Tag Archives: data

How the Eagles’ Jen Kavanagh Makes Marketing Fly with Fans

business, Episodes, marketing, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:24 — 50.5MB) | Embed

Subscribe or Follow Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

The Philadelphia Eagles SVP of Marketing, Jen Kavanagh, shared her approach to expanding the club’s brand and engaging with a now international fan base. Get insights on how Jen’s marketing team is turning the Xs and Os of this pro NFL team into dollars and cents and fan xoxos!

Grab a seat. Jen Kavanagh tells Insider Interviews host E.B. Moss how marketing the Eagles has changed since their appearance in the #SuperBowl, and the imperative of balancing the star power of individual players with promoting the brand overall. It always comes back, Jen says, to connecting with fans and building relationships that are not just “transactional”. Hear how she strives to build relationships with the club’s 10 million global fans — from watch parties to cause marketing in their home town of Philly.

Also:

  • Jen’s journey is a testament to the idea that not all careers are linear and staying open is key in this marketing game. She began in digital, working on multi-platform strategies and translating that into a television environment when she worked for NBCU’s Oxygen. She then worked as a consultant, helping C-suite executives better understand how the coming digital disruption would impact their businesses.
  • Given her lack of specific experience in sports, Jen was initially hesitant to tackle the role, but she leveraged that deep experience in digital marketing and what was zero experience in sports marketing, has gone to overseeing strategic development, original content, digital platforms, community relations, media, data, and insights for the NFL club. And, in five years the passion she developed for the game has turned in to “an obsession.”
  • Jen explains how her marketing team supports the football team — from events at their beloved stadium, “The Linc”, to tackling appropriate messaging and promotions from the US to the newly added countries of the franchise: Ghana, Australia, and New Zealand.
    • For example, they’ve brought in well-known music artists popular in those areas to entertain fans during games and make cultural connections. The team has organized watch parties and flag football pursuits; for New Zealand, E.B. suggested they may need to train U.S. players in the haka!
  • What goes into the decision to feature certain players – like super star Jalen Hurts (and hear about his new graduate degree OFF the field!) vs team initiatives.
    • Hint: they’re driven by the marketing message that the Eagles want to share. For example, if the team wants to highlight leadership, they will focus on the team’s captains. If they want to showcase the experience of being a rookie in the NFL, they will focus on newly drafted players. And if they want to highlight a particular cause, they will find players who authentically align with that cause.
  • She’s buoyed by how both the NFL and the club value the contribution of women and believe in diversity of thought and POVs.
  • Jen and E.B. also discuss the Eagles’ pro-social efforts, such as:

Finally, social media marketers will appreciate how they’ve tapped into @YouTube and TikTok to grow new audiences and fans.

 

 

And of course E.B. asks Jen if she was involved in getting #TaylorSwift to proclaim her fandom for the Eagles and reveal that her lyric was about the team!

Loved this episode? Support more free content from Insider Interviews at https://buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal
support insider interviews - donation

Key Moments:

[00:01:32] Taylor Swift’s Eagles fandom!

[00:04:05] Non-linear career paths can lead to great new opportunities

[00:08:30] Overview of marketing the Philadelphia Eagles pre- and post-SuperBowl™ !

[00:11:47] Creating cultural connections with new football fans in Ghana, New Zealand and

[00:18:05] Eagles’ brand purpose — including Eagles Autism Foundation fundraising and sustainability (Go Green!)

[00:20:15] Home town help to curtail gun violence in the Philadelphia area

[00:25:22] YouTube and TikTok strategies and content development.

[00:28:36] Girls’ access to sports bras to support their pursuit of the sport and the power of women in sports, like star agent, #NicoleLynn

[00:32:12] Leadership success and team support (and memorializing Jen’s invite to E.B.!)

