David W. De Smith

DAVID WILLIAM DESMITH Biography I grew up in New York and Connecticut before heading off to college at Johns Hopkins University and graduate school at the University of Colorado. Since that time, I’ve worked in advertising and also as a writer, editor and publisher. My career in advertising has taken me to some of the most energetic ad communities in the country — including Richmond, Minneapolis and New York City. As a creative director, I’ve had the pleasure of working for some of America’s best-known companies — and with some of its most talented advertising people. Along the way, I learned how to interpret left-brain marketing plans and translate them into right-brain creative that engages and sells. In 1992, I left Young and Rubicam in New York to join with four other ad guys in the creation of a new agency. We went from being five guys with one phone to an agency of over 100 people in just three months. The thirty-plus writers, art directors and designers who worked for me in the creative department were among the most talented I’ve ever known. We worked hard, but had a lot of fun. That agency was born on the back of a dromedary — Joe Camel, the notorious spokes-camel for R.J. Reynolds’ Camel cigarette brand. A lot of my time at was spent serving as one of the engineers of this campaign, which was recognized as one of America’s most effective (and controversial). If the goal of a marketing effort is to get noticed, we certainly did that. In a highly restrictive category and battling against an adversary with nearly unlimited resources, Camel’s resurrection from a tired, old moribund brand to one of the nation’s most hip and relevant brand names made marketing history. Joe Camel became that most desirable of advertising inventions — the pop icon. And along the way, he made a great deal of money for R.J. Reynolds. In 1995, my wife gave birth to our first son, Red, and nine months later my wife and I decided that New York wasn’t the best place to raise a kid. So we packed up and moved to Cousins Island, Maine, where our second son, Marcel, was born in 1997. In Maine, I’ve been doing advertising consulting work for both local and national clients, with brief time-outs to write two books on advertising and marketing. I also got into the publishing business here in 2000 when I began publishing a magazine that focused on one of my favorite hobbies — golf. I later sold that publication to News World Inc., at which point they changed its name from New England Journal of Golf to GolfStyles New England and hired me to help them with the transition. In 2006, I joined The VIA Group in Portland as creative director — a post that I held through the end of 2008. Today, my sons are well on their way to manhood. My other baby, the golf magazine, has grown to the point where it can run without me. And I’m enjoying being back full-time in the advertising world that I never really left. My range of experiences as a writer, creative director and publisher have given me a strong background in the creation of commercial communications messages in many forms, and I’m eager to put that experience to work in new ways.

DAVID WILLIAM DESMITH Resume Professional 2009 – Present Advertising and marketing consultant 2006 – 2008 Creative Director, The VIA Group, Portland, Maine Accounts: DuPont, Unum, Colonial Life, ADI, Arrow 2005 – Present Associate Publisher and Editor, GolfStyles New England Magazine 2000 – 2004 Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, New England Journal of Golf 1996 – Present President, DWD Creative Services, advertising and marketing consulting firm Accounts: Gyro, Doe Anderson, Mullen LHC, MMB 1990 – 1995 Founding Partner, V.P., Creative Director, Mezzina/Brown Partners, NYC Accounts: RJR Camel, Walt Disney, Chemical Bank 1987 – 1990 Creative Director, Young & Rubicam, Advertising, NYC Accounts: RJR Camel, KFC 1986 – 1987 Creative Director, McDonald/O’Meara, Portland, ME Accounts: Blue Cross, LePage Bakeries 1985 – 1987 Associate Creative Director, LSM, Portland, ME Accounts: Maine Tourism, Blue Cross, LePage Bakeries 1983 – 1985 Associate Creative Director, Campbell-Mithun, Minneapolis., MN Accounts: General Mills, Betty Crocker, Northwest Banks, Interstate Bakeries 1982 – 1983 Senior Copywriter, Ford & Westbrook, Richmond, VA Accounts: General Electric, Stihl, Eskimo Pie, H&K, Shady Brook Farms Educ ation 1981 – 1982 Postgraduate work in English, The University of Colorado 1980 B.A., cum laude, Creative Writing, The Johns Hopkins University 1976 Diploma, Westminster School, Simsbury, CT Public ations 2001 – Present New England Journal of Golf – Various golf articles 2000 – 2001 Golf of Maine Magazine – Various golf articles 1999 “The Colombian Coffee Story: How Juan Valdez Became a Household Name,” Fort Rowley Press 1997 “A Camel Named Joe: The Illustrated Story of an American Pop Icon,” Element Books 1994 – Present Numerous golf-related articles in newspapers and magazines, including Golfing, Met Golfer, Golf of Maine, New England Journal of Golf, The Portland Press Herald 1984 – Present Shortstories and poetry published in small magazines, including Hardball, Richmond Arts Magazine, First Blood, Continental Drift, and others Cont ac t Inf o 141 Wharf Rd., Yarmouth, ME 04096 H: 207-846-1336 • C: 207-838-4361 • E: DWD612@AOL.COM

