Marketoonist

“AI-First” - new cartoon and post https://lnkd.in/gxCiJM9s Organizations have been sending very mixed signals with AI. Many have claimed a strategy of being “AI-first” in one breath, while setting confusing draconian guardrails in the next. The promise of AI has outpaced our organization’s ability to adopt it. I like how Oguz Acar, professor at King’s Business School advocated for a more balanced approach to adopting AI in an HBR article last year. Instead of being “AI-first”, he suggested, follow the 3Ps of being “problem-centric, people-first, and principle-driven” in how to adopt AI. As Oguz put it: “The problem with an AI-first strategy lies not within the “AI” component but with the “first” aspect; it is about how organizational focus is directed. An AI-first approach can be myopic, potentially leading us to overlook the true purpose of technology: to serve and enhance human endeavors.” Just a couple days ago, Wharton professor Ethan Mollick, one of my favorite thinkers on the state of AI, announced a bombshell new Harvard Business School working paper, with the findings of a field experiment at Procter and Gamble. They studied how P&G used AI performs as a “teammate” in product development in a large randomized control trial. They found that individuals working with AI performed as well as teams working without AI. Teams working with AI performed best of all, particularly in the top-tier results. And surprisingly, teams with AI reported more positive emotional experiences. Ethan’s conclusions are worth quoting at length: “Organizations have primarily viewed AI as just another productivity tool, like a better calculator or spreadsheet. This made sense initially but has become increasingly limiting as models get better and as recent data finds users most often employ AI for critical thinking and complex problem solving, not just routine productivity tasks… “To successfully use AI, organizations will need to change their analogies. Our findings suggest AI sometimes functions more like a teammate than a tool. While not human, it replicates core benefits of teamwork—improved performance, expertise sharing, and positive emotional experiences… “The most exciting implication may be that AI doesn’t just automate existing tasks, it changes how we can think about work itself. The future of work isn’t just about individuals adapting to AI, it’s about organizations reimagining the fundamental nature of teamwork and management structures themselves. And that’s a challenge that will require not just technological solutions, but new organizational thinking.” >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/gxCiJM9s To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #marketoon

“Navigating Uncertainty” - new cartoon and post https://lnkd.in/g2tQBCNt Almost exactly five years ago, in early March 2020, I drew a cartoon that captured some of how I felt in that moment of uncertainty. It showed a group of of people in a meeting and one holding up a coin: “We need to update the forecast. Heads, this will blow over soon. Tails, it’s the end of the world.” In the 20+ years I’ve been drawing this cartoon, it has felt at times like a personal diary. I most found that true in the uncertainty spikes of 2008 and 2020. Every moment of uncertainty is different, but one byproduct of drawing a long-running cartoon is the reminder of the adage: this too shall pass. That doesn’t mean that uncertainty passes — just that particularly situation or moment of uncertainty. The IMF created a metric called the World Uncertainty Index (WUI), which has tracked the climate of uncertainty from 2008 to today. The only constant has been constant spikes and an upward trend line. Which means that navigating uncertainty is a perennial part of the job. And an opportunity for leaders and businesses to provide calm in the chaos. In the uncertainty of 2020, I found some helpful insights in a 2016 Brexit article by Kevin Chesters and Simin Radmanesh: “With government sending only messages of confusion, brands can aid people in finding stability… “Be a beacon of certainty within the world of the uncertain… “Healthy, strong brands prosper during times of uncertainty – that was proven in 2008 and the recession of the 90s … “The worst thing to do in a time of chaos is add to it.” >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/g2tQBCNt To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #marketoon

