By: Malin Bergstrom, Tara Buchalter, Julia Rhault and David Webber [Spring 2012 Interns]

MDB Communications has had an internship program since the 1980s and the agency is proud to say that previous interns have moved on to positions such as account managers, management supervisors and marketing communications strategists at companies all over the world.

This is all very inspiring and we bet you are wondering how their time at MDB helped them climb the career ladder. Here are the top 10 secrets the Spring 2012 interns unlocked as the key to making the most out of an internship at MDB.

1. First of all, prepare for your MDB internship by brushing up on your research skills, practice your proofreading eye and make sure you are familiar with your camera equipment. The need for information in the fast-moving advertising industry is huge, and you as an intern will play an important role in collecting valuable data.

2. Minor trips here and there could be part of your work day. Therefore, make sure you have your SmarTrip card ready and familiarize yourself with the city.

3. Always, always think in terms of “What can we post on social media?” or “How can I contribute to the next project?”

[MDB Communications]

One sails his ship in our cereal bowls. Another one dances around our snack table with his cane. And a third one helps us get rid of dirt and grease in our houses. The advertising industry is filled with icons who have been spreading their slogans or catchy jingles around households for years. Recently, both the Wall Street Journal and Advertising Age reported on new exposure these old mascots are receiving in the social media space.

MDB Communication’s President and CEO, Cary Hatch, has a remarkable collection of at least 120 advertising icons. Many of these old friends have been somewhat reborn on the Internet and as a result, we have launched a new weekly social media feature called “Nostalgicon.” Our hopes are that these unforgettable icons will take you on a fun walk down memory lane.

MDB Communications

With over 100 million users currently on Google+ and an estimated 400 million by the end of 2012, MDB Communications is proud to announce that we are launching a Google+ business page today, Thursday March 29th, click here to follow us! We are excited to explore this new social media channel and are looking forward to adding you and your business to our circles. 

Until now, there hasn’t been much reason to have both a Facebook and a Google+ business page. Let’s face it; Google+ is very similar to Facebook – a social media channel where users connect with friends, share photos, post status updates and play games. So what changed our minds? Earlier this year, Google launched a new search engine optimization feature called “Search plus Your World.” This feature could potentially make Google+ a leading social networking site in the business world, since it allows for greater online visibility and a possibility of generating social signals, in this case “+1’s.” The feature also incorporates a new results section called “People and Pages” which, in addition to the traditional web results, shows Google+ pages. For your business, this means that your Google+ business page can show up here as a result of an organic search.

Here at MDB, we feel that “Search plus Your World” could present an exciting business opportunity. At this point, it is unknown if Google+ will actually dominate in the business realm, but we’d rather be safe than sorry.  Therefore, be sure to check out the MDB Communications Google+ page updating you on the latest MDB company news, fun photos, and our new ad icon series, “Nostalgicon.” And remember to connect with MDB by adding us to your Google+ circles!

By Cary Hatch [MDB CEO]

[MAD MEN Promo Graphic ©2012 AMC]

Original article written for Capital Communicator

Like many in the advertising field (and much of America), I was tuned into the Season 5 premiere of MAD MEN Sunday night. Even above the noise of the debuting Hunger Games, MAD MEN still seems to “have it” when it comes to capturing the hearts and minds of a legion of fans. After a 17-month hiatus, the heralded series roared back with all the boozing, womanizing and beautiful cinematography we’ve come to know and love.

There are notable changes in tone and it jumps ahead in time, which are seductively engaging and at times confounding. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has risen above losing the Lucky Strike account and Pete Campbell and Joan Holloway have new bundles of joy respectively. While Don Draper has a new wife (his 3rd no less) who took us all by surprise by singing a sexy rendition of the French pop tune, “Zou Bisou Bisou” to her husband for his surprise 40th birthday. Being the ever-smart marketers, MAD MEN quickly released a single of the track, recorded by Gillian Hills in 1961. This has led to viewers recreating their own versions and sending around a YouTube video of the sultry song and by Monday morning, "Zou Bisou Bisou" was trending on Twitter.

