February 10, 2017

Hanna Boys Center Welcomes Four New Board Members for 2017

At its January 2017 Board meeting, Hanna Boys Center elected four new Regents to its Board of Directors: Jack Boland, founder and president of Baker Street Advertising, who will be serving on the development committee; Peter Connolly, a retired Wells Fargo executive who will be serving on the finance and investment committees; Frank Conway, corporate attorney with the Meyer Corporation, who will serve on the governance committee; and Mary Corroon, owner and president of Corroon Consulting, who will be serving on the development committee.

Hanna Boys Center is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors composed of Trustees, which have fiduciary responsibilities; Regents, which act as advisors and serve on working committees; and Regents Emeritus, which serve as ambassadors for the organization. The Board is chaired by Bill Schrader, who is also chairman of Exchange Bank of Santa Rosa.
“Hanna’s Board members come from across Northern California and bring a wide variety of expertise and experience from both the for-profit and non-profit worlds. But we all share one common goal: creating positive, permanent change for at-risk youth in the Bay Area and, through the work of the Hanna Institute, throughout California. I’m so grateful for the willingness of our latest Board members to help in this critical work of overcoming the effects of trauma and adversity so prevalent among young people today,” noted Bill Schrader.

About Hanna Boys Center
Since 1945, Hanna Boys Center has changed the lives of thousands of at-risk, motivated youth through faith, education and caring, helping them grow into productive members of society. Hanna exists to help at-risk teens overcome the effects of childhood adversity—to become responsible, productive adults and realize their highest potential. We do this by providing a nurturing and therapeutic residential environment, a tailored educational model, and trained, caring adults who help kids create positive, permanent change in their lives. www.hannacenter.org

Contact: Christy Kenyon
Director of Marketing & Communications, Hanna Boys Center 707-933-2504, ckenyon@hannacenter.org

Accolades

February 5, 2017

SUPER BOWL-ING FOR DOLLARS: WHICH PATRIOTS & FALCONS WILL INFLATE THEIR ENDORSEMENT EARNINGS?

By: Bob Dorfman

Product-Pitching Talent in The Super Bowl LI Sports Marketers’ Scouting Report

No alternative facts can refute that Super Bowl LI was the most watched event of the year. With a TV audience of over 111 million, and another few million watching online, it was an unparalleled opportunity for the Big Game’s players to make an impression with fans and marketers.

Winning Patriot players will score a little over $100K in bonus money, plus a shiny new ring worth around $50K. But the real dough is in the national ad deals, appearance fees, autograph charges and other off-the-gridiron earnings that Super Bowl superstars can rack up.

So which New England and Atlanta players, if any, have enough game to make it big on Madison Avenue? Who’s going to land the talk show appearances, video game covers, cereal box spots, “I’m going to Disney World” cameos, Dancing With The Stars guest spots, and namesake fast-food sandwiches?

Here’s how this expert rates the endorsement talent:

TOUCHDOWN:

Tom Brady. With his record-setting 5^th Super Bowl ring and 4^th MVP award, Brady made a strong case for GOAT honors. And for those only watching the game for the ads, his performance for Intel was solid. Though not an aggressive seeker of ad deals, Brady still manages to lead the NFL’s active players (now that Peyton’s retired) with nearly $10M in off-the-field income from sponsors including Under Armour, Uggs, Beats By Dre, and TAG Heuer. And while he’ll never match Manning’s goofy, guy-next-door appeal, Brady has been loosening up and having more fun in recent ads—consider his Uggs spot with Jeff Bridges, and his Under Armour sleepwear videos. On the upside, Brady’s got the looks, the rings, the charisma, the supermodel wife, and a proven resume as a high-return product pitchman. On the downside, there’s Deflategate, playing for the polarizing Pats, and a friendship with Trump that could erode his fanbase. Nonetheless, Brady has the bod for a Hanes briefs campaign, a perfect smile for a Tom’s Toothpaste deal, and a chin cleft worthy of a Gillette razor torture test. And we’re still waiting for a Chiquita banana ad headlined “The Brady Bunch.” Plus, as a family man, he could qualify for a minivan deal. His postgame tears deserve a Kleenex demo, too. At age 39, Tom is nearing the end of his career, but he’ll certainly remain a compelling pitchman after retirement, much like Joe Montana. He could easily add another $3M to his annual endorsement portfolio, if he so desires. But if you really want Brady, bring a seven-figure checkbook, a product he can invest in, and a contract that doesn’t demand too much of his time. And bear in mind that a recent fan poll had him ranked as both the most liked and most hated QB in the NFL.

