Inspiration Anywhere: Messaging and Research

You know what I love? Reading an article unrelated to my career that has parts that inspire my career.

Like today, I was reading the Sept. 29th article in The New York Times by Robin Marantz Henig called, "Understanding the Anxious Mind." It was about the psychology of anxiety (you inferred that from the title I'm sure), which was fascinating altogether (that's a permalink up there if you want to read it!). BUT there were two different things that inspired my thinking of strategy.

The first was a line the author wrote that feels like a great strategy, copy or message for healthcare clients or maybe even other brands. It was brilliant. She wrote these words, "draw conclusions about trends but not about destinies." I just love that. It's along the same philosophy as more than a number or more than a statistic, but it's got a unique twist and I've never heard it put that way at all.

The second was description of research that I really appreciated. The author describes two types. Here is the quippet: "There are two kinds of great research,” Susan Engel, a developmental psychologist ... told me... “There’s research that is counterintuitive, that shows you something you’d never guess on your own, and there’s research that shows you irrefutably what you had an intuition about, something you thought was true but didn’t have evidence to support.” Kagan’s research was of the second type, she says: “a beautiful, elegant experimental demonstration of an old intuition.”

In strategy, the best creative is typically a byproduct of research of the former but look at how energetically she describes research of the latter. It makes me wonder in what ways we can use such research to inspire and appeal to consumers.

Redesign This:

So I realize this is the second red sauce in a jar that I've called out. Shows you what kinds of foods I eat hunh? This isn't just about Tostitos either. It's about the jar that salsas in general come packaged in...

Here's what got me thinking. I recently took up a love of fresh pico (with the just diced tomatoes even though I thought I hated tomatoes). It's now hard for me to eat canned or jarred salsa. There was a time in my life, however, that I consumed a large amount of this stuff. My roommate and I in our undergrad years kept a jar around and snacked off of more chips with a hint of lime and salsa than I can to admit. Because we were in a dorm we didn't keep around bowls. Salsa looks beautiful in a bowl but let's face it, there's a ton of people doubling dipping straight from the jar as they share. Or maybe there's not. I've never done research but if we were doing it, we surely weren't the only ones.

The problem was, when you get to the end of the jar, you end up with what I like to call salsa hand. That liquidy ring of salsa from the edge of the opening as you strive for the last bits of salsa on your chip. It was gross.

But what if you were to create salsa that comes in a jar that's like a bowl so you just take off the lid and can eat it straight from the container without the negative side effect of salsa hand. It's really a simple idea, but I think consumers would dig it.

Salsa, used as dip for chips lends itself to that kind of sharing anyways.

Dentyne: So I'm a Little Late...

BUT better late than never to share. I just saw this gum ad from Dentyne that rolled out in 2008 that was striking and that I LOVE. I love it because it makes perfect sense and nods to the relevant culture of technology in a way that makes a statement without making a fuss. It's bold but it's got grace. That's cool.

What's interesting however, is this idea of attaching brands to relevancy. Everything communicates so the ad obviously says something about the brand regardless. The ads that attach themselves to relevant culture stand out, but the question is, to they successful differentiate themselves?

This ad makes me a believer in chewing gum, but I'm not convinced it makes me a believer in chewing Dentyne gum. On the other hand, as I walked to lunch today and saw the enormous point-of-purchase for gum along the check-out line at the local cafeteria/restaurant I find myself eating at way too often, I took notice of Dentyne for the first time in a long time (Trident Cool Colada has been the only object of my gum affection since it's introduction into the market) and thought to myself, "Aw." That "aw", while the frequency and longevity currently unknown, means something worthwhile.

Anyways, here are the ads. Enjoy!

Shock Value. Scare Tactics.

Effective or not? For me yes. The horror and grossness of this drink pouring into a glob of fat sure has made me feel revolted by still I find myself reconsidering that drink this morning. New Yorkers and her visitors- expect to see this ad from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in the subway for the next 3 months. Read the full story in the New York Times here.

Strategic Thinking Humor.

For relationships.