Ask a Social Expert Anything…

by Meghan D’Arcy

The young professional generation is comprised of thinkers. Unlike our parents and grandparents, we won’t stay at our first job after college for 40 years and become complacent. We want to chase opportunities, explore our options and find our calling. Sometimes that means working jobs that make us horribly miserable until we find The One. In Scott Bishop’s case, it took three cities, one professional group, countless networking events and nine years after college to realize his dream and he’s enjoyed every moment of the journey. Well, maybe not every moment, but doesn’t that sound poetic?

“I finally got to the point where I wasn’t happy with where I was. I just decided to jump off the bridge and find out if I could swim. I’ve always believed that you have to scare yourself every once in a while to test yourself,” Bishop said. After working for years in the marketing and sales industries, Bishop had found himself working as a marketer for a publishing company in Chicago, Illinois. It was traditional marketing with no room for creativity and certainly no need for digital marketing, which Bishop found himself drawn to. So he left his job, moved to St. Louis, Missouri and started his own company, Crave Engine. Crave Engine specializes in digital marketing and social media to provide businesses with an online presence, help them generate awareness and increase sales. “Why I like to go to work is that it allows for creativity. You actually get to solve problems and get paid to do it.”

Crave Engine has been in business for a year and a half and Bishop has no intention of trying to grow the business or turn it into an agency. It’s been his life for the past year and a half, in fact he admits he doesn’t really have hobbies outside of work. That’s lucky for him considering he now works two jobs after moving to Omaha two months ago to accept the position of Director of Social Influence at Bozell, an integrated marketing agency. His responsibilities at Bozell are the same as at Crave Engine, but he enjoys that he now has a team and can really focus on his interests. At Crave Engine he takes on many other duties such as billing and searching for new business, and that hinders his ability to research and truly know digital marketing inside and out. But he still maintains that starting his business was one of his best decisions, and one that has affected his entire career and life.

“Everything I’ve done in the past year and a half has led me to where I am right now. For some people that’s not a big deal, but I’m finally at a place where I’m happy, I’m living in a town that I actually consider home, I like living here, I like the people here, I like where I work and I like what I do. That’s just a very different place from where I’ve been since I got out of college,” Bishop said. If he’s had to read and write a lot, forego fun activities for work activities and postpone settling down, it’s all worth it to be in Omaha and have what he has now.

Bishop has always been a go-getter. While living and working in Chicago, Illinois, Bishop and two friends started Social Media Breakfast, a networking organization. It was held in the morning to attract high-level executives who can’t make happy hour events because they have families. It also consisted of mini-roundtable discussions rather than presenters and panels, and seats were limited to 50 or 60 instead of 200. Leave it to a marketer to increase demand.

Bishop advises anyone in any industry to make use of every opportunity that presents itself. “Everything is a stepping stone for something else. No one’s going to pick up the phone and call you, you have to go out there and make things happen. And then all of a sudden things just start falling in your lap and you don’t know where they came from but if you really want to analyze it, they come from the last year of working your tail off.”

To learn more about Crave Engine, visit craveengine.com. To follow Bishop’s blog, check out realtimemarketer.com.

Bozell’s Media Director, Karissa Armstrong, was interviewed for a recent article in Omaha’s B2B magazine. Armstrong discusses the social media app Foursquare and the various ways that businesses can leverage it to gain and keep customers.

Please read the entire article here: B2B Omaha – Foursquare Pays Dividends

Bozell Managing Principal, Robin Donovan, was quoted a recent issue of the  Omaha World-Herald as an advertising expert giving her opinion about Drake University’s new logo. The article is below or can be found at omaha.com.

DRAKE’S NEW LOGO GETS AN ‘F’

Drake University wanted to break through the noise and the clutter and grab the attention of young people searching for the right college.

So, it picked a symbol of academic mediocrity: “D+”

That got attention from a host of critics, including university faculty and alumni. Publications from Ad Week to the Chronicle of Higher Education wrote critical articles.

