An “idea” is only worth what someone is willing to pay you for it. When an ad agency values its creative product or is recognized for producing a superior creative product they tend to charge a premium for their concept development. Or, if they’re a young start-up, and they want the work for their reel, they may produce the concept at a discount because of the publicity the work will generate for their new firm.

Unfortunately, the best ideas aren’t always bought by the client and those concepts that are, aren’t always produced to the level the creative team envisioned them being produced at, often because of budget issues.

So, what is a great idea worth?

Well, a great idea is worth doing whatever it takes to make sure that that idea is bought by the account people, by the client, and is produced by the best talent possible. If the idea isn’t worth fighting for, then the idea isn’t worth the paper it’s presented on.

"A great idea executed poorly is a missed opportunity for
two companies — the client and the ad agency."
— Michael Pitzer

Congratulations your agency has produced award winning advertising for the following advertisers:

1.)  Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino
   — Category # 18
   — Entry Title: “Chuk Ching Outdoor”
2.)  Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino
   — Category # 45
   — Entry Title: “Chuk Ching”
3.)  Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino
   — Category # 40
   — Entry Title: “Crossword Puzzle”, “Coffee”
4.)  Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino
   — Category # 39 B
   — Entry Title: “Do you hear what I hear”
5.)  Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino
   — Category # 39 B
   — Entry Title: “Chuk Ching – The Sound of Winning”
6.)  Educational Employees Credit Union
   — Category # 30 B
   — Entry Title: “Gas”, “Groceries”, “Braces”
7.)  Educational Employees Credit Union
   — Category # 44 B
   — Entry Title: “2.49% APR”
8.)  Educational Employees Credit Union
   — Category # 45
   — Entry Title: “Gas”, “Braces”, “Groceries”
9.)  Fox Bay Lodge
   — Category # 07 C
   — Entry Title: “Fox Bay Corporate Design Project”
10.)  Fresno Regional Workforce
   — Category # 06 B
   — Entry Title: Fresno Regional Workforce Annual Report
11.)  Riverview Shopping Center
   — Category # 09 B
   — Entry Title: RiverView Shopping Center Auto Show
12.)  Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism
   — Category # 27 B
   — Entry Title: “California, Your Time Is Here.”
13.)  Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism
   — Category # 27 B
   — Entry Title: “Yosemite Is All Yours California.”

To honor our winners, the Fresno Advertising Federation will host a special awards presentation on February 24,
2012 at the Fresno Art Museum. We would be honored to have representatives from your company join us for this exciting event.

Sincerely,
2012 ADDY Judging Chair

2012 Was a good year

I knew the the work was good. Having others I respect say our work was “good” is great. Having them say it was “superior” by giving us an award is simply phenomenal. Add to this the fact that we only entered work in 14 categories and we were notified we’d won in 13, well the numbers don’t lie!

The first headline for the spread ad is: “Can you tell the aquarium from our big screen? Neither could the experts.”
 

Credits:

Agency: Hakuhodo Advertising America, Inc., Los Anageles
ECD: Michael Pitzer
AD: Wes Youngquist
CW: Don Gillies
Photographer: Aaron Jones
Year: 1989

My partner, Mark Itkowitz and I, decided to rename the area as part of our creative approach. The name we came up with was — “Scottsdale Motor Mile”. We did this to reclaim “Scottsdale” from the auto dealers in North Phoenix who were calling themselves Scottsdale dealerships, yet their taxes were going to the city of Phoenix.

We won the account with our name change, graphic approach and by insisting that each dealer wrap two of their customer courtesy vans with the new Scottsdale Motor Mile graphics. That gave us the largest mobile billboard force in the Greater Phoenix area with 46 vehicles on the streets every day.

After the successful launch of this massive endeavourer, my wife and I got to go on our first true vacation in a few years. And as it never fails to happen in advertising, I also got the phone call from the CEO/President of EB Lane that Michael Famileti, head of SMM auto group and General Manager, United Auto, had personally requested I work on an emergency project for him.

The project was to develop a presentation for Bentley Motors, England in order to obtain additional Bentley dealership locations in the United States. Although this information was never communicated to me until I had my ass handed to me by the client at the meeting I cut my vacation short for and flew back early to attend. Now I had two, not so happy people to deal with — a client and my wife.

To make a long story short, I worked straight through the next day and a half building a killer Bentley presentation. And in doing so, I created, and earned a tremendous amount of respect and gratitude from Famileti. Below is the Bentley work I generated over that 38 hour period, — seriously 38 hours straight! And this is only part of what I created, but I think it’s the best part.

