The End of an Era

Today marks the end of an era in the marketing and advertising world here in Idaho, for this is the last day that you'll see Jeremy Chase as a member of the Drake Cooper staff.

Jeremy is packing up and heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, and is on to bigger and better things, as they say.

But before his takes one final bow at the end of the day, I wanted to take a moment, on behalf of the entire marketing and advertising industry in and around the State of Idaho, to say one simple thing:

Thank you Jeremy for all that you have done.

In a world where change happens at incredible speed, Jeremy has been a constant presence. He has been with Drake Cooper for well over a decade, and has helped to shepherd both clients and agency through the highs and lows that have come along with it. A true professional in every sense of the word, Jeremy has been a tremendous asset to the agency, and his departure will leave some very, very large shoes to fill.

I'm sure there will be many toasts made inside (and outside) the walls of Drake Cooper today, stories shared, and maybe even a tear or two shed. But let me take this opportunity to add my own thoughts...

Jeremy, you're a class act in every sense. You've been an excellent ambassador for your agency and this industry, and you will most certainly be missed.

Technorati tags: jeremy chase, drake cooper

Job Openings at Noot Group

Noot Group in Boise has a number of job openings, including:

Account Executive with 2+ years of related experience and a solid understanding of all things marketing-related.
Production Artist who can work with everything from Adobe CS to Flash to Dreamweaver with their eyes closed.
Art Director who can lead and manage other designers, as well as turn ideas into actions.
(Courtesy of Craigslist)

Technorati tags: noot group, account executive job opening, production artist job opening, art director job opening

No Coffee Morning This Month

Well, the better part of the month has gotten away from me without scheduling a Coffee Morning, and I really don't see it happening between now and the 4th of July. So, we'll scrap it for this month, and try again next month.

Tentative date for July: Friday the 11th.

Technorati tags: coffee morning

They're Challenging You. Yes You.

The folks over at Balihoo have issued a challenge to other agencies in the Treasure Valley:

Hey Suckers,

We’re running the Main Street Mile next Friday, and a cocktail says that our agency can beat your agency. Do you have 5 people at your office that can run a mile? Do you believe that a bloody mary is more important than carbo-loading? Prove it. Sign up by June 22.

Details:

Balihoo cordially invites your running participation in the upcoming Main Street Mile – “A Mile for Men’s Health.” For those unfamiliar, the MSM is a one-mile race around the downtown blocks of Boise. Besides a great excuse for exercise and company camaraderie, the race is, more importantly, a fundraiser for Prostate cancer awareness and education which provides free screenings to Treasure Valley men. In 2007, alone, $40,000 in cash contributions were raised and 622 men were screened.

The race offers a company-oriented wave (Albertsons Team Mile Challenge) which features teams of five co-workers who run the course at the same time. What better way to promote community awareness and company pride amongst the Boise advertising community than to rally each agency to field a team?

The Main Street Mile is scheduled for Friday, June 27th at 6:15 PM. Cost for the Albertsons Team Mile Challenge is $50/team and early registration ends June 22nd (please note, you can still sign-up after June 22nd up until the race on Friday). Please see the attached entry form or visit http://www.mainstreetmile.org/ for details.

Thanks for your consideration and we hope to see you on Main Street next Friday.

Best,
Team Balihoo

Technorati tags: balihoo, main street mile

Drake Cooper Loves Milk

And ice cream. And yogurt. And cheese. And on and on and on.

Yes, it's official. The United Dairymen of Idaho have selected Drake Cooper as their new agency partner.

After working with the same agency for the better part of the past 30 years, the United Dairymen of Idaho opened up the RFP to what seemed like the entire known advertising universe earlier this year. The list was then whittled down to four finalists, and Drake Cooper came out on top.

From the story in the Ag Weekly (yes, the Ag Weekly gets credit for being first with this story):

“We are excited to work with the Drake Cooper team to educate consumers about the benefits of dairy in a healthy diet,” said Deana Sessions, administrator for United Dairymen of Idaho, which manages the local dairy producer checkoff program.

