Printing Green and Loving It!

The buzz-word in printing these days is “green.” Companies are establishing sustainable business management practices and expecting their employees to follow along. Just as clients are “going green,” so is the printing industry to keep up with this new global demand. Paper, ink and technology are paving the way to less waste and l
ess harm on the environment and this is becoming the norm in the printing industry. But what does it mean to truly print green?

Printing green is good for the environment, right? Yes, this is true. Both the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) offer certifications to paper manufacturers and printers. For a paper or a press to be certified they must follow a chain of custody for every bit of paper that is produced or purchased. The source of the wood used in producing the paper must come from a certified forest that is practicing responsible harvesting and growth management principles. Each certified piece of paper can be tracked back to the forest it originated from. By specifying jobs to print on FSC or SFI certified papers utilizing a certified print vendor you are doing your part to protect the earth’s natural resources for many generations to come.

Paper is not the only “green” material in printing. So is the ink – just think soy, soy-based ink that is. Soy-based ink is non-petroleum based ink that is friendlier to the environment and allows printed products to be more easily recycled when they are printed with this ink. This is because the soy ink is easier to remove in the cleaning process at a recycling plant. The soybean that this ink is derived from also uses less energy to grow and emits less volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the air when used as ink.

The type of printing you choose can also impact the environment. If you choose digital printing over offset then there is less waste. This is because with digital printing you get exactly what you order. There are no overages to account for. However, digital may only be cost effective for print runs under a couple thousand pieces and there is a size limitation for digital presses. If you choose offset printing, you can print using soy-based ink instead of toner. And, offset can be used to print any size and quantity, but is more cost effective on larger print runs.

Here at BG, we pride ourselves on having numerous green printing resources. Our clients can turn to us to lead them down the “greener” path of printing without sacrificing the quality of their print collateral. So the next time you or your client wants to be “green,” just turn to your nearest green printing professional to lead the way.

Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things

It has come to the point that saving money and getting a “deal” has become an art form. In our personal lives, from cosmetics, food and clothing to big ticket items, it’s second nature to consider lower cost items next to the pricier alternative and compare them as apples to apples. For example Publix has a marvelous line of products that are in my opinion of equal quality to many name brands. On the other hand I am the not-so-proud owner of a gigantic vat of not-so-great body lotion from a popular pharmacies private label alternative (whose private label products are usually ab fab). For decades, successful companies have capitalized on budget conscious consumers by offering products and services comparable to the brands and products most highly coveted by them.

Here at BG we have always practiced a proactive approach to bringing exceptional value to our clients through media placement, account and creative services and production. Recently, we were looking for a way to save money on some big ticket drum scans that were previously done at a shop in NYC. These scans are tricky business and the nationally known artist we contract with to produce fine-art quality illustrations was confident that the shop he uses in NYC was the best way to assure the quality we were seeking. We aggressively researched other options and low and behold found a great new local resource. The results were 100% comparable drum scans with a savings of over $1,000 — and a very happy client.

Historically, and even more so now, great opportunities exist to expand your resources, save money, and have a leg up on your competition. But they don’t always come knocking at your door. It is second nature for us at BG to constantly be seeking out new media, processes, products, and any other resources that bring superior value to our clients, especially now, when marketing dollars need to perform with more efficiency than ever.

What You See is What You Get

Throughout life you’ll hear of acronyms for all sorts of things. Years ago in a college computer class I heard the term WYSIWYG and it always stuck out in my mind; I guess because it sounded funny (pronounced wizi-wig). Not because of what it actually means: What You See Is What You Get.

Anyway, during preparation for a new business pitch I suddenly realized that WYSIWYG could actually be used to describe BG’s philosophy in regards to client relationships. There are some agencies out there that promise a potential client the moon and present themselves as being capable of solving all of the client’s problems in the blink of an eye just to land the account. Often times the client soon finds out that their dream agency is in fact just smoke and mirrors when deadlines are missed, phone calls aren’t promptly returned and invoices that are higher than expected show up in the mail. BG is not one of those agencies.

Not to toot our own horn too loudly, one of the things we really pride ourselves on is our high level of client service. We are in constant communication with our clients so they always know the status of the jobs we are working on for them, we inform our clients of costs upfront, we do not make promises that we cannot keep, and above all we are honest, so there are never any surprises which lead to a disappointed client.

Happy clients tend to lead to long, productive relationships, and since we’ve had the joy of working with many of our clients for more than a decade I think the “WYSIWYG approach”, as I like to call it, is definitely an effective one!

