3 minutes... about 3 times a day
Posted on 2008-Sep-10 at 08:56
yeahhh, it was already popular in UK and elsewhere, but  we can't stop admiring their production skills, and the song is tight. Makes you proud to be a baby of the 80s.

Justice: DVNO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSoW_mvT3t0



Because you know you want more of the back story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVNO


-ahh,  for some reason the upload image/link option just times out when i click add link.

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Best Advice Yet
Posted on 2008-Aug-24 at 04:53

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Beginning BrandCenter
Posted on 2008-Aug-20 at 06:35
Hello Hello,

I'm in my first week at the BrandCenter. 

I'm ready. Over the last year between undergrad and BrandCenter, I broke up with everything that was a routine, disconnected from constantly trying to follow the flow of the industry, and traveled. A lot.

The break was so good. At times it was frustrating watching others speed up the payroll, or doubting that the 'Less is More approach' is truly legit. But for me, absolutely. Being off the trail I realized just how much I miss it, and just how hard I'm willing to work. It's also difficult when many might doubt your desire to spend more (ok A LOT of $$$) on more school.

If you're in a similar situation, go ahead and listen to everyone's advice, but only act on whatever it is You really want. Everything works out for the best when you're honest with yourself.

I'm in the Communications Strategy track. I've got Creative Thinking, Strategic Thinking, Contemporary Research Methods, Business of Branding, plus the Culture Crash lectures on the books.
More to follow once classes start, (assuming I get a morsel of free time every now & again)


So far, I couldn't be happier  here.


Cheers,

krystal

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The Martin Agency on Planning, Chatting, & Enjoying
Posted on 2008-Aug-18 at 07:37
I kicked off my trip to VCU's BrandCenter with a stop at the Martin Agency to interview Earl Cox, their Chief Strategy Officer & Partner, and BrandCenter Communication Strategy instructor & member of the Board of Directors. Google him and you'll see the extent to which he's orchestrated some rockstar achievements within the planning discipline.
The BrandCenter blog also hosts a great article: Rm116 w/ Earl Cox

The fact that he's Chief on the totem pole but was happy to schedule  me  in for an interview, says a lot about how well a planner treats everyone; aware that everyone has either a great story or a great question-and is open to making time for that. After my visit at the Martin Agency, I realized it's indicative of the Martin Agency culture- very much open door & all opinions welcome.

Everyone wants to ask top planners what they look for in planners. But you need to turn it around and ask yourself:

Because those are moments that make you you- and planners are endlessly intrigued with "What Makes You You?" just on a mass scale, and adept at translating that  into  a component of the brief.


Chatting with planners, really means not talking about "their definition of planning within their agency structure," but just talking about living, traveling, losing something you loved, or screwing up because planners are so busy sponging up experiences and the stories that stem from them-because that's the cache of human insights that planners operate from.

After leaving my conversation with Earl,  my mind was on fire with a list of things I suddenly wanted to do, see, or look up.
And my "interview" with Earl was more of a conversation because we spent so much time cracking up and sharing stories. I never wanted to pick up my pen to write his thoughts down because it would have killed the flow of a genuine conversation. And that's important too- between mine & my friends botched interviews- what's in common is when you answer with what you think they're looking for rather than what's in your heart.




We talked about the growth in BrandCenter students as they make their way through the curriculum. One thing I found really helpful , is how 'anti-corporate, how jaded, how much we love to hate on The Man and show off how cynical & snarky we youngbloods can be,' yet, we're really hot-aired hypocrites because we all have brands we refuse to buy or own ungodly stashes of all things Apple, and we fail to realize we need those big box chains & brands because it's all more choice.

To our defense, he says it's not surprising that we love to loathe corporate America because of Halliburton, Enron, Dentsu, Roehm, etc., but what separates the first year students from the second year is a thorough understanding and even respect for business. Yes, the sell. Yes, the numbers.
It's not just about crafting the genius one-liner, but understanding distribution lines & relationships, effectively managing egos, pregnancies, family loss, burn out, mergers, investor opinions and translating dense packets of data into a result. You have to have a hand for that otherwise you'll end up in the hack planner category.
Luckily, it comes with experience, and the BrandCenter's "Business of Advertsing," is one of the first classes you take and introduces a lot of what we lack coming fresh from undergrad.

We had a great discussion on idealism and egos. We all get into this business thinking we're going to be the ones to break through the ____{insert obstacle to your ideal here}, which is so great and so necessary.

It's so important to have values in this industry; this career will test what you will compromise on and what is absolutely not OK by you. Before you begin an ad finishing school or accept an offer- make sure you're in touch with the answers to those questions.



There's plenty of senior level execs out there that are changing gears from the breakneck pace to more of a advisory/mentoring role. They want to know that the agency they put years into, is still a name to be recognized in the coming years. They want to find that junior that reminds them of themself and can nurture or groom.

The smart thing for new hires & juniors to do, is to seek out those that really care about the industry- not because you want their job, but because you want to do the level of work that job requires.

And then you're more likely to find yourself in a situation where your enthusiasm guided by their experience is going to produce phenomenal work.




Another key point he brought up- is how the students that perform the best at the BrandCenter are those that are the quickest to and thickest skinned about asking for scrutiny on their work. They don't care about their ego- they just want the work done right. We've all been in situations where someone on the team put out something a little lackluster, but it's hard to say so in the right words.
But being more willing to work alongside your partner or even whoever happens to be in the hall at the time pays off with killing the lame work sooner.

A philosophy within TMA's planning department is:

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Lots to Love in Virginia
Posted on 2008-Aug-18 at 07:20

In my last post on VCU, I mentioned maintaining your life outside of your work load. If you’re eyeing VCU, and want to know what your life will look like outside of slogging hours in the lab, here’s what I found:

 First, Richmond is gorgeous. If you’re one to crave visual inspiration- there’s a street, I believe Monument Ave., that has been voted Most Beautiful Street in America. I was there in November and the trees were on fire with colour. I asked some of the cabbies what they love most about their city, and the most popular response was

“You can do whatever want; you’re just over an hour away from the mountains, the beach, and an hour ½ from D.C.”

                                        Sunrise Richmond                                              

Every coffee shop has the Things to Do leaflet, and there are scores of museums, shows, performances etc. that hit the Richmond area so there’s a steady dose of art & culture.

 

And I’ve never been to a city where so many people shamelessly love karaoke- there’s an awesome Irish pub Sin-e´ near the Martin Agency where mass numbers flock to belt out the stress of the BrandCenter. Mark Fenske even has “his table,” there where you can catch him furiously crafting the next great line.

