For 15 years, I had the privilege of serving as a Creative Director and ECD at The Loomis Agency in Dallas. In that time, I worked with some great clients, but even more, with an incredibly talented group of art directors, writers, account execs and media planners. The TV spots below are the result of that collaboration. 

Rug Doctor - "Once A Year"

If carpet cleaning is low on the priority list, doing it yourself is even lower. To move the needle for Rug Doctor, we knew we had to do something that would break through and grab people's   attention. We thought the double entendre of getting America to "do it" more often was pretty funny and customers agreed. Now people are doing it all over the country. 

Papa John's Pizza - "End Zone Dance"

Jerry Jones is one of the most iconic owners in the NFL. He's also a helluva good sport. When we created this spot featuring Jerry break dancing, we thought it might get some traction. We had no idea.  The spot was covered by 32 broadcast outlets, 41 blogs and 11 print publications resulting in more than 14 million brand impressions for Papa John's. Yes, we overcelebrated.

Papa John's Pizza - "Rappin' Jerry"

How do you follow up a commercial making Jerry Jones break dance? You make him rap. And rap he did. Once again, Jerry showed he was game for anything delivering a hip hop vocal performance that, like his dancing, garnered huge national attention - more than $3 million in unpaid media mentions. It was fun, cool and drove Super Bowl-caliber sales all season long.

Stanley Steemer - "Toby's New Trick"

If you have a dog, you've seen them scoot across the carpet. We thought that would make a hilarious spot for Stanley Steemer and apparently, we weren't alone. "Toby's New Trick" won Best in Show at The Davey Awards, was featured on TBS's "World's Funniest Commercials," has nearly 700,000 views on YouTube and was spoofed on Saturday Night Live. Good dog!

Cash America - "Rock Star"

Cash America and the merchandise they sell looks more like big box retail than a pawn shop. But to change people's perception of the pawn business, we knew we had to get them through the door. This spot was one of four that had some fun showing potential customers the kinds of hidden treasures they could find at Cash America Pawn at up to 70% off the regular retail price. 

Rug Doctor - "Really Dirty"

Sometimes when people do it, it's really dirty. Fortunately, using Rug Doctor can make everything feel cleaner and better. Thanks to our strategic, age-appropriate media buy, we were able to take the off-color double entendres from the first spot and push them even further. In the end, it was all good clean fun that increased buzz for a fantastic client.

Papa John's Pizza - "Whisper"

Rangers 7 is the most successful promotion in the history of the Texas Rangers. We created this spot in year two to remind fans when the Rangers scored 7 runs or more, Papa John's was half price the next day. Rangers 7 drove record sales for Papa John's systemwide, increased season one revenue by 20x and won the SAMMY Award for National Sports Promotion of the Year.

Texas Dairy Queen - "Sheriff"

When we created the Frito's Chili Cheese Crunch Hungr-Buster for DQ, we tapped beloved character actor Burton Gilliam to play a Texas sheriff out to teach this "loud" disrupter a lesson. The burger was delicious, the spot was silly and the response was immediate. Texans loved the FCCCHB and what started as an LTO, quickly became part of the regular menu.

Stanley Steemer - "Pictionary"

Having friends over is all fun and games until the truth about your nasty, disgusting, dirty carpet comes out. We played that scenario for laughs in this spot featuring an unexpectedly embarrassing game of Pictionary. The spot was part of a five-year run that helped Stanley Steemer increase their call volume, online activity, revenue and profit exponentially.

Brookshire's Grocery - "At It Again"

Brookshire's had planned a promotion that rewarded shoppers with game pieces for specific items they purchased. We took them this concept showing people "stocking up" to get extra game pieces betting shoppers would follow suit. They did - in record numbers! Sales were 2x what Brookshire's expected and they told us this was the most successful promotion in company history.

Despite most of what you hear in your car, radio spots can be fantastic and extremely effective when written and produced well. I love writing radio. I cut my teeth as part of the elite "Radio Monsters" team at Tracy-Locke and since then, have produced hundreds of spots and won numerous awards for radio locally, regionally and nationally. 

