Does My BUT Look Big In These Jeans?

October 9th, 2011

Not sure if you heard, but Apple (and NeXT and Pixar and…) founder Steve Jobs passed away last week. Of course you’ve heard. News of Jobs’ passing wasn’t just the top of the news cycle; for several days, it WAS the news cycle. And, if you’re like me, your Facebook page blew up with excerpts from Mr. Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement speech. Most notably was this gem:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Many of my friends posted this bit (which even I shared) and several others posted the link to the entire speech. And, when doing so, most of these friends (and, okay, yes, me, too) wrote some kind of flowery bit about Steve Jobs’ contributions to humanity and how inspirational his words were.

I can’t argue with any of that, but as I was reading these posts, I was overwhelmed by a question: Really? Are we really all that inspired by the 2005 commencement speech? Are we really moved by his words? It dawned on me that if we were really touched by these thoughts…well, wouldn’t we have done something to change our lives? Wouldn’t we be writing about HOW these words sparked some kind of action? HOW these words led us to trust our own hearts and intuition just as he implored us to do? Instead, we’re falling into old patterns and finding a fleeting inspiration.

I’ve long said that perspective is easy to find and difficult to keep. (It’s true, I’ve long said it – look it up.) But, what I’m discovering now is that inspiration is perspective’s soul mate, or perhaps they are Siamese Twins…connected at the heart. Because after the passing of Steve Jobs, I’m starting to think that inspiration is just as fleeting as perspective.

It’s so easy to feel inspired, to get inspired. Inspiration, like perspective, comes in many forms and from equally diverse sources. It comes fast. And it goes away just as fast? Why? Because we make excuses. We get inspired to write. And we figure out 100 reasons why we can’t make it as a writer. We get inspired to start-up a new company. We get inspired to find love. We get inspired to go on a great adventure. And, all too often, we rarely follow up on the inspiration. Easy to find. Difficult to keep.

My business partner spent the weekend in Hawaii experiencing the Ironman Triathlon. I’ve twice had the privilege of this experience and it’s a nearly indescribable experience. Jon tried, when he wrote to me via email:

“I think I found some interesting answers last night.  In a million years I wouldn’t have guessed how amazing the race was from 9pm-midnight.  I’ve never seen anything like that… I’m not even sure I can call that a sporting event.  I’m not sure what it was… But it was one of the most amazing, inspirational, wonderful things I’ve ever seen.  In a way life changing…. Not sure how, but it was unreal.  Thanks for pushing me to go.”

He was inspired by one of the most amazing scenes on the planet. Celebration. Achievement. Agony. Love. Community. The outpouring of hope and togetherness felt at the Ironman finish line cannot fully be explained. Jon gets that now. And he’s inspired. In some way, his life is changed forever. Just like he said.

I know it reads like I’ve gone way off the rails here (what does any of this have to do with Steve Jobs, after all?), but the point is simple: When we get inspired, we all (collectively) need to do a better job acting on it. We have to stop making excuses and letting our big “but” get in the way of our opportunities to be great. It’s great to post Steve’s speech on a Facebook wall, but the fact is, such an action is meaningless if we don’t actually do something. Finding inspiration is a euphoric feeling. There’s a real high that comes with reading the right words, listening to the right music, seeing the right movie or watching the right scene play out in a park.

If you want to feel a much bigger rush, though…Act on it. Screw the fear of failure or whatever’s holding you back. Steve’s speech was really just a long way of saying what Nike commanding many years before Steve got up on that stage at Stanford: Just Do It.

We’re all inspired now. What are we going to do about it?

Moving On and Looking Back

June 17th, 2011

There comes a time in a man’s life when-

Ugh. No. Take a mulligan.

As the sun sets on an exciting period-

Len. What is wrong with you?

I dunno, man, I just want to get this perfect. It’s important to me.

It’s a frickin’ blog post, dude, not a high school graduation speech, you’re trying way too hard.

But it’s not. This was more than a job, and this is more than just a blog post. It’s goodbye. And I want it to be as awesome as my time at Skadaddle.

Okay. Whatever. Just skip the flowery nonsense and tell them how you feel.

Fine.

I feel sad. And excited. And grateful. And optimistic. And sad.

It’s not hyperbole to say that Skadaddle changed my life. I mean that in the most literal sense. Skadaddle gave me a reason to move to (and fall in love with) the city I now call home. And it gave me the opportunity to work, at every level, on projects that moved people, from nationwide brand campaigns to a hilarious web series that PGA tour pro Bubba Watson called “the worst thing I have ever seem! [sic]” I talked shit. I acted alongside a Food Network star (I swear, my role wasn’t “guy who can’t act”). I got physical. And I worked with some of the coolest, smartest and most creative people I’ve ever met.

