Maybe I'm Gravy

This Long Walk Goes a Long Way for Johnnie Walker

This long-form spot for Johnnie Walker by BBH London just pulled in a bunch of awards, deservedly so. Featuring one incredibly long tracking shot, a man walks towards us and tells the story of how Johnnie Walker the man became Johnnie Walker the scotch. The timing is mesmerizing, the production value is superb and the story is captivating. Simply put, it's a spot-on spot.

Makin' Posts for Makin' Ads: Part 2

My second guest post on the switch from traditional to digital is up. Check it out here.

This week's highlights:

•Digital agencies start with a digital foundation

•The age of integration is far from over

•Concept is still king, but tech is crown prince

•Pixels have more flexibility than paper

•Out with the obtrusive and in with the engaging

"Airport Girl" music video by Patrick Thomas

Here's a new music video for Patrick Thomas produced by Seawall Productions, the same people that I'm working with to develop The Reservoir. I was a PA on the project and I even make a few appearances in the video. That's right, I play multiple characters. It's for a total of 3 seconds, but that's besides the point. Look for the dude in the pantyhose mask and the PA furiously trying to put the backdrop back up.

"Airport Girl" - Patrick Thomas from Seawall Productions on Vimeo.

Artist: Patrick Thomas (patrickthomas.bandcamp.com/) Song: "Airport Girl" Directed by Dylan Allen Produced by Eddy Vallante Produced by Patrick Thomas Cinematography by Evan Jake Cohen Edited by Nick Conti

Narrowing the Target Market

An out-of-work copywriter spent $6 buying Google AdWords for a very specific market - six ECDs he wanted to work for. When they Googled themselves, the top sponsored link was a message from the copywriter. What can I say, so simple, so cheap - and, most importantly, so effective. He got interviews with all but one of the ECDs and ended up landing a job at Y&R. Congrats to Alec Brownstein on his new gig and for coming up with a smart reminder that it's not the budget, it's the idea.

Read AgencySpy's take on the situation.

Social Media and Exposure Upgrade

They say that the pace of technology advancement grows exponentially. Another aspect of this is the pace at which information spreads.

Social networking isn't just about sharing content. No it can create content, as well. At first, you would connect you with people you know. Now services like Twitter and Gatsby connect you with like-minded people as well. And these connections lead to additional thoughts and conversations that wouldn't hve taken place otherwise.  

My use of Foursquare recently led to this sort of exposure upgrade. Mostly due to proximity and the fact that I was an early adopter, I became the mayor of a trendy bakery, Momofuku Milk Bar. It was the easiest place to get delicious desserts. They offer cookies, soft serve, pie and cakes slices. Pretty much wahtever I was in the mood for, I could find.

This bakery is part of a growing foodie empire controlled by of-the-moment celebrity chef David Chang. at the same time Chang was growing his empire and becoming trendier, master keeper of all things edible Zagat began a partnership with Foursquare. Which made sense. People were checking into restaurants. Initially it was about hipsters meetings up with friends. But it evolved into foodies letting their network know the fashionable places they frequented.

Because of the Momofuku connection, Zagat chose Milk Bar to be featured in a new series they were running on their blog, "Meet the Mayor". Meet the Mayor looked for insights from Foursquare mayors of well-known establishments to read between the lines of social media and foodie culture. The interviews would reveal something about the establishment, Foursquare and the person.

Zagat interviewed me about my mayorship of Momofuku Milk Bar. All I did was check in every time my sweeth tooth started acting up. After the interview ran on Zagat's blogs, anyone and everyone interested in social media or food was retweeting about the new Meet the Mayor series. The combination of two distinct worlds.    

And this led to Exposure Upgrade #2. A writer for the NY Times used a quote of mine from the Zagat interview to prove a political point. My insight was compared to a Joni Mitchell song, (which was featured with a link to a Counting Crows cover of the song.)

Social media doesn't just connect people. It exposes ideas to a larger crowd. And when the right person catches wind of a good idea and supports it, the number of new people exposed to that thought or insight grows exponentially. That's the beauty of a startup like Kickstarter. Good ideas and inventions spread like wildfire and get what they deserve - the funding needed to become a reality.

Click here to read his article.

Makin' Posts for Makin' Ads

For the next few months, I'll be writing a weekly piece for makinads.com, a blog for portfolio school students and anyone else trying to get a job as an advertising creative. I'll be covering my transition from traditional agencies to a digital one, what it takes to master digital, and the differences between traditional and digital agency models. Check out my intro to the series, and visit Makin' Ads every Monday for new posts. If not for you, do it for the kids!

Here's the article:

A Brave New Digital World: Part 1

As I mentioned in a previous post, Makin' Ads has asked our pal, Nate, to do a series of guest posts on his transition into the digital realm. This is the first in that series. Follow Nate on Twitter @NKArch.

A few weeks back Makin’ Ads asked me if I’d be interested in writing a guest piece. The subject: what it’s like to be a copywriter at a digital agency. I leaned back and pondered. It sounded like a worthwhile subject and a useful read for anyone coming out of portfolio school.

Suddenly my head cocked. It actually sounded like a relevant topic to anyone in advertising. The industry has been changing at such a rapid pace and I’d only recently joined a digital agency full-time. I’d never really stopped to consider the differences. My philosophy had always been that a writer is a writer is a writer.

Uncocking my head and glancing around, I had to admit that Greg and Jim had a point. There are major differences between how digital and traditional agencies operate. Not just in the work produced but the process. In the people. And in the philosophy. <CONTINUE READING>

Converting Tiesto's Fans into Smirnoff's Ambassadors

My agency recently released this embeddable DJ Tiesto media player for Smirnoff's Be There campaign. It plays music, a behind-the-scenes video and offers an exclusive track download.

But it does more than that.

It counts down to a DJ Tiesto concert in South Africa that Smirnoff will stream live on the web on May 15th. It leverages Smirnoff's roster of talent, including Tiesto and South Africans BLK JKS. It increases Smirnoff's Facebook fan base, as the exclusive track is only available to Smirnoff fans. It empowers the most passionate Smirnoff and Tiesto fans to become ambassadors of the brand, as they are encouraged to download the player, embed it on their blog and spread the word. It may even serve a new purpose after the concert, but you'll have to wait until after May 15th to see for yourself.

Are a million people going to embed the player? Hell no. Not even close. But the thousands of people who do are the most coveted and loyal fans on the planet, and they'll do more with it than a million indifferent fans ever could. 

No matter how you look at it, it's a pretty nifty free tool that does a lot with a little.

EDIT: The widget has been taken down.