Sick Day!

Actually, it was Don't Get Sick Day! Our across the street neighbor and client, ACOG, is always having some sort of small event to promote general health and well being (like a fitness demonstration a couple days ago.. man I wish I had brought my legwarmers that day!)



Still Shots

But today they had a clinic come in and give flu shots to their staff and neighboring companies. They invited anyone at Third Degree who wanted to trek across the rainy street, shell out a bit of cash, and get stuck with a needle to come and get ready for sick season.



Hallie Hysteria

Some people were naysayers. But Daniel was pro flu shot, quoting that if 85% of people got vaccinated then it would ultimately prevent the rest of the population from getting sick, too (he always has some sort of sociological statistic like that rattling in his head).



Mob Mentality

People quickly divided into camps.

(Except for Lynn who said he was getting his flu shot "later." Uh huh.)



But Daniel stuck to his guns, and... got stuck in his guns. Get it! Get it? (Or does that sound lewd and I don't know it. That happens to me a lot.)



Roy, our fearless leader put on a brave face.



We quickly learned there is no shame in getting half undressed in front of your coworkers. Our clients especially love it when we whip out the camera to include them in the fun (specifically when they are in their undershirts, and don't give me consent to post their photos online.)



Amanda realized that her top would require some more serious removal, so she discreetly retired behind a screen as to avoid any wardrobe malfunctions.



We harassed her anyway.

Did I mention that Third Degree has no in house HR person. There's a reason for that.

Flight Delays and Free Drink Coupons

So on my recent NYC trip I saw this photocopied flyer posted in the entryway of a greasy spoon breakfast place we were eating at:



It caught my attention because I recognized it as an ad for a new quirky HBO show. And I love the lead actor, Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore, Darjeeling Limited, etc...)



I immediately tore off one of the little slips and dialed the number. What I heard on the other end was a voice mail from Jason (I call him Jason), as this fictitious private investigator who spiraled into this really long winded apology to his fictitious ex-girlfriend and how he wasn't drinking as much any more, etc, etc.

I thought, what a clever low tech marketing tactic. I decided on my next business trip (which was only a few days after this one), that I would document some cool advertising on my travels.

Knowing that I would mostly be in airports on this trip I would focus my search for really engaging in-airport advertising.



But then I got distracted by our gate agent's skinny jeans.

Have you ever seen such a casual chic airline employee? P.J. (that's her name, P.J., but I think of her as Uma), had to help us find a new flight out of OKC, because we were seriously delayed.



So we made lemonade out of lemons, and made friends.



I told Roy he was looking sassy, too. It's his new jeans.



Notice the contrast stitching?



I, on the other hand, despite the efforts with the scarf, was not looking so hot. Alarm clock malfunction at 5:30am equals a mad dash to the airport minus shower, makeup and my dignity.



But, thanks to Uma (I mean P.J.), we were rescheduled on a later flight, sent home, and I arrived at the airport later that afternoon somewhat sassy-fied.



But Roy had already made a new friend, another super perky, super friendly ticketing agent who, thanks to his charms, got us.... wait for it...



...free drink coupons for the plane.



I had long since forgotten to be photographing any groundbreaking advertising, so I decided to draw my Bloody Mary.

Inspired by obsessiveconsumption.com.



Because Roy, per usual, was occupied reading his latest marketing guru book (with a highlighter in hand, of course). But forget that nerdy, compulsive behavior... and check out his stylish new reading glasses.



We landed in the Detroit airport, which I now call "The Airport of Tomorrow" because you have to go through this tunnel that is filled with all this moody, magical music and lights as you are transported down a conveyor belt.



It is especially nice after drinking Bloody Marys.



We both agree, the Detroit airport is really cool.

So I guess I realized the neatest brand interaction I had in transit was, A.) with the actual Delta airlines staff, and B.) an airport that has invested in creating an unexpected experience for weary travelers, plus...



...a rental car company (will go unnamed) that gave away our car because we arrived so late. So we just made the most out of what was left over:

Our awesome minivan.

We loaded up, turned up the radio and our adventure continued by road. (And I still have Roy singing Whitney Houston stuck in my head.)

My Mustache Muse

Thanks Kathleen and Daniel for guest blogging for me. I just got back from a week long trip to New York City.



I was there for half business and half fun.



The fun part was seeing my brother who lives in Brooklyn. This is us being touristy on one of those red double-decker buses. But my brother, Donny, is never inconspicuous. It's the handlebar mustache.


photo by Laure Leber

Donny is actually the master of ceremonies at the Coney Island Sideshow By The Seashore. He does straightjacket escapes, breaths fire, juggles chainsaws, but he's best known for being "The Human Blockhead" which is hammering a six inch nail into his nose. There's even a Coney Island Lager beer label named after him.




He was featured in Rebel Ink this month, a popular tattoo magazine. I get it in the mail with my Good Housekeeping. Not really, he showed it to me in the hotel when we got into the city. Then I showed him how I used his story for a credit union presentation we gave earlier that day.



That was the business part of my trip. We gave a presentation to a group of credit union marketers. One of their questions to us, was "how do we break through?" So I drew inspiration from Donny's money-maker (that's what he calls it.) Basically making the point that his mustache gives him his confidence, his unique mark... his swagger. I called upon the group of executives at the table to stake their claim, shout out their difference from the banks, and embrace their own credit union swagger vs. insecurity.



We even made them these really cool framed plaques...





...with removable mustaches that they could try on if they needed reminding of their swagger.



