Brian F. Slattery: The Just-Noticeable Difference

I would bet that most people can remember a television advertisement that either shocked them or at least gained their attention strictly by virtue of what the spot was missing. In a more general sense, with multi-million dollar media buys, a plethora of distribution channels and new visual editing techniques, there is more than a gentle hum constantly audible from the engine of the advertising industry. As much of this blog seeks to identify and understand, it is that “just-noticeable difference” that separates messages that have a chance to be considered from those that aren’t even perceived any longer. It is a cognitive mechanism, a sort of collective attention gauntlet that creatives and strategists must work with rather than against.

In a sense, it seems that much of this repartee between advertisers and consumers is a type of cognitive jiu jitsu. Adept agencies understand what the vast majority of the market is offering and how they can leverage consumers heuristics to get at least a few more moments of consideration for their client’s goods. In television especially, it seems there was a crescendo reached in the 90′s, in which the combination of creative, messaging and placement reached an apex. While strong economic conditions supported massive consumer marketing spends, generation-X messaging got louder, flashier and more in-your-face than ever. Yet, there came a point at which it made more sense to be known characteristically as one who didn’t contribute to the hubbub. There came a point at which standing out meant turning your messaging’s volume down.

Now, I realize this use of negative space, whether visual or auditory, may not be an earth-shattering concept. Even so, I was delightfully reminded of this compositional shift last night when I tuned into a television series online. In only a few short years, with the advent of sites like Hulu.com and Casttv.com, we’ve begun to see a slightly more rapid (and, of course, interactive) evolution of advertising content. It started with static banners, Flash and audio. Now, our surfing and viewing is met with interstitials and regular ad breaks during streaming programs.

I’ve gotten used to hopping up from my seat at regular intervals of The Daily Show or whatever streaming show I might be enjoying. However, last night I turned around abruptly when I heard nothing but silence emanate from my computer at the designated “commercial break.” It literally prompted me to spin on my heels. My initial thought was that my Mac might have frozen (Banish even the thought!) Instead though, Saatchi & Saatchi’s interactive Toyota Avalon ads had managed to shock me by what they had strategically omitted.

Nearly all the 30s spots had a puzzle or game meant to briefly entice the viewer. They also shared the same “Comfort is Back” tagline as the rest of the integrated campaign. While the content was especially interactive, these itermittent spots made an even deeper appeal to my senses. “Comfort” really was back for brief 30s segments. While I may not be the ideal Avalon target consumer, I was impressed by the ads and their honesty. Toyota was literally “putting their money where there mouth is” or more brashly “in their mouth,” preventing the usual audible marketing chatter. As part of the comfortable Avalon experience, agency and client had produced an interactive campaign worthy of a bit of respect. Not only did the soundless spots turn my head, they also turned my typically imperceptible habits on end. Negative space really has some positive features!

Can you recall any similar advertisements? Do you have a different perspective on this negative space approach? Drop me a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

It’s about far more than products and services. It’s a responsibility that exceeds strictly the P&L statements of Fortune 500 clients and agency fee structures. While the primary function of advertising may be driving sales and augmenting brand awareness, we seem to understand the larger cultural implications and reach of the industry more than ever. Whether it’s creative satellite projects intended to stretch and build the creative muscles of an agency or pro bono PSA’s, the awakening of the true social impact of advertising is well underway.

Of course the bottom-line matters, and don’t mistake my message: There are no babies being thrown out with the bathwater. Yet, the depth of effect and sway that advertising can achieve past the typical product launch or branding campaign is more evident everyday. With the countless platforms now present with which to move messages and converse about issues, more can be known and understood, much less achieved.

Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg made a thought-provoking and very relevant comment at Nielsen’s Consumer 360 conference June 15th:

“Economics and economists talk a lot about the invisible victim…if six million children die every year in this world of unclean water and malaria and tuberculosis…the sheer numbers makes it hard for us to relate to them on a one-to-one basis. But when those invisible victims become visible, that is when people are moved to act.”

