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Dept Zero is pretty awesome for a variety of reasons. Sure, they have Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap in their "fun room". They do killer work for a bunch of really impressive clients. And they're bringing art to their community in a most impressive way.

They found an abandoned space in town and turned it into a venue for artists, DJ's, bands, fashion designers and other creatives without the resources to have a space of their own. They've made the space available FOR FREE for any artists in the community. In a band, and want a place to play? Want to produce a fashion show for your new line of clothes? Need a space to show your photography or fine art? Not a problem.

How'd they do it?
First, they convinced one of their clients, Scion to sponsor the space. This wasn't difficult as the space plays perfectly to the Scion brand and the audience they want to reach. Then they partnered with a local venue (conveniently next door) to get a liquor license (and bartenders.) A local sculptor adopted the cause and created furniture, a DJ booth and lighting from Scion parts, jet engine parts, and other junk yard finds.

The end result is the Scion Lab - a space that's pretty much booked solid through October, helping the arts scene thrive in Kansas City, while building buzz for Scion. Everyone wins.

Labels: kansas city

posted by darryl ohrt at 4:08 PM 0 Comments

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Hanging with Dept Zero in Kansas City was pretty awesome. They just opened a massive "fun room" that you walk into when you enter their space, and they wanted to open it in style. So, like any agency, they threw a party.

Dept Zero happens to be pretty good at producing parties and events. Since their fun room looks kind of like a really cool bar, they decided to brand it as Todd's Downtown Banana Lounge. And the website was born. And of course, that called for a commercial (above). If you have a commercial, you need a phone number that people can call (816-994-9763). And that's how the party started...

Word spread around Kansas City pretty quickly. Todd's the type of guy that everyone in town wants to hang with. He quickly grew a fan base. And fans produced jingles and videos. Todd joined Facebook.

On opening night, Dept Zero hosted a massive crowd that included bridal parties, a bunch of locals and the Kansas City Alternative paper - who showed up to document the new, hottest club in Kansas City.

In the end, everyone had a blast, some locals were confused about this odd new bar, and Todd's Banana Lounge will probably live long in some way that they never imagined. Want to host a party of your own? We suggest you give Todd a call.

Labels: kansas city

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:08 PM 0 Comments

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Think that social media is just for your customers? One of the many things that we learned while visiting the Sprint World Headquarters in Kansas City was how they're using social media to communicate with their employees.

If you've got thousands and thousands of employees spread across the world, chances are you're going to need something better than an employee newsletter. Sprint has found that some of the same tools they use to communicate with their customers have also been super effective at spreading the word with their employees.

Sprint employees have internal blogs, communities and other tools to learn about what's happening, what's working, what's popping and what people are chatting about. Social tools happen to be an effective way to get these messages out quickly.

Sprint's setting the example for large employers and social media. Rather than blocking access to all of the latest social tools, they treat their employees like adults. They understand that employees have a purpose and trust that they'll do their jobs - even with Facebook and Twitter at their fingertips. (When you sell products that utilize these tools, it makes sense to let your employees use them too.)

Internal communications are clearly the next wave in social media for big business. We met with Jason and Jennifer at Sprint and chatted about this and other social media goodness. See it all in the Kansas City wrapup video at PlaidNation.

Labels: kansas city, sprint

posted by darryl ohrt at 8:06 PM 0 Comments

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That's the advice we received from two of the industry's most revered podcasters/bloggers/small agency dudes when we asked "what would you tell other creative people who have thought about starting a podcast, a blog or other means of putting yourself out there?"

We consider John and Tug to be the unmistakably voices for the rest of us. For the workers in the smaller agencies. The shops outside of NYC or San Francisco. The shops who are working on real business, creative solutions, and doing an awesome job. John and Tug are with you, and they're sharing their stories.

Listening to an American Copywriter podcast is like having a beer with a friend in the business. And their blog is fun and informative. That's what's made them successful, and connected to the creative community across the globe.

We had the awesome opportunity to meet them at Sullivan, Higdon and Sink during our visit to Kansas City. See the entire interview in the PlaidNation wrap up video for Kansas City!

Labels: kansas city

posted by darryl ohrt at 6:56 PM 0 Comments

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While enjoying a weekend off in Kansas City, we were treated to a luxurious stay at the Q Hotel and Spa.

Once you stay at the Q, you'll wonder why every hotel in the world isn't doing the same thing. This is clearly the future of the hospitality industry.

The Q has taken a dedicated approach to creating the ultimate green hotel. They're one of the eleven most green hotels in the nation. They've taken the hotel business past anything that you've experienced before. Energy Star rated, Green Seal certified, and a generous list of little things that add up to a massive shift in your overall experience.

Sometimes it's the tiniest things that make a grand difference. Like in-room recycling. Bicycles for guests to get around town. Composting of extra food. Ceramic instead of plastic with breakfast. Once you've experienced these things at the Q, you'll expect them everywhere you stay.

Even better - the guest experience wasn't compromised in any way. Our experience at the Q was equivalent to any stay at nice boutique hotels in many other cities.

Thanks to the entire staff at the Q for a most spectacular and inspiring experience in Kansas City! If you're visiting the hottest city in Missouri (or Kansas), we highly recommend a stay at the Q Hotel and Spa.

Labels: kansas city, q hotel

posted by darryl ohrt at 8:10 AM 1 Comments

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Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR to the cooler people) has sponsored a series of street artists across Kansas City. We noticed a piece or two during our first night in KC, and since have spied several installations across the city.

Each piece features the work of a couple of artists from around the globe, put together with a little bit of PBR branding. This is advertising that inspires, creates interest and supports art. Everyone wins.

Labels: branding, kansas city

posted by darryl ohrt at 7:59 AM 0 Comments