A lifeline when too many are taking their life.
An idea to help in face of the suicide epidemic in America. If it saves one life, it was worth doing. Thank you, Guy Kirkland, for the design.
Help for the helpless.
Alzheimer's. It's the worst possible fate and one we need to find a cure for. Soon. As more and more of us age, it's only going to grow more consequential. Here's a series of wild postings placed in context of other lost souls. Credit: Siberia, USA.
Karen and Jerry.
It was great to see this good news yesterday. Karen Costello was named CCO at The Martin Agency and Jerry Hoak was named ECD. I hired both of these amazing talents and when I left, elevated them to interim leaders of the creative department. Karen was really a tough one to convince to join six months ago, but after a long courtship, she jumped in with both feet and has been, since day one, a difference maker. Of course, being a female creative leader is the added bonus, but she earned this spot because she is a special talent. Human yet tough, driven but unselfish. Jerry has been at Martin a little longer and coming from Droga5, he brings that very unique POV and experience. Media-agnostic, impeccable design sense, unwavering in his believe in ideas. The agency is in good hands. Congrats, friends. Do good things.
#standforlove
What happened in Charlottesville this summer was a tragedy. This is one of the last projects to come through on my watch and it makes me proud. Thanks to a small team led by Karen Costello, Britta Dougherty, Mike Kelley and Rique Santiago, the effort turned a lot of hateful energy into a positive. Once again, Virginia is for lovers.
What matters.
It's been one month since I left the place I worked at for almost 27 years. Everyday is filled with a river of emotions. Sadness, mostly. But what I've realized in the cold light of the day? That in the end what matters is not the awards, the success, the money, the attention, the praise. What matters is the people pictured on this wall in our bedroom. Family. They sustain me now. And I will forever be grateful for their love.
Change.
I'm no longer at my home for the last 26 years, The Martin Agency. The place and the people changed my life. How much? That's me when I started. Serious hockey flow, right? Now it's time to do something new. I have no idea what. But it's going to be an adventure. I might even bring back the suspenders. We'll see.
Making films.
Takes a lot to go right to make a piece of film you can be proud of. Writing. Art direction. Execution. Detail. Music. Casting. Edit. VO. When they all work together, the viewer fells something. In the heart. Congrats to the team. Job well done.
Making butter better.
There is nothing this agency can't make. Nothing. Our digital creds are especially underrated. We built the new Land O Lakes website from scratch. Check it out here: https://www.landolakes.com/
I am so not the audience, but this is epic.
Have never played a video game like Shadow of War. Not a big fan of the blood and gore. But I am a big fan of this campaign. Incredible craft. And it worked. A record-breaking launch.
Surprising? Nope.
GEICO continues to crank out the funny stuff - and sell car insurance. GEICO is closing in on the number one spot, right on the heels of Allstate. Proving great work always outperforms shitty work. See it all here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl3l6Bq6bMo
Triangle.
Running of the Bulldogs.
Sloth, from a brand new campaign called "Count on it."
Triangle.
Running of the Bulldogs.
Sloth, from a brand new campaign called "Count on it."
In the aftermath of Charlottesville.
The ugly confrontation happened just 50 miles from Richmond. By Monday, a small team here had the perfectly poignant response. The Virginia Tourism slogan, created by the agency over 50 years, is still in use and going strong. We reached out and thankfully, the leaders there saw how important and timely this could be for all. Today, the hashtag is still being spread. And the healing continues. Thank you, Mike, Britta, BRK, Kim Z., Karen and many more.
13 Lions in Cannes.
A very nice run in France. Great work for GEICO and DONATE LIFE. The life and death of Coleman F. Sweeney was a huge hit. Three Golds. Always an honor to go up on stage - that never gets old. Congrats to the teams.
Boyz to Men selling car insurance.
The latest in our "It's what you do campaign" for GEICO and maybe one of my favorites. Kudos to Neel, Justin and Steve.
On another roll with pre-roll.
