Crain’s Chicago Business recently published a list of the 25 largest advertising agencies in the Chicago area, ranked by the number of local employees.
MSI is pleased to have been named #15 on the list. You can view the complete list here.
Archive for the ‘Advertising’ Category
MSI Named in Crain’s List of Largest Chicago Ad Agencies
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010Your Trip Begins At…
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010There are a few key things that scream summer to me – baseball games, the smell of boat gas, constantly crowded beer gardens and the sound of Tim Allen’s voice.
For the past few years, every time one of his radio spots or TV commercials for the “Pure Michigan” campaign comes on, I don’t change the station or fast forward – I listen and fight the urge to jump in the car and head to the “19 million acre playground” he’s inviting me to (a magical place where I can realize water’s true potential, find out what pure feels like and smooth out the ripples of the day).
A few friends and I followed Tim’s advice and headed up to Michigan for a weekend last year, and we had an awesome time there. So now I know he’s not lying, and it makes the commercials even harder to resist.
Obviously I’m not the only fan – the campaign has received numerous awards and attracted millions of visitors. Kudos to the Birmingham, Michigan office of McCann Erickson for developing the strategy and creative on the Pure Michigan campaign.
Keep ‘em coming, Tim the Tool Man.
It’s hard to pick, but here’s one of my favorites:
This post is dedicated to Ashley Wood, born and raised in Pure Michigan.
More Flags. More Fun?
Friday, June 11th, 2010Six Flags is once again running their Mr. Six ads for the summer season. I guess to some people the Mr. Six character, developed in 2008 by Six Flags and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, could be classified as an icon to the Six Flags brand. I disagree…my Fun-O-Meter is at a negative ten with the introduction of the newest ad campaign. Just when I thought this campaign could not be any more over the top (which is saying a lot when your commercial blasts a Venga Boys song and a creepy old man with scary dance moves), it just got creepier and more insane. Now there is a tiny old man dancing with the original old man. I don’t understand why the people at Six Flags think it is funny, and how that could ever translate to more fun at a theme park. I believe the average height for getting on rides is somewhere around 48” which will probably leave the new Little Six character hanging around the carnival rides. Not sure how high that will rate on the Fun-O-Meter! In the end I don’t wonder if the ads really translate into dollars for Six Flags, but I would still like to personally thank Six Flags for the memories, fun times, and the nightmares. Ok, I’m done venting on annoying commercials for today!
What we’ve learned over the years…
Thursday, May 27th, 2010Recently, I read an article on AdAge.com about 20 things the owner of an agency learned after 10 years of running his agency. I enjoyed the article and seeing what others posted as their “additions” to the list in the comments section. Some of my personal favorites from the author were #13 – “You aren’t thanking people who work for you enough” and #16 “Throw parties at your office, no matter how humble or grand the space, for no reason at all. It’s all about the people in the room, good music, and not running out of booze or ice” and of course, I couldn’t leave out #17- “Put your f***ing BlackBerry/iPhone down when you’re meeting with me.”
I thought I would see what advice my fellow MSI-ers could add to the author’s list (whether something they wrote personally or read or learned over the years) and here are a few pieces of that advice… Enjoy! Oh and I would love to read any additional insights or lessons learned, I look forward to everyone’s comments!
“Pay people peanuts and you’ll get monkeys.”- David Ogilvy
“Good, fast or cheap: pick 2.” - Unattributed/Industry Proverb
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison
“Be thorough. Make a list, check it twice.”
“Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.”
“No Art Director has ever said ‘This needs more copy.’”
“No Art Director has ever said ‘Can we make this logo bigger?’”
“Work equally as hard at making your clients happy and your employees happy. Recognize people all the time, whether in a small way or a big way.”
“Find your passion and find a way to bring it into what you do every day.”
“Be Positive. We too often underestimate the power of a positive attitude.”
Curated Crowdsourcing Creating A Conundrum
Thursday, May 20th, 2010How about that title for alliteration. But seriously people, I recently read a few articles about the increasing popularity of curated crowdsourcing in relation to marketing projects. My thought is that if curated crowdsourcing is the next big trend in the development of logo designs, ads, package design,TV spots,etc. then the ad community and our clients (who may looking at this idea) are in semi-trouble.
From what I can see, the argument for a curator approach (a web-based entity that manages/administers resources) is that they can reach out to dozens of art directors, writers and designers to develop and post their work based on a brief. Then the best work is screened, selected and paid for almost like it is done on spec. Not good and a little light on the strategic level, most likely.
