If you’ve been going for a lot of walks in the neighborhood lately (because what else has there been to do?), we’re sure you have spotted these flags hanging in the doorways and windows of your neighbor’s homes created by local pennant manufacturer, Oxford Pennant. The message “together we will see it through” is more than just a feel-good statement. These words gave us something to smile about during a time when many of us were feeling scared, lonely, anxious, and a host of other unsettling emotions over the last 13+ months. So first, we would like to sincerely thank Oxford Pennant for helping us bond together as a community, while instilling in a hope, resiliency, and a sprinkle of joy when we needed it most.
On Tuesday, April 27th, AAF President, Josh Gumulak and board member Sarah Warner had the pleasure of interviewing Dave Horesh, co-founder of Oxford Pennant at Jordan Lema’s Lemur Studios on Main Street downtown. And while we were right across the street from the Oxford Pennant store, the interview was conducted virtually (what times we’re livin’ in) so that Dave could carry on his fatherly duties while simultaneously wowing us with his knowledge and expertise as an entrepreneur, business owner, and marketing and branding expert.
The interview honestly felt like chatting with an old friend. Dave is fun, relaxed, passionate and an incredibly insightful person. In an hour’s time, we covered everything from how Oxford Pennant got started, what the company’s structure looks like today, to where he sees it going in the future (they’re committed to Buffalo)! He shared how they have successfully built and expanded their brand through Instagram, some things he’s learned in his travels that Buffalo could benefit from, and his best advice for those with aspirations to start their own business.
We had a blast talking with him and we hope our listeners enjoyed it just as much! Learn more about AAF, membership perks and upcoming events at aafbuffalo.com or follow us on social @AAFBuffalo.
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
In early May, AAF Buffalo facilitated a Zoom conference among several small and large WNY advertising agencies to discuss returning to work following the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this discussion was to promote idea sharing across WNY’s advertising leaders so that we all can implement the most effective return to work policies possible in a post-COVID-19 world.
The document represents ideas where consensus was reached that agencies should consider implementing, if resources allow.
Former AAF Buffalo President Tim Bouchard was named a Buffalo 40 under 40 winner today!
Along with Tim’s awesome work with our organization, he is also CEO/Partner of Luminus. Tim co-founded his agency Luminus in 2010.
We’re so proud of Tim’s accomplishment. It is thanks to his leadership as our president that the Club is in such great shape. Our organization, our industry, and our city is truly lucky to have him.
Congratulations, Tim! This isn’t a good enough excuse to miss our next event.
— (speaking of…next week is Ad Week, so join us for all our great events)
The annual gathering of the American Advertising Federation brought club and industry leadership together in Chicago for four days of education, networking, and awards at ADMERICA 2018. We bring you these updates from The Windy City:
Accolades for AAF Buffalo
While we came up a little short on our goal of a repeat as Club of the Year, we were still happy to exit Chi-Town with a stack of awards deeper than a pizza pie at Lou Malnati’s. AAF Buffalo received eight awards in the AAF’s Club Achievement Competition! For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 19 awards over the last three years.
2018 Club Achievement Awards 2nd Place: • Advertising Education • Public Service • Government Relations • Club Operations • Diversity and Multicultural Initiatives
A huge thank you goes out to each and every member of our board of directors who contributed to another successful year: Tim Bouchard (Luminus), Kyle Rogers (BlueCross BlueShield of WNY), Josh Gumulak (Gelia), Andrew Bevevino (Martin Davison Public Relations), April Brown (Delaware North), Shannon Silva (dPost), Ally Balcerzak (Lloyd), Erin Haskell (Great Lakes Orthodontics), Brittany Klotzbach (Gelia), Jillian Minderler (Quinlan), Jaime Applegate (NOCO), Grace de Rosa (Telesco Creative Group), Teresa Carosa (Independent Health), Paige Meckler (Crowley Webb), Lauren Carmer (FARM), Greg Pokriki (Invest Buffalo Niagara) club admin Tina Pastwik, and our student liaison Noah Herman. They balance their work and family, yet still find a way to volunteer their time and energy throughout the year to make club initiatives happen.
It would be remiss of us not to thank our members, corporate members, sponsors, and the employers of our board members for their tremendous support throughout the year. Your participation allows our organization to thrive and create opportunities for all involved in the marketing communications field in Western New York, and that backing is greatly appreciated.
Shout-Out to SU
The student team from Syracuse University, members of AAF District 2, earned first place in the 2018 National Student Advertising Competition for their Ocean Spray campaign.
The NSAC is the premier college advertising competition that provides more than 2,000 college students the real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising/marketing/media campaign for a corporate client. Students develop a marketing plan and then pitch their work to advertising professionals at the district, semifinal, and national levels.
Celebrating Diversity
The AAF’s Mosaic Awards recognize companies, agencies, and individuals whose commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident through their creative work and organization-wide initiatives. Our attendance at last year’s awards ceremony inspired the board to promote these practices at the local level with the creation of the CommUNITY Award for Inclusive Advertising. The local award in the American Advertising Awards competition recognizes content that extends beyond stereotypical portrayals and depicts multicultural communities and individuals as the complex, multifaceted, and dynamic groups they are. While you’re working on your 2019 submissions, check out a couple of winners from this year’s Mosaic Awards.
