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AdWeek Events

RECAP: TIPSY TOWER TOURS

Maura Noonan

And just like that, it was day three of AAF Buffalo’s annual Adweek. On Wednesday, October 6 our members gathered together at the famous Seneca One tour to learn about the happenings at 43North and a full tour of the new and improved building. 

To kick-off the evening, participants were invited to enjoy a drink at the Seneca One Lobby Bar before heading up to the 24th floor for a fun visit with 43North. The one and only Maura Devlin,    vice president of marketing and public relations at 43North provided an informative presentation of all the great work the company is doing to build a strong startup and tech ecosystem within the city. Members were able to participate in a Q&A to learn more about the creation of 43North and what’s to come for Buffalo. 

Following the Q&A, members received a tour of Seneca One and got a live-look of the stunning views of downtown Buffalo. A shout-out to Joe Konze of Seneca One for providing an inside look into how the building has become the new wave of energy downtown and then most anticipated development in the city’s modern history. 

A huge thank you for everyone who attended or participated in any of this year’s AdWeek events! For more info on all of our programming for the club year, check out AAFBuffalo.com/events.

Not a member? No worries! You can get access to member-exclusive events and special discounts by becoming a member today.

AdWeek Events

Recap: 2021 Speed Networking

Ad Club Of Buffalo

With the entire nation facing challenges with hiring and staffing, spanning across most if not all industries, we felt strongly that everyone’s favorite AdWeek event should be brought back. Our Speed Networking event was held On Tuesday, October 5 with more than 10 freelancers and pros showing up to Jack Rabbit on Elmwood Avenue to grab a drink and chat one on one.This event is perfect for companies and agencies looking to expand their freelancer shortlist, and it’s a great way for freelancers to connect with companies that may need some new talent for their team or upcoming project. Networking has been a challenge over the last couple of years, but from the conversations and chatter that lingered past the signal to rotate we could see lasting connections forming across a variety of areas.

If Speed Networking is something you would like to see again next year, please drop us a line and let us know! We’re always looking for ways to bring value to our members, and we’d love to hear from you.

Thank you to all who joined us and we hope to see you next year!

AdWeek Events Social Media Speaker Speaker Series

ADWEEK 2020 RECAP: NIKKI SUNSTRUM, SPOTLIGHT SPEAKER

Ad Club Of Buffalo

The prominence of social media has not only altered the way in which we communicate personally, it has reshaped the information we consume, distorted emotional responses, and manipulated the visual identities of its users. In an ever-connected world, everyone struggles to balance competing priorities, remain engaged, and retain authenticity.

For this year’s AdWeek 2020 Spotlight Speaker, we invited Nikki Sunstrum, University of Michigan Director of Social Media and Public Engagement, to discuss methods for addressing the ever-increasing demands of pandemic communications, and how to deal with online negativity, competing interests, and mental fatigue. Although virtual, we were all able to carve out an evening and hear from Nikki on what this past year has taught her.

*insert “This is Fine” meme*

Throughout her hour-long talk, Nikki covered a range of topics, but first, she addressed the giant non-elephant in the room: the pandemic. While it’s no secret that the pandemic quickly impacted the way we live, learn, work, and interact with each other, Nikki focused her presentation on the impact the pandemic has had on marketers and communicators. Namely, how we speak to our audiences and communities. The way we approach our content was starkly changed, instead of encouraging users to participate with brands, and engage with us, strategies quickly became more about advocating for them to stay away, and thus stay safe. The emotions and reactions we were trying to evoke from our communities were now incredibly different than what we had been planning for, and we were left with no instructions on how to forge ahead.

Reality Check

Nikki described the pandemic as a reality check for us all, it was important to address the reality of the situation and address these alterations both internally and externally. She reminded us that social media is likely the first-place people connect, the first people complain, and the first-place people celebrate. Nikki suggested that as professional communicators we stop treating social as a solution, but rather a tool to navigate the uncertain days ahead. It was important to ask ourselves “what are we trying to accomplish by communicating outside of our organization?”. The answer? To strengthen our communities.

