Steve Sandstrom Explains .. What IS the difference between advertising & design?

Steve Sandstrom is not one to miss tonight.

I've been in the advertising field for seven years and I thought I knew what the difference was behind design and advertising. The lecture peaked my curiosity since I had just seen his exhibit at the Eisner Museum. Having prior plans for this evening (but you will catch Kevin there), I headed out to Madison to see his pre-lecture at the Advertising Federation.

I was wowed. I feel like it's all clear now. And it was so simple.

Here I thought media was the difference. Most "full" service ad agencies have media buying elements whereas the majority of design agencies I've worked with have not. While an element in the difference, it's not the defining characteristic.

I don't want to spoil anything for those of you attending, so check back here for a debate!

Advertising or Design?

Last night was the opening of the Eisner Museum's new Art or Design exhibit - I went there thinking that my questions regarding "Is it Advertising?" or "Is it Design?" would be 100% fully answered. But not so much. As Cori Coffman, the Museum's Director explained, the big difference between advertising & design is media - so is the design the ad and the advertising portion the media buy? Something to ponder.

There is definitely a difference when you're looking at an advertising agency versus a design agency. Taking a look at Planet Propaganda's ads versus some of the traditional agencies, it appeared to me (please note that my opinions are not necessarily shared or reflected by C2 Graphics Productivity Solutions - per the infomercial calls on TV) that their use of space and color was quite different than an ad agency. Also, I noticed ad agencies were a little more heavy on copy than the design agencies.

I guess I'll have to wait to see what Steve Sandstrom says at the Mad Ad Fed event on Monday, January 28th at the Sheraton. By the way, he's also speaking at the Eisner Museum on January 29 at 6:00pm.

Either way, don't forget to stop by the exhibit soon and see all the great pieces!

Hiring in 2008

According to the Business Journal in a poll by Harris Interactive and Careerbuilder.com, hiring will be steady in 2008, with only 8% of businesses planning on decreasing staff.

With a positive job forecast in light, how will you go about hiring or looking for a new position?

Taking it too far?

From my experience at the ad agency I worked at, I know that Pro-Bono ads can be quite a line to cross. On the one hand, you have an extreme amount of freedom in creativity, and here in Milwaukee that often leads to award-winning work - but on the other, you're dealing with delicate subject matter and a line that can be easily crossed.

Recently BBDO created a Pro-Bono campaign highlighting childhood mental illness (check out the ads here: http://osocio.org/message/provocative_ransom_notes_on_childhood_mental_illness/) and after running just a short time, they've been pulled due to content. Critics declared that it highlighted the negative areas of childhood illness, especially with autism.

Does it drive home a negative message? Or do we need to be extreme to get our point across?

How Creative is your Holiday?

Coming up with your holiday "schtickt" was always one of my favorite parts when I worked at the ad agency. Now that I'm sitting pretty on the vendor side, it's great to see the whole hoopla that all the ad agencies in town do to get the attention of their clients and partners.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel highlighted some of the local ad agencies in this article. It made me smile to see the continued efforts of thought and care put into each package. Our peeps over at Freight Train sent out coal. Below you can see Dan, Eddie & Mickey sorting out the coal chunks for clients.



Lauglin/Constable sent out an electronic version of the Magic 8 Ball (take your flash classes next month with us and you can be equally as cool :) ) and other places like Hanson Dodge made donations to different charities on behalf of their clients.

I must admit, my favorite gift thus far has been from our buds at Metagraphix - they bought a tree and sent organic cilantro.

What are your favorite holiday "schtickts?"