We’re excited to officially kick off the 2020-2021 club year, announcing the newest additions to our board of directors, including two new executive board members!
As a non-profit organization, the American Advertising Federation of Buffalo (AAF Buffalo) is managed entirely by a board of volunteers. We are so thankful for the time and dedication every board member devotes to the club each year. Check out our new roster below!
First, we’d like to announce changes to our executive board. McKenna Murray, going on her second year, has been named Vice President of Communications and Jeff Quinn, also going on his second year, has been named Vice President of Programming. Joining these two are returning e-board members President Josh Gumulak and Treasurer Alex Keogan.
New board members elected to serve a three-year term are:
Maura Noonan, Digital Media and Content Manager, FARM
Jeff Quinn, Account Executive, Luminus
Laurie McMurray from SUNY Buffalo State will also serve as our student liaison. For additional information about AAF Buffalo, upcoming programming, thought leadership, networking opportunities, and more please visit: www.aafbuffalo.com.
Supporting the next generation of the local marketing/communications community is always a top priority of the Advertising Club of Buffalo. And so we’re once again pleased to recognize a handful of bright students as part of our annual Don Nichols Scholarship Competition. Samantha Lonczak, Ali Casarsa, Liankham Thang, Dylan Nowak, Rebecca Warthling, Nina Puccio, Christopher Vickers, and Jeffrey Marotta presented us with work worthy of praise.
The Don Nichols Scholarship Competition, now in its 18th year, awards promising communications students a little financial help for their continued education. Each year, we present students with a thought-provoking theme that they are tasked with bringing to life, in any medium they choose – could be a poem, video, a painted brick, or a nicely designed poster. This year’s theme of “The 2016 Election” garnered entries from more than 40 talented students. But the work below rose to the top without much contention, name-calling, or yelling from a podium. You kids and your diplomacy.
Don Nichols founded the Albright Art School’s Graphic Design Department in 1950. He brought the program to UB, where he served as its head until his passing in 1987. He educated countless graphic designers, some of whom went on to national prominence. Nichols was awarded the Alex Osborn Award for Creativity from the Art Directors/Communicators of Buffalo, along with the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching from UB.
Samantha Lonczak of Villa Maria College took home first place.
Ali Casarsa of Villa Maria College was awarded second place.
Liankham Thang of Villa Maria College won third place.
Dylan Nowak of Villa Maria College received an honorable mention.
Rebecca Warthling of Villa Maria College received an honorable mention.
Nina Puccio of Villa Maria College received an honorable mention.
Christopher Vickers of Buffalo State College received an honorable mention.
Jeffrey Marotta of Villa Maria College received an honorable mention.
You know you’ve done it. You’ve sat in the theater as the lights went down and the familiar green screen with wonderfully calming Gotham type appears, followed by an incredibly enticing two-minute highlight reel of what’s probably the 120-minute mental equivalent of rug burn has you wetting your pants with jealousy and scorn over the full-length picture you just paid $12 to see.
“WHY AREN’T I SEEING THAT MOVIE? RIGHT NOW!” you say to yourself.
That right there’s the power of the preview. And ADDY Preview Night proved to be no less enthralling.
For those of you who weren’t there (Wait, what? What’s wrong with you? It was FREE with your ADDY ticket. FREE. Free camaraderie. You are coming to the ADDYs, right? Oh. Okay. You were just busy that night. See you at the ADDYs.), take a stab at what you missed:
A stellar evening filled with light banter among colleagues
A closer look at the best work the Western New York advertising community produced in 2015
Zebras
Amazing apps and beers courtesy of Big Ditch Brewing Company
Ad Club President Scott Bartels’ new haircut
None of the above
Some of the above
Most of the above
All of the above, except zebras
Well, you weren’t there, so you’ll never truly know. You blew it.
For those of you who were there (You’re awesome and we love you with every ounce of our collective beings. Kisses and hugs to you for days.) you know just how great it was. You know all about the lovely laughs and conversations had as the Western New York ad heavyweights put down the pens and closed the laptops for an entire evening to catch up over beers. And how about those beers? Big Ditch continues to demonstrate why it’s one of the region’s craft beer giants. Plus the food. This place isn’t just about the hops – the meatballs were heavenly. You also know how excellent the work was that this community churned out last year, as the best of the best was in front of your eyes just as it was for the ADDY judges a few weeks earlier.
