The sun speaks again.

During the Democratic National Convention, the Sun decided it was time to address planet earth, speaking through its friends at Applied Materials (and one of colleagues at BD'M, copywriter Phil Calvit, a.k.a., the voice of the sun).

The Sun spoke again in today's Wall Street Journal, this time expressing its appreciation for the Congress' decision to extend the Investment Tax Credit which will continue to provide much needed relief to those companies investing in new alternative energy technologies, such as renewable solar energy.

BD'M also created this site to show how Applied Materials is making good on the Sun's promise.

Text message from the sun.

Folks attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver will be greeted by somebody with an important message: the sun.

BD'M collaborated with Applied Materials to create a campaign to reinforce the potential of solar energy, a solution that is increasingly within our reach.

Applied Materials has long been a global leader in the semiconductor business and is now applying its nanomanufacturing technologies to green-tech solutions such as solar, energy efficient glass and lighting.

The DNC campaign consists of newspaper, outdoor, and a cool mobile initiative. Text SUN to 42107...the sun has something to say.

Happy Earth Day

To mark Earth Day I thought I'd give some props to our partners at Applied Materials.

Applied is the global leader in nanomanufacturing technology (literally the manufacture of structures on an atom-by-atom basis). The solutions it provides its customers are responsible for the production of virtually every new semiconductor chip and LCD flat panel display. The same nanomanufacturing processes used in these fields are now being applied to the manufacture of solar panels and energy efficient glass.

Applied's stated mission is to help create a cleaner, brighter future. It's hard to not like working with them. Here's a glimpse of some recent work we've created with them.

Thank you world.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mark Earth Day by recognizing some of the contributions being made by some of the companies we work with at BD'M.

We partnered with Best Buy to help brand and promote its Greener Together initiative to help address the damage caused by too many electronics piling up in our landfills. We need to remember to not just dump an old TV or PC. Bring it in to Best Buy to be safely recycled.

Applied Materials is a nanotech company. So what has that got to do with Earth Day? At its core, Applied helps the world do more with less. Chips that are more powerful yet more efficient. Architectural glass coatings that conserve energy. Flat panel displays that are brighter yet use less energy. And a large and growing solar energy business that is helping to scale this industry to reach grid parity.

And today, our friends at United announced a new program to help eco-conscious fliers do something to offset the carbon footprint created by jet travel.

When companies try to support green initiatives they walk a fine line between trying to do something and being called out for not doing enough. Fair game. But doing something beats doing nothing every time.

On this Earth Day 2009, let's take a moment to say thank you to mother earth, through words and deeds. Perhaps this song will put us in the mood.

Go green

As a passionate fan of the New York Giants it pains me to write a post in praise of the Philadelphia Eagles. But I recently heard of the environmental program the Eagles' organization implemented several years ago and was impressed that a football team would have the courage to lead on a critical social issue on which most publicly traded businesses remain silent.

Go Green was put in place by Christina and Jeff Lurie, the Eagles' owners. The organization has tested carbon-neutral games (using offsets), installed photovoltaic solar panels at several of its facilities, supports re-forestation programs and recycles much of the trash fans leave behind after a game. They've been able to document the positive impact the program has had on shrinking the carbon footprint of the organization and its fans.

This is a good example of how easy it can be to do good if you have the will to do so. Most companies don't do this because the "business case" can't justify the expense. The Luries are doing it simply because it's the right thing to do.

Speaking of photovoltaic solar (how many times in life do you get to say?!), this renewable energy source may finally be poised to deliver on its long held promise. Major hitters are putting their money into the sun. Google recently announced its intention to invest hundreds of millions to help develop new renewable energy sources, particularly solar. And Applied Materials, a client of BD'M, is bringing to bear on solar the same nanomanufacturing technology it used to drive down the cost of semiconductors. If they can be successful in driving down cost, which has been the key barrier for solar, it may make it easy for all of us, consumers and businesses alike, to significantly reduce our collective footprint.

Happy Birthday, Moore's Law.

Today is the 50th anniversary of Moore's Law.  And I'm typing this on a tiny device that is smaller, more powerful and less expensive than any of its predecessors, yet will be larger, less powerful and more expensive than the device I will likely be using in two years time.  

I became enamored with the power and clarity of Moore's Law when I worked with Applied Materials to help market the world changing merits of nanotech. Moore's Law is one of the primary reasons why we live in awesome times, and why business is increasingly more productive. 

