It’s not just “pinning,” “repinning,” and “liking.”  This is all about trying new ideas you wouldn’t have thought of doing yourself, but the other society members make it look so easy that you feel empowered. This is made-from-scratch kind of stuff. From recipes to new décor ideas, I began trying some of these at home as well. I have a new built-in desk based on something I saw. I bought a new sewing machine and will try my hand at making a dress for my daughter.

If you aren’t in on this “secret society” you need to check it out. You won’t be disappointed. And you just might find yourself becoming more creative and trying out new things.

Let’s start with the identity, shall we? The folks over at You and Who were fine with their logo. But we wanted them to be more than just “fine.” So we took their mark, and evolved it to better fit their organic, down-to-earth brand.

As we mentioned in the sneak preview, the campaign is all about telling the company’s two stories – you buy an awesome shirt (the You), and at the same time, you help someone in need (the Who). How did we accomplish that? Take a look for yourself.

Being that You and Who is primarily an online seller at this point, having a knock-your-socks-off website was a top priority. The new site is essentially split into two (there’s that 50/50 notion again). On one side, you can shop. On the other, you can learn about the cities, organizations, and artists involved.

We also redesigned their packaging, and added a nifty tag that reinforces their story and directs people back to the website.

Everything so far has been aimed at t-shirt buyers. But we also wanted to help You and Who expand into more retail markets. So we created a lookbook that they can send to prospective stores to show off their goods and the good they do.

Bonus idea! OK, we weren’t really supposed to change the product. But we had an idea we liked so much, we couldn’t help ourselves. People who buy from You and Who don’t just do so for the cool t-shirt – it’s about doing something good and being part of a movement of sorts. So we thought it would be neat to let people wear their heart on their sleeves (figuratively, of course).

On top of all the creative, we also gave You and Who insightful target audience research, a detailed social media strategy, and a laundry list of public relations initiatives.

So there you have it. A complete rebranding campaign that we hope will take You and Who from startup to stardom. All in a day’s work here at Crowley Webb.

With this in mind we engaged our public relations partner e3communications. Their advice, which included creating an event with several “chapters” and aligning ourselves with a key media partner (Business First), guided us as we brainstormed ideas on how best to celebrate this important milestone.

Soon after our big idea, the Twenty-Five Hour Workday, was born. It was simple. We would work 25 straight hours to create an entire advertising campaign for a deserving Western New York startup company. And we’d award the work via a contest that would help garner additional interest and press.

There’s no question that e3’s recommendations, insights, and connections to the media community were instrumental in making our Twenty-Five Hour Workday a public relations success. They provided us with a full-blown, carefully thought out public relations strategy that spanned six months. And in doing so, the press we received far exceeded our expectations. Our story was covered more than 40 times in print, TV, and online media, as well as countless mentions in the social media world. What’s more important, several local companies, including the winner, You and Who, and finalists Triad Recycle and Community Beer Works, received nice press as well.

We want to take a special moment to thank e3communications, especially Ben Roberts and Earl Wells, for all of their support, guidance, and recommendations. You helped make our 25th anniversary something definitely worth caring about.

We laughed. We cried. We hurled (well, only one of us) and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank you, You and Who, for the opportunity to do this work for you. You deserve it and we know there’s no limit to your success. Enjoy!

1/27, 8:20 am: The team leaders are in the big conference room putting the finishing touches on the super-fab presentation for You and Who.

The rest of us are just sort of milling around waiting for You and Who to get here. We kind of don’t know what to do with ourselves. Eat donuts? Rue that last Red Bull? Check for more survivors under the desks?

Well, you can be in on the action when the show starts because we’ll have the webcam in the conference room. Tune in for the finale! Please ignore the rumpled hair and wrinkled clothes. And be thankful it’s not smell-o-vision.

1/27, 7:30 am: “Here Comes the Sun” is literally playing over the paging system right now. And yet, it is not being received with the gladness and appreciation it so richly deserves. Go figure.

So, our pals at You and Who will be here soon to see our presentation of their advertising campaign. We’re all a little giddy. Some of us are a little grumpy, and some of us are a little screechy, in fact. But we’re getting all the decks and stuff together and doing a run through. Very. Excited.

