Notes From The Napkin

Daily Inspiration Through Art May 31 Gallery If you don’t...

Thu, 31 May 2012 09:32:00 -0500

Daily Inspiration Through Art

May 31 Gallery

If you don’t know by now I freaking love art and all the craziness that it is! If you get a chance check out the art blog by alecshao, all the images found here are from the blog and are pretty interesting. Enjoy!

-Colt

So Far, So Good

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:45:37 -0500

Today marks the first day of my summer internship here at Schaefer. I’m not going to lie, I was nervous when I woke up this morning. So many “what if” scenarios popped around in my head, like “What if it’s not what I was expecting at all?” and “What if I don’t enjoy it?” and every intern’s nightmare “What if I’m making coffees and copies all day?”

However, from the second I walked in the door at 9 this morning, I have been pleasantly surprised. The “team” have all welcomed me warmly and I have actually had one-on-one meetings with a few of them and they couldn’t be nicer or more eager to teach me and answer my questions.

Erin met with me to discuss the clients she works with (an impressive list, might I add) and said I would be in on meetings, phone calls, and even will contribute to brainstorming ideas for clients. Hearing this made me look like I slept with a hanger in my mouth. Not only did everyone make me feel right at home, but they made sure I knew I was a part of the “team” and my ideas were just as valid as theirs. I love that.

After a delicious lunch at Lili’s Bistro to celebrate my first day on the job (thanks again guys!) I have been busy at work learning the ins and outs of account service, PR, you name it. Oh yes, and of course, blogging.

If today is any indicator of how this internship will pan out, I can safely say this is going to be a great summer.

-Preston Chilton

Southside by Southside

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:12:12 -0500

Saturday our team was posted out on Magnolia to host our first community art project, Southside by Southside at ArtsGoggle.

From 4:00 - 7:00 we had painters of all ages painting squares that contributed to our oversized puzzle. See for yourself:

Each and every one of these letters is from a logo of a local business or building on Magnolia. We decided to make a little competition of it and give $100 to a lucky winner that found one of the letters on Magnolia and posted it to our Facebook page.

Schaeffer Gayle - congratulations! You’re our winner - there’s a $100 with your name on it.

There’s a lot of brainpower, teamwork and coordination that made this day a fun-filled success. Stay tuned for behind the scenes info coming soon!

The Art of Suspense There’s a little art in all of you -...

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:59:05 -0500

The Art of Suspense

There’s a little art in all of you - and we need a piece of it.

The first annual Schaefer Southside by Southside public art project will take place at our building, corner of Magnolia and South Adams. This is your opportunity to be a part of something big, and win big.

What is it you ask? Well you have to come on over to find out. See you this Saturday at ArtsGoggle 4 - 10 pm.

Drum roll please!! See the finished :30 TV spot for the...

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:49:49 -0500

Drum roll please!! See the finished :30 TV spot for the Fort Worth Zoo promoting their stage show at the new Outdoor Learning Theater. It’s free with your Zoo admission, and you will definitely want to check it out! What a fun project to get to be a part of.

-Erin Naterman

Thankful. So very thankful.

Wed, 09 May 2012 22:48:10 -0500

This post will contain little wit, at least any that is intentional. What it will contain is a blog full of thankfulness. Thankful, for people that stick by you for a life time, or at least a life time in the agency world…11 years.

I recognize that people will come and people will in go. But times like this remind me that this business is not about the accolade or the revenue, rather it’s all about the people. The relationships you make…with your team, with your clients, with your peers. Spending the better part of the afternoon sending off one of your veterans to a new opportunity is humbling, tearful and joyful. Spending the better part of the evening with your next-gen team is equally humbling and joy filled. I am blessed to get to do what I do with the people that i get to work with. They challenge me and hopefully make me better.

Thanks to each of you.

Who's Guilty?

Mon, 07 May 2012 17:43:14 -0500

During my afternoon scroll through of PR Daily headlines, I came across this little gem: 25 annoying communication habits - of other people.

Communication is a hot button around here, we’re always working to become better, more effective and efficient communicators - it’s the business.

