Discouragement

I have something kind of important to say.
First off, this post goes out to anyone in the Texas Creative sequence, anyone who wants to be, and anyone involved in advertising. Mind you, I just got home from celebrating the graduation of a few close friends (not including myself- yay five year plans and victory laps!) but just being in that environment, surrounded by my peers who are about to be forced into the real world, I felt inspired to blog. Even if it's 2 a.m., what I have to say is really important, so listen the hell up because the next sentence I type is the most crucial part of this post.
Things are going to suck sometimes. That's just how it works. You're gonna work your ass off making something you're proud of, and then you're gonna be lectured on everything that's wrong with it. Whether its final critique in the creative sequence or it's an interview for an advertising internship, it's impossible to please everyone. I'm living proof of this. I worked like crazy on my four campaigns for P2, and all I have to show for it is a score of 6/10 at final critique. Yes, it's a little discouraging, but I'm finally starting to learn that it's okay.
I lied when I said earlier that this goes out to anyone in creative or in advertising. I'm really just trying to reach out to anyone who's ever felt like they aren't good enough, or anyone who has ever felt discouraged in their major, no matter what it is. The last thing I want to do is get all Disney-channel on you, but I have to for a second- DON'T GIVE UP. Just don't. You have so much time ahead of you to fix your mistakes and make things right. Hell, I've got only one more year to prove I'm good enough before I'm unwillingly whisked into the world of stress and unemployment, but you can bet your ass I'm gonna work like crazy to make it in advertising. I'm not gonna lie, the road to determination was not easy to find. I even convinced myself that I was in the wrong major at one point, but I'm starting to realize I was just making excuses. My score at critique may have been a low blow to my confidence, but the e-mail confirming I moved on from P2 to P3 in the Texas Creative Sequence reminded me of everything I've worked so hard for. There's still time to make new campaigns and improve the old ones, it's not even close to over. Things are about to change, and I'm gonna make sure of it.

Agency Spotlight: BBDO

BBDO is one of the largest advertising agencies out there. It is based in New York, but there are almost 300 different offices all over the world. Their mission is to deliver compelling commercials, and they achieve it well with "the work, the work, the work", a phrase that can be seen throughout their website. Speaking of the work, the work, the work, they do A LOT OF IT. Their clients include some of the world's leading brands, including Campbell's, at&t, FedEx, Johnson & Johnson, General Electric, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Starbucks, Visa, Pepsico, Wrigley and many more.
BBDO's website is as impressive as their client list. It is clean, professional, and easy to navigate. Their work tab showcases a spot they did for Carlton Drought, which was called the best beer ad of 2012 by the Huffington Post. It's definitely worth watching, and after seeing this along with some of their other work, I am convinced this agency is as impressive and professional as it is made out to be.

TracyLocke Agency Spotlight

I heard about TracyLocke a few years ago at one of the campus career fairs. This was before I had been accepted to the Texas Creative Sequence, so I was totally fan-girling over them when I heard that this was one of the few agencies at the career fair looking for creative summer interns. I've come a long way since then, and now that I have a portfolio I decided this agency would be my next target in my research.
TracyLocke is based in Dallas but, they have several locations in other areas as well, such as San Fransisco, Wilton, and Soho. Their mission is to find new and groundbreaking ways to re-imagine retail in a creative way. Their website is incredibly easy to navigate and I really love the general look of it and its clean, modern feel.  The homepage shows samples of their work, including a Diet Pepsi campaign with Sofia Vergara. This campaign, called 'Love Every Sip', includes everything from radio commercials to in-store activation. For Valentines Day, they launched limited edition heart cans, in which the traditional logo is shaped like a heart rather than a circle. The campaign has been successful nationwide, as have many other campaigns TracyLocke has been involved in. My background research on this agency has led me to believe this agency would be a great fit.

Tocquigny Agency Spotlight

I need to start off by saying how much I love Tocquigny's website. The layout is interesting, the design has a modern feel to it, I'm loving the color scheme, and as a whole it is a hell of a lot easier to navigate than their name is to pronounce. Tocquigny is based in right here in Austin, TX. So far, other than the fact that I'd more than likely embarrass myself in an interview while trying to say "Tocquigny," this advertising agency definitely had caught my interest.
Tocquigny has worked with a handful of impressive clients, including Caterpillar, Dell Corp, IDG, Jeep, Seagate, Washington Times, and many more. While scrolling through the work they've done for their clients, one thing that stood out to me was the app they came up with for Jeep. The design for it is what caught my eye, but when I looked into it more I was intrigued by their creative way of allowing Jeep users to enhance their brand experience with the app to track their travels and share with friends. Tocquigny's creative strategies and conceptual thinking come through in all their work, and I could definitely learn a lot from them.

The RIchards Group Agency Spotlight

The Richards Group was my next target for my agency research. I have seen some great work come from this agency, so my interest was already piqued. The Richards Group is based in Dallas, TX. I've been to Dallas several times and loved it, so there was already potential before my research even began. I started by exploring their website. If you haven't seen it yet, you can do so now by clicking here. Though it didn't stand out to me in terms of design, it is much easier to navigate than other agency websites I have visited in the past. I tend to think very complex in anything I design, but in this case the simplicity works.

Though The Richards Group's clients were impressive, including Bridgestone, GameStop, H-E-B, Pier 1 Imports, T.G.I. Fridays, Chick-fil-A, ULTA Beauty, PODS,  Central Market, and many more, that wasn't what stoof out to me the most about this agency. Upon reading their 'About' section of the website, something really resonated with me. The Richards Group prides itself on being completely honest with their work. They firmly believe that to build relationships, you have to tell the truth. In an industry that has the tendency to be associated with trickery and deception, this is a refreshing thing to hear from an agency. I have a lot of respect for The Richards Group and could easily see myself working in this kind of advertising agency.

GSD&M Agency Spotlight

I can't go on an agency research binge and not talk about GSD&M. I pass the gorgeous building on all my frequent Whole Foods ventures, so the fact that working here means I get to live in Austin intrigued me enough to look into the agency more. I'd already done quite a bit of research when applying here for a summer internship (fingers crossed!) and was certain I could fit in here. Their clients include Southwest Airlines, Walgreens, Austin City Limits, and many more. Their work and the conceptual thinking behind it for these clients showed a great deal of creativity and initiative, two very important skills if you want to make it in this industry.

Their Jarritos campaign caught my eye while browsing through the website because its all about introducing the brand and raising awareness, which is something I am currently working on in one of my campaigns for P2. It was really helpful to see a good example of how this can be done in a creative and effective way. I really admire GSD&M for their strategic and creative work, and believe this agency would be a great place for me to thrive and learn more about making incredible ads.

Droga5 Agency Spotlight

This weekend, I was hanging out with a friend who asked me where I wanted to end up after I graduate. He was shocked when I told him I hadn't really thought about it. It kind of scares me to think about the fact that I only have about a year left before I graduate and set off into the real world, but I know it's about time I start looking into ad agencies that I could see myself working at. And so the research begins...
I have heard a lot of great things about droga5, so I made that my starting point. It's safe to say that with the exception of the first time I heard Adam Levine sing 'Sunday Morning", this is about as close to 'love at first sight' as it gets. Droga5's campaigns are all so out of the box and entertaining that you almost forget they're ads. My favorite piece from them is their Puma Lift Spot, which I can shamelessly admit to watching repeatedly for about seven minutes last night. As if that spot wasn't enough to sell me, I also learned one of their clients is Newcastle Brown Ale, which happens to be my favorite beer. Overall, droga5 creates some really brilliant and visually stunning work, and I could definitely see myself at this kind of agency after I graduate.