Man, today was a long day.

By long, I mean we had two meetings that went a long time. But, it was a good day from a team and a campaign progression standpoint.

The CD partnered us in groups of two, forcing us to work as a team. Luckily, I got to work with the other writer on the team, which is precisely what I wanted to do. She has a tremendous creative prowess about her and is very methodic in the way she approaches a problem. What is most impressive about her is the way she looks at a word and dissects it.

I don’t know if that is true, but that is the vibe I get.

We worked on writing mini-festos for our concepts for the campaigns, and it was sure a hell of a lot easier working with another writer for once. I really appreciated having someone to write and rewrite with because it made the process so much more efficient and enjoyable.

The best part was the chance to concept and ideate with someone that is on the same wavelength as you from a copywriter standpoint. In ad school, whenever I had to do this with someone, I had to work with a student at different levels of knowledge than me. It was either I was a fourth-quarter student working with a first-quarter student, or vice versa. Now, I have one person with me at the same level of knowing what it takes to ideate and concept from a copywriter standpoint.

I don’t want to sound nerdy or snooty because I went to ad school. It doesn’t matter where you come from when you work in advertising, or what your role is. The only that matters is that the company is putting out good work. An account person could put out a suggestion for a campaign, and the agency can take it to turn into a fantastic campaign.

This is why it is cool working on this team because we all don’t have a background as copywriters or art directors. I’m working with a wide variety of talents and its awesome. But, today was great because I got to really get down to brass tax with someone who relates to taking the same copywriting mindset.

Overall, we were very productive and presented our ideas pretty well. As creatives, we need to be carrying the load on a type of project today. My roommate, a strategist on the project, was blown away that we came up with that many ideas because he said him and his partner struggled with making two.

Do you see how hard it is to come up with ideas? It is very hard. But, the CD helped us figure out more of a strategic route to do it today after we presented them to him. With every idea that the six of us showed, he made categories then told us to go down those routes starting the next day. Having constraints from your CD makes your life a lot easier.

The learning lesson here is to make sure you are brave enough to put ideas down to paper. But, if they don’t go with the strategy or brief, then take them off the list.

I always come up with crazy fun ideas. Then I write them down, and if they don’t match the brief or strategy, then I don’t present them.

That is the way I think. But, people think backward and work from the strategy. Either way works. I can do both. But, for this client, you absolutely have to go from idea to match with the strategy.

The big highlight for today was our first client meeting. Boy, was this guy a talker. He was like any entrepreneur that I met when I was in University who spoke to us during our entrepreneur courses. You see, entrepreneurs are eccentric storytellers who are great at talking and portraying an image. With my past experience as a student, I wasn’t as mesmerized or overwhelmed by this guy.

I made sure to ask plenty of questions, and that I did. For me, I was surprised that no one asked too many questions. So, if you’re reading this, make sure to ask questions in your client meeting so you can further understand the brand. Try to make as much dialogue with your client to squeeze every bit of information because your damn campaign depends on it.

Later that day, after a very long client meeting, we debriefed with our CD. I swear this guy has to be an absolute legend and we don’t even know it. Anyway, we debriefed, and he said a lot of the clients talking points were on track to what we have been working on. The categories, problems, solutions, concepts, and ideas have all been built by us already.

Now, it is time to further develop those big ideas. We have a presentation next Tuesday, and there is a lot of preparation to be done. Therefore, I need to be as sharp as possible.

Honestly, I am getting more comfortable, but I am not at my 100% fullest creative prowess.

I can’t wait till it pops, cause that shit won’t stop. I’ll be creating ideas non-stop.

I do have a superpower, and its called bipolar disorder. Remember?

Another thing I want to talk about is we were asked to help ideate for another client. This was amazing because when you’re working on one campaign, it is refreshing to switch to a new brand. The process has been so much easier for this existing campaign because it is already a running campaign.

I received great news today that three of my ideas are up for grabs. So, if I want to create something, I need to wake up early to further develop those ideas. Here is another tidbit. When this happens, make a ten meeting with that creative director to go over both of your thoughts.

If you were in my situation, wouldn’t you want to make your idea come to life to see on TV?

Well, I better get to refining those ideas before 1pm tomorrow.

This is an exciting time for me in a very nerve-racking place outside of my comfort zone

But, I’m doing whatever it takes to have balance and to make this place feel more like home.

Remember, this experience is a marathon. I can’t project anything, and the only thing I can focus on is myself and how I am going to make the team better. For tomorrow, I want to help everyone refine all of there ideas one by one. But, I need to start with my partners and me first.

Today was the first day that I have felt sort of in my skin, so watch out CPB. Here I come.

Every day will get better, and I will be a better advertising creative each day. Mark my words.

Well, it’s time for me to hit the dusty old trail.

Sweet dreams, Boulder.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite, Minneapolis.

Hug the fur babies for me, Kaley pie.

