Josh Spear this Thursday (updated with NDAC news)

Josh Spear is a blogger and media strategist. This Thursday, the New Denver Ad Club joins the ADCD to bring him to Denver.

UPDATE: I asked the 32 members of The Denver 50 Facebook group if they thought there was a point to keeping the group now that the show is over. I got nine responses, all in favor of keeping it as the official group of the NDAC's creative pod.

AdRants on Fueld Films and the New Denver Ad Club

AdRants and AdGabber on Fueld's film for the New Denver Ad Club:

Look, a bunch of douchey office cogs made of cardboard. Nice wicker basket, guys... We loves it for its hipster inanity. Dig it? Cool. Play the paper dolls game.

Just two days until the show. Get your tickets on regonline.com.

UPDATE: Andy, Pure and Cactus are all going to be there. So is Karsh/Hagan, where I work. And the Egotist, who I assume will be in disguise.

UPDATE: Photos from this afternoon's construction project posted on the Denver 50 Facebook page.

UPDATE: AdFreak also riffs on Fueld's viral.

NDAC creative pod meets Tues., Oct. 23

The creative pod of the New Denver Ad Club meets tomorrow evening after work at Thought Equity.

TD50 tickets are on sale as of right now

The Denver 50 show will be on December 6 at Exdo. Tickets are just $35 for NDAC members and $50 for everyone else. Get yours at regonline.com/denver50.

This print ad was created for the New Denver Ad Club by Dave Schneider and me, both of Karsh\Hagan.

NDAC joins the ADCD to bring Josh Spear to Denver

The ADCD is bringing Josh Spear to Denver to do a talk entitled "The Future of Advertising is not Advertising." The creative pod of the NDAC is co-sponsoring. Mark your calendar for Thursday, November 15.

TD50 Dec. 6 (and other award show notes)

• TD50 judging is supposed to end on September 14. But it won't. Because just like nearly all of our entrants needed an extension, the judges need a few extra days to finish voting. It's a lot of work to get through, and our judges are some of the best - and busiest - creative directors in America.

• The show book will debut on December 6 at the first-ever Denver 50 award show. Trust me when I say the event will not resemble your basic rubber-chicken, sit-down, emceed affair.

• If I could do the submission process over again, I'd have done two things differently. I'd have specified RGB instead of CMYK files. And I'd have given agencies the option to upload film to YouTube and send us the link, instead submitting Flash or Quicktime files.

• This news had to break eventually. I might as well do it here. Crispin did not enter TD50. They'd indicated they would. And we were so excited to have them. But for reasons that weren't communicated to me, they opted to sit out this year.

• Two sneak preview photos from The Denver 50 cover shoot are on our Facebook page. If you're a Colorado marketing-type, please consider joining the group.

• Last week, I dropped by Coffee Friday to see if any of Denver's account planners wanted to weigh in on TD50. Most everybody thought the show concept sounded great. (Or at least, that's what they said to my face.) Some were suprised to hear they could have submitted a strategy or insight as an idea in itself. Personally I think the best ideas are insightful plans backed up by creative media buys and killer executions. But there was nothing in the rules that defined what an "idea" was. Assuming the show is a success and the community prefers it to doing the ADDYs, I think that in 2008 we'll see even more entries and an even broader definition of the word "idea."

TD50 entry deadline extended

In an effort to prevent panic attacks, heart problems and nervous meltdowns, we have extended the deadline for Denver 50 entries until Friday, August 31st at 5:00 p.m. You can drop off entries with me at Karsh\Hagan or with Ted at Thomas Taber & Drazen.

The DBJ on The D50

The Denver Business Journal:

The brains behind a new advertising-award program for Denver say the city's ad creators need to crow louder if they want the national recognition they deserve.

That's one goal of "Denver 50," unveiled this month. The project, leading to an award show and book displaying the city's best ad ideas, is being organized under the wing of the New Denver Ad Club, founded in April as a regional advertising professional group after the demise of the Denver Advertising Federation in 2004.