Taco Bueno :60 Radio - "Malibu Taco"

In the sea of quickie, imitation Mexican food, Taco Bueno is a fresh, delicious alternative making their salsa from scratch every day and serving the best tasting Mexican in QSR. Bueno wanted radio that punched the “realness” of their food and had a little fun. This spot we produced for the pitch was the result. 

Pepsi :60 Radio - "Flip Your Lid"

Pepsi's "Flip Your Lid" promotion was an under-the-cap game that gave people the chance to win prizes every time they drank a Pepsi product. This spot featuring the legendary voice talents of Shelley Berman and Jack Riley is one of the award-winning spots from our campaign.

Stanley Steemer :60 Radio - "Carpetosis"

For people not cleaning their carpets regularly, conditions like "Carpetosis" and "Dustamungus" are chronic. Fortunately, they're easily remedied with a call to Stanley Steemer. We played that for some kitschy laughs in this spot featuring the great Scott LaRose and the legendary Tony Jay.

Taco Bueno :60 Radio - "Ricardo Verde"

Taco Bueno's food is the epitome of fresh, flavorful Mexican food. So much so, that the people who eat it start feeling the same way about themselves. Thus, Richard Green becomes "Ricardo Verde" - right up to the point his screaming, hungry wife forces him to "Get Real" and take her to Taco Bueno. 

Justin Boots :30 Radio - "The Will"

Research showed people who wear Justin boots, LOVE their Justin boots. And not just a little bit. We decided to play that fact for laughs with the late Bob Ridgeley and Jack Riley in this :30 spot that went on to the win a Gold Addy for best radio spot and best radio campaign.

Century Bank :60 Radio - "Hamlet"

At a time when banking was complicated and not very customer friendly, banking with Century Bank was easy. That was the message in this spot featuring the brilliant Jess Harnell putting a fresh spin on Shakespeare. This campaign was not typical for a bank and neither were the results. 

Print is dying. Print is dead. Nobody reads anymore. Sounds true. But it isn't. Not completely. Howard Luck Gossage, the father of creativity in San Francisco said it best. "The real fact of the matter is, nobody reads ads. People read what interests them, and sometimes it's an ad." Whether it's a magazine ad, packaging, POP, collateral, or anything else with ink on paper, it has to be smart, interesting and engaging for people to pay attention. Let's make some people pay attention. 

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame - "Annie Oakley"

Spend an hour at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and you’ll be shocked at the number of incredible women you've never heard of who literally shaped the history of our country. This story about how close Annie Oakley was to stopping WWI before it even started was one of our favorites.

Boomtown Hotel & Casino - "Queen"

When the owners of Casino Magic in Bossier City, Louisiana invested $25 million in a redesign they relaunched as Boomtown, they wanted a younger, hipper campaign to match. We created print ads, posters, POP and collateral reflecting the new look, tone and feel and a whole new audience paid attention. 

Texas Dairy Queen - "Victory"

In the fall in Texas, nothing is bigger than high school football. But for players, coaches, fans and kids, DQ is a close second. It's where people go before the game and after, and certainly where they go to celebrate a victory. This ad went on the back cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football - the Bible of Lone Star football. 

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame - "Tad Lucas"

It’s probably an overstatement to say without Tad Lucas there would be no National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. But not by much. Hers is just one of the extraordinary stories you'll find at this hidden gem in Fort Worth. When discussion turned to who should go in first, she was at the top of the list.

Boomtown Hotel & Casino - "King"

In a market where the casino themes were all tropical and magical, a cool, sexy Western theme was quite the departure and as it turns out, a huge draw. Opening weekend, thousands showed up and from the posters out front to the coasters at the bar, we invited them to come inside and let it ride.

Texas Dairy Queen - "Three Things"

This ad was another of our back covers for Dave Campbell's Texas Football. It was part of our larger campaign to support high school football including multiple pages in Dave Campbell, a huge TV and radio buy and a lucrative partnership with FOX as the title sponsor for the DQ Big Game Of The Week. 

PRO STAFF - "Talent That Works"

With this print campaign and the the introduction of the tagline "Talent That Works" we completely changed the paradigm of the staffing business. By shifting the vernacular from "temps" to "talent," we changed how employers looked at temporary employees and more importantly, how they saw themselves.