…and…

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content, you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

This may be a hefty entry because I didn’t write last Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. I needed time to reflect. I was exhausted, and I felt very lonely all weekend. Being so isolated gave me terrible anxiety.

After one week, it is crazy how much I have learned about how an ad agency works. But with that, there is still more to learn because there are tiny little details that I am still not aware of due to not being thrown into every tiny situation.

You can see how the flow of this company works and how everyone is working together with excellent communication. The synergy here is phenomenal, and the vibe is very positive.

My favorite part of the week was going to brainstorming sessions for current projects. In ad school, we never took a campaign and tried to improve it. Now, I can take ***Said clients*** campaign and create ideas for it in a safe space without being judged if I say something stupid, which has never really been a problem for me. The coolest part about brainstorming sessions is the whole company from account managers to accountants can participate.

One thing I need to work on is to work smarter. I spent the whole week concepting campaign tags, and then I picked out 88 of 500 that I wrote, then I made print ad templates for all 88 of them.  Then I printed them out and pinned them up on the boards. Then I categorized them into nine categories and began to ideate big picture executions for them. Out of the 300 of the ideas I choose, I widdled it down to 50. I sent them to the creative director, and he picked out six of my best ones.

The big lesson that I learned from him was that he only read my headlines if they caught his eye then he wanted me to proceed with them. The number one thing in advertising from what I’ve been told is to be able to take input from your CD on your project and develop the campaign into an effective one based on the input he or she gives you.

So, I took those six ideas that the CD liked and further developed them. But do you know what else I did? I also developed 12 more of those ideas, because I couldn’t kill those ideas off. So, I rewrote headlines for them.

Like, I don’t mind doing that much work. I love every second of it. But, man do I need to learn how to work smarter, think more strategically, and to be able to answer all of the questions of what makes a great campaign.

An ad campaign is made to persuade people. Deciding moments in life come down to advertising, and it is fascinating to learn the science of how to effectively do it.

I had my film confession last Thursday. I feel embarrassed about it. I don’t know what they are going to do with that footage, but I didn’t sign a release form for this. I said something about a former roommate of mine who started a big company selling stuff for kids with cancer, and how his disrespect for me is one of the driving factors for my ambition to be a great advertising mind. This is my opportunity to save the world with this peanut butter client. I told this to the camera to practice this pump-up speech for my teammates in a low time. Hopefully, we won’t have any low times.

Another driving fire in my stomach is my uncle. The way he disrespected me when my grandfather died will never be forgotten. But, I do forgive him. He is a copywriter who worked for an agency for one year, then started his own agency and has struggled ever since because he didn’t want to play well with others in an agency setting.

This is why I want to be a great teammate. Provide synergy. Be a great listener. To do whatever it takes to make this project successful.

I want to be one of the greatest copywriters ever. Or creative. This small opportunity here at CBP is a tiny stepping stone towards that goal. I am far from where I want to be, and this is why every day in this place is a blessing.

It’s been a long journey to get to this point, and I’m not blowing it.

This is advertising boot camp, and one thing they don’t tell you about agency life is the amount of patience that you need to have. Right now, we are in such early stages of the campaign that I can’t go 100 mph yet. In fact, there is no time to go 100 mph. I need to go to the speed limit that everyone else is going at, and it is hard.

Working on strategy, and adding every bit of effort and knowledge I can put into it isn’t my favorite thing, but I do it because I love advertising. More importantly, I love good campaigns, and if you want to have a good campaign, it all begins with strategy and media planning.

It’s not my favorite part, but it sure is essential.

Another thing they don’t teach you is the number of distractions there are in the day. Wow. I barely have time to write at work. I’ve been freelancing from home, and to go to an agency setting is a massive adjustment. In fact, I had to take my work home last week to ramp up my productivity level.

Writing on the couch with the TV on is my forte. I mean, I still write a lot at work, but it isn’t nearly up to the productivity level that I have when I’m at home.

Seriously, the distractions. First, there is team brainstorming, then a debriefing, then a company brainstorming session, then the someone drops by our department. I wasn’t prepared for that at all. I feel like a goaltender making save after save, then all of a sudden someone scores on me and I have to refocus my concentration again.

One big thing I work on every day is to be a better listener to the group. I have a bad habit of after I talk, I stop listening for about 60 seconds. In any team situation, you need to listen to your teammates. No zoning out, David. Whenever this has happened, I make sure to try to catch on, and if I don’t know after a while, then I ask questions.

If I had the same level of attention that I have for my CD to my teammates, then I think I can find success. Overall, this is something that everyone can get better at. Keeping a notebook handy to take notes has been very useful for me.

Another thing they don’t teach you in ad school is that no one can kill your ideas except your CD. Maybe they did teach us that, but it has been better to learn this in an agency. Every idea is worth something. I am blown away by how my CD has read everything that I’ve written, and I’m just getting started.

