fishtank creative Wins National APTA Ad Wheel Award

The APTA Ad Wheel Awards honor the best in public transportation marketing, advertising, promotion, and communications every year. The competition honors APTA member organizations for excellence in advertising, marketing, promotion and communications.

This year we entered the :30 TV spot we did for EMTA entitled "Josie" and recently found out that it won first place in its category. Not only is it a first for us, but a first for EMTA as well. The win was in Group 2: Public transportation systems with more than 1 million but fewer than 4 million passenger trips annually and was judged against other systems its size throughout the United States.

The spot was shot and edited completely in-house and the music was scored by Shaun Mullins at Propellerhead Media in Buffalo.

Each year, APTA members submit their very best advertising, marketing, promotion, and communications materials in the media categories of print, electronic, campaigns and special events to the AdWheel Awards competition.

on broken dock

"You can still have Lake Fever and not even know it."
-The Tragically Hip

Yesterday, we held the semi-annual fishtank Lake Fever summer picnic at Kathy's house on Findley Lake. Things were going just swimmingly until the dock broke. Well, to be more exact, it collapsed. And no, Jim wasn't anywhere near the dock when it fell. So we moved the festivities onto the Party Barge and then up to Kathy's deck where we dined on such culinary delicacies as White Hots, Spinach Dip, Deviled Eggs and Rhubarb Pie. Not to mention copious amounts of lager.





The quote of the night was awarded to my tremendously astute wife, Danielle, who, after sitting and conversing at a table with myself, Melissa, and Jesse for quite some time, utters the now-infamous inquiry: "Who's Jesse?" Quite the confidence builder for the new guy.



Next year, Jamie said he wants to do some nude tubing. And Lou promised he would tan his legs.

It's Friday, people!

And six days later a campaign is born.

Two day shoot, four day edit, one approval.

The :15 television series and billboards for the EMTA Trolley campaign have been approved and are slated to start in a couple of days. Billboards will post on 12th Street and State Street while TV will be placed as bookend :15's. Radio talent is scheduled in Memphis, TN on Friday. Should have that edited by next Monday. Below is a sneak peek at the billboard creative. TV ads are linked here:

"Thrill Ride" :15
"Be Amazed" :15
"Erie Thing" :15
"Work and Play" :15

Lead Paint Awareness Campaign Pitch

The numbers are staggering. The consequences are sobering. In Erie County alone last year, more than 240 children were diagnosed with lead poisoning. Yes, you read that right, lead poisoning. And those were just the children who had been tested.

As a matter of fact, any home built before 1978 in Erie County contains lead paint. Which means unless measures have been taken to remove the hazard from your home, your family could potentially be at risk.

Effects of lead poisoning in kids can be as benign as stomachaches and muscle weakness to more serious, life-altering ailments such as blood anemia, brain damage and convulsions.

Research shows that small children are by far the most vulnerable to lead poisoning. They can ingest lead through touching or chewing on paint chips in older homes, eating soil or simply coming into contact with dust that has been contaminated with lead. Expectant mothers and their unborn babies are also at risk, as miscarriages, premature births and stillbirths are well-known side effects of exposure to high levels of lead.

With all this in mind, the Erie Redevelopment Authority (ERA), along with the Erie County Health Department, have asked us to develop a comprehensive, community wide awareness campaign. In fact, that's Beth and Missy going over television storyboards minutes before our pitch to the ERA this very morning.



The goal of the campaign is to not only educate people about the hazards of lead in their homes, but, most importantly, to incite them learn more about how they can protect themselves and their families.

We are extremely honored and excited to be part of such an important initiative. We look forward to reversing the trends and keeping kids healthy and safe throughout our community.

Day two. Harness free.

For all of you coming back looking for another oh so flattering pic of me in a safety harness, no such luck. Both feet were kept on the ground today as we wrapped the TV shoot for a series of the EMTA Bay Liner Trolley commercials. Footage was logged in this afternoon and in-house editing Thursday and Friday will keep us on schedule. Outdoor concepts that Jim put together were approved today and will go up shortly.

