Why? In short and simple terms: because no matter how great an idea is, it won’t come to fruition if the client doesn’t believe in it. And a client won’t believe in something unless it’s presented in terms they understand.

As creatives, we don’t think like others. We dance to the beat of our own ipod shuffle. And often times it’s hard to explain how we arrive at a concept. It’s funny how we can be master communicators when it comes to the benefits of someone else’s product or service, but when we try to communicate our own thought process, we might as well be speaking in tongues.

Enter the invaluable skill of presenting your work. Now, I am by no means a pro at this. Yet. But I have learned a few helpful tips since I’ve been here at EOS. Read on…

1. The creative brief is your Bible. This little guy will figuratively and literally get you and your client on the same page. When in doubt, refer to the brief when presenting. The strategy is all there in black and white.
2. Go through your thought process. Most of us in advertising and marketing know that good creative can only come from well-mined thought and research, but your client does not. So when you present, tell them what you learned about the history of their industry, what you liked and didn’t like about the competition’s website, anything that says you’ve put time and effort into learning about their brand.
3. Write out your reasoning before you present. Yes, I realize this is tedious and a little silly, but I promise, it helps. This is my form of practicing in front of an audience. Why did I choose a serif typeface instead of a sans-serif, how do certain design elements interact with others…WRITE IT ALL DOWN. No need to write it like you’re giving the State of the Union Address - just get it on paper.

So yes, “Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings.” And for creatives, our landing gear is found in the form of the presentation. Ease the client into the concept. Make sure they know you weighed all possible options. You didn’t leave a stone unturned. If you can master the art of the presentation, you will see your ideas take off.

As a follow-up to the case study launches, we led an initiative to host WebEx’s for each best practice to drive awareness and interest.  Not only did these events give the teams a chance to provide more information about their successful implementation, but more importantly, we engaged associates from around the world to ask questions pertaining to implementing these programs for execution in their local markets.

Not only did we directly interact with global associates across The Coca-Cola System, but we also saw an increase in visits to the video best practices before and after the WebEx events.  The moral of the story: expose your audience to messages multiple times for maximum impact and changing behavior.

This paid internship is a great way to gain real world experience and work with some of the best creative minds in the business. If you’re interested, please view the job description on the PRSA job board. Thanks and good luck!

The premise of the game is simple: hide a Smirnoff Ice malt beverage for a friend to stumble upon, once the unknowing friend finds this sugary surprise, he has to immediately take a knee and chug it all at once. Unless of course, he is carrying a bottle himself in which case the attacker must then drink both bottles (known as an “ice block”).

As a woman, I found icing marginally amusing the first few times I saw it. Now it bores me (note I’m not their target market). But as a marketer, I find icing absolutely brilliant.

Take a product that most men wouldn’t be caught dead drinking ­- and create a game where they can use said product to embarrass their friends. Add to that social media & electronics as advanced as they are today, and they can document their stunt and share it with the world in a matter of seconds.

Smirnoff says they have had no involvement with this viral phenomenon, but as someone who spends every day of their life in the marketing business, I beg to differ.

From blogs to websites to YouTube to Facebook to Twitter to who knows what, photos and videos of people getting iced are everywhere. That is the beauty of viral marketing in social media. It’s free and anyone with internet access can do it. So we don’t necessarily know where the buzz is coming from- whether it be the local college student who’s bored in class or the Chief Marketing Officer of a famous alcoholic beverage conglomerate.

I’m not going to come out and say Smirnoff Ice started this, but if they did, huge kudos to them. They are certainly reaping the benefits now. Stores are actually reporting running out of Smirnoff Ice- the first time this has ever happened. And celebrities have started to get in on the fun. Ashton Kutcher even has started his own site IceAshton.com where the first person to ice him and take photos will win a prize.

So what can we, as marketers, get out of a game where grown men take a knee and chug a malt beverage? Social media is a very powerful marketing tool. And it’s going to continue to influence consumers in the future. If you ask me, this is just the beginning in viral marketing.

 For more information on icing, getting iced or if you’re just bored, their official website is: www.Brosicingbros.com. Or you could just google it. I’m telling you, it’s everywhere right now.

The Adweek article discusses how social media coupled with increased competition to be noticed on the Web has led digital firms to create internal PR teams to develop creative ways to drive traffic to clients’ projects. These types of articles add fuel to the fire of an argument that is as old as the marketing profession itself - whose job is it anyway? Does PR get to call dibs on social media? Can the digital realm get in on the advertising action? Can brand managers master PR principles?

As these thoughts swarmed around in my mind, I had an epiphany…”Isn’t all of this stuff just a part of marketing? And doesn’t the client need all of it in order to sustain the longevity of a brand?”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for specialization - which is why I identify myself as a PR professional. But look at the evolution of agencies. Nowadays you’d be hard pressed to find a public relations agency that doesn’t have a digital or brand expert on staff or vice-versa. I think that’s what makes EOS a unique agency; our agency has a media neutral approach. We focus on the idea, and once it is established, we devise the best way to use our agency’s capabilities to convey that idea to its intended audiences. EOS has a range of expertise from branding and advertising to interactive marketing to graphic design to PR and more. This means that we’re a one-stop shop that produces integrated, long-term marketing solutions, which is what clients are looking for.

So what are your thoughts on this new integrated agency trend? Is it  the new normal in the marketing world?

Barry’s quick thinking, smart concepts and refined design skills gave him the edge needed to beat out the competition. He’ll be working with the EOS team and learning various aspects of what it takes to be an art director, web director, photographer and designer.

Being the only guy takes a special kind of person. So, who is Barry exactly? Well, no one can tell you better than the man himself.

The World According to Barry

1. I’m a visual person and have been credited with the ability of capturing the essence of a person with my camera within the first 10 minutes of meeting them. I also get praise for my use of light… it’s all about the lighting.

2. I switched careers from photography to art direction because I wanted more of a challenge, a new avenue. I love thinking of ad concepts and new big ideas.

3. I entered a design contest for the cover of Media Magazine and Alex Bogusky tweeted about my design. I was also featured in the same issue.

4. The things I love most in life: my wife, Liz, cheeseburgers and of course my friend Baxter (my dog).

So there you have it. We’ve added a guy to the EOS team and we’re ready for you to send the next big creative challenge our way.

The results of the campaign were amazing. The community’s web traffic grew by 30% and their social media following grew but, more importantly, traffic to the sales center increased and Heron Bay sold 19 homes in 6 weeks! We are looking forward to developing more targeted campaigns for Heron Bay in the future.

We’ve seen a lot of interest and activity among our other real estate clients and some new business opportunities as well.  We’re looking forward to getting busy again in this category we know and love!

Preparing the community garden at Riverside Park was truly an enriching experience. It’s was a great feeling knowing that we were taking part in an activity that will have a positive impact on an entire neighborhood. Our team is excited about seeing the “fruits” of their labor once the garden is complete. I’m looking forward to inspiring more change at Earthshare’s next Green Day Corporate Challenge.