Archive for March, 2011

The Authentic Network

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

James Orsini on the Authentic Network

Looking for some great tips on professional networking? Look no further than Princeton’s Business Today. In it, our very own Director of Finance & Operations James Orsini has penned an article titled “The Authentic Network.” The issue will be hitting newsstands in the next week or so, but you can already check it out in the online edition. James’ piece starts on page 56.

THE ART OF NETWORKING
The article is chock-full of great advice and not too long, but if you want an immediately download, we’ve put together some key take-away points for you below.

  • Good networking is about three things – Credibility, Sincerity & Selflessness
  • Face-to-face interaction is the single most undervalued thing in the work place today.
  • Don’t’ wait until you need something! If you haven’t heard from someone in your network in a while, give them a call and invite them out to lunch.
  • What goes around comes around. Take the time to do a favor today, and it will come back ten-fold a year down the line.
  • There’s no face-time required for making an online connection. Where’s the authenticity in that?
  • At the end of the day, networking is about being genuine. Be open and honest with your contacts, listen when they’re speaking to you and go out of your way to be helpful (even when it doesn’t impact you directly).
Category: Our People, Thought Leadership

South By Sustainability

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Check out Car2Go the next time you're in Austin

Erin Lyons is True Blue Leader at SaatchiNY. She was also one of our SXSW contingent a few weeks back. Below are some of her thoughts on how well Austin is integrating True Blue into city planning and day-to-day life. For more info on Erin you can follow her on twitter (@esavestheworld) read her on Tumblr or connect with her on LinkedIn.

EMPHASIS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
I was sent down to Austin to explore and strategize opportunities in the SXSW film, interactive and music festival, but my lenses are always keenly trained on opportunities that a city, company or individual can implement to become more conscious of their impact on their environment and society. From composting and the Zero Waste Plan to the LEED Gold certified Austin City Hall to Car2Go to the Greenbelt, Austin’s commitment to innovating sustainable and eco-friendly principles in building, infrastructure and city culture is apparent.

Austin began promoting environmental principles in the early 1990s and has a variety of functional programs in place to make living True Blue simple and economical – two traits vital to ensuring a continued commitment to sustainable principles in both corporations and individuals.  (If sustainability doesn’t make simple, smart business sense, it won’t stick. End of story.)

Now, twenty-plus years later the city has recommitted to its principles by expanding the scope and budgets of their public commitments and are providing valuable incentives to homeowners and businesses who are interested in moving towards “zero-waste” operations.  (Incentives – also key in the continual and successful engagement of communities. – i.e. WIIFM: what’s in it for me?)

TRUE BLUE MOMENTS
My first – let’s call them Blue Moments – came at brunch at the lovely La Boite Café (pictured on the front page), which takes “reuse and recycle” to the next level by operating out of a refurbished boxcar (their organic almond croissants are to die for, but I digress).  Having the option at the end of my meal to trash, recycle or COMPOST left me feeling all warm and fuzzy – and not only from the delicious coffee.  When you realize that everything in your hands could be composted, and thusly biodegrade within just a handful of months into useable organic matter . . . it makes it a whole lot easier to sleep at night.

My second Blue Moment came during an amble along Lady Bird Lake, which divides downtown from the beautiful neighborhoods of south Austin.  There I encountered City Hall and learned about its LEED Gold status.  This is a top-notch environmental rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, and is also the rating we at 375 Hudson recently attained through the fantastic efforts of our property manager Tishman Speyer.  When Austin’s City Hall was built in July 2006, developers aimed for a LEED Silver certification, and did so well at incorporating “local and recycled materials, native plants and trees, efficient water and energy appliances, and water efficient landscaping” that they exceeded their initial goals and obtained Gold status.

ECO-NOMICAL
Scattered throughout the city you’ll find tons of adorable Car2Go’s – small, low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles that are part of a car-sharing program being tested in the city.  For a $35 registration fee you have dozens of eco-friendly cars at your disposal for $0.35 per minute, day or night.  This little car packed a big Blue Moment after seeing them literally EVERYWHERE and realizing the big impact they had in enabling Austin-residents to be mobile without having to own a vehicle.

