Mark Dolliver, where are you?

Not long ago, Adweek revamped its website. It looks nice. It navigates pretty easily. It's got a lot more video capability. But,in my view, it’s missing something very important. The Portfolio section, written by long-time ad critic Mark Dolliver.

Up until the relaunch, Mr. Dolliver used the forum to critique current and noteworthy advertising. Sure, a lot of sites do this. But what made Mark’s column so special is that he regularly recognized work from smaller, emerging agencies. Agencies that were doing great stuff (or sometimes lousy stuff, if you ask Mr. Dolliver), but weren’t doing it for the VW’s and the Burger Kings and the P&G’s of the world.

What Mark seemed to realize that perhaps Adweek management doesn’t, is that good work can come from anywhere. Mark sought out the local and regional work. He took the time to display it. Honor it. And give it its due prominence in the advertising community.

Mr. Dolliver still contributes to adweek.com. But he’s off doing bigger and better things.

I just wish his employer realized that sometimes smaller is better, too.

Who's taking part in social networking? It's not who you think.

If you think social networking is just for twenty somethings, think again. A new study shows an astonishing increase in participation of online social networking among the affluent, according to the Luxury Institute. 30% of Facebook users come from household incomes of at least $100,000, and 22% of MySpace users come from similarly affluent households.

If you're marketing a luxury brand to consumers, does your strategy addresses this important movement? Are you taking steps to understand how this audience uses social networking, and how best to engage them?

Hey, it's a new look for Point to Point's web site

If you’re an avid Point to Point fan, no doubt you’ve noticed we’ve made a few changes to our site lately. Our old site (with the exception of the blog) was entirely Flash-based—as most agency sites are. We decided it was time to update the site for several reasons. We wanted to see how our search engine rankings would change if we created an HTML site. And we all agreed that HTML or Flash, the important thing was to get visitors to our work as soon as possible, something that we weren’t sure our old site did. Finally, while the old Flash site challenged your beliefs in how to navigate a site, we wondered if there was a better way to get that point across.

And it gave us an opportunity to really push the traditional thinking of HTML design with a horizontally scrolling web site.

Why push the limits? It’s my belief that agency sites should always push you, should always make you a bit uncomfortable. Most people visit an agency site expecting the unexpected, expecting to be entertained. We decided to challenge the notion of traditional navigation—the traditional way of navigating from, well, point to point.

I hope you like it, we are still working on finishing up some loose ends—but please feel free to post any thoughts you might have.

Announcing the 2008 Point to Point Account Management Internship

Have a strong sense of curiosity? Possess a positive, “whatever it takes” attitude? Are “organized” and “detail-oriented” the perfect way to describe you? Then you may be the perfect candidate for our Account Management Intern. Our internship will enable you to gain a solid understanding of how an agency functions and the services it provides to clients. You’ll gain valuable experience that will foster your growth and development along an account management career path. Under the supervision of the Account Directors, you will support and participate in day-to-day responsibilities of client service and account management. Plus you’ll earn a little money to stock up on the beer fund.

Internship will begin in June, depending on student availability, and last about 6-10 weeks.

If you are interested in this paid, 30 hour per week position, please send your resume and cover letter no later than April 11, 2008. Send a non-returnable sample of something that you’re proud of – a writing sample, a paper that earned you an A, or anything else that would make your mom say “that’s my boy/girl!”

Point to Point
ATTN: Internships
23240 Chagrin Blvd
Suite 200
Cleveland OH 44122
internships@buildamovement.com
(no phone calls, please)

"Your Vegas is Showing"

Experiential brands – brands that enable customers to personally experience the benefits of a product instead of telling them about its features – are a growing marketing trend today. And, when done correctly, experiential marketing can be a powerful loyalty tool.

During a recent trip to Vegas, I was struck that the city itself is one large brand. And, all of the marketing efforts within the city for things like casinos, shows and shopping support the Vegas brand. In fact, they work together to create a “mega-brand” that provides a “mega-experience”. From the moment you step off the plane, you feel the excitement and vibe of the “Vegas” brand – from the glitz and glam of celebrity shows to slot machines ringing winners and the promise of living large and winning big. It is truly an adult fantasyland that provides multi-level, multi-channel experiences.

Like the city, each Vegas hotel delivers its own unique experience, which also contributes to the greater Vegas brand. Whether it’s the posh atmosphere of the Bellagio or the Hollywood social scene at the Palms, these hotels understand their customer and cater to their every whim. It appears that product brands also see the value in aligning themselves with the Vegas experience – our hotel room provided us a sampling of hip products like Axe body wash and Rohto eye drops. 

The Vegas experience breeds loyal customers. It gives you a taste and leaves you wanting to come back for more – one more chance to play, one more chance to win, one more chance to live like a celebrity.

Perhaps we can learn from the Vegas model and the loyalty that Las Vegas seems to enjoy as we create personal experiences with our products that are relevant, memorable, interactive and connect with audiences on an emotional level.