Les belles lettres

I sometimes pause to consider just how exactly I ended up in this industry. As a kid, I wanted to be a microbiologist — until I paused to consider the number of math courses I'd have to take in college and beyond. High school had me thinking law. College found me, at various times, planning to pursue my career on Wall Street (I pause to breathe a sigh of relief) or enter international relations. Postgrad, I certainly pondered the academic life — get my PhD in Literature or History and teach keen young minds. And yet, here I am, an entrepreneur, working in advertising and communications, writing for others (though I won't pretend there aren't a few ... or more than a few ... half-finished manuscripts on my hard drive, too). But how did I get here? And what was the draw?

It finally occurred to me. I've always loved words — crossword puzzles, Scrabble (I'm vicious competition, warning you now!), and of course literature. I feel particularly drawn to poetry — Milton, Pushkin, Robert Browning, Richard Wilbur: the neatness of form appeals to me in some deeply satisfying way. The same way, I realized, that developing the perfect line of copy nourishes something within me.

Then the gears clicked. Hello, Jen .... they both appeal to you because they're functions of the same thing. Good copywriting is like poetry .... really. Hear me out. It requires word economy, discipline. You don't get more than a line or two to make your impression .... and the best impressions, I think, are engaging, slightly provocative, multivalent, tightly crafted — like you'll find in the finest poetry. To hint at, allude to, suggest imagery through just a few carefully chosen words .... isn't this both poetry and copywriting at its best?

I think so, anyway. For me, the pieces have at last fallen into place. I may not be hidden away in some ivory tower (thank God; I'd probably want to paint it pink), but I still get to play with words and ideas for a living .... I once recall being told by a creative director who crossed my path, "Good copywriting isn't exactly rocket science." At the time, I was ready for some serious eye-gouging, but looking back, perhaps this individual was correct. Good copywriting isn't a science: it's an art.

(Not) Just Another Manic Monday....

It’s with sweet, sweet sorrow that I post this and bump that lovely image of Don Draper from our last post. But I want to talk marketing plans, and it had to happen sooner or later, right?

Part of our business planning at Crazy Savvy included the launch of Marketing Mondays, a dedicated stretch of time to ensure that we are updating — and implementing — our marketing plans. (I know, I’m sharing this with you on a Wednesday....that’s because I was busy....marketing....on Monday.) You see, we didn’t want to fall into the trap so many organizations and businesses find themselves in: neglecting marketing and communications in favor of other activities somehow deemed more essential to running an entity.

It’s not that I don’t understand the temptation to put marketing on the backburner. (And in case you are wondering, no, communications agencies are by no means immune from this problem! It happens more than you’d think.) After all, we live by the rule that client work takes precedence. True enough, but hardly an excuse. And let me say, as an introvert, I can understand how the art of self-promotion can be daunting at the least. I’ll toot my client’s horn any day, but my own? It doesn’t come as easily. (Luckily, my lovely business partner has no such qualms!) But as we’ve already established, marketing truly isn’t a dirty word.

So, Monday mornings find Jen and I brainstorming, making connections, following up, and researching (not to mention blogging, and tweeting, as always). No matter how manic our Mondays might be, we’re dedicated to putting in the effort.

(Confession: I’m so listening to the Bangles as I write this. Good thing Jen’s working off-site today!)

Draper iconography

So I don't actually read the New York Times (sorry folks .... but my business partner does!), but this was brought to my attention by a Crazy Savvy fan. Aha! The latest bit of Draper-related ephemera. After taking a moment to pay my proper respects to the lovely picture (hope there are no drool stains...), I dug into the article — only to discover that it has nothing whatsoever to do with Mad Men, and is only tangentially related to the notion of advertising at all.

Hm. What could this mean? It strikes me that Mr. Draper, in all his fedora-ed glory, has become a symbol .... a proxy not just for the ad world itself, but for brand awareness, mystery, style, je ne sais quoi. The article discusses the symbolic implications of car ownership in the 21st century .... but pose Don Draper in front of a fancy Zipcar and the piece becomes a meditation on, what?, consumerism? brand-as-self-image? As far as I can tell, Don is the brand — for a certain type of man, a certain image. Fine, fair enough. I can think of a few Draper doppelgangers from my experiences in the biz.

But what does this mean as a modern woman in advertising? What do we bring to the table? Who is our cultural icon, our symbolic representation of what it means to be, well, us? In short, I don't know. I watch, I observe, I raise my eyebrows in surprise or consternation or amusement at times — and then I go back to doing my thing, and not worrying too much about what it all "means." Nevertheless, this latest Draper caper is highly intriguing .... it's fascinating to watch our cultural vocabulary twist itself around this icon-as-idea. But love him though I do, I'll leave Mr. Draper his tweed coats and skinny ties and zeitgeist-altering mystique.... I'll take my Betsey J and call it a day, thank you very much.

