The Dutch Stutter Foundation asks us to be patient
We love when design is key in effective communication. And it’s definitely a plus when it delivers social responsible content.
So, of course, we love this billboard set in Amsterdam by agency Y&R Not Just Film —with the collaboration of out-of-home advertising company JCDecaux— for the Dutch Stutter Foundation
It’s clever, visual, simple, and contains a powerful message.
Twitter vs. Facebook – By the Numbers.
In the daily rush of social media we often can’t see the big picture. We can’t see just how many people are involved in these online tools. And we can’t see just who they are. Well the big picture just got a little clearer thanks to the folks at Digital Surgeons. Read the rest of this entry »
The Future of Advertising Isn’t Advertising – by William Owen
An excellent post from William Owen of Made by Many the covers his recent presentation at the APA International Content Summit 2010.
…advertising is losing its dominant place at the centre of communication between brands and customers; its influence is waning and it’s under attack: there’s a big shift happening and awareness of this is moving mainstream. This talk asks: Why? And what does the new model look like?
Fifteen years ago when I started in design and advertising every agency was busy naming its proprietary process for branding, positioning, research, etc. They all had self-important names like Brand Truth Discovery Process and a cool flow chart to go with it. At the time I didn’t understand what the hell those agencies were talking about and I didn’t understand why it had to have a name. Some would say we’ve evolved past those chest puffing days—others, like the Ad Contrarian, would disagree. But either way, I’ve come to understand why agencies do it. Hell, I’ve even named some of my own creative frameworks. (You’ll read about the Marketing Ecosystem in a future post.) They do it for one simple reason: it’s easier to sell it when its real. Read the rest of this entry »
Hero, NetNewsdesk and ARCADIS Win Gold at the AMA Peak Awards.
Last night Hero and our client ARCADIS won a gold at the AMA Colorado Peak Awards for our GRiP Direct Mail campaign. This is our third award for this work. Thanks to the Hero staff, our client Julie Bowden and our partner Steve Miller at NetNewsdesk.
Previous awards for the GRiP campaign include one for Direct Mail and on for Promotional Product from the Colorado Business Marketing Association.
“Everything is Digital” – @edwardboches
Today I attended day one of a three day workshop at Boulder Digital Works called Making Digital Work. Today’s stellar presentations left me with these thoughts:
Over the past few years advertising agencies have worked to integrate digital and social media capabilities into their service offerings. They even used the phrase integrated marketing to show clients they were smart enough to put all the pieces together—traditional, digital, research, social and pr. Well, those days are gone. Integrated isn’t special anymore, it’s the norm. And digital isn’t a bolt on service. As Edward Boches says “Everything is digital”. No doubt, he’s right.
The word, digital, has come to represent a host of discreet tactics such as websites, video, web apps, mobile and social media. It’s also the glue that connects all elements of a campaign together. Ex. A campaign is begun in social media, anchored by a fan page, supported by a website that aggregates user content, which is published from a mobile app, promoted by paid media (online, tv, print), fulfilled by direct-mail, editorialized by PR and posted back out in social networks. At every point the web, mobile or networked, is the bridge from one point of engagement to another. It’s the feedback loop that rewards users with what Michael Tabtabai calls “digital souvenirs” and it provides the analytics that agencies use to monitor, adjust and evaluate a campaign.
So the question about digital today is not whether to use it, but how to use it. How to express a big idea through the right mix of channels, platforms and technologies. It’s a question I’m hoping my time at the Making Digital Work workshop will answer.
More thoughts tomorrow.
Sanjay Patel Interview from Grain Edit
Catching up on my RSS feeds this morning I came across this interview with Sanjay Patel about his just released book Ramayana: Divine Loophole.
from Grain Edit…
As one of the core legends of Hindu mythology, Ramayana recounts a tale of Rama, a god-turned-prince, and his quest to rescue his wife Sita after she was kidnapped by a demon king. Sanjay is able to breath new life into this 2500-year-old epic tale with over 150 pages of lush, detailed illustrations.
The quality of Sanjay’s work is amazing and the interview provides surprising insights into the personal motivations of a professional illustrator. We’re definitely going to add this book to our studio collection. There is also a limited edition silk screened poster that is signed and still available.
Read the full interview here>>
Find the book here>>
And the poster here>>
Our new freelancing friends often ask us about how much their hourly rates should be. It’s a common dilemma and one that inevitably ends with the phrase “it depends”. Sure there are average rates in the market, a range that collectively we feel the market will bear. But that’s a very localized thing. So much so that across the Denver metro area you’ll find significant differences north to south, east to west.
What everyone should be focused on is find a balance point between the market average and their skills—one that leans toward value for the client. It’s that value quotient that keeps you at the top of the list when clients have new projects. How do you figure out your pricing for new clients? What about repeat clients? What about work that comes to you through other freelancers?
Today Seth Godin takes and interesting view on issues around these questions in his post Open Buying and Open Selling.
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