ROOFTOP banter

We all know that breaking through clutter is a classic challenge for marketers, particularly with the ever-increasing bombardment of messages hurled at consumers. We believe the key is to offer up unexpected fun to entice engagement.

One of our favorite tactics is a marketing wonder that’s smaller than a business card. Confetti is the word we’ve coined as its name. On the surface, Confetti is a pretty little card with interesting visuals and a website URL. Like traditional confetti, it looks great when it’s spread around an environment as party décor. Unlike its festive counterpart, you can use Confetti to make people believe fate is calling.

Picture this: You sit down at your favorite restaurant and find a pocket-sized message on the table. Suddenly, you have the feeling that it was put there just for you. Almost like fate is talking to you. You put it in your pocket or purse, only to rediscover it later. Yet again, your interest is piqued, and you feel compelled to hop online to unravel the mystery.

That’s the beauty of Confetti. You can spread it around town in small doses or drop it from a helicopter (okay, don’t litter!) – restaurants, the library, and the gym – anywhere that’s appropriate. And it’s a little intriguing treasure that’s impossible to resist.

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Freestyle writing. Yoga. Radiohead. Creatives use many methods to get (and stay) inspired. An inspired and practiced mind is much more prone to moments of creative genius.

People may be born creative, but in order to harness creativity, it needs to be exercised. Creativity is not a bike. You can’t jump on it after years without practice. You’ll probably crash, and definitely won’t land a 720 bar spin.

Advertising agencies know this. Smart ones encourage behavior that inspires creativity because creativity impacts their bottom lines. The question is: Would this mode of thinking benefit other businesses that may view these behaviors as a waste of company time? Maybe the answer is no. Then again… more industries than advertising rely on ideas.

Creativity-inspiring activities aren’t necessarily time consuming.  A break from intense thinking for some short-lived fun has substantial positive results. Redirecting attention for a moment of entertainment and creative release refreshes creative mojo. We bet modern psychology can back this up. And we’ve known it to solve problems on many occasions.

In the names of all those whose work benefits from a 5-minute Fun-Time Refresh, we’ve decided to compile a collection of examples. We’ll call it the “Keathley Take Fives.” Keep an eye out for additions. Here’s one to get you started.

Situation: This Keathley Take Five manifested itself in the form of an email chain. Becki Cooper, Account Coordinator, had to stay home one morning for a kitchen appliance repair. She sent the following email to inform the staff of the situation:

Dishwasher guy said he will be here at 11. Probably be in around 12-12:15. Feel free to email me w anything.

Becki Cooper
Public Relations Coordinator
Keathley Advertising

As any levelheaded colleagues would respond, the staff took the last line of the email quite literally. The following is a glimpse at some of the responses.

Hey Becki:

Hate to bother you, but I have a pressing question I wanted to ask.  Typically, people don’t read labels properly and shampoo their hair incorrectly.

I’m sure you know this, but it says to “Lather. Rinse. AND Repeat.”  I know a lot of people don’t Repeat and only Lather and Rinse once.  This is a shame.  I just wanted to see if you were aware of this situation and were taking steps to assure that you are indeed Repeating as the label implies.

I just don’t want to get into a “He-said” “She-said” situation when it comes to these types of things.  Can you please put together a 20+ page internal policy report on how we can correct this issue in the future (and we might as well put together something on how it can be corrected in the past while we are at it).  If you could have that ready by noon for review that would be great.

Thanks.
–

Zachary Linquist
Director of Interactive Media

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Hey Becki:

I hope things are going well with your appliances. I was just sitting here pondering an important question: Twix: Cookie or Candy? I thought that, with your background in cake design, you might have some insight on this.

Would you mind doing some primary and secondary research on the subject? It’d be great if you could post a formal survey on your Facebook page and ask all your Twitter followers.

Please compile your findings in a detailed report, along with at least 22 related web articles and a summary of your final conclusions, by EOD today.

Thanks,

Jack                                                                                                                                                                           Associate Creative Director

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Hi Becki,

I need some consultation about an area of your expertise. American Idol, while obviously the most annoying and mentally insubstantial show ever to have disgraced the screen, is somehow the most successful show in history.

Is the success of American Idol due to it being a meritable reality program or a string of self-obsessed publicity stunts and scandals?

Topics of discussion:

• Paula Abdul and young boys
• Paula Abdul on drugs
• “Coke” cups: promotion or insinuation?
• Gay guys finish second
• Ryan Seacrest

Please advise.

Thanks

Brandi Hensler
Copywriter

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Conclusion: Did Becki deliver on these requests? No. Was the combined 15 minutes spent on this a waste of company time? Maybe. But the award-winning campaign that was concepted later the same day says otherwise…

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Billboards. Commercials. Magazine ads. Posters. Junk mail. Pop-ups. Product placement. On a given day, most Americans are exposed to about 3,000 different commercial messages. We all know that the days of three TV channels and undivided attention are long gone. If you don’t say something worth hearing, no one will listen. It’s not about forcing attention – it’s about earning it.

We’re always working toward new ways to break through the clutter, create intrigue, and get people to stop and think. With a little creative thinking, you can command attention without being obnoxious. One of our favorite strategies is to create unexpected entertainment through non-traditional messaging. Here are a few of our favorite non-traditional tactics.

