On Saturday, April 7, Villa Maria College hosted the annual 2018 Portfolio Review. As Part II of the AAF Buffalo Portfolio Series, this event focused on putting what students learned from Part I, the Portfolio Seminar, into practice. Art directors, graphic designers, freelancers and other visual communication professionals from all over Buffalo came ready with business cards in tow and advice at the ready. Senior, junior, and sophomore students from Villa Maria College, University at Buffalo, Buffalo State College, Daemen College, and Rochester Institute of Technology were also in attendance and ready for professional feedback and insightful guidance.
Designed like speed networking, the Review consisted of one-on-one interviews with a professional and a student to assess the student’s portfolio and provide critiques when needed. The Review allowed for the students to not only gain interview practice, but also learn about how to most effectively talk about their work in the time allotted. Not only is this event beneficial for student portfolios, it is also an excellent networking event for those nearing graduation. Many past attendees have gained connections, internships and even jobs from the Portfolio Review!
Students presented their work from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with an intermission for lunch. This allowed for even more networking opportunities for students to connect with professionals after their quick interview. At the end of the review, we asked our professionals to vote on the “best” portfolio in their expert opinion, and who was most deserving of our three scholarships.
Congratulations to these three students, who not only took home professional validation, but also an AAF Buffalo scholarship as well:
1st Place: Francesca Bubb – Villa Maria College
2nd Place: Cassie Chu – Buffalo State College
3rd Place: Emma Roberts – Buffalo State College
And a special thank you to our professionals who gave up their Saturday morning for us:
Katie Arcara from The Chapel Peter Arcara from Dpost April Brown from Delaware North Darryl Colling from Crowley Webb Joe Conti from The Revs Agency Collin Corcoran from Delaware North David Gram from Say What Group Nicole Reinard from Crowley Webb Jamie Ruminski from Delaware North Zack Schneider from FIFTEEN Brittney Sikora from White Bike Megan Sweeney from Gelia Sarah Walczak from Farm Amanda Widzinski from Crowley Webb Jason Yates from Gelia
Creative ideas take an interesting journey, each one unique. Some come from an organized ideation session full of tried-and-true brainstorm techniques. Others are a 2 a.m., wake up out of a deep sleep to jot down a note type idea.
The ideas below share a common path, though. These ideas all won a District 2 Addy award. Congratulations to the Buffalo winners!
Who are a few artists, writers, designers, or creatives you admire? Who inspires you to do better work?
“Good artists copy. Great artists steal.”
Paige Meckler
Beyonce inspires me. She may be a celebrity, but she’s much more than that. She’s fierce, she’s confident, she’s a feminist, she’s bold. She is passionate about what she believes in and inspires me to be the same. Our members should also check out Michael Smart. Michael Smart is a PR pro that helps people in the industry improve their pitching success and enhance their PR writing. He’s a genius for us PR folks specializing in media relations. I went to his conference in Chicago. Check it out!
Andrew Bevevino
Writers – Ned Vizzini, Hunter Thompson, Christopher Moore, Stephen King
Musicians – Father John Misty, Mac DeMarco, King Krule (Archy Marshall), ScHoolboy Q
Comedians – Dave Chapelle, Mike Birbiglia
Greg Pokriki
To name just a few: Donald Glover, Bo Burnham, Frank Ocean, Chance, David Sedaris, Steve Rushin, Tom Verducci. I don’t think artists don’t have to be in the same discipline to inspire you.
Erin Haskell
I read Fast Company daily – I like the quirky stories they have that merge business, marketing and culture.
Brittany Klotzbach
I personally have a lot of appreciation for good photography. I don’t have any specific photographers in mind when I say that, but there’s something special about coming across a breathtaking photo.
April Brown
For designers, and really any creative-minded human, inspiration can come from anywhere. I know that sounds suuuper artsy fartsy, but really–at the most random times throughout my day I’m inspired–the color that someone chose to paint the window trim on their house, the pattern on some crusty vintage wallpaper, the way a fancy meal is plated, the shapes that are made on the ground when the sun shines through a tree, and on and on and on…
But to give you a more tactile answer, designers who inspire me:
James Victore: Radical and inspiring talks, his mantra is “make work that matters, have an opinion, and love something other than yourself” I highly suggest giving a listen to his “Burning Questions” series on YouTube.
