Imaginasium

De Pere, Wisconsin, is loaded with advertising professionals. The only thing holding them back from lucrative paychecks is that they’re only 11 years old.

When Imaginasium copywriter Eric Severstad volunteered to discuss the advertising business with Foxview Intermediate School’s sixth graders, he had no idea how sharp they’d be.

“These kids know their stuff. They’re smart, articulate, and creative. I may have provided some insight into the industry, but they impressed me with their ideas,” Eric said. “The slogans they came up with were solid.”

Each class enthusiastically participated in a brainstorming session to create slogans for a fictitious company dreamt up by Eric and his sixth grade daughter, Eva. The company, Monkey Maids, is a home cleaning service consisting solely of primates.

Here are some of the slogans conceived by the kids:
You do the living, we’ll do the cleaning.
We’ll clean your jungle.
Go bananas!
Got monkey?
Swinging and sweeping.
Ninja monkeys at your service.
You fling poop. We clean up.
Swoop the poop.

“Sure, once the poop ideas started coming, it was hard to stop. But, the students used good strategic thinking,” Eric said. “I’ve seen the future of advertising. And, when these kids take my job, I’ll be forced into early retirement.”

Eric’s visit was part of the kickoff to Foxview’s Career Fair, which challenges students to consider how they may make a living in the future. The section wraps on March 7 with each student giving a presentation on the career he/she decided to research.