Author Archive

6 Rules for Creating Web Properties That Work

on June 13, 2013

Gunsworthy4

Good design is hard.In the beginning there were web pages. Brands staked their claims on the newly invented World Wide Web. Web 1.0 met basic consumer expectations, namely that every brand would have an 800 number and a web page as points of contact.

Web 2.0 was about finding, developing, and embracing interactive technologies to engage customers, prospects, and other constituencies. It was about Flash, bells and whistles, and keeping up with the Joneses. Having a cool website mattered.

Web 3.0 was about business results. It was a phase of encyclopedic websites. Governance was split between marketing and IT. The Holy Grail was a fully realized, multi-dimensional, interactive relationship between a brand and its customer base. Metrics, rather than showbiz, finally began to be important.    Read More →

Gunsworthy4
Comment

Big Data in Adland: Lip Service Galore, but Little Execution

on April 29, 2013

Gunsworthy3

Big Data is the new black in Adland. Yet in spite of widespread availability of proven data collection, mining, processing, and automation tools, agencies have yet to commit to Big Data as a discipline. So why would rational competitive marketers under-utilize tools that could make them smarter, faster, and richer?    Read More →

Gunsworthy3
Comment

3 Convenient Illusions: The Frustrating State of Agency Innovation

on April 23, 2013

Gunsworthy11

Don Draper and Roger SterlingFor those of us in Adland, Mad Men is a persistent reminder that not much has changed in our business over the past sixty years (with the exception of all the illegal and non-PC stuff, of course). Believe it or not, agencies are still run pretty much the way they are depicted on TV. Evidently, the great management and technology revolutions sidestepped Madison Avenue.    Read More →

Gunsworthy11
Comment

Confessions of a Job Hopper

on March 20, 2013

Gunsworthy18

Pilot ejecting from a planeVery few us of are one-dimensional. Most of us have a spectrum of skills and interests which can be ordered, emphasized and monetized in different ways at different times. So far, I’ve had seven careers ranging from educator to government worker to journalist, consultant, publicist, Internet entrepreneur, and ad man. Who knows what will be next?

Job change is personal growth. But change needs to be carefully considered and actively chosen. I use three criteria for assessing new opportunities.    Read More →

Gunsworthy18
Comment

The Four Enduring Lessons I Learned from Sales Legend Zig Ziglar

on January 7, 2013

Gunsworthy5

Sales legend Zig ZiglarLong before others turned sales motivation into a slick, multi-channel industry, there was Zig Ziglar. Ziglar, who passed away in November, carried a bag for 25 years before he started talking about it. He was able to draw relatable lessons from real-world experience and deliver them in a memorable and folksy way.

I had the pleasure of working with Zig several times. He was a humble guy who had an incredible way with people and the ability to size up an audience and tell a story like no one else. Unlike so many others, you could remember what Zig said the next day. In a world of blowhards and phonies, Zig was the genuine article. I’ll miss him.

Zig taught me many things. And while, at least on the surface, the lessons were about sales and marketing, I’ve found that they apply to almost every facet of business and life. After all, what is sales if not an exercise in human connection?    Read More →

Gunsworthy5
Comment

Managing Creatives: An Owner’s Manual

on December 12, 2012

Gunsworthy7

Cover of 1981 DeLorean Owners ManualManaging creative people is both the best and the scariest job I’ve ever had. On some days I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet. On other days, I feel like I’ve gone nine rounds with Sybil. To become a decent manager, I read management books, watched what my bosses did (and didn’t do), and tried to figure out how I’d like to be managed.

The common thread here is that people want to know what’s going on and where they stand. Most people want to contribute to a team and feel like they’re doing something useful, if not important. Usually people want to like their bosses and be liked by them in return, even though it doesn’t always work out that way.

This led me to write down my learnings as an operating guide for me. I share it with all my team members because it has more lasting value as a document than as a conversation. Most of those I’ve worked with will tell you that I’m about the straightest shooter they’ve ever met. I mean what I say and I’m consistent over time. I hope this can help you get in touch with your inner manager and make your working life easier and happier.    Read More →

Gunsworthy7
Comment

Seven Smart and Savvy Ways to Start Your New Job Off Right

on June 11, 2012

Gunsworthy11

Congratulations on starting a new job. You’ve got a new outfit, a new attitude, and a new paycheck. Be sure you start things off right by being conscious of your surroundings and by managing your expectations. It’s not easy being the new guy. You’re psyched. They’re psyched. But nobody knows what’s really coming next. You radiated energy and intention in all those interviews. They did too. Everyone was on their best behavior. Now you’ll see them in their native habitat.