If companies are built on the strength of their people, then Skadaddle’s foundation is rock solid. The creativity is epic, the work ethic undeniable, and the passion unparalleled. I’m lucky to have gotten the chance to work with and learn from everyone on this team. Truly. I guess what I’m saying is, If I were a brand that needed help (or just someone to drink with), I’d call Skadaddle immediately. So, if you’re reading this, do that right now.

Just kidding.

But seriously.

Do it.

But it’s not just the work we did. By some cruel twist of fate for the Skadaddlites, I’ve somehow managed to trick them all into becoming more than just coworkers. Whether we’ve been huddled over drinks, karaoke microphones, Wii remotes or bocce balls, I’ve had a lot of fun here, made some amazing friends, and I couldn’t be more excited that I get to take that part of the job with me when I leave.

And as I start the next chapter in my own career, I’m looking forward to watching Skadaddle continue to grow. When I first started here, the company was a year old, and I thought there might be something to this idea. Now, two years later, I know there is. And it’s only going to get better.

And now, something I’ve wanted to do for a while.

We’ve had a lot of inside jokes during my time at Skadaddle. And, the majority of them are either too personal, or far too inappropriate to print, so they’ll have to remain inside jokes. But one, in particular, stands out to me.

A few days after I had joined the company, I committed some grave offense to humanity at the office. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but it may have had something to do with setting the Skadaddle Pandora account to ‘Will Smith Radio.’

“Len, you’re fired.”

Wow. That was fast.

It took a second or two to realize that it was a joke, and that I’d have to step my own game up if I wanted to make it here (if you want to dish it out, you have to be able to take it). And over the next two years, I got “fired” for a number of things, from stealing a parking spot to missing a SkadFit session. And while I laughed along with everyone, I never got the chance to “fire” anyone myself, and to be perfectly honest, I feel like I missed out.

So with that, I’m going to indulge myself. And I think I know just who to fire.

Len. You can’t fire yourself. First of all, that’s stupid. Second of all, you’ve already told Skadaddle you’re leaving.

Shut up. It’s my blog post, and it’s my last day, and I’ll do whatever the hell I want.

You’re fired, Len.

___________________________

THANK YOU to Todd, Jon, Meg, B, Dan, Lisa, Dan, Olivia, Yen, Brett, Ashley, Jess, Dave, Natalie, BT, Harley and Tommy for making my time at Skadaddle such a kickass experience! You guys rock, and while I’m going to miss working with all of you, I look forward to many more Jager bombs together.

Lessons from the Dominican Republic

June 9th, 2011

It’s safe to say that I’m not the most politically correct person on the planet. I tend to think that we’re usually far too sensitive and tend to overreact to innocuous comments, which only serves to give those comments a life and meaning for which they weren’t destined.

Yes, I’ve taken my fair share of shots at any number of groups. Such shots are always in jest and are always taken as such. At least, admittedly, I think they are always taken as such. I think I have solid radar for those non-PC comments that are harmless versus those that are purely hateful. And the last place I expected to be the target of hate was on a beach volleyball court in the Dominican Republic. It was shocking. I was speechless and, sadly, I reacted with silence.

After sucking down the second, third or maybe seventh or eighth cold, blended tropical beverage (which, sadly featured little to no actual booze, which is why one could easily imbibe so many of ‘em!), we set out for the beach volleyball court. That’s the rule in Punta Cana: You’re getting drunk…you crave beach volleyball! Alas, the ball was nowhere to be found.

“Over here!” came the call. We looked up to see the ball extended in the hand of a nearby fellow vacationer. “You want the ball?” Please. The dude trotted over with the ball in hand. Like many/most of the visitors at the Club Med in Punta Cana, the guy was French and greeted us with his thick French accent. “I was waiting for somebody to play. I grabbed the ball.” Unfortunately, he didn’t end his comments there. “I didn’t steal it. I’m not a Jew.”

And there it was.

Despite the accent, his thought was as clear as the blue waters behind him. He wasn’t laughing. This wasn’t some lame attempt at humor. This was hate. (Later substantiated by another comment he made.) I was shocked. I tried to stammer out, “Yeah, but I am.” But I couldn’t even do that. I didn’t know what to do. I just kind of shook it off and played volleyball with the guy through gritted teeth.

I’ve never really been on the receiving end of an anti-Semitic slur up close and personal. I’ve laughed at jokes with my Jewish friends or those made in the media (see South Park), but those comments easily fall into that “made in jest” bucket. But, what I wondered throughout the rest of the trip and still now is if such “made in jest” comments add fuel to the hate. What if someone like my French “friend” overhears me telling a friend that “I’m Jewish. I can’t fix stuff.” Or do racists gain momentum from hip-hop lyrics that overtly use the “n-word”? Do such instances provide a kind of ill-informed approval for the haters? I still don’t have answer.

