It’s only fitting that CUBED Creative Director and resident outspoken opinion-giver, Dave, will be jetting off to Sydney this Thursday to give his two cents worth as a creative judge at the 2010 ADMA Awards.

CUBED and ADMA have enjoyed a close partnership for years now. Mike Chuter was Chairman of ADMA in Victoria,  Kim McDonnell tutored the ADMA Direct & Digital Marketing course for 4 years, plus we’ve competed in (and won) a couple of ADMA pitch challenges, not to mention creating the artwork for ADMA events.

So Dave’s taking his role as a judge very seriously. He’s already packed his best red pens and is setting his standards high.

And, after warming up by judging the ADMAs, he’ll be jumping on a plane heading for Europe and the USA. We can only assume that in London he’ll be judging the weather, in Boston the tea and in Miami the vice. (He won’t tell us why he’s going to Amsterdam).

Anyway, Bon voyage Dave. Be sure to send us a postcard.

Popular mechanics
When I was 21, I used to get around in an illegally low jet black ‘67 Falcon. It ran 10 inch rims on the back, had a chrome scoop sticking out the hole in the bonnet and gear drive which combined with a straight through exhaust made it sound like the test lab at Boeing. Neither my parents, my neighbours or the cops were impressed.

Me and my mates thought it was the bomb.

I used to spend as much money on tyres as I earned, I was a regular at the Calder Park street drags, at the Sandown Park V8 touring car races and the NASCAR events at the Thunderdome. My Dad would probably tell you no good came of this misspent youth. I beg to differ.

At the time I thought it was both big AND clever to go as fast as I could whenever and wherever I could. To me a red light was just another invitation to drop a burnout soon as it went green again, in fact I have a nasty feeling there’s a hole in the ozone layer that can be directly attributed to me and that car.

But one day my mechanic set me straight. He ran his own sprint car team, just country speedway sort of stuff, but a race team all the same – so I listened to him.

Anyway after one of my somewhat regular visits to fix something I’d broken he told me about the 90% for 90% rule.

It applied to his team then, and it applies to all of us now.

The 90% for 90% is as obvious as it sounds, you go fast, you stay on top of your game, close to the leaders, but you don’t give it 100% until you can see the finish, you keep that 10% in reserve until you really need it.

Whether you’re pushing yourself, or whether you’re pushing your people, expecting to get 100% for an extended length of time isn’t thinking long term. Run anything at 100% from the get go and it will fail before you’re halfway done. Trust me on this.

So if you’re on the ragged edge right now, ease back, focus on what’s important, get it done and get it done well, but hold that bit back for the final lap, because when you need it you’ll be glad you did.

Like I said, obvious really, but sometimes we just need a reminder.

d

P.S. Fletch, tell your parents I’m sorry it was me doing donuts in your court that night.

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In the brave new world of social media where the fan and the brand are now on the same level, but the multinational computer company releases the hounds on the little Aussie supermarket for having a stylised “w” that looks a bit like an apple as part of its corporate identity, the matter of who owns your brand and how you police it becomes a very grey area.

Now, I’m nothing if not unoriginal (I even stole that line), but even I don’t want this to be just another blog about big brands and how they ought to lighten up a bit.

So I’ll keep it small.

Personal even.

Natalie Imbruglia being that person.

In 1998 she had a massive global hit with the song “Torn”. It sold a million copies in the UK alone (that’s copies kids, not downloads), it was in the US Billboard chart for 14 weeks and won both ARIA and MTV music awards.

Even today it’s still the song most readily identified with her. You’d think she wouldn’t want anyone dicking around with that.

Yet in 2005 English comedian David Armand did just that, in character as ‘Johann Lippowitz’ – an Austrian interpretive dance artist – a performance of his mime to ‘Torn’ went viral and was seen around the world. And to be fair it is very funny. But it’s borrowed interest (like all the stuff I get from Wikipedia) and it’s hardly doing anything for Brand Imbruglia is it?

What to do then?

Sue? That’s what Apple would probably do, have the legal department to get medieval on his ass.

Turn a blind eye? Coca Cola did that with the Facebook page that was started without their permission, it now has 4,129,366 fans and they have left control in the hands of the pages’ founders, they even occasionally supply content. True story.

But Imbruglia chose to do neither. She embraced it. In 2006 at the ‘Secret Policeman’s Ball’ the Amnesty international fundraiser, she got up and performed alongside Johann Lippowitz. The audience loved it, how could you not? She had shown in one single act that she was not just a big enough person to be able to roll with the punches, but big enough to take back ownership of the song again.

I think it’s brilliant.

Apple, watch and learn.

d

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Last year, singer songwriter Regina Spektor released a song that became an instant favourite of mine.

You see, I’m a big fan of good word-play or a clever turn of phase, this time it’s just a lyric got straight to the heart of something.

Musically it might not be your cup of tea, it’s not all that different from the sort of thing Alanis Morissette puts out. But unlike Ms Morissette who once released a song called “Ironic” wherein she proved that she didn’t actually understand what irony was at  all, (which is itself is quite ironic), Ms Spektor knows her  subject matter.

“Laughing With” is a song that at its core is one of ad-land’s  holiest of grails, an insight.

She’s just making an observation about society’s views on religion and faith. And the human condition. That it’s ok to take the piss when everything is going well, but placed into a situation that’s gone seriously pear-shaped our attitude changes somewhat.

Ok, it’s not rocket science, and she’s not going to trouble the Pulitzer board with this, but is that the purpose of a pop song anyway?

If this were a bit of advertising and if it got peoples’ attention, made them take a second look and sold lots of product I’d say it’s more than done its job. Look, I know music is subjective, but then so is art, and design, and advertising, but if we could build all our creative around an insight, how much greater the chance we’d connect with our audience.

“Laughing With” ended up going to a very respectable number 14 in the US singles chart, which might suggest I’m not the only one who heard it and thought “yeah that’s what I think too”.

d

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We’re rolling out the welcome mat and breaking out the cupcakes to welcome Stefanie Digianvincenzo aboard as CUBED’s full-time copywriter.

Stef is an award-winning writer who’s been honoured with several ADMAs, including a craft award for copywriting within her first two years in the industry. (It’s a bit like scoring a best actress Oscar on your first acting gig.)

Our Creative Directors, Dave and Kate, worked with Stef previously and are thrilled to team up with her again at CUBED.

So welcome aboard, Stef! It’s great to have you here.

Not Compact Discs, but Creative Directors. Two of them.

Dave Scott and Kate Lightfoot joined us this August as part of our ongoing strategy to become a bigger, stronger agency.