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Author: Jenna Hutzler

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AAF Asks: What was your favorite Super Bowl ad?

Jenna Hutzler

In no particular order, here are the best big game ads in the opinion of our board members:

Paige Meckler – Budweiser “Stand By You”

I’m a sucker for heart-wrenching commercials every year. I like that their spot doesn’t feature beer. Instead, it was about water. Specifically, the ad highlights the company’s disaster relief efforts. In my opinion, Budweiser can do no wrong. A+!

Tim Bouchard – P&G (Tide) “Every Ad is a Tide Ad”

I’m a sucker for clever ideas. I also love when jokes span across multiple jokes, in this case multiple commercials. The real reason I thought this campaign (yes campaign, not just commercial) was top notch was the main point wasn’t the joke, it was the value proposition that in almost every profession, every industry, every commercial there is a need for cleanliness and tidy clothing. This angle gave them legs so they could play with the audience and entertain them by having a spot during each of the four quarters. It was just plain fun.

Greg Pokriki – Amazon “Alexa Loses Her Voice”

The Alexa ad combined starpower and humor in a really creative way. It subtly showed you Alexa’s capabilities while being self-deprecating and self-aware. They managed to humanize a somewhat robotic voice and sometimes faceless, huge corporation. They’ve also followed up on it, encouraging users to ask Alexa to do her Gordon Ramsay impression. I shhh’d someone out loud at my Super Bowl party during this ad, so you know it was worth watching.

PS: My least favorite ad was probably the 15 seconds of a black, blank screen. They just didn’t get the message across.

 

Ally Balcerzak – Budweiser “Stand By You”

I’m not a fan of the beer, but Budweiser’s ads usually make my top five favorites and this year is no different. The company tactfully placed the spotlight on a major philanthropic initiative that has had a positive impact on millions of people this year alone. Pairing a Skylar Grey cover of Stand By You with visuals of the line flipping from beer to water says everything they wanted to without seeming boastful. This ad is a perfect example of the power of “show, don’t tell.”

Brittany Klotzbach – Febreeze “Bleep Don’t Stink”

Although there are so many different advertising tactics to get the viewers attention, the commercials that usually have the biggest impact on me during the Super Bowl are the comical ones. This ad made me laugh with its light-hearted humor and proud parents for not having a smelly child. I think this 30-second ad served its purpose, and there’s even a catchy hashtag that I would guess the company will build off of in upcoming advertisements.

 

Grace de Rosa – P&G (Tide) “Every Ad is a Tide Ad”

Definitely the winner of the Superbowl commercials for me. Just one second when you think it’s just another typical car commercial or Budweiser horse, David Harbour breaks the fourth wall. As the game went on, I began to think that every commercial he was going to pop out wearing impeccably clean clothes. In that way, they made every commercial come back to them – genius. Also, throwing Hopper into anything is a win for me.  

 

Dan Nesselbush – E*Trade “This is Getting Really Old”

While I enjoyed the Amazon’s “Alexa Loses Her Voice” ad for validating my conspiracy theory that they are listening to my every move with that device. I respect the incredibly deep pockets of Procter & Gamble and their Tide campaign with an endless selection of Tide ads to choose from, many related to various P&G brands. My favorite ad of the night came from E*Trade with “This is Getting Really Old.” I thought the idea and execution was creative and humorous without using the crutch of celebrity appearances. Plus it did what an ad is supposed to do, get me thinking about how their service relates to me – yes, I’d like to find ways to retire by the time I’m 85.

 

Jenna Hutzler – NFL “Touchdown Celebrations to Come”

Humor in design is a tall order. So many things can go wrong but the NFL ad was genuine, light-hearted and was the perfect comedic relief in a sea of ads that felt like they were trying too hard this year (“Dilly, Dilly” has lost its momentum for me). I was watching with more than a few people who did not understand the Dirty Dancing reference and it was still well received. The movements OBJ and Eli Manning were the perfect amount of awkward but they nailed the jump at the end. It also supplemented nicely a year of carefully curated end-zone celebrations!

