When marketing people goes to hell

I heard my friend once shouting that marketing is all about lies, about making bullshit and making things incorrectly seen by the audience. I also believe that all lies making us unworthy to go to heaven. So, is it hell that will be our destination?
First, before we go and discuss about the religion and any translations that you would get on the conclusion of the above topic, let us question our most inner heart and our conscience. Are we doing that? Are we full of lies and shit?
In my thoughts and believes about what this company in heading onto, I always have a line that was carried so much in my heart: I believe so much about branding and how it could create value to the product we sell. What we need to do is just to find a strong relevance from the product and turn it into a magnificent value.
I always believe that without a value, you don't have a brand. A product is just a product.
A cold physical nonsense, and you wouldn't like to buy a rolex worth of 30 mio rups then. It's nothing better than a 1 mio seiko.
Because the fact is both watches are the same shit. The same function and the same physical steel made, nothing more and nothing less.
But this world sees that differently. The nature of human that make it different.
People want to be different. People need to be different.
They will always find a way to make himself a different kind.
The special kind.
Some label it as rich, some as intellect, some as strong, some as pure, some as cool.
That is somebody's dream. Everybody has it. Everybody lives on it.
Without it nobody has a goal to grow to in everyday in their lives.
It's what a brand feeds into.
A brand is a dream that people want to be with.
The label that they put in their hands, the label that they want everybody else to judge them into, and the label that make them believe in life.
Well, that is a brand.
And by understanding that, please do one thing.
Analyse your product thoroughly about the one thing that could make the product has a relevance towards the needs of the consumer, on what could make them somebody.
The one thing could make it more than just a product.
It could turn it into a vivid dream.

Example: when we first sell The Pakubuwono Residence, we don't believe on selling an apartment. Instead, we are selling a perfect environment for life.
When I turned the axe positioning around, I believe I am not selling a deodorant, but a magnet to charm a woman.
When we service metro, deep in my mind I am not servicing a department store, I am serving a promotion oriented store, a fun store for women to browse.

It keeps the brand alive. It makes the brand breathe, and walk, and running.
So, look into the brand you are working now. Big or small. Start with a mind that focus into the consumer's need. And find the one thing that could make the product become a brand.
Do not lie.
I am not asking you to lie.
But find the symbolic relevance that all people are trying hard to find in the product to make it suitable in their life.
Something they will be proud to live with.
Something different.

Beginning a brainstorming

Usually a brainstorming a wild process, that consume hours of concentration, and a blind expectation towards where you might end.
You would not know and understand where the road of mind from the team will take you and usually you would just do what you can and pray that it is on the right track.
Hopefully the process of the review will end on some lime light of approval, at some point of the idea and you would say "sigh.. glad some things workout".. and if not it would be a big sigh...
Actually it wouldn't have to be that way.
Expectation is always mounted on the board, all the time.
Here, let me remind us all again: for whatever you are doing, big or small, get used to the habit of creating it as the biggest work of your life, and try to have the mentality of winning an award out of the job you are doing.
Again, big or small.
You used to walk, even blindfoldedly. You can do everything, if you have the habit of doing it.
So..
Always have a reference, a solid reference and a target, on each and everything that you do.
Before going into a brainstorming, dig up some references.
References such as: collection of award winning ads, the great competition ads, or some ads that make you thrilled and make you alive, because you want to do the ads.
Put it in your face.
Breath on it. Live on it. Dream on it.
If needed, make a poster on it, and stick it on the wall where you are brainstorming.
Remember: even a great idea would not be anything, when you are not nailing it right if you are not execute it correctly.
You are what you dream of and how strong you work on it.
You will be short, when you dream short, and work short.
So, pick up your mind.
Build your dream.
Have the most outrageous ideas and execution that might exercise your ability to create.
What is the use of your creativity when you are not exercising it and take a chance on how you would grow?

Please, never stop growing!

To admit that we are in this business means that we have to admit that the world is keep on growing and evolving. Sometimes revolving too. A lot of times, I encourage everyone I meet to not stop growing.
I said it with strong reason, because the world is not stopping. Your consumers are younger and younger with everyday passing by. Your clients are getting smarter. Your products are getting prettier and more efficient and more innovative. The only negative is we are getting older and slower.
If we are only able to keep up a bit with those that are presented in this world, how could we expect to catch up with all the losses that we should have?
Never stop because of anything, it's for your own sake. Never stop because of sentiments, emotions or feeling contented. Never. It will only break you and make you even slower.
Wake up everyday with the same eagerness, with the same curiosity, with the same efforts, with the same strong will to make it the best day you will ever have.
Have the will to close the day with some great surprise for yourself from what you could do.
We are the business where spirit, will and leadership is required.
We are demanded to create something new, innovate something better, and think out-of-the-box. Everyday. Every time a project comes in.
So, never stop growing!
Gave yourself everything you got, and I promise that you will not be dissapointed.
Remember: you never know what you can do, until you do it.
First thing you do is just to believe that you can do it.
Like Einstein, like Edison, like Columbus.
Like you.

