As published in adage.com

The young copywriter’s portfolio was so heavy we were both laughing as we struggled to get it up onto my table. It broke the ice for the interview. I was in my first creative director job and was probably more nervous than her.

She unsnapped the locks and raised the top. Inside were two stacks of plastic-coated print ads. The lamination was the thick kind, with felt backing, which explained the weight of her portfolio. But nothing could explain the first piece I reached for, an ad for The Economist.

“Read what the world is coming to before it gets there.”

I stood there, eyes widening at the headline and the illustration of planet Earth with little hands reading the magazine.

“Nice,” I said. “You came up with this?”

“Yes.”

“Body copy too?”

“All of it.”

The room was getting hotter. I asked how she’d arrived at the idea. Perfectly assured, she told me she was impressed by The Economist’s record of foretelling business and political trends.

We never got past this first ad. I kept asking question after question. I was fascinated by someone who would present as her own work the very ad I had created at another agency three years before.

Thirty years later, this improbable moment of catching a thief red-handed still makes my blood boil. What gets me is less that she misrepresented herself, but that she stole my originality.

What we should aspire to

For those of us who ply the advertising and communications trade, originality is crucial to what we do. It’s the big idea. The thought no one’s ever thought before. The holy shit moment that sends a smile spreading through your whole body. It’s the sensation your audience feels up their spine.

Trends and technologies come and go, but originality stands eternal. It is what we should aspire to. Sadly, most of us settle for the familiar, the comfortable, the less-than-original.

I say this to today’s young creatives who, with mentoring in such scarce supply in our industry, question their own purpose and why their job isn’t more satisfying.

Here’s the answer: Your job is to see it like no one’s ever seen it before, to say it like no one’s ever said it before.

There are talented writers and art directors who have entire careers, make lots of money, and never achieve a single original creative thought. And then there are some like legendary art director Helmut Krone who seem to have done it every time they got up to bat. Their work is fresher than most of the work you see today.

Mindblowing, isn’t it, how an original thought can stand the test of time? Two examples:

• Despite its hype as the best advertisement ever made, Apple’s “1984” commercial is still, 30 years later, a potent vision.

• While many have tried to capture the essence of this unique business newspaper, no one’s ever done it like Fallon’s Tom McElligott in the 90s: “The Wall Street Journal. The daily diary of the American dream.”

Saul Bellow once described a writer as “a reader who is moved to emulation.” This is true not only for writers but for all artists. But emulation does not necessarily mean imitation. It means inspiring you to your own heights of originality. This takes fierce ambition and a competitive spirit. It is not for the faint of heart.

That is why I am put off by artists in advertising — and film, music and other arts — who readily admit that their work was “inspired by” some other work. That was fine to confess in Shakespeare’s day, when audiences appreciated similarities to admired classical works. But Romanticism made originality a Western cultural ideal, and Romanticism is still going strong.

If you’re going to steal

“Inspired by?” Really? Aren’t you just saying you appropriated someone else’s idea and made it into yours? And we’re all okay with that? And okay with tracing the concept of an ad back to the creative team who thought nothing of clicking through award show web sites for “inspiration”?

If you’re going to steal, steal from the best and conceal your sources. That’s time-honored advice, if stealing is your thing.

Not quite stealing, but almost, is the art of building on approaches that have proven successful in the past. Some risk-averse clients get assurance from having lots of precedents, as though this were not advertising but constitutional law.

Doing what no one’s done before

But if you’re going to be authentic in your life, there is nothing like the kickass feeling everyone gets when you can break free of all those “best practice” restraints and do something so original it seems to have come hurtling out of nowhere.

Remember that hilarious feeling the first time you saw the fast-talking man in Ally & Gargano’s classic Fedex commercial? If you haven’t seen it in a while, go. It’s a startling demonstration of how to vault to the top of the category in one entertaining message.

I could go on. From the Old Spice man to Geico’s pre-roll “Unskippable” to the concept of showing real women in beauty and cosmetics ads for Dove — to name only three from the last decade — there’s a breathtaking history of originality that offers something to emulate.

