For over 30 years, Joe Locher has created lyrical and emotional messages for clients who require a reverential connection to their audience. He currently runs a company called “Lyrical” to this end.

From 1995 - 2011, Mr Locher operated The Yes Men Corporation, a zero-overhead "anti-agency" which created branding, multi-media, and guerrilla campaigns for clients in the law enforcement, public health, health care, insurance, telecom, education, sports and entertainment industries. Projects have varied in scope from multimillion dollar TV campaigns to re-naming and brand identity programs. Clients have ranged from corporations with 100,000 employees to entrepreneurial start-ups. Tactics have ranged from four-minute broadcast films to grass-roots citizen movements, and once, even a business card printed in invisible ink. (The ink was flame-activated – holding a match to the card revealed the company name, Conspiracy Films.) Another time, he redesigned the logo and uniforms of a minor league hockey team, resulting in a 22% increase in attendance, and a 600% increase in apparel sales.

In addition, Mr Locher currently serves as partner in a storytelling consultancy called Thundermaus, as Marketing Director/equity partner of a mechanical cufflink company called HollenWolff, and equity partner of an innovative bra company called Vibrant.

Outside of advertising, Mr Locher creates in a variety of mediums including short films, poetry, woodworking, architecture and interior design. He wrote three short films about survivors of Hurricane Katrina which were broadcast during HBO’s Comic Relief 2006 special. The films featured voiceovers by Billy Crystal, Jeffrey Tambor and Rebecca Romijn.

Prior to inventing his “anti-agency,” Mr Locher spent 12 formative years at traditional agencies Frankenberry Laughlin & Constable, William Eisner, and as Vice President/ Creative Director at McDonald Davis. Before deciding that advertising award shows were pointless, his work was internationally honored 33 times between 1990-94, including three CLIO Awards. Overall, his campaigns were judged Best-Of-Show nine times in various regions of the country. From 1984 to 1995 he also won over 100 ADDY Awards from the Milwaukee Advertising Club.

Mr Locher has taught the art of television advertising at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and is a 1984 graduate of Marquette University. His “Monks” commercial for Merle Harmon’s FanFair (1990) was one of seven inaugural spots inducted into the Wisconsin Advertising Hall of Fame. He is a collector of urban art and classic hot rods, and was inducted into The Advertising Softball Hall of Fame in a 1998 ceremony in Las Vegas.