“The Creative Review” - new cartoon and post https://lnkd.in/ghb2AqZT In 2006, I drew one of my most popular cartoons: “The 8 Types of Bad Creative Critics.” It featured common archetypes like “The Blender”, “The Waffler” and “The Crammer.” It seemed to strike a chord because many of us have been in bad creative reviews, on either side of the client/agency table. One agency even asked to print the cartoon as a giant mural in their conference room as a sort of cautionary tale to clients. At the time, I worked on the client side, and had seen a lot of creative work go off the rails, often in how the creative reviews were managed (or not managed). Creative work is only as good as the process used to develop it. And the creative review is one if the key stages that is often bungled by too many cooks in the kitchen and not having a clear and constructive way to evaluate ideas. Matt Davies and Pieter-Paul von Weiler at BetterBriefs launched The BetterIdeas Project last week. It’s a fascinating research study with the IPA into this critical but often overlooked stage — how ideas are currently evaluated. I got to know Matt and Pieter-Paul when we collaborated a few years ago on cartoons related to getting better at writing briefs. Matt and Pieter-Paul found that it typically takes a whopping 5 rounds of creative development to get to a signed-off idea (up from 3 rounds in 2007, as reported by the IPA). Only 10% of ideas are evaluated against clearly defined criteria. 70% of creative agencies don’t trust the creative judgement of the marketers they work with. The top words used to describe the process are “inconsistent,” slow,” subjective,” and “painful.” At the same time, they found that creative agencies are proud of only 26% of work they’ve been involved with across their careers. The number for marketers is slightly higher, at 36%. 75% of agencies and 54% of marketers agree that “most creative work doesn’t stand out.” That chasm leaves a lot of room for marketers and agencies to improve how creative is briefed and ideas are evaluated to do their best work. These are teachable skills, and ones that can help brand teams punch harder than their weight. Because the norm is so lackluster, marketers and agencies that buck the typical process can stand out. One inspiring takeaway from The BetterIdeas Project: “Marketers who inspire their agency to do their best work are 3X more likely to feel proud of the work they’re involved in.” >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/ghb2AqZT To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #creative #cartoon

“Loyalty Programs” - new cartoon and post https://lnkd.in/g3GBuq7N In 2012, I drew a cartoon of a shopper emptying her purse at checkout, saying “wait, I may have a card showing my loyalty to whatever store this is.” The loyalty program arms race has only accelerated since then — partly driven by brands trying to collect more first-party data. The checkout ask for an email address or phone number has gone from awkward to aggressive. According to BCG, the average US consumer now belongs to more than 15 loyalty programs. BCG also found that as the number of loyalty programs has increased, the less engaged and loyal consumers actually are. A recent report from Media Culture found that only 13% of consumers value loyalty programs, while 85% value price and 38% value convenience. Marketers frequently overstate the phenomenon of brand loyalty. Generally consumers don’t think about our brands nearly as much as marketers think that they do. A good reminder is the classic observation from market researcher Andrew Ehrenberg: “Your customers are really other people's customers who occasionally buy you.” >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/g3GBuq7N To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #marketoon

“AI Low Hanging Fruit” - new cartoon and post https://lnkd.in/gZWtE_yM With all the hype and promise of AI, including synthetic market research I wrote about last week and new advances like “Agenic AI”, adoption in business is facing barriers and obstacles. Deloitte published their latest State of Generative AI report last month, including this headline takeaway: “We see that most companies are transforming at the speed of organizational change, not at the speed of technology.” This parallels Gartner’s recent announcement that GenAI had “passed the Peak of Inflated Expectations” in its eponymous Hype Cycle, moving toward the “Trough of Disillusionment.” They advised companies to “focus on nontechnical AI considerations” like governance, risk ownership, data governance, and “low user acceptance” to deliver on the promise of GenAI. The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) recently found that only 40% of brands currently use GenAI for marketing communications. Polling member brands, 77% were concerned about IP and copyright issues and 66% saw legal risks as the biggest barrier to GenAI adoption. It’ll take time and effort to navigate these “nontechnical” barriers and get beyond the lowest hanging fruit of GenAI in a meaningful way. And also match what GenAI is capable of with what is most valuable to the business. I co-hosted a webinar last week with MoEngage and this observation from science fiction author Joanna Maciejewska came up: “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.” ? >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZWtE_yM To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #marketoon