DAVID WILLIAM DESMITH Client s American Movie Classics cable network LePage Bakeries – Country Kitchen and Barowsky’s brands Analog Devices Minneapolis Public Libraries Arrow International (Medical Devices) Newsweek – Interactive Division Betty Crocker New York City Board of Elections Boston Brewing Company – Samuel Adams brand Norfolk, Virginia Tourism Blue Cross and Blue Shield Norwest Banks Chemical Bank R.J. Reynolds – Camel brand Colonial Life R.J. Reynolds – Winston brand Columbian Coffee Federation – Café de Colombia R.J. Reynolds – Winston Cup Racing marketing programs Con Agra – Healthy Choice brand Shady Brook Farms – turkey products Dupont Professional Products Spring Street Brewing Company – Wit Beer brand The Empire State Building State of Maine Tourism Eskimo Pie Corporation State of Virginia Tourism General Cigar Co. Stihl Power Tools Chattanooga Chew and Country Blend brands Suburban Bank General Cigar Co. – Redwood Snuff brand Teleflex (Medical Devices) General Electric – Mobile Communications Division Time Warner Cable General Mills – breakfast cereals Unum Guardian Industries University of Minnesota Art Museum Heckler & Koch firearms Walt Disney Company – Disney Vacation Club division Interstate Bakeries – breads Wellcraft Boats Interstate Bakeries – Dolly Madison brand Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota Kentucky Fried Chicken

Print & Outdoor Running the Risk of Being Noticed It all starts with the concept — a picture and a headline In every case, standing out from the gray sameness of the working together, conspiring to communicate an idea, print environment was the first goal; selling the product a selling message that compels the reader to take action. a close second. If there’s one thing that creating print ads It’s where left-brain strategy meets right-brain creativity. or billboards has taught me, it’s that you’ve got to run the Here’s a sampling of some of the print ads I’ve conceived risk of being noticed. The world doesn’t need another and written. Some of them are long on copy; in others, self-serving ad. And nobody likes being bored. the visual concept and brand name say it all.

Betty Crocker Pres to Pas t a Le f t-br ain Right-brain Pasta from a pouch? The food technologists at Betty This ad used the tried-and-true, side-by-side comparison Crocker had come up with a line of truly great-tasting (along with inset visuals that comprised a quick product pasta dinners that you could prepare in just 12 minutes. demonstration) to get its points across. The strategy here was to communicate authenticity and convenience.

American Movie Classics Consumer Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain The American Movie Classics cable network wanted image A visual metaphor does the work — the old baseball advertising that positioned the channel in the context of glove, like the classic films presented on AMC , embodies not just movies and movie channels, but the American an emotional tie to the past. Both are worth holding on way of life. AMC wanted viewers to know that the network to forever. had the same values that lovers of classic movies had — that they believed in holding on to cherished moments, memories (and movies, too).

Spring Street Brewing Wit Beer Le f t-br ain Right-brain Introducing a new local beer in New York City is not as After extensive packaging research, we designed the Wit easy as paying your slotting allowances and stocking a label to communicate tradition — but tradition with a few thousand shelves. You have to arouse curiosity, create modern edge to it. The ad played off the central symbol a buzz. This print ad (it was also a bus shelter one-sheet) of that design, the exclamation point, and challenged served as an introduction to the new brand of Belgian- consumers to find out what “it” is. Restaurant listings style witbier and also listed the places serving it. comprise the border of the ad.

Norwest Banks Free Check ing Newspaper Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain The large Midwestern bank group Norwest had created a The stop-you-in-your-tracks visual of the large asterisk new free checking account that came with a long laundry worked well in the cluttered newspaper environment, and list of benefits. But the biggest news was that it was really, poked fun at other banks’ products in which there were entirely free. limitations, exclusions and exceptions for every rule.

Stihl Power Tools Magnum Ser ies Magazine Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain When German chainsaw manufacturer Stihl introduces Make it quick. Make it simple. Make it clear. Chain saw a whole new line of saws, you can believe that they have users are down-to-earth people who want the facts. been engineered to outperform anything else on the Here we presented them in a compelling (and market. Our job: to communicate the superiority of their confrontational) way. new Magnum series saws to an audience that knows their tools.

Stihl Power Tools Fold- Out Magazine Inser t Le f t-br ain Right-brain The job here was to create a magazine insert that would Sometimes the child is father to the man. When we present the entire line of Stihl products — from chain saw this amazing photo of a team working trees in the saws and trimmers to industrial concrete cutters. Stihl Pacific Northwest, we knew we had a visual with the is famous for its saws — we wanted to use that strength stopping power (and vertical inches) to let us create as a springboard for a message that would let people an unforgettable fold-out catalog insert. Stihl’s full line know they could find the same Stihl quality in a lot of of products was featured on the back. (In case you’re other products. wondering, they did not cut down this old-growth tree.)

General Electric Mobile Radio Trade Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain The engineers at General Electric’s mobile communications This trade ad to the law enforcement community talked division could (and often would) spend hours telling you to them in their own language and pointed out all the about the ways their radios and networks were better. The reasons why GE radios would help make their police work police market was one of their most important audiences go more smoothly. We found the hottest police car we and called for products that were totally reliable, capable could find at the time — a 140-mile-an-hour Mustang and conveniently reprogrammable. cruiser owned by the Idaho State Police — and used it to make our point.

