The Shark Awards’ Post

 I saw an ad for 805 Brewing Company that caught my attention. It’s more of a music video than a product commercial, featuring Jade Jackson covering Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.” It resonated with me because: 1) I love classic song covers. 2) At Freeform, we did a cover of "This Land Is Your Land" with Milck for the series “Motherland: Fort Salem.” The show reimagined the Salem Witch Trials with witches as the USA's military, examining nationalism, gender roles, and patriotism. Here's the Motherland: Fort Salem version: https://lnkd.in/gBtemmSS Guthrie’s song challenges the idea that some people are more entitled to the land than others, calling for a compassionate and inclusive America. Its dual nature as both a patriotic and protest song made it perfect for a show that questioned duty, honor, and patriotism. 805 Brewing Company's ad is an emotional homage to America, promising that a good beer can bring people together. It’s a lovely sentiment, demonstrating the power of a brand message over a transactional product ad. This ad by 805 Brewing is a gift to the consumer, designed to evoke community and togetherness. For “Motherland: Fort Salem,” we created a rendition that was both eerie and poignant, complemented by imagery of an alternative America grappling with terrorism and political struggles through powerful witches. The power of a song to connect with an audience is immense, especially when reimagined. Both commercials use “This Land Is Your Land” to show that our past still informs our present. Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Guthrie’s song, written during the Depression, resonates today in our divided society. In advertising, sometimes we need to recontextualize emotional stories from the past to create connections. Reframing this song brings people together and highlights the complexity of patriotism and power, making an emotional connection in different ways. At Pith and Pixie Dust, one segment of our business focuses on renovating classic brands and creating cultural relevance for emerging ones. Kudos to 805 for exemplifying Mark Twain’s wisdom in their ad.

The marriage between video and audio is often underestimated. As content creators, we understand the profound impact of each element on our audience's experience. Today, I'm excited to share a unique experiment I've conducted, highlighting the pivotal role of symmetry between video and audio. I've combined the haunting audio from the trailer of Midsommar with the vibrant visuals from Disney's Frozen. At first glance, this combination may seem mismatched, yet it unveils a powerful truth: the synergy between video and audio can redefine narratives and evoke diverse emotions. https://lnkd.in/gUvhizKd

Behind the curtain (TLDR). This was our process for the Richardson Sports video: - Client briefed us on the idea, Quality in Every Stitch v2 - We concept Hat Valley with the RS team, crafted up a loose storyline and interview questions and started preproduction: gear, locations, lodging, snacks, shot list, snacks, all the things. - Meanwhile we started putting together a playlist of vibe inspiration for the music creation, discussing with RS team - heaps of vibe alignment. Discussion of guitar tones, and musical eras and favorite artists and why it works. It’s the best.  - Production in Eugene for 2 days: 4 interviews, b roll of many many locations, snacks and about 30 soda waters (just me) and some waffles. - Back to Portland where we then track the songs. Monday morning at 9 am and you’re tracking music professionally, you have a “this is my job now” moment and get back to work. Four 2 minute songs in 4 hours and then home with Tommy to mix.  - Video editing and art / design prep along with photo selects and color grading are next. Lots of revisions, nothing that sexy in this phase but it’s also everything. F**k this up and you lose.  - Edit rounds galore, client feedback. First one is always scary, because there’s always so much feedback. It’s the moment you realize how different the vision in your head is from the vision in their head - and then the process of aligning those visions or creating a better more singular vision (the goal, and outcome of this video - I think).  - Final color graded video is delivered, along with multiple vertical and horizontal short cut “teaser” videos. We pride ourselves on the borderline obscene amount of content we deliver. We also hand over youtube thumbnail, selects and really whatever else is requested.  - Delivery to the masses, along with the moment of complete exhilaration at finishing a big project. Also, the inevitable crash and panic of now what - until you look at your todo list and realize it will be fine. Credits: Tommy Hazerian: Music production, overall production and logistics Jeff Hammond: Videography and Lighting Benj Zeller: Art Direction Nick Arneson: Creative Direction, Music Production, Snacks If you've made it this far, let's hang out. Shoutout Jarod Courtney Sarah W Jeff Hammond Benj Zeller Tommy Hazerian Hop Valley Brewing Company Richardson Sports Emily Stutzman

Stay relevant and connected with clients during the dog days of summer with these communication idea-starters: https://bit.ly/466Pca3 #insurancemarketingtips #clientengagement #summersalesslump #sellingtactics #directmarketing