The only reason to kill an idea is if it isn’t part of the strategy or pertains to the problem or message.

So, five out of six people are working together as a team. This one person doesn’t share any ideas, participate, or want anything to do with us.

If this gets to you, then don’t let it. The only thing the five of us can do is to worry about ourselves and how we can make this campaign stronger every day.

Maybe this person is waiting for the right moment to add to this campaign because they are working in their style.

But, you can tell that this person is trying to play a prominent political game because he participates in company brainstorms and does very well. This person introduces himself during every meeting to make their presence.

I am hoping this person will bring brilliance to the table at some point because maybe this is how this person works.

The reason why I bring this up is that I am jealous that he is working alone. It is so much easier. This is the only reason. Being part of a team is a challenge in itself, but it is way more fun to find success as a team. And that is why I am here.

When you’re at this point in your ad career, listening and asking questions is the most important thing you can do.

Then suddenly, the weekend hit. My roommate goes out of town, and I am stuck alone. I had three things to do, laundry, groceries, and go to the gym.

I’d love to say that I got all of them done, but my roommate took the laundry room key, so I’m doing laundry as you’re reading this.

Seriously though, I am dealing with the most loneliness I’ve ever. The weekend was rough because I forced myself to get out of the house because I didn’t want to squander the opportunity to explore Boulder.

Well, Boulder is only two streets: Pearl and 28th. I’m not going hiking by myself because I don’t want to get lost and die like in 127 hours or get eaten by a bear. This town is a small town, and I feel like I’m in Northern Minnesota in a cabin with nothing to do. It’s driving me crazy.

But, here is what I did this weekend. I went to the Pearl Street Mall and checked out the summer art fair. Let me tell you, Minneapolis’ art fair is way better. But, the shops and restaurants are cool there, and I’m sure there is some history behind all of those places.

Then I saw this Japanese restaurant that served ramen, so I had to check that out. There is something about Asian food that always makes me feel at ease. It’s like I’m Asian or something.

Then I got sick of walking and decided to use public bikes. This is what I’m most excited about. I can get anywhere in this small town in less than five minutes. I can get groceries and go to the gym without taking Lyft or relying on my roommate. It’s nice to know I’ve figured out a little bit of independence.

With my public bicycle access, I was able to discover more of Boulder because I used it to scout everything out. I have pretty good geographical knowledge of this place, and it has eased my anxiety.

Being apart from my girlfriend has been hard. I honestly don’t ever want to do this again. But, sometimes in life, you have to make these amazing sacrifices. I need to stay strong for her. When it comes to these situations, remember that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I think what I need to do is to journal more and to find a fiction book to read. There are a Barnes and Noble down the street. I’ll have to check that out.

All in all, it is hard to be alone. I consider this weekend a tough victory because I didn’t sit at home and watch TV all weekend. I mean, I got out a lot and forced myself to do things to have fun. It just isn’t the same without my girlfriend. What is even harder is that I miss my parents, dogs, and cat very much too.

Refocusing on the coming week, I am going to set some goals for myself.

1. Only worry about myself, and to do things to be my best self.
2. Do everything in your power to add to the team.
3. Learn from my teammates.
4. Ask questions.
5. Find my comfort zone and routine.
6. Write as much as possible.
7. Create a plethora of ideas.
8. Participate.
9. Be patient.
10. Enjoy.

Sweet dreams, Boulder.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite, Minneapolis.

Hug the fur babies for me, Kaley pie.

…and…

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content, you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

I wrote this before I came out here. It’s time where I take this to my journal. 

I have been summoned to this foreign land to find myself through what I’ve learned in the past. There is this energy in me, which I need to obtain control of, and the mountains will provide me strength, and the valleys will show me balance. I need to go at my own pace, take what I have learned, and not to hurry. Speak at a soft tone, but command a significant presence. Provide camaraderie and inspire well being. This is my mark to make in a foreign land outside of my comfort zone. I have been living outside of my comfort zone my whole life, but now is the opportunity that can provide me comfort and balance. I am the master of my own fate, and it is up to me to provide optimistic energy to thrive with the strength that this new place is giving to me.  Then I ask for synchronicity and synergy in this to benefit all of the beings. I am grateful to realize and to receive the six-week vision quest that will provide and catapult me to my path towards being a man who calibrates towards the mission in finding phi, the beauty of life’s symmetry.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content, you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

It’s 11 pm on a Thursday as I’m writing this, meaning in an hour it will be Friday. Holy cow. My first week has flown by. Honestly, I don’t want it to be the weekend because I’m having too much fun working with everyone. Another part of this is that I don’t know what to do in Boulder. Having a car would help my sense of adventure, but I do need to make an effort to enjoy the mountains in the summer.

