Meet the Designers

"Knock, knock!"

We’ve introduced you to the interns and our bosses, now we want you to meet some other groupies! This week we talked to some of the creative force behind Price Group, the designers. This trio can create some crazy stuff, so we wanted you to get to know them a little better.

Meet Annalee, Kaci, and Rebecca!

Annalee

Q: How many years have you been at Price? 

A: Almost 2

Q: Position?

A: Art Director

Q: Favorite thing about working at Price?

A: The cohorts.

Q: If you were stuck on a desert island, which coworker would you bring and why? 

A: David could MacGyver his way outta there.

Q: What's your go-to lunch? 

A: Brown bag and youtube in the board room with the cohorts.

Q: If you weren't working in advertising what would be your dream job? 

A: Miscellaneous crafter.

Q: What are you binge watching right now? 

A: The Killing & Raising Hope (gotta have a balance)

Rebecca

Q: How many years have you been at Price?

A: A little over four years, including my internship.

Q: Position?

A: Senior Designer

Q: Favorite thing about working at Price?

A: It sounds cliché, but the people. I love working with people that know know what they’re doing, dream big, and (most importantly) look out for each other. I love learning from them as well. We work and play hard together. I also like having the opportunity to create and work on unique projects.

Q: If you were stuck on a desert island, which coworker would you bring and why? 

A: Ha ha! Entertainment-wise, I would take any of the groupies. If we’re speaking practically, I would take David. I believe the answer on my last survey was, "That guy could build a working helicopter out of a crate of coconut fibers and one banana peel.”

Q: What's your go-to lunch? 

A: Depends on the day. Usually somewhere close, if it’s a weekday. I visited the BackDoor Diner with some friends recently (had never been before), and really enjoyed it. So good.

Q: If you weren't working in advertising what would your dream job be?

A: As a kid, I had many career aspirations (actress, adventurer, singer, counselor, CIA agent (I liked being sneaky), Supergirl (I wanted to help people…and fly), girlfriend of Superman...).

Q: What are you binge watching right now? 

A: I’m not really binge watching any one show right now (not enough time). I’ve always liked Gilmore Girls, though. New Girl can be inappropriate, but is really funny, too. As far as new shows go, the Grinder is pretty great. Love Ben Savage’s character - bless his heart.

Kaci

Q: How many years have you been at Price?

A: .25

Q: Position?

A: Designer

Q: Favorite thing about working at Price?

A: We work as a team to get a final project to a customer and we aren’t in competition with each other. I also get to laugh a lot at work and that makes all my days better.

Q: If you were stuck on a desert island, which coworker would you bring and why? 

A: I’m pretty introverted so I would kind of like to just be by myself. I might take some of the Communication Arts annuals for some light reading material though. (I also hate hurting peoples’ feelings and this question really stresses me out.)

Q: What’s your go-to lunch? 

A: My mood greatly affects my appetite so it changes daily. I can almost always go for a gyro and baklava though.

Q: If you weren’t working in advertising what would be your dream job? 

A: I would travel the world and take photos of cool places, so kind of like a national geographic photographer but with FAR less pressure. Or be a racecar driver.

Q: What are you binge watching right now? 

A: Parenthood. I just finished season 3 and they played my all time favorite song in a really sad part and I’m still not ready to talk about it yet.

Shell Yeah!

It’s National Pistachio Day and at The Price Group we are going nuts. We’re so excited about it, we’ve been cracking down on work so we can celebrate like we’ve got Saturday nut fever. To honor the Pistachio in all its glory, we have picked some of the nuttiest pistachio commercials that will leave you saying, “SHELL YEAH!” So sit back, pull out a bag of pistachios, and enjoy these videos, because nut-thing goes with advertising more than America’s favorite tiny, green nut.

Treat Yo Self!

Alas, the age-old question: “Where should I eat tonight?” Making another home-cooked meal tonight would be admitting one’s defeat. Plus, you’ve been staying in all week. It’s time to treat yo self! And don’t forget how great it would feel to not have to clean the dishes tonight. So lets put an end to this inner debate. Maybe you are in the mood to escape to an Italian night, but it’s Thursday and you’re in Lubbock. Orlando’s chicken lasagne will make you forget about booking that trip to Rome. Perhaps you want to watch the big game while you enjoy the coldest beer in town. Also let’s not forget about the mouthwatering queso. Caprock has you covered!

We turn now to the Groupies to shed some light on the subject.

What is your go-to restaurant and meal in Lubbock?

