El Gaffney

Leaving Viral Back In 2009

2010-02-23T23:12:19Z

Here’s a post I meant to write at the beginning of the year, but I never got around to it. Thanks to the “#snowpacalypse” in NYC (or few inches on the ground), I had a bit of time to aggregate links last week. Now that it’s Friday I have a bit more time. So let’s get down to business.

I, like many planners, having been keeping track of and keeping my clients up-to-date on the content online that’s spreading across many people for a while now. It started years ago as a way to shift the conversation away from “We want the next Tea Partay” to “what’s right for us and our audience and what would they want to pass along” by providing examples with various levels of taste, humor, shock, etc. Plus, because the majority of “viral successes” come from individuals, it was helpful to start looking more closely at what companies were doing.

Read full article here

Fast forward to present. Thankfully we don’t get too many briefs with “viral” as a deliverable anymore. But for those who do, there’s been some great thinking about the problems with the term/request done by Faris, Bud, Paul and Ivan. However, I still do collect examples of (mostly) brands’ attempts to produce (mostly) video content to be passed around…and rack up that coveted 1 million YouTube views.

Since I had all these links in my delicious or email, I figured I’d put them all in one place and share them with you - just in case it’s useful in any way. Without further ado, the 2009 “viral” year in review:

Q1 kicked off with Mini has some fun with the “Is it fake?” theme of many viral videos. Geico feeds off the equity of the Numa Numa Guy to create a hit video (though other videos leveraging memes that they put on their YouTube channel “itsthegecko” had significantly less views). Nike had Taylor Momsen (from Gossip Girl) do some parkour to avoid the paparazzi. Ray Ban “Never Hide Films” (behind the catching sunglasses video which has over 4 million views) came back in early January with another video, which did not get quite the same response. Cadbury, on the other hand, came back strong (after the drum-playing gorilla) with “Eyebrow Dance” and got a lot of views.

Then, there were the commercials, which were heavily spread online like McDonald’s Fillet o’ Fish commercial, which has a techno song remix as well. Though, Pharrell trying to get the Mickey D’s in Paris airport gained more traction. Then, there were ones that just didn’t stir up the controversy they had hoped to, such as Domino’s CEO going hard at Subway.

After his death at the end of June, it was no surprise that Michael Jackson was all over the Internet. Millions of views for everything from this old Pepsi commercial to this Twitter mashup to the tribute by Philippines detention center inmates, who are more famous for their original Thriller performance.

Back to brands, Samsung put out this LED sheep thing which got tons of views. Then followed up with more crazy stuff at a trade show. I know it’s a TV campaign, but the geeks went gaga for this Intel work. And sticking with tech, peeps have been all about Xbox’s Project Natal and its first official look. T-Mobile is back (in the UK) with a follow-up to their train station dance, getting a crowd together to sing “Hey Jude”.

There’s what Nike did for Free And what FC Barcelona’s coach put together with Catalonian TV before playing Manchester United in the Champions’ League Final, which was inspired by this.

Remember the EA Sports response to Tiger Woods superfan and YouTube user? They tried to build off it (but less successfully) with this before the Open. And I think Gilette’s still sour that Philips had such a hit with their body groomer (”Shave Everywhere”) work a few year’s back and came out with this “manscaping” tip video. But that’s probably better than the Comfort Wipe infomercial out there and Burger King “Square Butts” (Sponge Bob + Sir Mix-a-lot) commercial, both of which have been racking up views online.

Of course you’ve seen “I’m on a Boat” by Lonely Island, but even better is this a Capella version. Plus, on the subject of singing (or lip-syncing in this case), here’s a kid who produces and broadcasts his talent from the Apple Store.

There’s the Kanye interrupting Obama mash-up and likely the most viral video as of the year (parodied on NBC’s The Office): “JK Wedding Dance“.

Nike, EA and RayBan returned with Skateboarding and Ice Cube, FIFA 2010 and a SxSW video respectively.

