Lemonade: Detroit

Below is a link to a short film (17 min) you might find very interesting.

It was put together and directed by Erik Proulx, a one-time advertising copywriter from Boston who lost his job about the same time I did back in 2008. He started a blog, to share his thoughts and experiences about unemployment, and ended up directing a short movie called Lemonade. The movie was about other folks in the industry who were suddenly unemployed and used the opportunity to start something new.

The movie was very inspiring to many, and he has since put together this short film about Detroit, called... Lemonade: Detroit. About how the city is almost in the same boat. And how many people there are not standing by, watching the city waste away with the downturn in the auto industry, but rather are looking at it as a starting point to turn the city around.

http://vimeo.com/28279409

oh, and Erik... he's now directing TV spots, instead of writing them. :)

Art and Copy hits PBS

I saw this documentary last summer when it played here in Seattle. That night I walked out of the theatre wishing anyone who wasn't sure why I love advertising and the power of brand and messaging could see this film.

Last night the movie showed on PBS' Independent Lens, and I got to enjoy it all over again. For anyone who hadn't caught it before, it's a well-crafted view into the world of advertising, as told by many of the greats who have worked in the field.

Below is a 2 minute trailer. Or watch the full version on the PBS video feed.

Lemonade Detroit

He's at it again. Erik Proulx, creator of Lemonade, has turned his documentary cameras and thoughts to Detroit - looking to see how a city can pull itself up by the bootstraps and reinvent itself.

Lemonade: Detroit Trailer from Erik Proulx on Vimeo.

OCA: The Reunion Show - The Recap

Last week's OCA event, The Reunion Show, was a big hit.
We had a panel of speakers, all of whom have navigated the "Great Recession" and landed jobs in which they are extremely happy. New titles for this group of OCA alums range from Web Marketing Manager to Marketing Director, Advertising Strategist to Sr Marketing Coordinator, and even a Lean 6-Sigma Facilitator. Over the course of a 1-hour plus Q&A session, the panel of speakers did a great job providing current OCA members with a wealth of advice, lessons learned, and anecdotes from their own personal, successful job searches.

The event was also a great chance to catch up with friends, practice our networking skills, and I'm sure a lot of new connections were made.


"Lessons Learned" from the panel:
- When interviewing, establish parity - why you fit the qualifications and experience required for the job - but get past that, and provide the hiring company with a reason you stand out above the others. What is your difference?
- All interviews are informational. You're interviewing them as much as they're evaluating you.
- All informational meetings are interviews. Treat every 'casual' coffee session as you would a real interview. Someone doing you a favor by providing information in a more casual situation is still, at the end of the day, checking you out. Could I work with this person? What would they have to offer, if a position opened up? Make sure you don't provide a reason for them to not hire you later.
- There's a danger to being too wide or too narrow in your job search focus. If you're trying to be all things to all people, companies don't get the sense that you know what you want to do. At the same time, if you're too focused on exactly what it is you're pursuing, you may miss out on many other opportunities. At the end of the day, it's about finding a balance and knowing what you want.
- Network, network, network. And then network some more.
- When writing cover letters, drop names of people you know (due to all your networking. See above.)
- Fit your resume to the job description. Make it easy for anyone screening your resume to see how you fit the requirements for the job.
- Be prepared. It's not just the Boy Scout motto; it applies to interviewing, too. Do your homework and go in knowing yourself, the position, the company and with whom you're interviewing.
- "Don't be a 'fanboy,' be a peer." Enthusiasm is key, but don't go in so over-the-top that your excitement could be a turn-off. Remember, if you fit the requirements, after that it's a cultural fit.
- Take contract jobs, if you can get them. They keep your skills and your resume up to date, they provide another source for networking, and they pay better than unemployment.
- When you are hired (and you will be), try to get some time between the offer and your start date. While many of us have had several months off work, job searching is non-stop and not relaxing. Having just a bit of time that you can spend as you want, knowing that a paycheck is coming, is time that you can truly enjoy.
- When you do start work, keep track of all that you're doing and document your accomplishments. You never know when you might need to update your resume again.

During the panel discussion, it was quite clear that many of our alums had similar experiences during their job search. In most cases, they each:

• Built up visibility within a small community of some sort (engineering, operations, advertising). This is key.


• Volunteered for industry activities that helped them gain visibility.


• Had timely and specific skills that an employer needed.


