Misunderstanding Millennials

 

The young millennials have had their share of bad press. From the baby boomers generation to workplace senior management. They’ve come to be associated with terms such as entitlement, narcissism, laziness and impatience. 

I'm in the advertising industry and we have had to find new ways to engage this generation because they are going to be the consumers of tomorrow. Are they different? Yes. Is it a problem? No.

Throughout history, how often have we had parents tell their children, "when I was your age...". I remembered my dad saying that, and I won't be surprised if I've said something along the same lines to my only daughter. I'm sure my father has heard that line from my grandfather too. And to defend that line, we often spew the phrase "I've eaten more salt than you have rice."

So they are different. Why is that bad? They grow up in very different circumstances as I did. So I cannot expect them to hold the same values or react the same way I would have. 

Here's what I found different about the millennials. 

They're not into buying things. They buy experiences. 

My generation takes pride in owning things. Whether it's your Music Album collection or Books. I used to collect even magazines. I still have every issue of National Geographic from since 1983!

But the millennials stream music and movies. They don't have to "own" them. After all, it's just to listen or watch. That's buying experience. It's cheaper, takes up zero space and no depreciation. That's a good thing. 

And the fastest growing stocks reflect that culture. Uber don't own a single vehicle. Airbnb don't own a single room and Alibaba don't own a single product they sell. They all meet a need without the burden of ownership. That's a good thing. 

Our generation slog to own a car, then a house and when their children have completed their studies...travel. Millennials today travel much more than we ever did. Why? They're buying experiences. At a physical condition that allows them to better enjoy their travels. They do their homework, buy cheap fares, scout out bargain stays and with their smartphones, travel the world. Why pay travel agents?

As for managing them at the workplace, you need to understand them first. The problem is many employers expect the young recruits to tow the line and follow company rules. Working long hours are no longer a reflection of a productive employee. Millennials are often driven by the passion they find in their work. And they produce their best work when they are given room to express themselves. 

Fan that flame and they do extraordinary stuff. Why? It's part and parcel of the experiences they buy into. I have had the privilege to bring on board some of these young talents and they surprises me. It's a privilege to mentor these talents because they are hungry to learn and not being technology-shy, they have huge resources they can tap into. 

And that brings me to another facet about the millennials. They are being accused of having no real relationships because they are always staring into that small screen filled with selfies, chats and likes. Unlike my time when designers often work in isolation, this generation is well networked. They interact and they see what others are doing. There are exchanges of ideas and concepts, a canvas for them to share their work and get feedback and a place where they can be discovered. That's a good thing. 

The reason I wrote this is because my circle of friends my age or even younger have often made negative comments about the millennials. We need to know how to connect with them because whether you like it or not, these are the ones who will take our world to the next level. And that's a good thing. 

Oh...and I find this interesting. If we throw our moral standards on the millennials, it may be good to know that the latest research found this out. 

"Tinder generation' turns its back on sex, as millennials are less likely to be promiscuous than their parents' generation." 

Tinder Generation turns its back on sex

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Design and Technology

Is technology driving design today? Do designers limit their creativity based on what their apps can do? Are the tools stamping an identity on their work? Is Photoshop's ability to simplify the complicated affecting their decisions on the creative process?

These are real questions designers often never give a second thought to. That's probably because there are other pressing worries. Like deadlines, cost restrictions, production limitations or worst yet, client's preference.

This is a far cry from how I started in the graphic industry. I never started as an Advertising man. My early discipline was design. We call it communications design, but in a nutshell it was just graphic design that works.

Back then, graphic designers had different tools, other worries and computers were only for scientists. The closest thing we had to a computer was the LED calculator or digital watch (a rave in the late seventies). Instead, we designers struggled with technical pens, NT Cutters, cow-gum, steel rule, set squares, T-squares, ruling pen, poster colours, acrylic, felt pens, french curves, tracing papers and later, the expensive air-brush and it's noisy compressor.

Then, there were those dry transfers, the famous Letraset and for any kind of text apart from large headlines, we turned to typesetters and their bromides.

I am sure all my graphic designers are scratching their heads reading all these foreign names. But these were our Photoshops and InDesigns back then. And we needed our hands. Skilled hands to use them. It took me 6 months in art school to learn how to skillfully use the NT Cutter, not to cut but to shape our typography, technical pen drawings and diecuts.