Discovery Channel launches a bunch of mini-clips for Shark Week. Disneyland brings us a magical (come on, don’t be a hater) proposal. Evian helps you feel young…with roller-skating babies. And MSI gives us “Guy catches laptop with his butt.”

United Airlines gets firsthand experience in the power of the customer and a PR nightmare when they broke a dude’s guitar. The Muppets sing Bohemian Rhapsody. There’s a Christmas Light Hero and a Gap commercial tribute.

Over the holidays, we had the option to stay warm by the fire or with your Weezer Snuggie. But, as NYC Health advises, stay away from the soda (WARNING: KINDA GROSS). And if we ventured out, we could have brought some money for the Salvation Army and ImprovEverywhere. While brands were not pumping out as much online video content as in past quarters, there was this nice set of videos for Google Chrome.

And there you have it. Say goodbye to 2009 (again)..and (now) to “viral.”

Everyone’s Favorite Super Bowl Game

2010-02-04T23:24:54Z

After focus groups prevented me from playing The Bachelor’s Rose Ceremony Game on Monday night and Lost bingo on Tuesday night, you better believe nothing’s getting in the way of my (sub-par) Super Bowl boxes on Sunday night.

As you can see, Charles and I have an uphill battle going into the game. But he’s a lucky dude and there are 9 ways to win. For those wanting to play along, here are the deets:

$20/box / 1st quarter - $150 / Half-time - $300 / 3rd quarter - $150 / Final - $1100
Additionally, the “four touchers” of the final score box will get $50 each and reverse score wins $100.

So start your own tomorrow at work or with your party on Sunday. Or just root for me.

Inbox of Immaturity: The Art of the Tease

2010-01-22T16:54:05Z

Man, since that New Year’s Resolution to write a post per week, week’s are starting to fly by. This isn’t the most thoughtful post, but I can’t help it that I woke up and all I could think about was this clip (that was featured on The Soup). So I brought back an old staple, the IOI, in order to present this gem - and a few others. Without further ado, Ray-J teaches up about the art of the tease (at about 2:30 in):

More stuff I’m digging this week:
- Conan spending NBC’s money
- Five year-old drummer doing System of a Down
- Parks & Recreation + Questlove + Wu-Tang
- Kind of like the Jersey Shore meets Pokemon (NSFW)
- And finally, a Jersey Shore compilation

Have a great weekend. Go Jets!

Filmed Brand Experiences

2010-01-14T16:16:29Z

I’m very much in agreement with Zeus Jones that actions speak louder than words, so it’s always nice to see companies spending some time/money to do things for people (their customers, fans, etc.). To see them making good, creative use of the moments people’s lives intersect with their company’s products or services. To do unexpected and fun things with/for people. To make them smile.

One issue many clients seem to have with actions is their limited reach. “That’s awesome for those twenty individuals but what about the other twenty million.” Word of mouth is tough to track, especially offline. That’s why it’s helpful to capture these actions in picture of video form. To tell the story. To share it with a broader audience. To enable them to share in it and share it with others.

Experiences plus Content. When done right, it’s like Jay-Z and R. Kelly (the best of both worlds). When done wrong it can look staged (reactions rehearsed). It can look selfish instead of generous.

Here’s one I saw this morning that, in my opinion, works.

Red Bull is a company I’ve felt does this particular thing (amplifying experiences) really well. It creates real world events that, whether tens or thousands attend, tell a story to millions about their brand.

T-Mobile in the UK offers a couple examples of bring people together to do something and developing content off it. And, of course, there are the masters at ImprovEverywhere, who do this often - sometimes for (a bit of) good but mostly just for fun.

Brands understandably want to get credit for their actions/the experiences they provide. But let’s not let that become the driving force for doing.

