Stylin’ & Profilin’
Hey Folks,
With rain every day since our last Weekly Report, I have looked for some motivation and some comic relief this week. Special thanks to my friend JJ White for providing both. JJ frequently posts quotes, pictures and videos of his boyhood idol, Ric Flair, on Facebook, and that’s exactly what the kids at Madison+Main needed this week. As we prepare to celebrate our 10th anniversary, we spent this week “stylin’ & profilin’.” One of the biggest reasons that bold brands win, is because you can’t forget them… even 30 years later.
Click here to see “Nature Boy” Ric Flair woo the crowd in this 1985 WWE TV promo.
Monday, September 28th – On Monday we welcomed Art Director and our new #bff Renita Wade to the Madison+Main family. Renita is a recent transplant from Washington, DC where she was a principal at Visual Acuity, senior graphic designer at Voice of America and a professor of graphic design at The Art Institute.
Kaity Carr (née Byrum) was not able to welcome Renita on her first day, because she was honeymooning in Las Vegas, where it is reported Mr. Carr “cleaned the house” at the Blackjack tables. Meanwhile we were working diligently to add Kaity’s new last name to our phone system, email signature, business cards, bio on the website and 14 other things.
Miss Durfee, Mrs. Carr & Mr. Saunders all dressed up on a rainy Saturday night in Suffolk.
Monday afternoon we hosted our friends from RAMPS (Ramp Access Made Possible by Students), and presented them new creative… including a new logo design.
Tuesday, September 29th – On Tuesday, we were supposed to shoot the latest TV spot for YardWorks but it rained, so I worked on copy. Did you copy that? That’s my primary job here is writing “stuff” like scripts for our new video for the Virginia Association of Community Banks and website copy for World’s Best Cheesecake. These kinds of writing projects are the ones I like, but I’m occasionally pressed into service to help write RFP’s for Tara and strategy reports for Kara. On Tuesday afternoon it was finally my turn to catch the cold that had ravaged our office, since everyone else had it last week.
Wednesday, September 30th – On Wednesday morning I powered through the head cold with the help of Alka-Seltzer Plus and a good night’s sleep (is it me or did Alka-Seltzer work better in the old days when it still contained phenylpropanolamine?). I needed every ounce of energy as my calendar was booked from 8:00am-8:00pm. The day began with a visit from Samantha at Tom James, who dropped off my new #pimpsuit, complete with the Ric Flair inspired lining (purple satin pinstripes).
In the morning, we presented our Discovery Report to Cate Newbanks at FACES of Virginia, and we are excited about the road ahead for the organization. We are pleased once again, to work with our strategic partners at Knowledge Advisory Group, Trina Willard & Angela Sullivan.
In the year 2000 a medical study was produced by Dr. Stephen Rennard from the University of Nebraska that scientifically proved chicken soup is a more effective treatment than over-the-counter cold medications. I believe that Vietnamese pho actually cures the common cold, so I dropped by Thai Top Ten on Wednesday and had a piping hot bowl of cold remedy with my buddy JJ White #theman #themyth #thelegend. Afterwards, we hosted Dr. Alec Hosterman, Dr. Laura Farrell, and students from Longwood University here at the agency. Thanks to our friend & PR guru Steve Mullen for co-hosting.
At the end of the day, we decided to divide and conquer with Kaitlin & Lindsey dropping by the NBC12 Appreciation Party and yours truly dropping in on Mark James & Connie Maier, who celebrated their 10th anniversary as owners of the Richmond franchise of The Growth Coach.
Lindsey & Kaitlin on the red carpet. Sleeveless is apparently the new fashion trend, even when it’s cold and raining.
Thursday, October 1st – On Thursday morning, I got my first chance to wear my new suit and I was “stylin’ & profilin'” as I started the day with my friend and fellow VCU Ram fan, David Hendrick, getting a tour of his company Custom Kitchens. Custom Kitchens has provided exceptional kitchens & baths since 1957. We thought 10 years was a big milestone… can you imagine the hard work and dedication it takes to stay on top of your game for 58 years? The showroom is immaculate and you can learn more here.
Before I jumped in the car and headed to DC, I managed to squeeze a conference call in with my good friend Mike Caniglia at Vera’s Fine Jewelers and we tweaked their holiday season marketing plan. (Yes, we said “holiday” because Christmas is only 83 days away.) It’s always a pleasure to talk with Mike, and it’s hard to believe we have worked together now for 10 years. We will always owe a debt of gratitude to Vera’s, our very first client.
It was a slow, wet slog to and from the heart of Washington, DC, but I enjoyed presenting at ADWKDC (AdWeek DC) and meeting members of DC’s vibrant advertising and marketing community.
What’s wrong with this picture?
A). It only takes 10 minutes to go 1.8 miles.
B.) Traffic circles have more than 4 exits.
C.) It actually takes 30 minutes to go 1.8 miles.
Friday, October 2nd – Today we moved everyone from the first floor to the second floor in anticipation of the Great Flood, and remember if you need an Ark, I Noah guy. We also briefly evacuated the first floor because we’re only two blocks from VCU and there were reports (later unconfirmed) of a gunman at Cary & Belvidere headed East. As if we didn’t have enough excitement already this week, right?. Things returned to normal and #stuffgotdone.
We delivered the RFP that we have been working on for three weeks. We rescheduled 2 different projects for next week. We finalized plans for our 10th anniversary celebration. And we did tons of other stuff. #woo
Everyone at the office got into our Ric Flair theme this week, especially Renita in her USA sunglasses and Abby, whose lululemon workout pants strongly resemble 80’s style wrestling tights.
Renita and Abby don’t sit at the bar, they sit on the bar. #woo
“You’re talkin’ to the Rolex wearin’,
diamond ring wearin’, kiss stealin’, woo!
Wheelin’ dealin’, limousine ridin’,
jet flyin’ son of a gun,
and I’m havin’ a hard time
holding these alligators down. Woo!”
–Ric Flair, 1985
-Dave