Chip Hunnicutt

The most successful social media post I have ever been part of started with these words: "We hear you." The key to the success? Leading with empathy. A while back, a client of ours at Smoketown, LLC got wrapped up in a rumor that was fueled by misinformation. This rumor turned into potent controversy on social media and our client was widely accused of walking away from their core values. No part of these rumors were true, and, to be honest, they were quite absurd. A natural reaction would have been to be judgmental: how could these folks fall for such a ridiculous story? But that reaction, while natural, would have been the wrong one. In the midst of a firestorm, it is powerful to slow down, summon more empathy, and figure out the underlying reason for the drama. Once we did that, the frame changed. We read the radioactive social media comments. A pattern emerged: the brand's fans were having a hard time trusting institutions, including us. It was almost as if they were just waiting for the trust to be broken. So we tried to level with them: "We hear you." At the end of the day, no matter how value-driven and transparent a brand is, they are still a business. And to consumers, this means there is always the potential for their trust to be broken. That's why brands with a real commitment to their values, which was the case for this client, need to make empathy a core competency. From the outside, the social media post could have seemed simple, almost trite. But the reaction was exactly what we hoped: Thousands of positive engagements. More shares than any post in the company's history. Consumers appreciated being heard. With empathy, everyone won. #empathy #brandcommunication #brandvoice #marketing #brandvalues

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A goat with a pink mohawk. I switch on the TV, and an ad plays. A goat walks in with a mohawk. A skateboard under one hoof, sunglasses dangling precariously off its snout. Arresting. You look. You blink. Maybe even laugh. So what? Why should you care? This is advertising today. Loud. Bizarre. A ceaseless parade of talking animals, gravity-defying cars, and CEOs with three nostrils. A hen that sings. A cat that mutters. A tiger fluent in five languages. You’re hooked for a moment. Maybe two. Soon, you scroll past because none of it stays. None of it tickles my rational side. A train that eats pasta is excellent. What does it do for me? A water brand that’s in love with a porcupine? Fine. But does it quench my thirst better? A house with a pool in the kitchen? Cute. But will it make my mornings easier? The consumer isn't a moron - they also comprise people like you and me. They’re strapped for cash, time, and patience. Their wallets are bruised, their heads cluttered. And your goat with the mohawk is just noise unless it delivers something real. Benefit. That’s the word. The one thing the bizarre brigade often forgets. You can throw glitter and circus acts at people all day, but if you don’t give them a tangible reason to care, they won’t. Because the consumer doesn’t live in an unreal world. They live in a world where their paycheques are stretched tight, their priorities sharper than your copy. Money’s not a free-flowing tap. It’s a trickle. Every choice matters. Don’t give me a llama that dances if you're selling toothpaste. Show me why my teeth will gleam brighter. And how that gleam helps me flash the sun at my girlfriend’s window. If you’re hawking a car, skip the flying robot gimmick. Instead, tell me why it will save me fuel. If your product doesn’t improve my life or make it simpler, faster, or just plain better, why should I part with my hard-earned cash? Build your brand pile-driven on benefits based on real insights. Not shock. Here’s the truth that nobody in the boardroom wants to say out loud - attention is cheap. Everyone can grab it. But relevance? That’s the prize. That’s what builds brands that stick. So, go ahead. Roll out your singing hen. Parade your 300-tyre car. Paint a giraffe in green polka dots. But unless you tell me why any of it should matter to me, I’m out. I don’t care about your goat. Not unless it mows my lawn, pays my bills, or brews my coffee. Because in a world of noise, the consumer listens to what speaks to them. The rest is just static. #advertising #marketing #creative #insight #copy #strategy #planning #bitm #banginthemiddle

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The power of print

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Here at North Star, I am the lead writer and @Michelle Cohl is the managing editor. She is the keeper of all the instructions, requirements and parameters that we have to meet in order to give our clients what they want. I hate instructions, requirements and parameters so I tend to try to ignore them and write the assignment the way I want to. Michelle then summons me, shows me the details I was supposed to remember and tells me to go back to work - at which point I tend to argue for why these parameters don't make the work better. What follows is usually a dynamic process in which the two of us figure out a puzzle: How to check every box the client wants or needs, while still getting the benefit of our very strong instincts as writers. The result is excellence. Making it work requires each of us to recognize we have different strengths and points of emphasis, but that we both value the same thing - the absolute best work for our clients. I don't think this works with every combination of teammates, but you need both the appreciation of the process and respect for the other person's instincts that are different from yours. We've been honing and mastering this process, and our approach to it, for nearly five years. I'm very proud of how we do it. And I'm grateful to have such a good teammate who is so different from me in some ways, yet shares the same commitment to value. #teamwork #honordifferences #dynamiccollaboration #clientvalue #contentmarketing #commitmenttoexcellence

