Patterson/Bach Communications, Inc.

Recently, we spent several months creating a comprehensive advertising and public relations campaign for one of our clients. First we created a number of spec campaigns which we presented to the client. Of these, several were chosen for further refinement and presentation to focus groups (focus groups: a topic for a future blog article!). The focus groups in turn gravitated to one campaign, and the client gave us the OK to run with it.

Done deal. Or so we thought. However, in the middle of developing the campaign, a decision was made to shelve it in favor of another one that had actually been rejected by the focus groups. This meant starting over from scratch under a real time crunch—just the thing that normally causes ad creatives to do what we’re alleged to do best: scream and whine.

But no, we didn’t scream or whine. Instead, we got to work. And so, I’m sharing this story with you to:

A. Pat ourselves on the back for executing this switch with grace, good will and professionalism.

B. Present this as a small lesson in humility (as opposed to the other h-word in advertising, hubris).

Stuff happens

Scenarios such as the one I’ve described happen in our business. Changes, reversals, zig zags and all sorts of unexpected things can happen to a campaign as it goes from drawing board to final production. How an ad agency handles these twists and turns determines many things, not the least of which is how the final campaign turns out.

I’m proud to say in this case that we at Patterson/Bach handled things beautifully. There was no grumping or griping about the sudden turn of events. No whining or temper tantrums. None of the arrogance that’s often associated with creative people and their childish ways. Instead, there was an immediate and total commitment to making the new campaign work even better than the original. We regrouped, retrenched, rethought—and lo and behold, we created a campaign that exceeded the original in its creativity and effectiveness.

By handling the situation professionally, with zero arrogance and 100% commitment to the job, we moved from a rough spot to a very smooth and satisfactory finish.

The moral of the story

Conventional wisdom says many ad people—especially creatives—are temperamental and arrogant, disdainful of criticism and unwilling to compromise their grand creative visions. There’s some truth to this, although it’s not always a bad thing to stick to your guns and fight for what you believe is right.

The takeaway from my little story is … well, a little flexibility and humility never hurt anyone. Sometimes all the pieces fall into place and sometimes they don’t. But regardless, the important thing, the thing that really matters, is doing the job to the best of your ability under any and all circumstances. That’s really what you get paid for, and if you’ve done this, you’ve earned every penny you’re entitled to—and you’re worth it.

When is the last time you wrote a letter to a friend, a service provider or a prospective customer? Chances are it’s been a while. And of course, in today’s world of instant communications, why bother with the time, expense (and icky stamp-glue-on-the -tongue) of snail mail?

Here at the agency, though, we’re seeing the value of a good, old-fashioned letter in a new business initiative we recently launched. That’s right, we’re sending out personalized letters along with other materials to prospective clients—and so far, the results are encouraging. We’ve actually lined up a few meetings along with some “keep in touch” invitations, and in most cases the prospects have called us, a sign that our message is getting through. We’re also dusting off another old-school sales tool a.k.a. the White Paper. We’re starting to send these out via e-blasts, as part of an industry-specific new business initiative. I’m eager to see the results, and I’m betting we’ll get some.

I’m sharing this as a reminder that, as we embrace all the new media out there, we shouldn’t entirely junk the old. Sure, it generally costs more to  send a letter, direct mail, etc. However, used judiciously, these mediums can garner attention and pull results. It may be—irony of ironies—that Dinosaur Age communications appear all the more novel and attention-getting in today’s jungle of electronic media. I don’t know. But I do believe that old-school communications has a place in our new media world—and used properly, the old can be worth gold to smart marketers.

Central Florida Applebee’s franchisees have found a way to make excellent service—well, even more excellent. It’s a high-tech system that allows customers to buzz servers from electronic boxes at their tables. Servers receive these electronic messages via wrist watches they wear on their shifts. Response time is within 60 seconds.

Providing guests with constant contact with their servers is a convenience that works for both parties. Customers enjoy the utmost in responsive service, along with the flexibility of having a server appear only as needed (a plus if you like to take your time before ordering). For servers, the new system helps them provide the best possible guest experience while managing their time more efficiently.

Central Florida Applebee’s franchisees is believed to be the only major chain using this advanced customer service system. At Patterson/Bach, we salute Applebee’s for an innovation that serves both its guests and its employees quite well.