Response to a Washington CEO Question...

Washington CEO magazine posted the following on their site...

How do you think Washington State should promote itself?

The state has had a few false starts in promoting itself to both in-state and out-of-state tourists. The current advertising campaign may help, but it's only a start. What can we do? How would you sell Washington? More ads? Multimedia road shows? A new slogan? (Just kidding.)

So This Was My Response....


"How should Washington market itself? Let's start with concept, then execution.

I moved out here over a year ago now, and thus my wife and I have a pile of relatives from Chi-town that float into SeaTac to visit about every five days or so. What I hear from all of them... "I never knew how beautiful this state was." There's an awareness issue here, most outsiders see Seattle as damp and dreary. Visitors quickly notice the thriving music scene, rolling San Francisco-esque hills, dash of wild west, winter sports, the cuisine scene... wine country... you name it. We have all of the benefits of California with a little less sunshine but a lot less attitude.

Part of the problem is that most mass media that has brought national awareness to Seattle is not really Seattle-centric. Does Grey's Anatomy and Sleepless in Seattle really the heart of Washington? Sort of. Movies like Singles or programs like Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure have faded into memory, which were much more honest in their version of quirky northwest lifestyle.

Many campaigns have be structured around the whole "all you can do is right here" package. California is recently doing just that in their television advertising. The state of Virgina also did a diversity push, which was geared towards budding filmmakers, their claim... our individual counties looks like a lot of other states. You'll have California, Nevada, Maine and Florida all in one region. So yeah, it's been done before. But in the tradition of Mircosoft we can take something that has been done and do it differently.

The message is simple, Washington is an exciting place has a lot of stuff happening, and you should be a part of it. Like San Francisco in the 60s, New York in the 70s, Los Angeles in the 80s.... this is the big thing now. We need to be larger than life. We're progressive, fun, exciting, with a lot of brainpower. See major plays tested before they hit Broadway, see bands before the make it big, snowboard down Mt. Rainer, know the latest and greatest before it hits the rest of the country. Many companies test their products here because we're so d*** picky. Use it to an advantage. Forget rest and relaxation... this place is like an espresso shot to the soul. In fact... that's a good starting point.

Execution, this is Microsoft country. Let's look at the internet. It's already a buzz generator, let's channel it to make Seattle the place where it's all coming from. After all, you can download music and plays... but you cannot experience them live online. Use the internet as a teaser for an up and coming happening destination. Gear the message to "look what you're missing by not being here." In a climate where Obama can rise to power by soliciting "change" and "hope," it says people want something new. The trick is to find inventive ways to present the information in a way where it says "seeing in online just isn't enough." Look at how "Improv Everywhere" promotes New York every time they pull a wacky stunt.

In short, we're exciting. Since so many connect Seattle with grunge it's a good fit, and it's true. We have the capacity to pull this off, we just need someone to tie it together."

Inside the Illustration: part 1

I think we all have an impact on the world, sometimes in ways we never get to witness. Take for example this ghost. Obviously the snowman reminds him (or her) of something, the past, forgotten youth... there's hidden meaning, which I won't reveal and ruin the mystery. In many ways, it doesn't matter the exact reasoning why the ghost is touched by the presence of the snowman. It's a private moment, one that none of us ever get to see... yet it is important to the ghost. Is the ghost reaching out to the snowman? Does the ghost relate to the snowman? Does the ghost know who made the snowman? Could be all of those... or maybe just the small fact that by seeing something that was created by someone else, a connection is made. In this case, a spirit quietly connects with the living world.

The Ground Floor

There have been some misconceptions, some bad karma, some seedy compromises, and broken promises over the last few thousand years or so that have wrecked the simple notion of marketing and sales that you almost have to include the frowny face icon in any discussion. Example...

Today we will discuss new techniques in marketing :(

Now, let’s take a moment and discuss why this is so. First, we need to look at the definition of sell as described in the Webster’s Dictionary which is as follows...

Sell (n) transitive verb
1: to deliver or give up in violation of duty, trust, or loyalty and especially for personal gain : betray —often used with out
2 a (1): to give up (property) to another for something of value (as money) (2): to offer for sale b: to give up in return for something else especially foolishly or dishonorably c: to exact a price for
3 a: to deliver into slavery for money b: to give into the power of another c: to deliver the personal services of for money
4: to dispose of or manage for profit instead of in accordance with conscience, justice, or duty
5 a: to develop a belief in the truth, value, or desirability of : gain acceptance for b: to persuade or influence to a course of action or to the acceptance of something
6: to impose on : cheat
7 a: to cause or promote the sale of b: to make or attempt to make sales to c: to influence or induce to make a purchase
8: to achieve a sale of

Foreboding, isn’t it? Selling has become a bad word because human beings have generally sacrificed dignity over higher profits ever since the invention of currency. Misrepresented crappy products and services have always been a major problem for suckers born yesterday. Now it is different. These days, nothing exposes a bad product better than great advertising. If you build up a product or service that doesn’t deliver, you might as well file for Chapter 11 and pass out resumes, assuming your reputation hasn’t been truly damaged. And information technology has made the bad guys easier to spot.

This leads to a fabulously overused term known as “selling out,” which is generally used under two circumstances...

1) The individual accused of selling out has in fact obviously cashed in their dignity to create mass-appeal, short-term, unfulfilling work that will eventually fade into obscurity,but in the process will generate a ridiculous amount of money.

2) The person accusing someone else of selling out is in fact upset that they weren’t joyously handed a successful career right after snagging a bachelors in Liberal Arts. Thus, anyone doing better than themselves must obviously be selling out.

That second group causes more trouble than they intend to. Simply put, they feel anything with an ounce of success must be corrupt, and honesty is only established by the lessons learned through complete failure.

America has become a polarized nation of extremes, almost to the point where a simple political debate can be dangerous. Ever since the fractions of a second after the big bang, the universe fails to be composed of absolutes, and today is no exception. In fact, to think in simple black & white terms is not only outdated... it is dangerous. We must start thinking on all levels, perspectives and viewpoints if we want to survive, let alone advertise efficiently.

Therefore, let us say it is perfectly fine and just to desire a successful career. One can achieve great heights without hurting others, and without crippling ourselves with self-indulgence. We can learn to live within our means. The “buy less, live more” movement so championed by Adbusters is already seeping into this overextended generation. And if you are into advertising, you can be unfairly labeled as untrustworthy. You are selling something, and nobody likes to be sold to. Society has dealt with hundreds of years of sellouts and bad business transactions. Like heartbroken lovers, there needs to be dialogue between you and your client base, to arrive at a mutual understanding.