the media artist

It's Been A While...

2011-01-18T20:42:00.002-05:00

Blog World, how I have missed thee!

Where have I been? Once again, I have fallen off the face of the earth and into crazy work hours, holidays, WEDDING PLANNING! and living my life without writing about it. But each time I do this, I always yearn for my blogging days!

So I am back for now. Working a lot on some media plans for the Georgia Aquarium and getting acquainted with my new client, Georgia Natural Gas.

Although it's now old news, my agency had a merger and we acquired the Hauser Group. We have a bunch of new folks that are awesome. Feeling good about my agency even though it's been a madhouse lately.

I've also been planning my wedding. My boyfriend/fiance proposed on labor day and we've been busy getting our plans in order for our October wedding in sunny Miami. And yes, I did say "yes to the dress."

Also been busy getting more into crafting! I've tried the following projects to much success:
Anthro Knock Off
Dyed Wood Beads

So life is good. Maybe I will even come back soon for a visit :)

Fantastic Post

2010-10-27T08:32:00.003-04:00

Check out this very insightful post from Mark Cuban. It's so right on. http://blogmaverick.com/2010/10/26/the-value-of-your-time-and-how-it-impacts-the-internet-video-vs-traditional-tv-battle/

Where Have I Been?

2010-09-20T10:42:00.002-04:00

I'm dangerously close to the 1-yr mark of no blog posts. I do feel like I have been a pretty lazy blogger, but just to give you a little background, here is what is going on:

1. Work has been CRAZY. All those caps there, that means it's really intense.
2. I got engaged! I'm so excited to be marrying my favorite person, Alex.
3. I'm trying to sell a house in Florida. Lots of headaches.

So apologies for being out of blog world. Just so much going on!

The Power of FUN

2009-11-18T17:05:00.008-05:00

It seems that many brands forget to have fun. It reminds me of my last post, where Miracle Whip very humorously responds to Steve Colbert of the Colbert Report. Who would expect a condiment to have such a funny response?

Believe it or not people, it is possible to have fun and still be "on-brand." Why are we so serious about advertising anyway? Or rather, dear client, why are you so serious about your brand? Let's just have some fun with it!

Case in point - see the video below. I love this. Look at all the people that stop being lazy and start taking the stairs.

Think about using FUN in your brand messaging. Or I don't know, making the buying process or purchasing environment FUN. Like these guys:

Hotel ZaZa "Houston" Guest Room

IPod Nano

Anthropologie Store

The Best Brand Reaction EVER

2009-11-13T08:39:00.004-05:00

This one popped up on my twitter stream this morning:

http://ghensel.posterous.com/miracle-whip-vs-stephen-colbert-10

An incredible piece of brand communication that I only wish my client would even entertain the notion of creating. How great must it be to work for Miracle Whip's marketing team? How truly refreshing would it be to get a call from a client where instead of bitching about editorial, they respond in a comical and fun way?

Miracle Whip, please hire me. Mayo sucks. Ok, I don't mean that. But still.

Halloween = Wonderful

2009-10-21T15:00:00.003-04:00

Less than 2 weeks from one of my most favorite holidays ever - Halloween!

There is something so intriguing about disguising oneself for a night and becoming someone totally different. I love that pretending to be something you are not is so accepted and expected. Recently, it seems that creativity and cleverness is also becoming more popular.

Last year my boyfriend and I went as a race car driver and mechanic. Which was pretty amazing.

But this year I am coming up blank. I've put a lot of pressure on myself to figure out a funny, clever costume (and we have such a great opportunity - couples costumes have so much potential!). Any suggestions?

Groupon

2009-10-16T08:34:00.003-04:00

Hey there everyone!

Just a tip for anyone living in Atlanta, Groupon has a sweet offer for our media team's fav after work wine spot, Cafe Di Sol. If you click through using my referral link (hint hint), I will make $$!

If you haven't tried Groupon yet, please go to the site. It's so cool. Such good deals. Ok that is the spiel. Enjoy!

Social Media Revolution

2009-09-30T17:35:00.000-04:00

Great video. Puts all this stuff we do in perspective...

Art & Copy

2009-09-23T09:17:00.003-04:00

Had a little outing last night (and stayed out past 10 on a school night! Whoa.) with the newly rejuvenated Ad Pack (Atlanta's younger ad club - same idea as Ad 2) to watch the advertising documentary, "Art & Copy."

We went to the Plaza Theatre over in the Highlands, which was very cool. I love those old theatres. Drapes, old-fashioned popcorn boxes and the prerequisite squeaky chairs really added to the theatre-going ambiance.

The film itself was...good? Maybe I'm too cynical or jaded or something, but it seemed to really glorify advertising. Which was the purpose I guess. And I love advertising, so I should have been drinking the Kool-Aid, right? But I wasn't. I guess I don't love it as much as I thought.

So besides my mixed feelings about the film as a whole, I absolutely loved hearing all the famous agency heads talking about advertising and touring their decked-out offices. It was so cool. I wish they had interviewed folks at hot agencies like CP+B and some smaller shops like Plaid. It seemed like they missed out on quite a few people that could have been very interesting. Oh well.

My vote - check it out. It was worth the $8.

How to Approach Bloggers

2009-09-14T17:31:00.003-04:00

I won't promise that I am back because I hate to promise something I may or may not deliver on! But in the spirit of hope, I feel moderately inspired to write a lil something about my industry today.

Came across this wonderful post from Bakerella, a sweet (pun intended) blog about baking delicious treats. I have yet to actually bake anything from the blog. Rather, I just read and drool.

So Bakerella was invited, along with 50 other bloggers to come out to the corporate office of General Mills to get an insider look at the mega-baking company. They called it their, "Eat and Greet" (which is just too freakin' cute!).

Bakerella's account is absolutely wonderful. She took a ton of photos. They even got to go to the Betty Crocker Test Kitchens and take pictures with the various mascots. It seems like General Mills actually gets it! Such forward thinking from an old company. I'm super impressed.

And now the inevitable list of how to approach bloggers!

1. Find good bloggers.
You have to do your research. Bakerella is a great example. Not only is she an exceptional photographer (Look at the pics on her site. Beautiful food photography), but her blog is upbeat, entertaining, inspirational and personable.

2. Give them something.
Bakerella was flown to and put up in Minnesota for an experience that is unique. Who else will treat an amateur baker like a celebrity? Wait, let's put that another way. Who should treat their customers like celebrities? I will go out on a limb and say, "pretty much anyone with customers."

General Mills also gave their bloggers Flip Cameras. Why? So they could take good photos and post them to their blogs. Arm your bloggers with the tools they need to showcase your brand best!

3. Make it memorable.
Whatever you do - whether it is sending a sample, hosting a visit, or just communicating, give it cool factor. Corporate communications can suck so much, so make it fun. Even silly. Seriously. I mean, General Mills had the Pillsbury Dough Boy posing with their bloggers!

So there you go. Enjoy my infrequently occurring marketing genius ;)

The World is Your Media

2009-04-26T09:38:00.013-04:00

Media Planners everywhere unite and shout this new mantra, "The World is Your Media!" Because this is the common theme I've been hearing for the past year or so. If you can slap a logo on it, it's officially an advertising medium.

Now this idea of utilizing any free space became apparent to me prior to my career in media. While I was in college working on the National Student Ad Competition, GoldenPalace.com paid a woman to tattoo an ad on her forehead. I remember clipping the article from a newspaper (They existed back then. Oh wait, they are still around?) and posting it in our meeting space.

Well, nothing has changed. Buildings, plants, sidewalks and even the air itself has become a blank canvas on which to paint our client's advertising messages.

While this is a very easy thing for people to say, it's not as easy in execution. Planning and buying traditional media has a method, language and other established norms that give media planners and buyers true expertise. If you don't normally plan or buy television, you likely wouldn't know what GRPs, break-averages or backloading means. And that's why they pay us the big bucks (hahahaha).

But when you venture out into truly non-traditional media like sidewalks, there is no established norm. Who do you call? Do you get permits? Is it against the law? If so, what is the penalty? Etc. What ends up happening, is that us planners call up another buying company to handle it. Or we are forced to spend hours calling around and trying to figure out how to execute the ad. Which sucks. It's a waste of time.

So just remember, the next time you give a presentation about how crappy traditional media is and how exciting the world of nontraditional media can be, keep in mind that you have some poor media planner that now has to learn a new set of rules to use in a totally new playground. And it's not that easy.

