AAF Black Hills

Help Us Help You

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:10:15 +0000

Since 1981, AAF-Black Hills has been educating our community about the advertising industry and providing professional development opportunities for businesses in our area and we are still going strong, due largely to the generous support of you, our business community and friend.

One of our largest events each year is our Annual Media & Merchandise Auction. Funds raised through the annual auction help support the club and allow us to give back to the community in many ways:

A complete public service advertising campaign for a non-profit organization in our area.
Monthly programs that feature expert speakers on a variety of topics relevant to professionals who utilize advertising and marketing.
A Scholarship fund given to a selected college student who exhibits promise in the advertising field.
The Silver Medal Award program that recognizes an accomplished advertising guru in our community.
And our local ADDY® Award Competition, that exemplifies outstanding local talents, giving them a chance to represent our community on a national level.

To support our efforts, we are asking for donations of “auction-able” merchandise, business services, and media products and services. This includes, but is not limited to, media production and air-time, graphic design, printing services, gift certificates, consultations, jewelry, merchandise items, web development services, vacation packages, event tickets, memberships, billboards, etc. With your donation, we will be able to continue these valuable programs and grow those organizations that make our community a better place to live.

In addition to having your business name and donation advertised during the online auction for thousands of potential bidders to see, we will also include you in our list of donors on our website and provide a link back to your website through May 2011. If you have any media advertising or any sort of merchandise or services that you would be willing to donate to our auction, please download the donation form and fax it to 866.525.6231 or you can email your donations to info@aafblackhills.com by September 17, 2010.

The AAF-Black Hills 2010 Media & Merchandise Auction will be under way in early October 2010. Sign up for our newsletter and make sure you are notified when the Media & Merchandise Auction goes live or get a step up on the bidding competition by reading our Bidding Rules.

Your participation in the 2010 Annual Media & Merchandise Auction is important to the success of AAF-Black Hills. Please help our organization to better serve you and your colleagues by completing the donation form and faxing it to 1.866.525.6231 no later than September 17, 2010.

September’s Luncheon

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:10:14 +0000

Speaker:

Jimmy LaSalvia
Executive Director,
GoProud, Inc.

Date:

09/21/2010

Time:

11:30am

Location:

The Rushmore Plaza
Holiday Inn

Mobilizing a Hidden Political Audience

Jimmy LaSalvia is the executive director of GoProud, Inc., a Washington, D.C. political advocacy group for gay conservatives. He is the former Director of Programs & Policy for the Log Cabin Republicans. Before moving to Washington, Jimmy worked on political campaigns here in South Dakota, including Gov. Walt Miller’s campaign in 1994.

A commandment of advertising is to fish where the fish are, but what if the fish are hard to find? Jimmy LaSalvia has spent years in D.C. advocating for the policy priorities of gay and lesbian conservatives, and he understands how difficult it can be to extract an audience that’s sometimes unwilling to identify itself.

What strategies and tactics can you employ to “bring out” a hard-to-find audience? Jimmy specializes in doing a lot with a little. “Two guys in a coffee shop with a laptop can make national news,” Jimmy says. How can you co-opt these strategies to mobilize the voters or customers that you’re after?

Find out at AAF-BH’s kickoff luncheon, September 21st at 11:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn.

This program is free for AAF-Black Hills members, $30 for non-members, $20 for each additional AAF-Black Hills Corporate Member, and $20 for students.

Not certain where the Rapid City Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn is? Click here for directions and a map.

JCPenney Sponsors 2011 National Advertising Student Competition

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:56:15 +0000

WASHINGTON DC – Nearly 150,000 advertising professionals across the nation have jump-started their careers through the American Advertising Federation (AAF) National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). This year JCPenney will be the 38^th sponsor of NSAC. For almost forty years, this competition has provided college students the hands-on, practical experience necessary to be competitive in this industry.

