Channel your inner Princess Leia with this ear-warming ‘do for a look that’s tres chic! Slip on a pair of earmuffs, wind your locks around your ears, and no one will know it’s not a headband! HINT: a glob of glitter and a couple bows will give it even more pizazz!

And you thought “deep Vs” were only for t-shirts! With a pair of fabric shears, cut a “deep V” into each end of your scarf for a necktie that screams fabulous.

You will own the ice with a pair of these sky-scraping beauties! Hammer a few metal spikes to the toe and heel, and ankle-breaking wipeouts are a thing of the past.

Hey guys, is your outfit not “suited” for this year’s cold weather? Staple a pair of coattails to any winter jacket for a sharp cut that’ll keep you warm all night.

Sure, tube socks are great for shooting hoops and accentuating your hightops, but did you know that with a couple quick snips of a scissors, you can have a pair of thumb-less evening mittens? Who knew?!

Fearing your clunky snow stompers are a far cry from fashionable? A little white-out and Viola! A snow proof pair of wingtips!

As if letterpressing the labels and the cork weren’t enough, we decided that it would be a great idea to wrap the gifts (Furoshiki style) and spray on a hand-cut stencil. Over zealous? Maybe. Time consuming? Certainly.

But, in the end we think it was time well spent.

EG Integrated won first place in the Single Page Ads, Series category for its “Compass” and “Weathervane” print ads (shown below).

The ads, which depict the uniqueness of farming in the Western Corn Belt, were created by EG Integrated for its client, Hoegemeyer Hybrids of Hooper, Nebraska.

Accepting the award on behalf of EG Integrated was Senior Account Executive, Lynnette Roxburgh.

Congrats to everyone at EG Integrated and Hoegemeyer Hybrids for collaborating on these award-winning ads.

The final product: EG's 2011 Holiday Cards!

This year, the EG team wanted to show our clients and friends just how much we genuinely care with our 2011 holiday cards. There seemed to be no better way to prove our appreciation than to craft each card by hand. So, armed with a Master Printer letterpress, some handmade seeded paper from Porridge Papers, a grommeter and a few bottles of wine, we got to work.

Taylor, a copywriter, and Kelsey, an art director teamed up to conquer the task. Their goal was to create a beautiful, heart-felt card with a fresh message that truly reflected our agency’s values. After many brainstorming meetings, the two finally settled on the card’s greeting, “Grow Merry.”

To really bring this message home, they chose to print the greeting on “seeded paper.” This particular stock contains tiny seeds that are pressed into the paper when it is produced, so when the paper is planted in the ground, it will sprout wildflowers.

We contacted the fine folks at Porridge Papers in Lincoln, Nebraska, who supplied us with the handmade seeded paper. The thick, “ecotan-colored” paper arrived pre-cut into 4×6 postcards.

After creating the card’s design, Kelsey shipped it off to Boxcar Press, a major pre-press and platemaking shop for letterpress printers. When the custom letterpress plates finally arrived from Boxcar, it was time to break out the press.

Kelsey mixes green and yellow inks to create EG's signature green color.

Once five o’clock rolled around, two weeks before Christmas, the team converted the south side of the office into a letterpress studio. Kelsey, owner of the press and the agency’s letterpress aficionado, mixed green and yellow inks together until the perfect “EG green” was achieved. The green ink was then rolled onto the plastic plate and the card was placed facedown on the press. Once the card was perfectly aligned, a steady-hand was needed to physically roll the press over the card.

The two inked and pressed through many, many hours, episodes of Parks and Recreation and glasses of wine…

A few glasses of wine and several episodes of Parks & Rec really helped to pass the long nights on the letterpress.

When they finally finished letterpressing the cards, it was time to grommet them, which was done using a very handy tool called a “Crop-A-Dile.” After grommeting, the card’s tag was attached using a ball chain.

Nearing completion, the two-piece cards were inserted into handprinted black envelopes and stamped with a bronze “Genuine EG” rubber stamp.

Taking over the office with holiday cheer!

Kathy, another art director, designed the custom EG postage stamp, and the cards were finally ready to be mailed.