Lauren Hom: Playful letter / illustrator who isn’t afraid to share her process and technical progression. Check out her series #HOMwork and sign up for it through the link on her instagram!
Tad Carpenter: Clever yet strategic mid-century modern style designer / illustrator. If nothing else, given him a follow on Twitter and prepare to be enlightened, and definitely check out the work on his website. He’ll be coming to a Big Ditch Brewery near you this May! Score.
Dan Nesselbush
Tough question and if I sit down and think about it, I don’t think I really have any specific person that serves as an inspiration.
There is a lot of hero worship in the marketing industry – I’m sure you all know some of the names I’m thinking of – and that whole idea in a creative industry feels a little dirty to me.
I guess with that response my inspiration is probably the first old man to ever yell “Get off my lawn!” to a bunch of kids.
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
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.
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.
In no particular order, here are the best big game ads in the opinion of our board members:
Paige Meckler –Budweiser “Stand By You”
I’m a sucker for heart-wrenching commercials every year. I like that their spot doesn’t feature beer. Instead, it was about water. Specifically, the ad highlights the company’s disaster relief efforts. In my opinion, Budweiser can do no wrong. A+!
Tim Bouchard –P&G (Tide) “Every Ad is a Tide Ad”
I’m a sucker for clever ideas. I also love when jokes span across multiple jokes, in this case multiple commercials. The real reason I thought this campaign (yes campaign, not just commercial) was top notch was the main point wasn’t the joke, it was the value proposition that in almost every profession, every industry, every commercial there is a need for cleanliness and tidy clothing. This angle gave them legs so they could play with the audience and entertain them by having a spot during each of the four quarters. It was just plain fun.
Greg Pokriki –Amazon “Alexa Loses Her Voice”
The Alexa ad combined starpower and humor in a really creative way. It subtly showed you Alexa’s capabilities while being self-deprecating and self-aware. They managed to humanize a somewhat robotic voice and sometimes faceless, huge corporation. They’ve also followed up on it, encouraging users to ask Alexa to do her Gordon Ramsay impression. I shhh’d someone out loud at my Super Bowl party during this ad, so you know it was worth watching.
PS: My least favorite ad was probably the 15 seconds of a black, blank screen. They just didn’t get the message across.
Ally Balcerzak –Budweiser “Stand By You”
I’m not a fan of the beer, but Budweiser’s ads usually make my top five favorites and this year is no different. The company tactfully placed the spotlight on a major philanthropic initiative that has had a positive impact on millions of people this year alone. Pairing a Skylar Grey cover of Stand By You with visuals of the line flipping from beer to water says everything they wanted to without seeming boastful. This ad is a perfect example of the power of “show, don’t tell.”
Brittany Klotzbach –Febreeze “Bleep Don’t Stink”
Although there are so many different advertising tactics to get the viewers attention, the commercials that usually have the biggest impact on me during the Super Bowl are the comical ones. This ad made me laugh with its light-hearted humor and proud parents for not having a smelly child. I think this 30-second ad served its purpose, and there’s even a catchy hashtag that I would guess the company will build off of in upcoming advertisements.
Grace de Rosa –P&G (Tide) “Every Ad is a Tide Ad”
Definitely the winner of the Superbowl commercials for me. Just one second when you think it’s just another typical car commercial or Budweiser horse, David Harbour breaks the fourth wall. As the game went on, I began to think that every commercial he was going to pop out wearing impeccably clean clothes. In that way, they made every commercial come back to them – genius. Also, throwing Hopper into anything is a win for me.
Dan Nesselbush –E*Trade “This is Getting Really Old”
While I enjoyed the Amazon’s “Alexa Loses Her Voice” ad for validating my conspiracy theory that they are listening to my every move with that device. I respect the incredibly deep pockets of Procter & Gamble and their Tide campaign with an endless selection of Tide ads to choose from, many related to various P&G brands. My favorite ad of the night came from E*Trade with “This is Getting Really Old.” I thought the idea and execution was creative and humorous without using the crutch of celebrity appearances. Plus it did what an ad is supposed to do, get me thinking about how their service relates to me – yes, I’d like to find ways to retire by the time I’m 85.
