Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

Spending a week in New York City was unbelievable. I learned a lot about myself, what I want to do in the advertising world, and what kind of agency I find (in the words of Deb Morrison) groovy.

New York is an amazing city full of hustling men in business suits and women in six inch heels. But it’s part of the culture. It’s the way of living for a native. It could be my way of living potentially…if I get a job in the city that never sleeps. I enjoyed hearing the “New York” accent and diving into a routine. I can definitely see myself living there at some point in the future.

Agency tours! So many agency tours that were unreal filled my week with advice and insight. I fell in love with three agencies: McGarrybowen, Strawberry Frog, and Wieden+Kennedy. I felt the most comfortable at these agencies.

McGarrybowen had the corporate feel with collaborative work environment. The importance of strategy and insight gives clients strong and thorough executions. I loved the 9/11 Verizon commercial that first aired a year after and again during the ten year anniversary. (I have to admit, I teared up during the spot). Some points of advice that I took away from McGarrybowen as an account manager:

1. Stand up for your agency: your agency is your brand and you want to make sure it has your support 110%.

2. Understand the creative work: as an account manager, the best pitch you can give is when you know the work backwards and forwards and support the ideas. If you can’t support the work, it’s hard to sell an idea to a client.

3. Develop a relationship: if you have a great connection with your creative team, then everything can fall into place and great work happens.

StrawberryFrog is an one of a kind agency. The colorful office is only a reflection of the people who work there. Besides receiving a free t-shirt with a Mr. T inspired frog, I loved the enthusiasm that beamed from our generous speakers. Amanda, the account/production manager was extremely bubbly and happy during the presentation. The team enjoyed talking about their work on Jim Beam and A Girl Story. It is watching advertisers like them, enjoying their work and time at the agency, that motivate me to find a place like that. It might not be StrawberryFrog, but I’ll find my advertising home.

And finally…the big guns. My experience at Wieden+Kennedy was incredible. I loved hearing from Neal Arthur and his favorite ESPN spots. It gave me a greater understanding of the spots and how they were developed. I could listen to him speak for hours about Old Spice, Nike and the Jordan division, and other clients. I wanted to absorb it all. But the most unbelievable part was pitching an idea to Creatives, Account Managers, and other employees at W+K. WHAT?! Yes, that happened and I almost died. Well, hypothetically since who knows if that will ever happen again.

Outside of agency tours, I experienced many things. I was a part of the social media team that tweeted for the One Show Interactive awards. It was crazy to think about all the brilliant minds standing in the one room. The work presented was extraordinary. The amount of detail put into a spot makes it all great work. Connections were made and memories were created, what more could I ask for?

I explored the city. My feet would hurt by the end of the day because I walked so much. I saw a broadway show, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Nick Jonas (insert high-pitched scream) and Beau Bridges.

I went to the 9/11 Memorial. I reflected about the day that changed the lives of Americans and remembered exactly where I was when I found out what happened.

Central Park, Time Square, Brooklyn and many more places filled my trip with great photos and memories. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

What I’ve learned over the last week:

1. Work incredibly hard. It’s hard to create great and changing work unless you put the time in to do it.

2. Do not be an Asshole! No one will work with you, no one will hire you, and advertising is a “small” industry. Everyone knows everyone.

3. Enjoy what you do. If you don’t have fun while working or brainstorming ideas for kitty litter, then this might be the wrong business for you.

4. Don’t take yourself to seriously. We’re in advertising….we need to have fun sometimes.

Thank you to everyone who made this trip amazing. Deb, Dave and Harsha, we couldn’t have done everything without you two. To all the agencies, you gave me a whole new perspective on what I’m going to enter into in a few short weeks. Thanks for preparing and slightly scaring me shitless. To the crew, my nights would not have been as fun or unforgettable if it wasn’t for you. And I couldn’t ask for better friends. For this, I thank you.

I don’t know where I’ll be after graduation. I know it will be Los Angeles. My journey is only beginning.

