Lauren Austin

Fascinating read on how Model Spec is a framework for AI behavior that can help to elevate creativity by establishing clear ethical boundaries. It makes sure that brands can craft campaigns that resonate authentically, delivering impactful personalization without crossing ethical lines. From what I’m understanding here the approach supports content creators' rights while fostering innovation that align with legal + social norms https://lnkd.in/eHXPKN4P

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I am not bashful about being a Liquid Death fan, both of the products but also their approach to marketing or, more accurately, anti-marketing. This post by Cheryl Miller Houser (she/her) succinctly explains the power of LD and their storytelling. Many brands have the ability to follow suit, but "you have to be confident about who you are and taking bold creative risks." #storytelling #bold #antimarketing #antibranding

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The End of "Undifferentiated" Creative Studios... AI is disrupting the creative landscape. As it drives down the cost of creative services, studios that simply offer "skills for hire" are facing an existential crisis. Patrick 🏴 Kizny explains the shift from "supply-based" to "value-driven" creative services. The takeaway is studios need to evolve beyond just providing commoditized skills and explore other options. They need to: Build IP: Create unique products, services, or content that can't be easily replicated. Focus on business impact: Help clients solve problems and achieve tangible results. Offer a differentiated experience: Provide exceptional service and expertise that goes beyond just technical skills. It's time for studios to embrace a new model, one that focuses on value creation and strategic partnerships. "Undifferentiated" studios are on the endangered species list. Agree or disagree? Let's hear your take on the future of the industry.

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Let’s bring some nutrition into cards. That’s something OPC (Organic Playing Cards) probably thought of themselves when they started to create playing cards with various fruit and vegetable themes. Together their team and I refined OPC’s positioning allowing the brand to double down on the things it is already known for. In a collaborative effort, we discussed ways to redefine OPC during multiple strategy sessions. The goal was to clarify OPC’s voice and approach to ideate, produce, and sell products as a community-first brand. Eager to grow and expand awareness the following are some learnings we discovered. Complete Case Study: https://lnkd.in/ewCPvx3T —- Client: Organic Playing Cards Strategy: Max Jung

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Solo Stove isn’t running Snoop back because it “worked” the first time. They’re running it back because there’s a better chance it works the second. There was a lot of controversy around Solo Stove’s first brand campaign last fall, and at the center was Dee Oh Double G. A fake out that he was quitting smoking. A CEO quitting. A CFO who said it was a waste of money. Weeks of LinkedIn debates. A change of tune at major ad festivals. Now culminating in an announcement that Snoop is back for round two, except this time with a more “full funnel approach.” This campaign will work. It will drive and show incremental sales growth, capitalize on the new attention its built for the brand, and deliver new customers before and leading up to a pivotal and brutal holiday season. And it will have nothing to do with making this campaign “full funnel” - a code word to deploying 10-20% against retargeting or reminder ads, with a healthy amount of these ads reaching people who would have bought anyway. No, the reason it will succeed is because sequels in brand advertising are built to succeed by default. Because its expensive to deploy, brand campaigns are typically a one shot deal for marketers with limited budgets - a month or quarter long campaign that fails to lift sales in the moment, and is called a failure as a result. But attention is hard to build, especially in 2024. And sales even harder. No matter how creative we are, it takes time and consistency of showing up to break through and capture new folks to hear about, consider or buy our products. And so a brand test is sort of like an oxymoron - how can you test something, that gets better if you were to have two tests instead of one? A campaign follow-up - and in this case, the same campaign that now has a level of pre built awareness that it’s coming, leading to more earned coverage and less $ on establishing the brand name - is almost necessary to a campaign that previously “failed.” Now, this campaign is unique. It may be more important to the ad community than the general public and I am overrating it’s potential impact this fall. Plus, September is sometimes brutal in DTC as people save their wallets for the upcoming holidays. But in the flipside, there were some very smart strategic shifts made by the CMO - timing the campaign after Snoops big Olympics, placing media buys contextually around his appearances, and moving the campaign up in the calendar to be more seasonal and cost effective for media outside of the holidays. But the boldest move she and the company did was running it back. Because if you are testing the impact of brand building, a method of building your company for the long term, you’ll be disappointed in any one test at any one point in time. Don’t plan for a brand test. Plan for brand tests. The sequel will be worth it. https://lnkd.in/e_JQ2VQ6

