Energizer Bunny on High-Schoolers' Hit List

Six ninth-grade girls were arrested in Chattanooga, TN after school officials found a a list of 600 people they conspired to kill, including the Energizer Bunny.

The fact that a furry advertising icon was on the hit list probably served as a clue that this wasn't a serious murder attempt. But the police say they didn't want the situation to keep going and going and going.

Energizer officials did not comment on the situation other than to say that the bunny was secure and in protective custody. It's a tough day to be pink.

KFed Follows KFad Into Advertising

Brittney Spears' ex-husband and nickname encroacher Kevin Federline will star in a SuperBowl spot for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.

The 30-spot parodies Federline's sugar-momma seperation woes by illustrating a fall from dancing in rap videos with hot women to working at a fast food joint. All this to hammer home the point that "Life comes at you fast." Speaking of hammer, Nationwide also used Fabio and M.C. Hammer in previous spots to convey the same message.

TM Advertising in Dallas, TX is the agency behind the spot, which Nationwide says shows Federline's sense of humor. I think Federline didn't want to be broke like the Hammer and needed money after the departure of "his baby momma."

The guy is all over my territory. First he Bogarts my nickname. Now he's all up in my advertising.

Become a Student of Advertising

One of the most important things you can do to get a job in advertising and be successful is to become a student of the craft. This has nothing to do with earning or possessing a degree in advertising.

Unfortunately, most universities don't prepare you for a career, getting a job or becoming a student of advertising. According to noted columnists, authors and creative directors Ask Jancy, unless you attended a portfolio school, the University of Texas or Syracuse University, it's probably up to you to the next level.

Start by learning what good advertising is and, more importantly, why it's good. Constantly devour ads and blogs to see the best work, the worst work and experience lots of advertising philosophy. Here's a list of resources to start with:

• Hey Whipple, Squeeze This - If you only read one book about advertising, make it Luke Sullivan's. It's the bible.
  
• Pick Me: Breaking Into Advertising and Staying There - The book from the aforementioned duo, Ask Jancy, is devoted to answering questions about getting a job in advertising from fellow wannabe art directors and copywriters.
  
• American Copywriter - Creative directors John January and Tug McTighe do their song and dance about advertising through a podcast and a blog.
  
• Ads of the World - A colossal gallery of advertising from around the globe. It also has a forum where you can post your ads and get feedback. But beware, these guys are extremely critical.
  
• Talent Zoo - This advertising specific site has job listings and average salaries broken down by specific jobs and cities.
  
• IHaveAnIdea.org - Check out interviews with big-time ad people, see portfolio showcases and check out student work in the forums.
  
• Crispin Porter + Bogusky employee handbook - A great manifesto about making advertising great and how to do it in an agency.

If you're saying, "I've already read these," then you're one step closer. If not, get to work. Either way, keep tuning in - we're moving on to the advanced lessons.

Putting Your Portfolio Together

Well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans. I didn't deliver last week so I'll just make this week "How to get a Job in Advertising" week here on KFADvertising. That being said, here's today's dirt.

The Institute of Canadian Advertising has some great tips about putting your first book or portfolio together in its article, "So You Want To Be In An Advertising Agency." Here's the section about portfolios:

• Aim for 10 great ads. They should ideally be for real clients, not the local dog-walker. Trying to do a great Nike ad is probably not a good idea as the bar is pretty high there. The best way to blow a Creative Director away is, as advertising great Bob Barrie says, "Do great ads for boring clients." Working on your first book is probably the only time in your career that you'll have complete creative freedom, so go for it.
• Stick to print. [But if you have great ambient or gorilla to go with the print campaign - do it.]
• Produce campaigns not just singles: we like to see breadth of thinking, not just flashy one-offs. [You need 3 ads to make it a campaign.]
• Don't sweat the details. If you're a writer, don't kill yourself trying to make your ad look pretty. At this stage, you'll be judged on your concepts, not executions. So spend your time and energy on the ideas.
• Let the work do the talking. Don't waste time trying to come up with a clever mailer. If you send us a shot of your foot with the line "Now that I've got my foot in the door..." we promise you that your foot will be removed from the door and inserted into the shredder.

So now the hard part - actually sweating out the ads. Here are some links to some kids who've already labored through the first version of their books. Most of these come from portfolio schools and look very polished, so this is the cream of the crop you'll be competing against.

• The portfolio of Leo Leung, who was hired as an intern at Rethink Advertising in Canada.
• A directory of recent graduates' work from the Creative Circus in Atlanta, GA.
• A section from The Ranch, and advertising blog from the University of Texas, that showcases student work.
• The student work forum from Ihaveanidea.org.
  

Don't sweat it if you think your work doesn't measure up. Keep plugging away and concentrate on having solid ideas and showing CDs that you can think.

*Update: I left off a great podcast from the American Copywriter boys about putting your portfolio together. This great advice comes from two creative directors who are well on their way to becoming AdverCelebs.

Getting a Job in Advertising

As I went through I tedious process of landing a job as an ad man I tried to squirrel away all of the good advice I received so that I could one day share it with all of you. So this week on KFADvertising will be for all you eager beavers looking to line up internships or any soon-to-be graduates in more desperate need of a job.

We'll ease into the subject with a few fun stories to give a little preview to the remix and get us going.

One of the most compelling job-hunt stories I've ever seen comes from Gwen Yip. She chronicles her search as a foreigner looking for work in London as an art director. Gwen tells her story through doodled images and reenactments of the process she posts on her blog, WORKING holiday in London. The story has a happy ending because Gwen landed a gig working for Weiden + Kennedy, London.

Jac Madsen is looking for a job and he's documenting the process on his blog, How I got a Job in Advertising. He's also put out a few podcasts of his conversations with various ad people to tell his tale.

I hope I can help some of you hunting for your first job. I hope some of the things I learned can help you guys land an awesome gig. So keep checking in everyday this week, and I'll try to share some words of wisdom from far greater ad men than myself.

Welcome to Wichita

KFADvertising has a new home in Wichita, KS. I'm all set for a new year, a new place and a new job with Sullivan Higdon & Sink.

After a top-secret initiation ritual involving a sheep, M&M's and something I can only refer to as "The Bandit," I've been accepted into the sheep-hater ranks. Now that I'm legit, you can find KFADvertising on the SHS Web site, WeHateSheep.com. Happy new year and happy sheep hating.