The Ad Club Ad Club Blog

When it Comes to Super Bowl Advertising, Allen & Gerritsen Wants to Know: Do You Buy It?

John DeGray — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:23:51 GMT

When it Comes to Super Bowl Advertising, Allen & Gerritsen Wants to Know: Do You Buy It?

Allen & Gerritsen and New England Cable News have teamed up once again for their Super Bowl Meaningful Messages survey .
Now entering the 7th year of the survey, a&g has discovered a significant gap between meaningful and entertaining Super Bowl advertising.

According to a&g, in an era when world events have heightened our collective skepticism, there is very little that we "buy" or believe to be credible.
Bringing this skepticism to the biggest advertising opportunity of the year - the Super Bowl the big question is, what do people ³buy² figuratively and literally?

What do consumers believe in and what converts a laugh to a sale?

a&g is opening the Super Bowl ad conversation beyond industry insiders congratulating or mocking each other next Monday. They want to know whether or not you, as the consumer, buy it.
Do you buy that Weird Science, Flashdance, and Danica Patrick have anything to do with registering a domain name? Does it matter?

Do you buy the phenomenon of wise-cracking babies championing E-Trade?

Do you buy Bridgestone's adventure vignettes, including whale-whispering and MadMax like encounters on the road?

Do you buy the ref's call?

Do you buy the hype?

Do you buy it?

We want to know, tell us on Twitter at #dybi or take the survey.

Watch Ad Club Chairman and Allen & Gerritsen CEO Andrew Graff on New England Cable News for a Super Bowl preview segment on NECN Business at 6:30 PM on Friday, February 5. Andrew will report the results of the survey on Monday, February 8 at 6:30 PM on NECN Business.

AdAge: Trustee Member, Arnold, Secures Mike's Hard Lemonade Account

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:32:52 GMT

Mike's Hard Lemonade has shifted its creative advertising account to ArnoldNYC, following a competitive review, according to people familiar with the matter.

The New York office of Havas-owned Arnold Worldwide beat out Omnicom's Energy BBDO and Cutwater for the account, which was held by independent Amalgamated, New York, since early 2008. Before that, the account was at now-defunct shop We Are Gigantic.

The review does not affect media chores, which are handled by independent Horizon Media.

That Mike's was in review at all is a bit puzzling, considering the brand posted low-double-digit sales gains during 2009, a period in which competitors in the flavored malt beverage category such as Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Silver posted declines. (Sales of Mike's core lemonade brand also declined, but robust sales of line extensions boosted the company's sales.)

Amalgamated's campaign for the brand focused on its Seattle headquarters, where a "soft" intern continuously ran afoul of his gruff superiors at the "hard" marketer.

Mike's spent about $9 million on measured media through the first nine months of 2009, according to WPP's Kantar Media.

Calls to Mike's yesterday were not returned, and a spokeswoman for ArnoldNYC declined to comment.

Article Featured in AdAge
http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=141819

01/14 New Decade 2010: The SHIFTboston Forum

John DeGray — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:54:50 GMT

Join SHIFTboston on January 14, 2010 at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston as we present the winner and top entries of the SHIFTboston Ideas Competition. With the City of Boston as the point of inspiration, visionaries from around the world were encouraged to submit innovative ideas to enhance the urban experience and progressive architectural design by exploring topics such as the future city and ecological urbanism. This international competition gathered provocative visions for Bostonʼs public spaces from design professionals and artists by challenging them to answer the question: WHAT IF this could happen in Boston?

Local leaders in government, academics and business will join the design and arts community to celebrate these ideas and to envision new possibilities in the urban realm. Among the confirmed notable attendees are Boston City Councilor President Mike Ross; Carlo Ratti, Director of MITʼs SENSEable City Lab; and Gerald Frug, Harvard University Law School professor and author of “City Bound: How States Stifle Urban Innovation”.

Local award-winning architect Brian Healy will moderate a panel discussion on the winning and top submissions with select jury members including Mitchell Joachim. Dr. Joaquim is widely recognized as a leading thinker in ecological urban design and has been acknowledged by the History Channel & Infiniti Design Award for the City of the Future and named in Time Magazine's Best Invention of the Year list in 2007 and Wired Magazineʼs article “The 2008 Smart List: 15 People the Next President Should Listen To”.