Andrew Bevevino – Squarespace – “Make It Happen”

This is probably a dark-horse pick, but my favorite ad of this year’s Super Bowl was the Squarespace ad with Keanu Reeves. Typically, I’m looking for a Super Bowl commercial to make me laugh. The spots that have long, serious voiceovers are lost on me, probably because I’ve seen so many of them over the years. I also don’t love the corporate social responsibility-themed ads, because they always seem a bit contrived. So, this Squarespace ad was right in the sweet spot for me. It was short, memorable and funny. I’m also a big Keanu Reeves fan, so I’m sure that helped Squarespace’s cause, at least as far as I’m concerned.

April Brown – Amazon’s “Alexa Loses Her Voice”

Amazon’s “Alexa Lost her Voice” ad is Super Bowl commercial gold. It does a great job of showing off how people are using Alexa, but also brings a creative twist to the sheer terror that could ensure for all avid Alexa users if she really did lose her voice. Ending it with Anthony Hopkins had me nearly in tears.

I also thought Tide did an incredible job of putting their spot together in way that leaves you guessing (and laughing) until the very end. And while Tide is getting a lot of praise for that, I think Tourism Australia deserves some too. Their spot with Chris Hemsworth and Danny McBride had our entire party up in arms about a remake of Crocodile Dundee–only to find out that it’s not actually happening, Tourism Australia just wants you to visit. I think the “element of surprise” strategy is really smart and especially effective when you have over 100 million people tuning in.

Josh Gumulak – “Doritos Blaze vs. Mtn. Dew Ice”

This ad has everything you could possibly ask for in a fun Super Bowl spot. Two superstar actors rapping a couple classic verses from Busta Rhymes’ “Look At Me Now” and Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”? Check. Shameless and entertaining product plugs? Yup. Catchy hashtags? Sure. A double entendre shoutout to Game of Thrones’ Fire and Ice? Definitely. It may not have been the most socially focused ad of the night, but it wasn’t meant to be. It was meant to be a good time, and it certainly followed through.

Lauren Carmer – Verizon’s “Answering the Call”

Humorous commercials have played well in past years. And while I can’t get that Doritos vs. Mountain Dew lip sync battle out of my head, Verizon’s spot is sticking with me in a different sense. Several major brands appealed to the heart instead of the funny bone. Some missed the mark, sounding disingenuous in an attempt to be trendy. But spots like Verizon’s and Budweiser’s warmed my cold, shriveled heart with stories of people helping people. Verizon took it a step further, developing a corresponding website where visitors can listen to more thank you messages, share their own stories, or donate to the American Red Cross. I like how Verizon used this public stage to of course sell you something but also make a greater impact.

 

Kyle Rogers – Amazon’s “Alexa Loses Her Voice” 

I hate to jump on the bandwagon but I can’t in good conscience vote for anything other than this 90 second piece of marketing brilliance. Aside from just generally being the funniest ad out there, Amazon brought together a collection of celebrities that span and connect with different demographics. I also appreciate the foresight to eliminate a potential PR issue with the altering of the Alexa’s name to prevent all of our respective echoes from responding to the ad. This was Amazon’s first Super Bowl commercial and I’m glad they took advantage of the opportunity to put Jeff Bezos out there. For many, this was the first time seeing his face and his visibility will go a long way to humanizing a company whose technology and vast stores of data can be frightening and concerning for a lot of people.

 

Stuff

Board Spotlight: April Brown

Jenna Hutzler

Board Member since 2016

Occupation: Graphic Designer at Delaware North

Twitter: @aaprilbee
Instagram: @aaprilbee

Where do you work, and what does your role entail?

I’m a graphic designer at Delaware North. I work for their Parks & Resorts subsidiary, designing marketing materials for 6 different properties around the country. Some are national parks such as the Grand Canyon and Sequoia, and some are resorts such as Sea Crest Beach Hotel and Honey Creek Resort. I collaborate with my team of marketing managers and develop graphics for on-site needs as well as promotional campaigns (signage, emails, web elements, social graphics, catalogs, brochures, etc.). I’ve only been in this role for just about four months but am loving every second!

What drove you to get into the advertising/marketing biz?