Happy New Year

2010-01-06T19:29:02Z

Or feliz ano nuevo, if only I could figure out how to do get that tilde over the n. Anyone know the shortcut in Wordpress? I probably have to get some “plugin” for a Spanish dictionary or something. I’ve got friends who know how to code and others learning code as part of their New Year’s resolution, and I’m trying to put a squiggly line over a letter. Oh boy. Ah, how about if copy it from the Internet? Oh snap…

Feliz año nuevo! (I’m not going back for an upside-down exclamation point. Sorry.)

But that’s not what this post is about. Well, it kind of is. I have been inspired by some blogging buddies to put some of my resolutions out there for critique, improvement, encouragement and/or to give others ideas since that’s what they’ve given me. Pay it forward. Man, that’s an emotional movie. Haley Joel Osment. Kevin Spacey. Helen Hunt and JBJ (as her alcoholic ex-husband).

Anyway, it’s great to be back from this…

Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico

Seriously, though, I’m feeling re-energized both professionally and personally and am excited for 2010. (I’m going with twenty-ten, by the way.) And, as I mentioned, have decided to post five resolutions that have been floating around my mind over the last couple of weeks.

1. Blog Once A Week - First things first, I poppa freaks all the blogging. Okay, stream of consciousness may be part of it (as you may have noticed reading up to this point), though I plan on censoring myself a bit to make sure I’m coherent and my posts are fun to read (or at least tolerable). Long story short, this blog is approaching it’s fourth b-day and I’ve never really had a plan for it nor have I forced myself to post on a weekly (even monthly basis). I’m pretty sure I need a full post to outline the first point, but I can confidently say I need to post more. I enjoy writing and sharing (thoughts, not food or toys). So here’s the start.

2. Get Five Mentors - Michael K. is definitely responsible for this one. He surrounds himself with smart people with diverse experiences and seems to be constantly tapping their brains. He is, and his plans are, better for it. Right, Mike? I’ve had the fortune of meeting and working with some incredible people at this point in my life and have lost touch with too many. I need to identify and reach out to a handful of them as well as (hopefully) reconnect and start conversing with them more regularly.

3. Wake Up Early to Work Out Twice A Week - Thanks go out to Kevin for this one. He’s trying to run a 5K and become an early riser. For years I’ve talked about working out in the mornings because (1) I sleep pretty late as it is, and (2) It’s hard to motivated to get to the gym after a long day of work. It hasn’t happened. So this year I’ve got even less excuses. I’ve got a partner (my girlfriend) and a gym/pool in my building. Tuesday’s yoga. Thursday’s swimming. Tomorrow is the first test.

4. Develop Three Skills - This is a work in progress as I cull a bunch of my initial thoughts into a shortlist. It can be learning to do something completely new (e.g., boxing or cooking) or growing/reviving a current (stagnant) ability (e.g., Spanish or dancing). (Yes, dancing.) If anyone has any suggestions in NYC for any of the four listed, I’m all ears.

5. Get Better at Managing Money - This is a big and scary one. And that’s why I didn’t put it into the “skills” list and give myself an out. I hate thinking about and talking about money. But I’ve reached a point in my life where my hate (and guilt) for disliking (being overwhelmed by) money has surpassed the hate of money. It’s debilitating. I’ve realized I need to take control of my personal finances ASAP. (Don’t worry I’m not in any financial trouble.) This is something I’m thinking about sharing what I learn (about everything from saving to investing) or creating a business around.

I finished with a less tangible one and want to add one more to the mix. It is to meet more bloggers in-person. A couple years ago, I was more committed to meeting online acquaintances offline and want to challenge myself to do step that up this year - even if it’s reconnecting with blogging friends. So please stop by and say hi. All the best in this new year.

Introducing The Group of Death

2009-12-01T19:44:10Z

In anticipation of the 2010 World Cup draw this Friday, we’ve worked with ESPN to put together a fun little thing for football (soccer) fans…

We’ve created a heavy metal band called The Group of Death.

