CARVING A PATH THROUGH EXPERIENCE

"The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." - Tom Bodett

My first semester as a Strategic Communication student in the University of Missouri's journalism school was spent in doubt and confusion. I spent the majority of my college career dead-set on becoming a reporter. I dreamt myself on CNN, reporting breaking news around the world. This career would allow me to do what I love; meet and talk with people from all walks of life.

This dream soon faded after actually experiencing reporting. I joined a newspaper staff while studying abroad. Journalism quickly became a completely undesirable career choice. I realized that I am too much of a people pleaser to spend my days prying and reporting on others' lives. The dismal future of reporting jobs didn't benefit the cause.

With a year and a half of college left, I had minimal time to make a switch. I began exploring my options. I discovered few. Most required taking out additional loans and postponing graduation by a couple of years.

I would be able to graduate on time and on budget by switching my emphasis in the journalism school from Convergence Journalism to Strategic Communication. Strat Comm seemed the furthest option from reporting in the Journalism School. I went in, signed the papers and began making the transition.

I began the required Strategic Communications courses knowing practically nothing about Marketing, Advertising or Public Relations. I was a blank slate. By the end of my first semester, my knowledge had expanded minimally. Lectures and readings on the creative aspects of Strategic Communication only taught me the bottom line.

I was first introduced to Account Service during my twelve-week internship at Pure. I read a little about it in lecture but was never fully drawn to the field. After a few weeks as an intern I discovered that it fit my personality to a tee. At Pure the interns had the opportunity to work in New Media, Motion Media, Research, Design, Interactive and Account Service. Nothing felt more rewarding and satisfying for me than completing an account service project or assignment.

To work in account service one must be detail oriented and organized. It also entailed everything I enjoyed about journalism; the chance to communicate and openly talk with different types of people. My time at Pure made me confident that I wanted to continue with Account Service through college and my life.

Posted by Shannon Scott, Intern on August 27, 2010

THE SUMMER I BROKE TRIPLE DIGITS IN FOLLOWERS

As a New Media Intern, it's not so hard to believe that I would revolve my thoughts around the milestone of when I broke triple digits in Twitter followers. Yes, I was excited about this accomplishment for (more than) a fleeting moment. As time went on and the allure of triple digits passed, I realized that the number of Twitter followers I have isn't the only thing growing in my life.

From the beginning of my time at Pure, there has been one thing that has both intrigued and perplexed me at the same time: Pure's multi-perspective approach to marketing and advertising. I love that Pure takes pride in providing many views, takes, and opinions to produce the highest-quality product for our clients. That part intrigues me. And, the perplexing part? How am I supposed to fit into that multi-perspective approach when I'm not sure if I even know what my perspective is?

Although my perspective is and will be constantly evolving, I applied my 3 favorite "Guiding Principles" to my life to help me pin point the most prominent characteristics of my current point of view.

Guiding Principle 1: Client-First

It's ok to want to make other people happy. We live in a world where "looking out for #1" is drilled into our heads, but taking an extra minute or two to put a smile on someone else's face can take you a lot farther in life.

Guiding Principle 2: Responsiveness

As you're living your life, speak up and give your opinion on what you're doing. But, on the flip side, don't forget to ask for help or an outside perspective. You can learn a lot if you open your ears and listen for a minute.

Guiding Principle 3: 100% Satisfaction

My biggest pet peeve is when people complain about things they are completely capable of changing or fixing. If you aren't 100% happy with your career, or where you live, or whatever, please do something about it. Trust me, you'll be much better off.

You may not agree with my philosophy on life, but that's the beauty of using a multi-perspective approach to create the best outcome possible.

Posted by Tori Thompson, Intern on August 24, 2010

PERSONAL BRANDING AND A PURE VIEW ON LIFE

Somewhere along the way someone planted the idea in my head that once I obtained my bachelors degree everything would align for me and my life as an independent adult would finally begin. With my degree would come some magical sense of maturity and an undiscovered skill set that would somehow qualify me to join the ranks of the real world. Being a recent college graduate I have come to the realization that this is not the case and whatever authority figure planted this lie in my head must be stopped before more impressionable minds are corrupted. Please excuse my bitter rant...I was just under the impression that when I got out of college success would find me, rather than me having to find success. That being said, you could say I am somewhat directionless...or just plain lost. For those of you who have a career right now, this information may be somewhat irrelevant. However, I ask you to remember when you first got out of college and had to begin wrangling the monster known as the "real-world."

I have been an intern at Pure for about three months now and have been working in the new media department. Through my experiences with the internship and the work that I have been doing I have managed to chisel out a path that I would like to pursue. Not only have I found a direction for my professional career, but I have discovered some valuable means to achieve my goals. Digital strategy, social media, and online advertising have really sparked my interest and I feel like it is a field I could excel in. What is most important for me right now is getting my name out there, and there is no better way to do this than through the process of personal branding. Old fashioned networking is a thing of the past (lucky for me because I can't golf) and we are now in the era of digital relationships. Managing your online identity can be tricky but the key is to start early and use as many resources as possible.

Personal branding is how we market ourselves to others. Much like any corporate brand, you must determine the message that is associated with the brand that is you. Obviously you want to conduct yourself as a professional at all times, promote your expertise without sounding arrogant, as well as manage whatever downfalls you may have. Establish both long and short term goals and develop a personal marketing plan that reflects them. Once you have an idea of your personal brand, its time to create it. People have been doing this for years, the most common method is the traditional business card. With Web 2.0 and the social media explosion in the last decade, there are endless possibilities in methods of brand creation. Podcasts, video resumes, websites, LinkedIn and Twitter are just a few ways you can shape the content that drives your personal brand. Be sure that this content consistent with your brand message, the goal is to be genuine and show people what you are all about. Finally, it is time to get yourself out there. Let people know what you are doing and become a part of conversations. Figure out who your audience is and pitch yourself to them accordingly. Attending conferences, participating in group discussions via LinkedIn, and blogging are just a few ways to start building your online presence.

I have gained invaluable experience at Pure and have also had some good times along the way. The most important thing I have learned is that knowledge is infinite and should be treated as a commodity. Get as much of it as you can from anywhere you can get it. Find mentors you can learn from, ask questions when you are dumbfounded, and never stop reading. Books, blogs, articles, tweets...all are rich sources of information and should be scoured daily. Starting your professional career is a scary thing and can be overwhelming. It is important to understand there is no light at the end of the academic tunnel, no secret revealed upon graduation that will land you a high paying job, or a roadmap to success. There is only you, your goals, and the drive to make things happen for yourself. Harness the fear, embrace the unknown and most importantly, enjoy the ride.

Posted by Andoni Dieguez, Intern on August 10, 2010

DIVERSITY...

• A variety of something such as opinion, color, or style.
• Ethnic variety, as well as socioeconomic and gender variety, in a group, society, or institution.

I have heard this word a lot as an adult, but I don't think I ever really understood what it meant. Being twenty-one years old and finally getting my first "big girl" job really has opened my eyes to diversity. It's not just having people with different ethnic backgrounds or cultures; it is about who you are as a person. It is the way your parents brought you up and the values they instilled in you, your personality, the things you believe, or even the way you treat others no matter who they are. I think it's the unique things that make you exactly who you are.

At our first class as Pure Interns, we sat in the conference room and they asked us one simple question, "What is something unique about you?" At first I was like ok an ice breaker, I like it. The more I thought about it though, that is the way you get to really know someone and connect. You need to know the deep, silly, crazy stuff about them to appreciate who they are. It might have been a silly ice breaker after all, but I took it as they cared enough to find out who we are and ask the questions they needed to too get there.

A project that brought me closer to the staff was to interview everyone and make classifieds for them. I asked the most off the wall questions, not only to have black mail, but to get real answers. Coming in as an intern is scary and intimidating, but this helped me make a connection with my surrounding peers. They have come from all different areas of the country and had different lives than I had, yet we were able to have similar stories and experiences. This made me appreciate them not only for their intelligence and talent, but for them as a whole.

