The ad game can be creative, intense and fun, but also challenging.

Talking with Michael McCormick, executive creative director at Rodgers Townsend, success in the advertising industry is part genuineness and part integrity, qualities Michael exudes.

This University of Arkansas and Portfolio Center alum has been writing is way to the top, working at agencies in Dallas, Austin, Chicago and here in St. Louis, including two stints at RT.

At Rodgers Townsend Michael has worked on a number of accounts from The Hartford to Enterprise to Unigroup to the agency’s flagship client, AT&T.

“We have a deep, deep understanding of their business-to-business clients. That’s always been our area of expertise. We understand the voice of the brand,” says McCormick.

AT&T has been partnered with RT for 15 years when the company was still Southwestern Bell.

When SBC bought AT&T and decided to rebrand, it was RT that helped them launch. McCormick says no matter the client, no matter the project, his team brings the same attention to each.

”I know it’s wrapped in the gloss of AT&T, but there’s been a real sensibility at AT&T all along, all 15 years of Rodgers Townsend, there’s a real authenticity, there’s an honesty and I think we deliver that as an agency, very well,“ remarked McCormick.

“We did multi-million dollar TV spots that took us all over the world to produce. But day-to-day I think we bring the same care to a direct mail piece. Every audience is an important audience no matter how much you spend.”

Whether is advertising, PR or marketing [or working any job for that matter] we all have work that makes us proud.

Michael mentioned a couple of projects with which he is particularly pleased.

“This spring we shot a couple of spots for The Hartford with Janusz Kaminski who’s the DP (director of photography) for Steven Spielberg,” McCormick said. “We shot two commercials for The Hartford that ran during the Final Four featuring two U.S. Paralympic athletes. It’s particularly rewarding when you’re able to meet these folks who overcame incredible, incredible things.”

One spot features Sam Kavanagh was a skier who was caught in an avalanche. The second spot focuses on Melissa Stockwell, a Purple Heart recipient who lost her leg in a roadside bomb.

Michael says he’s most proud professionally about the digital work RT has produced over the last year.

“We have so much momentum in our digital department. Digital is an area, even if it’s not there in a brief or an assignment, we always think in that direction and I think we bring that extra, that bonus thinking to every client and I think we do it very well,” McCormick stated.

“There a lot of little pop-up digital shops, but having that in-house to go along with the larger, more traditional wing of things, I think, makes a huge difference,” he added. “It just leads to ideas that are broader. They’re broad, they’re deep, they’re all encompassing and that’s really the goal. I think that’s when you bring the true value to your clients.”

He points to RT’s Driving Futures campaign, a sustainability site for Enterprise.

Michael also points out Rodger Townsend’s new website, www.RodgersTownsend.com. He says it had 34,000 unique visitors in the first month after the site launched.

He’s also proud of the team of creatives he works with every day, pointing out Sang Han who runs RT’s digital Department and Design head Kris Wright as well as agency co-founders Tim Rodgers and Tom Townsend.

He says they’re like a family, more so than other agencies he’s experienced.

“Rodgers Townsend is more family to me than any of the others and I think when you have that sense of family you give even more and I think that makes that relationship this great little two-way street that is professionally and personally, pretty rewarding.”

Joe Hartman took his cap and gown and degree in graphic arts and technology and went to town as a training director at World Color Press (now Quad/Graphics) in 1986.  For him, it was print industry or bust, and he loved it. In 1989 he was asked to build a desktop publishing division in St. Louis.  Imagine the scene of an industry soon to transform itself: film on the tables, bleach on the film, and dot etching.  This was the publishing world before the word digital whispered its way past scanning and retouching.

Within a few years, everything started changing. As Hartman recalls:  “I woke up in the middle of the night and thought about customizing the print world – managing all of its content further upstream with the ability to customize pages before they get to the printer, with content consolidated and targeted to the consumer.”

It was Hartman’s dealings with multiple publisher clients at World Color Press that helped him understand time to market.  Forbes magazine was wiring faxes of data into the pressroom and onto film hours before going to press via satellite transmission.  And Hartman was thinking, “How do I control data better and sooner to get real-time content updates to channels instantaneously?”

His answer, like the answer for many entrepreneurs, was to start a company of his own. In 1993 he launched Digital Dimensions with business partner Mary Ann Gibson, and they became one of the first independent content management companies for marketers.

The idea was to centralize a cataloger’s content in one independent service instead of being stored and retouched at multiple sites.

