Show and Tell

I am enamored with marketing, advertising, and innovation. But I can't keep up with it all. There are only so many hours in the day. I have a job to do; clients and employees to whom I'm responsible, a family who needs my attention. But I refuse to accept that. If I'm not observing, inhaling, or learning, then I'm not doing my job. I'm in advertising and marketing, I have to know what is going on at all times.

It is an impossible task. One I can't do, even if I didn't have all of the aforementioned responsibilities. So how do I keep up? I surround myself with great people. Some of those people share the same passions as me. Others don't, but provide me with the honest feedback I need instead.

On Friday we had our first Show and Tell day. Shane, our Creative Director organized this interactive meeting and timed it with a weekly "Happy Hour." See, I often get frustrated that others don't share my excitement for advertising. I was starting to wonder, is it me? Am I lousy presenter? Are people afraid of me? Are people simply afraid of public speaking? The last is rhetorical, I know that most people are. So maybe that is it. Maybe trying to get people excited to share new ideas in front of 25 others on a Tuesday morning is not realistic. So Shane came up with the idea of doing it at the end of the week supported by food, drink, and a completely voluntary atmosphere. And it worked.



With about a 75% turnout, Shane started the meeting by showing the latest webisode from The Office. Why didn't I think of that? Almost the entire company shares a love for The Office. Two minutes later, the ice was broken, everyone was warmed up, and the show and tell had begun. Shane then showed something else which led our CTO Kevin to show a very politically incorrect, yet hilarious YouTube episodic program. Next Shane showed what they did to promote the TV show, Dexter, in the UK, which reminded me of something I'd seen recently that asks you to type in your friend's name and instantly there is a 4 minute video on your friend being positioned as the latest Presidential candidate. Then JP showed Mixwit, a site that allows you to create and share your mix tapes. So simple, yet so brilliant.

Mission accomplished.
Company participation - check!
Engagement - check!
Embrace of innovation and advertising - check!

Why / How did this happen? Why couldn't I get this excitement in weekly meetings? Because I hadn't followed these rules.

1. Optimal participation happens at the very last hour of the work week.
2. Let someone else run the show (preferably your Creative Director if you have one).
3. Have food and drink (Google swears by this and brags that most or all innovation happens around food).
4. Don't expect everyone to participate, but watch their reactions. You can't do that when you are the presenter. You're too worried about getting your information correct and not screwing up the message.
5. Play the auditor and if you are going to showcase, do it briefly; crowd source knowledge, observe, and learn.
6. Just have fun and don't expect to change the world.

I can't wait for next week!