Eskimo Pie E sk imo Flavor s Division Trade Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain Eskimo Pie Company’s trade division, Eskimo Flavors, sells A stark and simple visual concept helped us make the ingredients to dairies and manufacturers. When it comes to company’s position clear in a heartbeat. ice cream and frozen novelties, there was literally nothing they didn’t offer — and this was the point they asked us to make.

Wellcraft Boats Nova III Magazine Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain For years, Wellcraft has been known for making some of A sexy boat deserves a sexy execution. The copy the highest quality boats in the business. But innovation personifies the new Wellcraft Nova — she’s great and performance aren’t the real reasons people buy boats. looking, a kind of love-at-first-sight watercraft that’s The challenge was to show the product in a way that truly something special. communicated the romance of being out on the water and echoed the emotional reasons why boats are purchased.

Heckler & Koch HK 91 Magazine Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain High-end military and law enforcement weapons are a Hunting magazines don’t generally portray paramilitary very specialized market. Heckler & Koch (H&K), a German situations, but that’s exactly what we chose to do in company, is the foremost manufacturer in the business. support of the consumer introduction of the HK 91 Here the assignment was to position H&K to the consumer semi-automatic assault rifle. To say that the ad stood out market — survivalists in this case — and to talk to them in would be an understatement. Along with other ads in the a language that they understood. campaign, it positioned H&K as a firearms manufacturer of uncompromising standards and depicted the kind of uncompromising user who would choose an H&K firearm.

Arrow Magazine Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain Infections are a huge problem for hospitals, and even Hospital administrators are generally not physicians, more so since Medicare reimbursement rules changed in but they do respond to powerful scientific imagery like October, 2008. Arrow, a major manufacturer of catheters, the graphic that anchors this ad. They also want to see wanted to position its Maximal Barrier Precautions Tray themselves as smart, hence this headline. in the minds of hospital administrators as an easy way to combat infection.

Colonial Life Magazine Ads Le f t-br ain Right-brain The Colonial Life “Benefits Guys” help all kinds of workers Given that we were launching the “Benefits Guys” concept with their employee benefits – white collar, blue collar with these ads, we wanted to drive home the idea verbally and even no collar. They wanted to dramatize this in a way as well as visually. Clearly, it’s a guy thing. that would make it immediately apparent to their human resources personnel audience.

DuPont Magazine Ads Le f t-br ain Right-brain Bugs are big business, and nobody’s more innovative in Pest control professionals (a.k.a. exterminators) are their approach to pest control than DuPont. A relatively scientists with trucks. They want facts, want to know new division of the company, the DuPont pest control what the bottom line is—but at the same time they’re products division wanted their image to reflect the not looking to wallow in charts full of facts and figures, advanced chemistry they’re developing, while at the even when they’re reading a trade magazine. These ads same time communicating their product advantages in are light-hearted, but they make the point. an endearing way.

Kaspersky Ad and Bumper Sticker Le f t-br ain Right-brain Kaspersky makes the world’s best anti-viral software. But to There’s only one fitting end for a computer virus: most people, the brand is an unknown. Kaspersky wanted termination with extreme prejudice. This ad positions us to help differentiate them from the Symantecs and Kaspersky as the company with the people who are McAfees of the world by focusing on their biggest asset: qualified to do that job best. The bumper sticker reinforces the tenacity and abilities of their people. that equity (and will hopefully help reduce road rage, too).

RSM McGladrey Magazine Ads Le f t-br ain Right-brain Accounting isn’t just about numbers It’s about people — What better way to underscore the things that McGladrey’s and trust. McGladrey is a well known accounting firm that accounting professionals bring to the table than by having sells its services to mid-market companies who are looking fun with the things that they’re not so expert at. It’s an for reliable accounting help without the bells and whistles. awareness campaign designed to generate memorability — and smiles.

The Empire State Building Environment al Graphic s Le f t-br ain Right-brain You’ve just been hired to let the world know that its It would’ve been easy to over-dramatize the $50 million most famous building is undergoing a renaissance — in changes being made to the ESB, or drown the message and you have a 12 x 900-foot space in which to do so, in allusions to its historic past. Instead, simplicity ruled a space that wraps three-fourths of the way around the the day. Amazing what adding two little letters to a name city-block-sized building. can do.

PTC PRO/Engineer Magazine Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain PTC, makers of industry-leading CAD software called PRO/ Industrial engineering can be complex, but ads aimed Engineer, had a problem. They’d earned such a widespread at that market shouldn’t be. We used a simple visual reputation as the first choice of enterprise-level companies progression to drive home the point that there was that smaller businesses ($100 million and under) thought a version of PTC’s PRO/Engineer product for any there wasn’t a PTC product suitable (or affordable) for size company. them. Our mission was to correct this misperception.

VIA Pos ter Le f t-br ain Right-brain Sometimes, an agency’s most important client is itself. I loved the mock-seriousness of the Presidential faces But it’s hard to achieve greatness if everyone isn’t on on these wooden busts; their solemn expressions fit the the same page. This poster, which was introduced one importance of the topic perfectly and worked well with commandment at a time in an internal email campaign, the “commandment”-style headlines. In contrast, the body was created to educate the writers and art directors at The copy that was written to expand on each commandment, VIA Group about some of the paths to doing (and selling) while equally didactic, adopted a lighter and more great work. contemporary tone.