Connect with Jen on LinkedIn
Follow the Eagles:
Connect with Insider Interviews:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insiderinterviews

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsiderInterviewsPodcast/

YouTube: https://bit.ly/InsiderInterviews-YouTubePlaylist

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/insiderintervws

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mossappeal

 

Museum of Ice Cream’s CMO with the Scoop on Tasteful Marketing

business, Episodes, marketing, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:58 — ) | Embed

Subscribe or Follow Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Since Insider Interviews is about giving you the “insider’s scoop” on media and marketing, who better to give us the scoop than the CMO of Museum of Ice Cream, Erin Levzow? In today’s world, we’re often so focused on work, responsibilities, and obligations that we forget to take time to have fun and experience joy. Levzow explains how MOIC became an in-demand destination for reconnecting with your inner child, or with your children, and eat ice cream while doing it! Learn from someone whose job it is to market fun about why joy is so important, mentally and physically. And learn how just raising your hand can spark success.

Levzow, whose years of experience marketing everything from Caesars to Del Taco have earned her scores of awards, explains how the museum, under the Figure Eight umbrella, was created by Maryellis Bunn, another inspiring woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer: If that sounds childish, well, Bunn had the last laugh, with lines around the block on any given day. Levzow was cut from similar cloth, even citing a favorite book about improv that preaches the power of saying “Yes, and.” The plucky CMO explains how she applied “yes” throughout her career, even at times when she didn’t “know.”

Moss with panelists: Kaye, OK Cupid, Levzow, MOIC, Benders, B Code Media, Bethea, Danone
Levzow’s route to this C-suite, a year after winning a “40 Under 40” award, started by first saying yes to half a dozen different gigs and residing in as many states, often with toddlers in tow. She describes her leadership philosophy and how she guides teams with her brand of can-do motivation. She also mentions her love of dance and ballroom competitions.
What she doesn’t mention is the personal hurdle she survived just after landing her Museum of Ice Cream role: her husband took a near fatal fall in their home and was actually pronounced dead three times before making it out of ICU. Through it all, Levzow applied her own can-do attitude to him – and to her own spirit – always believing and encouraging he would not just walk again, but thrive. As a post-note, she recently shared a video of his first time back on the dance floor six months later, if a halting version of the Rumba. That was joy.

Here’s a topline of our conversation flow:

00:1:55 What’s an “experium”? How and why this combo museum and experience center unites and inspires throughout the entire MoIC portfolio, down to the marketing

00:03:43 On the importance of experiencing joy together.

00:05:05 How a banana forest can lead to mental and physical health. “We want people to set their phones down and look at each other and play together.”… And what dopamine means to the brand.

00:09:00 The personal side: Dancing during her downtime and working her way to the C-Suite

00:11:12 Career experience and advice based on “Figure it out, volunteer, and learn it.”

00:15:30 How a brick and mortar got built, survived and thrived: “Coming out of the pandemic people really needed connection. We welcome everyone and attract a lot of families and young adults (on a date night), as well as tourists.”

00:18:46 Using data to “target for good” not evil: “People don’t mind giving as long as they’re receiving something in return.… A company that sells ice cream, let’s say (!), can target mothers with children who may be looking for something to do during vacation time. By showing them ads for this idea, we could help them bond with their children and provide an enjoyable experience. Data-driven targeting can also be used to target tourists who may be visiting a certain area, helping them have a great experience while visiting the area.”

00:20:20 The media methodology for Museum of Ice Cream (a la podcasting?!) “We do keep an eye on what’s emerging but …we’re very particular about where we spend our time because it is about resources. You can’t be everything to everyone, even though everyone is welcome… and we are an immersive brand, so seeing pictures or video helps explain to someone who may not have any idea what the museum of ice cream is. … And we track and tag everything.”

00:23:30: Is the metaverse a “thing” for MoIC yet?

00:25:10 – Partnerships – from creating a Kendra Scott mini-museum outpost of “Bananas and Baubles” to Black History Month with Ida’s, a local Black-owned ice cream shop, the Wishingrad’s Three Wishes cereal being a “no-brainer.”

Kendra Scott x Museum of Ice Cream – South Congress Back Room

00:28:29 Brand purpose must be genuine. –  “Don’t say you’re for everyone. Show you’re for everyone. We want to make sure you can see yourself in our advertising. …We often check ourselves and make sure we’re doing the things we set out to do and are true to ourselves.”

00:30:38 Employing and encouraging Radical Candor – the right way  — “It is a true form of empathy: if I tell you where you’re at and let me tell you what I’m seeing and let’s talk that through…. I’m never just being direct without being behind them pushing…or catching them. People did that for me. …And I believe that radical candor also works both ways. As a leader, I want my team to be able to provide me with feedback as well.”

