Yet as the lead article in the March/April NZ Marketing magazine is at pains to point out, “the companies most tenacious in their pursuit of creativity have been the ones outperforming the stock market and enjoying historic periods of financial prosperity”.

The trifecta of:

• creatively led management
• creative marketing
• financial growth

appear consistently when looking closely at the results of advertisers who have had prestigious wins at the Cannes Advertiser of the Year Awards since 2000, according to the article’s author James Hurman of Colenso BBDO.

The article profiles the stock market performance of winners over the last 9 years, which include names well known to most Kiwis; the likes of Volkswagen, Honda, Adidas, Nike and Sony. Even when times were touch and other big names were loosing value on the stock market hand over fist, those that combined creative leadership with creative marketing appeared to insulate themselves to a greater extent than those that didn’t.

Creativity and financial growth – is this just a coincidence?

Normally I’d criticise advertisers who are convinced by their agencies to sign off on overly creative campaigns that seem to do nothing but showcase how clever the designers are – and those nonsense Cadbury ads featuring the crazy eyebrow kids comes instantly to mind. But happily for all designers, there is more than just coincidence when it comes to creativity and financial growth.

We can look closer to home to see the same phenomena occurring with local companies. Whittaker’s have always taken a slightly off beat approach to their advertising (‘batch roasting‘ in a bach – only Kiwis would get that!), and lately have been able to creatively cash in on the mistakes of their behemoth competitor, Cadbury.

Those old enough will remember the Toyota ‘Bugger’ ads which helped to popularise the Toyota Hilux brand in the NZ market in the 1990s ahead of it competitors. Twenty years later and I still remember the ad  – and the brand too! Quite a feat when often the creativity or novelty is remembered but the brand isn’t.

Lately of course, as James Hurman of Colenso BBDO points out in his NZ Marketing article, we can look to Air NZ as an example where creativity at corporate level, and externally in their marketing, has combined to position the company well ahead of its lower cost competitors.

More than just a luxury

Unless you operate in a monopoly, creativity is not a luxury to be shelved during hard times but a real strategy for growing company profits and insulating a business or product against a downward economy. It certainly makes for a better strategy than price cutting!

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Many of us have long-running advertisements to promote our business, whether it’s a repeat advert in the Metropol magazine or even your ad in the Yellow Pages directory.

It’s quick and easy to delegate the design of your ad to the company that’s actually printing the ad. All you do is give them your logo and your contact details and leave them to it. Job done. But all too often, that’s what you get back! An ad with your logo and contact details and nothing else!

Take charge of your marketing

Should we really be going into this so half-heartedly? How much is your advertising budget this year? How much of that is going to this one publication? Some publications charge like wounded bulls for their ad space so we have a strong incentive to take control of what they’re doing to our branding and marketing message.

If we’re going to get the most out of our marketing in 2010, it’s essential to take charge of the message that our promotional materials are putting out there for the world to see.

With that in mind, what are the essentials when it comes to designing a quality advert?

Well the most obvious start is to draw the reader’s attention with an eye-catching design. Your ad’s just taking up space and chewing up your budget if no one takes the time to read it! Once you have the reader’s attention, you need to convince the reader that your company is worthy of a call (or your website worthy of a visit depending on your call to action). This can only be done with:

1. A compelling headline (see our article on how to write headlines that get read)
2. Persuasive copy (see our article on how to write good print ads)

When you’re approached by an advertising provider there are some essential questions that you must ask yourself before going into a potentially expensive long-term contract. Our article, “Advertising – is it right for your business?” goes into more detail.

Finally, never underestimate the importance of working with a graphic design company that understands marketing and takes the time to get to know you and your business – a professional company that works with you to ensure your money is spent intelligently on the design of an advert to get maximum return for your investment.

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But we still buy into these false promises, such is the power of vanity (and stupidity) as a driving force in consumerism.

It’s a fact – we are persuaded to buy because of the ‘promises’ we are given in product advertising.

But how many time does the product just not live up to the promise?

Take fast food as a typical example.
Burgers are always pictured stacked high, bulging with fillings, topped with a nice round bun – nothing like the ones I normally get that look like the after effect of a steam roller encounter.

Advertisers spend a lot of time on product styling – they understand how important it is to sales that their product looks good to the customer.  To do one shot of a burger a food stylist will sort through hundreds of buns to find the best looking one – just like they do when they make our burgers in the store, right? The fillings are all specially prepared, often using non-food items and enhancers to make them look just right. Toppings are carefully arranged, lettuce is tweaked… and this is all before the image goes before a designer experienced in retouching.

