Resistance is Futile
The Holiday season will be upon us next week, which means spending time with loved ones. It also means spending money and shoving complete strangers out of the way to save $60 on that flat screen TV. #BlackFriday
There is no better way to celebrate the birth of the King of Peace then engaging in a capitalistic riot at the expense of fellow believers. Forget Thanksgiving, what we are really thankful for is Black Friday, which now comes on Thursday. Should we change the name of Thanksgiving to Black Thursday? Or should we just go with the flow and max out or credit cards buying cheap Chinese goods while celebrating our most quintessentially American holiday.
I know it is futile to resist Madison Avenue, but this year I would like to put in a plug for Small Business Saturday. There will be no riots in Carytown next weekend and Richmond Police will not be called to the corner of Libbie & Grove. Small businesses all over the area will sell their goods, make a reasonable profit, hire local people, pay local taxes, and contribute to local charities. You can’t say that about Walmart.
So next weekend I invite you to sit back, relax, and watch the craziness unfold on Friday, then drop by to see one of our awesome clients. Buy something pretty at Vera’s Fine Jewelers. Get a living Christmas tree at Yard Works. Buy a six-pack of Bold Rock Hard Cider, a bottle of A. Smith Bowman Distillery bourbon or some CrossKeys Vineyards wine. A new fireplace from Hearth & Home Shoppe of Mechanicsville would make the perfect gift, wouldn’t it? Or, if your heart is so inclined, why not make a gift to Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia or Hitting Cancer Below the Belt? After all, it is better to give than to receive.
Monday, Nov. 12 – 39 Days ‘Til Christmas
Christmas is right around the corner, so we kicked off the week brainstorming gift ideas to send to our clients. In the past we’ve done customized cards, moonshine and Red Ryder BB Guns, but this year we’ve got something different up our sleeves. I’d say don’t get your hopes up if you’re a client of ours reading this, but you really should.
Monday also marked a huge milestone. I took Office Manager Katie Rossberg to her first ever VCU basketball game. As a Randolph-Macon College graduate, Katie was in awe of the Siegel Center, but was probably more excited about the Commonwealth Room and their amazing cocktail selection. It was an exciting night as my beloved Rams powered their way to another victory, still remaining undefeated. And yes I’m aware it’s been only three games.
Tuesday, Nov. 13 – Oh Say Can You Seay
On Tuesday our Business Manager Brandy Seay hosted her lunchtime Main-iac University. We gathered around in the conference room to eat pizza, learn more about her wonderfulness, and bombard her with highly unusual questions. We learned that Brandy will forever tune in when the classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory plays on TV and would choose teleportation as her one superpower… which makes total sense considering her lengthy commute from good ol’ Bumpass.
Speaking of Brandy, her teenage son Rylan Seay made NBC12 News for his commendable birthday tradition of asking everybody for the same gift — dog food. He donated nearly 1,800 pounds to the Louisa Humane Society, which almost doubled his initial goal. Heck, even Chewy is adding to it now. I commend Rylan for his giving spirit and am making it my goal to help him raise over a ton. If you want in, we are accepting dog food donations at the office. Every little bit helps!
Wednesday, Nov. 14 – Livin’ for the Weekend
There’s nothing I love more than seeing a creative concept come to life on the big screen, and lucky for me we got the great news on Wednesday that our fourth Weekend Warrior video for Yard Works was completed. Many thanks to the team at Broadscope for helping us make our vision a reality. Need proof of their great work? Check out the video!
On Wednesday our Account Manager Leanne Ferry and Art Director Carissa “Purple Hair Don’t Care” Ghaffari presented an awesome new website to the good folks at Southern Goodman, and they couldn’t be any happier (we’ll share it with you soon) We also have a lot of other exciting things in the works with them that we’re thrilled to share in the months ahead. Later in the afternoon, I was pleased to host the Virginia Council of CEOs best roundtable, roundtable number one, at Madison+Main’s Worldwide Headquarters. I would love to tell you everything we discussed but I am bound by confidentiality. But I can tell you this, collectively we plotted how to take over the world. #TrueFacts
Thursday, Nov. 15 – Santa’s Workshop
Thursday we had a Lunch + Learn about Snapchat, but after a few minutes of the webinar, the Main-iacs we’re more focused on the Chipotle we ordered for lunch and furthering our discussion for client’s Christmas gift idea. After three rounds of creative brainstorming and ideas ranging from a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree to Rent-a-Reindeer, we settled on a truly awesome gift. I can’t wait for the Main-iacs, er, I mean Santa, to deliver them to our awesome clients.
I dropped by the Texas Inn Thursday night to check on operations and was interviewed by WSET ABC 13 in Lynchburg. They were doing a follow up story on the renovations we’re making and will be sending hundreds of people our way on Small Business Saturday to buy hats, T-shirts, glasses, coffee mugs, chili spoons, and limited edition prints. If you really want to get away from the Black Friday madness, drive on down to Lynchburg next Saturday and go #AllTheWay.
Friday, Nov. 16 – Casual Fur-day
After a week full of rain it’s nice to finally see some sunshine today. And the only thing that could make this beautiful fall day even better? Having a dog in the office! Katie has set us up with Richmond Animal Care and Control‘s “Casual Friday” program, where we get to have a foster dog in the office for a day every other week. This week’s pup is named Carl, and he is a little shaggy and almost completely blind. He might be a little rough around the edges but he’s a smooth operator. Interested in taking him home?Email Katie for more information!
We are slowly but surely making sure that our entire team gets to visit Bold Rock Hard Cider. Today Graphic Designer Erin Rebmann, Junior Copywriter Derek Fair, Account Executive Allison Throckmorton and Carissa were the lucky group that got to make the trek out to Nellysford for a tour and complimentary tasting. #LuckyDucks