0033:25 – A shout how to Bobby Shaw as one mentor example

00:34:48 Advice on pushing oneself up the hill – especially for women: “Raise your hand. Learn it! Don’t be afraid to ask questions and take risks. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I always said, “yes” and then figured it out. You build your career that way. Our founder said, ‘I’m going to build this…’ even when people said she couldn’t. And look at us today.”

00:36:20 The most important question: Favorite flavor!

Connect with Erin and Museum of Ice Cream:
Levzow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlevzow/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/museumoficecream/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/museumoficecream/
Connect with Insider Interviews:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insiderinterviews
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsiderInterviewsPodcast/
YouTube: https://bit.ly/InsiderInterviews-YouTubePlaylist
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/insiderintervws
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mossappeal
support insider interviews - donation
Please support Insider Interviews at www.buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal

Loved this episode? Support more Insider Interviews at https://buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal

Westwood One’s Pierre Bouvard on Making Good Audio Impressions

advertising, business, Episodes, marketing, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:47 — 52.4MB) | Embed

Subscribe or Follow Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Pierre Bouvard has some words of wisdom for media buyers out there…if you’re not buying audio (yes, all audio), you’re leaving reach and engagement on the table. As Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus Media/Westwood One, Pierre has seen the proof and has busted the myths surrounding audio advertising—and particularly the misconceptions about AM/FM radio.

“Radio is perceived as much smaller than it really is. But the data tells us that ad-supported AM-FM streaming is actually bigger than ad-supported Pandora and Spotify combined. That blows people away.”

After stints at Coleman Insights and TiVo, he has become the audio industry’s most revered evangelist and research mind. Now leading Westwood One’s full-service advisory—the Audio Active Group—he provides advertisers with media planning recommendations, creative best practices, and measurement services.

This episode will certainly delight the research aficionados—and may just convince the audio skeptics. We also dig into:

  • What we mean when we say ‘audio.’ Pierre breaks down the composition of the entire audio universe.
  • Tactical scoop about media planning tactics and why an omnichannel approach works best.
  • What the heck is ‘eyes on glass’ and what does it tell us about the effectiveness of TV?
  • Pierre’s pragmatic POV on brand purpose reminds brands to go back to basics.
  • While he does a lot of work recommending media, he drops some facts on why creative trumps everything.
  • Why it’s time for advertisers to stop testing and start committing budgets to podcast advertising. (Learn about the “5% rule”!)

Plus, hear the story of how Pierre ‘broke the internet’ and E.B.’s voice impression of Bette Midler… Just sayin’.

This was a fun (and extremely informative) conversation. I hope this inspires you to learn more about the power of audio advertising.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dig into these findings on sonic branding

Check out the Audio Active blog from Westwood One

Learn more about Edison’s Share of Ear. 

Find Pierre on LinkedIn and on Twitter

Follow Insider Interviews and Moss Appeal on:

Twitter: @insiderintervws and @mossappeal 

IG: @insiderinterviews and @mossappeal  

FB:  InsiderInterviewsPodcast
and PINTEREST because, yes, it’s a thing!

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mossappeal  

Hat tip to Annie Hunt for great show notes and social media support!
And, please support this free podcast Insider Interviews at buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal
support insider interviews - donation
Please support Insider Interviews at www.buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal
Jackman Reinvents