You can read more about why our clients enjoy working with us on the BG website bonergroup.com. Click on testimonials.

Web advertising goes local. Finally!

I just hate when I prove myself wrong! Which happens with increasing frequency these days as new technology is constantly introducing (or perhaps more accurately, bombarding) itself into our daily lives. As forward-thinking as I like to think I am, I instinctively fight these new advances with statements of “this is of no use to me!”

Yet, inevitably, I embrace them and soon find myself at a loss without them. And so it goes with new media opportunities that stem from the new technology. When a media rep phones to set an appointment to present the latest new media I cringe and even, dare I say, mumble, don’t we have enough media already!!”

And so I find it a bit odd that I have skipped all of my usual early denial and posturing and moved right into downright excitement at the new geo, contextual and behavioral targeting opportunities for local and regional advertisers. National advertisers have long had at their disposal the ability and budget to advertise on the major search engines and a broad spectrum of popular websites to reach their target audiences. Meanwhile, local advertisers have been extremely limited, with largely their local newspaper, TV and radio station websites as the only options. But times are a changing!

Several months ago Yahoo! entered into partnerships with newspapers across the country to provide local advertisers accessibility to their network of sites. By integrating their technology platform with the newspapers’, Yahoo! has significantly expanded the online reach for local advertisers.

In our local market, the Palm Beach Post’s online reach increased from 26% to 67% with the addition of Yahoo!. In addition, Yahoo! offers geographic and behavioral targeting, a huge improvement in strategic placement. Advertisers can now place their banners in front of advertisers who exhibit online behavior in sync with their products and services. For example we have used geo and behavioral targeting (BT) with a hospital client to promote their stroke and cardiac services to online users in Palm Beach County. These are users who have surfed the Yahoo! family of sites for health information, specifically related to the circulatory system. We saw increases in the click-through rates from when we were only able to target specific channels within the Palm Beach Post’s website.

And perhaps even more exciting are ad networks that bundle websites, blogs, RSS feeds, etc and sell them to advertisers in packages, simplifying the buying process. Now with one media buy, advertisers can place their ads on hundreds of the most popular sites. And, contextual targeting allows the advertiser to further target their banner placements by areas of interest that relate to their product/service. Ad networks have been around for a while. But again they were not really accessible to local advertisers because of minimum spend requirements that priced them out of consideration.

But now, local advertisers can conveniently and affordably access local ad space across networks of nationally-recognized popular websites as well as a mix of relevant niche sites. A small sample of the hundreds of sites available include CNN, New York Magazine, Readers Digest, Business Week, Facebook, LinkedIn, Major League Baseball, Auto Trader and Men’s Fitness. And remarketing technology allows advertisers to follow online users who click on their banner ad and surf their website by tagging them and then serving their banner ads to them as they continue to surf the web for the next few days.

So, yeah….I am ecstatic about these new opportunities with no hesitancy or uncertainty about the value they bring our clients. Bring it on!!

Fabulously Original or Foolishly Fake, That is the Question!

As an artist, it goes against my grain to take credit for anything I didn't create myself. If I put even a scrap of something someone else created into a logo, or anything else I work on, I don't consider it my creation at all and I won't lay claim to it as my own.

Artistic temperament aside, including unoriginal work in your client's logo is simply bad business. When a client seeks out an agency, that client is relying on professionalism and the agency's ability to create a logo that accurately reflects the nature and purpose of their business. If clients wanted cookie-cutter logos they could go to Google images and find one for themselves. Instead, the client is counting on the agency to be innovative and not just copy and paste random clip art to which everyone and his brother have access. By using original work, an agency avoids placing its client in the embarrassing position of coming across obvious elements of its own logo in another company's brand.

It is normal to be inspired by or get ideas from someone else's work, but to use it as your own is unethical. And in the end you risk your own integrity, your agency's integrity and your client's confidence in you.

Tweet for Success

When Twitter first came on the scene I must say that I was a little skeptical. Even after using it myself I still wasn’t convinced that it was a useful marketing tool. I mean how much can you really say in 140 characters?

