Through our work with Britax, our shopper marketing agency in Charlotte has gained experience and expertise in the "mom/baby" space. So lately we've been making contact with prospective clients who go to the market through the same channels and have similar target audiences. One such company is Boon Inc. They are commit ed to "... creating nothing but the most innovative gear—and keeping it affordable." And I must say, their design sensibilities are top notch. Every product they produce looks museum quality. The video above shows me feeding my daughter Charlie with a traditional spoon (what a mess!) and then using Boon's Squirt spoon - what a difference. I suspect Boon designed the spoon after hearing from Moms how much of a pain it was to feed kids on the go. So the food itself is contained within a squeezable reservoir in the spoon. For a Dad like me though, it's just means a whole lot less food on my kids face.
Through our work with Britax, our shopper marketing agency in Charlotte has gained experience and expertise in the "mom/baby" space. So lately we've been making contact with prospective clients who go to the market through the same channels and have similar target audiences. One such company is Boon Inc. They are commit ed to "... creating nothing but the most innovative gear—and keeping it affordable." And I must say, their design sensibilities are top notch. Every product they produce looks museum quality. The video above shows me feeding my daughter Charlie with a traditional spoon (what a mess!) and then using Boon's Squirt spoon - what a difference. I suspect Boon designed the spoon after hearing from Moms how much of a pain it was to feed kids on the go. So the food itself is contained within a squeezable reservoir in the spoon. For a Dad like me though, it's just means a whole lot less food on my kids face.
Our family hosts a party each year for the Superbowl so I rarely get a chance to watch the game - much less the commercials - until about the second half. So the morning after I usually catch up on the advertising and marketing highs and lows. Advertising Age posted the commercials here . I didn't see much to rave about this year. How about you? Perhaps the economy is still at an awkward phase and marketers are reluctant to really let loose. This blog post is from birdsong gregory a Shopper Marketing and advertising agency in Charlotte NC.
And that's T as in Tennessee, not Texas.
Just on the other side of the mountains from Charlotte, a group of top executives from some of the world's leading companies — including PepsiCo Americas Foods, Wal-Mart, Nestlé, Kimberly-Clark and The Walt Disney Co. — gathered in Knoxville late last year to help the UT College of Business Administration launch its inaugural Shopper Marketing Forum.
Just on the other side of the mountains from Charlotte, a group of top executives from some of the world's leading companies — including PepsiCo Americas Foods, Wal-Mart, Nestlé, Kimberly-Clark and The Walt Disney Co. — gathered in Knoxville late last year to help the UT College of Business Administration launch its inaugural Shopper Marketing Forum.
UT has two other forums: the Supply Chain Strategy and Management Forum and the Forecasting and Demand Management Forum, both under the umbrella of the Demand Supply Integration Forums. The forums are research-based think tanks that bring UT faculty together with company executives to address key industry issues. Member companies pay a fee to belong to the forums and attend the twice-yearly meetings.
Some of the issues explored at the shopper marketing forum included collaboration among supply chain partners in retail; improved metrics and return on investment (ROI) for marketing initiatives; gaining deeper insights into shopper thinking, behavior and value perceptions; and enhancing shopper experiences through state-of-the-art technology such as social networking and virtual simulations and displays.
For Charlotte advertising agencies, marketing gurus, and designers wanting to brush up on their graphic design knowledge, look no further than Graphic Design, Referenced by Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit. This visual and informational guide covers the most commonly referenced terms, historical moments, landmark projects, and influential practitioners in the field of graphic design. With more than 2,000 design projects illustrating more than 400 entries, it provides an intense overview of the varied elements that make up the graphic design profession.
Not a book nerd? You can get the design scoop and further inspiration from one of the authors himself! Armin Vit is coming to Charlotte on January 28th as part of AIGA Charlotte's Talk About Lecture Series to share with our members his process, learnings, experiences and latest work. The event is open to the public and the design team from birdsong gregory will be in attendance. Hope to see you there!
Add this item to the "are you serious" folder of consumer promotions. This week's Advertising Age highlights how White Castle is offering a reservations-only romantic rendezvous for Valentine's Day.