Minneapolis Public Library Book s tore Newspaper Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain You don’t often see ads for libraries, but one way the The ads in this headline-driven newspaper campaign Minneapolis Public Library earned additional revenue was all talked to readers in terms they could relate to — in through its periodic sales of used books. This campaign this case, equating the excitement of reading with the was designed to get people (and in particular women) common practice amongst many women in the target to think about visiting the library’s bookshop when they audience to watch soap operas on television. came to the library.

Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota Promotional Newspaper Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain A nonprofit gallery devoted to the support of emerging There’s a real “What’s That?” factor involved when you’re women artists, WARM (Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota) displaying abstract sculpture, and I relied on that — and a enlisted my help to generate publicity for their upcoming double-entendre headline — to make this ad memorable. art shows — an effort that included this newspaper ad. The tagline: “KEEP WARM” was one that had particular significance in a place like Minneapolis, where the only thing more pervasive than winter is the presence of fried cheese curds at the state fair.

Camel Image Magazine Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain The Camel cigarette campaign featuring Joe Camel Joe Camel could do anything — water-ski, scuba dive, play worked for one simple reason: because Joe, the pop icon, instruments, anything — and he did everything with style functioned as the modern representation of a classic and flair. That’s what made him so popular with smokers; brand – one with pack iconography that had been a part Joe fulfilled people by allowing them to see themselves, of the American landscape since 1913. Without the link see their the playful fantasies, in him. This concept literally to the brand’s history, Joe would’ve been an irrelevant depicted the synergy between Joe and the classic Camel shill; without Joe, the brand would’ve remained an logo in a fun and offbeat way. No copy was necessary anachronism. Joe revived the Camel brand by putting other than the simple Camel trademark. a new face on an old favorite., and part of our challenge in creating and evolving this campaign was to always stay true to this underlying tenet.

Camel Ur ban Billboard Le f t-br ain Right-brain The Joe Camel campaign was built on irreverence. “Smooth The theory was, if Joe Camel played golf, he’d play it a Character” described not just Joe, but the product, which little differently. R.J. Reynolds wanted to be seen as a smooth-tasting one.

Camel People Magazine Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain We ran a lot of ads for Camel in People Magazine, but The assignment was ultimately a simple one: the creative this one was different. For this ad, we were asked to mimicked the format of the special issue’s editorial. By create an ad specifically for People’s “50 Most Glamorous this point in time, Joe was easily as famous as most of People” issue. the people in the magazine. What was nice was that the format allowed us to engage in some playful copywriting in our description of Joe.

Camel Telephone Kiosk Pos ter Le f t-br ain Right-brain This ad, which was placed only on telephone kiosks in This ad obviously depends on the double entendre of metro areas like Manhattan, was part of an effort that we the headline, but its effectiveness is equally rooted in called “Joe Shows Up.” The strategy was to make Joe Camel the depiction of Joe Camel himself: the leather jacket, ubiquitous and have him show up at every turn — in branded T-shirt, and sunglasses just light enough to let subways, at bus stops, on match books, etc. in addition you see the twinkle in his eye. to his usual print and billboard appearances.

Camel Hunting & Fishing Magazines Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain The concept for this ad was born of its media placement — Joe Camel could do anything and wear anything — as the ad ran only in hunting and fishing magazines. long as it was cool. In this execution, the campaign had fun with camouflage — or as it was later called when camouflage Camel premiums were created, “Camel-flage.”

Camel Magazine Inser t Le f t-br ain Right-brain Up-selling smokers to multiple pack purchases at retail This four-page magazine insert featured Joe as George was initially accomplished through the use of on-pack Washington sharing the wealth. Joe’s hand popped out premiums. Buy two packs, get a free lighter or T-shirt. But of the ad and offered smokers free “C-Notes” which they that got expensive, so we were tasked with coming up could save and later redeem for branded premiums. On with an alternative way to encourage brand loyalty. The the back of each insert was a catalog of these premium Camel Cash program lowered Camel’s cost of promoted items. The first of many Camel cash catalogs, this one volume substantially, while at the same time adding to spawned intense interest in the brand and forced category the brand’s mythology a fun, new currency of the realm. leader Marlboro to respond with its copycat “Marlboro Miles” and “Adventure Team” programs.

Camel Billboard Le f t-br ain Right-brain Outdoor advertising was Camel’s television, the most Not only was this billboard a bit of a fun sight gag, it also public medium that the brand could utilize. So it was only served as a product demonstration, showing consumers natural that the Camel Cash message made its way to the where to find Camel Cash. realm of billboards.

Camel Camel Light s Magazine Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain The Camel brand was comprised of a number of styles, This execution, like many of the ones created especially including the best selling Camel Lights, which often for Camel Lights, depicted the kinder, gentler side of Joe. called for executions designed specifically for that It was also one of the first executions in which Joe Camel’s smoother style. arms and legs were seen, allowing for creative range that didn’t exist in the earliest days of the campaign.