The rest of the article is mostly an interview with Norm Shearer and me. (Blush.) But it's great for the DBJ to give us this coverage. Since the article's print publication last Friday, I've received a couple calls asking me for more information.

The Denver 50: How to enter your idea

These instructions also live on newdenveradclub.com. But let's get it out there.


About the Denver 50

The Denver 50 isn't about backslapping and gladhanding and plastic pieces of hardware that you can display on your agency shelf. Because advertising in the year 2007 isn't about those things.

Advertising is about ideas. And ideas are bigger than individual executions. Bigger than individuals.

The Denver 50 is America's first idea-centric award show. You submit your idea, and as many executions as you need to illustrate it. Our judges will pick the best 50 ideas. Then we'll put out a book that shows the world just how good this market can be.

Our judges include the very best creative directors from the world's very best agencies.

1. Mike Byrne, CD and partner at Anomaly/NY
2. Kevin Roddy, ECD at BBH/NY
3. Robert Rasmussen, ECD at R/GA
4. Jason Zada, ECD and founder at EVB
5. Mike Lescarbeau, President and CCO at CarmichaelLynch


How do I enter The Denver 50?

1. Write a 50 to 150-word description of your idea in a Word document.

2. Decide which execution or executions best represent your idea. You could choose a single piece. Or up to 10 executions in an integrated campaign.

3. Optimize the executions you want to submit with your idea according to the specs below.

4. Put all the executions in a single folder with your Word document.

5. Title the folder with the name of your agency and a number. (For instance, the second entry from Thomas Taber + Drazen would be tiltled "TTD2.")

6. Repeat this process for as many ideas as you want to submit to the Denver 50.

7. Burn all your folders to CD-ROM or DVD.

8. Each submission is $100. Make checks payable to the New Denver Ad Club for the appropriate amount.

9. Deliver your disc (or discs) and check to Matt Ingwalson at Karsh\Hagan, 2399 Blake, Denver, CO 80205 or to Ted Morse at Thomas Taber & Drazen, 1610 15th Street, Denver, CO 80202. Submissions must arrive by August 28.


The Rules

Let's keep this simple, shall we?

1. Entries must be submitted by 6:00 pm on August 28, 2007.

2. $100 per entry. Each entry can include one to 10 pieces that represent the idea.

3. The idea must have been created in Colorado.

4. The idea must have debuted publicly between 1/1/06 and 8/28/07. That's 20 whole months worth of work you can submit.

5. Both NDAC members and non-members are eligible.

6. You cannot submit any piece more than once. For instance, do not submit a print ad campaign and then also submit each ad in that campaign separately.


How do I size my files?

Option 1 - Compose a two-minute (or less) slideshow or video about your idea. You can include photos, videos, a voiceover, or whatever you want along with the elements of your idea. This is how they do the Titanium Lions at Cannes. For examples, see canneslionslive.com/titanium.

Option 2 - Follow the instructions below.

1. Print ad, editorial layout, outdoor, logo, poster or other printed piece: Convert your file into a .jpg or .gif. Make it fit within 900x600 pixel space. The total file size must not exceed 1Mb.

2. Video, animation or commercial: Create a 320x240 .flv file. Compress the video at 400Kbps and the audio at 96Kbps. If you'd like to submit a .mov, make sure it is 320x240 and no larger than 4Mb.

3. Website or microsite: Your site must be hosted somewhere for it to be judged. Submit a link to the site. If you choose, you can also submit a screencapture of your idea to demonstrate a key detail, following the requirements for a print ad or poster.

4. Web banners or rich media: Send us your .swf, .gif, .flv or whatever your deliverable was, no larger than 4Mb. If you feel it must be seen in context, you can submit a screencapture.