 

It’s a lot like Europe- there’s so much history in Richmond, you can stop and stare at something and wonder “What’s the story behind that?” and then chances are, to your left you’ll see an accompanying museum to answer that question. There’s the wide, ambling brick streets and all the little cafes with the outdoor tables turned out so you can people watch. Richmond also churns out some seriously good local draught beers. Try Stool Pidgeons or RichBrau.

Richbrau Brewing Company

 

The 17^th Street Farmers market has been transformed from the market where they used to auction slaves into a fresh produce & hand-crafted goods mecca.  Being that the Richmond was one of the former Confederate capitals, there are lots of remnants from the discrimination of that time, which makes for some jarring visual cues to keep work focused on being culturally respectful.

17th Street Market

 

I got the impression that Richmond is the city where all the world-travelers settle in after they’ve sated their wander lust. Every little shop (sure there’s the staple chains, but there’s waaay more mom& pop shops and tiny boutiques) had the most fascinating  shopkeepers. In one store, the owner was from the Lakota tribe and told me anything & everything about smudging with sage bundles, about picture stone, and rivals wikipedia in her instant-off-the-top knowledge of random things of the world.

If you like vintage stores, there’s an awesome shop in 17^th Street Farmers Market, where Lucretia, the owner, stitches up all kinds of unique stuff, and introduced me to the sounds of Pharoah Sanders which is now a new favourite.

 

As I was driving with a Comm Strategy student, I pointed out how nearly every car had a license plate with a message like C THWRLD or OSO WYLD or something random like that. She said that Richmond is the city with more custom vanity license plates than anywhere else in the states. There’s definitely that quirky offbeat humor rampant in this town. 

 

 Aside from Ogilvy, more BrandCenter students flocked to intern at the Martin Agency than anywhere else. TMA doesn’t accept interns unless they’re BrandCenter students. TMA frequently throws some bones to BrandCenter studs in the form of assignments with the Alliance for Climate Protection etc., so you have access to mentors, and extra work if you’re looking for it.

the Martin Agency

Also, the BrandCenter list of Board of Directors is insane. Meet The Board

The BrandCenter throws an annual BOD party, so you might indulge your hero worship, schmooze your way into your dream agency, and/or snag the most amazing mentor.

 

A lot of what made Richmond feel great, is how amazing the people are there. Students/Faculty/Cabbies/Shopkeepers/Bartenders everyone had something interesting to share, and were polite and happy to tell you all about it. If you want to laugh a lot while you earn your Masters, there’s no shortage a great humor & good times in Richmond. 

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Who gets into VCU?
Posted on 2008-Aug-18 at 05:47

Given that juniors can never read enough about finishing schools and can’t always jet out to check them out themselves, here’s what I loved & learned from my week touring VCU.

 
A Lot Like You

I sat in on Peter Coughter’s second-year “Cultural Exploration” class. (Most VCU classes blend ADs, CWs, Communication Strategy & Brand Manager students together, so holistic problem-solving is ingrained from the get-go.)

 

In this class- the team selected “The Fall of the Saturday Morning Cartoon,” and delivered their presentation in PJs &  robes, handed out cereal just like Saturday morning, while we debated Racism, The Change in Parenting Roles, the FCC, & the Change in Values & Entertainment Fragmentation via what cartoons look like today compared to when our generation was glued to them.

 

It was a blast and impressive how articulately VCU students analyzed what cartoons imply about our society. So VCU studs are a lot like you; so damn passionate & opinionated and hell-bent on finding the answers. You’re going to grow & dig up so many different perspectives by surrounding yourself with the caliber of studs here at VCU.  Not only that, but everyone has some mad cool quirk/interest/skill that finds it’s way into the work done- so it’s important to let your sense of self show up when you work on your application or work on your projects.

 

When I asked the 2^nd year students what their big mistake or lesson was, it’s simply that first year students get so overwhelmed with work and not knowing how to balance it, they forget to clear time for themselves and burn themselves out. Every 2^nd year I met stressed the importance of “scheduling” some free time, otherwise you won’t make it.  I met a Comm Strategy student that competes on VCU’s crew team M-F 5am-7am, does work study, and is performing strongly in her track- so it can be done. Just relax and enjoy your two years.

 

As for the “Can I work & school it out” question- it’s50/50. I met a handful of 2^nd years that have some part-time job at restaurants, teaching or work study and manage just fine- others (especially the Ads & CWs), say that the curriculum & building your book is too important to focus on so they live off loans to soak up the most of the 2 years.

*** However, everyone advised to not work the first semester, if not the whole first year simply because there’s too much to get acclimated to, so wait until your second year to ease off the loans.

 

One thing that blew me away about VCU studs- is how unselfish they are. Everyone was happy to share what they learned the hard way, and how they share the mentality of helping their team along, be it showing Photoshop shortcuts, or lending a critical eye to a layout. Because even though they’re competitive as hell- everyone knows that “open-sourcing” while working together on projects brings up the work level & keeps egos at bay. The thing is, it takes a full year for most students to grow comfortable with that outlook- most spend their first year trying to outshine their peers and aren’t ready to play ‘for the greater good’ until they’ve been broken in.

 

On Egos:

One of my friends is in the CW track there. I took it as pretty solid advice when he told

me his first year, he accepted that he really didn’t know anything, and anything his professor told him he took it as The Word and let them shape his work. Now, in his second year, he feels confident and justified in being able to disagree with a professor but know how to back it up. While some first years seem to think they’ve been in the industry or interned ______, that they know better than their professors or their teammate. But the hot air of an ego turns cold quick at VCU, so it’s important to know it’s OK to willingly offer your work to scrutiny, it’s only going to make it better in the end.   

 

 Yes, people get accepted, start the workload and drop out. It all comes down to how honest you are with yourself about your skills, your future goals, and how much you’re willing to commit to this. It’s been said before, “You just gotta love this to survive.”

 

What VCU does better than anyone, is develop your ability to work on more than ‘just advertising.’ It’s just as much understanding the business of advertising as it is the glamorized creative push. The speakers they invite are in film, gaming, anthropology, sociology whatever- it’s all about honing a set of problem-solving, leadership and accountability skills that you can transpose in any field or job detail. 

 

While I was there, I heard a story how Coz Cotzias, one of the famed CW instructors, was invited to speak to a batch of Harvard MBAs, after which, Harvard offered him a lucrative full time-position. Apparently his response was “No thanks, I already teach at ‘Harvard’,” because VCU students are granted equal parts creative & business skills, whereas our MBA counterparts are in a creative drought since they’re all taught in the same safe, dry & predictable method of problem-solving. [I’ve had to rely on that anecdote since my mom & others seem to think that a graduate degree from an advertising school isn’t as valuable as a MBA, however, it’s the case that there’s a shortage of solid creativity so the demand for our craft is there.]