Despite, the criticism, Drake says the D+ campaign — The Drake Advantage: your potential + our opportunities — appears to be performing as intended since it launched earlier this year. Tom Delahunt, Drake’s vice president for admission, cited a 63 percent increase in admission inquiries over last summer and more than twice the visits to its admissions web page, even before the campaign garnered national attention.

The campaign highlights what the university has to offer, and the website notes: “When it comes to choosing the college that fits you best, there’s simply no higher grade.”

Yet advertising experts consulted by The World-Herald described the effort as shortsighted, saying the association with mediocrity could cause long-term damage to an institution of higher learning.

“It’ll break though the clutter, but make them more of a laughingstock,” said Robin Donovan, an owner of Omaha-based advertising agency Bozell.

Adam Wagler, an advertising lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said “D+” could wreck Drake’s brand equity.

“It may be pretty efficient right this second, gets some laughs, gets some web traffic,” Wagler said. “But at the end of the day, it’s an academic institution … and how does something like that serve them?”

The campaign came from a desire by the university to differentiate its recruiting materials from others in the mailbox full of propaganda that deluges prospective college students, Delahunt said.

University officials wanted something eye-catching. Their ad agency, Stamats, of Cedar Rapids, produced a handful of concepts. “D+” got the biggest response from a 921-person sampling of 15- to 17-year-olds, Drake’s target audience.

“61 percent said they would ask for more information,” Delahunt said. “Only 3 percent had a negative response to it.”

“We found a way to get them to read, to get them to want to know more about our university.”

Delahunt pointed out the campaign was aimed at high school students, not adults. The younger generation is different, he said. He has two teenage daughters himself, who, like their peers, spend a great deal of time watching “The Daily Show” and “South Park.”

“They get irony, they get sarcasm,” he said. “That’s the world they live in.”

Faculty members have been some of the harshest critics. Delahunt said if he had to do it over again, he would have informed the faculty of the D+ campaign before its debut.

Whether the campaign is ultimately successful depends on the quality of next year’s incoming class, Delahunt said. He pointed out the average ACT score for incoming Drake students is 27 and the average GPA is 3.7. The university is highly regarded. In the latest U.S. News rankings of Midwest regional universities in which Creighton University was ranked No. 1, Drake is ranked No. 3.

And the campaign is not limited to a big logo of an undesirable grade. It also includes information on Drake’s academic rigor and vocational opportunities, plus life in Des Moines.

Wagler, the UNL advertising lecturer, is from Iowa and aware of Drake’s academic reputation. He was so amused by an article on the D+ campaign he posted it to his Facebook page.

“I thought it sounded like a Far Side cartoon,” he said.

Donovan said large companies have rejected such campaigns outright, no matter how clever. No advertising campaign should create a negative image for the product it is trying to promote.

“People who are in these big businesses know this, so they will never let an agency get away with something like this,” she said.

Donovan recalled an effort in Hartford, Conn., in the 1980s where a company called Wiremold auditioned advertising campaigns for a product that ran wiring under carpet. One agency came up with an idea seemingly edgy and brilliant: Wiremold is going under.

Wiremold officials stopped the presentation, Donovan said, and asked the agency representatives to leave.

“Smart people came up with it,” she said. “But smarter people would have thrown it away.”

That didn’t happen with Drake’s campaign.

“It’s a cheap trick, and sometimes cheap tricks work,” Donovan said. “But I think the potential costs are too high on this one.”

(OMAHA, Neb. – August 30, 2010) The work of Bozell designers Carrie Ratcliff and Jill Rizzo is to be featured in the upcoming publication Fingerprint: The Art of Using Handmade Elements in Graphic Design, set to be released in spring of 2011.

Ratcliff and Rizzo’s chosen design was created for Porridge Papers, a paper-making and letterpress studio in Lincoln, Neb. Porridge Papers wanted to host a Sweet 16 themed anniversary party to celebrate 16 years in business. Ratcliff and Rizzo used handmade white, bubblegum scented paper to create the wide belly band and the number 16 was die cut out in stencil form. They carefully selected paper with fine shimmery sparkles and printed images from past newspaper articles featuring Porridge Papers. They used over 100 of Porridge Papers’ photos and documents for the wrap. Ratcliff also hand-lettered the invitation using neon ink which was then letter pressed onto thick paper that matched the belly band. This fun, dynamic design has also won many other awards in addition to being featured in Fingerprint.