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Creativity is best served in an environment as creative as the people working there. The Keathley staff enjoys working in the top floor of the Castle Hall building, which was built in 1878. Our office once served as a ballroom for the Knights of Pythias.

In our world, creative inspiration is always at arm’s length thanks to our rooftop conference room, cozy couches, huge windows flooding sunlight and dramatic Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. When scenery isn’t sparking the magic, 20-foot ceilings always make Frisbee a possibility.

Check out some of the coolest agency interiors. If you can’t get enough, go to This Ain’t No Disco for more.

Where do you find inspiration?

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I think I can speak for the Keathley crew when I say that we all love our jobs. Sure, there are those days when the snooze button is a bit overused but, for the most part, weekday mornings are a breeze when you’re walking in the office to amusing, gifted people…and in-office espresso. The NorthCoast 99 award simply proved what we’ve all known for a while – Keathley Advertising is one of the 99 best places to work in Northeast Ohio.

This award was bestowed on those companies that demonstrated merit through a grueling application process that involved dozens of questions on culture, innovation, success and training. We stood out in the area of employee growth; Inside Business magazine wrote an article on our own Brandi Hensler, who has carved out the opportunity to shine as our social media maven in her first few years as a copywriter.

Tie that in with agency-paid training, team building retreats, flex hours, and the option to bring your dog to work (oh, have we mentioned the rooftop patio?), and you’ve got a workplace culture that inspires extraordinary ideas every day.

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Supporting charities within our community is an essential part of Keathley culture. In the name of that belief, Keathley is founding the Akron chapter of Mustaches for Kids. The guys in our office will grow their best mustaches this November to raise funds for children’s charities in Akron.

To inspire the mustache growers among us and fuel the excitement of their supporters, our staff has been passing around some stachetacular photos and videos. We can hardly wait to share the chapter’s success (and more shots of our staff rockin’ it stache style).

Where do you find stachesperation?

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We’ve all heard the claims that with social media, the possibilities are endless. Okay, here’s the pickle: I want to make a monster movie, but am sans resources. Can I use social media to get talented writers and filmmakers to give me content for a feature-length film?

Enter our friends from last year’s SXSW awards, the creators of LostZombies.com. These 3 East Bay residents started a zombie-themed social network with the goal of creating the world’s first community generated feature-length zombie documentary. Users submit videos and photos based on loose guidelines, with the best content compiled to complete the film. And with their zombie culture sweeping the nation, the guys are well on their way to success. There’s been close to 1,000 videos, over 100 blog posts, and over 7,000 photos submitted to date. Check out some of the user-generated content on their People’s Choice Award-winning site.

What makes this so successful when Fortune 500s can’t get people to fill out a survey? It’s a two-way street. Hopeful filmmakers get a chance to break into the business with their work featured in the film, and the people get zombies. Zombies, dude.

In addition to the film itself, the initiative’s marketing gives the power to the people. Lost Zombie stickers have been embraced by people across the world eager to make a mark and spread the epidemic… me included. See more stickering here.

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For years, we’ve been talking to clients about building websites that encourage people to come back time and again. Now, the conversation has evolved to discuss how to accomplish this goal via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

How do you build a following and keep people tuned-in for the long haul?

For one local company, we developed a citywide scavenger hunt for a new product launch. Scavenger hunt clues have been released exclusively via Facebook and Twitter. By merging guerilla tactics into the social media landscape, we’ve given followers exclusive access to fun. And, everyone wants to feel like they’re “in the know” about something that the general public is not.

This social media campaign began by creating brand-appropriate pages and a content development strategy to keep things fresh. We can’t share all of our secrets, but we also helped this company land hundreds of followers in under a week.

Awesome creative ideas drive the word-of-mouth that will keep more people coming to these pages. Continually posting relevant, intriguing content will keep them coming back for more.

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I’ve always been a big fan of Levi’s campaigns. I was once so moved by a Levi’s superbowl spot, I ran out the next day to buy a pair of (not so) skinny jeans. Levi’s is a classic name that refuses to tire, endlessly reinventing itself to stay connected.

Levi’s ads are almost always sexy, modern and thought provoking while tying in the brand’s heritage in fresh and unexpected ways. This year’s Go Forth: The New Americans campaign is no exception. This site uses consumer-generated content to build the “fabric” of its message, fueling American pride in challenging times.

The multimedia invitation – words, images, audio and video — offers ample opportunity to participate. Contests create compelling reasons to submit. Content suggestions such as “Pick a task: Take a picture of you wearing Levi’s in a place you’ve never been before” inspire brand integration in ways that spark imaginative thoughts.

Copy is almost an afterthought, but just as powerful as the submitted imagery: “I work for better times. ‘Cause no one built this country in suits.” Whether a reader or contributor, you’re likely to remember this site, associating the Levi’s brand with the belief that you too can shape an ideal American future…especially while wearing a great pair of 501s.

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Our rooftop conference room is the best feature of our office here at Keathley Advertising. Our staff finds their way to the roof daily to talk shop, debate strategy and find creative inspiration. We’ve definitely had our share of memorable events on the roof over the years that have helped to bond our team. That’s part of the secret of our success – inspire creativity by including amazing views and the awesomeness of rooftops into our daily routines.

Welcome to our rooftop – sign on, sign up and stay tuned!

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