2012 Super Bowl Commercials

Pregame

 Century 21: "Teaser" Deion Sanders is a really nice guy (I've had dinner at his house) though this teaser does not benefit the brand at all.



Hyundai: "Victory Lap" - Womp womp. What a disappointment. Honk your horn if you're happy about the award that you won.



Hyundai Genesis R-Spec: "Faster Acting" - Meh . . .



Downy Unstoppables: "Amy Sedaris and Mean Joe Greene" - Another Rip Off . . . please be original or if you do rip something off at least make it better . . . WTF?!



FIRST QUARTER

Hyundai: "All for One - Workers sing Rocky theme" - Anytime employees sing together . . . the results are going to be scary.




Budweiser Platinum: "Factory"- More of a teaser or a warm up than a commercial. Nothing special or warm about it. Hopefully they get better as they go along.




Budweiser Platinum: "Work" - BORING Hopefully this product fails so we don't have to see anymore awful commercials.



Audi: "#SoLongVampires" - Enough with the Vampires already. I'm glad you are trying to get the tweens to want an Audi in five years but please stop torturing the rest of us.



Hyundai: "Cheetah" - This spot was stupid. That is all.



Mars M&Ms: "Ms. Brown" - I love the M&M brand and this teaser was really simple and cute. Hopefully the :30 second spot will be as good as the hype leading up to it.



This was hilarious and as tired of Sexy and I Know as I am, I loved it all over again with Red! Good Job creatives. I loved this spot.



Walt Disney: "John Carter" - Just another movie trailer . . . do I want to see this movie? No.



Coca-Cola: "Superstition" - It took me a while to realize what was going on in this spot. I just thought the bear had to pee then finally at the end I got it. Also, the bears are a little to CG-esk for me. Props to the AD, thank you for not putting the female bear in a pink scarf.



Lexus: "The Beast" - This spot is trying to position the Lexus as a muscle car. It will never be the muscle car nor will I ever look at



Best Buy: "Inventors" - This spot is boring until they get caught on the plane, nice addition. You all know that awkward feeling when you get caught not turning your phone off on a plane.

General Electric: "Power and Beer" - This spot sounded funny and then I saw it. Womp Womp. It leaves a lot to be desired.



Chevy: "Apocalypse" - Great spot, little elbow to your competition without being a dick. Classy.





SECOND QUARTER

Cars.com "Confidence" - This reminds me of the Beetlejuice sand worm and it is just plain creepy. Doesn't make me want to by a car from them, it actually makes me want to turn and run.



Budweiser: "Clydesdales - Return of the King" - This spot is so nicely done. Happiness is something that a lot of brands cover, though again it was a nice feel good spot.





Teleflora: "Adriana Lima - Valentines" - Yes show my man a picture of this woman telling him to buy me flowers. I'm sure he will really be thinking about me when watching this spot . . . Nothing great.



H&M: "David Beckham" - He's Hot, every woman knows that. You could have come up with something more than just focusing on his body parts.



Coca-Cola: "The Catch" - Really nicely done. I still think the bears are too CG-like. Also, thank you to the creatives for not making the male bear do the catch.



Hulu: "Will Arnett - TV Star" - This is STUPID.



TWO MIN WARNING 

Sketchers: "Mr. Quiggly" - Thank you sketchers for allowing the creatives to put the product on a dog. This spot is really cute and I like it.



Bud Light: "Use Shazam app for free song"- NEED VIDEO

HALFTIME SHOW


Toyota: "Connections" - Warm and fuzzy but not memorable.




The Voice: "Betty White" - I am avoiding showing movies TV shows and video games because they don't count, but Betty deserves to be seen.



Chrysler: "Halftime" - Clint Eastwood's voice is just scary sometimes. A little motivational but it makes you feel like you are going to get shot.



Bridgestone: "Time to Perform" - Interesting concept . . . but ehh doesn't really work well.



THIRD QUARTER


Volkswagen: "The Dog Strikes Back," - I love this!! Good job tying in last year's success with this year's spot. It's almost too disconnected to work but it's so awesome that it doesn't matter.



Century 21: "Smarter.Bolder.Faster." - I love Donald Trump and the Celebrity Apprentice but it's a dumb commercial.



Dannon Yogurt: "HeadButt" Bahaha down goes John Stamos and his frankensteined belly button. I still will never eat yogurt.



Toyota: "Reinvented" - Dear Toyota I hate you.



Acura: "Transactions" - I loved this commercial! Leno is a little creepy but good!



General Electric: "Something Big" - Good tribute to hard work and tradition.



