Creative ideas coming out of the Midwest continue to dispel the notion that ad campaigns originating out of middle America are middle of the road. While once noted as merely the place where packaged goods were the stock in trade, Midwestern agencies today are at the forefront of cutting-edge creative. The Midwest is home to a large number of agencies of varying specialties and sizes. Chicago has offices of multinational agencies such as Leo Burnett Co., DDB and BBDO. Minneapolis is home to several smaller creative boutiques like Carmichael Lynch and Clarity Coverdale Fury Advertising. Michigan is home to a number of agencies that bring to viewers an exciting array of car commercials. This Special Report looks at some of the creatives who are raising the bar for the Midwest, as well as other regions in the country.
The dot-com craze has come to Minnesota, with Fallon McElligott, Minneapolis, recently breaking a series of Nordstromshoes.com ads helmed by the directing collective Traktor of bicoastal/international Partizan. Fallon group creative director Peter McHugh, who helped shape the recent online shoe store effort, believes dot-com advertising has revitalized creativity. "Nordstrom has the advantage of being an [established] brand," says McHugh. "It kind of legitimizes Nordstrom.com in a way that some [dot-coms] aren’t able to." McHugh also discusses last year’s "Mark" campaign for Holiday Inn, explaining how the concept of a 37-year-old slacker still living at home with his parents can communicate to viewers the amenities offered by the hotel chain.
Then there’s dennis Ryan-yes, he spells his first name with a little "d"-who came to J. Walter Thompson, Chicago, in ’97, hoping to breathe some life into the creative coming out of the agency. While he reports that the early part of his tenure was a little difficult-"God knows, my first six months here, I was ready to take a long walk off a short pier"-things have perked up at JWT. Since Ryan, the executive VP/executive creative director at JWT, joined the shop, it has created memorable campaigns for Kraft and other clients, and the agency is about to break a series of spots for Miller Genuine Draft, an account JWT recently won. Ryan relates that the input of director Frank Todaro of bicoastal/international @radical.media helped to make the Miller commercials successful.
Arthur Mitchell and David Johns are the creative team behind "Start Dammit Start," a Chevy branding ad from Campbell-Ewald Advertising, Warren, Mich., and directed by Tom Schiller of New York-based Five Union Square. The commercial pays homage to the classic horror movie cliche of people trying to escape ruthless killers via a car and having the vehicle refuse to start. "Start Dammit Start," and the other spots in a recent branding effort by the duo, underscore the changes that have taken place in car advertising. None of the commercials in Mitchell and Johns’ campaign ever show a Chevy car-they just point out that it would be nice if everything in life were as dependable as a Chevrolet. Mitchell relates that changes in the marketplace have altered automobile advertising from being product-oriented to being more imaginative. "The mere fact that you introduced a new car used to be enough to make people stop in their tracks and run down to their dealer," he says. "Things have changed. It doesn’t work the way it used to."
Enjoy SHOOT’s look at some of the creatives who are shaping the dynamic ads coming out of the Midwest. And stay tuned to www.shootonline.com for an upcoming & A by SHOOT reporter Kathy DeSalvo with Don Pogany, senior VP/group creative director at DDB Chicago.
-Kristin Wilcha
Sr. Editor/Special Report