The City of Miami Beach absolutely crushed it with their new Spring Break Campaign with Creative that actually works! The reason why this ad is so powerful is the way it was executed - 1️⃣ Who is the Audience? Contrary to what your first instinct might be, the ad is tailored for Residents not for the Spring Breakers It re-assures locals that the City of Miami Beach will be imposing curfews, bag checks, restricted beach access, DUI check points, and surge parking pricing to reduce the risk of Spring Break mayhem 2️⃣ What is the Offer or Promise? The City of Miami Beach is 'breaking up' with Spring Breakers Showing it has heard the concerns from residents and is taking enhanced serious protocols like Stronger Police Enforcement for drugs and violence All in the hopes of keeping the City safe, and discouraging future Spring Break travel due to the strict enforcement 3️⃣ What is the Call to Action? Simple, visit miamibeachfl(dot)gov/breakup to view all Spring Break Safety Measures The landing page features clearly the High Impact Measure that will be in effect the entire month of March so Residents are aware of what actions the City is taking, and how to avoid and plan accordingly Kudos to the City of Miami Beach ... and as a Local Miami Resident: sorry, we're all breaking up with Spring Break! PS. Link to the 'Breakup' Landing Page is shared in the comment section below - #marketing #advertising #creative #creativestrategy

What drives you? One of my supposed-to-be most embarrassing professional moments keeps me going today. In 2019, I was pitching an unusual PR stunt to media – my dryer vent cleaning + maintenance client was attempting to compile the largest ball of lint, then to be set on fire to illustrate its danger in homes. Odd? Yep. Out of the ordinary? Yep. Newsworthy, too? I thought so. The attempt was hopefully going to be a Guinness World Record, and a licensed adjudicator agreed to attend. I pitched dozens of reporters across all mediums leading up to the big day (TV, radio, written). One national reporter took exception to my pitch, and she let that be known. She politely passed via email reply to me, and then on a big radio program – she laughed at the pitch’s merit, naming me, my client and the laughable pitch idea. Related (I thought) she wrote about strange successes, weird stories and funny businesses. A big ball of lint seemed in this vein, at least to me. I first learned about my new radio spotlight when I came into work the morning after it aired, as us PR folks track mentions of clients + such across media. Believe it or not, I saved the audio clip. I sent it to my boss. It motivated me. In the coming days, I kept pitching the ball of lint. And it hit – really well. It was discussed on CNN, written about on CBS, Yahoo, MSN; ball-of-lint TV segments syndicated across more than 200 local channels. It was so successful that (after the fact) Guinness asked if they could showcase the media results as a case study for future businesses considering record attempts. Here that is below, and needless to say, the record was broken:   https://lnkd.in/dTScvJ8N

LOVING THIS (NOT HATING IT) Loving this latest little outing by adam&eveDDB for Marmite (Unilever) https://lnkd.in/ed9VFbPy Just goes to show that if you find the right creative platfrom them it can remain fertile forever and a day. No need to keep changing it every five minutes in the name of creativity. Just like with Specsavers: keep the core thought, execute it 101 ways) Simple platform thought. Great creative executional idea. Well shot. Confident. Funny. It was also interesting to me (thinking about other smaller brands) because it would be quite possible to execute a thought like this without spending the earth as it is simply based on good strategy & simple production. Nothing more to say on that really. Reminded me of that Ernest Rutherford quote: "We haven't got the money, so we'll have to think" #creative #creativity #marmite #ideas #agencies #clients #marketing #advertising #agencyvoices

The Marmite effect - In 96/97 Marmite launched the "Love it or Hate it" Campaign. https://lnkd.in/gtCJH8BQ Better for a brand to be polarizing than ignore it. I am looking at this from a different angle - I am Marmite - You love me  You hate me, yet you are intrigued by this flavor of personality & skill set, just not sure You hate me - and that is fine. Marmite isn't for everyone, not every person will resonate with your style, and that's okay. What matters is finding those who appreciate what you bring to the table. Keep being true to yourself and your values, and you'll attract the right people who value your authenticity and skills. Who knows, I may in the future convince more of you how wonderful Marmite is. 

I surprised my wife, Viviana. Check out this Mother's Day treat—a stay at a water park resort near Austin, TX, making unforgettable memories 💖 How did you celebrate Mother's Day last weekend? Share your special moments below! 👇🏽 #StrictlyPlumbers #MothersDay #TonyGeeStrictlyPlumbers #plumber #plumbing #plumbers #PlumbingContractor #MarketingForPlumbers #TonyGee #PlumberSEO #PlumberMarketing #PlumberAdvertising #PlumbingAdvertising #Plumberlife #plumbingbusinessowner

The Free Smart Tarp Totes w/purchase ends tonight at 11;59pm. There will not be another giveaway this season. Kellie and I appreciate you all, and look forward to serving you season after season. As always, if you have questions, call 816-616-2487 or go to TarpSmarter.com #SmartTarp #RoofingContractorEssentials #CustomPrintedTarp #InnovativeRoofingSolutions #BrandedTarpRevolution