Announcing the 2007 Point to Point Internship Program

Need some real-life agency experience? Need credit hours? Need beer money? Maybe we can help.

We are currently looking to fill two paid internship positions for the summer:
Copywriter
Art Director/Designer

HOW TO QUALIFY.
To be considered, you must be a junior or a senior pursuing a major in marketing/advertising or graphic design.

WHAT TO EXPECT.
As an intern, you will become an integral part of the Point to Point creative department. You will be teamed with a second intern and will work a variety of projects, including real-life client assignments, internal communications pieces and (from time to time) some filing and copying. You can expect to be taught, guided and mentored by our award-winning staff of writers, designers, art directors and interactive gurus. And in return you will be expected to work hard, challenge yourself and have a “do whatever it takes” mentality.

HOURS: Flexible. Our internships are set up for 30 hours per week. (although this is the ad biz, and if the ideas don’t come in 30 hours, you will be expected to put in the extra time that is necessary).

DURATION: 6 -10 weeks, depending on scheduling and needs of student.

PAY: $225 per week.

HOW TO APPLY.
Step 1: Sell some VEGGIE GUM.
We just landed... ahem... this really cool client who makes chewing gum that tastes like vegetables. Your assignment: Create a piece of communication that helps sell this product to America’s youth. To get all the details on the project, download the creative brief. And hurry, the assignment is due to us (via mail or pdf) by May 6.

Step 2: Tell us about yourself. Please send your VEGGIE GUM solution along with a cover letter, resume and 3 creative samples to:
Point to Point
ATTN: Internships
23240 Chagrin Blvd.
Cleveland, OH 44122

Or if you prefer to do everything electronically, send a pdf to internships@buildamovment.com.

Step 3: Wait. Just a little. We will be taking the week of May 6th to make our evaluations. Students who are being considered for the positions will be notified by phone.

Step 4: Let’s talk. We will schedule in-person interviews from May 14 - 25. Given that exams might taking place during this time, we are willing to be flexible.

Step 5: Get to work. Internships will commence June 11th, or thereabouts, depending on student availability.

QUESTIONS.
Please direct all inquiries to internships@buildamovment.com.

Advertising Truck Driver Style.

The other day, I was trying to pull out of a parking lot onto a decidedly busy street. The light was red, and the cars were about 10 deep waiting for the signal to change. So, as is the custom, I nudged my way out onto the road, hoping that guy in line would wave me in.

He didn’t.

In fact, he made every effort to ensure that I didn’t get in line in front of him. You know the kind. They nose up as close as possible to a car in front of them. They avoid eye contact. They lay on the horn if you dare try to make your way onto street.

Yeah, I got that guy. And I wouldn’t have thought much of it after the fact, except that this guy was driving a delivery van with some very famous company’s logo on the side of it.

So as I sat there, I wasn’t just getting pissed at the guy. I was getting pissed at the company who hired him. And any goodwill I had toward that company was quickly eroding as I stared at their humongous logo, waiting for someone to let me into traffic.

This was, unbeknownst to that company, a customer transaction. Sure, no money changed hands and no products were purchased. But a feeling was exchanged. A good one for a not-so-good one. A happy one for a disgusted one. Even if that feeling was fleeting.

The point is: companies must remember that their employees on the street are their most powerful advertising of all. And these people –from the delivery drivers to the teenagers waiting the cash register -- have the ability to instantly wipe away any positive feelings those multimillion dollar ad campaigns have created.

And in today’s world where one bad experience (even one as minor as my own) can be retold to thousands through email chains, chat rooms and blogs like this, companies had better pay extra attention to minimizing negative customer interactions at all points of contact. Including those where they didn’t realize one existed.

The Latest Word on Word of Mouth Marketing

The last few weeks I’ve been digging into word of mouth marketing (WOM). Ron McDaniel of Buzoodle suggested I take a look at WOMMA. Once on the site, I had an abrupt awakening to the speed and depth of which this new discipline is evolving. WOMMA lists 11 different ways to leverage WOM and is now introducing methods and measurement to further credential a new discipline.

But what has really surprised me is how many WOMers believe that “conventional” advertising sucks, doesn’t work and represents just a big waste of money.

