Facebook has announced that their company page templates are changing again. This new change called Timeline, which has already been introduced to personal pages, is going to affect the look of your company page, apps, posts and advertisements within the site. Timeline requires page revisions, so get familiar with the requirements now to be prepared for the mandatory change on March 30^th!

Here are some tips for creating and using your new Company Timeline:

Last night’s ADDY Awards Gala brought out the best of the best in Lehigh Valley’s advertising scene. Representatives from agencies and organizations across the Lehigh Valley came together to celebrate the creative spirit of advertising at this year’s awards ceremony and reception at the Hotel Bethlehem, hosted by the Lehigh Valley Ad Club and sponsored by First Generation.

The ADDY Awards are the nation’s largest awards competition, awarding excellence in advertising through over 200 American Advertising Federation member clubs across the country.

First Gen truly represented itself as a creative force to be reckoned with at this years ADDYs,  not only sponsoring the event, but arriving with a total of 19 attendees (all looking quite sharp, I might add), providing our A/V services through our Hotel Bethlehem A/V partnership, and leaving with a total of 11 awards – including 2 Gold!

I wouldn’t expect any less from the amazing team at First Generation. As Creative Director, I’m proud to represent such a talented and committed group who consistently puts forth an incredible effort to create award-winning work for our clients.

First Generation congratulates all of this year’s winners, and sends out a big thank you to the Lehigh Valley Ad Club for hosting the event. We also thank all of our clients, who know that working with us is a “win-win” situation!

Check out our winning entries:

GOLD Winner: New World Aviation 'Go' Mailer

GOLD Winner: Carpenter Knife Box

B|Braun Perifix Video

MTF Biologics.org Launch Campaign

Olympus Dealer Sales Kit and Catalog

B|Braun Infusion Systems Space Pump Video

Carpenter 'Natures Energy' 2012 Calendar

B|Braun 'Changing Lives, Saving Lives' Video

Olympus TruePic VI Video

Carpenter 'Tactical Advantage' Video

First Generation '1G for Good' Video

Heather Beardsley, Mariclare Rauss, and April Ruggiero

A trio of First Generation full-time consultants at Sanofi Pasteur – Heather Beardsley, Mariclare Rauss, and April Ruggiero – recently received recognition from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals for their work on Sanofi Pasteur’s internal communications publication Discovery. The three MarCom awards included:

Gold award, Employee Publication/Special Edition category, January 2011 edition

Gold award, Employee Publication/Internal Newsletter category, July 2011 edition

Honorable Mention, Design (Print)/Newsletter category, July 2011 edition

Heather manages the writing and editorial content, while Mariclare and April are responsible for the design of Discovery.

The MarCom Awards are born out of an international competition that honors outstanding creative achievement. This year included entries from throughout the United States, Canada and several other countries.

Congratulations!

We are excited to announce that we have recently received Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) designation from the federal government. This designation not only gives our company preference on government contracts, it also provides our clients with many advantages.

“As a proud veteran, I am excited for new opportunities to work with the government,” says First Generation CEO Bill Carmody. “Many of our current clients do business with the government. Now any dollars spent with First Generation, by our clients with government contracts, can be applied towards satisfying the mandated set aside, regardless of whether the services done pertained to the contract. This is a welcomed benefit to our clients.”

In addition to being a SDVOSB, First Generation is a General Services Administration (GSA) contract holder as an Advertising & Integrated Marketing Solutions agency (AIMS 541), pre-approved to service the educational and comprehensive media plan strategy needs of federal contracts.

What does this mean for you?

Click on one of the FAQ links below to see how FG’s new designation may benefit your company, or visit www.firstgenSDVOSB.com for additional information.

Inky the Inkblot, First Generation’s naughty but beloved consultant and resident celebrity, has been promoted to a full-time staff position as Executive Senior Global Information Liaison. Inky’s antics at the First Generation holiday party last December nearly got him fired from the agency, but like any celebrity, his woes and faults only made him more popular amongst followers.

