All My Mad Men Dreams Come True

Adify threw a Mad Men party tonight at the west side's Studio 450 that would make Matthew Weiner proud.  Guests were greeted by Joan Holloway secretaries giving out plastic pearl necklaces to the ladies and fedoras for the men.  The loft space was decked out in 50s furniture--oak conference tables, slide projectors, typewriters, whiskey glasses--and the Adify team dressed up pretty well: the men in fitted suits, skinny ties, black-rim glasses, the ladies in pearls, gloves, up-dos and skinny waist belts.  I had on my pearls and red lipstick but my black cotton hoodie sort of ruined the look.

I wonder if all the furniture was rented or purchased...if there is a Rent-a-Mad-Men-Party service that I could call for an event like my birthday.  That would be amazing.  It would be even more amazing if it was FREE... the girl wishes.

Studio 450 is beautiful, two massive floors of open loft space and the roof top overlooks Midtown Manhattan and the New Yorker building.  Views like that remind me why I love New York and the industry I work in.  Just another day in the life of a Mad Woman.

Colors, the Best Place to Throw a Mad Men Party in NYC

Last week, I checked out Colors in NOHO near Astor Place.  Their daily happy hour specials are a steal for New York, $5 calamari, meatballs, cocktails and sangria until 8pm.  If their Happy Hour menu doesn't suit you their signature cocktail list (Passionita, Orange Tricycle) and beer selection won't break the bank either, but the REAL REASON you should check out Colors is for its awesome art deco interior and total Mad Men vibe--velvet booths, marble bar, candle light.  If there was one place Roger Sterling and Don Draper would be caught eating dinner/cheating with their secretaries, it would be at Colors.

The restaurant is right near Astor Wines and Butter at 417 Lafayette Street.  The staff is super friendly and can accommodate parties of any size.  I definitely recommend this place for a Mad Men-themed holiday party or just to burn some of that advertising steam.  You may need to check whether smoking is still allowed though...

Why We Love Don Draper & Now Jon Hamm

photo by AMCTV.com

Don Draper is 'not a good person' yells his secretary Allison (which he slept with) as she storms out on her job in last week's episode, than why is Don Draper, Creative Director of Sterling Cooper Draper Price, still the hottest man on television right now?  

Is it his full chest of chest hair or (I can only imagine) the smokey smell of bourbon and cigarettes from his lips.  Or, maybe it is his charisma and confidence in his work.  I do like the Creative-type.  Better yet, maybe it is his mysterious past as a poor farm boy bastard that makes him lovable.  Whatever the reason, Don is a major dick but we still love him for it.

Don Draper brings back to our televisions the man of the 50s & 60s--fitted suits, clean shaven, perfectly groomed hair--the suave, seductive man my grandfather might have been like when he was courting my grandma.  Like Humphrey Bogart or Larry Hagman, all Don Draper needs to do is look you in the eye, crack a slight smile and your heart will beat a little faster.  It's sex appeal you can't find in today's social-networking, hipster, jesus-hair, bros icing bros society, which is why Jon Hamm who plays Don is a genius.

According to a credible source wikipedia, Jon Hamm doesn't actually smoke real cigarettes during the show (he smokes herbal cigarettes), has been dating the same woman for 10 years and guess what, he loves hockey (St. Louis Blues to be exact)!!  Jon Hamm just topped the hottest man on television by being the hottest man I.R.L. (in real life).  Hamm was at a Rangers game I attended, and I look forward to his upcoming move The Town set in one of my favorite cities Bahstan.  No matter what though, Jon Hamm will always remind me of Don and that is not a terrible thing.

What Would Don Draper Do?

I created a 'WWDDD' poster to remind Ad Men and Women of the glamour, passion and risk-taking that once was an exciting, booming industry. If you ever find yourself in unusual or difficult circumstance, ask yourself: What would Don Draper do?

Click on Image to Enlarge or Print (and post in every corner of your ad agency)

Circumstance: Your office party is serving only cheap, domestic light beer.
WWDDD: Pour a glass (made of pure crystal) of Bourbon from a whiskey collection sitting in your own office/cubicle mini bar.

