Author Archives: Casey Flanagan

Casey Flanagan

How To Become A Marketing Rock Star. No, Literally.

Posted: by Filed under: How To, Ideas, Marketing

Of all the overused handles too often associated with marketing professionals – guru, ninja, etc. – perhaps we should give “rock star” a pass.

Done well, rock and roll is truth well told. An emotional story. Boiled down to its essence. Told with passion. Inspiring legions of loyal fans. There’s quite a bit worth modeling.

In a recent Wall Street Journal piece, “Anatomy of a Tear Jerker,” Michaeleen Doucleff took a look at Adele’s hit “Someone Like You.” He was interested in how it can – quite literally – give the listener chills.

In his research, he found that the types of music that give listeners chills share some characteristics. They create and resolve tension. They begin softly before suddenly becoming loud. They introduce new elements throughout the song. And they contain unexpected deviations in the melody or harmony. These lead to actual neurological responses. Doucleff boiled it down to a simple formula for Adele: “small surprises, a smoky voice and soulful lyrics, and then sit back and let the dopamine keep us coming back for more.”

I’d say it more simply. It’s expectedly unexpected.

Just one more lesson to be taken from a rock star.

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Casey Flanagan

Marketing Frameworks vs. Marketing Formulas

Posted: by Filed under: Ideas, Marketing, Planning / Research, Tracking

Agency-side, client-side. Senior-level, entry-level. Beginning of a project, recap of a project. We are all seeking nice, tidy answers.

That’s why marketing formulas are such great tools. They have a beginning and an end. If you know the variables that nice, tidy answer is one calculator away. The process is clear. Beginning, middle, end.

But The Digital Age is not linear. Consumers travel through decision making journeys, not sales funnels. So dependable – permanent – formulas are harder to come by. There are too many variables. And those variables are – by definition – changing. That’s why frameworks are such great tools.

A marketing framework is a model. It’s a guide. It provides a system of thinking that allows you to not only visualize your variables, but the potential relationships between them. To be confident that you’ve considered all the pieces of your puzzle. While frameworks can’t provide that nice, tidy numerical answer, they can provide a level of understanding that manages the chaos and provides clear direction.

If you don’t have a formula, start with a framework. Invest enough in your framework and you might even end up with a formula.

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Casey Flanagan

Are You Ready For Some (Lessons From A) Football (Coach)?

Posted: by Filed under: Ideas, Marketing

Marketers pay close attention to the Super Bowl. Countless stats, charts and opinions are shared leading up to the big game. But a more valuable lesson may be learned on a football field hundreds of miles away. In front of a billion fewer fans.

Kevin Kelly is the football coach of Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has changed the way the game is played. He’s done it by looking at the numbers. And focusing on the big picture. He thinks in averages, not individual outcomes.

He’s found that if his team punts the ball, he is only decreasing the other team’s likelihood to score by 15%. So his team doesn’t punt. They go for it. He likes those odds better.

He’s found that the difference in the opposing team’s starting field position between an onside kick and a regular kick off is fourteen yards. So his team’s kickoffs are always onside. He’d rather give up those yards to have a chance to recover the ball. He likes those odds better.

An added bonus? Not only do the numbers make sense for him, but it forces the competition to change the way they play. And, oh by the way, he’s won three state championships in the last nine years.

Using the data to buck conventional wisdom. To make your own rules. To force others to react. Those are the types of lessons marketers could use more of.

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Casey Flanagan

Value Your Time

Posted: by Filed under: How To, Ideas

Finding an answer takes less time than figuring out what it means.

Having ten good ideas takes less time than crafting a great one.

Writing an email takes less time than communicating an actual point.

Telling someone how to do something takes less time than teaching them why.

Getting it done takes less time than getting it done right.

Thomas Friedman wrote a great piece in the New York Times this week called Average Is Over. But average is often what we’re asked for – find an answer, write an email, get it done.

Want to invest in making sure you stand out? Value your time.

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Casey Flanagan

How To Start Simple: Just Start

Posted: by Filed under: Branding, How To, Ideas, Marketing, Tracking

Two weeks ago, I wrote a post titled “Start Simple.” My focus was on the word “simple.” Equal attention should be given to the word “start.”

Starting is hard. It’s hard because if you haven’t done it, you won’t know what it’s going to take. Or where it’s going to lead.

A case in point comes from the eMarketer webinar I attended earlier this week – “Measuring Social Media Success.” 39% of worldwide retailers don’t measure social media marketing.

I’ve not talked to those 39%, but I would bet they haven’t started because they don’t know the right way.

Here’s the secret: There isn’t one way.

Now, there is a right way for your company. But your organization’s culture, available resources, strategic vision and short-term goals – among other things – must all be considered. And the only way to figure out that “right way?” It’s simple. Start.

Prototyping isn’t just for products. It can be used for research methodologies. For ideas. And even for processes. Processes like “Measuring Social Media Success.”

Start by being clear on goals and objectives. Start by articulating the right questions. And then start figuring out the right answers from there.