 

One last thing I liked as I looked around the class- was lack of majority. Brazilian, Caucasian, Cuban, Korean, Indian, African-American, Mormon, Gay, Musician, Prep, Frat Daddy, Self-Financed, Introvert, Contrarian, Smart Ass, whatever, they were all there. The male/female ratio was about equal and this was a class with a blend of all 4 tracks. Our generation might finally be the one that ushers in ad juniors from different socio-economic backgrounds/races/religions and confronts the lack of respectful representation in advertising, and maybe, just maybe break down the image of The Omnipotent Madison Ave. Man.

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It's Halloween. So What's Dying?
Posted on 2007-Oct-31 at 01:31
I’m not sure how well this extends to rest of the population, but in my experience, I’m becoming more aware of how differently the ages communicate and what I can learn from both sides.

I have spent time as a TA, or in a leadership role to underclassmen, like most of my friends.  Increasingly, we’ve all ranted about freshies that  email us every second of the night with multiple questions already covered in handouts, posted materials etc., and blame us for their poor performance because we “haven’t gotten back to them soon enough,” despite the fact all the info is available 24/7  on a site, they just wanted us to  re-paste it in their very important email so they don’t have to look it up.

And yet,  in the past , I am guilty of this to you Solomon,  Dr. K and so on.  So what was I thinking?

I think, generally speaking, we do it because we can. Everything is becoming a crutch. It’s usually along the lines of : “I can email/Fbook/text you at 3am because that way I don’t have to deal with talking to you-and I know you religiously check your CrackBerry,  and I can probably confirm what time you received my message so I can send another  one asking why you haven’t gotten back to my first one.”

There is an age-driven divide between those that use Communication  as an Art and those that lock & load it like the Science of  u no wht I mean?
The Science side argues their efficient way is better bc u cut right 2 the pt. w/o the sugarcoating, whereas the Art side believes they’re more effective because it’s about building long-term relationships via  intensive conversing.

Remember the scene in The Departed when Matt Damon texts crucial info without even pulling his phone out to view? That’s my younger sister and all her friends.  I have a cap on my free texts, so I only use them when I have to. She, however, has unlimited, so she’ll start  conversations with 4 different people while in class, simply because she can text quicker than the teacher can turn around.

Because everything around us is so fast and so free, when we come into interviews or meetings with superiors,  we’re so quick to think or ask:
                             Get To The Point. Am I In?  Tell Me What I Want To Hear.
It’s like navigating a country where we’re not broken into the language and have to readjust. But, it seems like we’re doing less adjusting and more demanding.
We have inflated egos because we Wikipedia the hell out of stuff until we feel know more than you and what your experience has taught you. 
Anything we want is cheap, becoming free, or at least we know someone who can tap into it for us gratis.
In the back of our heads when we talk to long-winded superiors, chances are the  voice of Billy Madison taunts “tuh Tuh tuh TODAY junior!!” 

This attitude is very young and very American, but unfortunately, it’s also contagious.  I say this, because I’ve been guilty and I don’t want to be. There is some good in our ability to dive right into it- but it’s usually most effective in measured doses. If anyone with experience in HR wants to air out horror stories, or has made a major insightful gaffe themselves I’d love to hear it.


A silly, but relevant personal example of code switching:
 Sometimes I have to coach my mom. “Mom, Kirst just came home from school where all her friends speak in that hyper-text slang you hate. If you want a full-blown story extravaganza of her day,  give her some time to readjust before you ask her  and wonder why the terse answers."
“Kirst, a mom is obsessed with the lives of their kids. So pretend you’re telling mom about a movie based on just another day at your school and if you give her all the details, she won’t fire away with more questions when you’re done.”

My concern is- that when I listen to my sister and her friends, or hear from underclassmen , is that our tech is making it easier to hyper-chat  and feel entitled to always using that way of speaking, and blowing off those that don’t as out-of-touch. My point is, we’ll never get it perfect, but I know  I can be more aware of which way of communicating works best depending on the situation.

To all my professors & mentors and friends I have ever bombarded with my burning questions, I swear utmost sincerity for getting back to me quickly.

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Air It Out
Posted on 2007-Oct-31 at 10:19
your opinion that is, on Current TV & Alliance for Climate Protection's best :60 Seconds to Save The Earth's ecospot contest by  3pm EST Friday Nov. 9th

www.current.com/ecospot 


"The top four ecospots as chosen by you, the community, will be broadcast internationally on Current TV, showcased on MySpace's Impact Channel and featured in the Alliance's national campaign. So your vote will help shape how the world thinks about the climate crisis."

P.S. This weekend thousands of students will be descending on Washington, D.C. for Power Shift 2007, the first national youth summit on solving the climate crisis. The Alliance is a proud sponsor of this important event and you can find out more at powershift07.org.
-Cathy Zoi, CEO Alliance for Climate Protection

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Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau
Posted on 2007-Oct-22 at 12:44
In the last Contagious Magazine briefing, CM referenced a collaboration between Little Minx & Idealogue, that gives young talent work by collaborating & producing short films Exquisite Corpse style (where each director begins their film by reading the last line of the previous director's scripts.)

Check it out for some random, indie-ish shorts Little Minx TV

"The Eyes of Every Man Riveted Upon Her" is solid. The girl could move some Converse shoes.

Says Wikipedia, the Exquisite Corpse method of collaborating & creating has generated quite an interesting list of uses. Could even make for a more entertaining way to write a brief.
Wiki'd: Exquisite Corpse

Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau -> The exquisite corpse will drink the new wine
The Exquisite Corpse name is a result of when the Surrealists first played the game in 1925.

Get in on Contagious Magazine here: Subscribe

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Zombies. Yes!
Posted on 2007-Oct-20 at 11:06
28 Seconds Later is a brilliant, literal 28 second spot to promote zombie flick 28 Days Later. Ahahaha. Considering I just saw Planet Terror the other night- this sates my autumnal all-things-zombie lust.

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Media Mix of Your Book
Posted on 2007-Oct-17 at 01:32
As AAF's case study for the National Student Advertising Competition was sent out in September, and other juniors are polishing their books for fall graduation, I saw this article in the New York Times and would recommend it to anyone picking & choosing which work to display. http://tinyurl.com/2kynpa, which charts the effectiveness of the Nike+ utility. Longevity Nike+ is consistently yielding articles like NYTs, well after the Nike+ campaign debut. Legs It's "legs," continue to extend as "the company plans to use the Nike+ idea in other sports categories, which could include basketball, tennis and soccer." Cultural Impact That article was posted in the New York Times, not Ad Age, not AdWeek. So people outside the ad industry and outside of the Nike+ consumers are now aware and expecting us to come up with more ways to make things easier for them, via services or utilities. *Utility is primed to be yet another industry buzzword, so the key is to keep utility present, but subtle in books/campaigns. (I'm not saying rip Nike+ and stash a sibling idea in your book. Cannes judge Aaron Turk already chastised agencies for submitting work to the digital awards category that too closely mirrored Diesel's Heidies, Doves' Evolution or Nike+) Displaying a campaign in your book that features a service designed to enhance the consumer's experience in a way relevant to the brand seems like a solid strategy. At Portfolio Night last May, CDs commented that they would have like to have seen more of that in books.

