Janesville

Everyone is saddened to hear about the closing of the GM plant in Janesville.

It was no surprise. Many observers were impressed that it could stay open as long as it did; given its age and the models it was producing.

The city of Janesville is actively lobbying for a new auto plant. And that’s all well and good. They are well qualified in labor, geography and management to be deserving of that. We wish them nothing but success.

But we can only hope that the rest of us look at this and realize that this is yet another sign that we have to change our thinking.

We still see where billions are being poured into widening highways while light rail and the KRM route is neglected. Letters to the editor, radio mouths and politicians all growl “why me?” They don’t see the need for anything that doesn’t have tires. They don’t want to pay the price. Let’s stick with cars and buses. Let’s pay $4 a gallon. Even while the automakers are shutting down.

Politicians like to recite what they have done. But there is a critical difference between doing things and accomplishing something. There was a time when just obeying the speed limits and getting a job was good enough in this part of the country. We still enforce the speed limits (boy, do we ever). But getting a job is a whole new ball game. A lot of people in Janesville are out of a job. And their children aren’t going to have any new ones. At least not making cars.

Those children have to grow up in a different culture. A culture of diversity. A culture of instant communication and empowerment. Times are tough right now and it’s hitting a lot of people like a punch in the gut. Homes are being lost. Jobs are being lost. The future is being lost.

And we’re spending billions to widen a freeway.

This area has tremendous potential. And there is accomplishment. Chancellor Santiago at U.W.M. is accomplishing things. Others are as well. Business leaders are calling for leadership that will not simply react to cost, but make smart decisions about investment. People with courage know that building walls to keep change out is not the answer.

Janesville is being forced to change.

Hopefully, that’s not the only way to go.

Digg it?

Creativity, Wisconsin-style.

Recently, an article appeared in ADWEEK, one of the trade publications our agency subscribes to. It was written by Alex Bogusky, a very highly regarded Creative Director. Mr. Bogusky is co-chairman of Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The agency is located in Miami, but in 2006, they opened an office in Boulder, Colorado.

Anyone who is in politics or business of any kind here in Wisconsin ought to read it. It’s in the Art & Commerce section of the March 17th issue.

In the article, Mr. Bogusky tells of a meeting the mayor’s office invited him to when they decided to move. (I was impressed already). At the meeting, Mr. Bogusky was told, “Boulder isn’t looking for any new business.” It seems they only allow 1 percent growth per year and that they manage that growth very carefully.

“But,” said the Boulder folks, “yours is a creative company working in the field of creativity and employing creative individuals, and that is exactly what we want to invite more of into our community.”

Mr. Bogousky’s reaction was simple. “Oh, baby. I was home.”

I was born and raised here. I worked here for a number of years. Then I spent the majority of my career elsewhere, having returned in 2006. I love Milwaukee. And I believe that we have a tremendous future.

If we can manage to change our thinking.

When I was a boy, the machine shops and the breweries were going pretty much full blast. Life was good. But we were insulated from a lot of things. We didn’t really need to think creatively. All we needed to do was to keep the second and third shifts going.

Today, we’re a community divided. There are some folks out there who have seen the future and know that doing more of the same doesn’t cut it anymore. They are the ones who talk about connecting Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee. They are the ones who know that growing U.W.M. is vital.

But maybe too many of us have a home in the ‘burbs with two cars in the garage. Our interest goes about as far as our last property tax bill. So we vote for the guys who tell us they’ll build a wall to keep people out, the ones who define anything new only in terms of cost instead of value.

There are too many people here who have a vested interest in well, frankly, not doing anything. When I was in high school, the first thing I learned on the debate team was to try to take the negative side – of anything. It’s a lot easier to find the weak link in any argument. You only have to find one. It’s easier to ridicule and use sarcasm on anything and anyone who might have a creative solution. Want an example? Take a listen to some of our local radio yokels.

Here in town there’s an outfit called Strive Media Institute. They train inner city youth to work in the media industry. They have shelves full of awards for their work. They have graduates who have gone on to college (with scholarships) and have gotten high level, meaningful positions they might never have even known existed.

Last month, Matthew Johnson, the director of Strive, decided that he just could no longer make a go of it here. He’s moving his headquarters to Chicago.

Creativity. It’s finding new solutions to old problems. It’s trying and failing and trying again. It’s what the future is all about. As Alex Bogusky said, “It’s not the job. It’s how you do it. Creativity and excellence are synonymous.”

Creativity. It solves problems. In education. In government. In business.