You know it was a great night. You were there. And for that, we love you to pieces.
That is a question UB’s Athletic Director Danny White has been trying to answer in his three years with our region’s largest university and a question he addressed in front of dozens of advertising pros at our Adtoberfest kick-off event.
You’ve likely heard about Danny’s strategic vision for the University at Buffalo, coined the “New York Bulls Initiative.” The vision, as explained by the AD, is to become the premier athletic department for the state of New York and bring big-time college athletics to the WNY community and the state at large.
Sure, some may see this as an attempt to rip UB’s deep roots from our community (a few joined us last night). But this is no deterrent for an innovative and progressive athletics director like Danny, who saw the potential in telling UB’s story on a national scale.
But what is UB’s story? What’s there to get recruits, fans, and donors excited?
How about:
Member of AAU (alongside big-time programs like UCLA, Michigan, Florida, Ohio State)
Largest/highest rated public university in the Northeast
Law, medical, dental, business and engineering schools all ranked Top 100 nationally
Over 220,000 alumni nationwide
$1.7 billion economic impact
Large market size with a regional population (WNY) over 2.5 million people
Okay, that is pretty impressive. But how are you going to communicate that? And what are you trying to accomplish?
As White explained, “That’s the easy part. It took over 150 years to establish the University as a nationally-recognized research university and AAU member. Getting the word out? I’d say that’s a lot easier.”
White’s first moves were to establish a strategic vision including 4 pillars: Image, Partnerships, Resources and Facilities. Working with an impressive board of advisors and New Era Cap, the department developed a marketing and branding platform that included a new mark, a temporary signal of where the program is heading.
Content, Content, Content
UB’s creative department, built like a Big Ten school, ran with it and developed a brand that was exciting and sexy. The department developed professional level production facilities so the school can create its own video and web content to help tell the stories of UB student athletes while forming strategic partnerships with ESPN3 and media outlets across New York. A fully integrated approach that included paid, owned, earned and social media made waves across the region and across the alumni base.
Some of the early successes include shattering attendance records, record-breaking fundraising, 9,306 media mentions (ad value of $25.7 million), and three NCAA tournament appearances (UB had one before. Ever.) One of White’s proudest accomplishments? “We were the only school to go to Columbus for the NCAA regional and have the alumni pre-game party shutdown,” due to capacity attendance from excited fans that made the trip. Way to go Buffalo!
The Cal of the East
Despite these big wins, the #NYBI is still a work in progress. A great deal of question marks still remain about the long-term sustainability of the current mark, a unique game-day experience, and what the UB Bulls will ultimately be called. One interesting comment was about UB striving to become the “Cal of the East,” as a reference to the Berkeley campus of the University of California which is also the flagship of a comprehensive university system where the brands are essentially separated – academics often referred to as UC Berkeley while athletics are known as Cal.
On behalf of the Ad Club, we’d like to thank Danny for giving our club a peek at what it takes to elevate the brand of a major college athletics program as well as taking part in a great question and answer session!
“Branding the Bulls” was the kick-off to Adtoberfest: 2015 Buffalo Ad Week and continues with events Wednesday and Thursday: Adtoberfest: 2015 Buffalo Ad Week
Well, the time has finally come for me to step down as Secretary of the Ad Club. After a new baby, a new position and too many AdLabs to count the timing seems perfect. This video sums up my experience with the board pretty perfectly. For any questions on becoming a board member head here, or you can reach me on twitter @fdc245. Thank you!
The library of Villa Maria College hosted 30 area visual communications students who displayed their work at another successful Portfolio Review. The event sold out in advance to sophomores, juniors and seniors from 6 area collegiate institutions. Students were more prepared than ever with collections of work from Daemen, UB, Buffalo State, Canisius, R.I.T., and Villa Maria.
Nearly 25 accomplished professionals from the advertising, communications, and design fields volunteered to offer insight to each student in timed intervals. It was a soirée of networking and encouragement with lunch provided at the midpoint. The pros then voted for the most effective portfolios.