Inspired by the most hardcore group of the World Cup draw every four years and with the goal of entertaining football fans across the world. See the band’s one-sheet below for more info.

As most of you know, we’re constantly producing things with ESPN at W+KNY — for its sports properties (e.g., NBA on ESPN Shaqtus), shows (SportsCenter Duck) and media (ESPN.com Answers). Shit, I was going to say “I rarely share…” but instead I added links.

Anyway, the reason I wanted to post about the GoD is because it’s one of those ideas that usually get left behind for the main campaign, for the big stuff. Whether it’s too far removed from the ultimate objective (selling something), the immediate objective (need to focus everything on one main idea) or the more easily measured objective (ratings). Whether it seems too rushed to execute or too risky. Whether there’s just not enough money because producing 3 TV spots is the priority. Or whatever. An idea like this often never sees the light of day.

Props to ESPN for allowing us to bring The Group of Death to life. They had to be comfortable with the fact that this idea is not about promoting its coverage of the draw and is not meant for the sports fan masses. It’s about being present on the is the most important day for fans until the tournament starts on June 11, 2010 and doing something interesting/exciting/authentic for avid football fans.

Specifically, this idea is meant to capitalize on the fact that when the draw comes out, fans want to know two things: (1) where their team (or teams) are placed and (2) what teams are in the most difficult group - The Group of Death. It’s one of many ways we’ll be trying to build a relationship with sports fans leading up to the World Cup. And we got off to a good start yesterday when “The Gaffer” (no relation) unboxed us on EPL Talk.

Hope you enjoy it. Make sure to check out the songs on the music tab within the Facebook page (IMO it’s the best part). Come through Nevada Smiths around 5PM on Friday for the live concert. Leave a comment if you want me to save you/bring you/send you a t-shirt - I’ve got a few extras to give away.

World’s Greatest Dad / LI’s Best Hypnotherapist

2009-11-20T04:02:51Z

Unfortunately, there’s only so much room on a coffee mug. Otherwise, CafePress would be receiving a new order. Hey-oh!

Image Credit

My dad has recently been nominated in “The Best of Long Island 2010″ poll in the “Best Hypnotherapist” category. Rather than ask you to vote for him blindly though, I’ve decided to share a little bit about him with you…and then later in the post I’ll ask you to vote for him (Best of –> Health & Wellness –> #12 –> Dr. Vincent Gaffney, if you don’t want to read on). Here goes:

My father quit smoking through hypnosis a month before before I was born. One session and tapes. (Cassette tapes—now CDs and MP3s—that can be customized to help keep people on track and learn to practice self-hypnosis.) And he hasn’t touched a cigarette since.

He clearly has a reason to believe in the effectiveness of hypnosis. More general than this personal experience, however, my dad has always believed in the power of the mind to impact people’s lives. He’s taught me through conversations and, more importantly, by example that positive and focused thinking lead to positive actions and accomplishment.

It is all starts with the desire to change something for the better (e.g., quit smoking, lose weight, stop procrastinating, manage stress, fly on plane, etc.). This is non-negotiable. I’ve always admired that the first question my dad asks a new client is if they truly want to do/not do ‘x’. If they’re still on the fence, he kindly asks them to return when they’re ready to take control of this desire (and resulting behavior). Specifically, he works with the subconscious and conscious to change individuals’ directives to what they really desire and reinforce these new positive directives, respectively.

Over the years he’s helped countless people make the changes they’d never been able to make before. Whether they attempted cold turkey, countless diets and/or in some cases seeing a psychologist, the past is what it is. And when they come to see him, as he says, “There is no try; there’s just do.”

It’s not just a challenge for his clients. He holds himself to the same principle. This is the way he approaches his life and how he’s achieved his goals. This was his approach when he was an administrator at a middle school in Spanish Harlem and when he started his career teaching special education. This is how he was able to better the lives of his students and how he’s been able to provide more opportunities for my sister and me.