The conversation and party will continue after the presentation next door to the museum at the Atlantic Beer Garden. A silent auction at the after party will offer attendees the opportunity to continue to support SHIFTboston and win a number of items including a ski weekend in North Conway, a weekend in the White Mountains with a helicopter tour, a pair of Boston Celtics tickets, gift certificates from top Boston restaurants and more.

As SHIFTboston looks towards the future cityscape of Boston, we invite the city and its citizens to join us.

Details:
January 14, 2010 // The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston.
100 Northern Avenue, Boston MA
6:00-7:00 PM // Cocktail Reception
7:00-8:30 PM // Presentation and panel discussion with select jury members
9:00 PM - ? // After Party/Silent Auction at the Atlantic Beer Garden. 46 Northern Avenue, Boston MA

RSVP: info@shiftboston.org, Free along with free entrance to the museum

ISM Welcomes Barry Frechette in New Leadership Role

John DeGray — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:38:58 GMT

Barry brings nearly 20 years of production experience in interactive and broadcast media to a team dedicated to developing and implementing creative solutions for clients like American Express, Emirates, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club and the United Nations Foundation.

Before joining ISM, Barry was most recently Vice President and Manager of Creative Production at Boston digital shop Oasis, where he implemented digital strategy and marketing programs for clients including Titleist, FootJoy and Standard & Poors, and oversaw agency partnerships with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners among others.

He’s also held similar roles at Arnold and the former Ingalls, Quinn & Johnson working with brands including McDonald’s, Royal Caribbean International, ESPN, Gillette, the American Legacy Foundation, T.J. Maxx and others.

Over his career, his work has received over 90 industry honors including CLIO’s, EFFIE’s, CA, MIMC and Webby Awards as well as two Emmy nominations and one Emmy win.

Everyone here at ISM is exceedingly happy to have Barry on our side. And we're quite certain that once you've met him, you’ll be just as pleased to have him on yours.

Feel free to contact him any time at bfrechette@ismboston.com or (617) 424-3183.

MULLEN WINS VICTORINOX SWISS ARMY INTEGRATED MARKETING ACCOUNT

John DeGray — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:38:28 GMT

BOSTON, MA, December 14, 2009 - Victorinox Swiss Army has selected Mullen as its new integrated marketing communications agency for the North American market. Mullen was selected following a competitive review of agencies as Victorinox Swiss Army sought to consolidate marketing services, including advertising, digital marketing, PR and social media, with one agency partner. Global brand strategy will continue to be led by Victorinox A.G. corporate headquarters and its agency partners in Switzerland.

“When we began our search for a full-service agency, there were a number of items on our wish list,” said Rick Taggart, President of Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc. “We were in need of a strategic partner with a strong understanding of our business objectives; we were looking to better engage with our consumers through social media, and we were eager take a more holistic approach as related to our marketing mix – Mullen is the perfect partner to help us to achieve those goals.”

“We’re delighted to be working with Victorinox Swiss Army to help them unite their marketing communications and engage with consumers across a range of media platforms, both new and traditional,” said Sheila Leyne, managing partner at Mullen. “Victorinox Swiss Army is a brand that people are passionate about, which makes social, digital and mobile media fertile ground for building a vibrant community of fans and followers.”

This win represents a reunion of Mullen and Victorinox Swiss Army who worked together from 1997-2003 on advertising, PR and event marketing assignments as the brand expanded from its core multi-tool and timepiece businesses into travel gear, accessories and men’s apparel.

About Victorinox Swiss Army
2009 marks the 125th anniversary of Victorinox Swiss Army, Your Companion for Life. Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Victorinox, A.G., is the exclusive United States, Canadian and Caribbean marketer of VICTORINOX Swiss Army knives, forged cutlery, fragrances and LED lighting products; VICTORINOX SWISS ARMY timepieces, and VICTORINOX cutlery. It sells apparel throughout the world under the VICTORINOX trademark and has flagship retail stores in New York, London and Tokyo. Under license from Victorinox A.G., the Company sublicenses the VICTORINOX trademark and the famous Victorinox Cross and Shield to selected manufacturers and distributors of fine products including VICTORINOX TRAVEL GEAR. The company Web site is located at www.swissarmy.com. Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc. is based in Monroe, CT. “VICTORINOX”, the famous Victorinox Cross and Shield, and “SWISS ARMY” are trademarks owned by Victorinox AG and its affiliates and are registered in many countries.