The principle of this article is asking people to finish the sentence, “I get annoyed with other people and their communication habits when they…”

Here are the top 25 answers:

Interrupt me.
Finish my sentences.
Fail to look at me.
Chew gum loudly.
Type on the computer while we’re on the phone.
Mumble on a voicemail message.
Lack clarity in project directions.
Write their “out of office” message with spelling errors.
Complain, criticize, complain, criticize…
Say their phone number so fast on a voice mail that I can’t get it after replaying it seven times.
Ask me how I am and their facial expression clearly reveals they aren’t listening and don’t truly care.
Keep repeating information and making conversations and correspondence painfully long.
Inject nervous giggles or laughter into conversations that simply aren’t funny.
Forget to say their name in a voice mail message.
Try to impress me by “topping” whatever I say.
Get distracted with their gadgets and technology in meetings, conversations, and networking events.
Talk too fast or too slow.
Give wimpy handshakes.
Send a three-page email when one paragraph would suffice.
Plan lengthy meetings with no agenda, and then order food.
Speak louder to people with accents.
Deliver presentations in a monotone voice.
Eat while on the phone.
Call people out (in social media) in public instead of sending a private message.
Forget to update their voice mail to let people know they are on vacation for two weeks.

Alright - who’s guilty? And, is there one you think should’ve made the list that didn’t?

~Kristin

Is this? A. Ken’s only hole in one for the season? B. An...

Thu, 03 May 2012 11:30:54 -0500

Is this?

A. Ken’s only hole in one for the season?

B. An early game of beer pong with golf balls?

C. Our new campaign concept for Titleist?

-Sara

We’re looking to add a couple of key members to our agency...

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:53:00 -0500

We’re looking to add a couple of key members to our agency team.

Not just anyone is right for Schaefer, and we’re big enough boys and girls to realize that we aren’t right for everyone either. In the end, the right fit is everything.

To love it at Schaefer – you need to be passionate about adding to the culture of our team. We avoid drama like the plague. Wallflowers and people with thin skin need not apply. You better be funny – you’ll be tested on this. If you don’t think we’re funny, chances are we won’t think you are either.

We’re a group of life-long learners, so if you think you know everything you won’t make it here. Be an active learner and an active teacher of others. We absolutely love what we do, but there is a world outside of our walls. We’re looking for people that are highly engaged and realize the importance of being a part of something bigger.

PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE. READ THE JOB REQUIREMENTS BELOW – if you don’t meet them, don’t like them or can’t do them, then save us all the heartache. We’re sure you’re nice and willing to learn, but we know what we’re looking for. (Yeah, we ended a sentence with a preposition, we live on the edge.)

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

What we’re looking for:

4-5 years AGENCY experience
A type A personality or pretty darn close to it
Much of your time will be spent working on B to B clients, so you better like B to B, in fact, you should love it
Primary client is a Berkshire Hathaway company, so this is big stuff
Demonstrated success at measuring results of marketing initiatives
The ability and desire to communicate well-thought out opinions and be ridiculously articulate when you present them
Likes to lead, but knows when to follow
A great team attitude
The ability to juggle multiple projects

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

What we’re looking for:

Someone that understands PR has changed dramatically. Classical “textbook” PR is not a viable model. You’ll need to be well versed in your philosophy of PR and demonstrate how your view translates into leading our clients and growing our business.
At least 7 years experience. Agency side mandatory, client side a huge plus
Comfortable working in B to B and B to C
A heart. You can’t be a soulless leader at Schaefer. Your ability to connect with people and make a positive contribution to our culture and our client relationships is one of the most important attributes to have.
Takes full responsibility for managing the PR business unit
The desire and the personality to independently grow the PR account base
Develop well-thought out strategic plans for PR clients. Strategy is not something we take lightly; our thinking is what differentiates us and keeps our clients happy. You’ll work closely with the advertising Account Service to ensure our plans are well integrated. You’ll have to demonstrate that you are not only smart, but can articulate that thinking in a clear and persuasive manner.
A bigger retainer isn’t the only answer, but better thinking always is.
Get the concept of Team. It’s important to us, in fact it’s vital to who we are as an agency.

Get our attention at jobs@schaeferadvertising.com

Daily Inspiration Through Art Star Wars Identities Check out...

Tue, 01 May 2012 09:48:01 -0500

Daily Inspiration Through Art

Star Wars Identities

Check out these awesome Star Wars Identities, if you look close enough you will see that each of the images is composed of a number of objects from the movies.

-Colt

It's a Zoo Out There!

