Marketing Monday

This week's column celebrates Apple, an incredibly innovative company from advertising to technology to industrial design.
The Evolution of Apple Advertising by LinkedIn.

Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current and find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

Marketing Monday

Double Entendre

Stripped-down advertising, no graphics (or clothing) required. Love it! Proof that good writing is important in an advertisement so appreciate your Writers!


"double entendre" at Wikipedia

Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current and find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

ROM "travel" ad

To lure the local public to permanent exhibits at the ROM, I proposed a mimic of the common travel ads found in newspapers. I developed the concept, wrote, and designed the ad.

Marketing Monday

Scratch 'N' Sniff
Brilliant use of old-school marketing in a technological age. 'Nough said.


Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current and find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

Marketing Monday

'Passion' for Selling Soap
In the mall recently, my niece needed to make an emergency pit stop. As the devoted Auntie, I made the obligatory overtures to my sister who was more than busy enough with my nephew, then hurriedly carried the leg-pinched little lady to the potty.

With great relief that the timing worked out (anyone who's ever rushed a kid to the bathroom knows what that means), but a new anxiety to complete our shopping before our window of opportunity was lost (anyone who's ever shopped with a kid knows what that means) we exited the stall for a quick hand-washing at the sink. Here's what we found there...

Brilliant! Fruits & Passion had filled the soap dispenser with lovely, fruity suds that made all my worries wash away.

I was so impressed that I sought out the Fruits and Passion store in the mall, let them know how much I liked their idea and left the store with their product as a reward (for me as much as them). This is smart marketing: their product in a room that almost every shopper is going to visit and they didn't even have to pay rent for the space. Kick-ass idea.

Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current and find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

What is a full-service advertising agency?

Written by Choleena DiTullio of Demand Studios for publication on Answerbag.com. The published article at Answerbag.com.

A full-service advertising agency is a business specializing in the complete promotion of its clients. The agency can produce all types of advertising products and services from printed signs to television advertisements.

Brand Development
Brand development includes everything from deciding on the design of a logo to developing a family look for all promotions.

Research and Conceptual Development
Research includes a period of discovery where the agency learns about the client, its goals, its products and its audience. The agency will write a comprehensive marketing plan from the information gathered. Conceptual development includes brainstorming advertisement ideas and testing those ideas in a focus group.

Audio/Visual Components
A/V components include radio and TV. ads as well as soundscapes, multimedia and video components used within websites and trade show booths.

Printed Materials
Printed materials include a wide variety of items: billboards, brochures, business cards, trade show booths and all types of printed signage.

Electronic Marketing
Electronic marketing includes websites, mailing lists, social media (blogs, Facebook Groups, Twitter streams) and other electronic-based promotional methods.

Public Relations and Communications
Their services can also extend to Public Relations and Communications, supplying speech writing and a direction for all modes of public communication of a company.

More Information:
Saatchi & Saatchi
BBDO Worldwide
Ogilvy & Mather

International Award-Winner!

Modern-day Alchemy — turning Green to Gold!

I'm pleased to announce that some environmentally-friendly signage I produced has won two international awards. I succeeded in coming up with the biggest (and cheapest!) promotional sign that the Cape Jourimain National Wildlife Centre has ever had. Using natural elements only, I advertised the web address of the area with seaweed that had washed up on shore. The bird, eel and shell let the audience know that the area is known for its nature. The “sign” was 96 feet long and could be seen by the famous Confederation Bridge to PEI (taking advantage of their traffic) and Google satellites. The URL lets the world know where to go for information on this striking locale.

The two awards received:
Silver
Summit International Awards
Category: Integrated/Mixed Media Advertising Campaigns
Guerrilla Marketing Campaign
Client: Cape Jourimain Nature Centre
Project: 96-foot long URL on beach

Gold
Summit International Awards
Category: Advertising; Outdoor
Client: Cape Jourimain Nature Centre
Project: 96-foot long URL on beach

It's the Silver award that I'm most proud of. It's an award that the SIA just launched. The category is "Guerrilla Marketing Campaign" and the kind of work that falls into it includes some of the least expensive approaches to advertising. I figure I had a lot of competition!

