Presentation I made at recent Planningness conference in Brooklyn about how Mullen has worked to transform form an advertising agency to an advertising agency that gets and practices digital.
HomeRoots Pitch Deck | Investor Insights | April 2024
In transformative markets, incumbents rarely survive
1. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
If you want to survive in the advertising business today, you can’t stay stuck in the past.
Constant evolution, learning, skill development is key, for both the individual and the
company.
2. In transformative markets,
incumbents rarely survive
edwardboches.com
@edwardboches
mullen.com
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
3. Or...
Oh shit, you mean we have
to re-invent ourselves?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
4. We are living through the disorientation that
comes from including 2 billion new participants
in a media landscape previously operated by a
small group of professionals.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Clay Shirky sums it up best. It’s less about social media, or technology, or the web. What
matters more than anything as we think about the services we offer and the definition of
creativity and engagement are consumers and how they’ve changed. It’s no longer us and
them. It’s the age of we.
10. NEW
media
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
New media came along in the early 90s
11. (1.0) Home Page
Notes
Page/ Site Title
A Ensure Quick Search is an HTML form
2
1 New GM Vehicles | Recently Viewed Vehicles | 0 Vehicles in Comparison List
logo Chevy logo Buick logo GMC logo 3 C CTA will change based on the content in the hero
E image
Vehicle Search | Dealer Locator | What Is GM Certified? | Model Library | Tools | Offers 4
A
Quick Search 5 E Vehicles are automatically added to Recently Viewed
list as user clicks on specific vehicles in the Vehicle
Zip Code: 10 Search section. Limit to 50 most recently viewed
vehicles. (Note: allow for the ability to increase or
decrease limit)
Make: Search All Makes 11
F Link to Vehicle Search page with Hybrid body style
Hero Image pre-selected. May need to widen the zip code radius
Model: All Models Select Models 12
by default on Hybrid search.
Learn more about GM Certified C
13
Search Advanced Search
|| Pause 1 2 3 4
F
Benefits of GM Certified: 6
Warranty
3-Day/150-Mile Satisfaction Guarantee Find a Certified Hybrid
117-Point Inspection (Promo Tile)
Free Vehicle History Report
OnStar
XM Radio
Body Copy
7
Promo Tile
* Disclaimers at the bottom of the page
8
FAQs | Site Map | Contact Us | GM Sites
GM logo Copyright/Trademark | Privacy Statement
Client GM CUV Deliverable Information Architecture Date 4/6/2010 10:30 AM
Project 4.0 Redesign Author eurban File Name GMCUV_4.0_20100326.vsd
Page 6/59
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We mastered the art and science of building websites and creating destinations
14. social
media
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Next came social media. Who needs brands or marketers or pros. We’re all connected to
each other, not to the brand.
15. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
We rushed out and read Here Comes Everybody. Or The Groundswell. Or we should have.
23. How do we influence or motivate
prospects and customers?
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Yet we are still in the business of influencing
24. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
There’s much we, as marketers, are supposed to know. Which screen are you on?
25. shopping watching connecting sharing creating responding interested
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What mode are you in? Can’t build an eco system or develop content without knowing.
32. branding
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We’re supposed to know how to brand, create content, build platforms like Garmin, that
become part of your daily life.
33. branding content
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
We’re supposed to know how to brand, create content, build platforms like Garmin, that
become part of your daily life.
34. branding content platform
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
We’re supposed to know how to brand, create content, build platforms like Garmin, that
become part of your daily life.
35. crowdsourcing
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There are new tactics to master. An agency needs the people and know how (along with the
judgment) to apply them all.
36. crowdsourcing geo-targeting
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
There are new tactics to master. An agency needs the people and know how (along with the
judgment) to apply them all.
37. crowdsourcing geo-targeting gaming
dynamics
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
There are new tactics to master. An agency needs the people and know how (along with the
judgment) to apply them all.
38. crowdsourcing geo-targeting gaming transmedia
dynamics
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
There are new tactics to master. An agency needs the people and know how (along with the
judgment) to apply them all.
39. .. ..
Gary Shteyngart, inventor of the Apparat
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
And finally, there is new technology invented daily. The importance of staying current has
never been so acute. (Fun book, Super Sad True Love Story)
44. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
But clients will tell you they don’t. See Forrester’s research on the frustration clients have
with this system.
45. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
More than ever all of this stuff has to work together. Consumers don’t distinguish from one
to another, they simply interact with brands and content.
46. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Antidotes to what’s wrong: fat, expensive, slow not creative enough; unable to get the
different components to all work together.
47. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
It’s not either or. All of this stuff is still necessary and essential to a marketing plan. TV,
advertising, UX, conversation, mobile, geo, ME ME ME marketing.