“First Generation frowns upon Inky’s behavior at the party,” said Creative Director Sara Lorenz, “but it is rumored that it was simply a publicity stunt. We gave him a stern reprimand and suspended him from company activities until March’s Addy awards.” At the Addy Awards, Inky took home a bronze and and showed enough restraint in the celebrations thereafter that he was brought back on the FG scene for a probationary period. His growth and maturity, as well as seemingly improved behavior, earned him this promotion.

Recently, Inky has been traveling the world and sharing his experiences via social media. He’s also been known to discuss important news, such as the recent Hipster Trap scandal in New York.

“We really missed Inky during the months after the party,” explains Integrated Marketing Producer Andrea Coyne, “and I’m glad that he made a comeback. He’s really cleaned up his act now that he has become our Executive Senior Global Information Liaison. He’s lost a lot of weight, and looks especially dapper in that suit and tie. I think sometimes my husband gets jealous he’s in the office next to mine.”

In the upcoming months, Inky will be taking part in FG studio shoots, as well as working with producers and First Generation’s creative team on various projects. He will continue to share his observations and unique perspective on his social media pages. We are also told he is also in the process of filming a new video with an undetermined release date.

You can follow Inky on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fginkblot, on Twitter @FGinkblot, and view his films at www.youtube.com/fginkblot.

Last Friday evening, creative professionals gathered at the 2011 Addy Awards gala to recognize the best of the best in Lehigh Valley advertising. The event, hosted by the Lehigh Valley Ad Club and proudly sponsored by First Generation, saw an impressive turnout and showcased a variety of oustanding creative work. Work was awarded throughout categories in print, web, interactive, video, and non-traditional media. First Generation took home a total of 9 awards – gold, silver, and bronze – for our work in 2010 throughout these categories.

“We are incredibly excited to share this success with our clients and are proud to have made such a mark on this year’s ADDY awards, ” remarked Sara Lorenz, Creative Director for First Generation. “First Generation’s recognition at this year’s ADDYs continues a tradition of excellence, and I am proud to be a part of a team that consistently produces such high-caliber work.”

We congratulate all the recipients of the 2011 ADDY awards and thank the Lehigh Valley Ad club for putting together a spectacular event.

Below are First Generation’s winning entries.

GOLD: Crayola Solar Farm video

SILVER: Coordinated Health Art of Medicine TV Program, Olympus SP-800 UZ video

BRONZE: Inky the Inkblot (fginkblot.com), Crayola 2011 Products Catalog, Sprinters Edge website (sprintersedge.com), Crayola On the Go Brochure, First Gen Brain Trust Brochure, Crayola Green Products Ad

FG Art Director Sara Lorenz stands below the work that won the agency’s first RX Club Award in November.

Lehigh Valley Agency Attended NYC Awards Gallery Event

Don Draper of AMC’s Mad Men isn’t the only one accepting fancy New York design awards.

First Generation recently received an RX Club Award of Excellence for their creative work with the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF), headquartered in Edison, NJ.

First Gen’s work was recognized in the Meeting Presentations/Sales Meeting Material category for collateral designed and printed for MTF’s national sales meeting, which took place this past May in Miami, FL. The theme “Strength in Numbers” and logo was designed and integrated throughout various print pieces including the name tags, journal books, game sheets, and a takeaway CD that included popular numbers-themed songs. FG Art Director Sara Lorenz designed and produced the award-winning materials.

The RX Club Show honors the creative aspects of pharmaceutical product advertising and promotion. The show is judged in various categories by a panel of industry experts and is based solely on creativity. Creative concept and execution remain the only criteria for merit – not media buy or budget.

“I am very pleased with the outstanding design work that came out of this agency in 2010,” says First Generation CEO Bill Carmody. “I am proud that our agency is recognized amongst some of the largest healthcare marketing agencies in the world.”