Some words for the words maker

There's a good words put on the desktop of my friend, a line that I always use to encourage copywriters to begin their approach on their mind when they begin to make a writing.

"Always pretend that you're sitting besides a woman at a dinner party, and she asks you advice about which product she should buy and where to buy it. Give her facts, facts, and only facts. Try to make them interesting, fascinating if possible, and make it personal - never write to the crowd. Try to write from on human being to another human being in second person, singular. And try not to bore the poor woman to death, and make it as real and as personal as you possibly could."

The fact is: writing is not a hard job, but being a good writer is damn difficult.
Especially if you try harder to write. I have mentioned in my previous writing, some tips to write in a good way. May be now I will add one more advice.
Use your heart. Try to write from one heart to another. Make it as sincere as possible, make it as simple as possible, just like if you are talking with your heart. To your love one.
Make it as short as possible, as positive as possible, and as personal as it possibly could.
If you like, you could use your imagination and emotion, set the mood and situation as per the quote I mention above. Set the music. Set the heart. Set the mind.
And there you go.. and while you go.. one piece of advice: never let anything, I mean anything, disturb the process!
Good luck!

Who are we?

Please let me put a question in your mind for today: who are you? what are you actually doing in your job?
If some of you says: we create ads, then let me follow it up by asking: what is an ad actually? and ask yourself continuously until you find the end of it, the basic element of the question of what is actually you are doing. Hopefully you would find the core of the answer and understand the way your job works.
When I look at it my way.. in my very personal way, I think that I am actually an actor of life.

Sometimes, I write as a woman, then I should know the thought that a woman should produce, the feelings that they embrace, the character that they are building in life, the difficulties that they face, their preferences in their social circles. I'm still learning though..
Sometimes, I art direct an ad as a father, then I should know what is the meaning of a father, the priorities that they are making, the choices of life that they choose everyday, the language of life they choose to carry, the headache they face daily, the love they carry. I'm still learning too..
Sometimes, I become steve jobs, what would he be thinking if he put to face the similar situation? I become neil french, how should I solve the problem? I become jim aitchison, what will he see when he faces the same problems? I definitely still learning..

Be empathical, listen, see, understand every part of life as possible. Open your mind and heart to embrace every different part of life that require your learning. Beacuse life keeps on changing, keeps on evolving and we should keep up.
Find all the different point of view and make it your own library to use it when you need it.
Make sure you record every part of life.
Everything.
From the things that you think is not relating with you at all, until every great thoughts that I think you will not miss..
Be the observer, be the watcher, and when you work, be the actor..
Now, who are you?

A concept, a vision and an argument

Let me put myself as a creative person.
If I'm gonna ask you right now, what is a concept, there would be thousand of answers but nothing is clear of what it's all about. Personally, I believe that a concept is actually a blurry thing, a concept is a conception.. a beginning of thoughts.. the origin of a vision.. a beginning of an idea, the breathe of life of life.
And it will certainly not clear. It's just a scribble of thoughts. A sketch of visuals and some faze line of words that may be or may not be right, but more or less, on a certain direction..
But as days pass me by, I begin to realize, that a concept could be clearer..
It is as clear as a solution to a certain problem.
The presentation of the concept is however, require another trick.
You will face either a creative or account director when you present the concept.
Here's some tips:
- Prepare your concept well enough. Begin with the actual problem that agreed within the team.
- Use your logic to pull the connection between your problem to the concept. If somebody asks you: why the concept could answer the problem? Use your logic well, answer the question by building a strong argument.
- Every part of the problems should be answered well by the argument. Check and check it out again. Make sure the argument is strong enough, either to answer the common logic of the problem and the marketing point of view of the problem.
- Present the argument clearly. As clear as possible, so the concept would suit well to answer the problem.

Okay. There's the route of the thought.
If we are thinking backwards to seek for a concept, then this route could be used as well to find a concept.
First, by asking to understand the problem, second, ask yourself on how to solve the problem? What is the part of the problem that is that so absolute that cannot be ignored (make it a must to be solve, even if the answer to the problem is not making the visual look beautiful, do not undermine it, have it, embrace it, and make it a must. Because it is part of the problem, and you cannot ignore it.).
The last part, create an argument, how can the problem be solved?
Use your imagination, create a vision. Make the vision comes true.