2010
is just about here. And it looks to be another tough, competitive, just-do-what-it-takes to make a buck year.
I recently got this email warning about the heightened industry competition from my concerned friend, Brad Smith,
“I’m afraid that Atomic Ideas
might be in trouble. These guys might have the edge.”
Attached was this video:
All I can say is “Bring it
on, Baby!”
and have a Happy New Year.
And thank you Brad for watching our backs.
Posted in Uncategorized
As 2009 winds down and people are thinking "thank God", it's time to crack open a fresh new year. Companies are busy taking a breath and leaning into what's starting to look like a better year for business.
And as others throughout society continue trying to catch up, dealing with the air knocked out of them, there's an organization, www.idealist.org, that is a bounty of volunteering opportunities. If one of your personal new year's goals, or your company's goals, is to help others, this is the site to check out.
Idealist's Vision:
"We would like to live in a world where:
2010 is just a few days away and we're geeked. Sure, 2009 was a bit of a mess, but hey, it's almost over and I'm determined to look forward, not backwards. So for today's post and anyone who needs a lift, I scoured the web for the 10 best inspirational quotes to help the gang at Atomic Ideas and the whole world get juiced for the coming year.
Memorize them, tack them on the wall, live them!
1. Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about.
– Unknown
2. Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
– Frank Outlaw
3. Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
– Judy Garland
4. "Everything is okay in the end, if it's not okay, then it's not the end."
– Unknown
5. I do it because I can, I can because I want to, I want to because you said I couldn't.
– Unknown
6. Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself:
I, not events, have the power to make me happy or
unhappy today. I can
choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived
yet. I have
just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.
– Groucho Marx
7. ' When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place '
– Unknown
8. A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can't
– Unknown
9. Don't Quit
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit–
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
– Edgar A. Guest
10. Never tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
– Unknown
Photo Credit:
So one way to avoid being on next year’s “10 Worst Ad” list is to make sure you have a “marketable truth” and to make sure you don’t undo it with a “negative truth.”
Posted in Advertising, Corporate Identity, Creativity, Internal Branding, The Buzz
Tagged atomic ideas, Christmas, Christmas cards
I usually don’t get involved in sports talk and futile
blather. Basically, I like to watch sports and read about the results.
Occasionally, I’ll read a column or two. I like reading Mitch Album.
However, the other day, while reading a list that
evaluated upcoming bowl game matchups by ESPN’s, Pat Forde, (espn.com columnist
and college football expert), I came upon some incredible blurbs concerning the
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl matchup summary.
They are comments that affect our
economic condition here in Michigan. Here are parts of what Forde wrote,
“Who's happier to be there: Both should be tickled? Well,
as tickled as you can be when you're spending Christmas in Detroit.”
And then later, he writes,
“Completely useless Dash fact: Fans looking for a hotel
stay of two or more nights might consider buying a house in Detroit. Roughly
the same cost.”
Where the hell does he get off? Is this supposed to be a
little humorous bit tacked on to an otherwise dull bowl game assessment? What
purpose does it serve? It’s unrelated to the game. It’s not the writer’s area
of expertise. What’s the benefit of these ignorant comments? Is he trying to
create a controversy? -in order to create some buzz and interest to his lengthy
bowl game coverage? Well, It doesn’t work. It’s not helping him sell anything. If
there is going to be a controversy, it should be between the two teams in the
bowl matchup, not with the fans and people of a somewhat neutral game site.
What warrants this thoughtless jab at a hurting city? This is not good
business.
It’s just a joke?
It’s funny to be mean?
I guess that’s Pat Forde’s reason. He thought it was a
funny joke, not to be taken seriously by the thousands of college football
enthusiasts and the thousands of Detroit area residents.