“I love using handmade elements in design, and I’m so happy that Fingerprint has created more focus on this aspect of the industry,” Rizzo said. “I agree, and it creates an opportunity to see what handmade elements other designers across the country are incorporating into their graphic design,” Ratcliff added.

Fingerprint was created to highlight the design community’s passion for handmade elements and resistance to computer-only design work. The book showcases work created with varying media including mixed media, illustration, letterpress, screenprinting and collage. It also includes essays about incorporating handmade design elements by Debbie Millman, Jean Orlebeke, Jim Sherraden, Martin Venezky and Ross Macdonald.

Fingerprint is authored and designed by Chen Design Associates (CDA), a visual communications company based in San Francisco, Calif. CDA has been in business for close to 20 years and is focused on telling the stories of their clients’ businesses in bold and authentic terms. For more information, visit http://www.chendesign.com.

About Bozell
Bozell is a creative marketing communications company with offices in Omaha, Nebraska and Overland Park, Kansas. Bozell combines qualitative and quantitative methodology to get close to its clients’ customers. Bozell then uses advertising, digital marketing, dialogue relations, technology and innovative creative to provide targeted solutions for local, regional and national clients. For more information, visit www.bozell.com.

(OMAHA, Neb. – August 30, 2010) The work of Bozell employee Carrie Ratcliff is to be featured in upcoming publication LogoLounge: Masters Library, Volume 3: Shapes and Symbols, the third master series book from LogoLounge.com. The third volume will be released in 2011 by Rockport Publishers.

Ratcliff’s featured logo was designed for Hyp-Yoga. Hyp-Yoga combines hypnosis and yoga for an innovative fitness and weight loss solution. The circular symbol is derived from a meditative symbol of Japanese Zen Buddhism. The circular motion of brush strokes symbolizes the rejuvenating journey of connecting what the mind wants the body to do and what the body actually does. The tall sans serif font represents poise and strength, two important variables of yoga. The earthy color tones are calming, natural and approachable.

“To be featured in a LogoLounge.com Masters volume is something that many designers aspire to achieve. I’m glad that a logo I believe in will be accessible to other designers across the country. What an amazing opportunity,” said Ratcliff.

LogoLounge.com was created to keep designers informed of the newest trends and up-and-coming designers. By the time traditional design books hit the shelves, the logos are already out of date, so LogoLounge.com features both an online and printed option for designers. LogoLounge.com typically receives around 35,000 entries for each book, and Masters Series books highlight exceptional work in specific styles. The featured logos are chosen by a panel of internationally renowned designers and represent the best in current logo designs. Their website offers current trends, logos in the news and featured designers. For more information, visit http://www.logolounge.com/default.asp.

About Bozell
Bozell is a creative marketing communications company with offices in Omaha, Nebraska and Overland Park, Kansas. Bozell combines qualitative and quantitative methodology to get close to its clients’ customers. Bozell then uses advertising, digital marketing, dialogue relations, technology and innovative creative to provide targeted solutions for local, regional and national clients. For more information, visit www.bozell.com.

(OMAHA, Neb. – August 30, 2010) The work of Bozell designers Rachel Boshart and Carrie Ratcliff is to be featured in upcoming publication LogoLounge 6, the sixth book from LogoLounge.com. LogoLounge 6 will be released in February of 2011 by Rockport Publishers.

Boshart and Ratcliff’s designs were among 34,000 logos from around the world submitted to a panel of eight international judges. Only 2,000 of these were chosen to be featured in LogoLounge 6, four of which were designed by Boshart and Ratcliff.

Boshart’s logo design was created for TownCommons.com. This logo serves to unify the Omaha community through design, representing it with one collective voice. It uses positive and negative space to show the many elements that intertwine to produce one city. It makes the community feel approachable and cohesive.