Today was good. Initially, I was a little nervous about our meeting with the CD and ECD, but I got over it pretty quickly after I presented my first idea. I learned a lot from both of them and how my team was piggybacking off of each other’s ideas.

The overall arching theme of today’s session with the ECD and CD was that we need to find the big idea for the campaign. But, to solve that, we need to solve the tension and the question that is in the client brief. Easier said than done, especially with this client due to the lack of knowledge that is available on the brand. Hell, I haven’t even tried the product because it isn’t available.

But, here is the thing. The ECD said that sometimes you can’t drive the car before you make the campaign. Little did he know that I went and test drove a Mini Cooper before making my Mini Cooper campaign for my portfolio.

Anyway, the solution to the brand is rooted in the brief, and this is how you can get to the big idea.

Another takeaway was to intersect the insights that we all gathered with the brief to figure out how to convince people to love the product.

Advertising is 1+1= -15. That is why I love it.

So, with all that has been learned, my team needs to work fast to bucket all of the insights, create themes, and intersect them with the brief.

This is not an internship at all. This is Crash Course, a program designed to throw people in a room for six weeks to miraculously concoct a winning campaign that will make a brand famous. This is like a social experiment. I do not think that people who work here who used to be interns understand the difference between an internship and Crash Course.

Therefore, I am talking to writers and art directors. I’m asking to help on whatever campaigns they’d like help on. Slowly, I am creating a rapport, and hopefully, soon I will have more work on my desk to be able to stay late at the office to prove my worth as a creative at CP + B.

This experience is what I am making of it, and I can’t wait to do more and to learn even more.

Take notes. Lots of them. Everywhere I go, I carry a notebook. I never know when I’m going to learn something.

Soak it all in, David.

Time for me to sign off, and go to bed.

Sweet dreams, Boulder.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite, Minneapolis.

Hug the fur babies for me, Kaley pie.

…and…

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content, you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

There are reasons why a specific mold of people want to pursue a career in advertising, but to start it in a place as magical as Disneyland is kind of surreal.

Alright, time to wake up and smell the peanut butter.

Synergy. Synergy. Synergy.

Whatever I can do to provide a powerful symbiosis, I will try my best, too do so. Today, we made great strides as a team, using small bits of advice from all departments to gear us towards what problems we are trying to solve for our client.

I pulled the other writer on the team aside today to touch base on our notes, and to walk around the creative department to meet other writers. She and I picked some of their brains and pulled some insights towards how they do things to find success in their campaigns.

One big takeaway is to attack the client brief from every angle and try to solve different problems with specific insights without being stuck on one thing. This is how they have landed on some of their successful campaigns, which is easier said than done because they put their distinct, stylized stamp on it.

As for me, I am slowly getting into my routine. Having no car is really putting a damper on my freedom here, and is adding to my anxiety because I have to rely on other people to get around.

Working out for the past two days has been centering my mind, and creating a routine for me.

Today was a better day for the team. Things are off to a slow start, but hopefully, it will this is the direction we need to go in.

I am very nervous about our first meeting with our CD tomorrow. It will be my first one of my career, and I feel like I’m not in the right place for it because it has been two days and we haven’t come to an agreement yet on what the problems are. Personally, I think we are overthinking it from a strategic standpoint. Here is the basis for what needs to happen.

1. In order to solve malnutrition, we need to inform people about it. Because most people know its there, but don’t know how severe it is. Therefore, we need to educate people interestingly and compellingly.
2. Most people buy PB based on taste. If people can’t taste it, then they won’t buy it. How might we get people to taste the stuff in a cool way?
3. How can we make people believe that this PB tastes the best?
4. How can we stop people in the aisle to not buy PB, but to buy it on Amazon?
5. We aren’t selling PB, we are selling a gateway to ending Severe Acute Malnutrition. PB is just the driving vehicle to solving the problem while filling our stomachs. Feel good, taste good, do good.

I really believe that if we use those guidelines, we can make a great campaign. Then we need to use the insights that we find to further strengthen the campaign and drive results.

But, with those five points, we still need to sell PB at the end of the day.

The next step is to see how other brands succeed, and how we can do something different to create an even stronger emotional content for the masses in order for our brand to change their behavior in our culture.

Man, someone asked me what I was doing this weekend, and I had no idea how to answer that.

This is the only thing that is on my mind right now, and I hope I’ll have time to enjoy this Colorado summer.

Alright. I’m announcing that my honeymoon phase is over after three days. I’m not in Disneyland, I am at the greatest advertising agency in the world and I need to perform.

I have nothing but no greater expectation for myself and my team to come up with the next Subservient Chicken.

Tomorrow is going to be wild. We will see where the CD takes us, and hopefully, it will be a day of ideating, concepting, and creating. Time to hit the hay.

Sweet dreams, Boulder.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite, Minneapolis.

Hug the fur babies for me, Kaley pie.

