The FDA launched America's first ever campaign against smokeless tobacco (dip, chew). The campaign garnered nationwide attention as young rural men were spoken to about the dangers of smokeless tobacco for the first time. The launch was a major success as a Google "Brand Lift" showed that organic search was up over 400% for all things anti-smokeless. (It was an unprecedented result for a behavioral change campaign according to Google.) The campaign won "Best In Show" at the Aster Awards, the nation's foremost healthcare advertising competition. The campaign also won the Healthcare Marketing Impact Gold Winner for video campaign of the year.
TELEVISION • PRINT • OOH • TERRESTRIAL/DIGITAL RADIO • DESKTOP/MOBILE WEBSITE • EARNED/PAID SOCIAL MEDIA • DESKTOP/MOBILE BANNERS • DIGITAL VIDEO • GAMING PLATFORMS • MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPONSORSHIP
The Law School Admission Council, LSAC, is the organization that administers the LSAT exam to would-be law students. LSAC sought to create a campaign to encourage students of diversity to attend law school. (Less than 4% of all lawyers come from such backgrounds.) The campaign has been adopted by close to 50 percent of the nation’s law schools. This has exceeded the client’s mandate by half.
BRANDING • WEBSITE • GAMING • PRINT • POSTERS • WEB BANNERS • SOCIAL MEDIA • VIRAL VIDEOS • AMBIENT • EVENT MARKETING • GRASSROOT MARKETING
The U.S. Navy SEALs are America's foremost warriors. The U.S. Navy SEALs made the commitment to broaden their appeal to young men of diversity. Hence the concept of the SEAL Brotherhood was created. The program was so successful it was expanded from two test markets into a national program to encompass all of America.
BRANDING • WEBSITE • INTERACTIVE GAMING • MOBILE • COLATERAL • BROCHURES • SOCIAL MEDIA • COMMUNITY OUTREACH • GRASSROOT MARKETING • EVENT MARKETING
Maryland tourism has been brutalized by the COVID pandemic. An industry that accounts for almost $18 billion dollars in state GDP and 1-in-16 jobs in Maryland has been almost halved. An outreach effort was created for the state’s independent Offices of Tourism Development (DMOs). These DMOs oversee tourism in their respective county or city. The campaign was created as a turnkey solution for the individual DMOs to entice both in-state and out-of-state visitors in a post-COVID world. Hence, the positioning line “Announcing the end of Staycation.”
EARNED/PAID SOCIAL MEDIA • DESKTOP/MOBILE BANNERS • POSTERS • BILLBOARD • PRINT • OOH
New York is one of the most competitive real estate markets in the country. A “C” class apartment building was renovated into an “A” class property in Chelsea. A complete rebrand was needed to both entice and charge top dollar to prospective buyers. The concept of "Making Your Mark" was literally adopted into the communications.Upon entering the website, users could literally draw an “arrow” to navigate the site to mark their mark.
WEBSITE • BROCHURES • SIGNAGE• PRINT• WEB BANNERS• POSTERS • AMBIENT ADVERTISING
Samsung signed a major sponsorship agreement with the National Football League to be “The Official HDTV of the NFL.” By placing HDTVs throughout NFL stadiums, Samsung was more than a mere corporate sponsor but a part of the game. The players, coaches and referees were all watching Samsung HDTVs. Hence the positioning “Watch what the NFL watches.” Video for the campaign was shot by NFL Films on 1080p, the highest quality sports video ever to be filmed at the time.
TELEVISION • PRINT • RADIO • WEBSITE • POP
General Motors was looking to revitalize its product line with the launch of a new sedan, the Intrigue. A 50-year-old relationship was endangered as General Motors was looking at possible new agencies. The launch had to win over an already skeptical client and preserve a $300 million dollar account. Tony Scott of "Top Gun" fame was hired to shoot the cinematic commercials. The idea itself was born from the name of the car itself--a leap forward for General Motors' design and engineering. "Intrigued?" The initial launch met and exceeded client expectations. It was awarded internally by General Motors with the "Ace" Award--the award given to the best General Motors campaign of the year. Leo Burnett retained the account. It was also recognized by the advertising industry too--winning both Clio and Mobius awards.