The chain is marketing a "steamy," "candlelit dinner" of 10 sliders, two 21-ounce sodas and French fries for $10.49, "leaving plenty of room in the budget for flowers, candy and entertainment." Staff will also upload a photo of your "romantic rendezvous" to the White Castle website. The restaurants will also be decked out in "theme" décor
In a statement, Jamie Richardson, White Castle VP-corporate relations, said the Valentine's program has been a "huge hit because a lot of our loyal customers -- fondly known as 'Cravers' -- either met in a White Castle Restaurant or have other enjoyable memories they like to celebrate here.
Indeed last year, White Castle hosted nearly 4,000 couples at 157 locations (the chain has 419). The Louisville, Ky., market even played host to a wedding. Their cake was in the shape of a slider. As a market, Louisville led the pack. Participating restaurants hosted 423 couples and had 110 groups on the waiting list.
Not sure you'll see anyone from our Charlotte advertising agency on the list.
Eat the one you're with! That’s the plan for the state of Louisiana anyway. The Silver Carp has become a big issue here in the US. These fish were originally brought over to the United States to help control algae growth in wastewater treatment facilities but escaped into the wild pretty quickly. These fish grow and reproduce rapidly and have taken over many bodies of water and they frequently starve other species by eating all of the plankton in the water. Not only that, they tend to jump out of the water when disturbed presently a pretty nasty safety issue for people travelling in open boats or on tubes. While I've never experienced it, I can't imagine anything much worse than a high velocity fish to the face.
How does this have anything to do with Shopper Marketing, POS Design or anything else we do here? Well instead of trying to poison the fish or block their movement- they're going to eat them! Described as a taste combining Scallops and Crab Meat, the goal is to get people to like, and subsequently eat more of, this fish. That means there will be naming (Silver fin is what they are calling it), point of sale displays, advertising and all the other good stuff that comes along with selling a new product. When the fate of a body of water is resting on how well a product is recieved, the message and the method become even more important.
We applaud the novel (private) approach to a big problem. Speaking of which- anyone in Charlotte want to start selling those pesky Cankerworms as snacks? Anyone?
There's a funny article in the most recent issue of AdAge Magazine suggesting that advertising agencies are willing to do just about anything to promote their client's brands. It seems that the Dallas Cowboys can't find a naming-rights sponsor for the team's gleaming new stadium -- but the city of Irving, Texas, found one to blow up the old facility.
Kraft Foods is marketing the demolition of Texas Stadium later this spring in a promotion it intends to call the "Cheddar Explosion," tied in with its Kraft Macaroni & Cheese product. The company entered into negotiations with the Irving City Council last month, and the council last week agreed to a $150,000 deal to have Kraft sponsor the implosion. The money will be evenly split -- Kraft will pay the city $75,000 in cash to be distributed by charities selected by the city, and the company will also provide $75,000 worth of its products for other local charities.
With all the historic buildings that Charlotte seems to bulldoze these days, you'd think birdsong gregory should be able to attach one of our clients to an event. Maybe a Bloom Boom?
Photo from Racked.com
Popup shops used to be the domain of seasonal stores selling cheap costumes or tacky holiday gifts but the ever changing world of retail and shopper marketing has turned that on it’s head. Popup shops (where a company takes over an unused space for only a few weeks or months and then closes) have now been used by companies all over the world. Cheap chic retail king Target opened up popup shops for their collaborations with both Steve McQueen and Anna Sui. Likewise, eBay opened it's own popup shop showing off some of the things you could find on the site. These shops are great for testing a new area or launching a new product but their real strength lies in creating buzz around a brand. Giving a consumer an amazing shoppping experience along with a smart product is the ultimate way to earn loyalty and trust. So if you think your brand or product could benefit from a well designed and executed pop up shop, I know a Charlotte Advertising Agency that would be a perfect fit!
Let's look beyond Flight of the Conchords for a moment, shall we?
Hey. They're not exactly British. And they certainly don't sound like us bacon-eating, gun-toting Yanks. Yet shoppers in New Zealand have a lot in common with shoppers in Charlotte, NC – birdsong gregory's traditional stomping grounds.
