I’ve thought a lot over the past 24 hours about what drives an agency and the people who work within its walls. We were asked to spend two hours with a group of students from Northeast Magnet High School in Wichita. Jeffrey asked Scott Light and Jo Tomson, art directors here, to prepare for and direct how those two hours would be spent.
From the inception of The Strategy Group, we have said we would be teachable. We would display a servant’s heart toward our clients. We would go above and beyond through work ethic and creative stretch to move the needle for them. We would give our best work to every client, regardless of budget. Do those values show up outside the agency/client relationship?
High school students have a lot of highway to travel. Their career decisions aren’t imminent. Jo and Scott have a lot of work to do. We’re in the middle of a very busy first quarter. But they poured their hearts and time into giving their best thinking and sharing their best experiences with these students (pictured here/ Jo is on the left and Scott is far right). They didn’t marginalize the opportunity by making a quick decision to not cut into too much billable time. They didn’t decide they could easily wing it with a bunch of uniformed kids. These kids got two hours of solid content, full-out enthusiasm from Jo and Scott, a sign at the entry and take-home promotional items from a printer because Jo stopped and asked for them on her way in to work.
Watching two art directors and six kids, everyone here got a value lesson. Here’s what I’ve asked myself: How often do I wing it?
I was doing some client billing the other day and stumbled across an email conversation between a client and Alan, one of our account executives. In short, the email volley pertained to the possibility of conflicting logos on a small brochure we were designing. The client told us to just do it and not worry about it. Alan’s response was direct, “Sorry, but that’s my job.”
We are brand gatekeepers. Without gatekeepers, brands crumble. Every single thing we do, every single thing we say and every single dollar we spend either builds equity in a brand or contributes to its dilution.
Right now we are witnessing the total annihilation of one of the world’s dominant brands. Make no mistake. Tiger Woods is not just a person. Tiger Woods is a brand. So I’m left to wonder, who was the gatekeeper of the Tiger Woods brand?
Sometimes our job is not easy. Sometimes we’re the bad guys. Sometimes “just do it” is just plain wrong. Wherever you go from this point forward Tiger, make certain you have an Alan in your life.
Cheers.
I’m tired. This is a business, but we live with it like it’s a family member. When our clients feel anxious, we feel anxious. Many of our clients have ridden a rollercoaster of anxiety this year—longer sales cycles, lost sales, no sales. Squeezed margins. Fewer profits. We watch clients swallow down panic. Nearly every business conversation begins or ends with the latest estimation—never a summation—of when things will turn.
In a pep talk this morning Jeffrey reminded me to fight. Our clients are fighting hard for their businesses. We are required, as their partners, to fight hard—now harder—for them. Their trust in us mandates that we be 1) better students of the environment to bring them the best thinking, 2) quicker to cut through the clutter to distinguish them in the minds of their consumers and 3) smarter about what initiatives to keep, toss or place on hold.
I love a good fight, but I can’t fight for myself or anyone else without passion. Today, I had to stop to remember what I’m really passionate about. It’s potential. I love finding and championing the best in those I love and the clients I serve.
It’s funny, the track the mind takes when someone admonishes you. Mine went to a Keith Emerson (Emerson Lake & Palmer) piano solo. It came up on Jeffrey’s ipod several weeks ago as we headed to a K-State football game. It’s intense. When I asked Jeffrey about it he said that Emerson pushed his genius so hard that he ended up with severe nerve damage in his hands and wrists. He was passionate about playing the keyboards to a high standard.
Entry #1—passion. Do you remember yours?
I just finished reading the memoir of David Foster, music producer extraordinaire. Laurie picked up the book because we’ve really enjoyed watching/listening to his PBS concert special (now in our disc library) “David Foster and Friends.” Even if you don’t recognize his name, you would most certainly recognize his music. Foster banged out hits with Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Chicago and Andrea Bocelli just to name a few.
Unfortunately, if the book were a record, it would have been dropped from most playlists…too many dropped names, too many dropped women—who, by the way, all dropped daughters, and too many dropped “F” bombs (commentary to follow shortly on people who drop too many “F” bombs).
There was this one pearl of wisdom though. Read the following excerpt. This made me—for the first time and likely the last—want to be just like Oprah and former President Bill Clinton.
…and I went off to be introduced to Oprah. I’m sure she knew absolutely nothing about me, but within seconds she made me feel as if I were the most fascinating man on the planet. (She and Bill Clinton have that gift in common. Most people are lost in a bottomless black hole of self-absorption, but people like Oprah and Bill make you feel as if you are the most important and fascinating person they’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.) When I told Oprah that the Beatles had been one of my early influences, she wanted to know why, and she was dead serious about it. She wasn’t just going through the motions. And it reminded me of an old saying: “If you find yourself interesting, you’re a bore. But if you find me interesting you’re a genius.”
By the time we sat down to dinner, I knew Oprah was a genius and I was absolutely crazy about her.
“HITMAN - THE MEMOIR OF LEGENDARY MUSIC PRODUCER DAVID FOSTER”
We have a very dear friend who embodies this very principle and she’s positively uplifting to be around. Here’s to our friend Toni! May we all aspire to be more like you, Oprah and Buba. Cheers!
