After (and during) receiving the long-awaited, much-coveted call confirming I will have the opportunity to work with the talented team at Lawrence & Schiller, I was barely able to keep from jumping through my hardwood floors to the floor below. Sorry apartment three.

However, when asked to write a blog post about my perceptions, my stomach churned a little. I knew it was meant to be open ended, so I had a million things running through my addled brain at once, and I didn’t want to ask too many questions, to prove I can take an assignment and run with it.

It took me a while to tackle the daunting task of turning my mess of thoughts into a cohesive narrative, but I decided in the end to try and keep it relevant and only talk about advertising.

It’s common knowledge that the advertising industry is in a constant state of metamorphosis, and one of the things that impresses me most about L&S is their ability and adeptness at staying current and up-to-date with new trends and consumer avoidance of ads. I am a firm believer in constant education, and would in fact like to be a professional student. Unfortunately, going to class doesn’t pay the bills.

I perceive the advertising world with a ‘green’ perspective. I’m involved in the education process still, so I have yet to change my perceptions into opinions. The way I perceive the world of advertising has changed drastically in as little as the past two years. Advertising has morphed into a challenging game of Stratego. Consumers, especially Generations Y and the New Silent Generation have learned to maneuver their way past us. It is our job to persuade consumers that ads can be fun and interactive. Not only is the creation of the ad important, the way the ad is delivered is essential. Consumers aren’t watching television like they used to, they aren’t reading newspapers and they don’t listen to radio the same way. Discovering the platforms where consumers are and learning how to interact with them is a challenge, one in which I can’t wait to tackle.

I am excited to have the opportunity to try my hand at different trades. The ‘silo’ era of advertising is coming to an end, and I think it is important for advertisers to be well versed in multiple aspects of the advertising world. From my perspective, successful campaigns come from teams that work on everything together, versus working specifically in their silo.

I look forward to seeing what the L&S team and interns produce this summer!

Signing off,
Meghann

Meghann Rise, an advertising student at South Dakota State University, is one of  L&S’s three new Message Delivery interns.

Last night, I had the opportunity to volunteer with Feeding South Dakota’s BackPack Program, which is also this year’s initiative for the Sioux Empire United Way. As a United Way volunteer, I felt I should experience first-hand preparing the backpacks.

I have seen the bags before and know how much food goes in them, but after spending an hour and a half unpacking cases of applesauce, juice boxes, Spaghettios, popcorn and fruit, it hit me how much I take for granted. Something as simple as a bag of popcorn means so much to these children. Even the smallest donation can help to fend off hunger.

Matt Gassen, executive director, and the rest of his team at Feeding South Dakota have a great system going and make the experience so easy and seamless! The time went by quickly, and when the last crate was full of food, there was a loud round of applause and a feeling of accomplishment.

As a United Way volunteer this year, I’ve become well-versed in the statistics:

• 40 percent of Sioux Falls elementary students rely on free or reduced cost school meals
• 3,000 backpacks are delivered weekly to Sioux Falls school children
• Only $135 feeds one child for a year through the BackPack program
• Nutrition and food security are vital to a child’s education

It was surprising to actually see how easy it was for a group of volunteers to significantly impact and feed over 3,000 Sioux Falls children this weekend. I recommend that everyone in the Sioux Empire give up a Tuesday evening this year and help to make a child’s life better! Look here for volunteer information.

As a committee member told me, “Eight years ago, the United Way initiative was Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, providing books each month to children from birth to age five. We find ourselves today, in 2010, with a United Way initiative addressing the basic human need of food.” Eight years ago we were striving to feed the mind’s of kids, now we are feeding their stomachs. The need is more urgent than ever before.

It’s time to make your mark on the Sioux Empire!

Lawrence & Schiller is pleased to announce the promotion and hiring of several employees. Welcome to the 5280 team!

Katie Kuyper

Media Coordinator

Katie is from Sioux Falls, SD and graduated from Augustana College in 2009. She started at L&S as a Media Intern in May and has been hired full-time as a Media Coordinator. In her free time Katie is an avid movie fan and enjoys spending time with her friends.