1/27, 6:40 am: The teams are coming together and the whole shebang is beginning to gel. Media, PR, creative, promotion, we’ve got it goin’ on, people.

This is really a perfect project for us because it not only illustrates how much we care about our clients, but also how much we care about each other. This is not a gigantic, impersonal agency where coworkers are just faces you pass on the way to the copier. We know each other. Each employee at Crowley Webb pulls his or her own weight. There’s no hiding here. And it’s that confidence in each other’s talent and capabilities that makes it possible for us to do the work we do, and do it well.

For real, we go all out for our clients. We always have. We always will.

1/27, 5:32 am: Is it officially morning? Amazed that we’ve been working for 20 1/2 hours already. Only 4 1/2 hours left. I think we’re going to miss this day when it’s over.

1/27, 4:33 am: Every time we look up, another hour has passed. Busy hour, this last one; tightening up the social media plan, fine tuning art and copy, programming web sites.

Some people have gone AWOL and we suspect they are curled up under a desk somewhere in the far recesses of the Crowley Webb office sleeping. They don’t know what they’re missing!

Is that daylight we see? Or merely the glow of Fort Erie across the river? Eh, either way, the brightest things around here are our ideas.

1/27, 3:30 am: We just got our 22nd wind. One cranium circumference contest later and we’re good to go. (Mr. Reiling was, shocking no one, the winner with a 24-inch noggin.)

The website and print thus far are really gorgeous. We hope You and Who and you will like the work. We’re looking forward to presenting it to our fantastic client in 5 1/2 hours.

Work is what we do, after all. Yep. Work work work.

1/27, 2:07 am: Oh, is it 2 am already? We hardly noticed. Plugging along, not getting punchy or irritable at all. One great thing we learned tonight is that you can make tea with Red Bull instead of water. Delish.

The media team has way more energy than is strictly necessary, but we don’t resent them.

The designers’ retinas may be permanently bedazzled from staring at their computer screens for 17 hours but, damn, that art looks good.

1/27, 12:46 am: It’s tomorrow! We made it. Only nine more hours to go.

This just in: The ping pong table is going back up! Yes! And we’ve been refortified with pizza and wings from La Nova who, like Crowley Webb, is proud to be from Buffalo, NY.

On the DL, some of the crew here just filmed a group confession. Said confessional/blanket across the alcove has seen a lot of action tonight. Should we post our employee’s innermost desires and diatribes? If any material turns out to be appropriate for the general public, heck yeah!

On the campaign front, something is brewing in the large conference room. All kinds of creative types are in there, stroking their chins thoughtfully and looking at stuff people made. Stay tuned.

1/26, 11:40 pm: Aaron just left, but before he could take the elevator down to the sidewalk and sanity, he snapped a company picture. That’s something we’re looking forward to posting. Kind of. (How can you have bed head without ever going to bed?)

The ad copy is coming fast and furious now and the message is really shaping up. Do good, feel good.

And we’re all feeling pretty good, thanks. Especially the folks on the 5th floor, judging from the shouts and laughter floating down the stairs. Sure, SOME of us have to work while others whoop it up playing Apples to Apples. But that’s OK. We’ll just bide our time until they fall asleep and then break out the Sharpies.

1/26, 9:59 pm: We’re officially halfway through the 25-hour day!

Just wrapping up the photo shoot and getting some designs together. Lookin’ good.

The yoga class was a big hit, as in some of us hit the floor falling out of tree pose. We had a hard time rousing some people out of savasana (a.k.a. corpse pose), but in the end, we came away from the class more focused and energized.

Also, we’d like to take this opportunity to gently urge everyone here employ their brand-spankin’-new official Crowley Webb toothbrush.

1/26, 8:48 pm: Twelve more minutes until the yoga class begins! Get out your sticky mat and downward dog with us. Thanks to Evolation Yoga for lending us an awesome instructor.

Meanwhile, on the 5th floor, the PR group is hard at work composing a cool strategy to promote outreach and spread the You and Who message.

1/26, 7:50 pm: A bunch of lovely young people are here getting their pictures taken in t-shirts for the You and Who ad campaign. There’s music playing, lights flashing, people saying, “Yes, give me the eyes. More! You’re a tiger. Grr.” OK, maybe not that last bit. Photographer Aaron Ingrao’s work is amazing and we’re really looking forward to seeing the finished product.