Growing up, my favorite class was always Art. I loved anything and everything creative, and as I got older I learned more and more about creative problem solving and the conceptual side of art. I decided to go to UB for Fine Art, without really knowing where I wanted to end up. I was also working at Delaware Camera at the time and met a photographer from an ad agency who needed an assistant for a couple of client photo shoots. The agency he was with at the time ended up needing my help all summer. I only knew the basics of Photoshop at this point, but it was enough. We spent all summer shooting caps and apparel, silo’ing and saving them out for multiple uses. This was how I learned what an ad agency was and what they did, and I fell in love. I desperately wanted to work with the Designers and Art Directors there, but still had a lot to learn before starting a design internship. That fall, I got into the Communication Design program at UB, learned anything and everything I could get my hands on, and interned as a designer at the agency the following summer.

What do you like best about what you do?

I like the strategy involved with what I do. I love to brainstorm different ways to solve the same problem. I love thinking out of the box and using creative solutions to deliver results to the client.

What advice do you have for emerging talent in your field?

AAF Buffalo brought Anne Esse here in 2016 to give a talk about how to evolve in your career, and she said a lot of things that I think students would benefit from hearing. She talked about “leaning into the discomfort”—instead of saying, “look at what I don’t have” say, “look at what I could do with that…” Don’t be intimidated; be curious. Get beyond what’s in the way so you can thrive. I think all of this is critical at the beginning of your career because you need to build up a momentum. You need to put fear aside and meet new people, show off your skills and start getting paid to do whatever it is you’re passionate about.

Tell us about organizations/charities you’re passionate about.

The American Cancer Society – I photograph their “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” kick-off breakfast and 5k every year. Each event is full of so much heartfelt support, hope, respect and inspiration. I love being able to contribute to finishing the fight against breast cancer.

What are three things you use at work every day?

MacBook Pro. Sketchbook. Brain.

What was your first job?

My very first job was being a “crew member” at Cold Stone Creamery! Scoopin’ ice cream and singin’ for tips. It was so much fun, and I ate so. much. ice. cream.

When you’re not working, how do you spend your free time (hobbies, side projects, etc.)?

My husband and I have a canoe that we love to take out whenever possible. We load it up with our dog and explore different small lakes all over WNY.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Garbage television! Snooki & JWow, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, The Bachelor…all of it! The really, really bad, bad, awful stuff that melts your brain.

Describe yourself in one word.

Effervescent.

What’s your favorite restaurant?

Kuni’s.

Duff’s or Anchor Bar?

Gabriel’s Gate

 

Now, let’s talk a little about AAF Buffalo.

Why did you join AAF Buffalo?

To get involved with the advertising industry outside of the agency I work for. To learn, to grow, to meet new people and contribute to the club’s mission.

What role(s) do you play on the AAF Buffalo board?

I’ve been a co-chair for the ADDY awards 2 years in a row and I’m also on the Academics and Membership committees.

What has been your proudest moment in your role on the board?

Seeing the ADDYs come together always makes me feel like such a proud momma, especially the year FARM did the creative because of how involved I was with every little detail.

What’s your favorite AAF Buffalo event?

Aside from the ADDYs, I really love the networking trivia events!

What do you enjoy most about AAF Buffalo?

Connecting people and helping them learn new things. I especially love doing this for students. To be a helping hand at the beginning of someone’s career is super fulfilling to me.

How has AAF Buffalo impacted you professionally?

I’ve grown a lot since being elected to the AAF Buffalo board of directors. I’ve developed my leadership skills, grown a ton of public speaking courage and have met a lot of different professionals from around the WNY advertising community. I’ve also had the opportunity to take on new challenges that I wouldn’t typically come across in my day to day. The ADDYs being one of them. I also love the promotional creative work I get to do for the club.

Why would you encourage others to join AAF Buffalo?

You’ll meet new people and learn new things that will influence your career. Whether you want to grow in your current role or start a completely new career path in the advertising world, AAF Buffalo has a lot to offer to its members. You’ll get out of it what you put into it, and the potential for making stuff happen is my favorite part.

 

Board

Board Spotlight: Erin Haskell

Jenna Hutzler

Board Member since 2016

Occupation: Marketing Manager, Great Lakes Orthodontics

Erin Haskell, Great Lakes Orthodontics

Where do you work, and what does your role entail?

