An Ad Man I’m Not

Have you ever seen or heard a really funny or heart-wrenching television, print, or online ad that makes you laugh out loud or reach for a tissue or get off the couch and DO SOMETHING in response to a “call to action”?

When I do, I often wonder what it feels like to be part of the creative team that comes up with the concepts or the perfect words to convey the message. Were they sitting around yukking it up? Were they deadly serious? Did the ad concept just spring up or did a bunch of ideas have to be massaged into one pithy communication piece?

With five major exhibitions each year to promote, it seems like I’m always working on ad copy, proofreading another ad, trying to beat an ad deadline. Fortunately, I get a lot of help from creative sorts all over the community.

First and foremost is designer Richard Wunsch. He generally gets things started by looking at exhibition images and coming up with ideas for me and my colleagues to review. He’ll often throw a “ringer” in the mix just to see if we’re paying attention!

After that, I rely on pros to help get the Woodson Art Museum message out to north central Wisconsin and beyond. I couldn’t do my job without John Flesch and Terry Stevens at Midwest Communications and my WIFC/WOFM marketing consultant Sarah Keene. Or Rick Reyer at Wisconsin Public Radio. Or Anna Moua at the Wausau Daily Herald, Malibu Springer at City Pages, and Loie Raether at the Wausau Buyers’ Guide.

A little farther afield are Karen Wilbershide at Wisconsin Trails and ad reps at newspapers stretching from Waupaca to Eagle River, and Medford to Shawano.

As the only art museum in Wisconsin north of Hwy. 29, the Woodson serves a huge geographic region – about fifteen counties. That’s why I readily accept help and advice from the creative folks above to stretch my limited promotions budget and get the “Woodson Word” to as big an audience as possible.