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AdWeek Blog Events Skillshop Stuff

Recap: Tade Shows & Exhibits Skillshop

Lauren Carmer

A few times a year, AAF Buffalo likes to engage our membership with interesting, informative Skillshops. These sessions feature topics that can range from copyright law to analytics to trade shows and more. On Monday, October 15th, Hadley Exhibits kicked off AAF Buffalo’s Ad Week with a Skillshop of their own. The firm hosted more than two dozen club members, presenting “Trade Shows in the Age of Digital.”

Our members took an in-depth look at what’s new in the fun and engaging world of B2B marketing. Our board member, Alex Keogan, hosted the night with an interactive presentation detailing what companies and agencies can do to really engage their or their client’s audience before, during, and after a trade show. Following Alex’s talk, the attendees took a tour of the 180,000 square foot facility where Hadley Exhibits designs, fabricates, and stores displays.

Keep an eye out for our next AAF Buffalo Skillshop in January 2019!

  

Events Students

2018 Spring Agency Tour: 6 Agencies, 1 Day!

Tim Bouchard

By Tim Bouchard

Well it snowed, but it didn’t stop 15 college students from walking the downtown corridor and visiting 6 agencies to learn what they do, what their office is like, what opportunities await in the future, and what dogs they have to pet. Students started at the South end of Main Street at Crowley Webb and headed North moving on to Luminus, The Revs, The Martin Group, dPost, and ending the day at Block Club.

This event was a great opportunity to see the variety in both sizes and styles of local agencies. Crowley Webb and The Martin Group being the larger of agencies on the stop offered a great look into the full-service, multi-department side of agency life. Luminus, The Revs, dPost, and Block Club each offered a look into the personality and grind that the mid-sized agencies bring to the local ad landscape (also dogs, these 4 all have dogs).

This inaugural event sold out in 24 hours. There is a strong desire from the local college student body to visit and learn about agencies in our area and uncover the mystery. AAF Buffalo will look to provide more of these opportunities in the future with the help of our member companies. We look forward to the next one!

Events Students Stuff

BrandHack 2018: The Foundry’s Makerspaces

Dan Nesselbush
By Josh Gumulak

In what has evolved into an annual event, the third installment of our BrandHack event featured a local non-profit looking for an updated icon set and 11×17 poster to be used in places like bus shelters and message boards around their target neighborhoods. The Foundry’s mission is to increase neighborhood prosperity by empowering individuals through education and entrepreneurship. One of the ways they accomplish this is by offering memberships for their four makerspaces – wood, metal, tech and textile.

Four teams of students (and a pro or two) representing St. Bonaventure, Buff State, UB, Daemen and Hilbert took to UB’s Center for the Arts and were tasked with designing the elements The Foundry was looking for to brand and promote their makerspaces. Leading the teams were seasoned professionals from the area – Megan Sweeney from Gelia, Andrew Martis from martin., Chelsea Turton from Luminus, and Casi Hall from Invest Buffalo Niagara. These designers provided guidance and advice for the teams from brainstorming and development through execution.

The format remained the same from 2017. Teams had five hours to organize and create their ideas before pitching them to our two judges, as well as The Foundry’s representative.

Our two judges, Frank Conjerti from Quinlan and Amber Rampino from 19 IDEAS, offered their expertise throughout the event, and made sure the teams were on track and accomplishing what they had to on the tight deadline. While representing The Foundry, Deb Sarlin provided the students with an in-depth description of what the makerspaces’ goals are and what the client’s hopes were for the materials.

Each team beat the clock and produced some well-executed, unique work along the way, including some pro bono work in the form of a short video, merch designs and a website. Congrats to all the students and captains for producing another great event!

“We were so impressed by the energy and dedication involved in the BrandHack event. The fact that we may use some of the work produced within the Buffalo community is fantastic!” said Deb Sarlin, Director of Education at The Foundry.