I’m not the most Jewish of Jews. As author A.J. Jacobs has written about his own upbringing, I’m Jewish the way the Olive Garden is Italian, which is to say that there are roots of Judaism in my soul, but my life isn’t recognizable as something Jewish. I don’t live by any Jewish laws. (Nobody is going to accuse the Olive Garden as recognizably “Italian” – unless serving pasta qualifies on its own.) And, damn, I love shrimp, bacon, meat and cheese together and anything else that’s not kosher.

After facing such blatant hatred, however, I never felt more Jewish. Or at least more connected to my Judaism. I hate hate. No. That’s not right. I don’t understand hate. And the older I get the less I understand it. I get that it comes misguided fears and beliefs, but I don’t understand how those fears and beliefs become hate in all of its violent manifestations.

More than anything, however, this encounter has left me terribly confused. I was on vacation thousands of miles away from home and the last thing I felt like doing was dealing with the stress of confrontation. I barely do that in my day-to-day life, much less the fantasy life that comes with a Caribbean vacation. But, here I am so many days later and I find myself wishing I had said something; wishing that I had stood up for my life experience. I think the reason why it eats at me so much isn’t because of the anti-Semitism, per se, but the hatred. I let hate go unchecked. And unchecked hate grows into more hate. I feel like I didn’t just let my own self down, but also anyone who faces any kind of hatred. Any kind of bully behavior.

I still believe that being too politically correct can create its own damage as it creates fires where there might not even have been a spark. And, adding the fuel of social media to the smallest of sparks these days creates the kind of fire that wipes out reputations in one fell swoop. That said, I think I’ve learned that we (well…I) might be better off being overprotective than silent. I should have stopped this guy in his “I’m not a Jew” tracks and let him know with absolute certainly that I am and I don’t appreciate such statements. Or at the very least ask him what he meant by his comment. Silence was not the right answer.

Nor will it ever be again.

The Media Fat Diet

May 12th, 2011

From Atkins to South Beach, from Men’s Health Magazine to Shape and from Twitter to Facebook (and everything in between), we are bombarded with messages for the latest in diets, fitness tips and best way to “get healthy now!” It seems like each and every day there’s a new, “best abs workout ever!” My bookcase at home is filled with titles like The Four Hour Body and The Primal Blueprint. And my kitchen is littered with “healthy eating” cookbooks and recipes.

Media is no different.

Although I wasn’t around for it, I’m sure the transition from print to radio and TV led to huge claims of a “better this or better that.” With the introduction of the Internet, we were told (and we told our clients) that they better get on board, “This is the big thing.” Everyone needed to have a huge “new media” plan. And, God knows if you weren’t podcasting, you were invisible. Don’t get me started on Social Media.

The point is that there’s only one tried and true diet plan. Only one that works every single time. And only one that isn’t a fad, at all. Eat less and exercise. If you eat less and exercise more, you’ll lose weight. You’ll have more energy. You’ll think more clearly. Now, admittedly, there are a wide variety of ways to eat less and you can tweak your exercise for different results, but the bottom line is if you don’t eat less and if you don’t exercise – you’re not going to lose any weight (for the long haul).

Like a healthy diet, there’s only one tried and true way to generate media results (however those results may be defined): Good content and/or good products. And, yes, there are a wide variety of ways to promote that content or sell those products, just like there are different ways to lose your weight. But, the mistake that gets made is the assumption that every company should take advantage of the latest “fad media diet.”

I’ve heard it over and over about how “every company needs to have a highly thought-out, well executed social media plan.” Really? Why? Simply because the consumers can have a loud voice? Aren’t there campaigns, messages and more that might not resonate loudly in the social space? Do we think that our clients should automatically be in broadcast, print, online or any other message distribution execution? Why do we think that our clients should automatically “be all over social media?” Just because it’s possible to “check-in” doesn’t mean it helps to do so.

What we seem to forget is that social media is simply that – another form of media. As a result, just like broadcast may or may not work for a client (for whatever reasons), social media may not be the best place to invest dollars. Is it an easy way to listen to your customers – maybe. But, you know what? Maybe not. 

I went to a panel discussion the other night about “Collective Influence.” It was hosted by one of the fast growing social media agencies that generates huge revenues working with big time clients. And for that – I applaud them. But, as I walked around their offices and looked at all the impressive materials they produced for their clients, I noticed something – some of the “biggest influencers” of their clients (mostly on Twitter), had posted two or three Tweets. Is that really influence? Really. I’m curious.

The panel consisted of real “thought leaders,” heavy-hitting CMOs and experts. And, while I agreed with one of the basic premises of the night – that influence was moving from eyeballs and ears to hearts and minds – I had a big problem with the final definition of what “collective influence” actually is. It was ultimately defined as “the shift from ONE to many to ANY to many.” Doesn’t that very definition discount the earlier premise about hearts and minds?

