Site Index
Friday May 7, 2010
Everything’s up in the air these daysread more
Friday May 7, 2010
Ozzie ad man and friend Mark Schroeder writes about ispread2.0, nappies and taking more responsibility as marketers.read more
Friday May 7, 2010
Harry Emerson Fosdick was born in 1878.read more
Thursday December 3, 2009
I’m feeling kind of newsy.
We were at the Emmy’s and in a bus barn. We drove a Ferrari and wore hardhats in a ballroom. We partied with Polynesian twins and worked really hard with commercial lending officers. We were on the NFL, Access Hollywood and The Early Show. And this thing is a little late (which is really news to no one).
read moreThursday December 3, 2009
Rebel Headquarters
It’s a warm, early autumn night and you walk past a well-lit house on Hope Street. It looks like the house has cracked open and the contents of an odd party have spilled out over the porch and onto the streets below. A banjo, some guitars and a didgeridoo drone from an impromptu porch band. You can’t quite classify the crowd. It’s baby boomers and babies. Providence Roller Derby and Providence Geeks. Richard Merkin and Richard Dreyfuss.
read moreThursday December 3, 2009
A client, a kid and Annette’s great big idea: How Sagus saved J.V. Martin Junior High.
In March 2009, Sagus International, an innovative furniture-supply company, hired us to boost their visibility in their hometown of Chicago. But if you’ve been paying attention over the last 35 years or so, you know we tend to – how shall I put this – do more.
read moreThursday December 3, 2009
Wind power, brainpower and moving an entire highway to make way for our new office. Kinda. Welcome to Rhode Island: The Optimistic-as-all-hell State. Put it on the license plate. Let’s go!
Our little state’s biggest optimist, Jon, is taking a shot at this one (as if he doesn’t walk around here commenting enough).
read moreMonday June 1, 2009
The honest-to-goodness latest.
Oh great. It’s another ad agency with its B.S. about how “hey, maybe the economy isn’t that bad” and “we’re doing really great” and “new-business-this” and “big-budgets-that” and “blah, blah, blah…”
Well, the economy is still sucking, but at the same time we’re realizing that maybe it’s true what Alex B said in some article someplace: The time is right for a small, smart, creative shop, right?
Might as well be us.
read moreMonday June 1, 2009
The world’s largest office-supply retailer, a diminutive funnyman and 10,000 very happy people.
When Staples turned to Duffy & Shanley to put some fresh, new thinking around 2008 holiday efforts and a sweepstakes that would award 10,000 customers their holiday purchases for free, we jumped at the opportunity to wow a business with more than 2,000 stores, servicing businesses of all sizes and consumers in 27 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. We knew we had to stand out and make a difference at this very busy and “story crowded” time of year.
read moreMonday June 1, 2009
The power of wind power.
By 2012, Block Island could receive all of its electricity from a small wind farm three miles off the island’s southeast coast. Just a few years later, 100 turbines could be capturing the plentiful winds in the deep waters of Rhode Island Sound, 15 to 20 miles offshore. Together, these wind farms will produce 15 percent of Rhode Island’s electricity.
read moreMonday June 1, 2009
CW Roelle. Productive because he works a Lot.
He got into working parking lots through a friend who had moved up to Providence from Baltimore. Nine years and 20 parking lots later, his friend has long since changed jobs, but CW Roelle found his best lot yet. He’s working for Urban Parking in the garage attached to our building at 222 Richmond Street, in a small cinder block office.
read moreMonday June 1, 2009
Hey, did we ever say “thank you?"
Hey, did we ever say “thank you” for reading our rantings every couple of months?
read moreThursday December 18, 2008
Intro to the Daysread more
Thursday December 18, 2008
Lots of News (Otherwise, We’d Just Call It, “New”).
Not that the world is tilted in anticipation of what we have to say about our new Facebook page and client wins and stuff, but here goes.
read moreThursday December 18, 2008
Coach Tom Powers On Winning And Losing.
Coach Tom Powers On Winning And Losing And Why He’s A Winner And Probably You’re Not But We’ll See After You Take This Quiz, Good Luck.
read moreThursday December 18, 2008
Vanity Fair, Famous People, and Us.
