The Best Ads Make You Laugh, Or Cry
Corrections or additions?
These articles by Kathleen McGinn Spring were prepared for the
April 4, 2001 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Working a Room? Try These Icebreakers
The hospitality suite is full of laughter. Groups of
well-dressed men and women, sporting name tags on their lapels, lean
close to hear one another’s jokes and industry gossip. Waiters
circulate
with trays of bacon-wrapped water chestnuts and liquor flows at an
open bar. However inviting the scene might look to a passerby,
actually
walking in scares the pinstripes off a good many otherwise confident
executives.
“A huge part of working a room is getting your fear under
control,”
says Lisa Westerfield, executive vice president of SRE Inc.,
an environmental consulting firm based in Nutley.
Westerfield makes a good 70 solo entrances into crowded rooms each
year. Finding the experience unnerving, she spent four months
researching
the dynamics at play, and how to use them to overcome fear. She now
helps others cope with a situation many find as intimidating as public
speaking. Westerfield speaks on “Building Bridges with Broken
Ice: how to work any room” on Thursday, April 5, at 6 p.m. at
the Central Jersey Women’s Network. Cost: $35. Call 908-281-9234.
Westerfield, who earned a bachelor’s in biology in 1980 from Monmouth
University, started her career as a lab technician at Union Carbide,
but “knew early on I was not meant to be in a lab.” After
earning an MBA at Monmouth, she moved into sales because her mentors
at Union Carbide told her that was the best route into management
in the chemical industry. It turned out that she enjoyed sales, and
as she moved up the corporate ranks spent a fair amount of time
seeking
contacts in rooms packed with strangers.
Not always comfortable with plunging into a situation where everyone
else seems to be surrounded by lifelong buddies, Westerfield sometimes
pretends that she is an eagle — strong, independent, and free
— as she sizes up the room and prepares to plunge into
conversation
with strangers. Visualizations like this are just one of several
tricks
she has found effective in working a room:
Give yourself time. Upon entering a room, whether fora business function or a social occasion, it is okay to wait a whilebefore striking up a conversation. “We get so focused on ourselvesthat we are our own worst enemy,” Westerfield says. “Whatpeople are most afraid of is sticking out like a sore thumb.”Be easy on yourself, she suggests. “Learn to be alone for a while,and be comfortable. Let the dynamic of the room take place.”Those who have trouble standing alone comfortably might try anotherof Westerfield’s visualization techniques. “Pretend you’reinvisible,”she says. Enjoy the art on the walls, the buzz of conversation, aglass of wine, and take away the pressure by imaging that no one cansee you.Move in gradually. Get a drink, fill a plate with food,and then perhaps drift over to a congenial-looking group. Listen towhat they are saying. If it is personal, move on. If the topic isgeneral, wait for an opportunity to add a comment. “Small groupsare tough,” Westerfield says, suggesting a large group as a betterinitial target, because “If there are 10 people, everyone willassume you know one of them.”Become good at small talk. You warm up before you workout, Westerfield says. Use the same philosophy in working a room.The warm-up for networking is small talk. “When you mentionweather,people take your temperature,” she says. Chatter about animpendingblizzard, or the Oscars, or Bush’s latest gaffe gives people a chanceto decide whether you’re funny, smart, pleasant. It gives them achanceto begin to know you. People who barge right into a sales pitchwithoutengaging in some light banter are unlikely to do well at working aroom.Chum the waters. Striking up a conversation with astrangeryou might want to do business with is like fishing, Westerfield says.”You could say `This is my first time here. I’ve heard this isa great place to meet small business people. I just started a smallbusiness.’” The idea is to “give people several pieces ofbait.” With luck, she says, “They’ll pick up on one.”If not, you can ask your conversation-challenged companion if anyoneelse at the event is in your situation.Prepare to move on. Finding someone — anyone —to talk to is the goal of most crowd-phobic people. But that is justthe first step in working a room. Cling to the first person who sayshello, Westerfield says, and you will be perceived as needy. Besides,the goal of attending a gathering generally is to make a number ofbusiness or social contacts, and that is hard to do while rooted toone spot. “You want to mingle in, and mingle out,” Westerfieldsays.Set goals for the event in advance, Westerfield says, and let themhelp you to move around. Perhaps you want to meet three editors oflarge circulation outdoor magazines. Memorize their names, and thenyou can ask your initial contact if he knows any of them. If so, hemay take you over and introduce you. If not, asking him to keep aneye out for them and let you know if one arrives will give himsomethingto do. “People appreciate this,” Westerfield says. It’s fairto assume that many, if not most, of your fellow event attendees areat least somewhat uncomfortable. Giving