Another few key takeaways she shared were:

• Social media requires wit, wisdom, and wherewithal
• Social media demands proactive, preventative, and passionate messaging
• Social media necessities continuous connectivity, customer service and societal awareness
• Social media is strategic communication, and not a last resort

Although we couldn’t host her in our city and show her that city of good neighbors’ spirit, we’d like to send a big thank you to Nikki for taking the time to chat with us virtually. And thank you for everyone who attended or participated in any of this year’s AdWeek events! For more info on all of our programming for the club year, check out AAFBuffalo.com/events.

AdWeek Events Industry Updates

ADWEEK 2020 RECAP: DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION PANEL

Ad Club Of Buffalo

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been the subject of many conversations over the past few months. We recently had the opportunity to speak with leaders from the Buffalo community and dig deeper into DEI: what it means, how it can be incorporated into the workplace, what the biases and barriers are, and how we can take action.

It is important to remember that with DEI, you cannot have one without the other two. Diversity, equity, and inclusion should be present and maintained in all aspects of life in order to progress forward, so stopping to assess how DEI fits in and plays (or could play) an active role in your workplace is imperative.

What are diversity, equity, and inclusion? 

Ekua Mends-Aidoo, chief equity and inclusion officer at Evergreen Health, recommends keeping organizations top of mind when defining these words.

As Ekua explained:

  • Diversity is a fact – either you have it within an organization or you do not.
  • Inclusion is a choice. It is up to the organization to decide and choose how they want to include people and make them feel embraced.
  • Equity is a policy that should become part of the organization’s practice. Equity is not It is about ensuring that people are getting the necessary and optimal resources that they need to achieve and succeed.

Incorporating DEI in the workplace.

Learning what these words mean is the first step, but organizations should be thinking about incorporating DEI in the workplace from the onset of the hiring process to onboarding and throughout career development. To maintain this mind-set and have DEI become a foundational part of your company, education is key. Whether it is a training series, a review of your company’s policies and structure, or a collaboration with groups and organizations to gain a better understanding of diversity issues, education introduces new conversations and poses questions for the future. These exercises may uncover certain biases that were never noticed before. But as was said by David Johnson, director of college counseling at Buffalo Prep, it is important that we are comfortable with being uncomfortable during the process in order to do the work that is necessary.

Taking action.

It is easy to stick with the status quo. Change can be difficult for everybody, and this work you are setting out to do can be challenging, but organizations cannot be afraid to have these conversations and seek out diversity. We need to be innovative and intentional with what we desire to do and how we are going to make that happen.

A special thank-you to our panel for taking the time to speak with us and for all that you do in our community:

  • Lisa Napier, Founder and President of WNY Media House
  • David Johnson, Director of College Counseling at Buffalo Prep
  • Ekua Mends-Aidoo, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Evergreen Health
  • Greg Addo, Director, Producer, Videographer, and Editor at Addo Productions

AdWeek Skillshop

ADWEEK 2020 RECAP: CRAFTING TRADEMARKS SKILLSHOP

Ad Club Of Buffalo

We put some marketers and an attorney in a [virtual] room and kicked off this year’s AdWeek with a Skillshop hosted by Katie Markert, an attorney within Barclay Damon LLP’s Branding, Trademarks, and Copyrights practice group. 

Katie laid down the law to help us understand what goes into developing a strong brand name, and it turns out, not all trademarks are created equal—they actually reside on a spectrum. She walked us through this spectrum and showed us, from worst to best, how trademarks can be created with strong legal backing. From generic trademarks to the fanciful, Katie described the varying levels of trademark strength and gave some real-world examples. 