Fast Food Wars

2009-03-26T14:40:00.004-04:00

Fast Food companies are in a war. They are fighting to see who can sell their largest portion for the lowest price. No, they can't just lower their prices on all their food, but rather are courting the fat asses. Which makes total sense. Case in point:

1. Subway's $5 Footlong
I can barely finish my puny 6 inch, but feel guilted into purchasing this monster sandwich that is less than 50% higher cost than my little baby sammy. And oh yea, Jared wasn't eating footlongs, btw!

2. KFC's $4 Combo Box
This box costs $4 and includes a chicken entree, side, biscuit and a drink. The commercial copy sums it all up, "You are eating a la carte. I am eating a la smart!" Catchy, KFC.

3. Quizno's $4 Torpedo
The Torpedo is Quizno's answer to subway's footlong. And it's $1 less. But wait, there's a catch. At Subway, you can get ANY ("Any!") footlong for $5, but at Quizno's, there are only 5 Torpedo sandwichs to choose from for the $4 deal.

I'm sure there are more, but three is such a nice number and I'm tired. Goodnight Blogosphere!

Gymkhana? Wha?

2009-02-23T14:35:00.001-05:00

I am literally about to cry from laughing right now. The goodness happens about 3 min into the video. Wait for it. It's totally worth it.

Find more videos like this on AdGabber

Best of Show Goes to ASO

2009-02-08T09:04:00.003-05:00

A little self-congratulations to my agency, ASO, who took home a bunch o' awards at last night's Atlanta Addy Awards. Of course, no award is as important as Best of Show, which we won. Hah.

Atlanta's ad club started out as a club for creatives and is still kinda that way, so I got to hang with lots of non-media folks last night. Out of my element, but in a good way. Thanks to all for making it a fun night.

So what was this amazing entry? Some work our creative team did to save the blues. And a non-traditional video at that (whoa - it's true - nontraditional media! It's like venturing into unknown territory.). And for those waiting with bated breath, check out this link to see the top winner of the night:

IGetBlues.com

Trust Me, This Show is a Keeper

2009-02-02T22:08:00.007-05:00

This is a week late (as is the creative on their current billboard on Peachtree St - nice one, btw) and I am watching Trust Me, a new show from TNT that is all about advertising (yay!).

The characters pack more witty banter in one minute than I could in a week. Thank God for well-written shows with rhetoric I aspire to dispense.

I have never worked for a behemoth agency like RGM represents, but the interoffice squabbling is fun to watch. Makes me happy to be at a small shop. And it is cool to see the writer-art director relationship from the inside.

And let me express my surprise and happiness that Eric McCormack brings no trace of Will. I absolutely loved Will and Grace, but he is now Mason. And Mason is a pretty cool CD.

This show is an exceptional addiction until Mad Men returns! I'm jazzed.

I love his ad-man glasses. Classic but still for the cool kids.

Atlanta Ad Club - meeting 1/20

2009-01-21T08:42:00.007-05:00

Hey there blog readers. Long time no write. Still busy with my new life.

Anyway, did head out to the Atlanta Ad Club's Marketers Round Table with a handful of co-workers last night. Have to say that I was a) impressed with their lineup b) impressed with their choice of venue (East Andrew's) and c) impressed with the quality of the panel that spoke. So yay for the Atlanta Ad Club.

Speakers included:
Kevin Smith, CMO at Rollins (Orkin Pest Control)
Andy Goldsmith, VP Creative Brand Strategy at The American Cancer Society
Eric Sjogren, Marketing Director at Georgia Pacific Paper Products, Angel Soft Bathroom Tissue
Craig Williams, SVP Marketing at Coca Cola
Terrie O'Hanlon, CMO at Manhattan Associates

They chatted a lot about the economy taking a nosedive and how it's an opportunity for those of us with healthy budgets to take advantage of our competition's absence. And there were some good bathroom tissue jokes. Overall, they seemed like they would be cool clients to have. They get it. Refreshing.

And this has nothing to do with the Atlanta Ad Club, but I saw these ads last week and had a good laugh.

Santa'a Gone Centro

2008-12-20T13:32:00.001-05:00

I think this is hilarious! So random it got my attention!

Drinkability, and Other Bullshit Product Attributes

2008-11-19T14:05:00.009-05:00

I know...I'm past the 1-month mark of no blog posts. What a lazy blogger I've become. I have nothing to say in my defense except that I haven't been motivated enough to write.

But I'm past all of that, at least for now. Just saw (quite possibly) the most ridiculous advertising message ever. Bud Light has a new campaign out and apparently their creative team was all tapped out after the Real Men of Genius ads (which were totally amazing). Now they are touting an attribute that insults our intelligence.

Drinkability.

Yes, Bud Light is drinkable. Compared to what? Wet Cement? Glue? Oil? The reality is that Bud Light is kinda shitty beer...so really...there are much more 'drinkable' beers out there. And guess what they are spending on this little gem of an idea? $50 million. Yea.

My title alludes to other campaigns with bullshit product attributes. And I will not fail to deliver the goods.

Some of these come curtesy of Ad Age (see, still lazy).

1. Swiffer - 5 Signs of Clean
Ok, Swiffer doesn't work nearly as well as vacuum cleaner. But apparently, there are 5 unique ways to tell if your house is clean and Swiffer addresses all of these. The bullshit includes: See, Feel, Smell, Shine and Trap and Toss. Trap and Toss? What does that even mean? They should pull out Shine and Trap and Toss and add in Hear and Taste. Go ahead, lick your floors. If they taste bad, Swiffer is to blame!

2. Tide's 7 Signs of Beautiful Clothes
These really have nothing to do with Tide unless Tide is somehow able to magically prevent me from spilling spaghetti sauce on myself. According to their site, Tide "reveals these signs of beautiful clothes," which include:

1. Cleans Thoroughly
2. Protects Color
3. Preserves Shape
4. Maintains Finish
5. Enhances Softness
6. Prevents Pills
7. Fights Stains

Is it just me, or is number 1 and 7 pretty much the same thing? If Tide cleaned thoroughly, then the stain should come out!

3. GE's Profile Washer's SmartDispense Technology
This clothes washer stores 6 months worth of detergent (like Tide) so that you can save a full 25 seconds while doing laundry. The washer costs over $1,200. That's innovation. A detergent management system!

Ok, I'm spent. Enough ranting for today!

Dear Twitter, I Love You.

2008-10-06T21:48:00.004-04:00

I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. I didn't like Twitter and I was pretty vocal about it. But now I love Twitter. And that's because it finally crossed the bridge from time killer/entertainment to true communication tool.

For the past few weeks, Atlanta has had a serious gas shortage. And Atlanta is a major driving city. Had my car run out of gas, it would have taken me over an hour to get to work, which is about 4 miles from my house. And I would have had to take a bus, which simply isn't an option.

Last week, Twitter saved me from that undesirable fate. Gas was available - as of 4 min ago - less than 10 min from my office. So 20 min after I saw the update, my car had a full tank. In a city with hour-long lines.

Incredible. Twitter finally became useful to me.

How to Get Your Media Planner All Hot and Bothered

2008-09-25T20:21:00.004-04:00

That headline should grab Adrants' attention. Back rubs and chocolate aside, there are some easy ways to please your planners.

1. Research, research, research
What media planner doesn't just love getting the answers to all the questions? Ratings, audits, surveys, MRI, IMS, Scarborough, Simmons, etc. The list goes on and my mouth waters. With the proper resources, our media plans become a thing of beauty. So much rationale - so credible. Sure, research doesn't guarantee anything (and how accurate are those ratings anyway?), but we have to work with what is available.

2. Show R-E-S-P-E-C-T
You can't screen a media plan. No one "oohhs" and "aahhhs" over an exceptionally well thought out media mix. Unless you're another media planner. So show your planners some respect. After all, media is the most accountable part of this business.

3. Give Credit
Media planners need a little glory sometimes. Creatives aren't the only frustrated artists in an agency.

No go and turn on your favorite media planner. She probably wants some TLC. Pun intended.

Those Tricky Cable Buys...

2008-09-08T18:02:00.005-04:00

Wow, I don't post for a month and Blogger changes their whole look! Life sure has been moving fast these past few weeks.

Obviously, I've been pretty busy with all the new things going on and haven't been all that interested in writing about it. I thought I would be - but I have turned to more personal types of communication (phone calls, emails, face to face) during my transition to new city, new agency, new friends, etc. But anyway, I'm motivated again to get back to this blog! It was recently put on AdAge's Power list, so I guess it's time to show some new folks how insightful this blogger can get!