Now to answer the obvious first question: Has he ever hypnotized me? Nope. Then how do I know he’s any good? Because if commits even a tenth of a percent of the energy to improving their lives that he commits to me and my family, he’ll help them too. Boom.

So, while you may care to cast your vote differently for a World’s Greatest Dad competition, hopefully you don’t have a personal connection to anyone else in the running for LI’s Best Hypnotherapist.

Therefore, please go to Long Island Press Best of Long Island 2010.

- Click on Health and Wellness.
- Scroll down to #12 “Best Hypnotherapist”
- Check: Dr. Vincent Gaffney, Huntington

And while you’re there and if you’re so inclined, please also scroll to #21 “Best Acupuncturist” and vote for his business partner: Ronald Sandoval, Huntington.

Please note that while there’s no slashy award in this competition, I’ll always see him as a dad-slash-hypnotherapist and not other way around. But, as you can see below, his style is versatile…

New York Story

2009-11-03T19:06:27Z

My friend Mike always keeps me well informed when it comes to the rap scene, and recently has been no exception. He tipped me off to Drake’s “Forever” video with Lebron James and a Freestyle Cypher with Mos Def, Black Thought and Eminem.

But the one that really “hits home” is Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” (embedded below). Great storytelling, which, as this post from Desedo shows, has the potential to be even richer and more interactive. (Especially if we can select Alicia Keys as the GPS navigator’s voice.)

Jay-Z - “Empire State Of Mind” ft. Alicia Keys

Jay-Z | MySpace Video

Work to Live…Kinda Lavish

2009-10-28T15:19:57Z

Please excuse the silence over here. I’m working my a$$ off (for those dolla bills, sort of) on some exciting, new projects (pretty much).

Seriously though, I have no idea how my buddy found probably one of the most ballin’ versions of me out there. I wish I could claim this as an alter-ego (Stefan style), but I can’t. Introducing: Seff tha Gaffla.

The Proof is in the People

2009-09-24T21:40:22Z

I just read an interesting post over at Thought Gadgets, which talks about the importance of putting individuals at the front of companies’ social media efforts. I agree with just about all of it, except not sure about the thought that “the most authentic brands online are the ones that give us real people’s names.” Certainly Ford’s Scotty Monty on Twitter (where he uses his own name) @scottmonty) is a great example (cited in the post). And of course, Zappos’ Tony Hsieh and his staff counts (even if he uses @zappos and other names range from @zappos_fly to @Zappos_Service). But would Skittles Fan page on Facebook be more authentic (or successful) if its CMO or Director of Product Innovation shared his/her name and let everyone know he/she had the reigns? Probably not. That is, unless some Willy Wonka-type character (or Leprechaun) worked there as “Keeper of the Rainbow.” I’m not sure Nike+ (the example in question) gains any authenticity points for being a real person vs. having a real purpose for it - customer service, new features or linking up users and Twitters who are geographically and pace compatible. (Of course it doesn’t have to be one or the other.) No one seems to be dinging at @TOMSshoes for lack of transparency about who’s tweeting from its end. Because humanity is baked into the business (buy one pair, one pair sent to someone in need).

But that’s not to nitpick or twist words. It’s just to build and ultimately get me to a point about how in social media or traditional media: If the goal is to move away from being a faceless corporation—or in more positive terms to be human—, then you should empower your employees to bring to life the personality of the brand. Whether they become faces of the company or not and whether you do it on Twitter or TV, it still about people. And when you encourage/enable them to add their own unique personalities to the mix, that’s when you get something really special - like @JetBlue which updates who is on Twitter duty or one of my all-time favorites, Southwest’s David Holmes:

You go airlines!