Plus, you can afford to. Being original doesn’t require an expensive canvas. You can have an original idea in a modest radio spot or a simple banner ad. One of my all-time-favorite frugal ideas was done by Scali McCabe Sloves in the 80s: A newspaper ad promoting a high-speed Nikon lens. The shot: a grainy blur that appeared to be a missile caught in mid-air. The headline: “Faster than a speeding bullet.”

Let’s face it. Given the time- and emotional pressure we’re under, it’s hard enough coming up with a good idea, let alone a great one. An original idea stands at the outer extremity.

It may happen by chance. It may happen when you’re so exhausted from trying that you’ve stopped searching. But it’s a game changer. You will have enriched our industry and your career. You will have created something truly worth stealing.

As published in PM360 focus on marketing strategy 2024.

Sonic branding is a proven way to motivate your target. But not the careless way many DTC marketers are using it. Music can work wonders. I was part of the agency that helped United Airlines adopt Rhapsody in Blue as their sonic signature. The score fit the brand perfectly. Gershwin’s glorious overture made you feel that travel is a sophisticated adventure.

Just the opposite is happening in the wave of DTC campaigns that employ musical branding. Most offensive are the Jardiance commercials. Each spot is a music and dance number where a large cast and a portly heroine sing about “the little pill with a big story to tell.” The big story is about managing your type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It’s a hokey, energetic mess of a spot whose choreography tries to distract you from the fair balance, a tactic sure to make a brand seem less trustworthy.

I’m all for having fun in advertising, but even more for style, taste, and relevance. Viewers are not the fools cynical marketers think they are. We need to communicate the benefits of our medications in ways that don’t embarrass the brand or the target.

IPNY’s Bruce Lee discusses his career in the creative field, as published in MM&M

Why did you get into this industry?

Once upon a time, when I was considering what to do professionally, the idea that you could move people to action with the power of an image and a few well-chosen words was thrilling. Three decades later, when I spearheaded IPNY after having worked in so many categories, the thrill of being able to bring people to better health solutions through smart communications was just as irresistible as the day I had my epiphany.

Where did you get started?

I spent a few years learning my craft at The Wall Street Journal and as a speechwriter for American Express, then won a copywriter contest at Ogilvy & Mather. It started my advertising career. I became a creative director three years later, a position well in advance of my abilities. Several agencies later I returned to Ogilvy as North American executive creative director and was a cofounder of Ogilvy Healthcare, which marked my start in healthcare communications.

Who helped you out along the way?

Too many to name. You learn from every client, every planner, every creative person you work with. I was fortunate to have worked with some of the greats in advertising and entertainment: David Ogilvy, Lester Wunderman, Ed McCabe, Sam Scali, Ralph Ammirati, Steve Hayden, Rick Boyko, Leslie Dektor, Jonathan Winters, Jason Robards and so many others.

Any interesting events/stories that changed your career?

At Ogilvy we had the opportunity to create the unbranded disease state awareness advertising that launched Procrit. The work turned a medical issue that is hard to explain to patients into compelling drama, brought high production values and one of the world’s top directors to healthcare and turned Procrit into J&J’s largest selling prescription drug. In hindsight, we were just doing what felt intuitively right, but these were pioneering moves in healthcare advertising circa 2001 that showed me the possibilities in the field.

An interview with IPNY Chief Creative Partner Bruce Lee as published in AdForum.com

Tell us about some of the creative partners you’ve worked with.

As a copywriter I’ve worked with many types of creative partners over the years. Starting out, I teamed with an art director twice my age. He couldn’t come up with an idea to save his life, but what a talker. Every time we’d work we got into these incredible conversations and I’d find myself coming up with ideas, ideas, ideas – way better than the ones I would have come up with on my own – even though we barely talked about the work. In some weird way he opened my flow. But isn’t that what you want – to be with a partner who gets you going? Magic is hard to explain. Fortunately, you don’t have to explain it. You just have to produce it.

Most art directors I’ve partnered with had collaborative styles. We’d toss thoughts back and forth and build on each other’s ideas until one of us had the eureka. Which neither of us would take credit for. We felt the process made it happen. At the other extreme I worked for a while with a lone wolf. He preferred to close himself off and come up with his own ideas. Creative problem solving is a delicate process – you can’t make someone interact if it’s out of their comfort zone – so I adapted to working as a recluse as well. In the end we’d show each other our hand. I never liked this subtly competitive approach but there was no other way to get him to deliver. He was talented, and the work we did brought a lot of attention and new business, so it was worth it from that standpoint, but it was neither a satisfying or efficient experience.