“After competing in the NSAC competition for four consecutive years, I can honestly say that it was the single-most beneficial activity I have ever taken part in during my entire educational career. NSAC is more than merely an advertising competition. It offers us a way to practically and organically learn methods of collaboration, management, problem solving, and critical thinking. It streamlines our creative process. It develops us into leaders. Learning in the classroom is, obviously, a necessity, but it is the conjunction of an extracurricular medium that allows us to gain an experiential knowledge of what we are learning and to begin to understand exactly how powerful implementing these tools can be.” – Andreas Robichaux, Chapman University NSAC team member, 2010 National Champion.

The competition requires college chapter members to develop a 32-page marketing campaign and 20 minute presentation in response to a case study co-authored by JCPenney and AAF Academic Committee. Each student team will first participate at the district level and then winning teams will advance to the national level. Student teams will pitch their campaign to a judging panel selected by the sponsor during the National Conference held in San Diego, June 2-4, 2011. Year over year, the quality of work and level of creativity surpasses the previous year and sponsors have been known to implement the ideas generated by these impressive, high-caliber student teams.

“JCPenney is thrilled to be the 2011 National Advertising Student Competition sponsor. We are eager to see what ‘Big IdeaS’ will emerge from some of the most talented student advertising minds today.” – Mike Boylson, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, JCPenney Company.

AAF currently has 15 districts and over 200 college chapters. Last year 147 college chapters competed at the district level and it is anticipated that the number will increase in 2011.

“We are proud to have JCPenney as our sponsor this year and look forward to another successful partnership. Corporate support such as this enables AAF college chapter members to participate in a stimulating learning opportunity. NSAC provides the real-world perspective that students need as they embark on a career in the advertising industry.” – James Edmund Datri, AAF President and CEO. JCPenney will not only sponsor NSAC this year but will also host the 2010 AAF Student Conference in Dallas, Texas on October 21-22. This event connects students with a variety of professional development opportunities and encourages them to meet and network with industry leaders and AAF alumni.

To learn more about how to start an AAF college chapter and participate in the NSAC, please visit www.aaf.org/college .

About JCPenney Company, Inc.
JCPenney is one of America’s leading retailers, operating throughout the US and Puerto Rico. It carries the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com, and the nation’s largest general merchandise catalog business. Across their integrated enterprise, JCPenney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the Company’s commitment to providing customers with style and quality at compelling prices. For more information, visit the JCPenney, Inc. website at www.JCPenney.net.

About the American Advertising Federation
The American Advertising Federation (AAF), headquartered in Washington, D.C., acts as the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.” The AAF is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 40,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in ad communities across the country. Through its 214 college chapters, the AAF provides 7,500 advertising students with real-world case studies and recruitment connections to corporate America. The AAF also has nearly 100 blue-chip corporate members that are advertisers, agencies and media companies, comprising the nation’s leading brands and corporations. For more information, visit the AAF’s Web site at www.aaf.org.

October’s Luncheon

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:28:57 +0000

Panel Speakers:

Jim Shaw, Former Mayor
Sam Kooiker, Alderman
Doug Rumpca, Lamar
Others TBA

Date:

10/19/2010

Time:

11:30am – 1:00pm

Location:

The Rushmore Plaza
Holiday Inn

The Great RC Billboard Debate

Is there a more hotly contested local advertising issue than billboard advertising in Rapid City and the Black Hills? The community seems sharply divided. To some, it’s a nuisance that ruins the natural beauty of the landscape; to others, it’s the fuel that keeps our region awash in tourism dollars.

On October 19th, we’ll go beyond sound bites and entertain a lively 45-minute panel discussion featuring prominent local advertisers and politicians on both sides of the issue.

Former Mayor Jim Shaw, Alderman Sam Kooiker, Doug Rumpca of Lamar and other (TBA) members of the ad community will join us for this in-depth look at the Black Hills’ most pressing advertising issue.

Catch up on the heated debate: here is a list of articles published by the Rapid City Journal.

This program is free for AAF-Black Hills members, $30 for non-members, $20 for each additional AAF-Black Hills Corporate Member, and $20 for students.

Not certain where the Rapid City Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn is? Click here for directions and a map.