And to end, I loved the amount of green areas integrated throughout the city of Austin. The Barton Creek Greenbelt winds its way through the city and offers residents everything from hiking to rock-climbing to freshwater swimming holes.  While walking through major downtown areas, one stumbles upon small creeks and parks well in use by residents and vital to the integration of an eco-minded culture, even in the midst of a large urban center.

Austin has shown an amazing commitment to the principles that embodies True Blue.  The city-wide focus on zero-waste and providing smart sustainable solutions to its residents allows for a culture that remains mindful of the needs of people and of its environmental impact, even in the midst of a major festival.

Category: Our People, Sustainability, true blue

Lovemarks Campus

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Lovemarkscampus.com

At our year-end agency meeting in December, we talked about a lot of stuff planned for 2011 to accelerate the embrace of Lovemarks. It’s been a great tool for winning new business, creating memorable work and seeding amazing ideas. Now is the time to really focus on the tangible impact of Lovemarks on the consumer.

IT’S ON CAMPUS
Lovemarks has had significant traction among professors and students of advertising, marketing, sociology, even international relations, across American and across the globe. Following on the heels of World-wide CEO Kevin Robert’s February 14 Ad Age Opinion piece recapping the 10 year journey of Lovemarks to the heart of marketing, we introduce Lovemarks Campus - an international Facebook community, website & twitter feed dedicated to (the brainier side of) Lovemarks.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND
We’ve built teaching modules for college professors and students, created forums discussing the various tenants of Lovemarks-dom, and posted a wide array of studies and papers on emotional advertising. It’s a fantastic tool for students, teachers and advertising types. Already there are over 1,000 people enrolled. Do yourself a favor; go visit the page and give it a “Like.” Get involved in the discussions and share your thoughts. We promise it’s going to be fun.

Category: Lovemarks, Strategic Planning

Sleep No More

Monday, March 28th, 2011

A unique experience

Rosie Siman is a recent addition to our integrated planning team and our resident social & emerging media strategist. When she’s not writing for H/H, you can find her on Twitter (@rosiesiman) & Tumblr.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the dress rehearsal for Sleep No More, a performance by the theater group Punchdrunk, which left me feeling especially inspired. [Thanks, Katie!]

Punchdrunk has transformed a four-story space in NYC into a stage for what they call “an immersive theater experience.” They have taken the art of live theater, and made it interactive, whereby each audience member discovers their own plot through their exploration of their McKittrick Hotel.

Over 100 rooms and environments have been created and guests are encouraged to use all five senses as they wander, opening drawers (and even letters!) to better understand the plot happening around them. Part murder mystery, part installation art, Sleep No More is an inquisitive person’s playground.

While word on the street is that celebrity attendance has been out the roof, you’re unlikely to come back with stories of touring the hotel with said celebs as you’re required to wear a mask as you wander.

Complete with Inception style wall-walking, full-frontal nudity and even a candy shop where you can fill your pockets, I can promise this will be nothing like you’ve ever experienced before. I left with my heart racing, eager to encourage friends (and yes, even total strangers) to attend.

I was recently asked how I think we can keep talent in our industry motivated, and to me, it’s very simple: Get them out of the office. Not just out of the office to the Starbucks downstairs for a brainstorm, but out of the office experiencing culture around them.

We work in an industry where the late hours are going to be inevitable at times, but let’s not judge people based on how late they stay or how many weekends on which they work. Instead, let’s challenge colleagues and people who work with us to explore the city they’re in, bringing their excitement and enthusiasm back to the agency.

If you’re looking for something new, something exciting, something that will leave you feeling inspired, I highly suggest you have a visit to the McKittrick Hotel. You can purchase tickets for $75 (a steal!) online or follow Sleep No More on Twitter if you need more convincing.

Category: Creative, New York

King St. Q&A w/ Tara Lee Byrne

Friday, March 25th, 2011

Tara, mic in hand

Tara Lee Byrne is an Administrative Assistant for the jcpenney account at SaatchiNY.

