you go, and easily share them with others. Adobe has it right when they say The world is your studio. I'm all for keeping creative methods of the past alive. I'm all about hand drawn everything and sketching out my ideas in my spiral notebook. But i know that it's not realistic to think that I can continue to use these methods and expect to keep up with my competitors in design and advertising. While switching straight from hand-drawn to creative suite might be a little too difficult to tackle, I think Adobe's touch apps offer the perfect transition opportunity.

24. Agency vs. Client

In the world of good branding, my destination is still uncertain. At this point its still not clear about whether I'll end up on the client side or on the agency side. No matter which side I'm on, there's one thing I'm sure of: I want to be a part of a great brand. Today, my example is JetBlue. I could dedicate my entire blog to JetBlue and still not cover all there is to say about this brand. In the comparison of agency to client, I'll be comparing to Mullen to JetBlue. First, check out this ad campaign Mullen created for JetBlue back in 2010:

After watching these videos and getting a better understanding of Mullen's branding process and strategy, I'm still torn in the decision between client and agency. What this campaign has done is made me fully appreciate the personality of JetBlue, which makes me want to be a part of that brand identity. But the campaign has also made me interested in the great work that Mullen was able to do because of the great client they had. If there's one thing I can take away from this, I think its that on either side of the equation, the most important thing is the brand itself. This is what brings client and agency together; And if you don't have a great brand, you won't produce great work. It's as simple as that.

23. From 1984 to 2012

When apple introduced the Macintosh personal computer for the first time on American television, they had no idea of the cultural footprint they would be leaving for centuries to come."1984" was revolutionary. It became a signature representation of apple computers. There are many reasons for why this idea was so incredibly successful, two of them being:
1. It was only aired once. It's only U.S. televised broadcast was on January 22, 1984 during and as part of the telecast of the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. It was never again televised as a commercial after that. This made it kind of like a "once in a lifetime" phenomenon. It's not like you could just look up the video on YouTube if you missed it the first time; this was 1984.
2. Originality ahead of its time. When put in context with the other commercials aired during that super bowl, "1984" is in a category all its own. Even now, in today's technologically advanced society, this idea  still possesses revolutionary originality beyond its years. Just take a look at this 1984 commercial for dominos pizza that also aired during that superbowl. How can you even compare the two?

With that said, imagine what Apple's "1984" concept would look like if it had been produced today. Well, you don't really have to imagine it, you can just watch this recreation for ABC's new series, The Duet.

But can you really compare the invention of the Macintosh computer to yet another version of a talent search TV show? Theres no question that "1984" was a revolutionary concept that received phenomenal reception for Apple, but that isn't necessarily going to be the case for ABC just because they copied the idea. Apple was successful because their product was just as revolutionary as the commercial that introduced it. While ABC's commercial is thoughtful and creative, its hard to see it leaving the same cultural impact that was created the first time around.

22. A Few Words of Advice

"Dear Emily,

Thank you very much for your interest in the Publicity Intern position at Pixar. 

We are fortunate to have many qualified candidates apply to each of our positions, and after careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with other candidates who more closely meet the needs of the position. 

We wish you success in your career endeavors and sincerely appreciate your interest in Pixar!
 
Best wishes, 
Pixar Recruiting"

But, this is how I look at it:

" The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show us how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people."

- Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

I can't say that I'm not even a little bit sad about receiving this email, because deep down I wanted to think that I at least had a chance. 97% acknowledged how competitive of a program this was and therefore had realistic expectations about the outcome of my application. But there was still that 3% of me that absorbed all the confidence I have and let me play with the idea that there was even the slightest possibility that this could happen, and it could be me. With all that said, I can honestly say that I wasn't at all surprised by the rejection. Which is why I made certain that I have other arrangements lined up for the summer, that I'm really looking forward to. I have an opportunity to do some freelance work through a creative agency in San Francisco, called Creative Circle. From this experience and my summer planning, I've learned 3 very important things:
1. Always, always, always be persistent.
I sent over 100 emails to advertising and creative agencies in San Francisco about 4 months ago, inquiring about any possible opportunities they might have for internships or shadowing programs. What did I get back? absolutely nothing. Over 100 emails out, and not a single one of them returned. I was so shocked and confused that I called the only person I know who's kind of obligated to hear my whine and complain about my frustrations, my mother. But I'm really glad I did, because she shared some really important advice that will help me no matter what I end up doing in life. She told me to always be persistent. She said I needed to show them that I'm not the person who just sends out a bunch of emails to hundreds of different agencies and just expects to get something promising in return. I have to make an effort to show them that I'm here to stay, whether they chose to act on it or not. I have to follow up and let them know that I'm still interested and willing to stay on top of it because that shows them how much I want it. It show that I can get over the brick wall because I want it that badly.
2. Make the connection.
Its all about who you know. I can't stress this enough. Even the brightest and most talented people need connections. What you know and what you're capable of doing is not enough to get you where you need to be. Make as many connections as you possibly can, and keep track of them. Because one of those connections just might open the door to your future. I would not have gotten the opportunity to work with Creative Circle this summer without my connections. If my mother's friend's daughter hadn't worked in San francisco and reached out to her friends working in the city, the opportunity would have never exisited. Its all about who you know, and more importantly, who they know.
3. Embrace the brick wall.
If I let myself feel defeated for not beating the odds and getting the Pixar internship, I would gain nothing at all from the experience. This experience has two things to offer: an internship, and an opportunity to learn, grow, and move forward. I didn't get the internship, but I did get something i believe is just as valuable. This is such a major part of the real world. There will always be "other candidates who more closely meet the needs of the position". There will always be hundreds of people with your skills, your talent, and your persistence. You have to stand out by embracing the brick wall. You can't let yourself be defeated by the realization that you're not the only qualified candidate. The brick wall is there for a reason. The brick wall allows you to prove that you're able to take rejection and turn it into a positive experience that pushes you to move on to bigger and better things.

21. Brand Identity Theft

Have you ever thought of brand as more than just a brand? There's quite a few examples of brands that are commonly mistaken for the name of the product they represent. For Example:
- People often refer to tissues as Kleenex when in fact, Kleenex is just a type of tissue.
- People often refer to lip balm as Chapstick, when in fact chapstick is only one type of lip balm.
- People often refer to hot tubs as Jacuzzis, when in fact a Jacuzzi is only one type of the many hot tub brands that exist.

= ?

You'd think brands would be honored to be recognized on this sort of level. But I think it might actually do more harm then good. All brands want to be the most recognized by consumers. But when consumers think that tissues and Kleenex are the same thing, that doesn't necessarily mean they are going to purchase the Kleenex brand. This synonymous relationship makes it incredibly difficult for Kleenex to establish itself as a brand, apart from the product it represents.  I find myself guilty of contributing to this common misconception all the time. I'll go to the store with the intention of buying Chapstick, but what that really means to me is that I'm buying Burt's Bees. I forget that Chapstick is not a product, its a brand. Lip Balm is the product. These misconceptions have been so ingrained in our culture that it's hard for me to separate the terms from the identities. It's interesting to think about...

20. All-Natural Brand Authenticity

I thought I'd do a little research on the advertising behind Burt's Bees. For every lip balm purchase I've made in the past couple of years, Burt's bees has been my product of choice. This isn't because of any advertisements I've seen, because now that I think of it, I've never actually seen an Ad campaign for Burt's Bees. I think my decision is based entirely on the way they present themselves as a brand. Among all the other lip balms on the shelf, Burt's Bees stands out as a product that is natural and authentic. I did a little research on the agency that works on Burt's Bees' branding and discovered Baldwin&, a small agency that also places importance on brand authenticity.

Check out the video Baldwin& produced to promote the authenticity of their client:
An All-Natural Animated Short Made of Tinted Lip Balm

19. It's All Greek To Me

Today while enjoying my Chobani greek yogurt I started thinking about the reason I chose this brand over all of it's competitors. Then i did some research. I found out that Chobani is No. 1 in sales in the booming Greek Yogurt segment of the yogurt market. Part of Chobani's success comes from encouraging consumers to share their own stories through social media. They have developed their brand personality by attempting to connect with consumers on a personal level. In charge of their campaign efforts is a creative agency called Gotham. I immediately identified with the agency's culture. Gotham identifies it's culture as a group of doers who welcome optimism.
"We welcome optimism. We welcome the impossible idea, because we understand that the notion of making the impossible possible not only drives inspiration within, but opens one’s mind to the unexpected. Optimism allows one to look at a completely different and alternative side to an issue; to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and barriers. When it comes to our clients’ businesses, we believe we can accomplish anything."
This is an agency that understands the 8 secrets of success and is actively pursuing each and every one. So back to my original point, I'm not really sure why I picked Chobani. But maybe it's because i was subconsciously aware of the effort Gotham has made to present Chobani as a brand that consumers can personally connect with. Or maybe it's just because I liked the packaging. Either way, my decision lead me to two exciting discoveries:
1.) The existence of Gotham, the creative agency responsible for putting Chobani on top.
and
2.) A new way to think about ad agency culture and the driving force behind successful work.