Fiat 500: "Seduction" - Fiat did a good job of not letting many know they were in the Super Bowl. The spot, definitely held your attention and had a nice twist and the end.



Coca-Cola: "Argh" - This is the weak link to all of the others. It's cute, but not as good as the others.



Bridgestone: "Performance Basketball" - Do I have to like this because Nash is in it?



Budweiser: "Endless Optimism" - I really like this spot, it's a lot like the feel good Camry spot but oh well.  I can get over that.




FOURTH QUARTER

NFL: "Timeline" - Really nicely done. CG transitions are good.



Honda CR-V: "Broderick" - Way to rip off a movie to make a Super Bowl Commercial.



Kia: "Drive the Dream" - I love this spot. It is the Darth Vader spot of the Super Bowl for me.



Hyundai: "Think Fast" - Dumb. It would have been way funnier if he flew through the windshield.



Time Warner Cable: "Enjoy Breakfast" - Meh . . .



MetLife: "Charlie Brown" - This looks a lot like the Geico commercial.



Honda CR-V: "Leap List" - Slow and boring. 



Bud Light: "Here Weego -- Rescue Dog" - This dragged on a bit for me. Interesting concept but the twist in the beginning made it a little rough to sit all the way through.




Samsung: "Galaxy Note" - I liked this spot, why can't things like this happen in real life?




Prudential: "Day One" - Meh . . .




FIRST HALF (QUARTER UNSPECIFIED)

Go Daddy: "The Cloud" - I don't know who to feel sorry for more . . . the guys they are saying are so dumb or the women because they are actually in the commercial.



SECOND HALF (QUARTER UNSPECIFIED)

Go Daddy: "Body Paint" - You should really save your money.




SCHEDULE UNSPECIFIED

TaxACT: "Feel the Free" - Gross, does not make me want to do business with you.



Doritos: "Man's Best Friend" - This spot was funny. There are so many secrets your dog knows about you . . . why can't you know some about him? Really nice tap into a simple truth.



Doritos: "Slingshot" - Who ever approved this spot should be fired.



Cadillac: "Green Hell" - I like how sassy this commercial is while still being the classy Cadillac.



Chevy Sonic: "Stunt Anthem - We Are Young" - I LOVE THIS SPOT. I want to get one of these and tear the shit out of it!



Chevy Sonic: "Joy" - This was a good spot, lots of bugs and animals in car spots, but I liked this none the less.



Chevy Volt: "Aliens" - I liked this, it was cute at the end how he was protective of his wife and shuffles her inside.



Suzuki: "Sled" - hahah I traded it in . . . whoops!



CareerBuilder: "Business Trip" - This is a simple truth in advertising agencies. Playing pranks is a right of passage.



E*trade: "Talking Baby - Fatherhood" - This spot had a nice wrap up, a little boring in the beginning. The speed dating saved it.



Pepsi: "The X Factor Winner" - WASTE OF MONEY. If you are going to have Sir Elton John in your spot . . . have the man sing.



Pepsi: "Pepsi Max - Regis Philbin" - I feel like I am back in 1995.

Morning rodeo.

© 2012 Ashley J George. All Rights Reserved. 

Karin is a cowgirl . . . a very good cowgirl so this morning I went out to West World to watch her do her thing. . . I got there, super easy to find as it is near where I grew up. Finding Karin on the other hand, was not that easy.

I walked in to a place where there are dune buggies and golf carts whizzing by you, people on horses, people walking horses and people warming up horses. You definitely needed to focus on where you were going . . . but what do you do when you don't know what is going on?!

I spent some time enjoying the surroundings. Watching people command these beautiful animals into trotting, something with using the reins to pull their heads backwards and running around REALLY fast in circles. How could something so weird be normal? and why do you do that? and don't you get dizzy?!

After taking a few photos of these people I set out to find Karin. I walked up to this information table and thought it would be really easy. "How do I find someone if I don't know where they are supposed to be or what barn they're in?" This old cowboy behind the table paused for a second, I think to make sure I really just asked that question, but then politely pointed me to the registration building.

I go inside and wait in line as people are registering and then finally the lady asked how she could assist me. I asked her the same thing I asked the old cowboy outside. She too looked at me like I was crazy. Then asked if I knew the horses number . . . I said no . . . she then said she could only look them up by number or horse. "Oh I know the horses name." "Ok what is it?" "Peaches." About ten people burst out laughing . . . apparently horses are only registered under their proper names not their everyday names.

You could tell the woman behind me was frustrated, though she helped me and asked, "Do you know what they do?" All I could remember after being laughed out of the rodeo was that Karin did cutting from a previous conversation. So the woman pointed me to the arena where the cattle events were.

