"Doctor" J.D. Patton talks with a visitor about healthy Web sites.

Armstrong|Shank’s Webstratics group recently participated in the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s KC Biz Live show at Union Station. It was kind of a micro-trade show, with each exhibiting company limited to a 30-inch round table instead of a full booth. Additionally, because the tabletop displays could not be more than 3 feet tall, a bit of creativity was required to stand out.

Our team decided it was time to play doctor and went with a medical theme. We donned white coats, grabbed some clipboards and got down to business. Our message was that we make Web sites a healthy part of an organization’s marketing plan.

By the end of the show we had met tons of new, interesting people, including several potential clients. And, we had great fun doing it.  Trade shows provide great networking opportunities.  Here are few tips for your next trade show experience:

1. Don’t let rules or setting keep you from getting the most out of the event. We had fun coming up with eye-catching strategies that still met the rules. We wanted to use every inch of space we could, while keeping things simple, yet interesting.  The main element of our space was a three-sided sign which highlighted the name “Webstratics.”  The design and unique name were intriguing enough that a number of attendees could not help but walk up and ask what Webstratics is.  For a bit of added attention-grabbing flair, we  topped things off with a flashing red light!
   

   "Doctor" Harrold-Albright listens to a visitor to the Webstratics booth at KC Biz Live

2. Think beyond the booth. We knew that once attendees were near our table, we would be able to engage them, but why confine ourselves to just that space? With two of us at the booth, we had a third “doctor” walk through the crowd, engaging attendees as well as fellow exhibitors.
3. Take it over the top. So, are we really doctors? Of course not. We don’t even play one on TV. But by embracing the theme, we had people coming up to the table just to figure out why we were dressed like characters out of Grey’s Anatomy. By going a bit “out there” with our concept, we became interesting to people and approachable.
4. Be thoughtful about your handouts. Everyone gives out candy at these types of shows, but we wanted to have a bit more fun.  So we took some tiny bottles of M&Ms and re-labeled them as “WWWs,” the perfect medication for an unhealthy Web strategy.  We also offered attendees a chance to win a free Website Wellness Exam.  By tailoring our handouts and incentives to our service offering, we helped people make a better connection with our brand.  By the end of the show the bartender at the mixer was asking for some Webstratics WWWs.

So, what are some of your trade show tips?  Please comment and share.

In my ten years in advertising, I’ve helped sell health and wealth, college and knowledge, loans and phones, parts and charts, houses for spouses, flights and Web sites, crosses and sauces, tools and jewels and many other things that don’t happen to rhyme.

But I’ve never sold nothing.

What I mean is, I’ve never worked with a client who is so high up in the business stratosphere that there wasn’t a desperate need to focus their advertising on the benefits of their product or service because everyone on the planet already knows who they are and what they do.

Example: Nike. I’m trying to recall the last time I saw a Nike TV spot that pushed the supportiveness, comfort and athletic advantages their shoes provide. The ones I remember are built around superstar athletes (Michael Jordan), multi-talented superstar athletes (two-sport star Bo Jackson), freakish displays of talent by superstar athletes (Tiger Woods doing unbelievable tricks with his wedge and a golf ball), theme park rides conceptually based on the abilities of superstar athletes (The Michael Vick Experience), puppets of superstar athletes (2009’s Kobe Bryant and LeBron James spots, as well as the Li’l Penny spots from the ‘90s), and more. I think you get my drift. They’re entertaining spots, but even Spike Lee as iconic Nike spokesman Mars Blackmon would have to admit I’m right on this one — something is making Nike a ton of money, AND IT’S NOT THE SHOES.

Now obviously, these spots are selling “something”: awareness, brand image, the psychology of human experience. But those are all intangible things, not concrete features or benefits. And one could argue based on Nike’s continued success, that right now, those are actually more powerful motivators than the quality of the product itself. The question then becomes: Will there come a point when “ads for art’s sake,” or purely image-based advertising, won’t be enough for an industry leader like Nike to maintain their dominance?

