…With a haiku

From the murky depths
Our Mariners have risen
Victory at last!

Last night, a perfect storm converged over Atlanta that had huge ramifications in Seattle. The result? The Emerald City is home to a championship sports franchise. No, it’s not the Mariners. Nor the Seahawks. Not the Sounders or Huskies either.

By virtue of their 87-84 victory over the Atlanta Dream, our own Seattle Storm completed a perfect 7-0 playoff run and captured the WNBA championship.

While the Mariners have produced a season of futility, the Seahawks look to rebuild, the Sounders took a step back, and the Sonics have left town, the Storm won their second league title in the last seven seasons. Congratulations, ladies, for doing twice what our many men’s teams have yet to accomplish.

Led by All-Star point guard Sue Bird, scoring machine Swin Cash and dominant center Lauren Jackson, Seattle gave our victory-starved city something to cheer about. For those like me who lament the Sonics move to Oklahoma City, and the emergence of Kevin Durant as a bona fide superstar, take comfort. We have our own all-world wonder in Jackson, a three-time league MVP and MVP of this year’s playoffs.

Judging by the raucous response from fans all around the Puget Sound area, the Seattle lady hoopsters have captured Seattle by Storm. To paraphrase Eric Clapton, Let it Reign!

Recently Dodge ran a commercial for their summer Tent Event in which a chimpanzee, dressed a la daredevil Evil Knievel, celebrates by detonating a miniature cannon loaded with confetti. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) lodged a complaint against the auto manufacturer for using a chimp in the ad.

Rather than engage in a war of words, Dodge remained invisible on the issue. That is, they digitally removed any trace of Suzie the chimpanzee leaving only a walking daredevil outfit, now referring to the non-chimp as an invisible monkey.

This brilliant solution accomplished two things. It appeased PETA. And generated a great deal of free publicity for the carmaker. Among other respected sources of news, The London Daily Mail online and the Los Angeles Times—not to mention the Hodgson/Meyers blog—have reported on the event.

Kudos to the car company and its advertising agency, Wieden + Kennedy, for taking the complaint seriously and for using it to increase awareness for both PETA and the sale of Dodge cars and trucks.

Congratulations to H/M client CSG Systems International for landing a deal with Universal Sports, who offers Olympic-related and lifestyle sports programming for television and online mediums. CSG’s Content Direct group will provide complete content monetization and a customer management solution for Universal Sports. Read more here.

As a BtoB Top Agency four years in a row, Hodgson/Meyers is used to getting down to business for its roster of software and technology companies. However, recently the shop put its resources to work for homeless young adults of the Northwest.

As part of a pro bono effort for ClimbOn—an organization that provides job opportunities for homeless youth—the H/M team re-energized the brand. Included in the project were a new logo, color palette, position line, business stationery and Web page.ClimbOn works with YouthCare to create partnerships with the Northwest business community to provide career counseling and exploration, job referrals and placements to help homeless young adults move toward self-sufficiency. To sum up ClimbOn’s mission, Hodgson/Meyers developed the position line: Jobs for youth. Hope for life. By interlocking the words “Climb” and “On,” H/M created a logo that suggests partnership and advancement.

Said ClimbOn’s Director of Youth Services, Bill Northey, “We couldn’t be happier with the materials—and the thinking—that Hodgson/Meyers provided. Their work has captured what ClimbOn is about, and has provided inspiration for all involved with the program.”

We beg to differ, Bill. It’s ClimbOn that provided the inspiration for H/M. And continues to provide hope for the homeless youth of our area.

Congratulations to H/M client Applied Systems, the world’s leading provider of insurance agency management systems, who was recently listed by Crain’s as one of Chicago’s largest privately held companies, #183 on the list, just ahead of the Chicago Bulls.

California-based Google just celebrated its Grand Opening of its new offices in our city of Kirkland, WA, about 2 miles from our old offices on Sixth Street South. Interestingly, for 14 years, from 1992 to 2005, I lived near the site that Google built its facilities on.

From keyholes to keywords.
The site was what we called the “Souder Door site,” a dormant door-manufacturing facility. I was a representative of the Everest Neighborhood Community Association (one of Kirkland’s 9 official neighborhoods) and we kept close tabs on the various proposals over the years for what to do with the property. Developers coveted it. Condos were proposed. A shopping center was pitched. The then-mayor of Kirkland even met with us and proposed a fantastical train station.

Rah!
Never in a million years would we have guessed that Google would ultimately occupy the site. In fact, Google didn’t even exist in 1992.

Google Kirkland, in conjunction with the smaller Google Seattle office across Lake Washington in the Fremont neighborhood, employs about 600 people. They have primary responsibility for Google Talk and Talk Video, and also work  on Google Maps, Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, Analytics, AdPlanner, AdWords and more.

Good for Google. Good for Kirkland.

A shout-out to Denver/Omaha client CSG Systems and Seattle client HomeStreet Bank for their support for Habitat for Humanity.

HomeStreet Bank has long partnered with Habitat for Humanity in Washington communities, including volunteerism, educational and fundraising activities, board leadership, and home loans. Plus the bank has directly contributed more than $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity organizations during the past 12 years.

CSG Systems employee teams will take part in Habitat for Humanity Omaha’s Fall Framing Frenzy in September, bringing 100+ volunteers to an intense weekend of building.

We are proud to work with companies who give their time and money to their communities.

Congratulations to Perkins Coie, the Seattle-based international law firm, for matching Lance Armstrong’s 7 straight wins. Perkins Coie has been named for the 7th year in a row by Fortune Magazine as one of the top 100 companies to work for nationally.

Visit Perkins Coie or see the campaign we built with them.

A shout-out to Bellevue client Clark Nuber for being named the top mid-size company to work for by Seattle Business Magazine’s Top 100 companies to work for.

Congratulations!