Of course, per our usual goofiness, we had fun with them around the office before I packed them up for my trip.



What's kind of funny, is when we were investigating what style of mustache we wanted to create for the presentation, we found this site MoustacheMe.com.



It encourages people to download mustache templates, or order stickers...



...and adhere them to advertisements. This is their wall where people submit the ads they've defaced. I know, as an advertiser I think I should be offended, but hey, at least people are interacting with the brand. And of all the Disney Princesses, only Ariel could pull off that 'stache.

When Art Directors Get To Go Outside

They go to the HOW Design Conference! This year Third Degree sent Kathleen and Liz to see what's-what in the world of design at the national conference held in Austin, Texas this year.



Every professional creative person from inhouse designer to big bad agency art director drools to go to HOW. At Third Degree we try to budget for two creatives to get to attend every other year or so.



One thing that helps make it affordable is sharing a hotel room. What the budget does not cover is a hotel bill for trashing the room.



Kathleen and Liz kept me posted on their experience in real time with frequent texts. The first outing upon arrival was an agency tour of a quaint bungalow-style house that was home to Creative Suitcase a local Austin agency. The girls felt right at home.



A particularly inspirational session was one by Kate Bingaman-Burt of obsessiveconsumption.com, a blogger/illustrator/design influencer in her own right, and a big believer in handcrafted design, which is something both Liz and Kathleen feel passionate about, as well.

Craft + Activism = Craftivism by Kate Bingaman-Burt of www.obsessiveconsumption.com



A more serious session was all about staying organized and the importance of actionable steps in an "idea" world. It's not all troubled genius and late night brainstorms. It's actually a lot of being organized, consistent and just responsible with your energy and focused on the right things. Kathleen was a front-rower at this one – the kind that nods at everything the speaker is saying. This was presentation was given by Behance, and was so on the Third Degree train, Kathleen almost jumped up and yelled "testify!"

www.behance.com



Kathleen's notes from Living a Curiously Creative Life breakout session by Von Glitschka.

In fact, having been to HOW myself, I would compare the experience to something probably not unlike a revival. So we just started ending all our texts to and from the conference with "revival! testify! hallelujah!" This doodle-note is one of Kathleen's... hmmm, looks like she is already being inspired by that handcrafted session she attended earlier in the conference.



Now that they are back to the daily grind, we hope that a little of that inspiration lingers.

Liz at the agency tour of fd2s in Austin.



Not that it's ever too dull around here. Case in point: just a week after their return from HOW, and we see what really happens when art directors get to go outside – especially when they get their hands on a client's used outdoor vinyl, coat it with baby oil, stake it to a hill, and.. yes...



... turn it into a slip and slide.


TFCU's Get Going promotion may be over. But that didn't stop some of our more inventive minds from inventing another way to get going (and get grass burns).

Now I'm In Nashville

Why, you ask? Because I'm at the Recourses seminar about Managing Creatives, held by David Baker every year. It's where creative directors from all over the country get together and find out that being a creative director and managing other creative people is about a whole lot more than who can be the cleverest of the cleverest.

But of course, you still want all the other creative directors you meet from Chicago and Montreal and Birmingham to think you are neat. I don't think I'm going to start by telling them how I am traveling alone this week (sans CEO Roy), which means not feeling embarrassed about getting not one, but two trashy gossip magazines (okay, one's a gossip magazine and one's a shopping magazine where you put those little stickers on the pages of stuff you want to buy, but really the stickers are really ads for like lip gloss or deodorant... now that's the cleverest of the cleverest).



Anyhow, traveling alone also means I have to make the front desk guys wave for my picture.



Or I can just wave at myself. This hotel is the Wyndham Union Station in downtown Nashville, and is very historic, having once been an actual train station (which I sort of deduced but was confirmed by all the train prints in the hallways).



Speaking of prints, Nashville is also home to Hatch Show Print, which is widely famous for its old-school printing press posters that have advertised shows for musicians from Elvis to just about everybody. I walked by the window and snapped this shot, realizing I was being checked out as well. They were already closed for the day, so I didn't get to go in, but they had tons of prints in the windows.



The problem with staying in a beautiful historic hotel that used to be a train station, is that the trains still run right by it. Like late at night. (Which granted, for me is like 10pm).

But I'm already one day into the seminar, not yawning but very engaged. David Baker actually invited me and another creative director, Ryan, from CloserLook to be part of the seminar as an example of "how to" be a good creative director, and for others to ask us questions and find out what we're doing that seems to be working really well for our agencies.



The second day is going to be a tad more of intense because the two of us are apparently going to be interviewed by David up on stage in front of everyone, I'm imagining like Inside The Actors Studio style. So hopefully I'll have gotten a good night's sleep by the time you're reading this and not have worried about looking like a spaz up there.

But if the midnight train (okay, 10pm train) doesn't cut me a break, I can always break out my ad-slash-stickers and start tagging "ten ways to wear the same belt this spring." Or maybe instead of answering the creative director Q&A with humorous but insightful anecdotes, I could just hold up a petal pink "yes!" sticker on one finger for "have you ever wanted to go back to doing instead of managing?" Or a mauvish pink "maybe?" sticker for "are you too decisive or not decisive enough?" I wonder what just holding up a picture of Katie Holmes detoxing would say about my management style? Would a torn out page of the octo-babies mom say I'm a multitasker? A photo of "who wore it best" show my discernment?

Think I'm getting a little loopy? It's because it's almost 10pm. Time to shut off the laptop, turn out the lights, and start listening for the little engine who could.