We’re very excited about the new spots that we just finished up for Schaeffer Eye Center. Check out the article that appeared today in the business section of The Birmingham News on al.com.
Read the full article.
Addys 2012: John Montgomery wins Silver Medal from AAF Birmingham
The Birmingham Chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) recognized Big Communications President John Montgomery with a Silver Medal Award at the 54thannual Birmingham ADDY Awards gala. The Silver Medal Award Program was established in 1959 to recognize men and women who have made outstanding contributions to advertising and who have been active in furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern.
“John’s personal passion and mantra for ‘making a difference while making a living’ continually propels our agency forward,” says Ford Wiles, Chief Creative Officer of Big Communications. “It is this simple philosophy that John brings to work every day that not only helps the company grow but it also leads to a lasting, powerful and ever- present-effect on the city and community around us.”
John started his career as a teenager, working as a promotions intern for the Birmingham Bulls. He founded Big in 1995 armed with nothing but a laptop, a loft and a giant cell phone. While the irony of the name was not lost on his first clients, John’s well-beyond-his-years experience in public relations, media and event promotions delivered against it, with an invaluable combination of headline-grabbing tactics, great relationship building and media targeting smarts.
In 17 short years, John has grown Big from a one-man PR circus to one of the hottest shops in Alabama. Though Big’s client roster now includes leading brands across the state and region, John has made sure that the agency proudly maintains its commitment to being a local firm first.
Big’s Chief Branding Officer Mark Ervin says “John is officially Birmingham’s biggest fan and actively pursues opportunities to make our city a better place to live and work. He loves this community and is proud of the potential, the progress and the collective creativity of Birmingham.”
John’s commitment to the community is visible through projects such as the popular Birmingham Convention and Visitor’s Bureau “IN” campaign, The Birmingham Business Alliance Blueprint Birmingham rollout and the reinvigoration of The Birmingham News brand. Regional efforts include the Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute’s Go Build campaign as well as Serve the Gulf, a pro-bono effort launched by John to counteract misinformed perceptions after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Robin Oliver, Big’s Vice President of Public Relations, says “John Montgomery is one of the most creative entrepreneurs in this field and quite possibly the brightest PR mind in our state. He’s a compassionate employer who puts the welfare of family and friends well ahead of profit and gain. We are grateful for the advertising community’s public recognition of John’s commitment to excellence.”
Big Communications also took home seven awards for its 2011 work at the ADDY Awards, held Thursday, January 2 at The Club. Big’s awards included:
Silver – Entertainment District Brochure, Bayer Properties Silver – Website, Big Communications Silver – Birmingham Airport Display, Birmingham Airport Authority Silver – Consumer or Trade Publication, Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau
Gold – EspresShip Sales Video, Royal Cup Coffee Gold – Shuttlesworth Service Brochure, Shuttlesworth Foundation Silver – The Civil Wars Poster, Standard Deluxe Silver – ‘This Is Our Story’ Musical Score, The Birmingham News Silver – Birmingham Magazine Campaign, The Birmingham News
In The News
Every profession has its day in the sun. Accountants have April 15. Doctors have flu season. Journalists have election years. But for all of us in the ad business, the Super Bowl is the one time of year that people stop what they’re doing and really look forward to the work our industry tirelessly produces.
So to comment on these greatest of seasons for us ad folks, our very own Chief Brand Officer, Mark Ervin, wrote a column in today’s Birmingham News. Read the full article here at al.com.
Want a Job?
Well, we’re hiring! Our media department is looking for a little help. If you think you’ve got what it takes, shoot your resume to rachael@bigcom.com and tell us about it.
Overview:
The Assistant Media Buyer will assist buyers with the preparation, maintenance and follow through involved in negotiating and buying all forms of media.
Responsibilities:
• Gather statistics, media kit information and assist Media Buyers in preparing media plans.
• Assist Media Buyers in researching, managing and maintaining media buys and advertising plans.
• Maintain relationships with media vendors.
• Coordinate ad trafficking.
• Assist in inputting buys and pulling system reports.
• Assists in buying/allocation process.
• Assisting in tracking of buys.
• Checks contracts and helps to resolve billing discrepancies.
• Provide Administrative support as necessary.
Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in related field.
• Previous experience in Media buying.
• Experience with Strata software preferred.
• Extremely thorough, analytical and detail focused.
• Strong multi-tasking skills with ability to manage multiple projects and deliver plans in a short time period.
• Strong mathematical skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office Suite programs.
