When new mortgage loan officers get hired at Bank of America, one of the first things they want to do is to let their customers know that they’ve moved. This postcard campaign not only had to communicate that message, but the client also asked as part of the bank’s rebrand efforts, for a social responsibility focus.
Trying to fit these two very different messages together was challenging. In the end, I succeeded, as demonstrated by the client’s very positive response: “These pieces really speak to what it means to work for Bank of America and show fresh and unique copy that totally fit what we were looking for.”
A new café had opened in an up and coming center in Costa Mesa called “The Lab Anti-Mall.” Filled with unique shops and restaurants, it was the perfect place for “Memphis Café” to bring its brand of soul to Orange County. Working on a bus shelter campaign for a restaurant that had an atmosphere and food that I loved (the best buttermilk fried chicken anywhere) was truly a pleasure.
At the time of this television, radio and print campaign, Sempra Energy was having some major public relations issues. Customers in San Diego were protesting their high electric bills and sending bomb threats to SDG&E.
We needed to create a campaign that showed all the positive things the company was doing and also demonstrated to consumers that Sempra Energy was trying to help them save money. The TV spot, shot at LA's Staples Center, highlighted behind-the-scenes ways Sempra Energy made Staples Center more efficient. The "He Said, She Said" radio spots focused on how using gas could save consumers money. The print campaign educated consumers on how high-performance duct systems could save them even more on their gas and electric bills.
In 2007, UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business was considered to be a relatively young school and had little brand recognition or awareness. Wanting to be thought of by MBA candidates as a top business school, among leaders like UCLA, Wharton, Harvard and Berkeley, they had many challenges to overcome. Their website needed to be completely updated and stand out from competitors. I helped them build their brand, from start to finish on the Full-Time MBA website, which led the way for all the other divisions under the school.
We focused on areas such as its Orange County location, its small classrooms and personalized attention from renowned faculty members. I conducted student interviews and helped the school to determine that these testimonials would be a terrific way to position and promote the school and its programs. The Paul Merage School of Business is now ranked in the top 25 among the nation’s leading business schools.
The challenge presented by these radio spots was a shift in KFC’s traditional target audience. With this campaign, they wanted to reach out to today’s moms, who are hassled, harried and juggle many responsibilities. In the radio spot, “Fantasy,” KFC’s original recipe chicken becomes the fantasy for a woman who wants a little escape. In the “Cell Phone” spot, our heroine is a working mom who is able to give each of her kids what they want – courtesy of the KFC variety pack.
Getting the attention of young concertgoers wasn't easy. Planned Parenthood wanted to create backlit displays for one of Southern California’s largest venues, the Blockbuster Pavilion. Of course, safe sex is a message that this audience has been bombarded with for years. So I wanted to really think about it from their perspective and provide Planned Parenthood with compelling headlines that would effectively convey our message without sounding preachy. Hopefully, our displays helped our audience think differently about using condoms and the reasons why they should.
I made a lot of mistakes in my 20s and I thought a blog for young women going through some of the same experiences I did would be a great platform. I created “Wise Before 25 – 50 Things Young Women Need to Know” to start a dialogue about topics ranging from finances, to roommates, to friendships, to sex and just about everything in between. In the process, I’ve learned a lot about social media and even more about life.
As a values-based health care pioneer and leader, St. Joseph Hospital was celebrating a major milestone – its 75th anniversary. The sisters of St. Joseph are synonymous with the roots of Orange County and are the heart of this hospital. As the writer of the video to commemorate their anniversary, I was able to tap into the sisters’ unique experiences and also provide their testimonials as a backdrop to compliment the still photos of their history and successes. It was a pleasant surprise to work with them in the recording studio as I thought we would be challenged because they weren’t traditional “talent.” However, they sounded real, genuine and warm. Sometimes we can’t even get talent to do that.
After a devastating arson fire in 1986, the Los Angeles Public Library was ready to celebrate its grand re-opening in 1993. They wanted to create excitement and awareness that this historical landmark was back. We were given tight budget constraints for the “Burning Book” TV spot,” but I was able to help secure Stockard Channing as the voice over, pro bono. Her immeasurable talent helped bring my script to life.
This local young women’s retailer had an image problem. Clothestime, while being perceived as a good place to get fashionable clothing for less, was also perceived as cheap and low quality. We were tasked with a complete rebrand to help them look more high quality and hip. Creating posters for in-store signage that featured attractive models in Clothestime attire, a new website, radio spots and the tagline, “Be all that,” helped them achieve more positive brand recognition with new and existing customers.
For a number of years, I’ve had the privilege of being the writer for this annual report. The Orange County Rescue Mission is an organization that helps the homeless transform their lives and become valued members of society. Each year, I conduct interviews with them and tell their stories. The annual report is one of the primary ways the Mission communicates with its donors.
Hands down, my favorite burger anywhere in the world would have to In-N-Out. Oh what fun it was to work on an outdoor campaign for a brand that is a beacon in the fast-food industry.
As a leader in the manufacture of heart valves and heart valve technology, Edwards Lifesciences was looking to rebrand. While a senior copywriter at Lawrence and Ponder Ideaworks, I was part of the team that gave them a friendlier new look, along with a more human approach to their highly technical copy. I even got to visit their heart-valve museum.
As a leader in the distribution of high technology products, Ingram Micro’s audience is primarily B2B. As part of their in-house agency as a senior copywriter for three years, I was able to work on a wide range of projects that included print ads, direct mail, brochures, newsletters and more for big-name clients such as Cisco, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard and Apple.
Being a creative myself, I know that many of us suffer from inferiority complexes. Capitalizing on these insecurities, I came up with the winning concept for the Los Angeles Creative Club’s student competition call for entries poster.