It turns out that hand-printing 250 cards is quite the task, but in the end…it was all worth it!

From all of us at EG Integrated, cheers to a genuinely fresh new year!

The actual card has wildflower seeds embedded into the paper. Unfortunately, pine cone seeds were a bit too large to use : )

Ken Wurdeman, Director of Public Relations

One of the key public relations services EG Integrated provides its clients is media distribution, monitoring and analysis.

EG Integrated partners with Universal Information Services for client news monitoring, research and media analysis. Universal is based right here in Omaha, Nebraska, and has been in the media monitoring business since 1908.

Universal has done a great job keeping up with the latest technology and is one of only a few companies who can provide media monitoring solutions for all media, including print, broadcast, web and social.

Smartwire

EG Integrated clients get free access to Universal’s media contacts and releasing service—Smartwire. We handle it all for you, from writing the press release, to building your media lists and distributing and tracking the release.

Using SmartWire, we can help you find key media contacts (including bloggers and other social media influencers), organize them into specific lists and distribute media releases to those recipients. We also use SmartWire to track your distribution and provide executive media analysis reports for your C-suite.

BBC-TV

Finally, we use Universal Information Services to monitor your media coverage. Recently, we helped a client with an interview for BBC TV, which reaches tens of millions of viewers around the world.

Universal provided us with professional monitoring of the broadcast and DVD copies for the client.

EG Public Relations Contact

To learn more about EG Integrated’s comprehensive line of professional public relations services, contact Ken Wurdeman in Omaha at ken@egintegrated.com.

No advertising and marketing agency is born knowing how to speak “irrigation.” It’s a language that’s learned through experience.

The members of our team have been working with agricultural and landscape clients for over 25 years. From pivots to pumps, we know the industry inside and out. And we get the chance to put it into practice daily, working with clients based out of rural Nebraska and companies with offices around the world.

EG Integrated. We understand irrigation. And no matter what you do, or where you are, we understand you too.

For more information, call Bill Ervin now at 402-614-3000 or check us out in more detail.

Fortun, who will be working on account services and business development at EG Integrated, has more than 15 years of experience in marketing, account management and media sales including television, radio, outdoor, yellow pages and online. She previously worked at Yahoo! and Dex One. A Nebraska native, Fortun received her degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Carter joins EG Integrated as a copywriter and production artist/coordinator. A graduate of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with a degree in advertising, Taylor previously worked at FuzionPoint Marketing and Midtown Neighborhood Alliance in Omaha.

“EG Integrated is excited to welcome Taylor and Lesley to the team,” said Tom Ervin, Principal and Creative Director. “Their combination of account management skills, creativity and integrated marketing experience will contribute greatly to the success of our clients’ advertising and marketing goals.”

About EG Integrated

EG Integrated is a full-service advertising, branding and public relations agency located in Omaha, Neb. Founded by veteran creatives Bill and Tom Ervin, the agency specializes in brand development and strategic marketing initiatives. EG Integrated’s client roster includes international, national and local companies active in agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, technology, and other business sectors. Visit our website for more information.

Lesley Fortun

Taylor Carter

Adams was recently appointed as a parent representative for a three-year term on the Council. Adams’ 6-year-old daughter, Addison, was born with Down syndrome and a rare heart condition called Atrioventricular Septal Defect. Due to Addison’s heart defect, she must rely on a feeding tube for her main source of nutrients three times a day and must see a physician and cardiologist annually for her condition.

“Addison has been my miracle child since the day she was born, even though she lives with a serious heart condition and Down syndrome she is a happy and vibrant 6-year-old who enjoys life to the fullest,” says Adams. “I couldn’t be more honored to serve on the ECICC and help children, like Addison, advance their education.”

The ECICC meets four times per year and advises and assists with the Early Intervention Act and Quality Child Care Act of Nebraska and its requirements. The council also works toward meeting federal requirements of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act for Nebraskan children.

Along with being a part of the ECICC, Adams is involved in several Down syndrome support organizations in the Omaha metro area. He has also helped start the Omaha chapter of Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome (D.AD.S), a support group for dads of children with Down syndrome.