Cash Money 11:30 AM

As I was driving home from a trip up North this weekend, I realized the extent of the Geico ad campaign. Just before Buellton, as I'm driving down the 101, I notice the Geico eyes staring me in the face.
This would have been less weird had it been surrounded by other billboards, or if it was located on a busier highway, but it was the only billboard in miles.

For a company that has made itself undeniably present in pop culture for quite some time now, they seem to be maintaining their hold pretty well. This can all be credited to the Martin Agency, and a big budget. I have to say that I am pretty impressed with their presence. One of my friends even mentioned dressing up at the money and eyes for Halloween.

They even have a music video:



Not to post a bunch of videos on here, but I'll leave you with a good reason why kids should not be able to post videos on YouTube. Keep watching, it gets even better.

Twitter & Swagger 4:04 PM

Lately, I've been trying to up my swagger by recklessly shopping for interview clothes. I even bought this leopard button-up vest deal that will never reach full potential outside of my closet. I wish I was someone who could pull off leopard in a formal business setting, but that comes with years of experience. And by experience I mean professional experience.

Anyway, this is not a diary.

Let's talk about Twitter. I use Twitter mostly to gain an insider's perspective on advertising. Over the past year it has been really helpful (as silly as it sounds to non-Twitter users) to hear what people are doing at agencies. Whether it's posting pictures of their cats or voting on which LA landmark should be destroyed, Twitter has helped me relate to the industry.

I will say that I'm not a fan of all behavior on Twitter. For instance, it should not be used as a primary means of contact between a best friend or significant other. I have one friend who never seems to answer her phone, text messages, or even the doorbell (you know who you are). Instead, she sends me a DM (direct message) or even worse, a public post @Edburger to figure out our plans.

I also hate Twitter on a busy day. You know the drill, you're at work, away from your computer, at a meeting, and you miss updates for a few hours. I dislike how this sometimes puts me in a panic similar to waking up late on the day of a final...not cool.

Anyway, the benefits strongly outweigh the problems for me, so I will continue to defend Twitter 'til the death.

I would like to also note that my boss appeared on TMZ last weekend in Vegas.

Happy Friday Y'all!

Momentum 9:03 AM

Back from the long weekend with a good amount of updates!

I came into work this morning and immediately noticed that more than half of my real estate ads in the Santa Barbara News Press ran this weekend in black & white when they were all supposed to run in color...yikes. When I first started this job, I used to be scared to play my messages on Monday mornings for fear of this sort of thing happening. Luckily, it only happens every once in a while.

I'm also thinking about taking a GMAT class, just to have the test behind my belt while I'm still lower on the average age curve. It will end up being about $1,200 (that I have yet to save), but that's not so terrible. I'm just hesitant to sign up in case I end up moving soon.


I want to highly recommend the film Art & Copy. I saw it back in December at the SB Film Festival and I really enjoyed it. I noticed it's been touring through various cities in the US, so I'm hoping to check it out again.

Check here to find out where & when you can see it!


I splurged and bought seasons 1 & 2 of Mad Men a few weeks ago, and as of now, I am caught up!...Finally, something worth watching.

drool..

Introducing: Lotion Potion. 3:27 PM

I'm probably digging myself a hole here by even posting this, so I'll skip the part where I explain my inspiration.

Don't judge.

Nice To Meet You 4:12 PM

Networking is exhausting but worth it, I think. I've been making an effort to initiate casual conversations everywehre I go with strangers. It has yet to pay off, but I see the importance.

A couple weeks ago I met a guy in venice who has worked at several larger agencies. He's no longer in advertising and didn't have too many great things to say about his time in it. Also, I realized that one of the Realtors that I work with spent some time working for Chiat\Day! This was over 25 years ago but it was interesting to hear about Chiat at such an interesting time (around when the 1984 Apple ad launched) for them and advertising in general.

I've broadened my search to include states other than only California. I'd love to live in Chicago if I ever had an offer. I read an interesting article today on AdAge about moving to your ideal city before searching for jobs, which I generally agree. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to do as a recent grad. The articles focuses on China, and details specific financial issues for Chinese vs. International applicants, but the concept is true for any job. If you actually live in the city where you are applying, there is that much less of a chance that you are just "shopping" around.

On another note, it seems the fabulous stop-motion artwork I mentioned a while back has been imitated. They did it well, but hey, they probably had a bigger budget. Check out both below.

The Original

The New One

Bliggedy Blog 8:45 AM

I have to admit, I've been in a bit of a slump. I had been losing motivation to blog. Then, I read this article. The reason I began blogging in the first place wasn't to make money, or even to gain readership. I started a blog for 3 particular reasons. 1. I wanted to become comfortable with my own blogging voice. I've kept short journals at different points in my life, but I used to cringe before I read over them. I'm still far from comfortable with this blog, but I feel like I'm slowly getting there. 2. I wanted to chronicle my my journey into advertising. This is tough in this economy, and a big source of motivation and frustration. Having applied for countless positions, the response is not always desirable. 3. I wanted to write my thoughts down. It's much easier for me to get ideas in motion once they are written. Perhaps the most intimidating part of blogging, it forces me to think things through and get them out into the open.

These 3 goals are still the reason I blog. Maybe I just needed a little reminder.

I just started reading Then We Came To An End, by Joshua Ferris. So far I'm enjoying the way Ferris tells a story. This novel was of particular interest due to the current state of the economy. Ferris recalls the changes that occurred while he worked in a Chicago agency in the 90s. It's refreshing to see his humorous perspective on a something that was probably frightening at the time.


I easily lose track of where I'm at, but this blog is a little reminder of where I'm going.

Baseball by the Beach 12:15 PM

This week I designed a shirt for Goodland Baseball. They wanted a new t-shirt design...the old one looks pretty feminine.

Check out the old one vs. my new one:

I came across this cool interview with Lee Clow this morning. I completely agree with the idea that passion inspires passion. This reminds me of one of my favorite spots of all time.