…and…

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content, you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

I said all of those things yesterday about who I am because I’ve done them all. Stand up, painted, Youtubed, wrote songs, and ETC.

I’ve done them all, but I haven’t done them all at once. CPB makes me feel like I can do all of those things at once. Because in my mind and in my soul, I can access that level of potential if given the right opportunity.

The second day was weird for everyone. I didn’t mind it. My team was expecting major guidelines and people to hold our hand. But that didn’t happen. In fact, I really liked it. But, everyone on my team wants to know how this agency creates amazing campaigns. This is a very good point. But, I am walking around and I don’t really feel any of that at all. This is a creative agency, known for its creativity. Maybe the formula is to let horses run wild and free. Have them come back to the pen for some oats, and let them run free again. Meaning, check in with the strategy team and CD’s to keep them on track. Asking those people questions may be the key to making campaigns successful here.

Do you think the ECVP, ACD, CD’s, and DVD’s (there are so many labels and titles that letters don’t make sense after a while) have time to hold our hands? No, we just need to be working our asses off and checking in to see if we are on the right track.

I don’t mind being left alone to work on a project with free reign. My preference is to ask questions if I need help. This is something I do a lot of.

Today, I met with two ACD’s and CW. I got to pick their brain on what it takes to make a good campaign, what they consider a good campaign was, how to work with art directors and strategists. I learned a lot about their process, and basically, they all said that they work as a team very well.

So, there you go. My team needs to figure out how to do this fast.

It was all good stuff that they told me.

It was interesting to see how everyone works in my group. I will see how I can figure out how to mesh with everyone slowly. For me, I like to put everything on the wall so I can brew a storm of words, so when I’m ready to concept… I’ll be prepared.

I put up research, philosophy, pictures, quotes, articles, and ETC. Whatever it takes to get things going. I encourage others to participate, as well.

What I need to know is how everyone works, and how to play to their strengths. Right now, we are in a strategic phase where the strategists need to really shine. But, as a creative, I am not going to twiddle my thumbs around and wait for strategy to tell me what to do in this setting because I can’t. There are no designated roles.  Since I’ve had a lot of experience writing briefs and working on strategy at Brainco, I am doing whatever it takes to help the strategy phase be a fruitful basis for the project.

Foreseeing this, I knew I had to come in prepared. In the past three weeks, I compiled about 300 pages of quantitative research, and today, I printed it to sift through the best information. Everything is on the walls, and I wish everyone else would put their stuff up there too.

Maybe, I need to encourage people to do so. I think I should suggest a top-five insights session, where we share what is most fascinating to ideate.

I need to come up with ways to help this team succeed, and it is so hard because I am so far out of my routine and comfort zone at this moment. I need to get used to this one hour time change and mountain climate. Even if it’s one hour, it takes me forever to adjust. I hate it. But, I get to be at CP+B so who cares.

I’ve been drinking tons of water, and working out is painful for my muscles. They like twitch and rip a lot while I’m lifting.

I also have to deal with my mental health, because if I don’t do that, then I won’t be able to give my team the best that I can provide. This is a significant worry for me because, with bipolar disorder, I have never done well living outside of Minnesota. But, this time I am going to kick ass once I get comfortable. Which will be soon. Don’t worry.

This is going to be a great experience because I am going to find my best self here, and that sense of balance will make me a great team player.

Everyone brings something to the table, and I cannot wait to concept. But, we are not even close to that yet.

Strategy, strategy, strategy.

Whatever I need to do to make the team successful.

I can’t just go off and make executions, write headlines, or concept without the strategy behind it. So, I’m doing the right thing by helping the strategy people, which I am happy to do. But, I’m more excited about concepting.

I feel like a  caged tiger, ready to attack once I’m released.

But, that wouldn’t be strategic if I released things too soon.

Right now, I am figuring out how to work well with others to make this campaign amazing. This is the first step.

Take things slowly. It’s a marathon. This is not a three-day project.

I miss my dogs and cat. I miss Vietnamese food. I wish I had a car.

But, this is a kick-ass experience, and I can’t wait to do more.

Well, time for bed.

Sweet dreams, Boulder.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite, Minneapolis.

Hug the fur babies for me, Kaley pie.

…and…

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content, you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

I want to work in advertising. I want to be the best creative mind to come out of The BrainCo Minneapolis School of Advertising. I struggled for a long time in ad school. I learned more about myself in ad school than just advertising. That is why I believe in myself. I know I can be great at this. I believe I can be great at this. There’s a fire in my stomach, and I am finding out how to control it.

What I realized is that this is the place for me to do it.

Today, I started my career in advertising. A small stepping stone after what seems to be a long journey of a one year sacrifice of BrainCO, I find myself in a foreign land called Boulder.

I’m a Minnesota boy, and this mountain culture isn’t spaghetti and meatballs for me. It’s like Chinese noodles and ketchup. Foreign.