2011, it’s been real
As the calendar page flips to January once again, it’s time to sit back, take a deep breath and realize all we have to be thankful for in 2011. Around the halls of Big, this year was what some might term a “hum-dinger.” It was a year of incredible growth, progress, awards and expansion, and one that we are deeply thankful for. So, let’s roll down a list of some the highlights.
Not only did we add a new baby to the family, Hans August Montgomery, we also were blessed enough to add 7 new people to the roster: Jordan Sowards, Julie Ward, Shaydah Rabiee, Brittany Sanders, John Perry, Ryan Brown, and Niki Lim. And to bear all of that growth, we were able to take over the rest of our building and add 9 new offices in the new wing.
In order for us to add all those people, we had to be out hunting for new clients. And in 2011, we were fortunate enough to both keep our old friends happy and find some new ones along the way. By adding clients ranging from higher education and healthcare to aviation and publications, we expanded our reach throughout the state of Alabama and across the Southeast.
And then there’s the hardware. The 2010 Addy’s were the biggest in Big’s 16 year history. Not only did we rack up Illustrator, Designer, Copywriter and Creative Director of the year, our Go Build Alabama campaign garnered the Best of Show award. In total, we hauled in 32 Awards, by far the most of any agency that entered. For us, this wasn’t simply a feather in our cap, it was a testament to our clients who allow us to do great work on their behalf.
All that aside, we realize that there are two key components that allowed us to have such a great year: clients of vision and people of passion. Every day when we show up for work, we realize that our jobs and our work are predicated on the trust that our clients have in the people we are – that apart from their insight and their investment in our ideas, our work goes no where. Through the relationships we’ve developed with them over time, they see our passion, our tenacity and our potential to help their businesses. And for that, we are truly thankful.
So, here’s to an outstanding 2012. May it be filled with happy old friends, excited new friends and the thrilling potential of working with the best people on earth.
VOTE ‘HAM
Birmingham was recently given a distinct honor from Southern Living by being named one of the top 10 Tastiest Towns in the South. The list is a who’s who of culinary excellence around the region, from Charleston to New Orleans to Houston. And while many other cities can claim their own unique cuisine, no one else can claim that their town is the birthplace of the Southern Gourmet movement. We, however, can.
So, for all of our friends in and around the great State of Alabama, we humbly ask you to do one, simple thing: cast your vote in favor of the Magic City. Share this link with everyone you know and make sure you vote every day until January 31, 2012.
24 Lytle Monkeys
Around here, we love art – especially the kind that’s inventive, smart and culturally on point. One of our favorite local artists is a fascinating painter by the name of John Lytle Wilson. He’s known for a lot of things, namely painting terrorizing robots into seemingly pastoral settings you’d normally find on the wall at MeeMaw’s house. And when he’s not using robots, he’s probably using monkeys running amok with modern technology. Call it a commentary on the cosmic progression of humanity or the ultimate blend of smart, precise and brilliantly colorful art, we call it outstanding.
So a couple months back, Big commissioned a piece of art for our new office expansion. The creative direction was pretty rough: something that incorporated orange monkeys, robots and the Big Boy. Other than that, the sky was the limit. What John came back with was a perfect adaptation of who we are. And by sheer chance, he painted 24 orange monkeys – the exact number of employees we have a Big. In fact, we’ve gone through the painting and assigned people to each individual monkey. See if you can figure it our for yourself.
Shrimp & Gifts
Our friends in the seafood industry of Alabama have had more than their fair share of heartache, obstacles and adversity in recent years. And to overcome that, we can think of no better gift than The History Channel’s epic new series, Big Shrimpin’.
We were also thrilled to be able to get our “Serve The Gulf” brand integrated into the show. One of the boats on the show is the Miss Barbara, and that particular boat’s captain is one Jeremy “Bullfrog” Schjott. Bullfrog was kind enough to sport a Serve The Gulf T-shirt in every single episode in the first season.
Big and New
Today is Halloween – without question the most orange holiday of the year. So we figured, today was probably the best day of all for us to launch our new website.
It’s been something we’ve labored over for several months now, because when you exhaust your creative and strategic energies on behalf of your clients every day, it gets way harder to do it for yourself. It’s the ultimate expression of that old adage: the cobbler’s kids have no shoes. But fortunately, we finally got our cobbler to work, and this time, he cranked out the most modern pair of shoes he’s ever built.
What is branding & how do I do it?
This is a presentation that Mark Ervin, our chief brand officer, recently gave to the 2011 Birmingham Ad Expo, presented by the AAF Birmingham. The event was designed to help small businesses better understand their customers, their online presence and their overall brands.