Rob Gronkowski. Gronk’s so big, he didn’t even have to play in Houston to score ad deals. He was the first player to not see a second of action for his Super Bowl team, yet still star in Super Bowl ads. Not just one, but two: for Tide and T-Mobile. He also has deals with VISA, Nike, Monster Energy, Dunkin’ Donuts, Oberto beef jerky and EA Sports. He also has his own cereal, hosts a kids’ show on Nickelodeon, is producing and starring in a new web video series, and has a role in an upcoming film, American Violence. No wonder he can say that he lives off his endorsement earnings and bankrolls all his NFL pay. With the Patriots expected to be a strong Super Bowl contender next season, and Gronk fully recovered from injury, he’ll continue to be in big demand as a pitchman. It’d be fun to watch him do his Gronk Spike on a Timex watch to see if it really “takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” Or going one-on-one against Mr. Clean in a sexy housecleaning battle. As one of the NFL’s most iconic and recognizable characters, Gronk is a fun choice for any product that promises a good time—video games, snack foods, sports cars, condoms.

FIELD GOAL:

Julian Edelman. Edelman’s amazing fourth-quarter catch will go down in Super Bowl history, and might even land him a deal with Super Glue. He’s already appeared in an “I’m going to Disneyland” spot (following Super Bowl XLIX), has his own JE11 brand, and most importantly is dating supermodel Adriana Lima. Given his versatility—he catches, passes, plays on special teams and has even played some defense—he could qualify for versatile products like SUVs, cough/cold/flu remedies or baking soda. And his excellent playoff beard qualifies him for any men’s grooming product, or a Gillette demo.

EXTRA POINT:

James White. Every Super Bowl seems to have a player who emerges from anonymity to excel. James White is that guy for SB51. With a record 14 catches for 110 yards, plus 3 TDs including the game-winner in OT, he earned the “I’m going to Disney World” honors. But unless White can maintain his greatness over another season or two, going to Disney World may be as far as he goes with national advertisers.

Julio Jones. A player whose talent exceeds his personality. Arguably the game’s best WR, Jones made some great plays in Houston, but not enough to grab a ring. Until then, he won’t ring up major endorsements.

Martellus Bennett. A player whose personality exceeds his talent. Marty’s made the most of his 15 minutes of postseason fame: pom-pom dancing after the AFC Championship, saying he won’t visit the White House with his victorious Pats’ team, suggesting Migos should’ve replaced Lady Gaga for the halftime show, calling himself the “Black Dr. Suess.” Team him up with brother Michael, who won a ring with the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, in a bling-off for Josten’s.

Bill Belichick. Seven Super Bowl appearances as a head coach—and still few endorsements. His dour, surly, unemotional persona is exactly the opposite of what marketers are looking for in a pitchman. But if you could film him getting visibly excited about your product, it’d be worth seven figures. Or how about showing reporters at one of his pressers, downing No-Doz, Red Bull or 5-Hour Energy?

Dan Quinn. After that excruciating defeat, the Falcons’ head coach now qualifies for a Maalox Moment ad, or a Southwest Airlines “Wanna get away?” spot

Danny Amendola. Like most of the Pats’ receiving corps, no superstar. But good looking, speaks well, dating Miss Universe 2012, and just won his second ring. Worthwhile choice to demo the AXE Effect.

Stephen Gostkowski. Extremely rare to see a placekicker in a national ad, but Gostkowski made it into a Pepsi spot that ran during the playoffs. It will likely be the highlight of his national endorsement career.

Malcolm Butler. The hero of Super Bowl XLIX and a solid performer in Houston, Malcolm could work in any product demo ad with the headline: “The Butler Did It.”

Dont’a Hightower. Huge strip sack on Matt Ryan was a game changer. Good choice for Hefty Cinch Sak.

