by Jenny Robertson on October 12, 2009
Recently, Neil Foster, president of GCG Marketing and Kelsey Mize, director of GCG’s sister agency, Zag IMC, joined me on a trek to Dallas to discuss best practices with the corporate communications team at Southwest Airlines - a familiar journey for me as while completing my undergraduate degree at TCU I was fortunate enough to hold an internship with Southwest Airlines.
As an intern, I worked on public relations efforts that included planning for the airline’s 35th anniversary and media relations for inaugural boarding procedure tests, as well as a HUGE peanut butter drive and writing an article for Spirit magazine. (I also got a peck on the cheek from the legendary Herb Kelleher, who somehow knew without prompting that I was a newby.)
Yes, it was an incredible opportunity to work on projects that look dang good on a resume. More than that, though, I learned an awful lot about the value of working as a team and the importance of keeping work as lighthearted and fun as possible.
To this day, I’m inspired by the helpful attitude everyone has at Southwest. No request is too big or too small. Creative expression and goofiness are highly encouraged. Everyone matters. Brainstorming sessions are an opportunity to turn mediocre ideas into fantastic ones.
So, as part of GCG’s continuing education, I called up some of my Southwest peeps and asked if we could pay them a visit. Of course, they said, “sure!”
On the day of our meeting, we were psyched to sit with more than a dozen members of the Southwest team, each with unique insights and experiences to share. It was great to hear Christi Day, a fellow Horned Frog, discuss how Southwest gave its new social media team the freedom to discover “return on engagement” through online dialogue with customers. We soaked up feedback on how to prepare for crisis communications. And we were motivated by the group’s insistence on remaining nimble to accommodate new technology and modes of communication – quite impressive coming from a company that has tens of thousands of employees.
We topped off our visit with a tour of the Southwest headquarters, followed by a brewski at the company’s weekly deck party, where we had a chance to sip a Shiner with a great view of Love Field’s runways. Quite a way to end the week.
by Megan Murphey on October 12, 2009
Associate creative director by day, dedicated painter by night, Pat Gabriel is one multi-talented GCGer.
Pat was one of 49 artists selected to participate in Preservation is the Art of the City, or PAC for short (let’s face it, everyone loves an acronym). The annual art show and sale is hosted by Historic Fort Worth, a local organization headquartered just around the corner from GCG’s office. For about three weeks each year, PAC offers gallery-goers a chance to purchase artwork while learning about the importance of preserving our city’s historic landmarks. The show is also a great way for local artists to promote their work.
How do I know so much about PAC? It’s simple: I’m also involved in the event. Instead of being a featured artist like Pat, I help out by selling the art. It may not be glamorous work, but trust me, this gig comes with its perks — I get to brandish a giant red clipboard and stick dots on the “sold” paintings. Feel free to be jealous.
Although my job was cool, it’s the artists who get all the glory — and for good reason. The gallery was a visual wow-fest with artwork of every shape, size and subject. Many of the artists submitted pieces with a preservation focus for the “Stories of the City” exhibit. Most of Pat’s featured artwork showcased well-known landmarks and played off the theme of driving around town. And let me tell you, from desert drives to Fort Worth dives, this guy can paint just about anything. In fact, Pat’s so good that most people have a hard time distinguishing his creations from actual photographs. (Seriously, try it for yourself: Here’s one of his latest works. Crazy, huh?)
There were plenty of people eying Pat’s artwork at the show. In fact, six of his pieces were snatched up the moment the art sale began. (I had to deal with several disappointed people who were hoping to land an original Gabriel). He was also honored as the recipient of the Gail and Bill Landreth Award in memory of Gene Owens. “Historic Fort Worth goes to great lengths to make this a fantastic opportunity for every participating artist. I feel lucky to have been involved,” Pat told me. And this all happened at his debut at PAC — talk about making a great first impression!
As for me, I had a fabulous time just observing the scene. Fort Worth art fanatics munched on finger foods and sipped on vino while perusing local artists’ wares. Proceeds from the artwork benefit Historic Fort Worth and help fund preservation projects around the city. Really, who can resist that statement piece when it’s for a good cause?