Designers will always be called upon to cast their magic Photoshop wand over images. During my design career I’ve retouched grass to look greener (even adding it in where there wasn’t any), removed power poles and electrical fittings from property shots, added hair and removed tattoos from advertising personalities, but it is important for an advertiser, and their designer, to know when to draw the line between fact and fiction.

A customer who buys something based on a false promise, only to be disappointed, will never buy that product again. They may shout their disappointment from the roof tops or remain bitterly silent, too embarrassed to admit they’ve been duped. Every time they see the product they will remember the disappointment – the advertiser rarely gets a second chance when there is so much choice.

Going down the route of the snake oil peddler is not a good strategy for long term product success.

PS: Don’t buy Bircher Delux cereal – contrary to what is shown on the box, it isn’t full of the artfully arranged fruit and nuts. A bowl of milk-soaked cardboard would be just as tasty and lots cheaper!

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As you might imagine, billboards generally have a short life, but during the time they are ‘up’ they need to withstand all the elements. They are generally constructed of sturdy weatherproof vinyl, that all too quickly ends up as landfill.

One innovative NZ company by the name of “WAS” takes the billboard material, combines it with seatbelt strapping, to create unique, sturdy and very funky bags. What an awesome idea! Only recently a friend had shown me a bag made from old seatbelt straps and car floor mats that he had bought in the USA. Seems the idea has caught on here too now.

NZ Paper company Spicers Paper are auctioning a limited edition of 16 of these cool bags on Trademe.co.nz to raise funds for the WWF’s work to save New Zealand’s Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins from extension.

“We think what Spicers Paper is doing in the way of raising money for this project by recycling their billboards into bags, is a fantastic and unique idea.” says Glenda Keegan from WAS Bags. “It fits nicely with their consideration of the environment in their practices/projects.”

“We have currently raised $900 for WWF with 11 bags left to auction off, of which there is a mix if unique designs, including this wicked “nz” bag.” Sheree Grant from Spicers Paper told me.

It is great to see New Zealand businesses combine triple bottom line initiatives in such a creative way.

Check out these bags on Trademe. Search words: Spicers Paper “WAS” satchel.

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On-going talk about recession, Somalian pirates and the fluctuating US dollar all add to this uneasy ride for motorists.

But there is a brighter side to higher fuel prices:

• less cars on the road means less pollution and congestion
• the lowest road toll in years
• a rise in the use of public transport

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Many organisations with a sustainable message send mixed signals with their communications material. The message says ‘be sustainable’ but the method of delivery does not always reflect this.

In this post I am going to give you some of the tools and principles that we use at Hot PJ for designing and producing our printed communications that will minimise the impact they have on the environment.  Most of these will save you money as well  -  highly desirable in any business situation.

When you shape purchase decisions around triple bottom line principles, you will know, that compared with our European and North American counterparts, our choices are limited, due to our market size and location. No more is this true than in the area of commissioning sustainable marketing resources.

The good news is that technology is always giving us new options. An environmental renaissance amongst some producers, such as paper companies, means we now have more choice.

To keep growing the choices in the New Zealand market, we as customers, should continually send our suppliers – our designers, printers, paper companies -  the message that our buying decisions are based on more than just price. If they keep hearing this message, then the time will come when it becomes the norm for all suppliers.

Lets assume you have done all you can to minimise the amount of printed resources you need, but there is still a role for something printed on paper, and you need to manage the production process and delivery in a sustainable way.

Design considerations

To prepare your job for your designer, begin by editing your copy for relevancy and unnecessary wordage. This will make it easier to read and it will take up less paper.

Think about the life of what you are about to print. Can you encourage your users to pass-on the printed material when they have finished with it? Or can you ask them to return it to you, or recycle it by ordinary means?

Remember to include on your printed material information about what to do with it  once the user has finished with it.

Your designer will often play the biggest role in shaping how your message is delivered. Be sure they know your requirements for environmental sustainability.

Ask them to be careful when designing using non-standard sizes. These can often mean areas of wastage or use more resources such as paper or plates.

If you do want to use a different size for impact or a point of difference, check if there will be any paper wastage and consider using the space for printing another job at the same time. You’ll not only reduce waste, but you will get 2 jobs for little more than the price of one. For example, when printing folders with pockets, have your designer lay up your business cards in the gaps on the sheet.

