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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Looking for a fun way to kill a Sunday? Try orchestrating a hot air balloon launch in the coolest new park in town. Oh and shoot basketballs out of it. That’s what the Big team did a few weeks back in conjunction with The Legendary Shots and one of our favorite clients, The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. We’re always trying to find a different way to showcase the great attractions this city has to offer and The Legendary Shots were already doing the same thing. It was a natural pairing that so far has resulted in a lot of fun. Check it out on YouTube >.
Big Communications won two best of show citations and four of the major individual talent recognitions Thursday night at the 53rd ADDY Awards, the annual celebration and creative competition of the Birmingham advertising industry.
Ad agency Big was selected by a national panel of experts as “Best of Show Overall” for its campaign on behalf of 2nd & Charles, the chain of stores specializing in used books, movies and other media formats developed by Birmingham retailer Books-A-Million Inc. Big was also cited as “Best of Show” for television ads produced on behalf of the Alabama construction industry, which is trying to recruit new workers. The agency’s creative talent also bagged four of the industry’s marquee citations for individual achievement. John Montgomery, president of Big Communications, said it was his agency’s goal for 2010 to improve the quality of its television advertising. He said the Best of Show award for that category proves that they did.