Headline Roundup for March 26th

RAB: Ad Agencies Call for Informed Digital Sellers - via Mediaweek

Marketers, Agency Execs Not Optimistic about Short-Term Ad Spending - via MarketingVOX

Panel: Agency Execs Advocate Ad, Marketing Fusion - via MediaPost

Optimistic CMOs: Budgets, Jobs Stable; Need More Digital Focus - via MarketingVOX

Marketers Lag in Shift Online - via Adweek

Making More Than a Good Impression - via Adweek

One Memorable Avocado

Nation's Restaurant News recently recognized work produced by Stoltz Marketing Group for Simplot Food Group. The piece, a print ad for Simplot's avocado products, was named the highest performing ad for 2008.

The magazine’s ADinsite™ study surveyed readers on twenty ads for recall, believability and both short- and long-term interest in the product advertised. The Simplot ad outperformed efforts by recognizable brands including Heinz, The Beef Council, Idaho Potato Commission, Butterball and Tyson.

Congratulations to everyone involved.

New Hire at Justinen Creative Group

Justinen Creative Group in Nampa has added Steve Creitz as Senior Illustrator. Steve will be managing JCG's various illustration projects, as well as assisting with in-house development of JCG's sister company Good Salt.

Steve has a decade's worth of experience in print illustration and art direction, and was previously an Art Director with Narrow Gate Media in Vancouver, WA. He will also be receiving a MFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco this coming year.

Congratulations Steve.

IN PLAY: Idaho Lottery

As many already know, the Idaho Lottery has issued a Marketing Services Request for Proposal.

From the press release:

The Idaho Lottery is asking marketing and advertising firms to respond to three main service categories that include “Account Services”, “Creative Services”, and “Media Services”.

The initial term of the current advertising and marketing contract with Drake-Cooper of Boise will expire at the end of this current fiscal year on June 30, 2009. Drake-Cooper has been the advertising agency of record for the Idaho Lottery since operations began twenty years ago. “Going out to bid for these services is not a reflection on the performance of Drake-Cooper, but rather a responsible look at how we are doing business,” added Anderson.

Those who wish to respond to the RFP must submit a letter of "Intent to Bid" to the Idaho Lottery no later than 5:00 pm MDT on Friday, March 27th, and written proposal responses are due no later than 5:00 pm MDT on Friday, April 29th. Additional details about the RFP process, timelines and such are available on the Idaho Lottery's website.

What Makes a Good Creative Director

Our friends at The Denver Egotist recently published a two-part series (and rant) on What Makes a Good Creative Director.

Some highlights from Part 1:

The creative director is the last line of defense.
That is the last line of defense. When no one else in the creative department knows where to take a job, or how to crack a brief, the CD can do it. They have the experience, the savvy and the ability to produce the work when no one else can.

The creative director is well-versed in all crafts.
Great CDs are chameleons who understand the balance between concepts & strategy, and copy & design. Which is a nice segue into the next point.

The creative director is well-read.
But by reading a wide variety of books, periodicals and websites, the CD is furnished with a mind that can think outside of the annuals, and guide work that other agencies will follow.

And a few nuggets from Part 2:

The creative director produces work
But a good CD will still want to do some of the work, usually about 25% of it. As a creative, that scares me. The idea that I could only spend one-quarter of my time doing what I love most is a chilling thought, but perhaps when the time comes I’ll be ready to slow down on the work and see a bigger picture. But the fact remains, creative directors should still have the ability to take a brief and produce some terrific work.

The creative director knows every creative brief intimately
The brief is the lifeblood of any campaign, and it should never be allowed to be anything less than perfect. I’ve worked in agencies that gave account managers ten days to write the brief and creative teams five days to solve it. This may seem out of whack to the uneducated, but when the creative brief is tight and provides solid, focused direction, the ideas flow.

The creative director can sell or present anything, and do it well
Selling and presenting is a skill; by the time you’re elevated to the dizzy heights of CD, you should be damned good at it.

Finally, the creative director improves the work
A good CD will improve the work. Period.

Now this is by no means a complete summary of the series that Felix put together. I encourage all of you to take the time to read the entire thing (yes, both parts). If you find something that interests you, or sparks a thought, take the time to leave them a comment.

Upcoming Event - Magic Valley Advertising Federation Luncheon

The Magic Valley Advertising Federation, together with Yellow Book USA, are presenting a luncheon event entitled How to Effectively Use Yellow Page Advertising in your Media Mix featuring speaker Matt Beck, Area General Sales Manager of Yellow Book USA.

Details about the event:

Date: Thursday, April 9th
Time: 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Twin Falls Shilo Inn, 1586 Blue Lakes Blvd N, Twin Falls ID
Cost:
- Members: $10
- Member Guests: $20
- Non-Members: $25

Additional details about the event are available here (registration required). To RSVP, contact Melissa Crane, either via email or by telephone at 208-308-0488.

Job Opening: Graphic Designer

Balihoo Creative in Boise has an opening for a Graphic Designer. Qualified applicants should have a degree in graphic design or closely related field, 1-2 years of agency or freelance experience, a solid online portfolio, etc. etc.

From the job listing on Craigslist:

The position “graphic designer” is pretty broad, you’re saying to yourself. Well here are some more details. We hesitate to call this “entry level,” but this is for someone at the front end of their career. The majority of the work is “nuts and bolts” - taking client approved concepts and building them out to print and online media. That being said, this isn’t a mindless job for an ape-like automaton. There’s really no such thing as a “junior” in our shop (except for maybe “mints”) so our new graphic designer will have the opportunity to work directly on identity, creative concepts and comps for significant client engagements.

Full details about the position can be found on the Craigslist listing.

2009 Rockie Awards Show

The Idaho Advertising Federation is presenting the 2009 Rockie Awards Show on Saturday, April 18th. Details below.



As promised above, here are all the details you'll need:

Date: Saturday, April 18th
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Knitting Factory Concert House, 416 S. 9th St, Boise ID
Cost: $45 per person, or $350 for a table of 8

RSVPs should be directed to Sandy Anderson, either via email or by telephone at 208-867-1299

REMINDER: Call for Nominations - IAF Silver Medal Award

A reminder that nominations for the IAF Silver Medal Award are due by Friday, March 27th. Details about the award, and the nomination process, are available on the original post.

Award Winners in Northern Idaho

The Spokane Advertising Federation held their 2009 ADDY Awards Ceremony on Friday, March 6th, and among the winners were several from Northern Idaho.

Blue541:
4 Silver ADDY Awards, 1 Honorable Mention

Hanna & Associates:
6 Gold ADDY Awards, 11 Silver ADDY Awards, 4 Honorable Mentions

Imagination Graphics:
1 Honorable Mention

Salty Design Foundry:
Designer's Chair, Best of Division, 3 Gold ADDY Awards, 3 Silver ADDY Awards, 4 Honorable Mentions

Student Award:
Grant Hoki, North Idaho College
Honorable Mention

Congratulations to all of the award winners. A full list of winners from the club (which could very likely include some Idaho shops that I've missed) is available via the Spokane Ad Fed's website.