Circumstance: Your new business pitch totally didn't excite the client.
WWDDD: If your client is a man, take him out for a drink and after talk business. If you client is a woman, take her out to dinner and then get down to business.

Luckily, Don Draper advice is also available @WWDDD or visit whatwoulddondraperdo.tumblr.com or whatwoulddondraperdo.org. Small steps to making Advertising fun and sexy again.

The Mad Marketing of Mad Men

Give it to a show about advertising to be really good at it. Mad Men's Season Three premiere push is going all out with outdoor posters, behind-the-scenes video hosted on the AMC site, MadMenYourself personalized 60's illustration in downloadable icon, fb photo or wallpaper form, Banana Republic partnership and casting call--and now, a full-fledged events calendar for the week of the premiere!

Events include:

• a Video installation about 1960s Advertising at the MAD (Museum of Art and Design)
• 'Drink like a MadMan' specials at different bars in Manhattan
• a Screening Event for the Season Three Premiere where attendees must be decked out in their 'swankiest sixties' attire

This campaign just makes SENSE in every sponsorship, partnership and media channel choice. THANK YOU MAD MEN MARKETERS FOR GETTING IT RIGHT. I've been trying to find out who's responsible for this brilliance, whether it's AMC or an agency. If you know who it is, let me know, so I can write them a love letter.

NYC Picture Post: Mad Men, Underbar + Billyburg

Sorry no witty posts just yet, but enjoy the photo recap of my hectic two weeks in NYC:
I love that NYC is MAD about Mad Men. Check out my post on the new Mad Men Yourself microsite. Below: Mad Men Casting Call + Banana Republic partnership = Genius (too bad I'm' Asian)!

Underbar @ W Hotel in Union Square w/ the Penn kids
View from the top of where I'm staying on the Upper East Side... crazy.
Hipsterville Williamsburg
I miss Comm Ave.
'Forget the Show We're Drinkin', and we did just that.
Sleep time.

MAD MEN Just Got More AWESOME

Now you can create yourself as a Mad Men character through AMC's Mad Men Yourself microsite. Sooo cool. Below is the scene I created. I'm holding a martini glass in a purple dress and cute updo.

Mad Men just gained a kajillion points in coolness, if that's even possible.

Sexy 60s TV

Surprisingly, The Daily Zeny's most popular post to date is the one about 60s illustrator Robert McGinnis and Stella Artois' French Riviera ads. And so, I dedicate this post to two of my favorite television shows that celebrate everything 60s and how you can watch it for FREE online.

I Dream of Jeannie
While other kids watched Reyn & Stimpy and Beavis & Butthead, I was addicted to Nick-at-Nite. I would catch episodes of Bewitched, I Love Lucy and I Dream of Jeannie before bed and never got tired of it. I was even more excited when technology could transform black+white shows into COLOR!!!! But then, I got old and Nick-at-Nite started showing Taxi, The Jeffersons and Family Matters. I stopped watching the channel.
Anyways, I Dream of Jeannie is a mix of comedy, fantasy and the awesome 60s!! Besides her adorable pink genie outfit, Jeannie wears Pucci-esque mini dresses, and Major Nelson is always clean shaven and handsome in his crisp, blue uniform. Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman's chemistry is so genuine that you wish Major Nelson would suck it up and let Jeannie make his fantasies come true.

Lucky for me and you, watch full episodes at Hulu.

Mad Men
I absolutely love AMC's Mad Men, not just because I'm an Advertising junkie, but because the characters in the show drink straight whiskey 24/7 and adulterate like there's no tomorrow. It's definitely not the vibrant I Dream of Jeannie, but it's really well written and acted drama.

If you're an ad person, you'll love the name-bombs (DDB, Y+R) and reminiscing the good 'ole days when advertising could get you a 'summer house'. If you're not an ad person, you'll appreciate the clothes... you never see a man without a suit and tie, a well-fitted suit and tie.
I'm still trying to catch up on season two, but season three starts in August. You can watch full episdoes at SurfTheChannel.