Archive for the ‘Members of the Burns Team’ Category

For 25 years, Laurie Steele has been a key player on the Burns team. As our senior vice president and client services director, Laurie manages campaigns for a number of our technology clients – all while staying caffeinated with a steady stream of Diet Pepsi. Everyone always knows when Laurie’s in the office, likely because she drives the most recognizable car in the parking lot – a bright red Smart Car named Joel.

To help you get to know Laurie, we quizzed her on what makes her tick.

1. If you were given the honor to name a yoga pose, what would you call it?
Scarlet Battalion (We’re either working with a World of Warcraft veteran who belongs to this guild or a fan of Simon and Garfunkel… we’re hoping it’s the latter.)

2. If you had your own personal billboard on I-25, what would be posted on it?
Cry me a river. (A fan of weeping and wallowing in despair, Arthur Hamilton or simply Justin Timberlake? Regardless, we applaud Laurie’s honey-badger attitude and musical selection.)

3. If you were to appear on “America’s Got Talent,” what would you do?
Sing a Karaoke patriotic medley. (We have no doubt that it would blow the judges away – and make us all cry a river.)

4. What color describes you?
Purple. (There’s something about this office and the color purple. Rob Bean couldn’t get enough of Prince in his shiny purple pants.) Because I’m calm, approachable, and unique. Actually, I’m not sure if those attributes go with purple. I just really like the color. (To clarify, purple, according to “Your Favorite Color: What It Says about You,” describes purple as witty and sensitive, yet aloof and sarcastic when misunderstood.)

5. What is your most unusual hobby?
I like to make beaded items…mostly jewelry. I even made a beaded Christmas tree once! (Hmmm, funny that she’d choose this hobby. We figured it would have been tormenting her colleagues by leaving pictures from Podiatry Today scattered upon their desks. Believe us, this hobby is torture – disgusting and cringe-worthy torture.)

6. What is your favorite commercial?
A Bud Light commercial where the guy has toilet paper and Bud Light in his cart. He doesn’t have enough money, so he gives back the toilet paper. Then the clerk says, “Paper or plastic?” (Is being a fan of this 1999 Super Bowl commercial a confession? Is Laurie the empty toilet paper roll bandit that haunts the women’s bathroom?)

7. Do you find out it’s snowing via Facebook, email, or by actually looking outside?
Overeager text alerts on my phone. But I actually believe it’s snowing by looking out the window.

8. Are we still going to be alive in 2013?
Yes… I don’t fall for the end-of-the-world theories.  (Ha, Mayans. You’re no match for Laurie. Despite Snookie and Dick Clark, she’s not taking the bait.)

Well, since the world isn’t coming to an end, Laurie and team will be here to help with your marketing needs. Give her a call at 970.203.9656.

Laurie and her new granddaughter

“They like us, they really like us!” A couple of our ideas got mad props at “The Fifty” event, a recent Ad Club Denver awards show tasked with designating the best 50 ideas to come out of the past 12 months. The Fifty celebrates the power of the idea, in any marketing size, shape, and media.

The event showcased our “Cut the Cord” campaign for Plugless Power as well as our “Thank You for Not Sitting” internal campaign. The Plugless Power launch promoted a product designed to enable totally hands-free charging for electric vehicles (EVs): no more plugging in a dirty, industrial-strength power cord in the garage every time you pull in and park. We launched the “Cut the Cord” message at the London Home Show with posters, displays, and graphics that got everyone paying attention to the power of simplicity.

The “Thank You for Not Sitting” campaign used language such as “no butts about it” to foster greater communication during a “no internal emails or phone calls day” among the Burns Marketing crew. Office insurgents left No Butts about It cards, candy cigarettes, and email reduction patches on everyone’s desks to make the point. Today, “no butts about it” is code for “come talk to me.”

