danielle edberg

Cash Money

2009-10-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-08-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-03T16:12:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

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.

The Drawing.

2009-06-09T10:26:00.001-07:00

While evaluating some of my favorite ads and brands last night, I remembered a great story about my best friend's first visit to the Apple store. It started in December of our senior year in High School when his parents bought him the 1st generation Ipod.

After having trouble connecting the Ipod to his PC and importing music, he asked me to come to the store with him to get help.

Once we got to the store, the genius helping us seemed quite disappointed when my friend revealed that he was using a PC.

While explaining the PC-Ipod connection, he drew a diagram. The PC was drawn as a monitor with a keyboard, mouse and several external units all connected to the computer with various wires. There was also a longer wire, difficult to differentiate, connecting the Ipod to the PC. My friend was not thrilled with the explanation he was given, describing the slow transfer speed of music to the Ipod.

The man at the Apple store politely offered an alternative diagram. This diagram included the same Ipod, but with a single cord connecting it to a Mac, displayed as a single rectangle with a happy face.

We left the store and went to my friend's house to configure his Ipod to his PC. We were able to get it working pretty quickly.

Needless to say, the next week, he told me he had just purchased a Powerbook G4.

I'd like to believe that the second diagram was his reasoning for switching.

Fresh Juice

2009-06-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Today, I came across a rad website called cards of change. There's just something liberating about recently layed-off creatives posting their business cards with personal & professional declarations.

Some of the highlights are all of the new companies coming to fruition after all of these terrible lay-offs.

In particular, I was excited to see Chris Kahle's card on the site. He caught the eye a few shot callers in the industry (most notably...Alex Bogusky) via Twitter.

Kahle asked peeps to tweet his desire to work at CP+B to @bogusky and @cpbjeff. He promised that he would donate $1 for the first 200 twats to charity. Long story short, homeboy landed a job at CP+B and a the amazing tweet shown above from Bogusky. Pretty sweet.

Is anyone else loving this spot for Toyota Prius by SAATCHI & SAATCHI?

Squeeze Worthy

2009-05-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yet another post on branding. I'm trying out a new tag line: Squeeze Worthy.

I'm really getting tired of the mini sirloin burgers song from the Jack in the Box commercials...AH.

I hate how these below average commercials get so much attention. Remember that Quiznos spot from a while back? Terrible, but we talked about it FOREVER in college, and I'm even mentioning it now!

So, off-topic, but there's this new Burger Bus in town. A friend told me about it last week, when it first opened. Today, I passed it as I was driving home for lunch, but sadly, I didn't have any cash on me.

They really should take some pointers from Kogi in Venice, who have taken full advantage of Twitter to develop a following. I hear they grill their fries, and they even have sweet potato fries! They also use local meats, breads and veggies, all contained in a small school bus.

I'll keep you posted when I get a chance to try it.

On an end note, I'm hoping to get my business cards ordered this week, and maybe send out a few more resumes. All of the materials I requested from ad schools came in the mail. So far, VCU and Miami Ad School have the best presentation. Stickers?! Awesome. I'm still not convinced that ad school is my best option.

Consulting like Whoa

2009-05-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

I've read a few articles this week about consulting, the new 9-5 (not that anyone works 9-5 anymore, more like 8-7). I think one of them was in Time, though I can't remember for sure. Anyway, it basically said that in the years to come, people will be spending their time doing specialized consulting. Not only do I strongly agree with this, but it also excites me and terrifies me at the same time.

Here's Why:

- We will have to get really GOOD at what we do. Obviously this is important regardless, but it's much easier to replace someone who isn't actually on payroll.
- We will lose benefits. Medical, dental, vision plans will be a thing of the past. Hopefully this will drive private health insurance rates down if they aren't already lower by then.
-Job security will be hard to come by. If this economy isn't already showing us that job security is a thing of the past, consulting will.

It's almost surprising that companies ate STILL spending so much on office space, medical benefits and even supplies. We're starting to have less and less of a need for people to come in and work in cubes next to each other.

I'm still out there looking for a foot in the door to the advertising world. In the meantime, I offer this to the 150+ Realtors I work with. (click to enlarge - blurry for some reason here)Currently listening to: Gangstarr - Work

Solid Stop-Motion

2009-05-12T19:40:00.001-07:00

I really wish I was more of a photographer. Today, I came across these great stop-motion videos, care of Jkretch on Twitter.