What makes for the best creative partner?

In the beginning, before the writing or the art direction, you and your partner are idea people in quest of unexpected ways to express the strategy. I’ve always done the best questing with a partner who wants to create something never seen before and is flat-out obsessive about finding it. You wouldn’t want to live with such a person, but you sure want them for your partner. Because they push you as hard as you push them and it makes the solution, when it comes, that much sweeter.

Another quality one appreciates is a partner who’s open to new things. I’ve worked in categories known for flashy work, but these days I enjoy more complex categories like financial, healthcare and nonprofit, where the work can be just as challenging but there is more opportunity to rethink the rules. And having an art director who enjoys problem-solving no matter what the category is essential.

When is a creative duo not a duo?

To paraphrase Freud, creative people are polymorphously perverse. I’ve been party to great creative ideas by working solo, in a pair, in a triad. With some of our TV projects I work with my long-time art director partner and our favorite TV director who is a former agency art director. The process is so easy because the three of us have been collaborating for years and there’s a high degree of trust.

Sometimes the most valued creative partner does not meet the strict definition of a “creative.” I work successfully with our strategic planner, because he inspires me with his deep appreciation of the problem. And because he has the ability to see my ideas the way the marketplace will.

As published in nyfadvertising.com

New York Festivals Advertising Awards has unveiled the 2020 Financial Category Executive Jury (formerly Midas).

This is the first year that the Midas Awards has merged with NYF’s Advertising Awards creating a new category group honoring campaigns that recognize all types of media used in financial services advertising and marketing. A prominent global panel will review all the shortlisted financial services entries selected by the international New York Festivals Grand Jury.

NYF’s Financial Category Executive Jury is comprised of a diverse group of founding officers, creative partners, and executive creative directors from global advertising agencies as well as internationally recognized experts in financial policy and communications. This elite group of award-winning creatives is well versed in financial advertising and will provide an even more comprehensive evaluation of the global creative work submitted.

Says Ellen Smyth, CEO, New York Festivals: “With Midas residing under the umbrella of New York Festivals Advertising Awards, there’s even more of an opportunity for the incredible work emanating from the financial services sphere to be center stage. The Midas Financial Category Executive Jury will assemble a world-class collection of award-worthy financial services work that represents flawless and expertly executed financial campaigns from around the globe.”

Says Scott Rose, executive director of New York Festivals Advertising Awards: “NYF is thrilled to have these stellar innovators from the world of financial advertising on board to judge entries into NYF’s inaugural Financial Category. Their deep understanding of the category as well as their years of industry expertise crafting award-winning financial services campaigns will result in ground-breaking entries within this genre being honored.”

2020 Financial Category Executive Jury to date:

Kaydee Bridges, Vice President, Digital Marketing & Social Media, Goldman Sachs USA
Augusto Correia, Senior Creative Art Director, Grey Brasil
Tom Cullinan, Founder & Creative Partner, Cullinan South Africa
Dana Cullinan, Founder & Creative Partner, Cullinan South Africa

Bruce Lee, Founding & Creative Partner, IPNY, Inc. USA

Crayon Hsieh, Head of UX, OnePlus Smartphone USA
Tahaab Rais, Regional Head of Strategy & Truth Central, FP7 MENAT UAE
Dylan Taylor, Creative Partner, Dylan Taylor Agency Australia
Alfred Wee, Creative Director, McCann Worldgroup Singapore

Additional Financial Category Executive Jury members will be announced in the coming weeks.

Entries into the 2020 NYF Advertising Awards competition will be judged by 400+ members of NYF’s executive jury, Financial Category executive jury, Film Craft executive jury and grand jury, a panel of prominent global creative minds, who collectively cast over 400,000 votes to select the World’s Best Advertising.

The final deadline to enter the 2020 New York Festivals Advertising Awards is March 2, 2020. For more information about NYF’s Financial Categories visit: HERE and to enter the 2020 competition please visit: HERE.