BRANDING • TELEVISION • WEBSITE • PRINT • POSTERS • POP
University of Mississippi Health Care is the largest hospital and employer in the state. UMHC has the most cutting edge treatments and technology to treat cancer in Mississippi. Yet it was not perceived to be at the forefront of cancer medicine. Mississippians throughout the state need to be informed of this critical fact. The result was a campaign that resonated throughout the state receiving numerous third party recognitions. Admissions into UMHC cancer clinics increased over 15% within 6 months.
PRINT • TELEVISION • WEB BANNERS • BILLBOARDS
Founded in 1906, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had grown into 28 Offices and Centers. Over time, each Office and Center developed their own identity separate of each other. The FDA sought to unify its brand identity across all Offices and Centers. A new logo was created from which synergistic branding was introduced to the entire FDA. The new logo was based on the periodic chart to reflect the scientific approach and focus of the FDA. All branding elements incorporated the new logo to create a holistic brand for the entire FDA. By 2025, the FDA will be comprehensively branded in all channels.
STRATEGY • BRANDING • LOGO DESIGN • HOLISTIC GRAPHIC DESIGN • INSTITUTIONAL BRANDING GUIDE
Samsung wanted to introduce its newest BlueRay Player to a niche target audience--movie connoisseurs. Research also showed that these movie enthusiasts went to the theater more often than the average theater goer. Whether at home or in a theater, the target wanted the best view in the house. Samsung partnered with Landmark Cinemas to create the idea of the "Blue Seat," the best seat in the house. Certain chairs in Landmark Theaters were designated as "Blue Seats," complete with the Samsung logo and, of course, colored in Samsung blue. This was all to reinforce the idea that Samsung BlueRay Players were superior to its competition.
VIRAL VIDEOS • MICROSITE • POP • EVENT MARKETING
Golden Eagle Global (GEG) was the largest media company in Kurdistan, the semi-autonomous province in northeastern Iraq. I was hired to locate new business opportunities for the company. After several visits to Kurdistan, it became abundantly clear expansion into internet advertising was the next step for the company. There was one obstacle. The major cellular service providers did not offer data transferral through their networks (i.e. no mobile internet). In this was opportunity. Networking led to a Finnish company, NextMesh, who offered software that provided free wifi to consumers that could only be accessed by click-through advertising. The entire system was turnkey—perfect for GEG. After meetings with NextMesh in both Helsinki and Erbil (the provincial capital Kurdistan), the relationship was cemented and the decision was made to move forward. Erbil International Airport (EIA) was chosen as the site to launch the new business model. As the gateway to Kurdistan, the airport was the premiere advertising site in the region and GEG had a longstanding relationship with the facility. Next, Newroz, the sole provider of internet to Kurdistan was engaged. Wifi, itself, was astronomically more expensive than in the West. Intense negotiations were accompanied by endless rounds of spreadsheet calculations. Consultants in Austria and the United States were hired confirm all business and technical assumptions. Upon competition, contracts were signed and GEG Interactive was successfully launched.
NEW BUSINESS ACQUISITION • WIFI NETWORKS • MOBILE ADVERTISING
One of Washington’s most influential think tanks, The Bipartisan Policy Center, founded by Senators George Mitchell, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and Howard Baker, sought to promote its report on healthcare titled "The Leadership Project" to Congress. An email was sent to members of Congress and staff as well as key stakeholders. All major Capitol Hill publications and the Washington Post wrote of the launch gaining substantial exposure for the initiative.
VIRAL VIDEO • DIRECT RESPONSE • PRINT• ADVOCACY REPORT
CINEMA ADVERTISING • VIRAL VIDEOS • MICROSITE
The "Super 8 Film Festival" is a mainstay of McCann-Erickson's self-promotion in the Czech Republic. (The Czech Republic has a long, rich history of filmmaking.) The festival had been running in Prague for five years--every year garnering more attention. Three of the Czech Republic's most famous actors agreed to participate in promoting the festival. The result was the most entries ever for the competition and a packed house the night of the awards. And the festival continues to this day.
Two Guys From Woodbridge (TGFW) is a ground-breaking, high tech farm in New Haven, CT. Started by a former Madison Avenue advertising executive, TGFW is the first organic, hydroponic farm of its kind. TGFW has become a true success story. It has been covered by local and national media, including the New York Times. It is also an anchor of NYC’S famed Union Square Farmer’s Market.
