Take advantage of an offer to use FREE ad space in a magazine read by realtors and mortgage loan officers. The sales message our client wanted to pitch was that MidAmerica offered loan officers more support than other banks and therefore more chance of successful closings.

The challenges we faced with this ad began with the budget—there was none. We also had to produce it in one day. So any photos we used had to be available immediately and for FREE! Plus, the client wanted a visual that was edgy and hard-hitting yet still corporate. The quote from Michael Jordan was the key. Since the target audience was younger, type A males working in Chicago, the sports analogy was an appropriate one and the appeal of Jordan to this group was enormous.