Read a cool article in Media magazine during lunch last week. Steve Farella and Audrey Siegel discuss how they went into my version of media planner heaven and basically just played around with schedules on random networks to see if they could get the same reach and frequency. Kind of like media russian roulette. 11 networks at random - how do they deliver? Another 11 random networks - how do they deliver? And so on. Will one of them triumph? Does planning even matter?

At first I was a little uncomfortable with this notion. Because according to them, it didn't matter how much you planned. The average audience sizes all came out the same. The random schedules all looked good on paper. And to an uneducated client, could probably convince them to move to a cheaper media planning partner.

But of course, Farella and Siegel couldn't leave it at that or we would all be out of jobs. I mean, computers could do this stuff for us and we'd all be jobless at home watching 4-hr marathons of Law and Order SVU (hmmm). The main point was that with cable networks, you're planning with the environment in mind, much like planning for radio. So you want to choose networks that your audience will relate to so that they will be receptive to your message.

This would also affect your added value packages, which could actually add more value to your buys than just additional GRPs if they were running on networks that were relevant to your audience. Like, if a shoe company ran an ad for their sale during TLC's What Not to Wear. Then they could have a promotional :10 about how pointy-toe flats elongate the leg line while still being comfortable. "Find the shoes at "XX" and continue watching for more great tips from Stacy and Clinton."

This could also be an argument for creative working closely with media. Just something to chew on...

Image via asa.org.

Out From Under My Rock

2008-08-16T13:05:00.002-04:00

This time, my lack of blogging is completely due to Comcast and their inability to provide efficient service. Comcast, stop advertising how easy it is to transfer service when you move. You can't deliver on your promise.

Ok, with that out of the way, I am now hooked up and connected to the world again. So what have I been up to?

1. I moved from Tallahassee, FL to Atlanta, GA
2. I got a masters degree
3. I started a new job and have successfully finished 2 full weeks (minus summer fridays!) without getting fired

So that's where I've been and what I've been up to! And now I'm off to do some much needed shopping!

Where Have I Been?

2008-08-02T00:07:00.004-04:00

I've been working like crazy, packing, and officially moving to Atlanta on Saturday! Work starts on Monday! I don't think I've crammed so much into such a short time. So again, this weekend is gonna be jam-packed with moving boxes and nervous anticipation for my new job. So a serious lack of blogging, but probably some good tweets coming your way...

The Monetization of Internet Celebrity

2008-07-22T16:49:00.011-04:00

Sure, Internet celebrities have been around for a while. We all remember the Star Wars Kid. And back in the day (about 2 yrs ago) they seemed content in their relative obscurity. But have you noticed lately how some of these self-made stars are cashing in on their 15 min? Who needs an agent when you have YouTube?

1. Tila Tequila
Ms. Tequila started off a simple hottie on MySpace.com. Her bodacious (yes, I used that word) body graced the pages of many a "friend" thanking them for the add. And now she's into her second round of reality TV bliss on WH1's A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila 2. And what has she done? Nothing but offer up her friendship. Awww. How generous. And how lucrative. Being nice pays off...

2. My New Haircut
How could these Jersey Shore "broskis" predict over 17 million (and counting) YouTube views of their infamous, "My New Haircut" video, a spoof about working out, drinking Jager-bombs and dealing with "Skanks." These guys are laughing all the way to the bank because now they are actually being paid to make appearances at bars to promote Jagermeister and Heineken specials and presumably start fights, pop their collars and take steroids. And you know what? They are calling these appearances the "Skanks and Broskis Tour." Seriously, they are getting paid for this. Ah, America.

3. Chris Crocker
Where to begin? Chris Crocker's YouTube Channel is one of the top 20 viewed channels on the site and his combined views total more than 45 million. His most famous video, "Leave Britney Alone" defends pop star Britney Spears' uninspiring performance at the VMAs. That video has lead to public appearances, cameos on music videos and reality shows, and even rumors of his own reality show. This is what happens when you have something to say and you can work your webcam!

Those are just a few extreme examples...but I'm sure you could find tons of similar folks that are cashing in. Even blogger friends of mine are getting paid to host ads on their blogs. So cool. I love the Internet's shift from primarily an information source to a self-promotion tool. As always, curious to see what will come next...any thoughts?

This Campaign is Just Getting Revved Up...

2008-07-18T13:21:00.007-04:00

I've been meaning to blog about a new campaign my agency just put out (alert: blatant agency self-promotion!). I've been working like a horse on this campaign and I'm so psyched to see how much people are talking about it! So without further ado, check out Ride Proud. Dress Loud.

So motorcyclists, just wear brighter colors already! It helps us caged drivers not kill you. Which is the whole point behind this thing, after all. We want you all to stay safe!

Hotlanta, Here I Come!

2008-07-16T11:37:00.004-04:00

Apologies for my minimal blogging as of late. Been slammed in a big way.

Here's the news - I've accepted a new job. And this new position involves my relocation to the lovely southern town of Atlanta, GA. So I'll be joining the ad scene in a pretty nifty city and with a pretty nifty agency and...well...I'm beyond excited (but also sad to be leaving).

For the next few weeks, I'll be around...but not really. I have to fix up my house to rent, get my stuff packed and finish up some projects at work. It's a little crazy in my world right now. I'm sorry for being a bad blogger, but I promise to have some fun news to report in the coming weeks!

Best Customer Service Email Ever

2008-07-03T16:43:00.005-04:00

(remember these things?!)

My friend Ashley forwarded me this email she received from CDBaby.com:

Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with
sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure
it was in the best possible condition before mailing.

Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over
the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money
can buy.

We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party
marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of
Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in
our private CD Baby jet on this day, Thursday, July 3rd.

I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did.
Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all
exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sigh...

Derek Sivers, president, CD Baby
the little store with the best new independent music
http://cdbaby.com cdbaby@cdbaby.com (503)595-3000

Let me just say that this the most perfect, funny and appropriate form of customer appreciation. With their indie music buyer audience in mind, this quirky little email makes sense. Everyone wants a confirmation letter when they buy something online, but this email is a fun little treat that is enjoyable to read. CDBaby proves it doesn't take itself too seriously all while providing a usually mundane service - the shipping confirmation - to its customer. Well done!

Sorry, We Don't Serve General Tso Chicken.

2008-06-29T18:16:00.004-04:00

Been reading a lot about China due to this year's Olympic games. Of all the foreign countries, I feel that Asian countries are the most foreign. China, Japan, Thailand...I just don't know much about them. And I feel very ignorant.

So I've taken a real interest in all the stories I've been reading. The most interesting I've seen so far is an article from CNN about how the Chinese are changing their restaurant menus in preparation for all the Westerners that want to try some real Chinese. Apparently, Chinese dishes are usually named based on appearance, while western dishes are typically descriptive of the food used and/or cooking method. American Example: fried chicken. Chinese Example: Chicken Without Sexual Life.

Doesn't sound too appetizing, huh? I didn't think so. And that's the Chinese government's fear as well. They have published a book of more western-like translations to help their visitors order. Instead of "Chicken Without Sexual Life" the translation would be "Steamed Pullet."

The other fear, however, is that changing the menus will lose the some of their unique flavor. The names of the dishes are meant to describe feelings associated with the food as well as the Chinese sense of humor. The new names make their menus boring.

So I'm not sure how branding or advertising has to do with any of this, but I found the cultural differences very interesting! Is there anything about your business that's generic and could use a Chinese name?

Bill Imada Speaks to Tally Ad Club

2008-06-23T17:32:00.004-04:00

This past Friday, Tallahassee's ad club convinced another top notch agency powerhouse to pay us a visit. Bill Imada, one of Advertising Age's Big Tent bloggers and chairman of IW Group, Inc came to give us a talk about how to increase biz during a slow economy. His talk was interesting because he told all these incredible stories about the creative ways he's won new business. In one case, he took his own photos at a reception and managed to take the perfect shot of a potential client and an elected official - he got the call back when he sent them the photo!

He had a few other examples, but the main point seemed to be this (and I hope I don't misrepresent him): If you can demonstrate your ability to go above and beyond for your clients, you will win more of them. And of course, putting yourself in their shoes doesn't hurt either. In all his stories, he prevailed by putting the client first and going beyond the call of duty to provide outstanding service.