I went over there and watched the men do their thing for a bit, took some pictures and then decided to try and find some information somewhere else. I walked along the barns to the other information house and no one was there.

I then asked a woman on a dune buggy if she knew where I might find out barn assignments. . . she pointed me the the place where she found hers, though apparently I was too late because that information house looked like a ghost town.

Finally, after trying to be a detective, calling Karin and texting her . . . I decided to head back to the office with Peaches' apples. Looks like you're going to have to wait to get them until next week little lady.

Even though I didn't get to see Karin ride, I did get to see a glimpse into this amazing world that you hear about. The women are dressed up in this unimaginable sparkly shirts and everyone is wearing cowboy boots. It's pretty cool. Hopefully I will be able to share some shots of Karin and Peaches from their next rodeo, when we can figure out a meeting spot.

For some photos click HERE.

Who does this kid belong to?

Betsy took this photo. 

For the last seven months Betsy and I have been working on a campaign with one of our clients. We concepted, scripted, storyboarded and refined, refined, refined. Finally in the last two days we built a set, got all the props in and got our concept on film. It always is a surreal experience.

Our director and producer got here on Sunday to allow for talent callbacks on Monday. We sat through talent callbacks for most of the day on Monday just wanting to make sure everyone that was cast would work not only in their own scenes but cohesively across the spot as well.

Tuesday led us into our preproduction meeting. Here is where we go over the scenes/sets, talent, everyone knows where to go and how to contact anyone. It is basically the Bible of the production. It went really smoothly, and everyone is on the same page going onto set.

Wednesday was jam packed. We showed up to set super early and the construction of our sets started. The guys did such a great job and get everything set up really quickly. It's hard to explain the feeling of the vision you've had in your head for the last seven months forming in front of you by these big burly men. Once the walls started going up and fake windows were cut and placed the set started to come to life. The props started flooding in and taking their spots in each of the scenes. Everything started to be real.

Another thing we had to complete on Wednesday was getting all the talent's wardrobe chosen and fitted. You turn around and see all of the racks of clothing brought in. We definitely could have opened a pop up children's clothing store right there.

Once everything was propped, painted and lit Wednesday we were ready to shoot. The nice thing about having a set is that you don't have to worry about losing sunlight, you can spend as much time on set as you need . . . and that's exactly what we did.

Thursday we came in at eight a.m. and got started right away. Every single child on set was so incredibly well behaved. Once we got into a rhythm everything started to fall together.

On set we had the client, who made sure all of our interactions on set were authentic and appropriate to that age range which was a huge help. Our AE and producer who have been on this wild ride with us from the beginning, without the two of them nothing on this shoot would have been as buttoned up and simple as it was. Obviously the crew, who you read about above, and Betsy and I.

Honestly I don't know if there is anything better than seeing your idea become reality. Keep in mind that I am not married and do not have children. It's just a very special thing to be able to share your clients message with people through a concept you pulled from 1/2 strategy and 1/2 thin air. Without going into some sappy message, it's a pretty cool job to be able to shape the way society moves.

If you are interested in seeing photos from the shoot, please click HERE.

Projects here, there and everywhere.

Keeping busy keeps me happy and right now I am busy. There are a couple projects I am working on that I am super proud of. Here's a short update on a couple of them.

Betsy took this, I stole it from her Facebook.

At the agency, Betsy and I are working on a commercial for our client. That commercial is in production this week so you know I can't share much information about it. The producer and director were a great fit for this project and I can't wait to get everything wrapped up.

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With all the things I like to get myself into, I also like to keep a life on the side. This past weekend, I ran in The Color Run. SO MUCH FUN! It's a 5K where every 1K you go through color zones where you are plummeted with this colored powder similar to flour. So, you start the race clean with a white shirt and end a colorful mess. After you finish the run, every 15 minutes, they have a powder toss where everyone throws the powder in the air, resulting in the photo above.

If you can sign up for this I highly recommend it!!

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My personal project, The Tomboy Project, has been slow on the backers, though it is gaining ground as far as women wanting to get involved. This project is growing and becoming something that when finished, will probably blossom into something I can't even imagine at this moment. If you don't know what the project is check it out on kickstarter here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1029556983/the-tomboy-project

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As I am typing this, Leroy is snoring on the couch next to me. He has been a true blessing in my life, reminding me of what really matters in life and being such a great stress reliever. We are planning on running the Run. Walk. Wag. 5K9 and I've been googling training programs on how to get him ready for 3.1 miles.