The format was revised this year with positive feedback, and an increase in scholarships was awarded. Every student worked hard and presented themselves professionally, but the following students received the most accolades from the judges.
1st Place Laura Hoerner, RIT Junior
2nd Place Grace Gruarin, Villa Maria Junior
3rd Place Jay Fleckenstein, RIT Junior
Honorable Mention (tie) Carl Hunley, Villa Maria Sophomore
and Samantha Watson, RIT Junior
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the event. And, thank you to the many professionals who gave up their Saturday to offer valuable feedback. We look forward to seeing more terrific design work next year!
Unfortunately we couldn’t have Uberbowl this year, so we did the next best thing, asked some of our board members for their favorite and least favorite spots.
Christie Witt Berardi, The Martin Group
My favorite commercial was the BMW i3, “Newfangled Idea.” It might be because of my background in TV news, but the idea of reuniting Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel is journalistic nostalgic gold. This commercial is also proof that our society had no idea how life changing the internet would be for our culture.
Katie Briggs, Crowley Webb
Best:
Kia Sorento “The Perfect Getaway Vehicle” – This spot was simple and well executed. It told an entertaining story using both humor and action, all while keeping the actual product at the forefront.
Worst:
Nationwide’s “Boy Who Couldn’t Grow Up” – I respect that they were going for shock value with this spot, but it was the wrong platform. It sucked the air out of the room and left everyone feeling depressed… Not what you want when you’re hosting a party. Yes, we’re all talking about it days later, but it didn’t sit right with me.
Erin Doherty, SKM Group
Favorite:
Doritos “Middle Seat” – We’ve all been in that position before and some of us have probably pulled a few of those tricks to avoid someone taking the seat next to us. I thought it was lighthearted, relatable and simple yet funny.
Least Favorite:
Priceline “Know a Guy” – This spot seemed like all of the other Priceline commercials I’ve seen. There wasn’t anything unique about it and I was ready for the next spot before it even ended. I think it’s time Priceline revisits their approach.
Dan Nesselbush, EcoStar LLC
Best:
“Clash of Clans: Revenge”
I want to be entertained during a game when I have no rooting interest in a team. The “Clash of Clans: Revenge” spot was a winner for me. The contrast from the colorful animations of the game to Liam Neeson in a dreary coffee shop grabbed my attention immediately. His intense monologue over something as trivial as a video game while waiting for his scone in a small coffee shop gave the spot the right amount of ridiculousness. What began as “I’ve seen this game commercial before” turned into an ad where I wanted to hear what Neeson was saying. Clash of Clans scored bonus points for their investment as Neeson not only entertained, but he was on topic about the actual product being advertised the whole time.
Worst:
“Jublia: Tackle It”
Terrible. I’m at a party with a bunch people eating food and you give me a CGI toe wearing a helmet “tackling” foot fungus? All I can say is I wish I had Jublia’s marketing budget.
Frank Conjerti, Quinlan
Favorite – Loctite Glue
The “uncomfortably weird” humor style has become pretty popular with Old Spice and other big brands, and I think Loctite nailed it. Plus, they were able to show exactly and efficiently what their product was and how it worked. The weirdness helped them stand out against all the other brands that seemed to be trying to hard. Fanny packs plus mom jeans always equals a winner in my book.
Least Favorite – Mercedes Benz “Fable”
I appreciate how hard Mercedes tried to generate interest in their “Tortoise vs. Hair” campaign. After all, they forced Jerry Rice into teaser spots building up to the Super Bowl. The spot itself, although beautifully produced, was entirely predictable. We all know the fable, and Mercedes is “sponsoring” the race…who didn’t see this one coming?
Sarah DiPofi, The Martin Group
My favorite Super Bowl ad was Mountain Dew’s Kickstart. I laughed out loud watching it. For anyone unfamiliar with it – these three friends are sitting in a basement and drink a Kickstart. They start dancing, and as they start dancing, objects in the basement start to dance as well. A hanging deer head comes out of the wall and dances, the dog is dancing, a coat hanger is dancing. I thought it was funny seeing these inanimate objects dance and was just an overall entertaining ad. I thought a lot of the ads were somewhat serious, and this was a fun one that brought humor into the mix.
