Our friends at [P2] talking with LIGHTFAIR attendees

This week, most of the office has been in Las Vegas for LIGHTFAIR® International, the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference.

You may not have heard of LIGHTFAIR, but in the lighting industry, it’s a really big deal. There are approximately 475 exhibitor booths, all showing off the latest and greatest lighting products and the technology behind those products.

So, what are we doing at LIGHTFAIR? Supporting two of our favorite clients (and friends), Precision-Paragon [P2] and NALMCO. [P2] is an energy-efficient lighting manufacturer and NALMCO is a trade association for lighting management companies.

To help both clients get ready for the big event, we had to begin work months ago. We created new tradeshow graphics and materials for both companies. Then, we created ads encouraging people to visit the companies’ booths. We also redesigned LM&M, NALMCO’s trade publication, in time to pass out to LIGHTFAIR attendees. 

After all that effort, we just had to come to Vegas and see our work in action. It’s been a great trip – both companies have gotten a lot of traffic to their booths.

We’re glad [P2] and NALMCO did so well at LIGHTFAIR. They’re great companies with great people. We’re just happy we get to help promote them.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been in the studio shooting bright colored helmets, gear and clothing – all made by one company, Troy Lee Designs (TLD). The Troy Lee 2013 catalog is on the horizon and we’re doing all the photography for it.

TLD Model Jamie takes a break to ride motorcycles with us.

Working with Troy Lee definitely has its perks. The company’s designs are world-famous – some of the biggest racers wear Troy Lee, and we’ve gotten to meet a lot of them, including Cam Zink, Cole Seely and Christian Craig.

When we’re not taking pics of the pros, we get to take pics of models. C’mon, who doesn’t want to hang out with models, especially athletic Troy Lee models? They’re just so darn good looking, you can’t help but like them.

When a professional model can’t make it, we get to step in. Both Carl and Mustafa have posed for Troy Lee. Of course, Carl’s full body shots look great but even we have to admit Mustafa’s hands look pretty sexy in Troy Lee gloves.

Then, there’s the products. We get to see TLD’s new line of helmets and gear before anyone else. And, we get a sweet discount on all the merchandise at the TLD store.

We couldn’t ask for a better client than Troy Lee. Not only do we share their passion for bikes and innovative design, we also appreciate their love for Chipotle and late-night poker games. We’re just happy they like working with us too.

If waiting for the catalog seems to much to bear, check out TLD’s 2012 products now.

Part of Dea’s Get Well Card

If you know our creative director, Dea Goldsmith, you’re probably aware she’s a bit of a bad-ass. The story we’re about to tell provides solid gold proof.

Now, Dea loves being outdoors. When she’s not at the agency, she can usually be found biking, running, hiking and climbing. And, we have to admit, she’s pretty good at all of them.

Two Saturdays ago, she and her husband, Mark, went out for a climb, something they do most weekends. Things were going really well; it was a beautiful day, sunny, not too hot. Then, while trying to find the next foot hold, Dea fell 10 ft., and broke her right ankle on a rock jutting out from the mountain.

So, there Dea is, out in the middle of nowhere, with a double compound fracture. We should also mention her ankle bone shattered.

Mark calls for help, but they’re in the mountains so their exact location is hard to find. After two hours, a helicopter finds them and not one, but two female search and rescue pilots (come on, how often does that happen?) create a splint for Dea’s ankle made from tree branches and tape. Knowing Dea will appreciate how cool this is later, Mark takes pictures of the splint. By the time they get Dea into the chopper, another hour has passed.

They finally get her to Kaiser Permanente in Fontana. By Monday morning, she’s already had one surgery and is waiting on another one. The first surgery put the bone back in place, the second scrubbed the bone in order to remove any bacteria and bone fragments.

Since Dea was in the hospital, we all put our creative caps on for a get well gift. After brainstorming quite a bit, we decided to replicate the accident via a huge 3D get well card (way better than flowers in our opinion).

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from all this, it’s that Dea’s a trooper. When we went to visit her in the hospital, she looked great – she even managed to make pajama pants and an ace bandage look fashionable.

