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What is an Annie-Board?

Posted on March 25, 2021May 4, 2021 By Hey You

Previ­ously I wrote how it was in the past, when a phar­ma­ceu­tical company’s product repre­sen­ta­tives intro­duced their full line of prescrip­tion medica­tions — only to doctors or medical teams. (No print ads or TV spots to the public.)

In the years 1987 – 1997, I was free-lancing for a medical adver­tising agency in San Fran­cisco: Vicom and Asso­ciates that became FCB Health­Care. They would create the promo­tional campaigns for each of their phar­ma­ceu­tical clients. The campaigns would include many plans that were presented by the agency’s exec­u­tives, creative team and product manager. Some of the presen­ta­tions were very exten­sive. The promo­tional ideas and sequencing were so complex that the agency asked me to draw their plans on the largest (19”x 24”) layout pad. I needed to arrange the lettering that fit with the art. The layouts were then mounted on foam-core board. If plans were changed, I could posi­tion my new art and new copy on the already mounted board, slice around the subject with my X‑Acto® knife, pull up the old and attach the new correction.
There were times when the large number of these presen­ta­tion boards stretched far down the hallway from my room. Often the work was well into the night before the boards were to – – fly across country or arrive here in the SF Bay – – the following morning. The agency’s team for that client would present the boards, which helped visu­ally, as they verbally offered the agency’s plans. Also the boards were an easy refer­ence after the initial conference.

Here are exam­ples: One shows a trade-show exhibit idea. (Trade shows were prof­itable expo­sures for the phar­ma­ceu­tical prod­ucts.) A Xerox copy is all that I have of the colorful board for the Aleve ® file folder.

SeminarCocktail-Reception-Tennis
SeminarCocktail-Reception-Tennis 
Aleve-Launch
Aleve-Launch 
ALLERGAN-Oflox-Seeding-Trial
ALLERGAN-Oflox-Seeding-Trial 
BETASERON-Items
BETASERON-Items 
BETASERON-Pharm-Give-away
BETASERON-Pharm-Give-away 
BETASERON-Ret-Program
BETASERON-Ret-Program 
BETASERON-Travel-Kit
BETASERON-Travel-Kit 
Genentech 1
Genen­tech 1 
Genentech 2
Genen­tech 2 
HUMANA-INS.Co
HUMANA​-INS​.Co
NAPROSYN-1000-WOW
NAPROSYN-1000-WOW 
NAPROSYN-QD-3D-Mail-Prog
NAPROSYN-QD-3D-Mail-Prog 
Patient-Compliance-Prog
Patient-Compliance-Prog 
Program-Guide-and-Patient-Forms
Program-Guide-and-Patient-Forms 
SeminarCocktail-Reception-Tennis
SeminarCocktail-Reception-Tennis 

These boards, above, were colored or greyed – -with Berol® Pris­ma­color Art Pencils and Art Stiks. For the lettering and line art I used a black, fine line Design® Art Marker.
Below, for this following collec­tion there was no time to add color. These layouts were also created with the same marking pen plus the medium and wedge tips. Black Pris­ma­color Art Stiks were used for some shading.

MS-Case-Studies
MS-Case-Studies 
MS-Wall-Chart.
MS-Wall-Chart. 
MS-Phy-Elec-Counselor
MS-Phy-Elec-Counselor 
MS-PATH-WAYS-Slim-Jims
MS-PATH-WAYS-Slim-Jims 
MS-PATH-WAYS-Care-Management
MS-PATH-WAYS-Care-Management 
MS-MS-Pathways
MS-MS-Pathways 
MS-Mini-Starter-Kit
MS-Mini-Starter-Kit 
MS-Labeling-Packet
MS-Labeling-Packet 
MS-File-Card
MS-File-Card 
MS-Edu-Series
MS-Edu-Series 
MS-Couponing-Program
MS-Couponing-Program 
MS-CD-ROM
MS-CD-ROM 

I worked many years with the creative director and many art direc­tors in the agency as we were producing campaign boards.
One art director moved to another agency and at one point said that she needed ​“Annie Boards”. She later told me that the persons in that other agency asked her: ​“Do you mean animatics? anima­tion?”. She said that she needed ​“Annie-Boards” as are created by Annie!
I don’t know who they found in that agency to do the same kind of presen­ta­tion boards — which would then be called: ​“_ _ ?_ _‑Boards”?
Also, I don’t know how campaigns are created and presented in today’s adver­tising agencies.

Ann Thompson


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