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American Advertising Federation - Baton Rouge

2016-2017 Club Achievement Competition

Category of Entry - Programs

INTRODUCTION

The mission of AAF Baton Rouge (AAF-BR) is to serve, connect, and provide professional development opportunities for

advertising, marketing, and design professionals in our local market. For the Programs committee, each year we strive to

achieve this mission by recruiting quality speakers for our flagship program, our monthly luncheons, and hosting valuable

and informative workshops focused on unique disciplines in the advertising field. In 2015-2016, AAF-BR achieved

record-breaking numbers with sold out attendance at each monthly luncheon. Going into 2016-2017, we once again kept

up attendance while also creating more dialogue with members. These goals were achieved this year despite our city

enduring a devastatingly historic flood a few weeks prior to the first luncheon of the 2016-2017 year. It is a true testament

to the loyalty of our organization’s membership that we stayed connected through such a challenging time.

PROGRAM GOALS

In 2016-2017, AAF-BR’s programming goals included elevating the members’ interest and adding value to their

membership by 1) booking quality speakers from different disciplines in advertising to help members’ broaden their

understanding of the industry; 2) showcasing unique talent and work in our local market; 3) developing more dialogue and

shareable content with members about upcoming luncheons and workshops through social media and photos and videos

post event.

METHODS USED TO ACHIEVE GOALS

The success of Programs committee was achieved by recruiting an all-star team to help plan, promote, and execute each

event. Each team member was assigned a task: speaker research and coordination; event logistics; creation of promotional

graphics; event documentation; and feedback collector. When all details were in place, information was shared with the

AAF-BR Communications committee and scheduled out to push through the website, social media platforms, e-blasts,

donated printed materials, public relations, and personal networks. This process began one month out from the next event

and pushed out twice a week to keep top of mind awareness. After each event, we posted photos and a video (via Youtube

and/or Snapchat) to share with membership. Our flagship program, our monthly luncheons, was also held at a popular

restaurant centrally located in the city so it would be easily accessible for our members. We also sent out a calendar of

events postcard (EXHIBIT 1: Postcard) so our members could mark their calendars even before the year began. We

were able to achieve our goals by coordinating early, assigning tasks, and sticking to a schedule for each event.

THREE MOST SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS

#1 - AAF Baton Rouge’s September luncheon, “Letters and the stuff around them,” with guest speaker Tal

Leming of Type Supply Co.

Luncheon date: September 9, 2016 / 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Location: Juban’s Creole Restaurant

Average attendance: 110 RSVP: 120/120 Sold out! Actual attendance: 144

Guest fees from non-members: $650

Target audience: Graphic designers, typeface fans, peers of Tal Leming

Event Details: Tal Leming, a Louisiana native and a typeface rock star, was booked as a speaker three weeks

prior to the “Great Flood of 2016.” As one of the worst floods in American history hit our city, we came together

to support each other during this challenging time. In order to provide members a sense of normality, as some

members were displaced because of the flood, Leming agreed to speak at our luncheon. The luncheon sold out;

plus an additional 24 last-minute attendees turned out to support our mission of unity in wake of such personal

loss. It was an opportunity for us to escape the hardships that had befallen our city, community, friends, and

families.

Leming’s talk was humble, hilarious, informative, and inspiring—the best combination for a luncheon speaker.

He took us on an engaging typeface journey from his roots in Baton Rouge to his career-changing move to House

Industries, which landed him a dream account, the U.S. Soccer Organization. The audience was thoroughly

entertained and the presentation went past its cut off time due to the mass engagement during our Q&A segment.

Feedback: After the presentation, the Programs committee gathered feedback cards from the members. It was no

surprise Leming received a perfect 5 out of 5 rating. We kept the dialogue going even after the luncheon by

posting photos of the event and sharing the video recording of his talk.

Results: Leming’s talk drew in the largest crowd for a luncheon in our organization’s history. The venue’s max

capacity was 130 so we had to bring in extra seating to accommodate the overflow. The success of the event was

in part the popularity of the speaker and in part a chance to be reunited after a challenging summer.

EXHIBIT 2: September Luncheon

___________

#2 - AAF Baton Rouge’s October luncheon, “Breaking Down The Glass,” with guest speaker Daniel Berkal

of The Palmerston Group

Luncheon date: October 7, 2016 / 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.


Average attendance: 110 RSVP: 120/120 Sold out! Actual attendance: 126


Target audience: Members and prospective members

Event Details: Daniel Berkal is the SVP of research & innovation and partner at The Palmerston Group in

Toronto, Canada. When asked what he does for a living, he would say, “I travel the world and talk to strangers.”

One of our goals for the 2016-2017 was to bring in a speaker to shed light on a discipline in advertising, in this

case ethnographic research, that our club and even our market may not practice. He provided past case studies that

utilized ethnographic research and showcased how this type of approach could help a researcher better understand

a client’s needs a segmentation samples.