He is so tired after 1.5 miles right now, so hopefully in about a month I can get him up to the 3 miles. If not, we will just do the 1 mile fun run. He can handle that without a problem.

Are you planning on running this with your dog? Let me know and post a picture of your dog below!!

The power of the pencil

Skull by Alan Robinson

In a world of computers, a simple pencil sketch won out. The reason? The idea was bad ass. That and with a pencil you strip away all the fluff, all the bullshit and there lying on a piece of paper is an idea as naked as you on the day you were born.

It's something all the pros did before us, haven't you ever seen Bewitched? Darren always had tear sheets and the client never expected something to be perfectly vectorized during the conceptualization stage. That is how it should be today. The computer is a tool you use to produce things. If you aren't in the production stage, TURN IT OFF.

What you say? You need to use it to do research? Why can't research be doing things? exploring? traveling? reading a real book? I believe spending time on the Internet to do research is spending time looking at things that other people have already done. Go do something yourself. In fact why are you even reading this?

The Tomboy Project

If you haven't heard of kickstarter it is a platform for creatives to raise money and complete a project. You submit your idea to them and they either approve or deny your idea. If you get approved, as the Tomboy project did, you then get to set up your project and try to raise the funds.

This platform is an all or nothing thing. It keeps it simple, you raise the money, you get it. You don't raise the money and you get nothing. Easy enough right? Well there is a lot more that goes into getting your project ready for launch. First, you have to figure out what in the world you want to do. 

Second, plan all of it out detail by detail and then figure out how much you are going to need. This was the scary part for me. When I realized how much it would cost to complete this project, my heart sank a little. I really wondered if people would donate that amount of money and then I just continued to work on the details of my project. The more I researched and developed the more I fell in love with this idea. I know that if I believe in me, I will be able to raise the $65,000 it will take me to document stories of tomboys across the country. 

I believe in this project because it is important for women, young ladies, and little girls to know there are a lot of tomboys out there and it is okay to be one. They grow up with a better body image, more self confidence and better relationships. If you are interested in learning more about my project and to help fund it, please visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1029556983/the-tomboy-project

Please back the project by choosing your reward level and clicking on the green back this project button!

Working from home

Telecommuting is becoming a necessity in today's culture. Not only because gas prices are rising and it's extremely hard to carpool but because no one wants to be stuf in a beige world for 8+ hours a day.

I found this article about a woman who decorates home offices, you can read the article HERE, I thought it was interesting because she is helping change the way people function in society. Until a meteor knocks a satellite out of orbit we are going to continue to fight for our freedom from this 9-5 life people created during the 50's.

For me working at home relieves so much stress. It allows me to be in an environment that I can make noise in, make a mess in, and not feel limited by four walls. It also allows me to actually get more accomplished. Think about how much time you waste sitting on the freeway because everyone has to be at work at 9 or everyone is allowed to leave their cube at 5. Why does everyone in the world have to be on the same schedule? It makes absolutely no sense.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when you do work from home, the assholes who need to be confined to an office think you aren't doing anything. When in fact it is the complete opposite.

Also, why do people prefer to sit under florescent lighting all day when there is this big bright burning star in the sky for 12 hours a day that actually provides nutrients to help your body thrive. Again, I don't get it.

Working from home offers flexibility with children. I don't have any, but think about how many latch key kids there are. Working from home allows you to manage your work so you can pick up your children and be part of their lives. No one ever wished they could work more on their death bed.

Some of the pros about working at home:

• Work all day in your sweatpants - This goes back to being comfortable. I see the account side dressed all fancy everyday and they just email clients and talk to them on the phone. You can't tell me they wouldn't be able to do the same thing at home in their sweats.
• Ability to work outside - Going back to the big burning star in the sky. It is good for you. Go get some Vitamin D to help build up your immunity. 
• There are webcams on every laptop allowing for video conferences - Hello skype or ichat or any other program that let's you see people you are talking to. It's just like being in the room with them, without actually having to be in the same room with them. Also, think about all the money you will save on pants. 
• Ability to pick the type of desk chair you want to sit in all day - Or not sit in all day. Sometimes I work at the kitchen counter and stand. It's important to be in an environment that you feel comfortable and safe. There is always someone at any job that just won't allow you to get thing done. Being at home you can at least limit their interference in your daily life. 
• Home cooked lunches - Think about how much healthier our country could be if people actually made food for themselves instead of trying to shove fast food down their throats just to make it back to the office in the thirty minutes they are allotted to relax and get food. 
• Companies save money on utilities - People leave lights on, they waste paper, they waste coffee. By allowing them to work from home, I guarantee they will waste less of everything. 
• Save gas - This is another hippie reason but truly it's good for the environment. I travel 50 miles to and from work on a daily basis. Instead of traveling south to downtown, I would rather travel north 10 miles and be at the lake. 