WEBSITE • POP
"Challenges" have become an ever popular way for both government, non-profit and private sector organizations to reach out to the public to solve problems and build goodwill. KaBoom!, a nonprofit, looked to challenge the public to create new ways for children to play. The KaBoom! Play Everywhere Challenge received almost a thousand entries from across the country. Most importantly, the many entries were thoughtful and implementable. The winners were announced September 2016.
WEBSITE • VIRAL VIDEO • SOCIAL MEDIA
MTV, known for its outrageous self-promotions, was looking to remind viewers that it still was "a music channel" in spite of the fact it had evolved into mainly traditional programming fare. MTV research showed that young adults no longer necessarily thought of "music" when polled about a list of attributes of MTV, its awards show being the exception. The challenge was to drive home to fact that MTV had not, indeed, abandoned its roots.
TELEVISION
WMMR has been the #1 radio station in Philadelphia. Its genre is classic rock. Determined to maintain its position in the marketplace, WMMR launched a TV campaign for the regional market. The catch: WMMR's production budget was fractional. Yet the result: The listeners loved it. And a $5,000 TV commercial proved that creativity could triumph big budgets. The commercial, Gold Filling, went on to win a One Show Pencil, a One Show Merit, an Andy and a National Addy Award.
TELEVISION
Balirna was the first reality show to ever air in the Czech Republic. An elimination dating show, Balirna ran for over three seasons for a total of 39 shows. At its best, it rated #2 for its network, Prima.
TELEVISION SHOW • CREATOR • EXECUTIVE PRODUCER • SCREENWRITING • TELEVISION PROMOTION • WEBSITE• SOCIAL MEDIA • MEDIA BUYING • PUBLIC RELATIONS
BACKGROUND/CHALLENGE
The Samsung 61" DLP 1080p LED HDTV was essentially a parody product. All of Samsung's competitors sold HDTVs to the exact specifications and had the same messaging--bigger, brighter, higher resolution. The challenge was to create a piece of communication which conveyed a superior HDTV. Vibrancy was a recurring theme while concepting the ad. The Samsung 61" DLP 1080p LED HDTV became a leader in its class for Samsung. It outsold its nearest competitor by 30%.
Jensen Audio produces low-end car audio systems for sale in retailers like Kmart and the like. Jensen wanted to "enhance" its profile against its similar competitors. "If it's too loud, you are too old" became the voice of Jensen. The media budget was confined to specialty magazines. The only national buy was Rolling Stone magazine. Because of the limited budget, the needle was only going to move so much. Jensen Audio did, however, retain its market share against its competitors which fulfilled client expectations.
PRINT • POP
A week within joining Fahlgren/Tampa as Creative Director 9/11 hit. Tourism ground to a halt after 9/11. The Florida State Legislature turned to Florida Tourism (the state's promotional agency) to create an emergency response. Florida Tourism turned to Fahlgren. The Florida State Legislature approved a $10 million emergency response plan based upon the recommendations of Fahlgren. This doubled Fahlgren/Tampa's agency billings by 100%. Six months later, Fahlgren successfully defended the Florida Tourism account in a state mandated review.
TELEVISION • PRINT • BILLBOARD • RADIO • CO-OP ADVERTISING
Gyro Worldwide, now known as Quaker City Mercantile, was an up-and-coming youth focused agency. Through a prearranged agreement, Gyro acquired advertising time on a local radio station. The decision was made to use the time to promote the agency’s internship program. Once aired, the response was overwhelming—so much so the agency was forced to discontinue the spot on the third day due to ever continuous phone calls on the agency line. Fun was had by all as Gyro continued to establish its presence in Philadelphia.
RADIO
Founded in 1936, Raleigh Little Theatre (RTL) is one of the oldest continuously operating community theatres in the country. No other theatre in North Carolina produces as many shows. RTL was seeking to raise funds and show appreciation to donors. The idea of "Where North Carolina Gets Its Culture" was born. Donors were beholden. Raleigh Little Theatre reprinted the posters multiple times. The posters also won multiple awards including two National Addy Awards and a One Show Merit Award.
POSTERS • DIRECT MARKETING