Here's the first one:

I wonder what the process is like to put on of these together? Do they sketch out each scene and then take photographs to mimic them? Here's another:

I wonder how much time goes into one of these.

Wow.

The juice & the squeeze

2009-05-12T15:33:00.001-07:00

I'm re-branding.

Let's try this out for a while.

What I should be doing: researching portfolio examples, writing letters to agencies, networking.

What I am doing: see below
This is my new resume. I highly doubt I'll ever send this to an agency, but it was fun watching it go from my head to InDesign to here!

Port-fool-io

2009-05-11T20:47:00.001-07:00

I came across this great article today about the hiring game agencies play. Written by Ignacio Oreamuno of ihaveanidea.org, it illustrates a means to a meal (remember, one meal won't feed us all year). While most articles I've read recently simply stress the importance of a great book, this article takes it a step further in suggesting creative additions to the book.

We're all familiar with the process of sending your resume and cover letter to an agency...bleh. This is unlikely to get you anywhere unless you know someone, or you're really effing cool (based on your previous successful campaigns at agencies). Unfortunately, this isn't so helpful to us new kids. I like how Oreamuno suggested using an extreme tactic to get yourself noticed. For the past few weeks I've been brainstorming what I could do, but I'm learning quickly that I will need to have a great book to get anywhere despite these potentially ridiculous tactics.

I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what makes a book great. I'm sure this would be fairly obvious if I had a bunch of books to check out, but I'm still searching. I'm confident that I'll find examples online, but it would be cool to see some real-life samples.

Anyone have any suggestions about getting started on a portfolio? I have a few pieces I'm working on, but I'm lacking focus and direction.

Currently listening to: Cage the Elephant - Ain't no rest for the wicked

Currently inspired by: Seth Godin

...and it's show time!

2009-05-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ad school has been on my mind lately. After hours of evaluating schools, reading articles in AdAge, blogs and contacting students and creatives, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not ready to fork out $40,000 for ad school just yet.

Here are some of the sites I've found along the way (off the top of my head):

ihaveanidea - a great resource for portfolio samples (both good and bad!), relevant articles, and industry feedback

my own ad school - one girl's initiative to learn advertising on her own, project suggestions, interesting story

creativity online - an old favorite, showcasing best weekly ads, as well as articles and critiques on agencies and creatives

My first thought was an ad to promote healthy eating.

Even this quick attempt reminded me of my creative weaknesses, listed below as talents:

talent: I'm good at making things look pretty. When I spend a lot of time on a design, I can get it to something I'm happy with (usually). underlying weakness: too much focus on the "look" of the ad, not enough focus on provoking thoughts

talent: I can generate lots of ideas, and I occasionally come across one that I'm passionate about. underlying weakness: evaluating my options before I begin is something I need to spend more time on. I work well when I'm able to see my idea in action before I make changes. While this may work sometimes, I think I'd be better of brainstorming a bit more before starting to construct.

This week I am going to start seriously working on my portfolio. I want to come up with a few print campaigns to start, so I can get some feedback to work with. I'm going to take the two previously mentioned weaknesses into account at all times.

When I say, "it's show time," I mean its time to get shit moving.

Meet the Volkswagons

2009-05-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, CP+B launched a Volkswagon campaign. The element of the campaign that particularly caught my attention was this Facebook application. Supposedly, it pairs your interests (based on your profile) with VW cars.

I have two issues with it so far:

1. It suggested that I would most likely buy a Jetta or minivan (Routan). It may be my own personal problem that I feel insulted by the suggestion that I would buy a minivan ever, but I'm just going to put that thought out there.

2. It also named me "Economical," which, to me, sounds like cheap. Seeing as I haven't done any research about the VW target market, I probably shouldn't be be critiquing this, but I'm not buying it. I think they need a more creative way of letting consumers know they can afford VW vehicles, without having to label their economic startegies.

What Works: It's a non-imposing application for Facebook. I was very hesitant about allowing the app to access my personal information, but once I did, I was happy to see that it was not exploited and the app did not show up on my profile, or ask my friends to add it. I think most Facebook users would agree with me here.

I find this campaign particularly entertaining because it reminds me of my roommate. She's one of those Jetta-obsessed people, and I used to make fun of her for it. I suggested that when people ask what kind of car she drives, she should respond "I have a Jetta, but sometimes I think my Jetta has me".

