Taking a stand

As part of our growth theme RedBalloon is hosting a series of ‘Lunch and Learns’ internally for our people. Our first speaker for the season was Daniel Gregory (creative director of Smart and also known for his regular spot on the ABCs Gruen Transfer).

It was fabulous to hear about some of the great campaigns he has worked on; to hear about the brief, which creates the advertising seen by all. Dan demonstrated how a small idea in the right place can have a massive impact.

After he had shared a few of his stories – the questions (and responses) delivered additional gold.

What have you learned from failures (and what were they like)?
Dan: “The worst thing a campaign can do is be boring. I’m fortunate that I have worked on things that have brought commercial outcomes for my clients. In my opinion the biggest failures are the ads that don’t get noticed; that simply put you to sleep. Even if an ad is offensive and gets lots of criticism, at least it stood out. I’m currently doing a research paper and those ads that have received the most complaints deliver in bucket loads commercially for the brand. It is a matter of knowing what you stand for – rather than building a brand. And being prepared to offend.”

Can you speak on the importance of product in the communications mix?
Dan: “The product has to be good – you cannot fake it. We were given the brief for the Mother energy drink – for it’s ‘re-launch’. The first time around the agency had driven people to purchase, but the stuff tasted so bad, no one came back. We were really real with the second launch – and told people we got it wrong – with a funny campaign that ‘attacked’ the original guys who formulated it… it was a massive success. Sometimes the best thing for creative people to do is to ask the client to adjust the product.”

What does the best client look like?
Dan: “The best clients come from outside the industry, or the country… someone who looks at things differently – and will be prepared to take a risk and be fresh. Also CEO’s make great clients – because they are so results driven, and they are far more likely to take a risk. The best brief I get is when someone writes their business problem on a post-it-note and leaves us to it. We can then use any media, any creative, any way to get the message out there – and the message is less likely to be watered down if you are dealing with CEOs. The greatest campaigns come from people who will take a risk.”

What role will online media such as Facebook play moving forward?
Dan: “People come to us and say ‘quick we need a Facebook page’ but the question really comes back to ‘what do you stand for’ and what is the best way to get that message to market? You can’t do something that is viral – just by calling it that – it has to be engaging, interesting and stand for something. It has to be worthwhile.

“Really there is so much media now available to us… we no longer have four channels, six radio stations and four magazines… people consume their media everywhere, anywhere. 25% of people use their mobile for accessing Facebook . It is really hard to clearly define ‘above the line’ and ‘below the line’ now. It is all just media… the exciting thing is that a small business can play way beyond its weight simply by making a stand. Know what you stand for.”

Dan was most generous in his answers… what a delight to kick of the season with such vivid stories.

Naomi Simson is considered one of Australia’s ‘Best Bosses’. She is an employee engagement advocate and practices what she preaches in her own business. RedBalloon has been named as one of only six Hewitt Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand for 2009 and awarded an engagement scorecard of over 90% two years in a row – the average in Australian businesses is 55%. RedBalloon has also been nominated by BRW as being in the top 10 Best Places to Work in Australia behind the likes of Google. One of Australia’s outstanding female entrepreneurs, Naomi regularly entertains as a passionate speaker inspiring people on employer branding, engagement and reward and recognition. Naomi writes a blogand is a published author – and has received many accolades and awards for the business she founded – RedBalloon.com.au.