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Change cultures of consumption --> conservation
Posted on 2007-Oct-9 at 04:01

I'm impressed. Every day I see another article pertaining to conservation or sustainability, as if it's becoming less of a green "movement," and more of a lifestyle habit for consumers, brands & corporations.

When I was in w. Europe this summer- it was as if each business, big or small, made noticeable efforts at sustainable, responsible consumption practices.

You've logged more international miles than me, certainly this sounds familiar:
   -The mass popularity of bikes or walking for transportation

   -The "set up" to grow & buy produce/meat locally

   -Instead of paying for plastic bag use, bring a reusable tote. And buy only what you need

   -In restrooms,  dry your hands on re-washable linen dispensers rather than  paper towels

   -In some hotels- electric doesn't work until you insert a power card, so outlets aren't            constantly draining electricity while you're out

   - Multiple bins to recycle glass/plastic/paper. Signage EVERYwhere about  keeping the water, paths, land  air  clean.

And with as international of an audience as ihaveanidea enjoys, you have various answers to:

How are ad agencies minimizing our impact on the planet?

I tried asking globe-trotting Ignacio which of the agencies that he's toured have done something innovative to conserve. His words:

"NEVER...Have I heard of any agency

doing stuff for the environment.

And I've been to many!"

People don't really perceive ad agencies as making strides in that department, whereas it's common knowledge that other industries include some GreenSpeak in their dialog via mission statements, corporate responsibility initiatives, and build awareness/show new measures by being in the public's eye.  i.e:

Architecture: Leed Certification
Travel: Conde Nast/Lonely Planet etc. have all dedicated issues, articles & initiatives to ecotourism
Car Manufacturers: Hybrid Cars/ Alternative Fuel research
Business: Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives (although sometimes viewed as Greenwashing-at least it marks an attempt, an awareness state for better practices)

 

The problem is, we can have Leed certified offices etc., but if the people in the offices are still burning through reams of paper, serving plastic/aluminum beverages at meetings w/out recycling, or logging long hours with incandescent bulbs-it's counter-productive.

We tell our clients about the importance of enviro/socially-responsible initiatives, when as employees we can change our day-to-day habits in the office to assist in diminishing the climate crisis.

True,  David Droga’s NY Tap Water initiative is brilliant use of skills of the trade to do something big. And I believe he was pushing to use Advertising Week as a chance to solve other Big World Needs.

Since it's a given that we are 'masters' at raising awareness and changing behaviours- how else can we use our skills for global good?

Recycle:

- the endless printer cartridges/batteries we steam through?
-piles of trade publications/annuals that clutter agencies?

**Recycling costs tend to decline as more participate. Get the rest of the offices in your building in on it.**

Reduce:
-up-all night creative session powered by CFLs rather than an incandescent bulb

Purchase as Votes
-fuel creatives' caffeine binges with fair trade, free trade, shade grown coffee?

-lounges stocked with washable rather than disposable mugs, flat ware etc. water filters instead of single serve bottles, liters instead of cans etc.

Will there come a day when your flashy business card is made from paper recycled from previous bad ideas?

Would holding companies create a network-wide wiki for their sibling agencies to collaborate on ideas for:

     -designing more eco-friendly offices

     -waste reduction awareness

     -utilizing tech for less travel more teleconferencing

     -planting trees to offset air travel for pitches/client meetings

What if the first assignment at every creative finishing school was "How would you make the facility & program greener..."

Could it become a selling point for portfolio schools to plug their green practices, and spark competition from schools to make eco-strides? (In the same sense that universities are clamoring for organic, local produce cafeterias, recycling initiatives, purchase of wind turbines, even on-site compost facilities etc.)

** A slew of award-winning student work at the Clios last year showcased social/environmental  polemics. MAS- Well done on promoting these types of campaigns.**

How else can we drive demand for less waste in the workplace?

And there's endless little steps like this, the successive approximations that add up to significant changes over time.
 
I remember seeing that Taxi Canada includes this in email signatures:

...and for the rest of the day, I paid more attention to doing/stop doing things that affect my impact.

Especially when we know better than anyone that each purchase counts as a vote towards maintaining the status quo, or driving change.

If we're the ones responsible for inducing consumption- we can at least make sure we're promoting brands committed to reducing and off-setting waste as needed, and promoting responsible consumption.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

People want to do it- they want to get more green, but might not know where to start, or whether their efforts really amount to anything. But so much is springing up that this former niche isn't slowing. And we have plenty of examples from others to draw from:

• Clios' Future Gold competition, Adobe's case study asked young creatives to demonstrate how "Going Green is Good For Your Bottom Line."
• Egg advertising was founded "to help sustainable brands win in the marketplace." http://www.eggusa.net/flash/    [Interview by Brian Feeney AD @VCU]
• If your clients produce electronics- how easy and well-promoted are recycling programs for the PDAs/mobiles/laptops?
  
• The Martin Agency recently acquired Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection. Earlier in the year they acquired Wal-Mart, who teamed with the Environmental Protection Agency to create ‘Change a Light, Change a World’ pledge to replace regular light bulbs with energy-efficient CFLs.
• Additionally, Wal-Mart has hired green activist Adam Werbach, to advise the nation’s largest retailer as to how they can pragmatically reduce their environmental impact, while promoting environmentally-responsible practices among all Wal-Mart management & employees.

• TMA also holds UPS & NASCAR as clients, brands synonymous with high-mileage and hefty fuel dependence. Consider the possibilities if the research stemming from the Alliance and Wal-Mart’s eco-strides impact the practices of NASCAR & UPS…

• So, the Martin Agency, along with the nearby population of VCU students known as exemplary problem solvers & agencies eager to hire them, represent a golden opportunity for the advertising profession to promote responsible consumption & work-practices. It will be interesting to see what kind of green-design in mind innovations the new AdCenter campus utilizes.

• Ed Cotton, created Planners for Good group on Facebook, 700+ strong and counting that post briefs for planners world wide to collaborate on  environmental/social agendas.

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Free 'Dangerous Ideas'
Posted on 2007-Sep-29 at 10:31

If Galt's Gulch was real, the Big Thinkers associated with Pop!Tech would the raise the first walls. Check out http://poptech.org/popcasts/   for a list of free MP3s or "popcasts" from revolutionary problem solvers in sciences, technology, business, design, the arts, education, government and culture.

