We’re not sure what was more apparent on Wednesday, February 13th – that old man winter can’t stand in the way of ad folks and a great party or that there is incredible creative talent in Buffalo.
From student up-and-comers to seasoned pros, both were on full display at the 2019 AAF Preview Night. Thank you to everyone who braved the storm to take a sneak peek at all of the dazzling entries for this year’s show.
The turnout was tremendous, especially considering the weather. Some attendees came because they are unable to make it to the show while others come to enjoy the casual camaraderie. Regardless of the reason for joining us for Preview Night, it was a terrific evening to show off all that our city has to offer and to celebrate everyone’s great work.
There were more than 500 entries on display at a tremendous location and an AAF Buffalo favorite: Big Ditch Brewing Company. The members of the board and the ADDYs committee are grateful to Big Ditch for once again serving as the host and perfect backdrop for the event.
The saints, sinners, and somewhere in betweeners of the local advertising industry gathered in a glitter-filled church turned event space for the 2019 Addys last weekend.
The sellout crowd of 450 witnessed a drag-themed show, with creative donated by The Martin Group (deep dive on show creative). Queens slayed, crowd members were dressed in drag, and most importantly, the creative work of Buffalo’s ad industry was celebrated.
We want to thank everyone that attended, submitted, and helped support our club. We love cultivating a creative community in Buffalo and this year’s award show is proof of our passion and proficiency.
Best in Show
The Martin Group, Asics
Levy-Osborn Award for Excellence in Communication
Douglas Bean, vice chairman & chief brand officer, Mower
Joe Crowley Award for Service
Scott Bartels, former AAF Buffalo board president
Future Star Award
Megan Sweeney
Special thanks to Caitlin Higman, our board’s Addys chair, and The Martin Group who ensured a stellar show.
And as always, thank you to all our board of directors.
The fourth installment of our BrandHack event featured Diamonds in the Ruff Animal Rescue (DITR), a local non-profit looking for an updated logo, icon set and sales sheet in order to increase brand awareness and show people how to get involved with their organization.
About Our Benefiting Non-Profit
Diamonds in the Ruff Animal Rescue was formed in 2011 by a group of like-minded individuals with one goal in mind – to help and save the voiceless. DITR is a foster and volunteer dog rescue in Niagara and Erie counties.
Meet the Competition
Three teams of students from St. Bonaventure, SUNY Buffalo State, and Hilbert College gathered at Hilbert on a cold Saturday morning. They were tasked with designing updated creative elements for DITR. Three seasons professionals from the area each lead a team: Joe Conti from Luminus, Samantha Lonczak from Fifteen, and Megan Sweeney from Gelia. These creative pros provided guidance and advice for the student teams from brainstorming and development through to execution.
In true BrandHack tradition, teams had five hours to organize and create their ideas before pitching them to our two judges and the representatives from Diamonds in the Ruff.
Guidance from Judges and Rescuers
Our two judges, Frank Conjerti from martin. and Brian Benzin from Columbus McKinnon, offered their expertise throughout the event. They assisted to make sure the teams were on track and accomplishing what they had to deliver on a tight deadline. Meanwhile, DITR representatives Leandra Braham and Erin Boyd provided the students with valuable information as to the various needs of their organization, as well as their process for rescuing animals.
Each team beat the clock and produced some well-executed, unique work along the way. Congrats to all the students and captains for being a part of another great event!
Check out the results of BrandHack 2019!
WINNER: Buff State/Hilbert captained by Joe Conti
RUNNER-UP: St. Bonaventure captained by Samantha Lonczak
If there was ever a year for the commercials to completely steal the show away from the actual football game, it was this 13-3 snooze-fest in which America’s least favorite team triumphed and pretended to be the counted-out underdogs along the way. However, did the ads capitalize on a boring game? Consensus seems to be no, although there were a few bright spots.
We asked our board, what was your favorite Super Bowl ad? We need any silver-lining we can get.
And as always, Go Bills.
Google, Veterans Ad – Paige Meckler
The second of Google’s Super Bowl ads opened with a series of codes. A voice-over explains that while these codes “don’t mean anything” to most viewers, 7 percent are intimately familiar with them – and those 7 percent are soldiers and marines. The company is promoting a relatively new search feature that’s specifically designed to make it easier for veterans to find civilian jobs related to what they did in the military. I loved this ad because it created a connection with its target audience in a language only they’d understand.
Doritos, Chance the Rapper x Backstreet Boys – Megan Sweeney
Love spicy things
Love Cheese
Nick Carter
It was the collab I never knew I wanted but now I can’t live without: Food and male singers.