I just joined Great Lakes Orthodontics as the marketing manager after having spent 10.5 years at Crowley Webb. My role at Great Lakes Orthodontics involves digging deep into understanding the clients we serve, orthodontists, dentists and dental labs, the products we sell (there are over 3,000 of them!) and the services we provide (we create custom orthodontic appliances, like retainers, but we also make specialty appliances things like sleep apnea and sleep disordered breathing.) I’m in charge of taking leading a small team to strategically create and manage all marketing messaging and communication to these many customers. I also look at company data to find business insights we can turn into actionable marketing initiatives.

What drove you to get into the advertising/marketing biz?

Ever since I was little I was always fascinated with cool direct mail pieces. I remember vividly getting a direct mail from Zoo Books, a children’s magazine that was all about animals, zoos and safaris. The direct mail piece was a foldable, cardboard safari suitcase. I remember thinking “this is so neat”, and it inspired me to follow an advertising and marketing career path.

What do you find challenging in our industry?

I think one of the most challenging things facing our industry is the proliferation of new media options and fragmentation of audiences. I also think that consumer’s attention spans have shortened so significantly that we’re lucky when we truly gain their attention so we need to make those interactions meaningful.

Describe a recent success.

One of the first “wins” I’ve had at Great Lakes was the idea for integrating emoji “stickers” into our retainers. We’ve offered images in our retainers for years, but when I was training I noticed that these images (think a tiny dime-sized sticker embedded in the acrylic of the retainer) looked kind of dated. I also noticed that they were mostly circular in shape. Then it came to me: EMOJIS! From there we launched the line of emojis at the largest North American Orthodontics trade show, and we’ve implemented the internal elements to be able to manufacture these as part of our product line.

What advice do you have for emerging talent in your field?

Learn as much as you can at every job you have, even if it’s not your dream job.

What was your first job?

My first job out of college was a marketing assistant job at a b2b company that sold infection control supplies. Super “boring” products but I learned a ton about b2b marketing, manufacturing, ISO certification processes and customer service. It was a good learning opportunity. 

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Cake. Wine. Lululemon.

What’s your favorite app or social media outlet?

I like instagram. So many dogs to follow. None of the political drama.

What’s the last thing you read?

1Q84 by Haruki Murakam.

What’s your favorite hidden gem in WNY?

I like Devil’s Hole in Niagara Falls. I need to go there more often.

 

 

Why did you join AAF Buffalo?

I was encouraged to by my bosses at Crowley Webb, and I was thrilled they suggested it.

What has been your proudest moment in your role on the board?

I was super proud that I managed to pull off a sports related event, Uberbowl, with no working knowledge of sports.

What’s your favorite AAF Buffalo event?

Bowling.

What do you enjoy most about AAF Buffalo?

I love the brilliant minds we have on the board. I love the connections to the ad community that I still have even after leaving the ad agency world.

How has AAF Buffalo impacted you professionally?

AAF has brought me closer to more professionals outside of Crowley Webb, and it’s allowed me to build strong connections across the industry. I love the spirit of the group, the fantastic execution of ideas, and that AAF Buffalo is a leader in educating our community through our skillshops and speakers series.

What’s one pro tip you can share with our membership that will make their lives better or easier?

Get involved. Come to events. Say hi. You never know when you’ll meet your next boss or coworker because this industry is always changing.

Why would you encourage others to join AAF Buffalo?

If you’re serious about staying on top of your game in this business it helps to network with the area’s brightest minds. And the events and people that AAF Buffalo bring together create opportunities to continue learning and growing.

Advice

AAF Asks: Where do you get your news?

Jenna Hutzler

The digital world has diversified the media landscape and lowered the barrier of entry into widespread publication. The ramifications are both good and bad. In a world with more options than we’ve ever seen previously, where do our AAF Board of Directors get their news?

“Whoever controls the media controls the mind” — Jim Morrison

 

Jaime Applegate
I just got my news this morning from reading the theSkimm! I signed up a while ago and it sends an email every morning highlighting a few hot topics in the news. If I’m interested in a story I can click on the link to the actual article.

Ally Balcerzak
I follow a bunch of traditional news and digital-only publications on Twitter so I can easily see headlines throughout the day – New York Times, Washington Post, AP, CNN, WIVB, Mashable, etc. I’m also an avid BuzzFeed reader. The editorial team at BuzzFeed is full of graduates from top journalism programs, and their “heavier” content cites quite a bit of research, as well as subject matter experts. Give BuzzFeed a chance!