I think the definition of “collective influence” isn’t so much about “many” (as that’s eyeballs and ears), but instead needs to be “…and so on.” Collective Influence is about creating an empowering environment where each of the individuals that make up the “many” feel empowered to create many more “manys.” In short, collective influence is that old Pert commercial, “And she told two friends and so on and so on and so on…” And so on. (Or if you really feel the need to do the “If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit” rhyme thing: any ONE to many ONE.)

The truth is that regardless of the “power” of social media, it’s not for everyone the same way that the Atkins Diet isn’t for everyone. Or the Pritikin Diet before that. Or Kirstie Alley’s new weight loss product line. That’s not to say that it’s a fad. It is, however, not the end all (just ask Pepsi).

Eat right and exercise. Have great content and/or a great product. You know what happens – you look great AND your brand kicks ass.

A Simple “Advertising” Story

March 25th, 2011

When Skadaddle Media first pitched the Aha Moment Campaign to Mutual of Omaha in early 2008, we called in a number of consultants to help us craft the pitch. In particular, we spoke with a friend who had more than 25-years of advertising under his belt and who had won numerous awards. Although we started Skadaddle to do things differently, and although we shuddered at the idea of even being considered “an agency,” we felt that because Mutual lived in the insurance business, we might need to talk more “traditional” than some of the crazy thoughts we had. So, in came our consultant.

In our very first meeting, we introduced the idea that now makes up the broadcast spots of the campaign: Real people sharing their real stories. No real bells and whistles. Just the stories, “My name is Bob and this is my aha moment.” Our consultant bristled. He told us that he’d work on something and get back to us. He did. And, although Jon, in particular, didn’t feel like the scripts that were written worked for a campaign based on personal truth and one’s possibilities in life, we went ahead and pitched them because, as our friend told us with great drama and impact, “You know what this is? It’s called advertising!” Fortunately, after we pitched the spots, the client hated them and we were able to go back to our original idea – no bells & whistles…just stories.

The CEO of trendsetting, earth moving, juggernaut, Groupon, recently admitted to what went wrong with the company’s controversial Super Bowl Spot. As he described it, “We turned off the part of our brain where we should have made our own decisions.” While that certainly may be true, what is also true is that Groupon and its agency (who no longer work together) perhaps made another error in judgment: they forgot the story. They forgot why Groupon was there in the first place. They forgot why people flock to Groupon. And, in doing so, they created, advertising. The spot was successful in that it generated a ton of exposure for Groupon and the agency can argue that its KPIs were based on that exposure (so the spot can’t be called a failure), but it just wasn’t true to “Groupon’s brain.”

We’ve all read the stories about the death of the broadcast TV spot. Social media is king (although that attitude may be waning as well, as demonstrated in Bob Hoffman’s interesting post on the Pepsi Refresh campaign) . Online is king. Facebook is king (maybe G-d is more appropriate). And yet, the broadcast spot doesn’t go away. What is happening, however, is a trend, a thirst and an absolute need for authenticity. For story.

I have an entirely different post in my head regarding authenticity, so I won’t harp on it here, but “authenticity” doesn’t have to be serious – it just has to be true to the brand’s story. The Snickers spot featuring Betty White from the 2010 Super Bowl is a perfect example. It was funny, poignant, memorable and completely authentic to the Snickers message. That spot told a great story. (It was so good, in fact, it was impossible to duplicate in 2011.) The Chrysler “Motor City” spot with Eminem is another example of a great story, in my opinion.

The point is that broadcast TV isn’t going away, advertising is. In its place are short 30-second branded stories.  So much is made of branded entertainment and web series, but truthfully, the best branded entertainment of all is an effective TV spot. The Snickers spot was awesome. The Chrysler spot was awesome. That Volkswagen Darth Vader spot was so good that my five-year old son made me play it for him over and over and over again (and if he had access to our account numbers and passwords, may have purchased a VW online). The VW spot had more impact and exposure than the highly promoted VW branded entertainment series that featured Brooke Shields a few years ago (interestingly conceived of and produced by the same company that did the Groupon commercial).

Social media has created a powerful platform for everyone to share their stories. We blog. We post Facebook updates. We Tweet. We share. The result of this is vulnerabilities are exposed, support is expressed, connections are made…and trust is developed.  Brands need to do this, as well. Zappos customers have an absolute love affair with the company. The customers feel as though they’re a part of the organization because they share in the online retailers story (in fact, customers ARE the Zappos story – and their spots are true to that). Brands need to get away from being “edgy” first and look to “true.”

We made a huge mistake when we first pitched our campaign to Mutual of Omaha. Giving into our own insecurities for a brief and memorable moment, we forgot our purpose.  We weren’t here to start a new advertising agency. We started the company to be storytellers. Based on our experience, Groupon’s Super Bowl experience and countless others, maybe it’s not broadcast TV, it’s advertising that’s dead. Long live the story.