Trolley TV Shoot–Day One

Just wrapped Day One of the EMTA Bay Liner Trolley TV shoot. That's Jamie in the bucket flexing his aerial cinematography muscles. Day Two is slated for tomorrow, followed by edit and, fingers crossed, a rough cut to Alyson by week's end. Indeed, this is an extremely aggressive shoot/edit schedule. But since the new Trolley service officially begins Saturday, August 26, we need to be on air sooner than soon.

not another prank call

Apparently we're listed as the contractor for servicing Glenwood Elementary's lobby fishtank. And, it wasn't even a prank call from our own first floor to the third floor. jamie. how 'bout that? maybe we should start a side business.

The Raconteurs are not French

Last night, The Raconteurs rocked the House of Blues in Cleveland. Jamie and I still can't hear right. What? The guys—Jack White especially—jammed all night long, playing the entire library of songs from their first album. They also introduced some new material and played a couple kick-ass covers including Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and "Bang Bang (My baby shot me down)" the Nancy Sinatra classic heard most recently on the Kill Bill soundtrack. Needless to say, we'll be keeping a low profile for much of the morning.

Rock on people, it's Monday.

power to the people

On June 29, a large group of folks, including several state dignitaries, gathered at Ringers Sports Lounge in Austin, Texas for a preview of Time Warner Cable's newest product offerings.

We're talking some really cool, techno-savvy stuff: everything from eBay on TV, Caller ID on TV and On Demand Programming to Digital Phone and high-def videoconferencing for the business sect.

Jerry Knierim, Acquisition Marketing Manager for the Austin Division, asked us to develop various materials to help create a buzz around the event and, most importantly, get people in the door. We jumped at the chance.

Since Time Warner corporate recently changed its tagline from Anything's Possible™ to The Power of You™, we chose to develop a mystical, person-centric theme that at first intrigued—then later enticed—people to Discover The Power of You. We sent a teaser postcard, then staggered two 3-D mailers within days of each other. The response? We packed the house.

Carrie, our resident illustrator, got the chance to show off her mad skills on a series of Tarot-inspired cards that served as one of the 3-D mailings. We also created poster-size Tarots that hung at the bar the night of the event. Several people asked Jerry if this was part of a national campaign. They couldn't believe we created such "elaborate artwork" for just a local event. Boo ya!

To check out some of Carrie's even more, well, elaborate artwork, check out www.thestockholmagency.com

meet Melissa, our newest suit

An Erie native and graduate of Robert Morris University, Melissa has joined fishtank creative in the role of account coordinator. Although her many duties include account coordination, account management, strategic planning and new business development, she still finds the time to cheer on her favorite football team: The Buffalo Bills (no, this is not a misprint—she actually likes the Buffalo Bills).

While obtaining a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Melissa completed a consumer behavior study/marketing plan for The Northern Area Family Medicine primary care facility expansion in Allegheny County and conducted marketing research for the Pittsburgh Penguins. She also worked as a marketing intern for a popular Irish Pub & Restaurant located in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania—with responsibilities ranging from implementing new promotional strategies to assisting with in-store marketing.

The relentless hazing will begin shortly.

ERA "Affordable Housing" campaign wraps

It was great to hear from the Erie Redevelopment Authority that they recieved an 80% increase in phone inquiries over the three week media flight. They normally recieved 3-5 calls a week and the number jumped to 3-5 per day. It really makes all the hard work that all of us put into it worth while when we get this type of feedback.

Check out the :30 spot here.

so do you guys sell fishtanks?

Call us what you will.
A full-service ad agency. A strategic firm. A design boutique.
For nearly two decades, we’ve been all those things and more.
Just don’t call us content.
Because even after all these years, one thing remains certain.
Our best work is yet to come.