Ole Miss Ad Club Presentation 4.7.08

Southern Growth Studio Clients call on the Southern Growth Studio when they are ready to leap, create new markets, or redefine the marketplace with a new product.

Clients call on the Southern Growth Studio when they are ready to leap, create new markets, or redefine the marketplace with a new product.

What Southern Growth Studio Does Southern Growth Studio is the only company in the Mid-South to blend brand marketing and product innovation. Delivers a unique fusion of creative talent and business analysis to commercialize ideas, products, and services. Validates ideas, concepts, and plans that have the power to create markets and eliminate those that are not worth growing. User experience, utility, useful content, clusters of play. Why?

Southern Growth Studio is the only company in the Mid-South to blend brand marketing and product innovation.

Delivers a unique fusion of creative talent and business analysis to commercialize ideas, products, and services.

Validates ideas, concepts, and plans that have the power to create markets and eliminate those that are not worth growing.

User experience, utility, useful content, clusters of play.

Why?

Missing word? One dollar for the keen mind who will raise their hand and shout out the missing word.

One dollar for the keen mind who will raise their hand and shout out the missing word.

Advertising We tell prospective clients that “the last thing we want to do is to sell you an ad.” Why say such a thing? Dare to guess?

We tell prospective clients that “the last thing we want to do is to sell you an ad.”

Why say such a thing?

Dare to guess?

Clutter?

Broken model? Pick one

Pick one

Context: Post-industrial warp speed layers of information and interests

Content = Context, a test List three images from last slide ___________ ___________ ___________

___________

___________

___________

Heretic or realist? You decide. “ Advertising is the tax you pay for unremarkable thinking.” “ Google can advertise better than the best agency.”

“ Advertising is the tax you pay for unremarkable thinking.”

“ Google can advertise better than the best agency.”

Bands doing better than many brands “ If you just stood up in a crowd and said your story—‘I came home, and this girl I was dating wasn’t there, and I was wondering where she was’—it’s not interesting, but give it a melody, give it a beat, build it all the way up to a haircut. Now people pay attention.” Jack White

“ If you just stood up in a crowd and said your story—‘I came home, and this girl I was dating wasn’t there, and I was wondering where she was’—it’s not interesting, but give it a melody, give it a beat, build it all the way up to a haircut. Now people pay attention.” Jack White

Why? The chopping block. Unlike the Record Companies, bands make a point to stay in touch with their audience. Audience is, and always will be, the chopping block.

Unlike the Record Companies, bands make a point to stay in touch with their audience.

Audience is, and always will be, the chopping block.

Audience now own the experience. Control: people choose content and medium. Class: people expect usable, useful products from ethical companies who strive to innovate for the better. Connect: people want to play with brands, have a say, interact, mash up, syndicate, and opine. Choice: consumers and business audiences will not tolerate poorly designed products, weak services, or lacking insight, relevance, and delight.

Control: people choose content and medium.

Class: people expect usable, useful products from ethical companies who strive to innovate for the better.

Connect: people want to play with brands, have a say, interact, mash up, syndicate, and opine.

Choice: consumers and business audiences will not tolerate poorly designed products, weak services, or lacking insight, relevance, and delight.

Shift in media Push Pull Connect with clusters

Push

Pull

Connect with clusters

So, why do brands matter? Why do brands matter in this mashed up, post-industrial, post-post-modern landscape that is half digital and half physical?

Why do brands matter in this mashed up, post-industrial, post-post-modern landscape that is half digital and half physical?

Drucker as prophet We are now living into the wise insight that Peter Drucker proclaimed years ago: “ Business has only two functions--marketing and innovation.” Let’s look at some recent examples of brand turnarounds or strong launches thanks to marketing and innovation. Key words: useful, usable, play.

We are now living into the wise insight that Peter Drucker proclaimed years ago:

“ Business has only two functions--marketing and innovation.”

Let’s look at some recent examples of brand turnarounds or strong launches thanks to marketing and innovation.

Key words: useful, usable, play.

Products + Community = Cool

Products & widgets as marketing

Play: mixing media interactions

Usability: respect the audience

Transformations make money

16 quarters of consecutive growth

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READY TO GROW? Contact the Growth Engine Michael Graber | Managing Partner 662.236.8030 | michael@southerngrowthstudio.com