It wasn’t until I started using Twitter for a local charity did I see its potential for small businesses. After posting just a few tweets my audience started to grow and almost every day, whether I post a tweet or not, I usually gain at least one new follower. I also noticed that once I changed my name to include “Palm Beach” many local businesses started to follow me. This is when I started to wonder if Twitter could actually be effective for small businesses? Since most of these businesses have minimal marketing budgets, Twitter allows them to reach an audience that is interested in their product or service with as much frequency as they would like at no cost. Plus, since word of mouth tends to be one of the best forms of advertising for small businesses, Twitter is ideal. It allows users to broadcast messages and also encourages users to “retweet” or spread the news to friends in their network. Tweets can be sent through the web and also through a cell phone making it very convenient for small business owners.

The NY Times even published an article on the subject last month; it mentioned a success story about Curtis Kimball, a crème brûlée cart operator in San Francisco. Mr. Kimball started a Twitter account, which he deems has been pretty essential to his success. He has more than 5,400 Twitter followers who wait for him to post the current location of his cart along with a list of flavors available that day. The demand has been so great for his desserts that he has quit his day job as a carpenter! The article mentions several other success stories as well including small town businesses that grew outside of their local market, those in rural areas that have learned business tips from other Twitter users, and more.

Now if we could just find a way to get Mr. Kimball to bring his crème brûlée cart here!

Local Community Currency to Support Local Business

I recently read an article in Time Magazine that mentioned many small towns issuing their own currency to encourage spending at local businesses. Citizens, in some instances, can buy this currency at their local bank and get more dollars in local currency for their US dollars (ex: bring in $100 USD and get $105 in local currency). This discount is funded by local businesses to promote their business.

As the U.S. suffers through its worst economic contraction since the Great Depression, buying local currency is one major way consumers can help keep jobs in their community. Small businesses employ the majority of most Americans. As such, consumers that spend at local small businesses help their community immensely in terms of employment. It also keeps money spent in the local economy versus buying from major nationwide chains.

The local currency program has been most successful in small towns in New England. Chambers of Commerce nationwide should embrace this local currency idea as a way to help their small businesses to survive the current recession. It is a well-known fact that small businesses pump much more money into the community per capita than larger corporate national retailers. Maybe this is something that communities and small businesses like ours should think about.

Friend or Follower? Join the crowd.

All over the blogosphere Twitterers and Facebookers are on a quest to get the most attention. Some are on a mission to gain the most followers without regard what a particular follower’s soapbox is. Others carefully cultivate their following, picking and choosing a select crowd of like minded individuals wanting to trade ideas and offer dialogue. Who is right? Will the agency with the most followers win and thrive. Or, will the agency with a smaller more passionate group of followers, dedicated to discussing and sharing ideas with and for the agency rise above the crowd?

Some blog posts, such as one written by Bhupendra Khanal, CEO of InReV, discuss how everyone is a potential customer. And word of mouth cannot be ignored. Although this is true, word-of-mouth advertising will be more credible if the source recommending the agency or product is credible.

Quantity vs. quality has been a passionate discussion at BG. We’ve discussed bombarding the net with a hundreds blog postings and twitter updates weekly and monthly. We also talked about sending out only updates with well-chosen topics to be discussed in less frequency. We came to the conclusion that it is important to take the time to create a relationship with our followers rather than just shouting to the masses. It will be through the viral response of our followers that our messages will be seen.

Zephrin Lasker of iMedia Connections posted a blog that supports the idea that quality of followers is better than quantity. According to Lasker, “It doesn’t take an army of fans for a brand to do the right thing with Twitter. You just need to interact relevantly with the right people.”

While it is important that our name gains recognition on the World Wide Web, it is more important that our message is credible, ignites conversation and is savored, shared, and referenced later. We want our advertising messages, as well as our foray into the social media realm to have the personal touch and elicit a visceral reaction. Feel it, talk about it and then take the time to pass it along. We don’t mind. At BG, we want you to follow us, but we would rather you befriend us. We want to call all of our followers our friends.

My Personal iPhone Odyssey

If you knew me you would be familiar with my fear and loathing for all things technological. I long for the days of faxing, snail mail and face-to-face client meetings. Poof! Gone! Thanks to the Internet and its cousin the PDA they are just a distant memory. So when my good old fashioned, simple little cell phone (no camera, no internet access or text capabilities…or none I knew how to operate shall we say…) died after five years of faithful service, I was thrust unwillingly into the land of technology… iPhone City.

So I waited a week for delivery, wondering how this device that has consumed many of my friends and co-workers would transform my life for the better. One month later I am happy to report that I am on the verge of embracing the darn thing. It is useful, cute, and my 4-½ year old is downloading free apps and working diligently on her fine motor skills (or so her daycare teacher reassures me). Although it hasn’t happened just yet, I’m sure one day my very existence will depend on this little device.