My hunch is to say yes, and my reasoning is based on another titan of their respective industry, Bud Light. Entrenched in the upper tiers of the light beer market, Bud Light now has entire lines of TV advertising devoted solely to entertainment value. In one sense, their only challenge is making sure that the up-and-coming drinkers of the world remember that they exist when they’re getting their college friends to buy beer for them. Don’t believe me? Then I recommend you go back to this 2004 commercial that was the very first commercial shown during the Super Bowl that year:

At the same time, however, there are indicators that Bud Light does still feel a little bit of pressure from their competitors of the market. Hence, the launch of their “Drinkability” campaign, which is actually running parallel to their entertainment line of ads. According to their Web site, “Drinkability” is what separates them from other light beers, and represents ‘the perfect balance of flavor, filling and refreshment. It’s just the right taste the never fills you up and is easy going down.’ Perhaps I’m a little biased because I’m much more partial to microbrews, but that sure sounds like the alcoholic equivalent to rice cakes. (A little ironic, considering they actually use rice in the brewing of their beer.) Regardless it’s (to use a Bud Light adjective) refreshing to see the quality of their beer come front and center in their advertising once again.

It seems anti-climactic to say “Only time will tell whether a revolutionary shoe product will force Nike to bring the actual benefits of their shoes to the forefront of their advertising again,” but the reality is that only time will tell whether a revolutionary shoe product will force Nike to bring the actual benefits of their shoes to the forefront of their advertising again. In my experience, it’s the advertising that blends product benefits and creativity in a truly entertaining way that always seem to get the biggest praise from my friends and family who judge advertising from an outsider’s perspective. And while I don’t begrudge creatives who have the good fortune to be purveyors of “nothing,” I’m excited to see what happens when they have to start playing in a slightly smaller sandbox again.

“We want to do something that no one else has ever done!”

This is what Jeben Berg, creative director of cross-platform solutions for YouTube and Google, told me he hears several times a week from all types of companies.  Imagine being in his shoes, guiding the creative direction of one of the hottest social media platforms, tasked with coming up with the next viral video sensation…everyday.  Sounds pretty daunting.

I had the chance to have dinner with Berg last week when he was in town for a presentation to the Wichita American Marketing Association.  Listening to the challenges and triumphs of his team, my appreciation for the creative process was rekindled.  I am lucky to work with a group of very talented writers and designers.  Sometimes, I take the creative ideas for granted, and I know I shouldn’t do that.

I think it has to do with the nature of the advertising agency business.  The expectations levied upon agencies as being factories for new and innovative ways to reach audiences can lead us to think that great ideas can be manufactured like airplanes and automobiles.  The thing is, there is no great process that logically leads from one step to another and “Boom!” a winning creative idea rolls off the assembly line.

Coming up with good ideas is hard.  And the reality is that getting the idea is only half the battle.  Execution of that idea is just as critical.  Which made me think of those people who are brought an amazing idea and then asked, “How can we make this happen?”  That can be as stressful as having to come up with the idea in the first place.

I guess the point is that great advertising and creative work arrives at the mountaintop on the backs of a talented group of people each contributing their skills, either in creative conceptualizing or execution.  Many things must go right for success, but just a few wrong moves can mean disaster.  Therefore, when we see an ad that strikes us or visit a Web site that seems to get who we are, we should stop for a minute and think of everything that had to happen to bring us to that moment.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Annais.

A few minutes with … Susan Armstrong, President and CEO

01:24 p.m. Strolling across the building to Susan’s office, we practice our sales pitch in hopes of getting permission to sit and talk with her for a little bit. Taking a deep breath, we boldly stride in … only to find an empty desk. Empowered by the aura of leadership that courses throughout her office, we make the executive decision that “A Few Minutes without Susan” is less interesting than “A Few Minutes with Susan,” and should probably come back later.

02:30 We swing back by her office, and she’s finally returned. Unfortunately, she is already in a meeting with a vendor who has dropped by to do some work around the office. Drat.

02:45 From deep within our cubicle, we hear Susan’s voice ring out nearby. Investigating, we see that she has escorted the vendor into the kitchen area and should hopefully be wrapping things up. Mental note: be prepared to intercept her on her return trip.

03:00 We’re obviously working too hard. We miss the close of her conversation and she has somehow escaped back to her office, where she is already embroiled in deep conversation with John DeCesaro, one of our account executives. We consider sending a fake emergency text message to John, but decline to do so.