Word of the Week: Crower

2009-09-09T22:11:51Z

I hope you haven’t been holding your breath since the last WOW (in August 2007). But I’ve got a solid one from Lauren a friend and co-worker (which I can probably combine into a new word like co-friend). Up there with Bevistated and doesn’t require a PhD in the Bachelor. Without further afreddyadu (I’ll stop):

Crower
(noun, verb)
To cry in your shower because you live in a crowded metropolis and don’t want your roommates/neighbors to hear you. Often after tough meeting, or Oprah.

Ex: Deena had watched “The Notebook” with her roommates before, but it had been a brutal day at work and she needed to crower before dinner.

In case you still don’t understand or need some crower assistance…

White Men Can’t Jump

2009-08-25T21:37:47Z

At least this one can’t. As Gloria Clemente once said:

Sometimes when you win, you really lose and sometimes when you lose, you really win and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic globule, from which one extracts what one needs.

Here’s a case where I lost and really lost. (Though I did extract a blog post from it.) The rules: standing jump (high and long) over the couch. (How the new Mad Men and Women get down. Literally.) My one and only attempt was somewhere in the middle of the event. You can see the rest, including a few successes, here.

CouchJump V from Keiji Ando on Vimeo.

I am an Internet Explorer

2009-08-06T20:02:47Z

Forget being a Mac or a PC. And forget that I use Firefox. We don’t give IE credit for its name.

Sure, the Internet (Google) is great for finding answers to very specific queries (which are getting longer and longer). But the real fun begins when you allow yourself to dive deeper into a story or explore tangentially related topics. When 5 or 15 minutes later you find yourself somewhere discovering something completely new (to you), asking how the hell did I get here and then tracing back your path. You surprise yourself.

You (movie, entertainment and pop culture junkies) have to love IMDB for this. I made a Ladybugs reference at work the other day (yes, I know, but we were talking about starting a co-ed soccer team and didn’t have enough girls so I told a male AD we call Jules that he could be our “Martha”), and it sent me on the hunt for a good still image from the movie during which I found this one…

…of JB and serious 7th grade crush, Kimberly Mullen, whose name I now know is Vinessa Shaw who I then realized was Josh Hartnett’s ex-girlfriend in 40 Days and 40 Nights (I should have realized - the bagel guy definitely knew that) which was home to my 10th grade crush Shannyn Sossamon (Shannyn with a ‘y’ just like Kiptyn from The Bachlorette)…and then I had to get back to work.

Which is actually a good segue to work we’ve done for ESPN.com. It was completely based on the personal journeys of sports fans. What goes through their minds, the connections they make, the paths they take and where they end up in the online home of sports. Here are a few of them.

Okay, now off to see where the search for little Josh in Big leads me.

Hey Sports Fans, Happy Monday

2009-07-13T13:18:48Z

A little something we (W+K NY) cut together for ESPN from our 15 years of “This is SportsCenter” commercials. (Yes, it could have been a lot longer.) Hope you like it.

M-E-T-H (no O-D), DAN

2009-07-01T14:49:29Z

I’ve just about given up on putting a thoughtful or thought-provoking post up here. No time. (Oddly enough, the Old School line that went through my head — “I don’t know if we’ll have enough time” — would have been appropriate given I hit up Bed, Bath and Beyond on the regular lately.) So I’ve been reduced to what are essentially blown-out tweets. Slashies: Tweets-slash-Posts - and not the other way around! In case you’re not “following me,” this Bruno interview, Daily Show clip and a capella version of I’m On A Boat have been worthy of broadcasting to my 300 friends.

This guy, Dan Meth in case you didn’t click the link you lazy bassmaster, deserved a blog mention. (Mostly, I just wanted an excuse to write my witty title.) I saw this yesterday and immediately wanted to buy it and put it up on my wall.

So good. He also does “pop cultural charts” like one about the topics of early Early Beach Boys Hit Songs (cars, girls and surf) and illustrations like one of Ivan Drago and his four bad-ass lines of dialog (”if he dies he dies”).

My kind of art.