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Are you looking to showcase your business in a unique way? This hero trailer we recently finished is a great example of how a short, powerful story can give people an inside look at a brand’s personality and values. It’s all about showing—not just telling—what makes a business tick and connecting in a way that feels real. Sometimes, a well-told story can say more than any description ever could. #Storytelling #HeroTrailer #BrandBuilding #ContentCreation #Authenticity

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Peel a Tablet, Lose the Expiry Date. Can't This Be Fixed? You peel a tablet off its strip, glance at the expiry date torn away with the packaging, and think, 'I'll remember this.' Weeks and months pass. When you need the medicine again, the date is long forgotten. With no way to be sure, you toss the remaining tablets. For something like medicine, which could be a lifesaver, should this really be the case? My 83-year-old mother has her own solution: she wraps the remaining tablets in a piece of paper and writes the expiry date on it. This seemingly small problem came to mind during a masterclass on insights by ZEUX Innovation | Award Winning UX Design Studio last Sunday. We were asked: What's a problem you see that others often miss? Here's what I found when I researched about it after the session. - In 2014, Zydus Cadila introduced an innovative strip design at the IndiaStar event, featuring the expiry date printed behind each pill pocket. - A year later, the Indian Institute of Packaging recommended that the design be adopted by all pharma companies. Yet today, most strips don't have this feature. Why Does This Happen? - Cost concerns: Updating manufacturing processes involves costs, which may eventually be passed on to consumers, making companies hesitant to act. - Regulatory gaps: Without mandates, changes seen as 'non-essential' are often deprioritized. - Short-term thinking: Innovations that address long-term issues often struggle in industries focused on quick wins. - Resistance to change: Established processes and inertia make even obvious improvements harder to implement. The Missed Opportunity This isn't just about convenience -- it's about safety, trust, and reducing waste. How many tablets are discarded every day simply because the expiry date gets torn off along with the packaging? Turning Insights Into Action My mother's tactic works for her, but it's a reminder that spotting a problem is only the first step. Real change happens when insights are turned into action. We need to ask: What frustrates customers most about this? How do customers work around this problem? What would solving this change for the customer? What small tweak could improve their experience? Are we solving needs or just meeting expectations? How can we make this effortless for users? How does the customer experience this product throughout its lifecycle? Practical innovations like the one by Zydus can make a big difference, but they need champions to push for implementation. PS: Only when I'm mindful do my strips assume a design of sorts (as seen in the image) to keep the expiry dates. #Innovation #Insights #EverydayProblems #IdeasIntoAction #Pharma

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There are 3 common/recurring issues that our paid media team finds when they’re auditing accounts… ❌ A single tROAS or tCPA - to win, these should be as diversified as your SKUs and customer segments 👎 A lack of creative diversification - without volume, velocity and variation you’re on a (rather spenny) hiding to nothing on paid social ⛔️ Focusing on ROAS and revenue - neither of these metrics are conducive to growing the business profitably (which is the goal for us all, right?) Grow more predictably and profitably with Target Agency.

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If you want to make your #PodcastProduction more efficient and well oiled machine - THIS is the first step. It’s not sexy or fun but necessary. I actually did this practice a couple of months ago when onboarding new team members and rejigging our processes. It’s amazing how many steps are in your HEAD vs on paper in your process. Fix your processes and you’ll fix your production and flow and headaches down the road. Thanks to Joe Casabona, Podcast Automation Coach for sharing behind the curtain of how you manage your podcast! ✴️ PS Folks - he also shares his favorite tools (one’s I haven’t even heard of but WILL be looking up!) - I’ll put the info below so you can listen to the whole episode (or skim the show notes). 👇 #PodcastAutomation #StreamlinedPodcasting #EffortlessPodcasting #PodcastProductivity #AutomateYourPodcast #PodcastWorkflows #Podcasting