“We wanted to partner with an agency that could bring fresh ideas to help make the change from being a production-driven industry to a more consumer-driven industry. We believe Drake Cooper can help us achieve that objective.”

Congratulations to the folks over at Drake Cooper, and to all who competed in the RFP process. While taken slightly out of context, this quote from Alicia Ritter on the PR Musings Weblog just seems appropriate:

I say to us all: Come out into the open. Show your wares. Compete hard. Congratulate the victor. Then, go home, beef up your strengths, and come out swinging like hell the next time. This is the attitude necessary to build a professional communications industry of which we can all be proud.

Technorati tags: united dairymen of idaho, drake cooper, alicia ritter, pr musings weblog

New Hire at Carew Co.

Carew Co. in Boise has doubled in size overnight with the addition of Nate Hanson. Nate is a recent graduate from the design program at Northwest Nazarene University, and also held an internship with Creative Soapbox.

Congratulations Nate.

More details about Nate, including a really long album title, are available on the Carew Co Confab.

Technorati tags: carew co, nate hanson, northwest nazarene university, creative soapbox, carew co confab

REMINDER - BAF President's Luncheon

Just a reminder that the BAF President's Luncheon is coming up this Thursday, June 19th from 11:30 - 1:00 at Beside Bardenay.

Technorati tags: boise advertising federation

Upcoming Event - BAF President's Luncheon

The 2007-2008 season is winding down for the Boise Advertising Federation, and to wrap it up they'll be hosting a members-only luncheon to discuss the year that was and the year that will be.

The luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, June 19th from 11:30 - 1:00 at Beside Bardenay.

More details are available below:


No, I won't be there. I'm not a member.

Technorati tags: boise advertising federation

New Hire at Wirestone

Wirestone in Boise has added Traci Hiebert to the staff, as Marketing Communications Manager. She'll be responsible for managing corporate messaging, supporting sales and new business, and strategic communications programs, among others.

Prior to joining Wirestone Traci was a self-employed marketing consultant.

Congratulations Traci.

Technorati tags: wirestone, traci hiebert

Job Opening - Copywriter

Drake Cooper in Boise has an opening for a junior or mid-level Copywriter to fill a six month (or so) contract.

Details about this position can be found here.
(Courtesy of Creative Hotlist)

Technorati tags: drake cooper, copywriter job, creative hotlist

A Few New Additions

I've been lazy, at best, when it comes to mentioning the new agencies that have been added to the Agencies in Idaho section to the right. So, in no particular order, here are some that have been added recently:

Campbell & Associates - "Targeted advertising & comprehensive media services" out of Pocatello.
Cendesic - "Full service search and digital marketing agency" based in Boise.
Mitchell + Palmer - Branding, strategy, execution, the works (it seems) based in Boise.
Motive Media - Web design, branding, and advertising media agency out of Boise

Who else have I missed?

Technorati tags: campbell & associates, cendesic, mitchell + palmer, motive media

Accolades and Updates for W Design

As those who have been regular readers for a while might recall, about a year ago I made mention of W Design, which was founded by Kristy Weyrich, who was previously with Oliver Russell & Associates.

In her own words, "after about a hundred years" the website is live, and can be seen at wdesignboise.com.

Also, the W Design business card has been featured in Rockport Publishing's Best of Business Card Design 8.

Well done Kristy.

Technorati tags: w design, kristy weyrich, oliver russell, rockport publishing, best of business card design

Peppershock Wins in i48

The folks over at Peppershock Media Productions were involved in the i48 Film Festival, and were recognized for their work with an award for Best Use of Dialogue in the Open category.

Their film, titled Death Grip With A Vengeance, is available on YouTube, along with several other films that have been submitted to i48 over the years.

Congratulations to Rhea, Drew, and everyone else who was involved.