one of them a job to do willhelp him circulate, too.Play host. A good way to work a room is to seek out peoplewho are standing alone. You can introduce yourself, find out why theyare attending the event, and then offer to introduce them to someonethey might want to meet. “If you walk in to a room and you’reonly there to take, people will pick up on that,” Westerfieldsays. “If you’re a person who gives, it’s easy for others to giveto you.” Helping someone else ease into a room may win you afriend,and, besides, “introducing him may help you meet people with whomyou don’t have an obvious connection.”Despite all the preparation and visualization in the world,some rooms just can’t be easily worked, Westerfield says. Her husbandran into that situation when he accompanied her to a homecoming.”Hesaid no one wanted to talk to him,” she recounts. “He wasright.” Everyone was there to reminisce with old pals. The bestadvice she could give her husband was “don’t take itpersonally.”Even in less challenging gatherings, working a room can be far frombusiness contact nirvana. It is most often a first step in arelationship.”Sometimes,” Westerfield says, “the best thing you cando is take a business card, and call later.”— Kathleen McGinn SpringTop Of PageComputer AdaptationsWriter’s block can come as frequently as a common coldfor adults in the workplace, but for those with a learning disability,that ailment can be as virulent as the flu. Nevertheless, somehow,everyone must write the necessary reports and memos in order tofulfilltheir work responsibilities. The latest computer gadgets can help.The Newgrange Educational Outreach Center and Adaptive TechnologyCenter for New Jersey co-sponsor a conference on technology for thelearning disabled on Friday, April 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.at the College of New Jersey’s student center. It will focus on howcomputers change the writing process for people with learningdisabilities.Cost: $97. Call 609-419-1999.The Newgrange School is a Trenton-based independent full curriculumday school for ages 8 to 18, suitable for bright learning disabledstudents, dyslexics, and those not reaching potential(www.thenewgrange.org).The Newgrange Educational Outreach Center has its offices on CollegeRoad, and it has programs and resources for those concerned aboutlearning disabilities found in individuals of any age.”Any adult with a learning disability that affects reading orwriting can come to this seminar to get an overview of the latestassistive technologies to help them reach their full potential,”says Deardra Rosenberg, director of outreach at NewgrangeEducationalOutreach Center. Writing, organization, reference skills, use ofonlineservices, reading of electronic books, and text to speech synthesisare among the skills that can be enhanced by technology, saysRosenberg.”We are encouraging teachers to use computers and other assistivetechnology to help students feel self confident and express themselvesat a high level. Many have difficulty with spelling and handwriting,but these tools give them access to more efficient writing,” saysRosenberg. A graduate of Towson University, she has a master’s degreefrom Montclair and taught high school for 15 years in Mendham.Richard Wanderman of LD Resources keynotes the day. In his earlyyears Wanderman struggled with dyslexia; only in college did he learnto express himself without words through art, particularly workingwith clay. He was able to improve his self esteem by learning torepairengines and do rock climbing, but his first experience with a computerwas what dramatically improved his writing ability. Even just theuse of a spellchecker was innovative then.As one of eight workshops, Brian Friedlander, psychologist andauthor of “Engaging the Resistant Child Through Computers,”will lead a workshop on how the use of Alpha-Smart (an expensive andversatile keyboard that students may use for writing and taking notesin the classroom) can help elementary students.An art teacher at the Newgrange School, Mike Gerrish, will tellhow to use art and computer technology to deliver information in anew way, to stimulate nontraditional thinking and combat lowself-esteem.Three teachers from College of New Jersey, Amy Dell, Anne Disdier,and Ellen Specht lead a hand-on lab working with technologytools for adults (www.tcnj.edu/~technj).Karen Pike, coordinator of the Lower School Learning ResourceCenter at Princeton Day School, will lead hands-on sessions forsoftware— Kidspiration, for the younger elementary school child, andInspirationfor the grade school and high school student.Though the conference is primarily geared for educators, parents,and human resources personnel, it is also an opportunity for adultswith learning disabilities to survey the smorgasbord of the latesthigh-tech helps. Some of the learning aids discussed in workshopsfor the high school and college level will prove useful for anyone.Particularly intriguing is the Inspiration software, which sells for$29 in the introductory version and $60 for a single user(800-433-6326or www.inspiration.com).”The Inspiration software, for instance, can help all writers,even those without disabilities, to unlock and organize theirthoughts,to create outlines and `mind maps’ so they can write more effectiveessays