03:30 We begin to question the viability of this terrible, terrible idea. If we could fire ourselves, we would.

03:47 Aha! We’ve finally captured Susan in her office. She agrees to let us sit in, though wonders aloud if anything she does will be all that interesting. We assure her that isn’t a concern for us, because we’re mostly planning on making fun of her.

03:48 She gives us a quick recap of her background: journalist for the Hays Daily News; account executive for local agency Stephan Advertising; then the biggie, the launch of her own company, Armstrong Creative Services, in 1981. In 1992, the company’s name changed to Armstrong|Shank after the addition of Vice President and Creative Director Ed Shank. Now, 27 years later after its official launch, the company is still going strong and Susan is as busy as ever.

03:52 The intercom beeps in with a call — just the sort of thing we were hoping for. We watch intently as she transforms from accommodating boss into high-powered executive.

03:53 Susan is masterful on the phone, handling what is surely a crisis situation with a cool efficiency and calm demeanor. “It was my son,” she says after hanging up. “He wanted to know what’s for dinner.” True leadership on display.

3:54 A discussion of what a typical day is like for her ensues: Her mornings are where she does the majority of her planning, as afternoons are often spent attending to client needs — meetings, returning phone calls, e-mails and more. When not dealing directly with the client, her time revolves around strategic planning work for future projects, or being hunched over an adding machine on important budgets. Oftentimes, dealing with agency-centric concerns is pushed to evenings and weekends. As many business owners can attest to, it’s not easy being the boss. But she assures us that it’s definitely worthwhile.

04:05 The conversation pauses as a raccoon walks by Susan’s window.

04:07 Finally, we decide she’s put up with us long enough. We thank Susan and return to our cubicle, satisfied in the knowledge that we have successfully wasted the only quiet time she has had all day.

When my wife and I had our oldest son, we spent a ton of time trying to figure out names, so as not to saddle him with some poorly thought-out albatross for the rest of his life. When it comes to living, breathing carbon-based entities, it’s not fair to try and be creative at all costs. But when it comes to a living, breathing digital entity, I have no such reservations.

Recently, I was tasked with naming our Armstrong|Shank agency blog — a project I was excited to do. The challenge in naming a company blog is finding a name that fits what you do and also creates an expectation for what the reader is about to experience. Now, if you’re a financial business, the direction seems simple: you want the name to say “We know money.” If you’re in the ag business, you want the name to say “We know farming, or ranching, or whatever.”

But what do you say when you’re in advertising, an industry whose split personality straddles the line between art and business? As one who spent a number of hours coming up with various name ideas, I’ve found it can be especially tough. Do you try and push your business expertise? Your creative expertise? Do you get arrogant and try to do both? Good question.

In my search, I was all over the landscape — marketing and advertising-related puns (“Ad Libs”), inspirational messages (“Insight that Incites”), esoteric creative concepts (“Crawlspace”), names related to our agency’s street address (“7450”) or pyramid-shaped logo (“Four-Point Perspective”) and so on. I asked for input from all over the building, which was both helpful … and not. More opinions meant more people to please, which wasn’t easy.

At one point, I took a new philosophy toward it. While this blog is meant to be many things — a gathering place for business professionals looking for insight, a resource for marketing expertise and a forum for creative expression — the one thing it has to be, due to its very nature as a blog, is free-flowing … not boring, stuffy business-speak.

I extended my name search into realm of the absurd. I tried to develop an expectation of creativity in the same way that a hard-rockin’, mind-blowin’ movie trailer psyches you up for the latest action flick. Names like “A Bullet Train from the Wind-swept Plains,” “Flight of the Magic Chicken Man,” and “Intergalactic Ferrari Force 5000” were born. I didn’t expect any of them to realistically make the cut — and boy oh boy, did they not make the cut — but I have to admit they still held a small place in my heart.

While the wacky detour didn’t produce an acceptable idea, it did help with the process of elimination. Regrouping, I went back to my drawing board to see where I’d been before. On second glance, one name stuck out to me. I presented it to Ed, my creative director, on the grounds that it was simple, appropriate to both the creative and business sides of our business, and it had potential for an interesting design. He agreed, it moved on to the big boss Susan, and now it sits at the top of this page.