Greg Pokriki
The benefit of my Twitter timeline is curated content from people I follow and respect. The news sources tend to still be traditional– NYT, WaPo. I do get The Buffalo News print delivered on my desk each morning too. Richard Deitsch, Sports Illustrated media writer and Buffalo expat/fan, is a great follow on Twitter, especially for great journalism.

Erin Haskell
Feedly – from Washington Post, New York Times, Politico, BBC, Fast Company, The Verge, The Atlantic and The Globe and Mail.

Alexa Godwin
theSkimm is my source along with the very millennial answer of Twitter. Also, the morning news.

Noah Herman
Primarily the iOS News app because of its availability.

Shannon Silva
The 11:00 news – WGRZ and hopefully I don’t fall asleep before the weather.

Teresa Carosa
I love theSkimm – it totally sums up everything with some tongue and cheek humor. I also am kind of old school and get the Buffalo News, Buffalo Business First, and (sometimes) the New York Times. theSkimm is great for national news, but I like to stay up on things going on in Buffalo..

Tim Bouchard
For local business news I lean on Business First and LinkedIn. When it comes to the industry I follow AdAge, Adweek, and a few industry leaders on Twitter / LinkedIn. When it comes to regular news I stick with local/network channels and try not to use Twitter without finding references since nothing is sacred now.

Brittany Klotzbach
The Skimm is my source!

April Brown
Every morning when I wake up, I turn on the morning news, but I also subscribe to The Skimm! Absolutely love it. It’s a great way to learn about everything you need to know that’s going on in the world in a short, concise and casual way.

Jillian Minderler
The Huffington Post and watching the news.

Josh Gumulak
Twitter. Although it may be too easy of an answer. There can be a lot of clutter and unreputable sources, but if you follow a credible and respectable lineup of reporters, outlets and journalists, there’s no outlet that works faster, especially when it comes to live events.

Jenna Hutzler
The Morning Briefing Newsletter by The New York Times does a nice job of summarizing the news each morning. I know you aren’t supposed to look at screens right when you wake up but I do! For local information, I watch the news (old-fashioned) or read BBF and Buffalo Rising.

Dan Nesselbush
My career started in broadcast journalism so I use Twitter the most since it’s the closest thing to the news ticker feeds we’d get when I worked at WKBW. I follow outlets like Buffalo Business First,The Buffalo News, and the AP; while I stumble upon stories from many more I don’t follow. I’ll also read small local newspapers which do the important job of covering stories that have a direct impact on the communities we live in.

Stuff

AAF Buffalo holds its annual Student Panel

Jenna Hutzler

This past Wednesday on October 11th during Ad week, AAF Buffalo held its annual Student Panel for college students at Daemen College. While midterms may have kept most students locked away in the library, the panelists got the chance to have a round table bad-and-forth discussion with two great students from University of Buffalo. The talk touched on a plethora of topics ranging from the ins-and-outs advertising agencies, directions to go in as a designer, and what it’s like to work in the business world of marketing.

Finding out your own path as a student can be very hard. You hear about all these cool ad campaigns, brand identity projects, web development jobs, and are inspired to continue your schooling and keep working, but then you think, wait, what do I want to do? For one of the attendees, who is currently a freshman, this was the problem. To help answer that question the panelists talked about their career path, which inevitably lead to a multitude of side discussions. In these side discussions the panelists explained the industry, their individual job roles, and what they see as valuable characteristics going forward in the industry. Discussing things back-and-forth to give developing thoughts a new perspective was a big component of the talk.

This may seem beneficial to those who are still searching but what happens when you’ve already defined things for yourself? Even though you’ve worked hard to get your diploma and you have a career path in mind, you still don’t know how to get into the industry or how it even works. These were some of the problems for our other attendee who is currently a senior. The panelists tackled these problems by shedding light on the logistics of the advertising world and gave practical knowledge of how things work on a day-to-day basis. What job titles do what, how an advertising agency is structured, how to network, what the heck an “in-house” is, and how advertising works in general were big topics in this end of the talk.

Overall, learning about everything that makes up the back end of the advertising world is a daunting task. One talk can scratch the surface but it only begins the discussion on how many different doors can be opened in the future. So until the Portfolio Seminar in November, keep learning, designing, and keep sticking your foot in as many things as possible (inside joke, you had to be there).

