Buyers vs. Users

A recent study revealed some interesting truths not only about technology, but about human nature in general. It was commissioned to solve a mystery: Why do so many people buy technology-oriented products, only to return them a week later? The conclusion: because as a species, we're basically bipolar.

Maybe it's more accurate to say that we all have multiple personality disorder: We're one person when we buy something; we're quite another when we own something. For example, when looking at say, digital cameras, we care most about having lots of features. All things being equal, we want the device that offers the most stuff so we feel like we're getting our money's worth.

The problem is this: Once we take the camera home and start using it, we become an entirely different person. Our needs change. We want simplicity. And because loading a digital camera with all the bells and whistles needed to get us to buy it also increases the device's complexity, we get frustrated and return it. (The poor camera-maker then throws his or her hands in the air and says, "What do I have to do to please these people?!")

Dividing our personalities into "buyers" and "users" is quite fascinating on all levels. Think about how it applies to dating (buyers) vs. marriage (users), and you probably have a hit screenplay on your hands. Lately I've been thinking about how it applies to purchasing creative services. So often what companies look for when shopping for an agency is Creativity (with a big "C"). That's one of the reasons why Big Agency spends so much money on cool digs, hot young account execs, juice bars, ping pong tables and retro video games.

That gets the account. The problem is, once the account is won, the client switches from a Buyer to a User. Now what they want is high-quality work, responsive account service, strong attention to detail and reasonable prices. Unfortunately, putting on that sizzling dog-and-pony show to win the RFP costs money. Details and customer service? How boring.

My suggestion: Try to have a User mindset from the beginning. That way, you'll never get used.

Taking an Untraditional Approach

I'm happy to share the results of a recent project that covered the "concepting" part of my copywriting, concepting, clarity tagline.

A joint project--won through an RFP and executed between Conk Creative and 185 Media--the challenge was to create a 5-minute video that would get high school students excited about Hennepin Technical College.

The concept was to make the video as untraditional as the school itself:

• Focus on action and showing the facilities (rather than a talking head).
• Rather than a standard voiceover, make it a fast-cut music video with a custom-built soundtrack.
• Incorporate the actual sounds of the school's different areas into the soundtrack.
  
• Use clever transitions that link the different areas of study (e.g. a stove burner in Culinary Arts to a fire during a Firefighter Training exercise).
• Draw a clear and appealing distinction between the experience of Hennepin Tech vs. a traditional 4-year college.

Here's the result. Let me know what you think.

Chipotle vs. KFC

In the first of what I hope will be many visual Chaos2Clarity posts, I offer a 90-second analysis of recent brand-related uber-moves made by two fast food giants.

BrandWatch: The Photographer's Guild

Apparently, you can call the Photographer's Guild on Snelling and Selby for any of the following:
- Weddings
- Portraits
- Commercial
- Geo-Political Consultation

(And I thought it was weird that LeeAnn Chin was selling frozen yogurt...)

Ah, the Good Old Days...

The Incredible Effectiveness of Contrarian Marketing

It's rare that a piece of marketing really impresses me, but this one figuratively blew me away.

In a move to become less selfish (and knowing that my family is incredibly lucky while lots of people are really hurting right now), I recently gave some money to Second Harvest. I probably responded to the organization's latest direct mail campaign because I remember Bruce Springsteen talking them up during one of his recent concerts. (That's some high-level product placement...)

Anyway, in considering an organization that can enlist The Boss, I thought I knew what to expect in the way of follow-up. So when I received the standard thank-you note envelope in the mail recently, I knew it was going to be either the type-written form letter or the more advanced it-looks-type-written-but-it's-actually-just-Lucinda-Handwriting-font-with-your-first-name-ink-jetted- at-the-top-through-the-printer's-list-merge-program form letter.

But I was wrong. Take a look at this. It's a handwritten note. I repeat: an actual handwritten note! I've long considered the benefits of going totally contrarian in marketing (like responding to the current Twitter Mania by telling my clients to reach their target customers by sending them telegrams), but this is Marketing Contrarianism at its best. When is the last time you read a handwritten note, especially from a total stranger? (When's the last time you actually sent a handwritten letter? Or any letter?)

Bravo, Second Harvest. You're a great organization in every way, and I'm happy to use this supposedly advanced social media tool to promote your beautifully inspired use of a lost art--and to encourage everyone who reads this to support your cause.

Attention Deadline Disorder

I like coming up with axioms to explain behavior, because it creates a nice illusion of understanding and control. So far, I have only two axioms (axii?) that I consider iron-clad, battle-tested and USDA approved.

Axiom #1. The speed of a driver is directly proportional to his or her height. (The shorter the driver, the slower the driver... or at least, if you find yourself behind a really slow driver, chances are you can't even see his or her head in the front seat.)

Axiom #2. In marketing, a client's attention to a project is inversely proportional to the number of days before its deadline. Translation: People don't really start paying to attention to anything until it's due.

You know what I'm talking about. I recently completed a project that went something like this:

30 days before deadline
Client: "This is fantastic. No changes."

15 days before deadline
Client: "Just a few little tweaks."

3 days before deadline
Client: "What's with all the em dashes?!"

Don't get me wrong. The client is great. I'm observing, not judging. After all, I tend to write these posts starting about three days before I plan on sending the outgoing email. (Guilty as charged...)