Devin McCourty. Twin brother Jason plays for the Titans. Good choice for any marketer promoting a two-for-one deal.

Joe Thuney. Pats OG provides serious protection for Tom Brady. Decent choice for any product that protects well: Axe Deodorant, Rust-O-Leum, Coppertone, Trojan.

Alan Branch. Put him in an Office Depot ad, setting up his Branch office.

Barkevious Mingo. Made the move of the year: going from the lowly Cleveland Browns to the Patriots in the preseason. Good choice for a moving company like American Van Lines. Or try Barkevious in a pain relief ad for Aleve-ious.

Matt Bryant. At 41, Atlanta PK was the oldest player in Houston. Of possible interest to Ben-Gay, Metamucil, or Advil.

Marcus Cannon. Of possible interest to Canon cameras.

Trey Flowers. Of possible interest to FTD florists.

De’Vondre Campbell. Obvious choice for Chunky Soup.

Alex Mack. Mack Trucks.

Vincent Valentine. Useful one day a year.

Tevin Coleman. Overcame premature birth and the sickle cell trait to play in the Super Bowl.

Nate Solder. Overcame testicular cancer to play in the Super Bowl.

Chris Hogan. Overcame four years of lacrosse to play in the Super Bowl.

Patrick Chung. Chinese-Jamaicans are underrepresented in American advertising.

PUNT:

Matt Ryan. Ryan stood to gain the most from a Super Bowl win, but it was not to be. With a reputation as a QB who can’t quite get it done, Matty Ice desperately needs a Super Bowl ring if he wants to score deals with makers of ice cream, iced tea, or any product served over ice.

Mohamed Sanu. Unfortunately, not a very marketable name under our new America First regime.

Michael Floyd. Very embarrassing DUI caught on video last December; passed out behind the wheel at a stoplight, car still running. Not a wise choice for any automotive brand. Or any other brand, for that matter.

Jimmy Garoppolo. Tough to stand out when you’re Tom Brady’s backup.

David Andrews. Centers are never the center of attention.

Robert Alford. 82-yd. pick 6 against Brady will be the highlight of his career.

Malcolm Brown. What can Brown do for you? Not much.

Dwight Freeney. Too old.

Deion Jones. Too anonymous.

Ayodeji Olatoye. Too hard to pronounce.

Grady Jarrett. Three sacks on Brady, but none when it really mattered.

Devonta Freeman. Didn’t get handed the ball when it really mattered.

LeGarrette Blount. Overshadowed by James White.

Deion Lewis. See LeGarrette Blount.

Chris Long. Overshadowed by HOF dad Howie.

Mattthew Slater. Overshadowed by HOF dad Jackie.

Jake Matthews. Overshadowed by HOF dad Bruce, uncle Clay Jr., and cousin Clay III.

Wes Schweitzer. Overshadowed by Albert.

Brian Poole. Everyone out of the Poole.

Jonathan Babineaux. Just say neaux.

Sports, Sports Marketing

January 9, 2017

Honda Wallet Vacation

By: Brian Bacino

As we not so subtly pointed out in our “Almost Over” Happy Honda Days spot, holiday shopping can really put your wallet through the wringer.

That’s why we followed up with the first annual Honda Wallet Vacation Sale. The dream child of art director, Sarah Inglis, and carefully sculpted by the Editorial and FX team at Beast, The Wallet Vacation Sale takes us to an exotic island fantasy where we see nothing but wallets and purses chilling out, thanks to Honda’s unique No Payment for 90 Days offer.

