The idea is pretty simple. People can save a bunch of money if they use CFLs. And Duke Energy gives away free CFL bulbs to it’s customers. Kind of amazing an offer like that has to be sold at all. We had some fun with it.

It seems that security systems have always been sold on the basis of fear. Burglars in ski masks kicking doors, the frightened (read helpless) family and the only thing that saves them is the alarm system. Insert logo, phone number and offer. Voila, instant home security commercial.

We made a conscious choice to break that formula. People know their fear — It’s what they’re afraid of!

AAA has a uniquely trusted brand. Especially when you compare AAA to the other entities in the automotive space (Car Salesmen, Mechanics, Tow Truck Drivers) Because they are so different from a brand perspective, it makes it possible to do some very simple, very powerful work for them.

Windshield Wiper :60

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Spare Change :60

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“Hey what about a mascot? You know, a cute little stuff cube.”
“That’s just about the stupidist id– wait a minute. What if . . .

So I presented nine concepts with the idea that we’d shoot three to five (tops). The client requested an intro video (Episode #1) and we wound up shooting ten (10) of them. I suppose it makes it redundant to say that these guys are an AWESOME client. They even let me quote Wrath of Khan/Moby Dick.

Wonderful clients who weren’t afraid to take chances. We had a lot of fun. And what better to sell against the madness of the retail season than a Mixed Martial Arts event?

Men Weren’t Made for the Holidays Radio

Christmas :60

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Decorative Hand Towels

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SweaterVest :60

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Office Party :60

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Ad agencies, design firms and marketing communications firms uniformly do a crappy job of talking about what they do. (Yes, I did just say that marcomm firms aren’t very good at communications) Specifically, they can never seem to explain why and how they approach the business differently than anyone else.

Axiom was firm that I did a tremendous amount of work with. And, in addition to the raw power of talent, the Axiom difference really was that we really, really, REALLY gave a shit. Beyond the bounds of all rationality. We lived by the work. We died by the work.

So why hide it? Why not flaunt it?

I’ve been doing work with the Charlotte Checkers since 2004 and I’ve loved every minute of it. They don’t have huge budgets, but they have what every minor league hockey team needs — heart.

In the course of our work together, the Checkers have set attendance records, won two league marketing awards and in 2005 these television spots won Best in Show at the Charlotte Addys.

2005 Television Campaign

The Infamous Urinal Campaign

So, as the Checkers had recently moved Uptown, we thought it would be a good idea to reinforce their presence in sports bars. Turns out that you can buy ad space above the urinals. Perfect. A captive audience with a bit of time on their hands. I came up with a poster campaign that would play off the fact that we had replaced the urinal cake with a hockey puck.

In a preliminary meeting, someone raised the question, “What if somebody takes the puck.” To which we all agreed, “no one would steal a urine soaked hockey puck.”

We were wrong.

Disgusting as it may be, all the pucks were stolen. And each week, we sent fresh pucks around. But we managed to turn lemons into lemonade (or urine in to urinade?) when we turned the incident to our favor. We created a false public service radio campaign that began, “And now, Jeff Longo, president of the Charlotte Checkers with an important service announcement.” And Jeff came on and said, “Don’t touch things people have peed on.” And then he went on to offer free Hockey Pucks to anybody who wanted one.

You simply can’t buy that kind of publicity.

Literally around the corner from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, The Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum had all the traffic they ever wanted. The only problem was, it was two doors over. So I did a campaign of posters for them to make sure that anybody who came through Cooperstown would know they were there.

This piece is poster with perforated, limited edition baseball cards across the top.

When you win big in the local addys, they ask you to do the next year’s call for entries. It is (as you know if you’ve ever been saddled with it) a thankless task, seemingly preordained to result in a piece of mediocre, unloved output — the kind of thing you take out into the woods and abandon in the hopes that the wolves will destroy it so utterly that it’s unfortunate birthing will never be traced back to you.

But not this time. These pieces were concepted, polished and tweaked with in an inch of their lives. Admittedly, I overwrote these things. But that’s because I every time I’ve fed a bastard child to the wolves, I’ve wound up with poison ivy.

(click on the images to see a larger, readable version)

Degree of difficulty 9.8. It’s inherently a partnership strategy. A partnership strategy in the esoteric world of corporate finance, with a mandate to include an employee. This assignment had suck written all over it. But, in the end, it didn’t suck. Maybe it was making something out of nothing. Maybe it was tapping into the frustration and impatience of the people who head growing companies. Whatever, it’s good damn copywriting.

A remarkable sports-focused charity dedicated to the idea that ‘The Exceptional Athlete Matters.’

Face of America

As time passes, the memory of 9/11 fades. And it’s good that time takes the edge of that scary, heroic and wounded moment in history. Because it was intense. So when I was asked to do a series of ads to promote a memorial ride from the Pentagon to Ground Zero it was intimidating to say the least.