Jenna Hutzler –NFL “Touchdown Celebrations to Come”
Humor in design is a tall order. So many things can go wrong but the NFL ad was genuine, light-hearted and was the perfect comedic relief in a sea of ads that felt like they were trying too hard this year (“Dilly, Dilly” has lost its momentum for me). I was watching with more than a few people who did not understand the Dirty Dancing reference and it was still well received. The movements OBJ and Eli Manning were the perfect amount of awkward but they nailed the jump at the end. It also supplemented nicely a year of carefully curated end-zone celebrations!
Andrew Bevevino –Squarespace – “Make It Happen”
This is probably a dark-horse pick, but my favorite ad of this year’s Super Bowl was the Squarespace ad with Keanu Reeves. Typically, I’m looking for a Super Bowl commercial to make me laugh. The spots that have long, serious voiceovers are lost on me, probably because I’ve seen so many of them over the years. I also don’t love the corporate social responsibility-themed ads, because they always seem a bit contrived. So, this Squarespace ad was right in the sweet spot for me. It was short, memorable and funny. I’m also a big Keanu Reeves fan, so I’m sure that helped Squarespace’s cause, at least as far as I’m concerned.
April Brown –Amazon’s “Alexa Loses Her Voice”
Amazon’s “Alexa Lost her Voice” ad is Super Bowl commercial gold. It does a great job of showing off how people are using Alexa, but also brings a creative twist to the sheer terror that could ensure for all avid Alexa users if she really did lose her voice. Ending it with Anthony Hopkins had me nearly in tears.
I also thought Tide did an incredible job of putting their spot together in way that leaves you guessing (and laughing) until the very end. And while Tide is getting a lot of praise for that, I think Tourism Australia deserves some too. Their spot with Chris Hemsworth and Danny McBride had our entire party up in arms about a remake of Crocodile Dundee–only to find out that it’s not actually happening, Tourism Australia just wants you to visit. I think the “element of surprise” strategy is really smart and especially effective when you have over 100 million people tuning in.
Josh Gumulak – “Doritos Blaze vs. Mtn. Dew Ice”
This ad has everything you could possibly ask for in a fun Super Bowl spot. Two superstar actors rapping a couple classic verses from Busta Rhymes’ “Look At Me Now” and Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”? Check. Shameless and entertaining product plugs? Yup. Catchy hashtags? Sure. A double entendre shoutout to Game of Thrones’ Fire and Ice? Definitely. It may not have been the most socially focused ad of the night, but it wasn’t meant to be. It was meant to be a good time, and it certainly followed through.
Lauren Carmer –Verizon’s “Answering the Call”
Humorous commercials have played well in past years. And while I can’t get that Doritos vs. Mountain Dew lip sync battle out of my head, Verizon’s spot is sticking with me in a different sense. Several major brands appealed to the heart instead of the funny bone. Some missed the mark, sounding disingenuous in an attempt to be trendy. But spots like Verizon’s and Budweiser’s warmed my cold, shriveled heart with stories of people helping people. Verizon took it a step further, developing a corresponding website where visitors can listen to more thank you messages, share their own stories, or donate to the American Red Cross. I like how Verizon used this public stage to of course sell you something but also make a greater impact.
Kyle Rogers –Amazon’s “Alexa Loses Her Voice”
I hate to jump on the bandwagon but I can’t in good conscience vote for anything other than this 90 second piece of marketing brilliance. Aside from just generally being the funniest ad out there, Amazon brought together a collection of celebrities that span and connect with different demographics. I also appreciate the foresight to eliminate a potential PR issue with the altering of the Alexa’s name to prevent all of our respective echoes from responding to the ad. This was Amazon’s first Super Bowl commercial and I’m glad they took advantage of the opportunity to put Jeff Bezos out there. For many, this was the first time seeing his face and his visibility will go a long way to humanizing a company whose technology and vast stores of data can be frightening and concerning for a lot of people.
Where do you work, and what does your role entail?
I’m a graphic designer at Delaware North. I work for their Parks & Resorts subsidiary, designing marketing materials for 6 different properties around the country. Some are national parks such as the Grand Canyon and Sequoia, and some are resorts such as Sea Crest Beach Hotel and Honey Creek Resort. I collaborate with my team of marketing managers and develop graphics for on-site needs as well as promotional campaigns (signage, emails, web elements, social graphics, catalogs, brochures, etc.). I’ve only been in this role for just about four months but am loving every second!
