He’s a creative thinker, who is a co-author of Research In Advertising Campaign Design in the forthcoming 21st Century Communication: A Reference Handbook, published by Sage.

With DVR allowing TV viewers to skip through commercials and consumers becoming more capable of tuning out clutter, is advertising facing a TKO?

LAUBACHER: Where consumers’ attention goes, advertising will always closely follow. It adapts. Product messages move from commercial breaks into in-entertainment product placement, for example. Advertising followed the eyes of consumers online in the form of banner ads. So Internet users become accustomed to the banner ads and barely notice them, so Search Engine Marketing becomes useful. Advertising will always face skepticism as entertainment technologies change, but these changes represent opportunities.

With the general public becoming more informed about advertising, are people correct when they say they are unaffected by advertising?

LAUBACHER: Not really. Ads are not always offering logic-based reasoning. Instead ads aim to allow consumers to identify with brands through emotion. So it’s natural that many people feel as though they are unaffected by advertising. But our behaviors show, however, that we are.

What’s your take on Bootb.com?

LAUBACHER: On the surface, it seems to be advantageous to the advertising client. They set a budget, often less than what they’d pay an advertising or other creative agency, and they get access to hundreds of contributors’ ideas, only having to pay for the one they choose to utilize. But Bootb.com and other similar sites will only serve as a supplement to client-agency relationships. To make the assumption that the advertising industry could completely shift to this model of project need and open-sourced solutions undermines the value of strong client-agency relationships. However, if Bootb.com and similar sites become the norm, it certainly represents an unstable future for agencies.

What’s a future trend that we may see in branding?

LAUBACHER: I think we might see brands investing in talented individuals at young ages in an effort to secure their loyalty in the event they become stars. You already see this with Nike, Adidas, and other athletic gear brands investing in youth sports teams, camps, etc. Maybe we’ll see Coca-Cola or Levi’s, for example, sponsoring young actors and actresses and for the talent that make it big, they will work exclusively with Coca-Cola product placement and wear Levi’s jeans in films.

What’s the optimal strategy for Tic-Tac-Toe?

LAUBACHER:

• With your first move, it’s in your best interest to place your X in a corner.
• If your opponent counters with any space other than the center, you’ve already guaranteed victory in the game’s seventh move, your fourth.
• If your opponent is smart and counters your first move with an O in the center, it is best to surround the opponent by placing an X in the opposite corner from your first mark.
• To stay in the game, your opponent must place an O in one of the four open side spaces and not one of the two corners.
• In the event that your opponent falls into your trap and places an O in a corner, you can guarantee victory by placing an X in the only remaining corner and then just letting the game play out.

Tim’s blog: http://www.timlaubacher.com/

I’ve been thinking a lot about the future of advertising lately. It started with Jason Falls wondering “Is the future of advertising public relations?”

Falls was kind enough to incorporate my response into a guest post on Social Media Explorer.

This inquisition into the future of advertising continued with my interview with Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts.

Always the optimist, Roberts says advertising is the most fun it has even been.

Never one to forget a topic quickly, I’m launching a semi-regular series on the future of advertising. I’ll attempt to have a new post here each Tuesday.

Special thanks to the first interviewee, University of Oregon Chambers Distinguished Professor of Advertising, Deborah Morrison, Ph.D.

Morrison is a distinguished educator and researcher, and you can find her former students working in the top advertising agencies in the world.

Dr. Morrison’s research encompasses creativity and social responsibility, an often overlooked aspect of paid persuasion.

If you’re looking for a career in advertising, Morrison can help. She is the co-author of Idea Industry: How to Crack the Advertising Career Code, which is available at online booksellers, including Amazon.com.

1) How optimistic are you about the future of paid advertising?

Morrison: Optimistic, yes. But fully aware that we’re in a shift right now. Reinvention of business models and new creative approaches are part of the quest for solutions. We’re already finding new ways to communicate brand messages + conversations … this will increase. Paid will still happen but we’ll see innovation.

2) What is the most interesting trend you see in digital media?

Morrison: Though so much is happening, I see a real value and investment in the ability to produce and disseminate quickly. That we are all content producers and carve out a name with our work on so constant a basis is pretty amazing. Anything is possible. It also says that the bar for paid content is higher.

