Over his career, Patrick’s work has appeared in the Communication Arts Advertising Annual, been the recipient of Clios, Pioneers, Halos and ADDYs — however; the accomplishment he is most proud of is the first campaign he ever wrote, long before he had ever stepped foot into an ad agency. It was for a little known (at the time) minor league hockey team in Seattle, called the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Having just graduated from Washington State University and knowing just how tough it is to land a writer’s position just starting out, Patrick formed a pro bono ad club with a few of his friends, filling all the key positions: media, account executive, art director and with him as writer. The group set out to cut their teeth and show off their chops on a an actual account.
The Thunderbird work was named "One of The Decade's 5 most effective ad campaigns" by Media Inc, while the Puget Sound Business Journal awarded it, "The Slogan of The Decade."
While brainstorming potential clients during a sparcely attended Seattle Thunderbird game, the group agreed what a shame it was that more people didn’t know about the hidden gem that was the Thunderbirds. The group decided right then and there that the Seattle Thunderbirds would be the focus of its “pro bono” activities — and Ad Hoc was born.
To introduce themselves to the Thunderbirds, Patrick masterminded a mailer that said, “Wouldn’t Hockey be a better sport without all the painful checks?” Upon opening the piece, the marketing director is presented with a check for $120,000 addressed to Ad Hoc, with the caption: “This is one check you won’t have to make.” Followed by copy describing the group's intentions of creating a campaign for the team at no cost to them.
The ploy worked. The team gave us $70,000 to work with, and by the time the season opener came around, Patrick had written one of the year’s most memorable radio spots, been honored by the Puget Sound Business Journal with having penned “The Slogan of The Decade,” , and credited with crafting “ One of the decades five most effective ad campaigns,” by Media Inc.
Ad Hoc’s campaign for the Thunderbirds was so successful, the team moved its home-opener from the puny Seattle Center Arena to the much larger xxxxx-seat Seattle Center Coliseum, which quickly sold every seat in the venue, leading to the biggest audience ever to attend a Western Hockey League game, a sold out season, and record season ticket sales.
The phenomenal success of Ad Hoc’s campaign and its team of fledgling ad execs lead to the Puget Sound Business Journal writing a feature front page expose on the group, you can read here.