I think this is a great lesson/reminder to anyone in any kind of business. I won't even try to compare myself to Mr. Imada, but I will say that there have been a few times when I've written a letter of appreciation when a rep was extra helpful or sent a book or two to someone I thought would benefit from its contents. So I think his message is important and should be taken to heart!

Thanks, Mr. Imada - I enjoyed your talk and our brief conversation!

Ebony and Ivory via Psych

2008-06-22T20:54:00.004-04:00

Thank God Psych is coming back! Season 3 begins July 18. Yes, 3 seasons. Best show ever. Don't miss it.

Media Plan of the Year

2008-06-22T14:04:00.008-04:00

It's that time of year again. That's right - Media Plan of the Year Awards! This is the time that I get to "oohhh" and "ahhh" over campaigns that do it right. Sure, my plans are effective and clients are happy (knock on wood), but these award winners are doing stuff that is truly remarkable. My two favorites:

Category: $10 - 25 million, Winner: Carat
Client: Reebok
My first favorite is this amazing campaign for Reebok. Reebok's campaign is basically a rebrand that makes Reebok the shoe of choice for "running easy." They advocate running for the shear pleasure of the sport rather than for the intense challenge. Pretty much the total opposite of Nike. Some sample creative:

Reebok put advertising anywhere that runners could possibly come across it. The best part was that the creative for the campaign was really tailored to the media. For example, San Francisco outdoor media told runners that, “These hills will chew you up and spit you out. Run Easy.” How relevant! No easy feat to coordinate media and creative in such a detailed way. But here's the kicker - I'm a pretty big runner - and I never saw any of this! I'm actually disappointed about it. What a missed opportunity. Apparently they never read my post about race day goodie bags.

Category: Best Use of Print, Winner: Maxus
Client: Welch's Grape Juice
This one is really innovative because it allows the consumer to taste the grape juice before they buy because, really, does anyone over 10 drink grape juice?

These ads resulted in a 10% sales increase - pretty sweet! Uh, pun intended.

To read about the other winners, click here.

A Pixel Pup

2008-06-19T20:08:00.006-04:00

Ooh I love this! Or maybe I just love anything that has to do with Jack Russells?

Leica D-Lux 3 Pixel Pup - via American Copywriter

And this is the real thing! My own pup, Tyler.

10 Things Every Media Buyer Should Do

2008-06-19T14:42:00.003-04:00

This list was inspired by a piece from Television Week’s Media Planner column. It was a list of new year job resolutions for 2007 that I've kept on my desk ever since. So now I've added my own spin - enjoy!

1. Be media neutral.
You love TV. Or magazines, public radio, outdoor, whatever. Not everyone else does. So don’t just recommend media that you love and don’t spend hours negotiating great TV rates while accepting the rate card of the local magazine. It’s not fair to the client!

2. Use your reps.
But not in a bad way. Use them for their knowledge and experience. They likely have had clients similar to yours and they may give you tips that will make you a rock star. So take time away from your oh-so-busy day to actually ask for their opinion and advice. I’ve won business by taking their advice.

3. Be nice.
No one likes mean people. Unless you’re one of those guys that love bitchy girls (never understood that!). I’ve instated a “be nice media buyers” policy in my agency’s media department. We don’t yell at reps. We don’t make unfair demands. We approach problems by asking, “How can we fix this?” rather than, “How could you let this happen?” Again, I’ve won business by being easy to work with and fair. Notice a common thread here?

4. Be organized.
Unfortunately, this advice is more of a “do as I say and not as I do.” My desk is pretty cluttered right now. But by the end of the week, everything will be in its place and filed. If you are organized, you’ll have no trouble covering your little butt if something goes wrong. In the media world, something always will!

5. Call your reps.
Email is awesome. But we all know that sometimes written communication can be misconstrued. Just call your reps when there is a problem and talk it out. And call them on their birthdays. It will make you their favorite media buyer and that will get you better rates (seriously).

6. Watch a lot of TV.
Who could ask for better homework? You can be a total couch potato and it’s considered proactive research. With hundreds of programs to choose from, you’re bound to find something you enjoy. I never knew how obsessed I’d become with the Food Network. And you know what, I made Tyler Florence’s upside down Cranberry-Pecan French Toast for my dad this weekend and it was fabulous! Benefits outside the office, too!

7. Learn to play golf.
It’s hard. Really, really hard and frustrating. But you don’t have to play well; a self-deprecating loser can be endearing. If you can’t play at all, at least learn the rules so you can be part of the group without slowing them down. If you’re a chick, like me, knowing how to play golf will open doors and get you in “the boys club.” Plus, you get to ride a golf cart and drink beer.

8. Read constantly.
But thoroughly. I tend to engulf any material that comes my way, only to later have the reference on the tip of my tongue when I could have really wowed someone if the knowledge had just flowed out like a river of wisdom. Missed opportunities suck big time. Oh, and read stuff other than business books. Need help? Oprah’s book club. New York Times best-seller list. Amazon.com. There you go. No excuses!

9. Educate yourself.
No, you don’t have to get a masters degree (unfortunately, I’m 30 credits deep). Just make sure you know all about the latest and greatest. Don’t know what Twitter is? Figure it out. Don’t know what Hulu is? Figure it out. Media buyers and planners need to be up-to-date.

10. Send Christmas cards.
This goes back to #3. If your agency doesn’t already do this, go find some generic, politically correct cards and send them to all your reps. It’s thoughtful and creates good feelings.

Really Cool Video

2008-06-17T14:27:00.003-04:00

One of our interactive division's clients, IDT, has posted some amazing video in their video gallery that was filmed by the cameras they sell. Check it out - it's so worth it. My favorite was the humming bird. Nature is stunning and they captured it perfectly.

Tallahassee Tweet Up

2008-06-15T21:22:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow night a group of Twitter peeps will be meeting up to well, meet face to face. So if you're on Twitter and want to meet some local Tallahassee tweeters, come on out.

Tallahassee TweetUp:

Monday, June 16, 2008
7:00 PM

The Coffee Pub
1122-7 Thomasville Rd
Tallahassee, Florida

I'll be there unless something bad happens (cue ominous music). And my being there is reason enough to drop in ;) You can view my tweets at: mmarts on Twitter.com. So check it out and come on out! See you all there!

Roving Eye Ad Fascinates

2008-06-13T17:09:00.004-04:00

This spot from MasterCard, though not new, is so intriguing that I had to share. Not only is the production spot-on(the part where the waitress responds to his eye is such a perfect example of not over-acting), but the writing is especially thoughtful. I love the last line; "What would it find, this spirited orb of mine?" It's poetic!

Agency: Mccann Erickson, New York

Are You Interesting?

2008-06-11T17:12:00.004-04:00

Russell Davies, brilliant account planner has posted an excellent list of ways to be an interesting person. 'Cause who wants to be boring? And he makes another point that if you are in a creative biz, then you have to be interesting! Nice. Check it out and give it a try.

A Quote From Yours Truly

2008-06-09T13:40:00.005-04:00

Just found out today that my blog was quoted by The Sunday Paper, an alternative newspaper in Atlanta, GA.

From The Sunday Paper -

As Lawless notes, Meghan McCain’s climate change comment addresses an issue important to many voters without ever having to actually discuss policy. “By virtue of blogging on behalf of her father, that sort of sends a signal to voters that John McCain has a good relationship with his daughter,” she says. “By virtue of having this blog, she is sending a signal that matters to a lot of voters.”

Some positive responses to McCain’s blog reflect Lawless’ assessment. In January, Michelle Marts, a blogger from Tallahassee, Fla., wrote of McCainBlogette, “I am the most apathetic person when it comes to politics. However, after reading one post, I already felt like I know John McCain—the dad. And since I have a great relationship with my dad, I kinda had good feelings about John McCain.”

Sex and the Designer Label City

2008-06-04T17:13:00.006-04:00

Ok, I'm back from my exceptionally long hiatus. Went down to S. Florida to visit with friends and family, had a pet health crisis and have been pitching new biz. So life has been somewhat crazy. Apologies.

However, I did get to steal away for a few hours to take in the Sex and the City movie this past weekend. Although I was a little tainted by a less than stellar Times review, I still thought the movie was very satisfying. Kudos to the producers - I can't get enough of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. Sequel, please!

As an ad girl, I got a major kick out of all the product placements in the movie. Product placement has become a big deal in media world with DVRs giving viewers an opt-out. The best thing about product placement is that is can do two things very well:

1. Add authenticity to the movie or TV show
2. Align a product with a character or event in a positive manner

In Sex and the City, Mercedes-Benz, Dior, Vivienne Westwood (the wedding dress designer), vitamin water, Louis Vuitton, and last -but certainly not least- Jimmy Choo and Monolo Blahnik all starred right alongside cast members.