If I mis-stepped in tone or content, it would have been horrible. This is hardest assignment I’ve ever had. Advertising is slimy and stupid. So when any of us see an ad, the first thing we think is “are these bastards trying to profit off a tragedy?”

I don’t think I screwed it up.

5th Anniversary Brochure

A wonderful brochure using the real stories of exceptional athletes who had participated in World TEAM Sports events.

So you’ve got a pub in the back of a strip mall that pours more Guinness per square foot than any place else in North and South Carolina. You need to boost your summer sales. So you build a patio. Then you let everybody know about it with rather outrageous communications.

Yessir, that’s what you do. Or, at any rate, that’s what we did.

Bison :60

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Eating Gravel :60

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There are a few, ever so few, magic projects in one’s life. This was one of those. When it started it was once of those horrible, nebulously defined “branding” projects. Adams wanted to be a ‘cool’ company. They said that they wanted to be like Apple or Nike. But they were a friggin’ outdoor company for crying out loud. And the language they used to describe what they did — and what they wanted to be was terrible.

I butted heads with them. In particular, I butted heads with the President Kevin Gleason. And as we went round and round, I came to understand that they really were trying to do something great. They just didn’t know how to articulate it. And neither did anybody else. In fact, three “branding” firms had tried and failed to complete this project.

So instead of a mission statement and a values statement and a vision statement, I wrote an them  entire book. A book that took all the empty terms of business and gave them precise definitions. And gave the company a voice and attitude all it’s own. And it started with this bit:

Honesty: How many cubic hectares of bullshit have been spread around in the name of honesty? It’s really very simple: We tell the truth. The less convenient it is to tell the truth, the more important it is to tell the truth.

The change was revolutionary. And no one was more surprised than I. I knew I had done a good job, but I did not expect that I would have people grabbing me in the hallway saying, “Are you the guy who wrote our book!” and then regaled with some tale about how it had had an impact on them. Words matter. So do ideas.

Adams Outdoor MVV Book

Adams Outdoor Advertising Website

So, once upon a time there was a wonderful company called Patterson Pope. And they did, well, friggin’ everything. They did so much, so frantically that they couldn’t even explain it. Even customers who loved them dearly would buy a product or service from other suppliers.

So the project was first and foremost branding. Enter Space Made Simple. It was more than a tagline, it was a rallying cry.

Here’s the first paragraph from their capabilities brochure:

In the beginning, the world was without form and void. Then came stuff. After that, it got confusing. Files, supplies, inventory – whatever it may be, it takes up space and gets disorganized. That’s where we come in. We’re Patterson Pope. And we take space and materials and make them simple, elegant and efficient.

And this branding worked so well that members of the saleforce memorized this and started every presentation with a recitation. How’s that for owning a positioning?

After the brochure, tagline and website redesign came a series of web videos, sent to existing and potential customers. These were designed to make sure everyone knew everything that Patterson Pope did. They were also supposed inject a little levity into what was a very dull category. Website traffic jumped over 60% each time a new video went out.

Patterson Pope – Museum Case

Patterson Pope – Rotary

Patterson Pope – Hallway

Patterson Pope – Shredder

Patterson Pope – Aftermath

Patterson Pope – Weapons Racks

Patterson Pope – Shelving

Patterson Pope – Moveable Shelving

Patterson Pope – Casework

…then came stuff

Since the original web videos, the campaign has evolved under the heading the Laws of Stuff. The orange cube was developed as a symbol for whatever kind of stuff an organization has to deal with.

From there, we created the Laws of Stuff (as inexorable as gravity they are) and lawsofstuff.com

Patterson Pope – Laws of Stuff – Pens

Patterson Pope – Laws of Stuff – Socks

Patterson Pope – Laws of Stuff – Pocket

An aspirational campaign for a mall with the goal of becoming the premiere retail destination in North and South Carolina.

A series of promotional cartoons I did for a small agency called No Luggage.

‘Luggage’ is a term to describe the useless, no-fun, dead-weight people you have to drag along with you when you’re trying to do anything worthwhile. Kinda like dragging heavy bags around on vacation. If you’re in this business, you know you’ve dealt with some Luggage.

Luggage — A cartoon collection

My favorite medium is radio. Many people think that this means that there’s something wrong with me. Perhaps they are right. But there is something right with my radio spots.

Sir Edmund Halley’s

Bison :60

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Eating Gravel :60

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Experience Home Entertainment

Promise :60

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Fix It :60

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Integra Promotion

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Red Bull

Garage :60

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Pizza :60

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Woodworker :60

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AAA

Windshield Wiper :60

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Spare Change :60

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CQC in the Cage

Sweatervest :60

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Hand Towels :60

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Office Party :60

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Christmas :60

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Asheville Tourism

Silence :60

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Weyerhauser Paper

The Frenchman :60

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Liar’s Anonymous :60

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Bad Note :60

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