Diversity is what work is all about. It is bringing all kinds of people together to collaborate and come up with amazing ideas to satisfy a client. If everyone was exactly the same, what would happen to creativity? There would be none. Everyone would do the same boring things over and over again.

I believe Pure hires people who aren't just good at their job, but people who have character. It makes work not only productive and passionate, but fun. When I was interviewed, I was asked what my dream job would be. I said somewhere I love coming to work every day. Pure is that place. Not just the atmosphere, the work, and the passion, but the people.

Posted by Krissey Galli, Intern on August 3, 2010

IT'S ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE

An old adage states, "Life's all about perspective."

Until recently, I never fully appreciated the insightfulness of that quote. The more I live, the more I'm convinced that the value we place on relationships, the risks we take, and even our ability to innovate is 90% based on perspective and 10% based on reality.

I was recently reading an article about how the most unhappy people in the U.S. were not those with the least, but instead those who had lost the most. The basic premise goes that if you grew up wealthy, but you ended up firmly middle class, you were much more likely to be unhappy than the general population. But, if you grew up without much and were able to rise economically to be middle class, you were much more likely to be happy than the general population.

Why? Both sets of adults ended up in the same socio-economic bracket. The answer is simple—perspective.

So much of life is about the perspective we maintain.

This couldn't be more true than the challenges we face at Pure. Since the beginning, Pure has experienced incredible client opportunities and remarkable growth. We've come so far, so fast that we forget where we've been.

Every day, I challenge myself and those around me to test the world, deconstructing the reality we know and building it back up to what makes sense. Sometimes it looks the same. Most of the time, it doesn't. Where deconstructed reality diverges from actuality is true opportunity. It's a different solution to the same problem. It's a different perspective. It's the lifeblood of Pure.

Posted by Brent Beshore, CEO on July 20, 2010

KNOWLEDGE + MILEAGE = INSPIRATION

Recently I saw Henry Rollins do his spoken word thing at the Blue Note here in Columbia. It was a pretty good show (albeit a good hour or so longer than it needed to be). *Side-note - Shepard Fairey did a pretty cool little piece for his current tour. (Shown above)

I think I may be tiring of the recycled Russian Constructivist, propaganda-style aesthetic though.

Anyway, He spoke a fair amount about recent politics, and the spill, which was to be expected - but he also spoke a bit about his creative process, and his obsessive writing. I always enjoy hearing about other creative people's processes, and what inspires them. Mostly in the futile hope that I may glean some insight into my own.

Creativity is an interesting little devil. I've struggled with my own my entire life - it feeding me ideas when I have no means with which to write them down, and then dutifully shrinking away when I need it most, on a hard deadline at 12:00PM, the night before a presentation. It also living in multiple journals and post-it notes scattered about my apartment at times, in complete disorganization concealing the one idea that I need. Hearing Rollins speak about his writing and how closely it was connected to his personal experiences reinforces my belief that really good, original ideas cannot be created in a vacuum. You just have to get out there, you have to do, you have to live, you have to experience, plain and simple (see poster title)...and that's a hard balance to strike, when your livelihood keeps you behind the unforgiving glow of a blank, freshly opened .PSD on a pair LCD screens. But your world, should you want to be really creative, cannot be viewed through that monitor alone, nor your TV, nor the tiny browser window on your smart phone.

I've recently become more accepting of the idea that I simply cannot be creative all the time...like some factory machine churning out shiny new little ideas for the world to see, three at a time, at exactly twenty-minute intervals. It just doesn't work that way. The truth is, most of my ideas just plain suck. But I keep trying until the crappy ideas that I have lead me to that thing that is just plain, well...brilliant! This, believe me, isn't an easy thing for a creative person to admit. We like to believe that we have this masterful control over our ideas, able to summon them at will through a red intercom or beam of light. Closer to the truth is that inspiration, like many things in life waxes and wanes, pops up when you least expect it, and pees on the rug. The trick is not to give up on it completely, but to rather feed it, care for it, nurture it. It took me a little while to realize this. I bought into people's perception of what a creative person is supposed to be when I was younger. Often times, frustrated by its disobedient nature, I'd try in futility to beat it into some kind of WWE inspired sleeper-hold. "GIVE ME THAT IDEA!!!, GIVE IT TO ME!!!...WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?!?!" This is not the way.

Rollins employs a better idea. He travels, he accepts unconventional roles, he questions things - then he comments on them extensively. Another hero of mine, Stefan Sagmiester of Sagmiester, Inc. employs a pretty unique work philosophy too. He actually shuts his office down, to allow himself, and his employees, to pursue their own interests for extended chunks of time...essentially incorporating his "retirement" into the most productive period of his life. The goal here is to allow himself and his staff to focus on those ideas that they are truly passionate about, and in so doing, making the work they do for clients that much better. By using that time he and his staff admittedly become reenergized, more inspired, and able to bring ideas that they develop during this time to their clients. Now, I realize that we're all not Stefan Sagmiester,...and telling your clients to buzz off for a section of months to a year at a time likely sends shivers up and down your spine (esp. in this economy). The point is, that we do our clients LESS of a service by not finding our own way to pursue inspiration. It's easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day. Your work can, and will suffer for it though.

In his frenetic, break-neck monologue Rollins covered a pretty wide range of "subjects"...another worth mentioning was how we can use what we are doing professionally to affect real change. It's an important idea that I think closely ties to how inspired we get by what we do. You see, perhaps the thing that a middle-aged punk-rocker knows better than any other is change. He's seen it. He's lived it. That's what Punk-Rock was all about. Changing people's perceptions, changing what was accepted (or decided for us that we should accept)...changing the status quo, and creeping collective thinking and complacency.

I'll close with this thought. Media is important, yes...and those experiences we have with it too. But, it shouldn't be your entire sphere of influence.

So,...go out and get inspired!

P.S. Stay away from cable "news"...it'll rot your brain.

Here's the link to Stefan Sagmiester's TED talk that was mentioned in this post:http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/stefan_sagmeister_the_power_of_time_off.html

Posted by Frank Corridori, VP of Design on July 5, 2010

Telling Stories with Numbers

Appreciating statistics is far more than simply finding the sum of a column of numbers. The art to it is knowing how best to present the numbers so that the underlying story is told. - Martin Manley

It's certainly no secret to those who know me well that I'm kind of a sports fanatic. I love following many collegiate and professional sports to the degree that I'd describe my habit as being closer to an obsession than a hobby. However, what may come as a surprise to many is that my sports-obsessed lifestyle is rooted in my passion for statistics and research.

When I was a little kid, I was likely one of only a few seven-year-olds to know that Bobby Witt's strikeout to walk ratio was a robust 13:1 in 1990. Numbers like that meant a lot to me when I was growing up, and I studied the backs of baseball cards and team standings in daily newspapers like a day trader on Wall Street who constantly follows their most precious investments. Of course I didn't know it at the time, but the hours spent analyzing numbers on baseball cards set the foundation for what was to be a career in research and business intelligence.

Statistics now play a much more significant role in sports (particularly in baseball) than they did when I was growing up. The era of Sabermetrics, or the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, began roughly 15 years ago and its place in the game is now secure. I admire Bill James who is widely noted as the father of Sabermetrics for his ability to recognize the importance of statistics and how to use concrete data to objectively improve performance on a baseball field. Statistics are a part of our lives every day, and the presentation of data is the variable that is often responsible for changing behavior; which leads me to the quote I posted above...

So who's Martin Manley and what's the point of the quote? Manley is a sports blogger at the Kansas City Star's online news site, www.kansascity.com in which he edits a blog titled 'Upon Further Review.' It's one of my favorite blogs on the Web and not necessarily because it's located within the sports section of the Star's Website. Rather, I appreciate Manley's perspective on numbers and how to use data to uncover compelling and relevant stories.

Manley recently posted an excellent commentary on presenting numbers in a way to tell the best, or most relevant, story. (Rather than summarize what Manley wrote I've included a link to his post below. Trust me, it's a good read.) It's important to note that you shouldn't mistake this point, or the quote, for misrepresenting data to tell an inaccurate story - that's not it at all. It's my job as a researcher and strategist to analyze data in a way that shows clients the value of market intelligence and how numbers impact their bottom line.

