November 21, 2005

Nikki, regarding your thoughts on ads and art...no, I can't think of any ads that I'd characterize as 'art.' Ads are so of-the-moment. They are designed to engage and entangle us right now. And that's a function of the context of our lives. Where are we when we're viewing the ad? What is the context for the ad...what programs appear next to it...what are the adjacent editorial pages in the magazine...etc.

By definition, then, ads are creatures of context.

Art, on the other hand, endures so much longer and takes on so much more meaning over time. Especially good art.

Did you read the story yesterday about the women who posed for Giocometti sculptures more than half a century ago? One woman said that she didn't think the sculpture resembled her at all at the time. Then, as the years passed, she began to realize that it captured her in an extraordinarily perceptive and enduring way. One model even said that she felt like the inanimate object, while the sculpture had the true life.

Those kinds of transcendent characterizations simply do not apply to advertising.

Well, that's my opinion.

You Gotta Have a Gimmick

We've talked a lot about the importance of having a brand position that can be communicated in two or three words...a position that not only describes your product or service, but also differentiates you from the competition.

Waiting for a light to change on the streets of New York last week, I noticed a flyer taped onto the nearby light pole: "NYC's Toughest Personal Trainer." Well, there's a clear differentiation for you. Right to the point. That trainer carves out a powerful position in four words. Very cool.

(And if you want to avail yourself next time you're in town, call 212-946-2090.)

Marketing ROI

I'm reading a book about it now, because I'm intrigued to learn more about how others measure the effectiveness of their marketing. It's even more relevant now as the interactive advertising boom is fueled in part by its benefit of measurability.

I'm all for accountability. But I think we have to be careful. So often, what's easy to measure is not what's most important. For example, think of why you love your wife?

I was reading about Leo Bogart, one of the great thinkers in the advertising industry. (He died recently.) Bogart said, "The Great Idea in advertising is far more than the sum of the recognition scores, the ratings, and all the other superficial indicators of its success. It is in the realm of myth, to which measurements cannot apply."