These comments hurt more than just the residents of the
Detroit area. They hurt and diminish the enthusiasm of the Little Caesars Pizza
Bowl game’s participants and all the people involved. The Little Caesar Pizza
Bowl gives two teams an opportunity to play for something extra. It’s a bonus
to a well-played season. The players get an all expenses paid trip. No, it’s
not in a southern town near an ocean. But it is in a major, well-established, midwestern
city that has all the features you’d expect, like great restaurants, fancy
hotels, museums, art galleries, symphonies, jazz and techno clubs, three major
casinos, (a casino across the river in Canada), NHL and NBA teams, great
shopping and a bunch of other cool things.Visitors will not be bored. (These are things that economically help the Detroit community). The
schools get a $750,000 payout, money they don’t generally turn down. And, the
game will be played on TV (ESPN) giving the two teams valuable exposure.
Why would someone want to insult that opportunity and
life experience?
Maybe it’s that Mr. Forde just wasn’t thinking. I’m not
saying he’s an idiot. I’d never say that. I really don't get it. Maybe a quote from Joe Paterno's perspectve can help
explain things:
“If I ever
need a brain transplant, I
want one from a sportswriter, because I’ll
know it’s never been used.”
-Joe Paterno, College Football coach and frequent bowl game participant
Posted in Advertising
Tagged atomic, atomic ideas, detroit, detroit bashing, espn, ideas, Little Caesar's bowl, Pat Forde
With Santa loadin' up the sleigh and the holiday season moving into full swing mode, I thought a good laugh for all was a good idea. This "Advertising Parable for The Holidays comes courtesy of World Wide Wadio. It's a great little video they produced back in 2007 and it's great fun to watch!
So enjoy. And Happy Holidays!
Posted in Advertising, Business Life, Creativity
Great people?
You betcha!
Laura’s made a career out of climbing mountains. Beginning as a Traffic
Coordinator, she steadily rose through the agency ranks to become
President of her own agency. Her experience includes stints at
Goldfarb Hoff & Co. Advertising, Doner and Yaffe & Co. in the
areas of retailing, manufacturer co-op, QSR and more. She also spent
five years as Belle Tire’s acting Director of Marketing while also
maintaining her agency duties at Atomic Ideas.
Over the
years she has been responsible for developing consumer promotions,
marketing plans, media strategies & planning, broadcast budgeting
and anything else her clients required of her. On top of that, her
organizational skills and ability to respond to deadline pressure would
make a good self-help book.
Laura’s diverse skills, commitment
to client service and grace under pressure have resulted in lasting
client relationships and outstanding results where it counts… at the
cash register. In her spare time she likes to hike, bike, listen to
good music and teach her two young children the fine art of
multi-tasking.
Brand Experience:
• Skillset: Account & Strategic planning, media strategy & planning, retail promotion, broadcast
production, gourmet cooking, helping companies sell more stuff!
Russ has spent twenty-five years involved in almost all aspects of the
advertising, marketing and brand-building business. He started his
career as an art director at Doner in working on major brands including
Vlasic and Chiquita as well as regional retailers. He left for the far
east working at Ogilvy & Mather, Hong Kong on American Express.
Returning to the states, he joined Goldfarb Hoff & Company as VP
Associate Creative Director on the AT&T, Whirlpool and Monroe Auto
Equipment accounts.
In 1996 Russ left the company to start his
own agency, Flashpoint! Creative, Ltd. Prior to his departure in 2001,
the agency had grown substantially with a diverse client list including
Lucent Technologies, The Detroit Newspaper Partnership and Belle Tire.
During this time the Agency helped take Belle Tire from 33 stores to
over 60 by creating iconic brand positioning and advertising that led
to a 30% share of the retail tire market in Michigan. Today Belle Tire
has over 80 locations.
Since leaving Flashpoint! Creative, Russ
co-founded Atomic Ink Idea Factory (now Atomic Ideas)and worked as the
Executive Creative Director for Michigan agency Fresh Fuel. At Fresh
Fuel, he was instrumental in helping to re-brand Kar’s Nuts and bd’s
Mongolian Grill. Through it all, he has focused on developing extensive
knowledge of the Internet and digital marketing opportunities and
strategies.
A Brit and ardent fan of English Premier League
Football, Russ mollifies his American wife by pretending to like
baseball and apple pie.
