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Wednesday Lunchtime Poll #7
Since our focus on this site is about helping us all become better at what we do, this week, we’re wondering:
What industry-related book is on your must read list?
Google AdWords: Hits the Target, Misses the Bullseye
By Randall Erkelens
At first, Google AdWords sounded too good to be true. The pay service claims to reach people actively surfing online for info about your products and services. Here’s how it works: you only pay Google when people click on your ad. You will also know exactly what you’re going to pay, too, as a cap is placed on spending. For pennies a day, you can target the consumers you want with accuracy.
Beer Review: SKA Pinstripe Red
Skankin’ Telluride Bluegrass by Josh Mishell from Flying Dog Ales
Ok, so I had previously mentioned that I’d be writing about Denver watering holes and restaurants, but this week will break my promise. But if you know me, that’s not really much of a stretch. This past weekend I had the opportunity to cruise down to Telluride to take in some bluegrass and some Southwest Colorado beer.
The Egotist Interviews: Mike Sukle
In any market across the world, Sukle Advertising + Design would be considered a serious force to be reckoned with. The very term itself, “force,” probably brings to mind a shop filled with hundreds of people, owned by a massive holding company with a client roster of household brand names. Sukle Advertising + Design, and its creative director who incidentally shares the same name, is a different type of force entirely.
Birthday Thank You & Snaps
Thanks for coming to our party last night if you did. And if the offer of free beer wasn’t enough to get you there, well, you’re more than likely beyond our help. Here are some select snaps from the big show. Let’s do it again sometime.
Wednesday Lunchtime Poll #6
This week, it’s simple. We want to know:
Who is the one person you really hope to see at The Denver Egotist’s First Birthday Party tomorrow?
Coming To The Party?
We made it an entire year without a single tire being slashed, without a single bag of dog crap being tossed on our front door and without a single knee cap being broken in half. And, by God, those things need to be celebrated, people. With beer. Free beer. Brought to you by the same jack-offs who tore into the bad and praised the great work in Denver over the last 365 days. So, come drink a pint or five on us. Meet the other 800 people who read The Egotist every day. And don’t forget that bag of dog crap. ‘Cause we might actually be there too. If you can find us…
Beer Review: Left Hand Brewing Sawtooth Ale
From our friends at New Belgium, comes this review of Sawtooth Ale from Left Hand Brewing in Longmont, Colorado.
“Well, it’s pretty much a guessing game from here on out.” This was spoken by a co-worker to our fearless founder one evening while we were filtering Fat Tire. Our CO2 measuring device was malfunctioning and the filter run was proceeding poorly. Needless to say, Jeff was not amused by Jack’s cavalier attitude towards a highly engineered and expensive process. Why do I mention this story? I really have no idea. Maybe it’s because it is Midsummer’s Eve and the veil separating our world from the spirit world is at its thinnest.
What Do The World's Best Think of The Denver 50?
A good test of the worth of any new idea in any category across the world is whether thought-leaders embrace it upon it’s introduction. The test for the New Denver Ad Club’s idea – a reinvention of the staid ad industry award show, called The Denver 50 – is whether the best people in the world agree to judge the annual show’s entries. The best people in the world have agreed to judge the upcoming 2008 show.
Gareth Kay of Modernista!, Adam Owett of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Rob Schwartz of TBWA, Ty Montague of JWT and Scott Goodson of StrawberryFrog are lined up.
Wednesday Lunchtime Poll #5
Yesterday we caught one of our interns playing Second Life while he was supposed to be tracking down the best price on a midnight green Vespa LX for the head honcho’s daughter. While the fact this intern chose, as his alter ego, to be a 63-year-old crack whore with daddy issues was more than a bit disturbing to us, it did get us wondering about the rest of you.
So we ask:
If you weren’t in advertising or design, what would you be doing?
Gauging The Quality Of Your Work
We came across this comment in the Exhibition Section of the Ads of the World Forum.
It was posted by a member named “krautland” in response to an ad someone posted to be commented on. The ad is irrelevant, which is why we didn’t post it. However, the comment is something we should all apply more often to looking at our own work.
Beer Review: Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel
Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel and Turkey Sandwiches: America’s Melting Pot Meal
In the Flying Dog Brewery marketing department, we sort of have a thing for turkey sandwiches. Our Prime Minister of Marketing Neal has a blog about Turkey Sandwiches, even. And I’m not talking about some douchebag’s version of a turkey sandwich blog – Neal writes and major sandwich companies listen. He even met with the Cheba Hut brass in Fort Collins to talk about developing new sandwiches for their company. I’m that sort of guy who can eat a turkey sandwich for lunch most days and be excited about every one.
LiV's Artist Review: Brad Kahlhamer @ Denver MCA
Everyone has their own impression of what makes an artist an artist. For me, it’s people like Brad Kahlhamer, who has a visual intelligence that few will ever achieve. As a person, I would describe him as muy interesante, all around, especially the way he answers questions, thoroughly & complexly. In his work, he doesn’t follow any conventional rules of composition or color distribution.