Scott Bartels, HSBC
Favorite – Doritos Airplane
Everyone can relate to sitting on an airplane, watching each person walk down that aisle to see who will claim the dreaded middle seat. This ad had the humor that a Super Bowl spot should have, a little suspense as to what the ad was for and the right brand presence.
Worst – T-Mobile Kim Kardashian
People are sick of Kim Kardashian at this point, aren’t they? She just over powers this commercial that it distracts from the main message, a key one that sets T-Mobile apart from their competitors. Plus, if that was supposed to be humor, it didn’t work.
Brita d’Agostino, Daemen College
Favorite: P&G Always: Like a Girl
Even though I know this commercial is just here to sell me a product, the overall message of female empowerment engaged me on an emotional level. Advertisers know that women are a huge part of the consumer market. Yeah we are powerful!
Least Favorite: Weight Watchers: All You Can Eat
Yes processed, fatty, sugary food is addictive. But after viewing this commercial, dieting was the last thing I wanted to do. Pass the doughnuts please.
Corey Crossman, The Mac Groups
Favorite Spot:
My favorite spot was probably the BMW ad, “Newfangled Idea,” featuring Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel. I thought the creative concept behind it was exceptional, and it was one of the few spots that both entertained me and drew my attention to the product. On a night when too many ads turned me off with pandering attitudes and forced emotional appeal, this was a breath of fresh air, right down to Katie Couric talking about twerking.
Least Favorite:
Make a feature film, travel across the world, build a giant house, give all your employees paid vacations to anywhere, buy 10 Lamborghinis… or throw it all away in 15 seconds at the Super Bowl. Mobile gaming app Heroes Charge decided to go with the ‘throw it all away’ option.
As a Buffalo marketer frequently working on limited budgets, this kind of stuff drives me crazy. Heroes Charge threw $2 million out the window to air a total flop of an ad that got blown away by the better creative and bigger names brought to the table by competitors Game of War and Clash of Clans. You probably didn’t even remember this ad until I brought it up just now, and I’m guessing the rest of America didn’t either. The only thing worse than being remembered for how bad your ad was is not being remembered at all, so this is my big loser of the night.
Kelsey Hanks
Favorite:
Budweiser – Bond of Clydesdale and Pup
I’m a sucker for peculiar animal friendships and as I knew it would, this spot yanked at my heartstrings. Without a beer in sight, Budweiser’s heavy reliance on pathos resonates with viewers in a nearly nostalgic sense. Budweiser’s varied content – both emotional and comedic – keeps consumers not only entertained, but also loyal to the classic brand.
Least Favorite:
T-Mobile – Help Save the Data
The grimace I made during this spot could not have been what T-Mobile was going for. The use of Kim Kardashian seems to discredit the company; a prominent celebrity, her fame is now mostly due to mockery. Which of course, was the aim of the ad – but I don’t think it worked. Kim K in combination with the faux “help this cause” style confused the messaging and if anything, reminded phone users that they don’t need more data.
Shannon Brady
Least Favorite:
I would have to say the Loctite glue would be my least favorite commercial. The commercial made no sense and was confusing. I felt having a random group of people dancing and singing to a song about glue did not help advertise the product nor was it relevant.
Favorite: My favorite commercial was P&G Always – Like a girl. I felt that this commercial was relatable and relevant to how girls and women as well as boys and men perceive the ‘like a girl’ stereotype. I also believe it is an eye opener for women as well as men everywhere to rethink using the term ‘like a girl’.
Tim Marren, SKM Group
Favorite: Dove Men
I’m an easy target for spots that feature dads and kids. With a daughter of my own and another on the way, the emotional aspect of this ad featuring the children calling for “daddy”… I was done. Luckily I saw this spot before the game, so I wasn’t an emotional wreck when I saw it again Sunday.
Didn’t Like: Nissan
I guess I shouldn’t say I’m an easy target for all spots with dads and kids… I’m an easy target for dads, with kids, and a positive message. I don’t exactly think that’s what Nissan accomplished with its dad spot. The idea that a dad, missing through all of his son’s early years cause he’s a race car drive, only to appear at his high school one day driving a cool new Nissan and all of a sudden things are hunky-dory…no thanks.