Mike Meister:

We don’t eat out much at all, but we’ll occasionally order Chef Lin’s Orange Chicken or General Tso’s Chicken. When we do go out, we like On the Border (pretty much anything on the menu).

Pam Sharpe:

My go to restaurant is Orlando’s with their meat lover’s salad and a cup of Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese soup!!!

Amanda Patterson:

BJ restaurant and it’s a toss-up between their Kale salad with blacken shrimp or the Beer battered fish and chips.

Scott Zajicek:

Tex-Mex - Durangos

Pizza – Orlando’s or Capital Pizza

Burger - Green Chili Cheese Burger at Mean Woman Grill (get the ghost pepper cheese)

Schooners of Blue Moon & bottle caps at Caprock Cafe

Annalee MacFie:

Picantes! Breakfast Enchiladas… mmm… that green habanero sauce…

Kaci Barlett:

My “go-to” meal is the Mediterranean Lite Bite Cafe. I always get a gyro supreme and chocolate Baklava!

David Barnett:

I would say Cancun on 80th and University. Really great food and nice people there!  Pollo Mexican - Fajita grilled chicken with veggies. Mmmmm…..

Natalia Lawson:

My favorite place in Lubbock is Triple J’s.  I always get the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and Caesar salad. And those rolls…so good!

Brooke Blackwell:

Although this isn’t just a restaurant, my go to place in Lubbock is Alamo Drafthouse. It’s the great place to unwind after a long day or stressful week. You can sit back, watch a movie, and eat some dinner. I always get the tomato basil pesto pizza. It’s delicious!

Rebecca Fuller:

It depends on the situation. If I need something quick, I’ll grab something like Chick-fil-A.

If I have a little more time, change and/or calories to spend, or are with friends, there are several great places. This list is not in any way extensive, by the way.

Arrogant Texan - Chopped brisket sandwich with the house primer. So good.

Crafthouse Gastropub - I haven’t had too many meals here, but everything I’ve tried has been delicious. Tasty, unique flavor combinations.

Caprock Cafe - Queso burger with twisted taters.

Orlando’s - Chicken green chile pizza with wheat crust…or down-n-dirty tortellini!

Capital Pizza - So good, too.

I could go on forever… and now, I’m hungry!

Jared May:

Orlando’s DOWN-N-DIRTY TORTELLINI [hot & a full order to save some for leftovers]

MAFIA QUESO

SMOKED TURKEY BREAST SANDWICH WITH PESTO-HABANERO MAYONNAISE

Although there have been many a time that I’ve made a meal out of just the tortellini. Can’t beat it! Yum!

Crystal Coppedge:

We are creatures of habit. We usually stick to Texas Roadhouse. That is our go to choice usually 90% of the time. A 6 oz sirloin with mushrooms and green beans. Side salad with ranch dressing and of course rolls.

Melissa Smith:

Twisted Root

Meet the Interns (Part 2)

Last week you got a chance to meet our Account Service Interns, so this week we want to introduce you to our two stellar design interns!

Tj Vining, Senior Advertising Major from Allen, TX

After Graduation:

After graduation, I hope to become an Art Director at one of those big, hip advertising agencies with beer carts and bean-bag chairs. If that doesn't work out, I think I would make a pretty awesome Uber driver.

What I like about TPG:

​The culture of the agency is what makes TPG a fun place to work at. Sure, there are days when work is piling up and we are cramming to finish pieces before a deadline, but it is all overshadowed by good people, great discussion, and killer work. Also, how many times have you had the chance to have a Nerf gun war in the office with you coworkers? 

The work experience is nice too.

Favorite Campaign: 

​My all-time favorite spot is Audi's 2013 Superbowl ad. VB&P had viewers vote on their favorite version of 3 spots in the week leading up to the Superbowl. Check out the spot (it's dope)

Another ad that I absolutely love (strangely enough, it's also a car ad) is Honda's "The Other Side." 

Fun Fact:

​Outside of school, I like to play the guitar, piano, and drums - but I mostly just sit alone in my room and play Wonderwall. I'm also big into snow-skiing and scuba diving, however there is rarely enough snow and not nearly enough water in Lubbock to do those things.