So here's my take on this - Sex and the City pulls off product placement perfectly. The designer labels help paint a clear (although unrealistic) picture of these characters and the lives they lead. Brands have personality and that personality is reflected in the characters of the movie. So if you're looking for someone doing it right, this movie is a must-see.

Out of Blog

2008-05-22T20:31:00.003-04:00

On vacation down in south Florida for a week. Sorry in advance for the lack of posting.

Why Consumer Generated Media Should Worry Us

2008-05-20T07:51:00.003-04:00

This video was created on a laptop as part of a senior project (high school? college? not sure). The camera is shaky b/c they didn't have a tripod! I think it's incredible. And I think production houses need to get worried!

I %*#!ing Love Adrants

2008-05-16T15:54:00.003-04:00

I've been getting the Adrants daily blog update to my inbox ever since I started working for an agency. I've rarely deleted it - even during busy days/weeks when all my media posts get dumped in one fell swoop (sometimes it's liberating to delete emails you will learn something from).

Anyway, they just posted a hilarious fake ad from Saturn. Check it out:

Find more videos like this on AdGabber

And Here's a Crystal Pepsi Ad

2008-05-15T18:23:00.001-04:00

Back by popular demand! I loved this stuff!

Ads of My Youth

2008-05-13T20:45:00.004-04:00

I've been reading a new book called, "The Advertised Mind" by Erik Du Plessis. I'm loving it. Right now I'm reading about how memories are created and stored. This made me think back to the first commercials I could remember (as well as a recent screening of The Little Mermaid. Disney had its best years when I was a child!). Surprisingly, the first thing I remembered were songs and jingles! Check out some of these early 90s ads that were running in my oh-so-impressionable-years.

DeBeers and the original silhouette spot ;) So dramatic.

Zest: You're not fully clean unless you're Zest-fully clean. The frame of the dad and the towel is too funny.

Cotton: The fabric of our lives! Soooo clever!

I tried my best to find the Softer Side of Sears commercials. But as you can tell, the above spots were likely tape recorded. Not the easiest to come by! Of course, I can't recall any print ads. I was reading books and Highlights - last time I checked, they don't accept advertising.

But I do remember one outdoor board that was on US-1 and 152nd St in Miami. It was a cigarette ad with a bunch of teenagers on top of a car. They looked like they were having a ball on that car, smoking and subsequently developing lung cancer. I feel like that board never changed. Did they use vinyl in the 80s-90s? 'Cause it was always the same and at one point I remember it being really faded. Oh well, enjoy my blast from the past!

Ad Sales Reps, Beware!

2008-05-09T08:05:00.007-04:00

I'll admit, I've done a few things I'm not proud of. I once hit my little sister in the mouth while she was eating rock candy. Tried to cut my own bangs. Kissed a boy I knew had a girlfriend.

And one time I hid under my desk from a sales rep that dropped by the office unannounced. Not my finest hour (And for the record, I'm a very nice media buyer and am more than happy to meet with sales people - I was just having a bad day).

But with this fun game from Intergi, I can take out my frustrations in a safe environment without having to show my co-workers just how unprofessional I can get!

Thanks, Adrants.

The Pope Gets Social Media

2008-05-08T08:19:00.003-04:00

In an attempt to reach out to young Catholics, Pope Benedict will be texting his young flock for World Youth day in July. I'm very curious what the message will be (attend mass or die?). Oh, and he has a social network to unite Catholics around the world.

I'm impressed. If the Pope can use social media, my clients can too! Come on guys, the Pope is doing it!

New TV Network: Planet Green

2008-05-04T13:52:00.007-04:00

I caught a sneak peak of some programming for the new cable television network, Planet Green. Loved it. Really. I watched a show called, Wa$ted, which finds a person, family, or couple that are being crazy wasteful, shows them how bad they are, puts it into a worldwide perspective ("your ecological footprint is the size of 49 acres! And you live in a 1300 sq ft apartment. AHH!" almost a direct quote from today's episode), tells them what to do to help fix their horrible lifestyle, challenges them to do so, and checks back 3 weeks later to see if they have mended their ways. Then, and this is the coolest part, they calculate how much money was saved, multiply that by one year and give it to them! The couple from today's episode received $3,000! Holy cow! Can you imagine? It was really neat to see how you can make small changes that really can save you money.

My only complaint was that this first couple was actually a little outrageous. I mean, they would leave the TV and lights on during the day so that the dog would be entertained. The dog. Tyler certainly does not have the luxury of catching up on all his soaps while I'm at work. So I would be interested to see how much someone like myself, who doesn't leave lights on, washes clothes with cold water, unplugs appliances, etc. would save. So be on the lookout for this new network - it is scheduled to premiere in June.

How Do You Take Your Media?

2008-04-27T18:28:00.007-04:00

Since this blog is now on Tallahassee.com, I've received a bunch of comments on the Death of a Medium post. Which totally surprised me. Some bloggers love their newspaper.

One commenter hinted that it was the experience of reading a newspaper that they loved. So my question to anyone reading is, "How do you take your media?"

Research points out that radio listening happens at home and in the car. TV viewing is mostly in the home (in fact, TV is also measured by households). The most Internet activity happens throughout the day; news is sought during the morning at work and informational searches typically occur at home in the evening (ex. house hunting sites). But what about magazine reading? Or newspapers?

Enter a major benefit of printed media: portability. You can take it with you. Where do I read my latest issue of Domino (best lifestyle mag ever)? On my back deck, in bed before I turn the lights out, in the car when I'm not driving, the beach, a plane trip...I can take it anywhere. If I lose my signal, no problem.

So there ya go. I'm standing up for printed, tangible, flammable media.

Photo via stock.xchng

It's Been a Long Week

2008-04-24T20:37:00.002-04:00

I'll admit - I've been kind of out of it the past few days. This week has kicked my butt. Finals, proposals, deadlines and intense house cleaning in preparation for the parental units impending visit. But now...I'm sitting on my couch in my super clean house with a glass of Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling (look, they named it after me! And yes, that's why I bought it) watching Ugly Betty. I am so happy scripted television is back. And in just 15 minutes I get to watch Grey's Anatomy.

Seriously, it's the little things...

The Angola Prison Rodeo

2008-04-22T21:43:00.005-04:00

Apparently I can't handle a blog by myself and have to solicit writers. Luckily, my good friend Vinny wrote this lovely account of the Angola Prison Rodeo that he recently attended. So here's a little recap straight from the source:

"Yesterday I fell in love with this country all over again.

I attended a slew of human rights violations called the Angola Prison Rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Care to hazard a guess at how a "prison rodeo" works? You got it: they throw a handful of inmates into a muddy rink and turn the bulls loose. Sure, there are rules and games and strategies, but it all pretty much amounts to good old-fashioned exploitation at the expense of our society's deviants.

For the record, I cannot believe that this sort of thing goes on anywhere, let alone in a first-world country. But now that I've attended, I'm glad it does. Kudos, Louisiana.

I'm going to walk you through some of the rodeo's horrifically inventive games in just a moment, but before I do so it's important that you get a feel for the event's ambiance.

After purchasing a ticket (very reasonable at $10, by the way), you walk through a couple of alarmingly casual security checkpoints and find yourself on the business side of the barbed wire. Inside, violent criminals peddle all manners of handicrafts, from furniture to art to leatherwork. The more trustworthy convicts, ambiguously identified by their official rodeo t-shirts, mingle with the crowd. We even spoke with a murderer who'd been in prison for over 40 years. I regret to say he wasn't a very talented painter. Meanwhile, the less scrupulous inmates are kept behind a fence lined with display tables, where they pitch their wares through chain links to passersby.

Because this is Louisiana, there are also dozens of food stands and beverage kiosks (no alcohol), where the criminally culinary boil crawfish, grill hot dogs, and bake meat pies. Delicious, if suspicious.

Okay, enough periphery... onto the rodeo itself. There were eight or ten games played; I'll highlight three.

CONVICT POKER Four inmate cowboys sit at a table in the middle of the rink, playing poker. They're told to stay seated. Then an angry bull comes careening out of its chute, toppling the table and sending prisoners hurtling through the air. The object of the game is to be the last man sitting.