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This post says a lot... And as OOH & DOOH evolve so does its ability to provide data in the form of brand lift, consideration, foot traffic attribution, QR scans, website lift, and more. This isn't the case for all OOH media channels/vendors, but many, including Captivate offer those capabilities. Either way, OOH builds, what I like to call, a brand ARC. Awareness - people know you exist. Recognition - people know what you do. Credibility - people know that you're legitimate & THE go-to brand. Which makes OOH an essential part of overall marketing plans. #OOH #DOOH #Attribution #Captivate #ROI #Advertising #Marketing #BrandAwareness #Recognition #Credibility

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Why is Video Play Rate Important? 🎥 The play rate of your video indicates the percentage of viewers who clicked "play" upon seeing it. If your play rate is low, consider adjusting your thumbnail, title, or the placement of your video to make it more appealing. 🌟 Continuously refine these elements using your metrics to boost engagement with your videos. 📊 To learn everything about video for business subscribe for free: https://lnkd.in/eyvUf_Up DM me to learn more #VideoMetrics #PlayRate #VideoOptimization

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Those of us in the “ad biz” look at ads quite differently than most, especially an ad like this one for the new McDonald’s Chicken Big Mac which is currently lighting up the downtown Las Vegas sky on the massive MSG Sphere. The sight LITERALLY made me stop in my tracks and reach for my phone. So many questions came to mind as I gazed at the 400 foot high Chicken Big Mac: How much did it cost? How many people will see it live while in Las Vegas? How many bonus impressions will come from social media exposures? Will it really sell Chicken Big Macs? Will it deliver a positive ROI? What was the sell-in process like to get client approval? Of course I have no way of knowing the answers to all these questions, but a quick Google search satisfied a bit of my curiosity: • A weeklong MSG Sphere campaign running in 90-second intervals in rotation with other ads (typically 3 or 4 brands a day) along with other miscellaneous content pieces will cost a brand around $650,000. • The projected total weekly impressions combining in-person Las Vegas viewing with global social media exposures is 33 million, with about 95% of those impressions coming from social media. • The calculated cost-per-thousand impressions (a standard measurement of ad placement efficiency) is about $20. As a point of comparison, the average 30-second commercial in the 2024 Super Bowl cost $7 million and was seen by 115 millions viewers for a cost-per-thousand of $60. Not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but it makes the cost of a Sphere campaign seem rather reasonable for advertisers with big budgets.  Advertising on the Sphere is definitely not for every brand, but what McDonald’s and other brands have done in partnership with this one-of-a-kind awe-inspiring platform brings to mind something that advertising icon Leo Burnett famously stated some 60 years ago: “Great advertising does not just circulate information, it works to penetrate and engage the public mind in a way that creates desire.” Who's hungry?

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January is the ideal time to start using AMC for Sponsored Ads, especially if you’re new to the platform. After the holidays, the retail landscape quiets down, creating a perfect window to test and learn without the noise of peak season competition. I see January as a strategic "sandbox." With Prime Day and Black Friday behind us, it’s the best time to analyze holiday performance, assess customer behavior trends, and experiment in a controlled environment. This is when you can collect clean baseline data, free from the chaos of high-stakes campaigns. That data becomes the foundation for understanding how AMC-driven campaigns perform and helps refine strategies for the rest of the year. That’s why I always recommend setting up your AMC instance before year-end. The setup process can take time, and connecting your data early ensures you’re ready to hit the ground running in January. #AMC #Xmars #Ecommerce #Amazon