3) What lessons from advertising past can we apply to the future?

Morrison: It all tracks back to compelling stories that offer authenticity and meaning to our lives. The best stuff, the most resilient and memorable all had heart — humor, insight on the human condition, wisdom, honesty — and that should still be the flag that good work carries.

4) How do you see advertising education changing?

Morrison: Slowly. Ad education — most of academe for that matter — isn’t good at being visionary. We’re slow to react, and often faculty are slow to learn. When it does happen in the right way, we’ll see creativity and strategy working together in smart alignment. It won’t be about “click here” classes, it will be the wise confluence of using the interesting skills students come in with, adding a strong dose of critical thinking and creativity, and then training faculty to be proactive about what the profession needs. I hope we can do it.

5) What advice do you have for students graduating in a recession?

Morrison: The advice that a great creative director — Joyce Thomas of McCann — told me when I asked the same question: be indispensable. If you’re a writer or art director, be creative and strategic and ready to produce work of meaning that solves business problems. If you’re a media planner or account planner, be creative and ready to invent. If you’re an account person, be a specialist in collaboration and getting great work produced. The “yes we can” attitude isn’t just a campaign slogan, it’s a way of life. It comes down to operating beyond obligation.

You can follow Deb Morrison on Twitter!

It’s only fitting that on Inauguration Day, when much of America looks toward the future for new ideas, a man who bills himself as head of an ideas company says that not only is there room for love during a recession, there’s an “urgent” need.

I first heard of Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide Saatchi & Saatchi, watching the PBS Frontline Persuaders documentary. As someone who studies emotion, I was immediately captivated by his ideas. “This guy gets it,” I thought.

I’ve shown that video and talked about his book in every advertising class that I’ve taught since.

We’ve brought his ideas into our psychophysiology lab, and the body says he’s right.

In the book, Roberts says, “I’m looking for research that counts the beats of your heart rather than the fingers of your hand.”

We’ve counted those beats, and we’ve shown that your heart does beat differently when you’re looking at a brand that you love.

His book is, well, a personal Lovemark of mine. And I greatly appreciate Mr. Roberts taking time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions.

Kevin Roberts has had an illustrious career that has spanned the globe. He has fallen in love with China, walked among bazaars in the Middle East, and gunned down a Pepsi machine in Canada.

1) What is your opinion of the state of advertising today?

Kevin Roberts: It’s becoming more and more a 2 way conversation; it’s moved from directing to connecting … and it’s the most fun it’s ever been.

2) Does our propensity to emotionally attach to inanimate goods mean we’re missing something interpersonally?

Kevin Roberts: No – it’s and/and. Let emotions rip ‘n rule whatever the situation.

3) Is there room for love during a recession?

Kevin Roberts: Not only room, there’s an urgent need. What the world needs now is love sweet love!! (Oh yeah – and hope, change, and dreams.)

4) How does the social networking phenomenon affect Lovemarks?

Kevin Roberts: It creates real intimacy.

5) In Lovemarks, you tell a great story about gaining a promotion by offering to work for half the salary for 6 months. What can we do to instill this kind of hunger and drive among young people?

Kevin Roberts: Inspire them to follow their hearts and believe that their dreams can come true – if they take responsibility for their own happiness.

Links:

• Roberts’ Saatchi Web site
• Roberts’ Web log
• Official Lovemarks Web site
• Saatchi & Saatchi

We strive for excellence in most aspects of our lives. If we work hard, some of us may achieve excellence in small aspect of our lives. But only an elite few are ever called Olympic champion.

In a sport such as swimming, where you line up against the fastest people in the planet, touching that wall first is a remarkable feat.

Melvin “Mel” Stewart touched that wall first two times at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. In the process he set an Olympic record in the 200 meter butterfly. He brought home a bronze medal, too.

Mel Stewart grew up in North Carolina and graduated from the University of Tennessee, winning two NCAA titles for the Vols. He is widely recognized as the greatest 200 meter fly swimmer of his era. Stewart is still passionate about swimming, now working for the USA Swimming Foundation. 1) You have a large group on Facebook, GOLD MEDAL MEL. How have social media changed your life?

