Gymkhana? Wha?

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.


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Best of Show Goes to ASO

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

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

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

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

Drinkability, and Other Bullshit Product Attributes

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.

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

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...

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

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?

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

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...

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!

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

(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!