As part of the marketing plan I developed, we would extend the reach of Bentley Scottsdale beyond Greater Phoenix into larger metro areas and market the fact you could fly into Scottsdale, have a great mini-vacation and drive home in your beautiful new, or previously owned Bentley.

Part of this approach would also use Penske’s vast trucking industry to ship Bentleys from around the country to Scottsdale for what I called “The Bentley Ball”. A weekend, super event of Vegas-style entertaining, dining, dancing, food, drink, golf, all culminating in a major luxury car event/show (more focused than the Barrett-Jackson Auction).

As part of the creative I developed was the unique concept that Bentley could market by city and/or region using the people, homes, lifestyles, wealth, excitement, and so on that is unique to all major metropolitan areas, yet different. In this way, the ads would speak directly from the “local” dealer who would be providing the service Bentley owners have long come to expect from the a luxury automotive brand and speak to them using local visuals, not generic luxury.

Here are a few of the concepts I developed to create that “local” influence.

Just as the word back from the UK that they loved the presentation and wanted to know if this approach could be rolled out nationally, EB Lane was fired by Mercedes Benz of Chandler. Which we’d also won shortly after the Scottsdale Motor Mile award. Our CEO couldn’t believe it. “Why?” I asked. He said that there was some problem, but he didn’t have all the details, and this is why he didn’t want to pursue automotive accounts. I said I had to pass right by the dealership on my way home and if he didn’t mind, I was going to leave early and talk with them. “Why? We’re fired.”

I drove to the dealership and asked the receptionist if Bob was in. She said he was, but that he was in a meeting. I sat on the couch outside their executive offices for the next 2 hours. It was now 6 o’clock and Bob finally opened his door and asked me to come in. Before he could say anything, I told him that he was in the drivers seat. That he could do whatever he wanted. But, he could not fire us. The creative was done. It was under budget. And, it was good! To find another agency was going to cost him more time and more money. Two things he did not have a lot of. So please let the creative run. If you do not like it, and you still want to fire us, then — and only then would I accept his decision. I leaned over his desk and looked him square in the eyes and asked, “So what is the problem?”

20 minutes later I had all the information I needed. By 10 a.m. the next morning, we made one more presentation to Mercedes Benz with all of the problems (account people) removed. We were unfired at the end of the meeting.

Shortly there after I left EB Lane and opened my own advertising and design firm. Michael Famileti asked me if I’d like to help him out on a few of the luxury lines we hadn’t worked on at EB Lane.

This was one of my favorite photo sessions. Working with David, the poster was shot in two sections; the first was suspending the model above the classic Corvette and the second was taking several variations of flame with the car removed. Rob Lawrence of Studio R then retouched the two pieces together and removed the wires holding up our model. This was all done on film because Photoshop didn’t exist at this time.

Credits:

Agency: (Freelance)
CW/AD: Michael Pitzer
Photographer: David Grey
Retouching: Studio R
Client: Pos-A-Traction Tires
Year: 1983

The awkward part of working on this entire piece of business was that the internal push to protect all areas of the account and keep it from going into review while at the same time getting hammered creatively for not showing people coughing up lungs and losing jaws was so stressful to me, I actually started smoking again. I used to say there were two great ideas in every pack of cigarettes — unfortunately, I had to generate three great ideas every day I worked on the anti-smoking campaign.

Credits:

Agency: Arizona Department of Health Services
ECD/AD: Michael Pitzer
CD/CW: Mark Itkowitz
Photographer: Dan Vermillion
Client: Arizona Department of Health Serviecs
Year: 2005

I actually felt we were on the right track for expanding the image of City National Bank as a premiere business bank bordering on that of a private bank to Hollywood’s rich and famous. Not being a billionaire myself, I did not know at that time that only chauffeurs see outdoor boards and therefore they are essentially a waste of marketing dollars. Hmm, you learn something every day — NOT!

Credits:

Agency: Sacks/Fuller
ECD/CW: Cary Sacks
CD/AD: Michael Pitzer
Client: City National Bank
Year: 1995

Credits:

Agency: Dailey & Associates
Creative Director: Mike Ridel
CW: Scott
AD: Michael Pitzer
Photographer: Jim Miller
Client: Honda Motorcycles
Year: 1984

Credits:

Agency: Sacks/Fuller
ECD/CW: Cary Sacks
CD/AD: Michael Pitzer
Client: JiffyLube
Year: 1996

The cool part of this entire campaign, including the TV, is that we shot the majority of the Jet Ski action shots in the Bahamas. Beautiful water everywhere!

Credits:

Agency: Bozell Worldwide, Los Angeles
ACD/AD: Michael Pitzer
SrCD: Cameron Day
Photographer: Dave
Client: Kawasaki