Check out the results of the 3rd annual BrandHack below:

WINNER: UB/Buffalo State/Pro captained by Megan Sweeney

RUNNER-UP: St. Bonaventure captained by Chelsey Turton

 

Daemen College captained by Andrew Martis

Hilbert College captained by Casi Hall

ADDYS Blog Events Latest News Stuff

The ADDY goes to

Dan Nesselbush

Due to a scheduling conflict we needed to move the date of the WNY American Advertising Awards show earlier than normal. In doing so we felt a rematch of last year’s wrestling-themed show wouldn’t be fair to all of our attendees and entrants with a shortened training schedule, so we turned over the creative reigns to our pals at Gelia.

As you may have seen in The Road to the ADDYs series, co-chairs Brittany Klotzbach and Jason Yates have been on a months-long journey to make this The Greatast ADDYs Ever. In a nod to Old Hollywood-style award shows, with an appropriately satirical spin on our industry, it’s safe to say the hard work of the entire ADDYs committee allowed the 420 attendees inside Kleinhans Music Hall to properly recognize the greatast advertising our region created in 2017.

Judges from Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. scored over 500 professional and student entries in January.  Without further ado, see who had an extra great night by bringing home some hardware.

Professional Winners

A repeat of last year’s local competition, Crowley Webb brought home the most ADDYs with a total of 35 awards (14 gold, 21 silver). The Martin Group added 22 ADDYs (6 gold, 16 silver) to decorate their new digs on Main Street. Gelia (4 gold, 14 silver) and White Bicycle (3 gold, 8 silver) were the other firms to crack double-digit awards. Rounding out the top five was Telesco Creative Group with nine ADDYs (2 gold, 7 silver). A total of 26 companies took home at least one gold or silver award.

Best of Show

The best of the best on the greatast night in advertising went to Crowley Webb, picking up the Best of Show Award for their campaign for the Irish Classical Theatre Company’s The Wake.

 

Special Awards

In addition to the all of the work that is created, we pause each year to recognize several professionals for their contributions and accomplishments in the Buffalo creative community. The 2018 recipients were:

Mike Gluck, President at Gluckworks – Levy-Osborn Award for Excellence in Communications – This award was created to recognize outstanding achievement and service in the communications industry.

Brittney Sikora, Designer at White Bicycle – AAF Buffalo Future Star Award – This award honors an outstanding young professional in the marketing and advertising field who has demonstrated great potential in their early years in the industry.

Matt Low, VP, Creative Director at Crowley Webb – Joe Crowley Award for Service – This award recognizes not only hard work, but also outstanding achievement in furthering the activities and interests of AAF Buffalo.

The Veritiv Creative Use of Paper Award

An award designed to make digital natives a little twitchy, the Veritiv Creative Use of Paper went to a new winner this year as Crowley Webb creatively used paper for their 2017 Holiday Card for Praxis. A special thank you goes to Jean Clemens from Veritiv for her continued support of AAF Buffalo and this award.

 

The CommUNITY Award for Inclusive Advertising

Introduced for the 2018 competition, the CommUNITY Award for Inclusive Advertising recognizes content that extends beyond stereotypical portrayals and depicts multicultural communities and individuals as the complex, multifaceted, and dynamic groups they are. The award recognizes advertising that addresses issues experienced by under-represented communities and gives voice to groups that have been stereotyped or ignored in media and by society, increasing viewer’s perceptions and understanding of multicultural communities.

Crowley Webb’s poster campaign for Buffalo Prep earned them the first edition of the CommUNITY Award for Inclusive Advertising.

 

Best Show Book Ad Award

A fun award that acknowledges the best advertisement directed at advertisers went to Luminus who won for their greatast-acceptance-speech-you-didn’t-hear-tonight-themed ad.

Student Winners

As mentioned earlier, college students were also included in the action. Taking home the Student Best of Show were Noah Herman, Danny Rosina, Randy Oviasogie, Jason Murawski, Danielle Romaneo, Joseph Pietromicca, Jessica Mjoen, Anna Simpson, and Shelby Janczyk of Daemen College for their Daemen All High: See and Be Seen campaign.

A total of 20 ADDYs were awarded in the student competition with winners coming from Buffalo State College, Canisius College, Daemen College, St. Bonaventure University, and Villa Maria College.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

The 2018 WNY American Advertising Award Show would have been less great if it weren’t for the support of our sponsors FB Displays & Designs and VSP Graphic Group.