We knew exactly how our 0.1, 0.2, 0.35, 0.5 Rotrings would draw, and when they needed cleaning. We knew how to angle them so that the lines would be the correct thickness. We knew how to glide them over our art paper so that they don't scratch the paper and we could clean them out with our cutters without leaving a mark. Skills that took years.

Then there's our cow-gum. We pride ourselves on who has the biggest chunk of dirty cow-gum balls. And some may not admit it, are addicted to gum-sniffing. On leave and they go through withdrawals. And how can I go back in time and not mention the light tables. Every graphic designer must have one. And we needed them to see all those positive slides. There were no such thing as digital photos. Instead of Megapixels, we had 35mm or 120mm.

What am I driving at? Designers back then had to work with tools and their limitations. The work we produce had "a look" because of these tools. But creativity were never limited by them, only the expressions of creativity were.

Today, designers work on their Macs and Adobe's suite of software. They are still tools, like our technical pens and set squares. But they are much more efficient. The only difference apart from the speed of execution is that mistakes are very forgiving. There are the "undos" and "save as". We don't have that back then. Mistakes often mean starting all over from scratch.

When we take photos, we don't get to see what we took until it was developed. We needed to be sure of our exposures and depth-of-field. Our composition and focus. The one thing technology did for us was to allow cheap experiments. We can afford to "try and see". That actually allow designers today to explore possibilities better. And it's a positive.

I guess at the end of the day, when you have acquired competent skills in using your tools, the techniques and the methods no longer get in the way of your creativity. And that's what every designer should strive towards. Always remember, these are tools for you to create. The focus is in your creativity and the tools should deliver your ideas and not limit it.

That is why I admire young designers who still take out their pads and scamp, sketch and scribble before they launch their programme. They are exploring and looking at ideas and not allowing the process of creating affect their creativity. Ideas are intangible, and they must never loose that.

Essentials for Healthcare Advertising

Advertising is fundamentally the same for every industry, in creating positive awareness and generating response, but the approach is different because the target audience for every industry is different and more so in a multi-ethnic country like Malaysia.

I have deliberately looked at the healthcare industry and came out with the following essentials in generating positive response.

Branding: This is all about standing out from the crowd in a positive way, and it includes virtually everything you do. A powerful, differentiating brand for your healthcare business is part of your reputation. Meaningful and effective branding does not occur without a deliberate effort to shape and express the right message at the right time. This is a long term process and doesn’t just happen by chance.

Build your Creative: Turn your ideas into the creative product that will support your plan. Keep referring to your vision and strategy to ensure that the creative concepts support your ultimate objectives. When outsourcing, give your agency as much information as you can gather. Always share your vision. Healthcare targets audience in an area that is need driven. And for potential patients, relief from pain and the alleviation of anxiety are the two key motivating factors.

Start Right: Introduce your campaign internally first. Tell physicians, employees, volunteers, board members and other stakeholders. They are often your best marketing support. Conversely, if they don’t “live the message,” your marketing efforts will be for naught. Work in partnership with your ad agency in delivering consistent exposures that are timed carefully to handle the increase in traffic. All creative tools must be consistent in identity for a holistic campaign that cross-sells each other. 

Campaign Launch: Timing is everything. Plan your rollout to maximize exposure. Avoid marketplace “clutter” and down times, such as holidays, when readership and viewers are less than normal. Once you have your media plan in place, stick to it. Great creative is only as good as the exposure it gets, so buy ample media space.

Professional Referral Marketing: A reliable and continuing stream of inbound patient referrals from other medical, dental or other professional sources is the lifeblood of many specialty providers. And whether it’s a primary or secondary channel, professional referral sources can’t be taken for granted. Doctor referrals do not happen by magic or simply because you are a good provider. Success requires a written plan and an unfailing system to preserve and grow the flow of professional referrals. (Internal exercise by Marketing Team)

Internet Marketing: From websites and social media tools, to patient portals and possibly mobile apps, online marketing is a mainstream channel for marketing, advertising and public relations. Build patient database and send email blasts to keep them connected to happenings, promotions and facility upgrades etc. Exactly how you use the muscle of the digital freeway can turn out to be highly effective and profitable, or a huge waste of time and money. This plays a supportive role to mainstream media in Malaysia. 