I do, however, respect this and other forms of advanced technology such as social media, blogs, vlogs, ezine articles, “lens” (huh?) webinars, and so forth. As Director of Client Services at BG, a small, full-service regional top 40 advertising agency, embracing, understanding and managing these tools for our clients is a critical step in harnessing the relevant, current trends in the market. These are the tools of future growth and success for marketing firms, their clients and basically the world.

To that end, I have successfully managed to integrate my new technology into my role as an account manager, albeit in a modest capacity to date. My iPhone has been useful in snapping photos of billboards for client proof of performance and accessing my emails while zooming down I-95 (kidding!). As I continue to educate myself with seemingly endless new terms and products that others know like the back of their hands, I feel good knowing that many have gone before me and are waiting for me to step into the light. So good, I think I will stop procrastinating now and post a profile picture to my 6-month-old Facebook account.

Clients Benefits: Smaller agencies create a better integrated team

Smaller is better when working with an agency for your integrated marketing efforts. Sometimes larger firms are like a circle of people passing a message from ear-to-ear. Distortion happens, plus it’s inefficient and creates wasted time in your project timeline.

Better communication, strategy, creative, schedules and budget management are easier to achieve with a smaller agency than a large one. Many larger agencies have layers of bureaucratic overhead or will shift off client work to other junior teams in order to be efficient and to make room for the next ‘big pitch’. These practices usually dilute the value of services that the client receives.

As the creative director of a small agency, I reference our agency’s role as ‘Keeper of the Brand.’ Which is what any agency should be doing for their clients. I always find that clients really love and appreciate direct contact with a more intimate team, and I enjoy it also. This type of agency is better able to focus and develop a specialized understanding of the small details, branding structure and personality insights that are at the very core of any client’s structure and campaign.

Clients like to know that if they ever need someone at the agency that they have an easy, personal relationship with the team. It makes the agency and client relationship more personable and makes the agency accountable to strive to produce better work.

At BG, we aim to ‘keep it simple’ and with that comes better service, strategy, creativity, media, value and accountability for our clients and their marketing efforts. At the end of the day, things need to get done, and too many cooks stymie anything they come in contact with. In today’s economy where tight budgets are the norm along with the need for integrated marketing engagements, a marketing partner that’s more focused and flexible will make all the difference in the world. See what our clients have said about us to get a better idea of how BG works and excels. <http://www.bonergroup.com/website/testimonials.asp?cat=1>

Welcome to the World of BG!

Let me just say that starting a blog is a bit nerve-wracking. It’s like inviting important people to your home for dinner. The desire to make it the perfect evening is all consuming. You are opening up your house and you hope to make the right impression.

Indeed, this feels the same. Because with this blog, we will invite you into our world, bringing insight and commentary that we hope you will find relevant. We want to talk about all things advertising and the impact they have on our market, clients, vendors and employees.

You will hear from all of us. Because to know BG, is to know each of us. And because everything we do, we do as a team. We are a small group, but know that to be our strength.

So please accept our invitation to engage. Perhaps you will learn a thing or two. Laugh, ponder and enjoy!

Ann Savage
President

2009-2010 Palm Beach Opera Illustrations Unveiled

The Palm Beach Opera's 2009-2010 season illustrations have finally taken shape. As we have previously written, The Boner Group and Mark Stutzman have once again partnered to illustrate the face of the Palm Beach Opera's current season.

Ad Agencies: Google Wave Will Be Another Communications Tidal Wave

Ad Agencies: Google Wave Will Be Another Communications Tidal Wave

The Do It Yourself Lobotomy: Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking

I was fortunate in my past to attend one of Tom Monahan’s creative workshop weekends in Providence, Rhode Island years ago. Tom is a talented and famous copywriter and creative director and was a partner of Leonard/Monahan in Providence. He has gone on to teach his craft to some of the biggest brands in America.

The seminar offered a great opportunity to 'think' different and get a fresh perspective when approaching creative thinking and strategy. The goal was to develop your brain and utilize thinking as chaotic, random, unpredictable, and ‘open to anything”. He summed it up as an organized thought process. “Change your thinking about change” becomes a creative tool and mantra to get to the next level of creative thinking and risk taking.

