Claim to fame

At the agency’s 2006 internal awards, Blenkhorn was acknowledged by clients such as Ferrero, Mattel and Kimberly-Clark, media vendors and the agency for her high-quality work. She also took home awards for integration and for creative use of media. And in a farther-reaching nod, a number of the campaigns she worked on are being considered by clients for rollout across the U.S.

On a Huggies diapers campaign for Kimberly-Clark, Blenkhorn added a Gymboree element to the brand’s existing sponsorship of Movies for Mommies, where moms can go during the day to see a film and bring their baby with them. Having Gymboree come in once a month before the show to do a free half-hour class was designed to build on the essence of the Huggies brand, the bonding between mom and her child. The campaign involves broadcast, sponsorship, magazine, online and interactive components.

Background

Blenkhorn’s interest in advertising and art led her to Sheridan College, where she did the one-year art fundamentals program before taking the advertising program. She wanted to focus on media, and right out of school joined FCB as a media assistant, where she stayed for four-and-a-half years. She moved to MindShare about 18 months ago.

POV:

What brand is getting it right?

I think Huggies because they have such clear knowledge of who their target is. They have so much information on today’s mom that they relay back to us. We then provide further insights on how moms behave in the marketplace and how they consume media so we get a really good understanding of who we are targeting. They also really know what their brand stands for and how they want the target to interact with their brand. It makes my job more interesting, and easier to focus in on the specific opportunities and environments that really make sense.

What common industry belief should be trashed?

There seems to be hesitation on the part of suppliers to take risks when it comes to non-traditional ad units. You might have a great idea that’s a great fit for your client but the vendor may be unwilling to do it. And a lot of times the vendors charge a premium to do things a little bit differently, so then it becomes cost-prohibitive.