The curator claim is that with an agency a client works with a limited number of people. That is hardly close to the truth. With an agency a client has the advantage of working with teams from different departments and marketing disciplines, with different perspectives, and a much deeper understanding of the client’s business and the target audience they need to reach…not just from the design side of the business. It is not myopic in any sense.
As a result, if you were to test the concepts/ideas/designs developed by the agency against those done by the crowdsource, my confidence (and money) would be on the agency – and it is not just because I work at an agency.
Curated crowdsourcing just seems like a cheap bicycle with a few parts missing.
First Blog of the Year…and I’ve Got Nothin’
Friday, January 22nd, 2010I’m still working out my new years resolutions, have barely cleaned up from the holidays and am popping vitamins as I attend to two children who insist they have the swine flu (they don’t). So, now it’s time to file my first blog entry of 2010, and I got diddly. It’s too early to know what the year will bring. As always, we want each year to be better than the last, although lately we tend to just hope things don’t get any worse. So, while I try to figure out my plan for the new year, enjoy this ad that features babies roller-skating to old school hip-hop. Happy New Year!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs
The Potential 2010 Census Mess
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010I just read the 2010 U.S. Census research questionnaire which is made up of exactly 10 questions and was surprised to find that the most important one was left off…. Are you a U.S. Citizen? The overall objective of the census is to get as accurate a population count of the U.S. as possible. The population data will then used used as a guide to allocate over $400 billion in annual federal funds to support health care and hospitals, schools, road construction and other community projects. The data is also used to recalibrate election districts to help determine ,among other democratic processes, the number of seats your state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The big deal is by not including this question, results will be skewed and American population centers will lose their fair share of critical funding and government representation at local and state levels. On top of that Washington is spending upwards of $300 million between 10 different ad agencies to increase awareness and action to fill out this less than useful survey.
Your thoughts.
Ey Oh! The phenomenon known as Jersey Shore
Monday, January 11th, 2010A few weeks ago MTV premiered a new “reality” series about young self proclaimed Guidos and Guidettes, that appear to have been rejected from Real World casting auditions, called “The Jersey Shore.” I must say that previews for this awesomely bad show had me intrigued from the very beginning, and as the season continues I get more excited for each episode. Not only has the show given MTV another hit reality show, but the cast and the lifestyle portrayed has become a marketing force with in both interactive and traditional media channels.
Although big name advertisers like Dell and Domino’s Pizza have pulled their ads from the shows time slot, it appears that many nontraditional forms of marketing are capitalizing on the show’s popularity. From blog posts, quotes, to Facebook Applications such as “Jersey Shore Name Generators” and viral videos here - are some of my favorite Jersey Shore marketing materials.
Facebook added an application that would produce your Jersey Shore nickname. Some of the more popular names from the show being Mike “The Situation” and Nicole “Snooki.” I tried the generator out and it provided me the nickname Christos “The Sausage Party” Ellis.
*note you may need to login to Facebook
Chicago’s local free news paper The Red Eye has several blog posts regarding the show. My favorite being ‘Vote for best fist-pumpin’ “Jersey Shore” quote - Part 5, which is a weekly recap of the episodes including an area to vote for your favorite quote of the week.
My favorite quote so far would have to be from DJ Pauly D where he explains how to battle to house music with fist pumps, he says “It’s like we beat up that beat!”
The new movie Youth and Revolt actually marketed their movie in ads that ran on MTV starring the Jersey Shore cast and actor Michael Cera. The cast gives Michael lessons and tips on how to be a Guido.
A last minute gift idea for the budget conscious?
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009Everybody needs a good deal these days, especially in this economy.
Have you heard of Groupon? I hadn’t, up until about a month or so ago. My friend Jason at the office introduced me to the idea so that I’d go in on some coupons for this organic sandwich shop that opened up around the corner. By the way, it’s Hannah’s Bretzel and the club sandwich is fabulous!
I usually pack my lunch, because when you work in the loop, a sandwich is $10 and you can’t eat a sandwich without chips and those are $1 and then you get thirsty… you get what I’m saying. Next thing you know you’re spending $60 a week for lunch.
Groupon was offering 2 for 1 sandwich deal…. $20 coupon for $10, which gets you (2) sandwiches. Good deal, especially if you split with a friend. Great way to get attention to a new establishment and allow consumers to try something new and not have
It’s gaining in popularity and has popped up in industry trade pubs as of late. Check out the article below from Advertising Age.
http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=141172
