Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

Tonight, Capstrat clients were up for awards at the Triangle Addy Awards and the national PRWeek Awards. I, along with a gang of co-workers went to the Addys at the new Durham Performing Arts Center while Ken represented us in New York at Tavern on the Green with several hundred random PR people. Who do you think got the better assignment?

Here are my personal highs and lows from tonight's industry awards doubleheader.

The high's

First highlight was seeing long-time colleague and veteran copywriter Mindy Lance attend her first Addy Awards ceremony. She's won many awards over her career and this year she took home the gold for a Siemens Medical promotion.

Then there was the irony of winning a Best of Show Addy, innovative media for our Duke Energy carbon offset guerilla marketing campaign that some would call public relations. This was especially sweet after the event's opening video poked fun at Capstrat questioning whether it's really an ad agency. It looks like defying traditional agency labels gets results and wins awards.

I loved seeing all of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund Tobacco. Reality. Unfiltered. television spots win. Was it just me or was their a hush over the audience when the Reena testimonial aired?

And, I had to laugh when Lindsey Bennett and Anna Adlard, co-workers and Addy committee members rushed us into the auditorium, saying the event had a "hard stop." Lindsey and Anna would be the folks starting the orchestra music when presenters go on too long at the Academy Awards.

The low's

It was impossible to escape the economic challenges facing our industry, particularly seeing several good folks from RBW who are "in transition" following the agency declaring bankruptcy. I appreciate their spirit in celebrating their work that won.

Then, there was the mild disappointment when the Tobacco. Reality. Unfiltered. campaign lost out for PRWeek's best public sector campaign to a campaign for the FDIC. The truth is it's an honor for TRU to be one of the top five campaigns in the country. If I've learned anything about awards it's that the judges often favor current topics. I guess convincing 34,000 Tobacco Road teens not to smoke doesn't compare these days with deposit insurance. But hey, I'm not bitter.

So those are my highs and lows. Now for the credits. A big thanks to all the folks at Capstrat who helped with the Ad Club and Addy Awards this year -- Lindsey Bennett, Elizabeth Hipps, Anna Adlard and Melissa Ilardi. And, I would be remiss if I did not give props to former Capstrat colleague Billy Warden who emceed the Addys. It's a tough job and he did it well.

As I drove home I found myself reflecting on how Capstrat fared. The Addys are pretty meaningless since results are not considered in the judging, but I can't help but compare us to other agencies.

Here's where I net out. There were agencies with more highly-produced work and agencies that scored a lot of wins in a single category or for one campaign. But what struck me about Capstrat is that no agency matches our range of work. We won for a public service television campaign, B2B sales promotion, consumer guerilla marketing, interactive Web promotion, an air quality static cling and a public health presentation.

I often say that Capstrat is "best all around" and I think these awards proved me right.

Note: Karen wasn't counting, so she didn't realize that Capstrat took home nine awards in the 2008 Addy Awards, more than any other agency.

The Triangle AMA host lunches once a month that vary in topic, but most times if you work in this industry they provide information for your job in one way or another. This month was about data, not something I deal with often, but the core messages drove home for all areas of presentation giving. Susan Moore, who has published, "Wake Me Up When the Data is Over", and Elissa Fink the Senior Vice President of Tableau Software both presented. It was clear they had a lot of experience with the benefits of turning data on its head, and even the presentation glaze.

Data can help clients, both internally and externally, find the true goal of an initiative. However, sometimes people won't remember a number, but they do remember a story. You paint the whole picture, show someone the future, create order and help them interact with a simple anecdote or a metaphor. You can use 90 seconds of words instead of 50 slides of boring, and avoid the presentation glaze.

But how do you take a list full of numbers and turn into a story that everyone will remember?

1. Be Authentic - relate it to a personal story
2. Be visual -use a picture that will stick with the group or even humor
3. Make it easy - don't create a chart that isn't readable, that is worse that bullet points
   
4. Invite discussion - if your audience can relate to the subject, then the information has stuck. Open up the conversation after the presentation on a blog, intranet or discussion board
   
5. Make it interactive

They had some parting advice about how to implement this concept in a data driven company, give attendees a heads up. Don't have them come into the monthly meeting and be surprised by the new format. However, let them leave remembering the guiding point, but still give them the old version of content as well, but maybe as a supplement piece.

They also suggested looking to the film industry for inspiration in telling stories. If you are able to read a book about film technique or even take a class it can help in establishing the flow and pieces that are essential to a story, to spite the audience or format.

Additional resources include:

• National Storytelling Network
• Perceptual Edge
• Presentation Zen

I think the most applicable use of this information in my industry, Web, is to use this concept in any presentation. Find the guiding point and create a story. It could be used simply in presenting a problem, user type or even presenting site analytics.

Capstrat recently hosted Triangle Tweetup 2.0, a gathering of Triangle residents who use the popular social networking service, Twitter.  Twitter is a service that allows users to stay in contact with one another by sending short answers to the question, "What are you doing?"

Nearly seventy people attended the event and highlights included a demo of the video conversation network, Seesmic (http://www.seesmic.com ), a demo of Twitter Movie Reviews (http://jazzychad.com/twitter/movies ), and a happy hour at Capstrat's media bar.

Here's a photo of the assembly, but there's many more available on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/triangletweetup).

The 2008 Triangle Area Addy Awards were last Friday night and there was something for everyone. Video, interactive, print, branding, advertising and PR people all had opportunities to walk up and grab some crystal awards. And the food was good too.

But to me the best part about the Addys is that you simultaneously participate as an individual, as a company, and as part of the larger creative community. People cheer because they themselves, or their company, or their friends in the larger design community get props for doing good work.

All that love brings a richness to the community. Add to that an open beer and wine bar and you get a fun evening to remember.

PS. McKinney, the areas largest firm didn't participate. While they might feel like they are beyond local competition, they are missing out on an opportuniuty to have fun and connect with their peers. Too bad for them.

Read about the awards in the News and Observer.

I had lots of fun at the 2008 Triangle Area Addy Awards in Durham last Friday night. Thanks to all the people that worked to make it a success. But I'd like to offer up some comments to the Ad Club for the 2009 show.

Make it shorter. Three hours is just too long. By the end people were getting bored. And it's not fair to the award winners at the end to have a bored, tired audience.

Give fewer prizes. Limit the number of golds and silvers that you give out. It'll heighten the meaning of each award and make it shorter at the same time.

Limit the number of times that you can enter one project. It's not fun to see the same company win five awards for the same project.