This is where PSA’s like Ogilvy Johannesburg’s recent spot for the Topsy Foundation gives necessary visibility to a cause and engenders a true, actionable response of accountability. And, oh, how it achieves this. With remarkably creative use of both chronology and musical accompaniment, this makes the invisible visible.

Ogilvy Johannesburg’s “Selina”

“Selina has AIDS. She agreed to be filmed everyday for 90 days, so that her story might help others,” we read as the spot sets the scene. The ad begins with a seemingly health African woman reclining into bed. A slow progression of video segments begins to reveal a gruesome story. Each successive shot yields a more emaciated and sickly figure than the one preceding it. Paired with choreographed movement naturally linking each splice, Selina gently outstretches her arm to the camera, looking deeply into the lens and slowly drops her arm to the bed sheets below. This technique alone would make the ad notable, yes. But it’s the fact that the first shot is adorned with the title “Day 90″ and the last with “Day 1″ that pivots the entire message on its end.

It is termed the Lazarus effect. This is, in fact, not a gruesome spot about the painful present and short future of this AIDS victim; but rather, one receding in time. It is hopeful, it is powerful and it is happening now. Selina’s drastic improvement is thanks primarily to the successful ARV treatment program. This is what the Topsy Foundation does: provide medical care and social support to rural communities in Southern Mpumalanga.

The message’s meaning runs not just through the unique timeline, but also the music accompanying the 90s spot. “It was dark when I found you,” the first verse begins.  ”Don’t be scared of the night, ’cause I’ll fix you upright…because everyone needs somebody sometime.” The gentle tones of the lullaby speak in parallel with what we see unfolding before us. As much as we’re staggered by the appearance at Day 1, we understand at the close of the advertisement when we’re told “The effects of AIDS can be reversed. Help us provide treatment that can provide someone a second chance.” The guitar reverb echoes as a call-to-action appears on-screen for Topsy. Chances are at this point, there’s a lot more than simply musical notes echoing in your mind. It seems Ogilvy and Topsy have made the invisible victim quite visible indeed.

What do you observe about the ad’s ability to connect seemingly isolated worlds? What examples can you recall where a greater social purpose is achieved in agency projects, whether PSA or otherwise? I invite the opportunity to chat about the ways agencies successfully produce a whole other strata of messaging.

Consider what comes to mind when you hear the word “solitude.” You’ve probably got some vivid sensations and adjectives that bubble to the surface almost immediately. While associations of such a state may conjure up feelings of cleansing, rejuvenation and even meditation, the practice of achieving such a state, ironically, takes more work than ever. The practice has built what was once a cottage industry to a multi-million dollar sector whose sole purpose is to “relax,” “center” and “repair” our frayed psyches. Globally, individuals exist in an increasingly interconnected and pervasive society. This equates to a renaissance of industry efficiencies and a business day whose beginning and end are blurred by email incessantly appearing on iPhones. Don’t get me wrong: I embrace the rapidly developing information-age society that we shape each and every day. Yet, especially in light of the speed of cultural transformation, marketers need to remind themselves what fuels that change: Creativity.

What then, fuels creativity? You guessed it: Solitude. This whole reflection was catalyzed by an article suggested to me by a respected marketing friend, Cheryl Burgess. In the piece, “The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People,” Leo Babauta solicits input from influential people in various creative fields. The most common response that he received was this need for solitude. “With quiet, you can hear your thoughts, you can reach deep within yourself, you can focus,” Babauta offers. While this may not be quite the epiphany you sought, but for which you might have been looking, there remains an insight that we seem to neglect on a larger scale. Creativity may be spontaneous, but providing an environment for it to flourish should not be. When it comes to effectively cultivating creative thought from these moments of solitude, Discipline is non-negotiable.

While pursuing my undergrad art degree, often the best thing I could do was simply sit in the studio. There I’d be, appearing to ignore my canvas or simply staring at my materials. I’m sure anyone who happened by probably wondered how any fine furniture would get built or drawings sketched. However, instead of trying to chase my frenetic thoughts around my brain, sitting and forcing myself to listen slowed things down to a pace at which I could mold them, test them and challenge them. Similarly, while pursuing my MBA, I spent countless hours alone in breakout rooms and standing at partially filled whiteboards. Routinely, my marketing communications and advertising strategy assignments were best met initially by sequestering myself away in hopes of solitude. I even found running late at night, when the distractions of the city were tucked away, to offer me a time to be alone in my thoughts. I was able to connect domains that hours earlier a caffeine buzz, vibrating phone or full schedule would have made me miss.