Technorati tags: peppershock media productions, i48 film festival, death grip with a vengeance, youtube

New Hire at Side Door Media

Side Door Media in Boise has added a new, but familiar name to their staff:

Bryan Escobedo has joined the agency as a Senior Account Executive. Prior to joining Side Door Media, Bryan was a Senior Account Executive at Oliver Russell & Associates.

Congratulations Bryan.

Technorati tags: side door media, bryan escobedo, oliver russell

The Realities of Business

The topic comes up from time to time -- local agencies doing work for local clients, particularly the larger clients that just so happen to be in the area.

Unfortunately, fairly or not, the fact of the matter is that the larger local clients do not always see the value that a local agency can provide.

Case in point: Blue Cross of Idaho.

Earlier this year, Blue Cross of Idaho chose the Minneapolis office of Weber Shandwick to help launch its new web-based health and well being initiative. The folks over at Red Sky PR first noticed this decision, and made comment about it on their PR Musings Weblog.

Another recent example: Balihoo.

In March, Balihoo named Affect Strategies as their Public Relations Agency of Record. Now, given Balihoo's focus on large-scale media planning and buying, I can understand this decision. It is in their best interest to work with an agency that can provide the best exposure possible, particularly to media buyers and agencies that buy in large volumes, and a PR agency out of New York is certainly a wise choice. The cynic in me has to wonder, however, how much of this decision was driven by the addition of Michael Browner to their Board of Directors two days prior to the announcement. Pure speculation on my part, but the timing just seems suspect.

So without laboring on too much longer with the same old 'poor us' mentality, I'll pose this question: What do local agencies need to do differently to either attract or retain these types of clients? Is it just a fact of life today's business environment, or are there there areas that local, or even regional shops can focus on to differentiate themselves?

Now, the same question to those on the client side: What do out-of-town or out-of-state agencies offer that local or regional agencies don't? Where are the local shops lacking?

Now that I've stirred the pot, I'm going to go ahead and duck for a while...

Technorati tags: blue cross of idaho, weber shandwick, red sky pr, balihoo, affect strategies, michael browner

Job Opening - Creative Services Manager

Wirestone in Boise has an opening for a Creative Services Manager. This person will serve as the leader and voice of the creative team in the Boise office, will work with peers at other Wirestone locations, will assist with business development and more.

Candidates should have at least ten years of experience with creative services in an agency or interactive environment, as well as a history of working with Fortune 500 clients.

Full details about the position can be found here.
(Courtesy of Craigslist)

Technorati tags: wirestone, creative services manager job, craigslist

Feel Like Getting DIRTy?

The United Way Direct Impact Response Team (DIRT) is a group of volunteers that get together once a month to work on a variety of highly un-glamorous projects. These are projects that you'd be hard-pressed to find volunteers for otherwise, such as removing carpet from the medical dorm at the Rescue Mission, scrubbing the kitchen ceiling at Life's Kitchen, etc.

This Friday, June 6th, they're having a fundraiser at the Old Idaho Penitentiary: The Dirtball

Scheduled from 5:30pm - 10:00pm, The Dirtball will feature live music from Steve Fulton and Smooth Old Fashioned High. Food, beer and wine will also be available. Two cell blocks will be open for you to experience (or reminisce) about life behind bars, and tattoo artists will even be available (because really, there's just nothing like the story that goes with a prison tattoo).

Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door, and are available through the event's website, at dirtclods.com. Proceeds from the event will cover the cost of items such as particle masks, scrapers, disinfectant, and all the other little things that the group needs to have as they're working through the nasty stuff.

Several of my friends and colleagues in (and outside) of the marketing and advertising world have been involved with this group for quite a while, and I'm happy to do my part to help spread the word.

If you'd like more information, visit the website, or take a look at the details on the Dirtball 08 Poster (pdf), designed by Glenn Rummler.

Technorati tags: united way, direct impact response team, dirt, old idaho penitentiary, dirtball, steve fulton, smooth old fashioned high, glenn rummler