We’ve been on a roll with new clients here at C+F. On Wednesday we launched our latest creative work for our newest client West Marine. The campaign will initially roll out in three markets and consists of outdoor, online and radio. Read the press release and check out a few creative samples here.
I often hear, “Creative isn’t a department, it’s a way of thinking.” I agree that CREATIVITY isn’t owned by one group at C+F, but we definitely have a CREATIVE department. I’m eager to talk about it.
For 15 years I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Jim as Creative Director. It’s been a great run. However, we knew there would come a time for Jim to turn over the Creative Director reins. The question had always been, “Who?”
Meet Mike Hayward.
What a great choice. What I admire most about Mike is his expansive and innovative thinking. From the Seattle Mariners’ Larry Bernandez, REI’s creatively and measurably successful “Out is In,” Seattle Aquarium’s Edwin the Otter eBook, Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau’s 2 Days in Seattle campaign, and LifeWise’s Boringly Good, Mike has helped our clients’ businesses grow through these big idea campaigns. And, he’s been recognized along the way through the Mercury Award, National Addy, Communication Arts, One Show, OBIE, and AdWeek.
Happily, Jim is still involved.
As Executive Creative Director, we have the opportunity to work with Jim more closely in strategic planning for our clients. Having Jim and Mike leading our creative product is, for us, a dream (creative) team.
Mike is putting together a stellar Creative Department.
Kathleen Grebe is our new ACD/Design Director from Publicis, Adidas and Yankelovich. At Publicis, she worked primarily on T-Mobile and the T-Mobile partnership with the NBA. She’s an obvious talent with great style.
Andy Corbett joins us from Goodby Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. He produced award winning work for the NBA, Adobe and other high-profile brands. Prior to that, Andy was at AKQA and the Hauser Group. His NBA work is worth viewing and his laid-back demeanor is a welcome respite.
Sitha Ngy comes to C+F with a wealth of experience from global agencies: Fallon, Crispin Porter+Bogusky and Publicis. He’s earned high accolades for campaigns promoting T-Mobile and American Express. His design talent, conceptual skills, and sense of humor are having a significant impact on all of us (for the good, of course).
We’re inspired by Mike’s leadership. We’re energized by Jim’s continued involvement. The excitement to come will be seeing what this Creative Department will create. I’m looking forward to it.
Felix Hernandez wins the 2010 AL Cy Young. They got it right.
With a 2010 ERA of 2.27, 232 strikeouts, and a league-leading 249 2/3rd
innings pitched, Felix left an impression on hitters, fans and reporters
alike. Even more impressive, he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.
So congratulations to Felix Hernandez on a well-deserved Cy Young Award.
Turns out the baseball writers see him the same way we do.
Dave Niehaus was the voice of the Seattle Mariners since the team’s inception in 1977. He broadcast more than 5,000 games over the course of 34 seasons. His rich baritone, great storytelling ability and infectious love of baseball made him the most beloved personality in the team’s history. He died suddenly on November 10th of a heart attack.
The outpouring of love and affection for him is remarkable. On call-in shows and online, ordinary fans are paying eloquent tributes to the Northwest’s “voice of summer.” It makes you believe in Walt Whitman’s assertion that there is poetry in each of us. We all felt we knew Dave. The leisurely pace of baseball and the long, slowly unfolding season leaves ample time for chat and storytelling in baseball broadcast booths. We develop deep connections with radio play-by-play announcers like Vin Scully, Mel Allen and their fellow Hall of Famer, Dave Niehaus.
I knew Dave Niehaus as a fan through the radio. I was also fortunate enough to know Dave personally and professionally. As the long-time agency for the Mariners, we frequently worked with Dave. One of the joys of my career was to write TV and radio scripts for his voice, trying to capture the lyrical magic of baseball. The video below is a commercial the Mariners have run in anticipation of Opening Day each year, welcoming back baseball.
We’ve made a slight edit, and we offer it up as a tribute to Dave. It was an honor to have worked with him. He was a great talent and a delightful human being. Enjoy his voice, one more time.
C+F’s new Symetra Financial work featuring Fred Willard made Adweek’s Ad of the Day today.
“Interspersed with Willard’s words of wisdom are onscreen supers that note retirement milestones, like the fact that you can start withdrawing from retirement accounts penalty-free at age 59 and a half. None of the information imparted by the onscreen type is earthshaking or in any way exclusive to Symetra. But in tandem with Willard’s amiable presence, it has the effect of giving viewers a feel for the temperament of a company they may be wholly unfamiliar with. Even Willard’s old Jerry Hubbard character probably wouldn’t invest his life savings with Symetra solely on the basis of a video like this, but it does an agreeable job of introducing the company and making viewers curious to learn more.”
Check out the full writeup at http://www.adweek.com. Check out the work at dontfear65.com.
Jan Edmondson 4:51 pm on November 13, 2010 Permalink
Bravo Jim. Beautifully done.