Camel Music Magazines Pr int Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain As the campaign evolved, it could afford to include ads in The campaign often drew upon classic and retro images which Joe Camel didn’t even appear — or barely appeared. and this ad was one example of the way in which Joe’s Keeping the campaign fresh required executions that were world merged with that retro imagery. The song titles were more conceptual and involving, such as this one featuring fun to write and in a few cases were created to address a classic retro jukebox. strategic goals, such as the song “Don’t Gimme No Cheap Cigarettes,” which was meant to discourage Camel smokers from trading down to less expensive, generic smokes.

Camel Magazine Inser t Le f t-br ain Right-brain Sometimes, an ad is more than an ad. As the campaign The first issue of Smooth magazine appeared in 1991 and evolved, a decision was made to create periodic featured items like “Joe’s Smooth Philosophies,” a bar scene “magazines” around Joe and the Camel brand, which showing a whole cast of camel characters, and a feature were inserted into magazines like Sports Illustrated, People, called “Monumentally Smooth” which showed statues of Playboy and others. some of Joe’s ancestors such as Leonardo da Camel.

Camel Box Produc t Pr int Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain While the Joe Camel campaign was certainly entertaining, Camel wanted to push its box products, we wanted to it also had a job to do. Getting Marlboro smokers to give Joe Camel some pals to hang out with. The answer switch to Camel wasn’t easy. The ones that did switch was a no-brainer: create Joe’s “backup band” and call often purchased their Camels in hard packs — boxes, them the Hard Pack. Sales of box styles soared, and the as opposed to the old-style soft pack. R.J. Reynolds asked campaign acquired some new characters: Bustah, Eddie, us to come up with a way to increase sales of hard packs Max and Floyd. for Camel.

Camel Alter native C ampaign Billboards Le f t-br ain Right-brain One of my jobs as creative director on the Camel account This execution, one of many from a series of “Genuine/ was to be on a constant lookout for other advertising Impostor” ads and billboards we created, was based ideas for the brand. Like the Joe campaign, they needed on pack imagery and poked fun at the idea of to be somewhat irreverent and at the same time be true knockoff brands. to Camel’s heritage as a classic brand.

Television Tur ning On Emotions Television advertising is about more than painting pictures to be clear, and emotional enough to be memorable. and telling stories. It’s about stirring emotions. A smile, a Otherwise, you’re just wasting your energy, the client’s frown, a nod — these are the signs that a spot is working. money, and the viewer’s time. Thirty seconds isn’t much time. It’s got to be simple enough

Unum Insurance Le f t-br ain Right-brain Unum is a Fortune 250 company that sells voluntary Employees work hard, and companies that really care insurance products like disability and long-term care to about their employees offer Unum benefits as a reward. client companies of all sizes. But just because it’s a B2B sell That was the pitch; a retail fashion company served as the doesn’t mean that TV advertising isn’t strategically smart. featured company. Using fast-paced time-lapse footage, Unum wanted to let employers know that they’d score this spot depicts the flurry of activity in the office prior to big points with employees and prospective employees by a meeting with a big buyer. By day’s end, it’s an emotional offering Unum benefits in addition to their health, dental win-win for the company, the buyer and the hard-working and 401K. employees who made it all happen.

Betty Crocker Pres to Pas t a Le f t-br ain Right-brain Gourmet tortellini made convenient? Only the people Mom doesn’t rush home from work to make dinner in this at Betty Crocker could’ve come up with this one. The one — an Italian chef does. If it’s good enough for him mandate was to introduce it via their time-tested (and and his family, it’s good enough for anyone. Just don’t tell much overused) problem-solution formula. We turned anybody that he made it in 12 minutes. the formula on its ear and came up with a winner.

Interstate Bakeries Weber ’s Bread Le f t-br ain Right-brain Bread is good for your heart, the people at Interstate We’re talking to Moms here. The musical chairs concept Bakeries told us. It’s low in fat, has no cholesterol, and it’s was an eerie but effective way of reminding them to serve high in complex carbohydrates (the good kind). Use that their kids bread, the food that’s good for your heart. idea to sell our regional brands of bread. This spot, which featured different brands in different parts of the country, was so successful it ran for almost three years.

General Electric Cellular Phones Le f t-br ain Right-brain In the beginning, all cell phones were created equal — One of a series of celebrity commercials that also featured big and clunky. It’s the ones that could put up with Ted Turner and Leroy Neiman, this spot showed the Mayer extreme temperatures and abuse that early adopters Brothers high up in ski country. No one asked how they were looking for. Dramatize that, we were instructed, were able to get a signal way up there. and the GE phones will sell.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Health C are Le f t-br ain Right-brain Choosing a health plan for a company is a thankless task — Rather than go through a long, boring laundry list of and a task it is. The people at Blue Cross wanted us to the reasons why people should call on Blue Cross, we impress on corporate decision makers that they offered dramatized the alternative: an argumentative and almost a wide range of pans and could help make the process combative business meeting in which the lack of simpler and easier. progress in finding the right health care plan was being hotly debated.