As published in AdForum.com

Few things unite us anymore in these United States. So any reason for conviviality in this conflicted time is cause for celebration. The Super Bowl still draws us together like no national holiday except Thanksgiving.

Did I say holiday? Well, Super Bowl Sunday is our unofficial national holiday. And unlike Washington’s Birthday or others we regard mostly as a day off from work, the Super Bowl means something. It excites a genuine passion. Viewership may be declining but the bars are full, parties are crowded, social media is tweeting and spots are going for $5.3 million a throw.

I wish I could say this year’s commercials were up to the occasion. They were once. People didn’t glaze over or go back to the food trough at the breaks the way they do now. But I think we’re all pretty SFX-saturated and up to here with live actors in fast-cutting cartoon situations. How many years can advertisers keep pushing these techniques at us?

There seems to be less slapstick in this year’s spots, which is encouraging. Nothing is more discouraging than violence to get a laugh. But there’s also a general fatigue in the freshness department. In past years you occasionally saw something you could honestly say you’d never seen before. That’s become a diminishing pleasure.

Shall I weary you with my picks for the worst? What’s the point? They’re impervious to criticism. Besides, these artifacts aren’t meant to last, even though their shelf life has been extended online.

Well, let me at least point out the nadir of the evening’s fare.

That would be Devour. A shit show if ever there was one. Devour makes delicious frozen food you can microwave, and the best they can give us is a deadpan spoof on food porn? A guy has a frozen food fetish the way some men have an addiction to pornography, as related by his despairing wife?

The issue is how something so unappetizing ever got approved (and so beautifully produced). It isn’t funny but creepy, and feels like the first idea of a creative team under pressure to be edgy for the Super Bowl. But you’re usually better off tossing those first ideas to get to something more challenging.

Feel free to disagree.

On the flip side, I really liked the beautiful animation of the Coke spot, the wish fulfillment idea of Mercedes’ vehicle voice assistant spot, the smart surprise of Expensify, the simplicity and sharp timing of Bubly, the compelling testimonial of Microsoft’s XBox adaptive controller, and the Washington Post’s important message about journalism. In fact, at the party I was at I saw people’s faces change when the logo came up with the tagline, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” It hit home.

The best Super Bowl spot I saw, and the only one I’d really want to see again, didn’t actually run on the Super Bowl. It ran before the game and online, but I’m including it here because it’s such incredibly moving and positive video it should run everywhere, every day of the year.

It’s called “More Than Just Words” and it was made by Jeep and performed by OneRepublic. If ever there was an anthem to be played on our unofficial national holiday, this is it.

As published in adage.com

Growing up in Queens the cool kids didn’t greet each other with “Hi.” They said, “What’s the story?”

So imagine how jazzed we were when a popular TV campaign for a New York appliance store opened up with an announcer shouting, “Hey Jerry, what’s the story?”

We’re forever learning about new formulas for sales success. But nothing can beat a formula that has conflict, characters you care about, escalating excitement and a satisfying ending.

The story is the single most motivating sales technology known to advertising.

No one likes being told what to think. That’s why no one likes straightforward selling. But storytelling is different. It’s a form of gameplaying you willingly give yourself over to. It provides a seductive way around our mental pay wall, beguiling the rational self by making a pleasurable emotional connection with the brand.

News, drama, people you love, hate, sympathize with – the story has it all. And we’re wired for it. Think of all the bedtime stories you were read, all the cable series you’ve binge-watched. Think of Chinatown, On the Waterfront, The Shining, City Lights and hundreds of memorable films. Our mind nestles into stories like a head into a pillow.

Watch this spot for the French cable channel Canal+: It has a compelling narrative arc. Starting in medias res, the action grows more outrageous, leading to a denouement that makes you realize the whole thing was a demonstration of the quality programming Canal+ offers. The brand message is so deftly woven in you absorb it without blinking.

Or take this end-of-the-world tale from Jose Cuervo: The brand message is carpe diem, but the way this story tells itself, that ancient advice is strikingly contemporary and weirdly moving.