INCREASING THE STATURE AND VISIBILITY OF THE ADDY BRAND: A NEW ADDY FEE STRUCTURE

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:47:17 +0000

Dear AAF Club Members:

This year, under the leadership of Stacy McCullough and the National ADDY Committee, we re-invented the national show from scratch, including a dynamic, People’s Choice Award chosen through live audience texting; “and the envelope please” moments; behind-the-scenes analysis of the ads; Red Carpet atmosphere; and state-of-the-art sound, video, and staging – none of which had been done before.

The new, 2010 ADDY Awards Show represented the first step in getting our ADDY Brand the national recognition it – and, most importantly, the incredible creative work – deserves. And it of course required a substantial increase in investment by AAF National to do so.

We made that investment because we wanted to demonstrate the untapped potential for the program – and because we know that for the clubs to grow, the ADDYS MUST grow in every way: stature, visibility, and number of entries. But it will only grow, as we have seen our other programs grow these past two years, if we create a revenue model that will allow for the kind of investment necessary to do so.

The current structure effectively keeps the program from reaching its full potential as a national brand – which is why, from a revenue and entry standpoint, it has been stagnant for years. This is due in large part because the financing side of the National ADDY Awards technology & software, administration, judging, advertising, branding, publicity, and national show, has, for a variety of reasons, remained largely untouched for the entire history of the program. And this is so even though the program has for many years consistently lost money at the national level. The reason for this lack of growth and revenue is obvious: while local AAF clubs charge between $25 and $175 per entry, AAF National charges only $2 for those same professional entries and $4 for student entries. This is an unsustainable situation, not only because it fails to cover our costs, but more importantly because it prevents us from making the investments in the ADDY program that would increase the stature and visibility of the show, that could in turn generate more local entries.

Keep in mind, AAF National’s goal is not to fund a branding and publicity campaign centered only on the national show; our goal is to fund a branding and publicity campaign commensurate with the national scope of ALL our local entries. Indeed it is only through such a national branding effort that the ADDYS will ever develop the standing in our industry to draw in more entries, and end the years of flat growth for our local shows. We all know the ADDY Competition is the toughest advertising competition in the world: because the pool of talent our entrants are competing against is so large and diverse, and because of the multiple layers of competition. But we need to tell that story to the industry and the public.

In this context, a new ADDY fee structure is necessary to allow us not only to finally have the program cover its own costs at the national level, but more importantly to allow us to invest in the ADDY brand like never before. By increasing the stature and visibility of the national brand – perhaps even getting a television contract for the show in the years to come – we can significantly increase entries at the local level.

Therefore, in the 2010-2011 ADDY cycle, we will triple our investment in publicity for the ADDYS, putting the ADDY brand before the eyes of the industry, across the nation, like never before. We will triple our ADDY-fee-related contribution to Ad2 National, which administers the Student ADDYS, allowing them to further invest in that part of the ADDY Program at all levels. We will give every District that runs an ADDY Competition an additional $1,000 for use to enhance their District ADDY program however they see fit. And we will further and dramatically increase investment in our national ADDY show, building on the successful work we did to improve the show in Orlando. Remember: If agencies perceive the national ADDY brand to be a prestigious one, the only way to enter the program is through our local AAF clubs.

Also effective for the 2010-2011 ADDY cycle:

1) Every club that runs an ADDY show will receive an automatic 10% reduction in its annual AAF dues. This will also have the effect of encouraging more clubs to run a show.

2) The club in each AAF division with the greatest percentage increase year-over-year in total number of professional ADDY entries will have its AAF annual dues 100% WAIVED the following year, and special recognition at the Annual Conference.

and

3) The ten clubs, regardless of AAF division, with the greatest percentage increases year-over-year in total number of professional ADDY entries will each receive TWO complimentary AAF Conference Registrations, and with each registration 4 FREE nights at the Conference Hotel & a $400 air travel voucher (for a total of 8 free hotel nights and $800 in travel vouchers), and special recognition at the Annual Conference.

To accomplish these goals: dramatically increasing investment in the ADDY brand in all those specific ways, the Executive Committee of the AAF Board of Directors – with the support of the Officers of the Council of Governors, and the ADDY Committee Chair and Vice Chairs – has voted that for the 2010-2011 ADDY Cycle, AAF National will charge an ADDY entry fee of $15 per local entry. This translates into a modest $13 increase for professional entries, and an $11 increase for student entries (still well below what even the smallest clubs charge).