Stihl Power Tools Chain S aws Le f t-br ain Right-brain When you make some of the most rugged and This is a product demonstration, pure and simple. dependable power tools in the world, you don’t need Complete with dirt, mud, sand and a jeep driven by a to hide behind empty promises and platitudes. The madman. You can beat the hell out of this saw, and it directive was to show the chainsaw buyer how tough will start up — every time. the Stihl 010 saw really was.

Country Kitchen Bread Le f t-br ain Right-brain Country Kitchen was a brand without a face. For years, A six-spot campaign featuring two lovable bakers their products had been pitched on their individual merits, endeared Country Kitchen to its audience in an with no real brand-building happening on any level. The unprecedented way. The Head Baker and his Apprentice charge was to come up with a campaign idea that had brought points about their products home through legs — and in this case, arms and hands, too. humor, and created a brand equity that endured for years.

New York City Board of Elections Vote Le f t-br ain Right-brain Convincing young people anywhere to do something We spent a week talking to New Yorkers about voting they don’t want to do is a daunting task. Convincing while filming them and the city. An award-winning disenfranchised young voters in New York City to go to the campaign emerged which included this spot, “You polls and endure the long lines typically found there is an Don’t Count.” In it, people stated their names and were even greater challenge. The City wanted to increase voter immediately X’d out as a loud buzzing sound banished turnout by 10%, from 36 percent to 46 percent. In the them to oblivion. Graphics edited into the spot said first year that these spots ran, the 18-34 turnout was over “You Don’t Count… Unless You Vote.” 60 percent.

Online Building a Brand The worldwide web is arguably the best thing to happen their points across; now they can run video banners that to advertising since the coupon. The online environment are as emotional as any 30-second spot. Best of all, the lets advertisers target their audiences with a bullet, not a interaction that online advertising makes possible with shotgun blast. And no longer do B2B advertisers have to consumers helps brands build equity and drive involvement settle for trade ads and expensive direct mail drops to get like never before.

DuPont DuPont Advion Animated B anner Ad Le f t-br ain If you’ve ever been attacked by fire ants, you know why there’s a big market for products that can eliminate fire ant colonies. DuPont’s new Advion product is a granular bait that works much faster than competitive baits and is more effective over the long term, as well. Right-br ain It is fitting to equate the power of Advion to that of a storm. This animated banner ad made the point that Advion is to fire ants as tornados are to trailer parks: a fast and furious way to make things go away.

Arrow Interac tive B anner Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain The job assigned to this interactive online ad was to We chose a multiple-choice Q&A format that challenged engage hospital administrators, to force them to administrators and got them involved in the advertising. come to terms with the costs associated with catheter- A related landing page provided more information, both related infections. about the problem and about Arrow’s solutions.

Analog Devices Video B anner Ad Le f t-br ain Right-brain Analog Devices is a leader in the embedded processor The websites that serve the electrical engineering market. The company’s semiconductor chips go into community are not known for their entertainment value. everything from gaming platforms and cell phones to And it’s precisely for that reason that we always strived automotive head units and pro audio systems. Their to run video banner ads that began with provocative, target audience is electrical engineers who design these unusual and non-technological images that we’d then products. To promote their Blackfin and SHARC chips, we relate to the ADI product points of difference. Everyone convinced ADI to transfer its entire print budget to the likes pizza, right? online environment. These executions are three of many that appeared on websites such as eetimes.com.

Collateral Spar k ing Interes t If there’s one thing nobody needs it’s another brochure — Making sure they’re easy to read, look at and use is of or leaflet or pamphlet or take-one. Creativity is the price paramount importance. Making sure they sell in a way that of entry in the world of collateral. These pieces also have builds equity in the brand is always a top-of-mind concern. specialized jobs to do — whether they’re catalogs or calendars.

Camel Special Promotional C at alog Le f t-br ain Right-brain How could Camel get away from costly retail pack The Camel Cash catalogs — and the items in them — promotions, lower its cost of promoted volume, brought Joe’s world to life in a way that no print ad or strengthen the brand’s Joe Camel equity and expand billboard could. Having acquired C-Notes, the currency the mythology of Joe’s world all in one fell swoop? With of the realm, you could bring pieces of Joe’s world home the introduction of the Camel Cash program and the (and do your part to help Camel market the brand at the catalogs that followed. Rather than getting a free equity- same time). Today, more than 17 years later, the program is adorned lighter at retail for buying two packs, smokers still helping to promote brand loyalty and encourage trial. now had to save “C-Notes” and order from catalogs like these ones. The program was and still is a huge success.

Wellcraft Full Line C at alog Le f t-br ain Right-brain One of the largest boat manufacturers in the world, The design and production of this 48-page catalog was Wellcraft makes almost every kind of boat imaginable — a monster — 36 boats, 14 locations, 50 models, and from 48-foot, offshore high performance boats and lavishly photography that called for helicopters to be in the air for appointed round-the-world cruisers to fishing boats of all 10 hours straight. This kind of catalog is all about selling shapes and sizes and runabouts for weekend family fun. the romance of being on the water — something it did The challenge here was to put them all together in one very successfully. mammoth brochure in a way that shows why they belong together. The message: whatever Wellcraft makes, you can count on performance, workmanship, style and value that are simply unbelievable.