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:02:00 -0500

Today was day two of a two-day video shoot at the Fort Worth Zoo. I spent my day with a bunch of animals…literally! The Fort Worth Zoo has a new outdoor learning theater that is pretty spectacular. Starting on May 5, visitors will be able to take a load off and be entertained as a host of animals and keepers put a scripted show called The Lone Star Mystery. In preparation for the new show, we are shooting video for a television spot to promote the new show. What a fun 2 days! Stay tuned for the full spot.

-Erin Naterman

Office Trash Talk

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:28:45 -0500

It was internally announced that Schaefer Advertising scored a new client account and naturally the team was excited and eager to share thoughts on the subject. Check out the email chain below and see if you can guess what the trash talk is all about!

Erin: Congratulations to all who had a hand in this. Great news! It’s so good to know all of that hard work, time and dedication was not a WASTED effort!

Kristin: That’s LITTER-ally the best news! Go team!

Ken: How could they refuse us??

Monica: I don’t care what anybody says, we are not full of rubbish! Tremendous work, congrats everyone!!

Todd: I’ll recycle the sentiment – Great job everyone!

Nick:Yeah that really stinks, we only had 5 or 6 good puns. I don’t mean to dump in at the last moment, but I’m so glad we won the account and can’t wait to get those TV spots in the can!

We are very excited to welcome The Tarrant Regional Water District to the Schaefer family!!! We’ll be working with TRWD to clean up North Texas with a multifaceted anti-litter campaign.

And no need to worry, none of the junk (last pun) above will be used as campaign copy.

-Erin Naterman

P.S. Who is your winner for the cheesy litter/trash puns?

Agency Surprised by Flash Mob As a precursor to an internal...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:19:44 -0500

Agency Surprised by Flash Mob

As a precursor to an internal agency presentation, we were surprised with a flash mob performance put on by our neighbors, The Young Women’s Leadership Academy. The stunt took place in our own side yard (literally). Thanks to the students, faculty and staff for showing us how to wobble!

This stunt was meant to drive home the point of the presentation, of which we will be posting in the near future. Can anyone guess the topic?

-Erin Naterman

A Farewell to Schaefer

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:17:58 -0500

For the past three months, I have been an account service intern here at Schaefer Advertising. While waking up a 7:30 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday took some adjusting for my senior college body, I adjusted and within a matter of days I no longer dreaded hearing the sound of my alarm alerting me to get ready for work.

To put it simply, interning at Schaefer this past semester has been an exceptional experience. Aside from the trendy office, unlimited coffee, and weekly sweet treats, the people are what made this experience great. It is rare that people are willing to fully trust an intern with important work. However, here at Schaefer, everybody always assured me I was capable of any project they assigned me. The people here spent time working with me and never became frustrated when I asked 100 questions.

Aside from the relationships I built at Schaefer, I feel the most valuable part of my internship were the skills I learned both professionally and personally. I learned to create Facebook advertisements, write press releases, publish press releases, create metric reports, write creative briefs, research media opportunities using Cision, create blog posts, improve PowerPoint presentations, improve my knowledge of excel spreadsheets, gained knowledge on QR codes, and so on and so forth. Personally, I think I learned how important communication with others is. Whether I was communicating problems, questions, or project progress, I learned the value of constant feedback and open communication.

Ken and Erin- a special thanks to both of you for putting your faith in my abilities and trusting me with this position. I will miss the Monday morning meetings at 9 a.m. when everyone tells stories about their weekends and cracks jokes (MOST of which are funny). Just because my internship is over don’t think you can get rid of me that easily. I will still be popping by to bring baked goods and give agency tours to my friends…

To the future intern- get ready for a great experience. If there is any advice I can give you it is to take initiative and go above and beyond the formal requirements asked of you. As Erin says, “think outside of the box” and push yourself to always go one step further.

- Hannah Mering

On April 1, our client, JPS Health Network, launched a new...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:14:37 -0500

Before

After

On April 1, our client, JPS Health Network, launched a new intranet which will serve as the primary internal communications vehicle for its 4,700 employees. The before and after pictures shown above illustrate the vast improvement in their intranet.

The intranet now features an easy to navigate, clean and organized design that allows employees to effortlessly access important information or documents.

