COMMISSION ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE

As part of a "social norms" pilot program, the Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse partnered with Broward County Schools to create an anti-drinking marketing campaign that targeted students at Everglades High School. In stark contrast to traditional anti-drinking marketing campaigns that focus on negative health messages and images, we created a classic social norms campaign that focused on the healthy choices peers are making as borne out by student surveys. The two-year campaign got students to recognize the reality that most of them (4 out of 5 to be precise) don't drink when they hang out with their friends. The take-away message was empowering: It's okay (and even cool) not to drink.

BROWARD ALLIANCE

Convincing businesses to relocate or expand in sunny South Florida isn't all about promoting tax breaks and great beaches. These two economic development pieces, an ad and direct mailer, do a pretty persuasive job of hitting the attributes and resources that make Greater Fort Lauderdale an outstanding home base for growing businesses.

FLORIDA DENTAL ASSOCIATION

A chronic shortage of dental assistants prompted these ads for the Florida Dental Association. The approach was fun and informative to appeal to high school grads looking for a shorter route to a stable career in a professional environment.

2010 BROWARD COUNTY CENSUS

Encouraging people to return their Census forms takes communication, cajoling, reassurance and (sometimes) a song. My creative director at Ambit Marketing asked me to write something that would grab attention and promote the importance of Census participation. I penned this parody of the beloved 1962 Token's hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" renamed "Let's Make Our Future Bright." (May the sacred song gods have mercy on my soul.)

UNITED WAY OF BROWARD COUNTY

The United Way of Broward County needed to overcome significant obstacles in rallying the community to contribute to its fundraising campaign. Prior feel-good campaigns were providing a diminishing base of contributors at the same time as competing charities were eroding the United Way brand. In response, our creative team at Ambit Marketing created a stark, hard-hitting campaign that positioned United Way as a leader in solving community problems that had reached disturbing new levels. The campaign boosted financial contributions and won a silver at the 2002 Addy Awards, 4th District.

NEXT DOOR COMPANY

Next Door Company, the only U.S. manufacturer exclusively dedicated to making stainless steel doors and frames, needed to grow residential and commercial sales. We created an ad campaign that used unexpected images to dramatize product and service strengths and convey educational messages about the benefits of stainless steel. The campaign, which won a gold at the 2004 Addy Awards, Fourth District, had a dramatic impact on sales and sharpened Next Door's brand identity as the premier source of stainless steel doors.

BOCA RESEARCH

Boca Research, Inc., a manufacturer of computer hardware products, needed an aggressive marketing campaign to gain exposure for leading-edge products like modems, video boards, memory boards and networking products. Positioning BRI as a high-tech, low-cost alternative to other hardware manufacturers, we helped the upstart company experience rapid growth in a highly competitive industry. The campaign won a silver at the 32nd Addy Awards, 4th District.

AERONAUTICAL SUPPORT

While freelancing for PDI Communications (now Boca-Raton-based BFW Advertising), I worked with their art director to develop a trade ad campaign for aircraft parts-supplier Aeronautical Support, Inc. With its bold but simple visuals and no-nonsense message about cutting operating costs, the campaign raised ASI's profile as a sophisticated and air-worthy supporting partner to new generation fleet operators. It won a gold at the 31st Addy Awards, 4th District.

CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH

Hallandale Beach, a quiet coastal community in the heart of South Florida's boom, needed strategic economic development to attract quality developers, lenders and businesses to their city. Working for Fort Lauderdale-based Ambit Advertising and Public Relations, I helped create a successful two-year marketing campaign for the city urging those who thought they knew Hallandale Beach to take another look. Aggressively promoting development opportunities that were among the best in Florida, the campaign resulted in 14 major projects receiving city approval or beginning construction.

BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO

When is a help wanted sign more than a help wanted sign? When it's hanging in the window of home entertainment retailer Blockbuster Video. I co-concieved this piece with one of my favorite art directors, Steve Saley, during Blockbuster's early growth years. The copy captures the personality and allure of the entertainment industry while the casting call visual features actual Blockbuster employees.

MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

A dominent force in providing affordable, high-quality healthcare in Broward County, Florida, Memorial Healthcare System owes part of its enviable financial stability to philanthropic support. This ad, which ran in local magazines and newspapers, struck a chord of recognition with readers in the market for an investment opportunity with meaningful, community-wide impact. Targeting a mature, affluent demographic, it puts the value of giving to Memorial through its foundations on personal terms: Investing in health and wellness in the community can enhance your financial health, too.

RN NETWORK

Nothing helps relieve healthcare staffing shortages like a good prescription bottle-shaped direct mailer. I teamed up with RN Network creative director Steve Saley to develop this extremely effective business-to-business piece that reached healthcare management professionals with a compelling message of highly-qualified traveling nurses ready to step into hard-to-fill positions around the country. It won a gold at the 2003 Greater Palm Beaches Addy Awards.