Overall, we think the evening proved that the Salt Lake market is teeming with creative thinking and individuals who aren’t just chasing “shiny objects” but looking at the digital arena as a critical component of any marketing strategy. As Craig said: “It shouldn’t be ‘digital’ or ‘new media’ anymore. It’s about engagement and integrated media strategy.”

Forget about deciphering the future, or trying to envision what new technology or digital tools will appear next.

Pause from that frustrating pursuit for five minutes while we peer into advertising’s distant past, in order to re-discover what the future will require – no matter what quirky Facebook rip-off or magical mobile app surfaces next week.

Look backwards for a moment.  Way back.  Keep going.  And going.

1925, bingo.

Lord & Thomas was the largest ad agency in the world at that time, and forerunner to what later became known as Foote Cone Belding (which itself became a behemoth in the ad industry).   Although his name never appeared on the door, L&T’s creator was Albert Lasker, a tireless taskmaster and one of the advertising industry’s greatest pioneers during the first half of the 20th century. With the assistance of Claude Hopkins, one of the first great professional copywriters, Lasker transformed brands such as Kleenex, Kotex, Pepsodent and Lucky Strike into household names.

That year, his agency published a series of magazine ads.  (Imagine that, an ad agency practicing what it preaches.)  The long-copy ads, mostly devoid of graphics, taught tenets of truth that may well be eternal.  Here are some excised jewels from that series.  See if you agree.

1. “Look for two certain qualities in every advertisement: ‘Fire and Feeling.’  Elements which, possessed, make one man a super-salesman.  And lacked, another a misfit.  Which make one ad sway millions to buy.  And left out, make another costly mediocrity.  ”
2. “The advertisement that trumpets ‘Here Is the Greatest Thing on Earth’ is, in modern advertising practice, judged a liability.  Only medicine shows and street carnivals any longer employ ‘barkers.’  Avoid boast and bombast.  For the whispered word is often more potent than the shouted.”
3. “When you find a winning story in advertising, stay with it.  Don’t, in the struggle for ‘something different,’ change it.
4. “The true science of headlines is to strike the right balance.  Not common-place, for that’s without excuse.  Not bizarre, for that’s a costly folly.  Not indefinite, but definite and compelling.”
5. “Many slogans can apply to ten or fifty products, but your claims as to the exclusive features of your product can apply only to yours.  If your ad copy features generalized slogans or extraneous ‘human interest’ leads more pertinently than your product, then change your copy.”

Sound familiar?  Some things never change, and shouldn’t.  These principles, circa 1925, apply every bit as much today, whether we’re creating a Flash banner or a matchbook cover.

I have long believed my job is to sell my clients products and services.  Awards are a bonus for doing that job right in the first place.  With that in mind, I offer a sixth excerpt from the Lord & Taylor ad series – again illustrating that the past can be totally applicable to the present:

• “The object of advertising is to sell.  Its only court of judgment is a profit sheet.  Men may deceive themselves, but profit and loss columns – never.”

Hats off to Mr. Lasker and Mr. Hopkins for leaving us a history lesson that has never gone out of style.

Perhaps the best part, though, is this is Richter7’s 8th year receiving the honor. And while we only focus on the advertising category, my 21 years at this agency has shown me that we have outstanding divisions throughout the company in Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Research, Design, Media Planning and the explosive Online Marketing/Web & Mobile Development division. All add to make one great company.

But the real bonus is having stellar clients who authorize us to do outstanding campaigns. Without their trust and a collaborative vision, we wouldn’t have the award-winning work to move their business forward. Thank you to all.

The web application uses Google Maps to estimate the visitors closest airport, the flight time from departure and destination, and the drive time to Park City. The results page displays a Google map showing the travel path.

Thank you to the Richter7 team who concepted and developed this tool: Frank Imler, interactive art director; Gary Sume, writer; Dave Newbold, executive creative director; Brett Winklesky, technologist, Teri Gibson, account supervisor and Evin Catlett, social media director.