Washington Post, Democracy Dies in Darkness – Greg Pokriki
The message and selflessness of this ad struck me on first viewing, and its impact seems to be resonating the day after on social media. It wasn’t a WaPo ad, but an ad for the profession– the fourth estate as a whole. As a writer and comms/journalism major, I’m biased, but in a night of boring ads and an even more boring game, I thought this spot stole the show.
Google, Veterans Ad – Caitlin Higman
Overall, I was not impressed with the majority of ads this year! Much like the game, there weren’t very many stand-out moments for me. However, Google’s Veterans ad was one of the few I remember for all the right reasons. First, I think it was extremely smart placement for the target audience. Second, I love when an ad connects with folks outside the target audience and moves beyond a traditional “feel good” ad to raise awareness of a service and not just a brand. The Veteran’s ad caught my attention, held my attention and made me feel something!
Microsoft, We All Win – Lauren Carmer
Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age, but this one got me right in the feels. This commercial had several things going for it, including user testimonials, inclusivity without feeling inauthentic, putting a human face to technology, and a killer final line. Best of all, it reinforced the power of storytelling and a brand’s ability to empathize with its audience.
Doritos, Chance the Rapper x Backstreet Boys – Ally Ruiz Balcerzak
Nostalgia always goes over well for me, especially if it involves music. In a sea of robots and emotional ads, this one was just light-hearted enough to make me laugh and then dance in my seat. Only way it could have been better was if it included NSYNC instead of BSB — but that’s a completely biased opinion.
Audi, Cashew – Casey Kelly
I started off thinking “oh great, another overly heartwarming corporate commercial”, only to find out that someone was choking on a nut. This plot twist is just what a Super Bowl ad needs these days. Props to Audi for being funny in a space where all jokes are relatively played out and ads are often cheesy and overdone.
Sketchers, Big Game “Easy” Ad – Alex Keogan
Super Bowl commercials can be funny, weird, or pull at the heart strings, but my favorite ones are the companies that think a celebrity fits the profile of their business. The commercial has a bunch of fanciful ideas and far fetched ploys on making life easy. The most far fetched is the notion that Tony Romo, who was arguably the MVP of the game with his color commentary, has ever been caught dead in a pair of Sketchers.
Game of Thrones, Bud Light, Joust/RIP Bud Knight – Tim Bouchard
As “easy” as this one seems to pick, that’s why I’m picking it. It packs the largest spender along with the biggest pop-culture reference of all of the commercials. It had a surprise twist in the death of the knight, which has us all wondering if that’s permanent or not. As a fan of GoT it got a rise out of me. As a plus at least it didn’t mention corn syrup. Ads in close seconds would be the NFL100 and Kia Great Unknowns spots.
Game of Thrones, Bud Light, Joust/RIP Bud Knight – Josh Gumulak
What an ad! There’s so much to unpack here. Is the Bud Kingdom officially done? Was this the plan all along since “Dilly Dilly’s” creation in 2017? (There wasn’t a live episode of GoT in that timespan.) Where is Bud Castle in Westeros? Does Drogon wish Bud Light used corn syrup that badly? So few answers.
The real life logistics are incredible themselves: In an era where Super Bowl ads are released days ahead of time, one that featured two immensely popular national brands was kept completely silent. Two of the most competitive global agencies collaborated, Wieden + Kennedy (Bud Light) and Droga5 (HBO). The production value was sky-high, a portion of which was directed by David Nutter, who directed the infamous “Red Wedding.” I’m a sucker for planning and execution working together flawlessly, there was no better example of this last night than this spot.
Role/years with AAF Buffalo: This is my 2nd year (last year student member)
Occupation: Student receiving my BFA in Communication Design at Buffalo State
Instagram handle: @emrobc
Let’s hear about your day job.
What drove you to get into the advertising/marketing biz?
I’ve always enjoyed art and like the creative problem solving side of advertising.
What advice do you have for emerging talent in your field?
Join AAF ☺
When you’re not working, how do you spend your free time (hobbies, side projects, etc.)?
I like to read, garden, paint and play video games.
What’s one thing not many people know about you?
My favorite animals are goats.
What’s the last thing you read?
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
What’s your favorite restaurant?
Saigon Cafe
What’s your favorite hidden gem in WNY?
The Cider Mill
Duff’s or Anchor Bar?
Anchor Bar
Now, let’s talk a little about AAF Buffalo.
Why did you join AAF Buffalo?
I wanted to meet people within the industry and I noticed they had a lot of great opportunities and events for students.
What role(s) do you play on the AAF Buffalo board?
I am the student liaison.
What do you enjoy most about AAF Buffalo?
