Fancy Font. Who knew it was so complicated.

Paging though Lawrence and Schiller’s facebook page, a post about web fonts drew my attention. The main theme of the post was talking about how important font is to websites and all of the different websites, programs and technologies one can use to try and find this perfect font. We spend forever trying to find the perfect words to use in everything, but rarely do we spend a lot of time trying to find the perfect fonts to go with it. On occasion I find one that is ‘good enough for now’ like the title suggests.

The post starts out talking about boring fonts and fonts that everyone has a tendency to use. One of my favorite phrases from this post is “ ‘Welcome to Our Website’ might be a perfect heading for go-live day, but does it still hold up six months later?”

The post continues to go on about how the author tries different programs and websites to try and find the easiest and most efficient way to use ‘fancy font’ while explaining the pros and cons of each program, this part was a great learning experience.

After reading this post, it made me look at website designing in a different light. I didn’t realize there were so many different programs for something as simple as putting ‘fancy font’ on a website.

The Craft of Media Buying

Media buyers never have the same day twice. In an interview with Monique Lupkes, Media Buyer at Craft and Associates, I learned exactly (or rather inexactly) how she spends her day.

Craft and Associates, located in Sioux Falls, SD, does advertising, marketing and web design. Its clients are based around the country, and the firm handles direct mail, television, radio, newspaper and yellow pages.

Lupkes, a graduate of the University of Minnesota, only had one media buying class in college. Today, her clients are colleges and technical schools, mainly from the West Coast and Ohio. Because she cannot meet any of her clients in person, she communicates by phone, fax and email.

Although Lupkes is not a typical media buyer, she had valuable advice for students looking to get into her field: prepare yourself to not have the same day everyday. Once a month, she goes over a campaign’s progress and changes ad sizes, television stations, or radio frequency accordingly. In addition to researching new markets and updating files, she takes care of make-goods, monitors traffic, and confirms the right spots are running at the right times.

There is a lot to keep up with, and Lupkes admits she works under high stress situations. Working quickly under pressure is another skill she applauds because deadlines are usually yesterday.

Finally, a media buyer must be confident in her choices, but willing to change if the original plan isn’t working out. The most important strength of a media buyer, Lupkes says, is being able to justify why you chose one medium over another.

Fresh Fruits and Veggies

Advertising agencies are well known for their wild, crazy-artistic and goofy atmospheres. How else could creative minds thrive? Well, Fresh Produce is an agency that does not stray from its creative roots. This fun, local agency provides an aesthetic atmosphere where creative-minded individuals create art and most importantly, ads. They will do anything from social media advertising, to interactive or even guerilla advertising.

On their website, you can find a video for Alliance Communications and a little campaign that took place in Baltic. You can also view their portfolio and find out what their style is like. Some of their clients include Poet, SDN Communications, The Washington Pavilion, Landscape Garden Center and a few other Sioux Falls businesses.

If you decide to peruse their website, expect to spend quite some time there. Their interactive website does a great job of drawing people in. And that was exactly the point. “It does a good job of getting a feel for Fresh Produce, and I think it reflects our personality. We aren’t afraid to put ourselves out there, and I think the website is a fun way to introduce our portfolio. We want more people to stick around on the sight,” Sharon Knoll said. And it works.

The sight opens with a chalkboard, that users can doodle on and erase over and over. You can even share your artwork with the agency or even a friend if you are artistically inclined. I have spent way too much time just playing on the chalkboard. But that’s not all there is to their site. You can play their Idea Helmet Adventure Game, check out the Ipso Gallery (which interns get to put together each summer) or check out their blogs: Graphic Content and Rock Garden Tour (which is also a podcast). Once you spend some time on these sites, you will get a feel for what the folks at Fresh Produce are like.

Sharon Knoll is the media/client services person for Fresh Produce and can give plenty of insight into the media buying/planning world. I asked her what a typical day was like for her. And, well, she couldn’t really say much because every day is different. There is no “typical” day for her. Instead, she does whatever needs to be done that day. “There are a lot of phone calls and emails negotiating rates, and playing with different scenarios to make the campaign most efficient,” Sharon says. On top of being the media buyer for part of the day, the other half of her day is spent on account service.

Sharon also has to stay up-to-date with new media trends. When she started the business, everything was very traditional; basically it was television, print, outdoor and radio. Now, as we all know, social media, mobile advertising and ad avoidance are changing the advertising business. So how did she learn everything? Basically, she had to learn on her own. For search engine strategies, she works closely with Click Rain. For everything else, she went to seminars, or figured it out as she went.

So, if you have some time to spare (a lot of time to spare), you should check out all of the wonderful websites Fresh Produce has to offer.

Sharon also offered some pictures of the agency, as well as members of the Fresh Produce team!

We Are The World

The earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 12, has been a constant topic of conversation among people everywhere. Through all the buzz, you’ve probably noticed ads for the We Are The World Foundation, a non-profit organization raising money for Haitian earthquake relief efforts.

Insert Electric Pulp, a web development firm local to the Midwest. Although a team of only 11, the small company from Sioux Falls has been developing websites for big names across the country, including Stephen Colbert, Ford, and Hewlett-Packard, since 1996. Quality work is a staple for Electric Pulp that can be seen in each site they produce. Academic Earth, a site by the firm, came in at number nine on TIME Magazine’s 50 Best Websites 2009, beating out internet giants such as Google, YouTube, Hulu, and Amazon.

The WATW Foundation’s new website, world25.org, was built by Electric Pulp. It features We Are The World 25 for Haiti, a music video promoting the foundation and its cause.

The original song, a product of Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones, raised over $63 million for African famine relief 25 years ago. Richie and Jones teamed up for the new release, which was recorded February 1. Over 80 popular music industry celebrities were featured in the remake, and the music video premiered February 12 during the NBC coverage of the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Electric Pulp, in creating a home for the We Are The World Foundation, was able to bring its relief efforts to the web. The official We Are The World 25 For Haiti video is prominently featured on the site, embedded via YouTube. Viewers are also prompted to participate in the campaign’s main call to action: to donate $10 by texting “world” to 50555. Other tie ins include a Twitter feed, and links to find the WATW Foundation on social media sites, including Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and Youtube. You can purchase the song on iTunes, buy an official tee, or keep updated on the foundation through its widget or mailing list.

All proceeds of course act as charity in support of Haitian earthquake relief.

So take a minute to check out the site built by Electric Pulp, and participate in the efforts if you can. Because it’s going to a pretty inspiring cause.

South Dakota Driving Under the Influence Multi-Media Campaign

Stop drunk driving with... text messaging? That’s exactly what the South Dakota Department of Public Safety is doing. In a new multi-media campaign launched in March, residents of the state can now use their mobile devices to receive text messages on Sobriety Checkpoints in their county and taxi phone numbers. The DPS hopes to reduce driving while intoxicated and fatalities.

Text messaging ties together Lawrence and Schiller’s media campaign elements with a call to action. Other elements of the media mix include TV, radio, outdoor advertising and messaging in South Dakota bars. Revolving around the idea of ‘Act Civilized,’ the campaign versus media mix takes a different approach to the usually serious marketing of intoxicated driving, comparing primitive species to those who drive intoxicated.

In 2007, 42.5% of all South Dakota traffic fatalities were alcohol related. According to Lawrence and Schiller, only two months into the media campaign, more than 2,000 residents had signed up for the text messages and South Dakota bars have provided positive feedback. I believe consumers view ‘Act Civilized’ as a valuable resource because text messaging is convenient for them and a part of their everyday lives.

Sign up to receive the text messages at www.actcivilized.com.