So how are you supposed to keep generating smart, fresh work when life is laced with personal loss, financial struggle, or heartbreak? You know time will eventually change your situation and feelings—but your creative deadline is two days from now and you’re not sure you’ll even make it past lunch.

As creatives it’s vital for us to be connected to our positive and negative emotional experiences—it’s an important source for much of our creative inspiration. But when emotions are a crushing tsunami, how can you survive and begin to allow for an even flow of creative thinking?

According to Julia Cameron, author of the classic guide to creative recovery “The Artist’s Way”, survival lies in sanity, and sanity lies in paying attention:

‘The reward for attention is always healing…In times of pain, when the future is too terrifying to contemplate and the past too painful to remember, I have learned to pay attention to right now. The precise moment I was in was always the only safe place for me. Each moment, taken alone, was always bearable…’

Often getting into the moment is something you can do at your desk over a cup of coffee and a good blank stare out the window. Maybe you have to find a spot in the sun somewhere. Wherever you are, in that moment and then the next, focus your attention on something that delights you. The pool of sunlight that rakes across your desk, the smell of fresh cut grass through your studio window, the sound of kids laughing on the playground outside your building.

Cameron believes ‘…the quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.’

I’ve just got to say, from my own experience, it’s finding delight in the moments surrounding a dark event that’s pulled me though a workday or work session with my creative partner—productively. A heightened radar for delight can even lead you to more inspiration than you’ve experience in quite a while—or even ever. Also, know that pain, once passed through, will lead to emotional knowledge you can write about, create an image of, or use to better understand a once foreign demographic you need to communicate to.

Bright new idea spots. To come.

If you’re in a place like this right now, I hope this is of some help to you.

In the coaching world we call them “tolerations.” Things you tolerate on some level every waking moment that take a drop or teaspoon or gallon from that creative body of water of yours. They weigh you down and hold you back from doing you best work and truly connecting with the people and experiences that nourish and inspire you.

And they keep you from growing.

A big one for me was the reoccurring worry-set around tax preparation and filing. As a freelancer I absolutely dread what my tax bill will be. So I have a tendency to procrastinate the visit to my accountant. Adding weight to the distraction and extending the fret-time long beyond tax season. Which caused me to delay planning a summer vacation, getting a new Mac, buying CS5— things that would support my creative production.

But the good news is every toleration is somehow fixable and as you take on each one you lighten up. You’ll feel more like the grown-up you really are, have a clearer head and notice the inspiring nuances in the life around you.

You know where I’m going with this.

So, what can you do? Simple. Identify the top three things you’re tolerating right now. Write them down. One of them might be a pivotal one that when dealt with can knock off some of the others. Once I saw what my tax toleration was doing to my overall energy, I took some constructive steps to deal with it. You can too. Step by step. One at a time. Then start on the next batch of three, or 10 or whatever.

In fact, why the hell wouldn’t you?

My talk was about creating websites with great user experience. While “user experience” doesn’t sound sexy (many people don’t even know what it means), it’s a critical part of any website development. At its most basic level, it’s about having good organization and solid content. More specifically, I focus on three things:

1. Great content
2. Easy Navigation
3. A Little Mind Reading

What it all boils down to is asking yourself what your user’s main needs might be and going over the top to deliver on that. Whether it’s letting them embed your videos on their Facebook page, linking them to research that supports buying your product or making your navigation foolproof. The mind reading comes in when you anticipate something they haven’t even thought of yet that delivers even better customer service.

We had some great questions about the value of usability studies (I am an advocate) and about how to talk clients out of their bad navigation ideas . A good time was had by all. Hope to see you next time.

Andrea Zuegel

For November, Jeff Gabel, Chief Creative Officer at Partners + Napier will share his observations on the “common constructs of great ideas”. Jeff is a unique package of big idea, business savvy, and passion for execution. In fact, I recently subjected Jeff to an MRI brain scan, and discovered both left and right sides uniquely well developed and working flawlessly together. Actionable insight yours for the taking. Here are the details:

Tuesday November 17th, 5:30 pm
Tap & Mallet; 381 Gregory Street
$5 non-RAF members, free to members

See you there. Here’s Jeff and I prior to the MRI. When we pulled him out, tube was covered in sketches and post-its.

mj

Bottom line? I don’t care if it’s the best spot I’ve ever seen in my life. Show it to me 20 or 30 times a night for a week straight, and it’s gonna start to suck. Am I the only one who thinks a media buy the size you see during the playoffs would support, if not demand, multiple executions for a campaign? How does this not happen?

