Pug Pupdate

For all of you who don't know, I am getting a Pug. That's right. Pint sized perfection will soon be mine. I'm impatiently waiting for the 'lil guy to be born so that I can name her, and more importantly, so I can declare the winner of the "Frank Pug Poll" (a poll predicting the birthday of my soon-to-be Pug-ette). So far, 3 people have been eliminated: Steve (1.14), Keo (1.19), and Dave (1.20--the pugsta and I woulda shared the same bday! a terrific theory!).

Still in the running are:
Tyler: 1.23
Lisa: 1.25
Heather: 1.27
Carter: 1.28

The suspense continues!!!

HAPPY MLK DAY!

(click to enlarge)

Today we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as the release of AND1's inaugural Tribute shoe, the ME8 Tribute. This Limited Edition version of Monta Ellis' first signature shoe pays homage to Dr. King and marks the launch of AND1's Tribute site.

A lot of hard work by a number of people went into this project, which included packaging, print ads (SLAM and Complex magazine), posters, billboards, banners and other point of sale displays, on-court signage, web banners and the previously mentioned microsite (special thanks to the guys over at Dangerr Creative and CelSol). All in all, very exciting to be a part of.

Separating Fighters from Octagon Girls

UFC fighter (and AND1's newest endorsed athlete) Nate 'Rock' Quarry stop by our office today. When we got to talking about specific take down techniques, I was quick to volunteer Lucas as the subject. Check out this video of Nate showing us how he uses a Triangle Choke to force someone into submission.

If you listen closely you might hear the following:

Dave: AND1 - that's it - end of story!
Lucas: yeah, that's good

Perfect Season

I’m sad to say that the 2008-2009 NCAA football season officially came to a close. Although Florida will retain the #1 spot until the pre season polls begin to service this summer, something truly magical happened this season. Of course, I am talking about the perfect bowl record executed by the Conference of Champions and an impressive 5-2 record* for the in house Frank crew.

It all started off when the, unlikely, Arizona Wildcats put a double-digit dent in the BYU Cougars’ post season at the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl. I’ll be honest, I’m not a big ZONA fan, nor have I ever been a big supporter of the Stoops family. PAC 10: 1-0 / FRANK: 0:0

Next the California Golden Bears secure a win over the ‘Canes in what could be considered a home game at the Emerald Bowl at AT&T Park. A bittersweet win for the Duck fans in the office, as Coach Tedford was a tough loss. PAC 10: 2-0 / FRANK: 0:0

Then it was the Duck’s turn. A civil war match up at the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl between U of O and OSU… no, not that OSU…not that one either…that’s right Oklahoma State. The Civil War of Donors. Phil Knight 42, T. Boone Pickens 31. PAC 10: 3-0 / FRANK: 3:0

To finish off 2008, I present to you the Brut ‘disappointment’ Sun Bowl. Beav’s thought they smelled roses, and viewers expected more than 3 points. Would this be the last team from PA to lose to a PAC10 team? PAC 10: 4-0 / FRANK: 4:0

Nope. The Granddaddy of ‘em All. Joe Paterno vs. Pete Carroll. The 95th annual Rose Bowl Presented by Citi Bank. A new year, and the largest margin of victory (2 TD’s) by a PAC 10 bowl team this season. Fight On! PAC 10: 5:0 / FRANK: 5:2

I guess its safe to say that the best thing that comes out of the end of football season is the full coverage of basketball season.

* It should be noted that a win for Oregon was counted 3 times, once for every alumni in the office and that the 2 losses came from a very heated in house rivalry between two tradition programs.

The Storm of the Century...

Okay, so it might not have been the storm of the century, but it was enough to shut down Portland, Ore. for an entire week. Sure, the 8-12 inches of snow that covered the city streets paled in comparison to the 30+ inches my hometown in Montana received over the same time period, but when the Metro area is only used to 1-2 inches, that extra white stuff causes quite a ruckus. That’s right, I just said “ruckus.”

Streets shut down, cars were snowed in, and businesses stayed closed. Schools started their winter vacations early forcing many parents to work from home. It was Frank’s first serious taste of what the Northwest is capable of. And even though winter storms of this magnitude don’t hit the city that often, when they do, they do so with tenacity.

(A table for two?)

Thank you for reading the thoughts of Lucas.

Ryka Photo Shoot

Steve, Dave and I ventured to NYC for 4 days to shoot Ryka spokeswoman, Kelly Ripa in action. We had an excellent time, and a great shoot thanks to David Sacks, the NYC photographer that Dave had found. Check out more of David Sacks work at: http://www.davidsacks.com/.

String Wall Kicks Off!

It's official, the string wall is now underway! Maggie and her assistant, Heather stopped in today and have begun to set up what is sure to be an awesome piece of art. I plan on trying to shoot their progress in the early morning when the lighting is better.