Winston NA SC AR-Themed C alendar Le f t-br ain Right-brain When you’re the sole sponsor of one of the most valuable It wasn’t enough just to feature the drivers — heroes sports franchises ever imagined, you make use of every though they may be. We looked for ways to tell their opportunity to promote it. Here, R.J. Reynolds’ Winston stories that echoed the brand’s positioning — “100% brand leveraged its NASCAR Winston Cup sponsorship Every Time.” The look and copy were both no-nonsense. with a calendar that it gave away to smokers at Just like the sport. And just like the brand. NASCAR events.

University of Minnesota Art Museum Donor Solicit ation Piece Le f t-br ain Right-brain What do you do when you’ve got a lot of priceless artwork Showing great art isn’t as easy as it looks. You have to and no place to put it? You build a bigger museum. arrange them just so, in the way that a curator would That’s what the people at the University of Minnesota Art organize a show — while at the same time making sure Museum decided to do — and then they asked for help that the paintings and sculptures don’t overpower the in selling the idea to donors. This brochure introduced request for donations message. I structured this brochure people to the Museum and showed why the Museum around the words of the Museum’s founder — his “dream” needed more space. for its future. Today, that dream is a reality: the University’s Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum is stunning to look at and an adventure to visit.

Direct Response Targeting Ac tion Direct response used to mean direct mail: you knew personalized. Getting someone to actually open a where someone lived and you mailed him or her the most mailer or email is half the battle. It’s got to be really, personalized sales materials you could come up with. With really clear that there’s “something in it” for the consumer. the internet, direct response opportunities have become Otherwise, you can bet that 99 percent of them are more cost-effective, more prevalent, and even more going to be ignored.

Camel Camel C ash Program Solicit ation Le f t-br ain Right-brain The Camel Cash program was fueled, to a large part, by The Camel audience had a wide range of special interests direct response. Through an extensive direct mail program, that we could draw upon — motorcycles, nightlife, fishing, we were able to target smokers of competitive brands and beachgoing, and especially music. This mailer featured send them special offers, which often included unique, a selection of items from the Camel Cash catalog and one-time-only premium items designed to bring them included a rare Camel Cash “10-Spot”. into the Camel fold.

Camel Special Direc t-Mail Promotion Le f t-br ain Right-brain The 1992 Presidential election was just too good an Once we decided that Joe should run for office, the rest opportunity to pass up. To commemorate it, and expand was a cinch. “Vote Camel — the party that knows how to the Joe Camel mythology into a whole new realm, we party” was the war cry. We created a whole series of items created an extensive “Vote Joe” campaign. At the center of and offered consumers different levels of involvement. it was a direct mail program offering limited-edition items Camel Party “Bigwigs” got everything they needed to like the “I Like Joe” button. The idea was to get smokers to throw their own fund-raising party — ashtrays, napkins, send in large amounts of C-Notes in return for some very bumper stickers, buttons, etc. unique items.

Portland Advertising Club Award Show Invit ation Le f t-br ain Right-brain When I was asked to be the creative chairman of the The invitation I created for the show is the only direct mail Broderson Awards, the awards show of the Portland piece I’ve ever done that almost landed me in jail. Little Advertising Club, I wanted to come up with a theme did I know that imitating court documents is a felony. that would carry through the entire show, from the call Nobody mentioned it when they gave me copies of these for entries to the invitation to the set used on stage for documents at the district court. People were surprised the show itself. I seized upon the idea of judgment. It’s (some unpleasantly) when they received this “subpoena” in judgment that leads to the creation of good advertising the mail. But when they attended the show, saw the stage ideas — and the elimination of bad ones. And it’s the set like a courtroom, and got to hear the show’s judges (on process of judging that determines which efforts tape) explain why they chose certain ads as winners, all garner awards. was forgiven.

Publications Mak ing An Impression I’ve always had a passion for golf. As Creative Director at New England Journal of Golf. The magazine covered all six Mezzina/Brown I even attempted to get Nike involved in New England states. It was well received, and along the golf back in 1993. (Today, of course, they’re a major force way I acquired a whole new set of skills. Being an editor in the game, but back then, they weren’t ready to do it.) is not all that different from being a creative director — When my first son was born in New York, and it seemed but taking on the role of publisher was an entirely new like I missed the first eight months of his life, my wife and experience. Dealing with circulation lists, printers, mailing I decided to make a life change and move to a small island houses, the U.S. Postal Service — all of these required new on the coast of Maine. So in late 1995, after many years skills that each underscored how challenging running your working as a copywriter and creative director, we packed own business can be. up and headed north. I was ready for a change — and In January of 2005, I sold New England Journal of Golf to I wanted to spend time with my son (and later, with his News World Inc., the Washington D.C.-based company brother, born in 1997). that also owns the Washington Times. At that time, the One thing I quickly noticed was that there were no good magazine was renamed GolfStyles New England and I was regional golf magazines in New England. For an area with asked to stay on to manage the transition to the new title. as rich a golf history as New England’s, this struck me as a Today, it’s one of seven regional GolfStyles titles, with a tremendous opportunity. So in April of 2000, I got into the total circulation of over 400,000 readers. golf publishing business when I created and launched