Fortunately, these could-be gulchers are not hoarding their visions, they're  freely accessible under the "Creative Commons license—meaning you can distribute, translate and edit them as you wish for noncommercial use."

On Oct. 18-21st, Pop!Tech holds their annual conference in Maine. Registration is $2,495, but again, the popcasts are still free and half of the panel questions come from online viewers.

If you use Yahoo's Upcoming.org, the Pop!Tech Annual Conference is listed under: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/149640

I saw Pop!Tech's conference referenced in October's Fast Company magazine. It's also featured in many of the mags you and your clients read, including: Business Week, Fortune, Wired, NYTimes, Cool Hunting, the CSM and on NPR.org.

Chris Anderson, (author of the Long Tail which Steve Hayden hailed at the Clios this year,) tackles: What happens when material things become free? Start with his clip; he casts his prediction for the 21st century model we're all hypothesizing about. It's 25 minutes, insightful each one (especially 14:00 mark with respect to Media) and the conclusion is good fun. http://poptech.org/popcasts/PopCasts.aspx?viewcastid=22

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Brand Gondry
Posted on 2007-Sep-23 at 07:59
I'm fascinated with Michel Gondry's work. His creativity spills into everything from films, indie music videos, of course ads, and  a slew of other random outlets. Some thoughts after digging up his various outlets of creativity:

Gondry-Directed Ads:
1. Motorola: Experience
Razr
Reminds me of Happiness Factory and snags the same feel-good factor. I love that the treatment is so unexpected ( I'm over the rivalry between the Sprint-Alltell & Zeta Jones sales pitch characters). Definitely the most imaginative display of product features.

2. Levi's
Prophylactic
Best damn denim ad. Accentuating the innocuous watch pocket whilst maintaining the brand's heritage, and using to tell a classic story is fetching. Now, I'll laugh every time I see someone rocking the Red Label.

Levi's: Mermaids
Sirens
I'm sure there's a robust population of males who prefer their jeans shrunk-to-fit in this fashion. Kudos to BBH UK Bronze Lion '97

Gondry Featured in an Ad:
Gondry & HP
And since every creative has at least one defining quirk, His Kermit-in-Paris accent is perfectly captured in the last line: "I'm not a very good sleeperrr."

His work is certainly polarizing; some think he's a fruity hack, other's think his genius is on another level. I like it. Obviously, I've been up to word-of-mouthing it along.

EVERY Thing Becomes a Canvas for Creativity
Drum & Drummer
I bet if that was turned into an ad for a single brand of drums that would be huge. Every drummer/musician I know is constantly tapping out beats on any available surface, or mentally recording sound experiences like traffic, the cadence of a person walking etc. for later use.


Brazenly Integrates  Channels of Expression:
Spin Me Right Round Baby
Fuses art & music with the ol' Spin Paint turn table, a piano & Bjork.

Next Movie :
Be Kind Rewind
Looks like a hr. & 1/2 commercial for the longevity of consumer generated content.
(Or, watch the clip again, and mentally cast Jack & Black & Mos Def as representing boutique shops vs. original full-length films as larger "bureaucratic" agencies, and notice the parallels.)

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concern that "advertising isn't considered a popular career choice early in one's education", and the cry to "diversify & attract talent from disciplines other than advertising."
Which is why Gondry's work, along with Guy Ritchie's BMW shorts, strike me as a solid shot at hopping over the silos between design, advertising, screen writing, directing, etc.  in order to produce content that creates ideal brand experiences.

That perhaps, it will be more common to use an open-source model: bringing in talent (outside the advertising profession) , earlier in the concepting stage, rather than just  hiring them for production. i.e., when I'm stuck creatively, I call my friend who's in architecture. Because she approaches problems differently than I've been trained to, it always triggers synapse flow in a new direction. As a result, she pays more attention to advertising, I'm more aware of design & structure,  giving us both another technique for our jobs .

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I Know the World's Most Popular Secret
Posted on 2007-Sep-15 at 11:37
Last night, I listened to the author of what I think is the best piece of communication I’ll see in my lifetime. Frank Warren, author of Post Secret, lectured to a crowd of over 600 here in Tallahassee. His Post Secret project, started in 2004, nails virtually all the essentials of what effective advertising should do. He’s harnessed the power of Consumer-Generated content in a way that begs to be lauded and further developed. His project receives and continues to receive dream response rates.

I went to his lecture tonight, to take a break from writing for my application into a planning school. I needed a reprieve from focusing on creativity by taking in something absolutely teeming with it. After hours of reflecting on the best work I’ve seen and why it’s good, last night, for free, I saw all the basics of effective communication neatly bundled in the Post Secret project:

Good Ideas Come From Anywhere
Small Business Owner with no artistic training pays $50 for an exhibition space within a D.C. art exhibition. Airing his painful childhood memory goes viral, spawning an international project known as Post Secret.

Big Idea Trumps the Delivery
Sharing a secret anonymously began on the archaic post card (b.1873), and the secrets now infiltrate all types of media, arriving on anything including: toilet paper, parking citations, jewelry, T-shirts, house keys, hotel room keys, locks of hair, Starbuck’s cup, fitting room hang tags, text messages, birthday cakes, on Private Property of a Marine, currency of many denominations & countries, “I’m a Crook,” on a 1040 form, sonograms, and others.

Unlocks a Universal Human Truth
Not just in the confessions themselves, but in the trends across ages, ethnicities, genders and cultures. --i.e. His concept for A Lifetime of Secrets is to chronologically arrange secrets amassed from different people age 8 to 80, to knit together a collective human story of shared secrets.” The Secret Lives of Men & Women, does more to highlight the surprising similarities rather than contrasts between genders.

“I never knew people are so identical, even though they pretend they’re not.” –Egypt

If only briefs always had such telling access to the innermost thoughts like the ones uploaded to the site.

Simplicity Sells
Rules: Send in your secret anonymously. Must be true. Must be something you’ve never told anyone. Submissions are well in the 1,000s, crossing oceans, language barriers and state lines in order to participate.

Elicits Spectrum of Emotions
Jealousy, Shame, Despair, Hope, Eroticism, Empathy, Desperation, Confusion, Vengeance- they’re all there in the reams of post cards Frank receives. If I remember correctly, currently he receives an average of 200 post cards a week, even 3 years after his project began.

Philanthropic Co-Branded Entertainment
All American Rejects offered to pay Frank Warren $1,000 for the right to use Post Secret images in their video “Dirty Little Secret.” He declined the initial offer and countered with a request that they instead pay 1.800.Suicide Hotline $2,000, which they did.

