Why is there so much WHITE SPACE

SPOILER ALERT: If you’re not caught up, stop reading right now and go away.

Richard Preston says it best in his March 30th column, “After eight long years, 73 tortured terrorists, 327 snappy phone calls, 108 car crashes, 10 double agents, one very weary, ex-government agent is hanging up his gun; the TV show 24 is finally coming to an end.” And this makes me very sad.

My obsession this season with ‘24’ is definitely not as strong as it’s been in years past.  I’m not sure if it’s the loss of characters I’ve loved (hello Tony Almeida even if you were very bad), and the addition of others I just want to smack (I’m looking at you Brian Hastings, director of CTU. Stand up straight, would ya?)  Or is it that I feel like I relive the same plot line every season?  But really, how many different terrorist plots can one person come up with?

Season 8 started out pretty slow, and I honestly didn’t have high hopes… but woo-ee, this season really stepped it up a notch with the revelation of Dana Walsh as a double agent in last week’s episode. And the rogue military operation to kidnap President Hassan to save Manhattan.  I seriously was out of breath after that episode.  Looks like this show is going out with a bang!

Some things I’m really going to miss when ‘24′ is gone:

• Securing the perimeter.
• Chloe uploading schematics to Jack’s PDA.
• Torture.  I don’t care who’s doing it. Although Jack is the master.
• The CTU telephone ring tone. (I hear it in my sleep!)
• Jack calling the President directly. (Who does that?)
• When Jack breaks the law and gets away with it.
• Knowing within the first few hours, which idiots are destined to catch a bullet.
• Bullet proof vests.

And the best part about the ‘24’ format is that one episode that takes place between 9:00pm and 10:00pm and is essentially in real-time!  What other show can give us that?  Stop rolling your eyes at me… I know, I’m touched.

~ Stacy

As an account executive at CD&M, one of my key tasks as a manager is to help the agency make money. I need to work with clients to fully understand their stated requirements and try to anticipate their unstated desires on a particular project, and then develop a plan and a corresponding budget to make it all happen. And, to keep my clients happy, I always strive for a win-win scenario: the project exceeds the clients’ expectations and CD&M makes an appropriate profit to reinvest in the agency and the relationship with the client.

A book burning in Binghamton, NY, 1948.

Now, as you can imagine, there are what seems like a gazillion variables that can invade this happy little arrangement and one or both of us don’t get a “win.” So, that’s where things can get dicey and I get a headache. I have been accused of caring too much and getting too emotionally invested in my clients’ success, and I do admit to occasionally letting all that passion get the best of me (and thus the stress headache). However, the flip side is that I think all my passion for a client’s business is what makes me good at what I do in terms of strategy, creativity and attention to detail.

So what does all this have to do with the book I mentioned in my title? Well, practicing and refining the art of good account management has spurred me to comment many times to people that I wish I could write a book about all the things clients should always do — and never do — when working with an advertising or marketing firm. The problem is that many clients would be offended if I candidly told them many of the things they do that waste their money. The other problem is that I don’t have time to write and try to publish such a book. (I also think some in the advertising/marketing business would be quite ticked at me too for suggesting some tasks that clients should do on their own.)

In the meantime, while I ponder this book I may never write, I’ve posted a few basic tips for corporate marketing managers who don’t have the luxury of a professionally trained expert (designer, web developer, social media manager, etc.) also in-house. In the end, I just want my clients to be successful. And while there may be some tasks that I don’t think they should use the agency for, I am always happy to help as long as I know they are aware that they might be able to do it better themselves (if they had the time, desire, resources and money to do so).

• Consolidate rounds of changes from multiple constituents as much as possible. Make it a hard and fast rule that your internal audiences must review a draft piece by a certain date and if there are any questions posed, that they are answered before the consolidated edits are sent to the agency. The other huge money saver is to put a lot of time into the creative brief, initial rounds of copy and the first draft. It always costs more money to figure out in round 3, what you should have put in or noticed in the original input stage.
• Don’t attempt to buy your own media. This is one of those things you should just leave with the agency. Media buying is not only a huge time sucker, but the nuances of buying it and building relationships with the media outlets is an art. You’ll save more and have a more strategically-targeted (translation: effective!) media buy if you use a skilled media planner.
• For small printing projects, choose wisely. If you need a little sign made for a one-time sales luncheon, chances are you should do it yourself. If you ask the agency to do it, they will have to put it through their normal “process,” which includes the time for an account executive to open a job ticket and a production person to do proofing, estimating, etc. Not to mention the design time. However, if anything ever involves four-color offset printing or graphics that need to be layered or manipulated, specially folded, etc., send it to the agency. If you are paying them to be your brand guardians, don’t let your receptionist try to design something in PowerPoint. It never works. Trust me.
• Harness our creativity and industry knowledge. I once worked in an in-house corporate marketing department and my boss was famous for saying, “I hate paying people to think.” She was referring to paying the ad agency to come up with creative concepts and strategic plans. She basically wanted her agency to function like a service bureau (i.e. Kinko’s). Put in an order and just get the product. Boom, done. I was just out of college then, but I remember thinking that her comment seemed weird. Once I became the head of marketing for a national company, I knew her thinking was short-sighted. Working on the corporate side, you become completely immersed in your own world, audiences, markets, etc. It’s hard to see the forest for the trees, much less think out of the box for a new strategy or creative idea to sell your product or service in a fresh, innovative way. That’s what agencies do best. We see what is working in multiple sectors — b2b, b2c, high tech, etc. — and we can help you think of new and game-changing approaches to outsmart your competitors… that is, if you have the executive support and stomach for pursuing some of the ideas. (Not all of them are scary, but some certainly can seem like it!)
• Give us budgets ahead of time to minimize needless estimating. You want your agency time spending time on the creating, writing, designing and web developing. So before you initiate a project, let us know what you have to spend. There is no point in spending hours researching really cool out of the box ideas if executing them will cost twice what the budget is. Unless you have your agency on a retainer, it can also get really pricey for the AE to do multiple estimates.