MEL: Social networking has brought me closer to swimmers at all levels; age-group, masters, world-class. I’ve always known that we all speak the same language — have the same likes and dislikes, the same oddities — but until I started social networking, it was just an opinion. Now I know it’s a fact.

Swimming really is a family. It’s so rewarding to be able to reach out at the speed of lighting and connect with everyone.

It has changed my life in the most positive ways. I’ve certainly developed a lot of close friendships. I’ve also been able to work with the USA Swimming Foundation and get the word out about their objectives, creating programs to support water-safety, raising money to fund those programs, etc. Without my social network it would be nearly impossible to make headway.

2) You’re very active with your own blog, http://www.goldmedalmel.typepad.com/. What are your goals for that blog?

MEL: My blog is currently under construction. I’ll relaunch by January 8th. My goal is simple. Promote swimming by any means necessary. I promote other bloggers (or columnists like our buddy Bob Schaller), elite swimmers, masters swimmers.

If you swim and you have an interesting story, I want it to reach readers. I’m also a huge fan of vlogs/video diaries. A lot of swimmers can’t take the time to vlog, so I try to follow their running narratives from competition to competition over the entire year.

3) I feel lucky to have been raised in a family where the Olympics were always very important. What can we do to foster that spirit in the next generation?

MEL: Get your kids involved. Take advantage of swimming’s openness! I don’t know of any other sport where you can attend a competition and rub shoulders with the world’s best.

That may be changing here in the Phelps era, but for most world-class swimmers, you can always approach them and start up a conversation.

I met John Naber when I was 8 years old, I and saw him every year until I reached the elite level. By the time I was going to Junior Nationals, I could go up and hug the guy.

Like I said, swimming is a family. Mary T. Meagher (now Mary Plant), or Madame Butterfly, was another great swimmer I worshiped as a kid. I met her, became friends, and she really helped me as I progressed.

Mary T. said, “Swim fly in practice until it’s easier to do fly than free. When you can do that, you’ll be world-class, or at the very least you’ll be fast enough to get a college scholarship.” I took her advice to heart, and she was so right!

4) You’ve won three Olympic medals — two GOLD! Some of that is attributable to natural talent. But hard word and drive likely played a bigger role in your success. How do we foster the relentless drive for greatness among young people?

MEL: I was lucky. I had great parents. My mother pushed me, but I never doubted for a second that she didn’t love me no matter what. I only needed to give my best.

My dad, however, was the smart one. I started swimming very early, was going to state champs in North Carolina by the time I was 8, competing in the 10 & under age group. By the time I was 12, I was done. I wanted to play basketball.

It was the early 1980s, and Michael Jordan was a freshman at UNC. He was a bright new sports star back then. I wanted to be him for a while there. My dad made a deal with me.

He said, “Son, play ball during the basketball season, but don’t let your swimming go completely. Tell you what, why don’t you swim at least 4 practices a week. That ought to keep you in swimming shape.”

So I swam 4 practices instead of 9 per week. By the time I figured out I wasn’t any good at basketball, which took a while because I’ve always been delusional about my talents outside of the water, I wasn’t totally out of shape.

Dad did the same with me when I started dating and growing my hair out long. (Again, it was the 80s, and yes, I had an outstandingly handsome mullet.)

Dad said, “Son, date and enjoy yourself. I don’t mind if you back off of your training. Just keep in mind that your swimming may be your best attribute when it comes to women.”

And Dad was right. I figured that out fast. I got a lot more dates when I swam.

5) Is it possible, even now, to put into words what you felt as the national anthem played in Barcelona?

MEL: I’ve heard a lot of athletes describe it many different ways, but it’s always emotional.

For me, it was a huge relief. I had dreamed my whole life about it, wanted it so much, when it finally happened I was lost in the moment. I want to say I was numb, but that’s not right. Parading around the pool, it was like walking through a fog, very dreamy, right up to standing on the podium.

When the anthem started, however, reality came rushing in. I remembered people that said I couldn’t do it, and others who said my chances were slim, and then I thought about all of my coaches and friends and my parents who supported me so selflessly.