WILD COW MILKING These aren't your regular cows. These are massive, angry, aggressive steers, and this was definitely the most violent game played. The prisoners work in teams of two: one holds a 15-ft rope fastened to a wild cow. While he tries (and fails) to control the beast, his partner attempts to milk it. Eight teams work at once, which means that eight steer are bucking and thrashing and charging the inmates as well as each other. Total pandemonium. Needless to say, nobody won this game. After being dragged, kicked, rammed and manhandled, several inmates were carried off the field by EMS.

GUTS & GLORY The rodeo's grand finale. Angola officials tie a poker chip (a "chit") to the wildest Brahma bull present. The bull then charges into the rink, which is populated by ten or fifteen courageous prisoners tasked with removing the chit from the bull's horn. Some try flanking the animal, others try surprising it from behind. The bull effortlessly throws most of them over its shoulders, goring the unlucky ones in the process. In the end, it's a more direct approach that wins the day: one inmate manages to snatch the chit after leaping onto the bull's head. He's jettisoned into the air, but that's a small price to pay for the "glory" that is his victory.

The whole thing feels like an inbred, country-fried version of Spartacus. The winner of the final game even tosses his hard-earned chit up to the prison warden, who sits in a special box overlooking the whole violent spectacle alongside his wife and daughter.

MY THEORY What made the rodeo so thrilling? I suppose I could ramble on for pages about our species’ innate sadism or the perverse extent to which we’ve fetishized the act of punishment. But there are better reasons.

We tend to think of our violent criminals as less human – which is to say, more animal – than the rest of us. For this reason, we’ve rendered prisoners virtually indistinguishable from livestock. We herd them like cattle. We feed them slop. We confine them to cages. We tag, brand, groom, and catalogue them.

But at the Angola Rodeo, where we pit them against real, bona fide beasts, they assume a different role altogether. Foiled by their animal opponents, they are transformed into ambassadors of humanity, reflections of society, extensions of the crowd itself. The Angola Rodeo is a celebration of the divide between us and everything else. It’s a tribute to our uniqueness, and a poignant reminder that all men, independent of their crimes, share the same fundamental identity.

I could be wrong. I might even have it backwards. Perhaps it’s how similar our prisoners and livestock are that captivated the audience yesterday. But I’ll say this: in the deafening roar of the crowd during that last bout, amidst all of the applause, the cheer, the gasps, not a single spectator was rooting for the bull.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself."

-Vincent Maling

How could I not spread his tale of convict gore? Thanks to Vinny for his eloquent narrative. And for those of you seeking more, go here, here and here.

Death of a Medium

2008-04-19T15:36:00.005-04:00

What a depressing thing to say. I keep hearing about media dying off and wondering, why do people keep saying this? Is this a news media scare tactic?

I'll admit, I have - on more than one occasion - asserted that newspapers are dying. TV is dying too. Radio is long gone. And advertising on those channels? We'd better start planning for the apocalypse. I've even been so brave as to hypothesize that "if technology exists to avoid it, it's obviously on its way out" (referring, of course to satellite radio and DVRs).

But all of the above is just talk. The thing that is happening right now is fragmentation. And growth. We have all these wonderful new media channels, but still 24 hours in one day. So of course something has to give. Maybe I'm not listening to the radio, but I'm downloading podcasts. Or I'm not watching the evening news, but I've got CNN on RSS. It's not a matter of life or death - just change. Change from mass appeal to segmented audiences.

Just a little food for thought.

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 4/18/2008

2008-04-18T18:11:00.003-04:00

A lot of reality shows are coming to a close now that the scripted shows are back. What does that mean for us, the general viewing public? Crazy reality show finale antics! Here they are (and some premieres too!):

On the Rock of Love finale, Ambre pulls a Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, thus clinching the heart of Bret Michaels. Ambre's rival, Daisy, says Ambre is 80 years old and 500 years old and looks like a dinosaur. If Ambre is 500, what does that make Bret? 1200?
On the Real Housewives of NYC, in a conversation with the other housewives, Alex makes mention of plugging a vibrator in. Seriously?
One of the Flavorettes on Flavor of Love surprises Flav in bed with chicken and waffles. Yes, that's right. Chicken and waffles.
On the Viva Hollywood premiere, one of the male contestants (I wasn't paying close enough attention to know which one) says that his first sexual experience was at age nine. I guess molestation counts as a sexual experience...
And on the Real World Hollywood premiere, we meet seven of the most dillusionally full of themselves people in the world. The house is huge, but they're going to need a lot more room to house all that ego.

Hans Rosling on TED

2008-04-17T21:22:00.004-04:00

Came across this a while back and was reminded of it while reading some blogger love from Thought Gadgets.

This is amazing. Hans Rosling has developed this incredible software called Trendalyzer used to graphically display statistical trends. Although the software, bought by Google (surprise, surprise), will change how we present data, it's Rosling's endearing performance that properly displays the capabilities of the robust software. Make sure you watch the whole thing!

I'm excited - fingers crossed that Google makes this available to the public.

*Notice - BMW is a sponsor for TED. Genius.

Have We Met Before?

2008-04-16T19:05:00.006-04:00

I'm posting today because I'm stoked that this blog is now being featured on Tallahassee.com, the website for Tallahassee's newspaper. So I wanted to write a little introduction and explain what I'm all about for anyone reading this via Tallahassee.com (my apologies for being redundant).

My name is Michelle and I'm the media director for Kidd Group, a local advertising agency. I oversee the media planning and buying for our agency's clients. This means that I am the one who decides which episode of American Idol to buy or what radio station to run advertisements on. It's a pretty cool gig.

Topically, this blog is about just that; media buying and planning. But I also explore consumer behavior, media related and general news, and I attempt to spice it up with anecdotes from my own life. I'm excited to be on this site and welcome any and all comments. Thanks for reading!

Click here to read via Tallahassee.com.

Pedal to the Metal

2008-04-15T20:29:00.002-04:00

Do you ever have those moments where you think, "I have to seriously kick it in gear or I'm screwed?!"

I had one of those moments in my marathon statistics class today as my professor was explaining when to run a Cramers V test to measure corrrelation. I realized that I will have to teach myself a semesters worth of graduate level statistics before the final next week. I also realized that not only do I have to learn stats, but I have to make a nearly perfect score to maintain my low B. In addition, I am pitching new business, finishing up a decent sized local buy, and am waiting for approval on a media plan that will likely come right in the middle of everything and right before all the deadlines. I sometimes think my clients have a sixth sense.

So I wanted to write in advance - you won't see too many posts in the next week. There's just too much going on. So see ya in a week. Hopefully, I'll still be able to move!

FSU Ad Team Wins State Again

2008-04-15T09:26:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to the FSU ad team - they won Florida for the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) this weekend. H and our media buyer got to see the presentation and we're all very proud of the team. Almost makes me feel nostalgic for my late-night scrambles. I'm still a fan of Launch.

In other news, UF dropped their national championship trophy and broke it. haha

Believe it or Not, I Don't Like Twitter

2008-04-14T16:49:00.005-04:00

Twitter is all a-buzz. Everything I read is all about Twitter. I have Twitter - tried it out a while back. And I don't like it. In fact, I think it's really silly and I'm fairly certain no one cares about my "tweets." Here's why I'm not a fan:

1. I have a cool job and that's usually what I am doing (media director for an ad agency - now that's an interesting cocktail party convo. No I don't do creative, so please don't tell me about your awesome idea for a Budweiser ad). However, the most time-consuming tasks involved in doing my job are not that cool. Creating orders, researching, writing media plans, in and of themselves, are not exciting. Do I enjoy doing those tasks? Yes. But how interesting is a tweet that says, "researching newspaper circulation in the southeast." I'm sure all are waiting with bated breath for my next update: "send credit applications to radio stations." Whoa!

2. None of my face to face friends are on Twitter. My online friends are mostly marketing/advertising/media/advertising types. And they blog, so I get to read a more comprehensive, meaty version of what they are up to.

3. No time. Too busy. Too busy to read tweets or produce my own. I tried, truly. After all, I have to be up to date with these things (being a media person). But I would be really 'good' for a few days and then slack. Who wants an old tweet? And when does a tweet become old? It seems like I could be updating constantly.

With that said, I don't mean to imply that I hate Twitter. In the list of things I have to do, it just seems very unimportant for me to contribute. But participating is interesting because some people actually do very cool things every day. It just feels very small and invasive - like I'm spying on an exhibitionist. Weirds me out. But I'm gonna try it again since I've been hearing about it so much. Be on the lookout for mundane updates at mmarts.

