Pedigree Just Wants to Help Dogs

And sell dog food. But how can pet owners not feel the heart strings being tugged with these ads?











Spots come out of TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles. Absolutely perfect.

And here's a little video of my adoptive son, Tyler. The cutest dog ever.

Attack of the Faux Nomads

One of the industry's my agency has recently gotten a handle on is RV resorts. I love talking about it because it's *literally* the most random client I have ever worked on. Here in the media department, we've nicknamed these luxury RVers the 'Faux Nomads.' Here's the rundown:

Demo: Adults 50+ with incomes over $80K. Mostly white and college educated.

Psych: Love the outdoors, higher propensity to play golf, plan their trips multiple months and possibly years ahead, are bargain seekers, want to travel their way (and they love BK burgers as well), and are looking for ultimate concierge services.

The weird thing about these folks is that while they are traveling around the country, they are also purchasing lots in luxury RV resorts to park their homes on wheels. And these lots aren't cheap. Many go for over $150K! This is where we see the contradiction. Shouldn't RVs offer freedom, adventure, the ability to go anywhere at anytime? Why would you pay so much for a slab of concrete to park that thing? Then again, we figured out that it costs them $300+ in gas to fill up, so maybe parking that thing is a good idea...















Welcome to my pimped out motor coach. Yes, that is a built in garage for my Mercedes.

ADDY Pics

You know you've been waiting for these! The theme was 'Jailhouse' and we all had to wear black and white (which is why the photos aren't so colorful!).














(From L to R: Allison, Mary Liz, Kristen and Susan)














(From L to R: Trish, myself and Jessica)

The Easter Bunny Hates You

I keep referring to old holiday-related videos from years past. Still a goodie.

Yay For the Onion and Viral Marketing!

I'd Love This Product Even If I Weren't A Stealth Marketer

Like you, I'm bombarded every minute of every day with advertising. And having been misled more than a few times in my life, I'm immediately...

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 3/22/2008

It's been a rough week for me, and some of the reality stars have been feeling my pain:

• The new season of The Bachelor premiered on Monday. This season, the token drunk girl was Stacy, a grad student who got trashed and as a drunken token of her affection decided to not-so-subtly slip her panties into the Bachelor's pants. Another Bachelorette decided to impress the Bachelor by chomping into a beer can with her bare teeth, biting off a piece and giving it to him and saying, "just a little something to remember me by".
• On Make Me a Supermodel, Perry practices and perfects the art of "the tuck". I'll let you come to your own conclusions about what that means.
  
• At the elimination ceremony, Brett leaves it up to Kristie Joe to stay in the house or leave. After everything she has put the entire cast of Rock of Love through, she decides, of her own accord to leave and "take care of things at home". Brett is heartbroken. Inexplicably.
• On the Gauntlet III finale, Eric "Easy" is unable to finish the race and has to be taken to the hospital. The rookies, after losing nearly every challenge, win by default since you must finish the race with all of your team members.
• Only a Matter of Time: For those of you who haven't watched Pop Fiction, I recommend it. Celebs get back at the pap (paparazzi, for those not in the know) by portraying things about themselves that are not true for the pap to spread around. I have a feeling this week is going to be Halle Berry and her daughter "Nahla Ariella". That can't possibly be her real name, right?
  

Orlando Commercials Show the Kid Inside

Again, these are way old (came out over a year ago) but still running. I love them. Too bad I can't dig up the media plan anywhere.

There are two ads that I've seen; one features a mother/daughter and the other features a father/son (from the same family - I notice shit like that). The spots are undeniably sweet, and not sappy at all. They just make me happy. The message is absolutely perfect and on target - families having a blast together...Orlando brigs out the kid in you...fun, exciting vacation...ta-da!

Some criticism I've read: they show too much Disney. Well...um...what else is there for the whole family to enjoy in Orlando? I mean, if you're going to go to such a tourist town, you may as well dive into the deep end!