I cried … a little bit. I was 23 years old and didn’t want to cry. I could’ve unleashed a waterfall on the podium, but I was fighting it back.

I’m 40 now. I don’t care what people think so much anyone. Looking back, I wish I would’ve just let it all hang out and had an absolutely ugly cry — a Miss America type cry. That would’ve been a true reflection of my feelings.

Follow Mel on Twitter at @goldmedalmel.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Mel Stewart

If you want a career in interactive media, you’ll have to be interactive and proactive. Daisy Whitney tells you how to build your media career by building your brand. More importantly, she shows how hard work and dedication lead to success. And for those scoring at home, Daisy is the second expert this month to advise not just meeting … but beating deadlines.

DAISY WHITNEY is a new media rock star. She’s omnipresent, and she’s everywhere with quality content. In her answers below, she credits some of her success to luck, but it’s clear that hard work, dedication, and talent led to her success. Daisy earned a degree in Art History from Brown University, making her path to new media the road less traveled.

She is the new media reporter for TVWeek and produces the New Media Minute (featured above) and an audio podcast. In addition she regularly writes for numerous other publications, including Advertising Age.

Her predictions for 2009 caught my eye, and thankfully she shared her time and advice with us:

1) One of your predictions for 2009 is an increase in mobile marketing. How do you think consumers will react to this increase? Isn’t it the one place left free of advertising clutter?

DAISY: I expect ads on mobile phones to be non-intrusive (think simple overlays on a small part of the screen) and will likely be super-targeted to you and even your location so the hope is you’d want the deals being offered!

2) You make a prediction of consumers dropping traditional cable TV and satellite services for online viewing. After the Internet killed newspapers and with the advent of satellite radio, is television simply the last old medium to die?

DAISY: I’m not convinced TV is going to die just as I’m not convinced papers are either. I think cable operators will be challenged to make their services relevant, and in time they will be forced to evolve and base their business models on being dumb pipes for broadband service. Broadband will reign supreme, and cable operators can deliver that. They will find creative ways to tier their broadband price offerings to make money in the future.

And TV won’t die! We as people love entertainment. Networks and studios are being forced to evolve and offer their programs in new ways and find new ways to make money on their shows. But we will always want content. The smart networks and studios who are nimble and fast will make it.

3) You make a prediction about Grey’s Anatomy. Hasn’t that show just about “jumped the shark”? Seriously, don’t you think that Denny needs to go away?

DAISY: I’m a Grey’s apologist, so it hasn’t jumped the shark for me! Many people think it has, but I love the show as crazy and weird as it is this season. I was loving the Denny storyline at first because I LOVE LOVE LOVE Denny, but now it’s time to do something with it. But I don’t have a problem with Ghost Love in general! I am all about the suspension of a disbelief and never have I expected a hospital drama to be realistic. Remember, this is a show where people get impaled on a regular basis and where doctors perform never been done before brain surgeries after a patient checks in that morning! So realism isn’t what Grey’s is about.

4) You seem to be a renaissance media expert. What advice do you have for college students today who want media careers?

DAISY: If you want a career in media you need a plan to become a brand. Don’t confine yourself to one medium. Develop skills for print, audio and visual. You need to be conversant in all three and you need to smartly promote and propagate your own stories across media. No one else is going to look out for you, so make yourself an indispensable industry resource.

Seek out speaking engagements, post comments on like-minded sites, get involved in social media relentlessly. Never miss a deadline, and in fact, make a commitment to file all your stories early as this will impress your bosses and enhance your job security.

5) How did your multi-platform career get started?

DAISY: Like most things in life I was in the right place at the right time. I was covering technology for TVWeek before it became sexy, back when it was racks and servers and traffic systems. That served me well when the iPod revolutionized video entertainment in 2005 with the iTunes-Disney deal. As I covered new media more I made a decision to actually use the services I wrote about and to write about the usage. Readers enjoyed those reports, knowing that I walked the walk and talked the talk. Because I was covering the transformation of entertainment, it only made sense to do the same with my own career and to also embody the changes I was writing about. I had been actively speaking at conferences for four years, so when my husband suggesting launching a video podcast in Sept. 2007, it made perfect sense.