• Were focused and crisp about what they wanted to do.


• Targeted smaller firms, not necessarily going after companies that are on everyone else's wish list.


• Encountered some good fortune. All were ready and in the right place to take advantage of an opportunity.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this event a huge success!

Road Trip Nation

Did you know what you wanted to do with your life when you were 20?

How about now?

Road Trip Nation is a number of things. It is a social media project of State Farm, it provides creative content for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and American Public Television, and it's program for a number of other organizations. Solid strategic partnerships and a model for leveraging network effects for all involved.

It is also an interesting exploration of career paths. How successful people got to where they are: Doing what they love. And making a living at it.

Check out the interviews on you tube and visit the site for inspiration.

OCA: The Reunion Show - Wed 6/16, 6pm

More than 50 people have come through the OCA doors and have gone on to land full-time or contract jobs. And some have even started their own companies.
Ever wonder what they did to get their current position? Or, if you're newer to OCA, do you wish you could have met them before they moved on?

On June 16th, we'll host "OCA: The Reunion Show"
(To view the evite, click HERE.)
Meet with alums and ask them the tough questions: "What worked?" "What didn't work?" "What would you do differently or over again, if given the chance?" "Are you hiring??" ...

This will be a social event*, and breaking from the norm, we'll meet in the evening. These people have jobs, remember??

Format:
6:00-6:15 - Gather, grab a drink, mingle, and get settled
6:15-6:30 - Greetings from Larry Asher (SVC)
6:30-7:30 - Q/A panel session
7:30-8:30 - networking, complete with beer/wine

*Anyone interested in beer/wine at the event, I'd ask for a $5 donation to cover costs.

Location: SVC Seattle - 500 Aurora Ave N., Seattle, WA
When: Wednesday, June 16, 6:00PM
Phone: 206.304.1455

Hiring Frenzy

Maybe it's a sign that the economy is on an upswing (and hopefully continuing along that trajectory), or it's the power of networking. Maybe it's both. But we've had several OCA members recently become new OCA alums.

Congrats to the following people as they embark on new ventures:

• Melissa Baldwin - marketing manager for the Food Service group of Starbucks
• Carl Larson - site conversion manager for Global Market Insite (GMI)
• Cindy McKinley - sr. project manager for the Seattle Art Museum's internal design / communications group
• Michele Powell - sr. marketing coordinator for HDR/PHAROS
• Meghan Ragsdale - account executive for Cole & Weber advertising
• Mhairi Voelsgen - account director for Rally Marketing

Crowdsourcing - Where Art Meets Community

Creative forms of crowdsourcing have shown up in a multitude of venues recently. In just the past couple weeks, examples include everything from developing "the ULTIMATE compost-related product" through Quirky's current Compostalooza Competition -- to an experiment by WIRED Magazine to have its dot-com readers crowdsource a song using Indaba Music, "whose collaborative digital-audio-workstation platform, Mantis, allows musicians and amateurs all over the world to collaborate on the same piece of music for free."

The goal: Get a community together, centered around one purpose, and you can witness amazing results.

Such is the case with the crowdsourced video for Johnny Cash's final recording, "Ain't No Grave." In a recent 'Boards Magazine article, Kevin Ritchie talks with director Chris Milk about The Johnny Cash Project, where fans have contributed over 4,500 pieces of artwork to create a "living portrait of the Man in Black". Archival footage of the singer was collected by Milk and legendary producer, Rick Rubin, and then edited into a video, where contributors can illustrate over single frames. The result: a beautiful living piece, that can take new shape every time it's viewed.

Seattle-based and global crowdsourcing company, Zooppa, can admire such handiwork and knows all too well the creative power of a large crowd. Its own community of over 60,000-strong has produced TV, print, and online ads for such brands as Pillsbury, GoDaddy, Microsoft, and Nike, and the company is currently managing competitions for Universal Studios and the country of South Africa.

So, what exactly is "crowdsourcing?" By definition, it's ... well, it's new enough that Dictionary.com doesn't have an explanation. But it has been around for several years, as the term was coined by author, Jeff Howe, in his 2006 WIRED magazine article, The Rise of Crowdsourcing. According to Wikipedia, "Crowdsourcing is a neologistic compound of "crowd" and "outsourcing" for the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor to a large group of people or community (a crowd), through an open call."