Ratcliff has three designs in LogoLounge 6, including a second logo for TownCommons.com. Ratcliff’s logo features simple shapes of trees intersecting to create city buildings, suggesting both can coexist to form one community. The overlapping lines also represent interaction, collaboration and the sharing of information.

The Bras Across the Bridge logo is another of Ratcliff’s designs to be featured. This was created to promote an event to raise money for breast cancer research. The straps are the pink ribbons which represent the cause and the dotted lines represent the bras linking across the bridge. The design is approachable and accessible, representing optimism and hope.

Ratcliff’s final design is for NorthStar, an Omaha foundation dedicated to meeting the needs of North Omaha’s male youths with various programs and support. This logo is strong on its own. The modern star above the lowercase “n” is a youthful interpretation of the typical North Star. It emulates academic achievement and adventure.

“It’s such an honor to be included in a book like LogoLounge 6 alongside designers that we respect and admire,” said Boshart. “It’s also a great opportunity to see what other designers are doing and maybe get inspired by some of the newest and most innovative work out there,” added Ratcliff.

LogoLounge.com was created to keep designers informed of the newest trends and up-and-coming designers. By the time traditional design books hit the shelves, the logos are already out of date, so LogoLounge.com features both an online and printed option for designers. LogoLounge.com typically receives around 35,000 entries for each book, and books are released every year and a half. The featured logos are chosen by a panel of internationally renowned designers and represent the best in current logo designs. The website features current trends, logos in the news and featured designers. The next book, LogoLounge 6, will be released in February of 2011. For more information, visit http://www.logolounge.com/default.asp.

About Bozell
Bozell is a creative marketing communications company with offices in Omaha, Nebraska and Overland Park, Kansas. Bozell combines qualitative and quantitative methodology to get close to its clients’ customers. Bozell then uses advertising, digital marketing, dialogue relations, technology and innovative creative to provide targeted solutions for local, regional and national clients. For more information, visit www.bozell.com.

Bozell employee, Bryan Mohr, and his radio show c0-host, Michael Shearer, were highlighted in Shout!, an Omaha arts & entertainment newsweekly, focused on Omaha’s young professionals and creative class. If you would like to find out more about Shout!, please visit their site.

The Weekly Grind has a Whole New Meaning
By Meghan D’Arcy

Many outlandish yet intriguing creations have been conceptualized while bellying up to the bar, though most of them are quickly forgotten, and those that aren’t are laughed at the next day over a Tylenol and water breakfast. Koozies, the tuxedo t-shirt, Baileys in Guinness, but a talk-radio show for young professionals?

Well that’s exactly where The Weekly Grind was born. After a few too many Scotches and a chance encounter with local radio host Tom Becka at Dundee Dell, Bryan Mohr, a 29-year-old copywriter for Bozell, and his future co-host Michael Shearer, the 30-year-old sales director of Ameripride Services, decided they were tired of listening to “some gray-haired old dude who’s 60” talking about issues they didn’t care about. Armed with liquid confidence and not much else, the pair charged ahead, gaining sponsors and a radio spot before they’d even overcome their hangovers.

That was February 2009, back when Mohr admits, “We were horrible.” A lot has changed since then. They still provide an off-the-cuff radio show, only loosely planned the day before at a coffee shop, which discusses local young professionals and the issues that affect them. They keep things relevant by looking at what is going on in Omaha, and trying to talk to all the right people. But now they don’t have to chase down their guests and plead with them to go on-air, the guests come to them. Like recent guest Wendy Townley, whose new book, Nerdy Thirty, is about turning 30 and all the lessons she has learned. In fact, they’re all for promoting young professionals and their business endeavors, focusing on events, charities and young people doing great things in Omaha, like upcoming guest Ben Cohoon, race director for the Market to Market Relay.

At 10 a.m. every Saturday on Omaha’s KOIL 1180 AM, they go on-air and “just let it rip.” Their natural and unpolished style is part of the appeal of the show for young people. They’re not over-researched or biased; as the show goes on, they “grow with the really organic conversation.” Quite the opposite from other talk-radio shows, ahem Rush Limbaugh (not that we’re mentioning any names), which don’t consider young people’s perspective.

