It’s no secret that many MadMen fans work at First Generation! So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of us tuned in to AMC’s The Pitch this past Monday. Described as a docuseries and modern day companion of MadMen, The Pitch follows different ad agencies competing for the opportunity to provide advertising services to large national companies, such as already featured Subway and Waste Management.

FG works with an impressive portfolio of clients, ones we’ve worked hard to build up over the past 25 years in business. Many of these clients require formal bids and pitches for their work, often against other ad agencies. How does The Pitch compare to our pitching experience?

Make it camera ready. While pitches are normally prepared in a short amount of time, often just 1-2 weeks, you want to put your best foot forward in providing high quality work that could be printed or published with minimal revisions. Clients want to visualize their products coming to life, so campaign pitches should be engaging and interactive, incorporating mood boards, video samples, and sample print collateral that highlight their products and services in tangible ways. First Generation reiterates the client’s goals and identifies how our presented work incorporates those messages through professionally created and executed mediums.

FG preps for a client pitch

Differentiate. In this past week’s episode of The Pitch, SD+K of Las Vegas presented a print ad to Waste Management that used a mobile augmented reality app to have celebrities say their campaign tagline, “Turn Waste into Wow!” Their developers geeked out and developed this crafty tactic, which in our opinion, “wowed” the Waste Management team and won them the account. The competing agency, The Ad Store, only shared a short video and on-screen ad creative. First Generation offers one of the 10 largest production studios on the East Coast, plus a team of editors, producers, media planners, web and print designs, interactive developers and more, all under one roof. Our studio and breadth of in-house capabilities is our differentiator at pitches! We are able to provide a wide variety of strategic solutions, and we present tactics that play to our strengths and those of our potential clients.

Rehearse & Test. Repeat. The same agency mentioned above, SD+K, kicked off their presentation with a video in which the audio didn’t play properly.  After a bit of on-the-spot trouble shooting that made the clients’ eyes roll, it worked. Thankfully they still won the pitch, but it looked very unprofessional. Being entrenched in the Live Event and Presentation business, FG finds it vital to rehearse pitches, knowing who is speaking when, and testing videos and any multimedia portions of the presentation. We request an early arrival to set up our presentation, which isn’t always possible for the client, but it doesn’t hurt to ask! They see the pay off when the presentation runs smoothly.

While FG has no intentions of being featured on The Pitch, we like to think we offer plenty of television-worthy pitches. If your company is in the market for a new agency, we invite you to give us a call at 610-437-4300!

It’s no secret that the Lehigh Valley is home to not only brilliant creative minds, but also wonderful history and breathtaking architecture. With that in mind, the Society of the Arts (SOTA), in conjunction with the Allentown Art Museum, has chosen Three Chimneys Farm, and its charming Victorian farmhouse, in Coopersburg for their bi-annual Showhouse.  And, in concert with local designers and landscapers, SOTA has transformed this 1876 property into a true work of art.

When it came time to produce a web presence for this one-of-a-kind work of art and craftsmanship, SOTA turned to First Generation to produce a website worthy of its beauty—and FG was happy to deliver. SOTAShowhouse.org stands as an online brochure for the event, offering information and history on SOTA, Three Chimneys Farm, as well as ticket information, an interactive map, and a full listing of all of those that made the 2012 SOTA Showhouse possible.
So, browse the website, and then take a trip to beautiful Three Chimneys Farm for a taste of history, beauty, and craftsmanship right here in the Lehigh Valley.

The 2012 SOTA Showhouse runs from April 28th through May 20th, and ticketing information can be found at www.SOTAShowhouse.org. Proceeds benefit the SOTA Print Fund and educational programs of the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley.

Art Director Drew Frantzen raises eyebrows as he channels his inner Don Draper. Note the requisite Whiskey Sour in hand. A man of detail, for sure!

This week the First Generation office has been ‘a-zou-bisou’ about the season 5 premiere of Mad Men and the swinging 60’s shenanigans at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

Perhaps the show resonates with us because of our mutual advertising agency settings or maybe it’s the outlandish behavior that we find so amusing, but in either case, there are always lessons to be learned from our stylish fictional counterparts. So here are our top 5 Mad Men-inspired lessons, martinis optional:

5) Equal Opportunity: When a competing agency is shamed for their part in dropping water bombs on civil rights protesters, the SCDP folks pull out a mock ad claiming to be an “Equal Opportunity” employer. But when African-American jobseekers approach the agency for work, the partners quickly learn that this is no laughing matter and it’s time for them to open their doors. Lesson: It’s never too late to right a wrong.

