News from Dick's Desk
New Special Olympics Commercial
The link below is one version of a new commercial we did for the Illinois Chapter of the Special Olympics. The writers were Martin Rodahl and Amy Markley. The art director was Taylor LeCroy. The spot was directed by Mr. Rodahl. The Special Olympics is an organization that's near and dear to the heart of one of our partners, Don Brashears. He is currently on the board of the Illinois Chapter and has been contributing to them for decades. We hope you find it engaging.
http://www.71degreesnorth.com/dropbox/SO_Speechless_30_Online_National_v1.mov
04.10.12
TDH Wins Education Award
Yes, there are too many awards competitions in advertising. But believe it or not, we don't think this applies to industry-specific shows, meaning, for example, real estate advertising awards for the real estate industry. The reason is simple: those awards mean something. These shows are run by the client-side of marketing. They are generally fair. And they offer better ways to compare and contrast work. So whilewe're certainly not going to impress the ad world winning industry awards, we do think they are useful to judge how our work is being received, besides the ultimate judge being profits.
In this vein, we are proud to announce that we recently received a Silver Award in the "Total Campaign" category for the "Speak Your Mind" work produced for Roosevelt University. The competition is the 27th Annual Educational Advertising Awards, judged nationally for all educational institutions. In this same show, we also won a Merit Award for our Admissions Publications, a Merit Award for the Roosevelt Review and a Merit Award for the Study Abroad Brochure.
Credits go to the whole agency. Really, we do everything as a team. More specifically, the effort was led by Creative Directors Thomas Ritchie and Amy Markley. The account team is Cari Dinneen and Laura Meiizner. Our digital partner was longtime agency collaborator, Brett Burwell.
04.09.12
A Ten Year Q and A
Even though it is only an official ten year anniversary, it is still close enough to ask one of the original partners his thoughts on the past decade. Bob Volkman was busy with work. David doesn't like attention brought to him. He gets very twitchy. So that leaves Michael Herlehy. Michael only agreed to do this if the questions were designed to help other people who are considering opening their own place or freelancers. Since so many people supported TDH in their beginning and continue to help them, Michael wanted to use this as a sort of pay it forward. So here is a Q and A for those interested parties.
What was the best advice anyone ever gave you about owning a business?
That's an easy one. The three founders were at a wedding of a friend and the next Monday, we were finally going to open our doors. When I was introduced to the bride's dad, who owned a company that made radars for boats, I asked him if he had any advice. Now, before this, we sought and received advice from probably about a hundred people and much of it was very good. Stuff like, learn math and make sure you have a good health insurance plan. Surprisingly, this man completely blew me off. He waved his hand and said, "Just work hard. Everything else falls into place." At first, I thought that was sort of simplistic. But he was absolutely correct. The best advice I ever received and the advice I always give when people ask me is to work hard. Or at least when I imagine people asking me because people don't generally like talking to me. If you work hard, everything falls into place. Things that seem so foreign like how to get a T1 line or what to do about the plumbing, if you think about it, seek help, work at the problem, the answer comes.
Were you afraid or intimidated at the thought of starting a business?
Yes. But only for about a week. The thing that keeps most people from starting their own business is the idea that they will lose their job security. But that is so wrong. Especially in this economy. There is no such thing as job security in advertising and in most professions. People get fired every day and for reasons beyond their control. You never know when it will be your time. On the other hand, when you own your business, you actually have an idea of cash flow and can plan accordingly. So once I realized that, I was fine. Bob, on the other hand, he had his days.
So what about those days. Were they difficult?
Yeah. We started with one very small but loyal client, who, by the way, still asks us for help. And David wouldn't spend a penny more than he had to. So, the only time we ran the air conditioner was when we'd have a meeting with someone else, which wasn't often. We spent one of the hottest summers ever recorded in Chicago in this one small room with no circulation and a really cheap art director. Many people dread new business meetings. We looked forward to them because we would get air conditioning. Of ccourse, once they left, David turned the air off.
What was it like having partners?