For Berkal and his team at The Palmerston Group, thinking outside the box might mean a day on a bus with

Malaysian casino patrons or a night out with club goers. For example, when a whiskey company wanted an ad

campaign that spoke to male bonding (specifically, bonding done over drinks), Berkal and his team brought a

group of friends on a daylong rock climbing expedition. Afterward, over a glass of whiskey, the men opened up

and shared their thoughts on friendship, the outdoors, and, of course, the client's product. By approaching the

client’s needs from the perspective of an ethnographic researcher, Berkal was able to understand the relationship

between the friends and engage them in a meaningful discussion that would never have happened in a focus

group.

Feedback: After the presentation, the Programs committee gathered feedback cards from the members. Again, it

was no surprise Berkal received a perfect 5 out of 5 rating. Several members also provided additional comments

on how appreciative they were for shining a light on an area of advertising that is not often discussed. Berkal also

received the most responses in feedback cards.

Results: Berkal was arguably one of our more engaging speakers. He kept the luncheon interactive throughout the

presentation by asking members questions that guided the conversation. We also hit a homerun for one of our

goals with getting an internationally renowned speaker to talk about an advertising discipline that is rare in our

market.

EXHIBIT 3: October Luncheon

___________

#3 - AAF Baton Rouge’s December luncheon, “Behind The ADDY Curtain,” with guest speaker Gina

Nacey of Adventure Advertising

Luncheon date: December 2, 2016


Average attendance: 110 RSVP: 93/120 Actual attendance: 110


Target audience: Members, prospective members, and anyone interested in entering the ADDY Awards

Event Details: For the first time ever, we brought in a past ADDY Award judge to speak to the members about

what it’s like on the other side of the judging curtain. As a long-time member of the American Advertising

Federation, a veteran ADDY judge, and with a reputation as the “mean judge,” Nacey was the perfect former

judge to speak to our club. Her thorough, insightful presentation helped energize the club in preparation for

ADDY submissions. She gave examples of what judges look for in a winning entry and tips on how to put your

best foot forward since judges do not have a lot of time to go through all the details. She also reminded members

that this is a creative competition, emphasizing the importance of first impressions in judging the level of

creativity in the work.

Feedback: The membership was extremely pleased with bringing in a past judge and they unanimously agreed

Nacey’s tips were helpful. Because of the luncheon’s success and positive feedback, we will plan to bring in a

past judge for future “All About ADDYs” luncheons.

Results: Historically, our December luncheon has the lowest attendance because we do not typically have a

speaker lined up and we are up against the holidays. Changing up the format by bringing in a past judge not only

excited the membership, but we were able to retain our average attendance while providing a valuable experience.

In addition, we were able to get a few first-time ADDY submissions from agencies that have not participated in

the past.

EXHIBIT 4: December Luncheon

SPECIAL EVENTS

#1 - Lamar Graphics’ 3D Production Tour

Workshop date: September 14, 2016 / 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Location: Lamar Graphics

RSVP: 25/25 Actual attendance: 18

Guest Fees: FREE

Target audience: Members, prospective members, designers

Event Details: Lamar Graphics is one of the largest and most innovative signage companies in the south and

AAF-BR is lucky enough to have them as sponsors and active members in our club. Having their ingenuity and

expertise in our own backyard was an opportunity we knew we needed to take advantage of, so we asked them to

give us a tour of their 3D production facility. This was also a great opportunity to create a smaller, more intimate

event that would encourage members to connect with each other as well as learn about the unique work being

produced in the market.

Lamar Graphics’ Creative Director Mark Rankin led a guided tour for AAF-BR members. He took them though

the creative departments, explaining how the company has learned to scale its resources as the business has grown

from a small shop to an international company with teams of designers across the globe. Next, Rankin brought the

group over to the main event: the 3D production shop. There he demonstrated the hot wire machine and how it

cuts styrofoam into the large installations used in billboards, props, and even at AAF-BR events such as the

ADDY Awards. He also showed off the silk screening process used to print signs for a variety of clients — from

Starbucks to Olive Garden to interstate road signs. Lastly, the group stepped outside to see a full-sized billboard

up close and personal. Understanding the scale of the work Lamar does really put the skills of their teams into

perspective.

Feedback: Overall, the members were surprised and amazed to learn the intricacies of the 3D production process,

that road signs are silkscreened, and the size of an average billboard. The AAF-BR members liked the tour so

much that we considering a second tour in the spring.

Results: Although it was not a large group, the intimate setting allowed for more engagement during the tour. We

were also able to achieve our goal of showcasing unique work in our local market that members may not be aware

of. We fully expect a larger turnout for a second tour based on the tremendous feedback form those that did

attend.

EXHIBIT 5: 3D Production Tour

_______

#2 - Workshop “Behind The Scenes with the DDC” featuring Aaron Draplin of Draplin Design Co.