Wednesday Lunchtime Poll #4
This week’s question: We’re developing a sister site called The Denver Logoist. We want to know, who among you can design a free logo the fastest? GO!
Oh, but seriously. That’s not really the poll. Settle down now. Easy. Jeez.
Let’s talk office decorum, agency behavior and levels of appropriateness.
LiV's First Friday Review: Merge @ Andenken
We’re happy to introduce this new monthly feature following first Friday, in which our friend LiV will review gallery openings. This month: the Merge group show at Andenken Gallery.
From a totally unbiased point of view (I’d never been to the gallery before, nor heard of the artists), everything, from the ultra-modern artwork to the live cello entertainment to the happy hipster crowd, was plain ol’ radical to the max. A fun, inspiring event that had me drooling all evening.
Walk On
We recently read the article “Burning Rubber” from the latest issue of 5280 detailing the turbulent times at Niwot-based Crocs. It’s a good read, with all the drama, intrigue and bombastic behavior of an Aaron Spelling hit TV show. Check it out.
We’ve never been huge fans of Crocs shoes—at least not the ubiquitous Beach model worn by every man, woman and child we come across at the mall. (Hey, you’re not at the beach. Put your loafers on already!) But there’s no denying what Crocs has pulled off in six short years, becoming close to a billion-dollar company and part of the cultural landscape every-friggin’-where.
Beer Review: Odell IPA
Thanks to Bill Hepp over at New Belgium Brewery for heading over to the neighbors and giving us this mouthwatering review of a great classic from Odell Brewing Company. Drink the love.
Humulus Lupulus the grand, beautiful, utilitarian, hop plant- where would civilization be without you?
Beer Review: The Unofficial Official Beer Of The Egotist
We were worried that our friends at New Belgium Brewery got a little wrapped up in brewing more of their kick as golden treasures. It lead your friendly neighborhood Egotist to don the Beer Review liver, so as not to leave you high and dry, so to speak. Just as we finished, the New Belgium crew shot us “their review of O’dell’s IPA”: We decided not to waste our buzz, so here’s our take on a true classic.
Are Industry Club Dues Justified?
Since this is on the minds of everyone right now, what’s your opinion about AIGA, Art Director’s Club of Denver and The New Denver Ad Club? Do they give you what you need? Do you expect more? If so, what is it that they could bring you that you’re not already getting? Sorry to lump them all together as a single entity, but it seems easier to track the conversation under one post.
The Wednesday Lunchtime Poll #3
It seems you’re not too receptive to industry-related questions. Wienies. So this week we’re taking the pool question straight outta the movie that inspired our little experiment here:
You inherit five million dollars the same day aliens land on the earth and say they’re gonna blow it up in two days. What do you do?
Get Your Gossip Here
We don’t have much news to reveal, other than that hilarious agency renaming in Colorado Springs yesterday – and the ensuing backlash on our site. Thought we’d toss a gossip post up anyway and see if you have any other nuggets to share. Takers?
Beer Review: Avery's Karma
Beer review #2 coming at you from our friends at Flying Dog Brewery. Thank you Lord, for this perfect complement to summer.
Hey everyone, I’m Josh Mishell and Flying Dog Brewery pays me to design beer labels. I think it’s pretty much the perfect job (double my salary and I’d pretty much get rid of the “pretty much” part of the previous statement). I’m a Denver native, and except for four years spent on the East Coast, Colorado has been my home. I vividly remember the Colorado craft beer revolution of the 90s – my brother Alan was a homebrewer (and all-around cool guy) who helped me recognize some great things happening in Colorado brewing.
The Wednesday Lunchtime Poll #2
This week’s question:
What account would you give your left one to work on and why?
The Wednesday Lunchtime Poll #1
In the tradition of one of the greatest movies ever to grace the silver screen, The Egotist is starting the weekly Lunchtime Poll. Every Wednesday around noon (ish), we will pose a different, mind bending question designed to inspire great thinking and open minds to the of…Who the hell are we kidding? There’s no grand design to this. We just thought it would be fun to peek into the lives and the gray matter of our fellow ad geeks. Just try not to drip horsey sauce on your keyboard, the IT guys hate that.
This Week’s Question:
What is your favorite place in town to concept? (Alcoholic and non)
Vote for The Most Beautiful Loser
A lot of people probably want to see the new film Beautiful Losers for free at the Mayan on Thursday followed by a Q&A with the film’s director and founder of NY’s Alleged Gallery, Aaron Rose. Only eight people are going to get the chance to go free courtesy of The Filmlot and us.
Beer Review: New Belgium's Jessica's Porter
We’ve come up with a new Friday feature here on The Egotist that has to be one of our best ideas to date. Our good friends at New Belgium and Flying Dog have both graciously volunteered to write beer reviews for us every Friday all summer long, alternating weeks. Without further ado, here’s the first piece from New Belgium filling you up with the ins and outs of Jessica’s Porter. We’re heading for the pub.