In the marketing world, it's asking a community of passionate consumers and/or aspiring artists to develop creative concepts to help advertise a company's brand or its product. For a group like Zooppa, they broker the creative development process between this community and the brand by providing "a platform for user-generated advertising" where "talented people from all over the world can meet, exchange ideas and share their creative work." Earlier this year, I wrote about two companies, Doritos and CareerBuilder, which each employed crowdsourcing to develop content for their Super Bowl ads.

Does this mean the beginning of the end of design and creativity as we know it? Not likely, but there is skepticism among professionals, who have studied and worked at a craft in which they are highly specialized, and turning over the reigns in part to the masses. What's the takeaway then for the marketing and advertising industry? Know what crowdsourcing is. And realize it could be an interesting, and inexpensive, way to generate new ideas when working with clients.

"Advertising is Dead"

So began the talk tonight by Seattle's own Larry Asher (Workerbees, School of Visual Concepts, and a supporter of OCA) about "20 things you need to know to get a job in advertising".

My abbreviated take:

The traditional model of advertising is fast on its way out, so it's important to immerse oneself in understanding and participating in the change that is occurring. What's coming? Digital, mobile, social. And who knows what else. What do you need to succeed? Ideas, strategies, and the soft and hard skills necessary to present and implement them. And to get a job? Figure out your value (everyone has value). Get to know people. And be prepared to be useful.

Here's the deck:

20 Things You Need To Know To Get A Job In Advertising

View more presentations from School of Visual Concepts.

Inspiration to Get Out and Play

The following promotional video was put together by TBWA Vancouver and is one of the best :30 ads I've seen in a while. It hit home for me, because it's a topic I feel passionate about. Thought-provoking and well-executed, the video provides statistics that argue that we need to get outside and play more (and eat less) - and asks the question, "What happened to community?"



Do you remember when kids used to disappear after school? No, Nancy Grace, not because they'd been kidnapped. Because they used to play outside. They'd jump on their bikes and head to the local parks to play with friends. Getting together with classmates back then didn't mean coordinating parent's schedules to arrange structured, supervised playdates. "I'm heading to Billy's house." "OK..." our parents would reply. "Just be back in time for dinner."

According to Nielson, last year kids aged 2-11 spent an average of more than 30 hours per week in front of a TV, the most in close to a decade. Add time spent on computers and now cell phones, and the fact that only 8% of elementary schools provide daily physical education, and it's no wonder kids' waistlines are expanding as fast as the pace of technology.

In his new show, Food Revolution, chef Jamie Oliver, says "The children in America of today, of 2010, are going to live a shorter life than their parents." Scary thought. Jamie's not just looking to promote his latest endeavor, this is something he's been doing for seven years, promoting a sustainable movement that "will inspire people to change the way they eat." Earlier this year, Jamie was a recipient of the prestigious TED Prize, given annually to a "world-changer" in Technology, Entertainment or Design. (Previous recipients include President Bill Clinton and Bono.)

Luckily, folks like Jamie and organizations like the NFL's PLAY 60 Movement are not just recognizing what's happening - they're doing something about it.

And yes, as I sit here, in front of my computer, typing away and sharing my thoughts and YouTube clips, I realize the irony. Time to take the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood.

Social Media Inspiration

AgencyTwoFifteen has just launched a campaign for Microsoft's KIN, a new Windows phone "designed to handle busy social lives - online and off."



The campaign, initially consisting of videos posted on Facebook.com/KIN, is already being talked about and shared on AgencySpy, YouTube, Creativity, etc. The fact that the launch of the ads coincides with the launch of a rebranded agency doesn't hurt. (AgencyTwoFifteen has just parted ways from McCann, where they were known as T.A.G., and now operates under the bigger umbrella of holding company Interpublic.)

Given the product, it's a smart (and interesting) way to create buzz and to generate a following of targeted consumers who will want to keep track of Rosa, the campaign's hero and anointed "socialogist." Rosa will use the phone to validate her friends, making visits in a documented journey around the country.

Notes from 3/26/2010 OCA Meeting

Three new members joined us as we had another big meeting.
- Melissa Baldwin, who was at WaMu in their Experiential Marketing group for 12 years, most recently finished a project with Starbucks and is also a volunteer marketing manager with Taproot.
- Caylee Betts, who recently completed her BA in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Phoenix, is currently an Art Director intern at Square Tomato.
- Michele Powell, who was most recently with AMEC Earth & Environmental, has 15 years of marketing experience, primarily in the industrial and technology sectors.