Matt Low, Crowley Webb
My favorite spot of the night was Snickers’ latest installment. Come on, it had Machete. Slamming an axe into a coffee table. In the Brady Bunch’s living room. And Mr. Pink! This is by far the most fun execution of the “You’re not you when you’re hungry” to date.
The worst spot of the night – and quite possibly the most awful television commercial of all time – was T-Mobile’s failed attempt at humor featuring that self-absorbed, talentless, soulless, pathetic excuse for a human being who will remain nameless. Anything in opposition to eradicating her from our collective psyche is utterly reprehensible.
We want to hear from you as well, share your thoughts on the board’s opinions or what stood out for you while watching the Big Game.
Thank you to all who attended our first, and potentially annual, holiday bowling tournament! 11 teams donated 257 pounds of food and $100 in grocery store gift cards to the Food Bank of WNY. A special thank you to Quinlan & Company for sponsoring the event and Kenmore Lanes for hosting.
Throughout the year, Ad Club offers content-driven programming in order to make your membership valuable. But every once in a while, it’s important for us to strengthen the unity of the club by getting to know our members… And what’s a better way to do that than by giving back and indulging in some healthy competition? We hope you met a few board members, spoke with someone new, or bonded with your coworkers over their impressive performances at the lanes. Congratulations to Bob Henry from clevermethod, who earned the tournament’s individual high score with an impressive 220 points!
So again, happy new year from the Ad Club board. We look forward to continuing to be your professional resource and hope you’ll attend our upcoming events in 2015: UberBowl, The ADDYs and AdLabs. Thank you for your membership – without our members, we are nothing.
Do you have event ideas for the Ad Club? Do you have feedback on the holiday bowling tournament? Contact Kelsey Hanks to submit comments.
We kicked off Ad Week 2014 the only way we knew how: with an AdLab all about marketing in the Buffalo beer scene. The event was held on Tuesday night in front of a full crowd at Buffalo Iron Works, where our rock star panel included Nathan Arnone from Southern Tier Brewing Company, Ethan Cox from Community Beer Works, Tom McManus from KegWorks, and our moderator, Matt Davison from WNY Craft Beer Magazine.
Attendees listened and learned as the big names in local brewing shared stories, thoughts and insights from each of their unique perspectives. The colorful conversation ranged from the panel’s favorite beer ads to each of their individual approaches to marketing their products.
Our biggest takeaways:
• In a crowded marketplace, smaller brands can set themselves apart with personality and character
• The most important part of marketing is to start by building a great product
• To really connect with your customers, you need to speak their language
• And of course, everything seems a lot easier when the product you’re selling is beer
For our next event, we hosted a screening of the film Sign Painters at the Screening Room in Amherst. The film celebrates the history of hand painted signs, dating back 150 years.
From Los Angeles, CA to Syracuse, NY to Austin, TX, the film showcased sign painters of all skill levels and ages. It was once a thriving industry, most businesses had hand painted signs on their buildings and windows. That is until vinyl signs showed up. The industry shifted to a quicker, cheaper option. Lost was the quality, lasting impact of a hand painted sign.
While they say it is tougher to make a living now as a sign painter, they aren’t giving up on this art. Their knowledge and skills are being passed to a younger generation, teaching them the fine points of painting a sign.
Ad Week 2014 went out with a bang on Thursday as we were fortunate enough to hear from Pentagram designer, Jesse Reed from the design firm’s Manhattan office. Held downtown at The 9th Ward, Jesse’s presentation was jam-packed with examples of his work, photos, advice and humor.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Jesse started designing as a teenager and later graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, earning his Bachelor’s of Science in Design. He went on to work for MoMA as a junior designer and after placing first at an AIGA National Conference in 2011, he was hired as a designer by Michael Bierut, a partner a Pentagram.
With a long list of clients such as Bobby Flay, Saks Fifth Avenue, Penguin Press and the NYC Department of Transportation, Jesse’s work is seen every day by millions. Impressive, right?
Jesse concluded his presentation by sharing some simple yet important advice…
• Meet deadlines
• Be on-time
• Work with people you like
• Do things you may fail at
• Make everything up
• Be obsessed
Whether you’re a designer, writer or dog walker, do each of these and do them often.