The Egotist Beautiful Losers Giveaway
The Denver premiere of the film Beautiful Losers is a week away and The Egotist has teamed up with online magazine, The Filmlot, for a special ticket giveaway. That’s right, you and that special someone can cozy up and enjoy an evening of creative inspiration along with the chance to meet a legend in the urban/street art movement.
Students, Let Your Voices Be Heard
Our Schools of Fools editorial has sparked a fantastic conversation. It’s gotten us thinking about ways to do more than just flap gums. As a start, we’d like to get a feel for how many future creatives are hanging on every twisted word The Egotist lovingly pens – so we understand whether this site is the right forum to feature some additional schooling of our own crafting.
Creative Crackdown, Honest Bros.
We have differing opinions of the Honest Bros. work within The Egotist fold. Some of us are thinking about adding them to the recommended list and some of us would like to see more work out of them before a decision’s made. We’ve been honest with them about our take, so they thought a creative crackdown on their portfolio might be in order. In their words, “throw us to the wolves and see if we can still hold our heads high in the aftermath.” You asked for it, fellas.
Schools of Fools
Let us ask you a question. Is it worse for a college to fail a student out of a major they aren’t equipped to succeed in, or to make them feel hopeful throughout their college years that they’ll get a career related to their degree – rewarding them with false grades simply for completing assigned projects – then send them out doomed to fail? The latter is happening at Colorado’s art schools.
The Egotist Inverviews: Stefan Sagmeister
After one postal mishap resulting in the loss of the original interview, a month-long trip to Asia promoting his new book (buy the damn thing, it’s brilliant), and heavy back and forth with his publicist, we finally have Stefan Sagmeister’s interview in our hands. We didn’t want to do the typical Q&A he’s been through a million times. So we got together with a group of the best creative talent in town and put this visual masterpiece together. Hope you like it.
The Egotist Interviews: Fwis
Fwis, a small graphic design boutique, was all but unknown as of a year ago. Now that they’ve moved out of Denver and on to greener pastures, they’re blowing up. The Egotist asks them about what they think of Denver, their recent feature in PRINT magazine, and arm-wrestling.
Advertising is Dumb
Editor’s Note: It’s Take Your Child to Work Day. We’re letting the little ones learn the ropes around here. Everyone is getting a lot out of it and the kids seem really interested in what mom and dad do for a living. Following is an editorial written by Jeffrey, Age 8.
Advertising is dumb. Jimmy’s dad drives a truck. That would be cool. How come you don’t drive a truck? Everyone here looks sad. There should be more candy. And you should have a big hamster cage. With tubes. I have to go to the bathroom. How come you stay here all the time? That guy is fat. Is he your boss? I could draw that. My trees are better. Do you want to watch me do a push up? Do you have any gum? That lady is pretty. I bet Mommy would like her. How come you don’t wear a tie? Cindy’s dad wears a tie. I don’t like it here. You drink a lot of medicine. Does Mommy know you are sick? Do you have a lunch room? Are we having meatballs? I still have to go to the bathroom. When do we take a nap? I want to go home. Advertising is stupid.
Question of the Day: Did You Earn It?
You took some money from a client today. The question we have for you is did you earn it? Did you trash a great headline or piece of design and push through the wall to get to something that one-upped it? Or did you settle so you could go home and sit on the couch? Did you push back when your brain (or gut) told you your client’s decision or revision was a bad one? Or did you go on autopilot and crap it out? Did you do something that would get a hot chick in bed with you after hearing your story? Or would you turn off even the most desperate cougar? Seriously, did you earn it today? Or did you create something any half-baked hack could?
We Feel Good
Here at the worldwide headquarters of The Denver Egotist in Brighton, we’re in a decidedly chipper mood. Maybe it’s the spring weather. Maybe it’s the return of baseball and the Avs’ playoff hopes. Maybe it’s the longer days and the sweet smell of charcoal and lighter fluid in the air. Or maybe it’s the Xanax and Bloody Mary we had for breakfast. Whatever it is, we feel good. And we feel like spreading some of it around.
So, instead of ripping the work and complaining about bad clients and all things crappy, we want to hear about the good. We want to hear about the clients who get it.
Rocky Mountain Low
Awful. Embarrassing. Hack. Ridiculous. Contrived. By now, we’re all familiar with the appallingly bad “Let’s Talk Colorado” campaign for Colorado Tourism created by MMG Worldwide, Kansas City. We would offer you a link as a refresher but really, why bother? However, what is worth checking out is the latest addition to the campaign — the online crap.
Andy Bosselman alerted us to some recent musings on the work by Westword big wig and straight-shooter Patricia Calhoun. She takes aim at an email newsletter inviting would-be visitors to learn how to talk like a Coloradan. She nails it, so please check out her comments. We spent some time exploring the glossary of Colorado lingo and the only phrase we’re left repeating over and over is “Are you fucking serious?”