Ask your designer to be economical with the use of inks by limiting the number and size of full colour images. Reducing the image size down so it does not ‘bleed’ off the page means there will be less ink used and minimal de-inking of the off-cuts during the recycling process.

Paper

Choose papers that have a recycled content.

Pre-consumer waste refers to material diverted from the waste stream during the manufacturing process; such as the off-cuts and waste from papermaking and the printing process.

Post consumer waste paper is made from recycled advertising mailers, office paper, magazines, milk cartons, etc. – waste that has been ‘consumed’ and has been removed from the waste stream. To be recycled it requires cleaning and de-inking.

Some argue that paper containing higher post consumer waste is more beneficial to the environment because most pre-consumer waste, such as mill waste, is recycled as a matter of course, and therefore does not contribute to reducing waste to landfill.

However there is a point in the recycling process where recycled material becomes unsuitable as the fibre lengths shorten and will no longer make a viable piece of paper.

Choose papers that have not been chemically bleached.

In the past, most pulp was bleached with chlorine to achieve a white finish which produced carcinogenic dioxins.

Most modern pulp and paper mills no longer use chlorine gases, switching to what is an ‘Elementally Chlorine Free’ processes reducing toxins to below currently measurable levels.

Most papers are now Elementally Chlorine Free (ECF), so in my view this should not be considered a criteria for labelling a paper environmentally friendly.

Better still are those processes that replace chlorination with oxygenation (TCF) by using more benign elements such as oxygen, hydrogen peroxide or ozone.

Recycled papers are generally Process Chlorine Free (PCF), which means they have not been bleached with chlorine but may contain source waste that was originally chlorine bleached.

Ideally you should specify a paper that has a recycled content and is PCF.

Coated paper

Coated papers have a smooth, often shiny finish achieved through an application of a clay coating and adhesives to the base paper.

They differ in look, feel and printability from the fibrous uncoated stocks used for stationery and general photocopying.

Coated stocks are often easier for printers to work with, however they are more difficult to recycle. They create more residual waste in the form of sludge from the coatings that must be disposed of.

Also consider avoiding coloured papers, which have been dyed. These may contain harmful substances like heavy metals that will cause problems when released into the waste stream.

Environmental labelling

Through legislation, European mills have been forced to take on board environmental considerations long before their competitors, so in some respects the papers they produce are sometimes preferable. Remember to factor into your decision the distance and method used to get the paper to market in New Zealand. Look out for paper producers with recognised Environmental management systems such as ISO 14001 or EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme).

If you are unsure of the origin of a particular brand of paper, look for one approved by a reliable, independent, environmental labeling system such as New Zealand’s Environmental Choice, Eco-label (EU), Blue Angel (Germany), Nordic Swan (Scandinavia), or Green Seal (US).

If you are not using 100% recycled paper, choose paper whose pulp has be sourced from sustainable plantations by looking out for the Forest Stewardship Council logo.

Prepress

Before most jobs go onto a printing press they have to go through another stage referred to as ‘prepress’.

This usually involves proofing, filmwork and platemaking. You do have choices that will minimise or even eliminate these stages. This will not only save on cost but will also reduce the overall environmental impact of your job.

Digital printing is used to refer to anything produced on a low cost colour photocopier connected to a computer, as well as a multi-million dollar computer-to-plate offset press. It is this technology that will often speed up production, minimise cost as well as eliminate much of the prepress stage.

At the top end, the quality of the output and the sophistication of the technology, make it ideal for customisation.

Once you have decided which printing process best suits the needs of your job, you can go about selecting your printer. At Hot PJ, we use a questionnaire with our printers, which covers how they manage resources, dispose of their waste and generally minimise the environmental impact of their processes.

Inks

If using offset printing, ask your printer to use 100% mineral-free agri-inks, such as vegetable or water based. Petroleum based inks contain hazardous Volatile Organic Compounds- VOCs.

Mineral free inks are now commonly used and you should not have to pay a premium for their use.

Inks however, still contain substances like heavy metals, clay and carbon to achieve certain colours, and as binding or drying agents.

Most inks can be recycled to make black ink so enquire with your printer about using recycled black ink to reduce the amount of ink waste going into landfill. It should also be cheaper than new black ink.

Special finishes

Special coatings and finishes are often used to enhance the appearance of a printed resource (such as metallic foils and inks), or to protect the surface from scuffing.