Ad Week 2014 was a big success filled with insight, tips and a few cocktails. Big thanks to our panelists, moderator, hosts, guest speaker and attendees. You guys made each event a success and we appreciate the love.
As sad as we were to say goodbye to our exiting board members this past June, we were also very excited to welcome the folks who will be replacing them. In an effort to get to know them better, I had the opportunity to ask each of them a few questions about the club and their personal and professional lives. Check out what they had to say.
Name: Shannon Brady
Company: First Investors Corporation
Title: Event Coordinator/Assistant
How did you hear about Ad Club? My sister introduced me to Ad Club. She is a student at Villa Maria and was introduced through her teacher.
What are you most looking forward to as a board member? Being able to contribute and give back to the Buffalo community. I love planning and executing events and I look forward to meeting and helping different people in our community.
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a Marine Biologist and live in Hawaii.
Name: Jeanne Dunkle
Company: Field 2 Design
Title: Sole Proprietor
What are you most looking forward to as a board member? Helping to strengthen the bond between individuals involved in the local advertising community so we all become more comfortable sharing our knowledge with each other and helping each other grow.
If your best friend had to describe you in three words, what would they be? Engaging, happy, friendly
What is something most people don’t know about you? I have an MFA in Printmaking. I am a painter, printmaker and photographer.
Name: Brittney Sikora
Company: White Bicycle
Title: Designer
# of years in Ad Club: 3 years
If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why? Hmm tough choice, probably Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie… favorite band ever!
If your best friend had to describe you in three words, what would they be? According to my best friend… “ An optimistic, creative, music buff who’s obsessed with anything fall related especially the cider mill.”
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? An Archaeologist!
Name: Leah Alles
Company: Villa Maria College
Title: Student liaison
What are you most looking forward to as a board member? Becoming a bigger part of the Buffalo marketing community
If your best friend had to describe you in three words, what would they be? Determined, outgoing, sarcastic
What is something most people don’t know about you? I love reading about serial killers.
Name: Dan Nesselbush
Company: EcoStar LLC
Title: Marketing Manager
# of years in Ad Club: 2
What are you most looking forward to as a board member? I’m looking forward to helping the club continue to grow and serve as the top resource for the business community when it comes to advertising, marketing and public relations talent in our region.
If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why? Ask me at the next Ad Club event – use this as a question as an ice breaker if we haven’t met before!
If your best friend had to describe you in three words, what would they be? Smart. Loyal. Humorous.
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? As a kid I wanted to be a firefighter. Cool trucks and spraying things with a hose seemed like a fun way to earn a living. I reconsidered that path when I realized how close you actually get to the smoke and flames.
Name: Brita d’Agostino
Company: Daemen College
Title: Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
How did you hear about Ad Club? I heard about the Ad Club from my colleague and director of the Graphic Design Program at Daemen College, Professor Kevin Kegler.
What are you most looking forward to as a board member? As a more recent resident of Buffalo (I moved here last year from San Francisco), I am looking forward to being more involved with the professional community of communications professionals in WNY. As a professor on the board, I look forward to helping students in the area make valuable connections to professionals in the community and grow their knowledge and skills through engaging programs at the Ad Club.
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? An artist, scientist, or gymnast. However, since I can’t do even do a cartwheel the gymnast idea was out pretty early on.
What is something most people don’t know about you? I love Korean food.
Name: Corey Crossman
Company: The Mac Groups
Title: Director of Digital Marketing
# of years in Ad Club: 2
How did you hear about Ad Club? I sort of found the Ad Club on my own, but my coworkers are the ones who really encouraged me to come to events and get involved.
What are you most looking forward to as a board member? I’m really excited to help improve the advertising community in Buffalo.
If your best friend had to describe you in three words, what would they be? “My best friend.”
What is something most people don’t know about you? I’m learning photography in my spare time between hockey games and episodes of Game of Thrones.
Now that you’ve met our new members, feel free to introduce yourself at any of our upcoming events. We have quite a few of them scheduled this year, so you will have plenty of opportunities to sip a cocktail, shake hands and learn more about these talented people.
