The Calm Moments. And Coffee.

Every internal culture has them. Little pieces of, well... peace. Most of the stories coming out of Third Degree's walls are in full-blown technicolor. We tend to crank the dial all the way up to hot when it comes to expressing ourselves. But today I stumbled on some images that capture, dare I say, our more tranquil side?



Coffee Cup Eggs

Don't they just look like ideas about to hatch? This pic is from about a decade ago I'd say. Many of our ideas have hatched and grown to crowing roosters by now. Mostly the ones for clients. Some of our own ideas, like frying an egg on the sidewalk last summer? Didn't have as fabulous an outcome. And if it's the coffee aspect of this scene that makes you want to sigh, or just head out the door to a Starbucks, check out this video about the virtues of coffee I stumbled on the other day.



Roy On The Road

This is Roy in one of his Up In The Air reflective-while-traveling moments. Except his backpack is anything but empty (you've got to see the Clooney flick to get my meaning here). The point is that Roy shines when he's got a glass of... well, let's say a beverage that's on the other end of the indulgence spectrum from coffee and rhymes with "fine"... a quiet corner, and a head full of blazing ideas.



Notes

Oh, and if a laptop isn't handy to capture one of his epiphanies... one of these little fellas will do just wine. I mean fine... fine. This photo has been on my laptop background forever, but I don't think I've ever shared it until now. It's neat. When I myself use one to sketch out my ideas, I try to use more descriptive words than "neat."



This Old Elevator

This is a Shining-like photo of our building's elevator entrance before it was remodeled. I kind of miss the exposed circuit boxes and the seventies-trying-to-be-turn-of-the-century sign in powder blue. This "little elevator that could" may be a bit modernized today, but it still kind of creeps people out.



Hall Pass

Probably because Brett is creeping down the back hallway up on the second floor. All he needs is a twin, and then it really is The Shining. This is our coffee escape hall, bathroom escape hall, escaping to the bathroom because you've had too much coffee hall. But this particular stance Brett is displaying, really has no explanation.

Just a calm moment at Third Degree. Eerie calm. But calm all the same for now.

"Tricking Out" Traditional Print Advertising

So we've really been rallying around this idea of creating non-traditional executions for our client Pioneer as of late, even if the medium is, well, just plain old print.

Facebook and flash mobs may be the latest frontier of advertising, but for some markets – particularly rural ones – a postcard in a county road mailbox or a full-page ad in a town's main newspaper are still some of the most steadfast ways of getting a substantial number of people the message.

Not to say that you can't get creative with how you engage within a market be it urban, suburban or off the beaten path. We've definitely forged into non-traditional media with Pioneer, too. Their Hook Me Up grassroots phone booth and microsite for teens is a prime example.

But it doesn't matter how reliable the delivery channel or how attractive the offer if nobody reads it. And so often boring newspaper ads and ho-hum direct mail end up flipped past, tossed aside and quickly forgotten.

People should at least ...





smell it first ...



touch it first ...



or just frankly be unable to avoid it. (That's a really big postcard.)



But beyond direct mail with a twist, we've had an especially big success creating print ads that really push the medium by contrasting or working within the classic newspaper backdrop.





Engaging viewer interaction by inviting action in order to get "the whole picture" – having fun with the classic game, of you're getting warm, warmer, warmer...

Once we got started, we just started growing into it and now it's hard for us to stop.





Good for Pioneer because more eyes are spending more time with their message, good for the papers because they can demonstrate a forward-thinking approach, and just good for all of us to remember to entertain and engage our viewers – be it in their mailbox or over their morning coffee – even when they don't expect it.

Buck The Norm Video Contest

Well, today is the last day of voting for TFCU's Buck The Norm video contest. The prize is a $2,000 scholarship and a MacBook for the entrant whose video gets the most votes. It's amazing every year to see what people come up with in these homemade videos. They can range from the cute, to the bizarre, but are always fun to watch.

This year the video theme was a $10 Day Challenge, asking them to make a video about how they would spend a day with only $10 in their pocket. The rest is up to them...



and their socks...



their pbj-making skills...



and the friends they can get to hang out as extras in chick suits.



While it's hard to let go of creative control, we at least like to steer entrants in the right direction. As part of the contest promotion on the Buck The Norm site, we show a How To Video to tell them about the video theme, rules, and tips for making a buckin' great video.





We also require they use some of our downloadable "props."



But making the video is only half the journey to the prize. We want our entrants to get lots and lots of votes, because TFCU doesn't choose the winners, we don't choose the winners... their friends, family and, well, strangers do. So we also give them digital tools for getting the word out and getting people to click on their video!



Did I mention today's the last day to vote? Hey, I'm just spreading the word, man.

Still Sparkling From CUNA Conference

We are back from the 2011 CUNA Marketing and Business Development Conference, where credit unions across the nation converge (this year in Las Vegas) to get innovative, get inspired, and get some sparkly sparkly Diamond Awards.

Photo collage courtesy of the only phone pics Amy sent me. Amy, aka our CU Cheerleader was too busy spreading the credit union spirit and pep to take me some decent pics! Left is Roy at the podium as he rallies the general session about the power of internal culture. Right is our sparkly sparkly Diamond Awards (more on those momentarily.)



Even though some of us could only be there in spirit, a handful got our cheesy mugs played for the general session crowd on what I imagine was a huge screen, to illustrate how we practice-what-we-preach at Third Degree by embracing the tools of internal communication, and empowering our credit union clients to do the same. Roy is passionate about this subject. The grainy collage pic doesn't do his enthusiasm justice (that's okay Amy, we know you were probably constructing a pyramid of credit union marketers in a cheer at the time). So just imagine lots of pounding on the podium as he presented this to the crowd, along with Evita-like hand gestures.