The Egotist Interviews: Benjamin Ray
For those of you who remember years back (alright months) when we put out a request for questions to ask Xylem CCI’s Benjamin Ray, and even for those of you who don’t remember, the wait is finally over.
We apologize for the delay, as it was mostly our fault for taking so exhaustively long to finally put together a solid set of questions for the intriguing Growth Officer. Regardless, it appears Mr. Ray took the time to put some real thought into his answers, so we hope you find the interview worth the wait.
Swing and a Miss
Opening Day for the Rockies at Coors Field is just two days away and we’re pumped. We’ll be rooting for you, Rox. But this ain’t no sports blog, so let’s talk about advertising.
The Rockies have created six new commercials for this season. A few are already in rotation. Check out two of them here. Or, if you’re busy, let us give you the short version. Take some weak jokes, throw in some bad acting by professional athletes and POW! that’s a foul ball to our funny bone. Wait, that wasn’t our funny bone. That was our solar plexus. Oh jeez.
Are They Audi Their Minds?!
While poking through DesignCharts to see if their were any hot new sites that we could showcase, we stumbled across a new Audi site, targeted at the Japanese market.
In all honestly, the site is decent, but not something we would normally feature on the site, as its not really all that fantastic (but we invite you to check it out for yourself if you have the time to kill.)
In fact, the only reason you are hearing about this site from us is due to how appalled we were at how long the initial load time was. While we didn’t time it down to the second, but it was literally between 3-4 minutes, and this is on a Comcast high-speed connection mind you. We even cleared our cache, and made certain it was not a one time fluke.
Why Should Anyone Give a Shite About Denver?
We don’t have some deep, well-thought-out answer. But we thought you might. We just want to know what’s getting you excited about being here in Colorado at this moment. Hickenlooper pushing for a bigger, better creative class? A piece you just finished that you’re certain Scott Goodson from StrawberryFrog, Gareth Kay from Modernista! and The Denver 50’s newest judge, Ty Montague from JWT New York, will send through into the awards show this year? A new concepting watering hole where the beer flows like wine? What’s hot right now and why should anyone care?
Help Us Thank Sagmeister
Forget what you’ve heard about Stefan Sagmeister. He’s one of the coolest guys playing on the big stage. Here’s why. We sent him the interview you helped us craft to his hotel in Monterrey, CA. He filled out the piece at 5:00 AM in the morning and mailed it back to us in the envelope we included. The impossible machine that is the USPS lost the envelope. Shattered, we asked Stefan if he’d be up for doing it again. And he is.
'Tis The Season For Voting For Us
5280 magazine is conducting their Top of the Town voting right now on their site. In the “People” category, you’ll find you can vote on best blog/blogger. Considering that the mainstream Colorado media has all but abandoned reporting on our industry, we’d really appreciate your vote in that category to show we’re all still alive and kicking. You can quickly and easily place your vote here.
Ralphie's Ralphing
A very reliable source told our very reliable source that the University of Colorado is working hard on a rebrand of the school right now. It seems the ‘University’s image is not working for the University anymore.’ For those alums out there (especially those kicking their hard-earned cake up Boulder’s way), here’s where you’ll want to pay particular attention.
1. The CU logo and colors will change – the colors will be blue and something else.
2. The Buffalo will either change or go away.
3. This announcement will be around the end of the year.
My Client, My Enemy
Whether you’re a creative, a project manager, or a developer, we have all experienced the dis-heartening process of having the enthusiasm of working on a project go from exciting, to luke-warm, to let’s just get it done.
Be it a drawn out schedule, round and rounds of client feedback and minor “tweaks” here and there, or changes or additions to the original scope that ultimately begin unraveling a once solid architecture into a bunch of hacks and quick fixes… the chances are the client is ultimately to blame.
While the quick answer is, we are the professionals, and we need to manage the client, and make sure we don’t allow them to sabotage the very objectives we are helping them to achieve. Sadly, it may not always be that simple.
Creative Crackdown, Sheima Hassanlou
Sheima Hassanlou, freelance motion graphics designer who sometimes edits and sometimes does print (her words), sent us her new portfolio site to review. But we thought we’d toss it out to the rest of you Egotists to analyze and provide feedback.
Some of our friends from the outside will also be chiming in on the work – a team from Tequila, LA, TBWA\Chiat\Day’s in-house interactive arm and a team from McCann Erickson, NY. We’ve also lined up two new teams from Creature, Seattle and an editorial team from Chrome, Santa Monica.
Is Denver prepared for the shift?
While the chances of print and outdoor advertising going away any time soon are slim to none, studies suggest that spending on alternative media, such as websites, micro-sites, content for mobile devices, email campaigns, and search marketing are poised to show the largest growth in terms of marketing dollars spent over the next five years. So the question is… How prepared is Denver?