American Ironhorse - "Break The Mold" & "Freedom"

We created these spreads for a motorcycle company in Fort Worth that at one time was the largest manufacturer of custom motorcycles in the United States. American Ironhorse hand-crafted extraordinary bikes for fiercely independent riders who had the will and the means to buy a motorcycle, or chopper that was exactly how they wanted it. Every bike was literally a piece of art. A badass piece of art made of leather, chrome and steel. 

W.C. Fields famously said, "Never work with animals, or children." I respectfully disagree. Working with children is fantastic - provided you have the right children. With kids, casting is EVERYTHING. When you get it right, it's magic. 

CargoKids - "Accessorize"

CargoKids, later Pier 1 Kids, sold all kinds of cool furniture and accessories for kids' rooms. Through research, we discovered kids liked having a voice in how their rooms were decorated. So we gave them one. Turns out adult rationale delivered by kids is pretty cute. Based on sales, Moms thought so too. 

Frank Parra - "Have The Best Deal"

Early on, we worked with a lot of local car dealers and most wanted to do exactly what you'd expect. But we had an idea for something completely different and Frank Parra let us run with it. We cast the spot in L.A. and found actor Charlie Stewart to play aspiring car salesman Spunky Wonderbean. 

Frank Parra - "Take Care Of The Customer"

About six months after we shot these spots, Charlie landed a role on the ABC comedy "Life With Bonnie" starring Bonnie Hunt. We were happy to have spotted his talent early on and were proud to have done something different among the screaming price points from other car dealers. 

Stanley Steemer - "Beautiful"

We went into this spot with a script. We went through casting with a script. On shoot day, we got a precious little boy with a cold and one word - "Beautiful." Through some creative rewriting and the addition of a VO, we turned it into one of our favorite spots and hands down, the favorite with Moms.

CargoKids - "Reflection"

We cast this campaign in L.A. and just happened to arrive with the hundreds of kids in town for pilot season. The last day of casting, we were still missing the star centerpiece of this spot when this little boy from Spartanburg, SC walked in with his infectious accent. If we could have adopted him on the spot, we would have.

Frank Parra - "Leave Others In The Dust"

In each of 11 spots, Spunky learns one of the valuable lessons that all Frank Parra salespeople know. Charlie's iconic look and infectious personality helped us make this campaign instantly recognizable. At the end of the day, he wanted to take this Corvette home. Fortunately, so did a lot of other people. 

Stanley Steemer - "So Careful"

The same time we shot "Toby's New Trick" with Director Bob Ebel, we shot a series of spots featuring kids talking about the Stanley Steemer guys who came to clean their carpets. Bob was brilliant with children and this little girl from Wisconsin stole every heart on the set. 

CargoKids Online - "Mom's News Network"

Full Disclosure - this never ran. But it should have. To support CargoKids, I had the idea to have a kid record a two minute recap of the week's news every week. On Fridays, it would be emailed to busy Moms with deals for the weekend. As a demo, I recorded my son Matthew delivering the script. Still love this idea.

The greatest surprise I've had in my career is discovering a hidden talent for writing lyrics. I've loved music my entire life. I played it. I marched it. I sang it. But I'd never written it. That changed when I went to work for a CEO who was also a composer. Since then, I've written lyrics for dozens of original compositions, brand image music tracks, songs for pitches and one very silly Christmas video that surpassed a million views on YouTube. Setting your brand to music is one guaranteed way to make it memorable. If you've ever thought about exploring that possibility, let's make some music together. It works. 

Logan's Roadhouse - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella  Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

Logan's Roadhouse ribs are fall off the bone delicious, but to get people to pay attention, we knew they needed more than just a spot. First, to make the ribs a signature Logan's product, we renamed them "Roadhouse Ribs." We shot some mouth watering footage then set the whole thing to this super cool Blues track.  

                YPO - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella                  Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

LOOMIS president Mike Sullivan was a longtime member of Young Presidents Organization and the year he served as the Education Chair for his chapter, we wrote this song. It accompanied the video unveiling the chapter's upcoming event schedule. The next year, they won YPO International Chapter of the Year.