The reward of deliberate solitude reminds me of a creative concept, “Flow,” that Mihaly Csikszentmihaly establishes in his book, Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. “The flow experience was described in almost identical terms regardless of the activity that produced it. Athletes, artists, religious mystics, scientists and ordinary working people described their most rewarding experiences with very similar words.” He goes on to reveal that from thousands of interviews he conducted, that flow was nearly always described by a few key characteristics. “Distractions are excluded from consciousness,” there is “No worry of failure” and one’s “Sense of time becomes distorted.” In my experience, there are few better descriptors of solitude than these very examples. With discipline, I know for a fact that this flow experience becomes less elusive. And though it may appear oddly devoid of productivity at first, the watershed moments of creativity lie just around the corner. You simply have to take the risk to slow down and listen…regularly.

So, if solitude is so key to creativity, how do you make space for it in your career? In your personal life? Is there a more fundamental element needed to feed creativity? Let me know! I’d love to hear about it. I’m listening…trust me, I making a habit of it.

I found it rather apropos as I read a short, but inspiring blog post yesterday by Danny Brown. With graduation from the full-time MBA program just a week ago, it felt ‘right’ to be reading Danny’s post about personal positioning and objectives in the digital space. I reflected that the future of my career exists much like an artisan apprentice’s first few pieces: Roughly hewn, conceptually inspired and with distinct signs of physical and mental investment. Yet, the final form, detail work and completion still lie weeks, months or even years off. And so, I excitedly interact and learn from the world of marketing with whom I have engaged for the last several years with fervent expectation of where I may be in 5, 10 and 20 years time, regardless of the benchmarked goals that I have in mind for each of those points now.

In his post “Where You Fit In” Danny writes of social media objectives that, “Unless you’re doing it for you, you’re doing it wrong. Unless you’re being you, you’re doing it wrong. Unless you’re doing it for goals that you want to achieve, as opposed to goals someone else has set, you’re doing it wrong.” And while we’ve all certainly heard the sacred tenet of ‘authenticity’ in the digital arena, the frankness of Danny’s approach in the business forum was a timely reminder to me at a time of transition.

I maintain that initial objectives need to be determined in order to know what you’re working to achieve among platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the blogosphere. If for nothing else this strategizing needs to be done to avoid the all-too-common ‘Keeping-up-with-the-Joneses’ approach to social media (which as we see all too often is sure to yield confusion and even brand dilution in time). However, as I work now more than ever to brand myself to those few or eventually many that want to know who I am and what I offer, I have to remember this: “Be the brand you believe you should be. Because that’s where you fit in.”

I may have gotten odd looks from others at the beginning of my MBA program and numerous interviews based on the fact that I am an Studio Art and Religion undergrad, but I have never tried to be something I am not. I didn’t accept the temptation to downplay or denigrate my passions and experience in favor of feeling included. The richness and depth of the resume I developed during the degree reflects this and I couldn’t have done it unless I’d accepted the uniqueness of my position as my differentiator. I gladly claim this history as my USP. Danny reminds us that the beauty of the ‘long-tail’ and authentic marketing is that, “People aren’t interested in clones.” So, whether in organizational marketing or personal branding, the energy wasted working to be something you’re not further insulates you from the success that can be realized by being the entity that NO ONE ELSE CAN BE: Yourself.

I have to say thanks to Danny for the much needed boost that I got when reading this post. Furthermore, I’d also encourage those who still feel that they are working to fit into a digital template. It takes time and courage to comfortably live in your own skin. No longer running after others, but putting down roots and inviting those who are attracted to your offerings as they stand (be it product, service, consulting, whatever). While I am still working to establish this aspect of my digital presence, I only look forward excitedly to what lies ahead and who I’ll meet. After all, as Brown concludes about being yourself: “…That’s where your customers will find you.”