This Is A Good Thing
Big ups to the Colorado Film Commission. They are backing proposed legislation that would give significant tax incentives to production companies choosing to film in Colorado. The 25% incentive, similar to what other states offer, could help sway studios during their decision process and land more big productions here. There have been a handful of good-sized productions here in the recent past – like Eddie Murphy’s Nowhereland last October – but somehow our feelings are still a little hurt by the unflattering light cast on Denver in About Schmidt. That was like seeing a candid party photo of yourself and realizing that yes, your ass really has gotten that big.
Water: Now with Sex Hormones
We enjoy waking up on a Monday morning, feeling full of hope and optimism with the promise of a new week, only to have those feelings dashed by the fear-mongers on TV. As if we don’t have enough things to worry about, the media feels obligated to constantly remind us what’s going to kill us this week. Last week it was cherry yogurt or skipping rope or something like that. Yesterday we learned that we should now fear our drinking water.
“Shall We Bend Over Now or Wait for a Signed Contract?”
A local agency head brought something to our attention recently. It’s not a new topic, but it’s worth discussing. It’s regarding the CollegeInvest RFP specifically, but it relates to all RFPs and how we, as agencies, respond. Are we actively screwing ourselves by giving away too much during the RFP process? Absolutely. Do we have a choice? We’d like to think so. Here are his comments in brief:
Take the first bullet under Scope of Proposal “Provide recommendations about overall brand strategy.” How can any reputable agency provide such a recommendation in an RFP without having done all the necessary background research, worked with the client, talked with customers, etc?
Andy Cruz: The Modern-Day Type Master
By James Pelz, President of the Art Directors Club of Denver.
Andy Cruz of House Industries is the modern-day type master. You would expect that. What you don’t expect is just how forward thinking he and his company really are.
His presentation to ADCD on Thursday started as a quick tour into what House Industries is into and has been doing lately, but then he began his real presentation, his real passions, his heroes, his influences. Big Daddy Roth, Coop, Alexander Girard, he keeps going. He talks about his entry into fashion, design, architecture, furniture, shoes, he keeps going. He talks about all the research they put into any effort they put out, and he shows a real understanding of what they do.
What Would You Ask Sagmeister?
By now, you’ve got to know one of the most influential designers alive today, Stefan Sagmeister, is coming to Denver to speak on March 7th. (The event is sold-out for all you slow pokes.) However, there are two very cool things you can still take part in if you missed the boat.
Agency Poll: Pros + Cons
Everybody knows who’s doing the best work in town. But where’s the best place to work? Depends on who you’re asking and how you’re judging, right? Well, what makes your shop a great place to be? And what makes it drive you to consider a career in janitorial engineering?
Love In The Air, Blood Red Cocktails In The Belly
If you and your lover spent Valentine’s Day at that quiet table for two in section six of the neighborhood Olive Garden, that’s cool. We’re not here to judge. But you missed a fine time at the Museum of Contemporary Art last night.
The Bloody Heart Party mixed art, beats, cocktails and heart-shaped sugar cookies. What do you know, those things go together quite well. Just after 7 PM (we pride ourselves on punctuality) the museum was already popping. And judging by the volume of champagne flowing, more than a few folks were going home for some V-Day loving.
The New Denver Egotist Essays – Parts & Pieces
Let us begin by saying we’re flattered, humbled and giddy that people would take the time to craft essays to get in on what we’ve got going here. Especially, considering everyone who wrote knew they wouldn’t be able to take credit for being a part of The Egotist.
We’ll never silence the naysayers, but the whole ordeal further reinforces the allure and importance of our continued anonymity – we are the voice of creativity in Denver, not the voice of any one individual. Without additional puffery, we present some sound bytes from the pieces we received. Needless to say, the decision of who to bring on was difficult, time consuming and entertaining. Enjoy.
Creative Crackdown, D.R. Horton
We’re going back to the days of ol’ with our Creative Crackdown and inviting some outsiders to chime in on the work – a team from Tequila, LA, TBWA\Chiat\Day’s in-house interactive department, and a team from McCann Erickson, NY. Here’s the set-up for the first piece we’ve ever seen produced from HIM Creative.
D.R. Horton (the largest homebuilder in the country) came to HIM Creative in hopes of taking their online advertising to the next level, after seeing an interactive email Jeremy Irwin (part of our team) had concepted and directed for Chipotle. As the housing market is getting more and more competitive for homebuilders, the industry is looking for new and innovative ways to elevate themselves and get their message out in more cost effective ways.
The Egotist Interviews: Norm Shearer
A lot of agencies claim their culture is what makes them unique. Cactus doesn’t need to claim anything. It has quietly, humbly and quickly become one of those places where the top talent in Colorado just wants to be. They come for the clients. They come for the opportunities. And they come for Norm Shearer, Cactus’ Creative Director, who motivates them by simply staying out of their way. As 2008 begins, Norm Shearer tells us about the past, present and future of his company.
Q: In the four years since you’ve been Creative Director at Cactus, the shop has grown from a creative whisper to a resounding roar – landing your C-Tree TV spot on AdCritic’s 2007 Top 20 list just weeks ago. Can you explain how Cactus has achieved such an enviable transformation?
They Said What?
By Ryan Johnson.
