DON'T GET ME STARTED • A PODCAST
Posted on
2008-Jul-4
at
08:22
Atlanta is known for a few things. A huge airport. Even bigger steaks. And The Creative Circus. So a little while back Ignacio and I braved Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, dined at Kevin Rathburn Steak and dropped into the bustling ad school.
While there we toured the school, sat in on a few classes and even offered some words of wisdom to the school population. A full report will be posted shortly as there are some big things happening there.
We were also given the honor of participating in the school's podcast. By doing so we were in good company - past guests include Jeb Quaid, Dave Holloway, Don Shelfold and many more. So click on the link below to listen in as Ignacio and I talk shop with Creative Circus Teacher/Department Head/Resident podcaster/Hockey fan Dan Balser.
Don’t Get Me Started • A podcast about advertising
It's Episode 31: The interwebs are here to stay.
And while you're there click subscribe, you won't regret it.
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PORTFOLIO NIGHT MIAMI: BEFORE
Posted on
2008-May-8
at
02:05
So I'm at AlmaDDB for the day. They are our host for Portfolio Night Miami - and the place is just buzzing with Portfolio Night excitement. Labels are being printed, supplies are being brought over to the venue and we're getting ready to test the webcast equipment.
Check out the pics below. They were taken last night at the Portfolio Night Miami venue.
It's going to be great.
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IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK ALOT LIKE PORTFOLIO NIGHT
Posted on
2008-May-7
at
05:16
Well, it's just after 5:00am and I'm in Toronto's Pearson Internation Airport waiting to board my plane to Miami. Yeah, I didn't realize there was a 5:00 in the morning either. I got to the airport so early US Customs was closed. I felt like Tom Hanks in 'The Terminal'..."I'm sorry sir, but the United States is closed".
And although Uncle Sam eventually opened his doors I wasn't so sure I wanted visit. The Customs agent I was in line for seemed to be giving everyone the 'rubber-glove treatment'. Finger print scans and the whole bit. No joke. But for some reason when I came through and he found out I was headed to Miami all he could do was talk about the girls in Florida and wind surfing. Good times.
But enough about me - Portfolio Night is probably top of mind for most of you. And it should be, it's one of the biggest nights for the global ad community. Year after year, this event has proven that it can change lives.
No pressure.
But here's the thing. Sure its a big night. And yes, some of the world's top ad professionals will be on hand reviewing books, but you will do yourself a disservice if you get all freaked out about it. These guys and gals want to know about you, the real you, just as much as they want to see what is in yor book. So relax, have fun, be yourself, be professional and big things will happen.
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ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE
Posted on
2008-Mar-13
at
10:23
Not everyone knows this, but my work with ihaveanidea is a part time thing. While at certain times of the year it might feel like I'm logging forty plus hours, the reality is I work an agency job as well.
And for over three years my home away from home (and ihaveanidea) was Bensimon Byrne - a mid sized agency in Toronto. While there I spent a lot of my time working on the Hyundai business. I learned a lot, had tonnes of fun and made some great friends.
But around the same time my partner and I felt the need for change a great opportunity presented itself and we took it. So on Monday of this week we became the newest creative team at Young & Rubicam Toronto. But we won't be the newest for long - there's another starting next week. Along with a good number of Account people. There's some big things happening at Y&R Toronto and we have the good fortune of being part of it.
Stay tuned.
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The Death of Ads. The Rebirth of Brands.
Posted on
2008-Mar-5
at
10:16
Our bags our packed and we're just hoping this snow storm isn't going to slow us down too much as Ignacio, Brett and I head down to Richmond, VA.
Keep checking back at http://ihaveanidea.org/live/ to see live coverage of "The Death of Ads. The Rebirth of Brands - The relaunch of VCU Brandcenter"
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VCU here we come!
Posted on
2008-Mar-3
at
07:21
So on Wednesday evening Brett, Ignacio and I are boarding a plane bound for Richmond, VA to visit the school formerly known as VCU Adcenter.
It's their Board of Directors meeting followed by the grand opening of their brand new facility and we'll be there reporting live.
Brett and Ignacio have been to the school before, but this will be my first visit. I'm really looking forward to meeting students and teachers alike.
Keep checking back on Thursday and Friday for full multi-media coverage.
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Your opinion is needed....