On another note, here's what I've been listening to this week:

Bat For Lashes- What's a girl to do
Cage the Elephant- Ain't no rest for the wicked
Yelle- Amour du sol
Asher Roth- I love college (still, I know.)
Lady Gaga- Future love ---she's bat shit crazy, and we love it.
Gregory Page- I'll see you in my dreams

Apparently this video was filmed in one take.

Because we're aliens, and you ain't soup yet.

2009-05-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been a while since my last post, here's why:

1. Relay for Life was last weekend. We had a lot of folks come out to Santa Barbara, and during the 24 hour event, we managed to raise over $28,000!! That doesn't include the $120,000 we raised prior to the event.

Some of the highlights: Constant walkie-talkie contact with the rest of the committee members...including a very hot fireman. As a result of my "rain or swine" declaration about every 15 minutes, I seem to have gotten sick. Back to the fireman. I think I'm going to add firefighting to my list of qualifications I'm looking for in a guy. So far he must own a boat, be a twin and fight fires. The boat part is the most lax, if he has a plane or helicopter, or even a Mazarati, I could deal.

2. Chaos at work. I had to cover the front desk at work on Wednesday through Friday of last week. This means that I had to finish a week's worth of work in two days, since I don't have a laptop and I can't do my work at the front. I answered phones, fixed copy machines and even showed an agent how to turn on the coffee maker. I transferred at least three phone calls incorrectly, but I get it now.

Well, I guess those are my only excuses. I'm feeling below avg today, and making less and less swine jokes as the week progresses.

I'll leave you today with amazingness.

Feeding Time

2009-04-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

This morning I came across this blog. For what it's worth, I like it.

In particular, the part that caught my attention was a reference to a rap challenge by a recently laid-off creative. As an aspiring Crispin Porter and Bogusky employee, he attempted to challenge Alex Bogusky to a rap battle. Long story short, this caught Bogusky's attention, and he ended up interviewing for a position.

If you know me, you know I have an appreciation for unconventional approaches. My best accomplishments can be credited out-of-the-box thinking. I expect this from others as well. I like to hang with people who have edge, people who believe in something, even if I don't agree with it. I know that I am an extreme personality, so I appreciate that in others...even though we might not always get along.

My latest interest is Spicing up my applications. Any ideas?

You're In It.

2009-04-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had a dream about Lee Clow.

Over the past year I made it a mission to find out all I could about advertising, and to stay "in the know" about current happenings. I read AdAge articles every day, follow interesting people on twitter, and constantly search for relevant blogs.

I'm stoked to say that I am no longer doing "research" about this industry as a part of a job hunt; It has become an interest and a way of life. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is check my blackberry for the latest AdAge Daily e-mail...that is, if it doesn't wake me up at 5:30, when it arrives in my inbox. Sometimes I check the e-mails in my sleep, and remember what I read later in the day. Next, I brush my teeth, before checking Twitter. I catch up with all my favorite twatters including Christopher Walken, Huffington Post and Alex Bogusky. This is just the beginning of my day, I haven't even told you what happens after I blow dry my hair.

So, I had a dream about Lee Clow. It was Thanksgiving, and my entire family was at an uncle's house in L.A. (I've only been there to a handful of times). Lee was sitting between me and my dad, I guess he was a friend of that side of the family. I remember reacting like a fan when I first saw him, or kinda how I acted when I saw Steven Tyler in the mall wearing a Planet Hollywood jacket when I was 10. My eyes lit up and I suddenly had nothing of importance to say. Once I got passed it, I remember talking about the different Thanksgiving meal side options at the table. We discussed the turkey, and if it had ever had a story to tell (we assumed it did). We talked for a while, and the dream ended with a new friend. It's my dream, so I can have really cool friend if I want.

In high school, my Spanish teacher once told me that you never really know the language until you have a dream in Spanish. That never happened, and consequently, I was never that great at Spanish, just something to think about.

This reminds me of a conversation in Garden State between Natalie Portman and Zach Braff:

Sam (Portman): You're in it right now, aren't you?
Andrew Largeman (Braff): What?
Sam (Portman): My mom always says that, when she can see I'm like working something out in my head, she's like, 'you're in it right now' and I'm looking at you're telling this story, and you're definitely in it.