About Mullen
Mullen is a full-service agency, integrating disciplines from creative to direct response, digital marketing, public relations and social influence, media planning and buying, and performance analytics. Mullen is a brand defined by a strong and enduring culture of collective entrepreneurialism. We build and grow businesses. Agency clients include LendingTree, Match.com, CSX, Zappos, SunTrust, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, U.S. Department of Defense, Olympus, MassMutual, General Motors, HSBC and The Stanley Works. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the agency operates offices in North Carolina; Detroit and Pittsburgh. Mullen is an independent brand within the Interpublic Group of Companies. For more on Mullen, visit www.mullen.com

Kumon Selects Mullen as Marketing Communications Partner

John DeGray — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:02:25 GMT

WINSTON-SALEM, NC, December 10, 2009 – Kumon, the world’s largest after-school education company, has named Mullen as the organization’s North American agency-of-record (AOR) following a competitive review that began with 13 agencies.

Mullen will begin working with Kumon immediately to develop and implement communications strategies across all marketing channels, including advertising, media, PR, CRM, direct, digital and social media marketing. New creative is expected to launch in early 2010.

“Mullen demonstrated a clear understanding of Kumon North America, where we are currently, where we want to go and a compelling roadmap to help us get there,” said Jim Coakley, Branding Leader at Kumon. “They also had an impressive understanding of our target customers and their thought process when selecting a personalized learning program for their children, which is imperative to putting Kumon in the consideration set of more parents and growing our North American market share.”

Kumon is focused on growing brand awareness in the U.S. market quickly and communicating the values and benefits of the Kumon Method. According to Coakley, Mullen proved it was the agency partner that could help the company tackle those goals the quickest.

“Partnering with Kumon is a great opportunity for us to help a company develop lifelong learning skills in children,” said John Fitzgerald, president of Mullen’s North Carolina office. “It was easy for us to pour our hearts and souls into this worthy business.”

Kumon operates 1,932 learning centers in North America, more than 1,300 of which are located in the United States.

About Mullen

Mullen is a full-service agency, integrating disciplines from creative to direct response, digital marketing, public relations and social influence, media planning and buying, and performance analytics. Mullen is a brand defined by a strong and enduring culture of collective entrepreneurialism. We build and grow businesses. Agency clients include LendingTree, Match.com, CSX, Zappos, SunTrust, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, U.S. Department of Defense, La Quinta Inns & Suites, MassMutual, General Motors, HSBC and The Stanley Works. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the agency operates offices in North Carolina; Detroit and Pittsburgh. Mullen is an independent brand within the Interpublic Group of Companies. For more on Mullen, visit www.mullen.com.

About Kumon Math and Reading Centers

Kumon [koo-mŏn] is an after-school math and reading program. The learning method uses a systematic individualized approach that helps children develop a solid command of math and reading skills. Through daily practice and mastery of materials, students increase confidence, improve concentration, and develop better study skills. Kumon has 26,000 Kumon Centers in 46 countries and more than four million students studying worldwide. For more on Kumon, visit www.kumon.com.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Names Mullen Advertising Agency-of-Record

John DeGray — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:32:40 GMT

WINSTON-SALEM, NC, December 8, 2009 - Interpublic Group's (IPG) Mullen has been named agency-of-record (AOR) for the US and Canada markets for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, the international retailer of premium-quality doughnuts and coffee.

Mullen’s North Carolina office will begin working with Krispy Kreme immediately on developing marketing communications strategy, brand-building and traffic-driving creative work, and media planning and buying support for US and Canada. New creative work is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2010.

"Our new agency relationship with Mullen and IPG not only allows us to consolidate our creative and media planning, but more importantly it provides us with a marketing partner with the broad resources to help us continue to build the Krispy Kreme brand," said Patrick O'Sullivan, vice president of branding and new concepts at Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation. "Mullen has significant resources through its IPG relationships and we're excited about leveraging that to move our business forward."