Advice Board Stuff

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: JAIME APPLEGATE

Jenna Hutzler

Role/years with AAF Buffalo: Secretary starting July 2017, board member since January 2016

Occupation: Marketing Manager at NOCO

Where do you work, and what does your role entail?

I have worked at NOCO for 4 years. I started out as a graphic designer and was recently promoted to marketing manager of the NOCO Express division. I assist in developing marketing plans and strategies for all 39 NOCO Express stores and manage a graphic designer, including assigning daily tasks and providing art direction on all projects. I also help collaborate and design larger projects including store redesigns and billboards.

What drove you to get into the advertising/marketing business? I have always had a passion for art and design and began my career as a designer in 2003. For 8 years, I worked as a free-lancer and developed all print material and websites for a furniture company. In 2010, I decided to pursue my passion and I went back to school for Communication Design at Buffalo State College. I’ve worked as a graphic designer and marketing specialist at two local companies and in February, I was promoted to Marketing Manager at NOCO.

What do you like best about what you do? I love being able to solve problems for my client. As a designer, I attempt to put multiple elements together, and turn it into a story or a statement to attract the viewer. There are many ways to achieve it since everyone has a different style but when you are finished, your work is a reflection of you as well. It’s an amazing feeling to hand a project over to a client and to see them so excited about the result.

What do you find challenging in our industry? Pleasing the client even when you feel it might not be the best option is a difficult part of being a designer. We can fight for what we believe will work best and explain why but in the end, it is the client’s decision and we have to be okay with that. Some designers have the freedom to pick and choose what projects they want to work on but in the corporate environment we are at the mercy of our clients and managers and it is important to be respectful of their requests.

What advice do you have for emerging talent in your field? Always be willing to learn and enhance your skillset. I am fortunate enough to work for a company that really cares about their employees’ development and I’ve had many opportunities to attend workshops, conferences, leadership classes, etc. If you desire to move up in your career, not only will having these new and different skills boost your skillset but your drive and willingness to learn will put you at the top of the list for promotions within the company.

What was your first job? Sandwich Artist at Subway when I was 16. I somehow managed to incorporate art in to all of my jobs!

What’s the last thing you read? The Handmaid’s Tale. I actually listened to it while in the car and traveling. The Hulu series was great too!

What’s your favorite hidden gem in WNY? I used to love sitting at the top of the toboggan shoots at Chestnut Ridge at night to look at the city lights and the stars. Since I live in the Northtowns now, I don’t get to do much of that anymore.

 

Let’s talk a little about AAF Buffalo.

Why did you join AAF Buffalo? I first learned about AAF Buffalo (known as Ad Club back then) as a student at Buff State. The events and portfolio review really helped me to connect with others and learn more about the careers in advertising. After graduating, I was excited to become part of the club that helped me through school and to give back to others as well. I also joined to continue to learn more about the advertising community, network, and enhance my resume.

What role(s) do you play on the AAF Buffalo board? I have been on the board since January 2016 and recently took on the role of Secretary in July 2017. I am on the programming committee and have helped plan a few events as well as design artwork.

What has been your proudest moment in your role on the board? Receiving the AAF Achievement Awards and Club of the Year in New Orleans. I’m proud to be a part of a club that works so hard and then to see how that work has paid off was pretty awesome.

What’s your favorite AAF Buffalo event? The Big Tip-Off – you really get to know many of the players at the local agencies and have the opportunity to network with others as well. It is a time to have fun with your coworkers and friends outside of the workplace, but also to give to a scholarship fund that supports local students in programs related to our industry.

What do you enjoy most about AAF Buffalo? The people – we know how to have a good time but also how to work hard when it matters most. I will definitely continue the friendships I’ve made long after I leave the board.

How has AAF Buffalo impacted you professionally? I’ve had the chance to wear a few different hats outside of my job title. I have planned events, coordinated with speakers, and even had a chance to speak on a panel. It has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and do things that I might not have had the chance to do in my current position.  

Why would you encourage others to join AAF Buffalo? It’s a great way to network and learn more about your field. We bring in speakers from all different careers in the advertising industry and also have a few workshops throughout the year where you can learn new skills. And then of course there are the ADDY’s where you can enter your work and hopefully win some awards to add to your resume!