The Road to the ADDYs keeps going…

The gold and silver winners in both professional and student categories will have the opportunity to compete in the AAF District 2 American Advertising Awards with the hope of moving on to the national show in Chicago in June.

Congratulations to all the winners and another successful year of work in WNY!

See all the greatness in the 2018 American Advertising Awards show book below and make sure to view pictures from the night on our Facebook page which will be uploaded in the coming days.

ADDYS Blog Events

The Greatast Preview Ever.

Dan Nesselbush
By Shannon Silva

Another great ADDYs Preview Night is behind us and what a night it was! The AAF Board of Directors and ADDYs planning committee were proud to have the opportunity to display 474 professional entries and 53 student entries, which included campaigns, billboards, print, broadcast and multi-media, among other assets. We had our largest crowd yet as over 160 attendees viewed a year’s array of diverse and impressive work while enjoying an evening of camaraderie with Buffalo ad industry peers.

Many thanks to all who planned and coordinated the evening, and congratulations to all for your award-worthy entries.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2018 WNY American Advertising Awards on Friday, February 23!

Blog Events

A generous jingle

Dan Nesselbush
By Lauren Carmer

Ugly shoes and ugly sweaters abounded at this year’s Jingle Bowl on Wednesday, December 6. AAF Buffalo hosted its 4th Annual Holiday Bowling Tournament at Kenmore Lanes to support the Food Bank of WNY.

Buffalo’s creative minds came with open hearts to donate non-perishable food items amassing 649 pounds, enough to warrant its own show on TLC. Or as we like to put it, 540 meals for neighbors in need.

Manzella Marketing, Luminus, Telesco Creative Group, Gelia, Parkway Digital, FARM, The Revs Agency, Crowley Webb, Goldberg Segalla, 19 IDEAS, and Quinlan came together for the cause before hitting the lanes with their best Lebowski impressions.

Sixteen teams of four, including eleven company-sponsored teams, came to represent. But only one took home the glory and the coveted golden pin.

Manzella Marketing sleighed, pinning down prizes in every category. Scott Fierle was named the top men’s bowler, Nicole Meisenburg was named the top women’s bowler, and the Manzella team was named top team, sweeping the tournament. (Can you say ringer?) They wiped the floor with the rest of us, but we’ll spare you the details.

Thank you to Quinlan for sponsoring the event and to Kenmore Lanes for having us. And thank you to Big Ditch Brewing Co., NOCO Express, and Certo Brothers for donating additional prizes.

Head over to our Facebook page if you want to see the full gallery of all the beautiful people who joined us in ugly shoes and sweaters

AdWeek Events Speaker Speaker Series Stuff

Big Ideas Know No Boundaries

Dan Nesselbush
By Dan Nesselbush

Disruption. That’s the name of the game. The pursuit and execution of an idea that makes an impact on a company or cause is probably why most of us chose to pursue careers in marketing communications. It’s also a safe bet that the creativity found in Super Bowl advertising had an influence as well. That’s why we thought it’d be interesting to hear about the process of taking a disruptive idea to the biggest stage in advertising as our second year of the Spotlight Speaker Series kicked off during 2017 Buffalo Ad Week.

Enter Kevin Corfield and Derek Julin of Pittsburgh agency Brunner. The duo came to Buffalo seven months after they did what every marketing pro dreams of doing; they created a Super Bowl commercial and arguably one of the most memorable in recent years with 84 Lumber’s The Journey.

Kevin and Derek’s story began with Brunner getting a call on Friday, December 9 from the president of the lumber retailer with the plan of doing something to grab the attention of everyone watching the biggest football game of the year – which was less than two months from happening. After a weekend under the directive to be controversial, their team ultimately settled on a story that would incorporate the theme of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

What followed was an interesting timeline that went behind the scenes of an ad from a newcomer to advertising’s biggest stage with tidbits such as:

  • The wall was real – they constructed a 60 foot wide by 30 foot tall concrete wall with a door built into it for the shoot
  • The final scene took four takes on the last day of shooting – because the wall wasn’t finished until then and there were significant wind and dust storms that swept through that day
  • Having to find a solution to FOX’s announcement, during the script approval process, that they wouldn’t run the ad if the wall was shown as it was deemed too controversial
  • The flag in the ad was made from scraps found at their various shooting locations, adding to the authenticity of the story

Ultimately their work moved the needle which is what we all try to do. It did its job of being controversial and got people talking. The film has had over 11.2 million views on YouTube. The 84 Lumber brand gained national attention and they received over 60,000 applications (employee recruitment was an underlying goal of this project afterall).