Go here to see one of the spots. Ironically, you'll have to sit through an ad in order to watch it. Shame on the dude whose job it was to post it on YouTube! But kudos to 22Squared (formerly WestWayne) for a job well done.

Correction to Tallahassee Paper

So Kidd Group goes and wins all these awards and our local paper reports it incorrectly. Of course. Big Surprise.

They finally printed it right - and not in the regular paper, but in their special business section. See article here.

Here's the original article. They misunderstood that 3W Studios is our Interactive division. We don't outsource to them. In fact, if I turn my head slightly to the left, I can see them. We're all in the same office. The sign on the door has both our names.

Morale of the story: newspapers should check their facts. Duh.

The Curse of the Mind Babble

It's 10:30 and do you know where your child is? If you're my mom, then you'd assume that I was safely tucked into bed, sleeping like the little old lady I've become. But I'm not - I'm searching, reading, blogging, facebooking (yes, this is now a verb) and thinking. Thinking about tons of really important stuff.

This is the mind babble curse. About two months ago, we had a speaker come to our local adclub. I can't remember his name. Actually, his name was Bobby Appleton. Except it wasn't. The club printed the wrong name on the direct mail piece and that's the one I remember with freak-like precision.

Anyway, sorry for the "this guy talked and it was like, so cool" moment. He was an art director from Fallon (ooohh aahhh) and a lot of his talk was about how to quiet the mind babble and unleash creativity. Right now I just want to sleep.

So what did he recommend? I don't remember...I think it had to do with yogo, meditating and drinking excessively. Personally, I tend to exercise, clean or organize. Which I did today to no avail. Any suggestions?

Non-Traditional Media At Its Best (2)

More greatness. This is so disgusting, but so wonderful. Gas station advertising at its best. Thanks all over media.

Happy St. Patty's Day

This is way old, but still funny. I haven't figured out if it is a real news story or not. Does that make me really naive?

Tour of Cities

I realize that since Christmas, I've traveled to the following cities: Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Savannah and Asheville (just got back in). And cities in between. I've had a nice little tour of the south. I especially loved Asheville and how unique the vibe is out there - very homegrown. Lots of vegan/fair trade/environmentally friendly things going on in that city for sure!

Usually media buyer/planner types don't really have to travel a ton, so it's been really nice to get out of Tallahassee so often, even if just for the weekend! So more posts to come...but I need to get back settled in :)

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 3/14/2008

My life feels somewhat empty again, now that this season of Project Runway is over. Here's what's still keeping me going:

• This week's Supernanny was touted as having one of the longest tantrums in the show's history. My legs have never been more firmly closed shut.
• Dustin Diamond made a triumphant return to this season's Celebrity Fit Club, seeking his third 15 minutes of fame.
• Kim, of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, insists she is entitled to the most expensive suite in a Miami hotel, despite the fact that it had been booked for months. I didn't realize people famous for having sex tapes with minor celebrities were entitled to most expensive suites that have been booked for months. Later in the show she catches her little sisters poking fun at her diva ways.
• In other news, Kim Kardashian's little sisters are awesome.
• Jessica Sierra couldn't make it back to the Celebrity Rehab reunion due to prior commitments.
• Only a Matter of Time: Dustin Diamond will somehow weasel his way into his own reality show on VH1 for his fourth 15 minutes.
  

Calling All Reps

I am going to go ahead and make a recommendation to all newbie media buyers: call your reps. Go ahead. They are nice. Next time you are reading an email and typing out a 3+ paragraph response, just back away from the keyboard, close Outlook and dial their number.

It's so easy to fire off a response through email - but articulating your thoughts is an important part of effective communication. I've had much more success in my role as a media buyer (especially in the negotiating process) when I've been able to communicate my goals to my reps and sometimes email just doesn't cut it. Maybe it's a background story about the client's business that will help them understand the campaign timing. Maybe the rep has had crap week and a short "nice to talk to you" conversation will open her up to a more agreeable rate. Who knows? It's happened to me on more than one occasion.

