THE MATRIX - CHANNEL STRATEGIES

Saul Bass is famous for the his quote"Design is thinking made visual." Nothing rings more true for designers of all sorts (editorial designers, ad creatives, environmental artists and UI/UX designers). We designers see ourselves as problem solvers— interpreters of the complex, distillers of the relevant. After years of experience making sense of the things that sometimes don't, I've learned to curate best practices for how to start the process of solving the most difficult communications and design problems.

It starts with identifying what you expect to achieve with your work. In today's media chaos, we are competing with a lot of white noise and it's more important than ever to consider the where, when and how of design and content activations. For small or emerging businesses, I recommend creating a Matrix....THE MATRIX that outlines all the possible outlets for communicating with your intended audience. Consider the outlet (channel) attributes and keep in mind what the desired outcomes are for any initiative you choose to promote, market and sell. From growing brand awareness to converting transactions for event tickets to encouraging donations....there's a strategy behind integrating multiple activations across different channels to achieve desired outcomes.

To expand on Saul Bass' "Design is thinking made visual"concept, I say, "Design is a MATRIX of strategy and cadence that elevates ideas and makes believers".

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THE CEVA

What made Don Draper of MadMen such a fierce creative director capable of making a grown man cry during a pitch to KODAK? I call it the CEVA.

The Carousel

It's no secret that the best advertising and marketing campaigns revolve around great stories. So, what makes for a great brand story? What makes a brand stick and stand out in today's media chaos? It's all about making a meaningful connection. That sounds simple, but it's really very difficult to achieve. Different brands and target audiences call for different connections and message tactics. Some brand stories lend themselves to witty banter while others are best represented with emotion or nostalgia.

In one of my favorite episodes of Mad Men, Creative Director Don Draper pitches an advertising campaign to Eastman Kodak. It's the kind of pitch every Creative Director dreams of delivering and, although it's fiction, it offers the perfect example of a brand story that makes a meaningful connection.

It's not a wheel. It's the carousel.

“Nostalgia - it’s delicate but potent."

Don Draper's fictional pitch inspired me to create a scorecard/matrix for gauging the success of a brand story/ad. If a brand story can deliver on all four of the questions below, it's awarded what I call the CEVA...a winning meaningful connection.

CO-CREATE

Does ad invite viewers to co-create the story?

EMOTION

Does ad create emotion?

VALUES

Does ad connect to brand’s values?

AUDIENCE

Does ad allow audience to impart their own

meaning – take away overall brand message?

In the fictional CAROUSEL pitch, Don Draper allows the audience to co-create the Kodak story by allowing them to reflect on their personal stories—family, love, what's important.

I hereby raise a glass to any advertising campaign that achieves the CEVA—long live making meaningful connections in today's media chaos!