Some of the cons: 

• You have to make space in your home for an office - It might take a little while to figure out where you do actually work best to get things accomplished. This is one of those things that is like a con but is really a pro because it will force you to venture out and try new things. 
• Work surrounds you all the time, making it harder to create a work/life balance - This is something a lot of people do not know how to do. You need to make sure when you aren't accomplishing anything in front of the screen you go do something else for a bit. 
• Hiring people who can't handle the freedom - Again, you need a special type of person who knows how to handle the freedom. As much freedom as it is it is also a lot of responsibility. 

There are definitely adjustments that people/companies have to make when deciding to allow telecommuting. It could be as easy as every Monday people can telecommute. No one likes Mondays anyway. Or allow people to pick their days, rotate switch things around. Contrary to popular belief change is good people. 

Do you know of some other pros and cons of the telecommuting world? Or do you have your own home office? Leave me a comment or photo! 

Internet Blackout

They are calling it Hollywood vs. Silicon Valley. SOPA is causing some interesting havoc around the internet today. Many companies are blacking out their sites, some completely unusable letting people and congress know that we should stop piracy but not censor the internet.

And honestly, I don't think I should have to pay to watch an episode of Parenthood that aired two years ago. You people are already rich, let us poor people enjoy some freaking Nick at Nite style TV.   

Out of all of this, not just SOPA but occupy wall street/the world, it has turned people back to shopping local and supporting the little guy. I can't express the excitement of the shop indie movement this past holiday season. Let's keep that trend going. Shop local and indie year round, get people back on their feet and people back to work. It's what this country was built on . . . we did it once, we can do it again.

I have decided to black out Bruonis' Facebook page in support of not supporting SOPA or PIPA.

Here are some of the sites that have either partially or fully blacked out.

Happy New Year!

Photo by Taylor Lord - Click to see her website.

I spent my New Year in Austin, Texas at a good friend's wedding. I was not allowed to bring a date and that seriously made things so much easier! I was able to focus on me and what I wanted to do. Also, I was able to meet a great group of people (also single) that I would have never met if I had been forced to find a plus one.

I had the privilege of designing all of the paper products for the wedding such as the menu, the program, the I SPY and the thank you. They turned out beautifully and I will post them once I get back in to Arizona.

I think about all the things I have done since grad school and all of the people I have met. I highly recommend graduate school. The networking and opportunities I have had . . . I can't express the gratitude I have.

Anyway, back to the wedding. It was obviously a New Year theme with a fun vintage New York twist. Sometimes I feel like Jennifer Lopez in the Wedding Planner. I love weddings so much and all the planning that goes into them, though I don't know if I ever see myself getting married.

One thing I loved about the wedding was the jewelry. The bride's mother, Molly, made the most BEAUTIFUL jewelry for the bridal party. Everyone was asking where they could get it and I think we are going to have to set up an Etsy account for her.

At the reception, I loved the wedding photographs of the parents and the grandparents were next to the cake. It showcased the generations so tastefully. It also got the grandparents and parents thinking about their wedding days and all the great memories they have had through the years.

Over all this was an amazing wedding and probably the best New Years I have ever had. Bravo Vogel . . . I mean Mrs. Mitchell.

Update 15 January 2012

Please visit Taylor Lord's BLOG to see the images from the wedding.

Extreme Couponing

I partnered with my mother to start extreme couponing. Well not as crazy as the show but enough to make a dent and start saving for an XBox and Kinect. Dear XBox if you are reading this and want to send us one for free, let me know. I will test it out for you.

Anyway, we did our first shopping trip before Thanksgiving and we ended up paying $130 for a week's worth of groceries for three, plus Thanksgiving dinner for six. Not too shabby if you ask me. 

Tomorrow we are going on our next couponing adventure. It's weird how spending time with my mom cutting coupons, grocery shopping and planning weekly dinners is now fun. I must be getting old. Look out advertisers, I'm becoming your target market. 

We are taking tips from the show, though will NEVER I repeat NEVER get in a dumpster for a coupon. Though some of the tips we are incorporating are: 

• Subscribing to the Sunday newspaper - You can get the AZ Republic for $4 a month and that includes Wednesday which is another big day for coupons.
• Cutting out any coupon you could potentially need and file it - We started using one of the empty file drawers in my home office to keep everything labeled and organized.  
• Create a filing system and stick to it - We have also started using the computer to catalog the coupons we clip every week but we only have about 50 coupons right now. If you are interested in the inventory document we set up, please leave a comment below. 
• Stock up on any non-perishables when you can get the best deal - Just make sure you have the room so you don't appear to be a hoarder. 

