Check out the newest issue of The One! Find out more at www.theonebrideguide.com

Check out the latest issue of The One Bride Guide, our very own publication...

www.theonebrideguide.com

Dan, or “Dan the Man” as everyone calls him (you have our permission), is the lone male in a sea of estrogen. At any given time you’ll find him juggling numbers, coordinating printing jobs, or mastering an insanely complex Excel spread sheet…but here at The One we never overlook his more understated, but equally important, roles: replacing the 5 gallon water cooler jugs without flooding the place, and of course killing creepy crawlies for our in-house scaredy cat, Ashley.

Name: Dan Gaines

Tell us about your hometown: Greenfield, Indiana – birthplace of James Whitcomb Riley…who you might ask? Riley was known as the “Hoosier Poet” and the “Children’s Poet” in the late 1800s and was kind of a big deal back in his day. Some of his poems such as Little Orphant Annie and Lockerbie Street are still taught today. Aside from that, it’s a rapidly growing community just 20 minutes East of the state capital, Indianapolis. Every time I go back home, farms are being turned into housing additions and new businesses are popping up everywhere. As a true Hoosier kid my favorite times growing up were spending long summer days, usually 4-5 hours, at Riley Park (yep, you guessed it…named after ole James…told you he was a rock star) playing in some of the best pick-up basketball games around on the outdoor courts. There is no exaggeration when talking about Indiana and basketball…it’s an obsession. 

What brought you to Corpus Christi:  My wife, Stacey, was offered a job to be a professor at Texas A&M Kingsville. I wanted to support her and all the hard graduate school work she put into getting to this point of her career, and I was looking for a little adventure, so I left a sweet job in professional sports, my family (Stacey is from Colorado) and our friends in Indiana and followed her as she pursued her dreams. I didn’t have a job when we came down here, but I was fortunate enough to stumble upon my current position with McLeod Creative. It’s been every bit the adventure for Stacey and I that has helped us learn about ourselves and each other while bringing us tremendous happiness.

Favorite thing to do in South Texas:  I enjoy taking in a Hooks game with Stacey (she loves going to the games too). After working in professional sports for 10+ years, it’s fun to watch the games from the other side once again. Whataburger Field has such a fun and relaxing atmosphere about it, and the team is a lot of fun to watch. Stacey and I also enjoy trying all the different restaurants in town, while gradually getting to know all that there is to do in the city. And while Stacey enjoys spending long days at the beach, I’m perhaps the whitest honkie around…sun is not my friend, more like an acquaintance. So instead I seek indoor recreation, a courtesy to my melanin deprived skin and to those not wanting  to be blinded by Captain Pasty.

What is your role with The One:  You guessed it…this dude is not a designer for a bridal magazine. I’m the Business Development Manager. I do a lot of the behind the scenes work that keeps the magazine rolling along. Churning out a high quality publication is quite the undertaking, especially for a small staff. So I help develop the systems to keep everything running smoothly and efficiently. I also help coordinate with photographers, writers, advertisers, etc. to make sure we get what we need for each issue of the magazine. I even help to edit each issue. I take great pride in being part of such a great resource that has helped so many thousands of people and the many bridal vendors that advertise with us.

Here at McLeod Creative we feel blessed to work with such a wonderful group of people. And we want to share them with you! From time to time we’ll update the blog with mini bios, fun facts, and even some killer 80’s hair-dos (more like hair-don’ts) from each of our staff members. Consider it our in-depth way of offering up a face to go along with a name.

So without further ado, meet the newest member of the gang, Jessica…

Name:  Jessica Anne Thomason

Tell us about your hometown: Grew up in Sonoma, California — considered by Jack London to be the “Valley of the Moon” and world renowned for its wine — Sonoma is a close knit community where everyone knows each other, the local farmer’s market is the biggest event of the week and food and wine is a way of life.  

What brought you to Corpus Chriti:  My husband Scott is a flight instructor out of Kingsville and his job brought us here.

Favorite thing to do in South Texas: Hang out with Scott and our two dogs Noe and Harlow, taste some of the great sushi and seafood at local restaurants, volunteer and explore the south texas coast

What is your role at McLeod Creative:  I handle advertising sales for The One Bride Guide and enjoy working in a creative environment with the dynamic and down right fun staff at McLeod.

Recently we submitted a proposal for the advertising and marketing for the newly renovated La Palmera Mall in Corpus Christi, Texas. The proposal process was only given two weeks and the mall asked for 4 campaigns of spec creative. We have NEVER done spec creative in our 11 year history, but thought this client was important being a major local prospect. Unfortunately we did not win the business, but we were happy with our creative concepts and are glad to have the work for our portfolio. A few samples are below... notice the background texture on all of the designs using the La Palmera logo. We wish La Palmera lots of success.

Thanks to the hard work of the McLeod Creative team and our new awesome sales rep, Jessica, we have launched a brand new issue of The One Bride Guide - the hottest wedding magazine in Corpus Christi and along the South Texas Coast - as well as a new web site. Check out The One web site at www.theonebrideguide.com.

Contrary to popular belief, when times are tough, design doesn't only get cheaper, it gets better! The theory is that when business is booming, clients are doing all they can to keep up, and that means with their product supply as well as with their marketing efforts. "Get it done" is a common request and they usually want it super fast to keep up with demand. We can do fast, but what gets lost sometimes is the research and value the marketing provides for the consumer. When times are lean, the clients want results. Every campaign has to be valid, relevant and produce results for the business. So designers rise to the challenge. The clients still may want the work done on a budget, but there is a greater need for more value-added design. That's when we shine.

Happy Holidays from McLeod Creative!  Below is a little holiday cheer, we hope your winter break will be as good as ours!  Check back after the new year to see whats going on here at McLeod Creative and have a safe and happy holiday! 

Guerrilla Marketing relies on the use of time and energy rather than money to get consumers attention.  Buy a can of spray paint and a few BBQ utensils and you could stop people in their tracks one after another. However, there are a few issues of a campaign like this, some more obvious than others.  First and foremost, you could be charged with destruction of public property or vandalism if a police officer noticed you were spray painting the cement.  Another legal issue is the possibility of someone using your BBQ fork for a weapon and potentially harming someone.  Less obvious is the longevity issue of the ad, if a city worker or pedestrian picked up the utensil, kicked it, or stole it the message would not have the same effect.  But perhaps he is getting his business from the internet circulation of the photo.  Either way, it is a bright idea that costs almost nothing.

Follow the link so you can zoom in and see the sharks! It is pretty amazing!

 Now thats good marketing!