Digital Dimensions began with image asset management services.  Their first clients – Fingerhut, Spiegel, and Victoria’s Secret – had data in multiple print companies, with no color management standards in place, and no consistency in imagery. Digital Dimensions would go out to the presses for image calibration. A compliance officer would ensure color management standards were being met (knowing that everyone had different plate standards and different inks).  They pre-scanned, a process that involved scanning to a database with set business rules all content that a marketer would have.  The database would then address all publications they used and not just a single project.

“In the mid-90s, this was really a strategy that was new,” said Hartman. “Not a lot of people have had the foresight to do this. In fact, a lot of IT departments are only now starting to look at automating marketing workflows.”

In 1996, Hartman and Gibson sold Digital Dimensions and not long after, he developed a new marketing workflow solution, Enklav, a suite of image and product management modules that facilitate enterprise marketing automation, language translations and workflows.  Hartman’s expertise did not go unnoticed, as Vertis Communications hired him as Vice President of Operations, a job he maintained off and on for over sixteen years.

While continuing to work with Vertis and several other valued suppliers, Hartman again has his own company – Brand Execution Partners, or Brand XP.  He continues to keep busy with customers like Caterpillar, a perfect early adopter example. Caterpillar realized years ago that the web was their #1 marketing channel.  Hartman created and still oversees a dynamic web and print publishing platform for Caterpillar.  The platform stores over 40 languages.  It can publish in real-time a one-page ad and a 2000-page services manual in minutes. And all product information is replicated nightly to cat.com.

Joe Hartman has mastered the relationship between IT and marketing to design and build web-based image and content management systems. And he has a vision for the future:

“I hope to make more companies aware of streamlining their marketing supply chain.  Marketers need to integrate SAPs, merchandising systems, e-commerce workflows.  At the end of day, it’s about a holistic approach.”

That approach is working. Brand XP has an impressive list of customers.  But it isn’t easy.  Hartman admits that everyone likes the concept but isn’t always ready to take action.

When pressed to share what it’s like to try to move ahead of the market, Hartman said, “Visionaries can be good and bad –strategic ideas can be implemented or the concept can be too early.  I always tell my wife, wait 18 months and then they’ll get it.”

So this young copywriter walks into a bar . . .  Okay, it’s not much a joke, but then again I’m not much of writer, though I did major in poetry writing (no kidding). But back to the story, five years ago this young copywriter is showing off his wares to the then AdClub Membership Chair, Bob Bishop. Good copy. Bad art direction.  Unfortunately for the writer, he didn’t know an art director he could partner with.  His dilemma got Bob thinking that the AdClub was not engaging the younger generation. So the two came up with REBUS.  The concept worked so well, the young writer got a job and skipped town.  Fortunately for the next wave of up and comers REBUS stayed.

I’ve known about REBUS since I moved to STL a few years back and attended some events, but was unclear of the exact focus of the group.  So the REBUS board graciously let me crash one of their planning meetings at Switch and gave me the lowdown on one of AdClub’s most active groups.

From the beginning, the original idea of REBUS was to help young professionals develop their portfolios and learn how to interview to get their first job in advertising.  The first ever meeting was held at Phoenix Creative and someone left with a job that night.  A pretty good sign that the idea was good. Their success has expanded their audience.  Now they don’t just appeal to the advertising neophyte looking for a portfolio review. An older demo has emerged which REBUS has embraced, allowing it to be relevant and accessible to everyone.  Even with the addition of the more experienced demographic, the mission of finding a job and learning more about the industry is still there.

The events are getting stronger.  Last month’s Switch event brought in over 100. Paradowski saw about 80.  These events allow agencies to open their doors, meet young talent, educate the market about their work and expertise and to network.  And each event provides portfolio reviews where both new and old advertisers can get help critiquing their portfolios.  REBUS’ goal is put on 8-10 events a year.  Events are the backbone to REBUS efforts, but according to the board members, the number of people attending these events aren’t as important as the quality of their events.  The committee made it clear that they want to have events offer real value.  Growth for REBUS is measured in participation.

One of their best events is their portfolio polish event.  Last year’s was dubbed, Portfolio Polish: Self Branding Shinola and was held at FK Photography. They will host their second portfolio polish event this May.  The last one sold out and another great turnout is expected.  Agencies have lined up to be involved. The event also helps the agencies themselves because even if they are not attending with the interest to find new hires, they can spread the word about their agency and meet great talent for future positions.  The fee for the event is $10 dollars and is open to everyone, although there is limited space, so the first to sign up are guaranteed a critique of their portfolio.

