Grand Slam!!!

So for those you living in a box, or perhaps not interested in college baseball – you missed one of the best grand slams in the College World Series last night.

TCU baseball has proved yet again that it deserves to be at the College World Series. A lot of announcers and perhaps local spectators are wondering – who is this team out of the Mountain West Conference? And how did it even get here? Well, for starters, TCU beat the University of Texas during the Super Regionals. TWICE. In Austin….So, yeah.

Anyway, the Horned Frogs have been putting up quite a fight at this year’s College World Series and it’s been wonderful to watch. As you can see here, TCU made an impressive first time debut in Omaha, becoming one of the few teams to win its first- appearance game.

Now, back to last night. I’m at a elegant, chic Italian restaurant for one of my friend’s birthdays. We’re slowly leaving the restaurant and of course walk through the bar on our way out. Matt Curry steps up to the plate with bases loaded in the top of the 8th inning. THE BAR IS SILENT…

First pitch…ball one.
We breathe a sigh of relief.

Second pitch…swings – foul ball.
Again, we remember to breathe.

Third pitch…swing and a miss.
We cringe and then begin quietly praying.

Fourth pitch…dirt ball.
We start screaming at the TV, while still standing in the elegant restaurant’s bar. People begin leaving their tables to crowd in the bar.

Fifth pitch…high and outside.
We are all freaking out and are constantly looking away, then looking back, then looking away. All while quietly praying.

Final pitch…the whole bar literally does not breathe for a full two seconds.
And then…GRAND SLAM!!!! http://espn.go.com/blog/sportscenter/post/_/id/61741/sportscenters-top-plays-50

Rosenblatt’s Last Year At Bat

Hey all! My name is Paige, and I plan to graduate from TCU in May 2011 with a degree in journalism and psychology.

My 21st trip to Rosenblatt Stadium will be a bittersweet one. Like every year since I was a child, I’ll sit in the same spot. The entire stadium and I will belt out “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” with the accompaniment of Lambert Bartak, baseball’s favorite 91-year-old organist. I’ll pound down an embarrassing number of funnel cakes with freshly squeezed lemonade, the kind you can’t get anywhere else but at Rosenblatt.

This year, however, something unprecedented will take place at the historical stadium. I’ll be cheering on my Horned Frogs in their first and last appearance at Rosenblatt. TCU could not have picked a better year to make its College World Series debut as it will be the last year before the greatest show on dirt moves to a bigger and “better” stadium. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo has purchased the land and will demolish the stadium to expand its parking lot.

As other championships and sports ditched tradition in pursuit of money over the years, the “Blatt” managed to keep the true spirit and heart of baseball alive. Whereas other championships move around in an effort to make more money, the CWS has stayed at its home on the hill for the past 61 years.

Although Omaha will continue to provide the atmosphere and heartland hospitality that no other city could, it doesn’t change the fact that one of the longest-standing traditions in American sports has finally sold out. Whereas Rosenblatt was named to honor a former ballplayer and Omaha mayor, the new stadium, TD Ameritrade Park, dons the name of the big-buck corporation that could shell out the most money. It will be bigger, shinier and more modern; three things that Rosenblatt had prided itself on avoiding. The decision to switch was one that was not taken lightly, but in the end, the city opted for the new stadium to guarantee an extended NCAA CWS contract.

Baseball players, coaches and fans across the country have expressed sadness over Rosenblatt’s last year, but most of them agree that it hasn’t been the stadium alone that made the CWS what it is. It’s Omaha and its people. The new stadium will take a little getting used to, but Omaha will continue to provide the experience that has become synonymous with the tournament.

LSU coach Skip Bertman might have put it best when he said he couldn’t imagine the CWS being any place else.

“I don’t think you can do this in New York or Los Angeles,” he said. “It has to be in a big city but not too big, and you have to have people with a lot of warmth. Everybody loves everybody here. It’s a lovefest for two weeks.”

Enjoy the lovefest, Frog fans. It’s unlike anything you’ll find anywhere else.

World Cup: soccer match and advertisers’ dream

The Zag blog took a short hiatus while we underwent some staff changes, but after Kelsey’s blog last week we are back up! First off, we have four new bloggers who will be introducing themselves over the coming weeks and it looks like I’ll be the first. My name is Lauren, and I graduated from TCU about a month ago with a degree in strategic communications and history.

Now, on to more interesting things…

Friday marks the opening of the World Cup, arguably the largest sporting event in the world. While soccer may not be as influential here in America, to the rest of the world, it is life.