Kidd Crew Wins Double Header

2008-04-14T08:53:00.002-04:00

Not only are we awesome in the office, but we are also awesome on the clay. Way to work it softball team. ABC News and McCall's Automotive didn't know what hit 'em (Unless it was a softball. Those things are tough to miss.)

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 4/11/2008

2008-04-11T19:25:00.003-04:00

Screw reality shows... The Office is back!!!

But seriously, here's what happened this week:

Daisy, from the Rock of Love, proved how out of her life her ex-boyfriend is by having his sister show up to represent Daisy's family.
Tree got extra queeny at her objection speech on Flavor of Love.
Lots to talk about on The Real Housewives of New York City. Bethenny and Jill plan a dinner party and invite Alex saying, "It's a girls' party, it's a girls' night". Alex responds, "Could I bring Simon?". Simon is her gayer than gay husband. Ramona dancing is reminiscent of Elaine Benes from Seinfeld. Luann puts Bethenny in her place when Bethenny wrongly introduces Luann to Bethenny's boyfriend's driver as "Luann", not "Mrs. De Lesseps".
Rocky, from I Know My Kid's a Star, throws a tantrum in the confessional and says she's going to kill someone while gesturing wildly with a hanger in her hand. I don't think that's what is meant when they use the term "hanged".
Only a Matter of Time: before all of the scripted shows are back and these updates get shorter and shorter...

More Coverage...

2008-04-10T08:38:00.004-04:00

It's official. When you get us ad kids doing PR, we get a lot of coverage. These are from Tallahassee's Business Chronicle. I'm glad I put effort into looking decent that night! hah

New VW Ads Rock

2008-04-09T17:04:00.004-04:00

Let me just say that if you put David Hasselhoff in an ad, I will thoroughly enjoy it. No questions asked.

http://video.mediapost.com/index.cfm?clientfile=InnerBeauty_30_large.mpg

http://video.mediapost.com/index.cfm?clientfile=bobknight.mov

http://video.mediapost.com/index.cfm?clientfile=fanning_WVBA81090000_NS.mov

http://video.mediapost.com/index.cfm?clientfile=hoff_WVBA81010000_NS.mov

Thanks CP + B and media post!

NBC, You Smart Network, You!

2008-04-07T20:43:00.005-04:00

NBC announced about a week ago that they will be offering up new programming year-round as opposed to just during the fall. Cable networks currently do this (psych, come back to me!) and I think it's a good idea.

Why do networks only show new programming in the fall (and a few in Jan)? Well, one of my teachers mentioned the theory that people's television viewing vary by the weather. It's cold, therefore people stay inside and watch TV? Well, I live in Florida and stay inside quite a bit during the summer. Hello, 104 degrees!

Or is this a classic chicken before the egg? I don't watch TV during the summer because I'm not inside to watch it...or...I watch no TV during the summer because nothing is on?

Ok, someone find the answer! 'Cause I can't! I've been searching for about 30 min now and nothing. No support for this weather theory at all. Maybe my search terms are off. I'll keep looking, but I think NBC is on to something. If good shows are on during the summer, they will have an audience.

Oh James Roday, I miss you so.

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 4/4/2008

2008-04-04T22:40:00.002-04:00

I know I didn't post last week, and I really have no good excuse, except that I'm lazy and I've been busy working on my pudge. Besides that, there wasn't a whole lot going on in reality TV last week. The one thing I feel is worth mentioning from last week was:

The week before last on Flavor of Love, Flav kept Shy around on the condition that she go to the dentist for her kickin' breath. Shy dutifully went to the dentist and found out that she needed extensive dental work and that she would have dentures by the time she was 40 if she continued with her current habits. What was her response to this? Did she schedule a deep cleaning? Ask Flav for the money to get all of this fixed? No. She made a necklace out of mint lifesavers.

So here's this week:

On Rock of Love, Bret found out this week that, in addition to currently living with her ex-boyfriend in a one bedroom apartment and having an abortion after getting pregnant by him, that Daisy used to hang out with Bret's bandmate from Poison, C. C. Deville. As if this isn't enough, she goes into hysterics at the elimination ceremony. He should just get back with Heather and be done with it.
The Hills is back. Yawn.
Holly won Make Me a Supermodel. She should use her $100,000 prize to buy a voice people can understand.
Step It Up and Dance premiered this week with Elizabeth Berkley (!!!) hosting. Christian from Project Runway has some stiff competition in the fierce department from James, one of the contenders for Best Step It Up and Dancer (?).
Only a Matter of Time: This week on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the sisters have an enlightening conversation with their 10 year old half sister about becoming a woman. Sister Kim is nowhere to be found. It's only a matter of time before another sex tape "leaks" to the media to regain her place in the "I'm Famous For No Reason" spotlight.

Roadblocking

2008-04-04T16:17:00.002-04:00

Pulled out my trusty media planning text from college to look up a question and managed to learn something new! So I had never heard of a fun media planning strategy called,"roadblocking."

It's pretty simple. When it comes to reach, you can only increase it so much. After achieving a 70% reach, it's gonna be tough to add more b/c there's diminishing returns. You'll start to reach the same people over and over...and that's where you start to increase frequency rather than reach.

So what's a media planner to do? You roadblock! Pick a time slot and day. Let's say 8pm on Monday. Then you simply buy ALL the programs during that hour. Now you've created a roadblock. You've bought 4 or 5 shows (obviously not including cable) and more than likely, you're getting higher reach b/c not all those people could possibly be watching all those shows. So there ya go! Pretty cool, huh?

No Chill in the Air When Miller Chill Ads Run

2008-04-03T07:53:00.003-04:00

Advertising Age named Starcom it's Media Agency of the Year. Apparently they've won all kinds of new biz (Samsung, Pet Smart, United Airlines, etc.) and have managed to hold on to some biggies like Kelloggs, Nintendo, Appleby's and Miller Chill.

So this is why they are media agency of the year (imho). They did a buy for Miller Chill on Weather.com and arranged for the ad to show only when the temperature was over 80 degrees. No joke. I mean, how freaking smart is that?

Oh wise Starcom media people, I pay homage. Very cool. Read the story here.

New Balance Loves/Hates Running

2008-04-02T16:35:00.007-04:00

I'm so happy that they have caught on to the love/hate relationship that so many runners have with their sport of choice. I've been running (in some capacity) since I was 16 years old and can definitely say that these ads speak to me. It's not the overachieving I-love-sports-because-I'm-such-a-bad-ass Nike type commercials. The message is much more personal and realistic. Plus, New Balance shoes are awesome.

Oh, and the print ads are quite yummy. One says, "you plan a day in the country, take the road less traveled, and find yourselves an unbeaten path. And then beat the crap out of it." Nice!

Ads: BBDO NY
Media buy: PHD NY

**Personal story alert**
So you know I'm not a total poser, I finally ran my first 10K this weekend. And here's a super hot photo to prove it. Go ahead boys, eat your heart out!

Pedigree Just Wants to Help Dogs

2008-03-31T18:51:00.007-04:00

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

2008-03-27T08:01:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-24T10:54:00.006-04:00

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

2008-03-24T09:42:00.002-04:00

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

Yay For the Onion and Viral Marketing!

2008-03-24T08:20:00.000-04:00

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

2008-03-22T12:29:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-21T08:24:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-20T12:03:00.005-04:00

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

2008-03-17T22:32:00.005-04:00

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)

2008-03-17T11:05:00.004-04:00

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

Happy St. Patty's Day

2008-03-17T10:49:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-16T20:52:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-15T14:25:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-13T23:43:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-13T17:03:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-12T21:32:00.004-04:00

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?!?

2008-03-12T17:06:00.003-04:00

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)

2008-03-09T12:28:00.006-04:00

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

2008-03-07T19:23:00.005-05:00

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?

2008-03-06T20:53:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-06T13:55:00.004-05:00

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

2008-03-05T14:35:00.004-05:00

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

2008-03-05T12:18:00.003-05:00

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

2008-03-02T20:24:00.013-05:00

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

2008-03-01T10:49:00.003-05:00

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...

Yo, You Got the Stuff?

2008-02-27T16:11:00.002-05:00

Yay more media-buyer targeted ads! I love them. This one is great. Thanks, adrants.