What drove you to get into the advertising/marketing biz?
Growing up, my favorite class was always Art. I loved anything and everything creative, and as I got older I learned more and more about creative problem solving and the conceptual side of art. I decided to go to UB for Fine Art, without really knowing where I wanted to end up. I was also working at Delaware Camera at the time and met a photographer from an ad agency who needed an assistant for a couple of client photo shoots. The agency he was with at the time ended up needing my help all summer. I only knew the basics of Photoshop at this point, but it was enough. We spent all summer shooting caps and apparel, silo’ing and saving them out for multiple uses. This was how I learned what an ad agency was and what they did, and I fell in love. I desperately wanted to work with the Designers and Art Directors there, but still had a lot to learn before starting a design internship. That fall, I got into the Communication Design program at UB, learned anything and everything I could get my hands on, and interned as a designer at the agency the following summer.
What do you like best about what you do?
I like the strategy involved with what I do. I love to brainstorm different ways to solve the same problem. I love thinking out of the box and using creative solutions to deliver results to the client.
What advice do you have for emerging talent in your field?
AAF Buffalo brought Anne Esse here in 2016 to give a talk about how to evolve in your career, and she said a lot of things that I think students would benefit from hearing. She talked about “leaning into the discomfort”—instead of saying, “look at what I don’t have” say, “look at what I could do with that…” Don’t be intimidated; be curious. Get beyond what’s in the way so you can thrive. I think all of this is critical at the beginning of your career because you need to build up a momentum. You need to put fear aside and meet new people, show off your skills and start getting paid to do whatever it is you’re passionate about.
Tell us about organizations/charities you’re passionate about.
The American Cancer Society – I photograph their “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” kick-off breakfast and 5k every year. Each event is full of so much heartfelt support, hope, respect and inspiration. I love being able to contribute to finishing the fight against breast cancer.
What are three things you use at work every day?
MacBook Pro. Sketchbook. Brain.
What was your first job?
My very first job was being a “crew member” at Cold Stone Creamery! Scoopin’ ice cream and singin’ for tips. It was so much fun, and I ate so. much. ice. cream.
When you’re not working, how do you spend your free time (hobbies, side projects, etc.)?
My husband and I have a canoe that we love to take out whenever possible. We load it up with our dog and explore different small lakes all over WNY.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Garbage television! Snooki & JWow, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, The Bachelor…all of it! The really, really bad, bad, awful stuff that melts your brain.
Describe yourself in one word.
Effervescent.
What’s your favorite restaurant?
Kuni’s.
Duff’s or Anchor Bar?
Gabriel’s Gate
Now, let’s talk a little about AAF Buffalo.
Why did you join AAF Buffalo?
To get involved with the advertising industry outside of the agency I work for. To learn, to grow, to meet new people and contribute to the club’s mission.
What role(s) do you play on the AAF Buffalo board?
I’ve been a co-chair for the ADDY awards 2 years in a row and I’m also on the Academics and Membership committees.
What has been your proudest moment in your role on the board?
Seeing the ADDYs come together always makes me feel like such a proud momma, especially the year FARM did the creative because of how involved I was with every little detail.
What’s your favorite AAF Buffalo event?
Aside from the ADDYs, I really love the networking trivia events!
What do you enjoy most about AAF Buffalo?
Connecting people and helping them learn new things. I especially love doing this for students. To be a helping hand at the beginning of someone’s career is super fulfilling to me.
How has AAF Buffalo impacted you professionally?
I’ve grown a lot since being elected to the AAF Buffalo board of directors. I’ve developed my leadership skills, grown a ton of public speaking courage and have met a lot of different professionals from around the WNY advertising community. I’ve also had the opportunity to take on new challenges that I wouldn’t typically come across in my day to day. The ADDYs being one of them. I also love the promotional creative work I get to do for the club.
Why would you encourage others to join AAF Buffalo?
You’ll meet new people and learn new things that will influence your career. Whether you want to grow in your current role or start a completely new career path in the advertising world, AAF Buffalo has a lot to offer to its members. You’ll get out of it what you put into it, and the potential for making stuff happen is my favorite part.