“Market Research Pitfalls” - new cartoon and post https://lnkd.in/g7KAYyyH Early in my marketing career, at General Mills, we used to hold focus groups in a Minneapolis suburb called Eden Prairie. I once overheard a couple of our agency partners jokingly refer to this focus group ritual as going to see the “Oracles of Eden Prairie.” Whether new products, campaign strategy, or ad creative, the Oracles of Eden Prairie had major sway. Focus groups (and all the rest of our market research tools) were imperfect, mysterious, expensive, and seemingly took forever, but they were the best we had at the time. Market research is one of the areas of marketing most ripe for change, and where we’re seeing some of the most exciting potential impact from new technology, including AI. Sorin Patilinet, Senior Director at Mars, describes some of the common frustrations?with market research: “In today’s world, you don’t have the time or the luxury to measure creative and to make decisions in three months, everyone screams that you need decisions today.” Sorin led a team at Mars that created an analytic tool called ACE (Agile Creative Expertise) that measures audience’s emotional reaction and attention to ads to predict effectiveness in driving sales. Evidenza, founded by Peter Weinberg, Jon Lombardo, and Brian Watroba, is taking market research even further. They’re pioneering the use of synthetic data to create AI copies of customers. Their platform creates digital personas that marketers can interview about just about any burning question in real-time. Adweek reported that Toni Clayon-Hine, CMO of EY, ran a fascinating test of Evidenza versus traditional market research. They fielded their annual brand survey — asking executives at large companies to share investment plans and thoughts on EY — both ways. What typically stretched six to eight weeks took Evidenza a day or two, with the same results. Toni said, “It was astounding that the matches were so similar. I mean, it was 95% correlation.” Ad agencies like Pereira O’Dell, Supernatural, and Media.Monks have also started to experiment with AI-generated focus groups. This is a new age for the Oracles of Eden Prairie. >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/g7KAYyyH To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #marketoon

“Digital Distractions and Finding Focus” - new cartoon and post https://lnkd.in/g6S_Mk_S We need to find time for focus to do our best work. Ironically some of the tools we use to make us more productive are designed to steal focus. Distraction is the default setting. Some of this challenge relates to work norms. I love how Jeff Maurer joked about the “always on” expectations of Slack: “You CAN mute notifications: Just go to ‘settings’ > ‘notifications” > ‘never get promoted’, and turn the slider to ‘on’.” But much of it is just human nature. We’re hardwired to seek distractions. Even before the launch of the iPhone, a 2005 University of California study on the hazards of fragmented work found that the average person works on three minutes at a time before getting distracted from a task by something else. Once distracted, they found it can take an average of 23 minutes to get back to that task. And even though iPhone now has a feature called Focus Mode that temporarily mutes notifications, the temptation for distraction is high. In the US, the average person checks their phone 205 times a day (once every four-and-a-half waking minutes), according to a survey by Reviews.org. I struggle with this in my creative work. I found that rituals help. I schedule a 90-minute block of uninterrupted device-free time early every morning for what Cal Newport calls “deep work.” I treat it like exercise. It’s by far the most productive time of my day. I like how writer and artist Austin Kleon re-imagined “Airplane Mode” as an opportunity to turn off technology anytime we want to find that kind of focus. As he wrote in his book, Keep Going: “Airplane mode can be a way of life… “You don’t need to be on a plane to practice airplane mode: Pop in some cheap earplugs and switch your phone or tablet to airplane mode, and you can transform any mundane commute or stretch of captive time into an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and your work.” >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/g6S_Mk_S To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #marketoon

