A renovation for collaboration

Our philosophy at BR is simple: We thrive because of our people and our ideas. And we’ll be the first to admit that thinking creatively while sitting at a closed-off desk is like trying to breathe fresh air in a stuffy airplane cabin. Having surpassed the 200-employee mark, we decided to enhance our space and recently remodeled our creative wing.

We renovated to juice collaboration, brainstorming and inventive approaches to getting work done. We wanted art directors and copywriters swapping ideas while sharing the latest blends at our new coffee bar or hammering out a great new concept while kicking back in the new lounge. Put simply, we wanted our creative teams to communicate more easily and quickly than their previous workstations allowed.

Now our teams embrace the kind of closeness that allows neighbors to toss around fresh ideas as easily as spare sticky notes. And since digital is ubiquitous here, our creative and

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Please vote!

Please go to facebook.com/partnersforhumanity and vote for the Urban Ecology Center. If the ad we created for them has the most votes by Dec. 6, the Urban Ecology Center will receive a $500 donation.

Partners for Humanity is an annual program that’s centered on giving back to the community. Advertising agencies in Milwaukee — like us! — create pro-bono ad

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United for a cure

Associates from Bader Rutter teamed up this past Sunday for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Milwaukee to show their support in the fight against breast cancer. Each person had their own reasons for attending, accompanied by a unique blend of emotions — excitement, nervousness, sadness, love and hope to name a few.

Below, a handful of BR attendees share their stories: 

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Can I get that on a stick?

There are great state fairs across the country, but the one located near our headquarters is one of the better ones. In particular, there’s a certain unique fondness for deep fried foods, served on sticks!

Nestled between BR’s headquarters and downtown Milwaukee, you’ll find the Wisconsin State Fair Park. From August 4-14, people will be swarming the grounds to see the animals, check out the carnival rides, listen to entertainment and of course… sample the food!

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Come relax in Milwaukee

Feeling stressed? Come visit the Brew City. Bader Rutter is proudly headquartered in Milwaukee and we are thrilled to say we were just ranked the second most relaxed metro area in the nation by a pretty influential publication.

Forbes took a look at the country’s 40 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas, examining six areas that are closely correlated with stress, or result from stress: unemployment rate, commute time, number of hours worked per week, access to healthcare, overall health and frequency of exercise.

Associates at Bader Rutter have been enjoying the mellow Milwaukee lifestyle for decades and now we have another reason to tout our metropolis.

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Life with Sina

Sina is an extremely bright, beautiful woman of 25 from Germany. She came to Bader Rutter as a part of the Business Branding Network’s Rising Star program from our sister agency wob. BBN is a network of 25 agencies located all over the world. Sina’s focus is Brand Asset Management, which is the internationally vetted branding process used at  all our sister BBN agencies that allows us to work seamlessly together amongst different cultures providing truly global integrated services. While I know that this multi-cultural business interaction takes place at our agency everyday, it was particularly eye-opening for me to see it first hand through Sina.

Sina came to BR at the end of August and left at the end of October. As with other interns who have come to Bader Rutter in years past through BBN, Sina lived with my family and me. She was in some ways another child, but more so a friend to my daughter Nicki and me.

Doing basic daily things became fun with Sina. Going to the grocery store was particularly fun and interesting. She was like a child in toy store. Her eyes would get big over the number of cereal and yogurt selections and at the size of bottles available in everything from shampoo to ketchup. When it was time to do the laundry or empty the dishwasher, she’d jump up to help making the chore easier, faster and more fun to do.

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Navigating brand confusion when tradition is involved

What an organization wants people to remember about its brand and what actually gets remembered is not always the same thing.

That’s an important thing to think about when branding. I learned this lesson first hand while serving as the 62nd Alice in Dairyland. While Alice is associated with the state of Wisconsin and its vast agricultural industries, it is a brand all its own that’s struggled with brand confusion because of a signature headpiece worn by Alice – a tiara.

The use of the tiara can lead to brand confusion because of common misconceptions. People often assume Alice is a beauty queen or princess, rather than the ambassador that she is. What’s more, the focus can shift from the importance of agriculture to the shiny object on Alice’s head. For example, I often left the tiara behind when I was visiting classrooms in an effort to limit confusion.

Despite the misconceptions, the tiara also has several benefits.

• Recognizable in a crowd - Creates interest, draws attention and increases the opportunity for communication

• Representative of Wisconsin - Tiara worn by Alice to represent all Wisconsin agriculture and designed by Wisconsin Jewelers Association with gemstones indigenous to the state, amethyst and citrines

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"I don’t know a lot about cows, but I know I like cheeseburgers…"

Ron Dayne, former Wisconsin Badger and Heisman Trophy winner, got the crowd’s attention with that line Wednesday night at the Governor’s Red, White & Blue Ribbon Livestock Auction.

Since I attended this year’s auction, I thought it would be fun to give you a look at what the evening entailed, as well as some history about the program.

The Governor’s Auction, held every year at the Wisconsin State Fair, gives Wisconsin youth an opportunity to showcase high quality 4-H or FFA projects. More than 600 state fair junior exhibitors compete with their swine, sheep and beef market animals for a spot in the auction.

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Go team BR! So, what’s the score?

Batter up! The mighty Bader Rutter softball team pulled out all the stops this week when they moved into first place in the league, beating Versant 9-8. Maybe the hundred some-odd BR associates (and families) helped provide the extra encouragement needed to crush the competition.