Ask your printer about the environmental impact of these enhancements, as some may render the job unrecyclable.  Others use chemicals that require special handling, give off harmful emissions, use heavy metals, or require a clean up process that uses toxic detergents.

Special finishes like laminating are often used to prolong the life of a job. This is not an environmentally sound choice as it is difficult to recycle. Solvent based laminates also emit VOCs, and use large amounts of adhesive. If you must use laminates, use the lightest one you can.

Packaging

Once your job has been printed and finished, make sure your brief to your printer includes instructions on how to pack and deliver the job to minimise environmental impact.

Ask them to minimise the use of virgin packaging materials by re using the wrapping that their stock is delivered in, or use off-cuts of waste paper.

Large jobs can be packed directly into boxes, preferably reused ones.

Ask them not to shrink wrap, or to use large amounts of packaging tape or any plastic strapping.

Conclusion

Your choice of printing process and your suppliers choice of consumables, such as paper, inks and special finishes will shape the degree of environmental impact your printed resources have.

Informed customers are the link that can force suppliers to change unsustainable manufacturing processes and seek out third party certification.

Without consumer awareness and demand, many print production suppliers see no incentive to change their unsustainable practices, and the efforts of those who go the extra mile for the environment are undermined.

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The old adage of ‘take, make, waste’ is still very much at the heart of modern western society. Yet, as it becomes fashionable to be seen as ‘sustainable’, we are seeing an increase in the use of meaningless marketing statements like ‘environmentally friendly’ on advertising and marketing material for all number of products and services.

Recently I saw it emblazoned on a ‘eco-cab’ taxi that uses hybrid (battery/petrol) vehicles in its fleet. Now don’t get me wrong – I applaud anyone who has good intentions towards the environment, but how can a vehicle be ‘environmentally friendly’ – it afterall contains all manner of materials, manufacturing processes and functions that are harmful to the environment.

There it was again – ‘eco friendly’ – used to promote a non-degradable carry bag made of polyester and imported from China. No more eco-friendly than any other reuseable bag.

Google ‘environmentally friendly’ and you’ll find houses, gas companies, plastics, etc., etc., all claiming to be ‘environmentally friendly’.

Customers are not stupid. If you are targeting those with environmental ethics they generally are also well informed on the topic. Using such empty and meaningless environmental statements leaves a company open for criticism. The more terms like ‘environmentally friendly’ is used the more it looses any perceived meaning. Just look at similar unqualified terms like ‘the best’, ‘the cheapest’ that have been so used and abused that we no longer pay any attention to them when we see them in advertising.

It’s time for marketers communicating environmental messages to act more responsibly in their marketing. Those companies who want to be seen to do more than just ‘green wash’ in their marketing should search for real and meaningful environmental statements.

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The best place to start is what “The Natural Step” calls the ‘low hanging fruit’ – that is the easy stuff! But don’t be fooled – even the seemingly easy stuff can still prove to be a challenge. This is because attaining many of these low hanging fruit involves changes in habit. And we all know how hard habits are to change!

To illustrate, lets look at some low hanging fruit around reducing paper waste:

• reduce the amount of material you print, such as emails, reports, letters, etc., by relying more on electronic communication and data storage;
• print only when you absolutely must, using both sides of the paper and in draft quality;
• reuse waste paper for memos, note paper or for printing on the other side.

Sounds fairly easy. But what can get in the way of getting these low hanging fruit? In my experience it’s ‘habit’.

For many of us we have grown up in the ‘disposable’ era – the post-depression land of plenty. When you have finished with something, just screw it up and chuck it in the bin, without even thinking about it. We have lots of other wasteful habits born of years of unconscious behaviour.

Reshaping these wasteful habits sometimes requires dramatic steps. So for those who struggle with implementing even these basic changes with their staff or themselves, the solution is ‘cold turkey’.

Remove all the rubbish bins from your office!

The next time you go to throw something out without thinking there will be no where to put it! It will break the pattern of the habit, forcing you to think and to take responsibility for the waste yourself.

It is the exact same technique that some City Councils employ in public parks. Next time you are at one take a look around. Chances are you will see that those parks with rubbish bins are piled high with plastic bags of dog pooh (my absolute pet hate – pun intended), takeaway packaging, cans and drink bottles, with the remainder strewn around the park grounds. Those without bins tend to be cleaner.

Change always brings challenges, even the most basic. But the key is to be ready for it and to have a plan in place.

Let the journey begin!

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