I miss the lakes already. But, the mountains are cool too.

I’ve never done well whenever I’ve moved outside of Minnesota. But, this time it’s different.

This journal isn’t about what happened today, it’s about how I feel at the moment.

Walking into the office today at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, it was like what Steve Zahn said in the movie “That Thing You do!”

How in the hell did we get here?

Watch Tom Hanks’ directorial debut and find out what I’m talking about.

I get to be in this place for six weeks. So, I better soak it all up.

Being foreign to everything, I have nothing holding me back from going one-ten (110%).

The people emphasized putting out content and that is all that I’m about.

They were like … here are all of these toys. Do cool stuff.

Man, I felt like a kid at a playground.

Moreover, I’m a filmmaker, stand up comic, YouTuber, Instagram influencer, songwriter, musician, painter, craftsmen, athlete;

I am a renaissance man.

Finally, I have found a place where I can find the balance to unlock the fire in my belly. I may only have six weeks to do it, and CPB is the place to be.

But, who cares about all of the glitz and glam. I’m here to do good work. I get a chance to work with five other talented people, who they chose for a reason and after eight hours it seems like we could make a great team.

I can go all crazy and try to be the kid on the playground. But, I just want to ace that math test at this point. I want to make a winning campaign, and if I put every ounce of passion into that then the rest will manifest itself.

Movies, engineering, podcasts, Youtube… whatever. I’m here to make a peanut butter brand famous.

What is even cooler is to be working with a team with vast potential, and I need to draw from my past successful experiences to cultivate success.

Well, these are my quick thoughts for the night.

Sweet dreams, Boulder.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite, Minneapolis.

Hug the fur babies for me, Kaley pie.

…and…

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Upon many projects, I have been working on a campaign for Mini Cooper. In May, I wrote a brief for it. The problem I wanted to solve was for older couples to find a solution to their mid-life crisis. In other words, buying a Mini Cooper is the best thing since sliced bread for the next chapter of your marriage.

This is still in development, but I think its a good start.

Here is the link to my brief for this campaign. 

30 Second Commercial

Banner

Print

Billboard

Magazine Ad

Here are Ethos’

What do you think?

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Alex Bogusky Calls out Juul.

In his new podcast, “The Woodshed,” Alex Bogusky calls out Juul and its advertising for indirectly targeting teens. As the forefather of digital brand interaction and purpose-driven advertising, Alex Bogusky’s TRUTH campaign became very close in closing the chapter on the old problem with the tobacco epidemic with teenagers in the 2000s. 

Bogusky is using “The Woodshed” as a platform to send a message to other advertising agencies to stop pitching to nicotine clients like Juul. It is immoral to take on such clients, and turning down big industry nicotine vape money can prevent the problem. Instead, if advertising agencies such as his own, Crispin Porter and Bogusky, should create a public discussion to begin the ending of this new problem. 

Now with the rise of Juul, he calls them out by breaking down their ads, explaining the psychology of ad lingo. It is fascinating to see how he goes in depth about how Juul attempts to “normalize” nicotine vaping use for teens. 

Here are messages Juul is giving us and how Bogusky uncovers and translates the truth behind them.

“Not every smoker wants to continue to smoke cigarettes.”

Bogusky: Sounds like people are enjoying it. So, it’s okay to do it. But, there are a few that want to quit. 

“It’s a satisfying alternative to cigarettes.”

Bogusky: Here is how an adult product, not for you, is very satisfying. But, you may want this new alternative because it is not harmful like cigarettes. 

“34 million smoke and this is 1/7 Americans.”

Bogusky: If you’re a teen, a lot of people smoke. So, that is okay. 

The appeal is that teens can’t be doing this, and Juul is using their product as a vice for them to wrestle for control against their parents. Overall, Juul is using the psychological tactic of saying, “Hey, teenagers. Don’t use our product.” Because it is effective, and if you tell them not to do something, then they will do it. 

As a community, we stripped creativity to promote the prevention of tobacco use in teens. But, now the rise of Juul has found a way to tiptoe around it because their product only promotes nicotine use.  

Bogusky is right and is one of the very few people speaking out about this issue. CPB has always been a leader in purpose-driven advertising, who have innovated digital brand interaction and creating a purpose for their clients. We should all look forward to seeing what Alex and CPB have in store for attempting to close this new chapter in teen vaping prevention. 

Nevertheless, PR and Ad agencies need to follow the lead of Alex Bogusky and take on teenagers as a client rather than companies like Juul to prevent the teen vaping epidemic from growing even further. 

Kohler Releases Third Social Impact Report.

The design manufacturing leader in kitchen and bath products, Kohler, has been paving the way on how we track social impact. Since 2015 they have examined their results on three problematic areas: Stewardship, Innovation for good (IFG), and sustainability.

Here are their results in all three of their facets in their third report.

Stewardship – Relief for Volunteers.