What makes these stories work? A combination of empathy and chemistry. As we watch our protagonist try to overcome his situation, tension rises and our brain secretes dopamine, so at the brand reveal we feel rewarded and hopeful.

Stories activate our brain’s language processing centers, sensory cortex, motor cortex and any other areas we use when reacting to the events in the narrative. As viewers, we share the emotions of the characters and turn the story into our own experience.

It’s been said there are no new stories, just new ways of telling them. This spot for The Guardian shows how one of our fundamental stories might be treated by contemporary media: As the news swiftly unfolds from front-page headlines to social media discussions to the nasty revelation that the villains are actually the three little pigs, we see just how The Guardian shows all sides of the story.

In the words of a YouTube viewer, “If this were a movie I’d watch the shit out of it.” Headlong suspense, being unable to stop watching or listening – these are critical to storytelling. Smart marketers know the longer your prospect is involved with your message, the better the chance of being persuaded and taking action.

Print media was once a home for beautifully crafted storytelling ads. With declining readership the venue has shifted. Today it’s about seeing how close we can come to spending nothing on our advertising.

Century 21 realtors did just that by taking advantage of a well-known story. Instead of running a costly commercial on the media event finale of “Breaking Bad,” they listed the actual Albuquerque house that Walter White owned on Craigslist. This singular image calls up many memories of the series, putting every “Breaking Bad” fan right in the center of the action. Such pennywise ingenuity gave Century 21 over 80 million impressions and gave fans an unforgettable experience.

One particularly successful brand trend has been immersive story experiences.

Last year, Manhattan’s iconic Carnegie Deli, which closed in 2016, was reincarnated for the second season premiere of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Every detail of this popup store, from décor to food to prices, screamed 1958, when the series takes place.

Stories have always been at the heart of myth, which is what our greatest brands are built on.

In an era without a national myth we can all agree on, along comes Colin Kaepernick: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” With this tweet Nike launched its new campaign based on the story of the man who brought attention to racial inequality through the NFL kneeling movement. What better way to bring attention to the values behind “Just do it” than with real stories of athletes who did just that?

What’s the secret to the best stories? Confounding expectations. Whether it’s butchering the star in the first act of “Psycho” or not explaining the hyper-passionate runners until the very last moment of this classic spot, being surprised violates our expectations and gives us a visceral jolt. Couple this with your message and your message hits deep.

Want stronger creative? Find the story in what you’re selling. It’s a time-tested persuasion system, as deeply human and inventive as you are.

As published in Mediapost.com, by Larissa Faw

Following a competitive review, First Amendment Museum has engaged IPNY as AOR to assist in launching its first national campaign. The campaign will reinforce and strengthen First Amendment Museum’s mission of “inspiring citizens to live their First Amendment freedoms.”

First Amendment Museum itself will be more than just a museum. It will be a national initiative that provides a non-partisan, hands-on and engaging way to help Americans increase their civic engagement using their First Amendment Freedoms, through enabling the practice of constructive, collaborative and civil dialogue.

The initial phase of the engagement is focused on creating a new digital initiative that raises national awareness and generates support for the organization’s work. Co-founded by the granddaughters of prominent Maine publisher Guy P. Gannett, First Amendment Museum will sponsor exhibits, learning modules, events and activities which will be available online and on-site at the Augusta, Maine mansion that houses the museum.

AdForum.com recently interviewed IPNY Founding Partner and Creative Director Bruce Lee

IPNY’s Bruce Lee gives his thoughts on philosophy, emotion, and persuasion

Having a clear point of view or difference is key to helping an agency compete. Can you tell us a bit about IPNY’s philosophy as an agency?

This may surprise you coming from an agency that helps companies create powerful brands, but IPNY has no agency philosophy. There’s a good reason for this. With advertising evolving at warp speed you need to be quick on your feet. Words like “philosophy” feel so unchanging and written in stone. We much prefer having a standard for the work we do: intelligent, artful, compelling, human. The work is why you come to us.

I like agency philosophies when they’re expressed in the work. Can you tell me what agency philosophy gave us VW’s “Snowplow” or Dove’s “Real Beauty”? It doesn’t matter. I know more about the agencies just by experiencing those great campaigns. I worked for a time at an agency whose philosophy was proudly, “We sell, or else.” That made the bean counters tingle, but I can tell you that day-to-day those words had zero effect on inspiring great creative solutions. Those came from the combination of an insight and a sympathetic imagination, and a client secure enough to make the right decision.