Our team at Schaefer designed the site and oversaw its development, which was done by the JPS Health Technology Solutions department. The key to completing this undertaking was management of the project on-site at JPS and using a very hands-on approach with the all the departments involved. With this transformation, JPS will be better able to communicate and serve its employees.

-Kim

QR Code Download

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:22:00 -0500

What YOU Need to know about the growing and lasting trend.

The research proves it, Quick Response Codes – common name QR codes – are not going away and you can expect to see more of them.

Here at our agency, we FAIL (Foster the Agency’s Intellectual Learning) a lot. We are constantly soaking up industry hot-topics, and information we can apply to our clients.

Knowledge is power, and we want to share it. We’ve done our research and implemented a code or two, here’s a recap of our QR code download.

A Whole New Code

In 1994, Denso Wave created QR codes to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. Designed to be two dimensional, QR codes store information horizontally and vertically, scan in 360 degrees, and most importantly, hold up to 7,089 digits.

QR codes can:

Open a URL in a web browser
Connect to social media sites
Download apps
Send text messages
Make phone calls
Link to videos
Offer promotions and coupons
Gather consumer data

How are Professionals using QR codes?

Question: “Are QR codes dead?” Answer: No, but here’s an example of how to use QR Codes in your afterlife. (image on gravestone)

According to Nellymoser, Inc., usage grew by 439% from Q1 to Q4 in 2011 and in December, one out of every 12 magazine ad pages contained a QR code.

In that there is a clear trend moving away from embellished and customized codes, and more than 90% are placed at the bottom half of the page.

Where are the QR codes taking consumers?

How can you have a successful QR Code campaign?

Before implementing a QR code it’s important to think about why you are generating a QR code.

You must define your objectives and purpose, create a compelling call to action, know where you consumers are and how they will view. When creating a unique QR campaign:

DO:

Have a mobile optimized site – tracking is easier if the code links to a page other than the home page.
Think about the user experience. Does the video load quickly? Do you provide the viewer an opportunity to forward this info to friends via social media?
Utilize a special offer or exclusive promotion or content – the payoff for the consumer has to be worth their time/effort.
Test, test and then test again on every phone and app possible to make sure consumers can get to your content.

DON’T:

Make the QR Code so small or big that it’s not easy to scan.
Have too much copy – people are primarily viewing on their smart phones.
Put QR Codes where there is no signal or it doesn’t make sense. This includes outdoor boards on the highway, airline magazines or subways.

To view our research in full and learn how to create a QR code, check out our link on slide share.

Winning Tickets is Fun!

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:57:05 -0500

Sometimes it is important to take a step back from the commotion of our daily schedules and refocus on what is truly important in life.

This is a great story of how one guy went out of his way to make a nine year-old boy’s cardboard arcade come to life. You have to love it when people use the power of social media for good, not evil.

This is an inspiring video to pay it forward and sure to put a smile on your face.

Enjoy,

-Nick

Be One-of-a-kind: Draw your own lines

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:34:29 -0500

In today’s design world it’s too easy (and expected) to go to one of the many stock illustration sites to provide illustrated content for clients. While you can find any illustration style and subject matter online, you risk your competition choosing that same piece of “clip art” for their advertising.

So in this day of homogenized illustration, grabbing a pencil and paper to create a completely original illustration gives your client one-of-a-kind creative advertising no one can duplicate.

So that’s just what we did for Zoo Run 2012. Here’s the front and back logo from the t-shirt design:

And here’s the steps to make that magic happen:

Hand drew the illustration with black ink on paper, no color – outline only
Scanned/digitized the illustration
Bring digitized black outline into Illustrator and color/fill each element using determined color palette for print/posters/shirts etc.

To register for zoo run visit, FortWorthZoo.org.

-Todd

Daily Inspiration Through Art Disgruntled Pilgrims These...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:24:42 -0500

Daily Inspiration Through Art

Disgruntled Pilgrims

These gosh-darn pilgrims are upset that people are eating Stove Top stuffing on days other than thanksgiving, what is this world coming to! A quick spot to add some humor to your day. Enjoy.

-Colt

Daily Inspiration Through Art Google’s April Fools...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:46:55 -0500

Daily Inspiration Through Art

Google’s April Fools Day

Google Maps in 8 bit for NES was launched April 1st with a hit with nearly 4 million Youtube views in a matter of days!

Check it out and enjoy!

-Colt