5. Event, signage, packaging, 3-D piece, environmental or guerrilla activity: Take a photo and then follow the requirements for a print/poster idea. Or take a movie and follow the requirements for a video/spot.

6. Radio spot or audio track: Submit an .mp3. File size must not exceed 2Mb.

7. Something else: Write an explanation in a Word doc and add it to your folder. Be as clear as possible. Include a photo if you like. If this isn't working for you, post a question on this thread.

Shh, there was a Creative Pod meeting last night

The Creative Pod meeting last night was a little quiet. Maybe the Rockies game across the street jammed up parking. Or maybe people were just saving their energy for tonight's kickball tournament. The upshot was that about eight of us gathered at Thought Equity to watch the latest reel from Lurzer's Archive and discuss the Denver 50.

Tim of Thought Equity volunteered to help us find a venue for our November show. Two folks from Crispin dropped by to let us know they plan to enter. Fueld had some ideas for a viral video. I seem to remember drinking a Blue Moon.

Denver 50 and Creative Pod news

• The creative pod meets tonight. Here's the details.
• Mike Lescarbeau has signed on to judge the Denver 50.
• Another judge, Rob Rasmussen, is now ECD at R/GA.

Creative pod meeting on Thursday

The details:

The Date: Thursday, July 26
The Time: 6:00 pm
The Place: Thought Equity, 1899 Wynkoop

The Gunn Report

Ask a creative about good ads, and without a doubt, we'll whip out an award annual. Our intuition tells us that the stuff we think is cool will work. I mean, for real, if you can get a calloused adman to say, "I wish I thought of that," you should be moving product. Right? But how do you get a number cruncher to trust the intuition of a jean-clad creative? Say it with a Gunn.

Every year, Donald Gunn publishes The Gunn Report. It's a compilation of the award winningest ads from around the world. It's kind of like the holy grail of award shows. While Donald does have the coolest name in the ad game, he's also dedicated his life to uncovering the connection between award-winning work and work that sells.

Brian Wilkens will give a brief talk about Donald's findings.

The Denver 50

The wheels are turning. The judges are stoked. The Denver 50 is well on its way to materializing as an actual award show. Find out the state of The Denver 50's corporealness from El Capitan, Matt Ingwalson.

A Reel

After talking about awesome work, we'll see what it really looks like. Gregg Bergan will stop on by with the latest volume of Lurzer's TV Archive in tow. Cross your fingers for some sexy Brazilian ads.

I've talked with Thought Equity and they intend to have the fridge filled with Blue Moon. That always draws a crowd.

More buzz for the Denver 50

This time from the anonymous but dead-on Denver Egotist:

Ideas are cool and this seems like a big one.

Adrants on the Denver 50

Adrants:

Well what do you know. Alex Bogusky Moves to Boulder and Denver launches a new ad club. And that's not all. Properly following America's march toward self esteem-fueled mediocraty where there are no winners and loser only proud participants, the New Denver Ad Club has kicked off an awards competition in which there are no golds, no silvers, no bronzes, no categories and no Cannes-like category shifting to please judges' whimsy.

New Denver Ad Club show gets blog buzz

Fort Collins is an R&D Cluster. And Boulder is a Global Village. But that's OK. Denver has the nation's 14th best abs.

Sigh.

As nice as it is to be more washboardy than Jacksonville, we need something that showcases our creative climate on a national scale. Something like, say, this.

The New Denver Ad Club gets a New Denver Ad Show

I had breakfast this morning with the team that's putting together the New Denver Ad Club's 2007 award show. I can't give away the details. But we've completely rethought the way advertising gets recognized. And when the Denver book is published, people'll be blown away.

Me, selling the new Denver ad club

Denver ADDYs

My agency, Thomas Taber & Drazen, did well at the Denver ADDYs. Twenty-two ADDYs, seven of them gold. We won awards for many of our clients, including Einstein Bros. Bagels and Clarity Media. A strong showing, even given the absence of Pure, TDA, Sukle and Factory.