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✅The Ultimate Booth Statement: Everything Tradeshows Aero Overhead Hanging Signs! Picture this: You stroll into a bustling tradeshow, and amidst the sea of booths, one stands out, instantly catching your eye. What draws you in? It's not just the products or the friendly faces—it's the undeniable presence of overhead signage that commands attention and sets the tone for the entire space. 🔥🔥Enter Aero Overhead Hanging Signs. Here's why they're not just another accessory but the main visual powerhouse: 👉   Dominant Presence: Aero signs take center stage, hanging proudly above your booth and ensuring that you're impossible to miss. They're not just part of the booth—they are the booth! 👉   Bold Design: We're talking about signage that doesn't just blend in but demands attention. With sleek lines, vibrant colors, and striking shapes, Aero signs exude confidence and grab the spotlight with ease. 👉   Instant Recognition: It's more than just a logo—it's a beacon that draws visitors in and makes your booth instantly recognizable. 👉   Unmatched Visibility: In a crowded tradeshow hall, visibility is everything. Aero signs rise above the chaos, ensuring that your message reaches every corner of the venue and leaves a lasting impression on everyone who passes by. 👉   Conversation Starter: Think of Aero signs as your booth's opening act—the captivating introduction that sparks curiosity and invites engagement. They set the stage for meaningful conversations and pave the way for fruitful connections. So, whether you're gearing up for a trade show, convention, or special event, consider the impact that hanging signs can have on your booth's overall aesthetic and appeal. Great show for LEFORT® and the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA)!  #TradeShowSuccess #EventEssentials #BrandIdentity #Tradeshows #StandOutFromTheCrowd #ISRI2024

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I filmed this Digiorno Pizza commercial, in New York, the way my mentor Elbert Budin might have done in the 1980's (he was totally unpredictable). Totally analog (ok the camera is digital) camera operation off a jib arm (by hand) with incandescent lights and an Arriflex Camera, props moved by hand. In the first clip you see a demonstration of shooting the spot's opening scene in reverse along with "Holllywooding" a prop out of the way when shooting. The camera and Cartoni head (the bit the camera was hanging off the jib with) was not going to pass through the Digiorno box so it was grabbed at the last moment (by a talented art department member) so that when the film plays forward the box is just there. Why shoot scenes in reverse? So that your end frame is perfectly composed and locked off for the cut. Why shoot with incandescent lights? Because the primary subjects in this commercial had a lot of RED in them, this was a natural because incandescent lights have way more red wavelengths in them than daylight balanced LED's or HMI's. Food always looks better under incandescent lights period, because just like sunlight, the whole electromagnetic spectrum is expressed by incandescent bulbs and food is full of warm tones and lots of variations. Unlike LED and HMI lights there are no gaps in their spectral response curve of an incandescent lamp. Why use Arriflex cameras? Because their color science looks better than any other sensor, especially under incandescent lighting. I do love shooting with my Bolt Jr + but in this case a jib arm was faster and cheaper to rent and just made budgetary sense. #Cinematography #TabletopFilmmaking #ProductPhotography #CommercialDirector #Filmmaking #VisualStorytelling #CreativeDirection #AnalogPhotography #FilmProduction #Arriflex #IncandescentLighting #BehindTheScenes #FoodPhotography #ProductionDesign #VisualArts #ContentCreation #CreativeIndustry #NewYorkFilm #Mentorship #OnSet #LightingDesign #CameraWork #JibArm

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"FB mikestoneallstateagency IG mikestoneagency LI mikestone4336 🚨You're being USED. 🚨 Let me break it down for you: advertising is powerful because it taps into our subconscious. Mountain Dew doesn’t spend $7 million on a Super Bowl ad to make a quick sale the next day—they’re embedding their brand in your mind. So when you’re standing at the gas station, staring at the drink cooler, your brain says, “Oh yeah, Mountain Dew!” That’s not an accident—that’s intentional branding. This isn’t just for billion-dollar companies. As agents, small business owners, or entrepreneurs, the same principles apply. You’re not just selling today; you’re building trust and familiarity for when your audience is ready to buy. Social media is your Super Bowl ad—it’s your chance to be top of mind. Post consistently, engage authentically, and show up in your audience’s feed so when they’re ready to make a decision, your name is the first that comes to mind. It’s not about being pushy; it’s about staying present. Want to learn more about how to master the art of branding and make advertising work for you? Check out this episode of The Sales Factory podcast with Mike Stone where we dive into the strategies that keep your business thriving. 🔗 Do the smart thing - watch now at https://lnkd.in/eJdMpbQ3 #TheSalesFactory #Podcast #MikeStone #MountainDew #SuperBowl #AdvertisingTips #CoachCarroll #BrandBuilding #MarketingTips #TopOfMindAwareness #SmallBusinessSuccess"

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#YouTubers and #Influencers are more than just video posters… They create networks, communities, connections, awareness, and in the words of Gardner Business Media, Inc. Rick Kline, Sr. they #DoGood. #community #ourfuture #nextgen #manufacturingtechnology

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