1/26, 6:31 pm: Well, that’s a relief. We just finished presenting concepts to You and Who. Dan said, and I quote, “We’re super excited.” You’re not the only one, Dan.

Fifteen hours, give or take, to get this baby done. On it.

1/26, 5:55 pm: All righty, then. Our website and blog is back online and we’re back with more news.

If you’ve been checking in on the webcam feed, you will see a large white shape on the left of the screen. That would be an enormous sheet of paper that our models will stand on/in front of during the photo shoot. You may also see various Crowley Webb employees posing and looking all pretty, testing out the backdrop.

Our concept presentation to You and Who is in five minutes. FIVE MINUTES.

OK, we gotta run and show this thing. Hope they like it!

1/26, 3:29 pm: Just left the war room. Sketches on the wall, the smell of dry erase markers in the air, talk of brand boards and concept deadlines. We are not panicking at all, just so you know. Everyone is super excited about the creative, but it’s a secret for now.

The people upstairs are talking PR and mandatory fun. No one is napping. We just spotted a giant basket full of chocolate bars. All good.

1/26, 2:35 pm: Busy, busy. The Buffalo News stopped by for a chat, so look for a mention of Crowley Webb’s Twenty-Five Hour Workday contest in the next edition or online.

Also, the epically talented Buffalo-area photographer Aaron Ingrao is at the agency setting up for the photo shoot tonight. Did we mention we’re having a photo shoot tonight? If you’re interested in modeling You and Who t-shirts, email steven.molenda@crowleywebb.com for more information. We’re looking for people age 18–25(ish) from diverse backgrounds. Payment will be in snacks.

1/26, 1:44 pm: Sorry this is late, but we had a very special visitor. And he brought tacos. If you’ve never had a meal from Lloyd Taco Truck, don’t come sniffing around here, because we’re not sharing. However, if you’d like a veritable fiesta in your mouth, the location schedule is posted on their website. Today the Lloyd truck will be at Fetch Logistics at Northpointe Business Park.

Yep, we’re keeping the eats local. Western New York has fantastic restaurants and the foodie culture keeps on growing. Breakfast today was provided in part by the Armor Inn Tap Room in Orchard Park, and there’s a rumor afoot that dinner will be supplied by Curley’s in Lackawanna. So the eating is good at our can-do agency here in Buffalo.

Oh, and we’re also working on an ad campaign for You and Who.

1/26, 12 noon: What’s happening in hour three, you ask?

Dan and Katie from You and Who are cozily ensconced in our office, just offscreen of the webcam.

It’s almost lunchtime and I’m sure we’ll have a scrumptious meal brought in. Right, management?

Thank you to Artvoice for stopping by. We love Artvoice, and not just because we can see their office from ours. Be sure to pick up a copy.

Here’s a posting from our partner is this crazy endeavor, Business First.

Our Flickr feed is rolling. No embarrassing photos. Yet.

1/26, 11 am: You can watch the magic happen via the live webcam on our website. We just found out that we reached our maximum capacity of simultaneous viewers (eek!), so we switched to another live feed. Now millions of people around the world can see us walk by the ping pong table while shoving croissants in our mouths.

1/26, 10 am: We just met with You and Who to go over the creative brief. Now that we’re all fed and caffeinated and on the same page, our team will work on developing concepts. Creative juices flowing. Brainstorming storming. We are off to a fantastic start.

It’s 8:30 and the gang’s all here. We’re starting off the day with an agency breakfast to help fuel the next crazed 25 hours. We cannot wait to get started on You and Who’s advertising makeover. Whee!

We will be updating this blog every hour, as well as our Facebook and Twitter (#cw25hr) accounts, so check in often to check on our progress/sleep deprivation.

If you happen to go grocery shopping next week, don’t plan on buying any coffee or energy drinks. That’s because we’re planning to clear the shelves of anything that remotely resembles caffeine in preparation for the big Twenty-Five Hour Workday.