Clients are like kids. No, not because they soil themselves at inopportune times. Clients are like kids because they say the darndest things.
Several years ago, I sat through a client meeting in which my creative director presented a radio script that referenced the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum” found on the back of the almighty penny. After listening to all of the concepts, one of the clients in the room (it was a committee – go figure) bravely stepped forward to voice his support.
“I like the one with the Latin in it,” he said. “I think that would really speak to the Latino community.” After an uncomfortable and awkward silence, my creative director offered the only reasonable response.
The New Denver Egotist Essay Contest
We’re overworked and understaffed here at The Denver Egotist, just like you. So in the hope of maintaining the quality and quantity of posts we’ve established here, we’re going to take a stand and do something about it.
The New Denver Egotist Essay Contest is our hair-brained answer to alleviating the load. Maybe you don’t want to write your essay and you’d rather tell us why you’d make a good Egotist in pictures. Forget it, we need writers. Maybe you’d rather try to get to know every great creative director in town by sending your book to them and scheduling an “informational interview.” Forget it, you’re not smart enough to realize you can painlessly connect with them right through our site and use that to your advantage if you choose. Maybe you’d rather report on what’s going on in other creative hot-bed cities. Well, maybe you should just move there, smartypants.
Creative Crackdown: Namgyal Monastery
This campaign features the identity and marketing collateral for the recent Bridging Worlds Event hosted by the Namgyal Monastery designed by Art & Anthropology. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, gave three public teachings including a public talk at Cornell University, an interfaith dialog at the State Theater, and taught a Dharma lesson at Ithaca College.
The Colorado Agency of the Year
For their craft. For their pride. For their humility. For their ingenuity. For their clients. For their client wins. For their intelligence. For their breadth. For their staff of 70-strong. For their sincerity. For their flava. For their attitude. And for giving this town a serious fuckin’ injection of all that magic they got going, Factory Design Labs is The Denver Egotist’s Agency of the Year. We bow our heads in awe.
Reader’s Choice: Cactus
Serious Contenders: TDA, Sukle
Creative Crackdown, Denver Art Museum
The first art exhibition from the world famous Louvre arrived at the Denver Art Museum. While these treasures speak for themselves, the stories based around them were even more compelling. Stories of tyranny, deception, adultery, and murder (among others) affected both French royals and their craftsmen. This campaign via Integer teased patrons with partial stories where the juicy stuff would only be revealed at the DAM.
Get Your Gossip Here
We tried this before and it seemed to fizzle a bit because there wasn’t much news floating around town at the time. Seems like a good time to try it again, because there are tons of things brewing right now.
We’ll start if off and you can throw your additional gossip in the comments below or continue right along with this topic. The word on the street is that Xylem CCI (re)landed the Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches million-dollar online biz for 2008. (They lost it a couple of years ago during the last year of the Irwin era). Your turn.
Agency of the Year Poll
Before beginning this site a handful of months ago, it would have been difficult for us to choose a Colorado agency of the year – simply because we weren’t privy to a lot of the work going on here. Through the NDAC’s Denver 50 show, the Art Director’s show and our own reporting, we’ve learned a lot about this city over the last year and now have a concrete opinion who the agency of the year should be.
What’s your opinion? Click the word “comment” at the bottom of this post and tell us your choice for Colorado agency of the year and for national agency of the year and give us the reasons why. Voting will be open through December 31, then we’ll report results on January 1st of next year, along with The Denver Egotist’s own selections.
The Price We Pay
In other cities that have it all figured out, the really good creative people consistently make the really okay people look bad because their work is so much better. But there’s a funny thing going on here in Denver. The tables are turned.
The really okay people in this town are making the really good people look like the dumb ones. And here’s why. The rates the half-baked shops and individuals are charging are so low that it makes the first rate people seem crazy for asking clients to pay what they truly deserve. And the whole thing is making us all look dumber in the end (and equating to all of us making less cake).
The Self- Proclaimed Bastard Child of Advertising
Just like most of you, we missed Josh Spear speak last night. If you wonder what you missed, our friend from Integer, James Pelz, who’s also the President of Art Directors Club of Denver sent us his thoughts on last night’s event.
To start off, trying to summarize all the knowledge Josh Spear and his partner Aaron Dignan, from Joshspear.com and Undercurrent dropped on the group gathered for the Art Directors Club of Denver is an impossible task. They know way more about the mind of a blogger to fit into a couple of hours, much less try to even relay it back to you here. Following them as they both relayed their no-holds-barred style of consulting and new world view to the crowd gathered was both entertaining and a bit disorienting.
The Egotist Interviews: Steve Whittier
In the December 2007 issue of Factory Design Labs newsletter, they announce nine new hires. That’s nine hires in a single month, likely totaling more than any other agency in the region. If you turn your head upward and peer toward the highest rung on the agency’s creative totem pole, you’ll find VP Creative Director Steve Whittier and much of reason for the shop’s visionary uniqueness and recent explosiveness. We caught up with Steve on the eve of the New Denver Ad Club’s annual award show, for which Factory Design Labs is poised for performance.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background? We know you’ve been at some of the world’s top shops, including McCann Erickson, Leo Burnett, Lowe and Partners, Chiat\Day and Euro RSCG, winning some impressive hardware along the way. How did those shops influence your perspective?