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Advice

AAF Asks: How do you work through creative block?

Jenna Hutzler

April Brown

I always try to take a few steps back and really think about to function of whatever it is that I’m making. Form follows function, so that usually helps.

Brittany Klotzbach

Coffee (specifically Starbucks) is my weakness. I often go grab coffee when I need to take my mind off of things. Sometimes I’ll also change what I’m doing and come back to what I’m struggling with at a later time.

Greg Pokriki

I do some word associations. I take walks. I play with a stress ball. I watch this Ira Glass motivational video on creativity. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a creative idea while on my phone, so I try not to do that (Failing often, though). Creativity comes to me in weird places, so I try to visit them.

If it’s long term writer’s block, I read instead. You only become a better writer by writing and reading. If I can’t produce my own work, I should at least be reading others for inspiration and ideas.

Andrew Bevevino

I do a good amount of writing at work, and for anything that’s longer form, I write by hand. It really helps me keep my flow going, whereas if I try to type out longer pieces, I find that I get blocked up and just stare at the computer.

Ally Balcerzak

When writer’s block hits, I go for a walk. Stepping away from your desk for a few minutes can do wonders for the creative process. If I’m still stuck when I get back, I set the piece aside for the next morning and tackle it as soon as I get in. Your brain subconsciously thinks about things even when your mind is focused elsewhere. So even though I haven’t consciously thought about the piece I need to write for 16+ hours, when I sit down at my desk, most of the time I can at least bang out a basic rough draft.

Kyle Rogers

As a writer, especially in a fast-paced environment, it’s not always easy to crank out a polished piece during the 9-5 workday. Sometimes you feel like your tires are stuck in mud and you’re going nowhere. You may need to come back to a project one or two times before you have a creative breakthrough. And that’s okay. Sometimes ideas will pop in my head at unexpected times like when I’m on a run or getting ready in the morning. Manage your time effectively to allow for the stops and gos and your work (and stress level!) will benefit.

Jaime Applegate

I like to do research online to get other ideas or talk to others and get opinions. Collaboration really helps to get the ideas flowing in my opinion. I also try to work on another project if I am really stuck or take a break altogether and come back to it later.

Shannon Silva

Take Pippa for a walk!

Jenna Hutzler

I always go for a walk or exercise when I’m struggling through a project. It helps mentally and physically to step away from screens for a bit. When I focus my attention on something repetitive, like putting one foot in front of the other, my brain stops wandering and allows me to filter my thoughts easier. Sometimes even a simple conversation will suffice. A coworker might offer a different perspective that sparks a new idea and will quickly move you out of a rut.

 

“You cannot wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London

Skillshop

Skillshop Recap: Analyze This

Jenna Hutzler
by Brittany Klotzbach

“Google Analytics” is a familiar term in the marketing industry, but what does it even mean? This past Tuesday, Brett Perla from Crowley Webb, an expert on this topic, dropped some analytic knowledge on a group of twenty curious students. This course was a 101 level tutorial on the basics, associated terms, and importance of Google Analytics.

Although there are several different website analysis resources, Google Analytics is free and user-friendly which was why this was the focus during this skillshop. Brett began the lesson by teaching us how to create an account, and then led us through the entire process of loading our website information and learning how to utilize this tool to get a good glance of user interaction with a website. The ultimate goal is to make sure your website is working in an optimum way. Brett was very thorough in defining the various associated terms (i.e. session, users, new users, bounce rates, etc.). During this terminology lesson, I specifically learned that a session is a visit; users refer to unique visits; and bounce rates refer to when a user does not engage with the site during their visit.

Brett also showed us the various ways you can run reporting. The main tracking for reporting, which you can set to run a report at any time-period, includes audience, acquisition, behavior, and conversion. Your audience reporting would focus on demographic statistics or geographic locations; this helps determine who your users are that are going to your website. AdWords are another reporting function to help create a robust search for knowing what keywords on your site best trigger interaction. The behavior reporting tracks interaction on the website and the functions or pages within the website that are most effective. Lastly, conversion refers to significant interaction or deeper action on the website. This includes a goal for the final destination on the website (cart check-out, “contact us” page, etc.), as well as tracking duration someone is on your website.