So, I could go on, but I might have already ruffled feathers… If you liked it though and want to hear more, let us know by commenting on this posting. However, please note, that I understand that there are exceptions to every rule. These are just general suggestions after years of being an AE and tend to hold true for the most part.

– Kim Stiver

When Mainers need advice and design expertise for a home renovation, they know to turn to an architect for help. Architects are an important and trusted resource in ensuring a successful project. Drawing upon their experience, professionally-trained architects must understand the requirements of the job, formulate the design, communicate the architecture, support the developers, and verify final implementation. And as one can imagine, this is no easy task.

Maine is fortunate to have a respected and growing pool of talented architects, many of whom belong to professional associations for collaboration, networking and advocacy. The Portland Society of Architects (PSA) is one of these valuable organizations. The PSA is a non-profit membership organization that was founded to promote progress and economic development in Maine by encouraging innovation and vision in design and planning. Membership is comprised of a consortium of leading architects, engineers, landscape architects, design professionals, and individuals committed to the protection and enhancement of those aspects of design which contribute greatly to the region’s economic activity and cultural identity.

Part of the mission of the PSA is to assist in educating the community-at-large in understanding, evaluating, and supporting design excellence in architecture. Through advocacy and informational programming, PSA engages a broad constituency in the effort to promote awareness of these issues in Greater Portland and beyond.

One of PSA’s popular community events is its “10-Minute Architect” program. Held in March and October each year, this free design clinic is offered to homeowners and business owners who are considering when and how to use an architect for a project, or just want some design guidance. The clinic helps people gain from and learn about the benefits that architects can bring to their building issues.

The 10-Minute Architect has received rave reviews from both the architectural community and attendees. Participants leave more informed, inspired and motivated to tackle their individual projects. Previous attendees have commented that it was an “incredible opportunity to talk to architects” and that it helped them “in considering building alternatives, determining the scope of their project and figuring out the feasibility.” The interaction is enjoyed by the architects as well, who thrive on the opportunity to do what they do best, solve problems.  

Details for PSA’s next design clinic are as follows:

What: 10-Minute Architect

Who: For homeowners and commercial property owners

When: Thursday, March 25th, 4:30-6:30pm

Where: Bard Coffee. 185 Middle Street, Portland

Pre-registration is encouraged but walk-ins are welcome. For sign-up or more information, please visit www.portlandarchitects.org.

- Bryan Wyatt

It’s official. The new deck above our offices on 48 Free Street is open, as of St. Patrick’s Day 2010. Good timing, since some of the more interesting viewing came from observing the revelers on the deck atop Irish pub Brian Boru.

As often happens on these occasions, our discussion turned to product marketing and added value, specifically as it applies to booty pop panties (it’s okay, we’re professionals). Why not heated booty pop panties, we ask? Why not vibrating heated booty pop panties? Why not extra supportive vibrating heated booty pop panties to relieve the pressure on one’s coccyx during long drives in the car? Drop by and see our new deck. And join the conversation.

—Scott

No clients were billed during the making of this picture.

He never hurt anyone until someone hurt his birds. That’s correct. Protection of his pet pigeons motivated Mike Tyson to become a fighter and eventually  the heavyweight champion of the world. Apparently, Tyson now owns a few hundred birds in two lofts, one in Brooklyn and another in Jersey City. Did everyone know this already? There should be a TV show…hey! There is!

The show, to be called “Taking on Tyson,” will pit Tyson and his birds against hardcore racing-pigeon owners in New York. It is set to air on the cable channel Animal Planet sometime early next year. I cannot wait. Bizarre sports+equally quirky characters=a reality show with my name written all over it.
–Krista