Get Out of The Box. Get Square.

I know "get outside the box" is about the most overused and un-outside-the-box statement you can make. But how could I resist? We literally hung a gigantic box above the two-story metro mall courtyard to promote GetSquare.org, the clean air awareness campaign.



Okay, it's a square to be exact. And it has not crushed or killed any shoppers yet.



Suspended Square



Food Court Railing Clings

But it has gotten their attention.



In fact, over the seven-plus years Third Degree has worked with ACOG on the Get Square initiative, public recognition of clean air habits and willingness to change those habits (i.e. carpooling, gassing up at night) are up to 70% awareness. And while Oklahoma's federally mandated air quality regulations have become even more stringent as of late, our state continues to see improvement.



Uh... and hello? It's just a great and noble endeavor, which always gets us inspired to create great work.







Newly redesigned GetSquare.org web site.

We've continued to evolve the look and feel over the years.



And the creative approach isn't the only way we've "mixed up" our delivery. We've always implemented non-traditional and grass roots outreach for Get Square – like the annual summer electric lawnmower giveaway. But most recently, we gave away kites. (That's what's in the bag.)



We were going to give them away July 4 weekend. That's us putting up banners for the outdoor event.





Fly That Kite, Jared! Fly It!

But severe storms and flash flooding meant a no-go for that day. What? Severe storms in Oklahoma? I don't believe it.



But all's well that ends well. We regrouped and planned for a giveaway on tax-free weekend, taking advantage of some major back-to-school crowds, plus a popular yearly Lego event taking place in... you guessed it... the mall!



We handed out reusable shopping bags as well as the kites under the shadow of our awesome square.



So I suppose you could say it all came full "square." You know, like full circle – but square. Heh. heh. Those square jokes never get old.

Thanks ACOG letting us go the extra mile. The extra mile with less fuel emissions. And we carpooled. Better yet, we walked there. Yeah... we walked there together.

Also check out our mall advertising for Planned Parenthood.

Frying Us Some Eggs

Since it is a lovely 102 degrees today, we thought we'd truly embrace one of our Third Degree brand philosophies and serve it up hot...



... by seeing if we actually could fry an egg on the sidewalk.



Grade A

At 1:45 pm, we pushed back from our keyboards, proceeded single file down our back murder stairwell, and out into the afternoon sunshine (which in Bricktown seems even more sweltering, since we're surrounded by, well... bricks).



Cracked Up



Mmm. Yolky.

Kande (the instigator of the fried egg experiment) assured us that her sources indicate an egg will in fact fry on the sidewalk at 130 degrees (which the concrete apparently reaches when it's 100-plus degrees outside). We opted for a metal manhole cover for the first egg, figuring it was the most similar surface to a frying pan.



Like every good experiment you need other test subjects. So we also tried asphalt and tin foil.





Eggs-Eye Perspective



Taking Bets

As we stood there "egging" on our little embryos to fry, we realized we probably looked like we were shooting dice out in the alley.



AgriTourism

We even attracted some Wichita passersby, who asked if they could take a picture with their camera phone. We're going viral, baby!



Time & Temperature

Then our client from ACOG, Jerry stopped by. He had very specific views about the proper variables for "basting" an egg, as he put it.



He shared his scientific opinions.



And even though we went as far as attempting scrambling...



... Jerry remained skeptical.



We may not have concluded this day with egg on our face, but we did come to the conclusion that while an egg won't actually cook after being out in the heat for 20 minutes... the Third Degree-ers definitely got fried.

Sidenote: as we stood under a nearby shade tree waiting for some sizzle, we actually held an impromptu brainstorm meeting about the upcoming Ghouls Gone Wild parade, and actually came up with a fantastic theme on the spot. So we've decided to hold all our future brainstorms in 102 degree heat (you know, like how Gweneth Paltrow and Madonna take yoga classes in rooms where the temperature has been raised for optimal fat-burning). It's going to be this whole new thing. But we will definitely need to invest in sunscreen... and perhaps an agency shower.

Meet Megan.

Meet Megan. We recently hired her as an account executive in our fancy new Raleigh-Durham office. She is one smart lady.


If you haven't noticed already, Third Degree is a pretty lady-centric company. And we're just as apt to talk about shoes in our morning huddles are we are to brag about our latest campaigns (ahem…).

So we knew Megan was going to fit in just fine when she started coming to work rocking these babies:


and these:



Shoes say a lot about a person, don't you think? Sometimes I like to imagine them fighting for my attention when I'm deciding what to wear in the mornings. Some pairs just don't get along.



But there's one pair of shoes Megan hasn't worn to work yet:


Though she does rock them from time to time outside of Third Degree. You see, when she's not serving it up to our east coast clients, Megan serves as a Major in the Army Reserves. That's right, Major Megan. Best nickname EVER?!



Not only has she valiantly served our great country by doing two tours of duty in the Middle East, she's also currently the Commander of a Psychological Operations Company (which is basically like integrated marketing supporting U.S. objectives in other countries, though with another cool nickname: PSYOP).