And you know what? It works with clients, too. They will appreciate the call.

Ultimate Viral Video

Got this one from Shekira. Amazing. My favorite part is the awkward shot of the gloves. So creepy (that's right, H. I said it. Creepy. And it is.).

Award Shows: Why You Should Enter

I promise that I'm not being lazy - got an entire post-it full of future blog post topics. But for now, I've resurrected a post from a year ago and an old blog. I still believe it's useful since we're in award season.

from Jan 07...
Now, I realize that agencies devote entire teams and weeks to enter award contests and some people think that's a waste of time and money. I've read all about how these awards are silly and expensive and how bad it is to reward creative that may or may not make products sell, blah blah blah. I can understand these concerns, but here is my list of "why you should enter creative into competition:"

1. To make the agency feel good.
This is important. There is nothing wrong with applauding creativity and it may even inspire the creative team to continue putting out great stuff. Morale boosters help especially when an agency has lost accounts or is feeling less than stellar.

2. To show clients that the work is good.
Probably the best reason to enter work. Also the least self-absorbed. This will help convince your client to appreciate your work. It is simple added-value.

3. To make the clients feel good.
Happy clients are good clients. Now they can brag to their industry frenemies about how great their advertising is. And how great their agency is. Word of mouth is very powerful.

4. To show prospective clients the work is good.
Everyone wants to be "award-winning." An agency with a reputation for quality work will be hired over one without. For example, The Zimmerman Agency is the largest agency in my city. And big surprise, they always enter a TON of stuff in local competition.

5. To get inspired.
Surrounding yourself with creativity is likely to spark some. That should be reason enough.

Dude, Where's My Dub?!?

There are lots of weird terms/phrases that are uttered at an agency. Especially when media buying is concerned. And usually it's only during freak-out mode where you hear things like, "So where are the dubs? Are they being overnighted? 'Cause if they don't get there on time, our Monday spots won't run and we'll have to get makegoods and it will throw off the weekly GRP distribution." Weird, right? What does that even mean?

I think one of the most frustrating things about working for a smaller agency is that you are forced to be extremely resourceful. Obviously, resourcefulness is a valuable trait. But so is efficiency. This is why I get frustrated when I learn about technology that exists that does something - like ad distribution - in a way that is much more efficient than I have been doing it.

So my post today is an offering of wisdom about Catch Servers. Catch Servers are a magical technology I just learned about that delivers ad content to stations digitally. I knew this had to exist. I just didn't know what the deal was. DG Fast Channel (including Vyvx) and Media DVX/Pathfinder are companies that provide the service to advertising agencies to make their lives a little easier. So check out their sites and decide if it's something your agency could use. Please, benefit from my lack of knowledge!

And the Addy Goes to Kidd Group (again)

This year we rocked the Tallahassee Addy awards. Together with our web division, 3W Studios, we nabbed 25 awards including Best of Show Interactive. 6 awards were gold including our Christmas party invitation, which yours truly was a part of. What media director doesn't want a gold Addy on their resume?

So yea we stole the show. It was a pretty fun night overall - good food, a table full of cheering employees, flowing drinks. Pictures to come soon.

Kidd website

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 3/7/2008

Holy crap it's been a busy week in reality TV. There's so much to cover:

• Daisy, from the Rock of Love, didn't get the words of the National Anthem right... even with the lyrics in front of her face. In other not-the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed news, Megan learned new words like "posterity" when learning the Preamble to the Constitution. Is it just me or is it a distinct possibility that she hasn't realized yet that she's on Rock of Love now, not Beauty and the Geek anymore? Brett also claimed at the elimination ceremony to be emotionally and physically drained for the second week in a row. Syphilis will do that to a person. A much more exhaustive recap here (Story).
  