It’s Official

Okay, we can no longer ignore the economy. In fact, I just read that we are officially in a recession according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. The National what? Yeah, don’t worry. I’ve never heard of them before either. But apparently they get to make the call. I’m just glad they figured it out. Rumor has it that this recession thing has been going on since December of 2007. Of course, now that it has officially been labeled, we can all put our ears to the tracks and listen for the collective exclamation of “oh no” that will be heard across the nation.

In all seriousness, a lot of companies will have the same knee-jerk reaction of cutting advertising budgets here and promoting low prices there. Sounds like a good short term fix, but what is it they’re really fixing? It’s important to remember that you’ve worked hard to earn a certain amount of goodwill towards your brand – goodwill that isn’t lost simply because the National Billibee Boo says that we’re now in a recession.

The key to keeping a cool head is to remember that even during a recession companies will continue to do business and consumers will continue to consume – both will be just a little wiser about how they do it. You may be able to even use this time to your advantage. Without getting all “look at how big my brain is” on you, let’s just assume that some of your competitors cut their advertising budgets due to the recession. Just because they start limiting their advertising doesn’t mean customers quit listening. They are simply listening for a more convincing reason to part with their hard-earned dollars.

So instead of cutting off the dialogue you’re having with your consumers, you might want to consider digging deeper into your brand strategy and shining a brighter light on its benefits. Your diligence may not only keep your company comfortably afloat during the recession, but it can also pay off huge when people start throwing their money around again.

Thank you for reading the thoughts of Lucas.

String Wall Project Underway

Here at Frank we are excited to announce that our "string wall" is officially underway. Due to the diligent research of our intern (Jessica) we found a local string artist named Maggie Casey. Dave and I met with Maggie initially in October and she presented us sketched designs in early November. Since then the string has been ordered and construction has begun (in Maggie's studio). She is hoping to install before she heads back east for the Holidays, so check back for pictures of Frank's first (of many I hope) in-studio commissioned art!

Till then, check out some of Maggie's creations at: www.maggiecasey.com

Tug-O-War

The Microsoft/Apple advertising tug-o-war continues. Oddly enough, Microsoft is only slightly tugging, and Apple is warring.

In recent ad campaigns, Microsoft has tried to connect to its consumers on a more emotional level. Their first attempt included several ads featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. After the ads fell short, they were replaced with a series of spots that try to show consumers that PC users encompass all professions – most of which aren’t boring. You know the ads “I’m a PC, and I’ve been made into a stereotype.”

It’s nice to see Microsoft trying to build their brand beyond the corporate juggernaut that they are. For so long, they have been thought of as a greedy, numbers and figures company. And after the recent success of Apple’s “I’m a Mac” campaign, they are finally starting to realize that there is something to this whole branding thing. Your product doesn’t simply live on 6-square-feet of shelf space in Wal-Mart.

What I find interesting is Apple’s rebuttal campaign. Perhaps it’s because we’re in the middle of the political season, but Apple is using their recent ads to attack Microsoft’s tactics rather than promote themselves. Even if what they are saying is true, it still comes across as being on the defensive, which I find interesting.

I’m not advocating PCs over Macs, but I am intrigued with the ideology behind the recent change in tone of the Apple ads. Most of their previous spots included some sort of comparison where the Mac always came across as being hipper and more user friendly. Their last two spots, however, leave the direct comparisons on the cutting room floor. Instead, Apple is simply pointing out the flaws in Microsoft’s thinking. So let the politickin’ begin.

Thank you for reading the thoughts of Lucas.

AND1 - The Changing of the Guard

We have been working with AND1 for a couple of months now and I am excited to announce that we have four web banners from our Holiday 2008 ad campaign on Complex's website and the main artwork can be seen on AND1's home page.

You will also be able to see our work in SLAM and Complex magazines as early as November. So head to your local news stands and check it out!

The shoe in the ad is Monta's signature shoe, the ME8, which will be available in January.

Thanks to AND1 for being such a great brand, Lisa for some sweet design work, and Monta (Mon - Tay) for the killer moves.

Working with AND1 has been a blast so far and there's a lot of great stuff in the works. More to come as the basketball season gets underway!

Happy Boss' Day

The overall spread:

Close up on the mini cupcakes:

Gratitude Beer and Chocolate (and Gummi Bears)

Dave Interviews Monta

Last Thursday Dave got to chat it up with Golden State Warrior's Monta Ellis (pretty sweet job he's got). Stay tuned for the killer collateral that will come as a result of this interview.

Bonfire Launches!

After much hard work, FRANK is happy to announce that www.bonfiresnow.com is now live! Major thanks goes out to the Programmers of Cascade Web Development and of course, Frank's Project Manager, Carter Kirkpatrick, who managed to balance myself, Cascade, Bonfire and several freelancers to get this site up and running!

KEO JOINS FRANK!

Keo Farm, A OSU grad, and excellent designer, has joined the Frank Team. I do not have a photo of Keo yet, but I can tell you the following about him:

1. He eats almost as many times a day as me
2. He is super cool
3. He has a twin brother
4. His football team lost to my football team...(sorry Keo)

Shortly, I will inform Keo about the existence of this blog so that he can defend his team and post some of his most recent work.