Joe Jackman Reinvents How Brands Embrace Change

advertising, business, Episodes, marketing, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:56 — 58.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe or Follow Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Not many people – or brands — love change as much as Joe Jackman. The CEO of Jackman Reinvents has been a valued advisor to major retailers like Staples and brands like Flow Water, to B2B companies and to private equity partners. In this episode hear how he uses insights about trends and human behavior to drive change – or reinvention – and why that’s essential for a brand today.
Jackman believes that moving from town to town as a kid with his retail exec dad emboldened him and taught him relationship skills. To the envy of any who have experienced “imposter complex,” Jackman has confidently embraced change professionally, moving from creative to CMO to CEO, admittedly making it up as he went along at many of the stops along the way. Learn what’s needed for companies to thrive, and the consequences for those that choose to emulate ostriches.
This 40-minute conversation is filled with insights – or, as Jackman calls them when working with clients, “nuggets you can actually hang a strategy off.”
I encourage a full listen, but here are some unmissable elements and Jackman Takeaways:
  • Change has been coming fast and furious for many years, but the pandemic has compressed the need for speed to do things differently now; not just in people’s lives, but in the dynamics of the marketplace
 Jackman Takeaway: “If you’re not changing and evolving, you’re stuck. That would probably be the best scenario. But the more common scenario is you’re moving backwards or, in business terms, you’re waning or dying.”
  • Joe Jackman explained his personal path and how an appreciation of change took him from creative director to business owner after stints helping launch brands like Joe Fresh (no relation!).
 Jackman Takeaway: “I said, why can’t I be a brand strategist? What do I need to know? Who do I need to learn from? And then, eventually, I just thought, ‘Why can’t I shape strategy at the very highest level?”
  • That attitude led to becoming a “reinventionist” – and the definition thereof:
Jackman Takeaway: “It’s a word I made up, but basically the definition is to just be really good at making change happen and to great benefit. The world needs more people with the skills and in the mindset of making change.”
  • Learn which immutable law of marketing he adopted from Al Ries and Jack Trout and built his agency on.
  • Jackman’s concept of reinvention is tied to “invention,” and a brand’s transformation is intrinsically tied to its DNA.
  • We need to collectively “reposition the entire idea of change in our minds as a positive force, and essential. It should be seen as creating the next best, most powerful and relevant version of you or your company.” (He literally wrote the book on this: “Reinventionist Mindset”with a set of five principles for change.)
  • The status quo – especially when paired with success — is a killer. Business model life cycles, executives’ tenures, the length of brands’ relevance, are all compressing. So, since “the future arrives daily,” brands need to figure out step-by-step how to evolve and “get pro athlete good at it or you have it done to you.”
  • Learn how Jackman helped Staples create trial stores that were hybrid workspace meets product sampling; and transformed Rexall, including being the first drugstore in Canada to start offering flu shots.
Jackman Takeaway on Retail: “In a world of choice, which is what the internet did to retail, retail was relatively slow to adapt…. There are exceptions, but retail generally sat and was lacking innovation… A lot of disruption was enabled by that sense of ‘oh, maybe one day we’ll evolve, but stores are the thing now…’. If retail leadership was prescient in reading what’s happening, Amazon wouldn’t exist. Casper wouldn’t exist. Netflix wouldn’t exist and there’d be a streaming service called Blockbuster.”
Big Jackman Takeaway: “There’s probably only one rule in all of this work in transformation: That you must deeply understand who your customers are and what they care about most. …beyond function, into the world of emotion. Most marketers focus on the means. Understand what the end is.”
  • Jackman gives his definition of a brand and why adopting that helps drive trust.
Jackman Takeaway: “A brand equals purpose elevated to experience, delivered consistently. Most companies haven’t got that very well defined, and, and yet, if you look at the evidence, purpose led companies tend to outperform their peers.”
  • Cohesive messaging and linkage between ideas and all advertising is essential to continue the brand message.
  • It takes balance and a strong foundation to leverage both brand awareness and demand marketing (and he explains how it relates to dating!)
 Jackman Takeaway: “Performance marketing today is important — because it’s data centric and it’s measurable and we can adjust it — …as long as it ladders up to a higher order of purpose. If there’s no red thread that links to that, that’s not good. You can’t build trust. …And today’s measure of success is if I truly have a relationship with the brand.”

  • Trust, and being in a Values Economy is greatly affecting brands right now.
  • Sustainability and similar values are amplified more now in our pandemic context and impact how consumers make purchase decisions…There’s a lot of de-selection going on today.”
  • Jackman also explains the only two consumer choice tiebreakers

 

 Jackman Takeaway: “I’ve helped well north of 50 companies, and along the way I noticed we’re wired as humans to behave in certain ways. One of the things we don’t love is change. … But I observed ways of thinking and doing that enabled success to come faster… I got them down to five. … For example, the first one is ‘seek insight everywhere’.”
  • Learn to understand cultural currency and even reinvent the old marketing maxim of: ‘I need to pay attention to the customers that I do the most business with.’ (Hint: that’s fine, but you also “don’t want to be a brand or a business that’s like a great aunt: you know, fondly thought of, but never visited.” [That hit a little close to home for this host! Just sayin’.] So, learn to have relevant conversations with the up and coming set of customers [and with, note to self, the nieces and nephews.]
  • Understand how DEI dovetails with cultural relevance and brand values…  and what Jackman would change most about our world. (Note: Hat tip: Maryam Banikarim)
Finally, what brand would Jackman reinvent next?