Breanna Velasquez, Sophomore Disgn Communications Major from the city with horrible weather also known as Lubbock, TX

After Graduation:
I’ve delved a little into various fields in the graphic design world, and I can say that I honestly don’t know where I’ll end up, but I do know that I want to be some place where things happen on a grander scale for my career. Small places kill me, so I’ll most likely end up somewhere like New York or Washington, perhaps even California. I’d like to work in an environment where there’s a ton of creativity and other individuals that understand my struggle with fonts and other graphic design problems.
What I like about TPG:
Oh man, I love everything about this place! Being around other people in this industry means that they understand a lot about what you do, so we can sit around and talk about how amazing some design is, how aesthetically pleasing one font is, or even how awesome a certain paper is (I realize how bizarre that might sound.) It’s great getting to be around people who care about kerning and other designer related things. I also love how creativity is everywhere, and how something so simple can evolve into something amazing when a bunch of imaginative people get together to brainstorm. Everyone is passionate here, and it’s something that I find enticing to witness. They inspire me, and have really helped me grow as a designer, which is what I set out to do when I first started working here.
Favorite Campaign:
How could I possibly decide on one? I usually love the ones that integrate 2 images together, because they’re usually incredibly clever, but I have one that resonates with me: The Duracell lightsaber ad that shows Darth Vader trying to power his lightsaber with the battery and it’s the, “Most powerful battery in the universe."
Fun Fact:
I once was trapped in a caffeine cocoon and emerged as a high strung sleep deprived espresso addicted butterfly. What I’m trying to say is that I love coffee.

Superpower: Witty/ridiculous answers to questions that I’m asked.

-

Our interns, they keep us young. Interested in becoming a Price Group Intern? Send a resume and cover letter to brooke.blackwell@pricegroupinc.com

A World Without Advertising

We’ve heard it all before, the world of marketing will never go away or be completely replaced by computers. It’s people focused, we learn and we evolve for where the world of marketing is going, a direction that sometimes can’t be predicted or put into an equation (the limit does not exist). 

So let’s play a game. In our world that gives you the options of TiVo, skip buttons, and ad blockers, what would happen if advertising just didn’t exist at all?

Our friends at Teads did some imagining about the world without advertising, it’s a little Utopian to imagine but entirely honest. 

So let’s break that down a little:

63% of US Adults believe society would be worse off without free or low-cost access to premium content. So without advertising we would be left paying for sites like YouTube and Facebook and there would be no such thing as Public Access, don’t even let us get started on the Internet as a whole.

63% of newspaper revenue is generated from advertising. Imagine no Wall Street Journal, no Sunday morning comics, and a world without the Watergate scandal or TMZ.

In 2015, publishers are projected to lose $22 billion in revenue due to ad blocker Adaptation 3 (check out the story here). Ad blocker is a really great idea in theory until you factor in a loss of profits, jobs, and enthusiasm for great content (Advertisers motivate the creation of great content just as much as viewer numbers). 

Want to get rid of all your commercials when watching Scandal? Without advertising you can count on a 50% larger bill and a lot less channels.

Facebook is our addiction we love to hate. If you want Mark Zuckerberg to kick advertisers off, you’ll be paying $12 a year, and active members would be disappearing at rate of 75% a month.

And last but definitely worse, a world without advertising means a world without Buzzfeed. That’s a real travesty for everyone. 

Throwback Thursday: HALLOWEEN EDITION

It’s #throwbackthursday here at The Price Group! To get in the spirit of the season, we decided to go around the office to see some of our Groupies’ favorite Halloween memories.

“I’m guessing I was about 12 or so. Obviously, I was too cool to dress up for Halloween that year but oddly enough, this was pretty much my everyday look in Middle School. Don’t judge, chest hair was really in back then so I flaunted that as much as possible. I can only assume that around this same time was when my fascination for vests and facial hair came into play as well." - Jared

Melissa was about a year and a half in this picture. According to her Mom, she found that hat and wouldn't take it off. So she put her in a dress and some costume jewelry and she became 'a little lady'.

“I was about 4 in the picture. I told my parents I wanted to be a princess, so they had my aunt make me this dress. I played dress up in that outfit all the time." 
- Brooke

"I loved little heels, costume jewelry, and anything shiny or feathery. My mom once made a 'Cinderella' dress for me for my birthday, and I wore it until it fell apart. The only thing I really remember about this costume was the set of long rainbow eyelashes. I thought they were fabulous." - Rebecca

“This is only a throwback to 2013, but I still think it’s one of my favorite costumes. As for my age, old enough to know better than to set my head on fire—but young enough to figure out how to do it!” - Mike 

“That’s me in the middle. I was 5 years old and Rainbow Brite was my hero. My favorite costume ever!”- Natalia

“Zombie Amy Whinehouse. umm…. Halloween 2012." - Annalee