The Summit International Awards has established itself as one of the premier arbiters of creative excellence in the world of marketing. The international panel of judges includes high-ranking professionals from Ogilvy B2, Saatchi&Saatchi, and Stellar Debris. They receive thousands of submissions annually from over 24 countries.

• Summit International Awards
• Cape Jourimain Nature Centre (CJNC)
• Tantramar Interactive Inc.
• My CJNC Eco-Arts Visiting Artist profile page

Thanks to all of you —clients, friends, and family— for your continued support. It paid off!

—Choleena

Marketing Monday

New Doritos "Collisions" chips a direct hit
Love the packaging, love the idea and love the two kinds of chips they've put together. Perfect for parties where you know some people like it hot and some not. What a smart, new way to sell two old flavours.

Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current or find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

National Gallery "Canadian" Fundraiser

The National Gallery of Canada's Volunteers' Circle needed to raise funds to launch their outreach program to introduce immigrants who have recently become Canadian citizens to Canadian art. They asked me to write and design a poster that invited their donors to the fundraiser.

At the top of the poster, FUNDRAISER clearly indicates the purpose of the poster.

The headline "It doesn’t get more Canadian than the Group of Seven (or Maple Syrup)" let's people know which food and art are exclusively Canadian; it promises a feast for the taste buds and a feast for the eyes.

Body Copy: Join us at our Maple Sugar Shack Party to raise funds to give New Canadians the introduction they deserve to Canadian Art. Let us treat you to an exclusive talk on how the sap from 1000 trees gets transformed into just 400 litres of maple syrup and the first taste-testing of the season with a golden piece of maple syrup pie. Funds raised will launch our program to help New Canadians become acquainted with some of our sweetest national treasures.

The audience for this poster is the Gallery's group of regular donors. They are art enthusiasts and know that the Group of Seven is a staple of the Canadian art world. This is their chance to proudly introduce immigrants to beautiful Canadian art. Now that's something to be patriotic about!

Design
As red is our national colour, red elements on the poster visually tie together those things that are Canadian. We managed to get usage rights to a famous Group of Seven artwork that features Maple Trees. I superimposed a photograph of a sap bucket to the painted tree. We are literally and figuratively tapping the Group of Seven maple tree and the Donors for the funds needed to bring the outreach program to life.

We produced the poster in both French and English, the official languages of Canada.

Marketing Monday

Even the Biohazard Symbol Needed Design & Marketing

Charles Baldwin, a retired environmental-health engineer, explains his role in developing the biohazard symbol from colour and shape selection to test audiences and "selling" it through scientific journals.

Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current or find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

Marketing Monday

Volkswagen's TheFunTheory.com
An initiative of Volkswagen, TheFunTheory.com is dedicated to the idea that making a task fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. For example, if you want to encourage people to walk more by taking the stairs instead of an escalator, turn the staircase into an operational piano keyboard. When you walk on the steps, you make your own tune! By making the task fun to do, people will change their behaviour and choose the healthier mode of transportation.

Submissions like that have been sent in from all over the world. They published over 700 ideas a few months ago and they've whittled it down to 11 finalists. Go vote! The winners will be announced on March 29, 2010. They will each receive 2500 Euros in prize money as well as have their idea produced by Volkswagen. Cleverly, the VW logo will appear on all of them!



Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current or find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

Marketing Monday

Small Shop, Big Idea
Originally posted on January 26th as "Give-aways that I will never qualify for...", Pretty Pots Flowers & Gifts' advertisement deserves to be in this column. Read the sign below.

Honestly, in a small town, who doesn't know a Carol or a Cindy? This ad makes the complete town its audience. How many ads can you say you've seen that have found a way to address all age groups and all audiences in an entire town?

Plus, it was done at no real cost! They're using their already-installed marquee sign (clearly visible on Main Street) so the only investment is the cost of the roses. This is significantly cheaper than a media buy.

Small-town thinking made this a brilliant advertisement that, in my humble opinion, a big-city ad agency could not have come up with. Kudos, Pretty Pots Flowers & Gifts!

Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current or find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

Marketing Monday

Keeping Printed News Current

“Mobilize This Digest”, by Financial Post’s paper edition, allows you to receive up-to-date information on an article on your smartphone.