WHAT DO YOU DO AT SAATCHI & SAATCHI?
Well I’m the team assistant for one of the most, awesome, fast-paced retail accounts around. I help make one team one dream happen. Logistically.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
My first job was helping out the starter swim group at my local swim club. At age eleven I reckoned it was time to start earning the big bucks, so I applied for a summer job. They were kind enough to agree. I earned 16 Irish pounds a week, so it was sodas and chips all ‘round, on me.

WHAT LED YOU ON THE PATH YOU’RE ON TODAY?
A love for art, adventure and New York City. After graduating from U.C.D. Dublin in Ireland, I knew I wanted to relocate to NYC. I found my way to 375 Hudson Street and haven’t looked back!

IF YOU WEREN’T IN ADVERTISING, WHAT CAREER WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO TRY?
I’ve always been fascinated by architecture and was super close to taking it at school.  Looking at New York buildings like this makes me think it’s a career I’d love to try…

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE YOUTUBE VIDEO?
So many classics. Many of which aren’t too serious, right? What I love about YouTube is the bizarre clips you stumble upon. This one never gets old for me:

TELL US SOMETHING SURPRISING ABOUT YOURSELF:
I was born in Queens, raised in Ireland, and am fluent in German.

WHAT ARE YOUR LOVEMARKS?
My Lovemarks are Ryanair, Google, Topshop jeans, Soul Cycle, and my little sister.

FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TELEVISION PROGRAM?
Can I go with a film instead? The Secret Garden, directed by Agnieszka Holland. I believe I was eight when I fell in love with this magical movie.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CREATIVE PURSUIT?
I help my struggling artist friend shoot and produce her films! Her most recent project has won Best Experimental Film at the 2010 Los Angeles Film & Script Festival, along with being selected for the Boston Underground Film Festival and the NewFilmmakers NY Film Festival Winter Series 2011. The film is offline until festival season is over, but you can check out the trailer here.

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN?
Well in winter, I love to check out museums, shows, restaurants, and I explore my new neighborhood – Brooklyn! In summer I attend all the outdoor shows I can and take day trips to the beach and parks. My newest adopted NY hobby is Soul Cycle!

WHAT WAS THE LAST SONG YOU PLAYED ON YOUR IPOD?
Let’s see … Beirut – “Nantes’ From their 2007 release, The Flying Club Cup. Beautiful album! -

WHAT BLOGS/MAGAZINES/BOOKS/PAPERS/WEBSITES CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?
I have some friends who are very talented writers/ artists:

Carefree White Girl

Emilie Richard Froozan

For comic relief, I turn to a comical satirical blog from the old country: Broadsheet

BOOK THAT YOU’RE CURRENTLY READING?
Right now I’m reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay By Michael Chabon

A GUILTY PLEASURE FOR ME IS:
Cheese! I adore all types of cheeses, shopping for cheese and of course having cheese together with wine…

WHAT IS THE GREATEST INVENTION IS IN YOUR LIFETIME AND WHY?
The internet. Sir Tim Berners-Lee is living proof that nothing is impossible.

HAVE YOU EVER WON A TROPHY?
I used to be quite the tennis player, training on regional squads! Other (dusty) trophies in the cabinet are for public speaking: German debating, Drama and Irish Dancing.

WHAT’S THE LAST GREAT TRIP YOU WENT ON?
I traveled the Dalmatian Coast from bottom to top. Which is one of the most beautiful, untouched places left in Europe (Don’t tell anyone about it!).

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ARTIST/MUSICIAN/DESIGNER?
My favorite musicians right now are the Minneapolis band- Gayngs. My all-time favorite is surely the Beatles!

WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU GAVE A STANDING OVATION?
Saturday’s rugby win for Ireland!

Category: King St. Q&A, Our People

The Social Network

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

join us at 10:30 am tomorrow

Facebook. A $50 billlion dollar brand. A trend setter. A film device. A staple in the world of social media. And now, for a limited time . . . we’re giving you the chance to see the inner-workings of the most successful social network in history.

Representatives from Facebook will be in the house tomorrow morning for a discussion about what they’re up to, what it means for your accounts and the best ways to leverage social media in the months/years to come.