Measurable Behaviour Change
Post Secret.com viewers collectively saved 1.800.Suicide by raising $30,000 in ONE WEEK to save the hotline after Frank posted an email from the hotline’s founder asking for help.
 
-Hundreds of Anonymous Mailers have followed up via email, after seeking help for eating disorders and/or psychological problems.
-Frank shares his emails of how victims of molestation confront their assailant, people quit the toxic relationship/job/habit/thought pattern after realizing someone, somewhere knows how they feel and shares their secret burden. His site posts new results each Sunday. PostSecret
-Lives have been saved. Literally.

“When I read Post Secret, I feel alone. But at least I know there are lot more people alone like me. –New York.”

One woman wrote how, instead of mailing her secret in, she stuck it on the mirror at work and ducked back to her desk. All day she wondered whether it was still there, whether anyone guessed it was her secret unveiled up there. Finally, at the end of day, she returned to examine the effect of her handiwork. No surprise, but about 15 other secrets had been affixed next to her original.


Consider that possibly:
You work with people who conceal this:
“People think I’ve stopped lying. But I’ve just gotten better.”
“I was NOT raped.”
“I only stay in this job because I won’t pass a drug test anywhere else. And I do drugs because I hate my job.”

You work for clients that fear this being exposed:
“I found your escort ad. You lied to me.”
“I’m 100% sure if I were a man, I’d be a rapist.”
“When I’m overwhelmed at the office, I go to the toilet to play video games on my PDA until I feel better.”

You Have a Story/Memory/Impulse Similar to This:
“I’ve stolen KY from my mom 3 times so her and her boyfriend wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
“I once made a student repeat a grade just so I could flirt with her father another year.”
“I work with uptight religious people, so I don’t wear panties and pass the day smiling to myself.”
"Anorexia made her faster and we all wanted our cross-country team to qualify for state so we ignored it. Now she’s in the hospital but we got our wish."

You Might Feel Relieved if Someone Told You:
“So do I most of the time. That's why I stay longer at work. To be around people.”
“Five years ago I tried killing myself. Since then my view of life has changed so much.”
“I want to convince my mom God isn't real so that she'll stop telling me that she prays for me. I feel nothing but guilt every time she says it.”
“My office never sent me flowers after surgery, even though they have for other people. So I ordered a huge bouquet for myself and used the corporate account. I never told, and no one ever asked when the bill came!”

“Thanks for sending in the post cards. It’s good to know I’m not so different after all.” –Germany

“So many of my secrets are there. Without me sending a card.” - Mexico


So we’re pumping 3000 messages a day into peoples’ consciousness while they’re already shouldering the weight of all these buried secrets. With the capabilities we have as advertisers, we have such an opportunity to ameliorate what’s affecting the people we share the planet with. That when we tap into how many problems and secrets people bear, we have the opportunity to become an “change agents across all disciplines”, as the Esquire magazine stated to the NYTimes in reference to David Droga’s work on the TAP water campaign.
TAP


Frank Warren’s presentation left me wondering:

How much more could I concentrate on work- if my thoughts of working so hard to conceal my own secrets and doubts were wiped out?

How can I use what I know to make it easier for people to communicate what’s uncomfortable to discuss?

Which issues would I like to see advertising in the next couple of years, raise awareness and help solve the problem?

Of course, Dove is a prime example to plug into those questions. They recognized how women felt ignored and didn’t relate to the idealism in beauty mags, and O&M helped solve the problem by creating blogs, classrooms, and funds as outlets to boost girls’ and women’s’ self-esteem and acceptance. Brilliant solving of two problems; women’s need to feel loved as they come, as well as the client’s bottom line.

Looking over students’ awarded work at the ‘07 Clios shows that the incoming wave of junior talent that cares about listening to what’s afflicting people & our planet.
I want to admit I’m excited and hopeful, to see the movement of Big Ideas from our industry continuing to solve Big World Needs.

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Wise Words from Strawberry Frog
Posted on 2007-Sep-5 at 07:06
We also popped by Strawberry Frog, but were unable to tour the agency since they had just won a new account (Congrats again) and at that time, they were not allowed to disclose the client-therefore we were denied access into House of Frogism.

However, Jess at Reception, was kind enough to drop some worthy tips on interviewing as a junior:

"Generally speaking at entry level, aim for the big agencies over boutique agencies such as SF." Why? The workload is too big and the staffs are too lean to baby you, you need the experience behind you to be able to "plug and play."

"Be Wary of Buzzwords."
EVERYone else is reading AdAge too. Yes, it's great to show you're aware of the industry-speak, but as always, everything in moderation, so form your own opinions on what everyone else is chatting/blogging about and be prepared to back them up. Use your own words aka your own voice. They WILL call bullshit on you if you sound just like a verbatim AdWeek article in the flesh. And sometimes, it's better to find a contrarian opinion that you can defend articulately.

If you ever read anything from Brad Karsh at Job Bound, he'll tell you the same thing Jess and probably ever other HR has heard: all potential new hires keep saying the same "key phrases," which obviously lose their poignancy after hearing them day in and day out. This probably seems like common sense, but if the Bigs are still calling it an issue, then us jrs. are still bumming up on this one. It's just expected that you're privy to those pop phrases, but those become rapidly dated, so tell them something new. 

---And the feedback from all my friends that have recently been interviewing with agencies big, mid, and small corroborates #2. The interviews that went the best were the ones where they spent relatively little time talking about ad skills and work, and more about experience and passions/hobbies. They weren't so much described as "interviews," but as 'great conversations.'



What your walk/bike ride to work could look like...

 

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Welcome to W+K in A'Dam
Posted on 2007-Sep-5 at 06:08
While I was roaming around Europe on a blustery, drizzly Friday afternoon, my friend Maggie and I decided to crash Wieden + Kennedy's office in Amsterdam. We walked up, sans appointment, just as Marsha was loading her car up for the weekend Keizersgracht. Conveniently, Marsha is in HR and arranged a tour for us within the hour.

Despite the fact our visit wasn’t announced, everyone across all departments we toured was more than welcoming- a running theme in the agency of 150 that touts 25 nationalities. (You definitely hear all of those accents as you walk up wander up the winding staircases.) See what I mean: Nationalities
And after over two hours of our impromptu visit, we didn't want to leave the kitsch spread that is the W + K office on Keizersgracht.

They play a dirty trick to make you never want to leave W + K's office-it’s really a labyrinth you can never leave with its slim, red winding staircases taking you in as many directions as a M.C Escher sketch.
And it’s styled more like a cozy loft than an office-appropriate, since their work load makes it your second home. The foyer greets you with black & white postcards of everyone that works there, showing off their own sense of silliness or passion, so you immediately see whether or not you're fit for W + K's culture.