It's like being married, only worse. At least when you're married there are fringe benefits. Not so with David, Bob, Don or Greg, even though Greg was thought of as very sexy by the women we used to work with at our old agency. The thing that people don't realize is just because you share a common creative vision, it doesn't mean you share the same views about everything. You have to make decisions on every single thing. You get to know your partners better than some people know their life partners because you know about what temperature they like the air conditioner, things like that. Plus, you're around them constantly. And for the first two years, we didn't have walls. Do you know what it is like to stare at David and Bob, to hear every phone call from every relative? It was ugly. David got away with talking in Mandarin Chinese. But Io knew he was talking about me because I knew the Chinese words for man with big head. Don't ask me why I knew that.
So you recommend getting an office?
I recommend being as cheap as you can on some things and being willing to spend the cash on others. When we were talking about starting out, we were going to shack up in David's basement. Then we played that scenario out and thought clients wouldn't think too much of our professionalism holding a meeting just around the corner from a washer and dryer. So we learned that with some things, you're better off paying top price. If you plan to have clients, get an office. They'll appreciate it. You'll get more clients.
When do you know to add partners?
Take it case by case. See if that person can grow your business a lot faster and can add something brand new. Still, be careful. We were really lucky and everybody needs luck. We were unbelievably dumb when we started. For some reason, we really believed we could create an agency without an account person, that creatives would answer all the calls and talk to clients directly every hour. That was really stupid. We couldn't get any work done. Plus, we were so busy answering phones, doing assignments, we didn't get to do what we were really good at, which was figuring out a long term plan for clients. So Greg Reifel became available and before someone else got him, we did. He helped a ton. But then we found ourselves just focusing on our clients. Greg belonged to a club that was like this round table for small businesses and they would meet and talk about their problems. Greg brought up a situation we were mulling about for awhile and that was bringing on a new business guru as a partner. We needed one because we found no time ourselves to do it. Well, one member of the round table put it back to Greg quite nicely saying something like, "In your industry, your client roster changes every year, sometimes by the month, and you find no time for new business? Ah, yeah, I'd get him." And we got Don, a man who has been considered by men with very long titles to be the best in any city.
What about hiring?
We hire slowly. It frustrates people. But TDH is a small place. One person makes a big impression. Bob used to work for Maureen Moore and she had this philosophy I always like to apply to TDH. We look for talent but we always look for high character people first. It's not just about ads. It's about helping businesses grow and prosper by using great creative ideas. Yes, that sounds like something some bureacrat would say in an AdAge interview but it's just bigger. A hire has to be able to listen, adapt, constantly work at your craft, work together, stuff like that. It takes a special personality as well as a special book.
Do I think the market is right to start a new agency in Chicago?
Chicago is really coming around and we think that's great. We want more creative agencies out there. I know that sounds like I'm fibbing because they would be competing with us with some accounts. That's true but we're going to be competing with someone and it might as well be against an agency who's work and philosophy we admire. The more creative agencies out there. the better the city's reputation gets, the more clients in and outside of the area look to Chicago agencies for their accounts. Even besides that, there is a certain kinship with small agencies in the city. We're all rooting for each other because, I think, we've come from one of the big, Death Star-like agencies. Many of us were frustrated with the way they serviced clients and didn't keep up with the latest changes in the industry. And we trust that we're doing work that has more freedom for ourselves and clients.
Anything else?
Yes. I hope I don't sound like a douchebag. These are just things I learned. But it can certainly be wrong. It's obvious but I'll say it any way: things are changing constantly. Follow your instincts. And don't be afraid.
03.13.12
Happy Birthday to us! Um, technically.
Ten years ago, Bob, David and Michael sheepishly walked into the lobby of a Citibank and did something very foreign to them--they opened up a business account. After spending their careers working at agencies in cities all over the country, they decided to do what they never thought they'd do. Start their own advertising agency. But the thing is, they didn't start it just then.
Actually it took a while to open their doors. For starters there was this thing called money and the three new partners really didn't have enough. Then there was timing. At their current agency, one project led to another which led to another. The target date became D-Day, June 6th. But that came and went.
After a couple more months, they set a hard date to finally tell their boss that they were quitting no matter what they were working on. They all practiced what they were going to say and wondered about their boss's reaction. But before they actually did anything, those words (or something like it but with more pregnant pauses) slipped out of Bob's mouth during an unrelated moment with their boss. Not exactly the beginning they expected but hey, it was a beginning.