From an outsider's perspective, there's what I perceive to be a popular misconception that business intelligence is black and white, truths and untruths, simply hard numbers on a spreadsheet. But that?s largely false. To me, research is more about storytelling and solving problems with a creative flair so that the real, most impactful story is told. Without the ability to relate, researchers are often left with a product that looks like the back of a baseball card, although that's certainly appealing to some seven-year-olds.

Manley's post - Dividing Up Data ... with a purpose

Posted by Michael Urban, VP of Research on June 29, 2010

Perseverance with Grace

I wholehearted agree with ex-US Army Special Forces Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith - I, too, love it when a plan comes together. It sure as hell makes things a lot easier when everything works out. But what happens when even your best-laid plan doesn't succeed? What happens when the bottom falls out and you're tasked with sifting through the pieces?

perseverance | noun: steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success

Staying engaged when everything is falling into place takes little effort. Unfortunately, things rarely work out according to plan. There are always bumps in the road, changes in directions. It's how you handle these situations that make the most impact on how things come out on the other end. You need agility - the ability to continually assess a changing situation and make good decisions to move the process forward. But most of all you need perseverance. The world doesn't stop moving when you sit down to take a rest. The clock doesn't stop ticking when an unforeseen issue stalls a project. Others are counting on you to engage. You don't have the luxury of sitting back to let things work themselves out. Perseverance. It's the sharpest weapon you have when the enemy has you outnumbered.

But wielding a ninja sword doesn't instantly make you a ninja.

grace | noun: simple elegance or refinement of movement; courteous goodwill; an attractively polite manner of behaving

To some, perseverance is the easy part. Put your head down, stay focused and just bulldoze your way to the end. This method can be incredibly successful - if you don't mind some collateral damage. Swinging a broadsword wildly may get you the desired results, but you might also lose a limb or two, or cut down a few bridges you might need later. For me, perseverance with grace is a tougher journey. Being elegant in your actions and courteous to others while working through tough circumstances takes a large dose of patience and a lot of practice. It's much easier to meet challenges with a head full of anger - but prepare to receive anger in return. This does little to solve the issues at hand and move things forward. But a little bit of grace goes a long way. A ninja has both a sharp weapon and the agility to use it gracefully - to strike quickly and precisely - without causing unnecessary damage.

These last few months have shown me the necessity for having perseverance with grace in all aspects of my life. To improve the quality of my life, yes - but mostly because I still really want to be a ninja when I grow up.

Posted by David Anderson, Chief Production Officer on June 22, 2010

What are your rules?

Before Pure I was used to being the client, not the creative company.

But I was ready for a career change, and I knew working for Pure would give me an awesome opportunity. I embraced this new journey, understanding that I had a client perspective advantage.

In my short time at Pure, as an account coordinator, I have learned a lot. Most notably are some rules I created that I strive to work by daily. These rules stem from my experience as the client and are now incorporated in all the work I do for clients.

Question everything

I've learned to think of the "why" behind everything. A co-worker recently pointed out that there's always a reason behind why someone might not like the color(s) used in an ad. It's our job to ask questions to find out why. Usually it's more than they just don't like the color red. I've learned to step back and try to look at the whole picture, not just my perspective.

Remember - we are all people here

It's easier to talk to your co-workers and refer to a client as just that - a client. To me, talking like that is way too stiff. We were all given names for a reason and it's much nicer when we are referred to by our names, instead of "that lady" or "hey, you". Everything becomes more personalized and realistic when we talk about "Bob's communication plan" rather than "the client's communication plan".

Never sit back and wait for orders

When I was the client, I was the one giving orders when working with an agency, and it just didn't feel right. You (the client) have entrusted in Pure's expertise and knowledge so by all means please let me work hard for you. It's my responsibility to know the client's goals and objectives and then find the best solution. Pure has taught me to stop, go back to my passion for creativity and think of alternatives that no one has thought of before. It's not always that easy. Sometimes someone HAS already thought of my new idea, but I have become more than just the order taker.

Exceed expectations

This rule applies to any service organization. I don't think any of us go to a restaurant hoping for minimal service. We always want to be "wowed". As an account coordinator I take the time to learn about the clients industry and current strategies before I offer constructive suggestions. This can be a delicate situation, but it pays off when I help a client better understand their audience and reach their goals.

So there you have it, a few things that I come to work thinking about every day. Life is a learning process, and I am sure that as I continue this journey with Pure's creative geniuses I will gain many more rules to live by. What are your rules?

Posted by Laversa Siebuhr, Account Coordinator on June 15, 2010

Better Pizza. Better Advertising.

For years, Papa John's Pizza has employed the tag line: "Better ingredients. Better pizza." But it's Papa John's main competitor — Domino's — who's making news with its improved recipes and new advertising campaign.

Domino's took the first step by admitting its pizza was terrible. "Worst excuse for pizza I ever had," noted one Domino's executive. "Totally devoid of flavor." At the same time, customers were complaining that the crust tasted like cardboard and the sauce was reminiscent of ketchup.

Once the company improved its pizza recipes, it embarked on a new ad campaign touting the improved taste. While not cutting-edge in terms of its creative approach, the testimonial campaign clearly conveyed the fact that Domino's new pizza recipes were worth trying.

The rest, as they say, is history. Domino's more than doubled its fourth quarter 2009 profits as curious consumers discovered that its new and improved pizza did indeed live up to the billing.

Another company that's benefited from improved products and better advertising is Hyundai. For years, American car buyers regarded Hyundai as a cheap South Korean import with questionable styling, unreliable performance and high repair costs. Then the company began to improve its lineup with the popular Sonata family sedan and Santa Fe crossover. But the real breakthrough came with the introduction of the 2009 Genesis luxury sedan, the 2009 North American Car of the Year.

Today, Hyundai sales continue to skyrocket as a result of improved styling and performance combined with a very astute marketing communications program. Hyundai's year-over-year sales rose 30 percent in April, setting a sales record for the month. At the same time sales of its re-designed Sonata sedan rose 57 percent from a year earlier.

These two examples clearly show what companies can accomplish when they improve their products as well as their marketing messages.

On a Side Note

In reflecting on the Domino's campaign, I recalled the time when I was paired with the owner of four Little Caesar's Pizza franchises on a golf course in San Ramon, CA. When he learned I was in the advertising industry, he asked me what I thought of the classic Little Caesar's "Pizza! Pizza!" commercials from Cliff Freeman & Partners in New York. After telling him that I thought the commercials were both funny and memorable, he countered by saying the campaign had done little for sales. I didn't have the heart (or guts) to tell him that the problem might lie in the product itself. As someone once said, the fastest way to kill a bad product is with good advertising.

Posted by Steve Engle, Creative Director on June 4, 2010

The Wish and a Prayer Marketing Campaign

Overview of Lack of Planning

Over the years, I have been very fortunate to work with many Hospitals and healthcare organizations. What has surprised me the most is the way many hospitals determine their upcoming strategies … they "think" this is how they should proceed. Funny thing is that very little information collection or data is gathered prior to the "think". Many strategies are based on squeaky wheel, physician requests, or simply "this is the way we have always done it" … sound familiar? I have also found it puzzling how spending money on research has become such a low priority for most organizations. It is no wonder that marketing budgets are always one of the first expenditures to go bye-bye … "no demonstrated value, but only pretty pictures" … one CEO said to me.

Too many flavors to Choose from

I was discussing strategy with a friend of mine and she asked "what is the best way to reach my prospective audience with so many options to choose from … social media, television, newspaper, direct mail, etc.?" Again, what did your previously run campaigns net … and was there a measureable gain in patient volumes (always my first question). Every medium claims to have the best way to reach ones' target audience … but, which one generated the growth you desired or expected? Simply stated, which investment in advertising/ public relationship grew revenue for the organization? The newest and greatest is not always the best … the one that nets anticipated results, is! Many factors must be considered … age of audience, gender and ethnicity of audience, success or failure of options under consideration (why constantly repeat something that does not work?), end users of the service line, etc. Each particular channel has success in particular demographics. Sorry for the simplicity, why spend money on media that does not effectively connect with you target audience?