TTFN

After a long term of trying to find my place in the advertising world. I think I’ve found it.

I love brand content. I love trying to understand why a brand did things a certain way, why the company wanted the brand portrayed this way, and what the audience wants to see from the brand.

I wanted mine and Taylor Steves final project to reflect. After putting our brains together, we decided to use Chipotle, Nike and Toms and discuss their corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Chipotle’s Cultivate Foundation promotes family farming and healthy food supplies. The growing issue of food concerns brought Chipotle to donate to the foundation that provides health education and innovation for better food.

Nike’s Better World is a program that supports multiple platforms of athleticism. From renovating outdoor basketball courts to making environmentally friendly shoes. After the lack of transparency from the company, Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, felt the pressure and importance of explaining to the world of its indiscretions and how the company will change for the better.

Toms Shoes has been a brand that gives back from the very beginning. It’s One for One Movement is simple and effective. If you go out and buy a pair of shoes, a pair will be donated to a child in need. Along with that, Toms holds “A Day Without Shoes” events that encourage Toms supporters to spend the day barefoot, just like those in suffering countries.

These three brands strongly demonstrate the importance of CSR and how it affects the community. Enjoy our project!

After a term full of trying to understand social media and digital branding, I think I’ve come to some conclusions.

Digital is disruptive. There are ads or brands always popping in and out, trying to grab you attention. Sometimes it works and sometimes it is so annoying you refuse to even go back to the site. But the disruption is never going to stop. Brands will always be growing and adapting to the changing digital world.

Not every brand needs an app or a Facebook page. I know I talked about this before, but Mentos did not need to develop a spider fighting app. I didn’t translate what the brand wants for its audience or the point of it. As for Facebook pages, it’s a place for sharing photos and stories as people did for the Purina Cat Chow. It seems just to be a forum for cat lovers to participate in and share stories.

Not everyone wants to share their experiences. Even though we share photos and experiences with our friends and family, we don’t necessarily like sharing tidbits of information for an app. We propel ourselves into these social networks, connecting, and understanding, but sharing is still on the fence.

Thanks for a great term Dave!

A new app for the iPad and iPhone creates a instant social magazine that highlights details from the people in your network. Flipboard.

From what I can understand from the app, it takes bits and pieces from your friends and the networks you’re apart. It shares information of your life and the life of others and creates a magazine type for you. The app makes cover stories of the most interesting news.

After all the discussions in class, the apps seems kind of strange. I thought people were hesitant to share all their information to an app or a network. In this case, Flipboard takes the most important aspects of your shared information and sends it out to your friends. It seems interesting and a creative idea, but isn’t that what Facebook for?

That’s just my opinion.

Readability is an app that serves a great purpose. Now available on iOS, this app allows you to download articles from a website without all the cluster and advertisements. Users can also share the article and make the font bigger and clear. It creates a better experience overall.

It’s taking an everyday frustration and making it easier. I know I hate reading some articles on a website because I get distracted by the advertisements surround the text. I end up clicking on something and investigating what it’s about. Of course, I then lose track of where I started and why I even left. With Readability, I can just have the texts and images that are necessary for my viewing pleasure.

Even brilliant ideas are simple.

Today, I came across an article on Ad Age talking about magazines, tablets, and the future of subscriptions.

Magazines like Sports Ilustrated are in the process of figuring out whether or not to offer a digital-only subscription. Right now, they offer an “All-Access” subscription that allows their readers to have both digital and print copies available. But this new development, is it possible for print to slowly die off? Won’t it be easier for reader to upload the new edition on his or her tablet? That’s the ongoing battle that newspapers and magazines are facing today. Researchers found that subscribers wanted the print along with the digital. I find this interesting since most people carry their iPads or tablets around with them. But readers like having something physical to hold, to flip throw the pages, and tear out pages or pictures.