Oscar Ratings Way Low

2008-02-26T15:26:00.002-05:00

Well, thank god the writers came off strike just in time for the Oscars. Guess what? America doesn't care! And yes, I am laughing out loud about it.

more

Target Ads Never Cease to Impress

2008-02-25T21:59:00.003-05:00

I love love love the "Say Hello to Good Buys at Target"campaign that's been running now for a while. Rearranging the classic Beatles song in each of the executions manages to keep this campaign fresh (at least to me) and here's the latest of my favorites:

I just love it. And now I'm gushing. Target gets it. Now if they would only realize that they are a discount store and stop trying to sell me a $50 jacket.

Tally Ad Club Presentation

2008-02-25T08:52:00.004-05:00

My bad. I'm really late with this post. Jeff Pedigo from the Godwin Group came in to talk to the Tallahassee ad club on Feb 15. He gave a very interesting presentation about Memetics.

Yea, I didn't know what that was either. I have heard about memes because my old blog had been included on the z-list meme, but I didn't know there was an actual term describing the study of these things. Basically, memetics is all about how a meme replicates and becomes popular within a culture. It's cultural genetics (get it?). And like viruses, memes replicate and infiltrate the population.

Ah yes...and there it is...viruses...viral marketing. Buzz word of the past few years. The whole idea behind viral marketing is that something is so inherently cool/useful/interesting that you have to pass it on. And then it becomes part of a culture. It's ad agencies' job to figure out exactly how to make something so cool/useful/interesting that the audience feels they have to be pass it on. Which is pretty hard to do. I mean, who would have predicted how much children would love a television show about a sponge?

Examples Jeff gave included the famous tag, "Diamonds are forever" from DeBeers (am I the only one that misses the dramatic shadowy commercials they used to run). And a campaign from his own agency that ran in Mississippi ("I'm not your mama!"). It reminded me of these ads for Florida's Center for Cosmetic Surgery that used to run in Miami when I was a kid. "Just one look is worth a thousand words!" Everyone down there knows which ads I'm talking about! haha

Back on track. The presentation went on to talk about how genetics evolve in the same way that culture evolves. Harnessing meme-spreaders (early adopters in marketing speak) can help push a Big Idea (hold up - another buzz word!) out into culture.

Very cool presentation. I liked it a lot. Thanks, Jeff. For more information about memetics, check out his blog here.

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 2/22/2008

2008-02-22T18:08:00.004-05:00

The writers' strike is over, but scripted shows won't be back for another month or two, so for the time being, it's still all reality, all the time. Here are some of the highlights from this week:

The premiere of this season of America's Next Top Model was Wednesday. Completely Delusional Tyra inserted herself into this season's prep school theme as Prom Queen. Shocker.
Also on ANTM, they seem to have discovered the Chris Rock equivalent of the character Martin Lawrence played on his show Martin, Sheneneh, in Marvita.
Celebrity Rehab is wrapping up and everyone seems to be losing their sh*t.
One of the contestants on the Flavor of Love asks Flav to take care of her three kids in the event that something should happen to her on their skydiving date. Get in line kids! Flav's already got seven children. Six from accidents involving "parachutes" not operating properly. And by "parachute" I mean condom.
Only a Matter of Time: On the Project Runway reunion special, they named the fan favorite winner of $10,000. Christian won in the fiercest landslide in the history of fierceness. He's going to have his own show (the fiercest show in the history of fierceness). Duh.

Reunited and it Feels so Good

2008-02-19T12:31:00.013-05:00

Had a visit with my co-author this weekend. We got to catch up, our matching cars met, we pretended to be tourists. H, it was a blast (notice the Gossip Girl-esque use of one letter to represent an entire person). And how cool is it that Florida is home to the Sponge Capitol of the World?

Other news:
1. AdAge has a good update on the status of our favorite prime shows. Go here to see when your favorites are coming back (no Prison Break until fall...single tear).

2. In February's issue of Media Magazine, Andrew Ettinger talks about how people have been conditionally trained, like Pavlov's dogs, to immediately change channels at a commercial break. This makes the first ad of the break the best. However, these sneaky networks are using that spot for their own programming and selling the second spot as the "first." Liars! That spot is worthless! Actually, it isn't worthless, but it's not ideal. And the networks aren't liars. But still.

Ettinger goes on to wonder if this will start to happen online. I think that's a terrible idea! Can you imagine sitting through multiple ads to watch a video? I don't see that one going over well with viewers. Yuck, blah. Don't do it. And buyers, don't let it happen!

3. Today was Oliver's birthday. He works at 3W Studios, Kidd Group's web division. He's older than I thought he was, which is a compliment because he looks way younger. I also learned that he was in a french hair band. Yes, its true.

4. Colleen found this site: Jesus of the Week. It posts pictures of Jesus, all in good fun of course. My favorite is Jesus in the rims.

Lastly, thanks to H for convincing me to pick up this lovely souvenir from Tarpon Springs. He's right at home in my guest bathroom.

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 2/15/2008

2008-02-15T18:42:00.001-05:00

There was TONS of good stuff this week, so let's get to it.

On Snoop Dogg's Father Hood Snoop's kids learned very important life lessons from Snoop's cousin, Joe Cool, "Never smoke a pipe. Never touch another man. Never suck another man's dick. Never suck your own dick."
This week I caught a little known show called Jail, where people are shown being booked and held in jails across the country. I tuned in because the preview billed this particular episode as the OJ Simpson episode. I will tune in next week because one of the staff members says to one inmate, "You're here more than I am, you know the rules".
One of the husbands on Wife Swap claims to be proud of the fact that he has brainwashed his children, because, according to him, brainwashing entails being washed as a part of God's love. The man should be "washed" of his parental rights.
Flavor of Love is back for a third season. Doctors in the LA area will soon start to see the return of Flavorrhea.
On the last real episode of Project Runway before the finale, the most shocking thing was not that both Chris and Rami are going to be completing collections and competing for the third spot at Fashion Week, it was the peek of garter I saw under Gillian's dress when she jumped up and down after getting a spot in the final three.
Only a matter of time: At the elimination ceremony on Rock of Love, Aubry decided to sacrifice herself to save Kristi Joe's place in the house. Moments after her dramatic exit from the house, we find out, he was getting rid of her anyway. Once Kristie Joe gets inevitably kicked off, I'll put money on them getting their own show together. That kind of love doesn't come along very often.

We Ran For The Cookies

2008-02-10T21:11:00.000-05:00

Ran a 5k, that is. This one benefited the Girl Scouts, of which I was a badge-wearing member for many of my formative years. Some advice: Samoas are the best cookies. Period.

I noticed my race goodie bag contained a flyer for a local business. What a great way to reach runners - inserts in their race bags! Duh. Should have thought of it sooner! Would be perfect placement for New Balance, Saucony, Nike or other athletic gear. And so close to the customer, too. In addition, these races aren't just for really good runners. Runners of every level are involved, which even furthers my argument for this medium (I realize I am taking liberties by calling race goodie bags a medium). Anyway, that would be a really fun (if not labor-intensive) media buy for some big name athletic companies.

Running 3.1 miles for Girl Scout Cookies? They are totally worth it.

REAL[ITY] CHECK - 2/8/2008

2008-02-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

I decided to boycott last week since Project Runway was a repeat. Here's the REAL[ITY] CHECK for this week... and last week:

Last week, Lyric, from The Bad Girls' Club, left the house. Good Riddance. She was the only one out of the entire house that hadn't really participated in the feud of monumental proportions.
Also last week, I was so happy to hear Patty, The Millionaire Matchmaker, call one of her clients' facial hair a "landing strip". Because, really, it is a patch of pubic hair on the man's face.
This week on Project Runway, Crybaby Ricky FINALLY got voted off. The real surprise here was that he didn't shed a single tear the entire episode. Apparently his tears were what gave him his magical staying power.
Crazypants Brooke, from The Gauntlet III, got kicked off. Is anyone really surprised by this? And after having known each other a week, (the most meaningful week of their lives, I'm sure) Crazypants Brooke and Crazypants Ev say a tearful (maybe that's where Ricky's tears went?) goodbye and proclaim their undying love for each other. Seriously? Seriously.
Celeb Rehab continues to be my new favorite guilty pleasure. It came out this week that Daniel Baldwin, whose wife is pregnant, had been sending inappropriate text messages to Mary Carey. Next week, Jeff Conway flips his sh*t on his girlfriend, for bringing alcohol into the facility with her. So exciting! Can't wait!
Only a matter of time: Heidi Montag, of The Hills, and her terrifying mitt hands will get their own reality show. Spencer will shoot it, natch. (Story.)