Megan's experience in the Reserves made her the right woman for the job at Third Degree. She's already brought a lot of insight and strategy to our new east coast ventures. She's fitting in great. Because like everyone else here, she'll be wearing lots of hats… and… wait for it… shoes.

Welcome, Megan!

Ah, I see she went with the strappy wedge sandals today:




(Yeah... I was trying to go for something conceptual here, like, a portrait of her many different identities as a modern, multi-faceted career woman. But the final product just looks like her shoes have gained zombie-like consciousness and are mindlessly attacking her feet. Not so successful. Though it kind of makes me want to re-watch The Birds. So. That's a plus.)

Tara. Two Days. Durham.

Touchdown at Raleigh-Durham airport and am greeted by my escort with the shady shades...



... Liz. The adventure already seems full of danger and promise.



First step of the journey. Must cross a raging stream (okay, like a bubbling brook) to gain entrance to the highly anticipated North Carolina Third Degree office.



My guide leads the way unhindered.



I survey my surroundings. Red, orange and gold carpet squares, familiar, familiar... so I feel at home. But offices with walls?! I can't adapt! I must spread my crap... er, I mean... lay out the tools of my trade in the most open environment I can find, the glass-walled conference room.



My guide lets me know it's lunch time.



I'm hearing what she's laying down.





We decide to skip the smoke break.

The new office is located in Durham's American Tobacco District (hence the Lucky Strike water tower). Similar to our Bricktown home-base in Oklahoma City, it's a renovated industrial area from the turn of the century that now houses businesses, restaurants and crazy hot agencies like us, Third Degree.



And partake in what the locals call... toast. Strange, yet delicious.



All's well that ends well as the "shades" are drawn on this little adventure.

Strategic Creatives. Makin' The Moves.

It's true, at Third Degree we spread the strategic thinking around. Every department has to flex their noggins beyond typical daily duties on a regular basis. But the creatives are thinking extra hard these days, formulating their next strategic...



... well, move.



They have gone game crazy. And not in a normal geeky online fantasy game sort of way. Like in a seriously old-school, "someone break out the chinese checkers" way.



These are literally four "active" games that reside on each of their desks. So anytime someone randomly walks by, they make a move. There's some sort of system involving flipping the Third Degree patch backwards or forwards to let them know who's turn it is.



Adam, one of our newest designers ("hi Adam"), has embraced this wholeheartedly, and allowed some considerable square footage of his desk to house the playing field. Yep, no room for personal items here. Pictures of his dog, or trophies from his school days will have to find another place to reside.



Though they do have their own trophy of sorts. The traveling totem for the player with the current highest wins is the coveted dice paperweight. Brett's the current champion. But Daniel's thinking working hard to dethrone him.



Actually, Daniel is more than a board game enthusiast, he actually just designed his own interactive game for kids (not online interactive, like face-to-face interactive). Happy Birthday Robot, was just officially published and distributed to elementary classrooms all over the place.

Go Daniel. (But Brett still has the dice... no, die... er... that's a weird word... I think perhaps I need to go flex my noggin some more.)

La Cap's New Look

We've been busy launching a new brand in Louisiana lately. La Capitol (but all the cool people call them La Cap) is a statewide credit union that came to Third Degree for some branding love.



This credit union is so rooted in culture and community, that we created a look and feel for them that would organically tie them to not only the physical traits of their state but also the Louisiana state-of-mind.



Local, local, local... and credit union differentiation from banks are the main themes you'll find woven into all the messaging.



We created a brand video seen here, and a condensed version for television. Probably one of the more sincere and steeped-in-tradition animated videos we've done in a long time. Usually our animated videos (which are a great way to get a high-quality feel for a modest budget) tend to be bright and "poppy," with like toy cars or happy little wrenches. But this video for La Cap shows you can use the same execution to tap into a more heartfelt emotion as well.







Getting the employees on the bandwagon is so important it's not even funny. So part of the soft launch of the brand included a variable, specialty mailer sent to each employees home (that's right, their home), not just tacked to the break room wall. Not that break room walls aren't a very handy medium. But this kind of piece makes everyone feel "the love"... La Cap style.

Feel The Earn

My six year old, Charlie, is a little young to understand earning power. But he does have a current fixation with taking his shirt off, grabbing my aerobic-style powder blue three pound weights, and flexing his muscle power.



I'm like, "can you feel it, can you feel the burn?" He's like "oh yeah, I can feel it."



And that's where our latest concept for ABNB Federal Credit Union's rewards checking came from.



Well, it wasn't that simple, but it sounds very creative doesn't it? To just be struck by some cool concept when you're in the shower, or doodling on a cocktail napkin, or watching your child develop an obsession with having action-hero-style biceps.



So biceps and barbells became the backdrop for ABNB's high-interest checking product – one of the first of its kind in the Norfolk, Virginia market – so we're anticipating a strong (pardon the pun) return on this summer campaign.



"Why settle for wimpy checking?" We even got a handlebar mustache in the mix. You know how we feel about mustaches around here. Perhaps growing a 'stache will be Charlie's next fixation.