Mohr, who met with me this week, says that one of his top guests has been Mayor Jim Suttle during his campaign in 2009. Although, he had to admit that his favorite guests have been the guys from Lucky Bucket who shared their Brew of the Gods on-air in the studio room. Tough day at the office.

Other recent guests include United Way of the Midlands, Mustaches for Kids, local musicians and an author who criticized Omaha for building two stadiums. Hey Mister, leave the city alone!

What gets these guys out of bed at an unnatural hour on a Saturday to sit in a studio and talk for two hours? Their love for the city of Omaha and all it has to offer. Mohr admits that he’s “not going to say it’s 100% there yet.” But he does say that Omaha is becoming a professional hot spot. He contends that the art community is growing and thriving, bringing hoards of creative young people here, along with their fresh perspective and innovative ideas, in fact, this is a common thread on The Weekly Grind.

“I think what young professionals want when they get out of college is a place where they can have a billion options to choose from to go have drinks and dinner, as well as good career opportunities,” Mohr said. With several Fortune 500 companies and increasing entertainment options, Omaha is quickly joining the ranks of other young professional Meccas, such as Portland, Seattle, Chicago and Austin, whose tech boom made a tiny college town explode into one of the top American cities for young people. And just like Austin, Mohr believes that the growing creative community in our fair city is what’s going to get us there. “We’re not big now, but if we keep building this creative community with great minds, maybe some day Omaha will become a bigger city,” Mohr said. Hear, hear!

To hear more from Mohr and Shearer, tune into The Weekly Grind Saturdays at 10 a.m. on Omaha’s KOIL 1180 AM, or visit theweeklygrindradio.com.

(OMAHA, Neb. – Aug. 19, 2010) – Bozell, an integrated marketing communications consulting firm, has named Scott Bishop as manager of social influence, Meghan D’Arcy as project manager,  Jake Dunn as interactive developer and Emily Wenstrom as content and engagement developer.

Bishop joins Bozell has manager of social influence and will be responsible for managing all client social media plans and relationships. With a strong background in social media, marketing and sales, he previously owned the social media consultancy CraveEngine. Bishop also served as marketing manager for McGraw-Hill and as business consulting and marketing rep for Franklin Covey in Chicago. He graduated from Bradley University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration.

As project manager, D’Arcy will provide account service, public relations and copywriting support for multiple client accounts including Right at Home, Vic’s Corn Popper, Writelife, Market to Market and College World Series. She came to Bozell from Ireland where she researched, studied and taught at University of Limerick. She also previously taught high school English and served as a writer and researcher at Sunguard Analytics, both in Vermont. D’Arcy received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Fine Arts from Saint Michael’s College and a Master of Arts in Linguistics from University of Limerick.

In his role as interactive developer, Dunn is responsible for the development and maintenance of client websites and their supporting systems as well as the development of custom web applications and email marketing campaigns. He provides support on multiple client accounts including Randy Brown Architects. Prior to joining Bozell, Dunn served as an interactive developer at David Day and Associates.

As content and engagement developer in the Dialogue Relations department, Wenstrom will provide media relations, research and editorial support for multiple client accounts including Right at Home and TD Ameritrade. Prior to joining Bozell, Wenstrom served as managing editor of Capital Area Women’s LifeStyle Magazine in Lansing, Mich. and as resident ink slinger at Motion Marketing and Media. She has also worked with several publications ranging from traditional daily newspapers to monthly magazines. She is a graduate of Calvin College, holding a dual Bachelor of Arts in English and Mass Media.

About Bozell
Bozell is an integrated marketing communications company with offices in Omaha and Kansas City. Bozell combines qualitative and quantitative methodology to get close to its clients’ customers. Bozell then uses advertising, digital marketing, dialogue relations, technology and innovative creative to provide targeted solutions for local, regional and national clients. For more information, visit www.bozell.com.