Mullen's position within Interpublic Group (IPG) made it an attractive partner for the brand, according to O'Sullivan. As one of the world's largest parent companies for marketing services agencies, IPG provides Mullen and Krispy Kreme access to a network of quality advertising resources.

"Krispy Kreme is one of those iconic brands that you hope you have the opportunity to partner with some day," said John Fitzgerald, president of Mullen’s Winston-Salem office. "We're extremely proud to work with the passionate and talented team at Krispy Kreme to develop holistic marketing solutions that drive its business to the next level."

About Mullen

Mullen is a full-service agency, integrating disciplines from creative to direct response, digital marketing, public relations and social influence, media planning and buying, and performance analytics. Mullen is a brand defined by a strong and enduring culture of collective entrepreneurialism. We build and grow businesses. Agency clients include LendingTree, Match.com, CSX, Zappos, SunTrust, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, U.S. Department of Defense, La Quinta Inns & Suites, MassMutual, General Motors, HSBC and The Stanley Works. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the agency operates offices in North Carolina; Detroit and Pittsburgh. Mullen is an independent brand within the Interpublic Group of Companies. For more on Mullen, visit www.mullen.com.

About Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme is an international retailer of premium-quality sweet treats, including its signature Original Glazed(R) doughnut. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., the company has offered the highest-quality doughnuts and great-tasting coffee since it was founded in 1937. Krispy Kreme is proud of its Fundraising program, which for decades has helped non-profit organizations raise millions of dollars in needed funds. Today, Krispy Kreme can be found in approximately 560 locations around the world. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Visit us at www.KrispyKreme.com.

Metro's "Ad Club Insider": Ads Reap Tax Credit Benefits, Too

Anand Chopra-McGowan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:48:04 GMT

We're proud to launch the second edition of our column in Metro Boston.

This issue talks about how major brands are taking advantage of the MA Film Tax credit by producing and shooting commercials in Massachusetts.

Click HERE for the story on Metro's website!

Metro Boston Introduces "The Ad Club Insider"

Anand Chopra-McGowan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:05:55 GMT

Metro Boston, the popular free daily paper, today introduced a monthly column in partnership with The Ad Club called "The Ad Club Insider".

The column will highlight advertising and marketing news from around Boston, and will give readers the chance to connect with this dynamic, creative, and growing industry.

This issue featured an interview by Andrew Graff, Chairman of The Ad Club & CEO of Allen & Gerritsen, with Marc Gallucci of Fort Franklin, winner of Best in Show at this year's Hatch Awards.

Click HERE for the web version of the article.

Click HERE for a video of the interview.

Fort Franklin wins Best of Show: Hatch 49

Kim Nolen — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:38:04 GMT

A big congratulations to Marc Gallucci & his team at Fort Franklin for taking home the evening's biggest prize. Click Here to see the winning entry.

Welcome New Member Viewpoint Creative

Kim Nolen — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:57:31 GMT

Viewpoint Creative is a leading branding and creative services agency, providing domestic and international clients with a wide range of advertising, design, interactive and content marketing solutions. Long recognized for creating engaging brand experiences for companies such as Discovery, ESPN, Disney, HBO and Reebok, the company’s unique blend of in-house creative and in-house production delivers high concept with big results and maximum efficiency with unparalleled service. This innovative combination has resulted in a long-standing ability to reach consumers wherever they are, across every conceivable medium.

7 Days Left to Bid! or tie it in with you 7 days left blast tomorrow.

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:52:47 GMT

Melissa Romig
VP Digital Media Director, A&G

As an active member of the Boston advertising community for the last 10 years, I jumped at the chance to help out with this year’s Ad Club Media Auction. This event is so important to the Ad Club, and the Ad Club is so very important to the Boston advertising community that I was happy to help in any way I could.

Many people may not realize just how much the Ad Club does for the industry here in Boston, but the organization gives back in so many ways, including offering scholarships, internships, and mentoring to the upcoming advertising and marketing professionals. (I’m sure you can remember when you were just starting out in your career, trying to make connections and get into the biz!). In addition, the Ad club runs many major events including The Rosoff Awards celebrating diversity in advertising, The Hatch Awards celebrating creative excellence, The Edge Conference, and The Women’s Leadership Forum. To make all of these wonderful things happen, it costs money, which is where the auction comes in. This is the largest fundraising event of the year for the organization, and the proceeds of the auction go towards all the programming that we all enjoy so much throughout the year.