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Want to know why age is the ultimate creative hack? Sure, you do. Jamie Barrett spills the tea on why being over 50 in the ad world is like having a secret weapon. "Blank pages still scare me, but cracking the code is easier with experience. Writing 200 headlines to find the great one? Pffft, that’s so 20 years ago. We get to great faster." Curious? You should be. Get schooled by a true legend. #creativity #ageism #advertising #creativeleadership #adgenius #CreativeLeadership #AdGenius #Over50AndKickingButt #MarketingMagic. Susan LaScala Wood https://lnkd.in/eBacbzwN

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Great read, and +1,000 to this quote: "As Marques Brownlee cleverly summed up Apple’s WWDC24, 'AI is a feature, not a product.' We are focusing too much on branding AI as the product. AI deserves attention, but end users don’t use AI for the sake of using AI. They use AI because they want to solve a problem or achieve a goal. In other words, integrating AI features seamlessly into the overall offerings to help the users out is more important than throwing starbursts and gradients at them for AI awareness. Most of the time, users don’t even need to know they are using AI."

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"Chaos asks questions of you order never will" The wonderful Colleen DeCourcy retells her experience working with Dan Wieden when she took over as Chief Creative Officer at Wieden+Kennedy Her immediate response to me asking about working with Dan was this quote about chaos. We have a natural reaction against chaos because it can be destructive and unsettling but what if we reframed it as a necessary condition for achieving something truly breakthrough 🌪 Chaos propels you forward while order maintains the status quo 🌪 Chaos creates leaders while order creates managers 🌪 Chaos demands a response while order delays it 🌪 Chaos reveals the cracks while order papers them up 🌪 Chaos forces ownership while order delegates it 🌪 Chaos fosters creativity while order fosters compliance 🌪 Chaos requires trust while order replaces it It got me thinking whether there is an optimal mix of Chaos and order required to achieve breakthrough ideas and momentum? We spend most of our time creating order but what if what we actually needed was an injection of chaos? To hear more from this episode check out the links in the comments John Kearon Kerry Collinge Orlando Wood

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Re-visiting this powerful New York Times campaign (https://lnkd.in/gEyVe-eA) is a stark reminder that even after 7 years, its cultural relevance remains undiminished. While we constantly advise brands on the importance of authentic cultural engagement and purposeful campaigns, recent events have highlighted a disheartening trend. Most brands are hesitant to address the pressing issues affecting our nation. Purpose-led marketing seems confined to "safe" moments like budget announcements, Pride Month, or climate discussions. Brands aspire to connect with Gen Z and Alpha, but this won't happen by merely skimming the surface of culture. True engagement requires delving deeper into the issues that truly matter. These generations demand authenticity and action. #PurposeOverProfit #AuthenticityMatters #BrandActivism #CultureAndChange

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With a world focused on instant gratification sometimes the importance of consistent brand presence goes unnoticed. Chief Brand Officers are the unsung heroes that keep the ship from hitting that iceberg. This is a good read if you are interested in finding out how instrumental branding is to your success.

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Sure—bake a line into the MSA. But agencies sharing credit for work is never a problem with the right kind of partner. A true creative collaborator will embrace and encourage their shop to celebrate the work. It shouldn’t just be about ensuring the agency gets PR which drives new business (becasue it 100% does). It should also be about adding earned firepower to launch momentum. Mischief @ No Fixed Address social channels have been built like a brand, not an agency. They have a decent following and high engagement with the consumer world as well as adland. So posts about the work can garner millions of extra earned media impressions. Create a value add and then credit is your byproduct. Ad Age Lindsay Rittenhouse #creativity #marketing

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For my creative industry family that plan to join or stream content from SXSW next year, the countdown for panel topic selections is upon us.  ⏳ SXSW PanelPicker Community Voting is now open, and Omnicom and I need your support to bring our three thought-provoking panels to the SXSW stage. Topic #1, “They Not Like Us” would include yours truly, and you KNOW I’m gonna get busy with that topic! Peep the panels to vote for below, especially topic #1. 1. “They Not Like Us” | Exploring the impact of the "us" vs. "them" mentality: https://bit.ly/3Ai5Uay   2. “The DEIs Have Something to Say” | A dive into why DEI is still an essential ingredient for a thriving and just society: https://bit.ly/3AeIoLE 3. “Microdosing DEI: Equity in Psychedelics” | Discussing the crucial topic of equity within the emerging psychedelics: https://bit.ly/4fvsTPL   Be sure to cast your vote before the August 18th deadline so we can bring these important conversations to the 2025 SXSW Conference! 🗳️   #SXSW2025 #PanelPicker #Omnicom

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I completely agree with this perspective. While there may be some individual preferences and variations, in general, creative individuals within advertising agencies often thrive in environments that provide privacy and solitude. The nature of creative work often requires deep focus and concentration, which can be challenging to achieve in open office setups. Providing creatives with closed spaces allows their minds to open up and enhances their efficiency and productivity.

