New York, Old Skills

I was recently lucky enough to spend a week in New York to see some of the great work we've been doing in the States.
It's always great to take a bite out of the big apple.
But this time, the first thing that struck me ........was a mugger.
Sorry, old joke.
Too easy?
Anyway, what actually struck me was how the city gets a bad rap from the rest of the world.
Everyone sees it as a rude, brusque, rush-rush kind of place.
And sure, there's a reason why they call it a New York minute.
Even so, everyone who works there, takes the time to show how committed they are to their role. The security guard on the door of the sports store where I bought the obligatory NY Jets and Yankees T-shirts understood that he was part of the retail experience.
And acted accordingly.
The bus-boys, whose role it was to clear plates and fill water glasses in the Hilton, acted as though lives depended on their proficiency.
And the 70 year-old waitress in the world-famous Carnegie Deli (sorry if you're not actually 70 Monica, you've had a hard life) did her bit to enhance the dining experience.
Even the cab driver, who took me and a grumbling, moaning colleague back to the hotel after a night out, couldn't have been more helpful.
If, as we say, the experience IS the marketing, what are we doing to ensure that those human touchpoints are fully engaged with the businesses they represent?
After all, they're the experiences that live longest in the memory.
It's vital to help them understand the role they play as part of the newly evolved marketing mix.
And they need to be rewarded accordingly.
By the way, my legal team have advised me to point out that any similarities between Adrian Power and my grumbling colleague are entirely coincidental.

The Experience Is The Marketing

It feels as though I've been banging the drum about experiences for as
long as I can remember.
Buying experiences.
Selling experiences.
Living experiences.
It all started with a lightbulb moment back when I read Marshall
McLuhan's quote: "We don't learn through education, we learn through
experience."
My life changed forever at that point.
Everything I've done since then has been about experience marketing.
Because, as we say here at GPJ, the experience IS the marketing.
However you touch the brand.
However you interact with it.
That's what creates the experience.
It drives the word of mouth, and it's the basis for any marketing.
Don't worry if that's not how you think.
It really doesn't matter.
It's how your audience thinks.

Pitching And Moaning

Time certainly flies when you're the new boy. Only a couple of weeks in, and already we've had a bunch of pitches go out the door. If anything, that pace has helped me settle in pretty quickly. Like I always say, new business enables you to feel part of a new agency in no time at all. There's no extensive client history to worry about. No time spent scouring the business for existing knowledge. It's new for everyone - we're all in the same boat. Ultimately, it's a great acid test for determining whether or not you've made the right choice in moving. And I have. Watching my new boss, Kim Myhre, on his feet the other day was amazing. I try not to overuse the word 'inspirational' but in this case, there's no other synonym that would suit. On top of that, I got to see the whole team pulling together to develop our solutions. It was impressive. I think we're going to achieve some great things together. I know I harp on about teamwork. The importance of that key moment when things are buzzing, ideas are forming, and the only agenda anyone has is to do great work. That takes an investment of time by everyone to spend time together. And it requires leaders who recognise the importance of their own role in the process. So everything happens the right way. Yeah, I'm gonna like it here...

Buyer Beware

OK. Let's assume that you already know what your clients want from you. But what do you want from them? "Getting paid" isn't really an answer - that's a given. And we can assume that "the chance to do great work" is pretty obvious too. Go further Think bigger. You want to be their only (insert marketing discipline) agency. To be their global partner. One question. Have you asked them? You have to do the amazing work. And start delivering those quantifiable results. Then you have to layout your plans for the future and ask. Its up to you.

The Decision Is Yours

Politics is all about the exchange of ideas. Last year, when the general election turned up no clear winner, politicians with conflicting ideologies found themselves with no option but to build bridges between two parties. Safe to say, it was a difficult time, and they’re still trying to iron out some of the wrinkles. As a result, there’s been a determined movement to address some of the issues in our voting system, to give people more of a say in the way they exercise their democratic rights. My friend Louise at the Evening Standard is running an Alternative Vote Debate next week to stimulate thinking about the forthcoming referendum. It's on Wednesday 6th April at Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, SW1P 3DW, between 6.30pm and 8pm. With a number of political luminaries taking the podium to express their pro and con arguments, it’s going to be an interesting evening. If you haven’t decided how you feel about the proposed changes to the voting system, it’s well worth showing up. There’ll also be a Q&A session so you can put your questions to some of the invited speakers. Tickets are available at www.standard.co.uk/avdebate and there are two available for each person who applies, but it’s first come, first served Tell them Kevin sent you