NZ or USA: we can spot similar retail channels, the same consumption patterns, and a good trend marker of how today's shoppers are generally integrating their online brand experiences with the traditional trip to a bricks n' mortar touchpoint.
Here's a wonderful bit of FREE quantitative research from the (other) land down under.
Every ad agency in town has a different way of coming up with big ideas. Conversely, not every process works as well, and some shops will deliver creative based on little more than what you see below. So if you're a company looking for a reliable, efficacious marketing partner, make sure you look under the hood.
As any good graphic designer knows, the look of a typeface can determine how readers perceive a word or phrase, a brand, or a company. And to fully understand how type works to communicate a marketing message, it helps to know the history of printed characters.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American and European type foundries – where type was designed and cast for commercial and industrial use – churned out thousands of eccentrically decorative typefaces and typographic ornaments, most of it bought by printers.
Back then advertising was a burgeoning industry, and the more outlandish display styles were conceived in equal measure to attract the public’s eye and to distinguish one merchant from the next.
TYPE: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles, Volume I, 1628-1900 is a new TASCHEN collection of exquisitely reproduced pages from an array of lusciously printed vintage foundry specimen books that were used to promote type fonts to commercial printers. Many quirky specimens in this compilation predate the mid-1800s, but most were produced in the second half of the 19th century, when fierce competition among foundries fostered an abundance of smartly designed and ludicrously gaudy faces.
So let's hope Santa is listening . . .
From this week's Advertising Age: In an effort to build buzz in select urban markets this holiday season, Target plans to unveil three pop-up stores modeled after a fast-food joint. Target to Go stores will be open in New York, Washington and San Francisco (hmmm no Charlotte, NC?) from Dec. 11-13 and will stock 50 popular gift items that shoppers will order by number.
"The design is reflective of where guests are at now," said Shawn Gensch, VP-marketing at Target. "They're time starved, so this is a quick experience that gives them great products at great, wallet-friendly prices."
The shops are meant to attract attention in urban markets where Target doesn't have a significant presence, said Mr. Gensch, adding that the success of the stores will be measured based on traffic levels, sales and buzz.
Stay abreast of the latest trends in advertising and marketing by subscribing to our blog. And to learn more about how birdsong gregory can help you with social media, branding, advertising and marketing, visit our web site.
There was a great article on page 1 of the NY Times business section last Sunday that explored the wild success of Apple's App Store. Featuring tens of thousands of applications that run on an Apple's iPhone and generating increasingly large amounts of both popularity and opportunity, the App Store, as this article points out, is compelling for several reasons. It generates as much as a billion dollars a year for Apple and the legion of third-party developers who create, code, and market apps. And the wide range of available applications means there is a potential market for anything, from a silly game to a sophisticated brand touchpoint for a company looking for a fun new viral marketing channel, a potential new revenue stream. Or both!
Here at birdsong gregory, our Charlotte marketing agency has both programming resources and a couple of good ideas about how help the right company extend it's online persona into the rapidly developing smart phone ecosystem.
Here's a link to the full article.
Nixon, the über-trendy surf and skate clothing company has a flair for west-coast flavored euro-styling. I'd love to find this watch in my stocking, and the company's use of a super skinny version of Chalet on their website and in their ads is refreshing. Here at birdsong gregory, the design team always keeps an eye on the underground fashion world to help our Charlotte marketing agency stay inspired and informed.
Advertisers watch out ... at least if your products are sold in San Francisco. A recent story from the Examiner details how San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sent a scathing letter to Kellogg Co. for claiming that Cocoa Krispies and other of its “sugar-laden” breakfast cereals will help boost children’s immunity to illnesses.
In the letter sent to the company’s president and CEO, Herrera expressed “serious concerns” about the large font printed on the Cocoa Krispies cereal box that reads, “Now Helps Support Your Child’s Immunity.”
The city attorney says that is likely false advertising, a potential violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law. He has asked Kellogg’s to prove its child immunity claims within 30 days. If the company fails to respond within that time, the City Attorney will “seek an immediate termination or modification of the advertising claim,” the letter said.