While some found the Season 5 premiere “awkward and slow”, die-hard fans were delighted to get their long awaited dose of flashbacks, with all the realism of the trials and tribulations of the 60’s – the Vietnam War, racism, sexism and questionable morality. Yet, the premiere drew the most viewers ever for the show, with 3.5 million – roughly 600,000 more viewers than the Season 4 premiere that marked under 3 million. The Sunday episode was the most watched ever for the AMC series.

MDB Communications [Press Release]

WASHINGTON (March 16, 2012) – The DC Ad Club presented its 2012 ADDY® Awards, recognizing advertising creative excellence, on Thursday, March 15, at the Almas Temple, Washington, DC.  MDB Communications  won “Best of Broadcast” as well as a People’s Choice Award.

MDB won the “Best of Broadcast” Addy for its DC Lottery “Intervention” campaign.

According to Richard Coad, MDB’s Chief Creative Officer, “The idea of a lottery intervention came out of the realities life.  On the one hand, we as humans are all victims to uncontrollable little annoyances that pop up unexpectedly and ruin an otherwise pleasant day.  You walk through a field on a beautiful spring day and a sapling whips up and smacks you on the nose.  A vending machine eats your money.  Someone steals the seat off your bicycle.  Stuff happens. On the other hand, the lottery offers an opportunity to have a little fun.  To dream a little.   So the idea was to offset life’s little problems with the fun of playing a lottery.  Out of that came the  idea:  Need a lottery intervention?” 

MDB’s Lottery Intervention campaign also received 2 Gold ADDY Awards and 1 Silver ADDY

By Richard M. Coad [MDB Chief Creative Officer]

Three men in prison recently appeared before a parole board that included a criminologist, a social worker and a judge. Their crimes were similar and each prisoner had completed at least two-thirds of his sentence. One prisoner appeared before the board at 8:50 a.m. The second appeared at 3:10 p.m. The third at 4:25 p.m.

The prisoner who appeared at 8:50 a.m. was the only one who received parole. The other two were denied. The decision had nothing to do with the men’s ethnic backgrounds, crimes or sentences. 

After analyzing more than 1,100 decisions made by the parole board over the course of a year, researchers concluded that the likelihood of parole being granted or not was all about timing. Prisoners who appeared early in the morning received parole about 70% of the time. Those appearing late in the day were paroled less than 10% of the time.

[MDB Communications]

This campaign is about taking chances. The beauty of. And the need for.

Humans take chances to move forward, to feel good, to fight boredom, to fulfill dreams. Like the guy at IBM said “Every time we’ve moved ahead, it was because someone was willing to take a chance.” Even the act of buying an instant game ticket can clear your head and get your juices flowing. When you’re scratching that darn thing, you are living in the present. For one brief moment, you’re not thinking about your boss, your mortgage, or the brand new dent in your right front fender. All that’s in your head is what that ticket holds in store. Sure you might not be a winner. But by buying that ticket, by taking that chance, you at least have a shot. And that, on so many levels, is what life (and this campaign) is all about. 

[MDB Communications]

You watched the game. You saw the ads. What did you think? Were they better than last year, or worse?  Which ones were memorable? Which ones failed? MDB Communications CEO Cary Hatch talks about Super Bowl ads then and now on WJLA's Washington Business Report. See the full article here.

MDB Communications [Press Release]

WASHINGTON (January 31, 2012) – Destination DC, the official convention and tourism corporation for Washington, DC, has selected MDB Communications as Agency of Record to update its consumer-focused “Power” campaign and guide its media planning.

MDB was selected in a competitive review that involved 11 agencies, and will provide strategy, creative and media buying services. The campaign will unfold in multiple media channels that will likely include online, print, and out-of-home, and incorporate multi-media marketing initiatives that promote visiting DC during the summer and holiday seasons.

“We have tapped MDB to renew our popular Power campaign. After several years in market, it is time to freshen the creative while maintaining consistency with the DC brand,” said Elliott Ferguson, President and CEO of Destination DC. “The Power campaign is our primary platform to promote travel to DC in regional and national markets during the critical summer season and in other periods throughout the year, and we are looking forward to our work with MDB on this important project.”

According to Richard M. Coad, Chief Creative Officer at MDB, “This is a wonderful opportunity. Let’s face it; Washington, DC is the most compelling tourism destination in the country. We’re very happy that the emotionally driven work we developed resonated with our new client.”