Read the philosophies of the agencies you admire. The words are different but they all say the same thing: We’re optimistic, we’re storytellers, we’re truth tellers, we drive results. The real differentiator is the work. Simply, whose art do you like better? Because we’re artists. And better artists are more persuasive. They speak to our rational and emotional selves in ways that are pleasurable, mysterious and, ultimately, a matter of personal taste.

How was this point of view born and what differentiates it from competitors?

We see IPNY as being in the business of persuasion, which a lot of agencies won’t admit to. Maybe it’s because persuasion had an icky connotation dating from the days of Vance Packard. But if you go back to ancient Greece you’ll see that persuasion was one of the great rhetorical arts of democracy – essential to debate and to the process of making up your mind.

Persuasion enables us to not just “publicize” a brand, but to do the complete, multi-layered job of winning you over. From exciting your curiosity, to gaining your trust, to keeping your loyalty into the future, and all the critical touch points in between. And we play a similar role for our clients, whose internal constituencies need to understand the spirit of the brand just as much as their customers.

The product we produce may be different from what society considers art, such as a work by Flaubert or Mozart or Picasso, but our work comes from the same need to persuade, the same drive to push the boundaries of creativity. We even use the same techniques. Particularly humanity. Humanity is when a communication strikes you as true. You don’t just know it. You feel it. This is one of the ways we make a brand unforgettable. It’s a lot different than “we sell, or else.” It’s art in the service of opening minds. Harder to pull off, but boy, is it ever worth it.

Persuasion and rhetoric are at the core of advertising. Aristotle pioneered theories on both topics. Are there any other ways you see the disciplines of philosophy and advertising as connected?

I hate having to follow Aristotle but I think even he would agree that one of the least celebrated tools of our trade is empathy, which is at the core of persuasion. Empathy feeds our imagination. It lets us slip into your shoes, and lets you walk with the brand and see how great it makes you feel. We also empathize with our clients. We learn what they do to the point where we feel their business pressures as our own. This dynamic makes the work more real, more convincing.

Are the concepts of logos, pathos and ethos actively considered during the creative process while seeking the big idea or more something that can be found and analyzed in hindsight?

Actively considered? Yes, just not in those terms. Logos, pathos and ethos are a natural part of our problem solving. But we’re not alone in this. Emotion, evidence, and appeals to credibility (4 out of 5 dentists recommend, etc.) have been our industry’s stock in trade for so long, it’s refreshing to see nonlinear work like, say, W&K’s Old Spice campaign turning the old approaches on their head for younger audiences who are supersensitive to being advertised to.

Ad blockers and streaming services have changed TV, radio and digital, making it more difficult for brands to even present an argument to consumers. Is traditional media still viable? How can brands get the attention of people who are so determined to avoid them?

Brands need to be creative and find new forms to suit the times. And they will. One of our so-called traditional clients uses Instagram to give thoughtful overviews on financial investments, which is his company’s domain. You wouldn’t think a Web photo sharing service would be the right place for a discussion of bear markets and retirement income, but live and learn. People will always get closer to your brand if you make it personally interesting to them.

Regarding new and traditional media: We do both. Each requires lots of attention and artistry and guess what? They co-exist nicely. BTW, I look forward to the day we can drop terms like new and traditional and just call them what they are. They’re media.

What is your view on the “is advertising an art or a science” debate?

Debate? This was settled long ago by Bill Bernbach: “Advertising is fundamentally persuasion and persuasion happens to be not a science, but an art.” Though with measurability and optimization coming to the party, we now apply a little science to improve the results. OK, so we’re blending. Everybody cool with that?

Here’s the point. Brands are emotional things. And in recent years there’s been a lot of commoditization of our industry’s product. So people are less likely to understand that advertising works better when it’s art. Art harnesses the emotions, turbocharges an appeal and speaks to your soul. We don’t say this because we’re taste fairies. We say this because we’re artists, because we have an instinct for what works.