When Cosmopolitan magazine first joined the web, it was giving away content for free. Executives realized that with this new digital market for tablets and iPads, it created another opportunity to increase subscribers with a price.

Another market and another boundary broke through into the digital age. Magazine sales have decreased the past few years because most of the content is available online, for free. Now with this new development, magazines and even newspapers can make an attempt at recovery. I’m sure digital will be the primary breadwinner of the digital-print relationship.

This term flew by. So much has happened in such a short period of time. I don’t know what the future holds but I do know that I’m excited for next term!

I can’t wait for the New York Experience and Creative Week. It’s going to be so much information and adventures that I will never forget. Maybe I’ll get a job there? And then really start my life as a Carrie or Miranda, living it big in the Big Apple. But who knows? The future is unpredictable.

And now….my website!

http://cargocollective.com/lindsaylbrooks

Love.

Every girl loves love and loves to hate love. It’s the Carrie Bradshaw in all of us. We want to fall in love. Find our prince. Live a big castle and live happily ever after.

Thanks Disney for ruining my perspective on love when I was a child.

Girls my age are obsessed with love. Finding love, falling in love, and watching other people fall in love.

Last night, I watched last week’s episode of The Bachelor. It was wonderful watching Ben take three women to Switzerland to go on dates. Then at the end of each date, going to the “Fantasy Sweet.” I’m sure it was all magical with rainbows and butterflies. I mean, that’s so typical on a date right? I definitely expect my first date to have helicopter rides, picnics, and lots of wine. No pressure anyone.

I’ve noticed that during the past few years, there have been an abundance of television shows about love and finding love. The Bravo Network has Millionaire Matchmaker and soon, the Love Broker. The Dating Game was only a kick off to what was coming.

Obviously I’m guilty to indulging in these reality shows because I do want to find love. I’m sure someone will sweep me off my fit, hopefully in a literal way not just metaphorical.

TTFN

Disrupt by Luke Williams describes how business cannot go along with the status quota.

As advertisers need to adapt to this kind of thinking. We need to think outside the box. We need to surprise our audiences. Even though the book seems more business oriented than advertising related.

But we can take these same principals and apply them to creating a great campaign for a client.

An example that Williams uses is P&G’s Swifter. Continuum was hired to ask why. The team noticed that people cleaning their homes were using water and it wasn’t working. So they asked well what if you didn’t use water at all. And then the Swifter mop was invented.

Disrupt means taking something to the next level and keeping the audience on their toes. And now that technology plays a huge role in the development of a product. It’s always changing and always move. It’s hard to keep up.

We can’t stop once we get to the top. There is always a new level to beat and a new challenge to face.

As I was watching TV last night before going to bed, there was a commercial for Purina Cat Chow. It talked about its product and blah blah blah. But then, the end of the commercial encouraged cat owners to go onto the brand’s Facebook page.

This morning, I went on Facebook to investigate. Before “liking” the page, Purina presents its viewers with a guide about the food, the brand, and what Purina is doing today for the betterment of cats. I then moved my mouse and clicked “like”.

Once I did that, pictures appeared on the Facebook wall of Purina and its audience sharing photos of their pets. Now, I know that not everyone is sharing pictures of their pets. My question is, what benefit do these cat lovers get when they upload their pictures to the fan page? I know we’ve had some discussions about this in class and this is evidence that our society wants to share everything with any one.

There is no prize, no reward, just the feeling that your photos are being seen by Purina. But what’s the point of sharing that you held a birthday party for your cat’s fifth birthday? I guess depending on who you are and how you feel about cats, it could mean a lot or nothing at all.

To me, it seems silly to upload a picture of my pet if I’m not getting anything out of it. Maybe if it was a contest and the person who best represents the Purina brand, then I would considering posting a picture to the page. But if it’s just to share with the slim possibility that someone might comment on it, it’s really not worth it to me.

I know this will be an on-going question but I’ll just ask it to emphasis my point. What’s the point of sharing these photos if there is no incentive?

TTFN