The Barber Shop Marketing Receives National Awards for DCCCD Ad Campaign

DALLAS, TX, March 23, 2013 (Press-News.org) DALLAS, TEXAS (March 20, 2013)...Kathy Cook, Dallas County Community College District's (DCCCD) director of advertising, said it best.

"Creative minds at The Barber Shop Marketing provided the brain power for DCCCD's award-winning ad campaign. The 'Smart Starts Here' brain campaign resulted in standout, creative ads that deliver DCCCD's message in a fresh and compelling way, reaching our audience effectively via broadcast, outdoor and online media."

The Barber Shop (TBS)and DCCCDhave receivedfour awards for the "Smart Starts Here" campaign in The 28thAnnual Educational Advertising Awards competition, sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report.

Competing in the largest category - schools with 20,000 or more students - the "Smart Starts Here" ad campaign was recognizedwith the following awards: Gold - Television Advertising/Series, Silver - Radio Advertising, Bronze - Total Ad Campaign, and Merit - Direct Mail.

DCCCD's The 'Smart Starts Here' brainaward-winning ad campaign:
Dream: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gbj4f5dBHU
Immature (Spanish): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H8XaJ1qfpE
Big Picture:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8cS7kSHeQE
Different: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdFVm-bA4S0
Need To Go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZEdtybcxHE
Not Good Enough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11nRXqg1hN8

"Dallas County Community College District is a dream client with great input and this campaign was so much fun for our team. We wish we had a dozen clients like DCCCD!" said Liz Barber, TBSpresident.

"We love and appreciate the great work that TBS does, and we are excited that their work is being recognized in this national competition," says Cook. "We were competing with some heavyweight competition in our category."

The Educational Advertising Awards is the largest educational advertising awards competition in the country. Close to 3,000 entries were received this year from more than a thousand colleges, universities and secondary schools from all 50 states and several foreign countries.

Richard Schiera, a member of the TBS creative team, shares how they went from brainstorming to an ad about a brain.

"The original idea for the campaign came when we were reading a list of excuses people make for not going to college. Mostly young, scared and conflicted, they want to be successful in life, but question if they're good enough for college, do they have what it takes, are they ready to leave home?

"We decided to investigate animation. From there it was easy to envision this inner conflict as a brain talking. The real twist came when we realized the brain is not talking to the audience, it's talking to itself. And we get to see that conflict in action.

"Of course, the biggest hurdle for higher education is the cost. Here again, what starts out as an argument for not going is checked by the fact that Dallas County Community Colleges provide a university-quality education for 75 percent less. And the core curricula are totally transferable giving students a head start on a 4-year degree at bargain basement prices.

"So, summed up in three words: Smart Starts Here."

The ad campaign ran for five weeks during summer 2012 on television, radio, the Internet and digital billboards around Dallas County. Additionally, a QR code on printed items enabled people to take a quiz to determine if they were left- or right-brained.

TBS'concept illustrates the conversations we have with ourselves in our heads - between left brain and right brain. Animation was simple, colorful and memorable, with hand-drawn images. The ads reinforced the quality of the curriculum offered by DCCCD and the affordability - a university-quality experience for a quarter of the cost.

For more information about The Barber Shop, visit http://www.thebarbershopmarketing.com or phone 214.217.7177. Follow The Barber Shop on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thebarbershopmarketing.

About The Barber Shop Marketing
The Barber Shop is a group of experienced professionals whose goal is to provide small and medium sized companies the same marketing, media and creative expertise usually reserved for large national advertisers. We measure effectiveness with every response and increase in sales our clients enjoy. Their success is our success.

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Jo Trizila
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O: 972-247-1369
C: 214-232-0078

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