Now I’m not one to doubt change. I worked beside my father in a typesetting business where I witnessed an entire industry laid to waste in seven years. Nor do I bemoan change. Change is what makes things happen. But does change completely modify all our realities?

At least half of us know that Wanamaker said it best:

Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.

Marketing is an imprecise discipline like the many things we encounter in our daily lives. There is no perfect approach to weight loss, politics and finding mates. If there were, we’d all be thin, cheering for a brilliant president and unsure of the purpose divorce lawyers serve.

What I do know is that what worked a few years ago will not work as well this year and that hard and fast rules and absolute statements are for suckers. 

Advertising as we have known it represents a marketer telling a potential buyer or customer about a product or service they need. WOM is about what I want. Conventional advertising is pushing while the new is pulling. Both share one common connection that defines their relevance and effectiveness: the consumer has to be interested or they simply won’t hear what’s being said. So listen up, and realize that there are a lot of ways to start a conversation.

Clients need leadership. Not just advertising.

Regardless of how good creatives are at their craft, almost every creative brief that lands on their desk can lead them to the same conclusion.

Before noodling a single headline or stick figure drawing on a college-ruled white notepad, it becomes apparent, sadly, that there’s no way in hell a 4-color magazine ad, a 30-second TV spot or (insert media vehicle here) can adequately address the client’s business problem as stated in the brief—no matter how strategic and creative the message may be. And it’s not because the client’s business problems are too big. It’s because most agencies’ autopilot, instinctual responses to these problems are too small.

I think it’s absolutely insane that the creative brief determines what medium is going to be used as the communication channel before the message that responds to the client’s business problem has been developed. Eons ago, communication theorists established that message and channel are inseparable. Yet here the industry sits, at the top of the communication food chain, unable to see the forest through the trees. Not recognizing that media and creative are equal halves of the same whole.

I think that ads—the most immediate response most agencies have when dealing with any client—are a relatively small part of what clients really need to build their brands. To engage with their audiences. To develop long-term salience. To make more money at the end of the day.

The fact is, clients don’t need advertising. They need leadership. They’re desperate for it. And those who are willing to change the agency model are going to reap the rewards. The agencies that survive—and most importantly, thrive—will completely overhaul how they do things. From timesheets and billing to intellectual property and product development.

Agencies that thrive will still produce great ads. They’ll just come from a different point of origin. Instead of looking at things from the perspective of the agency—i.e. capabilities as they relate to print, television, web, etc.—agencies need to look at things from the perspective of the client. Discover what their unique problems and needs are, then develop integrated solutions that address and solve these problems. Maybe a television campaign is part of that solution. But maybe not. The solution will and should be different for every client.

Just look at what Anomaly did with the Virgin Atlantic pitch. You had Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Crispin Porter + Bogusky and other elite shops all competing for the $178 million U.S. passenger service launch. And the agency that got hired didn’t even mention a single ad.

Perhaps that’s because Virgin Atlantic wasn’t looking for a new advertising agency at all. They were looking for new leadership.

Now, the only question is, who in the industry will follow?

Is online advertising dead?

Traditional online advertising might not be dead but it definitely has one foot in the grave. Growing trends and new ideas in viral marketing are showing results that make web banners seem about as effective as mailing your company logo out on a free ballpoint pen. The pen gets to people and your logo might gain recognition, but it doesn't really mean anything, and it just isn't targeted to the people who are interested in, or who are looking for your product.

Online marketing is evolving. It's changing the way advertisers reach potential customers by using the very content that people go online for; whether it's information, news or entertainment. That's why people go online. Not to view random banner ads. And studies have shown that most people don't even see a banner ad on a web page.

The basis of a viral campaign utilizes the web content your targeted customers don't mind viewing or participating in. And who doesn't want a potential client base that enjoys getting pitched? Viral and stealth ads have many formats: videos, games, animations, contests and more.  It can also be a part of your daily news in blogs. And once a viral campaign is out in the online community, these ads can take on a life of their own, being spread from consumer to consumer via word of mouth/ keyboard or via the speed of email.

How do you know if a viral marketing approach is right for you? If you're looking for a way to build your client base rapidly with lower costs than traditional marketing means, or if you need a campaign that can distribute and target itself, which can develop into a juggernaut of potential business—then  you might want to toss your banners and start thinking about the right way to move people online.