With the sun finally baking down on the pavement, graduation edging ever closer and a bit of free time this Sunday afternoon, it is certainly overdue for me to gather my thoughts in a blog entry. This time around I had no hesitation or weighing of topics. Why? Well, there’s an example of advertising that really caught my eye this week and received pretty positive response to a tweet that I sent out. So, what better place to start? In case you haven’t seen it, I urge you to take a peek:

Solidarites International

The impetus behind this ad was thanks to a French NGO, Solidarites International. The organization provides humanitarian relief and programs in areas wrought with famine, disease, injury and neglect. The organization, for example, has provided immediate support with on-going plans for infrastructure rehabilitation in crisis-struck Haiti. The goal of this advertisement however, was to refocus the meandering collective psyche on World Water Day, March 22nd.

Few marketing communications can quite so literally follow on the words of Marshall McLuhan‘s famous contemporary assertion that the medium of communication is itself more the message than anything else. So, on March 22nd in place to Palais Royale, Paris the setup and event took place. The agencies on task for this event/ambient-style advertisement were BDDP and Fils. The Aquascript technology is not really anything new, having been used frequently in musical tours, the Olympics and other events marketing. However, the use of the technology for such a campaign is no less than literal perfection. Aquascript is described as “a dynamic information waterfall that has a mesmerizing sensory impact.” What better pairing then for a public awareness campaign with hopes of viral outcome? The editing of the video is impressive and the slowed gazes and agape jaws speak to the campaign’s stopping-power.

Achieving a just-noticeable-difference, especially OOH, has become exceedingly more difficult. Our world seems so highly dictated by crowd patterns that are saturated by messaging, speed and a lack of viable consumer receptivity. Yet, the integration of concept and medium seen here is a reminder that the traditional world of mass-media brand blanketing does in fact have smaller-scale “David-to-its-Goliath” competition with which to contend. As long as some marketers continue to demand more out of the quality of interaction with their audience, settling for mass messaging will never be sufficient (enter new media). Increasingly, technology is helping us bridge this gap, whether it is computer programming that allows us new levels of interactivity or simply water brought to the ground in remarkable syncopation. We are primed to pick up on these unique approaches that play on our human fascination to explain how something works…followed quickly thereon by our actual absorption of the message itself. An important message of the value of clean water is ultimately conveyed and it is one that is frankly all too often taken for granted. Here it is communicated with only the faint sound of water droplet, yet expressed with deafening impact. Eat your heart out Mr. McLuhan.

Well, ok…allow me to clarify. While the connotation of this phrase is typically pretty “charged” (and frequently followed by a complete verbal lambasting), my assertion is a bit more thoughtful. I noticed a print ad on Ads of the World that reminded me yet again of the simplicity, wit and beauty that a well-crafted copy line can reflect. Ecoffee nailed this precarious combination in a recent campaign touting the sustainability and “back -to-the-basics” approach to their coffee. The whole series has impeccable approach to building up the authenticity of their brand’s mission in an eye-catching and intellectually fun way. The agency responsible for the series is London’s The Red Brick Road.

This particular ad takes on the coffee competition in a manner of comparison (i.e. build yourself up by comparatively putting the competition in their place). Yet, the others include off-the-wall references to the work ethic of worms (as their employees) and the bravery of coffee farmers in dealing with the deadly animals that their natural cultivation and processes protect. The appearance of the ads is certainly in keeping with their soft and natural vision. Organic in color and presentation, the offset formatting certainly makes you take a second peek, which is just long enough to really understand the true gem of the ad: the copy.

ecoffee – Burned & Bitter Print Ad

There is a certain fearlessness in their approach to the large-scale manufacturers, evident in the cavalier manner and non-chalance with which one might find themselves exclaiming “Hey, there’s a coincidence.” (Arguably it could just as easily be laden with a healthy helping of sarcasm, I admit.) Even so, this ad doesn’t take itself too seriously, but makes you wonder about how maybe you have been taking your coffee too seriously for too long. How much do you like that coffee you typically drink? How happy are you about the actual experience and transaction? Gotten lots of smiles recently while waiting in that line at 8:45am, trying to cram it in before work? “Wait, I’m sitting in a cafe, having just paid $2.00 for that very same coffee about which they’re talking,” I found myself admitting. Always a pleasure to have had a self-realization brought to you by effective advertising. Hmm, where would Maslow put that? I’m thinking my simple cup of coffee, purchased essentially as a response to an addiction, just went from low-involvement to high-involvment. D’oh! Serves me right, I suppose.