Brand Experience:
bd’s Mongolian Grill, Zoup!, Hot ‘n Now Hamburgers, American Express, AT&T Consumer Products,
AT&T
Phone Centers, Belle Tire, Carl’s Golfland, Kar’s Nuts, Detroit
Newspapers, Hagopian World of Rugs, Highland Appliance, Jet U.S.,
Kitchen Aid, Kodak Corporation, Lucent Technologies, Michigan Credit
Union, Modernistic Carpet Cleaning, Powerhouse Gyms, Paint ‘n stuff,
Sanyo Corporation, Sears Brand Central, Voyager.net, Whirlpool
Corporation, Marketplacedetroit.com
•Skillset: Internal & external brand strategy development, Internet/digital brand strategies, copywriting,
art direction, broadcast production, guitar, photography, helping companies sell more stuff!
Gene Brady has spent over two decades in marketing communications in
Detroit, Chicago and Charlotte, NC; helping start-ups to global
corporations advance their brand message to sell more stuff. Gene is a
graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit. He finished his degree
at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. After weeks and weeks
of preparation and cases of Diet Pepsi, he applied and was accepted
into Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism graduate program in
integrated marketing communications.
Prior to marketing, Gene
spent six years in social services working as a child care counselor to
emotionally impaired kids in group homes. Gene found later that this
deeply rewarding experience helped develop his ‘active listening’
skills. Working with emotionally impaired kids prepared him well for
the business world.
In March of 2000, Gene founded Brio
Advertising, a full-service advertising agency. Brio provided brand
message development, offline and online advertising, and sales guidance
to results-focused companies. Brio served over seventy clients ranging
in geography from Manhattan to Monaco to Munich. Industries Brio served
included architecture, automation, automotive, engineering, finance,
healthcare, legal, manufacturing, nonprofit, personal fitness,
professional services, publishing, real estate, and technology. In
2006, as the marketing Brio developed began generating results for one
of Brio’s clients in the digital media industry, Gene was offered the
position of President by the owners. Gene helped them develop their
out-of-home digital media network, and secure employees, statewide
contracts, clients, and business partnerships.
Gene has taught
highly-rated sales and advertising classes in Ann Arbor, Michigan and
has led selling workshops at client companies. Gene has three terrific
kids that have grown into three terrific teenagers. In his free time,
Gene writes screenplays, enjoys kayaking, hiking, skydiving, reading,
and being humbled by golf and tennis.
Brand Experience:
Alcan, BASF, Castrol, Coldwell Banker, Crain Communications, Delphi, Eaton,
Ford Motor Company, Gold’s Gym, Habitat for Humanity, Kawasaki, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Mitsubishi,
Metaldyne, , Novelis, Novo Fitness Products, Plante & Moran, Pilot
Systems, Skyline Club, SPX, St. Johns Vascular, Telcom Credit Union
•Skillset: Digital online strategies & technologies, brand strategy & message development, business and
sales development training, helping companies sell more stuff!
Doug Menzer has held a variety of
leadership positions during the course of his career. He has accepted many
responsibilities and thrives on exceeding expectations for a diverse
roster of clients from global fortune 100 companies to small businesses
and start-up ventures.
To
help ensure flawless execution for all projects, Doug directs client
marketing and advertising teams with trust and integrity and is
responsible for managing and facilitating the development and
implementation of client solutions by working closely with internal
teams and partners.
As
an 11-year veteran of marketing communications and building dialogue,
Doug has focused on Digital communications throughout his entire
academic and professional career, earning him a modern day marketer
reputation. He enjoys providing services and complete solutions for
companies wanting to acquire and retain customers with compelling digital
strategies, or working with traditional methods. Doug is highly skilled in
content marketing campaigns, online advertising and other emerging
digital marketing channels including social strategies and is a creative and trusted authority on Social Media and Content
Marketing.
Doug
is always thinking of the next big idea and pushes to stay on the
cutting edge. Doug is an untiring researcher, worker and delivers what
he promises. He digs deep into the clients he deals with and puts their
best interest at the front. His global perspective and comprehensive
experience with a diverse roster of Fortune 500 clients is extremely
valuable.
Doug began his
career at VSI Holdings and from 1999 to 2006, he provided successful
support to his teams, serving as a highly qualified professional with
varied experiences in I.T., Operations and Program/Process Management.