4) Belle Jolie Lipsticks: When testing lipsticks for a Belle Jolie ad, then secretary Peggy Olson coins the phrase, “A Basket of Kisses”. While the client eventually goes with another idea, this creative copy gets Peggy noticed and eventually helps her say goodbye to the secretary pool and hello to the shark tank as the Junior Copywriter. Lesson: Seize opportunities – you never know where they may lead you.

3) Honda: When Roger Sterling’s drunken big mouth almost kills all chances of landing the high-profile Honda account, Don employs some smart thinking to beat the competition. The team pretends to shoot a video pitch, seemingly spending far beyond the strict $3,000 limit imposed by Honda. This leads the competing agency to up their ante and pull out all the stops. When Don goes into the pitch meeting with Honda, he tells them that he knows that the other company has broken the spending rules and since his conscious couldn’t allow him to do the same, he cleverly returns their $3,000. Impressed with his integrity, they tell Don that SCDP still has a shot at winning the bid. Lesson: Know your client and know what they believe in.

Our ever-so-chic Integrated Marketing Producer, Andrea Coyne, shows the ladies of Mad Men how it's really done. Move over, Joan! This lady has work to do.

2) Sugarberry Hams: In order to drum up some much needed excitement for Sugarberry Hams, Peggy and Pete employ some Barnum and Bailey-inspired antics to generate some free publicity for the normally less than exciting pork product. Peggy hires two actresses to “tussle” over the last ham at the grocery store. But what starts as a fun gag ends up as a full-fledged brawl with arrests, hair pulling and newspaper coverage.  Lesson:  Contrary to popular belief, sometimes all publicity isn’t good publicity.

1) John Deere: When Account Executive Ken Cosgrove lands the John Deere account, the office celebrates with yet another wild party. But what happens when you mix lots of booze, a secretary who can’t drive and a pompous executive with bad reflexes? The answer: Gross, dark and hilarious television comedy. Lesson: If you’re going to drive a lawn mower at work- take out the blades.

These days all businesses are cutting budgets in some way, shape, or form, including meetings and events. While these types of expenses can be viewed as ancillary and unnecessary, national sales meetings serve as a time to train, inform, engage, and energize a team of people who rarely are all together in one place but need to be like-minded in reaching a common goal. Team building activities that foster networking, teamwork, and trust among colleagues are key to developing relationships that cannot be formed remotely.

This March, First Generation had the privilege of once again planning and producing the national sales meetings for Crayola and the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF), both taking place in Florida earlier this month. Both Crayola and MTF chose to rally their sales and marketing teams and refresh their outlooks and goals for 2012. Here is a look back at how FG assisted them in positively positioning their companies and motivating their workforces.

Snapshot #1: Crayola

To spark the enthusiasm of the Crayola team, First Generation created the “Ignite” theme! Using an Olympic torch graphic and Olympic spirit throughout the meeting messaging, videos, collateral, and activities, “Ignite” proved to be just the inspiration Crayola needed to return to their day-to-day responsibilities invigorated and ready to reach their 2012 goals, united as a team going for the gold.

Snapshot #2: MTF

MTF wanted to remind their sales and marketing teams that throughout its 25 years in business, it has experienced much growth and transformation that shaped the company into what it is today. The FG team delivered the “Evolve” theme, using a forward-looking font type and color spectrum. Using differently colored PowerPoint templates and changing stage lighting between sessions, the “Evolve” theme was executed throughout the meeting, showing constant change. The MTF team left the meeting armed with new strategies, ready to tackle 2012.

Both Crayola and MTF understood the value in maintaining contact and communication with their sales and marketing employees, planning for success in 2012. First Gen is proud to partner with our clients for national sales meetings. Need help planning one for your company? Just e-mail FG President Alex Shade at ashade@firstgencom.com to get started!

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

Carpenter Technology spent a lot of time on the road this spring, attending trade shows at the Offshore Technology Conference and National Association of Corrosion Engineers Expo. Not only was Carpenter educating attendees about their newest products and offerings, but they engaged attendees with their “Win a Metallurgist” contest, planned and executed by First Generation.

