Archive for the ‘Media’ Category

Taking a Chance With Transparency

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011


Domino’s Pizza seems to have gone all-in when it comes to standing behind their product. They kicked off their new image

with Super Bowl ad’s touting farm grown veggies, and then invited customers to share photos of actual Domino’s pizzas at Showusyourpizza.com.They adopted a successful online strategy that allows a customer to track their order from oven to delivery and leave feedback. To take it one step further, they are broadcasting that feedback in Times Square. Fast Company has a great write up:

Pie In The Sky? Domino’s Flips Switch On Times Square Instant Reviews, Takes Transparency To New Level

An Experiment In Fandom and Advertising

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

copyright Jelly Helm studios

Portland has soccer fever, specifically Timbers fever, thanks in no small part to the Timbers Army and Jelly Helm Studios. Last week’s sold out home opener put the loyal, raucous fans, known as the Timbers Army, in the spotlight as much as the team. The spotlight was bright enough that ‘Timbers Army’ and the mascot, ‘Timber Joey’ were trending worldwide on Twitter during the game. Even Oliver Phelps, who played George Weasley in the Harry Potter films took notice:RCTID

In the months leading up to the inaugural MLS season, a brilliant billboard campaign by Jelly Helm Studios got the buzz started. Jelly talks about the process on his blog: This Is Jelly’s Blawg

“Still, this was a cool exercise, and a pretty neat and unusual story: A major league sports team creating a billboard featuring fans AND letting the fans decide who was featured – not to mention the unexpected make up of the final group: a grandma, a guy in a wheelchair, a dad with a baby carrier and a ballerina in soccer cleats.”

copyright Jelly Helm Studios

Check out the Timbers schedule to see the Timbers Army in action.

The MAN and You

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

Written by David K. for 52′s Blog.  David is a Portland writer/producer for a local news behemoth. He’s been writing, shooting and content creating for print, the web and TV since graduating from Portland State University in 1998. He also is an aging pseudo hipster veteran of Portland’s music scene, playing with the Hazmats, The Low Arts and Mr. Howl, among recent projects. He lives in North Portland.

No one wants be held down by The Man. The Man has been keeping down rebellious and artistic souls throughout history. The Man has inspired everything from Jesus’ crucifixion and Western Civilization’s breakaway from feudalism to the shaking hips of Rock and Roll.

People I am here to tell you – Oprah is The Man. Sweeping powers over women, television, lifestyles, maybe even presidential elections. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of Oprah, do you? Ask Letterman. Now – The Man is moving her empire off of the “vintage media.”

The decision to end the syndicated show has tectonic implications for the media of the next Millennium. In short, stations can’t afford to pay the massive overheads due to ad revenue fallout, and the overall decline of content worth in the rise of the .com world.

U.K.’s Observer sums it up:

“In the months and years to come, whenever big programs like The Oprah Winfrey Show sit down to renegotiate their deals with local, broadcast stations they are likely to find a grim market where station-group managers are unable or unwilling to match the fees of yesteryear, let alone increase them. That leaves two options for the likes of Oprah. Lower your fees. Or pack up shop.”

You may not think this affects you, as a creator, as a designer, a mAd Man, whatever your gig, but it does. What they say about war goes for broadcast mediums: You may not go looking for it (in this case TV-Web convergence) but IT may coming looking for YOU. A channel on the digital dial is where your work is headed. And you don’t need to know the number.

The days of the Big Three are obviously long past us, and their power to hold advertisers’ dollars are being condensed, specialized, localized and downsized. These are your clients. This is your audience.

Changes at Light Speed

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Written for 52′s blog by David K.  Thanks so much for contributing David!!

David is a Portland writer/producer for a local news behemoth. He’s been writing, shooting and content creating for print, the web and TV since graduating from Portland State University in 1998. He also is an aging pseudo hipster veteran of Portland’s music scene, playing with the Hazmats, The Low Arts and Mr. Howl, among recent projects. He lives in North Portland.

Glancing at the newspaper boxes, stop signs and telephone poles on Portland neighborhood streets there’s always some new meme to catch my eye, usually a band or political sticker, but sometimes I just can’t tell and it becomes an inspiration for my day. ‘Stop driving’ ‘Your band sucks,’ among the most seen around but many times much more thought provoking.

Heading out of the coffee shop on a recent bright morning, the red-and-white accordion player and the words “The Vintage Media” wrapped around the palm-sized sticker on the yellow Oregonian box.