Created to support relief volunteers in disaster zones, Kohler has provided nearly 3,000 showers for relief volunteers across the U.S., including those who fought wildfires in California.

Innovating for Change and Good.

As a signature program, this is their initiative in implementing sustainable business solutions for their company. IfG has resulted in receiving a Mahatma Award for Social Good, spotlighting changemakers and committed to solving complex social issues.

Sustainability

This year, they have focused even more heavily on investing in renewable energy. Kohler’s reduction strategy relies on reducing overall energy use in manufacturing facilities. They actively strive to identify ways to implement renewable energy solutions by investing in 12 solar array projects. They have also publicly agreed only to receive 425,000-megawatt hours annually to offset all electric use in North America, reducing carbon footprint globally by 26%.

It is refreshing to see a large company taking a three-dimensional approach to provide, report, and show accountability on social impact because delivering a change in the world is a dynamic initiative. 

Man, Machine, and Data : The New Age Trio for Success in ROI in Ad Tech. 

Without data, the advertising ecosystem wouldn’t exist in the way it does. Marketers are now looking to use the new developments in the tech industry by understanding how Man, Machine, and Data can work together. Here is what we believe is the most effective way to implement it to your company for the best ROI.

Artificial Intelligence further optimizes tedious tasks to save time and money on human resources. With these new developments, humans can focus on more critical roles in maximizing their companies ROI. 

It is up to humans to know what our role is, delegating what fits. We are the ones deciding how to maximize ROI through the use of AI. For this to work, a trusted tech partner is the most strategic way of finding maximization.

But, ad tech still can’t achieve full potential if we do not use our data points. 

Humans need data to shape the advertising ecosystem. Machines do not know how to use the right data to make the correct calculations to find the best results. Humans need to fuel our AI machines in the best way possible with accurate data, creating the perfect formula for harmonious success. 

Simply put, think of a gas station. Humans need to put fuel into their machine. The right fuel (data), needs to go into the car (machine), and the human needs to regulate it to maximize your car’s driving performance (results). 

Use these tips, make sure you’re balancing the ad tech trifecta, and connect the dots to come up with a campaign that works. With that, done effectively, your company can drive great results with your campaigns. 

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation here: Venmo

The biggest news in Ad Tech lies within the growing global issue of data protection, a topic of conversation that businesses need to familiarize themselves with from all over the globe. The number one authority to be aware of is ICO, the Information Commissioners Office in the United Kingdom.

ICO is the world’s leading authority on Global Data Protection (GDPR), because of their innovation of how they enforce stricter laws on GDPR. They are now the biggest worry in ad tech because of several outlined areas in which ad tech should not be operating within the field of how personal data is used within advertising’s real-time-bidding methods, Programmatic, and the open exchange market.

ICO’s influence has spread across the world, especially in the US. ICO’s equivalent in the US is the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (FTC). The FTC is now adopting the practices of ICO but in different manners. Though very similar, they are not the same because the UK has stronger laws, and the FTC uses stronger enforcement because they issue much more substantial fines.

ICO Is relevant for US’ market because the FTC will use ICO as a guinea pig to learn and strengthen their lobbying for more data privacy.

ICO and the FTC have already fined numerous digital businesses for misuse of consumer data.

The FTC’s most significant privacy-focused penalty was $22.5 million issued to Google for its circumvention of Apple’s Safari consumer privacy settings in 2012.

Also, ICO has already sought to issue Facebook with a maximum punishment for its part in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

ICO’s enforcement of stricter laws is the right direction GDPR has to go for companies to stay honest and to keep their integrity towards their brand. With ICO acting as the world leaders for this issue, it will be fascinating to see the results of their direct impact on government departments such as the FTC, and all over the world.

-Good Spread Peanut Butter

There are purpose-driven brands, and then there is Good Spread Peanut Butter, a company that is redefining this term. Good Spread makes a direct impact almost immediately, saving the lives of children five and under whenever a jar of peanut butter is purchased.

Their goal is to stop Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), an epidemic in underdeveloped countries in which it kills more kids every year than aids, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Rather than a buy one give one model, they want to cure SAM
with a peanut butter-based medicine used to treat malnutrition. Thus, when you purchase a jar, you send a treatment of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, rather than a jar of peanut butter.

Also, what sets Good Spread apart from many brands is their level of consumer interaction, where you can track your results from your purchase. Each jar features a unique tracking code to see precisely where your Therapeutic Food packet is headed, and with that, you can see the direct impact that you have made in the world.

Within six weeks, your purchase makes a difference, statistically curing 96% of children from SAM. This is jaw joppingly magical.

What they are doing is crucial for the need for real authenticity, and is equally essential to the consistency of communicating brand purpose across all facets. With purpose-driven brands coming to the forefront, if a company isn’t doing anything, then it isn’t saying anything.

Actions speak louder than words.