Since I’ve been going on and on about this amazing event, I bet you’re thinking, Gosh, I’m sorry I missed it. We’re sorry, too — but don’t worry, PAC will be back in a year. And there’s even more good news: Pat plans on participating again. We’ll give you a heads-up next September so you can head on down to the Fort Worth Community Arts Center and catch the show. There will be plenty of crab cakes and wine samples, but the most important thing is that there will be lots of amazing pieces to view and purchase.
For now, you can motor on over to patgabriel.com to take a gander at Pat’s work. If you find that you love Pat’s paintings as much as we do, you’re in luck: He still has several amazing pieces for sale.
Despite his love of painting, Pat doesn’t plan on quitting his day job anytime soon — and that’s good news for us. We’re proud to have such a talented guy on our GCG team.
by Cynthia Dorado on September 28, 2009
If you are familiar with country music, you might know “Nine to Five” by Dolly Parton. Now, you might be asking yourself, what does that have to do with you or me? Well, if I didn’t have to get a nine to five job when I graduated but still earned a full time salary, how great would that be? But is it really realistic to work much less and be able to accomplish much more? I recently read an article by Darryl Ohrt titled Still Working Nine to Five? Why? The article talks about how many people are bringing their personal lives into the workplace and work into their personal lives. Ohrt poses the question, why are people still working from nine to five in the office?
I can say from my own experience as a busy senior in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University and being so involved on campus as the president of my sorority, I haven’t had time to work the usual nine to five schedule. But I have learned quite a bit about myself. I still feel I have been very successful and accomplished by my goals but I’ve also realized that I am not a morning person (a large amount of coffee is the only way I’ll make it through the morning). After talking to several other people in the office, I realized that many other people share these similar qualities, but we will get back to that later.
I have been an intern for almost six months at GCG Marketing and this agency has been more than flexible with my schedule. I always thought companies didn’t care if someone had a family emergency or was sick, but working at GCG Marketing has shown me it is quite the contrary; It’s more like working with a family. They understand. However, the fact that GCG will provide flexibility to its employee’s schedules doesn’t mean that the entire company could run, or more importantly succeed, by ditching the nine to five schedule. So, to find out more about the idea of an alternative schedule, I went on a mission to hear what others in the office had to say.
First, I spoke with Senior Account Executive Allyson Cross, who told me that our account executives and creative team must work together in person to get the job done. We also have to be here for our clients when they need us and being in the office less could make us less accessible.
Senior Copywriter Becky Johnson agreed that advertising professionals have to be available because things come up quickly and issues are easier to resolve when everyone is in the office. Then I asked Account Service Director Michelle Clark what she thought about a shorter workday. She talked about her experience working in an accelerated week schedule for a school district where she had Fridays off. She said people work a lot harder, and remembered the feeling of having to get a lot more accomplished throughout the day.
Although, it worked well for the school district, Michelle mentioned that working in an agency is very different because you need to be in the available when clients need you. Michelle made a great point, especially since communication between an agency and client is crucial.
The last person I talked to was Willette Hall, Office Manager of GCG. She used the example and her experience with banks, where, much like an agency, its primary responsibility is to serve clients’ needs. Her opinion was simple: “We work for people who are paying a certain amount of money for our time, so we need to be there to render the service.”
After listening to what everyone had to say, I came to the conclusion that even though we are working in an era full of technology and social media, our clients, especially the ones we work with across the United States, expect us to be in the office from nine to five. Marketing is a service-oriented business, and we aim to please our clients. Even though the idea of working less in the office and more wherever you want sounds great, agencies have to keep the schedule to continue working effectively. GCG will not be changing its hours anytime soon; you can call us anytime and see.
by Megan Murphey on September 9, 2009
Admit it: You’ve been itching to know what it’s really like to work in an advertising agency. Does everyone wear impeccably tailored suits and drink Scotch at 10:00 a.m., Mad Men style? Does the creative team generate the “big idea” while throwing pencil darts at the ceiling, a la Nothing in Common? Now, get ready for a shocker: Everything you see on TV isn’t necessarily true (I know — I was disappointed, too). As an intern at GCG Marketing, I’ve discovered that life at the agency isn’t quite like it is on TV. It’s even better. Sure, we may not have Don Draper as part of the creative team, but we still have a whole lot of characters. Let me tell you about my first day and give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to be a new GCGer.