FB CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook, which has tripled its number of mobile users from 65 million at the same time last year, will also make its “Facebook Deals” physical location-based feature available on Google Android-based smartphones.

With that, Facebook will help merchants offer deals to customers who “check in” nearby, marking their physical location.

Having already lined up 22 partners, including Macy’s, American Eagle Outfitters, Las Vegas’ Palms Casino and the Gap — which will give away 10,000 pairs of jeans – is it bye-bye Foursquare? Foursquare check in!

http://bit.ly/b4cjpE

Twitter Steps Into Your Stream

Twitter said it will drops ads into users’ streams/timelines. Virgin, Starbucks and Red Bull have bought into this, but, hey, isn’t stream-stepping going to annoy? Hmmm.

http://bit.ly/dxGom8

Google Gaining on Booming Smartphone Market

Was it any surprise? Google’s Android software platform, which has gone crazy wild in just two years, rose to the #2 spot globally on the booming smartphone market. Because Android phones’ popularity keeps growing, Google is in a good position as handsets look set to surpass computers for browsing the Web.

What’s more, cheaper smartphones, boosted by the surge in Androids, are becoming increasingly the growth engine of the overall smartphone market. Thanks, Googs bro.

http://reut.rs/9kJzwi

Seems like privacy issues are the new black. Adding to Facebook’s privacy fiasco is Google’s run-in with “accidental collection” of users’ personal information, including entire emails, URLs and passwords. Google admitted that cars sent to take photos for its Street View mapping service also carried Internet eavesdropping gear.  Investigations are ongoing.

http://usat.ly/amDtF2

MySpace Rebranding

With the launch of the new MySpace this week, online socialites have a new destination for social entertainment—not to be confused with social networking. Throughout the month of November, MySpace will roll out a completely revamped interface to its users, transforming everything from the homepage to profiles to the new Topic Pages.

http://on.mash.to/d5xiX7

11 Scary Confessions About Life as a PR Pro

In honor of Halloween, we couldn’t resist sharing the SCARY TRUTH about life as a PR/marketing professional (as told by Tom Nixon of Ragan).

1. I see more of my smart phone than I do of my children.

2. I actually consider how the lady at the drive-thru window “messaged” the fact that they were out of fries.

3. I spend almost as much time viewing the source code of a website as I do consuming the actual content.

4. I see the likes of Tiger Woods sex scandals through the prism of crisis communications, and not for the sheer entertainment of it all.

5. I get confused when I don’t see a “Share This” widget when leafing through the morning newspaper.

For the remaining six confessions, go here: http://bit.ly/at5Pm2, and don’t forget to share this.

Happy Halloween!

Initially joining Richter7 as a client services intern, Carroll has experience with paid search, web analytics and coordinating and strategizing client campaign launches.

A University of Utah graduate, Carroll obtained his BS degree in marketing and information systems. His proficiency in both fields will benefit clients such as Living Planet Aquarium, Christopherson Business Travel and Zions Bank.

Established in 1971, Richter7 has been named Utah’s “Best of State” advertising agency seven times in the past decade and is nationally recognized for effective advertising, public relations, online interactive and design for clients from Minneapolis to Hawaii.

Facebook has upgraded once again by testing the search result functionality by displaying articles based on the number of “likes” it has received. Currently, the search results appear within the drop down search box.  Facebook has not officially announced the new search functionality, however, we expect to hear from them soon.

http://bit.ly/ckumFF

Chief Listeners’ Use Technology to Track, Sort Company Mentions

It appears that companies are starting to recognize the importance of listening to what customers have to say and actually acting upon it.  The role of a “chief listener” is popping up across the country and at companies such as Kodak and Dell.  “Our chief listener is critical to making sure the right people in the organization are aware of what the conversations on the web are saying about us, so that relevant people in the business can connect with customers,” said Richard Binhammer, communications executive at Dell.

http://bit.ly/amU3He

The Top 10 Viral Ads of All Time

What’s better than watching the top viral ads of all time on a Friday afternoon? Nothing at all. Enjoy.

