I seem to always go with the same resolution as most Americans have – lose weight and exercise — which are really two resolutions that work together as one. But this year I wanted to do better. Being bigger than I’d like to be seems pretty small compared to my other issues. I could choose that and a couple of others, but that’s not fair either. Plus, I can only handle one resolution. Then I start to think about resolutions in the first place. They are really forcing something I obviously can’t handle or they wouldn’t be resolutions. Do companies and advertisers have the same problem?
Here are some of the New Year’s resolutions I think might be coming from marketing folks this year.
1. I will not be lured into the overpriced Super Bowl this year. Or I will at least make sure I’m in the first half or just before halftime. And I’ll use an animal or two. And they will be cute. … Strike that, I will not be lured into the overpriced Super Bowl this year.
2. I will concentrate on Social Media and make it a serious part of my marketing mix. By serious I mean more money, but not a lot of money since it’s free. I’ll at least do more than Twitter but maybe not the stuff that might cost as much as some other things cost. But I will take it seriously and pretend to understand it.
3. I will not do spec creative (for advertising professionals) and give ideas away for free to clients fishing for free ideas. I want clients that take us on our merit and work with us. I want partners. So no more spec without respec – t. That sounded silly. Maybe we could give them some starter ideas instead, or have a brainstorming? Does that count as spec?
4. I will embrace new technology; heck, we’ll do an iPhone app. And it will be one of the best iPhone apps of the 2,000,000 or more iPhone apps there will be by the time we do an iPhone app.
5. Brandegery. More Brandegery.
6. I will not spend money like a drunken sailor on television ads, micro-sites, merchandising, travel, travel expenses (except for me), nontraditional experiments, the stuff that wild man at the agency always wants me to spend money on, bonuses, logo golf balls, office furniture, office paintings (not applicable for Steve Wynn), exotic rugs, logo refresh, or basically anything that seems expensive.
7. I will utilize public relations more.
8. I will become newsworthy so I can utilize public relations more.
9. I will reach the consumer in at least one new way this year, even if it means screaming from my office window. I haven’t done that before.
10. I will get a new tag line. I’m sick of the old one.
So what is my personal New Year’s resolution? I will do something about those rats in the ceiling. They are gnawing at my speaker wires.