Please keep in mind that it is intended that clubs will pass along the modest fee increase to the entrants, by raising the price for each entry, as opposed to keeping their prices the same and thus bearing the costs themselves.

Indeed, as this program of investment in the ADDY brand kicks in, it will both significantly increase entries, AND allow our local clubs to charge significantly more for each entry – because the industry will come to place greatly increased value on the ADDY.

In the last two years, we have innovated other AAF signature brands, with very successful results. We need to have similarly big plans for the ADDYS. While we are proud of our program as it stands, we all know it can be so much more, so much more prominent in our industry and in the public eye, and thus so much more of a successful revenue raiser for our local AAF clubs. This is the plan to get us there. We look forward to working with you as we build our ADDY brand into the most prestigious in the industry.

Sincerely,

James Edmund Datri

President & CEO,

AAF

The Next Season of AdFed

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 23:49:30 +0000

After our award winning programming last year, you bet we are going to try our best to out do ourselves this year….so mark your calendars now because you wont want to miss anything.

The 2010-2011 Season of AdFed Luncheons:

September 21, 2010
October 19, 2010
November 16, 2010
December 21, 2010
January 18, 2011
February Breakfast Date TBD
March 15, 2011
April 19, 2011
May 17, 2011

New Luncheon Venue

To keep our events more centrally located, we are excited to join with the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn to host our monthly luncheons.

Click here for directions to the hotel.

Same Luncheon Time

Our luncheons are typically held the third Tuesday of the month from September until May from 11:30 am until 1:00 pm. An exception to this schedule is the month of February when we hold our breakfast meeting from 8:00 am 9:30 am.

Be sure to check our website often for updates or sign up for our newsletter to receive all of the updates in your inbox.

Want your say in our next ADDYs?

admin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:59:00 +0000

Do the annual Addy Awards make you tingly all over? Do you start planning what outfit you’ll wear 6 months prior to the award gala? Do
you daydream about next year’s Addy theme? If so, we want to know! The 2011 AAF-Black Hills Addy Awards Committee is seeking new members to join our creative think tank as we start planning in September for the best darn Addy show ever!

If you’re interested in being a part of the 2011 Addy Awards in a big way, plan to sit in on our first ADDY COMMITTEE MEETING, on Tue, Sept 14 from 3:30-4:30 at Western Mailers. This is your chance to help make the magic happen! Can’t make the first meeting, no problem, just shoot us an e-mail and we will count you in.

AAF Launches New National Member-Only Beta Website

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:13:05 +0000

In a few weeks, AAF will be launching a new national member-only beta website, which will include features like a national calendar of AAF events, and many other resources and tools which will be helpful to you and your career. You should receive an e-mail soon from the national office with further details about the site.

If you are in the database, you will receive an email with login instructions for the beta site. If you are an active member that has recently joined and do not receive login information, your club leaders and executive directors have the ability to submit roster changes to get new usernames and passwords assigned.

Because there is not a standard enrollment date for all local clubs to submit a new membership list to the national AAF office, and many clubs are between seasons, the initial site launch will be populated with names and contact information from the 2009-10 AAF membership list. Once our local club’s new 2010-11 season begins, we will submit a new list of our paid members to the national office, which will replace the previous list of our members. Access to the national site will be available only to current, paid members.

The content will continue to grow and further site enhancements will occur after the beta launch. AAF is committed to making this a valuable resource for all of our members.

Membership.aaf.org is the exclusive online venue for AAF members to learn more about the industry and access beneficial documents and presentations that will enrich your career. The site features a growing library of contracts and legal documents, job search tips, recorded webcasts, mosaic center surveys and documents, a full club and national event calendar and club management information.

AAF.org will continue to be the main Web page for the American Advertising Federation. All events and awards information, including the Advertising Hall of Achievement, Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards, ADDY Awards, Most Promising Minority Students, Mosaic Career Fairs and Club Achievement will remain on AAF.org.