Internal Marketing: This heading includes all the ways and means that you communicate with people who already know you, primarily present and previous patients. Depending on the nature of your practice or situation, this influential audience can be a rich resource for referrals, additional services, testimonials and/or word-of-mouth advertising. (Internal exercise by Marketing Team)

External Marketing: These are the media that reach prospective patients who don’t know you. Advertising in newspapers, radio, television, billboards and the like target an audience that needs to know that you provide an answer for their healthcare need. There’s little margin for error in an external media budget that is expected to produce a measurable return-on-investment. (Planned and executed by your Ad Agency)

Public Relations: This heading includes, among other things, planning and generating healthcare publicity and free press exposure, such as newspaper articles or broadcast interviews. The end results look easy, and it can be a positive and powerful influence. However, “free press” is typically the result of careful planning, good timing, a clear message and a deliberate effort. (Handled by the Communications Department and aided by the appointed Ad Agency)

Malaysia is a potpourri of different races, language and customs. This is particularly challenging to any marketeer and if they are not familiar with these hurdles can create a negative impact in their marketing effort. To reduce customising your advertising message to these varied groups which can be costly and confusing, a creative strategy should be employed to avoid typecasting e.g., race, age, gender or race.

The above proposal by Ken Ray Communications Sdn Bhd needs input from the healthcare professionals that can better partner with their Ad Agency to create an effective campaign to generate traffic for the healthcare services provided. Part of the branding exercise will be to consolidate the various healthcare services in a cohesive manner so that the cross-sell is a complete exercise e.g., chiropractic, dental, Chinese Medicine etc are separate yet part of a total healthcare solution.

What are we worth?

We are looking at updating our pricing structure and I thought this article was timely and appropriate. Too often, we allow our client to dictate how much they think a piece of work is worth while having no idea what are hidden costs and man hours involved in an agency to get a job out. This article serve to remind us that when we quote a client, we are asking an amount we deserve. And we shouldn't budge because it only undermines the agency's value.

Thanks to Melinda Song for the link.

We could really do with £50k

The following story was written by John Scarrott of the London-based Design Business Association.

Photo by worldoflard

I was chatting to one of our ‘experts’ at the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards when he recounted the following story to me. I’ll tell it from the expert’s perspective.

“One of my clients, a small design agency of five people, was asked to quote on a piece of work. They’d not worked for this client before. They took the time to carefully cost the project, based on their normal charge-out rates, and the time and level of commitment required. The price came to £100k.

“At this point the agency experienced what I would describe as a ‘slight degree of nervousness.’ It seemed like a big number to them; a lot of money. It was. In fact as a project it would be one of the biggest they had undertaken. But, they took a deep breath and sent the proposal off.

“The client came back the next day with the following news: “We’ve only got £50k in the budget.” The agency rang me. Their first reaction was, “There’s £50k we could have.” Mine was a little different — we couldn’t accept a £100k project for £50K. They were initially hesitant to accept my advice to turn away £50k. I reminded them that we had carefully worked out a financial plan for the business based on sound principles and we should stick to it.

“They contacted the client via email, thanked them but said that they couldn’t do the work for the budget, concluding that it would be lovely if they could stay in touch. No counter-offer. The end.

“Actually not, as it turned out. Things did go quiet for a couple of days. But then the client picked up the phone and said they’d found some budget for the project and could pay £95k if that was acceptable to the agency. Which, of course it was.”

Listening to this story, it struck me that that the agency’s relationship with the expert was key, and they’d built a positive and trusted relationship together. So I asked our expert what the key issues and turning points were. What gave the agency the confidence to know what they were doing was right?

1. The size of the number, it felt big!

A perfectly valid thought. But not a fact. The important point was that there were sound business principles behind the calculation of the price. It had been worked out. It was a genuine figure. There was no smoke and mirrors, no figure added on as fat (see 5.). They knew they’d done their numbers properly and this gave them a mindset of certainty and confidence in what they’d suggested.