If a paper-edition article includes a barcode, photograph it with your smartphone and immediately be taken to an expanded or interactive (a music video for an article on a musician, for example) article online.

Instructions on how to do it at Nationalpost.com/scanlife



Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current or find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

The Sweetest Little Thing — Worthy Fundraiser

Support galleries and artists at The Sweetest Little Thing (SLT) Art Auction. Come on, it's fun!

• The Sweetest Little Thing
• Art Auction, Cakewalk, Dance
• February 14th
• 7 PM
• Owens Art Gallery, Sackville, NB
• See the artwork and bid online at www.SweetestLittleThing.ca
• Official web site of the Struts Artist-Run Gallery
• Official web site of the Owens Art Gallery

To do my part, I created the 2010 stamp for their ongoing Rubber Stamp Project. This stamp was used on the envelope to call for SLT submissions and related promotions.

The rubber stamp:


Here's what it looks like when it goes through the stamping process:


Creative Rationale for the Stamp
Each year, a member of Struts is asked to create a new stamp. The resulting graphic is a reflection of the Artist's approach to art as well as their response to the theme Sweetest Little Thing.

Personally, I'm a bit of a science fiction movie junkie (thus the 2010 movie reference), I'm a Graphic Designer (thus the adaptation of the movie's poster) and I love a play on words (thus the planet's crescent turns into a croissant, which is the French word for crescent). I think this stamp wraps me up well.

In terms of relating the image to the theme: babies are sweet little things; croissants are sweet little things; the event itself focuses on dessert-type foods; and, the auction takes place on Valentine's Day -- it doesn't get more romantic than French language and food.

Here I've re-used the stamp for the SLT poster:


Creative Rationale for the Poster
As the stamp graphic was meant to be seen only after it had gone through the process of being stamped, people would see a "grunge" version of that graphic. I decided to take the poster in the same direction. All the elements of the poster look like they've been stamped onto it. Some are rough-edged, some are misaligned — all properties of a hand-made stamp project. Adding a red background recalls Valentine's Day.

Animated .gif
Here, I've adapted it to an animated .gif for promotional use on other web sites:




Background on The Sweetest Little Thing
The Sweetest Little Thing is the most important annual fundraising event for The Owens Art Gallery and Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre. Presented in partnership on Valentine’s Day, the Sweetest Little Thing combines a contemporary art auction with a cake walk and dance. The event has become a seasonal highlight for the community, featuring artists, friends and supporters from across the country and beyond. The funds raised go directly to the ongoing programming of the galleries.

Background on The Rubber Stamp Project
The goal - to stamp all outgoing mailings with an artistic image that will intrigue postal workers. The image must fit on a standard #10 envelope and must lend itself well to the mechanics of the stamping process. The image is often related to Valentine's Day since the stamp is launched annually on the mailout containing the call for submissions to The Sweetest Little Thing — a yearly art auction held on February 14th.

Give-aways that I will never qualify for...

Still, brilliant marketing on their part. Kudos.

Holding position #7 out of 700!

OMG! My idea is currently holding position #7 (out of 700) in the online voting!!!

http://www.thefuntheory.com/2009/12/15/lucky-dog-poop-bin

My idea selected by Volkswagen

My "Lucky Dog Poop Bin" idea has been selected as 1 of only 700 world-wide semi-finalists in Volkswagen's "The Fun Theory" competition. Vote for me!

Volkswagen's "The Fun Theory" project is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

A branding program should be designed to differentiate your cow from all the other cattle on the range. Even if all the cattle on the range look pretty much alike."
— Al Ries

J'aime les Jems [sic]

Today I came home to these little treasures...
I love kidsitting. They made everything, including the box! The foam is a chunk of an old memory foam mattress.

And, don't you just love the name of the jewellery business? They created an icon and everything -- it's a complete logo! Awesome.

Visiting Artist at Cape Jourimain's Eco-Arts Festival

Last Fall I was fortunate to be selected as a Visiting Artist at the Eco-Arts Festival at Cape Jourimain Nature Centre. The Centre is located in a 675-hectare National Wildlife Area at the base of the Confederation Bridge in New Brunswick and celebrates the link between natural and human environments. So it’s no surprise that they hold an annual festival that marries art and nature.