Posted on
2007-Nov-5
at
09:48
One thing that has been an on-going discussion for years within ihaveanidea, but has come up again recently is the ability to comment on student ads within the ACADEMIA section - and whether it actually serves its purpose.
One school of thought says that the comments are an integral part of the section as they offer students a global opinion on their work, which in turn can raise the quality of said work.
The other school of thought says that too many of the comments are thoughtless and negative which in turn scare off some students and discourage others from even submitting work.
So we want to know where you stand on the issue.
Are you a student who has benefited from comments made on your ads? Are you a student who never submitted or stopped submitting work because of the comments?
How would you feel if people we no longer able to comment on student ads?
Thanks
Brendan
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AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH FOR COPYWRITERS
Posted on
2007-Sep-19
at
08:01
With classrooms all over the world once again bustling with students and the nervous energy slowing giving way to the realization that there is a full school year ahead I take great pride in posting an article that brings another sobering fact to light: contrary to popular belief writers actually need to write.
Written by Suzanne Pope, Group Creative Director at john st. in Toronto, this in-depth article entitled “AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH FOR COPYWRITERS: HOW TO WRITE HEADLINES AND WHY YOUR CAREER DEPENDS ON IT” delves into not only how to write but also the relevance of copy in today’s visual driven advertising and what it means to the next generation of copywriters.
While this article is already posted in our ARTICLES section we also wanted to post it here in ACADEMIA as a PDF so you can download, print it off, read it later and even pass it along to classmates and teachers.
Click here to download the article
Click here to view the article
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Keeping sharp between school years
Posted on
2007-Aug-9
at
10:03
During the summer months advertising students everywhere are working as agency interns. Whether it is helping out when others are on vacation or just doing whatever they can to jump in on projects and brainstorms they are immersing themselves in the professional ad agency culture. After spending day after day thinking about and working in the business when they return to school in September, they will be that much further ahead. But what about the countless other students who aren't interning?
Depending on the program, not all ad students intern during the summer. So how does a student, who is off school and back at home, maybe working at a restaurant on in retail, keep sharp over the summer. Especially around this time of the season when the end of the last school year seems like it was ages ago?
For some students, keeping sharp over the summer isn't a concern. Some people can leave their advertising brain in the "off position" all summer long and still hit the ground running in September, but for others (like me) keeping sharp over the summer helped ensure that I wasn't playing catch up during the first month of school as I got back into the groove of things.
So here's a few things that worked for me. They may, or may not, work for you:
KEEP READING
In school we were always pushed to be up to date on advertising news. Who got what account, what is TiVo doing to the business, what took the Grand Prix at the latest ad show etc. etc. etc. Being aware of what is going on and being in tune with the advertising/cultural landscape and current trends will make you better at your job. It's the difference between being creatively good and being a good creative. And keeping up to date is a year long commitment. New ad campaigns, new trends and the next Facebook won't wait for you to get back to school to launch. And Ad Age probably won't run a section on "What you missed over the past four months".
But keeping current over the hot summer months isn't the daunting task that it might seem. Setting aside an hour (or two max) a week will give you more than enough time to catch up on your favorite ad blog, flip through the latest ad mag, and surf around the net to see what's heating up the information superhighway on that particular day.
And on a sidenote does anyone actually use the term "information superhighway" anymore? Real good, here I am talking about keeping current and then I toss out a term almost as old as the internet itself. Ah well, I blame it on all the Tang I've been drinking. Or maybe my Hypercolour shirt is malfunctioning.
KEEP PUSHING
Just like a baseball player spends time at the batting cages during the off season, I found it helped to spend some quality time with my MAC creating a new campaign between school years. And don't get me wrong - it's tough to push yourself into doing homemade homework, but the results are invaluable. You can never understand how helpful it can be to randomly flip open the yellow pages twice a month to find your next "client" until you actually do it. Not only will it keep your technical skills sharp and give the ol' melon a workout, but it can also offer up some new portfolio pieces.
KEEP RELAXING
Earlier I talked about leaving your advertising brain in the "off position" all summer which for some can be a bad thing, but the opposite is also possible. A lot of times students heading into their final year will kick it into overdrive all summer long trying to get a head start on their portfolio. While ambitious, this tactic can backfire if no time is set aside to relax and de-stress. Just like anything else in life, having a balance is key. Sure, take some time over the summer to keep sharp and to make some tuition money - but also make time for you, to ensure you're ready for the school year ahead.