Some of your coworkers will maintain the facade longer than others, but soon you’ll get a glimpse (or a massive dose) of reality. Nobody ever really knows what they’re getting into until they are in place and fully present, with all their political and emotional sensors on high alert.

To ensure you get off to a smart, savvy, and successful start, focus on these seven factors.    Read More →

Gunsworthy11
Comment

How User Experience Design Is Reshaping Marketing and Branding

on April 24, 2012

Gunsworthy5

User experience design (UXD), the science of structuring information and developing user flows, is breaking out of its native-digital niche, where it originated as a planning and architectural tool for developing website and apps. Now it’s a critical element in many different kinds of marketing strategies.

Understanding the full range of consumer experiences with a brand is a critical factor in building awareness, engagement, and advocacy — and in framing or evolving a value proposition that integrates and emphasizes features and benefits in believable and sustaining ways.    Read More →

Gunsworthy5
Comment

How Facebook Keeps Us Coming Back

on March 27, 2012

Gunsworthy3

So many friends.
You don’t have to be Sigmund Freud or an evolutionary biologist to figure out that there is something about Facebook that resonates deeply in our psyches and in our lizard brains. New research is attempting to identify and document how this works — and what it means for the rest of us trying to connect with the public.

The fact that people accumulate friends and family members and then post and watch countless photos and videos feels very primal and tribal. As we build our social networks, we exercise the passive aspect of our flight-or-fight instincts, meaning that as we add “friends,” we’re constantly monitoring them for signs of friendship or aggression — and unfriending those who fail the test.
   Read More →

Gunsworthy3
Comment

Managing: How to Get Back on Track After a Team Member’s Mistake

on March 6, 2012

Gunsworthy3

The digital strategist Danny Flamberg writes about marketing, advertising, and culture on his blog, Manhattan Marketing Maven. His series for The Hired Guns is about managing effectively, so that you get the best work possible from yourself as well as your staff.


The toughest thing for a manager to do is to criticize or correct a team member. It’s a charged task, and while it’s necessary, it also pushes all a manager’s buttons. The key to successfully handling this meeting and getting a decent outcome is to leave your baggage and your ego at the door.    Read More →

Gunsworthy3
Comment

3 Things Newbie Managers Need to Know

on January 5, 2012

Gunsworthy5

We’re glad to welcome to the blog today the digital strategist Danny Flamberg, who writes about marketing, advertising, and culture on his blog, Manhattan Marketing Maven. In his new series with us, he’ll be covering the tools, tricks, and ways of thinking that managers must have to help their staff do the best job they can.

Most first-time managers have specific tasks they need to get accomplished, and often their first job is to change their mindset from “How can I do this?” to “How can I help my team do this?” They must work to change their actions and attitude from that of an individual player to an effective coach and supervisor.

To succeed at this, focus on the three crucial “W’s”:    Read More →

Gunsworthy5
Comment

Product Management, User Experience, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Usability Testing

Project Management, Program Management, Production, Content Production

Animation, Art Direction, Creative Direction, Corporate Identity, Flash Design/Dev, Graphic Design, Web Design

Content Strategy, Editorial, Copywriting, Copy Editing, Research, Blog Outreach

Brand Management, Business Development, Sales, Product Marketing, Event/Conference Planning, Promotions, Marcomms, Corporate Comms, Direct Marketing, E-Marketing, Public Relations, Market Research

Account Management, Account/Brand Planning, Media Strategy, Communications Planning, Media Planning/Buying, Social Media, Search (SEM, SEO), Web Metrics & Analytics

Web Development, Front End Development

[no subcategories]

close

We're sorry, we could not retrieve the gun you were looking for. Please close this window and try again.

Thanks for your interest in our talent! We'll be in touch soon.

An error occurred and we weren't able submit your request. Please try again.

close

We have but one over-arching rule for comments: Do not add to the chaos of the universe.

  • This blog is devoted to developing a point of view around the Future of Work through the lens of the digital creative class. It offers some of the best career writing out there to help you get ahead as well as some brand new bloggers livin' the dream and tellin' it like it is. We encourage you to use the comments to drive conversations to the next level, bounce ideas off our bloggers, challenge them, and engage in dialogue with your fellow readers.
  • Disagreement is fine. If one of our bloggers gets your goat, say so, but elevate the conversation. Substantiate. Strive to teach. Your words might actually change someone's opinion. Don't just rant.
  • Sign your name. Anonymity makes you a wimp.
  • If you're just commenting to get your handle out there, please be clever about it. Or witty. We'll delete unimaginative self-promotion.
  • We'll also likely delete comments that are vulgar, inadvertently or maliciously off-topic, spammy, creepy or sloppy.
close