What'd I Miss?

On October 17, Pat Hanlon of Thinktopia and author of Primal Branding enlightened the Creativity Atlanta audience on how to move brands to belief systems - in his words, "not the same old bullshit".  Pat got us thinking about how some brands (i.e., Starbucks, Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola) mean more to us, while others do not.  He led us through his "pot of stick glue" that attracts consumers to brands - Primal Branding.  It is, he insists, way more than understanding the financial or business equation of advertising and marketing, but deep into human motivation and understanding.

Primal Branding finds its roots in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. We all want to belong to something larger than ourselves.  (Editor's Note: To this point, have you renewed your Creativity Atlanta membership?  Sorry for the commercial break.)  In short, BRAND + BELIEF SYSTEM = BELONGING.

To get there, Pat stressed the seven key factors for realizing a brand as a belief system: 1) Creation Story - where did you come from; 2) Creed - core principles; 3) Rituals - repeated actions; 4) Icons - sensory meanings; 5) Sacred Words - created for believers; 6) Non-believers - pagans; and 7) Leader - the innovator. He covered these in detail and with examples, which you can learn by purchasing Primal Branding on Amazon or check out his Primal Branding blog.

They're Back...Atlanta Addy Awards Call for Entries!

Creativity Atlanta announces the "Call for Entries" for the 2007 Atlanta Addys- A ShowSouth Production. Nearly 25 Atlanta advertising agencies and production companies joined forces this year to develop the creative for the Atlanta Addys 2007 awards program, as a demonstration of Atlanta's creative advertising strength.  This year's creative theme is "Lucky," reminding advertising professionals that they are fortunate to have advertising as a profession, and takes a humorous look at what advertising professionals would be if they weren't in advertising. 

Details on entry guidelines, show tickets, the judges and more can be found on a microsite created by Creative Digital Group specifically for the awards campaign ( www.atlantaaddys.com). Entries are due Nov. 8th by 5pm and late entries are due by Nov. 13th by 5pm and should be sent or delivered to Creative Circus, 812 Lambert Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30324.

For more information, visit the Atlanta Addysor Creativity Atlantawebsites.

Looking for an Intern?

The Art Institute of Atlanta's Advertising department is seeking industry partnerships to set up Internships for its students who are nearing graduation. Students in the advertising program are preparing for careers in creative, branding, research, account planning, and account service. As an intern, each is required to spend about 10 to 15 hours a week for 10 weeks working in an office environment under the direction of an industry professional. All advertising and marketing professionals who might be interested in forming an Internship relationship with the Advertising department at The Art Institute of Atlanta are invited to call or email Larry Stultz, Department Chair, 770-689-4821, lstultz@aii.edu.

Upcoming Events

Only the best for you. We're bringing in some big industry players who will discuss the stuff that has people talking. You don't want to miss the Creativity Atlanta events in store this winter. Check out the Creativity Atlanta website for details on time, location and cost and to register to attend. See you there!

> Creatives Only! Come hang out with other creatives at our monthly "First Draft" pow-wow. It's easy to remember because it's the first Thursday. And it's hard to forget because it is the place for primarily creatives to meet and mingle.
    When: Thursday, November 2
    Time: 6-8pm
    Where: Park Tavern, 500 10th St,
        404-249-0001
    Questions: Email Susan or Larry

> Randy Snow of R&R Partners is on deck to discuss the "What Happens in Vegas..." campaign in December

> Learn all there is to know about product placement from PropStar, who is slated for January

> Fred Senn of Fallon is set to talk in February about the book he co-authored with Pat Fallon's, "Juicing the Orange: How to Turn Creativity into a Powerful Business Advantage"

Member News 

Kilgannon announces it has hired Abigail Scott as media planner and Heather Lorenzo and Melissa Paxton as assistant brand managers. Scott is handling day-to-day media responsibilities for several of the agency's clients, including: Attorneys' Title Insurance Fund, Bank of Atlanta, SouthernLINC Wireless and Vectren Source. Previously, Scott worked at Austin Kelley Advertising/Fitzgerald & Co. as an assistant media planner. Lorenzo is working on the SouthernLINC Wireless and Vectren Source accounts. Before joining Kilgannon, Lorenzo worked at Grey Worldwide as an assistant account executive on the Georgia Aquarium, Georgia Power and Southern Company accounts. Paxton is working on Attorneys' Title Insurance Fund and is also handling day-to-day activities for Bank of Atlanta and Bubby's, a local clothing and accessories store. Paxton previously worked at Austin Kelley Adverting/Fitzgerald & Co. as an assistant account executive.