Feel free to leave comments/suggestions about what has worked for you to stay sharp over the summer.
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Clio Festival on a budget
Posted on
2007-Apr-9
at
12:53
Miami is known for lots of things. Great weather. Amazing architecture. Low-carb diets. And beautiful women with little dogs wearing designer duds. But one thing it’s not known for is being cheap. From transportation to accommodations, eating to entertainment, it seems that nothing comes without a hefty price tag.
Last May I traveled to South Beach, Miami, with ihaveanidea for The Clio Awards. And to be honest I was prepared for the worst --financially. While the notion of attending a world-renowned festival and hanging out with advertising greats was quite appealing, the thought of completely draining my piggy bank to do so was not. The lavish lifestyle portrayed on TV and in the movies led me to believe that I’d be hard-pressed to survive at the beach on a Junior Art Director's salary -- even if I was only going for a few days. Untrue. Don’t get me wrong, you could easily break the bank down there and have a lot of fun doing it, but you can also get the full Clio’s experience on a shoe-string budget.
TRAVEL • Flying with the cargo isn’t an option. Trust me, I asked.
Aside from your Clio’s Passport, your biggest expense will be actually getting down there. Flights from Toronto and Montreal typically range from $400-450, while flying from Vancouver will cost upwards of $600. However, with the right timing, price guarantees and crossing the border before you board the plane, you can definitely save yourself a few bucks.
I found that the sweet spot for ticket purchases occurred about a month or so before the event. Those who bought too early watched prices go down. And those who bought too late -- myself included -- paid more, and usually ended up on an indirect flight.
When getting ready to buy, shop around and take advantage of price guarantees. I found that while Flight Centre didn't usually offer the lowest price up front, they were always willing to beat out a competitor such as Travelcuts. So find the best price on the net and get Fight Centre to beat it.
Lastly, if it’s viable, make your away across the border before you fly. Based on today’s prices, a flight out of Toronto will run you just over $450, while Buffalo-Miami is selling for $267 Canadian (including taxes) through Orbitz. So bribe your roommate with some chicken wings and head for the border.
Once you’ve touched down in Miami your next expense is transportation to South Beach. The value-conscious can travel like the locals do and hop on the Miami-Dade Transit for $1.50. This'll take about an hour, depending on traffic, so those in a rush might want to look for the Airport SuperShuttle. It’s a shared van service that will take you door to door for $20/person. If you’ve arrived with friends, however, sharing a cab will work out even cheaper as it’s a $32 flat rate, which can be split between as many as 4 people.
ACCOMMODATIONS • $24 dorm room or $5,000 penthouse. Take your pick.
South Beach offers an incredibly diverse range of accommodations. Ocean view penthouses go for thousands of dollars a night, though the majority of ihaveanidea’s staff elected to stay at The Clay Hotel, where dorm style beds go for as little as $24/night. That gets you a clean bed (linens included) in a clean hostel with free Wi-Fi in the lounge. Combine that with a great location and this place is the obvious choice for the budget-conscious junior. They also offer private hotel rooms, with shared bathrooms for as little as $48. A private bathroom will cost $8 more.
FOOD • Low price. High carbs.
If you’re not worried about your waist, your food tab can be kept to a minimum. Through trial and error, ihaveanidea found some of the best cheap eats in South Beach. Nat recommends Cheeseburger Baby for the best burger in Miami. It’s a whole meal, he says, for only $7. Brett was a huge fan of The Pitchfork and El Tropicale hotdogs from Dogma Grill for under $4. Personally, I enjoyed the huge $3 pepperoni slice from Pizza Rustica. Jay on the other hand could be found late at night -- or very early in the morning -- taking in some old-fashioned greasy grub from Jerry’s 24-hour diner. For breakfast, however, James gets the innovation award for heading across the street to the Art Deco Supermarket and grabbing an entire cooked chicken for only $6. They also offer a wide range of baked goods, which can reduce your breakfast costs by buying a 6 pack of muffins or bagels and throwing it in your fridge.
ENTERTAINMENT • Living the high life without the high prices.