Advertising How To... Part 5
How to keep your job. By Sensitive Writer.
Being that advertising is one of like three professions where you can do completely ridonkulous things and still remain gainfully employed, you may think there’d be no need for a column on this topic. However, that pesky little doctrine of American law known as “at-will employment” does rear its ugly head from time to time. As a result, employers are free to “discharge individuals” for “good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all.” So how can you protect yourself from any and all causes?
Creative Crackdown, McDonald's Outdoor
McDonald’s needed to let people know about its freshly prepared breakfasts and gourmet coffees. Karsh\Hagan shot high-style photography for these boards and put them in high-traffic areas.
Creative Crackdown, Jamba Juice Promo Site
This new site courtesy of Xylem CCI promotes a drink called 3G (Guarana, Ginseng, Green Tea) from Jamba Juice that you can only find out about by coming to this site after receiving an email – the drink is not on any store menus yet.
Advertising How To... Part 4
How to re-sell an idea to your Creative Director after he’s already killed it. By Sensitive Writer.
There is nothing more crushing than after a whole half-day of brain-numbing concepting, you emerge victorious with your next One Show Pencil idea, and your Creative Director kills it before it even sees the light of day.
What’s a hardworking creative to do? Stick it in the recycle file and resell it at your next internal presentation, of course. But, sadly, more often than not, you run into that phrase every creative is loathe to hear, “I think I’ve already seen that.”
Advertising How To... Part 3
How to shine in a meeting when you have no idea what’s going on. By Sensitive Writer.
There are only two reasons I get asked to go to meetings:
1) They need to even out the guy/gal ratio.
2) They need color commentary.
As a result, I end up in a lot of meetings where my sole purpose is to either “bond” with the marketing girls or to “bring up the energy level” because someone invited too many suits. So in nearly every meeting not only do I have absolutely no idea what the meeting’s about, I usually have no clue what the client does or what I could possibly contribute. So I’ve learned to fake my way through just about any meeting. You can, too.
Creative Crackdown, Cactus Own Your C TV #3
The eighth submission in our running series is up for your honest critique. Once again, our friends from Tequila TBWA\Chiat\Day’s in-house interactive shop, will be joining us to give their take on the work. We also have a team from Merkley + Partners in NY peeking in. Here’s the set-up for the third Own Your C TV spot from Cactus.
In the spirit of Halloween, Denver-based Cactus, a full-service advertising agency, launches “Boomerang,” a 60-second horror flick, to remind teens to “be careful with your choices; they may come back to haunt you.”
Advertising How To... Part 2
How to make your partner do all the work and get (at least) half the credit. By Sensitive Writer.
Think what you want of me, but this is a skill I am proud to say I have perfected over the years. And frankly, I don’t think you’ll find an art director in Denver to disagree with me. Which brings me to the first requirement:
1) Be a writer.
The primary difference between good writers and good art directors is that writers are smart and lazy while art directors are talented and hard-working.
Advertising How To... Part 1
Behold! On yonder keyboard doth type thy fingers of Sensitive Writer, thy newest blessing fallen upon thoust Denver Egotist, brimming with thy most tender feelings and joyful observations of thine advertising profession. Cup thy mouth and open thine ears for thy frickin’ truth.
How to know if advertising’s the right job for you.
Recently, my 14-year-old nephew took a personality test at school to determine what careers would suit him well. And as fate would have it, he comes out with recommendations to become a) a comedian, b) an artist or, you guessed it, c) work in advertising. Which kind of got me thinking. If “You’re suited to a job in advertising!” is the answer, what the hell is the question? I mean, are they really asking 14-year-olds questions like:
Creative Crackdown, Boston Market Catering Effort
The seventh submission in our running series is up for your honest critique. Once again, our friends from Tequila TBWA\Chiat\Day’s in-house interactive shop, will be joining us to give their take on the work. We also have a team from Merkley + Partners in NY peeking in. Here’s the set-up for this Boston Marketing catering effort from Cameron Christopher Thomas Advertising.
Sometimes in advertising your target audience really speaks to you. And in some cases, they keep speaking and speaking and just will not shut up until you’ve written spots about them. That’s when they become really annoying. But it’s also when you know you’ve created some universal truism your audience can relate to.
Get Your Gossip Here
Another idea floated in from the ether from one of our legendary readers, and we thought we’d give it a whirl. Instead of having to go out for drinks with everyone in town to get the dirt, you can just stop in here for the latest in Denver-metro agency gossip. Drop off a rumor or pick one up. Who wants to start us off?
