Distinctly American
I love the advertising business. It’s fascinating and I learn new stuff every week. This week I learned that bourbon has to be made in America because, “It is distinctly American.” It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Champagne comes from the Champagne region in France; everything else is just wine with bubbles in it. Scotch comes from Scotland; and we all know “If it’s not Scottish, it’s crap.“
I also learned recently that bourbon isn’t “distinctly Kentuckian” because some of the best bourbons in the world are made right here in Virginia. This week we had some very productive meetings with our new client, A. Smith Bowman Distillery. I learned that their John J. Bowman Single Barrel Virginia Straight Bourbon won the highest honor, a double gold medal, at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Right after this I wanted to make sure that the judges were correct, so I poured myself a glass and conducted my own market research. I was convinced after the first sip, but continued to take 37 more sips…just to be sure.
We are thrilled to announce that Virginia’s oldest and most decorated distillery is Madison+Main‘s newest client. Master Distiller, Brian Prewitt brought us some of his spectacular product to stock our bar, so drop by sometime and I will pour you a shot — two if you’re distinctly nice to me.
Monday, Nov. 5 – Blender, J.R., Abbydabadoo, and Natty Lite
We kicked off the week with Nickname Presentations from our interns Nathalie Kinsbursky, Abby Anderson, Isabelle Tobe, and Jenna Farley. This is always a fun time because the Main-iacs get three nickname options to choose from — or we create a new one if the others suck. For this semester, the choices were hilarious and the interns are already growing tired of us addressing them as such.
Our Accounts intern, Nathalie is officially Natty Lite based on her love for the high-end beer. Our other Accounts intern, Abby is now known as Abbydabbydoo, thanks to her friends with the incredible The Flintstones inspired name. Copywriting intern, Isabelle decided to be minimalistic and offer one single option. As she confessed her love for abbreviated nicknames, we rolled with J.R. — don’t ask why. Last but not least, we adopted the family nickname Blender for Creative intern, Jenna. Long story short, she’s blown up numerous household appliances. New rule: Jenna is not allowed to cook popcorn anymore in the microwave.
Tuesday, Nov. 6 – Free Sticker Day
Along with the Main-iacs, I came to work wearing my “I Voted” sticker. It was a good thing to see that the whole team hit the polls. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I willingly placed a sticker on my shirt but I’d imagine it was back in elementary school and probably looked a little something like this…
Tuesday evening, VP of Brand Strategy, Kara Forbis and I had dinner with my all-time favorite Cowboys fan Taryn and fellow Rotarian Cabell Singleton of Sycamore Vet. We hung out, chatted about plans for next year, and had a great time catching up. Speaking of which, check out these awesome pet care spots that we filmed and produced for them recently!
Wednesday, Nov. 7 – In Good Spirits
As I mentioned above, we were excited that the folks from A. Smith Bowman‘s parent company Sazarac flew all the way in from Kentucky to meet with us and Master Distiller Brian Prewitt. It was an exuberant day filled with laughter, learnings, and Virginia’s finest liquor. To be honest it’s hard to tell who’s more excited — us or them. Either way, this new partnership is intoxicating.
Help us spread the warmth this winter. As a reminder, we’re still rounding up winter-wear to donate towards our Coat Drive. Special thanks to our friends Sarah and Donnie who both brought old coats by this week. As you’re cleaning up around the house this weekend, look through your closet and set aside the gently used coats that you no longer wear and drop them by our office!
Thursday, Nov. 8 – Fun at VSU
One of the most exciting things is molding young minds. And I relished the opportunity to drop by Virginia State University Thursday afternoon to speak to 35 senior level business marketing students. I spoke to them about the future of the semantic web, but more importantly, gave them advice on how to get a job after graduation. #GoTrojans
Friday, Nov. 9 – Is it Game Time Yet?
Tonight, I will get to see my beloved VCU Rams take on the Hampton Pirates. In fact I’m so excited that I’m dressed head to toe in black and gold already and it’s the middle of the day. But there’s more work today before the 7 o’clock game and I have a long drive in front of me, after having spent the last 24 hours in Lynchburg checking on my worldwide restaurant empire. Speaking of which, the talented team at Madison+Main created some more fun stuff this week including new signs and a brand new website. In other news, we have received more than 2,500 likes on Facebook in the last five weeks. #CheesyAllTheWay