Recently, we teamed up with VF to help communicate Swarovski’s corporate Three Graces platform in a whole new way.
read moreThursday December 18, 2008
37 Hours in Providence.
A collection of one and two-Liners to help navigate the Sweet P. What are the offbeat places in Providence are that don’t make it into mainstream travel guides?
read moreTuesday June 10, 2008
And Here We Are.
They say the days drag on as the years fly by – anybody with kids can testify to that. This year, we’re turning 35. And that means that not only are we finally eligible to run for President, but we’ve got some big things scheduled for the months ahead. Clear your calendar.
read moreTuesday June 10, 2008
Work Wins Weird Word Wall.
It’s been a busy sixty-some. From our bowling outing to Jacqui’s song-of-the-day thing. From Pune Bottom at Stanley’s to some real news you might actually care about, like this:
read moreTuesday June 10, 2008
D&S Turns 35
How are you supposed to write an introduction for the guy who’s the reason we’re all here? Too. Much. Pressure. So just go and read this Uniquely-Dave-Duffy take on the history of our place. Not for nothing.
read moreTuesday June 10, 2008
Kaspersky Questions Everything.
Can a community protect your company? Can karma save you from crimeware? Can you make your enterprise more secure by hiring 250 million more people? And if so, can Doug explain it all to you in his case study on the new Kaspersky campaign?
read moreTuesday June 10, 2008
Pyramids of the Jewelry District.
We’d planned an in-depth exposé on the Freemasons and that creepy little owl hidden in the dollar bill, but then we thought they might have us all killed. So here’s Josh on the Pyramids of the Jewelry District.
read moreThursday February 21, 2008
Wow, that’s a lot of days.
Well, it’s been another 60. No Really. It has been. Give or take. Trust us. No need to count.
read moreThursday February 21, 2008
Get in, get news, get out.
Around this time of year, somebody else jumps on the bandwagon with their own unoriginal, unreadable, longwinded take on the whole Year-in-Review thing. This year, how about we just tell you the news of the last sixty days or so? Consider it our gift to you.
read moreThursday February 21, 2008
Getting better.
A great marketing campaign should change and grow and get better and better each time you see and feel and touch and live it. Today, as Beverly Hospital itself changes and grows with the community – for the community – we proudly present year five.
read moreThursday February 21, 2008
Providence Sound Session ’08 and The Divine Promise of Divine Providence
Donald King is our hero. He’s about to be yours. Read what the Artistic Director of The Providence Black Repertory Company thinks about this year’s festival. Then book a room for the second week in July.
read moreThursday February 21, 2008
The Year in the P
Over there in the News section, somebody wrote something about not doing a whole Year-in-Review thing. That wasn’t me. Enjoy The Sweet P.
read moreWednesday October 10, 2007
So, How’ve You Been?
So, how’ve you been? How are the kids? What’s new at the office? Us? Why, thanks for asking. We launched a new Web site, helped send shockwaves through the sports world, and sent some talented young kids off to greatness. That’s “News” for you.
read moreWednesday October 10, 2007
A Toast To, Well, Us.
Let’s all tip a new Gansett Light to this edition of News, where we welcome a new little peanut, get a lot of love from the local press, luck into a little free pub for one client and work really, really hard to get others into cartoon form.
read moreWednesday October 10, 2007
Succeeding in a “Talk” Marketing World: Remove These Five Obstacles
We’ve been fortunate enough to work with Lois Kelly on several projects, witnessing first-hand her uncanny sense for where the communications world is going. In “Beyond Buzz,” Lois preaches the value of having a unique point of view. Our point of view is that you should read the thing.
read moreWednesday October 10, 2007
A Client Called Home.
We’ve partnered with Rhode Island tourism for more than two decades. And every three years, we earn their trust again. So while we’re proud of all the work we’ve done together, we’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell our other clients about this whole mandated pitch thing, k?
read moreWednesday October 10, 2007
Basket Boom Boom and his Merry Wankers
So it’s not exactly fight club. Still, you’ve never read or heard or felt or smelt anything like Josh’s story about this underground-and-over-land-and-waist-deep-in-water-of-questionable-quality semi-secret society.
read moreSaturday June 30, 2007
Exciting, a Sighting, and a New Site.