If you mapped out my naming quest, it’d look like one of those Family Circus cartoons where Jeffy traipses in, over and around every square inch of the neighborhood. But at the end of the day, much like little Jeffy, I feel we ended up safe on the doorstep, with a blog name that fits to boot.

My father used to keep a sign on his desk at work that said, “Brevity is a virtue.” He was a busy man — always more of a doer than a talker, and was constantly annoyed by people who liked to spend hours talking about a problem rather than doing something about it. At age 70, he still has more energy and initiative than any three other people I know, combined.

If I didn’t look so much like him, I would swear we weren’t related. As a writer, I am prone to the obligatory pitfalls of excessive daydreaming, procrastinating and general goofing around that seem to plague the profession. But, as fathers usually are, he is right. And if you are trying to attract new customers, you should listen to him.

People are busy. They may not be getting anything done, but they are busy nonetheless. And if you want to interrupt their lives and expect them to listen to what you have to say, you had better get their attention…and you’d better be brief.

People make split-second decisions about businesses in the same way that they do with people — through first impressions. In advertising, these first impressions are the print ads, the radio and television spots, the outdoor boards, the Web banners.

When meeting someone at a party who won’t shut up about themselves, most will label them a bore and tune out. It’s the same with advertising. You want to leave them intrigued, inspired, and maybe even enthused about wanting to get to know you better. But you want customers to come to you for that information. You want them to initiate the contact.

Which leads us to the places where it is actually good form to prattle on exhaustively about the benefits of your product or service. The Web sites, the 800 numbers and the brochures work great for answering all the questions (though even these need to be well-organized and to the point.) The trick is to get people asking YOU for the answers. To do that you need to be brief, among other things.

A few weeks ago, pain reliever Motrin was targeted by outraged, baby-toting mothers of the blogosphere in a backlash against the brand’s latest television spot. The spot in question featured a young woman talking about those baby-sling things (I can’t be bothered to find out the actual name of the device), lamenting good-naturedly about the woes of motherhood and the need for the pharmacological phenomenon known as Motrin.

Well, apparently, wearing your baby in a bag is now a movement, a lifestyle choice, complete with books and blogs and outspoken activists. And here I thought it was a Native American invention used to free up your hands so you could get things done, like skinning a buffalo or microwaving a Hot Pocket. Anyway, more than a few of these mothers felt that the Motrin commercial was demeaning to their chosen way of child rearing…or something, I don’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth. Twitter was immediately abuzz with whispers of boycott. If you are not familiar with Twitter, or tweets, just pretend like you are and move on with life. Nobody needs to be that connected.

I saw the spot and was less than offended, but I’m a middle-aged white man with no kids and even less class. So maybe I don’t have my finger on the pulse of the papoose, but what I do understand is that Motrin’s message missed the mark with a very vocal portion of its intended audience. Motrin has pulled the campaign.

Fast forward a bit to the next ad that has the bloggers raging: Burger King’s Whopper Virgins.

In an attempt to demonstrate the superiority of the Whopper over rival burger Big Mac, Burger King has scoured the farthest reaches of the planet to find people unsullied by mass marketing, predisposition, or even a word in their language for a hamburger to solicit a completely unbiased taste test.

A few have been offended by the name alone. Most, however, seem to be concerned with unleashing the preservative-laden, high-calorie, low-nutrition American fast-food diet on an unsuspecting populace — for our amusement, no less. Well, I can’t say I disagree with that notion, but on the scale of injustices perpetrated by our decadent nation, I’m not sure this rates very high. I mean, they didn’t waterboard anyone until they submitted to this taste test. And I’m pretty sure eating a couple of hamburgers isn’t going to destroy anyone’s native culture. It’s just not very politically correct.

And that’s the thing. Burger King’s intended audience isn’t very politically correct. I would imagine that, for the most part, the people who are offended by this ad probably don’t eat a lot of Burger King to begin with.

The commercials are irreverent, a little crass, even a little offensive. And for my money, I think they have their target audience dialed in just fine.