As cliché as it sounds, the first day at an internship really can feel a bit like being a freshman in high school. You’re surrounded by way more experienced people and you have no idea where anything is. Luckily, it turns out that coworkers are a heck of a lot nicer than upperclassmen. Instead of being initiated by being stuffed in a smelly locker, you’re given a handy new employee book to help you learn the ropes. What’s even better is that this manual isn’t a yawn to read — writing wiz Scott Porter managed to make it both funny and informative. I loved this line from the Things You Can Eat section: “Coke Machines: They’re on the second floor, but if you are looking for the pop machine, go back to where you came from.”
But the hands-down most useful section of the handbook was the map. Anyone who has ever visited GCG knows that the place is a labyrinth. I can’t tell you how many times I had to be a tourist and pull over to the side of the hall and check for directions. Even with my map, I got lost several times. (The most embarrassing? When I mistook a coworker’s office for the filing room next door.) Maybe in the next edition of the new employee book, they’ll include a GPS.
Despite my awesome guidebook, I still had a lot of questions when I got to the intern office. Chief among them: What’s with the 3-foot-tall velvet Elvis poster beside my desk? I sought answers from Michelle Clark, Account Services Director and my tour guide for the day. She told me that it’s a tradition to pay homage to the “King” every August 16th, which is Elvis’s death day (and CEO Scott Turner’s birthday). There is also a rumor that several GCGers have moonlighted as Elvis impersonators. (Sorry, I won’t reveal who!)
It goes without saying that we have some real characters on the GCG team. The best part of my first day is that I got to meet every one of them. At GCG, instead of simply being introduced around, new interns go door to door and ask their coworkers interview questions. It’s a quick and fun way to learn the basics, like everyone’s name and title, and some not-so-basics, like which Disney character they would date (FYI, there is serious competition among the ladies of GCG for the Beast).
Not all of the questions were that zany — I also got some amazing advice about how to succeed in the advertising business. Senior Copywriter Becky Johnson advised me to always “try to see the big picture, because today’s crisis can be tomorrow’s funny story.” I’ll have to remember that the next time I’m in a stressful situation.
The new-hire activities were great, but the main reason why my first day was so amazing was because everyone at GCG made me feel welcome. Allyson Cross and the Zag IMC team treated me to lunch at Kincaid’s, and several AEs invited me to sit in on a brainstorming session. And that’s only the first day– I can’t wait to see what’s in store.
GCG, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful internship…
by Becky Johnson on August 28, 2009
I have a friend whose 16-year-old daughter got a job this summer answering the phone at her uncle’s law office. It was a great opportunity and paid well. But before she was scheduled to start, she told her mother she was afraid she couldn’t do it. Why? She almost never talks on the phone – she and her friends always text – so it’s a somewhat undeveloped skill for her. Not long after I heard this story, I saw an article in a human resources publication that advised companies to teach new employees how to “schmooze” in order to improve their relationships with coworkers and clients. Why? Human resource personnel are finding that more and more employees need coaching to develop person-to-person communication skills.
What relationships do we have that depend primarily on face-to-face interaction? To my mind, it’s all of the important ones and many subordinate ones. Whether it’s a spouse, child, boss, coworker or client, the quality of the relationship depends on how well we understand them. And how well we understand them depends on what we’ve learned about their personality, attitudes and behavior.
This topic was on my mind a few weeks ago when I signed up for a program conducted by Mac Fulfer, a local attorney who has become quite an expert at
“face reading.” He’s even written a book about it: “Amazing Face Reading: An Illustrated Encyclopedia for Reading Faces.” His expertise has created a second career as a consultant on jury selection, a teacher and speaker addressing companies, organizations and professional groups on such varied topics as improving sales and conducting better investigations/interviews.
Face reading is actually something we all do naturally from birth. But it is also an ancient discipline that is now being studied scientifically, with current research exploring the connection between major emotions and facial expressions. Although we do inherit certain facial features (as well as ways of thinking), our faces are a result of our thoughts, emotions and environment. When Mac “reads” a person’s face, it is like reading a map of their personality and history. He says in today’s fast-paced, electronically oriented society, many people are starved for basic human interaction and longing to be recognized for who they really are. As a result, his subjects are often both grateful and surprised, not only at the accuracy of his reading, but also at the sensation that he is really seeing them. Some even become emotional, because they have never before felt that kind of recognition.
