"MEASURE ONE'S SUCCESS BY THE INTRICACIES OF THEIR PRANKS." - Famous person
The Brief: Leave the media department for creative in an unforgettable fashion.
The Strategy: Troll my friend and mentor the Media Director.
The Result: The ensuing (great) story.
Once upon a time I worked in Media as a planner and cool guy. Along the way I developed an awesome professional friendship with one of our outdoor vendors. When he found out I was moving upstairs to be a creative, he asked what I wanted as a going away present. I jokingly said "my own billboard."
He paused, then said "give me fifteen minutes."
Me: "NO! LEE, NO!"
Lee: *Hangs up phone*
The stars aligned. He was able to locate a billboard right smack in the middle of downtown Minneapolis that just happened to be empty. I just had to decide how to use it.
My boss was the Media Director. Well, he was a boss, but I also would call him a close friend (he will deny this if you ask him.) So I decided that, unbeknownst to him, he and I would start our own agency called RhodeFrecon and we'd promote it using my free billboard.
RhodeFrecon was born!
(Note: my boss was not a fan banner ads.)
SOCIAL EXTENSION
But, was it real? There was only one way to verify, as it's well known that EVERY successful business has a social media presence.
Yes - he was mad at first, but soon he too succumbed to the RhodeFrecon revolution. The board stayed up for five glorious days. I smoothed things over by buying him a set of personalized golf balls with our logo on it. To this day, he holds them on display at his desk.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY - ABT (ALWAYS BE TROLLIN')
My sense of humor is a part of who I am and it's what inspires me to do the work that I do. The freedom to explore that humor is what makes life enjoyable for me. More importantly, I believe that humor can connect people in a very meaningful way, and at the heart of any great work is a great relationship. You know how the saying goes - Good relationships = good work. Great relationships = TROPHIES AND SWEET AWARDS.
I am forever grateful for the opportunity I had to work for (and with) such a great dude. I would not be the same without it.
Remember, life needs a banner.