We look forward to offering you access to this exciting new platform! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at aaf@aaf.org or (202) 898-0089.

-The American Advertising Federation

The AAF National Conference

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:46:38 +0000

Now, you may do your own little AAF version of hibernation during the summer months, letting your mind recuperate by substituting vampire novellas and US Weekly for Ad Fed’s professional development opportunities during the year. But not everyone has this luxury. Oh, no. Some of your loyal board members have no “off” switch, ladies and gentlemen.

I shipped off to Orlando for the AAF National Conference June 10-12, enduring blistering heat and smothering humidity to hobnob with and learn from the country’s most accomplished chapters. Adding to the suffering was the constant siren song of free meals, booze, and cavorting poolside with ad-industry partygoers and the thousands of college students in attendance for the National Student Advertising Competition. Technically speaking, then, it wasn’t all bad.

Contrary to my hedonistic instincts and because I was attending on Ad Fed’s dime, I did actually try my best to learn as much as I could from other clubs and, generally, to improve our position in the AAF world by building relationships with all sorts of people who are simply good people to know. One of my current priorities is to learn and disseminate the national benefits of AAF membership to our local members. And I’m not talking about those tiny discounts on things you probably don’t use anyway — I’m talking about the new AAF website and all of the learning and professional development resources it will offer. Professional development has been Job One for me since I joined the board, and so in addition to sucking up all the knowledge I could to convey on to the folks at home, I also snagged a few good luncheon speakers while I was there as well.

Finally, I got to participate in one of my favorite pastimes — taking credit for other people’s hard work! For the first time in a long time (or maybe ever, I don’t know), our AAF-Black Hills chapter received a couple of national awards, and as the sole attendee, I got to accept them on stage and soak in the applause meant for all of us. They even announced my name as I walked in and had a spotlight on me all the way across the stage until I sat down, and played Metallica intro music (Note: it’s possible that the Metallica music was only in my head, but I know the lights and introduction did actually occur).

We won first place in the Programming category for Division 4 (all clubs under 100 members), and we won second for the Public Service category, and it was my pleasure to accept the awards on our chapter’s behalf.

Thanks again for sending — after all, it was your membership dues that paid the bill. And as long as it keeps paying the tab, I’ll keep doing my best to build and add value to the club anytime you send me somewhere.

Until next time,

Josh

Local Advertising Club Celebrates National Recognition

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:41:23 +0000

The American Advertising Federation (AAF) announced this week the 2010 Club Achievement Award winners. The club achievement awards are presented annually to ad clubs and federations who display exceptional accomplishments in club operations. Member clubs and federations comprise the AAF’s grass roots structure, which is essential resource in advancing and protecting the interests of the advertising industry.

Each year, the AAF honors top ad clubs in eight categories: advertising education, communications, diversity and multicultural initiatives, government relations, club operations, membership development, programs and public service.

“The local advertising clubs and federations are the bedrock of the AAF. Our successes at the national level would not be possible without the strong foundation of our local club network,” said James Edmund Datri, AAF President and CEO. “I am honored to recognize these exceptional club achievement winners, and in doing so affirming that the foundation of the AAF – and of the advertising industry – is strong.”

In June, AAF-Black Hills will be recognized at the 2010 AAF National Conference in Orlando, Florida for their 1st Place winning Club Achievement entry in the programs category that showcased the industry leading speakers who were brought in by AAF-Black Hills since September 2009. AAF-Black Hills will also be awarded 2nd Place in the public service category for their entry that outlined the marketing campaign created by its members for the Rapid City Area Schools alternative program Partnership Rapid City.

“I am very proud of our local advertising club and our members,” said Nicole Bickett, AAF-Black Hills President. “We have been working very hard for the last few years to build the value and reputation of our club. It is very exciting to compete against the 200 plus clubs and be recognized nationally for all of our hard work.”

Our 2010 Club Achievement Entries

Programs Category
AAF-Black Hills receives 1st Place in Division 4

Public Service Category
AAF-Black Hills receives 2nd Place in Division 4

Communications Category