Now of course, that would be a cool band name. Maybe that was their sticker, I didn’t know , I hadn’t heard of them yet (turns out they’re a Portland band with such killer influences as Elliot Smith, Guided By Voices, but we’ll talk about music later.)

http://www.myspace.com/thevintagemedia

Point is – the picture painted in my mind reignited the ongoing and light speed changes we go through daily in the media world. It seems by the time we can think of the questions, the conversation is already outdated by a new technology or application.

Whether it’s writing, doing video, broadcasting, podcasting or Tweeting, most people are still anchored  in “The Vintage Media.” It’s where everything came from, with many castoff models along the way.

There aren’t many word processor support groups anymore, and Dagguereotypes are hell to pose for. We’re digging through the new toy box, chucking the clunky and looking for the slickest ways and gizmos to tell our stories as we fly through the pipe. Yet don’t forget, at the end of the day that is what we do. An iPhone is not a replacement for a campfire tale. And while the tools can help make the story easier to access, flashier and more connected, they do not by themselves demand the story is any good.

One of my favorite pieces of advice to those entranced by the ease, accessibility and power of modern media tools in broad and narrow casting is “Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD.”

Did you ever wonder why NBC was owned by General Electric? Well, they made some of the first radios, and they needed something to say in between the Ovaltine and Pall Mall ads.

That sometimes has led to the enemy of art – Mediocrity. Any jackass can write, shoot and publish anything they want. And as today’s instant America’s-Funniest-Videos model Youtube shows us, they do. And it settles to the lowest common denominator. I’d rather see something so horrible it’s good, than something mediocre. The opposite of great isn’t awful — it’s benign.

As the new takes over the vintage (Comcast-buys-NBC comes to mind) it’s shattering (or confirming) the ways many of us see our future in the media. Don’t even get me started on newspapers. Too many old schoolers still think a blog is a messenger and not a medium.

Stay with my ramblings – next time we’ll talk about how Oprah is The Man, using her mighty hammer to smash the future of networks and where the content is bound.

The Bird Lands the First Blow: Why Twitter Followers are Better Than Facebook Fans

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

Written by Tim Baker, Senior Manager of Social & Emerging Media at FD Kinesis.

An informative article in eMarketer shows that Twitter followers are more likely to induce advocacy and future purchases than those on Facebook. According to their data, 37% of respondents were more likely to purchase from a brand after following them on Twitter as opposed to only 17% of those that “like” a brand on Facebook.

The numbers are also pretty similar when asked if they would be more likely to recommend a brand after following them on Twitter or Facebook.

I can’t say that I’m surprised one bit by these numbers, and I believe the reason is simple: Twitter is a platform that attracts an audience receptive to marketing messages much more than Facebook. A great quote that I wish I could say I came up with goes something like this: “Facebook is for the people you know while Twitter is for those you want to know.”

Statistics tend to show that there’s a fork in the road that many new Twitter users reach. There’s a marked drop-off by users with only a handful of tweets that abandon the service versus those that continue to embrace it. Many of those that find value in Twitter gain that value from its function as a news platform. In fact, 44% of adult internet users aged 18-29 and 45% aged 30-49 are getting their news online.

Facebook is not a good platform for delivering news. The default front page view does not show a user every post from all of those in their network but rather an abbreviated feed that Facebook feels is most relevant to them. Additionally, the function of setting up lists, which are an excellent way to segment content on Facebook and could provide value in the service as a news aggregator, is vastly underused. (more…)

The Secret Formula for 100% Perfect Writing. Guaranteed!

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Unless you’ve worked on a DRTV script before, you probably don’t know what “DRTV” means. Direct response television is what the rest of the world calls an infomercial. What it lacks in creativity, DRTV makes up for in revenues, because media folks sell direct response media as more measurable–and thus more effective at getting returns–than brand media.

When you write a DRTV spot, you are dealing with clients who want results. DRTV “works,” they have been told, and you don’t want to be the one to blame if it doesn’t. But have no fear! DRTV clients take comfort in mathematical formulas, and their expectations for your script involve a formula, too. A DRTV spot has a problem/solution at the beginning and includes product demonstration, customer testimonial, celebrity endorsement, product offer, and a call to action. All of these elements snuggle and mix inside a loose framework, which some DRTV people will inaccurately call the “idea.” This “idea” is really a hook, a catchphrase or (at worst) a hat on a dog, and once you put all that in your script, there’s really little left to write.

