Happygrc

MY BLOGS
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Makin' Ads
http://makinads.blogspot.com/
For students of advertising, portfolio school hopefuls, and anyone else putting their book together.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 227 )
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Job Search Plan of Attack
Agencies don't hire between Thanksgiving and New Years. That's a fact that holds so true that I tell my students who graduate in early December to just chill,... Read more
Posted on 27 December 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
What Committees Do
Our friend at Graphicology is redesigning the flags of the United States on his blog. This post gives a brief and interesting history on the Arkansas flag. He... Read more
Posted on 22 December 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Scanwiches
This has nothing to do with ads. But we're always fans of side projects.I first heard about Jon Chonko's project, Scanwiches a few years ago. Read more
Posted on 19 December 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Jumping to Execution
In the last year or so, I've seen a major increase in the polished case study videos that students do. Pretty professional case studies, for events and... Read more
Posted on 17 December 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
How to Spend Your Christmas Break
My first Christmas break in portfolio school was great. I crossed several states to return home. I relaxed. I snowboarded. I read. I didn't think about... Read more
Posted on 16 December 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Do Ad Schools Turn out the Best Talent?
If you're a student in a portfolio school, you need to watch this video on creativity-online.com.Sorry I can't embed it. But I've got to say I agree with a lot... Read more
Posted on 15 December 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Doodle
I often emphasize to my classes the importance of changing up your routine, particularly when you're in a concepting rut. Take a walk. Work somewhere else.... Read more
Posted on 09 December 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Seven Reasons We Forget The Work Is All That Matters
Client Fear. We think we know the client so well, we kill our own ideas (or allow them to be killed) based on what we imagine they will and won't... Read more
Posted on 07 December 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Ideas Vs. Idea-like Things
I want to give a shout out to my friends at The Richards Group who made the following commercial. I don't normally share work like this, but I want to make a... Read more
Posted on 22 November 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
On Being Dependable
We had a new business pitch last week. If you've ever been through a new business pitch, you know that it's a strange kind of animal. When I'm asked which... Read more
Posted on 17 November 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
How to Double Your Salary
This post isn't really about money. But I'm going to talk about it to make a point.Years ago I was the writer on a certain campaign. Read more
Posted on 15 November 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Look@Things
Our friend Brian Thibodeau is currently teaching at The Chicago Portfolio School. (He's a VCU Brandcenter grad who's worked at The Martin Agency and now Ogilvy. Read more
Posted on 12 November 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Mike Hughes on The Work
My guess is not everyone's going to buy into Mike Hughes's philosophy. Their loss.5Q with Mike Hughes: Intro and Question 1 from VCU Brandcenter on Vimeo. Read more
Posted on 07 November 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
What Occupy Wall Street Could Learn From Ad Folks
I wrote a post on my other blog over the weekend about the Occupy Wall Street's lack of clear messaging and how they might improve it by asking themselves the... Read more
Posted on 23 October 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Big Names in Integration
AICP judges on integration. Definitely worth two minutes of your time.AICP NEXT 2011 from Joe Gabriel on Vimeo. Read more
Posted on 07 October 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Warning: Your Portfolio May End in 2012
I've been reviewing a lot of student portfolios lately. And I have seen a lot of student campaigns about how [insert product here] will help you survive the... Read more
Posted on 06 October 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
I Can't Say Negative Words Aren't Bad
There are those who believe you shouldn't use negative words in advertising because it will repel the audience and decrease sales. This philosophy isn't... Read more
Posted on 05 October 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
How's Your Bookkeeping?
Someone calls today. They have an opening for your dream job at your dream agency. They want you to send your book tonight. Is your book ready to send? Read more
Posted on 30 September 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Directors Reels and Student Books
This is a room in my agency full of directors reels. Each one of those DVDs on the shelves feature anywhere from one to six different directors. And each... Read more
Posted on 29 September 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING -
Cool = Surprises
We all want to make cool ads, right? Cool digital stuff. Cool TV stuff. Cool print, packaging, and even letterhead and table tents (if they're cool enough). Coo... Read more
Posted on 27 September 2011 BUSINESS, MARKETING & ADVERTISING