Happy Holidays from the Marlin Network!

Enjoy this holiday card preview from our agency. Naughty or Nice?

To view the full videos: http://naughtyandnice.marlinnetwork.com/

Only the strong survive.

Hey. So what are you doing this Friday night? Do you…uh…wanna meet up at Brick City for Art Walk? It’s the first time our work will be exhibited as an artistic masterpiece. From conception through completion, you’ll see the blood, sweat and tears that went into the evolution of some of the best ideas from deep and the Marlin Network affiliates. Plus, there will be treats! Can’t make it on Friday? No biggie. The gallery space is open now through November 19. Show up. Take a look around. Act artsy. Maybe wear a sport coat with jeans and tennis shoes. Maybe not. Is my indifference driving you wild?

Nora, Nora, Nora

Nora is our newest intern. We’re sad our summer intern,  Ben, went back to school, but now we have Nora! And she’s doing great.
Let’s get to know her:

d: So is this what you were expecting? At least compared to what you thought advertising would be like while you were in school?
N: Deep is what I was hoping for as an advertising agency. To me there are generally two kinds of advertising, those that communicate through design and those that don’t (aka gimmicks, obnoxious repetition, flashiness, you know—companies that make designers cringe). Needless to say, Deep definitely falls under the first category.

d: Did college prepare you for life at deep?
N: I think it gave me the tools and starting point that I needed. You don’t want to be too prepared, because it’s necessary to explore new things while making a few mistakes along the way. I’ll always be learning something new, and I like it that way. But so far everything as been going great!

d: So, you have degrees in both Graphic Design and Spanish?
N: Yep, call me an over-achiever, and yes, I know that it’s an odd combination. All through high school I took Spanish classes, and found that it came pretty easily to me. I rather enjoyed the language and the culture, so I decided that it was something that I wanted to continue in college. I also traveled to Ecuador and Peru for a couple summers to improve my fluency. As for the design, I originally considered Interior Design, but upon discovering that Graphic Design was actually a major (and occupation) I was sold on it.

d: Are there any specific clients you’d like to work with?
N: I would really like to design the identity and visual campaigns for a wine brand. I’ve always took a real interest in wine labels and usually spend at least a good 20 minutes trying to choose which label I like better when deciding on a new wine.

d: What were some of your favorite projects in school?
N: My two favorites were the Candy Store Identity and the Murder Mystery Party; both happened to be partner projects. For the candy store we had to basically create our own store (name, audience, style and all), create a logo, a catalog, bags and posters. It was really hard coming up with a good store name and type at first, but after we got past that things just snowballed (in a good way). For the Murder Mystery Party project we had to design invitations, envelopes, a poster, and tshirts. It one combined vintage colors with sophisticated graphics and typography for a really awesome result.

d: Is you last name really Hiatt or Borgmeyer?
N: Right now it’s Borgmeyer, but I’m getting married in October so then it’ll be Hiatt!

d: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working here?
N: I really enjoy cooking, mostly experimenting, trying new recipes and seeing how I can improve them. I think that it’s kind of like design, but with food instead of a computer. I also enjoy Disney movies (preferably the 90′s ones), flea markets, sarcasm, ice cream, music and traveling.

Yay for Nora! We also enjoy sarcasm and ice cream around here.
You’ll fit right in.

Ben-tern

We have a new design intern among the ranks. Say hello to Ben!

After saying “hello,” we had a few questions ourselves:

d: What led you to deep?

B: I was looking for a place to intern during the summer, before classes start back up and had heard good things from other students, so I sent them a packet pimping myself out asking for work.

d: So is this what you were expecting? At least compared to what you thought advertising would be like while you were in school?

B: For the most part, it is what I expected. In school they are constantly teaching us how to deal with the client, saying we will HAVE to do it. So, one of the things I didn’t expect was that in an ad agency that’s what account services people do!

d: What are you learning so far?

B: I learned that if this whole design thing doesn’t work out, I might have a career as a professional organizer (yes, it’s a real job). In all seriousness, I’m learning all about working in collaboration with others, food advertising, and the different steps to get a final piece sent to press.

d: What were some of your favorite projects in school?

B: My favorite projects in school are the collaborative ones. We only did a few, and they have high potential to be disastrous, but I was always very lucky to have a partner that shared similar aesthetics and work ethic.

d: What have you enjoyed about deep?