But it doesn’t thrive unless it’s welcome.

Is it welcome here?

Digg it? ::

Was the Super Bowl Super?

The game sure was, but what about the Super Spots?

Every year, advertisers ante up to entertain America with their best spots in the Super Bowl. This year was certainly no exception, but was the $2.7 million investment worth it for advertisers?

Of course, you can take a look at any number of polls and critiques of the spots. The morning after the game, opinions are flying all over the place. You can hear from the trade critics, agency bigwigs and of course, football fans.

But at Blue Horse, we wondered about the opinions of marketing executives – the people who might not have an ad in the game, but whose job it is to oversee their own budgets and advertising efforts. What do they think? What spots would work in the marketplace? Which spots were a waste of money?

We sent out a number of invitations to marketing pros to communicate their thoughts to us either online or by phone. Here are the top six things they told us:

1. No one was impressed with the overall quality. While some marketing pros felt the body of work was better than last year, more said things like Larry Weissman of Cousins who remarked that the showing was “poor – run of the mill.” David Andrews of Assurant went so far as to describe the assembly as “terrible.”

2. As testimony to the lack of innovation, nothing really stood out as a favorite. The Doritos “Mouse,” Bridgestone, Budweiser’s “Rocky,” Planters and the Bud Light wine & cheese party all got good reviews. There were others right behind: NFL “Chester Pitt,” selected Bud Light spots, Coke’s “Dueling Balloons” and others were among them.

3. What did stand out as a big loser was the Salesgenie effort. It was almost universally panned by our marketing pros.

4. Not surprisingly, some spots were polarizing: Life Water’s “Lizards,” Planters, Vitamin Water and Audi. Our pros either liked ‘em or hated ‘em. Especially polarizing was the E-Trade baby series. “The gross out award,” said Larry Weissman. “I hated it,” said Hank Hakewill. But for some others, it was a favorite.

5. It was noted by many that a number of spots were, as Bruce Hutchison of Sears noted, “only half the story” because they sought to drive people online. It would only be fair, he said, to check out all the online stories and see if they paid off.

6. Several marketers cited the Hyundai Genesis effort as being laudable in that it elegantly portrayed the car as a Mercedes that is not a Mercedes. Roger Klement felt that this could be the most effective spot for business reasons. David Andrews said he would “withhold judgment until this summer.” He wondered, because of this commercial, “Will people hold off buying a Mercedes? It set expectations high. This is a risky move. The car must be quality and everything must be ready for the launch.”

The question has to be asked: has the escalating cost of production and time made everyone risk adverse? That would include the NFL who, in an effort to stay clear of the FCC, hired a rock musician who was big when some of us were in high school.

Consider the amount of “looking back.” Old music, even old comedic routines like Pepsi’s “Bobbleheads.” Bud Lite working to its “formula” of beer jokes. Then there’s Under Armor trying to break through and succeeding only in being a pale imitation of Apple’s “1984.”

One final note. Given the fact that a large portion of the audience says they watch the game only for the advertising (and with two East Coast teams, that might be particularly true this year), isn’t it rather ironic to note that this contributes so mightily to driving up the cost of the advertising?

Maybe if we just eliminated the game. Ah, but then Larry Weissman, the self-described “only Giants fan in Wisconsin,” wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun.

Highways, byways and the price of things to come.

Some interesting facts to consider.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is proposing that we spend $1.9 billion on reconstructing and widening I-94 between Illinois and Mitchell Field.

The Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line has been given zilch. And there is no meaningful plan for any kind of regional transportation upgrade to serve our urban and lower-income residents.

Hold those thoughts while we mention some more facts.

For the first time ever, the price of oil has topped $100 a barrel. Today, oil is almost five times more expensive than it was just five years ago.

If we think that’s going to turn around, here are some more facts to face: oil is getting harder and harder to find and produce. Developing nations that need the oil are asking for it in ever increasing amounts. The countries that have the oil are trying to get their hands on more of the profits. And ethanol made from corn is really just robbing Peter to pay Paul.

So how are we dealing with this situation?

By investing all our money – all our money – into bigger freeways.

Speaking of Mitchell Field, here’s a historical fact: in 1921, General Billy Mitchell, the man the airport was named for, demonstrated how a couple of new fangled things called airplanes could sink a battleship. But the people who built those battleships didn’t want to give up the present and face the future. Mitchell was demoted and eventually court martialed.

Oil. Five times more expensive in just five years. $1.9 billion for roads. Nothing for anything else.

Anyone want to buy a battleship?