Fantastic speakers last week as OCA welcomed Kristina Muller-Eberhard and Thomas Lamprecht of Plume21. The two of them have recently started a new creative agency and visited us to talk about launching a business in today's economy and to share their thoughts regarding work, clients, and the future.

Their background. The two of them each have more than 20 years of ad agency experience, having worked with some of the top brands in the world (Oracle, T-Mobile, Sun, Adobe, Wells Fargo, Nestle) while at some of the top creative shops (Grey, Publicis, DraftFCB/Hacker). Thomas started Grey San Francisco and built the office into the agency's fastest growing division, starting with 1 employee (himself) and eventually managing more than 200 people before moving to Seattle.

Why start a business in today's economy? This is a question they've heard, many times, before. Easy answer: "It's better to start at the bottom, than it is at the top. There's nowhere to go but up." Competitive rates in a down economy mean everyone is looking for a deal. Because they are small, and therefore more nimble and more efficient, Plume21 can approach companies that are "fed up with large agencies."

Who are they targeting? What industries? Kristina and Thomas are looking at growth areas, as well as ones in which they have experience, such as technology, services (intellectual properties), hospitality, health care, communications, and foundations. As one would imagine, they would love to add a couple Fortune 100 companies to their client roster, but are currently focused on small businesses which have potential for growth. "We believe small businesses are the future of this economy."

How are they prospecting potential clients? "We're plugging into our network as we socialize the idea of the business." As with searching for jobs, Plume21 knows the importance of networking. Before they were even able to hang an OPEN sign in the window, they were starting to receive referrals. They are also tapping into the venture capital market, as there is a mutual need that can be satisfied. They need clients, and start-ups need help developing their brands.

Their philosophy. "We approach things from the point of sales. As much as advertising would like to think it's about Art & Poetry, it's not. It's about sales."

Today's audience. According to Thomas, in 1998, people were exposed to 1,800 messages a day. Today, that number has climbed to 6,000, and it's extremely easy to filter out what we don't want to hear. "We scan, we go to what we need. Relevance Rules."

Their approach. Thomas used the analogy of designing and building a house when describing their approach to architecting a brand. "Too often a brand is developed in a vacuum. The brand has to be constructed to function in all spaces." He and Kristina think about all aspects of a client's marketing when developing a brand platform. "We build houses that are pre-wired, with all the plumbing installed. You'll get outlets where you (will) need outlets."

Project specific. Talking about a current project with a company based in Portland, you can hear the excitement in their voices as they describe selling a logo as part of developing the company's overarching brand. "We would normally show 3 or 4 designs, but we gave them more options - because it forced the client to focus on the idea behind the work."

Finally... What's the meaning behind the name? Another question they've answered before. Project Lamprecht und Muller-Eberhard, 2 people, 1 company. (The "und" - which means "and" in German - is a nod to the pair's European background).

VW's Fun Theory Winner

Last November I wrote a post about VW's TheFunTheory.com web site and its "staircase" video (which, by the way, garnered over 11 million views on YouTube). The site's purpose was to generate ideas that show how something simple can change people's behavior.

Close to 700 entries were submitted in less than two months. They just announced the winner:


I like it, but I still think the Staircase is better.

The Last Advertising Agency on Earth

Some people have already gotten the message. Some are hanging on to the very last dangling threads of hope. Which way do you lean?

Inspiration of the Musical Sort

OK - update on the below... the video has now been viewed more than 6.5 million times (since launching early last week) and has garnered the attention of The Wall Street Journal and Business Week bloggers, not to mention the music community. For interesting details on the behind-the-scenes info (and to see what State Farm did invest), click here. Now the burning question, from a social media aspect... "Was it worth it?"
----------------
2 days and 1.2 million views later, OK Go's new video for "This Too Shall Pass". Amazing.
And see part 1 of the Making Of.



Not sure what State Farm kicked in (or why, exactly) to be a part of it, but 1.2 million+ views can't be a bad ROI.

So, why should I meet with you?

Yea you may make a good impression. It's even possible your credentials are good and your resume stands out. But they don't have a job available right now.

So, how do you "keep in touch" without being annoying? When I was first starting out as a freelancer I just asked people, "How frequently would you like me to keep in touch?" and tried to keep to that schedule of phone calls and little notes with work samples. That worked pretty well for freelance work. But I haven't done that *cough* in a few years. And I haven't done that on this job hunt.