Did the Campaign Move the Needle?

Funny thing about this elusive Needle … very few organizations establish a benchmark prior to the launch of their new campaign. Hospitals will spend money on awards, recognition, and other status filled program. But, will not put into place whether this investment provided some growth of some kind. One CEO said to me, "some of my physicians stopped me in the hall and liked the billboard" … therefore he believed the campaign was successful! This benchmark can be very simple or it can be an extensive market/patient perception analysis showing many data elements for your review and consideration. The time spent to establish this benchmark will be time very much well spent. The successful campaigns always ask the primary question … did this investment give us the growth we were anticipating or enhance our brand or bring in more cases, etc.?

Plan the Work; Work the Plan

Now that some great information/intel has been obtained … the focus should be on quality implementation and a quality campaign. Planning the work has been done … so why limit the quality of the programs you want to implement. This rush to get something out often leads to missteps and "I wish we would have done … ." Plan the appropriate time to ensure quality campaigns … do not feel rushed or pushed, therefore, sacrificing a quality, creative, and highly impactful opportunity.

How the Best are doing it … what my friends are telling me!

Simply stated, the Best campaigns are the ones that are laser focused are specific target segments. Again, what are the needs of the organization … off-set the competition, combat negativity (damage control), new service line awareness, or simply Brand awareness (the Hospital is still here doing great work … and we love our staff and physicians). Each successful campaign or strategy is focused on the potential patient, stakeholder, or some other decision maker; and what he or she needs from the organization. The Best have great data/research/information to best determine winning strategies. I hope "the wish and the prayer" way of marketing will continue moving toward measureable and impactful strategies, whereby research and a plan prevail. Successful marketing programs invest more in data, research, and focused campaigns … failing programs slash budgets and periodically run a few newspaper spots.

Posted by John Williams, Vice President on June 1, 2010

Great Advertising Where You Least Expect It

I'm not going to lie.

Before I discovered my passion for brand identity and strategic communications I made the naïve assumption that any and all successful advertising was created and executed in a major city i.e. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. I believed all creative individuals with a yearning to strategically plan, write copy, and design national campaigns could only be successful if they made the life-changing move to the aforementioned cities. Even after fulfilling an internship on Madison Avenue (think Mad Men, the television series, and the long standing reputation of advertising in New York) at an advertising agency, I still had this slight belief I needed to move to the Big Apple to accomplish my career goals.

Now that I've admitted my naiveté, I can also say that I am wrong. If you had the same assumption, you, my friend, are wrong, too. More and more successful campaigns, including local, regional and national, can be attributed to smaller agencies in even smaller cities. It took several years and internships to realize this, but I have learned a creative individual can achieve success just about anywhere. This is proven true with Pure.

I made the conscious decision to continue my education through a graduate program all while gaining experience in the advertising industry with internships (just call me the Professional Intern). This has kept me in the heart of America and brought me to Pure. We (even though I'm the Professional Intern, they've made me feel a part of their team) have collaborated with mid-Missouri, regional, and national businesses to produce a multi-perspective approach to a campaign. Might I add, these campaigns have been successful, too. Just look at the case studies. Success couldn't have been achieved without the talent, skill, and knowledge of our team members. While I have learned success in the advertising industry doesn't strictly mean reaching a national audience through a campaign, it does mean the effective translation of the informative or persuasive message to your target audience. Either way, because of Pure's approach to branding, clients have seen an increase in sales, strength in fan base, and started conversations to name a few results. This is all possible in the heart of America with talented, passionate people. Who says you have to be one of the Mad Men to make it in this industry? Me, but like I said, I have been proven wrong with Pure.

Posted by Rikki Takeyama, Intern on May 25, 2010

Who Am I Today?

When people ask me what I do at my job, it's kind of hard to explain. In the short version, I say that I get to be on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all day. That response usually makes others wild with jealousy. The longer explanation is that I'm everyone, and yet no one, online. Not so much jealousy with that one.

Since I work in new media, I do get to explore the Internet for most of my day; research, outreach, maintenance … you name it, I probably do it. With that versatility also comes the idea that I need to disconnect from myself and jump inside the head of whatever audience I'm trying to reach. I need to think like another person, in conjunction with myself. Somedays, I'm a pharmacist; others a new mom in her early 30s, or a recent college grad who's looking to buy a certain product. All these people somehow manage to fit in my corner of the office (in the space I've nicknamed "The Thunderdome"). And sometimes, the Thunderdome is a very busy place.

Even with all these identities, I still remain anonymous: being a fly on the wall, monitoring conversations and trends. I wouldn't necessarily call it "eavesdropping", because that would make it sound awkwardly nosy. More like "tactical observation" ( … cue the spy movie soundtrack). I'm there, but not there; remaining long enough to get the picture I need, without leaving a negative impression.

It's enough to make your head spin sometimes, but at the end of the day, I'm still me: sitting in front of my computer screen, coffee in hand, trying to get the best sense of what's out there online. If you didn't know me any better, you'd think I was suffering some sort of multiple personality disorder. Thankfully, that's not the case. It just makes me able to connect with more people on multiple levels, and really see the span of influence and capabilities that technology allows us on a daily basis. The Internet has so much available to us, but it's just a question of bending it to our will. It truly is a force to be monitored and observed, at any point in time. Sometimes I'm on Twitter at 6 a.m., or up commenting on YouTube until the wee hours. As if I didn't get made fun of enough for having my Blackberry attached to my hand …

In the long (and short) version of my job description, I guess I'd just say that I get to be everyone … all in a day's work. Who am I today? Your guess is as good as mine.

Posted by Amy DiFrancesco, New Media Specialist on May 19, 2010

Discovering Marketing

My first "real" job was serving (a.k.a. waitressing) at a fairly nice chain restaurant in Independence, Missouri, during my summer break between transferring colleges right after I turned 18. I put everything I had into doing an amazing job. And I completely sucked at it. Every day that I worked there had at least one terrible experience, from seeing a coworker eat food off of a child's plate she was about to serve to her table, to spilling drinks on two different people in the same day.

On top of all of that, we were encouraged to get customers to buy as much alcohol as possible. Ridiculously expensive alcohol that came with ridiculously huge straws so they would suck it down faster and feel the need to order another.

I was not okay with pushing a monster margarita on a single mother having lunch with her two young children, knowing she was their only ride home. Maybe this place had terrible morals. Maybe I put too much thought into my menial job. Either way, I was not a good sales woman in the alcohol department at this restaurant. Actually, I was the worst. Needless to say, I lasted less than two months before I quit because it was eating away at my soul.

When I used to think of the marketing industry, this experience would pop into my ahead, along with pushy car salesmen and those guys that work at that kiosk in the mall and chase women down to force them to try their lotion. Basically it was something that I, with a fairly timid personality and tendencies toward frugality, didn't believe I belonged as a part of.

Until I started working at Pure. Since I began my job here, my eyes have opened to the world of marketing. I've learned it's not all about pushy sales people. It's about helping a small business get their name out into the world with a great logo, revamping old and cluttered websites so they're more appealing and user friendly, helping a company interact with their target audience through social media and creating amazing commercials that customers will remember.

It's about solving the problem that some businesses have of their potential customers not knowing how awesome they are. At least, that's what we do here at Pure. We don't push or eat off of the plates we serve our clients. We purify awesome. And I love it.

Posted by Adrienne Brigham, Administrative Assistant on May 11, 2010

Sound Like You

I recently finished reading Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, founders of 37signals. The book is composed of a series of witty vignettes that challenge conventional work behavior and culture, in chapters such as "Meetings are Toxic" and "ASAP is Poison." One that stood out to me and I'm trying to work on is "Sound Like You."

It sounds simple, right? But think about how often you type something in an email that you would never say in person? I'm guilty of it. That's for sure.

The authors say sounding like you is less "I apologize" and more "I'm sorry." For me it's more like, "Here are the design files" instead of "Attached please find the designs you requested …" I can convey professionalism and respect when I write and be more authentic and real.