Along with Doug’s leadership and ability to work in multiple system
applications fluidly, his true passion is providing his customers with
real solutions that get measurable results.
Doug
has successfully facilitated the rapid growth of emerging start-up
companies under his guidance. He worked with organizations such as the
Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to help the surgical
supply company network in Southeast Michigan to promote breakthrough
growth. In early 2007, he moved on to other consultation jobs for
C-Level consultation with large corporations within the healthcare
industry prior to entering back into marketing full time.
Doug is a graduate of Michigan State University. Doug holds a B.A. in
Communications and a B.S. in Psychology from Michigan State University.
Rick
has over 30 years of market research and strategic planning
experience. He has worked for independent market research companies,
has been the Market Research Director for Volkswagen of America
(Volkswagen, Audi and Bentley) and has worked for Doner Advertising as
the Sr. V.P. Research Director. Since 2006, he has been an independent
research contractor with domestic and international engagements across
a wide variety of industries.
These have included automotive
(Volkswagen, Audi, Ford, GM and Suzuki), retail (drug store,
supermarkets, restaurants, mass merchants, home centers), package goods
(OTC, soft drinks, snack foods), home and garden equipment and service
(rental cars, motels). His strength is his ability to take market
research and transform it into actionable strategy recommendations, not
just hyperbole.
Rick’s background has given him the ability to
create synergy between research/marketing objectives, the development
of the appropriate research and analytic tools and the integration of
knowledge with marketing solutions. He has provided strategic insight
that covers a broad range of topics, including tracking, brand image,
brand development, advertising/positioning strategy, customer
satisfaction, segmentation, loyalty, purchase motivation, product
development and web site development.
Rick is a University of
Virginia graduate. He looks forward to the day his golf handicap gets
under 10. He and his family live in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Brand Experience:
B.F.
Goodrich, Borden Snack Foods, Bush Brothers, Campbell Soup, Chiquita,
Scott Paper, P&G, Iams Pet Foods, John Deere, Fuji Film, Lowe’s,
Arby’s, Ponderosa, Bennigan’s, Little Caesars , Longs Drugs, Meijer, 7-Eleven, ABC Warehouse, Michigan Lottery, LPGA, Volkswagen of America (VW, Audi, Bentley), American Suzuki
•Skillset: Strategic planning, market research, analytics, brand development, customer loyalty &
satisfaction, helping companies sell more stuff!
Greg contributes to the creative firepower that ignites
strategically sound platforms into blazingly successful creative
executions. With a degree in communications, his baptism of fire began
at a small agency where, as a writer/producer/coffee-maker, he learned
the fine art of cost-effective advertising. Moving on to Ross Roy (no
relation) he honed his writing skills on numerous local and national
clients. Gaining attention for his work, he was soon recruited by W.B.
Doner, and quickly rose through the ranks to Vice President.
Later
as Creative Director for DP & Company and award-winning Associate
Creative Director for World Wide Wadio, Greg has created highly
effective advertising for an impressively long list of clients. From
Brand to Retail, TV to Web, Strategy to Implementation, Greg
specializes in creating messages that not only get clients noticed, but
also brings them desired results. Oh, and he still makes a great cup of
coffee.
Now, working with Atomic Ideas he’s able to do more of what he loves…
writing great advertising that sells, without the layers of bureaucracy
to slow him down.
Brand Experience:
ABC
Warehouse, Bennigan’s, BP, (British Petroleum), Murray’s Auto Parts,
Ponderosa, Builder’s Square, Red Roof Inns, Canadian Tire, Belle Tire,
Color Tile, Detroit Edison, Eckerd Drug, Highland Superstores, Hibernia
Bank, K-Mart, Kroger, Mazda, MascoTech, Michigan Lottery, Meijer, NBD, Comcast, History Channel, Discovery, Listerine, Nat Geo, Pedia Care, Radio Shack,
Steak & Ale, TBS, Yard Man and many more.