Both surgeries went well and she’s been released from the hospital. She’s now at home recovering and designing like crazy. All good karma, thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery are appreciated.

If you want creative (and productive) employees, you need a fun work environment. This applies to all companies, no matter what industry you’re in.

Ad agencies often try to make work life more fun than other companies, perhaps, because creativity is our business. Even Hollywood thinks ad agencies are cool places to work – just think of how many movies you’ve seen where the star worked in advertising: Boomerang, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Kramer vs. Kramer, What Women Want, etc. And, let’s not even get started on AMC’s Mad Men, an entire show dedicated to the ad industry and the people who work in it.

So, how do you make your office more fun?

Give Creative Breaks
In a study of 300 Australian workers, researchers found that short breaks during the work day make a person up to 9% more productive. At Echo, we usually take breaks together. Someone will yell “Skate Break” and we’ll all grab our skateboards and run out to the parking lot. Now, thanks to Ray, we’ve added motorcycles to the break. 

Surround Yourself With Cool Stuff
Give your employees freedom to decorate their work area however they want. This small thing leads to greater motivation and job satisfaction. In our agency, we draw on the walls, keep toys on our desks and make sure the latest creative magazines are around for inspiration. 

Share Offices
Sharing work space makes it easier to collaborate on projects and brings your team closer together. Peek into any of our offices and you’re sure to find a mini brainstorming session in progress. When we’re not thinking about work, we’re having deep philosophical discussions about sports and TV, specifically really bad TV like Glee and Shahs of Sunset.

Get a Creative Box
Yeah, we know, you’re supposed to think outside the box. But, it’s important to have a place where people can share and store ideas and content that inspires them. Our box is completely digital so there’s plenty of room for everyone’s stuff. 

Laugh
Take time to share jokes, videos, images, websites and anything else that makes you laugh out loud. Here, we let people know we have a sense of humor from the start. Just call our office and ask to listen to our on hold message, and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

However you make your office fun, be sure it’s something your employees find fun too. The goal is to turn your company into a place where everyone wants to be.

Fact. Coffee and media go well together.

If you’re not in the ad business, you probably don’t know a lot about media planning and buying. You may even have some misconceptions about how media works. So, let’s clear some of those misconceptions up.

Myth #1
I don’t need an ad agency to create a media strategy.
If you don’t know what terms like CPP and CPM stand for, you probably don’t belong planning and buying your own media. An agency can help you identify the most effective media for your campaign. At Echo-Factory, we research which media vehicles are right for your target audience, then develop a plan that will provide maximum exposure for your campaign.

Myth #2
I can’t afford an ad agency. 
The truth is, you can. When an agency buys media for you, you usually pay what’s called a gross rate for the ad(s). The media outlet then pays the agency a 15% commission for the buy and keeps the rest. Sure, some media outlets may say they’re giving you the net rate or “agency rate” and maybe they are. However, they’re most likely getting that money back by gouging you on the actual cost of the ad(s). That’s why it’s best to let an agency make the buy. Agencies know what you should be paying for an ad versus what the media outlet is charging (see Myth #3). 

Myth #3
I can get the same deals that an ad agency can.
If an agency manages your media buys, you’ll often pay less for ads than if you handle the buys on your own. Agencies usually have long-standing relationships with media outlets, relationships that allow them to negotiate for the best price and get added value. For example, when we negotiate a radio buy for a client, not only do we get them a lower price per spot, but we’re usually able to get that client extra spots, on-air mentions, live remotes or a tie-in with the station’s latest contest or promotion. All these extras help draw more attention to your campaign and don’t cost you anything beyond the cost of the spot(s).

Myth #4
My ad will turn out just as good if I let the media outlet create it.
Like most things in life, you get what you pay for in advertising. Thus, if the media outlet offers to do your creative for free, chances are you’re going to get a poorly executed ad.  A bad ad relects poorly on your brand which is the opposite of what you want your advertising to do. If you have to cheap out on something, don’t make it the creative. Hire an ad agency that will provide you with a creative, well-executed ad based on a sound strategy. Trust me, it’s worth paying a little extra for an ad that makes your brand look its best.

If you have any questions about media that didn’t get cleared up here, give us a call. We’d love to talk with you.