Welcome to the smorgasbord section of our website. Advertising concepts that didn’t quite make the cut. The story of a recent self-promo campaign involving bribes and duct–taped interns. And a Godzillasque blue cat with an Uzi stomping San Diego. You know, the kind of stuff that’s on your accountant’s website.
To get on the radar of national ad search firms, we really kicked out the jambs. First, we hit them with hand-delivered metal briefcases. To unlock the briefcases, the firms had to log onto a special URL on the L7 Creative website. Inside the briefcases were neat bundles of thousands in "cash." A few days later, they received gritty photos of a bound and gagged intern. If the firm didn’t call L7 Creative, "the intern was going to get it." Finally, a microcassette recorder arrived with a menacing, distorted voice informing the firms that "the Big Cheese" was going to call them—and that they had better take the call. Right on cue, the Big Cheese called—and we now have relationships with three top search firms and will be participating in several upcoming pitches.
An homage to legendary furniture designer George Nakashima, our conference table was designed by our CCO, Tom Gallego. Built from solid-slab cocobolo and soft maple, the table embodies our faith in letting a work of art—or a brand—speak clearly and authentically. Also, during long meetings, it’s fun to rub the edges.
A koi with sconces for eyes. A sleepy-looking purple octopus. A giant blue cat, surrounded by attack helicopters, terrorizing a city with a submachine gun. (Sorta "Godzilla" meets "Hello Kitty.") A slacker caryatid holding up the ceiling. When they put down their mouses, our graphic designers are pretty good with paint brushes, too.
A lot of agencies claim they don’t do spec. (They lie.) We enjoy it. Sure, it’s time-consuming, but it’s also fun and gives us the chance to try different pizza toppings at 2am. Pepperoni sprinkled with Red Bull is a current favorite.
Contrary to popular belief, San Diego and Carlsbad, California do not have a stranglehold on advertising creativity or brilliant marketing solutions. Sure, some of the best creative minds and marketing pros in the country call Carlsbad/San Diego-based L7 Creative home. And, yes, L7 Creative is one of the fastest growing advertising shops on the West Coast, blessed with an enviable client list in a range of industries. But in the interest of fairness, the management of L7 Creative encourages you, the business executive in need of effective advertising, to broaden your search beyond our agency. Please. We know everyone’s saying: "Hire L7!…Hire L7!" But at least please consider giving struggling, low-profile shops like Chiat/Day or Crispin Porter or Goodby Silverstein a shot at your account. These days, thanks largely to the Internet and other technological innovations, great advertising can be created anywhere. Even New York or San Francisco.