The news It made such a splash at the agency they were leaving that within hours, Lewis Lazare, the columnist at the Sun Times, called. Michael talked to him. Yes, we were opening an ad agency. Yes, all three of us were from the creative department. No, we don't think we need an account service person. Lewis? Lewis? Can you stop laughing? Really, I'm serious. It's called Tom, Dick & Harry, after the well-known prison escape tunnels depicted in the movie The Great Escape. No, none of us look like Steve McQueen, although David was once mistaken for Yo Yo Ma, the violinist.
But that was in August and this isn't August yet, right? So while we are one of the few ad agencies started by only creatives, we are also one of the few agencies started twice. We're not sure if that's something of distinction because, well, we didn't exactly know how to start.
According to our CFO, Mike Volkman, only 8% of businesses stay businesses after ten years. We are a little proud and a lot of amazed at this achievement. But we won't be having our celebration until our actual the real anniversary date in August. That's okay because it gives some time to plan. Until then, we'll be working on our clients' accounts. Maybe even do some anniversary ads.
03.04.12
Well, lookie here—an award.
TDH just recently won an award from the blog, FPO. Per their "About Us" section, FPO promotes the use of print and proclaims that this media is not, in fact, dead. This is the link where our entry was featured. Ironically, the work was submitted by a former senior designer, Mike McQuade. Mike was a great designer for us and we miss him. We should also thank him for giving us a chance to win this award.
01.24.12
Should we change our name?
From deep into the news wire:
By George! Fourth Great Escape tunnel to be excavated
By Stephen Robb BBC
News Stalag Luft III held more than 10,000 Allied prisoners of war Tom, Dick and Harry famously had their stories told in the film The Great Escape, but more is soon to be learned about a little-known fourth tunnel. This spring, a British team is due to excavate "George", at the site of the Stalag Luft III camp in Zagan, Poland.
The tunnel was built after the March 1944 escape by 76 Allied prisoners that is portrayed in the film starring Steve McQueen, but never used for an escape. Historian Dr Howard Tuck says George represents the camp's "final chapter". Dr Tuck, a project leader on the excavation, said it could be considered "the most dangerous tunnel of the war".
For much of World War II, prisoner escape attempts had been an accepted part of the conduct of the conflict. But after the Stalag Luft III escape in March 1944, Adolf Hitler personally ordered the execution of 50 of the escapees in order to deter other prisoners of war (POWs) from doing the same.
"The murder of the 50 sent shockwaves through the POW community," Dr Tuck says. "The Germans were in no mood to mess around. Those involved in engineering this tunnel or trying to escape were going to face the harshest consequences."
The 1963 film The Great Escape, which also starred Sir Richard Attenborough and James Coburn, ends with the caption: "This picture is dedicated to the fifty."
'Uber-secret' Dr Tuck believes George was begun in about September 1944, before the arrival of freezing conditions in winter that would have made digging impossible. Stalag Luft III held more than 10,000 RAF and US air force prisoners, and it is estimated about a third would have assisted in preparations for the Tom, Dick and Harry breakout. Far fewer would have worked on, or even known about George, Dr Tuck believes.
"This tunnel was uber-secret, this was another level of secrecy," he says, which partly explains why so little is known about the tunnel. "Those that actually knew about it are very thin on the ground."
But two or three veterans who were involved will join the excavation later this year, Dr Tuck says. It was a "contingency tunnel", he believes, built amid POWs' growing fear that the advance of the Russian army might prompt their German captors to turn on them. It could have been used to store possible weapons as well as items for an escape through the tunnel, if that was deemed necessary.
No escape ever took place because, in January 1945, the retreating German army forced thousands of POWs on the infamous "Long March" back to Germany in freezing conditions. About 200 men died. One veteran has told Dr Tuck he remembers putting a radio set in the tunnel, and the historian believes the excavation could also uncover forged documents, clothing, tools and food.
"This really is the final chapter in the history of the camp, and very, very little is known about it," says Dr Tuck.
01.18.12