"Don't waste a good crisis."

Last night I attended the final Conversations about the Future of Advertising (#CATFOA) event for 2009. I was excited to go to this particular event because the founder and CEO of Big Spaceship, Michael Leibowitz, was speaking.

Michael's presentation focused on evolving from the mindset of creating "ads that people will love" to one of creating a value exchange between brands and their audiences. I agree that marketing is value exchange. It is not about capturing attention but about earning attention through respect.

He also discussed the major infrastructure issues facing advertisers and agencies. These challenges encourage opportunistic thinking: "Never waste a good crisis." In other words, NOW is the time to try something new and different. Take some chances. Push your boundaries.

Probably the most interesting aspect of the presentation was his views on work-place culture. Culture is key to creating great work. People need to feel comfortable expressing their opinions and appreciated for the work they are doing. To quote Michael indirectly, he wants his employees to feel like they work in the best place on earth. By creating an atmosphere of collaboration in which all employees are considered "creatives," they are able to create internal and external projects that push boundaries. Also, another great piece of insight: "Don't hire assholes no matter how talented. They will kill your culture."

I've been a fan of Big Spaceship's work for years. So, getting the opportunity to hear about their work, their culture and their founder's views on advertising/interactive marketing was great! I'm impressed with almost all the pieces of work I've seen.

Just to give you an idea of some of their work, here's a few internal pieces they produced:




And here is a motion demo of one of their best-known and award-winning pieces, HBO Voyeur:


A full recap video of Michael's presentation can be found here. I'd love to know what others think of his insights!