The thing that stuck with me the most was when they said “big ideas know no boundaries.”

These guys are proof of that statement. They work in Pittsburgh at an agency with roughly the same number of employees as Crowley Webb; not an agency behemoth from New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles. The fact their team was able to make one of the most talked about Super Bowl ads happen under the added pressure of a time crunch speaks volumes to how important a creative approach is.

There were a bunch of other really interesting things that happened during Brunner’s creation of The Journey, but you probably should’ve joined the 60 people who attended the talk. You have your next chance to better your brand during our Spotlight Speaker Series event on November 8 with a presentation by Danielle Evans, a designer with a passion for food typography.

A special thanks to our sponsors Gelia, FB Displays & Designs, VSP Graphic Group, and Luminus for their support in making events like this possible.

Advice Blog Events Speaker Speaker Series

Nightmare Marketing: How to Create Great Content

Erin Collins

In a black sweater and black jeans, Jonathan Kranz wandered through the crowd of networking professionals unassumingly before his presentation at Big Ditch Brewing on Tuesday, May 9. Introducing himself to different groups, he immediately sparked connections – showcasing his effortless ability to adapt to the different personalities in the room, much like the multitude of clients he’s written for in his 21+ year career as a freelance copywriter.

As the sole proprietor of Kranz Communications, the writer illustrated a unique ability to adapt to his surroundings, audience, and clients at AAF Buffalo’s final 2017 Spotlight Speaker Series presentation. From engaging with the back row to conjuring the most mundane product ever marketed amongst the room, Kranz showed how to keep an audience engaged and interested in topics that aren’t exactly eye-catching.

Jonathan Kranz speaks at Big Ditch Brewing on Tuesday, May 9.

Focusing on the foundation of marketing and advertising – being convincing about things for which we have no conviction – Kranz broke content down into three categories: the boring, the complex, and the undifferentiated. For each he presented three practical solutions, the basis of which came down to asking questions such as who (“Who cares and why?”), what (“What unexpected value can I emphasize”), where (“Where can I make a meaningful distinction?”), and how (“How do I make this relatable?”)?

Showing samples of his work, Kranz enthusiastically read the Canterbury Tales-inspired article he wrote for an apartment complex and spoke to the use of a ‘plumber’s magnet’ – the tactic of using an uncommon program design for an equally uncommon talent. When asked about his writing practices when it comes to crafting interview scripts, he advised to drill down past the high-level questions/answers to find what really makes the product unique.

Among the other practice tips Kranz advised were using case studies to make a product real and tangible, taking a contrarian position to catch the reader’s attention (e.g., “Top 10 Reasons NOT to Hire Jack”), and playing up the players to show how the company wins the game.

After a quick game of “Who Markets the Most Boring Products” and some one-on-one Q&A, Kranz left the audience intrigued and thoughtful – blocking many attendees’ writer’s block, at least for the time being.

 

Advice Blog Board Events Students

2017 Career Panel Recap

Erin Collins

Guest post by Briana Maggio, president, Canisius College Advertising Club; Canisius College ’17

On April 19, 2017, a panel crafted of AAF members arrived at Canisius College with two sheet pizzas and a variety of insightful information. Students beyond the Canisius community gathered in the audience to listen to relevant information about their transition into the workforce.

AAF President Scott Bartels of HSBC Bank led the conversation. The panel offered expertise from Tim Bouchard, co-creator of Luminus; April Brown, art director at Farm; Erin Haskell, marketing manager at Great Lakes Orthodontics; and Kyle Rogers, corporate relations manager at BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York.  

