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- July 9th, 2009
The other day, I heard an interview on the radio with the two founders of an extremelysuccessful advertising company: Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval of the Kaplan Thaler Group. The Kaplan Thaler Group went from 80 million in 1997 to 1.2 billion in billings today. That’s a huge jump! Their success comes down to one thing: an internal brand that everyone buys into. What they say about themselves is, “A BANG! Is what we do. NICE is how we do it.” And they sweat the small stuff every single day. Incidentally, Linda has co-written three books: “BANG! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World,” “The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness,” and, most recently, “The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference.” No, I haven’t read a single one…but I plan to.
During the interview, they told one of their favorite stories about being in the moment and listening to what their client wanted. When they asked the CEO of the company with which they were working what he wanted from them, he said, “I am tired of people not remembering the name of the company I work for. More than anything, I want you to help us make our name memorable.”
Later, when they were back in their office, the two advertising wizards decided to brainstorm. They had to refer back to their notes to remember the name of the company it was THAT memorable. They volleyed ideas back-n-forth, but nothing really seemed to gel. They slept on it. They talk about it again. And again. And again. They engaged other people in their office. Those people volleyed ideas around. Eventually, one day, during an informal conversation, Linda, Robin, and a few other staff members were talking about that company again. I think it was Linda who kept saying the name over and over again. Someone in their office was strolling by, listening in on the conversation, when they heard Linda saying the name. “Wait,” he said. “Repeat that.” Linda repeated the name. “Again.” She repeated it. “Hold on…once again.” She repeated it; he moved closer. “Again.” She repeated it. He reached a hand out towards her face. “Again.” This time, before she said it, he clamped her nose shut with his fingers. She said the name. “You know,” he said. “You sound like a duck when you do that.” AFLAC!
Supplemental insurance has never been the same.
The moral of the story is this: they could have been days into what they might have believed was a masterful advertising campaign. However, they didn’t move a creative muscle until they figured out exactly how to deliver on the one thing their client wanted: a way to make that name memorable. The fact that we all know that silly, cute duck is irrelevant. The fact that we all know that name…that makes all the difference in the world.
During the interview, they told one of their favorite stories about being in the moment and listening to what their client wanted. When they asked the CEO of the company with which they were working what he wanted from them, he said, “I am tired of people not remembering the name of the company I work for. More than anything, I want you to help us make our name memorable.”
Later, when they were back in their office, the two advertising wizards decided to brainstorm. They had to refer back to their notes to remember the name of the company it was THAT memorable. They volleyed ideas back-n-forth, but nothing really seemed to gel. They slept on it. They talk about it again. And again. And again. They engaged other people in their office. Those people volleyed ideas around. Eventually, one day, during an informal conversation, Linda, Robin, and a few other staff members were talking about that company again. I think it was Linda who kept saying the name over and over again. Someone in their office was strolling by, listening in on the conversation, when they heard Linda saying the name. “Wait,” he said. “Repeat that.” Linda repeated the name. “Again.” She repeated it. “Hold on…once again.” She repeated it; he moved closer. “Again.” She repeated it. He reached a hand out towards her face. “Again.” This time, before she said it, he clamped her nose shut with his fingers. She said the name. “You know,” he said. “You sound like a duck when you do that.” AFLAC!
Supplemental insurance has never been the same.
The moral of the story is this: they could have been days into what they might have believed was a masterful advertising campaign. However, they didn’t move a creative muscle until they figured out exactly how to deliver on the one thing their client wanted: a way to make that name memorable. The fact that we all know that silly, cute duck is irrelevant. The fact that we all know that name…that makes all the difference in the world.
Illuminate Possibilities 