I enjoy the events they have for students and meeting new people.
Have you made any life-changing connections through AAF Buffalo?
I met Megan Sweeney, who is on the board, through Brandhack and she was the one who recommended me for the student liaison position!
Why would you encourage others to join AAF Buffalo?
It’s a great opportunity, especially for students. You’re able to receive tips on your portfolio, have the chance for scholarships, tour agencies, etc.
Working in the business of selling ideas leads to a laundry list of challenges. One of the biggest: pricing. Lucky for us, Blair Enns, author of Pricing Creativity and The Win Without Pitching Manifesto, came to Buffalo on November 14, 2018 to teach us all his method on pricing the work we produce and sell.
Far from simple, yet surprisingly straightforward, Blair explained how to follow a few straightforward rules that can help lead your agency to realizing exponential returns.
The first rule: Price the client, not the job.
Agencies in particular need to realize that each of our clients is unique and could react to the same stimuli in totally different ways. Instead of pricing based on the projects we’re producing, it’s time to start considering pricing based on the level of value we create for our clients.
The second rule: Offer options.
Too frequently, we begin a conversation with a prospective client by finding out exactly what they need and show them the quickest—and only—way we recommend arriving there.
Blair suggests that instead of selling new work this way, present three options for your client to choose from. These should consist of: 1) work that will meet client goals; 2) work that will exceed client goals; and 3) work that will lead to exponential client returns (and not necessarily in that order).
The third and final rule: Anchor high.
Imagine this: you walk into a luxury clothing store. They ask your budget. You tell them $300-500. The stylist presents you with a pair of shoes that cost $1,100. They’ve just anchored your expectations of cost—and therefore your likelihood to spend—high.
When you anchor high on a potential new project, Blair suggests you approach it by doing two things: 1) always present the highest option first; and 2) when you present it, explain in detail why the price of this option is so much higher and what value that the option will add to their organization.
Thank you to Blair for a great presentation as our second installment of our Spotlight Speaker Series in 2018-2019!
Next up, join us on April 9, 2019 as we hear from John January, a CEO and lifelong creative from Kansas City, who will talk about “Dirty Little Secrets of the Creative Mind.” See you there!
We kicked off the third season of our 2018-19 Spotlight Speaker Series a little differently this year. Instead of focusing on content creation or the principles of advertising, Bridget Todd showed attendees how to use their skills to help create change.
A self-described Digitial Activism Strategist (a title she is quick to say she made up to have something to tell family when they ask what she does), Bridget is known to many for her role as co-host of the podcasts Stuff Mom Never Told You and Afropunkon the How Stuff Works network. Prior to joining the How Stuff Works team, Bridget served as the digital strategist for Planned Parenthood, where she navigated daily public relations crises and online attacks, and curated heart-tugging stories to use to flip the narrative surrounding the “controversial” organization.
During her talk, “Everyone Is an Activist,” Bridget explained the key to success when it comes to online activism: compelling stories that hit home on a personal level.
“People care when it affects them, or at least feels like it does,” said Bridget.
She then brought her point to life by asking AAF board member Chris Gallant a few questions about his family and what’s important to him on a societal level.
When Chris expressed his concerns about preserving the environment for future generations, Bridget made climate control personal by adding, “Things may not seem that bad now, but taking care of our environment is important for the kids, like Chris’ son. Right, Chris?”
Forty-five minutes and numerous personal anecdotes later, Bridget concluded the chat with a 30-minute Q&A session. During that time, she reiterated the importance of the story-finding process and shared with a captive audience what it’s like to turn creative skills into tools for social justice, leaving us with plenty to think about on the way home.
Role/years with AAF Buffalo: VP of Communications / 2
Ally Balcerzak
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Twitter handle:_allyb
Instagram handle: buffally
Let’s hear about your day job.
Where do you work, and what does your role entail?
I’m the Marketing Manager for lloyd (and Churn). My days involve styling tacos and ice cream for photo shoots, fielding media inquiries, and managing all of our creative projects and social accounts. Sadly, it never involves driving a taco truck (yet).
What drove you to get into the advertising/marketing biz?
My mom has worked in advertising my entire life so it was one of those careers that always felt like an option. I seriously considered law school and journalism, but about halfway through grad school I realized that as much as I appreciate journalists and the news, I really enjoy persuading people to see my point of view. That’s how stumbled into content marketing — it allows me to combine advertising and journalistic tendencies into one career.
What trends or insights are you finding in your field/market?
Content marketing is exploding in popularity but few companies have a solid strategy that defines their goals and execution plans. It takes time to develop content that will resonate with consumers and eventually lead them down the sales funnel. If you jump into creating content without solidifying a strategy that outlines how you’ll get from idea to ROI — and how long it’ll take to get there — you’re in for quite a few awkward conversations with leadership.