 Texas Dairy Queen - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella        Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

True story. When we were invited to pitch the Texas Dairy Queen business there were more than 80 agencies contending. We dug deep into research, found an inextricable connection between Texas and DQ and wrote this song. We paired it with a video of Texas images and pitched. An hour later, we had the business. 

      Boomtoom - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella         Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

In addition to the :30 TV spot, we wrote and composed a full-length song and shot a video to match featuring singer Perry Danos. The video ran at the top of every hour on giant video screens around Boomtown. By Sunday afternoon, people were singing along and making reservations for their return.

American Ironhorse - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella       Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

When we pitched American Ironhorse, we wanted to produce a track as edgy and in your face as the motorcycles they built. This wasn't for the radio. It was to set the tone in our pitch. When we revved up our Yamaha speakers and legendary guitarist Andy Timmons started shredding, we did.   

CC's Coffee - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella                  Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

When Community Coffee made a run at Starbucks with their CC's Coffee Houses, they wanted to tap into the heart of New Orleans which meant delicious coffee and great jazz. Rather than the jibber jabber of an announcer, we thought it would be fun to say hello and then give people :10 of music and peace. 

Boomtown Casino - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella   Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

The first thing we did to set the tone for the new Boomtown Casino was set it to music. This infectious, country rock track paired with images from the casino and the cantina screamed fun and sexy. When we added the Boomtown girls and put the video on the entrance board next to I-20, we literally stopped traffic. 

            Golden Chick - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella        Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

How do you compete against behemoths like Chick-Fil-A and KFC, with a limited budget, even when you were the first to perfect the chicken tender? Easy. You set your brand to music and shoot the best looking chicken on television. This little ear worm got instant traction and helped to reconnect the brand. 

               Cargo Kids - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella                    Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

If you can't have fun writing lyrics for the "delightully durable, surprisingly affordable, furniturrific store," lyrics may not be your thing. Maybe it was Paul's wonderful track, maybe the fun products we mentioned, but of all the lyrics I've written, these almost wrote themselves. Still one of my favorites. 

Orange Crush - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella                Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

When we got the call from Dr Pepper, Orange Crush had been a little quiet as a brand. DP was looking for a spot that was young, fun, energetic and spoke to all the things that made Crush, Crush. We produced this hip, upbeat pop track that fit more with radio playlists than commercial pods.

Logan's Roadhouse - Music by Paul Loomis & Tre Nagella        Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

After extended research, Logan's was exploring a new direction that tapped into its Nashville heritage, its freshly butchered steaks and the family friendly atmosphere they delivered. This easy going country track captured that sentiment and set the whole brand to music. 

Love, Andrew Autism Foundation - Music by Tre Nagella         Lyrics by Michael Tuggle

This was a very special project. One of our clients had a son named Andrew who is autistic and they were starting a foundation to raise money for research and awareness. We knew Andrew was a huge rap fan, so we went to work. We named the foundation, "Love, Andrew" and we wrote this song to help launch it. 

Increasingly, brands are exploring the benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - the idea of doing well, by doing good. And for good reason. CSR initiatives offer brands an extraordinary opportunity to connect with consumers in deep, lasting and meaningful ways. Creatively, the only limitations are imagination and how big an investment clients want to make. Interested? Let's change the world.

Texas Dairy Queen - MUSIC IN THE SCHOOLS

In 2012, we created an initiative for Texas Dairy Queen called "Music In The Schools" that promised unprecedented support for high school music in the state of Texas. The centerpiece was a three-year agreement to be the Title Sponsor of all Bands of America (BOA) Marching Band competitions in Texas. 

In addition to the BOA sponsorship, Music In The Schools offered plans to provide the more than three million Texans involved in high school band, choir and orchestra with a much needed fund raising channel driven by incremental sales. It was the very definition of win - win. By giving back to the bands, choirs and orchestras, we would have driven more sales. By driving more sales, we could have given more back to the arts programs. 

In the end, we only chose to activate the BOA sponsorship portion of the program. Yet, the full Music In The Schools program stands as a model for the potential to drive millions in sales and hundreds of thousands in support.