The only catch, most of the fans didn’t even know what was going on in the game! It seems to be an ongoing joke at our annual BR softball game tailgate party. Supporters come out to watch the game (or just to enjoy the catered food and drink) and their attention wanders.

This video is a glimpse into a BR family function and a fun look at just how engaged BR’s spectators are with the softball game.

Enjoy! And congratulations to our talented softball team!

In golf, Wisconsin has become a "major" state

For Wisconsin golf fans, 1998 was a breakthrough year. It was the first time a major professional championship of any kind was held in our state. The Women’s U.S. Open was held at Blackwolf Run in Kohler. It proved to be a tough venue with Se Ri Pak the winner (in a playoff) after a final score of +6. The next one didn’t happen until 2004, with the PGA Championship coming to Whistling Straits.

Fast forward a decade to today. From 2010 to 2020 there are six majors on the horizon for Wisconsin.

This August, the PGA Championship will take place in Kohler at Whistling Straits. In 2011, the U.S. Amateur is at Erin Hills. In 2012, the Women’s U.S. Open will again be at Blackwolf Run. In 2015, the PGA Championship returns to Whistling Straits and the Men’s U.S. Open will be held at Erin Hills in 2017.

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After Hours: Where passion for sports, writing collide

I grew up in a household where professional and collegiate sports were celebrated year-round. It was football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the summer. Each of the professional teams in Wisconsin — the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks — hold a special place in my heart. The Bucks, Milwaukee’s professional basketball team, have always held the top spot in my personal pantheon of Wisconsin sports, though.

If I had my way, I’d be the starting point guard for the Bucks right now. Unfortunately, my 5-foot-11 frame and lack of elite athleticism have prohibited me from reaching that childhood dream. Fortunately, there are many different avenues available for people such as myself who just want to be involved in sports in some capacity. One of those avenues is writing.

I’ve always enjoyed writing. When I’m not tirelessly writing for our clients, I can usually be found pounding away at the keyboard with my latest thoughts on the Bucks. Thanks to great support from my family, friends and co-workers at Bader Rutter, I was able to win a contest to become the official sixth Fan Blogger for the franchise that has been so near and dear to my heart since childhood.

This opportunity has provided me with the platform to share my opinions with the thousands of Bucks fans in the greater Milwaukee area and beyond. My work can be read at www.Bucks.com.

Good eats!

Recently, the company that publishes all of the city Business Journals around the country ranked major cities on a number of different areas. One was dining. If you don’t live in the Milwaukee area and I asked you where Milwaukee ranked, you probably wouldn’t say #10. But it’s true.  

I may be a little biased, but after traveling around the country for the last couple decades I do believe Milwaukee’s restaurant scene is vastly under-appreciated. There is a huge variety and many different ethnic cuisines. Sanfords has been consistently ranked among the top 50 restaurants in the country, and the chef at Lake Park Bistro received a James Beard award last year. And oh, yeah, the wine lists are pretty good and of course you can always find just a few outstanding beers!

Indeed, you can find more than brats and cheese in Wisconsin. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, we’d be glad to show you around.

They say you are only as old as you feel...

AC/DC’s Angus Young at a recent concert (photo courtesy Yannick Croissant)

There are many ageless wonders out there, but rock bands seem to take the cake. Today, the best selling concert tours are dominated by U-2, the Stones, Eagles and yes, AC/DC.

I had the distinct pleasure of being on the floor for last week’s AC/DC concert in Milwaukee. For mid-50 year old guys, they can still bring it on and bring the house down. After watching Angus Young strut, strum, writhe on the stage and generally go nuts for two straight hours I realized … age does not necessarily matter. You just gotta live with a bit of ringing in your ears for a day or two!

With the right attitude, the right approach and reasonably good health, you can take on the calendar and win. Or, as I heard Tom Brokaw say the other night in a special on baby boomers, “The one common thread you find among boomers is they refuse to get old.”

That’s my story, and I am sticking to it!

Milwaukee, Wisconsin — A healthy place to live

What words come to mind when you think of Milwaukee? Beer? Brats? How about healthy living?

To be honest, health and wellness are not words I would commonly associate with Milwaukee — until now. The Wellness Councils of America, a nonprofit organization promoting workplace wellness, has given Milwaukee a “Well City USA” designation. A recent article on BizTimes.com details the honor, which will enable Milwaukee to take a leadership position as a city committed to improving the health of its workforce. This designation was the culmination of a three-year effort, and is great news for a city that has made it a priority to attract and retain top talent.

On a smaller scale, Bader Rutter is doing its part to promote health and wellness among its employees. Our Wellness Team is helping associates make healthy choices not only at work, but at home. On any given day here at the office you can see Weight Watchers at Work members supporting each other in their weight loss efforts; associates utilizing their lunch hours to learn about health topics like nutrition and strength training; and after-work yoga sessions, soccer matches and softball games.

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Community matters

Community is all around us, from our families to our neighborhoods to our work communities. As a current member of the class of 2009-2010 Future Milwaukee Leadership Program I have had the opportunity to learn more about the great communities that make up Milwaukee.

One of our sessions featured a trip to Brown Street Academy, an MPS School that is taking an alternative approach to school activities with great results. With a fully operating garden that takes up almost an entire block, the children are not only learning how to garden but also about the importance of the environment and eating healthy.

In the same community, just blocks from the school, we were able to see Fondy Food’s Farmers Market. It is Milwaukee’s largest farmers market, and was created in response to a lack of access to healthy food in these types of neighborhoods, and has created jobs in the community as well. It is one of only two farmers markets that accepts food stamps and also teaches nutrition and healthy eating habits to the youth of the community.

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