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Suing a brand for bringing back a logo you created for them years back 🤔 That’s what this guy is doing and it’s against the New York Jets NFL team. Yeah, the team Gary Vee bangs on about. So Jim Pons (pictured) at 81 is suing the New York Jets demanding compensation for using the logo he designed back in the 70s, which the team adopted and trademarked from ‘78-‘97, and is now bringing it back for the 2024 season. I’ve never heard of this occuring before from a logo designer. And there’s been many brands, especially of late, that have brought back old logos, like Burger King for example. Jim said of the Jets bringing this logo back, "I had no idea they were even thinking about it, nor did I know that it was that popular with the Jets fans. They told me the fans demanded we go back to the old logo, to my logo. So really, that's wonderful. I'm very happy about that, very proud of that." But Jim now wants compensation. I don’t think he’ll get it as it’s been trademarked by the Jets for nearly 50 years. But it’s an interesting case that I’d never even considered would be a thing, especially being a logo designer myself. What do you think? Does Jim deserve additional compensation? #logodesign #logos #branding #newyorkjets

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Speak out on topics that truly matter and authentically align with your brand's values. And do not play the short game of acquiescing to the usual mob of purpose-haters. #SocialJustice #BrandValues #TakeAction

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This should be the headline for all us ad folks: "The integration of advanced AI into brand interactions will require marketers to work closely with AI teams to ensure that these systems accurately represent brand voice and values." I'd add "brand story" to that list as well. No matter how much things change and tech evolves, the fundamental truth remains, we are the keepers of the brand story, voice and values.

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If you're a Brand making the choice between an Independent Agency and a Global Holding Company Agency, i've laid out some crucial considerations just for you:

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📅 Last Monday was National Iced Tea Day, and if you missed it, you might be surprised to learn who Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers celebrity endorsement was. Yes, it was none other than the Law and Order star and hip-hop pioneer, Ice-T. 💡 As a Creative Director, I admire the brilliance behind this campaign. Ice-T promoting iced tea on National Iced Tea Day. It’s on the nose, but I absolutely love it and see its potential for huge success. This campaign perfectly embodies the brand's playful, slightly over-the-top, and self-aware style. It's a reminder that sometimes the most obvious ideas can be the most powerful when executed well. 📹 The brand's social media videos with the hidden camera approach were fantastic. Additionally, their special member promotion with limited-time-only T-shirts shows their attention to detail, extends the value of the collaboration, and provides fans a tangible way to cherish and promote the collab. I couldn't help but dream up a few more concepts to have fun with this celebrity endorsement: Awkward Pitch Meeting: The idea of Ice-T promoting iced tea gets pitched in a video call with the marketing team and is ridiculed for thinking Ice-T is sweet. Everyone is mortified to learn that Ice-T was mistakenly already invited to the conference call but had his video off until the end. Flashback: At a press conference, the rapper is asked in a joking manner, "It’s like you were made for this campaign." A flashback montage shows Ice-T with comically large cups of iced tea throughout his childhood, including a cute Ice Tea stand. Tea-Time Talk Show: A talk show where celebrities drink and spill the Sweet-Tea with Ice-T as the host, delivered in a trendy deadpan style (think Bobbi Althoff). Sweet-T Transformation: Ice-T tries sweet tea for the first time and likes it so much he changes his name to Sweet-T. This leads to a series of scenarios where he shows his sweet side, like baking cookies for the neighborhood or helping old ladies cross the street, all while maintaining his tough persona. Here are three lessons or inspirations we can learn from this campaign: 1️⃣ Embrace the obvious: Sometimes the best ideas are the ones staring you in the face. When explored, this can lead to the most honest aspects that your audience loves about your brand. 2️⃣ Build lore: Create a backstory that deepens the brand's narrative and persona. Special promotions and merch help make it meaningful. 3️⃣ Think like a sketch writer: It’s funny because it’s true. This approach is a great exercise to ideate from. 💭 At the end of the day, great ideas often require us to step back and think more creatively. If your brand or product was on SNL, what’s the first idea that comes to mind? It might lead to something obviously refreshing. https://lnkd.in/gHc3k_8r #Branding #BrandStrategy #ContentStrategy #SocialMediaStrategy #MarketingTips

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