Now, collecting the donations was only half the battle. Lucky for me, the media partners we reached out to were all-too-happy to help out with this initiative. They recognized that it was a great way to keep the vibrant Boston advertising community going, but also an opportunity to move their businesses forward. Many companies use inventory purchased in the auction as a test – testing new media channels (TV, radio, outdoor, online), running with new vendors they’ve never tried before, or maybe trying paid advertising out for the first time ever.

We are now in the middle of the actual auction, where agencies and local companies and organizations bid on all the exciting inventory the auction has to offer. Some of the properties have already sold – snatched up early on by enterprising media buyers and marketing folks. But the good news is that there is still some very valuable inventory available that would work towards reaching your marketing and advertising goals. I encourage you to please go online and check it out! Not only will you be securing outstanding inventory at a discount, but you’ll be helping an awesome organization support the advertising community for one more fabulous year.

Check out the auction at http://www.adclubmedia.com

Boston Business Journal: Going once, going twice...sold!

Kim Nolen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:59:33 GMT

Boston Business Journal: Going once, going twice...sold!

Ad space on national and local TV, print and radio will be up for grabs at bargain basement prices starting on Sept. 17, during the Ad Club of Boston’s annual media auction.

The auction is an important part of the Ad Club’s yearly fund-raising efforts.

It also gives local companies and nonprofits a chance to buy media cheaply.

Opening bids start at 15 percent of the total value of the media space.

Media outlets donate advertising that’s part of the auction. To date, the Boston Herald, Christian Science Monitor, Fortune and CNNMoney.com have donated space. A complete list of auction items can be found at www.adclubmedia.com.

Click Here to read the full article.

What Real World Are You Living In? By Erik Proulx

Kim Nolen — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:20:24 GMT

What Real World Are You Living In?
By Erik Proulx

Erik Proulx is the founder of Please Feed The Animals,
and writer/co-executive producer of the movie Lemonade.

With every new crop of ad school graduates, you can practically hear the collective moan of creative directors everywhere. “I like it, but that would never fly in the real world.”

This is a post about that real world.

Real is relative. Real for the 25-year old newbie is different than real for the 25-year veteran. Real for an account person is different than real for the brooding creative. But, here’s the thing, with the right environment and minimal toxicity, an agency’s collective real can accommodate all of them.

In fact, an increasing number of advertising agencies are starting to do exactly what portfolio school graduates have been doing all along: Defining their own real by doing work that they want to do.

And I’m not talking about the specfest that plagues our award shows. I’m talking about legitimate work on legitimate projects, but with one important difference. These agencies have an ownership stake in their clients, to the point that many are researching, developing, distributing, and marketing products. The agency is the client and the client is the agency, and they advertise how they see fit.

One shining example is Fat Pig Chocolate, the organic candy bar created by The Brooklyn Brothers, and marketed by -- you guessed it -- The Brooklyn Brothers. As their new business director Matt Lake said in this interview with AgencySpy, “...marketing your own brands changes the conversation you have with clients. You're no longer an agency trying to sell creative, you're a peer that happens to be very creative. And you get paid too."

What if ad school graduates harvested all their creativity, education and relationships and did something bold, like start a business? Maybe that business is an advertising agency, like good folks from VCU did when they started Agency Nil. Or maybe it’s a coffee roasting company, like my new friend Bob Weeks did after getting laid off.

Either way, the case for leaving ad school and making a bee-line to the first decent agency that hires you gets weaker and weaker with every successful business started by a young entrepreneur. And in the case of creating your own product and being your own agency, you’re able to strategize and market that product by the letter of your own law. Your own ideas. Your own standards. Your own real.

But even in this job drought, being an entrepreneur is infinitely more difficult than finding work as a salaried employee. I have learned firsthand these last many months that building a business from scratch, with no capital, no investors, and no track record is fraught with hardship. So, no sugarcoating there.

But if I want to start a Facebook page for my business, I don’t need to share it with a boss, focus groups, or legal departments. If I want to make a movie to promote my business, by golly, the success or failure of that idea rests on my shoulders alone.