The claim is also printed on the Rice Krispies, Frosted Krispies and Jumbo Krispies cereal boxes. The products began appearing on shelves in San Francisco stores in recent months, Herrera noted.
I'm not sure how many parents are scooping up Cocoa Krispies for their health benefits, but this case does highlight the scrutiny that all advertising agencies and their clients can expect when making controversial claims for their products.
Stay in tune with the latest headlines from the worlds of advertising and design by subscribing to our blog feed. birdsong gregory is an innovative Charlotte advertising agency providing creative branding and marketing services to clients throughout North Carolina.
To see this:
It was a a good look at the history of the American advertising industry and some of the more memorable campaigns and creative minds of the the last several decades. Unfortunately, the filmmakers presented a rather one-dimensional story about big advertising that focused on the the handful of men and women who have had tremendous commercial success shilling their clients' products. Regrettably, there was no mention of the environmental, psychological, and societal impact of our modern globalized consumption-based corporate hegemony.
Here's a gem of insight from legendary ad man Hal Riney: "The frightening and most difficult thing about being what somebody calls a "creative person" is you have absolutley no idea where any of your thoughts come from really. And especially if you have no idea where they will come from tomorrow"
It was a a good look at the history of the American advertising industry and some of the more memorable campaigns and creative minds of the the last several decades. Unfortunately, the filmmakers presented a rather one-dimensional story about big advertising that focused on the the handful of men and women who have had tremendous commercial success shilling their clients' products. Regrettably, there was no mention of the environmental, psychological, and societal impact of our modern globalized consumption-based corporate hegemony.
Here's a gem of insight from legendary ad man Hal Riney: "The frightening and most difficult thing about being what somebody calls a "creative person" is you have absolutley no idea where any of your thoughts come from really. And especially if you have no idea where they will come from tomorrow"
Here's a picture of my newest daughter, Charlotte (born October 5th) as she rests on the chest of my four year old, Emma - as she watches SpongeBob Squarepants on Nickelodeon. Shameless bragging from Dad? Perhaps. But the picture also reminds me of the challenges we face everyday at birdsong gregory, as we multitask in the development of advertising and marketing communications for our Charlotte and North Carolina clients. It does take a rare breed of individual to thrive in this kind of environment. And our team fits that bill.
Wow. This video, Part 1 of a demonstration of the amazing BumpTop, isn't just another conceptual touchscreen interface pipe dream; it's actual downloadable software, albeit only for Windows.
BumpTop is a desktop environment, designed to enhance traditional computer desktop functionality by more closely supporting the normal behavior of a real-world desk. It is aimed at stylus interaction, making it more suitable for tablet PCs and palmtops.
In BumpTop, documents are described by three-dimensional boxes lying on a virtual desk. The user can position the boxes on the desk using the stylus or mouse. Extensive use of physics effects like bumping and tossing is applied to documents when they interact for a more realistic experience. .
BumpTop currently supports Windows XP/Vista/7, and Mac/Linux will potentially be supported in the future.
Although technically still in the food business, supermarkets now find themselves increasingly looking at their operations from the perspective of a media company. Why? Because sixty percent of all in-store purchases are unplanned, according to James Maskulka, associate professor of marketing at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This means our snacky impulse purchases can be influenced by a variety of in-store marketing communications: everything from coupons and end-of-aisle displays to digital cart screens and networked kiosks. Even better, a grocer's in-store marketing efforts can be accurately measured for ROI and efficacy, unlike traditional print advertising or TV spots.
To find out more about how our Charlotte, NC branding agency can help your company bring harmony and results to today's increasingly competitive retail environment, please call Jim Cusson at 704.332.2299.
To find out more about how our Charlotte, NC branding agency can help your company bring harmony and results to today's increasingly competitive retail environment, please call Jim Cusson at 704.332.2299.
A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails.
It's a new form of spontaneous group performance art, but it’s easy to see how this type of viral event could be used to promote a brand or marketing event (the famous T-Mobile Liverpool Street Station flash mob in London)
If you don't get it, please call our Charlotte ad agency and ask to speak to Jim.
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