:30 Wallet Vacation TV Spot: Sedan

:30 Wallet Vacation TV Spot: SUV

In-Store Signage

Baker Street Advertising Credits:
Chief Creative Officer: Brian Bacino
President: Jack Boland
Chief Strategy Officer: Don Donovan
Art Director: Sarah Inglis
Copywriters: Sarah Inglis/Bob Dorfman/Robert Leon
Social Animator: Xavier Li
Producer: Brody McHugh
Senior Strategist: Howie Leibach
Group Account Director: Dan Nilsen
Account Supervisor: Christine Rodriguez
Senior Account Executive: Megan Boland
Assistant Account Executive: Noah Zepponi

Production Credits:
Executive Producer: Lori Joseph, Beast Editorial & SFX
Producer: Gordon Wittman, Beast Editorial & SFX
VFX Supervisor/CG Artist: Michael, Beast Editorial & SFX
CG Artist: Evan Ryan, Beast Editorial & SFX
Editor: Darren Orr, Beast Editorial & SFX
Color/Online Artist: Matt Trivan, Beast Editorial & SFX
Audio Mixer: Andy Greenberg, One Union

Brian Bacino, Creative Chief B2, Honda

December 20, 2016

2016 Year In Review

By: Brian Bacino

2016. Well, that didn’t turn out exactly the way we expected.

Lots of surprises.

Some of them, not so good.

Like not having our beloved SF Giants fulfill their even year prophecy.

But we still had a ton of fun making the work and helped the Giants continue their record-breaking attendance streak. (Click image below to see the 2016 Giants Campaign page.)

And speaking of records, NorCal Honda continued its sizzling pace thanks to a calendar chockfull of sales events, testimonial films and a robust digital and social media effort.

The first series of key frames below is from our “Go Small. Get Big.” campaign. (Click image below to visit the campaign page.) And the second set is from our seasonal sales events.

Plus, we introduced a new social campaign for Acura called “More of a Good Thing,” featuring 3 inspiring stories from NorCal Acura drivers who are making their world a better place.

The Lin’s Story :30

To see the Lin’s full story, click here.

Marshal’s Story :30

To see Marshal’s full story, click here.

The Young’s Story :30

To see the Young’s full story, click here.

So, while 2016 had its fair share of challenges, Baker Street had its fair share of fun making work for our clients and watching their businesses grow. Check it out in our video below, “Baker Streeters Love the Work”:

And, oh yeah, we launched our website. You know, the one you’re on.

Brian Bacino, Creative Chief B2, Honda, SF Giants, Sports, Sports Marketing

November 1, 2016

Programmatic Collaboration, What?!?

By: Brian Kelleher

Big-brand agencies have complained that there is a lack of Cannes-worthy creativity in programmatic and little integration among the creative, media and data operations that go into a modern ad campaign. This is typically due to the agencies separating their departments into specific silos with little collaboration. Holding companies like WPP are missing many opportunities due to a lack of communication between their creative and media agencies.*

We sit on top of the data, see all the signals and know how they are being used, but we dont have direct access to content creators, so we often need to script up the piece of content we need in order to accomplish the goal that the advertiser wants. It would be amazing if the two can go together in a meaningful way. We are constantly reaching out to WPP agency leads directly or through GroupM. But the [collaboration] hasnt happened significantly yet. Tim Bagwell, VP of Xaaxis Labs, a division of GroupM.

Programmatic creative is enriched with some form of data, either retargeting or audience data, and is served with the intent of advertising something the audience have recently shown interest in while web browsing. For example, a user goes onto Zappos, looks up a pair of Nikes and then leaves the site. That person is then retargeted with those same Nike shoes shown in the unit, or possibly similar shoes they may have missed. This tactic can go deeper to the point that when our media is looking to serve an impression on a given site, if the data for this person also shows this person lives in a windy area, we can serve that person a unit for a Nike windbreaker. You can also use these tools to set up automatic tests to optimize toward the best performing creative for that audience. Audiences are formed within a dynamic creative optimizer. The combinations of what we can learn of a person based on their browsing history, and how we can use this to serve them the most appropriate ads at the best time, are virtually limitless.

Baker Street Advertising, being a nimble, full-service agency has a great advantage here. Our ability to make adjustments quickly will allow us to swim circles around the larger agencies where such a change will take much more time to implement.

Examples:

If person A is 3 months away from buying a car, we can serve a broad see your NorCal Honda Dealers now! message.

If person B is 2 months away from buying a car, and we know they are interested in midsize cars, we can serve them a carousel unit where they can scroll through various offers for Accords, Civics, or Insights.

If we know person C went to a dealership in the past month from their phones GPS, we can pair that with their browsing history to serve them a hard-hitting message, like that Civic you were eyeing is now only $169/month!