Good news; W + K, A'dam, as they put it, are “bursting at the seams with work, and are moving into a larger office by the year's end.”
As if working for on Nike, EA, Sharp or Coca-Cola isn't dream enough; working at W +K's new office suggests rumours of hot tub & bar up on the roof and a new gym among other things. Niiice. So anyone with dreams of W + K emblazoned on just about everything, shine up your book.
 
On W + K Culture: Keith White, HR:

I can attest to that, as the numerous token agency afterlife pics stretched across any blank space confirms.
(Should you visit, be sure to ask for the story of what can go wrong after a post-pitch-win celebration when your office overlooks a canal… Or check out the postcard with lurid shots of A'Dam visitors caught in copulation in the hotel across the canal from the agency.)
 

On Planning: Dave Cobban, Planning Director

 
PR: Sarah Taylor
Currently, the front office which overlooks the canal, is home to W + K’s PR department. I spoke with Sarah Taylor, who hails from England, and knows all the nitty gritty of W+K PR. She told me what in her opinion, is quite validating about their PR, is when W + K’s work lands in Creativity magazine’s headlines.

On the other hand, in her experience at W+K and other agencies, she admits one of the most daunting tasks of a PR professional can be getting the client to acknowledge that
in positioning said product in everyone’s gotta-have-it-now radar.

I was impressed with the integration at W+K; understanding how the other arms of brand experience (like PR) coexist, and hearing what keeps them up at night and which moments make their job golden-the conversations during our tour was an excellent crash course in seeing a holistic view of advertising. For fellow juniors, I can’t stress enough how much you can glean from going for informational interviews like this-set em up!

Adaptations
In addition to in-house PR, W + K Amsterdam also has a full-time “Adaptations” department, tasked with making sure every execution is culturally relevant and correct and free from other such Chevy “No-va” or “Tienes Leche?” type snafus.  

Adaptations was one of my favourite parts of the agency; seeing the stacks of tomes in dozens of languages, chatting with the multi-linguists who have travelled everywhere I have and want to go.
As other agencies sometimes have Adaptations or a similar department, this seems like an opportunity to recruit those tempted to leave the print industry, with a knack for editing & languages to cross-over into advertising.

Art Buying
And if a trained ear for language nuances isn’t your forte, but you’ve got a keen eye for art, music, trends etc., and would like to get paid for sifting through records and meandering through galleries, look into W+K’s Art Buying department.  

Here, the team finds all the key pieces to make each shot, frame or sound byte unique, fitting, or whatever the brief calls for. Yet another sweet opportunity as the importance of design in advertising continues to spread.

Getting In The (Dutch) Door
Despite the trend that’s it’s increasingly difficult to get a job abroad- that didn’t really hinder the diverse staff that comprises W+K in the Jordaan neighborhood.

Everyone had a different story of entering the land of the Dutch: some claimed to “party their way in with the right people,” others came from fields other than advertising, some came from Portfolio Schools, via head hunters, others were required to pass Dutch fluency before being allowed a work visa, or started in Oregon and transferred over. Basically, there’s ways to make that troublesome paperwork ease up if you want it bad enough, you have the talent, thick skin, and a sense of humor.

W+K definitely passes the Let’s-Go-Drink-Jenever after work test. They’ve mastered the We Earn Results test too: Bragging Rights I dropped in on W+K A’dam back in early July, but I still remember the endless, different quirky sense of humours, how quick everyone was to drop what they’re doing and to chat passionately about what it is that they do. If that’s your kind of culture, get in touch with them. They’re quite nice- they don’t even turn away unannounced recent-graduate backpackers.
Are You In?

Wieden requires you to think before you Leak...

...The W+K way

The lurid views "Love Views" from across the canal

The View from the Top O' W+K, Amsterdam

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Play Culture
Posted on 2007-Jun-16 at 10:17
All week I’ve been boxing up all things college since I’m due to move out soon. And of course, within the reams of papers, I came across my first ads.

It was humbling to find those cave drawings of mine, because I remember how eager I was to present what I thought seemed like a good idea at the time, only to be tartly proven otherwise.

Old work might not look great, but the feelings of excitement, and the hunger of wanting to create something of value always rushes back. The joy that comes from creating.

I used to volunteer at an Art Center and I taught preschoolers in the morning and pre-teens in the afternoon. And while they lunched, I had time to compare what happens between when you’re young and know no bounds or sense of what’s proper, juxtaposed to the snobby, rule-abiding art of the preteens  that believe they already know everything, and have no need to be taught what to do.

It was awesome to see how the younger kids had no fear or rules about what went into their art, and they had so much fun making it. The teens, on the other hand, generally followed the rules and made everything realistic and predictable, and then in utter frustration, criticized their work for not being “good enough or real enough.”

Little 13 yr. olds sneering and practically snorting, “Yeah right, That’s not s’posed to look that way.” They weren’t as readily willing to push things, for fear of being called out.

And that’s what we do now, we mold our work to make it more palatable for the client, follow all the rules. But it’s that first, unbridled work that made you feel good and accomplished in creating it. And while I was looking at my earlier work that wasn't polished, but I  remember the fun I had working on it with my partner (we had a totally batty, irascible old instructor so we conspired on ways to provoke him). It felt good to laugh about that early work-so when I sat to work on a new portfolio piece that I have been procrastinating on, I was finally able to begin relaxed and ready to create.

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Peek at a Student Competition
Posted on 2007-Jun-16 at 10:07
I flew to Louisville last week to attend the American Ad Fed’s National Conference & compete in the final round of the National Student Advertising Competition.

18 universities advanced to the national round out of 160. I observed 15 out of the 18 student presentations. (The schedule of student presentations largely conflicted with the professional’s seminars, so I couldn’t cover those.)

The Result?
You can bet a brigade of juniors that present confidently, have a thorough understanding of where advergaming is headed, and are apt to utilize the social networking lifestyle in campaigns will be marching into your HR departments. Some universities really excelled in design and art direction, and I was impressed with a lot of the creative, less-traditional research tactics some schools employed.

But similar archetypal junior issues that pop up during Portfolio Night & the Clios:
-Just because your work is eye-catching, doesn’t mean it will sell product. Yes, go to a portfolio school & learn about the business of advertising.

-Avoid designing your creative in your likeness. It should accurately reflect the target market’s sensibilities-not yours.

-If you argue that you are a part of the target market, therefore you fully understand it’s preferences, then you are using the make-them-like-me-strategy. Seek others’ perspectives outside of your own little microcosm. Niche marketing is gaining speed and you need to know what everyone else is chatting about while you defend your expertise/insight to deaf ears.