Who’s No. 1?

Hint: It’s Not Old Spice, Nike or Even Evian

http://bit.ly/crjJX7

1. Like a swarm of killer bees, this South African instrument – previously unknown to many – dominated the news, our ears and was a popular Twitter hashtag. Articles even popped up on how to remove the Vuvuzela sound from your audio by muting certain frequencies on your equalizer – http://bit.ly/bviXut – and Twitter’s fail whale was a semi-constant.

2. Meanwhile, Mr. Jobs’ latest creation is estimated to have sold 1.5 million on its first day, according to Oppenheimer’s Yair Reiner. http://bit.ly/crMoFi

3. However, complaints are already starting to pop up – especially regarding yellow distortions on screen and poor reception. From a PR perspective, it seems that Steve Jobs may need a bit of media training after responding to a customer’s email regarding reception issues by saying “Just don’t hold it that way.” Should he have responded the way he did? Apple is seen as a worldwide innovator and yet their solution to the problem is somewhat pathetic…http://bit.ly/91jI22

4. Lastly, (in non-World Cup and iPhone news) a recent marketing research study reveals a few things about online advertisements that might not come as a huge surprise. Content being “targeted” in any intelligent manner gets a much higher response rate. Likewise, obtrusive ads that do crazy things such as make noise, play music, or roll over the page on a  mouse-over are also extremely effective. However, when an ad was both targeted and obtrusive… people get a bit creeped out and the ads effectiveness falls pretty dramatically. Why? Apparently it begins to call too much attention to the fact that big brother is watching. How do you feel about these types of ads? http://bit.ly/czKpsC

1. We have all seen Social Media come into play during recent world crises, such as the Chilean earthquake. So it is no surprise that platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Flickr have played a big role in the clean-up of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.  While some people are jamming up phone lines for information, the majority of the public are turning to Social Media for updates.

A local fisherman waits outside of a BP office to apply for a contract to work in the cleaning of the oil leaking from a deepwater horizon drilling platform that continues to spread in the Gulf of Mexico in Venice, Louisiana May 3, 2010.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6455OR20100506?feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology

2. While on Facebook earlier this week, some of you may have found yourselves viewing personal conversations between friends on your network.  This glitch was due to Facebook making another round of changes to the platforms security settings last Wednesday. Facebook has recently been under fire for the plans of sharing user information with outside web sites and making information public.  Will you continue to use Facebook if your profile isn’t so private?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/technology/internet/06facebook.html?src=busln

3. Every year consumers scour the web looking for the perfect gift, whether it is for Christmas, birthdays or Valentine’s Day. So why should Mother’s Day be any different? From discounts to e-cards, you can find businesses promoting the holiday on Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media platforms.

Some examples include:

•Teleflora. The flower-delivery giant had such a hit with its virtual “talking” flower bouquets at Valentine’s Day that it’s doing a similar promo for Mother’s Day, says Laurie McCartney, marketing chief. Consumers can send pre-recorded e-cards or personalize them. “This is a generation of Facebook moms who like to talk and share,” says McCartney.

•IVillage. The online community is partnering with the upcoming film Babies for a mommy/baby photo contest. Members upload photos of themselves with their babies, and the winner of the contest is voted on by the iVillage community. The winner gets a professional makeover and a photo session. “Families are developing new traditions using social media,” says Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, marketing chief at iVillage.

•Emeritus Senior Living. The assisted-living specialist has a Facebook contest for fans to share stories and photos of their moms. Cash prizes are awarded for the best responses to this question: What makes Mom special?

•SpaFinder. It’s giving out gift certificates via Twitter for those who tweet the best stories about what their mothers did for them.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2010-05-05-momsocialmedia05_ST_N.htm