What advice do you have for emerging talent in your field?
Develop your personal brand and build a strong portfolio to support it — then put it all online. An up-to-date portfolio is crucial for content creators, and an online portfolio makes it easy for employers to get a sense of your work before any conversations take place. In the long run that saves everyone time and can lead to unsolicited work when you least expect it.
Tell us about organizations/charities you’re passionate about.
I volunteer with the American Cancer Society and am on the planning committee for Relay for Life of Buffalo. ACS is a national organization that raises money for cancer research, provides resources for community education, and works to create a support system for those battling cancer. I’ve been involved with the organization since college and find volunteering for the various events throughout the year (Relay, Making Strides, etc.) to be very rewarding.
What are three things you use at work every day?
In no particular order: a DSLR, some sort of vessel to drink cold brew, and my cellphone (it’s practically glued to my hand).
What was your first job?
A cashier at Target during the holiday shopping season. By January I knew I never wanted to work in retail again.
When you’re not working, how do you spend your free time (hobbies, side projects, etc.)?
Most of my free time is spent doing something active. I’m working towards a black belt in Krav Maga, the Israeli art of self defense, and also kickbox multiple times a week. If I’m not at the gym, I’m usually out walking, hiking, and exploring with my girlfriend and our two dogs: Luna and Charlie.
What’s one thing not many people know about you?
I have six years of technical ballet training and used to dance competitively. You’d never know it from looking at me now — I have the grace of a one-footed duck.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Movie musicals. They’re generally some of the cheesiest movies out there, but they are hands down my favorite genre. And yes, I typically sing along.
What’s your favorite app or social media outlet? Why?
App wise, Google Keep is the center of my life. It links to your Gmail account so it’s easy to keep work and personal to-do lists and notes separate. You can also color-code things to add another level of organization.
Social wise, I’m a big fan of Twitter even though I don’t post much. A quick scroll lets me stay up-to-date on world, national, and local news without having to sort through individual websites. It’s also a great way to connect with other people in the industry.
Describe yourself in one word.
Quirky.
What’s your favorite restaurant?
lloyd Taco Factory. No, really, I didn’t get paid to say that. I literally talked about how much I love tacos and margaritas in my cover letter when I applied for my job.
Duff’s or Anchor Bar?
Anchor Bar, specifically the original one on Main Street. I’m aware I’m in the minority around here, but hey, that means a shorter wait.
Now, let’s talk a little about AAF Buffalo.
What role(s) do you play on the AAF Buffalo board?
I am the VP of Communications, which is a fancy way of saying I’m in charge of communications, membership, and sponsorship. #sorrynotsorry for spamming your inbox and social feeds.
What’s your favorite AAF Buffalo event?
Professional development wise, the Skillshops. It’s helpful to hear how others tackle things like analytics and content development, and I find the discussions afterwards to be just as enlightening.
“Fun” wise (even though everything we do is fun), my favorite event is the ADDYs. After a long, cold, Buffalo winter, it’s nice to get out and see everyone and check out all the work we’ve been cranking out the past few months. Plus it’s always entertaining to see what shenanigans everyone gets into when there is a well-stocked open bar.
What do you enjoy most about AAF Buffalo?
Most people know that in Buffalo, the six degrees of separation thing is really more like three or four. At AAF events, that easily drops down to two degrees, or even one. The industry networking opportunities are great, but AAF also gives you a chance to meet people your friends and coworkers have mentioned in passing. I really enjoy that moment when I’m talking to someone and we suddenly realize we share a mutual friend — it opens up the conversation in news ways and leads you to topics that have nothing to do with advertising.
What differentiates AAF Buffalo from other groups?
The variety of programming is what attracted me to AAF in the first place. Right out of college I wasn’t completely sure what path I wanted to go down in the advertising industry, so the opportunity to learn about the various roles available was very beneficial to my early career development.
What’s one pro tip you can share with our membership that will make their lives better or easier?
Always carry mints or gum at networking events. You’ll be surprised who you meet simply by being able to offer someone something to cover up the scent of garlic on their breath.
Why would you encourage others to join AAF Buffalo? Of course we’d love it if every ad pro in town joined and came to every event, but we’re realistic and know that people have very busy lives outside of the office. Our events are designed so people can pick and choose what they attend without feeling lost because they didn’t make it to the previous Skillshop or speaker. Also, we try to host events a cool, local places so you get to “productively” explore all the new places popping up around town.
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.
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.
Name: Emma Roberts 