So, while I probably won’t be dialing up ecoffee‘s website and ordering a caseload, I absolutely respect that in conjunction with their agency they’ve shifted something unnoticeable to me to something worth pondering. Maybe they haven’t changed my behavior, but they’ve got me thinking. This is what’s so powerful about effective advertising and arguably even more so about cause-related marketing. Sure, ecoffee’s still a for-profit organization, but the fact that my consumer-driven motivation now has another chink in it’s armor means that I’m thinking a bit more about things that typically are preset, automated habit. So, while Starbucks and Caribou have been winning the war for years, this small battle goes to ecoffee. Thanks to some savvy writing that doesn’t alienate, but rather engages me to ask why I do the things I do as a consumer. Point ecoffee (and The Red Brick Road). Game on.

In the age of the Internet, there are always viral videos floating around: Ones being hailed, ones being mocked, ones satirizing other viral videos, etc. The list goes on and on. However, one that caught my eye recently was the product of the band Ok Go (Whom, admittedly, I had as of yet never heard of. But isn’t that just exactly how it seems to work nowadays…thank you, YouTube.) The group’s video, This Too Shall Pass, an homage to Rube Goldberg, became an overnight hit. In no time, the video was being written-up in blogs and international publications, like a stock being readied for an IPO. Among those intrigued was Bloomberg Business Week’s Helen Walters, who writes for Bloomberg’s online column titled, Brand New Day.

Walters’ piece, “Inside the OK Go/State Farm Deal”, while certainly mentioning amusement over the video itself and the widespread reach it had attained, was not really about simply its viral success. Instead, Walters took a deeper look at the brand strategy that had been worked out behind-the-scenes. OK Go, for all their homespun antics was able to partner with insurance giant State Farm for two key product placement “spots” in the video. This was done for obvious reasons for State Farm, with a branded teddy bear briefly appearing in the video and a several second credit at the end of the film. Yet, the band reasoning went a level further: State Farm’s contribution ensured that fans would be able to embed the video from YouTube onto their own blogs, webpages and bit.ly’s.

“Why,” you might ask. Well, this is where the plot apparently thickens and the move by State Farm that might at first seem opportunistic, may in fact polish to a nice shade of charity. Remember that breakout hit, Here It Goes Again, that was mentioned earlier? It turns out by Walters’ findings that in a desperate strike for control,“[music] label EMI disabled the embed function on OK Go’s breakout video hit.” This obviously turned the allegiances around noticeably for OK Go, as their lead singer outlined in a February New York Times op-ed that,“This isn’t how the Internet works.Viral content doesn’t spread just from primary sources…By ignoring the power of these tastemakers, our record company is cutting off its nose to spite its face.”

And so, while at first the tie-in to branding and strategy may not at first have seemed quite applicable, I think we now see how this case really never gets away from it. Where one brand fails to understand the power (and required lack of control) that social media outlets can provide to a cause, a business, news or even a band; yet, another will step up and recognize the opportunity and its necessity. While it is odd that EMI, the band’s own company took such an active role in stifling the brand’s contagiousness with their first hit, Walters does add that EMI was involved with all State Farm bargaining at the very outset of the video. This may save some face for the band’s music label, it certainly does quite a bit more for State Farm.

Not only did State Farm recognize the relevance that this band had in social media spheres with its past hit, it also asserted itself as relevant to the changing marketing landscape. While some brands continue to grapple with the fear and self-doubt that social media may conjure up, there are many more to bravely step-up and boldly take the reins. For while brands that quiver with inaction may stall, for those that actively get their hands dirty, this too shall pass.