B: So far, my favorite thing is that the deepsters have managed to find a cause to celebrate every week, whether it is someone leaving (sorry Mark!) or the Bonehead BBQ. Which leads to another thing I enjoy about deep, the fact that we do food advertising means one thing in particular to me: food samples! Yes, I thoroughly enjoy that we have a nice supply of Otis Spunkmeyer cookies.

Outside of deep, Ben-tern enjoys cooking and trying new restaurants. He loves watching thoughtful, well-acted movies, and the trashiest of the trashy TV shows. He spends a lot of time in the art world checking out blogs, going to galleries and art walks, so you might see him out on the streets of Springfield some time soon!

My Name is Foul Party Joke

It’s been almost 2 months since Sharon became our new copywriter! We’re more than happy to have her at deep. To get to know Sharon, we asked her a few questions:

d: If you were playing charades, how would you act out what your job is?
S: I would use a pencil to put my hair into a bun (Angela Bower style from Who’s the Boss) and pretend to type away at a computer.

d: Really, how tall are you?
S: 5 foot, 9 inches. But I sure do like my heels.

d: Have you ever brought a store bought dish to an event? Or do you always bake up some delicious goodness?
S: No. That’s cheating, and I feel like cooking from scratch says love.

d: Since you are a writer and all, how would you title your autobiography?
S: My Name is a Foul Party Joke and Other Atrocities

d: What do you think about deep?
S: You guys are mean.
d: Really, are we all that you expected? Feel free to elaborate on our high degree of seriousness in the work place.
S: Yes. But all joking aside, I’m glad to be working with such a nice group of people who know how to laugh.

d: What do you enjoy doing when you are not at deep?
S: I love traveling, treasure hunting at antique flea markets, shoe shopping, cooking, planning parties and partaking in movie marathons. I also have a strange obsession with the show Murder, She Wrote.

Welcome to deep, Sharon.
We like you. As long as you keep cooking us goodies.

Recent Promotions

Although this is 2 months late, we are proud to announce the promotion of two of our interns to Assistant Account Executives. Congrats, Krysten Maloney and Roy Eagan!

How does it feel to have your own desk now, instead of rubbing elbows in the intern pit?

Roy:

It’s far easier to aimlessly surf the Internet and not be caught now (don’t worry Val & Tiffany, he’s joking)…but I miss out on all of the gripping water cooler gossip that I was able to eavesdrop on from sitting at that location. All in all, I’m glad to officially be a part of deep!

Krysten:

The increased real estate has been wonderful. It’s sort of like renting a house, but with a lot less maintenance and no bills other than to bake cookies every now and then. But, I will always cherish the time I spent in the pit. It’s not as bad as people make it out to be.

Congratulations. We’re glad to have you!

Creative for a Good Cause

The Marlin Network, in conjunction with other creatives in the Springfield community, put their minds together and launched Showmehope.org over the weekend. 100% of the profits raised from t-shirt sales will benefit tornado recovery efforts in unimaginably devastated Joplin, MO through Convoy of Hope. Putting one of these specially designed shirts on your back helps get people back on their feet. Go check it out now »

Breakfast, interrupted

A boldly artistic re-think on the most important meal of the day.

Please be so kind as to check out the invite video we helped create for our parent company, Marlin Network‘s annual breakfast at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago called Breakfast, Interrupted. Thanks to Bruton Stroube Studios for the beautiful production work.

BSS | Breakfast Interrupted from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

Here’s all the behind the scene action that made the magic happen.

BSS | Breakfast Interrupted – Behind The Scenes from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

Something in the sparkling water?

Congratulations to Lucas and Stephanie Hart on the arrival of Noah Joseph. Congrats also to Jeremy and Amy Coffman on the arrival of Cooper Merrell. Momma’s and babies are doing well. Stephanie and Amy are tickled to see their feet again.

Designing in the digital age

Well folks, it’s not often that you get to say that you had a role in the launch of a smart phone app. In fact, it’s the first time for us, which is why we’re thrilled that aisle411‘s awesome new mobile app was launched in November of 2010. aisle411 originally began as a voice-activated phone system that allows you to call in and find those products in stores that you just can’t seem to locate. With the aisle411 app, you can locate items, plus plan ahead, earn rewards, get coupons, and more. It’s already getting great reviews through the Apple Store, plus it was awarded with the Top Consumer Shopping App award at the 2010 Mobile Star Awards.

Did we mention that the app is free? So hey, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users, go download it through iTunes. Don’t worry, Blackberry, Android and other smart phone users: if you stay glued to their website or Facebook page, you’ll be the first to know when it’s available for your phone.