2. They have a financial plan that underpins the business.

Sitting beneath the studio is a financial plan. This involves delivering income to cover overheads and make a profit. They know they need to bill at £X per hour to be profitable at the end of the year. If they have that plan and someone says “I won’t pay that” and they take what they offer, they’ll never achieve their plan. The more times they do this the further away they get from achieving their plan. They may actually lose money. I’ve heard tales of serial acceptors of these offers, eventually folding as businesses. This happened to one of the best creatives, a household name with books on shelves. No one wants to go the same way.

3. Imagine the atmosphere in the studio if they’d taken this job for £50k!

How are they going to feel? How will the team feel? That they’re working “£100k hard” for a £50k reward. They can’t pull their effort back to £50k because the client’s expecting a £100k job. So they’d be stuck working their backsides off on a job that takes them further away from where they want to be. The effect on team moral is going to be bad, and they want to enjoy what they do, not suffer for it.

4. They’re consistent.

They have a plan and they keep to it. They could add on some fat to the bill to negotiate but they choose not to. This instills a sense of self-worth that is important to them as an agency. It allows them to stay in rapport with their clients by being clear about where they stand.

5. They don’t add margin only to cut it later.

What if they add some money on top, say 20% and then let that slide in the negotiation? How does the client know that they’re supposed to stop there? If they give 20% what’s to stop the client chipping further?

6. They’re confident in their ability.

They know their ability and they stand by it. They know that what the client is paying for is better than they could get elsewhere. They’ve created a niche of expertise for themselves. This is another foundation stone for their confidence.

7. They understood the myth of “We’ll just do this one.”

It’s always a tempting thought. Could £50k now be better than nothing? What about up-selling the client in the future? These things get questioned, but what stops them is the knowledge of what could happen. A better opportunity could come through which they can’t accept because they’re doing the £50k job. They know getting the client to pay more next time will be an uphill battle that in all likelihood they won’t win.

Of course if you try this the next time you’re asked to cut the price you might send the email and never hear from the client again.

It might be the best thing that never happened to you.

—

John Scarrott is membership director of the Design Business Association. Catch him on Twitter.

What's Your TYPE?

No, I am not referring to your soul mate somewhere out there who's just right for you. Nor am I talking about your haemoglobin group identification which by the way you should be carrying in your wallet at all times.

I am talking to you about an element in design that cannot be discounted if you want it to communicate meaningfully. It's called typeface or fonts. And the discipline in using them is typography.

Typeface

In typography, a typeface (also known as font family) is a set of one or more fonts each composed of glyphs that share common design features. Each font of a typeface has a specific weight, style, condensation, width, slant, italicization, ornamentation, and designer or foundry (and formerly size, in metal fonts). (e.g. "ITC Garamond Bold Condensed Italic" is a different font from "ITC Garamond Condensed Italic" and "ITC Garamond Bold Condensed," but all are fonts within the same typeface, "ITC Garamond." However, ITC Garamond is a different typeface than "Adobe Garamond" or "Monotype Garamond.") There are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly.

You can tell quite a bit about a designer from the fonts they most commonly use. If you are mostly using Helvetica or Avant Garde, you probably saw quite a lot of the seventies and early eighties. If you are the Gill Sans or Garamond type, again, it's not hard to tell which generation you are probably in. This is of course not rocket science or a precise indicator, but it's a good barometer.

So why is typography so important to design? In simple terms, it is because it is carrying a message. All words needs to be set in type, so employing the correct font helps communicate the message accurately with the right emotion, tone, expression and even volume. The right font actually helps dress the words. Sometimes it can give it a period look and often, combined with the right colours complete the intent of the designer in establishing where in history they belong. Every decade has its own look. The Fifties and the Sixties are very distinct as an example, both in type and colours.

A typical '50s type and colour by Alex Fowkes

And here is one that screams '60s with its psychedelic colours.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here are some samples of how the right type can make a whole lot of difference to the look of a piece of design.

Creative use of type by BeType.

One of the most popular font "Garamond" showcased here by eledencreativo.com

Alphabet soup anyone? asubtlerevelry.com

Beautiful type painted in light by Burçak Tanrıverdi

Artful use of type in an editorial piece. cdn.indulgy.com

Making a stronger statement. fromupnorth.com

Hey Jude for a t-shirt. YONIL.com

And food just sound more appetising with the right type. stylemepretty.com

Beautiful typography is everywhere. You just need to look. 