•Skillset: Copywriting, strategy development, broadcast production, stand-up comedy, licensed pilot,
voice-over talent
Winner of numerous Clio Awards for projects with the Detroit Zoo,
Canadian Tire, Highland Appliance and more, Steve Kidd brings not only
an exceptional talent to a creative project, he brings years of
experience on hundreds of different accounts.
After graduating
with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Drawing from
Michigan State University, Steve began his career at W. B. Doner &
Company where he created print and broadcast work for retail accounts
from around the country. It didn’t take long for Steve to make his mark
and soon he was promoted to Vice President/Creative Group Supervisor in
charge of a team of copywriters and art directors responsible for
creative solutions on multiple agency accounts.
Moving on to
Goldfarb & Company as Vice President/Associate Creative Director,
Steve worked on national accounts like AT&T, Sears, Kmart,
Whirlpool and more. After a two-year stint with Flashpoint! Creative,
handling their broadcast responsibilities, Steve landed at Berline,
where his multifaceted abilities in design and broadcast have led to a
ton of successful results for an exceptionally diverse client
base.Throughout his career, Steve has been an innovator in print design
and broadcast art direction.
He is a master at stretching the
small budget and has earned an incredible reputation for his relentless
pursuit of excellence. Most of all, he loves to be part of the creative
team at Atomic Ideas where he can use his strong, fresh and insightful
creative abilities to conceptualize great, on-strategy ideas and design
solutions that translate into all media, online or off.
Steve lives in Farmington Hills with his wife Cindy and two kids, Garrett, a new Eagle Scout and the lovely Miss Madeline.
Brand Experience:
Art Van Furniture, Kewadin Casinos, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wendy’s, Grady’s American Grill
Papa Vino’s Restaurants, Total Health Care, CSC Healthcare, Kelly Services, Credit Union One
Michigan Credit Union League, Greektown Casinos, Scott Shuptrine, Marathon Oil, DTE Energy
Pentastar Aviation, Jiffy Lube, Canadian Tire, Belle Tire, AT&T National Co-Marketing
At&T Phone Centers, Whirlpool Appliances Corp., Eckerd Drug, Children’s Palace
Framer Jack Supermarkets
Skillset: Clio Award winning broadcast art direction, broadcast production, design in all media,
project management, Golf, a memory like an elephant
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Posted in Uncategorized
As most people have probably heard by now, Pepsi will skip advertising in the upcoming Super Bowl and place their efforts on their up coming Pepsi Refresh Project (read about the Refresh Project on MSNBC and GIGAOM). You can argue both sides of the merit of Super Bowl advertising and its impact on brand and sales, but the decision made by Pepsi is fascinating.
Pepsi is saying they are committed to connecting with their consumers and the Refresh Project is a better forum. They not only want to speak to them about relevant and important issues, they want to do so at many different touch points and have an interaction that is personal and two-way.
Clearly, the Pepsi Refresh Project, and others like it, is taking marketing in a new, more personal direction. While Pepsi is claiming their marketing efforts and spending is likely to increase in 2010, they are exploring, and testing, new avenues of communication. And, they have clearly embraced two-way (brand to consumer and consumer to brand) communication rather than the traditional media communication model.
We will have to wait and see whether their efforts will truly strengthen Pepsi's brand image and reverse a recent downward sales trend for both the brand and the soft drink industry. Regardless of the outcome, it should be an engaging saga to follow and learn from.
Posted in Uncategorized
At Atomic Ideas, we specialize in finding a client's "marketable truths".
That means those facets of a product or service that will resonate with their best potential customers. The word "truth" here is critical. The product or service has to actually possess the attribute or feature. Otherwise, the communication to the customer is hollow.
Take for instance these spots. They are funny, memorable, but they don't contain a "marketable truth." So while we laugh and applaud the humor, when they're over, there is really no reason to prefer this dealer over another. You wouldn't mind doing business with this dealer, but would you go out of your way to do business with him? Probably not.
A slightly lower price or a closer location would easily trump this dealer's fictional point of difference. The trick is to deliver entertaining, memorable spots that contain a "marketable truth."
Posted in Brands & Branding, Selling Stuff!, TV Commercials
Tagged atomic ideas, marketable truths, TV Commercials
Atomic Ideas 