Tom also reviews the logic of asking the right questions, and doing it early enough in the process to assist a targeted solution. Logical, but do we all practice that simple rule? Other tools of expanding the creative thought process was “100 MPH Thinking”, “180° Thinking”, “Intergalactic Thinking”, “Conceptual Solitaire” and more. All of these aid in thinking outside the box and in new directions. Plus he strengthened the realization that in any creative thought process “there are no bad ideas”...really.

But you also have to learn how to channel all these new insights and integrate them into the best atmosphere possible to have them take root and show results. In Monahan’s book, The Do It Yourself Lobotomy: Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking, “The Five Greatest Barriers to Creativity” chapter outlines the minefields we can all get caught in and how to avoid them.

I went out and bought the book after the seminar weekend. I find myself going back to it often to refresh myself and to make sure I haven't strayed too far from the roadmap. Before you read the book, take the 2-Minute Creative IQ Test In the appendix, which can be a reality wake-up call.

For any marketing or creative person trying to improve upon and recharge their creative thinking and solutions, it's a book you'll find yourself wondering how you ever lived without. Check out Amazon...operators are standing by for your order. The Do It Yourself Lobotomy: Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking, by Tom Monahan.

Mark Minter
Creative Director

twtpoll :: Should Ad Agency Pitches and RFPs Be a Thing of the Past? (via )

twtpoll :: Should Ad Agency Pitches and RFPs Be a Thing of the Past? (via )

Posted using ShareThis

The Sunnier Side of Sunrise Ford

The Boner Group has been the agency of record at Sunrise Ford for over 15 years. Sunrise Ford is one of the oldest car dealerships in Florida. They have been in existence since 1932 – the same year Henry Ford introduced the first one-piece V-8 engine in the Ford V-8 Cabriolet at a price of just $610. Over the years we have experienced three major hurricanes with two direct hits on the east coast of Florida. But Sunrise Ford has embraced the challenges left behind from these storms.

When hurricanes Frances and Jeanne took their toll on the east coast of Florida and caused over $1 million dollars in damage to the dealership, Sunrise Ford accepted this as an opportunity to rebuild in a way few car dealerships have – “Green”. Sunrise Ford remodeled utilizing the latest in “green” technologies.

This technology included installing 168 solar panels on their roof to convert sunlight into energy to help power the needs of the dealership. And not only do they utilize “green” in their building design, but they also embrace “green” as a way of life for the dealership. Biodegradable soaps are used on all of their car washes. And they recycle of all of the paper used at Sunrise Ford.

As Ford rolls out more and more of their alternative fueled vehicles, Sunrise Ford will be one step ahead of their competition. They are not only talking the talk, but they are also walking the walk.

Drawing Life Into Palm Beach Opera’s 2009-2010 Season

The Boner Group and artist Mark Stutzman have teamed up to produce Palm Beach Opera’s promotional illustrations for the 2009-2010 season. This is the fourth season The Boner Group has commissioned Stutzman to create the opera’s acclaimed promotional designs. The illustrations will capture the essence and emotion for the upcoming season featuring Beethovan’s Symphony No. 9 Choral (Ode to Joy), Otello, Don Giovanni, and Carmen.

Stutzman may best be known for his illustration of young Elvis, featured on the U.S. Postage stamp issued January 8, 1993. His illustrations are also featured in such national publications as MAD Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and Esquire.

Much of his catalog of work encompasses promotional artwork for products, corporations and shows including the Broadway musicals Annie Get Your Gun and Young Frankenstein, The Musical, as well as promotional posters for illusionist David Blaine. Stutzman works out of his studio, Eloqui, located in the rural Appalachian mountains of Maryland.

Stutzman’s illustrations for this year’s Palm Beach Opera season will be unveiled in late July or early August. Below are some of the previous seasons works by Mark Stutzman. You can also see more of his work at http://eloqui.com.

   

New Look for Palm Beach Kennel Club

The spring brought a rebirth of the marketing image of Palm Beach Kennel Club. Their customers seek exciting entertainment, gaming and dining options. All of this without having to drive over an hour south, or long choppy boat tours for casino style excitement. You can have a great time, win money and prizes, all from the easy comfort of Palm Beach County.

The marketing strategy was to show a more contemporary and exciting option of entertainment at Palm Beach Kennel Club for live action racing, high-stakes poker, exciting simulcast racing and great dining options. With over $150 million paid out to winners last year, including 60 hot poker tables, 185 exciting simulcast races, 133 thrilling live races and 2 fabulous restaurants, the statistical numbers made a compelling message for consumers. BG's team set out to redefine the marketing strategies and consumer impressions, while still delivering the promise of the best destination for racing and gaming entertainment in Palm Beach County. Even with gas prices skyrocketing and rebounding, tourists and local residents needed to rediscover a local option within a reasonable distance for an afternoon or evening out.