51. Three different ways to hold onto what is. But
that’s a strategy for extinction.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Good luck with that.
52. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
We should get our inspiration from outside our direct industry.
53. clients
current
current
services
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Here’s the dilemma. You can maintain business.
54. clients
new
current
current
current
services
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Expand (hard due to all the competition.)
55. clients
new
current
current current
current new
services
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Adapt and sell new services to current clients. Hard as they didn’t come to you for that.
56. clients
new new
current new
current current
current new
services
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Or innovate. Challenging and requires culture and commitment.
57. different people
different processes
different briefs
different teams
different mindset
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The ingredients to innovate.
59. madmen cast
let’s make cool messages
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Hardest is evolving from traditional
60. microsoft cast
let’s build something of value
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to digital (Thanks Scott Prindle for this visual idea.)
61. who the fuck’s in charge here anyway?
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And here’s where you often end up.
62. four things we’ve learned
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We, Mullen, have been trying and making progress, for a few years now.
63. can’t change behavior by changing thinking
have to change thinking by changing behavior
1 2 3 4
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Some things we learned.
64. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Instruction manuals don’t work. Behavior and trying things work.
65. A story needs to be repeated many times
before someone understands how it relates to
them, and many more times again before they
change their behavior.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Along with repetition.
66. talent alone isn’t enough
1 2 3 4
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
People (without process and culture and a respect for different perspectives) ain’t enough.
68. Digital Delivery Production
Executive Producer Digital Studio Manager
Sr. Producer Lead Flash Developer
Producer Senior Flash Developer
Associate Producer Flash Developer
Junior Flash Developer
Digital Creative Production Designer
Chief Creative Director Junior Production Designer
Group Creative Director:
Lead Information Architect Technology/Development
Senior Information Architect Technology Director
Senior Art Director Technical Lead
Senior Copywriter Software Engineer/Database Architect
Art Director Senior Web Developer
Copywriter Web Developer
Information Architect Associate Web Developer
Associate Copywriter
Associate Art Director
Associate Information Architect
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
In lots of positions.
69. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tech on left. Ad CD on right. Left knows stuff right needs to know but doesn’t realize it.
Right needs stuff left knows but doesn’t know left knows it. How to bring together.
70. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Read The Checklist Manifesto. By Atul Gawande. Great surgeon. Great writer. Majority of
surgery mishaps (wrong leg, suchers left in body) because team doesn’t know each other,
never worked with each other, isn’t comfortable speaking up, defers to much to the CD-God-
Surgeon. Introductions at start of surgery reduce accidents by 35 percent.
72. DIGITAL
PRODUCTION/TECHNOLOGY CHRISTIAN 1,800f 100%f
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tech’s not in the room, because there aren’t enough of him, because understaffed, because
not in staffing plan because client and or account service thinks its part of production rather
than creative. Follow the problem to the source.
73. expect a lot of mistakes
1 2 3 4
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
74. how we sold - encouraging offline ae’s to think and how we delivered - collapsed all project management
sell digital with no training or supervision - into one group, allowing key online pm to leave -
neglected to put digital-savvy person in new assumed a “brand” creative brief was enough
business role - arrogant enough to think we knew despite lack of details to do effective digital work -
what we were talking about allowed traditional creative teams to present ideas
before including UX and technology - failed to unite
how we scoped - refused to acknowledge true costs different groups physically l delayed integrating
of digital - gave team leftover money squeezed from digital media, creative, Technical Support -
offline budgets - failed to train clients on actual neglected to invest in collaborative technology,
value - brought message rather than experience depending too much on IT instead of developers
mentality to the space - gave digital work away to
“get” the business - perpetuated the diminished
worth of digital
how we staffed - continued to hire legacy talent l how we rewarded - assumed digital people would put
focused on usage rather than future when learning on hold while they spent time cleaning up
downsizing - assumed traditional talent could lead after offline colleagues - under invested in training
digital efforts - believed project management could (formal and informal) - didn’t mandate digital skill
compensate for digitally naïve account people - expansion as part of performance evaluation for all
defined integration as offline people could try
digital (but not the other way around)
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Other mistakes you might make.
75. 10 things we did right
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
But, things that work.
76. declare your vision
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
From the top. Declare your change.
82. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Steven Johnson tells you and us that innovation comes from collisions. We knew that already
and created an environment and location of people that forced collisions. Tech, UX, mobile
and social strategy in the middle of the creative department.
83. connect people
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
84. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Play leads to friendship leads to trust leads to risk taking. Risk taking is essential to
innovation.