FG designed a pre-show mailer with contest details and a pop-up cutout metallurgist that served as the entry form for recipients to fill out and submit at one of the trade shows for a chance to utilize the technical expertise of a Carpenter metallurgist for one day. In addition, the mailer advertised the opportunity to win an iPad by completing an iPad puzzle at Carpenter’s booth. It was a win-win occasion! Carpenter’s social media channels were also utilized and successful in promoting the contest, generating greater awareness and interest.

A custom contest website was developed and hosted by First Gen, providing full contest details and giving those unable to attend a show a chance to qualify to “Win a Metallurgist.”

The campaign mailer response rate was just under 5%, which is well above the reported average of less than 2% reported by The Direct Marketing Association. Congratulations to the “Win a Metallurgist” contest winner, The Lee Company of Westbrook, CT!

FG Busy with Trade Shows, Sales Meetings, and Special Events

February and March were whirlwind months for the FG team! In just under 45 days, FG produced meetings, trade shows and events in San Diego, CA, Secaucus, NJ, Phoenix, AZ, Swiftwater, PA, Salt Lake City, UT, Houston, TX, and Philadelphia, PA. Here’s a photo re-cap of our travels:

San Diego – MTF’s AAOS trade show booth – we designed the displays, produced interactive programs, and ran the presentations for the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.

Secaucus – Keystone Automotive Operations’ “BIG Show” – i.e. the leading distributor and marketer of specialty auto parts in North America’s exclusive customer and vendor show – we created a new brand identity for the Accessory division in just under two months. Keystone unveiled the new look at the show!

Phoenix – 2011 marks FG’s 14^th year producing and executing Crayola’s National Sales Meeting. This year the meeting took place at the Wild Horse Pass Indian Reservation in Arizona. The theme was Crayola NEXT, challenging their teams to think long term and visualize what the company will look like in 10 years.

Swiftwater – FG helped sanofi pasteur celebrate the work of CEO Wayne Pisano in February, after 14 years of service at the pharmaceutical supplier as a dedicated leader and public health partner. FG provided a/v and staging support as well as a commemorative video that was shown at the event and various graphic wall displays, reflecting Mr. Pisano’s accomplishments.

Salt Lake City – Once again, the FG crew hit the road for a National Sales Meeting, this time for MTF. We set up the show for 150 MTF sales and marketing attendees and enjoyed the breathtaking views of the Snowbird resort!

Houston – No rest for the weary! Sandy Friedman jumped a plane to Houston to support new client Carpenter Technology at the NACE trade show in Houston! FG designed ads and pre-show mailers for their “Win a Metallurgist!” campaign, helped create booth displays, and created an iPad game to play in the booth.

Philadelphia – Finally, the City of Brotherly Love welcomed MTF and FG to the AORN trade show, where FG once again handled the a/v needs for all live booth presentations. It was standing room only at MTF’s popular booth presentations. Featured here are A/V Manager Bill Carmody, Account Manager Sandy Friedman, and Megan Schwab of MTF in front of the MTF booth.

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

Depending on your company’s sales cycle or marketing strategy, you may just be rolling out new ideas and outlining sales goals in the first and second quarter, celebrating and rewarding an outstanding sales force or making it a perfect time for a company team gathering to regroup and recharge. Sure, you can set up a conference call or a Friday meeting to discuss these things, but many sales and marketing organizations choose destination meetings to network and strategize face to face… and First Generation has the tools, ideas, and experience to help you plan a successful meeting!

Here are some things to keep in mind:

1)      Plan early – Destination meetings can take up to a year to plan, with the first step being site selection; First Generation has relationships in place with many hotels and resorts to help find a spot that is right for your company.

2)      Develop a theme – Rather than having multiple unrelated presentations, come up with a meeting theme, a common thread that ties everything together and gives attendees a rally cry; FG can handle this from concept to deliverables like PowerPoint templates, banners, and promo items that reinforce a meeting’s theme.

3)      Bulk up – Being on-site at a meeting can be overwhelming as keeping to a schedule and managing a larger group of people can be difficult; to fit your meeting needs, FG has A/V technicians and producers that provide on-site assistance so you don’t need to worry about things running smoothly – we do it for you!

If you are interested in partnering with First Generation for a company meeting, just drop a line to Alex Shade at ashade@firstgencom.com or call 610-437-4300.

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.”