True to form, H|L has nabbed even more coveted Adrian Awards for our work with Missouri Division of Tourism and the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.

Missouri Tourism’s “What’s Not to Like?,” and the CVC’s “The Meeting Guru,” “St. Louis Summer Blockbuster Radio” and “St. Louis Welcomes ASAE” have earned six of the prestigious honors, which celebrate the travel industry’s very best advertising. Not too shabby. Two of the campaigns have won gold. Which means they are in the running to bring home platinum. Which is the best you can get. Really not too shabby. At least until you can win weapons-grade titanium.

More on this after the event in late February.

Mom Bomb 	

Dad Freaks Out 	

Kid Caribbean 	

To some, sending out a holiday card is just a formality. To the St. Louis CVC (and H|L), it’s another opportunity to do something different. Like taking St. Louis-based street artists The Screwedarts Collective, spray-paint, and a camera and creating something memorable. Got your attention? Check it out here.

Always wanted to see Venice? Paris? Copenhagen? Well no need to renew your passport, because the STL has got you covered.

Our latest spot for the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, “Jetsetter,” shows those within driving distance just how close to a world-class city they really are. And it does so by driving a 747 right through it.

Simple idea. Big execution. No TSA pat-downs necessary.

And a big shout out to Coolfire Media, who did a killer job of making this idea come to life.

McDonald’s is currently offering buy one, get one free Big Mac Sandwiches. Which begs the obvious question—which one will taste better?

In the one hand, you’ve got the Big Mac you’ve been craving. The one you’ve been looking forward to all day. You’ve earned it. In fact, you’ve paid for it. So, that sense of accomplishment comes with the already amazing, world-famous Big Mac taste.

In the other hand, you’ve got the freebie. The bonus Big Mac. The same ingredients but for 100% off. It’s a gift. And you didn’t even have to do anything to get it. Pretty tasty.

We decided there was only one way to find out which Big Mac tastes better. And that, of course, was to create The World’s First Online Taste Test.

So, without further ado, we invite you to click to taste each burger and voice your preference with the like button underneath.

If only meeting planners had one all-knowing icon they could confide in to choose the perfect location. A benevolent Sherpa…

Wait. What’s a meeting planner, you say? Okay, let’s back it up.

Meeting planners are those who coordinate their company or organization’s events. And for the purposes of the St. Louis CVC, they are the people who decide where said events are to be held.

And guess what—there’s a meeting for these meeting planners coming up in Washington, D.C.

Enter The Meeting Guru.

He’s the breakthrough author of “The Meeting Guru: The Quintessential Guide to Successful Events” and definitive authority on meeting planning.

And he’ll be unveiling his new book at the meeting for meeting planners.

Bull’s eye.

Using a mass transit takeover, in-person appearances, e-blasts, posters and more, meeting planning meeting attendees are driven to the Guru’s website.

Once there, they are welcomed to watch his “Speaker Series,” in which—get this—St. Louis emerges as the perfect city for your next meeting. They’re also invited to purchase his sold-out book and otherwise bask in his vast knowledge.

After all, he is The Meeting Guru.

This campaign made its first appearance in our pitch that eventually won Hoffman Lewis a new piece of business.

From there, we put together a massive initial launch. Then, Together We Save picked up steam (along with several more iterations).

Touchstone Energy co-op members all across the country logged onto TogetherWeSave.com to calculate their potential energy savings. The crowd went wild. All were happy.

But that was only the beginning.

This time around, Together We Save continues to drive home the message that co-op members can save energy and money, but now we’re able to broaden the ways we say it.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be rolling out sections of this campaign here on the agency website (below in the callouts). Then you, like the over 700 co-ops who have the opportunity to run the ads, can pick your favorite executions.

And therein lies the beauty of this campaign.

We have a chance to produce TV, print, radio, outdoor and posters in multiple mini-campaigns that all payoff the bigger idea.

So, get ready for the onslaught. In the meantime, here’s the anthem spot for this latest incarnation of Together We Save.

Updates:

Get ideas for what you can do with the money you save here.

See what Together We Save means for our future here.

The foundation for Together We Save was built when cooperatives were founded. See where it all started here.

The final posting on Together We Save can be viewed here.

Blues Ticketfest is coming to McDonald’s. You know what that means. Hold on. You don’t? Well, maybe that’s because it’s the first time Blues Ticketfest has come to McDonald’s, but here’s a hint. It’s kind of like Cardinals Ticketfest except customers can get tickets to see the Blues with their extra value meals.

It also means we get to make a commercial with one of the stars of the St. Louis Blues, Eric Johnson. Check out his acting chops, and look for a cameo from the one and only Towel Man.

TV

Radio

Blues Ticketfest – Play

Blues Ticketfest – Memorabilia

Interactive

The holidays are here. They’re also over there. And, wait, there they are again. That’s it. They’re pretty much everywhere. And the St. Louis CVC is excited to share them with you. So, check out their new e-card. It’s fun but, fair warning, it’s also pretty addictive.

When you’re overstuffed with food and nog, and you can only keep your eyes open long enough to watch half of a football game, you might want to shake things up a little. Pry yourself off the couch. Get out of the house. Escape the relatives.

In that case, we recommend a quick departure to St. Louis. There are tons of activities going on. Just make sure you don’t show up wearing your bra on the outside of your sweater.

St. Louis CVC – Good Morning

St. Louis CVC – Stressed

Normally, we don’t strive for that reaction, but this radio spot proves a point. And if it makes you yawn, chances are you could use an Egg McMuffin.

McDonald’s – Rooster

McDonald’s – Yawn