“What do I want to reinvent? The next company that interests me or has lost its way. And there’s so much of that. How wonderful to spend a career on just figuring out the next act of whatever! And, since climate change is real, and we have to start to make a real difference, those are the kinds of opportunities I’m gravitating towards now. And I’m super excited to be at least part of the solution as best I can.”

If you found this helpful, please consider supporting this ad-free podcast with a small donation (“Buy me a Coffee!”) at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal AND please share with others in marketing and business…and even add a review  on Apple, or wherever you like to listen!
Find Jackman Reinvents at: https://www.jackmanreinvents.com
On Insta: https://www.instagram.com/wearejackman/
Find Joe Jackman, his book and podcast at: https://www.joejackman.com/
Please follow E.B. Moss and Insider Interviews on:

Twitter:
@mossappeal 
@InsiderIntervws

IG:
@insiderinterviews 
@mossappeal

Facebook: InsiderInterviewsPodcast

And – if I can help you build or enhance a podcast for YOUR business, please reach out at podcasts@mossappeal.com !

E.B.

 

CMO Kim Wijkstrom: Start with the Brand Story not Silver Bullets

advertising, business, Episodes, marketing, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (48.8MB) | Embed

Subscribe or Follow Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Joakim (Kim) Wijkstrom, SVP / CMO of Vanda Pharmaceuticals, has learned to “Think Different” and have “Lending Done Human.” He has sent little, teeny Absolut bottle-shaped Christmas sweaters to readers of the New York Times, and leveraged Andy Warhol style pop op to promote schizophrenia drugs. A Swede who grew up in West Africa, Kim also opened the Latin America markets for two TBWA\Chiat\Day clients. If that sounds like the start of a good story, then that’s the point.

Because for this marketer it always starts with the story, not the silver bullets.

Kim has developed a “cultural curiosity” from both moving around and a liberal arts degree, which has been a big asset in his marketing career: “I think advertising lends itself naturally to someone who is interested in how we shape and creatively express our worldview, how we understand the things around us, how perceptions are shaped. So, I think it made sense for me to land there. But as it turns out, I’m half a humanist, half of something more analytical. Perhaps I was never going to be the next Leonardo…[but] you figure out the way to take whatever you’re equipped with and put it to use where it is best applied.”

This attitude is also encompassed in his top performing article in The Continuum, the publication I edit about “brand and demand” marketing. In that, and in this follow-up conversation about the origins of his branding philosophy, Kim sticks with the story that brand always must start with the story! The delivery tactics — what he has called the silver bullets – are secondary.

But when you’re talking to a storyteller you cover a lot of ground. We also discuss:

  • How movies are an analogy for Kim’s point of view about storytelling first
  • Why our obsession with technological solutions to everything don’t drive brand loyalty (“You can now have your car tell you that you’re low on milk because your smart refrigerator is coupled with your car, and so forth. But are you going to buy the refrigerator based on that? Do you think it’s a quality refrigerator?”)
  • Why too much emphasis on bells and whistles and focus on demand or performance-driven marketing “offends” him (“Fundamentally, all marketing is for performance purposes… to grow your market share. You need to start with what is it you’re trying to say and why would it be compelling to people, as opposed to just being the method by which you can deliver the message.”)
  • Why even DTC companies’ product is often the story… such as Warby Parker’s design
  • How our obsession with metrics and attribution is not wrong but often misses the point entirely, focused on the ROI, as opposed to just “can you see if it’s working?” (“If people are talking about your TV spot or have a positive reaction to it somehow then that’s probably more important than any sort of little blip of metrics.”)
  • And, just as he learned from hovering around Steve Jobs, Kim offers advice for junior marketers.