Glad to be in it.

Don't get lost in the sauce, Come pop bottles with the boss!

2009-04-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

I still haven't seen Sideways, and it doesn't really interest me, but I am fascinated by wine country. I've only been a handful of times, but there's definitely a different culture in Santa Ynez, one you can only sip, from a small, portion controlled glass.

Here's a poster I made for the Quail Hill Vineyard. How cool would it be to have your own vineyard? One of our agent's actually does have his own, and he brings us bottles labeled with his name for holidays, pretty cool. Despite the size of the photo on this page, the poster is actually 4 ft x 4 ft, and it will be curbside in wine country.

There are some tasting rooms across the street from my house, but it's not the same. I still have yet to step on the grapes, or fall like this reporter, but that's next on my list.

Art & Copy @ The Santa Barbara Film Festival

2009-04-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

A few months back, during the chaos of the Santa Barbara Film Festival, I happened to catch a great peak into the world of advertising from those who know it best.

Art & Copy stood out quickly among hundreds of small & large films, including a good number of documentaries. This film was particularly of interest to me because not only did it capture interviews with advertising's most influential folks, but it also took a tour through their agencies. While the movie didn't thoroughly explore the development of the ground-breaking campaigns it featured, it did show how the agency's environment influences creative thought.

Lee Clow, among other innovators, was interviewed about his TV Spot for Apple (Why 1984 won't be like "1984").

I'm glad I was about to catch a new perspective, coming from a filmmaker with a clear appreciation for the art of advertising. I would have liked to have seen more interviews about the future of advertising, but I did appreciate the recognition of the peeps who made this industry what it is today.

This American Life Live!

2009-04-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

I'm an avid This American Life follower, so naturally when I found out about this I was pretty damn excited. They will be showing a filmed version of a typical broadcast in theaters across America. Although $20 seems a little high to see something resembling a movie, I'm definitely down. If you haven't check out this Podcast yet, you're definitely missing out!

My favorite episode thus far has been the one from last Christmas, about the dueling Santas.

This sort of live-movie deal makes me think of my grandma. She goes to a movie theater in San Diego every other week to watch a live opera broadcasting live from NYC. She's attempted to peer pressure me into these a few times, but it never happens.

This is funny for three reasons:
1. They show the operas around 8 or 9AM, because they're live, on the East Coast.
2. The shows are between three and four hours, starting that early in the morning.
3. The tickets are at least $30 or $40 usually, which seems quite ridiculous.

I'm not sure I can think of I would want to do less, on a Saturday morning.

Real E$tate

2009-04-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a few side projects at work to keep myself busy and shake up the daily routine. Here's a e-mail spot I did a few weeks ago for an agent who just sold a ridiculously expensive home.

In case you're wondering, it sold for $8,250,000.

She happens to be one of my favorite people in the office, so I'm glad this deal closed!

Here's a small print I did as part of a larger handout for potential investors in ClickN Kids, an on-line learning company. The idea was to show the VC all of the exposure the company will have.

Big Red Idea

2009-04-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

A coworker recently introduced me to her step-daughter's business, Big Red Sun.

Based out of Austin, TX, with a local store in Venice, it's basically landscape design art. They do everything from gardens and pools to less-practical/even more-amazing living art.

Just thought ya'll might enjoy this.

On an almost-as-exciting note, Banjo gave me clay sand. Basically, it's blue, moldable, and supposedly never dries....
ah-mazing.

Seth MacFarlane FTW

2009-04-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

I will say that I am thoroughly impressed with Crispin Porter + Bogusky's ad campaign for Hulu, but who could go wrong with Seth MacFarlane and Alec Baldwin?

In case you missed it, here's the spot.

At work this morning, I found myself listening to an old podcast with Adam Carolla interviewing MacFarlane (Carolla runs a daily podcast as a result of the sad end of 97.1 FM, Los Angeles-based). Carolla and MacFarlane spent their broadcasted hours complimenting each other in a discussion over who's more brilliant. Being one of Family Guy's most public supporters from the beginning, Carolla has a long work-romance with MacFarlane. Together, two of the funniest peeps in the media.

And I'll leave you with a Family Guy quote relating to the start of my blog:

Bruce (As a Tetris piece): "I know I don't fit here but I'm going to settle on in."