and reports,” say Rosenberg. Users select a symbol to representa thought on the mind map. “A mind map,” she explains,”mighthave symbols of main ideas that branch into subtopics and smallerdetails.”And, if someone has too many ideas, this software helps show whatis really pertinent before the writing begins. Sounds like a surecure for writer’s block.Top Of PageThe Best Ads Make You Laugh, Or CryB>Richard Cook, who retired in January as head ofJohnson & Johnson’s Advertising College, recalls his biggest impulsepurchase. “My wife needed a new car,” he says. So the couplewalked into the BMW showroom on Route 1. While his wife was speakingwith a salesman, “I wandered off,” says Cook. “And therewas the M3, just looking at me. It was silver. I was 59, or whatever.It was an entirely emotional purchase.”Cook says that advertisements for cars are notorious for tapping intoemotions. Envy, self-esteem, joy. You name it, and car advertisersuse it. But the emotional element is present in many purchases, andthe smart advertiser, whether it be a conglomerate or a cornerretailer,will find it. Cook speaks on “The emotional component incommunications— advertising examples from around the world that use emotionsto promote and persuade” at a CAMA meeting on Tuesday, April 10,at 11:30 a.m. at the Doral Forrestal. Cost: $35.After leaving school in England at 16, Cook served in the Army forthree years, and then began a 42-year-long career with Johnson &Johnsonas assistant to the advertising manager. He traveled around the worldfor Johnson & Johnson, to more than 100 countries. Among otherpositions,he was vice president of marketing in Canada, Japan, and South Africa,before founding and heading up the Advertising College.The Advertising College brings employees together for a week or soat a time “to encourage them how to think, to follow a process,to work effectively with their ad agencies.” It is an opportunityfor employees from disparate countries to get together. “At ameeting in Singapore, you might have people from Korea, India,Japan,”he says. “It’s always a kick for me, all this shared experienceacross borders.”Now some three months into his retirement, Cook continues to rackup experiences. He has joined the faculty of the Advertising Collegeon a part-time basis. “I’m just back from Malaysia,” he says.He is also embarking on a career as a voice over artist. His wifeencouraged him to take a course at the Learning Studio in NorthBrunswick,and he has taken some training in New York. He is now sending outa demo disk to radio stations.Cook lives in Lawrenceville with his wife, Mary, the personneldirector of the PrinVest Corporation. His two sons, age 15 and 18,are students at the Lawrenceville School.In his Advertising College sessions there are representatives ofdivisionswith wildly different budgets. “It might be Tylenol in the U.S.with a multi-million budget or Saudi Arabia with $500 to spend,”he says. “It’s not the size of the budget, but how you think.”The same is true for mining emotions through advertising.”I always believe in the emotional element,” Cook says.”It’sa very important piece of a lot of successful advertisements.Advertisingis there to address needs. People have wish lists, rational andemotional.Some of the bigger decisions are made on emotional grounds.”Advertiserswho want to use insight into emotions to sell should consider theseapproaches:Look at emotions we all experience. The emotions are notalways obvious, Cook says, but they are almost always present.”Howdo they fit into advertisements?” is the key question. Volkswagen,he says, is masterful at finding and using those emotions. Throughthe years, the company “rarely went under the hood. Rarely spokeof the tires, the springs, and all the rest of it.”In one of Cook’s favorite advertisements, Volkswagen plays tocustomers’feelings of self-esteem. “A stylish lady, who looks like PrincessDi, comes swinging out of a London mews,” Cook recounts. Dressedto the nines, she sheds external tokens of wealth, tossing aside herfur coat and stowing away her rings. She looks at her car keys,considering,then walks over to her Volkswagen. “She takes the keys, taps thewheel, and drives off,” Cook says. “It’s a marvelousmoment.”The autonomous woman, driving her destiny, appeals to customers’self-esteemand pride, he says, adding “Who wouldn’t associate?” Thismini-drama taps into inner feelings, he says, as do all the bestadvertisements.Be careful with negative emotions. Joy can be fairly easyto convey. “Love and bonding, mothers and babies, everyone lovesthat,” Cook says. Emotions like fear and insecurity are just asimportant, he says, but require sensitivity. “Don’t ignore theemotion,” he advises, “but present it in a way that ispositive.”He thinks Johnson & Johnson has done a good job of this in productslike Tylenol, Clean and Clear acne medicine, and even Procrit, aprescriptiondrug that treats the fatigue that may accompany chemotherapy. Hepointsto tag lines for the products, “Clean and clear and incontrol”for the acne medicine and “Take comfort from our strength,”for the pain killer, as examples of accentuating the positive.It has long been accepted that “Emotion is fine for fast movingconsumer products,” Cook says, “but it can be used for thingsyou wouldn’t think of.” Prescription drugs fall