This member-only event was our initial Skillshop of the season, and I can say as one of the attendees that I certainly learned a lot in a short period of time. Since I do not often work on digital projects, it was a fresh perspective on the importance of website tracking and how companies are constantly reviewing statics about their website through analytic programs to enhance user experience.

Advice

AAF Asks: Which productivity tools do you use?

Jenna Hutzler

The AAF Board of Directors is a collection of creatives and media gurus in different industries and crafts across Buffalo. However, we all work in different ways. For some of us it is a meticulous and technologically advanced process. For others it is post-it notes stuck to their monitor, desk, wall, and even one on the lamp shade (You only get that type of detail if you live it).

So, as a service to you, the valued reader, we are unlocking the vault and letting the secrets to success out. Below are some of our favorite productivity tools. This will be a running series of shop talk. Sometimes on craft, sometimes on Buffalo, and always on point. Enjoy.

 

What productivity tools are you using?

Greg Pokriki

I couldn’t live without Trello. I run my editorial calendar through it. It keeps everything organized and color coded and assigned and dated and no I do not have OCD!

I also use Pocket. With the Google Chrome and Twitter extension, I can always save articles that I want to read for later. I previously would DM or email myself links. Now it’s Pocket. It’s my virtual book case.

Tim Bouchard

I live on Slack. As someone who gets an average of 90 emails a day I need a tool that cuts through the clutter for quick answers and feedback. We also have a remote work policy so Slack helps those not in the office communicate faster.

For the developers out there, Springloops (likewise, Beanstalk) is the other tool we couldn’t live without. Having a running repository of code commits with deployment is such a huge time saver.

Ally Balcerzak

I’m in the process of switching my team to Asana. It has both a list and calendar view for every project, which makes it easy to manage our multiple editorial calendars, events, and traditional marketing projects from a single tool. If you’re a list person, Wunderlist is where it’s at. The folder functionality makes it easy to group multiple lists together so you can easily keep track of to-dos, ideas, and links by topic or organization.

Erin Haskell

I’m obsessed with Asana. There’s even a gantt chart plugin for when I want to see visual timelines. I use a combination of Asana, Slack, dropbox and emails to keep things running smoothly for our in-house marketing team.  

April Brown

At FARM we use Workamajig to keep track of projects, schedules, timesheets and billing. It helps everyone stay on track–Account Service can input all of the information needed for every project, Project Managers can see all of the active jobs and their deadlines, and the Creative team can see what projects we’re responsible for, what’s needed for each project and when it’s due. We also use it to digitally route things which has become really convenient!

Alexa Godwin

At Crowley Webb, we are big fans of TeamWork. It keeps all conversations, files, tasks, and timelines all wrapped up neatly in one place. No more digging through zillions of emails and old versions of documents!

Grace de Rosa

Trello is king. Being a part of a small team, having a program that can organize clients, projects, production and billing all in one is great. We use Trello in our weekly meetings to go through each client’s status, what’s hot and what’s coming down the pipeline. With a bunch of projects up in the air, adding Trello’s due dates and task lists helps me to prioritize and not go crazy. There is no better feeling that clicking that checkmark when you’ve made the deadline on a project.

Josh Gumulak

Trello to plan ahead, Slack to stay in the moment, Pocket to come back to it later. Using these 3 as complementary parts to each other keeps things simple and straightforward. They each serve such a specific functionality that there is not much wasted effort by incorporating all 3 either.

Jenna Hutzler

In our office, we use Wrike for project management. It has all the bells and whistles! Time tracking, project assignment, file organizer, color coding, etc. The program is expansive. You can message within the platform, tag co-workers, copy emails to project folders. I know it’s not new or unique but I’m also a big fan of Google anything, the way I can sort my email, Google hangouts for quick office questions, calendar functionality. The integration and organization make my life so easy.

Andrew Bevevino

I’m a huge fan of Slack. I’m someone who needs to have my inbox as clean as possible, and Slack helps cut down on those one-off messages that add to the clutter. I also love the Momentum Chrome extension. When you open a new tab in Chrome, you can make a to-do list, and write yourself a short message outlining what your main focus for the day is. Momentum also has a new motivational quote and background image for you every day to keep things fresh.