The Blog of Tom Wahlin

Informational Interview – Preston Kelly

My opinions and thoughts following my informational interview at Preston Kelly.

Preston Kelly doesn’t spend their client’s money on advertising; they invest it in iconic ideas. I think this really sets them apart from other agencies. Taco John’s ‘Olé Stacking’ videos and Roundy’s ‘Chairman Bob Approved’ advertisements are perfect examples of this plan in action.

Oh, that cup next to Minneapolis Mayor RT Rbyak is named Petey P. Cup.

My favorite advertisement campaign from PK at the moment: Health Partners. All of the ads are clean, fun, simple and to the point. Their ads equate to the straightforward care Health Partners offers. I wouldn’t expect any health firm’s ads to be ‘fun.’ They were sick of all health firms’ ads having the same, boring, cheesy look and underlying message. The Health Partners’ ads are animated but still retain their professionalism.

Choose: The chocolate or the banana…hmmm…

Mark Jenson // VP-Account Director // @mjenson

Marketing Strategist, Sports Enthusiast and Info Maniac.

Before working at Preston Kelly, Mark was a part of:
Martin/Williams, Campbell-Mithun, Leo Burnett (2100+ employees at the time!) and Foote, Cone & Belding.

Mark went to school at the University of North Dakota and received a B.A. in Journalism. He then gained his Masters Degree in Advertising from Northwestern University–by the age of 22.

Mark’s underlying message was to be curious. Stay hungry for new information and be open to new techniques. If you are not curious in the advertisement profession, there is no way to survive. New ideas fuel the industries’ engine.

One advertisement Mark is impressed with is the ‘Real Men of Genius’ commercials by Bud Light. Over 100 installments of this have been produced–it’s a great idea that has been repeated and still retains its punchiness.

I asked Mark about Campaigns outside of Preston Kelly, specifically the Geico ads. He stated his confusion with the ads. He doesn’t know what to look for; the cavemen, the gecko, the money with the eyes? The campaign is spread pretty wide. There are different target audiences but the group of ads need to be more consistent with one another.

We also discussed the new VW ads with the talking car; they are becoming absurd. There needs to be purpose and motives behind the messages. Making a bizarre ad for the sake of making a bizarre ad is unpleasant.

Lastly, I asked Mark about general relationships with clients. He stated the better the relationship with the client, the better quality the work will be. Even though a customer is hiring you to create something for them, letting them be heard is important. Give and take is a big part of the industry.

Ben Clymer // Designer // @benclymer

Lives and Breathes Design.

Ben went to school at St. Olaf to engage in psychology. After graduating, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to pursue. After a couple years of random jobs, including carpentry, he ended up at Brainco: Minneapolis School of Advertising, Design, and Interactive Studies. He graduated there in 2008 and has been a designer at Preston Kelly for a little over a year. He did plenty of searching and performed many informational interviews before choosing the agency that was right for him. Ben’s underlying message was to complete and maintain a great portfolio. Your work can really speak for itself.

Taco John’s Potato Olé Maniac web site–designed by Ben.

He also stated that the MN advertising community is surprisingly small. Once you get into the market, you’re likely to cross paths with people a couple times. Ben suggested Print magazine and allanpeters.com (The designer for Rhymesayers Entertainment) for some fresh inspiration.

Overall, Preston Kelly is an interesting place taking risks with unique ideas. It’s definitely an agency I would like to have the privilege of crossing in the near future.

This post is categorized in: Inspiration, Out and About