into thiscategory,he says, talking about how emotion is used in ads for Procrit. Theads acknowledge how chemotherapy can cause people to lose energy anddrive, and go on to show how the drug can help. “In one,”Cook says, “a veteran had walked in Veterans Day parades for manyyears.” Fatigue associated with chemotherapy caused him to missa parade one year, but as the commercial continues, he is seen backmarching after taking the medicine. “It’s so beautifullystaged,”Cook says. “You get a lump in your throat.”Avoid cliches. While the proud veteran, returned to normalliving, stirs Cook’s emotions, he has no patience for over-usedadvertisingimages meant to tug on heart strings. “I get awfully sick ofseeingold people dancing ’til dawn on ships,” he says. Ditto for elderlycouples in swings or “biking furiously across hills.” Notonly are these images pulled out far too often, but, he says of thehyper-energetic seniors, “that is the last thing they would bedoing.”Don’t let emotion stand alone. The emotional element inan advertisement must fit into the overall message. It must be a partof the two key questions that form the basis of all advertisement:What is the opportunity to be grasped? What is the problem that hasto be solved? “It has to be allied to the benefit,” Cook says.”It must relate to the need. The emotional element is not justthere to make you weep.”Top Of PageArt for the RailsThe program for New Jersey’s upcoming Council on SpecialTransportation TransAction convention is full of fascinating entries.There will be workshops on terrorism. Sad, but not surprising. Butthere also will be seminars on transit villages, biking, alternativeuses for abandoned railroad tracks, public/private collaborationson transportation districts, and historic roadways. Art is among themany subjects not automatically associated with mass transit thatis on the agenda.Sue Wehmann, originator and manager of NJ Transit’s TransitArts program, speaks as part of a panel on “Transit Villages,Transit Friendly Communities, and Transit Arts,” at the 25thAnnualNew Jersey Council on Special Transportation conference and expo,running from April 10-12 at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City.Cost $255. Call 980-903-1077.A 1978 graduate of Rutgers University, Wehmann began her career asa sports writer. She also worked as a technical writer and as apromotionalwriter on Wall Street before joining NJ Transit, where her firstassignmentincluded outreach to residents of communities to be served by theHudson-Bergen light rail project. Early on, the idea of incorporatingart into the new rail system took hold. That was in the mid-1990s,and since then, art in and near rail stations has spread throughoutthe state. The installations add esthetic appeal, and, says Wehmann”give communities more of a sense of ownership.”Federal funds of up to five percent of the construction cost of railprojects are available for art. For the Hudson-Bergen project, $2.5million has been spent, and $5 million is budgeted for the secondphase. Other art projects have been incorporated in or are beingplannedfor a number of stations, including Camden, Edison, Plainfield,Newark,New York City, Trenton, and, of course, Hamilton, where NJ Transitworks in partnership with the Grounds for Sculpture.Wehmann explains that NJ Transit does not just go out and buy art.The agency assembles a panel to choose art for each project.Typically,there is input from artists, local arts organizations and historicalsocieties, the New Jersey Council on the Arts, urban designconsultants,and engineers. In addition to suggesting sites for freestandingsculpture,the advisors look at structural elements of the stations asopportunitiesto incorporate art. Wehmann says seating, wind screens, canopies,pillars, and fencing all are possible candidates.Commissioning art is the next step after sites for installations havebeen chosen. The goal, says Wehmann, is to “celebrate the culturalheritage of the community.” Artists from around the country areinvited to submit requests for qualification. No preference is givento New Jersey artists, Wehmann says, although a large number of NewJerseyans are represented among the 40 artists who have beencommissionedto create 60 works. “We’re really looking for the highestquality,”Wehmann says.Art in train stations not only makes a more pleasant environment forcommuters, but can also be a positive element in attractingdevelopmentand pedestrian traffic. Wehmann points with pride to the Martin LutherKing Drive area of Jersey City as a spot where an attractive stationhelped to encourage positive development. “The area was in suchdisrepair,” she says. “There were mattresses, old tires, justa real mess.” That was some seven years ago. Now a new stationsits surrounded by a new post office and attractive stores. SaysWehmann,”It’s a completely different community.”While NJ Transit has commissioned art in a number of forms, includingmobiles, aluminum sculptures, and bronze maps, don’t look for thesort of dung-decorated pieces that cause such as stir at the BrooklynMuseum of Art. “No controversy,” is a NJ Transit rule, Wehmannsays. And, so far, there has been none. Neither, she is happy to note,has there been any graffiti or vandalism.Next StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
