Tom Brinton, Account Manager

Some people lose their sense of wonder over time. Mine has become well developed.

Personal Manifesto
You know the faint aroma of skunkspray that sometimes seeps into your car as you drive down the freeway? Its the kind of smell that puts hair on the chest, so to speak. Its a complex musk that turns most people off. And I actually enjoy it. I guess you could say that I can perceive the beauty in things that are often misunderstood. Or I just like gross stuff. Either way, its unique, right? I get excited by unexpected chord changes in otherwise unoriginal pop songs. Thats because I believe that creativity thrives under constraints. I mean, have you ever listened to the album Pet Sounds? Each song is like a pocket-sized symphony. Im more affected by something familiar with a surprising twist than I am by something altogether new and unusual. And if you have an interesting message to share, why not boil it down into something concise and manageable? Pocket symphonies. I want to start my own business someday, but I never want to be my own boss. I do my best work when I know that someone else is invested in my performance. Its like the difference between making a 3-point basket when Im just practicing alone and making a 3-pointer when the whole game is depending on it. Both bring me happiness. But the second one brings a lot more happiness for more people. And makes the losers sad, which I think is OK. Maybe theyll practice harder. Metaphors aside, I really do have a pretty mean shot from behind the arc. I love complex flavors and odors. And I want to create pocket symphonies for your agency.

Work Experience
Binary Bake Sale LLC Game Designer May 2011 - Present I started a small mobile app company that makes family-friendly games for the iPhone and iPad. Besides the skills I have gained in programming and design, this has given me real world experience in marketing, branding, and publicizing our products. Classical 89 (KBYU-FM) - Producer April 2010 - Present As a producer and announcer at Classical 89, I am able to create messaging that keeps our audience coming back. I also started a weekly show called Friday Favorites that has involved our community of listeners. It has been a very positive new feature for the Classical 89 brand. Skywalker Holdings, LLC. Web Specialist May 2009 - December 2009 Started out in the warehouse. Soon moved into the office, where I maintained the company website and processed orders. I implemented web-based processes to eliminate unnecessary data entry. Brigham City Corporation - Webmaster May 2006 August - 2006 I was hired as the City Webmaster after graduating High School. I was hired for a summer to redesign and revamp the structure of the citys website. I met often with the Mayor and other city administrators.

Education
Brigham Young University August 2006 - Present I was admitted to the Advertising program in the School of Communications. I am also working on a minor in Computer Science. I am a member of the BYU chapter of AAF and I have completed relevant courses in Advertising, Writing, Marketing, and Communications.

CHOICE Humanitarian
In my account management class, we were lucky enough to be able to strategize a campaign for a great client, CHOICE Humanitarian. CHOICE lacks the national attention required to get large donations to continue and improve their charitable programs. The following is an example of our creative thinking, which we presented to the Board of Directors as part of a new business pitch.

Send a piece of your heart.

The Target

Families with parents aged 35-45 and at least one child between the ages of 12-18 Income over $75,000 per year Globally aware Want to teach their children high ethical standards, gratitude, compassion, empathy Most likely live in suburbs

The Problem CHOICE needs more donations, but to reach that goal they must establish credibility and create recognition and recall for their target market. The personality of CHOICE is summed up in the tagline: Tools for Ending Poverty This positions them as a humanitarian organization that works smarter and has the ability to make a lasting difference. To achieve more widespread recognition for the CHOICE brand, we need to establish relationships of trust between families, communities, and CHOICE. This will create a network for the brand to be shared from person to person, family to family, and from trusted sources in the community.

Our Creative Approach Step 1 Create an online collection of videos showcasing the experiences of families who have been on a CHOICE expedition. These must be high-quality, emotionally-driven, and concise. Step 2 In an effort to piggyback on established organizations, mail materials to groups that may have an interest in sending a representative family or individual on a CHOICE expedition. Step 3 Organizations that are interested are then encouraged to organize a sponsorship drive. As a community, they raise money to send one of their own on an expedition. Publicity in local newspapers, blogs, and social networks spreads the CHOICE brand. This individual or family is encouraged to blog about their experiences, and also create a video to add to the online collection. Step 4 Start the process over, incorporating new success stories as they occur. With consistent effort, a network will be built over time and CHOICE humanitarian becomes a trusted brand that is recognized as having the correct Tools for Ending Poverty.