In a DRTV spot, problem/solution lasts about three and a half seconds. Witness: the next time you see an infomercial, notice how long it takes the screen to go from color, to monochrome, then back to color. That’s problem/solution. “Remember boring, old-fashioned sit-ups?” as we see someone straining over the most difficult sit-up known to man? You can bet that shot will be in monochrome black and white. Then, a flash to color on the Ab-Rawker, with its red seat and shiny chrome handles. Infomercials offer quick solutions through material purchases. Upgrading the black & white telly to a shiny new CT-100 persists as a social norm in that prosperity narrative, and DRTV people can’t do without this convention.

After the problem/solution, a product demonstration shows real actors using the product. These real actors then testify to camera, gushing about the product’s utility and their satisfaction. Don’t be afraid of this, either. It is simply Microeconomics 101 setting out to prove itself. Don’t fight it, just write it! (Fortunately for ad writers, it’s less damaging to sell a Slap Chop using antique formulas than Healthcare policy reform.)

After product demonstration, you’ll want an endorsement from someone of high esteem with the target audience. Enter Ed McMahan, or Alex Trebek, or an actor playing a real ITT Tech student, or a Ph.D.-licensed nutritionist with great buns as the case may dictate.

Finally, when you write the product offer, be extra careful of spelling and product points, because this is where clients will notice any errors or omissions. No, it’s not uncommon for the call to action to contain a simple $xx for price, xxx-xxx-xxxx for the phone number, and www.gadget123.com for the Web site. Those space holders leave the script open for segmentation and tracking in different markets. But those are minor details to you, especially compared to making sure the trademarked “InstaRachet System™” gets in there.

Now, all you have left for your infomercial script is the writer’s idea. Mind you, the DRTV spot is only 60 or 120 seconds, and once you put everything else in, there won’t be much room for an idea, especially if it has to be trimmed to a 30 or 15. Besides, what your clients usually mean by “idea” is a catchphrase. Sometimes it’s so minimal, the endorser provides it de facto: “Hi. Billy Mays, here.” Or maybe it’s a phrase one step removed from cliché: “When it rains, it scores! With the Gutter Gold water reclamation system, your water bills blah-bitty-blah.” Or, perhaps, it will come from the client: “So easy, you can do it with one finger.” As long as everything else in the formula is covered in the script, the “idea” will usually take care of itself. That way, everyone will be happy, the formula will be preserved, and you will get your money.

Later on, you can decide whether or not to own up to your involvement with Mr. T’s reincarnation as a FlavorWave cooking enthusiast. “My taste buds is going wild!” Now, that’s DRTV.

Written by KFann for 52LTD’s Blog.  Thanks so much KFann!!

Meta Information: That’s Info About Info (If You Didn’t Know)

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Here’s some information about information about information. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.  It’s meta information… like in the title and it’s EVERYWHERE.  It’s a trip when you think about it.  This entry was written for 52’s blog by Brian Belefant whose link to more info is included in the body.  Thanks Brian!

A picture used to be worth 1,000 words. But thatʼs no longer enough. When I import a picture into Aperture, I can append it with 52 meta tags –– words that describe everything from the focal length I shot  it at to its copyright.

This may seem fairly benign, but when youʼre sitting in the Newark Airport for five hours waiting to make a connecting flight –– as I am –– you have lots of time to explore implications.

My first notion is to think of it in economic terms. What used to be worth 1,000 words is now worth 1,052. Thatʼs a five percent rate of inflation, or deflation, depending on whether youʼre talking about the pictures or the words.

Words about pictures is only one thing, though. I write a blog (www.60secdirector.blogspot.com). Recently, I had a slightly uneasy feeling when I found out that people were blogging about my blog.

Sure, itʼs flattering. But some of the blogs that blogged about my blog have larger readerships than I do. Isnʼt that weird?

And then thereʼs the part about the information itself. My blog provides information –– itʼs bite-sized lessons on directing for aspiring filmmakers. But when someone blogs about my blog, theyʼre providing information about information.

Meta information.

And what about twittering, googling, facebooking, linking, tagging, and all those other verbs that didnʼt even exist 15 years ago, but now have infected our language to the point that theyʼre better understood than concepts that many would argue contribute more to our body of knowledge? Can you distinguish between “continuous” and “continual”? I canʼt. I used to know the difference. Now I have to look it up. But I can tell you how a blog is different from a tweet. Does that mean information about information supplanting information itself?

(Okay, bad example. “Continuous” and “continual” are words about information. But you get my point.)

Wandering around the terminal for the fifteenth time, I pass Starbucks. They have nine different words to describe coffee mixed with milk. And Iʼm not even talking about sizes or the adjectives you can apply to fine-tune your purchase, like “wet”, “dry”, “no-foam”, and “extra-hot.”