That’s So College

2009-06-16T19:54:42Z

Two videos that leave me in awe of college students. (Sorry no Asher Roth below.)

Mike Posner is a senior at Duke (via Shut Up We’re Blogging)

Bang-yao Lui is a senior at Savannah College of Art and Design (via Brand Flakes for Breakfast)

And of course, there are these recent Harvard grads who started Unithrive (a non-profit loan program at Harvard) featured in the Sunday Times.

What I’m Getting Into This Morning

2009-05-30T13:33:13Z

A non-typical post but I’m waiting for movers - so why not?

TrueHoop

We Love You So
(Lauren Epstein passed this on a while back)

(Phil Chang posted on Facebook earlier this week but I can’t get enough)

And this
(Not just because of the mention in “Motherlover”)

Non Ads By Ad People

2009-05-19T15:25:20Z

I feel like I’ve witnessed some pretty great non-advertising ideas brought to life by people in this office over these past couple of weeks. From in our stairwell to on top of our building to outside 150 Varick, these people aren’t just indulging their interests, they’re doing things that create our agency’s culture.

- Keiji creating art and upping the inspiration and fun with his “GRRRanimals of WKNY” mural:

The truth of the matter is that there are somewhere around 160 people in our office, and there are somewhere around 100 creatures on the stairwell. What that means is that many of the animals are really amalgams of several different people, groups of people, and so forth. Yes, it’s true that some of the creatures are more direct reference to specific individuals, but for the most part the animals are mixes. Literally months of thought have gone into the careful analysis of the bestial representations of various people in the office, and I think in short its best to consider the value of an animal in a more eastern way—that is to say, its all good, even if you’re a pig or a rat. Also frankly, if you think about it, you’re probaby not a dragon, or a liger or like a griffon or something.

Stairwell V2 from Keiji Ando on Vimeo.

- Nick completing his “100 Bands in 100 Days” project and inviting us all to his final show:

The fact that I can find live music in downtown Hartford, CT on a random Monday night amazes me. How I can still see Les Paul, the 93-year old man who invented the solid body electric guitar, every Monday night, have him flick me off for a picture and meet him afterwards amazes me. The fact that I can be asked on stage to perform with a band that’s been together for over 20 years, to a sold out crowd in NYC amazes me. And the fact that I can see 100 consecutive days of live music and still love music amazes me.

- Phil taking pictures of WKNYers in a project (that didn’t start as a project at all) called Rooftop at Seven:

Well I shot Sara and then Heather and those went well so I was like fuck it. LET’S GO.

Three very different projects that transform employees to people (or co-workers to friends) and make me feel more connected to the place and people around here. Not human resource sanctioned or agency funded necessarily (except for Keiji’s paint I think) but permitted (if not encouraged) and extremely valuable.

What Disintermediation?

2009-05-06T04:03:53Z

Sorry for the big, grown-up word in the subject of this post: I learned it in business school…when I read about business school…in a book. (reference DirecTV “Charge More”)

Yesterday afternoon I saw a tweet from ESPN RISE asked if anyone had questions for Donald Faison of Dr. Turk on Scrubs fame. I posed: Best hairstyle in sports? Look at Lawrence’s head. It’s da bomb! Cause I’m keepin’ it real. Cause I’m keepin’ it real. (reference Clueless script)

Well, today he responded to me (right after dirtydave998):

How to Get an Entry Level Job in Advertising

2009-04-03T18:26:59Z

We have groups of students come in to get an inside look at an advertising agency (and drop off their books/portfolios) fairly often here. Last week I spoke a bit with prospective planners in the graduating class of Miami Ad School. That’s when I decided I should write this post. Today’s when I’m actually getting around to it.