Thank you Gordon Moore.

Hard work and luck.

Companies can be customers.  Or clients.  Or even partners.  But to me they have been teachers.  I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with 17 companies listed in Fortune Magazine's 2016 compilation of the world's most admired companies. 

P&G – Coca-Cola Company – Unilever –  UnitedHealth Group – Aetna – American Express – JP Morgan Chase – Hilton – Sony – Medtronic – Applied Materials – Pulte Homes – Best Buy – United – Ryder Systems – Toyota – Ford. 

I continue to learn from all my clients. 

Repositioning a brand.

Last week BD’M presented a deep dive into brand repositioning case studies to identify the strategies that drive success, as well as the mistakes marketers must avoid.

Dave Daily, Christine Dennis and Amber Greenwalt worked with me on researching these cases. We examined repositioning efforts over the last several years across a range of CPG, B2B and corporate brands.
As a starting point we isolated the most common strategies that marketers employ, levers that are often used in tandem for maximum effect:

• New visual identity
• New meaning and context.
• New behaviors (distribution, media, promotion, product, etc).
• New target audience.
• New pricing.

After examining each of these brands we identified seven success factors shared by many of these marketers, and some cautionary notes:

1. Clearly define the problem. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. (Walmart did this particularly well.)
2. Find a new positioning from within the truth of the brand. Be credible. No skin grafts. (Cisco is a good example of extending a core brand truth.)
3. Create tight alignment throughout the value chain. The experience must line up with the advertising. (Few have done this better than Target. Sun Chips is another interesting example.)
4. Change behavior, not just words and symbols. Provide tangible evidence of change. (Hyundai nailed this several times over. As did Old Spice.)
5. Seek inspiration from your best customers. (Holiday Inn conducted extensive research among customers. )
6. Execute a seamless re-launch, no patchwork roll-out. (Holiday Inn seems to be doing this well, with real penalties for franchisees that do not meet spec.)
7. Pre-plan Phase 2 of the re-launch. Demonstrate continuous improvement. (Hyundai has successfully sequenced image-shifting initiatives over time.)

This is just a executive summary of the presentation. If you are a marketer contemplating a repositioning in 2010, please drop me a note (david.murphy@bdm.net) or tweet (@wikimurph). We'll be happy to share our full findings and implications, as well as examples of repositioning work we've executed for brands such as United Airlines and Applied Materials.

21st century advertising.

When I started reading Marc Ruxin's HuffPo piece entitled "The New Creative Department" I was prepared to feel dissatisfied over not having reached yet another moving goal post that defines a next gen advertising agency.


Marc posits that what marketers need in today's media and cultural landscape is "a creative team that can manufacture content in an age where news feeds, social games, Pandora, daily deals, photo sharing, on demand or time-shifted video competes with live television, magazines, movies and radio."


I agree.  And I'm also proud to say that Barrie D'Rozario Murphy is doing this every day for its clients.  When we stand up to give our credentials presentation here's what we show:

• Mobile games to promote United's Travel Options.  (Check them out on iTunes, they've been played nine million times and counting.)
• Station Domination take-over to help Dell connect with hard to reach IT decision makers in D.C.
• Social media campaign for Applied Materials' burgeoning solar division.  (Follow The Sun on Twitter @TweetFromTheSun.)
• iPad app to help Medtronic's customer-facing employees tell the corporate story.
• Street marketing buzz gangs to launch eBikes at Best Buy.
• QR codes for Compellent that imbue static collateral with the sight, sound and motion of customer testimonial films.
• SMS-enabled airport banners to show video demonstrations of United Airlines' new International First and Business Class sleeper seats, as well as a microsite to help road warriors track the roll out.
• Viral film for the Chambers Hotel that won a Gold Lion at Cannes.
• Documentary films to capture the vitality of Del Webb's residents.
• Rich media to allow women to design Chamilia bracelets in the unit itself.
• And, yes, some award-winning TV and print for all our clients.

So what's the moral of the story?  First, I'm proud to partner with Bob Barrie and Stuart D'Rozario and the creative teams they lead; second, it's been my observation that those who write how the our industry needs to change must take more time to observe what successful agencies such as Goodby, Wieden, Crispin, Anomaly, etc. are already doing; finally, let's not call it "creative content" – it's advertising.

Three fools. One good agency.

Only fools would start a company just as the economy was about to crater, and do so on April Fools Day.

