I’ve been in the fortunate position a few times of working at an agency that won a client away from another agency.  What happens in those cases is the old agency is supposed to turn over the files, etc., to the new agency.

In every case I’ve been involved in, the old agency has dragged their feet and was uncooperative.  I don’t get that.  To me, it makes much more sense to be cooperative and professional.

There are lots of reasons why a client would switch agencies.  They could be dissatisfied with the agency’s work.  The marketing manager could be making the agency a scapegoat for her mistakes.  A new marketing manager might be bringing in a trusted agency.  It could be just time for a change in direction.

Whatever the reason, the “losing” agency acting unprofessionally does no good whatsoever.  It confirms the client’s decision and negates any chance of winning the business back in the future or getting a referral.  Conversely, being gracious leaves open all kinds of possibilities.

I think this applies to all kinds of business transactions.  If you’re not fortunate enough to win the customer’s business, the right attitude is to respect their decision (at least publicly).  It’s not the customer’s fault they didn’t see the value you bring, it’s yours.  So do what you have to do to make sure they do see it next time.

Then you’ll be on the winning side.

A while back, I wrote about asymmetric advertising, or advertising in “media” where there are few, if any competing messages.  The idea is to reach potential customers in unexpected places, creating a captive audience.

On a flight to Atlanta recently, I saw a great example of “my” principle in action.  Vitamin Water was the sponsor of AirTran’s cocktail napkins, as seen in this picture.

What a great idea!  AirTran, a revenue-starved airline, gets a new stream of revenue.  Vitamin Water, a creatively marketed product, gets an opportunity to sell its wares to a receptive audience and build awareness.

Everyone wins.

I was born in 1972, putting me solidly in the Star Wars generation. Like every other kid my age, I saw the movies, I had Star Wars bed sheets, and I spent countless hours playing with the action figures.No cultural event would have such a dramatic effect on my life as the Star Wars Trilogy.

So when the next crop of Star Wars films was released in the 90s, I and every other red-blooded American Gen Xer was excited beyond belief. The moment we had been waiting for all our lives had finally come.

And we were really disappointed. Everything that made the original movies so great was gone.  The special effects were CGI-perfect. The space ships were slick and smooth. The characters were goofy.The acting was (gasp!) pretty good.

Angry though I was at the time, I now understand why the movies had to be that way. George Lucas knew  the new set of movies had to be made for the new generation, and the hand-made special effects wouldn’t cut it. In order for the new movies to succeed and sell lots of action figures and fast food, Lucas had to alienate the very people that anointed him a genius in the 70s.

I think this situation happens a lot, and too often companies are afraid to piss off their core customers.

A company that roars to mind is Harley-Davidson. Harley was once universally admired in marketing circles because of its staunch adherence to its outlaw image and for its ability to persuade customers to tattoo the logo on their bodies.

But those days are coming to an end, and Harley is struggling. Their loyal customers are trading in their Softtails for electric scooters, and the next generation of motorcyclists is looking for something new.

To survive, Harley needs to do something radical that will anger the leather-clad riders who take over Sturgis every year. They’ve recently introduced the XR1200. Will it be enough? I don’t know, but it doesn’t strike me as a radical move.

In the past, I’ve written about Volkswagon’s evolving brand. Another favorite of Gen X, VW has found it necessary to irk us by offering minivans and SUVs, getting away from their “fun, carefree” image.At the time, I thought it was a sign of the brand growing up. I now see it as a sign of the brand changing and adapting.

The lesson, I think, is that brands that don’t evolve, adapt and change for fear of pissing off their customers will struggle to get new ones.

I hated Jar-Jar Binks. But the kids loved him, and that was the point.

Some time ago I saw an ad or a brochure or something (I don’t remember what it was or what company it was for) that proclaimed “Green: The New Black.”

The concept, of course, was that environmental awareness and responsibility was becoming in style.  Like black, it goes with anything.  Now it seems like diversity is the new green.

For a couple years now, I’ve been predicting the end (or at least the diminishing) of green marketing.  Lately, it seems like every company is “green,” or pretending to be.  All of this over-exposure will have the effect of diluting the message, and pretty soon consumers won’t respond to it anymore.

And at the very least, since “everyone is doing it,” the best way to stand out as a marketer is to do something different.

But to this point, green marketing has outlived my predictions.  I thought it would have peaked about a year ago.

It’s important to note here that I am talking about the diminishment of environmentalism as a marketing tool, not as a concept.  Taking care of the earth is undeniably a good thing, so don’t send me any hate mail about that.

Anyway, it seems my prediction is finally coming true.

Perhaps (actually, almost certainly) spurred by the election of the first black president, companies are beginning to talk about diversity instead of the environment.  The best example of this is Target’sDream in Color campaign.  It’s very well done, and they use the ads and their Web site to demonstrate their commitment to diversity among their employees, suppliers and customers.

Target may be doing it best (so far), but they aren’t the only ones.  The USA Network ran some ads, and there are probably others.

Will diversity overtake green as the in vogue marketing campaign?  Will consumers start making purchase decisions based on a company’s diversity instead of/in addition to its environmental impact?

I don’t know.  But I do know that marketers who want to be on the cusp of consumer demand should start telling a diversity story – if they have one to tell.

But they better hurry.  Because the next thing to grip the consumer consciousness is coming.  I won’t predict when, but it’s coming.

Admit it.  You’ve seen the ads, and you can’t turn them off.  Happy people, and warm and cozy while reading a book, watching TV or even at a ball game (!).

I’m of course referring to The Snuggie.  The product that has broken out of the realm of the late-night info-mercial and become an icon.

(Don’t you love how those commercials are made, showing how much trouble people had with ordinary blankets?  Personally, I’ve never had trouble operating a blanket.)

What’s the lesson in The Snuggie?  That sometimes great ideas are a matter of turning things around.  Trying a new perspective.

Go into your closet.  Get out your bathrobe.  Put it on backwards.  Poof!  You have a Snuggie.

Let’s try it with a different product.  Go into your garage.  Get out your kid’s tricycle.  Turn it around (and make it bigger, put in a 998cc engine, and bad-ass styling).  Poof!  You have a Spyder.

Now try it with one of your ads, displays, or brochures.  Sometimes turning things around gives you just enough perspective to come up with a new idea.  The result may seem strange at first, but don’t dismiss it right away.  You might have a cultural icon on your hands.