Thanks to the internet, I found this handy guide from a Toledo printer. It's essentially how to be of value to the people whose time you are taking up. See if you can't apply some of these ideas to what you're doing.

"76 Ways to Recontact Customers and Prospects"
(pdf)

Continuing our Digital Discussion - "Digital Nation"

A couple months ago, John Gaines from Microsoft visited OCA for a discussion on "Going Digital." During our meeting, he brought up author Marc Prensky's "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" dissertations to highlight the fact that we need to be well-aware of the differences between the two in today's high-tech society. (For a summary, read my notes from the 12/18 meeting.

Below is the trailer for PBS Frontline's recent documentary, "Digital Nation," which takes the discussion to newer depths - not just examining how digital media is affecting work (from our context in December), but how digital media is influencing so much more.
"Within a single generation, digital media and the World Wide Web have transformed virtually every aspect of modern culture, from the way we learn and work to the ways in which we socialize and even conduct war. But is the technology moving faster than we can adapt to it? And is our 24/7 wired world causing us to lose as much as we've gained?"



For much more information, and to watch the full 90-minute program, visit Frontline's Digital Nation "life on the virtual frontier" page.

Sally Hogshead's Radical Careering (Free!)

Yep, a limited-time FREE digital version of Sally Hogshead's book "RADICAL CAREERING: 100 Truths to Jumpstart Your Job, Your Career, and Your Life." (I highly recommend this especially for those needing a rethink.)

Who's Sally? (I'm no bio writer so here's a link)

-Duane

They're Ba-ack! More Super Bowl Fun

Combining my two favorite loves: Football and Advertising
A friend of mine, and former colleague at Publicis, ACD/art director Scott Rasmussen will have one of the highly anticipated $2.5 million :30 spots premiering during the big game this weekend. The ad will be for HomeAway.com, a vacation rental company based out of Austin, Texas, and will feature one of America's favorite families, the Griswold's, which first appeared in 1983's Vacation.



Given the economy and slightly lower costs to advertise this year, it could be a great time for smaller companies to use the medium as a launching point for mass awareness. And with some traditional advertisers pulling out of the game, such as Pepsi (which opted, instead, to put the money toward their Refresh Project social media campaign, there's even more room to be had for companies such as Teleflora and kgb.

From an NBC news story in HomeAway's hometown, the company is spending 20% of its marketing budget on its Super Bowl endeavor, expecting more than 5 million hits in 5 minutes on their web site - which on Sunday will feature a 15-minute Griswold movie. If one thing has been prevalent with this year's game, it's that advertisers have been making the most of what used to be a 1-time showing. From user-generated content contests to teaser ads, companies are using the hype to generate additional awareness. Taco Bell and Charles Barkley have been touting the NBA Five Buck Box - with details to come, and Boost Mobile is also looking to give a nod to the early 80's, teasing(?) us with a reprise of the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle.

So, regardless if you're a football fan or not, sit back and look to be entertained this Sunday.
Here's a list of all the advertisers who have bought time during the 2010 Super Bowl.

User-Generated Content Inspiration

Can the Super Bowl show us where advertising is headed?
Last year I posted a link to CareerBuilder's 2009 Super Bowl ad, from Wieden + Kennedy. Then in May, the online recruiting company said goodbye to the agency and opened up the creative development to the general masses. Similar to Doritos, who last year won USA Today's annual Super Bowl ad poll, CareerBuilder devised a contest to drive user-generated content. Nearly 1,000 entries later, the company has posted the 3 finalists to determine which spot will air during "the big game." They're also sharing behind the scenes footage and interviews with the spots' creators. Below is one of the :30 ads, which were produced by the company's in-house advertising group in California.



This year Doritos had over 4,000 entries (battling for a possible $5 Million in prizes) in its CrashTheSuperBowl contest. They've whittled the competition down to 6 finalists, 3 of which will air during the game. Below is the best of the bunch.



Both companies utilized social media (Facebook and YouTube) as a way to promote the contests and drive traffic to their micro-sites. And rather than debut the highly anticipated ads during the game, as most advertisers do, each company has reaped the benefits of additional reach, media impressions, and buzz by sharing content along the way. Awarding prizes and follow-up press coverage will only ensure that the campaigns live a long, full life.