Interview with Seth Gaffney of Fallon

Being an avid blogger and reader, I’ve been reading Fallon’s blog for a while now.  They have a lot of interesting posts, one of which was one entitled “authenticity” by El Gaffney.  It's a very interesting read, especially if you're a planner.  You can read the post here.

I tracked down Seth Gaffney, planner at Fallon, to trade stories about planning, hip hop and random shit that planners talk about...

You're probably known best for your "inbox of immaturity" posts on the Fallon blog.  Can you explain what that is exactly?  Any examples?

Inbox of Immaturity started as a list of links that have circulated amongst my guy friends via email, our xanga page, or some other online forum that (supposedly) offer a glimpse into the lives of the young professional American male. Of course, I’d like to believe it has value in gleaning insights into this audience’s sense of humor, consumption of entertainment and how it changes based on time/events (i.e. when I first posted IOI on March 3rd of this year, there was not a single YouTube link, but on May 8th it comprised over half of the links).

But mostly its worth is in providing a break from work and possibly social currency (in the form of a particularly funny link) to pass onto your own network(s) of friends, coworkers, barbers.

The IOI keeps you in the know, so you aren’t caught hyping Lazy Sunday after Stuart Scott’s already killed it; so you aren’t confused when some dudes are trading “Woo Woo’s” (http://www.ebaumsworld.com/bubbrubb.html); so you have something to talk about with the rest of your planning department (http://www.worldcupblog.org/wp-print.php?p=1134); so you have something to talk about until “Entourage” is on next Sunday (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1706226); and so you know what a camel in a tux looks like (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Is3Z5q5o8U).

What got me interested was your post on brands “keeping it real” and being authentic.  You use Pharrell Williams, mega producer, as a classic example.  But, Pharrell’s authentic for a reason, mostly because he’s “cool” but how can brands really be authentic?

I use Pharrell as the “progressive” marketer’s example. He’s the convenient example; it’s easy to throw him up on a slide just as its easy to talk about your brand’s personality as “real” or “authentic” or even “multi-dimensional” – we have credibility being a lifestyle brand and selling shirts and soft drinks just like Pharrell is a cultural icon and entrepreneur. My goal was to get us brand stewards, creators, and influencers to question our assumptions and especially think harder about the adjectives and people we choose to describe it. Honesty and humanity seem like the evolution of authenticity, but these should hopefully be the cost of entry.

As authenticity relates to cool, the issue marketers face is: How do you maintain both these characteristics and grow without “selling out”? For that, I’d look past Pharrell to Jay-Z who “dumbed down for my audience and doubled my dollars. They criticized me for it but they all yell holla.”

What if brands aren’t cool and what exactly makes something cool?

Your audience doesn’t always want cool—for a brand to make them cool, that is. But they do care that your brand be cool as in true to itself…"A little word of advice: next time you're watching a place, don't claim you own it because you're watching it. Okay? I housesit for my sister all the time, it's not like I claim that I own her house. You know what I mean? That goes for all y'all. Don't pretend to be something you're not. Just be who you are. That's what's really cool." And they want to be in on the secret (acceptance; part of the community)—just how knowing where that quote is from gives you a bit of internal pride (and if others cared, social capital).

Another topic that you discuss is differentiation, on how brands should be standing out from the crowd.  Case in point, look at our art gallery post.  How can brands truly be different in your opinion when most of them are doing the same things?

Wow, there must be a lot of artists out there looking to interpret a boot or the feel behind the wheel of a Lexus. I believe it starts with a story, a reason for being (besides making money). And those who’ve forgotten their soul or neglected their internal culture will pay the price externally.  Practically, you can differentiate by understanding the people who use your product/service better than anyone else (and the role your brand plays in their lives) and then making your offering better fit their wants and needs. From a communications standpoint, look at category clichés and then make it a goal to standout—it’s the lookbook of fashion print ads with models in product, the traffic of car tv spots with open roads, or the literal “sea of sameness” of island destination advertising (insert shameless plug for bahamavention.com). In general, we make it easy to stand out and easy to “displace the competition” using advertising. In many cases, it’s as simple as being realistic about the role advertising plays in people’s lives, which leads to more entertaining communications that at the very least don’t insult people’s intelligence. Being useful to them is a great new goal, not just for communications, but also for product and experience development (i.e. Southwest’s Ding).

