Thursday, July 31, 2008

Fish Favorites

As I bid farewell to Fish Marketing today, I leave you with these photos.
This love of office supplies comforts me. I too was tempted to use the label maker for unnecessary labeling until I read the label.
You must admit it gives the office a little sass.

I found this outside the office.

One day I got excited and thought someone in the building was named John Hancock, then I realized it was another company.
My favorite part of coming and going everyday was the revolving door.

Inflation sucks


We’ve watched the prices for soda vending machines steadily increase. Yet, feminine hygiene products have been 25 cents as long as I can remember. Aren’t these tampon dealers loosing money? Or are they just pittying us becuase they know it must be a bad day if you have to buy a tampon out of a bathroom vending machine?

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Viral Vampires


After donating blood today at Fish Marketing, I stumbled upon this ad for the Fellowship of the Sun's protest against the Vampire Rights Amendment. Turns out the Fellowship of the Sun is a vampire hater coalition, complete with Bible thumpers and bad typography. I know I was light headed from blood loss, but I couldn’t believe that a silly cause like this could shell out the money for a full-page color ad.

A quick Google search lead me to the Fellowship of the Sun’s counter site, Blood Copy. Blood Copy supports the vampire equality act and claims that with the invention of “Tru Blood,” a synthetic blood substitute, vampires can be successfully integrated to the human population.

I scoured both sites, but nothing hinted that the Vampire Rights Amendment was a hoax. It took a deeper Google search to discover this is all part of a viral marketing campaign for a HBO show, “True Blood”.

Props to the people who created this campaign. Not only did they get me to spend 30 minutes watching their PSA's and reading about the fake vampire movement on the mulitple websites marketers created, but they know their audience. People who praise Buffy, Angel and The Lost Boys, are the same people who are always looking to expose an internet conspiracy.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Headphones: The Case Study


Through my COLABORATORY experience, I've noticed a few patterns that appear to span across the different agencies.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Favorite Sights from COLABORATORY

Warhol Post-it party mural at Pop Art

CMYK M&M's at Pop Art. Then I got hungry and they became just MYK M&M's.

Swedish flying fish window at CMD

Light-Bright textured Exit sign outside Fish Marketing

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Extreme Office Makeovers


If the United Kingdom can redesign its city streets to cater to drunks, Fish Marketing can redesign its new office to cater to creatives.

My suggestions:
1.Giant trees- not only do house plants calm women but they produce lots of oxygen, which can lead to a natural high
2.The teleportation chamber- saves time and cuts down on nasty travel pollution
3.Trap door for bad ideas
4.In house coffee drip lines fixed straight to your arm- gives you a caffeine boost and protects your teeth from coffee stains
5.Mexican jumping bean pit
6.Pitless cherries- because I look unprofessional spitting pits into my garbage can
7.Giant TV screen with live feeds to city hotspots- allows you to conduct market research/people watch from the comfort of your own desk
8.On staff unicorns
9.Giant gumball machines filled with donuts and ideas


(I like giant things)

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Color theory from the web gurus at Fish Marketing

Gray gives skin an ashy tone, making people look dead; and blue makes skin look lively and flesh-like.

That said, if you are designing a plastic surgery website, avoid using gray backgrounds in your before and after photos. This will deter from the corpse catalog feeling.

Boob Jobs !!!


In my first day at Fish I learned about the risks of breast implants while editing some web content.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

BIMBO: the bakery bear



I discovered this crossbred between the Pillsbury Dough Boy and Snuggle the bear yesterday when he pulled up next to my window. Apparently “Bimbo” doesn’t have a specific meaning in Spanish.

Archetypes


This week COLAB team Lattice talked about Archetypes, conversation sparked by an article found by Allison. I’m not sure what each Lattice member’s Archetype is, but we do have a family dynamic forming. The way I see things as of now in the Lattice family:

Heather: The loving mother who watches our backs, bakes us cookies and makes sure we have a ride to school in the morning and get to our cars safely at night
Allison: The responsible older sister who cares for the family with mom because dad left us for another woman, while juggling school, relationships and a social life
Whitney: The confident sister who lets you borrow her cool clothes and teaches you how to put on mascara
Melissa: The artsy aunt who lets you pierce your belly button when your mom says no
Me: The crazy Grandma that gives you ugly Christmas sweaters and carries pictures of her cats in her wallet

(please note: this is an over simplification of the Lattice family, dynamics are ever-changing and we all wear multiple hats)

FOUND:One Mattress pad, two good Samaritans


My Swiss Army Knife Story
While driving home on HWY-26 a futon mattress pad flew off the truck in front of me and tangled itself in my driver’s side tire. Once my tire/the cushion started smoking, I pulled over and tried to yank the cushion out of my wheel axel. As hard I pulled, it wouldn’t come out.

With my trusty hot-pink pocket knife in hand, I began to hack away at the cushion. Once the padding from the cushion started to fly, two concerned citizens pulled over to help. The first, a petite nursing student dressed in her turquoise scrubs, and the second, a spry sliver haired grandfather by the name of Tom Benet.

The nurse started to call her husband to bring us a larger knife, but Tom said that my trusty pink knife could do the trick. Sure enough, after 15 minutes of careful cutting and pulling, my wheel was free of the lost mattress pad.

Out of all the people who passed me on the side of the road, it wasn’t the macho men and the big knives that came to help; instead it was two unexpected heroes and a tiny pink pocket knife.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

60 Seconds to Sell

In my few days at CMD, I’ve hounded creative directors, writers, editors and designers for the secret to getting into the creative industry. The reoccurring answer I get, “know who you are/what makes you special and showcase it.” In other words, develop a brand for yourself.