Outside Hudson News, thereʼs a huge poster for ʻLuckyʼ. An ad for a magazine dedicated to shopping. Or to put it another way, an ad for a collection of ads and information, much of which, Iʼm sure, refers to other information –– books, other magazines, movies.

If you buy the magazine, they put it in a plastic bag with pictures of magazine covers on it, presumably to advertise their availability to the other passengers waiting five hours to make a connection. Hudson News recruits you to disseminate information about information about information.

Inside Hudson News, my eye is drawn to a particular book. ʻPreciousʼ. Based on the movie ʻPreciousʼ, which was based on the book ʻPushʼ.

Huh?

A book based on a movie based on a book? They should make a movie about that. And if it does well, they can turn it into a book. And so on.

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2010 Creative Resolution: Fail

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

John, a brilliant writer and good friend of 52, contributed this piece in December of 2009.  How do you think these methods have stacked up so far in 2010?

I thought up a wish around Christmas 2008. (You remember, this was when the economy fell into a well, only to crawl out in an algae-soaked stupor around mid-year.) By the end of 2009 I got some of the stuff I hoped for: Cool projects. Money. And I made some great new relationships with passionate professionals. I was lucky. But some things never came. That’s the era we’re in.

IMHO, 2010 isn’t going to be the year of getting back to the big getting that we sometimes enjoy. (My stimulus package is pretty much BOGO at the supermarket.) Sure, Obama’s president. I have hope. But the economy remains iffy. Building brands will be fun but no less exacting than 2009—given lean budgets, challenged clients and the speed of change. But you’ve got a great secret weapon. It’s called: an idea.

If I, you—we—do nothing this year but die for our ideas or the ideas our brand teams come up with, you’ll make it to 2011. People will admire you. Will want to work with you. And if you play it right, they’ll pay you well. What’s truly thrilling is how powerful ideas can be now. As in: effective, gorgeous, persuasive, cash-generating, transforming, life-building, whatever.
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From the Woods.. to the Tall Grass

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

By Ashley ‘Findley’ Diehl, 52LTD PDX

The recession is over!! Right?  Uh…well, I guess that kinda depends.

IF you’re highly connected designer, WITH a killer (and I’m talkin’ “holy shit that’s insanely awesome”) book/site, AND you are well versed in something digital (e.g. Mobile Apps, websites, etc.) you are probably feeling a fair upswing.

HOWEVER, for the new grad, the newly relocated, or those otherwise without ALL three aforementioned qualities, you are probably still wildly wielding your machete to maintain a slight view out of the woods.

Well folks, this isn’t a Get-The-Answers-to-Finding-Your-Perfect-Gig-Post.  In fact if you see one of those…it’s probably loaded with a bunch of cockamamie information that doesn’t really apply to you 100%.  You see, and this is going to be profound so you may consider employing some advance jaw support in case of abrupt droppage: everyone’s situation is different.  Whoa… huh.

So, you ask, if you’re not offering the holy grail of Job-Acquiring-Advice, then what the hell is the point?

Answer: The one thing all ye of the struggling design class do have in common is you do plan to eventually leave your filler job at “Cuppa Joe” or “Jiggles” (a specialty Jello mold shop, of course) to return to your design career.  So… you need to stay sharp!

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Resume Re-do?

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Here at 52 Limited, we see a lot of resumes.   Many of them very well done… some over done… and some a tad too vanilla.

You’re a creative right?  Well, look like it.

The hard part is: what does a good “creative” resume look like?  Tough to say.  Here’s a blog post that spells it out, both with examples as well as with some top tips and tricks.

Enjoy!

________________________________________________________________________________________

Cavan Riley

F. Claire Scroggins

Sebastien Nikolaou

________________________________________________________________________________________

Also.. here are some tips to create by.  I’m a huge fan of #7 and #9.

1. If the job you are applying to has resume requirements, follow them. Even if it means keeping a Word version of your resume for such occasions.

Our two cents… or I guess better stated: “52-cents,” get it?: It’s totally OK to have multiple copies of your resume.  In fact some folks who have a very multifaceted background are encouraged to keep a somewhat modular resume where sections can be moved, arranged, or omitted depending on what sort of job requirements the opening or company prefers.

2. Typography is key. This is your potential employer’s first chance to judge your design skills, and almost all design includes some form of type. You are expected to refine and perfect your text layout on your resume just as you would a design for a client.

3. Organization is also key. If people can’t find your information, they won’t be calling you. Some design positions bring in hundreds of resumes daily. There is no time to search for information.

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