NSAC 2008
If you compete in next year’s NSAC competition, your client will be AOL.  Realize there are key differences between winning a student competition and what life will be like when you create a campaign in the working world. One of the biggies, is that you can aim to please either the judges or the agency recruiters-I’ll go more into it later.

On your presentation-
You are limited to 20 minutes, so your team has to decide on either a dig-deep or dig-wide strategy. i.e. Last year although we won Best Presentation at Districts, we were told we presented too many ideas across too many mediums and it was overload aka we dug wide.
So this year, we dug deep and spent more time detailing implementation, integration and evaluation metrics. We won Best Presentation again, took our campaign to Nationals, only to find that  National judges don’t have that same need for feasibility/accountability, but prefer an array of ideas & promotions to pick and choose from.

Because let’s be honest, they don’t care whether a student campaign could work in the real world because they’re not going to actually run it. It’s more a la carte- it’s their privilege to pick & choose ideas from each school’s campaign and integrate them into their plan. (Naturally, you will have signed rights to your ideas in order to compete.)

So at Districts, impress judges with thorough understanding of how to make a campaign function in the market. At Nationals, it’s more like a pageant of how many ideas, (apparently, no matter whether they’re feasible within the confines of your budget) because the client is going to put their own twist on it anyways.

-It works this way because District judges are a mix of agency professionals from all over the States-they want a feasible, integrated campaign to represent their district well. National judges though, work for the sponsoring client, so they benefit from a menu of ideas.


On Accountability-
I wish we were all held to a higher standard of accountability or feasibility-it’s just better preparation for preparing for pitches working world. Lebow says it better here:
“Our jobs are to create a piece that does exactly what it was meant to do. Win business. Sell product. Make us and our clients money.”
http://lebow.ihaveanidea.org/414/I+WON...yet+I+failed..html 

We all sat through some outrageous media buys, less emphasis on promotions that actually drive sales, and instead, relying on discounts/free sampling, showing little/no use of budget leveraging. It was frustrating to watch many pretty ideas that would never move enough product to achieve the given 3% increased consumption objective.

And during the judge’s debriefing they admitted, “We know most of the media plans only match the budget on paper and wouldn’t work in the real world, we don’t really expect you to follow all the directions since you’re just students. We decided not to factor in whether or not these campaigns are feasible, we just want to see ideas.”

That comment particularly disappointing, because it’s being stressed everywhere else that:
“We Are Not in the Business of Ideas. We Are in the Business of Ideas THAT SELL.”

Again, that makes the pull to attend schools like VCU and Miami Ad School that focus on concepting to drive sales.

But agency recruiters are there to reward those that were more strategically sound. Our campaign won an award for Best Media Strategy, and recruiters sought out our Media planners during the Recruiting session. Recruiters pay perfect attention to the feasible campaigns, so if you choose the dig-deep approach and do it well- I promise your team will come home with an edge on interviews and offers.

You will have slaved on your campaign, but take a moment to consider what’s really going on. National Judges are employed by the sponsoring client-they are interested in your-already-made-Ideas-not necessarily you, so show off lots of ideas.
Or, you can woo Recruiters, who Are interested in YOU and how you justified your Ideas and your aptitude to continually generate effective ideas. Dog walking v. money making.


Networking-
I couldn’t believe how many students did not have a business card.
Or how many students had one, but forgot to keep it on them.

It doesn’t even have to bear a stunning design or font choice, just get your contact info on it because people are likely to jot a note about meeting you on the back anyways.

Bring them everywhere- the clubs, bars, restaurants, even while roaming the city.

You meet more people than you can remember and you need something tangible for them to associate with you. Plus you’re constantly meeting industry outside of the preordained sessions where you’re expected to carry your card.
Otherwise, you beam your number in their phone and a month later they scroll over your name blankly and wondering whothehellisthat. Come prepared to campaign for yourself, because by now you will have graduated and you’re leaving your team’s name behind.

 Speak up! Get outside of your school while you're there. And you find the good stuff, like UT Austin is the best school to share a long lunch with, that U of Minn knows the score on all the portfolio schools, and that if you're gonna go dance your first call should be the Cali schools.

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My alma mater will compete again next year and maybe it’s surprising that I opened a lot up when it’s a competitive environment. But I’d rather expose it and hope someone from any school improves the industry by learning from our insights, mistakes and opinions.

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Content & Contact Category Would Make Howard Roark Proud
Posted on 2007-May-31 at 01:41
No Grand Clio was awarded for the Content & Contact category this year, which makes me love its nature even more. Andrew Keller, Chair of the C&C jury explained that they were adamant about staying true to the highest standards, rather than just awarding a campaign for the sake of handing out an ultimate Grand statue.

Content & Contact is pure creative Bacchanalia. Ask even a C&C jury member to define it and you’ll get a somewhat nebulous explanation- but essentially, each C&C entry each told a wonderfully fresh story while celebrating the plum-perfect matrimony of Creative & Media.

It seems to be a creative’s dream task-let the Idea run far and wide and find it’s own way into all the new media streams we’re obsessing over. Considering that the category’s winners included a real-time documentary on the Ford company, an instigating and chatty Boonie doll for Victoria Bitter beer, Xbox games where the King sneaks and scares you with a Whopper, an insanely successful Japanese anime cartoon series featuring Noodle Cup in the future, a tiny chopper manned solely by Oxyride batteries… basically you get the idea that there was no template to create a campaign considered Content&Contact-worthy.

According to a Clio Press release, the category is only 4 years old now. I think it’s great for juniors assembling their books to recognize that such a category exists-one that is more than likely to grow given today’s communications tech landscape.

To better explain it, I found this synopsis from Paul Woomington, who helped found the C&C category.
“If you look at creative for creative sake, then sometimes you miss the contact part of it. And you can look at great strategies, but the work is rubbish. If you strip our business down to its bare essentials, it is about content, context and contact. And if you can get that harmony right, you're going to be onto a winner. So, what we'll be looking for is great ideas that understand that the medium can be the message and the message is the medium. Hence, content and contact -- really the fusion of the two.”

Oliviero Toscani told us “That there is no such thing as security & creativity together,” which is a bold statement, but the lauded C&C campaigns proved it’s possible. They each contributed something that had not been seen before-fully aware that there was no surefire way to test whether their risks would prove lucrative beforehand.

Which is why this category reminds me of one my favorite protagonists from The Fountainhead. Howard Roark refused to compromise his supreme standards as the C&C judges did this year by not dedicating a Grand Clio. He built structures that few believed in originally but trusted their utility would find their way into demand. And he never mimicked what someone else had already done. These C&C campaigns also embody that sense of “unique, uncompromising creative vision” that renders lasting contact with the consumer.

The complete list of C&C winner are listed here:
http://www.clioawards.com/winners/index.cfm?medium_id=8&award_id=1&search=0

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