I realized the validity of this advice last night at PDXmindshare. How do you make yourself stand out in a room full of bright minds? Between a handshake, business card and a 60-second conversation, how do you sell yourself?

It’s good to know my time at U of O is teaching me something. Meeting at greeting at PDXmindshare isn’t all that different that trying to hold your own at a frat party- just less grinding and drinking.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Lost Dog Rave

While on at lunch break at CMD I stumbled upon this lost dog poster.

I’m convinced it's a secret rave invite that needs to be decoded. Lost noon June 24? Who would include the exact time lost on a lost dog poster? Last seen heading East on Marshall? Did these people see their dog book it down the street at noon three weeks ago or something?

What it really means: Party, July 24th at midnight. Lots of hot German brunettes- don't be shy. Start driving East on Marshall, I bet you’ll find the place, or another lost dog poster with more specifics.

If this is a real attempt at a lost pet poster, I sincerely apologize. Please contact me and I will help you find your dog.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Get Lucky in the Ad World


Over coffee at Sydney’s, a nearby CMD hangout, CMD creative designer Leticia Kleinberg, shared her insight to the ad world with me.

Leticia says that being in the advertising industry is like dating. When you have a boyfriend someone always wants you and when you’re sitting at home in the sweat pants with the tube of cookie dough, the phone never rings.

So why is it that some are so seemingly lucky that they always have dates and job offers while others are left at home on prom night? According to a psychologist Richard Wiseman, it isn’t luck that finds us jobs and dates; it’s social connectivity. In a Forbes article, Wiseman explains that to become “lucky” you must put yourself in new situations instead of talking to the same people day after day. By limiting your social circle, you’re limiting opportunities for “luck.”

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Welcome to the 'Burro


A breif guide to Hillsboro and introduction to my summer as an COLAB intern living with my parents.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Google Me


Between the weekly video confessions, blog tracking by PDX blogger, Bram Pitoyo, and the competitive spirit between the two intern teams, COLAB has made me feel like a reality TV star. COLAB even boosted my blog from page 23 of a Google keysearch for “Megan Nuttall” to page 1.

Meet the other Megan Nuttall’s I’m competing with for clicks

1. Megan Nuttall Sayres- Author and tapestry weaver, Megan Nuttall Sayres writes children’s books about everything from Persian culture to protecting wetlands.
2. Megan Marie Nuttall- A writer,pianist and woman of the Lord.
3. Megan Nuttall the performer- A vocal coach at Hart House Theater, who once played Sandy in a production of Grease.

While I am not any of these women, I am a little bit like each one. I like to write, was liked by my 9th grade math teacher (although I doubt he’d create a website in my honor), and I like the movie Grease.

Friday, July 11, 2008

CMD Vocab

Wall babies- an affectionate term for the rats that live in your walls. Much like the womb, walls are a dark, warm breeding ground for future offspring.

Invaluable normalcy- the numerous gifts such as agreeing that come with being unexceptional, average and maybe even dull. Some of these talents may include agreeing with the status quo, the ability to blend in a crowd and having a forgettable face.

CRN- a relationship between the Crudeness Rudeness and Nudity found in a video. The more you have of each, the more hits on youtube you will receive.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Coffee Talk with CMD writers


Key insights from coffee with the CMD writers, an outing graciously organized by my CMD mentor Jeanne Ivy

1. The two best things about advertising = no math and no nylons

2.People hate ads, but love brands, even your hemp boasting friend has a favorite dreadlock cream

3.Burn one bridge in Portland and you’ve burned them all. The ad community is tight knit

4.Because everyone has Microsoft word and can technically read/write, writers have to work hard to justify and defend their words from uncalled for edits. Designers- you’re lucky few are Adobe literate

5.Often ideas are pitched over the phone, as a writer this means your words have to be even stronger to compensate for the late of physical presence

Day One: Meet my Stapler


Welcome to CMD where Swedish fish cling to office windows, the board rooms are named after board games and there’s an xbox in the break room. On my first day interning at CMD, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I not only have my own cubicle but I also have my own stapler. Milton would be green with envy.

In addition, the good folks at CMD have outfitted me with a Mac with an HP mouse. Finally- the simplicity of a Mac guided by the power of a right click. Why hasn’t anyone realized the effectiveness of such hybridization before?

My task while at CMD: to rewrite the CMD new hire handbook. My goal for the next six days is to capture the essence of CMD and find the answers to all new hires’ questions. So far I've just spilt coffee on myself.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

I am a COLABORATORY intern


Ten people, picked to intern at three different agencies each to find out what ad life is really like. No, this isn’t MTV’s Real World, it’s the Portland Ad Federation’s new internship program, Colaboratory.

As part of a long-term plan to make Portland a creative hub, ten agencies have come together to grow a creative culture by creating an innovative internship unlike any other. Not only is each intern paired with three different agencies for two weeks, but the ten of us have also been divided into two teams and given a client to develop a real marketing/pr plan for. Think of it as the Real World vs. Road Rules challenge, minus the sky-diving and cow tongue eating. In the end, only one marketing plan will be picked.

While Colaboratory may sound like a gimmick for the PAF to stand in the spotlight, we have to give the PAF some big kudos. What a proactive and clever brand building technique. Not only is PAF giving us interns a chance to rub elbows with the ad community, but through this internship program PAF is creating genuine stories that will show the world the spirit of the Portland advertising community.