Lately I've been sounding more like me. Whenever I write an email, draft a creative brief or review site copy, and even before I tweet, I ask myself if it sounds like me. I sometimes read out loud while I type. I'm doing it right now. It's a good exercise and a good gut check.

This is not only great advice from a personal and professional standpoint, but also from a marketing standpoint.

When we work with clients to hone their brand message, we talk a lot about voice. What should the message be? How should it be phrased? What should it sound like?

You might say that it should sound "professional," "friendly," "welcoming" and "intelligent." We say it could be all of those things, but first and foremost it should sound like you. There's nothing more refreshing or more authentic than a brand with a human voice.

Posted by Sara Broderick, Account Executive on May 8, 2010

Collaboration

In my humble opinion, forcing yourself to communicate your ideas while soaking in those of someone else is one of the scariest and most exhilarating parts of my chosen profession. In filmmaking, they call it collaboration. In a world run on intellectual property, taking one's mental picture and working on it with someone else's view takes real courage. The strong can let go of their ego (insert waffle pun), and really dig into a concept, often times going deeper than they could have on their own.

Recently, I had the privilege to collaborate with a co-writer and co-director on a comedy. This is something I had never really thought of doing (the "co-" part, not the comedy), and though I was open to the experience, I could see a few obstacles right away. Just like myself, the person I was paired with is often referred to as "a strong personality," and paired with the fact that we don't see eye to eye on just about everything film and pop culture, you have all the makings of a pretty disastrous comedy writing team. Add to that, and a throwback from 80's cinema ala John Hughes or Penny Marshall, there is the fact that we could easily be generals on opposing sides in a battle of the sexes.

So we sat down to write. Our first task: fleshing out the characters with a paragraph bio for each. At our first meeting we determined that there needed to be a couple and their friends, and that was all we knew. We decided to meet again the next day with our ideas of these characters. We left that pre-writing session with our pre-conceived notions and began to design our heroes. Those around us could feel the tension as we both left thinking the next day would mark the first of many arguments in the long road to getting this movie made. Already, it wasn't feeling very funny.

But when our meeting came, and we read each other's character bios, we realized we had nearly the same idea of who these people were going to be. Where we differed, we were able to see the other person's point of view and use that to make the characters feel more realistic. Pretty soon, we were on to writing, and we shared more than a few laughter tears over "hugging the wizard" and "one catlike reflex away from my highlander sword." Also, the word "marinating" will never be the same.

We didn't always agree and we did not always have such great luck with our ideas matching up. But we did realize that writing a comedy about a couple buying a "virgin mattress" was going to take both of us, and both of our life experiences and input, if it was going to appeal to real people. We both became stand-up comedians, exploiting our loved ones and their quirks for hearty laughs, and the end result was a stronger camaraderie and comedy gold. On to the next one!

Posted by Kim Sherman, Producer on Apr. 22, 2010

Odd Job City

My parents, who did not go to college themselves, were very adamant about me going to college. So I went. My goals upon entering were pretty vague and let my transcripts be the record for that. I became disinterested in school and took the safe route of marketing and business administration. I muscled through and wasn't particularly proud of myself on graduation day. My disinterest for marketing was properly equivocated by the indifference of prospective employers in my resumé.

So I just decided to find jobs I was interested in. One of those jobs took me to France for 9 months. I taught English to high school aged kids in a small town called Villefranche Sur Saone. Great times, hard times all in one package. Just before I left for France I met Kim Sherman. We kept in touch and upon returning became friends. Kim thought I would make a good filmmaker. So I bought a camera and we hit the road with our friend and world-ranked pinball player Adam. I didn't know anything about filmmaking but this seemed like a good idea. I think it fit with me because I am not one for fancy resumés filled with bulls%#t and it didn't require me to take a drug test. Not that I do drugs but I was always unnerved by this somewhat ironic employment requirement. Don't most people do drugs while they are in college? A requirement for a lot of jobs is to have graduated from college. Its like a snake eating itself. Snakes scare me.

After deciding to set my own terms for employment I was living deep inside Odd Job City. I met plenty of people who were like minded and had dreams they wanted to accomplish in their own ways. Aspiring radio personalities, real estate tycoons, beer brewers and small organic farmers were a small sampling of those doing any kind of work to pay the bills for the time being. We all discussed new ways of "marketing" our skills to find more work.

While on Craigslist looking for work, I responded to an ad looking to rent a Panasonic DVX100B. This is where I met my future boss. He asked if I could help out on an upcoming shoot. I came out to film women dressed in bikinis surrounded by Harleys. I believe they call them biker babes.

I worked freelance for David for about 8 months while grinding away painting houses and the like. One day he sat me down and offered me a full time job. No interview, no fancy resume full of BS, no piss test … huzzah.

I'm so happy all those marketing job prospects just after college fell through because I now find myself in a great company with great people, deep inside the marketing industry.

Posted by Michael Wilson, Producer on Apr. 16, 2010

How's your attitude?

How is it now where you're standing?
On ground too thin for ice or sand.
I'll mush through deserts of spit and sand for what I want.
What do I want?
What do they expect?

And what did I,
When I put on shoes of rubber that bounce from here to that.
Are you in to that for a living,
Can you live off of this much or that much,
And who the hell are you living anyway?

I climb on hills too thick for fire or breeze,
but I'll blow out just the same on days that measure in feet,
not inches.

I'll tie my laces tight,
but not too tight.
Just let em' bump up against the uncomfortable,
the unconsolable.
So I can walk home whistlin' dixie.

And I'll take my time so I can pick up quick,
and let go quicker,
to relate my meaning.
It's not far now, treasure,
'till I get that Old Southern Feeling.

Posted by Eric Mousel, VP of Visual Effects on Apr. 2, 2010

Invisible Art

Visual effects artists strive to make their work "invisible." There's a good chance every time you turn on the TV you're witness to a visual effect (VFX), and a guarantee every time you go to the movie theater. Yet VFX artists are a rare breed.

To be a successful visual effects artist you must have a keen eye for detail and a healthy blend of art and science. Often, to create a good VFX shot you might play every role in a scene.

You might have to think like a cinematographer to visualize the shot through a lens, or sit in the director's chair to make sure the visual effects help carry the story, or think like an actor to get the timing right and even pull out a tape measure to gather survey data. Even during storyboarding a visual effects artist can be necessary.

Now more than ever VFX are starting to become crucial to the story of a film or even a commercial. A movie like Avatar or District 9 just isn't possible without VFX, and in a movie like 2012 the VFX are the main star and only reason people see it. The same can be said of commercials — take a look at the Miller Lite spot Break From The Crowd.

So next time you're at the movie theater, stay for the credits and take a look at how many VFX artists helped create the film you just saw. Then give them and all the other behind the scene artists a round of applause because its long overdue.

Posted by Josh Johnson, Visual Effects Supervisor on Mar. 17, 2010

Theory of Creativity

I have a theory on creativity. Well, actually I have a lot of theories on a lot of things — on the role of Memes for shaping our personality; on the key to British success in Axis & Allies (stop the Nazis from establishing troops in Africa at the Mediterranean battle, but don't tell anyone I told you!); on why Praxeology is preferred over empirical studies; or how your usage of language influences your perceived reality and hence, how turning an ultimatum into a multimatum (yes, I made that word up) will make your life so much better. But that calls for a "sidebar," as our VP of Production would say, so let's stick to creativity for now.

There is a whole lot about "the creatives" in this blog. Almost as is if it was a different species. "The creatives" seems to be a somewhat defined group, but not really — and some people could be considered in-betweens, or maybe semi-creative? Well, let me tell you what I think. I don't believe that some people are naturally creative and others are not. Being creative is as much of a personal trait as being a good driver — and about as rare a quality.

Everything we do, see, hear, learn, experience, or feel makes an imprint in our brain. The brain is constructed to find patterns and use previous experience to handle current situations and answer new questions. It helps us adapt and work more efficiently in our own milieu, but it also limits our ability to generate ideas and makes us build up a resistance against alternative views and ideas (consciously or not). Creativity, as time passes by, becomes a "problem." Most of us learn quickly how we are expected to react in certain situations, how things should look and what a normal response to given questions should be, and we act accordingly.