Good resources to go to are:

http://typography-daily.com/

http://typographica.org/

http://welovetypography.com/

http://www.fridayfonts.com/

http://typenuts.com/

Ideas don't come from Empty Reservoirs

The creative industry demands something different, something new from you each time, every time. That is what makes this a challenging, yet rewarding career. It allows you privileged information about an organisation's inner workings, their products that are still under wraps and some trade secrets that business owners often share with no one else except their advertising agencies.

However, to become an active partner in your client's ongoing quest to be ahead of the competition takes a lot of imagination and knowledge that can only happen if you constantly refill your reservoir. An empty dam gives no water. So what do we do to constantly acquire substance that allow us to be a contributor in this business? Here are some things I do.

1. Cultivate Reading Habits

Knowledge comes from information, and information is best acquired through reading. I subscribe to almost 7,000 articles everyday on my RSS feeds. Topics range from Technology to Religion. Advertising to Sports. Business to Entertainment. Notice the mix. Some benefit my work, others just satisfy my interest. They are auto downloaded to my iPhone every morning and whenever I get a breather, I browse through them and read what interests me and bookmark those I think are useful for future reference. That is a lot of information that gives you a wealth of substance. Read with intent, storing what's useful and chucking aside time wasting stuff.

2. Be Curious

Take genuine interest in your client's business. If it's property, get to know their industry terminology, understand how the market impacts them, find out how they price their products etc. When I was involved with an award winning developer in the North, I was invited to sit in on their development meetings in KL where the town planner, landscape consultants and architects pick each other's brain, mine included. You would not have been invited if you had shown no interest in their business. When I was dealing with the apparel industry, I learnt to touch denim and can tell their weight, look at their finishing and can tell the type of wash involved and see the stitch work and tell if it's up to mark. When I invested in our company's first Apple Mac in 1989, I forced myself to learn to use it and understand how both software and hardware worked. Apple Malaysia invited us for a trip to MacWorld in US and the exposure was priceless. Ken Ray could open up any Mac and and do hardware upgrades and still not void our guarantee. And we were the first company in Malaysia to be able to buy a Mac with legal software of our choice bundled in. Curiosity opens doors of opportunity.

3. Learn from Others

Learn from your clients. Be like a sponge and absorb information they share. Learn to ask, not just about the work at hand but the motivation behind them. Learn to understand. Learn from your vendors or industry that support yours. It will help you understand how to better work with them and create a win-win partnership. Learn from your friends who are in other industries. And never think you can only learn from those more knowledgeable than you. Every person can contribute to your information bank. I have learnt a lot from my staff so it is two way. Look down on others and it is your loss.

4. Work Hard. Play Harder.

You may wonder how this can fill your reservoir. Well, it is not so much to fill your reservoir but to be its floodgates. You need release, and play is the best release so that you get the most from what you put into your reservoir. For June, it's her badminton or gym. For others, it could be craft work. I know a Property Marketing Director who paints to release and recharge. Her paintings hangs proudly in our conference room. For others here, it could be travel. Just ask Jovin. There is such a thing as information overload so learn to chill and not feel guilty about it. It actually just enlarges your dam to take in more.

So people, these are just simple thoughts you can ponder on and do a self check. Are you filling your reservoir? You cannot give what you don't have. Remember this too. Garbage in garbage out, so choose wisely what you fill your mind with. 

Start baby steps. Write a blog on things you discover. Keep a journal or a scrap book of interesting information and cuttings. I am all for cloud computing and I am a collector of references. That's why I can just pull out my iPhone and show you an ad sample because they are always at my fingertips (in the cloud). I take screenshots of all relevant ads in The Star, categorise and tag them so it's easy to find them. I use Pocket to clip useful web pages and also tag them so I can always reference these sites anytime. I keep a database on the best slogans by industry on my iPhone and I have thousands of logos and creative typography in my iPhone which I browse through for ideas. Just find a method that works for you and you are on your way to become what some people call a walking encyclopedia who can strike up any conversation with any one... and contribute.