Here's your Mad Men Style Guide!

In preparation for next week’s MB Sweet 16 {Mad Men Style}, we thought we’d take a minute to talk about Mad Men Style. Everyone at the office took the Which Mad Man Character are you? quiz in order to familiarize ourselves with the evening ‘dress code’ (optional for guests, but highly recommended!). The results? Surprising! Take it for yourself here.

Betty

The most lady-like of the bunch, she is rarely seen inanything but a full skirt, and a great piece of costume jewelry around herneck. The length hits her just below theknee (did we mention she’s a full fledged lady?) and the print is usually asophisticated floral. Want to try thislook for yourself? Betty Draper’sevening style is diamonds, silk and full organza skirts! Who’s the Betty at MB? You’ll have to RSVP tosee!

Joan

This feisty character isn’t shy about her assets. Trying the “Joan” look is as easy as findinga curve accentuating sheath dress, adding a brooch and a belt to cinch thewaist. The polar opposite of Betty, Joanis drawn to solid colours and figure flattering silhouettes. You’ll never guess which one of us is theoffice Joan!

Don

Don is the modern classic, his suits are fitted but notovertly tight. His colours are muted butcertainly not boring, his ties are powerful but not overpowering. If you’re the “Don” type, all you need is agrey suit, a pocket square, and a {thin} charcoal tie. Don’t forget the slicked back hair with theside part.

Pete

Pete: The young go-getter at Sterling Cooper. His suits match his voracity and drive. They’re modern, slim cut and he usually addsa youthful twist via colour. Even thoughhis look is monochromatic, Pete manages to stand out. He matches his tie colour to his suit,usually a shade or two off and pulls off a certain youthful refinement. Ifyou’re used to gray, try a peacock blue - you’d be surprised at how classicthis look can be! To finish off the slimtailoring, add a tie clip, fedora and you’re in business.

Paul & Harry

Paul and Harry are the fashion curve-balls in theoffice. Often seen with bow ties,cardigans and a mixture of tweeds as opposed to the traditional suit, these twowere classic and retro even in the 1960s. Paul is often seen in separates: cardigans mixed with brown slacks ortweed sports coats paired with khakis, while Harry swears by pocket squares andbow ties.

Roger

And then we have Roger: the man {in our opinions} of thehour. He oozes power, charm and eleganceand there isn’t a single soul that would say ‘no’ to him {except of course, Ms.Joan Holloway}. Roger keeps hiscolouring bright and light. He is oftenseen in a 3 piece suit with a vest and a tie that is most likely Hermes andeven manages to look incredibly masculine with that pinky ring - no easyfeat! If you’re like Roger, qualityisn’t something you’d be skimping on. Totry this look out, go for a classic gray slim cut suit with a vest, and try atie in a complementary tone, like a buttery yellow with a paisley pattern. The key to this look? Upper-crust eleganceand nonchalant confidence.

We're beyond excited to try out these looks at the office. If full fledged costume isn't your cup of tea, a simple fedora for the gentlemen in the crowd or a string of pearls for the ladies will suffice! Our Sweet 16 is going to a celebration in true Mad Men style {and rest assured, Manhattans will be served!}

{To find these looks locally, check out Ragtime Vintage on Bank & Flora or Banana Republic - currently promoting a Mad Men inspired collection. Your local Value Village will have tons of 60s accessories, such as ties, pearls and costume jewels for you to choose!}

Mad Men vs. MB...Which Character Are You?

As we started planning our birthday party, we could think of no better theme than Mad Men. Times certainly have changed, but like the crew on Mad Men, you won’t find a more passionate group of marketing professionals than our team at MB! The party is in 2 weeks and the countdown is on. Sterling Cooper Draper Price (creative ad. agency depicted on Mad Men) and MB share few similarities. While you won’t see us smoking at our desks or sipping scotch between meetings (luckily, these are taboos of the past), we can certainly pat ourselves on the back for the campaigns we’ve created. S.C.D.P. sells lifestyles, their approach is to convince you to purchase a product and convert you into a customer. Our approach at MB is a little different. We want to showcase and highlight the features and benefits of a product and/or service and we specialize in dealing with family owned, mid sized, owner managed companies. But we do share their enthusiasm for all things marketing and advertising!

