Skadaddle 4.0

August 31st, 2010

We’re launching our new Skadaddle website – version 4.0 – and I’ve probably started and stopped 30 versions of a worthy introductory post. For whatever reasons, the words just aren’t spilling through my fingers as easily as I’d like them to. And I know why.

Nothing I was writing felt particularly authentic.

I was trying too damn hard to write something impactful…instead of something personally meaningful. I read an interview with a shopping trend expert and she said that today’s consumption is all about personal experience. I thought, “Duh.” Yet, here I was writing some drivel that I would rip on if I read it on another site. As I executed yet another apple-a-delete command, I thought of a friend…and then some.

     =        I thought about my friend Harold. Harold has tumors in his brain. He’s by far the most positive person I know. And he’s genuine. He didn’t become positive in the face of great adversity (which would be understandable if it were the case). His energy and passion for helping people and bringing about good is as much a gift from G-d (or whatever deity you choose), as Derek Jeter’s ability to hit in the post season. In a few weeks, he’s going to set out to walk across America to draw attention to and raise funds for brain tumor research.

      =      I thought about one of my closest friend’s daughter’s Bat Mitzvah service. Although it’s difficult for me to imagine that my childhood friends have 13-year old kids, what was maybe more amazing was that the Temple where the service was held was housed in an office complex. There were no ornate, huge stained glass windows. Instead, the name of the Temple was stenciled on the glass door where you might expect to see ACME Computer Corporation. And yet, that service, as I sat in my temporary chair, was the most moving spiritual (Jewish) experience that I’ve had in years. 

      =    I thought about the drive back from LA to the Bay Area after a long and wonderful vacation that included visits with co-workers, friends and family and stops in Healdsburg, Stinson Beach, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, and the 18-wheeler I drove past, which was wrapped in Miracle Whip messaging (of all things). It read: We Are Miracle Whip. And We Will Not Tone It Down. I read it twice, maybe three times, to make sure I got it right.

As we launch the new Skadaddle website, I can’t help but think about Harold, my friend’s daughter’s Bat Mizvah and Miracle Whip. They are the very reason that I haven’t been able to write the introductory post. This person, this event and this product are all great examples of the power of authenticity. And, they represent what I was missing as tried to write some deeply powerful essay about…about…something. That’s just it. I had no idea what it was that I was trying to say.

Spend a minute listing to Harold or reading his blog and you’ll have no choice but to get wrapped up in his attitude. His gratitude. This is a guy who helps people with their consumer problems – for free – because it makes him feel good. He does it because he believes in the power of good, the power of positive. He is as authentic as they come. And, I’ll be the first to cop to the fact that I can be as jaded and ornery as they come (not proud of the fact that I was once dubbed “Mean Lieman”), so my initial impression of Harold may have been one of great skepticism. But he’s the real freaking deal.

Sitting in that Temple, which was devoid of nearly all the traditional symbolism that, for me personally, actually strips away the messages of congregation, community and spiritual imagination, made me realize that it’s not about a building or things, but heart. I was surrounded by my closest friends in the world and it was the most authentic spiritual experience I’ve perhaps had in my entire life and certainly in the last 20-plus years. 

As for the Miracle Whip…WTF? I discovered that this campaign has been around for a year or so and I’m not alone in my dismay. My favorite critique is, “Uh, it’s a condiment not a lifestyle.”

As I write this post, and reflect on Skadaddle beginning its fourth year in business, I really hope authenticity doesn’t follow synergy, collaboration, transparency and some of its other business cliché brethren into the rabbit hole of meaninglessness. I hope that we continue to see the growth of authenticity in our programming, media and personal interactions. I hope that I, and all of Skadaddle, can learn from Harold, that Bat Mitzvah and even Miracle Whip.

I watch the videos on this new site and I realize that I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done in the last few years. From the Mutual campaign to OF COURSE, we’ve always remained keenly aware of the voice and the message. As we move forward, I hope that we continue to recognize the true power of authenticity (or, obviously in some cases, the lack thereof). I hope that we continue to encourage it in our work and in our lives. And I hope that we can close our eyes each night and feel like we put in a day living authentically (whatever that may mean for each of us). 

We’ve Got Balls

July 2nd, 2010

“Hey…wouldn’t it be kinda cool if we replaced our office chairs with balance balls?”

We had no idea that something that started as a somewhat rhetorical and completely theoretical question would turn into an office revolution.

About six weeks ago, we said goodbye to our old (albeit pretty damn cool) desk chairs, and brought in a set of Gaiam Balance Balls to sit on.

And while not everyone was convinced, one by one, we fell in love with our balls (OK, we’ll stop).

It started as a couple of us taking a two-minute break to do some stretches, and then it grew into a timed balancing exercise, and from there, we instituted short, office-wide workouts throughout the day. SkadFit was born.

What is SkadFit? Aside from a spectacularly clever name for our company’s fitness program, it’s our company’s fitness program. Every day, at 10:05, 11:05, 2:05, 3:05 and 4:30, we all stop what we’re doing and get together for a short workout. Each session consists of three exercises, and then it’s back to work. Five minutes, max. “I don’t have time” is simply not a valid excuse.

We don’t like to think about it, but we (not just us, you too…yes, you) spend a whole lot time sitting on our asses. By committing just five minutes, a few times a day, the whole office has turned into a healthier (and happier) place. We find ourselves eating better, suggesting different exercise ideas, and having a lot of fun doing it.

If a small change can have such an impact on our office, why couldn’t it do the same for others? You don’t have to have balls of your own to do it (sorry, last one). Commit a few short minutes every day to do something healthy and positive, and get the office involved. What have ya got to lose?

And because we just can’t help ourselves this one last time…balls.

Ideas Are Everywhere

May 24th, 2010

I was recently interviewed for and quoted in an AdAge story. The gist of the article is about whether or not using Consumer Generated Content and ideas in advertising has worn out its welcome. There was a time, of course, when asking consumers for their ideas was the “new hot thing” and big brands like Doritos, Converse and CareerBuilder were quite successful with such efforts. Now, the theory (and story) goes, such campaigns have jumped the shark. Somehow, it appears that consumers have gotten less creative. Or, that’s what the “creative community” would have you believe anyway. As the lone “industry type” interviewed for the story who dissented on this belief, I beg to differ.

A friend of mine pointed out (as did I in the interview, but this point didn’t make the final edit), that the very foundation of this theory is flawed. It kind of assumes that all advertising NOT created by consumers is good. And, we all know that’s not the case. (That’s not so much an entirely different blog post, as much as it is a book.) What’s worse, the story (and most of the comments) reads like advertising professionals have some kind of gift from God that only allows them to understand a brand and, as a result of that gift, create advertising.

Why the fear? Is there some concern that brands are going to start looking to consumers for all of their marketing programs? And, if they do…so what? If brands did actually do that, whose fault would it be? I’d argue that it’d be the fault of the marketing community. An argument can be made that if agencies did their jobs correctly, their clients wouldn’t be looking for alternatives. (Oh, and spare me the budgetary arguments about Consumer Generated Content being cheaper and more appealing.)

The other point that I made that didn’t make the article is that creatives are arrogant as hell. The “not invented here” complex runs deep in the advertising circles. Have you EVER tried to pitch something that required you to go through an agency? Doesn’t matter how good the idea is, or even whether or not it would step on the agency’s turf…there’s no chance that idea will get through to the end client. No chance. (This is a big part of the reason why we cringe when Skadaddle gets dubbed an “advertising agency.” We’re not. We’re all about engagement. With consumers and clients alike. We don’t think it’s very engaging to assume that you’re the only one who knows anything.)

If “in this economy” is going to continue to be used as the world’s greatest excuse for not finding success, shouldn’t we all be looking for new ways to be successful? And, if someone comes up with a good idea, wouldn’t we be better served (and wouldn’t our clients be better served) if we passed those ideas along? Don’t we end up looking BETTER for supporting good ideas – WHEREVER THEY COME FROM? Seems to me that the fear of losing the client just means (again) that the job isn’t getting done. If you fear losing your client – step up. Don’t simply make blanket statements that ideas can’t come from all kinds of sources.

Now, to be fair, as I said in the article, sometimes the consumer execution sucks. Well, that’s where the agency can actually help. Ideas…are everywhere.

A Friendly Kick in the Ass

April 26th, 2010

Late last week our inboxes were flooded with the exciting news that the deadline for the Small Agency Awards had been extended. And, for a brief moment, we forgot all about some of the things that make Skadaddle special (if we do say so ourselves) and considered entering the “aha moment” campaign for “Campaign of the Year.”

Entering the contest (let’s face it, that’s exactly what it is, “Dancing with the Stars” for Small Agencies – except that we don’t get any face time with the judges), we thought, could provide us with the opportunity to win. And winning, well, that would provide us with potential prestige. It could provide us with an instant boost of morale. It could provide us with the opportunity to update our email signatures. It could provide us with a really neat trophy.

What we briefly forgot, however, is that we don’t care about awards at Skadaddle. We especially don’t care about awards where the rules for entry include the language, “Remember, a bored or confused judge is not going to give you a higher mark.” Heaven forbid the judges should get bored! A catastrophe of epic proportions! 

We love the work we’ve done on the “aha moment” campaign, and the fact is, the responses we’ve received from our client and consumers in the social media sphere are the only accolades we care about. Thinking for a minute that we cared about a random “judge” (who might just be bored!) was a wake-up call.

Skadaddle wasn’t founded to be an agency. We created Skadaddle to NOT be an agency. We created Skadaddle to do work that our clients liked, but also that we liked. We wanted to build something where people had fun. And by “people,” we mean anyone that comes in contact with Skadaddle – clients, producers, consumers, fans, followers, dogs, and yes, even the occasional monkey (about which, we’ve promised PETA we will not use in any of our work). Some trophy from some dude who may or may not be bored and is basing his decision on a few links isn’t going to make our day more fun. It would probably have the opposite affect.

The fact that we even considered the award, however – even for just a minute – is the kind of friendly kick in the ass that we need from time to time. It’s that instant “check-in” that allows you to take a good, long introspective look at yourselves to find out if you’re still on track. We weren’t. While we hold on to the core values of why we started the company and how we wanted to go about executing those values, in practice, we weren’t quite on the same page.

Frankly, it’s probably a normal reaction to what happens in the course of doing business. We got busy. We were rolling out the second year of the aha moment campaign, we had successfully launched our new web series and we were in a constant state of development. Heads were down and we were cranking out the work product. What happens, however, when the heads are down too much is that the fun starts to wane. The impromptu brainstorming stops. The “reason for being” takes a hit. As long as the train doesn’t ever get totally derailed, though, things can be fixed. Heads can be picked up. Sometimes, you just need a swift kick in the ass to make that happen.

So, thank you Small Agency Awards. We’re not entering your contest, but, frankly, with your help, we’ve already won. We’ll just have to learn to live with the same ol’ boring email signatures.

Notes From a Launch

March 4th, 2010

As we’ve just entered the fourth day since the launch of our new Web series, OF COURSE, gotta say…we’re pretty stoked. People seem to like the show, and frankly, isn’t that the point? (Well, that and turning it into a TV sensation and making lots of money so we can go to Vegas and “make it rain!”)

Because this is the first original production we’ve pushed out the door (not including our work on the “aha moment” campaign here – that’s an orange to the OF COURSE apple), we might be a tad bit sensitive to the comments (good or bad) that we receive. And we’re starting to understand why people say, “I don’t read the reviews.” (Yes, we understand it, but we don’t actually believe that’s true.)

Whenever someone says they don’t like the show, the gut reaction is a combination of wanting to respond to explain the thinking behind whatever disturbed the particular viewer…and hiring a private detective to hunt down this person and do some unspeakable things that may or may not include duct tape, gerbils and a video camera (apologies to Richard Gere). On second thought, if it’s a FLIP video camera, maybe we can be in a commercial…we know a guy. But we digress.

The point is that we were prepared for the launch. We had great content. We had sponsors (have you been to Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, played the Eagle Falls Golf Course, or worn the best golf shoes on the planet – DAWGS Golf?). We had AWESOME distribution (FOXSports.com RULES!). Home run. And, so far it has been. We just weren’t prepared for people to make negative comments.

Granted, there are only a few folks who don’t like it and what we’re discovering is that even the negative comments can be positive. (Kind of like in a job interview when someone asks for your worst quality, “Oh, I just work too hard all the time! It’s f*cking terrible! And, I cuss inappropriately.”) For example, some dude (we assume dude here, though it could be a “Crying Game” kind of thing) said, we were a “Hangover ripoff.” Ummmm…Okay. Compare us to the most successful comedy of 2009. We’ll take that.

The fact is whether you like it or not, OF COURSE is a creative project. And, like any creative project, some people will love it, some will like it and some will hate it. What’s funny (ironic, not ha-ha) is that the folks who hate it are often the most vocal and bring even more attention to such things than those who love it. So, from our little family to yours, we’re glad the majority of you love OF COURSE. And, a special thank you to those that really hate it! (That’s, right, Bubba Watson, we’re talking to you!)

Thanks for watching. And, keep commenting.