(OMAHA, Neb. – Aug. 12, 2010) – Mary Palu, an employee of integrated marketing communications consulting firm Bozell, recently graduated from the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Omaha program.

Now entering its 33rd year, the program is a 10-month study of community issues designed to develop effective community leaders who will strengthen and transform the community. Palu was one of 46 participants who gradated at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center on Thursday, June 17. Palu was chosen based on her demonstrated community involvement and career advancement.

“Leadership Omaha was truly a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see some amazing things that are happening in our community; but also to see where there is more work to be done,” Palu said.  “It gives you a really interesting perspective on what it takes to create vision for change and then how to work towards turning that vision into action.”

Palu joined Bozell in September 2004 and currently serves as a Business and Engagement Developer where she oversees strategic planning and development for Alegent Health, the Omaha-metro area’s largest healthcare system.  Her other clients include Tate & Lyle, VT Industries and The United Way of the Midlands.

Prior to joining Bozell, Palu served as an Account Supervisor with Ketchum (San Francisco’s) Food & Nutrition Practice and as a Publicist for Paige Poulos Communications where she conducted media relations and event marketing for clients. Palu has a degree in Family & Consumer Science Education with an emphasis in nutrition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Palu is also actively involved with many community organizations. She is currently serving as President on the Board of Directors for Friends of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, is a steering committee member of VOICE Omaha, and a curriculum committee member for Leadership Omaha. “Mary’s leadership skills and community involvement will continue to transform and better the Omaha community,” said Kim Mickelsen, managing principle of Bozell. “We are proud of her for all of her community and professional accomplishments.”

About Bozell
Bozell is an integrated marketing communications company with offices in Omaha and Kansas City. Bozell combines qualitative and quantitative methodology to get close to its clients’ customers. Bozell then uses advertising, digital marketing, dialogue relations, technology and innovative creative to provide targeted solutions for local, regional and national clients. For more information, visit www.bozell.com

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When Bozell’s social media director Will Flavell started the long drive from his grandfather’s fishing cabin west of Lincoln to Omaha in the fall of 2008, little did he know that what he thought was just a stomach flu was about to become a life-altering, near-death experience.

As he drove through Wahoo, his appendix burst.

An ambulance took him from the gas station where he collapsed in toxic shock to the Wahoo hospital. He was then was transported back to Omaha to get to the needed medical technology to test and treat him.

It was almost too late to save him. Even following surgery.

“You’re in a hospital bed all day. It gives you a lot of time to think,” Flavell said. “I thought, ‘if I live, what’s the coolest thing I could do?’” Fly the F/A18 Hornet, of course.

Before he’d even recovered enough to leave the hospital, Flavell was doing pushups to start the grueling training he knew was ahead of him if he were to successfully join the Air Force to pursue his new dream.

Flavell talked to a recruiter and found that pursuing his new dream would be a long trek up a very steep hill. He was at a disadvantage to begin with, having no military experience – they told Flavell not to get his hopes up. But Flavell quickly got to work, signing up for Officer Training School, working out every day after work and studying on the weekends. And this September, Flavell will report for duty.

Along the way he also went skydiving and returned to his old hobby of longboarding.

“That’s the meat of living, the ‘wahoo,’” Flavell said, explaining his new passion for living life on the edge. “Once I’d faced the real possibility of death, it just didn’t seem that big of a deal anymore.”

As Bozell’s first social media director, Flavell helped to develop the firm’s social media marketing services from the ground up, keeping Bozell ahead of the curve as new technologies developed.

“Will has a lot of spirit and tenacity. He goes for everything 100 percent. We are sure that these traits will serve him well wherever life takes him. We feel fortunate to be able to count him as part of the Bozell family,” said Kim Mickelsen, managing partner.

About Bozell
Bozell is a creative marketing communications company with offices in Omaha, Nebraska and Overland Park, Kansas. Bozell combines qualitative and quantitative methodology to get close to its clients’ customers. Bozell then uses advertising, digital marketing, dialogue relations, technology and innovative creative to provide targeted solutions for local, regional and national clients. For more information, visit www.bozell.com.