Topics the panel discussed included:

  • Finding your first career
  • Things you wish you did differently when entering the workforce
  • The importance of networking
  • A typical day in your position
  • Tips for job searching
  • The most important piece of advice to share with college students

Members of the panel helped to ease the anxieties of the soon-to-be-graduates as they shared their startup stories. Panel members included that internships played a large role in landing their full-time positions post-graduation, and so did the people they know. Some members of the panel left the country for work, while others bounced around to different companies and mixed in some freelance opportunities through their personal connections. They worked for some unpleasant people along the way, but those baby steps are what shaped them into who they are in the professional world today.

A general consensus among the panel members was that after you land your first job, it’s normal to realize it’s not your dream job. Despite your dream, it is in a young business professional’s best interest to stay relevant and to focus on the learning aspect of the position to grow within the field. Proficiency, professionalism, and talent can boost you towards your professional goals. The marketing and advertising fields are constantly evolving, so make your presence by growing with them.

Juniors and seniors in attendance learned that networking is just as uncomfortable of an approach for the business professional as it is for the student, and yet just as crucial for future success. It is important to do your homework, both for the job you’re reaching for and the contact you are trying to develop. You can have a “bullet-proof” on-brand resume and cover letter, but so could the individual you’re competing with for the job. Hiring in agencies is very strategic, so students can provide themselves with the upper hand by networking prior to the interview through AAF hosted events and informational interviews.

The career panel offered new considerations as well as influential suggestions for students embarking on the application process this spring. The conclusion of the event provided a question and answer segment, which allowed students to share topics that have been on their minds during this transition. The information from the career panel was very appreciated, and surely an influence to college students. Canisius College looks forward to developing a relationship with AAF Buffalo and believes in the success it can bring to the students.

A big thank you on behalf of Canisius Advertising Club to all that attended and to all that presented to make this a valuable first event hosted at Canisius College!

Blog Events Stuff

Designing for Sports

Erin Collins
“Sports fans are the most passionate brand loyalists on earth.”

In his opening statement at Big Ditch Brewing on April 11, Todd Radom not only spoke to his audiences nationwide, but to his own identity – a loyal fan who grew up to design the logos of the teams he always loved.

Everyone’s heard that kitschy phrase – “love what you do; do what you love.” While that’s surely what we all aim to get to, let’s be honest – work is work, generally speaking. Todd Radom, on the other hand, might be part of the 1% who landed his ultimate dream job: designing logos for every team in Major League Baseball, along with numerous projects for the NBA, NFL, and other major league sports.

Radom’s presentation spanned all of his self-acclaimed roles: designer, writer, researcher, illustrator, and fan. Scrolling through pictures of the first decorated football helmets created for the rise of televised games, his own early sketches (work he drew by hand before Adobe changed the lives of designers everywhere), and various logos he’s created (including his lifetime accomplishment, Super Bowl XXXVIII), Radom spoke of the numerous design trends he’s seen come and go in a $14+ billion industry – including the Buffalo Sabres’ own blue and gold to red and black to blue and gold changeup throughout the years.

Referring to a sentiment local fans know all too well, Radom said he measures the creative variation and subsequent acceptance of a new logo based on the status of a sports team – if they’re doing well, don’t kill a good thing; if they’re down, take a leap and revamp while people are looking for something to hold on to. He went on summarize the fundamental inspirations behind his logos: locations, experiences, fan bases, communities, numbers, and traditions. In one word, the “celebration” that is watching your favorite sports team play.

Aside from showing a jaw-dropping portfolio, Todd Radom’s presentation stirred a familiar affection in many: the unique sense of accomplishment that comes with successfully capturing the very essence of something so beloved, in one design. He also discussed a variety of design elements – from the future of team logos at the center of longstanding controversy, to how designers must think differently about how the identities of a brand are perceived in their most distilled, purest form as the world around us continues to change with overwhelming amounts of content being consumed daily.

More than a great learning experience, ‘Design For Sports’ showcased the blending of art and business that is intrinsic to the advertising industry which we love so much.

The 2016-17 Spotlight Speaker Series wraps up May 9 with “Nightmare Marketing: How to Create Great Content for “Boring,” Complex and Undifferentiated Products.”