Pre-conference, Third Degree created this "Powerful People" ant-themed video for the CUNA Council to help generate buzz and boost conference registration in the months leading up to Las Vegas. It was one of the highest attended marketing and biz development conferences for CUNA in the past eighteen years!

But now for the (drum roll please) Diamond Awards!



The "10 Reasons To Switch in 2010" campaign we created for Delta Community Credit Union out of Atlanta, was a big winner for the night. In addition to some merits, it won a Diamond for Print Ad.





The "10 Reasons" TV Campaign also snagged a Diamond for TV Series! If you recall we had quite a time creating these larger-than-life number props.



The whimsy of Northwest Georgia Credit Union's new look and feel was not lost on the judges either. Along with merits, the commercial that first launched the credit unions branding makeover was awarded a Diamond for :30 TV Spot.



In fact, whimsy was a winner all around, as Tinker Federal Credit Union got a Diamond for The SaveAbles Youth Marketing campaign, including the irresistible SaveATron himself.




Photo by Zach Nash.

Photo by Zach Nash.

Shark victims and financially empowering thumb lifeguards were not anything to sneeze at either, as the Buck The Norm, Ghouls Gone Wild Parade Entry also brought home a bloody hard-earned Diamond for TFCU.





But we've got to give a hand to plain old fashioned emotional connection, people, as TFCU's "Get Back To You" Complete Campaign stole some hearts and at least one Diamond, too.

"Gabby Knows" Online Moms

Looking for our Fort Worth Community Credit Union Gabby case study? Find it on our new site here!

Getting Animated

I like a film shoot as much as the next gal. Hello? Craft service. Yum. And speaking of craft. I love crafting an emotional connection with the viewer by capturing "real life" meets "what-we-wish-life-really-were" moments that you get from shooting a true moving picture.



Film shoots are especially fun (fun meaning unpredictable) if there are dogs or babies involved. TFCU always includes at least one if not both. But they are so worth it in the end. Kleenex please.



But we've also created several animated videos for other credit unions like, Belvoir FCU, Amarillo FCU and Allegiance FCU

So why does this creative director think the animated approach is also a great alternative for credit unions?

1. You can stretch a television production budget (get more bang for your buck.. and yes, us creatives care about your budget)

2. Create an affordable (yes, we know that word, too) video for an internal launch or for branch multimedia and website play (even if you don't do TV placement)

3. Retain a high quality feel (your spot is playing right next to a national one and the viewer doesn't feel like yours is the "homegrown" commercial)

4. The visuals translate great online, where video is quickly becoming a must-have (smaller screens = me like pretty pictures)

5. Promote products with "pop" to get a short-term results boost as a balance to your overall long-term branding (rather than trying to clutter your awareness messaging with salesy offers)

And even though you might think animation equals childish. Think again. And ignore the sock monkey below for just a second because it sort of negates my point. But animation have to mean cartoon. Set into motion photos, type, colors, illustrations and combine them with that just-the-right voice and that I'll-know-it's-right-when-I-hear-it music, and you begin to emote a lively, or a stirring, or even quirky (now enter sock monkey) moving message.



So as just static images, you ask "what the heck does a sock monkey have to do with getting a credit card?"



But set it into motion, and this "un-strings" attached credit card spot drives home the point. This is the third of a series of videos we've created for Northwest Georgia Credit Union, from their initial brand launch to a summer auto loan promotion.



These objects alone might look like a study in yellow...



But they actually represent the three pillars "open," "honest" and "hardworking" of ABNB Federal Credit Union's new brand.



And who says an animated spot can't be warm, sincere – or rooted in something substantial?



Voice and music are the most compelling ways to bring a story to life, like we did for LaCapitol Federal Credit Union when they redefined their brand across the state of Louisiana.

And video doesn't just have to mean television. The ABNB and La Cap videos are also a great example of videos that were created for internal launches to employees and staff, that were later were more easily translated into shorter tv spots when they were ready to roll out their messaging to the greater community.

The "Snow" Must Go On!

Just because almost half the country is covered in a big ol' blanket of snow and ice, doesn't mean we don't all have to eventually dig ourselves out of our driveways and make our way back to the nine-to-five.



For Third Degree-ers navigating snow drifted streets and icy intersections is pretty much a universally tricky but all-in-all doable feat. And our careful trek from the parking lot to the safety and warmth of our office is probably just like yours (translation: perhaps one out of five of us fall on our posteriors before making it to our front door).





Our attempts at making snowballs, perhaps a little on the pathetic side. And our outerwear apparel, er, well, let's just say orange knit U-Haul hats are probably a bit on the unique side.





But once we get inside staying as "hot" as our brand, is a little bit more of a challenge. That, my friends, is our state-of-the-art heating and air system. It has an on and off switch. But the "on" setting is debatable. When your agency is housed in a turn-of-the-century warehouse (which is cool to be sure) certain additional provisions must be made.



Fingerless gloves... a must for typing, designing, copywriting and not losing your digits to frostbite.



Hot drinks... in Daniel's case fancy tea in a fancy, fancy tea cup.



In Holly's case... a cup of joe in styrofoam. Note the scarf and puffy vest are an all-day indoor fashion statement. At least they match.



Having a space heater that close to your face just cannot be a good thing.



But, portable heaters are a staple under every desk. Some of us keep our rugged footwear on all day.



Some bring a change of shoes. Not forsaking fashion for function.



And some will just forsake all professionalism at this point for warm tootsies. (Even while they are drinking fancy, fancy tea out of a fancy tea cup... not to give away the anonymity of this socked creative).

Hey, it's just all in the spirit of serving it up hot. Or at least not frozen for today.