The larva that is an 11th hour scramble to stuff envelopes and fill out online entry forms each January turns into the beautiful butterfly known as the American Advertising Awards each June. The national show honors the best of the best in advertising. While our Spotlight Speaker Series pals from Brunner brought home a few gold awards for their work on The Journey, it was also great to see a lot of creative work that wasn’t necessarily on our radar before. You can see all the winners at the 2018 American Advertising Awards website. Here is a personal favorite from the night.
Come on. Who doesn’t like watching people being slapped by a tentacle in slow motion?
Once again, ADMERICA provided great opportunities for our executive board to hear from industry leaders and champions of diversity initiatives, meet with our fellow AAF chapters, attend a slew of workshops, and draw inspiration from the best of the best at the American Advertising Awards.
Production and post production company dPost recently added two members to the team.
Greg Wichlacz fills the role of Creative Strategist and is responsible for concept development and design for dPost’s direct clients. He brings more than 30 years of experience in corporate design, creative direction and brand development, strategy and management.
John Jacobs is the new VP of Business Development. John has extensive wholesale, retail, e-commerce and global specialty sales experience from a broad industry spectrum including outdoor, travel and tourism, sports, automotive and consumer and perishable goods.
dPost 3D Artist and 2017 AAF Buffalo Future Star Sam Tato found himself immersed in Vegas at this year’s NAB Show. Software developer Mettle showcased leading 360/Virtual Reality filmmakers and industry professionals at their booth. Sam was a featured presenter with his demonstration on how dPost integrates traditional 3D animation with 360 video utilizing Skybox Studio.
dPost’s Sam Tato presents his work at NAB Show in Las Vegas
Submit your news
Noteworthy industry news regarding new hires, company growth, and client stories will be considered for our monthly newsletter. Submit a link to your company’s blog post or enter a brief story using our form. News can also be submitted viaemail by adding pr@aafbuffalo.com to your distribution list!
Stories must be about an AAF Buffalo corporate or individual member. Please make sure all parties involved are aware / consent to the use of their name and/or images in the newsletter. The communications committee has the right to select the best submissions for inclusion each month.
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.
There is a very complex – relevant definition of experiential marketing, and I was asked to write a blog post about this subject as it relates to tradeshows. Tradeshows are really my specialty. I can tell you that experiential marketing – as it is now defined is marketing that “influences” all your senses.
In the tradeshow business we call this interactive or face – to – face marketing, and we’ve been doing it for many years. The problem is the same, no matter what the medium or circumstance. How do you break through the clutter? How do you get noticed on the tradeshow floor when you have so much competition to get attention? What can you do to make yourself different?
What you do, is develop a strategy that captures the attention of the attendee for as long as it takes to qualify that lead in the booth. In corporate sales, it’s all about getting to the next step, the next point of contact.
In the world of tradeshows, you get about 3 seconds to get the attention of the attendee that is walking by – after all there are 800 other exhibitors to see and as an exhibitor how will you make that attendee remember you. What do you do?
You develop a strategy that captures them before the show, during the show, and after the show for a follow up. You develop something memorable to do in the booth so it’s easy for that attendee to remember you above all the other exhibitors in the hall.
One year at the PGA Show in Orlando, we were introducing a new product – book your tee times online – something very common now, but a new concept in 2000.
The owner of the company wanted to show that not only could you book your tee times from anywhere in the world – but you could see that the system was automatic – as soon as your tee time was booked online – it was captured at the other end in the pro shop. We set up stations with double monitors one on top of the other and a person was encouraged to book a tee time, and watch as one monitor recorded the tee time, and in the second monitor you could see the tee time record on the other screen (mimicking the pro shop screen).
A cousin of the owner was an adventurist and the head of the Mount Everest climb that year for Team Canada. He booked a tee time from base camp at Mount Everest. In the exhibit – we had a replica of Mount Everest (one you could walk inside). We had the cousin signing autographs in the booth. You could have your photo taken in front of a green screen that showed you- in the photo holding the flag on the green – on Mount Everest – and you received a mouse pad with the web address of the company with your Mount Everest photo inside. (You would always have that mouse pad with the web address convenient when you wanted to book your tee time).
You were invited to the booth with an invitation (direct mail), and there were follow up postcards and thank you notes as well.
In addition – Jim Flick – golf pro and coach for Jack Nicklaus, was in the booth to offer tips on your golf swing – and – we gave out Mount Everest gum – brand new that year. We pretty much covered every one of the senses.
The secret of course was the interactive element – inviting attendees into the booth to experience booking the tee time and then getting a photo on Mount Everest. Not only was it memorable, they had a physical reminder of their experience.
The goal in attending most tradeshows is to get a qualified lead – and the only way to do that is to talk to and question the person that is attending the show, but you have to keep them in the booth long enough to do that.
Tradeshows have a great captive audience. The people attending have an agenda – to find new products or services to help them grow. As an exhibitor you have a wonderful opportunity to mingle with other people in your industry, meet a new audience, see continuing clients, and see what is new in your industry. The only problem with any medium now is breaking through the clutter – being noticed. It’s necessary to create a memorable experience for all your potential customers.
From this view you can see the two screens to see your tee time as it was booked, the round rooms were private conference rooms, and notice that mountain in the background. PGA 2000.
Join us as we chat about experiential marketing at our March Ad Lab, tonight at 6pm at the Saturn Club.