I had fully intended to write a list of advice for those children hoping to be advertising’s future. As recently as when I interrupted myself writing that first paragraph to type this fun use of “JOB”:

Embrace the best of what it means to be JUNIOR
Find OPPORTUNITIES where they’re not obvious
Take a BOLD approach 1 out of every 3 attempts

But I’m realizing more and more that my opinion may not be as valuable as I think it is. It seems they’ve heard it all before, and though I make it a point NOT to talk about the difficulty of finding a job in this economy, I don’t get the sense that I’m helping. Even when I give these students a short list of tangible action items (Mike K. would be proud), there’s still no inspiring going on. And when I boil it down to one thing—it’s all about forming relationships—it somehow feels both too narrow and broad.

Plus, there’s lots of recommendations and information out there on this subject already—on the web, in-person, from industry experts and insiders, from your parents. There are books on cover letters and blog posts claiming they’re a waste of time. There are resume services and professional networking sites and job posting sites.

In a lot of ways, I feel like it has gotten so easy (with the amount of options and ideas out there) that it is almost impossible for these students to find direction and focus. And in a lot of ways, I feel like the singular and uncompromising focus on being a “planner” is part of the problem. I, like many I know in planning departments, not only weren’t sure they wanted to work in advertising but also had no idea what planning was/that it existed. I mean, these wannabe-planners have already been to school become planners, so how do you suggest they may be better suited for an account or creative position? Or a job outside of advertising? The easy answer is: I don’t. But I do seed the idea that you can be strategic in just about any career you choose.

And I do believe in the J-O-B and forming relationships (vs. networking) advice, and I cannot overemphasize the importance of embracing “Junior.” That doesn’t mean accepting shit work or buying into the “paying of dues.” Fuck that. It means bringing enthusiasm and fresh perspective to projects. There’s nothing worse than the student that’s already jaded about advertising and trying to relate to me on that level. I love this shit and when I don’t it’s because of people’s complacency or egos. If you’re genuinely looking to learn AND teach (through work ethic), you’re already a step ahead of many of your counterparts.

Another thing that will keep you ahead of your entry-level job competition: doing what some would call “little things” in an interesting way. Honestly, doing them - period - puts you in a small elite group. I may not provide the silver bullet to getting a job when you come in, but I always provide my contact info and an open invitation to get in touch. And what do you think happens every time? The same thing that happened last week. I get an email saying, “I’m sure your inbox is filled with emails after our visit, but I wanted to drop you a note to thank you for hosting our me and my classmates…” or something similar from…3 out of 20 students. Really? Come on, you can do better than that. I don’t need appreciation or hand-written notes, but even after all these times, I still expect the next group will take me up on my offer to start communicating - especially if they’re dying to get into planning like they claim.

But I digress. The third paragraph was going to say this:

So instead (rather than write up advice - oops, my bad), what I’ve decided to do is share something that I’ve kept stashed deep down in folders on my hard drive. Something I’ve saved and shuttle from computer to computer. Something that, quite frankly, makes me cringe when watching it. It’s not embarrassing as much as it’s painful. But as painful as it is to see, hear, know is now out there for judgment, I think it’s important for those looking to get hired as well as those hiring.

It’s the video I submitted at 21 years old to be given the chance to participate in “Account Executive Survivor” at a boutique NYC ad agency called DiMassimo (now DiMassimo Goldstein). It’s the start of my journey through advertising. Things to note: I lived and worked in the agency for a week with 7 other people. I came in second place. I wasn’t hired to be an account exec; rather, I was hired as a copywriter/new biz person/receptionist for $27.5K. I took this ambiguous position that I just as easily could have viewed as beneath a Georgetown grad in title and pay. And perhaps most importantly, an agency (Mark and Lee) took a chance on hiring me WITHOUT PREVIOUS ADVERTISING EXPERIENCE, invested in my development and allowed me to find my place in this [insert adjective here] industry.

Okay, no more delaying the inevitable. (Sorry for the crappy quality - I don’t have the original videocassette tape.)

That’s the last time I watch it…and hopefully the last time you do as well.