I know you might think this is a really random blog post. But think about it, in the world of advertising you've probably at some point and time designed or dealt with FSIs but how many of you have actually used them. 

We don't really deal with retail clients anymore at our agency, though if you do, try using the coupons in the Sunday paper. It will give you a great eye opening lesson on how your clients should or should not be designing their FSIs.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

**UPDATE**

Happy to update we saved 23.9% more than we did the last trip to the grocery store. It's definitely hard  work and REALLY time consuming, but so worth it. We saved more than we spent at every store and made a profit at one of the stores. This is a really good feeling. 

Sometimes You Gotta Dance

Wow. Things have been really hectic. In a previous post you see just one of the many campaigns we are working on right now. Sometimes, I can't believe how much Betsy and I do around the office. Not just campaign wise but how well we work together for time management, triage and client services.

This week the load lightened up a little to allow for a little fun. Fun to us means finding people to make fun of, and bagging on each other. If you are friends with us on Facebook, I'm sure you've seen some our antics. Below are some of the things we got to do this week.

We got our PHX10K images back. This is by far our favorite. Betsy always finishes the race and then comes back to cheer me on. The photographers caught some really fun shots of us together.

Betsy changed her twitter from Chilizabeth to RunADC, made her a badge and we re-did her twitter background.

Here is our facebook battle:

A past colleague decided he wanted in on the Facebook tomfoolery. I have to admit, it was spot on and hilarious, but you can't come at my copywriter without some type of retaliation. Here is that story . . .

This is our rebuttal.

Finally, we found this video that made us laugh.

Work: POWER A Holiday Initiative

Betsy and I just finished another campaign. This time it's for POWER A Air Flo and Mini controllers. This campaign will focus around the holidays and consist of online and social media.

For the mini controllers we presented ideas with hot chick midgets and other really fun ideas and finally settled with the client on the idea "It's not about cute." While these controllers are smaller in size they aren't specifically made for kids or people with midget hands, they are smaller and provide a great grip for someone who likes to get in the zone and have a strong gaming experience.

Betsy and I developed the concept around getting rid of things that people found ridiculously cute, they didn't necessarily have to be miniature, but they had to be things that would give you that sweet, cute feeling like a bear, a frilly cake, skinny jeans (damn hipsters), a pinata, and party balloons.

We hired an explosives expert that was missing fingers (that's how we knew he was good) and found a legal place to blow things up. Then we went at it. It took about six hours to rig and blow everything up. Here is a compalation video of the explosions from our point of view. . .

Our Junior Media Buyer Amanda made a cake that so dense 3 bombs couldn't blow it up and there were some explosions that were so large and loud, I am shocked I still have my eyebrows.

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Below is the work.

These are our banners:

This is our landing page:

Go to site.

The following videos are the same ones embedded into the site with the duck bonus deleted video.

The Air Flo work doesn't have as many great memories or stories attached to it since we used stock imagery and it was a normal design project. Though the idea behind it is something that stayed true to the strategy and research.

We found as gross as gamers get, the one social cue that is not acceptable is having a sweaty controller. This goes for when you are in competition or when you are by yourself. Sweaty palms is not hot, ever. So, we focused on the Air Flo and the one word that everyone seems to dislike or have some problem with. Moist.

We developed an opportunity for gamers to win an Air Flo controller while finding out more about what these controllers have to offer.

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Below is the work.

These are our banners:

This is our landing page:

Go to site.

It was a lot of work in a ridiculously short timeframe. Though, we got it done as we normally do. Thank you to everyone that was involved in the creation. 

Creative Rockstars

I am watching a Buckcherry live concert (one of my favorite bands) and listening to them talk about the process of making a record or getting ready for a tour, I have realized how much being a creative in advertising is like being a rock star.

The first thing they talk about is their process. Buckcherry takes their personal experiences, things they read and things they encounter to come up with ideas for new songs. Then they go through production and finally share it with the world. They probably don't focus too much on the target market, they are more like fine artists in that way but Buckcherry isn't going to do a remake of Hanson's MmmBop if you know what I'm saying.

This shows how much as creatives we can not and should not sit at a desk all day. We need to have time to go out, explore and experience things. One thing that really helps me get something in the simmer mode is working out at lunch every day. It allows me to clear my head and get to the answers faster.

They also talk about humble beginnings and how they spend so much time working together and building a relationship so they could do what they needed to do and write good music. The chemistry was just there.

