Each week, The Examiner showcases an advertising campaign by a local company.

Client: Mint.com

Job: Consumer-generated media campaign Web site

Agency: Red Bricks Media

Principals: Ed Kim, CEO; Beth Morgan, VP of Operations; Craig Hordlow, Chief Search Strategist

Other clients: Hearst Magazines, CA / Wily

Creative team: Theresa Lee, creative director, Jerry Hong, lead web developer, Bain Smith, lead copywriter, Jessica Zak, copywriter

The plan: Red Bricks Media would design a contest microsite on behalf of Mint.com. The contest would feature two areas: user-generated videos, and written stories relating tales of holiday spending excess, woe and debt.

The theme: The mission of Mint is to help users achieve responsible money management. The contest site was developed with a look and feel that underscores Mint’s friendly nature and desire to help the general public get a better grip on its finances.

The concept: The contest is aimed at a younger generation of user-generated media enthusiasts and gets an assist from various forms of social media — external social bookmarking, commentary, share with a friend feature, rating and scoring systems — to generate interest and signups for Mint’s valuable free financial organization service.

THERESA LEE

Age: 27

Position: Creative director

Education/background:

» Was named creative director of Red Bricks Media in 2006. Her experience in branding, direct marketing, new media, buzz and Web development led to the acquisition of clients such as Wells Fargo, Microsoft and THQ. Won six Addys in 2006 and three more awards in 2007 from the Create, Creativity and the Star Alliance competitions.

» BFA in graphic design from Indiana University.

What drove your development of the concept? Mint makes money management fun and easy. People actually want to tell friends and family about using Mint because it turns something boring and onerous into something altogether new and better. The contest was a great vehicle to build on the buzz around Mint. We wanted to create a site that allowed users to tell their stories about spending too much during the holiday season. The copy tone is friendly, jocular and sympathetic, much like the easy-going, consumer-friendly identity Mint has carved out for itself through external communications.  

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