The two campaigns were featured in The Fifty, a print book distributed at the January 26 Ad Club event and in an online gallery. Our very own art director Jennifer Hohn swore off sleep to concept, design, and produce The Fifty’s promotional materials; designer Erica McCary and senior copywriter Joellen Sarmast assisted with design and copyediting.

Photos below by Wes Ferguson

Event creative direction and design by Burns Marketing

Ad Club Denver and Fifty committee members Steve Miller, Jennifer Hohn, and Jay Weise

Gregg Lulofs, Greg Knoll, and Adrian Hanft check out the winning work

No, not that British guy… we’re talking about Robert Bean, our interactive media director. On a given day, you can find him holding office as the mayor of multiple Foursquare establishments, spinning the Burns Marketing dress code to suit his version of “business casual,” training for his endurance canoe fundraiser, and guiding social and website projects to the finish line.

Read on for a glimpse of what lies under his cerebral hood.

1. What did you want to be when you were 15?
I wanted to be a Steadicam operator and movie producer. I filmed wedding videos, shot city hall meetings for the local government TV station, and made home movies in my basement. [Where was YouTube when we needed it?] I attended to a workshop at UCLA, where I met Francis Ford Coppola, Ted Danson, and Woody Harrelson and helped produce a “Cheers” episode. I was so disgusted with the lifestyle in Hollywood that I changed direction and joined a mime troupe the next summer. [Those of you who know Rob – and know that mimes are supposed to be silent – well, you can see that marketing is probably a better fit.]

2. What’s your most interesting injury?
Wow, let me count the ways. The most memorable was my land-kiting incident. The last thing I remember was being on my mountain board with an eight-meter traction kite and hearing a big “whoosh”… the steady 30-mph breeze turned into a 50-mph gust. I was blown downwind about 40 yards at about 12 feet off the ground. I landed pretty hard but felt relatively unhurt. Later at home, I heard a “pop!” in my left leg; my femoral artery had burst, and my knee blew up to the size of a softball in about 40 seconds. When it was over, I bought bigger pads, and I still fly big kites to this day. [Contact Rob directly to learn more about back pain, bone spurs, and shoulder injuries. The guy has seen more raw flesh than Lady Gaga’s meat dress.]

3. What project are you working on outside of Burns Marketing?
This year marks the sixth year of “The Big Moo Canoe,” a series of canoe challenges, family fun events, and children’s challenges in support of Heifer International, a nonprofit organization that distributes livestock and farm training around the globe. Now a designated fundraising team, Big Moo Canoe has raised over $20,000 and hopes to top $25,000 by the end of this season.

4. What’s your favorite outfit?
My “[Vibram Five Finger] Barefoot shoes and pregnant” costume from last Halloween; I look great in a dress. [Rob can work a floral muumuu, but those shoes give us the creeps.]

5. If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Cotton candy, what else? [Is that a food?]

6. What’s your favorite movie? Why?
“Purple Rain.” I always wanted to be Prince. He has a purple motorcycle, he plays the guitar like a madman, he’s an amazing singer, and he’s spent a lot of time with some pretty nice-looking ladies. [Rob’s just jealous of his extensive wardrobe of tight, shiny pants.]

7. What do you bring to Burns Marketing that no one else does [besides the toe shoes]?
Lots of costumes, I love to dress up. Retreats have brought out some of my best costumes [and we’re willing to bet that Rob’s file cabinet is the only one here that contains pink bunny slippers]. I’ve been an ex-con with a shaved head, a Viking, an ’80s muscle man, and donned multiple ’70s outfits. My most recent Halloween costume theme was “Occupy my Tent,” which even had its own Facebook page and social media plan. [Fortunately no one here had pepper spray handy.]

8. What are you most proud of?
My marriage and family. They stabilize me, make me a happier person, and give me a wonderful opportunity to teach and learn new things together.

Now that you’ve gotten to know the Real Mr. Bean, ping him with your interactive challenges – or graphic surgery tales – at 970.203.9656 or send an email to RobB@burnsmarketing.com.