I will be the first person to admit that I know nothing about soccer. Yet, as the World Cup draws closer and excitement/TV coverage increases I have begun to garner an interest in the event. Perhaps it is because I view the World Cup as another excuse to get together with friends, but I have to admit the sport is becoming more and more interesting.

Like me, it appears that marketers have also taken note of the influence the World Cup holds throughout the world. Thus, numerous companies have created ads to reach this diversified audience. The ads created for the event vary from inspirational to humorous, all in an attempt to grab the attention of the billions of viewers who will be tuning in.

Getting the most online attention is Nike’s creation, a three-minute ad directed by famed director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. In fact, they have claimed that the commercial is their best piece of advertising to date. Entitled “Write the Future,” the ad depicts soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba envisioning the future after they save (or lose the game) with a single play. The commercial integrates scenes from around the world as well as some of the most famous people in pop culture, from Homer Simpson to Kobe Bryant to the “Elvis of Italy.” All in all, the ad is a pithy take on the effect soccer has around the world.

Write the Future: Nike

Another World Cup ad gaining recognition is Coca-Cola’s “History of Celebration.” It opens 20 years ago with soccer star Roger Milla’s celebratory dance after scoring a goal. What follows is a montage of soccer stars and fans dancing and celebrating on the field and in the stands. The ad implies that Milla’s liberated dancing taught the world to celebrate and to live. While a tad cheesy, the ad is a tribute not only to Milla but also to the excitement and joy that so defines the World Cup.

History of Celebration: Coca- Cola

Finally, Carlsberg Beer has created an ad that in their mind is the ultimate team talk. Staged in the locker room for the British soccer team, “Carlsberg Team Talk TV Ad” is an uplifting take on the locker room speech that will precede the most important game of the athletes’ lives. The dialogue pushes the men of England to “become immortals,” and to push the boundaries, to make all opponents wish they had never taken on the English team. This rendition of a team talk is a powerful mantra and while it is directed specifically at the English population, it still resonates with me, the American, amateur, soccer fan.

Carlsberg Team Talk

All in all, soccer fever is reaching an all-time high, and the ads that are circulating around the world only add to that excitement. Friday’s opening game is sure to be historical, only time will tell if these ads will also go down in history. Time will also tell if I can cultivate a true love of soccer. Well, maybe just an understanding of the game would do!

I am also the blog administrator so please email me with any questions/ comments/ concerns. We love them! hensarling@zagimc.com

Zag’s One Year Anniversary

On May 11, 2009, Zag IMC officially opened its doors, operating with myself, four interns and three clients.

As GCG Marketing’s sister agency, Zag IMC was created to be a full-service, professionally managed integrated marketing communications agency that employs up-and-coming talent (a.k.a. interns) for the execution of various projects.

The purpose behind Zag was to have the opportunity to reach out to small and mid-size businesses, as well as non-profits in the DFW community, that have a need for marketing. In many cases, these types of businesses don’t have a need (or budget) for a traditional agency like GCG. However, we are able to offer competitive rates for these smaller businesses by relying on student talent to execute the work.

I like to think of Zag as an incubator of sorts, not only for our interns, but also for our clients. The goal is to have our interns become familiar with agency life and gain real-world experience that may later help them in choosing the best career path. As for clients, the basis of marketing is to grow a business. Theoretically then, if Zag does its job well, those clients will one day become GCG clients.

At the onset of creating the business plan we didn’t want to have a specific niche. For example, GCG Marketing has many accounts in the healthcare industry as well as in oil and gas. I must say though, we’ve tried very hard to maintain a diverse group of clients, and the primary reason behind that is to give our interns as much varied experience as possible.

In order to emphasize the diversification of our client base, I’d like to introduce a few of our clients: Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery, an equine hospital in Weatherford; McKinley’s Bakery and Café; DKJ Tool Grinding; Little Jack Horner’s, a furniture restoration/custom fabrication shop; Kincaid’s Hamburgers; ECX Team, an energy-commissioning company; A & D Pharma, a custom labeling firm and Chadra Mezza and Grill. All of our clients have been an absolute blessing due to their trust and readiness to try new things. We couldn’t have done it without them!

Now, a year later, we have grown into an agency, with more than 19 clients and nine interns, we are still chugging along and enjoying every minute.

Thank you GCG for giving us the space to learn and experience all of the amazing things this industry has to offer!