The official Clio parties are amazing. The vibe is great and the booze is flowing. And your Clios passport will get you in. But what about the unofficial after-parties? There’s lots of them and they tend to be at one of the high-end beach hotels. So how do you get in? Easy. Put away your room key from The Clay and walk in. It’s just a hotel bar, not an exclusive club. And what you spend is up to you. You can hang out and take in the sights for free, or buy one over-priced drink and nurse it all night. It’s really up to you. And usually the after-parties won't empty your wallet if you’ve taken advantage of the complimentary bar at that night’s event.
Then there’s the karaoke bar at The Shelborne, where you can rock out until 5:00am. This year it was where the masses migrated to after the other hotel bars closed. There’s no cover and the drinks are moderately priced.
And during happy hour (usually 3:00-6:00 p.m.), the bars on Ocean Drive are the place to be for cheap drinks. 2 for 1, half-priced, call it whatever you want.
CONCLUSION • I made it home with more than tumbleweeds in my bank account.
All in all it was amazing. I’ve never seen so many ads, been so inspired or partied so hard in my entire life. And if I actually knew how to do a cost-benefit analysis, I’m sure it’d report that my experiences far outweighed my costs.
I hope to see you all this May at The Clio Awards.
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STUDENT ADS HAVE TWO TARGET MARKETS
Posted on
2007-Mar-29
at
11:34
When I graduated from college I didn't land an agency job right away. It took me a few years actually. So I fell back on the skill set that put me through school. Foot modeling? Stunt-doubling? Good looking music video extra-ing? Nope. Sales. Technology sales to be exact. Glamorous huh? Specifically I worked for a technology reseller helping large companies manage their hardware acquisitions and software licensing. And trust me, it's not nearly as sexy as it sounds.
By day I was quoting out networking equipment and by night working on my portfolio. I decided my next 'client' would be something close to home. I started working on a campaign for the company I was working for. And once the campaign was done I thought it was pretty good. It was insightful, it said something about the company that our competitors couldn't say and the campaign spoke to a truth that our target marketing could identify with. Overall, I was quite pleased with it.
But then I started showing it around. Some Creative Directors looked at the first ad and then politely skipped over the next two. Others looked at it with an expression of confusion crossed with intrigue (or was it gas?). And the rest who 'got it' only did so once I explained how the company worked and why the target market would appreciate the ad. Regardless, it didn't go over too well. And that's when I discovered that students have two target markets: the actual target market and the Creative Directors looking at their book.
This is something that they don't typically teach you in school. Or they didn't at least where I went. But the reality is the ads in your student book need to work for the product's target market, but also your target market. Essentially, you're pulling double duty.
As a student it's tempting to do a campaign for products or services you use regularly and truly identify with. The problem with heading down that road though is that the product truths and little nuances that make your ad perfect for the product could be the exact same things that make the campaign go right over the head of the Creative Director you are dying to work for.
Now I'm not saying Creative Directors are slow. But a really clever ad for an obscure brand of high end guitar strings might be completely lost on them, if they're not a guitar player.
Typically a Creative Director won't spend hours looking over a portfolio. And they, like most regular people, will only spend a few seconds with each ad. And throwing in a campaign for professional grade spark plugs could easily disrupt the rhythm of them flipping through your portfolio.
So if you really want to do a campaign for an obscure product or service make sure the truth/insight you work to can be understood by the masses (ie. product X will make your car faster, or make your life easier). But what I would also say is you'd be better off sticking to more general products since the perception is that it's harder to do an interesting ad for a boring everyday product. Sure, you can do a cool campaign for really expensive snowboard bindings, but you'll impress people more with a really fresh idea for table salt. Or staples. Or diapers.
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Portfolio Night Success Stories
Posted on
2007-Mar-19
at
05:51
So we're about to start a new series on this blog about "Portfolio Night Success Stories" and we need your help. Do you have or know someone who found success at a past ihaveanidea Portfolio Night?
While getting a particular guy/girls number or doing more tequila shots than you have ever done before can be seen as "success", it's not the particular type of success we are looking for at this time. It's more like, did you get a job that night? Or an interview that ended up in a job? Or maybe you met a Creative Director who referred you to a guy, that sent you to this girl, who told you about this other guy who eventually made you an offer.