The culture you're brought up in, the society you live in, the work you have, the language you speak — it all gives you perceived expectations. Living up to your own and everybody else's expectations is not necessarily a good thing; predictability is good for planning, but makes life terribly boring.

Children are not yet bound by these perceived expectations. They are not afraid to fail, to be wrong, to be laughed at, or to be different. They will pair ideas and connect dots totally unconcerned with the reactions they will receive. A red sock with a pink sock and the sweater inside out? Sure, if that is what they think is pretty! Ketchup on their PBJ sandwich? Why not, both taste good! They will draw cars with five wheels or people with propeller engines on their backs. They will approach any given problem with a truly open mind. And they will keep doing so, until adults tell them one too many times that they are wrong, that it is not real, that it won't work. And they will "learn" how not to be different, and "grow up."

Yeah, I know, I know. Experience, getting older and wiser etc. is not all bad and the reason we don't eat ketchup on our PBJ's is probably because we already tried it and it tasted horrible. But that's beside the point. The problem is much greater than not wanting ketchup on your PBJ. It's about stop challenging habitual routines and already expressed ideas. It's about allowing our brains to down shift. Our brains, just like our bodies, need workout to stay in shape. By allowing ourselves to default to the expected solution at any given occasion, we take yet another step away from our natural creativity. And before you know it, we've killed our ability to think out of the box (but no worries — we won't even realize it). Boxes are good for packing stuff you already own, but are of very limited value for imagining new things and new uses for old things. (Unless, of course, you come up with new uses for the box itself …)

If you ask a child where she or he would put an extra set of eyes they will look puzzled. They will investigate different options, weigh the pros and cons and they'll try to find the best use for this extraordinary opportunity. A large majority of them will suggest a finger or possibly the back of the hand. An adult, however, will tell you that the back of the head is the best location. Is it? With an extra eye on your finger you can investigate the tiniest of spaces, you can look over high fences, and around corners. And you can see what happens behind you, simply by putting your hand behind your back. Surely, the phrase "to have eye's in the back of one's head" makes the adult brain associate the question with the given answer. But given answers aren't necessarily right answers, or at least not the best of the right answers. They are only expected.

That's my theory of creativity. We are all born creative but travel at different pace toward the predictable and boring. What makes many of my friends and co-workers ay Pure more creative than others is simply that they've acknowledged that growing up can be as limiting and restrictive as it is a great experience. You have to work to make your brain work. You have to challenge, evaluate, change, brainstorm, conceptualize, evolve and then start all over again. At Pure, we're children at heart (even if it takes the occasional stress ball fight to remind us). This is what makes Pure leading in creativity on so many levels — we don't rely on boxes, and we certainly don't try to stay in them!

Posted by Susanne Bylund, VP of Operations on Mar. 10, 2010

Staying True to Design

Recently, I started teaching Strategic Design as an adjunct professor at the MU School of Journalism. As part of my syllabus, I prepared and assembled a list of my heroes and influences. It reminded me of the time I spent at the Pratt Institute in New York as a student and fledgling designer (not that I consider myself a master of the craft yet by any means).

The great thing about this process was that it reacquainted me with some of my heroes, and made me think about how excited I was to do the kind of work that they were doing. In the process of gathering relevant material for the class, I came across this TED talk by David Carson. People like David make me think about how important life experience is to success. Here is a guy that went to school for sociology, and ended up pursuing design.

I've heard David admit that it was his lack of formal training in design that initially allowed him to look at things differently. He knew little of the so-called "rules," and was initially playing and exploring. His work became expressive representations of himself and his own experience. I felt that this was a pretty profound point: We are the sum of our own unique experiences. It reminded me that as a creative, the most important things that we can put into our work are ourselves and the experiences we've gathered.

Otherwise, what we create becomes just generic representations of our environment; a stale representation of what we feel like our audience wants to see, rather than that which will move them. It becomes dilute: less powerful, less expressive, less moving. It lacks the very elements of the creator, the things that make us unique, those things that make us … well, us!

I've been reminded where I've come from. I've been reminded to include myself in my work.

Posted by Frank Corridori, Associate Creative Director on Mar. 3, 2010

Artists & Adventurers

So, you think we're pretty creative, huh? You have no idea. I had no idea!

Since my first day at Pure, I've been impressed and amazed on a nearly daily basis with how beautifully brilliant and creative my coworkers are. My peers make wondrous works of art. Some of them pen words that reach your soul. Others see the beauty of the world through the lens of a camera and capture it for the rest of the world to experience; or they craft pictures and visions that inspire dreams. And then, there are some still yet who design the perfect delivery method and experience for these words and visions.

My co-workers are fearless and adventurous. They push the envelope of what's acceptable and been done. They've heard the dream that is Pure and have opted in completely. Coming from the four corners of the world (literally), we are a group of people that have set sail on an adventure full of glory, drama, and texture, determined to prove that an agency of a different color can and will be successful. They do so unabashedly every day, all day.

I refer to them as the creative geniuses of Pure. I have to admit, I'm envious. There are many times that I've wished God had gifted me with these abilities. I wish I was an artist in the traditional sense.

But the truth is I have my own gift. I'm an artist in my own right. I translate and interpret. I'm a bridge. I enable the unique vision of our clients to be fully understood by our team. I deliver truth and art back to the client from my team in a way that is understandable and real.

This is a necessary art form to have on the Pure team. Imagine a person that speaks beautiful French trying to communicate with a person that speaks fluid Swedish. While the sounds may be pretty and alluring, the effectiveness of the communication will be lacking. This is much the same for communication between my two groups of people … the artists and the clients. The interesting thing about creative people is that they tend to communicate in their own unique language. The business world has their own 'speak,' as well … focused on reaching objectives, goals and getting a return on their investment. They tend not to be creative professionals and feel a need to rely heavily on our expertise with a high level of trust. My job is to interpret. My job is to build the trust. I translate. Communication happens and the results are amazing.

My favorite moments are when after all the weeks of working and talking and strategizing, we unveil the work for the client. A moment of silence. A small gasp. And then … "That's it. That's exactly what we wanted."

That moment and a triple grande skinny vanilla latte with extra vanilla make for the perfect Pure day.

Posted by Erica Pefferman, VP of Business Development on Feb. 25, 2010

Is It Friday Yet?

As Pure's VP of Technology, I should probably talk about the future of technology or something. I should talk about the iPad and the dramatic shift in computing paradigms that it represents. I should talk about why Google Buzz isn't very exciting. I should talk about why Flash will go the way of the vinyl record, Betamax, and Google Adwords (oh, is that still around?).

I really should. Honestly, though, there's something that I'm far more passionate about: the flawed concept of "work / life balance."

I hate the concept of "work / life balance." I know, I know; we're not supposed to say we hate things. But I do hate it and here's why: it's bullshit.

The problem is that "work / life balance" implies a contrast between what we consider "work" and what we consider "life." Let me tell you a secret: IT'S ALL LIFE. "Work" and "life" are not opposites. If you somehow don't feel alive while you're at work, do yourself a favor and find better work immediately.

In the same vein, the distinction between work and life creates a scenario in which it's ok to keep a job you hate because, hey, it's just "work." And "work" is supposed to be no fun, right? Wrong. This belief is what has created the near-universal workplace sentiment of TGIF and asking "is it Friday yet?"

No, it isn't Friday yet and we should be thankful. Today matters. And if you're really compelled to wish it away, maybe you should examine why.

Posted by Mark Savage, VP of Technology on Feb. 17, 2010

Perfect Your Process

Perfect your process and you free yourself to be more creative with your outcome.