All you need is love

Sheesh, if we'd known that launching a website would be this gratifying, maybe we would have actually done it sooner! (Ha, ha.) Both Erin and I have truly been humbled by the incredible outpourings of support and praise we've been fortunate enough to receive. And for those who know me personally, moments of humility are rare indeed .... heh.

In addition to generating some thrilling new business ventures and plenty o' meetings, our web launch has made us the happy recipients of everything from gushing emails to pink rose bouquets. Today's latest vote of confidence comes from our friends at Grandpa George, a wonderful — and fun — design and interactive studio right here in the Twin Cities. Thanks, gents!

And now .... back to work. We're tickled pink (pink, of course) that we've managed to complete not one but two drafts of major projects days ahead of schedule.....many thanks to caffeine, late nights, and tasty lunches prepared by those dearest to us. After so many projects involving consulting, art direction, concept development, and publication planning, it's been fun to get back to actual writing ..... it is, after all, how we got into this crazy business to begin with!

Creative mis/direction

It's only Tuesday, but with all the work we've already done this week, it feels like it should be Thursday at minimum .... Friday if the Fates were kind. Alas. Working on a tight deadline is, we find, great for our creative energies and our productivity, but it can mean that our sleeping cycles take a hit!

So in the interests of levity, we thought we'd share a funny with y'all. As society's recent infatuation with Mad Men underscores, people seem fascinated by the notion of what it means to be a creative director. (For a running tally of Draper-related ephemera, check out the news feed on our Facebook fan page!) It would appear that the role of creative director is shrouded in mystery. I know this was true for me when I first started in the biz. What is the je ne sais quoi that gives one both the visual eye and strategic understanding to conceptualize ideas and turn them into something tangible? (I don't know, believe me. I'm just of the mind that you have it or you don't, and the distinction tends to be painfully clear.)

For those that fall into the latter category, cliche often replaces creativity when developing concepts and preparing comps. That's why this gave Erin and I the giggles ..... particularly because, in a few cases, we've actually seen in use the very stock photos provided as examples of what not to do. Heh! Needless to say, you'll find no such travesties in a Crazy Savvy presentation.

In other news, today's postcard arrives all the way from South Africa. It even contains a pearl of marketing wisdom .... thanks for the shout-out, Kate!

Weekend Round-Up

For those of you not in Minneapolis, I feel it is imperative to share with you this simple joy: sunlight and (a modicum of) warmth returned to our fair city this weekend.

And it was glorious.

(Hmmm, perhaps I should be making a mental note to research full-spectrum lights and Vitamin D as winter approaches?)

The mavens of Crazy Savvy did not squander this opportunity to be outside without suffering, let me assure you. This being Minnesota, we had to get in some quintessentially fall activities while we still could. Scenic drives were savored, fall colors admired. Pumpkins were picked, hayrides heartily enjoyed.

As Jen mentioned on Friday, we also had a number of business tasks to attend to this weekend, the most enjoyable of which had to be attending the incredible volunteer appreciation event put on by one of our clients. Not only was it a ton of fun, but it's great to see an organization with such a thriving volunteer effort. Kudos for doing it up right, L!

After some sunlight and fresh air, we are hitting the ground running this morning, crossing items off our to-do list in a flurry (dare I tempt the weather gods by even using that word?) Three cheers for work/life balance....

Busy signal

Dear Jamaican Postal Service,

How is it that you manage to lose my mail? You're making me look bad, mon! After promising my darling business partner that I would set a good example for our blog fans and be sure to mail a postcard from Negril .... the post office has to go and lose my letter! And it was a dang good letter, too! Now I get the sads every time I check our PO Box and don't find my palm tree-and-sandy-beaches card awaiting me. (Then again, with Minneapolis weather lately, perhaps this is a mercy in disguise.)

Sincerely, Jen

OK, digression over. What a week it's been for us here at C/S headquarters! Phew. Just getting our website launched, blog template updated, and social media platforms in visual step with our brand has been a rather gargantuan task (though certainly a labor of love). Add to that our writing of a major proposal and cover-to-cover content for a client project, and sheesh! It's a busy agenda indeed. And no rest for the wicked, apparently, because we have photo shoots and more over the weekend, too.

Still .... we wouldn't want it any other way. Idle hands may or may not be the devil's playthings, but they're certainly no good for business. While we may have a lot to do, it's certainly fun stuff — intellectually stimulating, visually interesting, strategically nuanced. Plus, it keeps us indoors, out of the rain/sleet/snow/general nastiness that is October in Minneapolis.

Still, happy weekend to our beloved fans, and if you're lucky enough to have some time to relax ..... do a little relaxing on our behalves, too!