When it comes to communication, independent brands and thinkers have two choices when they launch new brands and initiatives. They either need to find their story and tell it, or create a myth and sell it. Derived in part from a quote used by Ideo's Paul Bennett in a 2006 AdAge interview with Teressa Iezzi's, these are the two most pressing options facing every new brand. There is of course a Third Way - and that's telling the truth with a slant. This 25-minute presentation by John Weich, founder of Monumental Propaganda, kicked off the Indie Brands #3 event on 20 February 2013 @ Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam. For more information on Monumental Propaganda please visit the website at monumentalpropaganda.com

1. TELL THE TRUTH
WITH A SLANT
FEBRUARY 20, 2013
ANOTHER PRESENTATION BY

2. ‘I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT
A HOLIDAY INN ROOM.
THERE’S TEN MILLION OF THEM
EXACTLY THE SAME.’
KEITH MOON, THE WHO

3. A
PANDEMIC
OF
MIMICRY

4. THE BUSINESS OF MAKING PEOPLE REMEMBER

5. PEOPLE READ WHAT INTERESTS THEM. SOMETIMES IT’S AN AD.

6. THE STATE OF THE
AUDIENCE

7. ‘LOCKED IN’
LISTENING

8. REDUCTIONISM
REDUCTIONISM

9. REACTIONARIES

10. SO YOU’VE GOT
TWO CHOICES

11. FIND THE TRUTH &
TELL IT
OR
CREATE A MYTH &
SELL IT

12. MYTH

13. TRUTH.

16. SHINY
HAPPY
PEOPLE

17. NYTIMES INFOGRAPHICS

18. DECODE JAY-Z

19. EVERYONE
I HAVE EVER SLEPT WITH

20. TRUTH WITH A SLANT

24. BEER
PROSE

25. WHAT NOW?
A COMPEDIUM OF WHAT I’VE LEARNED

26. DARED FAILURE
OR: AVOID THE SURE THING

27. MOVEMENTS
SELL

28. CULTURE OF OMISSION

29. THE SCRIPTED UNSCRIPTED

30. IT’S NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU SAY
BUT HOW YOU SAY IT

32. THE PRESS RELEASE LIVES

33. A PERFECT STORY
DOESN’T NEED TO
BE ALL PERFECT

34. FIND THE TRUTH CREATE A MYTH
& TELL IT? & SELL IT?
WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BE
JUST LIKE WARREN

35. TRY AGAIN.
FAIL AGAIN.
FAIL BETTER.

36. A
.
PRESENATION
MONUMENTALPROPAGANDA.COM | @MONUMENTALPROPS

37. IMAGES USED IN THIS PRESENTATION
SLIDE 1: WARREN BUFFET BOBBLEHEAD @BUSINESSINSIDER.COM
SLIDE 4: FROM MATRIX ‘WOMAN IN THE RED DRESS’ SCENE
SLIDE 5: HOWARD LUCK GOSSAGE TAKEN FROM THE COVER OF ‘THE BOOK OF GOSSAGE’ BY GOSSAGE AND JEFF GODBY
SLIDE 12: YODA ACTION FIGURE ORIGINALLY CREATED BY GEORG LUCAS, NOW OWNED BY DISNEY
SLIDE 13:HEADSHOT OF NELSON MANDELA BY JOSEPHINE DEATH, FROM DEVIANTART
SLIDE 14-15: SHOTS TAKEN BY HUGO JANSEN, AMSTERDAM RESIDENT, ON A STORYTELLING TRIP TO LONDON.
SLIDE 17: PAGE FROM CRAIG ROBINSON’S BOOK FLIP FLOP FLYBALL. SEE FLIPFLOPFLYBALL.COM
SLIDE 18: DECODE JAY-Z IMAGES ALL CREATED AND PRODUCED BY AD AGENCY DROGA5 FOR THEIR ‘DECODE JAY-Z’ CAMPAIGN
SLIDE 19 : TRACY EMIN, EVERYONE I HAVE EVER SLEPT WITH 1963-1995, CREATED IN 1995
SLIDE 20: BANKSY, UNTITLED
SLIDE 21: TOM FRIEDMAN, 1000 HOURS OF STARING (1992-1997)
SLIDE 22: ALL IMAGES BY AD AGENCY KESSELSKRAMER FOR THEIR ‘WORST HOTEL IN THE WORLD’ FOR HANS BRINKER BUDGET
HOTEL IN AMSTERDAM
SLIDE 23: NIKE ‘YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE YOUR MOTHER’ CAMPAIGN
SLIDE 24: BOTTLE FROM SCOTTISH BREWER BREWDOG, THE BEER IS TACTICAL NUCLEAR PENGUIN
SLIDE 28: FILM STILL FROM THE TV SERIES LOST
SLIDE 29: PROMO SHOT FROM THE MTV SERIES JERSEY SHORE
SLIDE 30: FILM STILL FROM THE FILM DONNIE BRASCO
SLIDE 35: SAMUEL BECKET QUOTE, WHICH FULLY READS ‘EVER TRIED. EVERY FAILED. NO MATTER. TRY AGAIN. FAIL AGAIN. FAIL
BETTER’