Wearing Freelance Pants #3, By Eric Kiker
To me, this site, warts and all, is about the creation, critique and ultimately, celebration of local work. But ladies and gentlemen, amidst all the highbrow, feather ruffling, raising the bar zigging, I’m going to zag by presenting to you, quite possibly the finest, save your ass acronym ever. An abbreviation more determined than MADD, smarter than NASA, simpler than KISS. And 180 degrees from anything breakthrough, conceptual or award winning, FYI.
It’s JDIAGTM. Say “jid-ee-ag-tum.”
Just Do It And Get The Money.
Speedball's Letter To Customer Service
Recently, our cohort Speedball had trouble with his super expensive washer and dryer purchased from Best Buy. Here’s the letter he wrote to customer service – a warning to all corporate monsters not to get on his bad side.
Dear Best Buy,
I’m not going to invest any more time in explaining the circumstances surrounding my excruciating frustration with your company. If after reading this you are compelled to find out what I’m agitated about, I implore you to look up my account history.
What The Hell Were They Thinking, #2
In this new running series, called “What The Hell Were They Thinking,” we’ll randomly pull a piece of work from one of the agencies in town, post it and then allow you to attempt to dissect the thinking that went into its creation.
Creative Crackdown, Reed Hill Book Cover
The sixth submission in our running series is up for your honest critique. Once again, our friends from Tequila TBWA\Chiat\Day’s in-house interactive shop, will be joining us to give their take on the work. We also welcome a team from Merkley + Partners in NY to get in on the actino. Here’s the set-up for this book cover from Reed Hill.
The book, “Searching For The New Normal,” was never supposed to be a book. It was the personal journal of a woman in pain, spawned by the suicide of her son. There is no thought, feeling or emotion that wasn’t penned during the three-year span covered in the book’s pages.
Creative Crackdown, Barnhart Campaign
The fifth submission in our running series is up for your honest critique. Once again, our friends from Tequila (moniker TQLA\LA) TBWA\Chiat\Day’s in-house interactive shop, will be joining us to give their take on the work. We also welcome a team from Merkley + Partners in NY (moniker M+P) to get in on the critique. Here’s the set-up for this ad campaign from Barnhart.
Libraries across the nation have experienced significant declines in membership and usage over the past decade. With increased reliance on the Internet and greater use of bookstores, public libraries are losing relevance.
Increasing the Odds of Innovation
The last article we posted from our friend Peter Murane over at BrandJuice was featured in Ad Age. Here’s a new one that’s equally as smart. Can you believe you’re getting all this amazing thinking free of charge? Neither can we.
Put Your Consumer to Work, Increasing the Odds of Innovation By Peter Murane
The challenge we hear every day from our clients is simple – can you help me increase my chances of innovation success? Innovation today is slow and resource intensive – it takes many years and hundreds of thousands of dollars. And despite the intense investment, still 95% of new products fail every year.
Let there be no doubt – the current model is broken. And it is based on the false premise that the right market research plan can remove risk from the process. If you talk to enough consumers and get enough good data back, surely you will succeed, right?
What The Fuck Were They Thinking, #1
If you ever got Adweek’s email blasts in the past, you’ll know who we stole this idea from. (Actually, one of our brilliant readers suggested it, so we can’t take all the credit.)
In this new running series, called “What The Fuck Were They Thinking,” we’ll randomly pull a piece of work from one of the agencies in town, post it and then allow you to attempt to dissect the thinking that went into its creation.
Wearing Freelance Pants #2, By Eric Kiker
“What’s your hourly rate?”
It’s a question that, for me, has always caused curiously nauseous feelings. In the beginning, back in Boulder, where I rented a closet-sized office at the incredibly vibrant corner of Pearl and Broadway, I worried $30 an hour would seem like an awful lot for someone with little experience and a workspace just slightly larger than a twin bed.
These days, the queasy rumblings continue, not because my hourly rate is high, but because I’ve gotten rid of it pretty much all together. And I think; if you’re a freelancer – and maybe even if you run an agency – you should too.
Editorial From the Outside
When you invite the world to send in editorial, here’s what you get. We’re going to leave this gem untouched in its most pure form for you to enjoy. Please comment below on anything you recognize as slightly off kilter in The Denver Warbler’s plea to Mayor Hickenlooper. We’ll be sure to let them know you’ve spoken.
Hi,
I don’t know if this counts. We are not part of the creative community, but a small band of miscellany-ists. We do, however, feel a kinship with your motto and would like to bring an important issue to your attention. This “editorial” is in the form of a letter to Mayor Hickenlooper. We’ve attached an image for reference.
Creative Crackdown, Juice Print
The fourth individual submission in our running series is up for your honest critique. Once again, our friends from Tequila (moniker TQLA\LA) TBWA\Chiat\Day’s in-house interactive shop, will be joining us to give their take on the work. We also welcome a new team from Merkley + Partners in NY (moniker M+P) to the growing list of heavy hitters peaking in on Denver’s creative. Here’s the set-up for this new print work from Juice Communications.
Why Next, Why Denver, Why now?
Jason Otero, principal at