During the program, he asked questions of the audience and had two people volunteer to have their faces read. As he pointed out their various features and explained what they indicated, he got confirmation on every one from the subjects themselves and sometimes from their spouses/friends in attendance.
When the program was over, he did brief readings for those who had purchased his book, and I was right in line. When he came to me, I was completely blown away by what he could tell just looking at my face. My angled eyebrows show I need to stay mentally in control of any situation; I am gregarious and expansive; I like to be right and I usually am because I have conscientiously “done my homework.” The two vertical lines between my eyebrows indicate I demand more of myself than I do of others. The kicker was when he explained what he called my “compassion lines” or the lines from the corner of my mouth to my chin. He said I had gone through some traumatic experiences with deep emotional pain and grief, but because of these experiences, I have compassion and empathy for other people’s suffering. That’s when I knew what he meant about people becoming emotional. He has such respect and almost reverence for what he’s seeing, the connection feels like a deep understanding of you as a unique individual.
No matter how much we depend on electronic communications devices, ours is still essentially a people business. A relationship business. I like to think we have kept many of our clients for a long time because we pay attention, listen and learn what’s important to them. Because we pay attention, our work accurately reflects their personality, the personality of their company and their goals. Because we have made that connection, they feel they can trust us.
At various times throughout the client/agency relationship, we are face-to-face with our clients. Even if we’re not experts at reading faces, we can slow down long enough to really see them, really listen, and make those connections that will resonate long after we’ve returned to communicating electronically.
by Danielle Marshall on August 18, 2009
It’s 1909. William Taft is now the 27th president of the United States and the Canadians are finding gold in Ontario. We can expect to live only until we are 47 and, on average, we earn $200-$400 annually working long workweeks earning 22 cents an hour. A stamp costs 2 cents and with 8,000 cars, on very few paved roads, the speed limit is 10 mph. Nonetheless, 5.1 percent of us are unemployed while Guglielmo Marconi and Karl Braun are receiving a Nobel Prize in physics for wireless telegraphy, pharmacist Charles Walgreen is popularizing the soda-fountain lunch counter in his first store and the American Advertising Federation is founded in Fort Worth, Texas.
It’s 2009. Barack Obama is the 44th U.S. president, ShamWow! and Snuggies are in high demand, a stamp is 44 cents and 9.7 percent of us are unemployed. The mobile device is now the fourth basic necessity for human survival, and social media has completely taken over: “Give me Facebook and Twitter or give me Death!” Other than that, we can expect to live to 78 years and on average, earn about $50,000 annually. Did I mention we are in a recession? Lastly, the Fort Worth American Advertising Federation is celebrating it’s 100th Anniversary and we hope you’ll be there to remember history with us.
So, why the history lesson you ask? That’s easy. We want to show you how far the American Advertising Federation has come since its inception in Fort Worth 100 years ago. Now, what does GCG Marketing have to do with this? Simple. We’re the title sponsor of the celebration!
GCG Marketing and several other local advertisers will be living up that history by celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Fort Worth American Advertising Federation (AAF). This anniversary of the AAF, makes it Fort Worth’s oldest civic organization and, of course, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t have a “PARTAAY” to celebrate this momentous occasion. We are even lucky enough to have our own Senior Account Executive, Allyson Cross, and Account Executive, Jenny Robertson, serve as treasurer and public service committee chairwoman, for the Fort Worth AAF.
And this isn’t your average “PARTAAY” either. There is going to be a picnic and a 3-on-3 volleyball tournament during the day, and that evening we’ll be playing that funky music at the 70s reunion party featuring plaids, platforms, bellbottoms and afros. We’ll be dancing in the moonlight September 12 at Lockheed Martin Recreation Center, and trust me, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
Proceeds from the volleyball tournament will benefit the Advertising Education Sponsor (AES) that support’s AAF college chapters, the national ad competition and advertising students in general.