The GEICO team continues to re-invent the re-invention of those nagging pre-roll ads. The craft in this execution is perfect. Neel and Mazzer, you crushed it again.
A great start to the 2017 award season.
With D&AD, Andy's and One Show under our belts, we look forward to Cannes. 7 pencils from D&AD, including one yellow for Donate Life. 11 pencils at One Show, including 4 golds for GEICO and Donate Life, plus 22 finalists. Couldn't be more proud of the teams as they push to make the best work in the world.
Donate Life. Winning the fight to save lives and pick up some recognition along the way.
Donate Life. Winning the fight to save lives and pick up some recognition along the way.
Martin London with some goodness.
Martin London starting to run smooth with this new work for Dunkin' Donuts. Really smart stunt deployed during the recent London Marathon. Read more here: http://creativity-online.com/work/dunkin-donuts-marathon-motivator-film/51586 And look out for more donut nuttiness to come.
The best of 2016.
Every year, I make a top 10 of the best ideas in the agency. It's a tough list to make, especially this year where we did a lot of stellar work. I'm most proud of the strides we made outside of TV. Talent added in social and digital is starting to pay off. We can be SO much better, but a great stride in the right direction across the board. Congrats all. See the reel here: https://wdrv.it/5fc99555a
Raccookin'!
Our goal for anything we produce for GEICO is to put them in the very top consideration set when someone is shopping for insurance. In other words, create as many leads as possible with the content we make. The more leads, the higher the close rate for GEICO. And social content is becoming a sure-fire way to open doors to more leads. These crazy Facebook videos are one of my favorite extensions of the year. Gross. But damn funny. Check them out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-3LD1JRmuc
Sam.
Craft is the most important thing a creative can bring to any idea. A script can be great in script form but until it's made, it's only words on paper. This film was ok as a script. But the execution raised it at least three levels. From good to great. Get the Kleenex ready. Here is Sam for Purina Feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kk79NJtC_k
The Chevy Positivity Pump.
Go online anytime and it's amazing how much hate is out there. Chevrolet is a brand that believes being positive is the mindset we all need to see possibility in everything. In other words, being open is how we FIND NEW ROADS. Chevy asked us to create some content to promote this mindset around the globe. Our idea? The world's first gas pump that takes online positivity for payment. The more positive you are, the more gas you receive. So far, the pump has appeared in Argentina, America, South Africa, South Korea and Dubai with more to come. How positive are you? Find out: http://creativity-online.com/work/chevrolet-the-positivity-pump/49032
Travel posters for Hillary.
I never thought when we created these that leaving the U.S. was even going to be an option to consider. But then the election happened and now living abroad sounds attractive. After initial shock, we keep going, praying for the best. We used actual vintage art to make these and then Will Godwin added his typography magic. Thank you, Neel and MM. Onward.
The Secret Weapon. (Not much longer.)
Hue&Cry is our very own world-class animation and design studio right in the building. When I say very own, I mean we own H&C, but they can work for anybody in the world. As one example of their amazing talent, check out the making of Creativity's Top 5 intro and the Tic Tac Little Adventures. Well done, Magnus and team. http://hueandcry.tv/
The world's biggest asshole.
Sometimes, it all just aligns. An amazing idea, executed with perfection. And the best thing of all? It's working. Over 70 million views online and a daily increase of sign ups of almost 700%. Special shout out to Brig and Wade who led this thing from script to finish. Spread the love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeVLxcekEsw Congrats.
Rewarding awarding.
It's been over a month since presiding over the 2016 Film Jury at Cannes. The week is still very much in my mind. Everything about it was rewarding, from the work to the process. But I think the best part by far is the connections I was able to make with peers from Sweden to Sydney. We all had a special week. I hope the work we chose to honor is worthy of hard work and passion of this group. I think it is.
Here's to the Cobblestones.
The rocks of the agency. Time we gave them the award they deserve. http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/need-award-people-pave-cannes/1399141
Creffective.
Yes. Creative + Effective = Creffective. I know. The video explains it all. Well done, team.
