By Aggie Toppins

Small Talk V took place at Critical Mass on September 15, 2009. Located on Michigan Ave, CM Chicago is one of 14 locations that span the globe from Toronto to Amsterdam to Costa Rica. CM Chicago specializes in creating “extraordinary online experiences,” has a staff of about 100 and is only three years old.
 
JT Andexler opened the evening with a short history of Critical Mass. It began as an interactive CD-Rom company and developed into a web site design business. Today, Critical Mass is a world-class digital marketing agency with a client list that includes Rolex, Budweiser and AT&T. The four offerings CM brings to the table are insight and planning, experience design, experience distribution and technology services.

 Following JT’s introduction, three creative teams each presented a case study.
 
The first case study, called “Vegas Bound,” took half the population of a small town in Texas and sent them to Las Vegas for an online promotion [link to www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/vegasbound/]. The project took 13 weeks from initial sketches to the final production. Art directors Jeremy Hlinak and Duane Wheatcroft humorously shared their experiences staying up late in Cranfills Gap, where there are no traffic lights, only two gas pumps, and just one bar in three counties.
 
The second case study, “Brandon and the Frog,” was a promotion directed to young DIYers for Valvoline. Greg Arvanitakis and Jamie Toal, creative leads on the project, presented a series of instructional videos starring gearheads Brandon and his best friend the Frog, who like to change their own oil. The project’s timeline was only 10 weeks and the budget was less than 200K — both very tight for such a production. “We had to beg, borrow and steal,” said Jaime who in addition to helping direct the project also wrote the scripts and the soundtrack. To stay in budget, and to keep up the DIY spirit, the team at CM hacked into Blogger to create the initiative’s web site [link to: http://www.brandonandthefrog.com/]. They also made use of popular social media sites to generate interest.
 
After a short break, Tim Schavitz and Scott Serilla showed their online promotion for Gillette Stylers [link to: www.gillette.com/style]. A choose-your-own-adventure approach, the project was called, “Take charge of your hair.” It showed men about to style their hair at crucial moments (like before an important meeting) with an angel and a devil character on either shoulder. The voice of reason, Mr. Gillette, would encourage good style. On the other shoulder, a coach, a mother or an unfashionable friend would suggest outlandish hair styles that only resulted in the main character's fall from grace. Again, the project had a small budget. “We do billion dollar web sites and incredible Flash work, “ said Scott Serilla, “but tonight, we’re showing you labors of love.” An “all hands on deck,” approach was taken to this project as well, with art directors holding lights and acting as extras. A notable take-away from this case study is that Critical Mass had to convince the client that they could engage their audience with branded communications that didn't heavily push the product.
 
The evening concluded with a Q&A session. One member of the audience asked, “How does a print designer get online experience in order to stay marketable?” To this, several CM staff members suggested that traditional designers should begin by taking the time to understand new media by first getting involved— by signing up for Facebook or visiting YouTube. JT Andexler also asserted that “a good idea is a good idea,” and ultimately designers who produce good ideas, regardless of technological savviness, are the kind of people that Critical Mass seeks to work with and employ.

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