That was my New Year's resolution for 2010. I wanted to spend more time being creative — thinking about and solving problems, both personally and professionally — and less time figuring out how I was going to find more time to be more creative. Finding more hours in the day is impossible. You have 24. That's it. Wishing for more won't do any good at all. Once I sleep, eat, spend time with my family and friends, bathe, brush my teeth and exercise (not necessarily in that order) and drive my daily commute, I'm left with 8 hours. Eight hours a day to accomplish everything I need and want to accomplish. That should be plenty of time. Except there's email, meetings, answering employee questions and the job of putting out any fires that flare up over the course the day. Waiting in line. Driving to and from meetings. Looking for things that I've lost or misplaced. Racking my brain to remember what all I needed from the grocery store. Driving back to the grocery store because I forgot something. After all that, I'm looking at roughly 3-4 hours that I can actually focus on accomplishing a specific task. My project list, like most people, needs a lot more of my time and attention than I have to give it. This leads to stress, sacrificing family time, sleepless nights and a deteriorating ability to actually focus on projects when I do have the time because I'm constantly worrying about something else I need to be doing or a lingering project that hasn't been finished. Frankly, living like this sucks. And I don't want my life to suck. I need a way to do the impossible — to add more hours to my day.

A few months ago I was introduced to David Allen's book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, via Todd Henry at the Accidental Creative. I'm not real big on self-help books but I decided I'd give it a read and see what all the hype was about. To say that the book has changed how I approach my days wouldn't be fair. I've completely rearranged my organizational structure, meaning I now actually have an organizational structure, not a random collection of notepads and post-its with half legible scribblings and random thoughts floating in fifteen different locations. I won't get into the details of what the book teaches but I will say that having a structure — a real, repeatable, I-know-exactly-where-that-is-and-can-have-it-in-front-of-me-in-seconds organizational structure — has been an incredible boost to my daily creativity. As someone who thrives on being creative, my happiness, and in conjunction my effectiveness, has skyrocketed. I've created a central collection system for everything my brain tries to store. Shopping lists, gift ideas for my brother's birthday, beers I want to try, random creative inspirations, next steps on every project I'm currently working on. Everything goes into the system and gets stored in a proper place (outside of my head) where it's available immediately when I need it. No more worrying about what I need to be working on next or if someone is waiting on me to finish a project. It's all right there in front of me, constantly being updated and adjusted. I can now make good decisions about how I'm using my time and feel good about those decisions. I've found that approaching projects with a clear, guilt-free mind produces better results in a shorter amount of time. Better results in less time? Who wouldn't want that. It took me awhile to get comfortable with this system, but now that it's up and running and I trust it, I don't know how I lived without it.

I'm a creative. I don't like structure. I don't like rules in regards to how I spend my time creating. When inspiration strikes me, I want to be able to embrace it when I choose to, not when I have time to. By utilizing organization to clear my mind and taking advantage of those "weird" moments during the day to move projects forward, I've effectively added more hours to my day. Through structure I've found freedom.

Posted by David Anderson, Chief Production Officer on Feb. 8, 2010

The Market Research Tipping Point

Not long ago, market researchers could confidently build and execute near-flawless quantitative research studies by interviewing respondents in their homes via a landline telephone. Most American adults would reliably answer their telephone at home, usually between the hours of 5 and 9 o'clock, and willingly offer their thoughts and opinions on a variety of consumer-related issues. Although phone surveys are still a recommended research methodology today in many cases, the landline-only household is dying a slow death, and the implications for market researchers are profound.

Early last year the number of cell phone-only households surpassed the total of landline-only homes in the United States. Even more stunning, roughly a third of the country relies almost entirely on cell phones. The reality is that in 2010 most of us live in a wireless world in which we communicate through a variety of mobile devices and on a wide array of social networking sites online. What does this mean for market researchers and organizations like Pure? The answer depends on who you ask but this much is clear: it's never been more difficult for market researchers to reach their targets through traditional research methods. Many believe the industry has reached a tipping point where new and radical information gathering techniques will define the industry for years to come.

However, a silver lining can be found for market researchers in the abatement of landline phones in contemporary America. Consumers from every corner of the globe have found an outlet for their opinions in the digital world, and voluntarily offer their thoughts on blogs, news sites and popular social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. There's little doubt the amount of information from such sources can be intimidating. But the Internet Age has given market researchers an enormous opportunity to connect with consumers in an incredibly efficient way. The invisible hand of the information market has already begun to shape research organizations and define new rules for the industry. Where market research once used to be the practice of solving puzzles, now, I believe, it's the art of solving mysteries.

Moreover, today's market research leaders need to innovate and develop better tools to capture thoughts and opinions from an increasingly distracted consumer. Think about it — Generation Y will soon occupy the nation's most powerful consumer group and will therefore become market researchers' prime targets. Members of this generation were raised on computers, are largely fluent in Internet slang, and think a landline telephone is something that is better reserved for the history books, not households. For those of us seeking opinions from the masses, this means that if you're not willing to invent and internalize new research methods then you simply won't succeed.

Finally, for those of us who are routinely interrupted by a market researcher's phone call at home (typically while you're eating dinner) there is good reason to believe the calls will someday cease. There will be a day where your home phone is no longer the prime vehicle for the delivery of society's most important questions. However, there will always be questions to ask and the inventive, relentless researchers will find new ways to capture and record your thoughts and opinions.

Posted by Michael Urban, VP of Research on Feb. 1, 2010

Surprise! = Recall

Several of my colleagues will likely shun me for this comment, but I've never understood why brands pour thousands of dollars into radio ad placement. Of course I'm biased as VP of New Media, but radio is a constricting vehicle without much room for message variance. In my lifetime, I've only heard two radio ads that I can still recall. The first was an off-tune older male singing a parody to some children's song. I have no idea the brand or purpose of the ad. The other was a safety plea from a young child. Again, I could not tell you the brand or specific message.

Brand recall is vital to marketing success these days. And, I would argue, recall is best achieved through successfully surprising your audience. Although radio ads should and will still be bought, in my opinion new media better offers that surprise.

What's an example of a "new" medium that can offer surprise? A door. Specifically, director/producer Jon Turteltaub's door at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. I had the pleasure of meeting the creative mind behind National Treasure, 3 Ninjas, Phenomenon and other films while working on the west coast. He's passionate about the unconventional element, and, in his office, that element is the door.

In the hallway of the Animation building, Turteltaub's suite entrance looks like all the rest. An opaque door opens into a small waiting room resembling a doctor's office. Directly across the room is an ornate elevator entrance, frighteningly similar to those at the Tower of Terror.

Turteltaub's guests press the button again and again, often growing impatient with the machine. As it turns out, it's simply a door. Turteltaub apparently entertains himself by watching people's interactions and reactions to the disguised office entrance.

Regardless of the personal benefits, his door sends a message about his personality — the Turteltaub brand, which is fascinated by disguise, mystery and the unknown. In one office visit, visitors will remember who he is and why he's different — even in Hollywood. That's the value of unconventional new media: Stand apart and prosper.

Posted by Emily Eldridge, VP of New Media on Jan. 26, 2010

Avoid Branding Malpractice

Integrating your brand into the fabric of your organization is paramount for success. Nevertheless, I'm frequently amazed at the number of CEOs who relegate their brand to "fluff" or something they'll pay attention to only when the budget allows. Gone unchallenged, this mindset can lead a company down the dangerous path of "branding malpractice" and possibly bankruptcy.

It's this shortsighted view of branding that can place a good company at great risk. Their market and mind share erodes so badly that they must spend twice as much to regain a competitive advantage. But it doesn't have to reach this point.

What can be done to eliminate the risk of branding malpractice? The following action items should be carefully considered by every CEO with the responsibility to protect one of the most important assets of their organization: their company's brand.

Understand brand anatomy. Branding is more than logos and business cards. It's the very heart and soul of your business. It's a powerful, compelling blend of the emotional and rational engagements that win and build loyal customers committed to acquiring your products and services. Do a deep dive on your brand by conducting a brand exploration with key members of your management team.

Know the present value of your brand. Your brand's value and overall performance can be and should be measured routinely. Investing in research to benchmark your brand's position and power within the marketplace pays dividends. Consider the use of both qualitative and quantitative research to assess your brand's position. This valuable research data will help you align the strengths of your brand and shore up any credibility gaps that may exist in the minds of your consumers. Armed with this data, you will be ready to establish ongoing indicators to measure and monitor brand equity.

