Funny thing--I've never found my job boring. On the other hand, I can be very boring. My thinking can be routine. My opinions can be trite. There are even times when I'm rehashing somebody else's dumb idea. This generally happens on a Monday and on an empty stomach.

The good news is that there are another four days left in the work week to be REALLY INTERESTING!  SPARKLING!  BRILLIANT, EVEN!  WHEN MY MIND IS OPERATING IN CAPITAL LETTERS AND MY PRONOUNCEMENTS CALL FOR MULTIPLE EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!

It seems that the Thalamus and Neocortex regions of my brain really only rev up on Tuesday. In fact, that was the day I came up with Blue Ridge Bank's latest campaign.  I had read the research, boned up on the key strategies, and reviewed the results of an earlier brainstorming session. Thesaurus in hand (yes, I'm old fashioned that way), I ran through the gamut of synonyms and antonyms... not productive. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and Word Menu, generally reliable standbys, did not help. The usual tricks--reshuffling words and phrases, juxtaposing two unrelated ideas, creating portmanteau expressions, visualizing, writing every thought, regardless of merit--were unproductive.

I stood up, walked across to my window, and stretched. Down below, a bicyclist passed...behind him, he had attached a two-wheeled trailer packed with groceries. What a good idea, I thought. Why doesn't everybody do that?

And this idea just lead to another...

We're having a lot of fun with the campaign "It's Always a Good Idea." Thus far, we've rolled out a few different scenarios:

• It's Always a Good Idea to SHOW INTEREST--perfect, we thought, for advertising those high-interest consumer checking accounts.
• It's Always a Good Idea to BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR--a friendly and personal way to promote small business banking.
• It's Always a Good Idea to ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM--a natural fit for athletics sponsorships!

Today, we're on our last day of photo shoots with Shenandoah Valley businesses, which should help us keep the "good neighbor" series fresh.

Below is a recent ad using the messaging:

And here’s a behind-the-scenes look from last week’s shoots with our friend Andrew Shurtleff. (Top: Darrell Hulver of the Page Co-Op Farm Bureau; Bottom: Matt Hammer of Hammer Insurance Agency):