You are cordially invited to listen to us talk about ourselves for a few paragraphs. Lucky you, huh?! Although with an exciting client announcement, a friend-made-good and a darn good website made in record time, it might just be worth your time. Thanks for taking it.
read moreFriday June 8, 2007
Profit by Design
When a company incorporates design discipline into its brand character, the results can be dramatic. Bill Foulkes, a former brand manager with Gillette and champion of the union of business & design, discusses the collaboration and the positive potential of this critical partnership.
read moreFriday June 8, 2007
Proud Parents of a Beautiful Brand
Yeah, yeah. We know. We’re always bragging about this spot or that strategy. But every once in a while it’s nice to sit back and let a client show how proud we are of the work we’ve done together. This time, it’s Lisa Burzynski, Director of Marketing at Beverly Hospital. Thank you, Lisa.
read moreFriday June 8, 2007
Flat Track Insider: 20 Minutes with an Aspiring Derby Girl
Man, we do live in a cool little city here. They’re shooting another movie a block and a half over. There’s the downcity Open Market on Saturdays. Of course, we’re here. And then there’s Josh telling you about the Providence Roller Derby.
read moreTuesday April 10, 2007
Amy, Stephen, Mia Farrow & Floaties.
Our streak of busy-busy sixty days continues, with more scary-talented people, more solid wins and more work that’s working. Add to that a couple of pending new relationships and it looks like a four-peat.
read moreTuesday April 10, 2007
There's a Method to this March Madness.
Since it is that time of year, we decided to get some insight into the phenomenon that is known as March Madness. Patrick Nero knows the NCAA and the tournament very well. He has seen it from all sides as a former university administrator (at University of Maine and the University of Miami), the NCAA (where he currently sits on the Division I Management Council) and as the Commissioner of the America East Conference.
read moreTuesday April 10, 2007
Hi Again, Neighbor!
Welcome back (or should we say, thanks for not opting out just yet). In this episode, we keep our promise to keep making it worth your while.
The last 60 Days have been pretty darn event-filled, with a great client addition, two new hires and the big news that Peter picked up some new dress pants at TJ Maxx.
read moreTuesday April 10, 2007
How Proud Could You Be?
What do you do with a world-famous brand that isn’t as world famous as it used to be? What can you create when you’re working with smart, kind, courageous and trusting people who are all on the same page? What can you do with $7 million? Hmmm… Let’s see.
read moreTuesday April 10, 2007
Four Tales of Stuffing Face
Our sweet little hometown is notorious for its way-too-many amazing restaurants per-capita. If you’re a pundy (tourist) the choice is easy: Al Forno and The Hill. But where do we super-trendy and attractive locals go?
read moreWednesday February 7, 2007
Holidays, politics and sticky stuff.
We hope your holidays were greatness. Here at the agency, we celebrated the end of 2006 with the unveiling of a new conference room created by rockstar designer and builder Sean Webster. But while we do look forward to hosting you in 2007, our first showing was reserved for a bunch a rowdy, slobbering VIPs, half of whom cried the whole time.
read moreWednesday February 7, 2007
Follow Your Passion
As many of you know, we are committed to giving back to our community in many ways but particularly through work. We have had the privilege of working with many non-profits to help them with their communication needs. We joke that, for the 33rd consecutive year, our pro-bono work has been the fastest growing part of our practice. Bill Daugherty approached us with truly a unique opportunity to work with his class at the Met School on the launch of their Big Picture Soda Company. We agreed because Bill is a dedicated, passionate leader of the project. Once we met the kids involved in the project we made a decision to dedicate whatever resources the kids needed to make the project come to life. These kids are inspirational, courageous and driven. They inspired us. We tried to educate them on the communications skills necessary for their launch but in the end we learned more from them. If you are in the Rhode Island market please support their effort by buying their product. Enjoy Bill’s story of their journey.
Jon
read moreWednesday February 7, 2007
Compassionate branding. Are you on board? read more
Wednesday February 7, 2007
Like sand through the hourglass, so are the 60 Days of our Lives.
