Bantering back and forth with Hugh about Lovemarks over at my review of the book [1, 2]. I don't even know if comments on blogs get Googled (and therefore I at least can find them again) and really wanted to capture some of my comments and add to them.
The message is simple really, but not easy...
The big aha (really, the big duh) I think is that companies have to relinquish control. Love is the OPPOSITE of control. All advertising and branding to date has been about control. You can't MAKE anyone love you no matter what Cosmo or Glamour may tell you (that's why Fast Company was so way off the mark in their article). Love comes closer to surrender than control. And that's the catch - so few are willing to do that regardless of the rewards.
It's an offshot of what I call (and I guess someone told me Stephen Covey calls an abundant) non-zero (my definition is broader) mentality.
The desire to control is tough to relinquish, but that is what we must do if we want to start on the journey towards Lovemarks.The more power you give away the more it comes back to you. - from Lovemarks
How the book affects Saatchi's own business model or changes the advertising industry in general is outside the scope of the book. I think individual viewpoints change before industries do. As I said in the previous post, I have no idea on how pervasive author Kevin Roberts' thinking is at Saatchi and Saatchi; my hunch is not very as it's a counter-intuitive 180 degree shift to make.
And I'm sure it's unsettling to think about if you are in the industry. But maybe a few seeds are being planted in people's minds. I think the Robert's own intent (I'm sure Saatchi had its own) was simply to plant a few seeds and let readers (most likely those in the biz and marketers in general) make up their own minds.
Hard to turn behemoth ships around on a dime - especially when you're disrupting fundamental premises. Come off too strong and no one listens because frankly they're terrified. Maybe individuals in the ad industry will come around to asking themselves: Hey, so what are we doing on this ship anyway? Maybe it's time to abandon ship (pun intended) and try...
As soon as I see Love Marks make profound changes in the Saatchi's biz model (as opposed to their clients), I'll see it as a big idea. Practice what you preach etc.
Not to diss Kevin Roberts, but I've seen a lot of agencies come up with fancy-schmancy concepts over the years...
He sounds like an interesting guy, this Kevin, though.
Posted by: hugh macleod | Jun 24, 2004 at 01:25 AM
Hi - I'm trying to find out about the Kevin Roberts Lovemarks event in LA soon ... I think at Borders? Any clues - can anyone go to this?
Posted by: katie | Jul 27, 2004 at 01:50 PM