No, being my own client and agency is not an easy thing. But it’s better than contorting to someone else’s values. And this real world -- the good and the bad -- is my own.

It's Not About The Crowd

Anand Chopra-McGowan — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:04:40 GMT

John Winsor
VP/ Executive Director of Strategy and Product Innovation
Crispin, Porter + Bogusky

I’m really excited for the conversation I’ll be having with Edward Boches in Boston entitled All About Crowdsourcing on the August 5th. To prepare, I’ve been having lots of interesting conversations with folks on the subject. One thing that constantly surprises me is the amount of emotion around crowdsourcing. It’s made me reflect on what’s happening at a deeper level. It feels like I’ve seen this disruptive play before. On a long bike ride yesterday it came to me.

I started my first company in 1986. It was based on a radical paradigm shift and I was able to take advantage of it. I decided to buy a magazine, Rocky Mountain Running News to use it as the foundation to start a larger magazine entitled, Rocky Mountain Sports. The purchase was only possible because of a radical shift in technology. Instead of paying $35,000 for typesetting, annually, I was able to buy a Mac Plus, a 20MB hard drive and a laser writer for $23,000. I was also able to get a beta version of Quark. Then, it was essentially a type setting program for macs. That seems surreal now, doesn’t it?

So, there I was trying to figure out how to typeset my magazine. It was trial by fire. I was a complete amateur. While I didn’t need our typesetting house for the body copy of the magazine, I still used them for the occasional ad.

The first few issues turned out much better than I thought they would. But, you should have heard the professional typesetters. When they saw the issues they just laughed and talked about what awful kerning and leading the magazine had and that the choice of type was horrible. Every time we talked they said, “This amateur desktop publishing thing will never work. You’ll be back.”

We all know how the story ended.

My sense is that we are in the midst of another such revolution. This time, it’s all about connectivity. Now people can participate in culture by going on line. They don’t have to move to the right city or work for the right company to be involved. It doesn’t matter whether their an amateur or a professional, people now have the ability to work where they want, with whom they want and how they want. We’re evolving, as Eric Raymond so aptly put it, into a world ruled by the creative bazaar instead of the world of cathedrals that agencies have created.

You can call it crowdsourcing, co-creation or open source innovation, the crowd is here is to stay and will produce more and more creative content. The big questions are: How do you manage and inspire the crowd? How do you make meaning from all of their input? How do you build brands in such a noisy environment?

I hope you can help answer some of these questions with us either in person or via Twitter.

IN A WEB 2.0 WORLD, WHO NEEDS AD CLUBS ANYWAY?, Part Three

Anand Chopra-McGowan — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:55:18 GMT

Face to Face Time.

Andrew Graff
CEO, Allen & Gerritsen
Chairman, The Ad Club

People in our industry are emerging from their cubicles, conference rooms and PC screens for some real human interaction. Some have lost their jobs and are starting out on their own or realize that they need to get out there and reconnect in case they lose their job and need to start on their own. Others admit they need to learn a new skill (like how to use Twitter for business) or brush up on an old skill to make them more valuable to their boss. Social networks have their place and provide connections, knowledge and inspiration but putting away the iPhone or BlackBerry to talk to peers and make new connections is the way to build business and remind us why we are in the industry we are in.

At the Ad Club in Boston, we have had great turnouts for our events and classes, a trend that we noticed last fall when our industry started to feel the effects of the economy. Sure, there are business cards being handed out for those out of work, but there are also many business cards being handed out by promising start-ups and those who are happy to make an introduction to spark another connection.

So, Tweet, LinkIn and Facebook Friend away, but do this in tandem with a face-to- face commitment to one of the many associations and clubs, locally and nationally and globally that our industry has to offer.

Crowdsourcing is here, but where it will take us?

Kim Nolen — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:30:13 GMT

Edward Boches
Chief Creative Officer, Chief Social Media Officer
Mullen

Imagine this. You just had a slew of ideas rejected for new mobile telephone campaign you’ve been working on. But online, you come across a request from another mobile company looking for fresh ideas from the community. They’re crowdsourcing for content, and you’re sitting on some. Do you submit the work and try to win anonymously? Does your client own the rejected work? Should you never, under any circumstances, participate in a crowdsourcing assignment from a brand that competes with one of your agency’s clients? Or have (and will) all the rules change?