It’s going to be a great time. Interested? We thought you might be. Swing by the the meeting (which runs from 10:30 AM – Noon) in the Boardroom on 16 tomorrow.  See you there!

Category: Digital & Interactive, Events, New York

Advertising and Rock & Roll

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree

Hilary Davis is an Art Director at SaatchiNY. She also has the distinction of being a pretty fantastic musician (see Bella Koshka for further elaboration on this point). As we mentioned in our post last Friday, we had a few people still on the ground in Austin covering SXSW . . . Hilary was one of those folks. She’s been kind enough to put together her thoughts on a few shows from last week, book-ended by insights into the similarities between music & advertising. Rock & roll.

DEARLING PHYSIQUE – THE BEAUTY BAR – 3/15
The Dearling Physique Sound like Nine Inch Nails fronted by Tricky – with a lead singer who’s not afraid to rock some glitter face paint, wigs, and tribal dance moves – this band has no problem grabbing the attention of passersby. Yet by the end of their set, they had emptied the room. The problem?  Their songs lacked melodies.

Like a beautifully shot ad without a headline, they were missing a takeaway. Catching people’s attention is not enough. Audiences and consumers want to walk away humming a riff, or reciting a catchy slogan. Give them something to remember your band, or your product, or your brand by.

DOOMTREE – FLAMINGO CANTINA – 3/16
Doomtree is a collective of hip-hop artists from the Midwest sounds like an unlikely formula for success, but when each member takes the stage singing, rapping, and spitting out their songs, their energy is undeniable. They connect with the crowd because their stories come from their real lives. You can’t fake authenticity.

Audiences/consumers already know when they’re being marketed to, so speak to them honestly. Let your origin story sell your brand (like a group of friends in Minneapolis forming a hip hop collective.) I always think of Burt’s Bees in this case – a guy named Burt selling jars of honey and homemade lip balm at local craft fairs creates a prosperous personal care business.

THE SILENT COMEDY – LUSTRE PEARL – 3/16
Guitar, bass, drums. The familiar elements of a rock band. But The Silent Comedy, this dapper band of vest-clad gentlemen from San Diego, mix in a harmonica and a handlebar mustachioed banjo player. The tried and true rock formula became more interesting. So give the audience what they want, with a twist.

If you’re selling retail clothing, you’re going to show the product on a pretty model. But you can style her in an unexpected way, or shoot her in a setting that juxtaposes her outfit.

Category: Creative, Music, Our People

App-tastic!

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

So many apps, so little time

Rosie Siman is a recent addition to our integrated planning team and our resident social & emerging media strategist. When she’s not writing for H/H, you can find her on Twitter (@rosiesiman) & Tumblr.

Scrolling through my phone on the way to work this morning, I realized that after a mere 10 days in Austin, my phone was full of new apps (I never drunk dial, but I am guilty of drinking and downloading). And while some of the new additions won’t stick around indefinitely, I’m realizing that many of them are far too useful to go. A summary of my favorite apps from SXSW 2011:

THE NEWBIES

GroupMe
GroupMe is a group messaging app that you can use via the app itself or via SMS. Think of it like a private chat room- You add the people you want to be a part of the group and GroupMe sends you an individual number. When you text that number, everyone who is a part of your group receives a text back. GroupMe also has a conference call service whereby you can call the number to call everyone in your group at once.
Bottom Line: When keeping up with a group of friends at a conference, especially at a tech conference where data service isn’t up to par, GroupMe is the way to go.
Keep/Delete: Keep. I’m not sure how exactly I’ll use this outside of the conference circuit, but it’s been too helpful to delete.
Available for iPhone, Android & Blackberry.

Uber
Uber lets you request & pay for a ride through their app. You can text them your address or use the iPhone/Android app to set your pickup location on a map. Right now, they’re only running in San Francisco, but they brought pedicabs to SXSW, which was super helpful. With pedicabs, I was able to negotiate the rate directly with the driver, but if you use their car service in SF, your rate is automatically calculated ($8 base + $4.90/mile + $1.25/idle minute.) Even though tip is included, it seems a bit pricey for a car service. For example, if Uber were running in NYC, it would cost me $101.10 to get from my office to the airport whereas a car service is usually closer to $55, a cab $45.