Workshop date: November 11, 2016 / 5:45 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Location: Lamar Advertising

RSVP: 59/75 Actual attendance: 65

Guest fees: $685

Target audience: Membership, prospective members, designers

Event Details: AAF-BR was a sponsor last spring for Baton Rouge’s first graphic design conference, Crop. The

keynote speaker, Aaron Draplin, owner of DDC in Portland, Ore., was such a hit that we knew we had to bring

him back to do a personal workshop with our members. We were fortunate to be able to get on his list of cities for

his book tour, so all we had to do was spread the word about the event. Our challenge was that the only weekend

he was able to make it to Baton Rouge was less than a month away. Because of his popularity (some would call

“cult following”), we were able to quickly pick up interest by targeting agencies and local design groups. We

even had guests from Mississippi drive in for the night! He went over his best practices and efficiency tips for

designers by showing quick tutorials. He even sold out of all the books he brought to the event.

Feedback: Draplin was a very engaging speaker and made it a point to speak to each individual guest. There were

many questions asked and he enthusiastically answered them all by showing examples of his past projects,

including a logo he did for the Obama administration, his Field Notes notebook creation, and even designs he did

recently for the TV show Transparent.

Results: It was an incredible feat to be able to book Draplin within our Programs budget, as well as make money

off of guest fees. We achieved our goal of bringing value to our members by booking a high-profile designer to

excite and spark passion for the designers in our community and organization.

EXHIBIT 6: DDC Workshop

IN CONCLUSION

The secret of our success for AAF-BR’s Programs this year was the rock-solid committee assembled and their work

planning, coordinating, and executing each event. Although our members had a challenging summer with civil unrest and

an unprecedented natural disaster, we all came together stronger with record-breaking numbers for our kickoff luncheon.

Contributing to the success of the luncheons was our ability to bring in quality speakers from different advertising

disciplines (goal 1). Secondly, showcasing a local company that does international unique work such as 3D production for

billboards also brought value to our members who may not have known the work of this caliber was performed in our own

back yard (goal 2). Finally, we increased dialogue with members by posting through all of our social networks and

providing quality photos and videos post event (goal 3). Achieving and sometimes surpassing our committee’s goals this

year has fulfilled AAF-BR’s mission of elevating the club’s membership experience and value in our local market.

EXHIBIT 1: Postcard of Upcoming Events

Come grab a drink with us as we kickoff the new club year!

REGISTER FOR THESE EVENTS AT AAFBR.ORGNot a member? Join NOW at AAFBR.ORG!

KICKOFF SOCIALAUGUST 25th | 6PM-9PM | Radio Bar

KICKOFF LUNCHEON with Tal Leming

SEPTEMBER 9 | 11:30AM-1PM | Juban’s Restaurant

AUGUST 25 | Kickoff Social at Radio Bar

SEPTEMBER 9 | Kickoff Luncheon with Tal Leming

SEPTEMBER TBD | 3D Printing Workshop with Lamar Graphics

SEPTEMBER TBD | Ad Fed 101

OCTOBER 7 | Luncheon with Daniel Berkal

OCTOBER TBD | 13th Gate Social

NOVEMBER 2 | Media Auction, Breakroom at IPO

NOVEMBER 4 | Luncheon with Ken Krimstein

NOVEMBER 12 | Fall Social - LSU vs. Arkansas Watch Party at The Varsity

NOVEMBER 16 | Junior Achievement/AAF-BR High School Pitch Event

DECEMBER 2 | ADDY Luncheon with Gina Nacey

DECEMBER 14 | Student Early Bird Call for Entries

JANUARY 6 | Luncheon with Andy Miller

JANUARY TBD | Campaign for Community

JANUARY 11 | AAA Call for Entries - Professionals

JANUARY 18 | AAA Call for Entries - Students

FEBRUARY 3 | Luncheon with Karen Jacobs

FEBRUARY 18 | Student Conference

MARCH 4 | American Advertising Awards Show at L'Auberge

April 6-8 | District 7 Spring Convention (April 7 luncheon at Baton Rouge Hilton)

May 5 | Luncheon: Salute to Students

UPCOMING EVENTSR E G I S T E R F O R T H E S E E V E N T S A T A A F B R . O R G

From: AAF-Baton Rouge [email protected]: Luncheon Tomorrow! "Letters and the Stuff Around Them" with Tal Leming

Date: September 8, 2016 at 11:01 AMTo: Theresa [email protected]

Learn about letters! View this email in your browser

September Kickoff Luncheon with Tal LemingTomorrow, 11:30AM - 1PM at Juban's

There's still time to RSVP and join us tomorrow as typographer and LSU Designalumni Tal Leming presents a behind-the-scenes look at how, and more importantly,why new typefaces are made and how he got where he is today.

We'll also be collecting donations for the BRAF Louisiana Flood Relief Fund. Cash,checks, and credit cards will be accepted.

Special thanks to September's student sponsor, Baton Rouge Printing.

REGISTER NOW


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EXHIBIT 3: October Luncheon

EXHIBIT 4: December Luncheon

EXHIBIT 5: 3D Production Workshop


Snapchat Story

EXHIBIT 6: DDC Workshop

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