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Casey Flanagan

Keep It Simpler, Smarty

Posted: by Filed under: Branding, Ideas

Buzzwords are quickly becoming the chosen language for the culture of commerce. When Dan Pallotta posted “I Don’t Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore,” 937 people – at the time of this writing – took the time to comment. And 8,252 took the time to vote on the All-Time Worst Business Buzzword poll. We could all relate.

But be honest – Have you ever turned to a thesaurus to choose words that are more complex to give the impression that the content is more valid or intelligent? Nearly two-thirds of Stanford undergraduate students answered – admitted? – “yes.”

Using new or interesting, formal or complex language can make you feel smarter. But does it make you seem smarter to others? A study in Applied Cognitive Psychology suggests no.

“Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly” makes the case the simpler writing is better writing. Simpler writing is judged as more true. It’s judged as more confident. It’s even liked more.

The lesson is simple. Want your writing to be liked more? Don’t just mean what you say. Just say what you mean.

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Casey Flanagan

Start Simple

Posted: by Filed under: Advertising, Branding, Ideas, Marketing

A New Year’s Resolution: Start Simple.

It’s a new year. A new beginning. A fresh start.

Start simple.

Simple demands a premium price.

Simple builds loyalty.

Simple creates clarity.

Simple encourages authority.

Simple facilitates buy-in.

Simple cuts through clutter.

Simple sparks action.

And, yes, simple can move mountains.

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Casey Flanagan

For Every Efficiency You Find, Find Two Ways To Add Value.

Posted: by Filed under: Branding, Ideas, Marketing

Want to change the game this year? Instead of just finding efficiencies, find ways to add value.

From messaging to product design, brands that add value are the ones that have the most enviable relationships with their customers. Brands that simplify the experience are the ones that engender loyalty. Brands that pay attention to both their look and their feel are the ones we’ll feel good about without knowing why.

Sure, you can cut a little here and a little there. And you should. But doing so won’t get you introduced to people who have no idea you exist. It certainly won’t get you re-considered by those who have written you off. It might not even change the way your current customers think, much less behave. Clearly defined value can get the attention that can get you all three.

Finding efficiencies can make your sales funnel more efficient. And that’s important. But adding value can change your funnel. Fundamentally. And for the better.

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Casey Flanagan

How The Grinch Realized He Couldn’t Really Steal Christmas

Posted: by Filed under: Ideas

[Ed. note: I’m big on holiday traditions. Consider this a holiday blog tradition. If there is such a thing. This is one of my favorite pieces from the last few years. And an important reminder for anyone who works in the business of intangibles.]

We are faced with choices on how best to tell stories on a daily basis. Often times, the decision comes down to “do we / can we trust the audience?” Can we trust them to be smart enough? Engaged enough? Responsible enough?

I was reminded of this the other night as I read How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It was the first time I had read it in, likely, twenty-five years. And you know what? [Spoiler Alert!] Despite the promise of the title, The Grinch doesn’t steal Christmas. He can’t. That’s the point of the story. Here’s how the book ends:

And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he… HE HIMSELF… !
The Grinch carved the roast beast.

The story ends with The Grinch carving the roast beast at the Who’s Christmas dinner.

When run through a committee, the story would have been called “The Unsteal-able Holiday.” Or “How The Grinch Couldn’t Steal Christmas.” Or, maybe most palatable, at least in hindsight, “How Christmas Saved The Grinch.”

But it wasn’t run through a committee. Or made into a literal translation. It was told by someone who believed strongly enough that this was the exact right way to tell it. And that people not only could get, they would get it. The good Doctor Seuss used a title that was, in reality, the opposite of what the story was about.

And the story has been told and retold ever since.

Happy Holidays.

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Casey Flanagan

New Year’s Resolution For Your Business: Use More Of Your Brain

Posted: by Filed under: How To, Ideas, Tracking

Do people really only use 10% of their brain? Scientific American says no. Actually, they report it as “laughable.”

Do businesses use 10% of their brain? It’s a question worth considering.

As I wrote two weeks ago, Data Is A Numbers Game. And as businesses capture more and more data, they need to be careful they aren’t just using a smaller and smaller percentage of it. Remember, 60% of respondents to a MIT study responded that their “organization has more data than it knows how to use effectively.”

So, what are the steps towards tracking your tracking? They aren’t complicated.

Take an inventory. What tools do you have at your disposal? Ask your co-workers / team members what tools they’re using, too. The demands for your attention have increased. You might be surprised at what you’ve actually forgotten.

Prioritize. What questions you are able to answer with those tools? Which matter most to your success? Call the tools that provide these critical answers your business’ “Brain.”

Be honest. How effectively are you are using your Brain? How much attention do you pay to it? How often do you access its insight? As often as appropriate? Or, maybe, sadly, less so?

Make a new year’s resolution to boost your Brain’s power. Feed it. Grow it. And make sure you are paying it its due attention.

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.

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