Another big takeaway…beware of genericide! Did you own a “return top” as a kid? How about a “yoyo”? Well Katie asked us if we could think of the generic term for yoyo, and we were stumped. Turns out, YO-YO was actually a brand name trademarked by Duncan Co. in 1932 for “return top” toys. This product eventually fell victim to genericide due to a faulty trademark registration, and all of these toys could legally be referred to as yo-yos, and they were. The name continued to spread as the generic term, and thus, you probably owned a yo-yo as a kid–not a “return top”.

Katie concluded her SkillShop with a Q&A that answered our deepest branding and trademark questions. Thank you Katie! Learn more about Katie’s legal experience here.

AdWeek Events Speaker Series

RECAP: KENI THACKER, SPOTLIGHT SPEAKER SERIES

Greg Pokriki

To help us rethink our approach to culture, Keni Thacker joined us on Thursday, October 10 to be our first presenter in this year’s Spotlight Speaker Series.

Taking a page from a Tina Turner classic, Keni began his talk by asking attendees, “What’s culture got to do with it?” The answer: everything. Culture has everything to do with diversity and inclusion. From there, Keni illustrated what diversity, culture, and inclusion mean for our industry and what we can do to be better.

The Intersectionality of Diversity, Culture, and Inclusion

He asserted that diversity is one of our biggest dilemmas in advertising, with people of color sharing only 30% representation in our industry. To combat that, Keni suggest you assess your pipeline and consider new ways to recruit employees.

Next, he described culture as a balance of learning, caring, purpose, and enjoyment. Keni urged companies and agencies to show your people you care. Take an active part in their lives and get involved in what your employees are doing, inside and outside of work.

Lastly, Keni discussed inclusion and what we could be doing to make people feel that they are a part of our organization. He encourages us to partake in team building exercise and give people experience they’ll never get anywhere else.

Food for Thought

To improve the advertising workspace, Keni recommended you think of diversity, culture, and inclusion as a constant, reflective process. Always look for ways to evolve and reexamine what you could do better. He also suggested that decision-makers take a stand. If you have a seat at the table, use your influence to include more voices and keep your company progressing.

Keni concluded his talk with an engaging Q&A session that left the audience with plenty of ways to consider how culture makes an impact.

AdWeek Events

Recap: Speed Networking

Greg Pokriki

After the success of last year’s inaugural event, we brought back Speed Networking for a repeat slot in the Ad Week event lineup.

On Wednesday, October 9, 20 people showed up to Resurgence Brewery on Chicago St., grabbed a drink, and casually sat down at tables across from one another for a series of one-on-one chats. One hour and 10 new business cards later, attendees lingered at the bar to continue conversations and discuss projects more in-depth.

This year we added a few new specialties to the mix, including video and analytics, as well as some new, non-agency companies. As time ran out on the final rotation, attendees continued to chat long after we concluded the “official” portion of the event (making it a solid success in our book since that’s the goal). 

Upset that you missed out on Speed Networking 2019? Keep your eyes peeled next Ad Week for the 2020 edition.

AdWeek Events

Top Buffalo ad professionals join AAF panel

Greg Pokriki

Last night, we hosted a panel event at Shea’s Smith Theatre comprised of some of the top names in the Buffalo advertising industry.

The panel included:
Jim Hettich, CEO, Crowley Webb
Zach Schneider, partner, Fifteen
Patrick Finan, co-founder and principal, Block Club
Carolyn Human, Carolyn Human Communications
Bill Patterson, VP/executive creative director, Gelia
Christine Dougherty, senior vice president and managing director, Mower

The panel answered audience questions on a wide range of questions.

On the RFP process

Many on the panel agreed on being picky when responding to RFPs, not just to manage staff time, but also to be realistic about what a future with that client would look like.

On retaining talent

Each panelist discussed maintaining a work/life balance for employees to increase happiness. They each prioritized transparency throughout the agency, to further empower employees. Some ideas like flexible scheduling, dogs in the office, and even an abroad residency program were discussed.

