Success On A Stick

So, as in most parts of the country it's state fair time here. I'm not sure if we'll squeeze in an agency lunch outing like we have in years' past. Deadlines kind of trump deep fried twinkies. But since we are so food-centric, obviously the part of the fair that strikes a chord with us is the eatin' part.



Eatin' stuff on sticks, that is.



We like sticks.



Sometimes we feel like we're the ones on the stick. Did I mention those deadlines?



In fact, we even create whole concepts around sticks. Like this super-fun Northwest Georgia Credit Union summer car loan commercial. Wait. Whoa. What a set up, right? I prefer calling it a segue. I mean, come on, did you really think this whole blog post was going to be about deep fried delicacies and gator kabobs?



This animated approach, sticks and all, was really fun to create. And while it was definitely promotion-based (seriously, what credit union marketer doesn't want to increase loans right now?) it was also a perfect compliment to the new brand awareness campaign Northwest Georgia launched earlier this year.



Granted, cute doesn't cut the mustard without results (mmm... mustard, I forgot about state fair corn dogs... the classic predecessor of all food on a stick). My point is, I'm happy to report that Northwest Georgia has seen their biggest loan month in August in the past ten years.

Now, I can't give the sticks all the credit. The marketing team at Northwest really felt their loan growth was a result of a combo of things: the vehicle loan offer, the advertising and some recent sales training with their front-line staff to help boost their confidence in having "the loan conversation." Because we all know credit union marketing is only as good as the staff and cross-selling doesn't always come as naturally in the credit union culture as, let's say, being super-warm and friendly does.

Their marketing team's efforts are also a great example of launching a promotion internally with employees before taking it to the streets.

All in all, another satisfied credit union. Another great day. Now, who's interested in a deep fried twinkie themed campaign?

Pencil Pushers

Urbandictionary.com defines a pencil pusher as: "someone who works in an incredibly boring job. Most likely the person themselves also exudes extreme boringness."



I think working at and/or with Third Degree is probably the most opposite to boring you can get.

Though we do seem to have an eerie attraction to pencils around here.



Especially jumbo pencils.



Notice the "KingRoy" inscription. This is mounted in our CEO's corner of the agency.

Or jumbo-jumbo ones.



Even pencils with mustaches.



Which is why after one of our Third Degree-ers tweeted about this pencil artist yesterday, I just had to share.



via telegraph.co.uk and kidrobot

His name is Dalton Ghetti and he makes these amazing miniature pencil sculptures.






via telegraph.co.uk and kidrobot

"These miniature masterpieces are a side project for the professional carpenter, who has been perfecting this art for the last 25 years. Dalton uses a razor blade, sewing needle, a sculpting knife, a steady hand and lots of patience to meticulously carve the graphite which can take anywhere between a few months to a few years. Over time he has broken many works in progress and keeps them in what he calls the cemetery collection. One of the most fascinating things about these tiny works of art is that he has never sold them, only given away to friends as gifts."







Now, how to make friends with him so he gifts us one of his creations? I wonder if he's on Twitter? #unboringpencilpusher

Bowling. (Or At Least Trying.)

This time last week we were prepping for our mid-year annual planning retreat. That means everyone at Third Degree records their out-of-office voice mails, tries to tie up as many loose ends as possible, puts their phones on vibrate and head off to a predetermined locale for a half-and-half sort of day. One half planning and thinking and stewing real hard. The second half playing hard.



Last year we did the 80's murder mystery. This year... less costumes. But still just as sweaty and embarrassing.



Okay, I know bowling isn't exactly sweat-inducing, but it was like 103 degrees that day. And this photo has nothing to do with that statement. Unless Daniel is trying to ventilate his Third Degree t-shirt here.



Perhaps I should rephrase. Embarrassing for some. "In-your-face-I-rock" for others. Case in point, Roy on the left with the highest individual score. Daniel on the right with the lowest.



Pam wins for most competitive. Leave it to our newly titled Director of Operations to get freaking serious.



Amanda, not so much serious. But wins for cutest in bowling shoes.



Holly's team wins most adorable overall. I mean... come on??!!! She was a ringer for that award. If you couldn't guess, Holly's the one on the far right. With the two bowling balls.

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.