Monthly Archives: February 2010

Happy Birthday Ad Council

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The RAF is always looking for ways to strengthen the creative community through events and programs that educate and inspire great work.  The Ad Council of Rochester works on behalf of the non-profits to bring them advertising, marketing, planning and communications know-how.

That being said, this seems like a no-brainer.
 
The Ad Council of Rochester turns 60 this year. And in honor of this landmark year they are looking for feedback from supporters, volunteers and anyone in the nonprofit or marketing / ad fields – Todd Butler and the Ad Council are trying to better understand what the perceptions are of their organization.
 
The Advertising and Marketing community has been a long time supporter of the Ad Council efforts.  Chances are if you are a creative in this town you have done the work on behalf of the Ad Council for a local non-profit.  Or perhaps you were a marketer on the receiving end of some of the services the Ad Council provides.  Whichever the case, they want to know what the Rochester community thinks about the Ad Council, so they can continue to offer relevant services in this ever changing profession for the next 60 years and beyond. And that’s where you come in.  

The survey takes about 10 minutes and is relatively painless (I have already taken it!). The link is embedded in this blog here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/adcouncilsurvey

On behalf of the Ad Council and the RAF, thank you for your help in advance.  Also please purchase your tickets to the RAF Addy Awards by March 5th. Remember, no tickets will be sold at the door.
 
GYFO!
 
JOE

February 20 Minutes & a Beer Recap

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Hey, thanks again to all you who made it out to Tap & Mallet last night. It’s cool that we’re seeing new faces at every event. Prez Joe just emailed me and asked me to do a quick recap, so here goes:

My talk was about creating websites with great user experience. While “user experience” doesn’t sound sexy (many people don’t even know what it means), it’s a critical part of any website development. At its most basic level, it’s about having good organization and solid content. More specifically, I focus on three things:

  1. Great content
  2. Easy Navigation
  3. A Little Mind Reading

What it all boils down to is asking yourself what your user’s main needs might be and going over the top to deliver on that. Whether it’s letting them embed your videos on their Facebook page, linking them to research that supports buying your product or making your navigation foolproof. The mind reading comes in when you anticipate something they haven’t even thought of yet that delivers even better customer service.

We had some great questions about the value of usability studies (I am an advocate) and about how to talk clients out of their bad navigation ideas :) . A good time was had by all. Hope to see you next time.

Andrea Zuegel

Get Your Freak On.

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Be judgmental. We insist. That’s what I told the 6 judges from various disciplines that judged the work for the 2010 Addy Awards. And well RAF members, we had a very successful first day here in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. They combed through all the print work and were very impressed. We are poised for another solid showing. But our, and their, job is not done. Sunday is the second day where broadcast, interactive, and campaigns will be judged. Pictures from the day one and two festivities will come on Sunday.

Remember to purchase your tickets by March 5th. No tickets will be sold at the door. No matter how much we like you. GYFO!

JOE

2010 RAF Silver Award Nominations

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The entries are in. The judging set. The Addy night is being planned. But there is still one more very important piece to this year’s Addy Awards show. The Silver Award.

Last year’s Addy Awards show saw one of Rochester’s most energetic and infectious laughs be honored. Under the theme of “Mad Men” we gave the Silver award to Rochester’s own “Mad Woman”, Sharon Napier from Partners + Napier.

We’re pulling out all the stops again in 2010 with another red carpet, black-tie optional event. An event that celebrates the uniqueness we must have to be successful in this business. Celebrating creativity that challenges. Opportunities with vision, or commitment to crafting a small marketing budget to achieve large results. And we’re looking for your nomination for Rochester’s recipient of the 2010 RAF Silver Award to round out the night.

Established by the American Advertising Federation in 1959, the Silver Award recognizes those who’ve made outstanding contributions to advertising and who’ve been active in furthering industry standards, creative excellence, social responsibility, and community service.

Just take a look at our own roster of past winners:
Jack Kraushaar. Jim Gallery. Chris Pulleyn. Bob Conge. Jerry Flynn. Bill Buckett. Ferdinand Jay Smith. Bob Young. Walt Roberts. And last year’s winner Sharon Napier. It’s a who’s who of Rochester advertising and creativity…and we wouldn’t be here without them. Now it’s time to submit your nomination for this year’s award.

The RAF Board, based upon the following criteria, selects the Silver Award recipient:

• Contribution to his/her company: notable success in one of the following areas of work: advertising agency, advertiser, media or advertising service.
• Creative accomplishment: a consistently high level of original thinking in his or her field.
• Contributions to the general advancement of advertising: has worked to increase the stature of the advertising profession.
• Contributions to the community: has been active in civic, humanitarian, religious, or other groups dedicated to human or social welfare.

To nominate someone, please click on the link below. Your email should include the name of your nominee, some background information about him or her, and why you think he or she deserves the award.

The winner will be honored with a special tribute at the Addy Awards Show & Party and his or her family will be VIP guests for the evening’s festivities. It’s truly a night to remember—for both the honoree as well as our creative community at large.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Oh one more thing. Please take advantage of the early bird pricing when purchasing your tickets. Just make sure you buy them before the event. There are no tickets sold at the door (no matter how much we like you).

Cheers,

Joseph Mayernik
2010 RAF President