Betsy is an amazing copywriter and I feel blessed to have her as my ACD/writer. We definitely had chemistry in my first interview, though we also spend 8-16 hours together five days a week. We have gotten to a place where we trust each other completely, we look out for each other and are a solid unit. If you don't have that with your partner, your work will suck. period.

The next thing they talk about is song writing, how they function and how they concept the song. They get to take their time and really revisit the songs to make them the best they can be. When they write songs they are focusing on writing an entire record, though don't hold themselves to a specific number of songs for one record.

This really rings true when we are working on concepts for clients. I despise trying to fill a quota of concepts to present. Present the strong ones, the ones you wouldn't be ashamed to produce and go from there. Also, while concepting, no matter what, if the concept can't fulfill a 360 approach, is it good enough? A great idea should be able to live in any media without feeling forced.

One last thing. The other day we were talking about how some agencies take out all the walls and all the desks and make community work spaces. The thing I love about Moses Anshell is that we have our own office, though there are so many places to go and work if you don't feel like sitting at your desk. I just got a work laptop and it is great, Betsy and I now spend even more time together. . .

Work: Pinnacle Online High School

We just wrapped up some work with Pinnacle Online High School. We presented three concepts and recommended one. Although they didn't choose the idea we recommended, I am happy with the end result of the concept they decided to run with. 

The concept is called "True Story" not incredibly original I know, though it works well for them because it makes online high school approachable. Have any of you seen the commercial where the girl comes out in her PJs and says, "You may think I'm going to bed, but I am actually going to class."? Or the use of all the overly stock looking images? This is something Betsy and I strived to stay away from. 

We partnered with photographer Blair Bunting, and cast six real Pinnacle students. I felt privileged to meet every student that day. They aren't just thinking about getting through high school to get to college, these kids are thinking about ten years down the road and their dreams are huge. They really inspired our headline "For Students of Life," it not only hit the strategy on the head but spoke true to what these kids are trying to do. The media is up now around Phoenix including billboards, in mall, radio, online, cinema and some others. 

Kendra is our horse riding cowgirl and her horse, Girl, are an amazing pair. When we walked into the backyard where she keeps her horse, we were greeted by three goats, some turkeys and some other animals. 

Sometimes the magic of a photo shoot won't happen until you are on set and that is so true with these two. Blair captured the love that Kendra and Girl share for each other. This is definitely the strongest shot of the group with the placement of the sun, the nice pops of color from Girl's bit piece and the overall connection Blair was able to capture on film. 

Our next shoot was with Gino. He is our resident skater and he definitely has a great look to him. I seriously think we wore him out making him skate around a bowl, or maybe we just made him dizzy.  I would have been. 

Immediately following Gino, we hit the stage to shoot Ashley. She is an aspiring singer following in the footsteps of her Gospel singing mother. I love the lighting colors Blair decided to use. After retouching the photos the lights look great and really make Ashley stand out beautifully on a black background. 

The next  and final day of shooting we started with Chance. It was a great start to the day, the weather was nice, we were shooting at a local park and Chance was playing his guitar the whole time. He is a great musician. 

Following Chance we shot Robert the basketball court. For this shoot we were missing one very important prop . . . the basketball. After our stylist went and got one for us we were back on track. Robert's shots came out tight and they had an intensity the other photographs did not. 

Our final student was Emma, a single mother with a high spirited and camera loving two year old. We know with kids you get a 10-20 minute window to get in, get your shot and get out before the child's impatience sets in, so we were moving as fast as we could. As we are finishing this shot, Emma gets up and her daughter is on the bed . . . and of course now the baby wants to pose. I take one shot of her alone on the bed . . . and she wants another . . . and another. I was like why couldn't you be like this 15 minutes ago?! She was really good though and super cute. 

Below are our in mall and billboards. Enjoy! 

Jr Creative Advice: Get Excited & Stay Relevant

The best thing about bringing in a junior creative team is the amount of creative excitement they bring to the table. Honestly when you come in you are going to suck. We all did, but once you learn the ropes you will be fine.

When you get your first job in advertising, which is the hardest part of the industry, stay positive and stay current. You just came out of school and should know Facebook, myspace, twitter, foursquare, LinkedIn, Spotify, and all the other fun social media outlets. If I have to explain any of these to you, you will not get the job. Just sayin' . . .