This time, enjoy a couple of Sweet P tips, a whole lot of boasting, a story about a client with a big heart, and commentary from the kind and courageous Bill D.
read moreWednesday February 7, 2007
Alley Cats on the Prowl
Written by Sarah Spurway and Melissa Chase, this edition’s Sweet P takes you to out on the town in a way Josh hasn’t done in a decade. Next time you’re in town, give us a call for a personal tour.
read moreMonday December 4, 2006
Another 60 Days
So far, so good. We’ve kept to our little self-imposed deadline. Here’s what’s been happening around here over the last two months or so:
In this episode’s NEWS, you’ll see that we’ve also made good on our promise of new hires. In addition, read about one sweet new-business win and the bittersweet departure of one of our most favorite people. As far as the next 60, our fingers are crossed for a couple of pending big accounts. (If you know who we’re talking about, put in a good word for us, okay?)
read moreMonday December 4, 2006
On The Clock
Most of you know that we here at D&S have a serious basketball jones. And over the years, we’ve been fortunate enough to run with clients like the Big East Conference and Fox Sports Net NE, with whom we’ve done a number of spots for the Boston Celtics and Connecticut Sun.
Those of you who know me will agree that I have a bit of an obsession with Providence College Basketball. When I was a kid, Ernie DiGregorio was my hero. After his PC career ended, Ernie D was drafted by the Buffalo Braves and my allegiance to the world champion Boston Celtics ended. Soon, Ernie D would earn Rookie of the Year honors and I would be hooked – a hardcore Braves fan. In 1976, they would move to San Diego and become the Clippers. And my allegiance would also move westward. Two years later the Clippers moved to LA and became the laughing stock of the NBA for the better part of the next 25 years. But two years ago, a good friend of mine became their Director of Player Personnel and the fortunes of my favorite team have changed. This long-winded story explains why this month’s commentary is a look inside the NBA by Neil Olshey, Director of Player Personnel for my favorite NBA team the Los Angeles Clippers. Now if I can only convince Neil to sign me to a 10-day contract. – Jon
read moreMonday December 4, 2006
Let's Take Back Our Beer
The first thing we realized was that we’d been given something precious. For years, Narragansett Beer was the stuff of great stories, backyard burns and Sox games: “Hi neighbor, have a Gansett!” If ever a bottle of beer could’ve had your back, this was the one. Solid.
And now, what was once practically a public trust around here, is once again.
read moreMonday December 4, 2006
Hello, Goodbye
60 Days ago I gave an update on new clients and mentioned that we’d be hiring. Well, true to my word we’ve added four new people since. Doug Burns, Shawna Hassett, Lauren Engel, Melissa Chase. Read about the new hires, Steve Maurano’s farewell, and other agency news.
read moreMonday December 4, 2006
Holiday in Shangri-la-la-land
Rhode Island is small, so it’s logical that many enjoy holidays in small doses. For Smalliday fun, head to East Sweet P for a traditional Azorean mini-manger. Fans of the small from all creeds will appreciate the detail in the display, which includes bullfighters, farmers, bakers, millers street sweepers, garbage men and dogs in trees.
read moreMonday October 2, 2006
Welcome To 60 Days read more
Monday October 2, 2006
Duffy, Wins read more
Monday October 2, 2006
Chafee v. Whitehouse: A Big Battle in a Little State
This time of year causes a unique itch at D&S to go un-scratched. That itch is politics. It’s in our blood. Early clients included Senators Claiborne Pell, John Chaffee and Olympia Snowe. And we were very good at getting candidates like them elected, not to mention our impressive 18-2 record on referenda. But as we’ve evolved into a consumer products/services agency, we’ve left behind much of this work. Still, we watch campaigns with great interest. Still, we itch.
read moreMonday October 2, 2006
Nike and Us read more
Monday October 2, 2006
Apple Season read more
Monday October 2, 2006
About 60 Days read more
News ::
Everything’s up in the air these daysComment ::
Ozzie ad man and friend Mark Schroeder writes about ispread2.0, nappies and taking more responsibility as marketers.Pride ::
A client, a kid and Annette’s great big idea: How Sagus saved J.V. Martin Junior High.Sweet P ::
Harry Emerson Fosdick was born in 1878.Duffy Links ::
Contact ::