Wasatch Rides
I am currently on a team that was connected to Wasatch Rides through AAF. We are providing them with a brand model to improve and focus their communications strategy. The end product will include a new website and branding, as well as actual advertisement executions in the greater Salt Lake area. The following is a sample of our strategic thinking as a foundation for the campaign. ROLE OF THE BRAND Empowering individuals to help themselves or others who face mobility challenges As a brand archetype, Wasatch Rides is a caregiver. They are selfless, compassionate, and generous. Their utmost desires are to protect people from harm and to help others. They fight against selfishness and ingratitude. Wasatch Rides also takes on the role of an Educator archetype. This means they target those who are willing to help and desire to teach them so they know what they can do. COMPELLING TRUTH Wasatch Rides is a community resource that provides transportation services to the disabled, the elderly, and the poor for lower fares and in more convenient ways. They also educate the community of the mobility obstacles that these people face, encouraging others to help out. Wasatch Rides can provide both door-to-door services as well as alternate bus routes for those who are mobility challenged. DESIRED RESPONSE We want the community to not only empathize with those who struggle with mobility, but also to recognize Wasatch Rides as a resource. SELLING STRATEGY Solving mobility issues within the community.

CURRENT POSITION The community is ignorant to the specific services Wasatch Rides provides, as well as the overall problems that some people face with mobility. CONCEPTUAL TARGET The general public in their role as business owners, policy makers, community planners, and as people either facing obstacles to mobility themselves or having a family member faced with such a challenge. CORE DESIRE Each person in our target market values an altruistic lifestyle. Their core desire is to help others in the community; however only if they are knowledgeable about such issues. Our target does not feel comfortable to help unless they feel they are aware of these problems as well as understand how they can assist in rectifying these problems.

Binary Bake Sale

My sister and I own a small business that produces and sells mobile apps through the Apple app store. In such a saturated market, we decided it would be necessary to find some point of differentiation in order to succeed. We chose to make apps that are family friendly and educational. I created a marketing plan that has informed our business decisions greatly. Even the name of the company and the color schemes we use reflect our rand identity as a trusted provider of kid-centric products. As part of our plan, we profit from app sales, but also from ad revenue generated within our free apps. Our apps have been featured on specialized blogs about apps for kids. This has been a great laboratory for me to learn about branding and strategizing first-hand.

In my Advertising Research course, we were asked by Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals to conduct research that would lead to a new advertising campaign. We prepared a 30-page report detailing all of our findings. To save paper and your sanity, I will just include a few insights we gained from this research. Clients Decision Problem: How do I make Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals every donors first choice when deciding where to make charitable donations? Research Problems: Determine which aspects of CMNHs mission and purpose are most appealing to women 45 and older. Determine which positive effect / outcome of CMNHs charitable work is most appealing to women 45 and older. Determine when and where people make the choice to donate to a charity Among current donors, assess motivations for giving to CMNH. Results: We found that those in our target audience who knew a child who had benefitted from CMNH were far more likely to donate to the charity. This data could be used to create a campaign that highlights local stories of children CMNH has helped.

www.binarybakesale.com

Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals

Americans for the Arts Music isnt the only thing theyll learn.

In my Creative Concepts class, I created a causerelated campaign. I chose Americans for the Arts because, as a teenager, music helped me make the difficult transition into adulthood. After deciding to target parents of teens, and finding their core desire, I was able to create the strategy and creative executions you see here. Target: Moms of teenagers. They are the ones who sign their kids up for extra-curricular activities. Place print ads in parenting magazines, as well as home-living magazines. Core Desire: Parents want their kids to be involved in after school activities for a variety of reasons. They want their kids to make friends, learn new skills, and have fun. All of these factors point to one unifying desire. Parents want their kids to have high self-esteem. Community music programs give teens a creative outlet and provide them with an opportunity to find acceptance among their peers and confidence in their own abilities. Americans for the Arts provides these kinds of programs. Strategy: Show that Americans for the Arts supports community arts programs that help teens develop as more well-rounded people. Do this by giving slice-of-life examples of teens who, in addition to learning about music, have learned a thing or two about life.

Columbia Sportswear
I acted in the role of copywriter for this campaign. To the right youll find my favorite example of the work that resulted. I mean, look at that bears face! Target: Males, ages 20 40 who already enjoy the great outdoors, but who do not enjoy being damp and miserable. Benefit: The benefit of Columbia Omni-Dry gear is that it provides a comfortable barrier between you and the elements. No matter the conditions, you will be unconditionally warm and dry. Strategy: Show the benefit by imagining what kinds of things could happen if you took Omni-Drys protective capabilities a step too far. Sure, Columbia Sportswear makes you impervious to harsh conditions, but come on people, it doesnt make you invincible.

Tom Brinton, Account Manager