In case you’ve been on an African safari for the past four months, the Twenty-Five Hour Workday is our way of celebrating our 25^th anniversary in 2011. We held a contest to find a worthy Western New York startup business that needed a professional marketing campaign. The response was pretty outstanding. We received more than 40 entries, from which we narrowed down to three semi-finalists. The winner was decided by votes on our website. After 15,000 ballots were cast, You and Who emerged victorious.

Now comes the really fun part. From Thursday, January 26, at 9am to 10am on Friday, January 27, our entire agency will be immersed in the Twenty-Five Hour Workday. Our task will be to create a campaign that helps You And Who – a T-shirt company that donates a shirt to charity for every product sold – grow in their current markets, as well as arm them with what they need to expand into new cities.

We’ll devise a media strategy, develop creative, and consult on their website – a process that typically takes weeks. Except this time, we’ll have just over a day. The plan is to have a kickoff meeting with You and Who first thing Thursday morning, present them with concepts later in the afternoon, then burn the midnight oil to execute the ideas by the next morning. Hence the need to stockpile stimulant-laden beverages.

Sure, we’ve pulled all-nighters before. But this one will be different. For one, we’ve formed a Morale Team to keep our brains sharp in the wee hours. We can’t divulge details – all we can say is there may or may not be a puppy appearance, a handstand contest, and/or the debut of the Crowley Webb marching band. You can also keep an eye on our progress (or debauchery) through tweets and blog updates, as well as via a live webcam at crowleywebb.com/25. If you’ve ever been curious about what kind of PJs Matt Low wears, now’s your chance.

So wish us luck. And please, try not to interrupt our nap next Friday afternoon.

But let’s back up a little bit to December 16, 2011. A customer named Dave contacts Ocean Marketing to ask when his Avenger controller would arrive. Paul Christoforo responds to this customer’s request in a less than professional way. In fact, his abusive and bullying customer service story has gone bananas viral. Christoforo’s grammatically challenged emails contain such PR gems as, “Grow up you look like a complete child bro. I Don’t have my controller so im gonna cry to the world … Really ??” And “your not an industry professional and you have no money on snap you just got told.” You can read more of the email exchange at Penny Arcade.

And the fallout from giving really, really bad customer service? On December 27, the story was reported on tech and gaming blogs including Destructoid, Gameranx, Nukezilla, GamerFront, and TechCrunch. The emails showed up on web forums including ScrewAttack, SLUniverse, and Neogaf. On December 28, the single topic blog Paul the PR Guy was created on cheezburger.com. Additionally, advice-animal image macros spawned on Quickmeme and Meme Generator were posted using a photo of Christoforo from the Ocean Marketing Twitter account accompanied by quotes from the various email exchanges such as, “I wwebsite as on the internet” and “I goyt 99 problems but Ocean Marketing aint one.”

And now it’s up to the valiant Moisés Chiullan to set things right, placate irate customers, save N-Control’s brand, and reason with Christoforo who is still (STILL!) talking smack and making demands. Chiullan’s first brilliant move was to immediately engage the (who knew?) enormous and gossipy community of gaming forum, blog, and website users and readers. He quickly gained their trust and admiration with his frank discussion of the fiasco and its consequences and his tireless efforts to make things right. Not only has he turned around a public relations nightmare, he has the denizens of the gaming world cheering for him and likening him to a superhero. Amazing PR save.

Let this be a lesson to you marketers and customer service reps: Treat every client and customer with respect and courtesy or you just may find your entire professional universe imploding – as on the internet.

Turns out it was soup! We at Crowley Webb held our first-ever Soup-Off and, boy, the culinary crowd did not disappoint. A dozen or so CW chefs braved the Pearl Street driving ramp with crockpot contents sloshing onto their upholstery to deliver delicious soup to our kitchen.

Soups on the menu included beer cheese, chicken noodle, and cauliflower and Stilton cheese. Our panel of judges selected the three prize-winners.

First place: Hungarian Mushroom, by Felicia Iggulden

Second place: Thai Coconut, by Leslie Sanford

Third place: Black Bean, by Deb Pollina

Each winner received a fancy ribbon and some cold, hard cash. Yep, this trio of dames sure is hot stuff in the kitchen.

We’re trying to decide what our next competition should be. Food on a stick? Crockpot creations? Various balls? Whatever it is, we’ll be sure to share.