Continuing Discussion Part 2: Artistic Tile’s Ad Campaign
The following is my email to Jan at Artistic Tile asking if I could post her response to Carole, and then her reply to me. (After Jan’s note, I added a few notes of what I learned from this whole exchange.)
Hello Jan -
Carole Fuller forwarded to me her email exchange with you (which was
generated by my blog post), and I would love to post it. It is very
helpful, when the opportunity arises, to present the point of view of
the advertiser with regard to a campaign that is being discussed.
I’m sure my readers would learn a lot from seeing both perspectives,
one way or the other.
Would it be acceptable to you if I posted your email response to
Carole Fuller in my blog? If not, I will certainly honor that.
Thanks for your time,
Andrea
***
Andrea –
Thanks for asking — I wish, however that you had taken the time to ask
about our process, our strategy and our success with the campaign before
you wrote the original piece. Obviously you now know that our campaign
in no way "got by" our Founder and CEO, and she was not taken advantage
of by a thoughtless ad agency. These facts may not have gotten in the
way of your opinion about the ads, but perhaps you would have refrained
from a position that presumed that for some reason our CEO got
bamboozled. You might also be interested to know that we have received
many more congratulatory remarks about the campaign from women than
negative ones.
I understand that blogs are meant to be opinions and not journalism, but
still it would have been thoughtful of you to get both sides of your
story. The whole write-it-first-and-ask-questions-later approach does
not in my opinion serve your readers well. So, while I believe that the
ship has sailed as far as your readers are concerned, please do post my
response to Carole’s email, and this one.
And lastly, while I am sorry that we will not be able to help you with
your future tile needs, I must also say that I will not turn to your
blog for fair reporting about women’s issues, because I cannot depend on
you to research your topics to my satisfaction. Having said that, it
nonetheless makes me happy that people are out there talking about
women’s issues, and I applaud you for doing so. Most of all, thank
heavens we live in a country where all opinions are welcomed, and
whatever the timing, I thank you for asking for mine.
Jan
***
(I apologize for the formatting problems below. I wanted to get this posted, so I didn’t take the time to fight typepad, for now. Thanks for your patience.)
A few of the marketing to women lessons woven within this exchange:
-Get feedback from the women in your market before you launch a campaign. Based on my research, sexual innuendo can be tricky and depends very much on an advertiser’s inside knowledge of what will resonate.
-Learn to welcome negative comments and the exchanges those inspire.
-Positive responses to campaigns may not give you the real picture of what customers think. Research shows that for every person that complains to a company, there are 25 people who don’t bother. So, go out and get the customer feedback from those 25.
-Regular interaction with a customer database can be worth more than expensive photographers and copy writers.
-It pays to be aware of what is being said online and via blogs about your company, because it gives you the chance to stay on top of any issues or give your point of view.
A few of the blog awareness lessons within:
- Blogs are opinion and the hope is to open a discussion and give anyone who is interested a chance to learn and comment.
- Knowing that they are not journalists, who are paid to do thorough research in advance of publishing, bloggers are more able to acknowledge and correct mistakes.
August 16th, 2005 at 7:34 pm
Andrea, you, at least, know how to be authentic. If only others were so well-versed. THIS is what it means to be authentic, and transparent. Although, really, isn’t it about being honest and respectful? You’ve got what it takes. I wish others did. Thanks for posting this. It’s a lesson learned for us all. (pun not intended.)
August 17th, 2005 at 9:39 am
Andrea,
Perhaps Artistic Tile and their (well-paid) ad agency could have taken a cue from Delta Faucets, who recently launched a campaign with a similar link to fashion - faucets as fashion. But Delta took the high road and didn’t show half-naked models (male or female) and certainly didn’t use a copywriter who depends on puns instead of brains. As a former copywriter and journalist, it’s my opinion that these headlines are totally lame and communicate nothing other than the writer’s own laziness.
I applaud you for taking a stand and for posting the entire conversation! Bravo, sister.
August 18th, 2005 at 1:44 pm
I think that the photographs are very well done, and I kind of like the concept. (And no, not because I’m a guy.)
That being said, anytime you create a sexy ad, you’re going to alienate some people. It’s a given. Artistic Tile (or their agency) should have understood this when they green-lighted the project.
Now… while the photography and art direction are great, I’m not so stoked about the copywriting. It completely changes the context of the images from fashion to… puerile. If anything, that is what is dragging down this whole campaign.
You can make your tiles sexy and stylish but you have to be very careful to keep your focus. Who are you trying to reach and what are you trying to say? You’re either Vogue or you’re Maxim. You can’t be both. This is a good example of a project that either lost its focus or wasn’t completely thought through before launch.
Independently of that, thanks for defending the blog as a medium. You make great points.
August 18th, 2005 at 4:40 pm
Thanks for the great input! This has been an enlightening conversation, for all involved, I’m guessing. And, to be sure, it was the copy more than anything else in the AT ad campaign that seemed “off.” I loved the input from the guys on both this post and Part 1 - it provided a helpful, and necessary, balance in points of view.
August 19th, 2005 at 9:58 am
Defending the Right to Prostitute Your Business
Thanks to Andrea Learned’s posts on Artistic Tile’s ads this week, was one of those weeks where I wish I didn’t restrict myself to only updating this blog on Fridays.
Concerning Artistic Tile’s provocative ads, Carole Fuller (…