More information is available at adclubfw.org
by Scott Porter on August 14, 2009
While reading the comments below a YouTube video, I came across this gem of an exchange: (names were changed to protect the ignorant)
TheFamousBRT (5 days ago)
It’s melodramatic, not mellow dramatic. I’m only saying as I’m concerned you may write it the wrong way somewhere important and look like a dufus.
frogger733 (5 days ago)
look i typed it fast without even thinking who cares about grammer or vocab really. so theres is no need to be my English teacher on youtube douche. theres grammer errors in my comment why didnt you point those out.
TheFamousBRT (4 days ago)
It’s grammar, not grammer.
As a point of interest, I’m curious how everyone else envisions ol’ frogger733 up there. Personally, I see him as a scrawny 13-year-old boy in need of a bath and a haircut. He wears skate shoes and a t-shirt with skulls on it. He uses words like melodramatic to feel smart even though he can’t spell. He annoys me, yet he’s a figment of my imagination.
But that’s sort of the point. I’ve never met this guy but already I’ve sized him up based on a disheveled handful of words. In a culture stricken with txt msg
abbreviations and emoticons, what do your online communications say about you? I mean, who cares about grammer (sic) or vocab, really?
This guy.
And not because I’m a copywriter, either. Professionally, I’d better know how to spell, where to put my commas and the difference between your and you’re. Of course I make mistakes. I forget how to spell stuff all the time and am, at this point, quite dependent on the squiggly red lines to tell me where I’ve gone wrong. Still, I care.
The English language has such potential, yet so many are content to dance in a tiny corner of the dictionary while an ocean of black on white rests restlessly between a thousand sleeping pages. Shake the dust off, man.
I’m not saying everyone should be waxing eloquent all the time. If everyone were a poet, poetry would only become less interesting. (Impossible, you think to yourself.) In advertising, I almost never get the chance to be poetic. The world is said to read on a sixth-grade reading level, so on a sixth-grade level I must write. But even a sixth grader would flunk if he wrote like Mr. Frogger up there.
Never before has it been so easy to publish your thoughts for all the world to see. Your words are your personal ambassadors to a billion sets of eyes, and they’re the only part of you that most will ever see. What would the web be like if people treated their comments and posts like this was true?
Better, I think. Or at least more peaceful.
by Allyson Cross on August 4, 2009
It’s been a good year for awards at GCG Marketing.
We had a great showing at this year’s Fort Worth ADDY® competition followed by a national Manny award from MedAd News, a ranking among the top 75 healthcare agencies in the country and a nomination as a finalist (winners have yet to be announced) in the 2009 Medical Marketing and Media Awards. And now we have one more honor to add to this year’s list.
Two logos created by GCG Marketing have been selected for feature in the second edition of the LogoLounge® Master Library series, Animals and Mythology. The logos selected were for Rahr & Sons’ Ugly Pug Black Lager and The Fort Worth Opera.
Cheers to the Ugly Pug! Bravo to The Opera!
The LogoLounge Master Library is a series that presents various logo design works from professionals around the world. Each book in the series will focus on a specific logo design category, such as animals and mythology, nature and food, and typography
Earlier this year, two other logos by GCG Marketing – for Hell’s Half Acre and Mesa View Regional Hospital – were selected for the inaugural LogoLounge Master Library series, Initials & Crests.
by Kalyn Baldwin on July 27, 2009
The results are in.
The finalists have been chosen.
And the results are – we are a finalist.
GCG Marketing is a finalist in the 2009 Medical Marketing & Media Awards for our work on a campaign for the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation. This campaign included images, courtesy of Fort Worth photographer Geno Loro Jr. that depicted the haunting realizations of children with neuroblastoma. GCG Marketing is a finalist in the Best Corporate Advertisement/Campaign category and hopes to take home first prize.
The CNCF campaign previously earned a Manny Award from Med Ad News in addition to three local gold, 11 silver and six bronze ADDY awards from the American Advertising Federation. This is GCG’s second appearance as a finalist in the Medical Marketing & Media Awards.
The winners will be named at the Medical Marketing & Media gala awards dinner in New York on October 29. So until then- cross your fingers, hold your breath, and do what you have to in order to get GCG to NYC.
My favorite TV character ever is 