Bottom Line: Great for pedicabs. And if you’re in a pinch for a car (in SF), Uber could save the day.
Keep/Delete: I’m going to delete Uber for now, but I’ll download the second it’s available for use with NYC pedicabs.
Available via web, iPhone & Android

Oysterpedia
The magic of Oysterpedia is in the name. For the one night I didn’t eat tacos in Austin, I hit up Perla’s for some delicious oysters. The menu had so many to choose from and I wasn’t sure where to begin, until I remembered that Mermaid Inn released an oyster app, just for occasions like this. The app asks you to select East Coast or West Coast before giving you encyclopedic knowledge on oysters from those regions. Until this app, I never knew that each oyster was so different! Besides telling you the salinity, texture and size, the Oysterpedia app also offers a glossary of “good to know” oyster terminology, defining exactly what “beach cultured” or “rack and bag” actually mean.

Bottom Line: If you love oysters, you’ll love this app.
Keep/Delete: Keep. And use often.
Available via web or iPhone

Instagram
Instagram. I know, I know – I’m a little late to the game on this one. I already had 9 photo apps on my phone before succumbing to the pressure and downloading Instagram. If you’re not familiar, Instagram is a free app which lets you take, modify and share pictures. There are 10+ filters that all transform your pictures from being meh to awesome. You can connect Instagram with Flickr, Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare. In fact, at one party I attended at SXSW, there were Instaprinters, which printed out every picture that was tagged with the location of the party. The printers were wireless and used ink-less film (a la polaroid), which made for some rad party favors.

Bottom Line: Delete all your other photo apps, but keep Instagram
Keep/Delete: Keep, share, create.
Available for iPhone

Tiny Wings
Tiny Wings was the perfect solution for the panels you wish you hadn’t chosen, Tiny Wings is a game where you race daylight to travel to different islands merely by sliding down & jumping over hills. It’s simple and addictive with great graphics.

Bottom Line: If you love Angry Birds, you’ll probably dig Tiny Wings
Keep/Delete: Keep. But hide from yourself while working ;)
Available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

Foursquare
I joined Foursquare back in March of 09, just before Dens & Naveen headed to SXSW to tell the world about their app. I was excited about the app back then, but the the new Foursquare has blown me away. The guys have taken it to a whole new level with the “Explore” feature and partners now include Instagram, Picplz, Foodspotting, Groupme, Hashable, Tweetdeck, EightbitMe, Venmo & Hootsuite. For SXSW 2011, they hooked up with Sched, to get data on all official and unofficial SXSW activities, meaning every time you checked in, Foursquare knew why you were at a given location. For example, when I checked in to the Dirty Dog Bar to see Eisely perform, my tweet from Foursquare said “@ Dirty Dog Bar for Eisley,” without me adding any extra information. Foursquare has also amped up their specials creating additional incentives for non-mayors. If you want to read more about Foursquare 3.0, check out their blog.

Bottom Line: Even Foursquare haters are doing it.
Available for iPhone, Android & Blackberry

Foodspotting
Foodspotting is an app based on one simple human insight: We like to take pictures of our food. With the rise of foodie culture, Foodspotting has become a visual guide of trends within the food world: Not just where to go, but what to eat (Might I recommend the cheese dip at Torchy’s?) Foodspotting was launched in January 2010, and already 400k+ foods around the world have been “spotted” on their app.
Bottom Line: Download, capture and nom!
Available for the iPhone

Starbucks Mobile Card
Pay for Starbucks on-the-go using your mobile phone. I try not to carry anything besides my phone, debit card and ID when I’m out and about for the whole day (purses are heavy!) so I love that I get the discounts from my registered Starbucks card without having to add that to the mix. You can’t yet add money to your card via the mobile app (you have to go online or in-store), but you can set your account to automatically re-load if your balance gets below a certain limit.

Bottom Line: A must for Starbucks lovers
Available for the iPhone

Category: Creative, Digital & Interactive