On making mistakes

Misspellllllings, tpyos, and human resource mistakes colored the past of each participant. The main emphasis was to learn from mistakes. Advertising and creative endeavors are inherently risky. Mistakes happen. Though inevitable, the key is to not repeat mistakes.

 

Ad Week isn’t over! We’ve got more events, including our Spotlight Speaker Series on Thursday.

AdWeek Blog Events Stuff

Recap: Speed Networking, Ad Week Edition

Lauren Carmer

Once upon a time, 90 percent of our events consisted of just showing up at a bar and chatting with people. Now, our events are focused around shared experiences, like industry speakers, skill-based lectures, and mentoring the next generation of advertisers. We love it, and based on those surveys we send you periodically, you seem to be on board too.

But we missed the freeform networking, and members from smaller companies started mentioning it’s hard to network at some of our largest events of the year. To top it off, it was becoming commonplace to hear someone ask a friend at the agency across the street, “Know of any freelancers looking for projects right now?”

Based on all that, we set out to do something about it. Cue the creation of Speed Networking: Ad Week Edition.

We had no clue if it would work. Networking is a love-hate relationship for a lot of people. But we knew the need was there, so we decided to give it a shot. If it flopped, then at least we could show up to the Member Appreciation party and say we tried. If it worked, well, that’s why there’s a colon built into the naming structure already.

On Wednesday, October 17th, 20 people showed up to Buffalo Distilling Co. down in Larkinville, grabbed a drink, and awkwardly sat down at tables across from one another. One hour and ten rounds of self-imposed networking later, attendees lingered at the bar to continue conversations and discuss projects more in-depth.

On paper, it looked like a success. Ten companies, including six agencies, sent familiar faces (at least to anyone who has interviewed in the local ad scene lately). And ten freelancers with skill sets ranging from copywriting to videography to media education brought their A-game and elevator pitches. No one quit halfway and dozens of business cards were passed across tables.

The real proof came a few days later, when emails and text messages started trickling in from participants on both sides, thanking us for hosting the event. Real business connections were made that night, and actual working relationships had begun as a result.

Keep an eye out for more Speed Networking events in the future. If you want to see a different match-up, (perhaps companies and agencies looking for students interested in internships) let us know.

AdWeek Blog Events Speaker Stuff

Recap: Eric Bodamer & Happy Hour

Lauren Carmer

When Adidas Hockey was tasked with designing the Buffalo Sabres most recent Winter Classic jersey, they did market research. They studied trends, demographics, competitors, and history. But their most valuable tool was Eric Bodamer, their Buffalo-born senior designer. Bodamer brought something different to the table. He was from Buffalo. His family, friends, and neighbors growing up were his research. He knew Buffalo, inherently.

“For a kid from North Tonawanda, it was a dream come true,” says Bodamer.

During our 2018 Ad Week in October, Bodamer came back home to Buffalo to speak to our membership and guests, a crowd of close to 60 at Pearl Street Grill & Brewery. As Bodamer relived his childhood throughout his hour-long talk, he paid tribute to his blue-collar and gritty roots with love, often praising our city and its people for contributing to his own creative process.

He provided our audience with exquisite detail into the creation and stories that went into developing the Sabres’ 2018 Winter Classic jersey that they wore New Year’s Day at Citi Field. He explained the extensive and intricate pitch process. Most of all, he was explicit in expressing that it went against his wishes to include “NY” within our Sabres’ crest for the game.

Before heading back to the west coast, Bodamer let us in on the Vegas Golden Knights team branding that he was a part of prior to the 2017-2018 NHL season. From sitting with the Knights owners to dozens of naming concepts and selecting just the right color palette, he led us through the process from start to finish.

On behalf of all true-blue Buffalonians, we thank Eric for showing his Queen City love and never forgetting where he got his start. As Adidas continues to expand their footprint throughout the NHL, we guarantee you’ll see Eric’s influence through it all.