• Scott Baio found his friend Johnny D. at a strip club at 11 a.m. that advertised their "Lunch and Lap Dance" special for $5.99 on Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant. Lunch AND a lap dance for $5.99... seriously?? Can you blame him??
• I happened to stumble on The Greatest Reality Show of All Time, My Big Redneck Wedding, hosted by Tom Arnold (Awesome.). Even better: it was a marathon. Featured on the marathon included but are not limited to the following: a demolition derby wedding, complete with a pink camo car, a groom dressed in his best camo, and mother son mud wrestling.
• On the Project Runway finale, Christian failed to keep his promise of not saying "fierce" for the rest of the season, a not-shocking-at-all FIVE times.
• I can't believe I almost forgot to include the events of this week's Millionaire Matchmaker. Two successful men were set up with nice, classy girls. And by nice, classy girls I mean girls that participate in varying degrees of the adult industry (Story).
  
• Supposedly Perry (from Make Me A Supermodel)'s girlfriend was the mystery woman Adnan Ghalib is "cheating" on Britney Spears with.
  
• Only a Matter of Time: Speaking of Britney, in an interview with Project Runway, Christian says that he wants to have a reality show where he offers fashion and styling tips to Britney (Story). Did I call it or what?
  

Got 5 min?

Coolest site ever. 5min.com is a collection of short, often humorous videos of people giving practical advice in just under five minutes. I found the videos about dog training to be the best. Now if Tyler would just learn!

Darby Top ReBrand

We entered our client, Darby Bank into the annual ReBrand awards. They honor the best brand transformations around and Darby was in the top 100 re-brands worldwide. Go here to see the list.

More Party News

The Kidd Group Christmas party is back! Sort of. We just got some coverage in Tallahassee Magazine for our a-mazing holiday festivities. We're such a freaking cool place to work. And who sent the photos? PR? Nope - the media department! We're so multi-talented!

Airborne Couldn't Fight Off Lawsuit

I am thoroughly amazed at how much coverage this story is getting (and look, I'm writing about it!). Here's why:

1. Everyone knows honesty is the best policy. Duh. We've been taught this since we were 5 years old. Don't lie. Especially in your advertising. And especially when it has to do with something meant to go into people's bodies.
2. People say that advertising doesn't affect their purchase decisions. Ah-ha looks like it does!
3. Who actually thought that Airborne was anything more than vitamins? I mean, seriously? If it was so effective, don't you think your physician would have told you to take it? It's over the counter, people! Come on, let's be informed consumers. Read the package.
4. In a country where people sue over hot coffee, are any of us really surprised by this?

Oh, and there's no info about the lawsuit on the Airborne website. Nice. Way to pretend negative press doesn't exist.

Hooked Up

I managed to snag a pair of free tickets (box seats, no less) for the Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood concert this past Friday. It was surprisingly awesome. I took my sis since she's a fan of the country and my birthday gift to her this year was less than stellar. Here are some photos from the concert:




























Keith Urban and the FSU Marching Chief's drum line

My sister

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 2/29/2008

My obsession with reality shows has reached new heights. This week I got my hair cut to look like Lauren from The Hills. Here's what I caught when I wasn't trying to look like a similebrity:

• On the Flavor of Love, Flavor Flav took his date to the classiest place he could think of: Tony Romas. Nothing says romance like ribs and wet naps.
• In the showdown between Rami Kashou and Chris March for the final spot to show at fashion week on the finale of Project Runway, Chris showed a collection that featured human hair as an accent. Unbeweaveable.
• Everybody's still losing their sh*t on Celebrity Rehab. From what I hear, some managed to get it all out while in rehab, others, not so much (Story).
• The mother that appeared on this week's Supernanny was the first in the show's history to leave the table at the lesson Jo Jo, the supernanny, was trying to teach her and refused to come back. She was promptly put in her place.
• On America's Next Top Model, one of the girls confesses in panel that she's not really into fashion at all, and doesn't get it and would like to be eliminated. Needless to say, her wish was granted. But seriously, wouldn't you know that before you were in the house, wasting everybody's time?
• Only a Matter of Time: It's only a matter of time before I become so obsessed with reality shows that I start taking steps to look like reality stars. Oh wait...