On April 1st, 2007, three guys at the top of their game left great jobs and corporate comforts to run away and join the circus.  The result was Barrie D'Rozario Murphy.

The agency was hatched over multiple breakfasts when Bob and Stuart made the tough decision to leave Fallon to launch their own agency, followed by multiple phone calls from Stuart persuading me that joining a 3 person shop would be more exciting than leading Saatchi LA's 300 person shop.  Stuart is quite persuasive.  And prescient.

We call our company a "grown up start up" – a handle Jon Bond kindly gave us one night in New York after we launched, inspired by several martinis and Jon's passion for giving brands a clear positioning.

Three years later, BD'M has earned the trust of marketers such as United Airlines, Bissell, Best Buy, Applied Materials, Compellent, Del Webb, UnitedHealth Group and our founding client, the Sunset Marquis.  Our work for the Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis garnered one of only two U.S. Gold Lions in Film last year at Cannes.  And the 4As named BD'M "best small agency in the U.S."  (Go to our site and read the tongue firmly in cheek ad we ran in the New York Times.)  But we take most pride in the talented people who have ventured from near and far to join BD'M.  We'd be nowhere without them.

A start up?  Not so much anymore.  Grown up?  Well, Bob, Stuart and I are still working on that part.

So this April Fool's Day, do something very foolish and follow your dreams.

Homeward. Onward.

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." ~ Andre Gide

This is one of life's bittersweet moments.  I'm choosing to lose sight of the shore in order to get back to the ocean I love.  After five amazing years, I have decided to leave Barrie D'Rozario Murphy and return home to Southern California. 

Partnering with Bob Barrie and Stuart D'Rozario and everyone at BD'M has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.  Bob, Stuart and I always joked that in 2007 we ran off together to join the circus – an experience I will always cherish and would never trade.  We had fun.  We did well.  Together, we built an award-winning agency that earned the confidence of clients such as Dell, Lands End, Del Webb, Wagner, Medtronic, Applied Materials, Best Buy and United Airlines. Along the way we were named "Best Small Agency in the U.S." by the 4As.  We won some EFFIES and a Gold Lion in Film at Cannes.  Not to shabby for our "grown up start up."

While I'm sad to leave the many friends I have in Minneapolis, my decision to return home is a happy one because it will allow me to spend more time with my daughters, plant roots and have just one place that I call home.  Also, those who know me well know that I'm a sea critter – I am happiest by ocean.  And as luck would have it, Lambesis overlooks the beach.  (Several of my friends told me they knew something was up when I posted recently on Facebook that I was no longer selling my boat.  I have clever friends.)

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

Here's to knowing when it's time to set sail for new lands, and to knowing when it's time to point the compass back towards home.

Homeward.  Onward.

Something a little more important than brands

Several items collided in my head today and made me think how desperately we need to solve our country's energy crisis.

Our clients at United are grappling with the impact of oil at $133 a barrel.  My colleagues in the auto business are grappling with the impact of gas spiraling well over $4 a gallon.  And our clients at Applied Materials, who are now deeply involved in applying nanotechnology to help make generating solar energy more affordable, are grappling with the massive capex bets their customers need to make in order to effectively scale solar into a viable solution.

Solving our dependence on oil is not just an economic imperative, it is increasingly a national security imperative.

We need a serious and concerted effort that joins government and business behind a noble and important goal -- energy independence.  In 1962 President Kennedy rallied the country to go to the moon, and in so doing created a space program that went well beyond putting a man on the moon -- it served as a catalyst for many parts of our society including science, engineering, medicine, computers and education.  Hell, we even got Tang out of the deal.

What if we did the same for clean-tech.  A forceful call to action for government, businesses and universities to invest and collaborate around a single goal -- a safer, more economical, more secure and cleaner country.  

What are we waiting for?

Lessons on integrated marketing inside a box of Crayola Crayons

I found myself today in yet another discussion about the merits of traditional media vs. new media. I wish these terms would evaporate because we’re still trapped in a 1999 marketing dictionary.

Here’s what I try to remember to keep myself sane in these conversations:

If you want to make a 20 year old laugh, refer to the web as new media. Ditto for mobile.

Debating the merits of new media vs. traditional media is as useful as debating television vs. print. It’s all media. What matters is knowing how, when and why you use each.

Digital must be planned as part of the main course, not the side dish. Continuing the food metaphor, Burger King’s Whopper Freak-out made for a good commercial, but the true depth of the idea was found online. One couldn't exist without the other.