“The Super Bowl Ad Formula” - new cartoon and post https://lnkd.in/gCejsJw5 The Super Bowl is the biggest high wire act in marketing. The media alone costs $7 million for a 30 second spot to reach an audience of more than 100 million people. So this is when marketers pull out all the stops. And yet they also tend to play it safe by following tried-and-true conventions. You don’t want to mess up on a stage that large. It some ways, it represents the creative paradox marketers face every day — trying to follow a winning formula without becoming too formulaic. That leads to the clichés we all recognize — nostalgia, celebrity, cute animals.?Every once in a while, brands completely break the mold. In 2022, Coinbase famously threw out the whole playbook for a bouncing QR code. But by and large, Super Bowl ads follow the formula. And yet, there’s always room to question conventional wisdom. Sometimes conventional wisdom is more convention than wisdom. The celebrity cameo trope is a case in point. System1 released research last year that found that ads featuring “brand characters” significantly outscored “celebrity cameo” ads. Yet only 10% of ads use them. In their study, 39% of Super Bowl ads featured celebrities and scored 2.7 out of 5 in brand impact. In contract, ads featuring brand characters scored 3.8 out of 5. In 2023, M&Ms ran Super Bowl ads with both approaches. Early in the game, a celebrity ad with Maya Rudolph scored a low 1 out of 5. Later in the game, a brand character ad with the M&M spokescandies scored a 4.8 out of 5. System 1 terms these types of ads with brand characters in branded situations “fluent devices.” An example is the Snickers “you’re not you when you’re hungry” set-up. They found that fluent devices like these are more likely to drive appeal, brand recognition, and commercial impact. As Jon Evans, CMO at System1, put it: “Almost 20% of viewers leave Super Bowl ads not being able to recall what brand the ad was for. This is causing serious wastage.” >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/gCejsJw5 To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #marketoon

“Agile Teams” - new cartoon and post https://lnkd.in/g8MmD_Gi In 2001, a group of 17 software engineers famously drafted the Agile Manifesto at a ski resort in Utah. They were frustrated by the limitations of traditional “waterfall” software development and wanted a more flexible, iterative approach. The term “agile” evolved into a collection of methodologies that not only changed software development but started to impact teams of all kinds. As “agile” went mainstream and spread far beyond software, it became described less as a methodology and more as a mindset. It became thought of as a cure-all for inefficiency, slow delivery, and poor collaboration. Agile teams now sprout up for just about any sort of business project and take widely different forms. One of the original 17 signers of the Agile Manifesto, Dave Thomas, later observed: “The word ‘agile’ has been subverted to the point where it is entirely meaningless.” This cartoon was partly inspired by an Uncensored CMO podcast conversation I heard last week with Mark Abraham from BCG and Jon Evans from System1. At one point, Mark and Jon joked that agile teams were getting so bloated, they struggled even to find calendar time to meet. Mark then described Amazon’s principle of “two-pizza teams” — that no team should be too big for two pizzas to feed them. I learned that Amazon later realized that the problem had less to do with the size of the team, and more to do with singularity of focus. Amazon ultimately evolved the idea of “two-pizza teams” into “single-threaded leader teams”. “Single-threaded” is a computer science term that means to work on only one thing at a time. I was struck by this insight from Dave Limp, long-term Amazon exec and CEO of Blue Origin: “The best way to fail at inventing something is by making it somebody’s part-time job.” >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/g8MmD_Gi To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #marketoon

“How we Brief” - new cartoon and post: https://lnkd.in/gEH_N9np Sir John Hegarty, founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, famously said: “Writing bad briefs is the most expensive way to write advertising.” The sentiment applies to any form of creative communication and any type of brief. How we brief creative partners is as important as the talent of those creative partners. Writing a truly great brief is a force multiplier of creativity. And yet the briefing process is very often treated as an afterthought or a tick box exercise. A couple years ago, I had a chance to collaborate with Pieter-Paul von Weiler and Matt Davies, ex-agency strategists on a mission to improve briefs. They started a company called BetterBriefs that conducted the first global study in how briefs work in practice. This stat blew my mind (yet also rings true): “78% of marketers believe their briefs provide clear strategic direction. Only 5% of agencies agree.” With so many aspects of marketing out of a marketer’s direct control (budgets, cross-functional teams, competitive landscape, etc.), the brief is one of the few levers fully in the marketer’s hands. There’s a common misconception that creativity is stronger without limits. But constraints actually make creativity stronger. It gives direction to aim and raw material to work with. An unfocused or missing brief hamstrings creativity. A clear, inspiring brief helps our marketing work harder. It’s incumbent on marketers to invest the time to write better briefs. And it’s incumbent on creative partners to push back on briefs that don’t make the grade. >>> For related cartoons and all the links in this post, click here: https://lnkd.in/gEH_N9np To sign up for my weekly marketoon email newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/gZsC7Nhz #marketing #cartoon #marketoon