In the second Spotlight Speaker Series of the year on November 8, Danielle Evans took us down the breadcrumb trail of her journey from art school to her coined profession, food typographer. It was a rocky road, and at some points she wanted to give up art altogether. Even her art teacher didn’t seem to have faith in her. Her drawings were good, but not great so she tried her hand at photography next. Then sculpture, then interiors, then design. Nothing seemed right. Finally, she tried her hand at typography and realized a passion developing. She loved the letterforms and how they conveyed an inherent meaning. Evans explains it this way, “there was a moment when things clicked – the breadcrumbs of my past brought me to this point.”
Evans decided lettering would be her specialty but she wasn’t able to find much work doing the type of design she wanted. With limited money and art supplies, she started lettering with different materials including food. Some of her ideas “just needed to get done” so she started producing the work she loved and posting it on Instagram under the handle @marmaladebleue. After just a few jobs, Target called and commissioned her for a project. After that, her career took off and she went on to do work for Disney, Condé Nast, and Bath & Body Works, just to name a few.
Evans captured the audience at the nearly sold out talk with her “dad joke” humor and inspiring story. She took us through many examples of her work, explaining her process along the way. She starts out with a sketch before getting her hands dirty with the ingredients – some of which she has been able to travel to different states to retrieve. Below is a sketch and final product using mined crab legs and claws.
One thing that stuck with me about Evan’s talk was this, “the work you covet, isn’t always the work you create.”
You can “covet” the design work of Danielle Evans, but that might not be the path you are supposed to take. You might even need to invent your own niche as she did with food typography. Evans did, however, recommend playing with your food and creating your own art if you are at all curious (just not on new marble countertops – they will never look the same!)
Finish out the Spotlight Speaker Series with us in 2018. You’ll even get to hear from one of Evan’s design idols – Tad Carpenter on May 16. You won’t want to miss it!
This past Wednesday on October 11th during Ad week, AAF Buffalo held its annual Student Panel for college students at Daemen College. While midterms may have kept most students locked away in the library, the panelists got the chance to have a round table bad-and-forth discussion with two great students from University of Buffalo. The talk touched on a plethora of topics ranging from the ins-and-outs advertising agencies, directions to go in as a designer, and what it’s like to work in the business world of marketing.
Finding out your own path as a student can be very hard. You hear about all these cool ad campaigns, brand identity projects, web development jobs, and are inspired to continue your schooling and keep working, but then you think, wait, what do I want to do? For one of the attendees, who is currently a freshman, this was the problem. To help answer that question the panelists talked about their career path, which inevitably lead to a multitude of side discussions. In these side discussions the panelists explained the industry, their individual job roles, and what they see as valuable characteristics going forward in the industry. Discussing things back-and-forth to give developing thoughts a new perspective was a big component of the talk.
This may seem beneficial to those who are still searching but what happens when you’ve already defined things for yourself? Even though you’ve worked hard to get your diploma and you have a career path in mind, you still don’t know how to get into the industry or how it even works. These were some of the problems for our other attendee who is currently a senior. The panelists tackled these problems by shedding light on the logistics of the advertising world and gave practical knowledge of how things work on a day-to-day basis. What job titles do what, how an advertising agency is structured, how to network, what the heck an “in-house” is, and how advertising works in general were big topics in this end of the talk.
Overall, learning about everything that makes up the back end of the advertising world is a daunting task. One talk can scratch the surface but it only begins the discussion on how many different doors can be opened in the future. So until the Portfolio Seminar in November, keep learning, designing, and keep sticking your foot in as many things as possible (inside joke, you had to be there).
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.”
“Big ideas have no boundaries” – Brunner Agency speaking at @AAF_Buffalo’s speaker series about 84 Lumber’s Super Bowl spot. #amazing
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.
Designed like speed networking, the Review consisted of one-on-one interviews with a professional and a student to assess the student’s portfolio and provide critiques when needed. The Review allowed for the students to not only gain interview practice, but also learn about how to most effectively talk about their work in the time allotted. Not only is this event beneficial for student portfolios, it is also an excellent networking event for those nearing graduation. Many past attendees have gained connections, internships and even jobs from the Portfolio Review!
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.
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