Who am I?

Clue 1: My father ran several advertising agencies, went to school in Edinburgh, worked in sales, was an early believer in leveraging the competitive advantages of consumer segmentation, and was rather dapper.

Clue 2: A favorite quote in my childhood household was “The consumer is not a moron. She’s your wife.”

Clue 3: On my 11th birthday, I was given a copy of “Ogilvy on Advertising.”

No, I’m not the daughter of David Ogilvy (I’m a brain sucker) but his legacy has influenced how I approach communication with consumers.

How?

Life can be bewildering, magical, agony and banal for all of us (some of these concurrently!!). Our self-perception and frame of reference perpetually shifts as we identify or ostracize ourselves in relation to “others” (cultivating mercurial boundaries). And every person contains a unique story. Simply, I admire every single person who somehow functions in this world – kudos

It’s why consumer research is fascinating. And it’s why marketers should inspire consumers to reach new creative heights when they encourage user-generated content: not give them more of the same.

For any skeptics out there, check out the wonderful storytelling inherent in the “Three Wolf Moon T-shirt” reviews on Amazon that sparked a subculture and made the T-shirt a best seller.

But before I leave, I think I’ll amend Mr. Ogilvy’s quote, if I may, as it is evocative of the milieu during his writing – when the audience of his book were married male marketers.

How about, “Consumers have our respect and the ability to challenge us creatively?”

Hmm, it’s not catchy. I’ll leave that to the copywriters and wolf T-shirt wearers.

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