These are but a few of the many questions and issues that are bound to arise as crowdsourcing becomes more and more popular. Will creativity become commoditized? Will content creators, individuals and agencies demand more ownership of their ideas so that they can, in fact, offer them up in multiple ways? How will compensation work? Will most of what gets served up as content be crap? Or will the crowd, through its sheer volume, generate better, more compelling ideas?

For me, the real question is this: Will we continue to use this new technique in the most boring and traditional of ways, simply creating competitions, calls for entry, and gigantic (dare I use the word; it’s not my term) gang bangs? Or, will we let crowdsourcing inspire us to come up with new applications, products and creative experiences we haven’t even thought of yet because they were previously impossible.

I don’t know if we’ll answer a fraction of these questions, but next week, John Winsor, you, and I can try.

Join us via Twitter, or live at All About Crowdsourcing. Bring questions; bring answers. Hey, if we’re going to talk about crowdsourcing, we ought be practicing it, too.

Oh, and while you’re at it, check out one of my favorite examples of crowdsourcing.

IN A WEB 2.0 WORLD, WHO NEEDS AD CLUBS ANYWAY?, Part Two

Kim Nolen — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:55:00 GMT

Keepers of the Legacy

Andrew Graff
CEO, Allen & Gerritsen
Chairman, The Ad Club

As Chairman of the Ad Club of Boston and the New England Regional Board of the 4A’s, I’ve thought a lot about these organizations’ contributions to our business in a Web 2.0 world.

In addition to the pure lobbying power of hundreds and thousands of members united for a cause, trade associations are the historians and keepers of the timeline that link us all together. They archive and record the work we produce. They can reference the people and the events that have influenced the evolution of the advertising, marketing, production and media industries.   Sure, a Google search and Wikipedia entries can pull up some of this data, but trade associations and award show staff show how it can be put it into context.

As we planned the Boston Ad Club Reunion, we uncovered a lot of interesting artifacts and oral histories that underscore the importance of our industry. According to Paul McDermott, the Director of the Ad Club from 1969-1979, the entire Boston media and ad agency community embarked on a massive public service campaign during the busing crisis in Boston. This time in Boston’s history was charged and violent. The Ad Club members wanted to remind demonstrators that there were CHILDREN on the buses and the importance of keeping them safe. Over 20 public service campaigns were filmed and the Boston media agreed to air them during prime time. Taking the campaign a step further, the Club’s members created customized brochures for each school in the system to welcome new students who were enrolling for the first time.

Our current crisis, the economic crisis, has sprung Ad Clubs and associations like the AAAA and ANA into action to help its members.

What programs or initiatives could a trade organization implement to help you or your business?

Find this post on the A&G Blog

IN A WEB 2.0 WORLD, WHO NEEDS AD CLUBS ANYWAY?, Part One

Kim Nolen — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:56:23 GMT

Unifying our industry

Andrew Graff
CEO, Allen & Gerritsen
Chairman, The Ad Club

When I was asked to be the Chairman of the Ad Club here in Boston last year, I was honored, yes, but not sure if I wanted the job. I questioned the relevance of a local Ad Club, especially in a Web 2.0 world where we all have so many friends, followers and connections we don’t know what to do with.

Today, who needs Ad Clubs anyway? The real answer is, we all do, if we are going to attract and retain clients and talent.

Boston is a city where technology, education and culture converge and naturally attracts creative people. We are the only state in the country with a Creative Economy Director at the state government level. We also have a similar position at Boston Mayor’s Office. One of the first orders of business for me as Ad Club Chairman was to meet with these officials to see how the Ad Club can quantify the dollars that our industry brings to our region. Eventually we hope to create tax incentives and economic programs to help keep agencies and clients here.

As a marketing trade organization, we are not alone in working toward a common goal. Consider the collective energy going into building diversity in our industry, creating marketing metrics, public service campaigns and above all, helping our economy recover. I spend a good deal of my time serving the Ad Club and the AAAA. I’m doing it for our industry as whole, but selfishly, I’m also doing it for my agency.

NY, Chicago, Austin, Minneapolis, San Francisco and other hubs of creativity: how do you demonstrate your value to the creative economy?

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