There is no such thing as traditional media, only traditional uses of media. Is BDM’s mobile text campaign for Applied Materials “traditional” because it appears on a billboard? Of course not. Conversely, should a not-too-distinctive rich media ad be considered “new” because it appears online? (You get the point.)

Digital has as much branding power as television and print. Television will become a pure digital medium in early 2009, offering the targeting and accountability we demand of online marketing. Which is traditional? Which is the branding medium?

Mobile has the power to immediately transform every billboard, television commercial and print ad into opt-in interactive media. Just add a text call to action instead of a URL.

I believe we learned the basics of integrated marketing at age five when we got our first giant box of Crayola 64 crayons. Before getting this box we drew fairly mundane pictures using traditional colors like blue, red and brown. Then, with 64 crayons suddenly at our disposal, we used every color imaginable (because we could) and made really confusing drawings.

In time, we learned how and when to blend a little green and brown with a touch of wild strawberry and neon carrot. We didn’t debate which one was the traditional color, we just knew they blended together to make for a beautiful drawing.

In praise of the USP

Rosser Reeves, the CEO of Ted Bates, is best known for defining the concept of the Unique Selling Proposition in his 1961 book, Reality in Advertising.

Reeves held that successful brands are those that offer customers a specific and unique benefit. FedEx built its business on a simple USP (absolutely, positively overnight). So did Domino's Pizza (hot, fresh pizza delivered in 30 minutes, guaranteed), Oil of Olay (younger looking skin) and Avis (we try harder).

But the idea of a USP is seriously out of fashion in our business. The speed at which product advantages can be matched make it difficult for many marketers to find and sustain a point of difference. And that's why today, instead of unique products, we rely on unique marketing. Instead of selling propositions, we have theme lines.

GEICO is a great and current example of a successful USP in action -- "15 minutes can save you 15% or more." Having a clear proposition has enabled GEICO to create consistently memorable, engaging and effective advertising. The Gekko. The cavemen. Peter Frampton. Jed Clampett. The creative diversity of this campaign breaks the traditional rules of branding. No cookie-cutter campaign approach. No requirement to invest heavily behind each individual campaign. No single creative format as the basis of brand integration.

Therein lies the power of having a clear and consistent USP. It gives marketers the freedom to be diverse and interesting in a age when people have the attention span of a gnat. GEICO can roll out a never ending series of new and different campaigns without ever deviating from their core proposition. GEICO's investment behind each new campaign is simply part of an ongoing investment in the idea that GEICO saves us 15% or more. And GEICO's USP provides an authentic basis for brand integration.

There are lessons for marketers. It is still possible to find and own a USP. One of my previous clients, Sony Electronics, found its USP (like no other) within the truth of the product. Wal-mart's USP (everyday low prices) comes from the efficiency of its supply chain. Enterprise (we'll pick you up) found its USP in its channel of distribution.

This isn't limited to consumer marketing. BD'M has created a USP for Applied Materials, the leader in nanomanufacturing technology for industries as varied as semiconductors and solar energy -- helping the world do more with less. This isn't a theme line, it's a statement of the company's true north.

Finding a USP requires knowing what's important to customers, creating a unique way to deliver it and aligning every aspect of the brand's value chain around the proposition -- i.e., product, service, communications, experiences, employee training, sales force, etc. Be consistent over time. Most importantly, don't get bored with your own success.

The best small agency in America.

This week Barrie D'Rozario Murphy was selected by the Association of American Advertising Agencies as the best small agency in the country.

The O'Toole Award is a top industry honor for overall creative excellence across a range of clients and media platforms. The small agency award specifically recognizes this accomplishment among agencies of less than 100 people. BBDO won the honor for best large agency, and Bartle Bogle Hegarty was selected as the best midsize agency.

Bob, Stuart and I are thrilled. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the people who work at BD'M, as well as to our clients.

The people at our shop all left good jobs at good agencies to run off and join the circus with the three of us. And the blue chip clients who enlisted us -- such as United Airlines, Best Buy, Applied Materials, Compellent -- all took a leap of faith in hiring a new agency. We will never stop working hard to reward the faith everyone has shown.

We will also never stop being cheeky and having fun, as evidenced by the advertisement we ran in yesterday's New York Times. The response has been fantastic. I think it touched a pent-up desire by many in our business to have some fun, have a point of view and be a bit provocative.

But as we've said in interviews, the ad is in good fun. We're simply jealous of those big agencies!