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Q&A With Dustin Brown, Co-Creator Of The Brief

Dustin Brown

Toronto-based advertising and communications agency Elemental recently launched a four-part web series called The Brief. Dustin Brown is a partner at the agency who co-created the series.

Why did you decide to make a web series about agency life?

We have always tried to do promotional pieces about the agency to either attract new clients or new employees, bring on new talent and [create] stuff to show our clients what we’re capable of doing. We have run some campaigns in the past and then when one of our new copywriters came on board, he was a director and had the background. I had toyed around with making a full-length series once upon a time and he had some ideas about how to do a web series, which I had never really explored. We brought these two things together and created these shorts and we just had fun with it. From there, it grew into this four-part series, which is great.

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How To React To The New Chevrolet Malibu

Photo Source: Adweek

Photo Source: Adweek

When Facebook launched their new Reactions feature, I was curious to see how my friends and peers in the advertising industry would respond. It’s been around for about a week now and I have yet to use anything but the Like button; however, I think that’s simply a response to the type of content that has appeared in my news feed. If something was truly shocking or devastating, I wouldn’t hesitate to say “Wow!” with a click.

One of my favourite new ads capitalizes on Facebook’s Reactions to demonstrate how much their customers will love their latest product. To produce their one-minute spot “From Like to Love,” Chevrolet and their agency Commonwealth/McCann collected video clips from user-generated content. The videos capture typical moments that are shared on social media like kids’ first day of school and an engagement.

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Bell Let’s Talk

Photo Source: Bell

Photo Source: Bell

Bell Let’s Talk Day is one of my favourite corporate success stories. The charitable initiative, which is run by one of Canada’s top telecommunications companies, aims to remove the stigma surrounding mental health. That’s a campaign that I can stand behind year after year.

Bell has enlisted celebrity spokespeople, such as Howie Mandel and Serena Ryder, to spread the word and use their influence for a good cause. Based on a global response in previous years, I anticipate many more famous people will participate on the day of the event.

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Networking With Janet Kestin And Nancy Vonk

Nancy Vonk

Nancy Vonk

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was discussed repeatedly in high school and university, so when I learned that Ogilvy’s former co-chief creative officers who were responsible for the work were speaking at a Women of Influence event, I couldn’t resist. On Wednesday night, Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin shared how women can get ahead by speaking up and networking at a Women of Influence event.

In the age of personal branding, I was surprised when they said that women are taught it’s wrong to talk about themselves. Whether it’s at a networking event or an interview, it’s beneficial to have an elevator pitch ready and be a good storyteller when you have the opportunity to talk about your life and career.

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A&W Wants You To Skip The Ad

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_n4QlBMbQY’]

When all you want to do is watch a music video, pesky ads can spoil the fun. Fast food chain A&W recognizes your pain and created an ad that communicates the key message in the first 5 seconds. After that, there’s not much to see—viewers simply watch an A&W spokesman eat a burger outside in the middle of the street.

I have never purchased anything at A&W and I can’t say this ad tempted me, but as as a marketer, I found the ad clever. They know you have a short attention span so they cut to the chase while trying to appear cool and modern. This won’t be the last smart spot I discover via pre-roll, but it is the first that encouraged me to skip it and I commend A&W for their creativity.

If you’re craving a burger now, find an A&W near you.