85. do it to get it
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
86. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Two years ago, almost, before any of the ad agencies were there, we got everyone onto and
into Twitter and social.
87. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
And we created experiences that let people unfamiliar with new spaces start to get it.
88. change the brief
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
89. audience community
messages experiences
target invite
media plan interest plan
penetrate collaborate
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Old way of seeing world on left. New way on right.
90. what do we stand for?
who is our community?
where do they hang out?
what is our content?
how will people share it?
how can they get involved?
what will make it ongoing?
what do we want to get out of our efforts?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Ask new questions. Still working on this. Thank you Gareth Kay for some of this thinking.
91. interactive
shareable
participatory
ongoing
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
We want everything to be this: these are filters we use to evaluate the work.
92. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
We’ve experimented with digital briefs to remind people that the brand is in the dialog at
every moment.
95. SEARCH
LE
AR
Y
PLA
N
CT
NSA
JOI
TRA
N
CONNECT
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Consumers come to a brand for a lot of reasons in a lot of ways. Be there with the right stuff
and think about what kind of content or experience you need to create in each of those
places.
96. change the team
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
97. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Hire different people: GenY content creators, bloggers, social strategists, mobile experts.
99. CW
AD
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Change the team. Depending on the assignment, but change the team.
100. CW CW
AD Design
UX
Social
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Change the team. Depending on the assignment, but change the team.
101. CW CW CW
AD Design AD
UX Social
Social Mobile
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Change the team. Depending on the assignment, but change the team.
102. CW CW CW Design
AD Design AD UX
UX Social Tech
Social Mobile Mobile
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Change the team. Depending on the assignment, but change the team.
103. 1
6
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Hard but necessary. CW and AD need just one agreement. A bigger team needs more
agreements. Takes a certain kind of person and a certain kind of CD.
104. elevate media to creative status
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
105. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Media is the new creative department. How can you possibly have a separate agency.
106. define the job differently
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
107. Create an experience that encourages
reducing energy consumption
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Don’t ask for an ad. Ask for an experience.
108. national grid polar bear
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Get a cool site and platform.
109. launch a product using the
platforms where it’s most relevant
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Use social media as an engagement and creative environment.
111. invite the public to join in making
donations to Feeding America
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Don’t write a check and a press release.
112. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Get your consumer to create artwork, donate money on their behalf. It spreads all over the
web. And beyond. Project Bread Art landed us on GMA with Dianne Sawyer.
113. do something that mirrors the
product position
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
114. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Your product is not your product in mobile and social. Content is your product. Here our
product was a site that helped contruction workers find jobs, courtesty of Timberland Pro
boot, whose tagline is stay on your feet.
115. let people play with the product
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
116. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Augmented reality can be good and actually useful. Not a gimmick.
121. so, does it work?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
122. ‣ Prevailed in Jet Blue and Zappos
‣ Built a robust social media business
‣ Won digital assignments from
Olympus, Timberland, Martha Stewart
‣ Grew our iPhone app business
‣ Launched a mobile practice
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
It works.
123. “Throughout the pitch process, you couldn't really tell in the room who
was creative, who was digital, who was media, who was planning —
everyone was equally adept at talking about all disciplines.”
Marty St. George
senior vp, marketing and commercial
…as told to Ad Age, July 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Testimony
124. Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tweenbot. My interpretation. Accomplish great things if you break them into small tasks.
Give psychic reward. Trust the crowd. Don’t be afraid to ask. Smile. Or at least be
passionate.
126. WORKSHOP A: LAUNCH ____________
• develop launch plan for either The Social Network or SCVNGR
• write a modern, digital/social brief
• include role of consumer participant
• determine make-up of the team CW/AD/SM/M/UX/D to work on it
• set criteria for what constitutes creative success
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
127. WORKSHOP B: INVENT THE NEW AGENCY
• define its proposition and the problem it solves (why will clients hire
you)
• how does it work: standalone, alliances, embedded, other
• what kind of people do you hire
• what do you make
• set criteria for what constitutes creative success
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
128. WORKSHOP C WORKSHOP D
• honest assessment of who you are • create a skunkworks inside your
agency (alternative, or model to
• clear definition of what you want to replace what you have)
be, do different
• define mission and purpose
• key challenges obstacles to getting
there • service and offerings
• five specific steps to make progress • staffing
and achieve
• marketing
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
129. WORKSHOP A WORKSHOP B
• honest assessment of who you are • create a skunkworks inside your
agency (alternative, or model to
• clear definition of what you want to replace what you have)
be, do different
• define mission and purpose
• key challenges obstacles to getting
there • service and offerings
• five specific steps to make progress • staffing
and achieve
• marketing
Wednesday, October 13, 2010