With Madison Avenue talent, southern hospitality, and a stunning new office space overlooking downtown Atlanta, the Southeastern creative community's latest addition, The Lvngrm (the living room,) is already attracting projects from around the region and across the country. Situated in Midtown Atlanta, The Lvngrm's unique business model and expertise in high-end commercial advertising work have already captured the attention of more than a few firms. From management and business development backgrounds, The Lvngrm was founded by Dave Warner and Melissa Donovan. Their Partners, Jim Bowhall, creative director and Nat Zimmerman, executive producer round out the management team. The Lvngrm has already produced projects for an array of clients ranging from Yamaha Water Craft and Publix Super Markets to Atlanta's CBS 46 News, Cingular and Coca-Cola. Recent work completed at the studio also includes editorial, design and effects work on the movie trailer for the independent feature film Sight Unseen.

Alzheimer's Association selected TG Madison as its agency of record. After a nationwide search and review conducted by Jones Lundin Beals, the Alzheimer's Association selected TG Madison to help them build their stature as the nation's leading organization involved in the fight against Alzheimer's. A new campaign is expected to launch in second quarter of 2007. 

TG Madison Advertising also announces the addition of Suzanne Piehl as Senior Vice President, Group Account Director, managing MetLife, Woodlands Financial and new business efforts. Most recently, Piehl was at McCann Erickson New York, where she was Vice President, Management Representative on Intel, Avis Rent A Car, Budget Rent A Car and Tiffany & Co. Piehl's other account experience in New York includes L'Oreal Paris Cosmetics, US Airways and United Way of America at McCann and Canon USA at Grey Advertising. Prior to moving to New York in 1999, Piehl built her advertising career at McCann Erickson Atlanta / Fitzgerald + CO and Austin Kelley Advertising on clients including Coca-Cola USA, CARE, Midas Muffler and Brakes, and Pizza Hut.

Interested in staying on top of the latest ad biz news? Check out reel spit, a pod-cast that is offered about once a month and focuses on the advertising industry. It's a great way to learn about new things and stay connected. Reel spit has had some really cool interviews, most recently Matt Miller of the AICP and Jason Mayo and Steve Tozzi of Click 3X. You can subscribe for free in the itunes store, under pod-casts (search: reelspit) or go to the reel spit website. You can also find a link to reel spit on the home page of Click 3X.

The RX Club Show in New York, a national award show that celebrates creativity in healthcare product advertising and promotion, honored The Georgia Transplant Foundation's (GTF) 2006 public service announcement campaign with an Award of Excellence. The campaign, which features transplant recipients from the state of Georgia that have benefited from the services GTF offers, was also named a finalist for a prestigious Silver or Gold award. The award will be announced on Thursday, November 9, 2006 during the opening night of the 20th Annual award show, in New York City. DENMARK {the agency} created the print and interactive media public service campaign for GTF to efficiently raise awareness for the Foundation. The campaign was featured in over 20 publications and is running on a growing number of television stations throughout Georgia.

Featured Rant

All That Glitters: Why clients should care about awards

"Clients don't care about awards." It's the popular and quick retort from many ad agencies. Interestingly, those are often the same agencies who enter but rarely win - leaving their shelves adorned with ceramic fruit bowls instead of shiny metal objects. In theory, I do agree that clients don't hire agencies based merely on their penchant for all things that glitter. But what software client hasn't run up and down the halls celebrating the fact that they were just named a top ten system by Information Management Today? Our Mizuno client has won numerous Editor's Choice awards from Runners World and rarely does an ad go out the door without a mention of it. Car manufacturers love to boast their JD Power awards and Car & Driver Top Ten Lists. So, in truth, I think clients do have an appreciation for awards. But that's not really the point here.

Winning awards is an agency's best tool for recruiting top creatives. And without smart, imaginative creatives you can't do smart, imaginative work. And isn't that why clients hire us? Yes, I know insightful strategies and more-bang-for-the-buck media plans are essential, but all that thinking and well invested money gets flushed down the drain when your touchpoint with the consumer, the creative, goes over like a turd in the swimming pool. Don't get me wrong, however, winning awards isn't the primary goal. It's merely a nice by-product of smart, relevant work that gets your clients noticed and gets their cash registers ringing. There is a correlation. And it's why both clients and creatives alike are lining up outside the doors of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Wieden+Kennedy, The Martin Agency and other shops that contend awards do matter.

Are the awards shows flawed? Without a doubt. There are still far too many barber shop ads, costume shops and film festivals, but for the most part, great work for significant, paying clients does get recognized. It gets talked about. It creates a buzz around those clients and around those agencies who have the guts to demand nothing less than work that separates and distinguishes their clients' brands in the eyes of their consumers.

So as I sit here filling out the entry forms to yet another awards show, I have to ask myself, "Does anyone really care?" My bet and hope is that somewhere out there a young writer, with a book overflowing with amazingly bright ideas, does care and is looking for the perfect reason to pack up and move to Atlanta. When that happens, my clients and I will be waiting with open arms.

Ron Huey
President/Creative Director
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