But wait, as they say, there’s MORE!…

Kim also explains the story of Vanda, and his move from marketing men’s suits (Perry Ellis) or financial services (One Main Financial) to pharma. He gives an example of how the same story (for a particular drug) can be extended into different spaces, like digital to video without having to be, well, prescriptive! (And, yes, we discuss the challenge of pharmaceutical advertising and FDA constrictions. But check out their innovative approach to Fanapt for insider insights on  how it can still be impactful.) And I finally got to understand what’s behind drug NAMING!

So, how did Kim finesse his own “brand story” – or POV about storytelling? Well, that starts with a guy named Steve Jobs.

“I was really lucky I got to work on Apple when it came back to TBWA\Chiat\Day … and that was the launch of the now-iconic Apple campaign “Think Different.” I was a junior person then, so I’m not claiming any credit for the campaign…but what was amazing was encountering Steve Jobs and seeing the process by which that campaign came about. That was a ton of learnings about what actually really matters. He couldn’t give a crap about ROI or metrics, frankly. …if people react to it, that’s what matters’. And Apple sells a lot of product. So, it’s not like the brand doesn’t work in selling or performance.”

Kim shares the three-point “a-ha” takeaways he got from Jobs. And that, my friends, is how you do a cliffhanger.

So, I hope you’ll listen to the full conversation with Kim Wijkstrom. And if his learnings from Apple aren’t enough, wait til you hear what he says marketing an odorless, tasteless product: vodka. Or, how an MRI machine proves out his belief that the brand is what drives ROI.

Okay, okay, I’ll also share that he says when you DO add in those tactics for delivering the brand story, he’s still a believer in different forms of direct marketing.

 … [But] to me, the point of a brand in the mix is it’s going to amplify your ability to get pull through on those tactical pieces. Because if people receive something in the mail, whether email or online, it’s really easy, of course, to dismiss it and throw it out. If you have a brand, it’s not as easy. They may actually open it. So, it basically primes demand. That’s what a brand does.”

I hope you’ll get some good insider scoop from this episode of Insider Interviews with me, E. B. Moss, and I hope you’ll follow Insider Interviews on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. And let me know if you have a question or suggestion for our next guest. My theme music was composed and performed by the incomparable and Grammy-winning John Clayton.
Thanks again for listening.

RPA’s Joe Baratelli on Doing Good (Marketing) to Do Well

advertising, business, Episodes, health, marketing, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:10 — 35.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe or Follow Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Thanks to Los Angeles-based agency RPA, “We Are Farmers, buh bi dum dum dum dum dum” has become a bit of a jingle earworm. Great awareness and brand recognition for the insurance company. Joe Baratelli, EVP and Chief Creative Officer of the agency that’s been his home for almost 35 years, walked me through that and other creative concepts and their business results. It starts, he suggests, with the mantra of the organization: People, Relationships and Results.

(Note: You can also read a summary of this conversation in the new publication, The Continuum.)

Now, in an era of ubiquitous focus on health, though, the AOR of Farmers and Honda wants to expand its portfolio to include more healthcare clientele. Joe also explained how RPA has started to accomplish that — and did well by doing good for UNICEF and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. It’s heartwarming work and their pillars of focusing on people and relationships definitely shine through.

Sample of UNICEF #VaccinesWork art

If you’re in advertising or #marketing, this is one to save as a download.
Joe and I talk about:

  • How respecting your co-workers AND the audience for the campaigns yields results
  • How they applied that to the UNICEF #VaccinesWork campaign and leveraged our inclination to protect our kids from danger to drive inoculations that protect them from dangers we can’t see. Brilliant!
  • The elements that went into a worldwide campaign and its efficacy in changing minds
  • How marketing #vaccines is similar to…or different from… marketing other clients like Apartments.com, Honda, or Farmers, for example.
  • How DID they evolve their Farmers campaign as times have changed over 10 years on the account?
  • What behavioral scientists can tell you about human nature…to inform creative campaigns
  • How pro bono work, such as for PBTF and the stunning collection of compelling animations they did to ease kids into understanding their diagnosis led to a healthy set of new clients…

Oh, and yes, I managed to sing the Farmers jingle.