With your experience at Fallon, what do you think the real role of planners will be in the future?  Will they even exist?  Before you even go into that, can you explain what the role of a planner is within an agency?

I don’t think I’ve heard a more convincing way of summing up a planner’s role than how Denzil Meyer’s put it: “To find the best way of moving forward.” Whether it’s by uncovering that hidden truth about people, the brand, the category or culture, or finding where they all intersect/making sense of the brand’s world, it’s always about moving forward – inspiring great creative, retro-fitting strategy to sell a great idea, helping give clients a way to talk about (and sell) the brand internally, etc.

Planners will exist. Strategy is more and more important to CEOs. CEOs are more important to marketing directors and marketing directors are more important to agencies. As agencies evolve, they need strategic thinkers to help inspire ideas and explain how they’ll work. The role of planners may start to skew to educators (internally to agency and externally to client) about the world and how ideas spread through it in a way that will benefit the brand.

For all the readers that are still in school at the VCU Adcenter (or any other school), what advice can you give to junior planners entering the industry?

Learn to think critically and find your voice. Just like brands can’t fake it, neither can you. I’ve always loved the job description: “know something about everything and everything about something.” (Should I be citing Russell?). Don’t forget the second part in an attempt to master the first (cause you never will). You’r passions make you who are and give you that unique perspective…and value! Also keep your eyes/ears open for opportunities and be open to ones you didn’t consider as your dream job. Hopefully you won’t have to work and sleep in an agency for a week like I did to get my first gig (DiMassimo AE Survivor), but if that’s the opportunity consider it, especially if you know you want to be a planner. It’s responsible for getting me here today.

What about today, what can planners do today to spark some change internally within their own agency?

Keep the conversation going by appealing to shared goals with the people around you (account, media, creative). Worry less about having all the answers and focus on using your emotional intelligence to guide productive collaboration and help them ask the right questions. Give yourself a reason to be there throughout the process. Make them want you there. If you’re the one thinking about how it’s all going to work, you become invaluable.

One way to gain access to the on-going conversations is to learn by doing and then educate. If you’re the only one in the room who really knows what it’s like to use Dodgeball or SecondLife or other new media because you’ve actually done it, you become the expert by default. Another way is by always having gum or Sour Patch Kids. Be someone who “gets” the agendas in the room and someone that’s fun and smart to have around (entertaining and useful, just like brands).

Random question time...I know that you listen to Hip-Hop as do I, so who do you think is the greatest rapper of all time?

Biggie. I may be in the Midwest, but I’m East coast. Plus, he’d have to be the planner’s rapper; a great storyteller.
Though I have a question back to you: Ever heard “Till’ I Collapse” by Eminem? He gives his answer:

“I’ve got a list and here’s the order of my list that it’s in—It goes, Reggie, Jay-Z, Tupac and Biggie, Andre from Outkast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas and then me.”

Who is Reggie? I can’t be Redman, can it?

I have no idea who Reggie is (does anyone else know?).  Should Kanye West be added to the list?  He might start crying if he's not.

And for those readers that might venture to Minneapolis for whatever reason, what are some local places that they should definitely check out?

112 Eatery, Nye’s, The Walker Art Museum, Psycho Susie’s, First Ave., Barbette, Lake Calhoun, Bulldog NE, Galactic Pizza (my favorite delivery place as pie comes to your door with a helmeted and neon spandex wearing superhero), and of course, Fallon.

Shoot me an email or drop us a note on the blog if you’ll be in town. We’ll take you to Applebee’s.

Seth Gaffney, or El Gaffney to the readers of Fallon's Planning Blog, is a planner at Fallon in Minneapolis. (He likes soccer. Gasp!).  You can contact him at Seth.Gaffney@fallon.com
If you would like to be interviewed for future interviews, please contact Michael Karnjanaprakorn at mikekarnj@gmail.com