New England Journal of Golf Le f t-br ain Right-brain The title I gave to the magazine was an intentional play on Golf can be a stuffy game if you let it. We didn’t. Creatively, the well-known New England Journal of Medicine. I figured we always attempted to bring energy, excitement and that golf was one of the few things in life as important as color to our coverage of golf in New England. Whether we medical research, so it deserved a fitting title. Inside New were covering a local event, or profiling an international England Journal of Golf, the magazine featured sections on golf destination, the focus was always on doing it in a fresh each of the six New England states, along with interviews, way that hadn’t been seen a thousand times in national course reviews, tournament coverage and other lifestyle- golf books. related items of interest to the New England-area golfer. Many of our cover stories featured people. We leveraged local celebrities like Boston Bruins hockey star Ray Bourque and PGA pros who hailed from New England like Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon. We also created more conceptual cover stories such as the instructional piece that led off the 2004 season.

GolfStyles Le f t-br ain Right-brain With GolfStyles, things changed. As part of a national Many people might think that if you’ve seen one golf network of regional golf magazines, we had to adopt a course, you’ve seen them all. This is not true to a golf new look and a different sensibility. We still had a mandate enthusiast. We placed a huge emphasis on sourcing the to cover all six New England states, but it was dictated most artistic photos of New England area golf courses that the style of the magazine be more traditional and possible — photos that not only captured the essence of more transparently upscale. the courses but also conveyed the emotional pull that the courses exhibit on golfers. Not all of the cover stories and other editorial features were about golf courses, though. We endeavored to strike a balance between course-related stories and interviews, stories about people involved in the New England golf world, tournament coverage, golf travel features, and other topics.

Books Spreading the Word An island on the coast of Maine is the perfect place to all about making judgments, just like the ones required write a book — especially in winter when the temperatures of creative directors and editors. Even with 200 pages at are hovering around freezing (if you’re lucky) and the your disposal, a work has to flow logically (and hopefully nor’easters are dumping their snowy loads on you one gracefully) from one topic into another. And like an ad or after another. So when I was contacted about writing a feature article, there’s an argument being advanced that book on the Joe Camel campaign, and later another one on the writer is asking the reader to follow. the Café de Colombia campaign, I enthusiastically agreed. My background as a creative director and marketing Writing a book is nothing like writing an ad or magazine consultant gave me a unique perspective for the writing article. The length is the most obvious difference; when of these two books. And in return, taking the many months you’ve got 200 pages to get your message across, you required to fully research and study great campaigns like can afford to take interesting detours that commercial these has undoubtedly made me a stronger marketing and messages just don’t have the time or room for. Still, it’s creative person.

A Camel Named Joe Le f t-br ain Right-brain A lot has been said and written over the years about Joe may have been a cartoon camel, but there were never the Joe Camel campaign. From the pages of Adweek any words attributed to Mr. Smooth Character. In writing to the floor of the U.S. Senate, this campaign received this book, the first task was to create and perfect the right more attention (positive and negative) than perhaps any voice for the narrative. The book was part chronicle, part in history. As someone who was intimately involved in analysis, but I didn’t want it to sound academic. In the its creation and evolution, I was natural choice to write end, I think the narrative strikes a nice balance between the definitive book on the campaign. And I welcomed professionalism and fun. Organizing the book proved to the opportunity — if only to right some of the wrongs be a different kind of challenge. We didn’t want it to be a that had been attributed to the Joe Camel campaign in straight, chronological look at things. But at the same time, the years that it ran. In all my days of working with R.J. the campaign had evolved in a somewhat organic way, Reynolds, I found the people there to be some of the and there was so much material to cover, from billboards most honorable I’d ever met. The bad press that Joe got to print ads to retail promotions to skywriting. By the time was unfair, and in most cases entirely beside the point. I was done with this book, I think I admired even more Writing this book not only gave me the chance to tell the than I had the incredible creativity that went into the inside story about Joe and the Camel brand, it allowed me creation of Joe and his mythological world. There was a to stand on my soapbox a bit and tell the truth about a reason why so many smokers loved the campaign and campaign that had been buried in so many mistruths the book touched on all of them. over the years.

The 100% Columbian Coffee Book Le f t-br ain Right-brain When the Camel book was published, it was well received — The Colombian Coffee campaign was so strong graphically well enough that I was subsequently asked by a publisher and conceptually that this book could almost have been to write another book concerning another famous ad published without any narrative elements at all. But the campaign — the Colombian Coffee campaign. I’d never behind the scenes stories about the Colombian Coffee worked on this campaign or for its agency, but I’d always Federation, the genesis of the campaign, the three men admired both. Talk about creating an equity character — is who played Juan Valdez, and the evolution of the ads there anyone in America who didn’t know Juan Valdez and themselves all begged to be told. Great campaigns like his story about picking 100 percent Colombian Coffee? This this one don’t happen by accident, and it was a challenge book had a particular audience in addition to everyone who to take in all the information about the campaign and loved the campaign (or loved the coffee): the people at the present it with the respect and reverence it deserved. Colombian Coffee Federation who had been funding the ad I promise you, many cups of 100 percent Colombian campaign since its inception in the late 1950s. Coffee were consumed during the writing of this book.

David W. De Smith

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