Looking into the future.
Presiding over the 2016 Cannes Film Jury this week and it's been an eye-opener even before we get to the shortlist. Such a fun, funny, cool, smart, talented jury from around the globe. Eye-opener: we are all different and that is what makes this job so fun. The staff at Cannes is number one. Eye-opener: they are 100% buttoned up compared to most festivals. The work is hard to find but it's there. Eye-opener: VR and it's potential to change film forever. Whoa. Honored to be on this jury and serve. Stay tuned.
You'll need that beard to wipe away your tears.
Fact: guys like fruity drinks but are embarrassed to order them at the bar. All great insights lead to great ideas - or should I say - most do. Here's one for Stoli. Great writing by Neel. Link to Adweek:http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/new-stoli-campaign-aims-break-stigma-against-men-who-enjoy-fruity-cocktails-171939
Paint the town crafty.
Great idea, beautifully executed from the Ben Moore team. Provocative in a very boring category. Intelligent because the audience is. Nice.
Humbled. Excited.
Still feeling a little sheepish to be named the Jury President for Film at Cannes this year. http://www.canneslions.com/awards/the_juries/#festival-1/detail-1-15/ Looks like a great crew to preside over. Can't wait to start the debates. Grateful to have the chance. Thanks to my team for giving me the opportunity.
Our latest pre-roll for GEICO. The second album.
Unskippable last year won the Film Grand Prix at Cannes. Now the daunting task of following up maybe the best campaign in the agency's history. Enter Fast Forward, a very different idea, but still built on the premise of disrupting the pre-roll. I think it's a pretty damn good second album.
Keeping the bar high.
Some new work for GEICO continues a good run of work I'm proud of. Both campaigns are primarily online and pull social levers as well. Business is good for GEICO and hopefully our work is a big reason. Car insurance has never been more competitive. Advertising is a powerful way to stay in the consideration set. The case study for Brocabulary.
Being emotional is hard.
Creating emotional storytelling in film is hard. You have to get so much right. This new work for Experian does a lot right. The idea - credit isn't a score, it's a skill - is rock solid. But then so is the casting, edit and camera work. Would have been easy to make this script soft and expected. Nice job.
B2B print. What the agency was built on.
Our first campaign for Purina feed. Reminds of the kind of print that put Martin on the map for FMC, Mobil, GE Locomotives and so many more. Simple, crafty, powerful.
Rolling along.
The Oreo Wonderfilled campaign is now in 55 countries and growing. Love the latest animation from BUCK and music by Adam Lambert. Craft, craft, craft.
One thread.
It's great to see this beautiful site come to life and go live. Created entirely in-house by our team. So good. A simple, elegant idea. One thread goes through all our work - from the very first to the most recent. Enjoy: http://fifty.martinagency.com/
Mackenzie.
The Big Brain has always been a very curious one. Right now, I'm not sure where she is. Somewhere on the African continent. Hopefully, safe and sound. Very proud of your courage and resolve to see the world and explore things unfamiliar. Ace would be proud. I love you.
Resolutions 2016.
That time of the year. The agency resolutions. We put them up for all to see and hopefully, achieve.
I'm feeling good about 2016. Time will tell. All you can do is come in and do your best. Design: Will Godwin.
I'm feeling good about 2016. Time will tell. All you can do is come in and do your best. Design: Will Godwin.
"Your father..."
For over 20 years, the agency has enjoyed an amazing partnership with GEICO. It's based on what the very best partnerships are always based on: mutual respect. The result has been some of the most effective work in any category. The latest is right here and makes me smile. Hi, Mom.
Humble and his producers.
Steve Humble is my long time EP partner and one of the best. He has created a juggernaut of producers across all media, but also has created two great post partners - Running with Scissors and Hue&Cry. Both are world-class and the envy of other agencies. And both are a big reason Shoot named us Agency of the Year in 2015. Congrats, Stein. Well-deserved. http://shootonline.com/news/ad-agency-year-its-what-they-do
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