Background
It was my job as a self-promotion team member to make sure FIR NW can get fresh talent each term. What started as a simple task for us to design recruiting posters turned into an intensive but fun odyssey into newsprint.
The Concept
The Daily Pinecone is a satirical newspaper that evokes laughter to industry insiders and curiosity to the uninitiated.
The Pinecone is inspired by the likes of The Onion, National Enquirer, and MAD Magazine. While we understand that not everyone will "get" the paper, we believe that the nature of its contents will draw in students like an overheard inside joke. The Pinecone will also familiarize them with advertising's various disciplines. Once they understand each role, they'll be able to figure out which resonates with their personality. The humor of the paper also helps address one of the most common deterrents to joining FIR, the perception that it is full of elitists. Whether or not that is true, the articles show that we're comfortable making fun of ourselves.
My Role
While I enjoy writing articles, the sheer amount of copy and limited timescale meant that I had to recruit help from other copywriters at the agency. I assigned each headline as a writing prompt for the writers and worked closely with each of them to ensure the tone was consistent. This gave the paper cohesiveness while still giving the writers freedom to interpret the headline. Overall, I think the different voices strengthen and gave a degree of realism to the paper.
Here are the pieces I wrote:
While I used personal experience to write the printing press article, the other two required a deeper look into the other disciplines. "Helvetica" in particular required a more intimate understanding of not just art direction, but graphic design as a whole. The field has many firmly held beliefs and specific terminology. Humor to me comes from a warping of the familiar into something unexpected but recognizable. It took several long discussions with art directors around FIR to gain enough insight to write in their language.
Nailing this article was particularly important as there would be a shortage of art directors if we failed to recruit more. This meant that while the paper was largely copy based, it would have to target to design students.
Conclusion
Overall, The Daily Pinecone was a success that led to a larger than normal number of applications for the following terms. The paper not only gave me a deeper insight into other disciplines but also taught me how to better understand and write to different audiences. It is a skill that I will doubtlessly need for years to come.