Beached
On arrival, the Artists were encouraged to walk the trails and select a location for their “studio”. Like a fish caught in an eddy, I was continually drawn back to the beach. I envisioned numerous artworks all based on the use of the naturally-occurring wrack line of dried eelgrass. As the tide continually reshapes the shore, my intention was to continually reshape the eelgrass during the course of the festival. A rake would be my paintbrush, the seaweed would be my paint, and the beach would be my canvas.

My first artwork was this 18-foot long fish which I entitled Beached. As part of the natural process, animals get beached with the tide. This fish suffered the same fate but at the hands of the artist.

On day two, I breathed life back into that fish and adapted it for a second artwork: a fish that is sneaking up and about to swallow me! I was looking for a way to redefine the wrack line. The natural line of the eelgrass became the waterline of the Northumberland straight. With me swimming along the waterline, half above water and half below, the fish comes up behind me for a chomp.

To photograph the artwork, I needed to get to high ground. The Centre built an Observation Tower for just such viewing.

Peye in the Sky Idea
The Observation Tower’s vantage point gave me a pie (or eye) in the sky idea.

Could these artworks be visible from the satellites used by Google Earth or Google Maps? Their big eye in the sky is a technology whose omnipresence is being exploited for marketing purposes the world over. So, I attempted to write CapeJourimain.ca large enough to be captured by Google Earth. This URL not only names the land but identifies it as Canadian (.ca) and lets people know where to go to find out more information about it. I put a bird, an eel and a snail around the web address to indicate that it's an area rich with wildlife spanning earth, air and water habitats.

The last time the area was photographed by Google seems to have been in 2006 so I was hoping that Cape Jourimain was due for another shoot! I made sure that the web address was above the high tide mark so that it would remain on the beach for a while. I tracked Google Earth for the 3 weeks that the URL survived the elements but it never showed up. If Google did photograph it, it hasn’t appeared on their web site yet.

The web address ended up being about 96 feet long and 12 feet tall. To give you an idea of size, I've included a photo with people in it.


Everyone’s an Art Critic
One of the most interesting things that happened was when a group of shore birds flocked to my upturned seaweed — it must be a source of food for them. By bizarre coincidence, they seemed to prefer the “drawing” of the bird to pick at. I’ve worried about critics tearing apart my art but never birds!

The Challenges of an Outdoor Studio
Producing the works had its challenges. Creating something so large (for example, the largest letters in CapeJourimain.ca were 8 feet by 12 feet) introduced the problem of perspective. Viewing it from high above and from different angles stretched and warped it. I had to run back and forth to the platform of the beach's stairs between forming each letter to see what tweaking it needed. The letter that was furthest away ended up being extremely warped from the beach but looked perfect from the tower.

Photographing the work was interesting, too. I photographed it from the tower but to get a closer view of it, I ended up borrowing a huge ladder from the facility. Not only was it difficult to find sure footing in loose sand but the wind took the ladder out several times in the attempt! After several tries and with the help of fellow artists and the festival coordinator, I got the shot that I was hoping for.

And then there was the shear physical aspect of it. For example, using a rake all day is nothing like using a paint brush all day. I quickly learned that gloves, rubber boots and a strong garden rake were essential and that flipping seaweed to air-dry overnight meant much lighter work the next day. My arms got a workout that weekend!

A Thoroughly Enjoyable Experience
The Cape Jourimain staff were super. Their leadership and assistance was wonderful and the food was amazing; much of it organic, all of it local.

Working all morning and all afternoon in our own "environment", then breaking for coffee or lunch to bring the artists and staff together allowed us to talk about the day's accomplishments and the impact that working outside had on our approach to art-making. This wall-less studio takes down many barriers; the fear of people seeing my work mid-production was a big one for me.

During the festival, visitors were really engaged. We talked about the act of creating art since most visitors were finding the artists part way through the creation of an artwork rather than with finished works. It was more like a studio tour than a gallery tour... the world's largest and most freeing studio! A few asked me if my communication on the beach was a sort of S.O.S. By the end of the weekend, I'd perfected an answer "Yes, a form of communication but the exact opposite of an S.O.S. in that I DON'T want to be found!"

• My CJNC Eco-Arts Visiting Artist profile page