Mirren Conference: Breaking the Rules of New Business, Alex Bogusky (Crispin Porter + Bogusky)

Welcome to the Tuesday morning keynote address.*

*A keynote in corporate or commercial settings will lay down the framework!for the following program of events. It will also flag up a larger idea.

I’ve been working in marketing for 28 years.

Most of that time at Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

I shared a small space with 15 other people in 1988.

We now have more than a thousand lunatics in the asylum.

“Alex Bogusky and Crispin Porter + Bogusky is

everything that is wrong with advertising.”

-Adage

Somewhere along the way, we got pretty good at new business.

In fact, we have never lost a new business pitch in our history.

Eventually, we got clients without a review.

I will tell you the secret. We cheated.

Cheating.

They teach us our whole lives not to do it.

But who made the rules? Why don’t they

want you to cheat?

Cheating is merely breaking the rules that the

previous generation has set to protect their wealth.

Finally, IBM says the next five years will see more change

than the last 50.

Now you’re probably ready to start cheating.

So what are the rules to cheating?

1. Identify the rules.

2. Break every single one.

This sounds simple, but it isn’t easy.

Brand Building (the old rules)

Consistency

Endorsement

Investment as currency

Announcement

Advertising

News in the pipeline

Retail is the opposite of branding

The medium dictates the ideas

Brand Momentum (the new rules)

Surprise

Cultural relevance and buzz

Ideas as currency

Conversation

Advertising and publicity

News IS the pipeline

Retail IS branding

Ideas find a medium

There are two kinds of rules: The rules of marketing.

And the rules of engagement.

Random list of rules: Work with consultants

Media neutrality Social media

Great content matters Brands are stories

Learn from your mistakes Growth is good

When is the most impactful time to think about new business?

Shimano cycling YOUTH MARKETING truth BUILDING A BRAND FROM SCRATCH MINI MEDIA NEUTRAL Burger King HUGE BRAND TURNAROUND Volkswagen TOTAL DIGITAL INTEGRATION B-cycle

BUILDING NEW ENTERPRISES

How will you break the rules around new client opportunity?

What’s your filter?

All of you will learn a lot here, but not all of you will be equally

successful. Why?

Happy Cheating