A really simple observation I had when I moved from media to creative is that theyre two totally separate worlds. Media people are spending their days figuring out optimization and targeting, but its done completely separate of the actual idea. Adam Cahill, Anagram Founder, a programmatic agency.”**

Part of the problem does stem from brands not being willing to share their data. While we do experience the issue of our clients being unwilling to share customer data (a very understandable stance considering privacy issues), our partners are able to gather enough information within their pixels that allow targeting to be highly focused. Pairing this targeting with templated creative management tools that will allow us to create dozens of variations of ads with different copy and backgrounds at the flip of a switch, allows us to break down which audiences are responding to each variation. Our teams need to continue to educate each other on what is available within our targeting capabilities, and why a certain message might resonate with a specific audience.

Of course, this route will bring up questions on the cost of producing so many variations for so many audience segments. How niche should we go with targeting and creative before we hit zero return? We need to test, retest, and continue testing audience segments with various creative. Start by finding a new, micro audience that is responding to a more generic message and adjust units to fit that audience. If media is able to generate a new micro audience that is showing promise, creative can then move to create and assign specific creative to that audience (i.e. targeting football moms with a Honda Odyssey unit with a tag line Space for all your gear and the kids too. [sorry, not a copywriter]. This approach will also help us to avoid creative burnout.

BSA already demonstrates excellent collaboration, and as we work towards adopting new creative tools, such as Rich Media and Dynamic Creative, our teamwork, communication, and education across specialties will make our clients campaigns that much more successful. Pairing data enabled targeting to custom content through dynamic creative is fast becoming the next big tactic, and we are on a great path to become leaders of this approach.

Brian Kelleher is an Associate Media Director at BSA, specializing in digital strategy, planning and buying.

* Digiday The Programmatic Divide Still Persists By: Yuyu Chen http://digiday.com/agencies/gap-programmatic-creative-media-planning-still-exists/

** Digiday Programmatic Creative Inches to a Fix By: Shareen Pathak http://digiday.com/agencies/programmatic-creative-inches-toward-fix/

Analytics, Digital Marketing, Programmatic

October 13, 2016

#BelievenHurts

By: Brian Bacino

When you’ve been #Believen since July, losing really hurts.

Baker Street has been preparing for the post season since July, creating digital, outdoor, and TV for the SF Giants #Believen 2nd Half campaign. And while we are proud of the work, it has been tough to keep Believen when your team posts the worst 2nd half performance, ever.

Yet, through all the torture, our beloved Giants stayed together and kept fighting and somehow got in!

Crawford’s 7 Hits :15

MadBum’s Ks :15

And then they somehow came back!

NLDS 2016 Game 3 :30

So when that fatal 9th-inning meltdown came in Game 4 against the Cubs, it hit us hard.

We have been trying to reconcile this feeling of genuine loss over the Giants dramatic departure from their post season destiny. While it totally makes sense for players and coaches to feel devastated. Even members of the organization. But how can the dramatic and sudden end to the Giants post season have such a physical and emotional effect on us fans?

I guess the answer is we truly believe we are part of this. We have been soaking in champagne showers and championship parades, walking the world as kings. We feel like we know Hunter and his good friend, Buster. We love our homegrown heroes, Bumgarner, Crawford, Panik, Belt, Conor! We have rode the emotional roller coaster year after year, but somehow, magically, we kept hoisting trophies!

Crawford Destiny :30

Big Game Hunter :30

Buster MVP :30

And so now, even in our even year, we suddenly feel the pain. An unfamiliar sting of it all, for the first time, not magically unfolding the way we hoped. It makes us finally realize those 3 Championships were not pre-ordained. They weren’t guaranteed. They were miracles. They are more delicious than we realized the first 3 times. And our insatiable desire for another will only grow with this year’s bitter end.

Today it hurts. But then you realize how much fun, and how significant it is to feel like you are part of something like the SF Giants. That is the gift this team has given us fans. And while vitriol will likely spew over the next few days, in the end this organization makes us proud. Win or lose, Together We’re Giant.

Under The Hat Tales: Kids :30

Brian Bacino, Creative Chief B2, SF Giants, Sports Marketing

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