We developed a new tagline for Palm Beach Kennel Club, 'More Ways to Win. More Winners. More Fun.', with use of the subheadline: 'Where Winners Play.'

Even with the current economy issues, we were able to produce a :60 TV spot, tourists and newspaper print ads, airport duratran signage, airport baggage animated LCD screens, online banner campaign, plus use of the first LED billboard in Palm Beach County. All delivered on a tight timetable and limited budget due to today's economy.

We at BG pride ourselves on smart media, creative that communicates and targeted to a client needs, budget and demographic.

The 'Economic Realignment' Era

"Recession? Thought about it, and decided not to take part." Sam Walton

As a legend stated: "If you stop advertising a brand which is still in its introductory phase, you will probably kill it... Studies of the last six recessions have demonstrated that companies which do not cut back their advertising budgets achieve greater increases in profits than companies which do cut back." Ogilvy On Advertising, 1983.

"If a company fails to maintain its 'Share of Mind' during an economic downturn, current, and future sales are jeopardized. Maintaining "Share of Mind" costs much less than rebuilding it later on." Hi-Lite Magazine Online, June 2003.

"Make as much noise as possible in dark times. You will be well remembered when it is light again." The Cricket Theory, David Harrell.

"There is ample evidence to support the fact that maintaining or increasing your advertising and marketing investment in slow times is actually more effective than in good or growth periods."

"In times like these, consumers don’t stop spending money. They just spend it more carefully." Marketing in Tough Times, by John Kypriotakis. You can download the PDF click here.

Arthritis Foundation’s Mid-East Florida Chapter’s Arthritis Walk and Dog Walk

Aimee Shaughnessy, our Senior Account Manager is co-chair for The Arthritis Foundation’s Mid-East Florida Chapter’s Arthritis Walk and Dog Walk. The event raises awareness and funds to fight the many forms of arthritis, the nation’s most common cause of disability. It is a tremendous opportunity to help improve the lives of the 46 million men, women and children doctor-diagnosed with arthritis. This is an annual fundraiser that will be held Saturday, November 14, 2009 at John Prince Park in Lake Worth. Registration begins at 8am and the walk starts at 9am. There is no registration fee and there are incentive prizes for money raised. Walkers that raise $100+ will also receive a Walk t-shirt.

At the Event…
• Choose from a three-mile or one-mile walk route
• Write an inspirational message on the Wall of Heroes
• Wear a blue “hero” hat if you have arthritis
• Enjoy the fun, festivities and free health information

You can join Aimee's team, form your own team, sign up as an individual, make a donation, become a sponsor of the event, buy a booth at the event all on our website. They even have a dog honoree for the event....a greyhound with arthritis from Greyhound Pets of America.

If you’d like to join Aimee’s team (Aimee’s Angels) or make a donation on her behalf, click here. You can also checkout their Facebook profile, click here.

An Economic Analogy From the Land of Mickey Mouse

By Amie Mollo, Account Manager

I had the recent privilege of attending the 2009 American Advertising Federation (AAF) 4th District Conference and ADDY Awards at the Marriott Orlando World Center. It was a motivating weekend with an agenda of informative meetings, enlightening keynote speakers and an exciting ADDY awards program. I gained a new appreciation for the AAF and its function on a local, district and national level to benefit the advertising industry.

The speaker I found most interesting was Will Gay, Creative Director at Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group. He offered an inside look at the history of the powerful in-house agency. Gay spoke about creating an experience and the importance of storytelling in Disney advertising. He shared a little of the behind the scenes work in creating the recent Wine festivals at Epcot and the holiday “Paper Wonderland” campaigns. He also shared a little secret to the most productive brainstorming sessions…ping pong!

Of course, the economy was a hot topic. We heard some tips on boosting ad sales in today’s economic crisis. A speaker advised to increase the advertising budget, never decrease it. The following is the perfect analogy to explain the concept. If everyone in a room is talking (advertisers), it is difficult to hear any one person (or advertiser). But if everyone stops talking (advertisers cutting back), then the message of the person who continues talking becomes very clear. So when the competitors get quiet, or stop talking altogether, this is your opportunity to shine. Keep talking and communicating your marketing and advertising messages.