-Minnesota Vikings

When most think of the NFL, they perceive it to be a selfish conglomoration, run by the old world notion of a for-profit business. But, the Minnesota Vikings are pioneering a way to change this, and it could be the future of how franchises can create social impact, despite being in a business-driven for profit through gladiatorial entertainment.

The MN Vikings and Xcel Energy have partnered up to create an initiative called Vikings Table, a custom built food truck to distribute healthy meals to the youth in the Twin Cities. Whether it is during a game, at training camp, or fundraisers, wherever the Vikings are, this food truck will be their to raise funds for the growing youth in the Twin Cities.

Close to 250,000 kids are missing meals during the summer months, and during the school year. What is innovative about what the MN Vikings are doing is that they are leading the conversation, inviting smaller foundations to use their widespread platform to join the fight in preventing food insecurity within the youth demographics of the Twin Cities.

By using their brand, they are removing traditional barriers that non-profits have to deal with everyday. The main takeaway is companies across the world should share their platforms to help create a powerful social impact that is geared towards their purpose. After all, we’re all in this fight for social good with one another, so why not work together to make a real impact.

Let’s define what the Vikings are doing as a “Platform-Sharing-Ripple Effect” in the fight towards creating results in social good.

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation here: Venmo

Before you ignore this article and look at the 30 ads, here is what I learned about completing this challenge.

I am a fast man. I eat fast. I walk fast. I talk fast. I just go fast. I go real fast.

The only speed I have is… go. Anyway, I saw a challenge online by Jeremy Carson to try to do 30 ads in 30 days for 30 different brands. So, I was like… hell to the yeah. Here is what I discovered about myself.

Fearlessness. The idea of failing every day for 30 days is daunting. Advertising is subjectively one of the hardest fields, and one of the toughest to break into. I learned for me to do this that I cannot be afraid to fail.

Think fast, but don’t hurry. I thought I was a fast and efficient creative before, but now I am even more so. I felt like I was eating 50 eggs in one sitting every day. 24 hours is barely enough time to think of a life-changing ad, but you need to inspire yourself to eat those eggs anyway. In other words, you better put your self out there in the most dynamic way possible.

Fall. Get up. Fall. Get up again. Advertising teaches more than selling. It’s problem-solving.

Humility. In baseball, you are only as good as your next as at bat. If I hit a home run one day, I could be striking out the next. Therefore, I better have been able to swing for the fences the next day. Never be satisfied with what you did the day before.

Flirting with my brain. I started thinking about what brands I would do before I started concepting for my 25th execution on the 25th day of the challenge. I learned to brew ideation at least a week in advance before I’d even try to make an ad for it. For example, in my Carmex ad, I thought about my experience with the brand for two weeks before I executed it.

Accountability. An AD told me to never post the ads I made on Linkedin in the fear I’d show CD’s my weaknesses. Well, advertising is all about deadlines and working under pressure. I thrive under pressure and is a strong reason why I want to be in the ad world.

Last, this was the best post-grad – ad school assignment you could partake.

In “Cool Hand Luke,” Paul Neuman’s “Luke” decided to eat 50 eggs in one sitting because he was bored. I got denied from five internship opportunities, and I had to turn down one of them. It was frustrating because of how hard I worked, shook hands with people, studied, and basically trained for my first opportunity like a prizefighter. The only thing I could do is to improve my portfolio and sit around and wait for an opportunity. Well, I don’t sit around and twiddle my thumbs, waiting for big things to happen. Challenging myself to do 30 ads in 30 days for 30 different brands was me creating an internship for myself. I didn’t expect anything significant to come out of it. Seriously, I was working on learning and on bettering my copywriting skills. But, there did come results, which was never expected. I was offered a position writing for a company remotely doing newsletters, social media, and content creation. Later down the line, it was my surprise to be presented with an internship.

I did this to learn. That was the only reason.

Now, I have several ads where I can create strong campaigns for my portfolio. This was the only result that I was going for, and I got more than I wanted. I learned about three point ads, executions with no words, long copy, concepting, ideation, art direction, philosophy, and most importantly finding the truth and soul about creating connections with humanity.

To conclude, there’s old adage in hockey is that it doesn’t matter how you score goals because no one cares about how you scored on the goal sheet the next morning in the newspaper. The only thing that matters is that you put the puck in the net.

So, here is to all that sit there and twiddle their thumbs, waiting for life to happen. Don’t sit inside waiting for the sunshine when you can bring it yourself. 

I present to you my first internship in advertising:

30 ads – 30 days – 30 different brands. 

These are print ads that will eventually be seen outside of It’s Greek To Me, a Greek Restaurant in Minneapolis. 

All of these are in no particular order. Just tell me what your thoughts are. What I should make into campaigns. Or what you think of me in general. I really just want to a great creative.

And, with my normal blog post sign off…

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation here: Venmo