Five years and countless hires later, REBUS is still going strong and staying true to their mission. With unemployment hovering at 10%, a lot of us can use some help landing jobs.

To find out more information about REBUS and the coming event in May, you can visit their website.

Meet Rob Grimm.  Not only is a helluva shooter but he’s got a comfy couch next to a fireplace where we did this interview.

It’s been a strange trip for Chris Reimer (or more widely known as Rizzo Tees) from an accountant and CFO to VP of Social Media.  Chris spent almost 15 years with his nose buried in financial books before making a left turn into the world of social media and marketing.  While he was an accountant and CFO at Zipatoni (now Rivet), he was strictly in the numbers.  But he began to lose interest in those numbers, and a different calling beckoned in 2008.  Now 50,000 followers later, with the moniker “Best Twitterer” bestowed by Riverfront Times, Chris is social media strategist at Falk Harrison.

The entrepreneurial spirit struck Chris while serving as CFO at an non-profit organization.  He started an online t-shirt company out of his basement.  Don’t all good ventures start out of a basement or garage?  It was through the t-shirt company that he got involved with social media.  As Chris claims, he was not an early adopter to Twitter and only started his account in November of 2008.  His first tweet was a month later.  It didn’t take long for him to get infected with twitter fever, though, as he got excited by the idea of broadcasting his thoughts and conversations, or “email on steroids,” as he calls it.   He realized how much he enjoyed (and still enjoys) online conversations and the interaction social media provides.  He’s also a news junky and loves sharing news or interesting tidbits.  But just as important, he noticed that social media became his #1 sales channel.

The other catalyst for moving into the marketing side of social media was a meeting with long time friend, Jon Falk.  Jon wanted Chris to walk him through Twitter and explain some of the inner workings.  An hour later, Jon turned to an animated Chris and told him he could do this for a living, that he was clearly passionate about it and knew his stuff.  Chris resisted that notion but found himself in a similar situation soon after that.  After walking another friend through Twitter and talking strategy, he got the same response.  It was the second time that got the ball rolling.  Chris quickly went to work developing a business plan on launching a social media consultancy venture.  But the prospect of starting with 0 revenue was hard to explain to his wife.  So he opted for plan B, and started an unorthodox job search.  He didn’t have to look long since Chris Buehler of Scorch immediately saw Chris’ value and brought him on board.  Chris stayed with Scorch until the draw of his longtime friendship with Jon Falk brought him over to Falk Harrison, who wanted to add social media strategy to their client offerings.  Joining Falk brought Chris back to the place where the idea of a social media career began.

Now officially ensconced in the world of marketing and social media, Chris brings his personal brand and social media know-how to clients.  But don’t call him a social media expert.  In an era of self-made experts (or more accurately self-named experts), that term is taboo.  Chris prefers the term maniac.  His boss opts for practitioner.  Whatever term is settled on, it’s clear that people like Chris certainly don’t amass an impressive amount of followers as a dilettante or neophyte.  It takes hard work and long hours.  For Chris, many of those hours in the beginning were spent late at night when the family was asleep.

So how does he manage 50,000 followers (let alone build that many followers to begin with)?  Chris has a few tools of the trade to help him along.  His favorite is Tweet Spinner, which allows him to manage his followers and followings, culling spammers from conversations, and identify new folks to engage.  But sweat has been his biggest tool, and it wasn’t until 40,000 followers that he stopped doing everything manually.  Chris also organizes conversations and followers with Twitter Lists.  Right now he’s about at 20 lists, which allows him to organize conversations and interactions and not be overwhelmed by the chatter.

Now as a full-time strategist, Chris can turn that sweat and knowledge into a valuable offering to clients.  So what advice does he provide to clients?  For those reluctant to wade into the social media pond, he has this to say:  “Conversations are happening about you and your services, whether you like it or not.  The best way to manage that conversation is to participate in it as opposed to being a passive bystander.”  Another pointer is to be active in conversations, as opposed to just pushing out your message.  A company shouldn’t limit their conversations to their own products or services.  Broader market topics, trends or civic happenings can be of interest to followers.  Plus, it can demonstrate a genuine interest in community.

Chris never imagined that launching a t-shirt company would lead to a whole new career.  But here he is, one of the biggest personal brands in St. Louis.   And we’re happy to benefit from that, since Chris has agreed to blog for AdSaint.  His knowledge of the social media world will give all of us great insights into social media strategy.  Welcome aboard the ‘Saint, Chris.

P.S. Boston Celtics rule!