Create brand alignment. Every successful organization clearly articulates its mission, vision and value statements, and many have "culture" statements that personify the organization's core purpose and direction. The hierarchy of the brand must be directly tied to the organizational platform and must properly align with the mission, vision, values and culture of the organization.

As CEO, be the Chief Branding Cheerleader. Brand managers play a critical role in stewarding the brand, but CEOs who embrace and elevate their company's brand to an essential executive metric will jettison the brand forward both internally and externally.

Elevate the brand to the C-Suite. When was the last time you spent more than 3 minutes discussing your brand during an executive team or board of directors meeting? Executive team members can be some of the best promoters of the brand. Without their complete support and active participation, delivering brand promises across every aspect of the organization may become fragmented and impotent.

Create a brand platform. Compose a written brand platform specifically outlining brand promises and goals to best differentiate your company from its competitors. Integrate the brand platform into the marketing communications plan, and share the highlights of the brand platform with every employee. Seriously consider hiring an expert (like Pure) to walk you through the entire brand development process from exploration to execution.

Equip employees. Provide appropriate levels of brand training to all employees early and frequently in order to equip and engage them to deliver on every brand promise. Give employees the tools and motivation to actively live out the brand. Empower employees to become your best brand advocates.

Hire for brand fit. Recruit and retain employees who are passionate about the organization's brand. Seek out individuals who love what they do and are highly engaged to fulfill the company's brand promises.

Celebrate your brand. Harvest customer success stories that demonstrate the company's ability to deliver on its brand promises. Recognize and reward employees for embracing the company's brand.

It's never too late to enhance your brand. Share this list of action items with your management team and devise a plan of action. Your team will be energized, and your company will reap the rewards of building a courageous brand.

And don't hesitate to contact Pure if we can be of any assistance. We'd be happy to schedule a branding exploration session!

Posted by Craig Brace, President on Jan. 19, 2010

Factory Model Doesn't Work

So we can agree that to many of us, the factory model doesn't work. As creatives, many of us don't want to be told how to think, albeit a box to work within isn't such a bad thing. I was thinking of models that don't work — specifically in advertising. Agencies have been the same for … well … ever. Lately the trend to change has become big, but the worry with change is how to make it profitable. That question alone leads to factories, and fighting the factory is what I like to do. Instead I will simply propose a concept for creative companies. Make yourself an emporium for creativity, innovation and thought.

What is an emporium — aside from the movie with Dustin Hoffman?

An emporium is a store or marketplace or trade center that sells a variety of goods or items. Wal-Mart in many cases is an emporium. Applying this concept to a business model could mean high overhead. If we produced widgets from a factory, that factory must retool, rebuild, restructure and rebrand each time it needs to make a new product to fill the emporium.

However, if we apply this same logic in a creative environment, things get exciting really fast. Our brain being the most agile and amazing design factory ever, can retool, rebuild, restructure and rebrand an idea in seconds, moments, instantly. This means that if we can capture said ideas and have them as a collection of thought-based products (its what we sell as creatives), we can more than stock an emporium. If we gather a group of creatives who capture their ideas equally, we can stock an emporium (marketplace). And ultimately, if we as a community joined together and captured our thoughts on our thoughts, we could easily stock an emporium (trade center).

Capturing thoughts isn't a daunting task, you just have to do it. The iPhone's voice recorder is an excellent example. I capture concepts and dialogue (I frequently enact scenes in my car while driving, complete with assigned voices), then email them to myself. Scraps of paper and the countless websites, apps and gadgets can be your tools to start your very own emporium. Once you capture the idea, the key is to catalog it. Why? Easy recall. Normally I can only remember a fraction of a good idea. Why? Because I have tons of ideas (including bad ones) that might occupy space. With my catalog of concepts (read as emporium) I can quickly recall a notion and see if it develops well against a client's needs. Think. Capture. Win.

Posted by Drew Hall, VP of Production on Jan. 12, 2010

Safe is Risky

When times get tough, the tough often get timid. Many marketers cut their communications budgets to the bone with hopes that "out of sight, out of mind" won't apply to their brands. Or even worse, they "pull in their horns" and fall back on creative approaches that can best be described as dull, uninspired and lifeless. All in the misguided belief that troubled times call for "safe advertising."

At Pure, we believe what many people call safe advertising is actually the riskiest of all. We believe it's risky to spend tens of thousands of dollars on creative executions that do little or nothing for brand awareness and preference. We believe it's risky to blend into the background, get lost in the creative clutter and fail to pique your target audience's curiosity. And we believe it's risky to run scared when market conditions call for bold, aggressive action.

The advertising annals are full of examples of how "risky advertising" has proven to be the safest investment of all. Take the famous Volkswagen "Think Small" and "Lemon" ads created by Doyle Dane Bernbach in the 1960s. While most car manufacturers, even now, would cringe at associating these words with their brands, Volkswagen executives had the intestinal fortitude to go with such a bold approach. Why? Because VW and DDB realized that selling cars the old-fashioned way wouldn't work against the dominant brands of the time: GM, Ford and Chrysler.

Chiat/Day's "1984" spot for Apple Computers is another classic example. Conventional wisdom would have called for a commercial extolling the user-friendly virtues of the revolutionary new Macintosh. Instead, the agency chose a much more dramatic and memorable approach. An approach that portrayed Apple as the heroine freeing the world from the domination of IBM. The rest is history. Although the spot only ran once during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII in January of 1984, it was voted the Commercial of the Decade for the 1980s and continues to rank as one of the most influential ads of all time.

Finally, allow me to share a case history from my own archives.

The year was 1988 and Buctril corn herbicide continued to trail its key competitor (Banvel) in both awareness and market share. While my agency had succeeded in boosting sales of Buctril in the two years since winning the Rhone-Poulenc account, something new and daring was needed to take the brand to the next level.

As luck would have it, I had just seen the movie "Down & Out in Beverly Hills." One of the stars of the movie was a talented border collie by the name of Mike the Wonder Dog. In thinking about the movie, it dawned on me that most farmers have dogs as their constant companions. Therefore, why not employ a dog and his farmer/owner as our new spokes-team for Buctril?

Over the next seven years, the Ol' Buck campaign chronicled the humorous adventures of Ol' Buck and his owner as they extolled the many virtues of Buctril. Even though Rhone-Poulenc's director of marketing didn't personally like the campaign, he realized it was doing wonders for brand awareness, sales and market share. Plus, it won a host of national and international awards, including a Gold Effie for advertising effectiveness from the American Marketing Association.

Given the tumultuous economy of 2009, you may be planning "safe advertising" for 2010. If so, we challenge you to alter those plans. With compounding platforms for communication and media saturation, an idea that seems risky at first blush may be the safest approach of all.

Posted by Steve Engle, Creative Director on Jan. 1, 2010

What is Pure?

Since the beginning, Pure has been all about transformational change; about looking at the world in new ways, from different perspectives. We looked at the advertising world and asked the question, "What is the purpose of an advertising agency?" To make pretty ads? To write clean copy? To serve as a brand shepherd?

There are many answers, but one thing is clear — Pure is not an advertising agency.

Pure fulfills many of the same functions as an advertising agency. But at its core, Pure solves problems, problems of communication.

Communication is the lifeblood of society and is as basic as the needs for food and shelter. Communication is the common denominator of the human experience. Communication is what forms relationships, breaks down prejudice, and gives us place in the world. Communication is also the single most important catalyst for innovation and transformation.

Pure is a multi-perspective strategic communications company. Within Pure is a movement to take a bold, unorthodox examination of the way our world communicates. We achieve this through a multi-perspective exploration of the verbal and visual arts, motion media, research, strategic planning/branding, web-related disciplines, and the art of the written word.

While our aims may be lofty, this exploration is not an academic exercise. We live in the real world, solve real problems, and achieve real results. Our exploration influences our strategy and our strategy cascades into action.

Beyond the definition of Pure, our aim is simple: Provide high-impact, innovative, and creative strategies through the use of world-class talent, advanced technology, and proprietary processes delivered to our clients with honesty, integrity and transparency.

Posted by Brent Beshore, CEO / Principal on Dec. 7, 2009