Thanks in advance. You can send them to: brendan at ihaveanidea.org
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THE INFORMATION INTERVIEW......WHY & HOW?
Posted on
2007-Mar-12
at
11:31
So every once in a while I'll post up a few words of wisdom. Things I've learned along the way that I figure someone out there might benefit from. Now before I get into it though, I need to offer one small caveat - what I'm about to share is what worked for me. I am by no means trying to say that this is the way it should be done. Believe me, if there is one business where there are no rules for breaking in, it's advertising. What I did worked for me and it may or may not work for you. So good luck and happy reading.
During spring break of my graduating year I forfeited the trips down south and instead chose to stick it out in the cold and try to set up some "information interviews". Despite the allure of the 'Girls Gone Wild' lifestyle for a week - I figured my time would be better spent getting a head start on making industry contacts.
My book wasn't ready to start visiting agencies, but I was, so I decided to head out without it. I spent a few hours compiling a list of Toronto agencies who was doing work I respected and admired. After-all, the idea was to set the groundwork for internship time, so it only made sense to contact the agencies I could one day see myself working at. While the temptation was there to only contact the hot-shops, I broadened my list to also include the good agencies who were doing great work.
As terrifying as it was, I picked up the phone and started dialing, "Hi, my name is Brendan Watson and I'm a studying to become an Art Director at Humber College. I think you guys are doing some great work and would love the opportunity to come in and tour the agency and find out more about what you do." and invariably he or she would say, "One moment, let me transfer you." While I found that the receptionist couldn't arrange that type of thing, they were usually pretty good at directing me accordingly. Some times I got an office manager, but most of the times it was to the Creative DIrector who would then pass me along to someone else in the Creative Department.
I don't recall exactly how many meetings I arranged, but I do recall filling up that week with relative ease - with a few more spilling into the following week.
So what's the point? Contacts and networking. A lot of the opportunity in this business has to do with who you know. Or who you know knows. And sure, having a great book is still #1, but a good book is useless if no-one sees it. So I saw the information interview as the easiest way to penetrate the agencies I wanted to work at. Agencies are usually willing to take part because it's an opportunity to meet a potential employee without having to actually say 'yes' or 'no'. And you'll have a good time doing it because there is no pressure to perform . You just kinda walk around, ask questions about their work, check out the funky furniture and maybe score a business card or two.
And a month or two later, when your book is kicking some major ass you can call up the Creative Director and chances are he or she will call you back. Because in a day if they get one message that says, "Hi, remember me?" and ten messages that say, "Hi, my name is blah blah, and I'm just about to graduate yadda yadda" they will usually call the person back who they have some kind of history with. That is unless that person has made a bad impression - but that's another blog entry for another day.
In the end, there's a million ways to make your contacts. And some might feel that their time is better spent finessing their book, than visiting a potential employer. To each their own. This way worked for me - it's how I landed my internship and I was the first person in my class to do so.
Good luck.
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Academia launches!
Posted on
2007-Mar-3
at
03:06
So, this is the first entry in my adblog dedicated to Academia, ihaveanidea's brand new section for advertising students and recent grads... and wow, you're actually reading this! Nothing on TV, huh? Already read the email in your spam inbox? Yeah, I figured as much.
Well keep reading because the hope is that one of these days I actually write something worth reading in here. Going forward this is going to be my little place on the web. It'll be a spot for me to communicate with our student (and recently graduated) readers. The goal is to post with some kind of regularity. Entries will be as often as they need to be to remain useful and interesting. I don't believe in posting just for the sake of doing so. So some weeks may find a post each day, while other weeks will only get two or three. This will be the place find info and developments on the biggest event of the year: Portfolio Night. I will also be sure to keep you posted on any and every student/junior contest I come across. And then every once in a while I'll use this space to ramble on about something I figure you might be interested. It could be a thought from or a lesson learned in my agency life or a funny story I remember from school. But just like everything else on ihaveanidea, this blog is yours just as much as it's mine. The internet is not a passive medium and this blog is no exception. If you don't like what I'm posting - speak up. If there's something you want to see here - shoot me an email. I am open to any and all comments, compliments and criticisms. I want to make this the best blog for you, but for that to happen you need to let me know what the best advertising blog for students is. So feel free to send me an email with your thoughts. brendan@ihaveanidea.org
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