My first few episodes were awkward, and my delivery was stiff, but I learned on the job and quickly was able to refine my on-camera skills. One thing led to another and I also actively pursued new opportunities, so now I produce on-air reports for KNTV’s “Tech Now,” host and produce the New Media Minute and host an audio podcast This Week in Media.

Links

• Learn more about Daisy on her Web site.
• Follow Daisy on Twitter.

Families are cutting their sports budgets in the face of a recession, and women’s amateur and professional sports struggle for equality more than 35 years after Title IX was passed.

The Ladies Professional Golf Association continues work on equality and marketing their product in an increasingly online world.

Their commissioner graciously took time in the days just before Christmas to talk with the Communication & Cognition blog. We appreciate it!

CAROLYN BIVENS is the commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the first female commissioner in the organization’s history. Bivens previously served as president and chief operating officer of Initiative Media North America, the largest media services agency in the United States and part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. Bivens also has held key positions at USA Today and Xerox. In 2002, Electronic Media magazine named her one of the most powerful women in television. Source: LPGA.com.

1) What is the most important issue facing professional women’s athletics today?

Equity and parity are two very important issues affecting future growth and success opportunities for women’s sports. Whether it is playing the same courses (fields, stadiums, etc.) or the level of prize money and sponsorship dollars, women athletes and leagues must close the gaps with their male counterparts. We are making progress, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

2) What unique challenges do you face marketing international stars to a largely American audience?

The LPGA has an international membership, which we celebrate, and week-in and week-out the leaderboard is lit up with players from the United States and around the world. We must continue to build player profiles and awareness levels to help introduce the U.S. viewing audience to the great talent and personalities of the LPGA — no matter where in the world they are from. World-class talent, engaging personalities and increased media exposure will help reach the U.S. audience. A consistent TV platform, which we are working very hard on for 2010 and beyond, would help immensely with these efforts.

3) How much will Annika Sorenstam be missed?

Annika is one of the greatest golfers in history, one of the greatest athletes in history, and one of the greatest role models in our sport. She continues to set the bar for excellence in all statistical categories, and yet to judge Annika only by her on course performance, is to miss the essence of a woman who is the ultimate role model. She’s set an incredible standard for the talented young contingent of players who are following in her footsteps on and off the course. While we’ll miss her in our tournaments and on our leaderboards, we will look forward to her continued contributions to the game – as a Global Ambassadors in support of the International Golf Federation’s bid to reinstate golf as an Olympic sport, a USGA ambassador, a host of a junior golf tournament as well as her many other business endeavors. As Annika begins an exciting new chapter in her life and in her career, we’re also eager to enter a new chapter with Annika, who will always remain one of the LPGA’s and one of our game’s greatest ambassadors.

4) Is the LPGA involved in marketing through social networking sites?

We recognize the importance of reaching today’s youth and our global fanbase via social networking sites, and continue to explore opportunities for us in this emerging arena. We recently have established Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites.

5) I’m the father of four young girls? Any tips for getting them interested in golf?

Golf is a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It also is a wonderful family sport whether one plays or just watches. With four young girls, I recommend you bring them to an LPGA event where you can enjoy hours of family fun in the outdoors watching the best players in the world compete. Also, introducing them to the game via a junior clinic – at an LPGA Tour site or in your hometown — can be lots of fun as they may make new friends while learning a new sport. I’d also suggest you reach out to your local LPGA Teaching and Club Professional who could perhaps create a family learning session where the whole family can participate together. It’s a sport of a lifetime, and although I didn’t pick up the sport until I was in my 20s I am so glad I did, for the benefits of health, friendships and business are worth it!

Links:

• http://www.lpga.com
• Follow the LPGA on Twitter: @lpga
• Find the LPGA on Facebook
• And watch LPGA video on YouTube: lpgavideo
  

The 2009 LPGA schedule includes 31 events in 10 countries (learn more here). Hopefully you’ll be watching. The season kicks off Fed. 12-14 at the SBS OPEN at Turtle Bay (Turtle Bay Resort, Palmer Course) in Kahuku, Oahu, Hawaii.

Originally published at: http://commcognition.blogspot.com/2008/12/5q-lpga-commissioner-carolyn-bivens.html