Here’s a helpful Playoff Baseball Advertising Formula, humbly submitted:
staggering # of time slots / limited # of brands / minimal # of executions = burnout

My thoughts on the work from Round One:

• I want to like the Blackberry ads more than I do. Maybe it’s the weird cover version of “All You Need is Love”. Maybe it’s that I only get to see the Blackberry actually doing something in, like, two edits of a 60-second spot. Maybe it’s the fact that I feel like I’ve seen this idea a million times before. Whatever it is, I wish it wasn’t a :60.
• Staying with the handheld device category, I have fewer problems with the myTouch work, other than the exquisitely uninspired product name (which I mentioned, incorrectly, in my last post). I like the SNL veterans ensemble (note to Chevy Chase – the one character you seem to know how to play was funny in the ‘70s, funnier in the ‘80s, a lot less funny in the ‘90s, and is now just excruciating). I like the music, too, but I have to wonder what Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam’s price was to sell out. Wouldn’t have expected that one. The first spot with Phil Jackson and Jesse James is also good, but they’re both pretty much saying the same thing: “See? Different apps in motion? White psych? The name? We’re just like Apple!”
• But speaking of Apple, they don’t always win. I’m not usually a huge fan of trying to call out a competitor’s advertising your own work, but the spot from Verizon taking on AT&T Wireless and the iPhone is great. They take direct aim at the iPhone’s singular competitive weakness – the painfully underwhelming 3G coverage from AT&T – and crush it with a payoff line that delivers a nice, big “eff you” to iPhone and its advertising: “There’s a map for that.” Love it. You sank my battleship.
• I’m not sure, but I think there’s a new George Lopez talk show coming on TBS. What happened, folks? Have a bit of time left unsold? Do you have anything ELSE to promo? Please? Isn’t there an upcoming re-run of “The Office” or a “Family Guy Weekend” you can tease me with? No?
• The new Marines stuff is pretty cool. Awesome editing. In fact, I do believe a Jay Advertising old boy named Justin Baum is currently working on that business down in the Atlanta. Go, JB!
• Like the Bing work, too. Great theater, meaningful payoff. The first time I saw it, I wanted to back it up so I could watch it again, but I correctly assumed that it would re-appear soon.
• This is probably worth its own blog, but can we talk about the Arby’s media strategy? I can get on board with a bookend strategy that shows me two spots at either end of a commercial break. Two different spots. Arby’s runs the exact same spot at either end of the break, and it’s a teeth-rattling retail number targeting everyone looking for four roast beef sandwiches for five bucks. I’m sure they have a good reason for the strategy, but I sure wish they’d produce a companion spot. They can’t be that expensive.

Round Two starts tonight. Fox coverage joins the party tomorrow. Here’s hoping for some great games. And new spots.

So I was happy to come across Christopher Kimball’s piece in Thursday’s NY Times. Mr. Kimball is the publisher of Cooks Illustrated. The article reflects on Gourmet’s demise, but goes on to offer a smart and contrarian reaction to the dominant theology of our day: digital democratization.

The whole article is here. Think it over the next time you price your services or read about a national brand soliciting ideas through crowd sourcing.

Here’s a quote:

To survive (digital democratization), those of us who believe that inexperience rarely leads to wisdom need to swim against the tide, better define our brands, prove our worth, ask to be paid for what we do, and refuse to climb aboard this ship of fools, the one where everyone has an equal voice. Google “broccoli casserole” and make the first recipe you find. I guarantee it will be disappointing. The world needs fewer opinions and more thoughtful expertise — the kind that comes from real experience, the hard-won blood-on-the-floor kind. I like my reporters, my pilots, my pundits, my doctors, my teachers and my cooking instructors to have graduated from the school of hard knocks.

Advertising, the business of commercial communication in all its forms, is a craft. Experience matters. I wonder if the ad business itself believes this.

Cheers!
mj

• Rochester is an ad community in dire need of a softball tournament, a battle of the bands, something – anything – to remind us that a community is exactly what we are. Seeing each other at the ADDY show and the occasional RAF social event isn’t enough. We need more. Friendly competition is good. Bragging rights are even better. This really needs to happen. I can put a softball, bowling, badminton, or water polo team together if you can. Okay, water polo might be tough, but you get the idea.
• Too many clients are mistaking social marketing websites for free places to park their logos instead of opportunities to give their brands meaning and bring them to life. From what I can tell, too many agencies nationwide are failing to educate and inspire them to think otherwise. Prove me wrong. Please.
• Any creative who says he or she hasn’t looked through creative annuals for inspiration is either a liar or a fool. Any account, production, PR, or media person who says they’ve never looked through a creative annual is probably telling the truth and is definitely not giving themselves an important tool for success.
• Rochester is without a doubt the most jingle happy community I have ever lived in. Professionally produced jingles don’t bother me; they’re effective as hell. Half-assed TV or radio station-produced jingles do. Got a favorite (or least favorite) jingle?
• Admit it, Fucillo Hyundai ads have made you laugh out loud at least once, even if you hate yourself for doing so. Say what you want – the spots may be stupid, but the guy selling more Hyundais than anyone else in the country is not.
• Local students who are aspiring art directors – get a copywriter to write the ads in your book. Aspiring copywriters – get an art director to art direct your book. All the kids coming out of programs like VCU and Miami Ad School do, and the difference shows.
• TV and the art of doing broadcast are not dead. You just have to go online to see what’s being done.
• iPhones are sweet. iPhone apps are sweet. iPhone apps that do something which is already programmed into my iPhone are stupid. Skype for iPhone? Why wouldn’t I just text you?
• I actually think I like GM’s new tagline, “May the best car win.” Big and bold, just like they want to be. Hope they can live up to it.
• Just noticed that America’s Funniest Videos is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Why is this show still on TV? Haven’t we already seen the funniest videos from America (or anywhere else in the world for that matter) on YouTube?
• There’s a new iPhone knockoff called the “myPhone”. Really? myPhone? That’s the best they could do? Reminds me of Cleo McDowell in “Coming to America”: “They got the Big Mac … I got the Big Mick.”
• There’s some fantastic work getting done in Rochester. Let’s do more.

Comments?

It’s not a how-to guide to creating good ads, and it’s not necessarily guaranteed you’ll create better ads by watching the film, but you probably will walk out of the theater with your creative batteries recharged, and inspired to be a part of something equally impressive. Which in turn leads to great work. Something the RAF is all for.

Art & Copy
Playing at The Little Theatre, 240 East Ave., Downtown Rochester
Tuesday, 9/22 at 6:40pm and 9:10pm
Wednesday, 9/23 at 6:40pm and 9:10pm
Thursday, 9/24 at 6:40pm and 9:10pm (FINAL SHOWING)
More details on thelittle.org
Official movie website

— Scott Wolf

Apparently, advertising talent runs in the family. David is the nephew of Rochester ad & marketing veteran Joe Nardone of Eastman Kodak.

With over 60,000 entries annually, the ADDY® Awards are the world’s largest and arguably toughest advertising competition. The ADDY® Awards represent the true spirit of creative excellence by recognizing all forms of advertising from media of all types, creative by all sizes and entrants of all levels from anywhere in the world. The American Advertising Federation, a not-for-profit industry association conducts the ADDY® Awards through its 200 member advertising clubs and 15 districts. It is the only creative awards program administered by the advertising industry for the industry.

Check out all the 2009 winners here.

So when you find a newspaper succeeding, it’s worth investigating. Fortunately, we have a hometown example: City Newspaper. They’re pulling off the neat trick of growing total audience while keeping the print side steady at about 100k. In this market and era, that’s noteworthy.

I called up Bill Towler, City’s co-publisher to get the scoop. He and his wife Mary Anna (editor and co-publisher) were nice enough to provide insight on how they’re doing it:

1) Go deep, but selectively. City focuses on a few areas that readers want – politics, urban development, arts – and goes deep. Decades of coverage provide institutional knowledge and the credibility to partner with expert free lancers. Recently, David Cay Johnston reported on Monroe County finances. You know, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, local resident, and expert on tax code. Hard to pull off if you try to cover everything.
2) No shrinking violet. City has a point of view and it’s ok with them if you disagree (trust me). From restaurant reviews to city council coverage, they take a stand and do it with reason.
3) More why, less what. “What happened” has a lot of competition, from CNN to Twitter. With a weekly schedule, City can’t offer that via print. Instead, they do context and analysis.

Each point enables City to strengthen a bond with core readers and stand out from the competition. Yeah, I know. “Choosing to differentiate” is no revelation. But it’s a good reminder that differentiation is rarely one decision. It’s how you come down on thousands of tough choices over years. Shrink the page. Don’t tick off the advertiser with that story. Cut back a bit on local coverage. It all adds up, or detracts.

Resilience isn’t a popular branding concept, but it ought to be.

Matt Jones