So what does “’hands on help from’ experienced people” actually mean?

One of the selling points of Blue Horse is the experience of our core group.

Consider that our Director of Media, Narkis Erlichman comes to us having worked at Burnett in Chicago, at McCann in New York and at Optimedia in Seattle.

Laura Rodriguez worked at DDB Needham and McCann in Los Angeles. Our pr folks, Steve Johnstone (winner of the Dorothy Thomas Black Award last year) and Susie Falk both have extensive backgrounds in their category. As does our president Tom Thiede and partner Bill Sheahan.

And if you get past all that, I spent twenty years at Leo Burnett and then some more at EuroRSCG Tatham.

One would hope that all that firepower would be invaluable in terms of strategic thinking about your brand. And you would be right.

But it also comes in handy when you have a quick turnaround situation on your hands. Like our good client Wal-Mart. They are partnering with the Milwaukee Wave soccer team to develop an abandoned piece of property in Cudahy. Naturally, things get contentious and we wanted to make sure that the supporters of the project were well represented at the planning commission meeting.

So Steve Johnstone comes to Bob Welke and together they come up with a direct mailer that is both an invitation and a way to visibly show support at the meeting. The copy is written on a Friday afternoon and by the following Wednesday, it’s been approved, printed and mailed.

And hundreds, yes–hundreds, of people show up at the meeting, cards in hand to support the project.

This was a low-cost, short-turnaround and creative answer to a difficult situation. And while it took two meetings to do it, Wal-Mart finally got the green light.

That’s what “hands on help from experienced people” actually means. It means you get answers that work. As we say in our mission, our job is not to make ourselves look good. Our job is to make our clients look good. So we don’t have to do TV commercials when postcards will work, especially postcards that double as on-site signage.

Our thanks to our good friends at Wal-Mart for giving us this opportunity.

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Janesville

Everyone is saddened to hear about the closing of the GM plant in Janesville.

It was no surprise. Many observers were impressed that it could stay open as long as it did; given its age and the models it was producing.

The city of Janesville is actively lobbying for a new auto plant. And that’s all well and good. They are well qualified in labor, geography and management to be deserving of that. We wish them nothing but success.

But we can only hope that the rest of us look at this and realize that this is yet another sign that we have to change our thinking.

We still see where billions are being poured into widening highways while light rail and the KRM route is neglected. Letters to the editor, radio mouths and politicians all growl “why me?” They don’t see the need for anything that doesn’t have tires. They don’t want to pay the price. Let’s stick with cars and buses. Let’s pay $4 a gallon. Even while the automakers are shutting down.

Politicians like to recite what they have done. But there is a critical difference between doing things and accomplishing something. There was a time when just obeying the speed limits and getting a job was good enough in this part of the country. We still enforce the speed limits (boy, do we ever). But getting a job is a whole new ball game. A lot of people in Janesville are out of a job. And their children aren’t going to have any new ones. At least not making cars.

Those children have to grow up in a different culture. A culture of diversity. A culture of instant communication and empowerment. Times are tough right now and it’s hitting a lot of people like a punch in the gut. Homes are being lost. Jobs are being lost. The future is being lost.

And we’re spending billions to widen a freeway.

This area has tremendous potential. And there is accomplishment. Chancellor Santiago at U.W.M. is accomplishing things. Others are as well. Business leaders are calling for leadership that will not simply react to cost, but make smart decisions about investment. People with courage know that building walls to keep change out is not the answer.

Janesville is being forced to change.

Hopefully, that’s not the only way to go.

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