Also, you aren't going to work on the good stuff. You are going to get the clients/work either A) no one wants or B) you can handle without fucking up. While this might seem sad and depressing, get over that fast and figure out a way to own your client and make it the next Old Spice or what ever great client is out there when you are reading this. When I was a junior, Carlo gave me a great piece of advice. He said, "Anyone can make surfing or pizza or sports cars sexy, because they already are. But when you are able to make oil and computers sexy, that's when you know you've done something great."

So go do something great with a client and have fun while you are doing this because in the words of my amazing boss, "I would rather be doing this than working in a bank. Bankers are assholes."

AZ Foothills Best of 2012

It's that time again. Voting for the Arizona Best of 2012 has commenced. The agency that won last year no one has ever even heard of, so we have stepped up to take our rightful place as the Best Advertising Agency in Arizona.

You can vote once a day, every day. Please click this link to vote. We would be grateful if you could click to vote and then share this with your friends as well.

Do you have ideas in how to get others to vote? Let us hear them! Over the next few weeks we will be sharing pictures of how we get people to vote.

Work: PHX10K

So after a working all summer and the beginning of fall, we have finished all the pieces for the 2011 PHX10K. This project was worked on by my amazing interns and I filled in on the projects they couldn't work on. I have a strict policy that the interns can not work on work we get paid for, since our internship is unpaid.

Items involved in this project:
- Poster
- Brochure
- Info Guide
- Start/Finish Banners
- Bridge Banners
- Guerrilla (which you will only see if you run the race)
- Website Redesign (live PHX10K.com)
- Delivery Truck Backs
- Cinema (you will see them if you visit Harkins)
- Diet Pepsi/Sierra Mist Can Designs (available in stores now)
- and tying up a few other loose ends.

The interns designed and presented their work straight to the client. Since they are interns there were room for improvements when it came to presenting, but overall they did great. Marisa (AD) was used to my expectation for perfection and grew tremendously as a potential junior candidate after graduation. Madison made sure that every sentence of copy in the website made sense, though sometimes she ended up confusing herself which was quite amusing. In the end they got it done and the client is excited about the event.

Check out the website at PHX10K.com

A Memory . . .

It was exactly 10 years ago to this minute that I heard the first plane had hit the World Trade Center. I had gotten up for another day of my senior year in high school at 6:38AM, I never got up this early for school.

I turned the radio on before I got in the shower and that's when I heard. I went in to tell my mom about what I had heard. She kind of brushed it off like it must had been an freak accident.

I continued to get ready like it was a normal day. Though as I got to my first period H.E.R.O. class, we all started to realize that this wasn't an accident. Every class I went to that day had the television on, we watched the second plane hit. We watched the first and then second tower collapse. The pentagon and then flight 93 crash.

Our country changed forever that day. I don't think there is enough gratitude we could exude to everyone who was involved in helping to save this country and the people hurt in the hateful act initiated that morning.

My hope for this 10th Anniversary, is that everyone spends time to reflect and remember how we came together as a country. We were a community that day, we were a unit. We were thankful for the survivors. We were doing whatever we could to find other survivors. We never gave up hope.

I really think this mentality is necessary to have today. The problems with this country, the economy, the unemployment etc. are fixable. But we need to come together as a community again. We need to stop this me vs you mentality.

We need to come together. We need to start supporting our neighbors and become the strong nation the rest of the world looks to us to be. We are a place where anything you dream and work for can happen.

God Bless America.

Jr. Creative Advice: Don't Leave

As a junior you should be one if not THE last one to leave. This is the time to prove yourself to your colleagues and your boss. If your hours are supposed to end at 5:30pm stay at least until 6:15pm. Spend the extra 45 minutes looking up cool new trends or learning some new way to utilize social media.

If you leave on time and the rest of the creative department is working on a presentation ASK if there is anything you can help with. You leaving before everyone looks poorly on you.

You are a junior, we know you will be slower and need help. That's why you are a junior. What we are looking for is that fire. That desire to be there and change society with a great idea. If you don't have that . . . you need to find a different job.

Work: Local Motors Website

I know that I haven't written in a while though I am trying to get on a regular writing schedule. Once a week seems to be good, though I'm not sure what day it is. Thursday is the day I am thinking most about.

Ok anyway back on track. As you know from some of my previous posts, I've been really excited about Local Motors Rally Fighter. Well we have finally gotten all of the contracts signed and the first phase of the website finished. We did the entire site in 2.5 weeks. That includes design and coding. The reason for the ridiculous turn around time was because the Rally Fighter was premiered on Top Gear August 7th on the History Channel. (Watch the episode here.)

There will be a second phase adding some fun things and also fixing some things. Though I am so proud of my team to keep up and stay positive through a fun though sometimes hectic process.

(Visit Rally Fighter Site)