Below the cast of Mad Men and the team at MB

What can you expect? Our guests can enjoy dressing up in a 60s style while being serenaded by contemporary jazz and stunning hors d’oevres are served up. If you aren’t familiar with the show or style, stay tuned for upcoming blog posts and style tutorials. We were looking for an excuse to wear fedoras to work, what will you wear to celebrate our birthday?

Would you like more information on our Sweet 16 extravaganza? Contact our Marketing Assistant, Justyna at Justyna@marketingbreakthroughs.com

Time to Celebrate as MB Turns 16!

Have you heard? MB is turning 16! Its time to put on our party hats, loosen our ties and celebrate 16 wonderful years in business. We’re throwing ourselves an exclusive, invite-only “Mad Men” themed party at the end of September to ring in a new chapter in the history of MB. Are you on the guest list? (For media inquiries, please email Justyna Baraniecki: justyna@marketingbreakthroughs.com)

Over the course of these last 16 years, we’ve had the privilege to work with so many incredible clients, create unforgettable full-service, integrated ad campaigns, and produce 6-star events. We’ve seen the Ottawa landscape of advertising and marketing change and have been honored with awards from our peers and contemporaries. This is really our chance to thank our supporters, clients and partners for believing in the spirit and culture at MB that we value so highly as we take our business to the next level.

What can you expect? Live entertainment, 60s themed cocktails, media showcase, delicious hors d’oevres, all in a Mad Men/MB setting. Expect to be wowed, dazzled and captivated! We look forward to celebrating with you and stay tuned for more exciting updates!

If you’re new to our blog, check out our highlight reel and visit us at http://www.marketingbreakthroughs.com.

Oh How Times Have Changed... A Look Back To the Early Days of the Internet

Oh how times have changed! In the MB lunchroom today we were sharing stores about which smart phone was the best bang for your buck - the Blackberry users pitted against the iPhone users and the small but proud folks from team Android voiced their opinions.

How lucky we are to live in Canada in 2011 where we can have arguments about which smart phone is better. Which one has better email and internet functionality in the palms of our hands.

Think back to 1994 and 1995 when "the Internet" generated excitement. This clip from MTV in 1995 sums up some of the excitement and uncertainty surrounding this new technology:

Wow.

Just. Wow.

Some of the statistics in this video are staggaring: "10 million active users in 1995" and "30 million users" overall. Our favorite two segments are Coolio saying "if you're not on the information superhighway then where are you?" and Dave Matthews talking about bootleg tapes and music distribution as good publicity.

Compare that to a few major news events in the future like Napster (getting sued by Metallica and Dr Dre in 2000 and various others in subsequent years) and Google+ seeing exponential growth (30 million active users in one month). There's also Facebook which recently hit 750 million active users.

Speaking of the "Home Computer Movies" that the reporter scoffs at in this MTV video, "Charlie Bit My Finger" has over 384 million views on YouTube.

So a lot of what we speculated in 1995 (modems??) were removed from the internet landscape and much of what we expected to happen didn't happen as anticipated. Despite this, many of the predictions are correct. Virtual reality (the Sims, Farmville) and the need to connect (social media, Twitter, Facebook) have remained true.

Sure, your favorite artist may not do a "Simulcast" anymore and it's not breaking news when David Bowie decides to try sending an e-mail for the first time, but there is still excitement when celebrities do things online (most notably when they say something ridiculous - Kenneth Cole, I'm looking at you) and every time a new social network is released (Google+) there is some buzz and excitement from the online community.

One of the greatest parts of the Internet (and technology) it its ability to constantly evolve and change. What does the future have in store? What can we expect? It's hard to speculate but it will undoubtedly be as exciting as when the "Information Superhighway" first started taking on passengers.

Comment below and let us know what you think!

For one more clip of how easily the Internet baffled folks in the early 90s, check out this clip: