shhh, is that a?... ~gggggrrrrrmmmMMMmmmmMmMM~
WhhhhssssBAMM!
There goes another good squad. ZZZZZooooom! The helicopter is snapped in two.. but wait, ~heartwarming moment~
The Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines all share a presence in the movie Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, and guess what? It's not by chance. Along with the heavy number of GM products, the U.S. armed forces has started using more strategy beyond that of the battlefield.
While watching it, I was amazed at how much there was. I always thought the armed forces just happened to be in movies, but I did a quick search on Google to discover it was well thought out tactic for reaching American viewers.
After sharing about
www.elance.com, a fellow
Brand Manager (1epiphanee) asked me the following question:
Hey Blake,
I have seen this site as well as others and the problem that I have are all the people who are competing at rates such as $5/hr because they are located in international locations. Any suggestions on how you you bid for jobs or determine a rate? Also what type of projects have you (or others you know) been most successful in getting from these type of sites.
Thank you!
My response:
Haha, unfortunately you're asking the same question that manufactures all over the U.S. are asking themselves. My answer: branding. The Brand YOU. Offer something the competition can't.
Have a great portfolio, and be sure to SHOW why you are a better choice. Just like in advertising, you can't just say it; it needs to be part of your brand.
Also, it helps significantly to show you have a specialty. You're not just another generic, and you don't need to undercharge.
Perhaps this will help some others as well. Good luck!
Addendum1epiphanee says:
I guess like so many of the manufacturers I was hoping for a magic potion. I know about the branding of me, but that still doesn't make me wonder whether I will still be competitive or have speciality a potential client is willing to pay a fair yet premium rate compared to the overseas competition. This is the deeper aspect of the question I was asking. Are there clients on sites such as elance.com that value quality versus economy?
response:
I would say clients who are willing to pay a premium are definitely out there and on sites such as this. With over 25,000 jobs posted monthly, the difficulty is figuring out which clients are looking for it. The more creativity required or the more regionally focused the job is, the more likely the client is looking for good quality. For example, there's currently a job posted by someone looking for a new company name, and I imagine they want someone who understands the cultural nuances of the local area.
However, as I said before, if it is production work (not requiring much thought), the unfortunate truth is, we may not be able to out bid overseas competition. On the flip side, work that doesn't require much thought tends to be boring :-D
What are your thoughts on the whole situation?
Unmotivated, Uninspired, Bored... this describes me at the beginning of this week. AFTER attending the
Promax|BDA conference though, my mood feels like I went off a ski jump and flipped a few times.
The sessions were
packed with insights and thought provoking content. Even though it was pretty cool meeting
Tom Kelley,
Bob Saget, Jonathan Block-Verk, and
Mike Walsh, I probably got the most out hearing about ways of improving my presentation skills and sonic branding.
Did you know you can create spot sound? It's like a spotlight, but with sound. I was amazed. =D
Regard economics in advertising, it was also quite interesting to hear from
Ali Velshi.
Also, I'll be posting links to a lot the commercials and examples from the conference on
delicious.com/blakealicious.
Here's the list of sessions I went to:
- The Personal & Professional Impact of the Economic Meltdown in TV and Advertising
- Fear and Loathing in Creativity & Design (with Ralph Steadman)
- Obama for President: The Campaign that Changed Everything
- Big Idea 3.0: Redefining Creative and Media in a Digital Age
- Brand & Deliver
- The Art & Design of a Sonic Branding Strategy
- Futuretainment
- Write with Balls
- The Ten Faces of Innovation
- Life's a Pitch... Mastering the Art of Presenting
I also went to three awards presentations:
1. Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation:
Robert Redford2. State of Our Art
3. Marketing and Promotion Awards Show
If you have any questions about the conference, just let me know.
A very cool site that enables you to securely share video with people, and track how they watch it.
Yet another impressive, yet fairly inexpensive tool. Check it out.
I attempted to teach my grandma about the internet today... however, I neglected to think about the basics. First, I had to
explain what a keyboard and mouse are, and how to turn on a computer. :-D
It served as an excellent reminder for me to always think about your audience and what they know. I need to occasionally ask myself, "am I too focused on what I want and forgetting more important details?"