Katie works with account executives on her team and media vendors to efficiently and effectively utilize a client’s budget. The clients she places media for include TransCanada, St. Luke’s Hospital, University Center, Great Western Bank, Vance Thompson Vision and Touchstone Energy/East River.

Les Cotton

Production Artist

Les, a 2009 graduate of South Dakota State University and a Volga, SD native, has been hired as a Production Artist. Outside of work Les likes to draw and do anything creative.

He likes to think of his job as putting puzzles together. He gathers puzzle pieces from the art director on a certain job and puts the puzzle together. Les is currently working on projects for Taco Johns, Great Western Bank, University Center and Vance Thompson Vision.

Scott Erickson – September 2010

Associate Account Executive

Scott grew up in Watertown, SD. Before coming to Lawrence & Schiller, he worked at Great Western Bank and for Friends of John Thune. In his free time he enjoys playing golf and tennis. Scott also enjoys spending time with his wife Kelly.

At Lawrence and Schiller, Scott will be building client relationships and coordinating projects. He will be working with political clients, such as Daugaard for Governor, Marty Jackley for Attorney General and Dusty Johnson for Public Utilities Commissioner. Scott will also be working on the Governor’s Office of Economic Development,  South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and DAKOTACARE accounts.

Video: Hear Scott’s introduction.

Kari Reynolds – September 2010

Consumer Insights Intern

Kari grew up in Sioux Falls, SD and graduated from Sioux Falls Christian High School. She then headed to Drury University in Springfield, MO where she graduated with a  marketing and business management degree in May 2010. In her free time, Kari enjoys golfing and is currently teaching herself to play guitar.

Kari will be doing competitive and consumer research for Lawrence & Schiller clients as a Consumer Insights Intern.

Video: Hear Kari’s introduction.

Tara Trask – September 2010

Consumer Insights Intern

Tara is a Wall, SD native. She graduated from South Dakota State University with her bachelor’s degree in speech communications and is currently working on her master’s degree in journalism. She just finished an internship in Nashville, TN with Country Music Television (CMT).

Outside of work she enjoys riding horses, watching rodeos and spending time with family and friends.

Video: Hear Tara’s introduction.

Tracy Hamann

Consumer Insights Intern

Tracy is originally from Sioux Falls, SD and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication, majoring in journalism with a concentration in advertising and public relations.

Tracy started at Lawrence & Schiller in May as an Account Service and Copywriting Intern and has accepted a position as a Consumer Insights Intern. She will be conducting research and uncovering insights for clients. One of her favorite activities is shopping.

Katie Hohn – October 2010

Media Coordinator

Katie is a native of Sioux Falls, SD. She earned her degree in political science and public relations in 2008 from the University of Tennessee-Martin. After graduation, she worked as a promotional director and account executive with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. She also worked for Blake Kurd’s congressional campaign before coming to Lawrence & Schiller.

Katie enjoys spending time with her husband Anthony as well as running, shopping and spending time with friends and family.

Video: Hear Katie’s introduction.

Welcome to L&S  and congratulations on your new positions!

Keeping with its tradition of promoting from within, Lawrence & Schiller has announced the promotion of seven employees.  According to L&S President and CEO Scott Lawrence, “These moves are all designed to improve the level of service we can deliver to its clients.”

Those receiving promotions include:

• John Pohlman, Executive Vice President
• Mark Glissendorf, Senior Vice President of Multimedia and Operations
• Dan Edmonds, Senior Vice President of Design Services
• Tom Helland, Senior Vice President of Client Relations
• Micah Aberson, Vice President of Account Service and Business Development
• Natalie Eisenberg, Account Supervisor
• Kristy Laue, Senior Copywriter

It’s always exciting to win an award, but when it comes from your peers – people with whom you compete for business -  it often means more.  Such is the case for the South Dakota Office of Tourism and its recent winning of the prestigious Mercury Award.

Micah Aberson, Director of Business Development at Lawrence & Schiller tells the story of the award winning Black Hills Digital Strategy in this edition of The Extra Minute.