Chado Advertising & Design is currently taking on new clients! Our firm is continuing to grow and as we finish current projects we are on the lookout for new projects and accepting new clients. If your business is looking to update current visual communications, introduce your brand or products to another country or culture, or starting fresh with new identity and brand development we would love to talk with you to see how we can help you meet your goals.
Chado is a full service advertising and design firm, meaning we have the capabilities to develop all types of communication including print, broadcast, and digital media. We have developed successful visual communication pieces from engaging corporate videos to extensive, full-color, catalogs and everything in between. No matter what direction you want to take your brand, Chado can devise an effective solution to meet your goals and take your brand to the next level. Our current clients range from small local businesses to large multinational corporations and we are very good at working within your budget. If you want to introduce your brand to an international audience, increase your presence online, or simply grow your customer base within your local community, Chado has the skills, talents, and abilities to help your brand breathe with gripping visual communications and solid brand strategies. Feel free to contact us at anytime and we can sit down with you to show you previous work examples, discuss your goals, and aspirations and come up with an effective marketing strategy.
Chado Advertising & Designhas just launched a Photography section to our website to showcase our photography services. Chado offers photography services in-house to capture high quality images for our different projects and campaigns. Chad Brown, our creative director, is also a seasoned professional art director/photographer, specializing in corporate, lifestyle, and cultural photography, creating dramatic photographs of people, sports, locations, and concepts to successfully capture the look and emotion of the brand. Chad shoots in an editorial style that artistically blends traditional and journalistic styles that focus on composition while using the images to tell a story. This style is perfect for high concept campaigns because it not only aesthetically pleasing but it also conveys emotion while communicating brand messages through the images.
The new Photography section of the site features flash slideshows for corporate, lifestyle, and cultural categories showcasing a variety of high-quality images from past campaigns and Chad’s travels around the world. Visit the new pages and check back frequently for new images and updates.
Inprevious posts I have praised innovative campaigns that have taken traditional mediums and fused them with new technology to do create something new and unique. This new billboard created by DDB Stockholm is a great example of how this can be taken a step further and promote interaction with the audience. The billboard features a simple yet clever interactive game for McDonalds. The billboard shows menu items that move about the screen and if viewers are fast enough to capture one of the food items with their cell phone camera they can go to the nearby McDonalds to pick up the item for free. This billboard does an excellent job capturing the audience’s attention and actually engages the potential customer. As more billboards are equipped with the capability to display video it will be interesting to see how brands take advantage of the improved technology to communicate with their target markets.
Chado Advertising & Design is pleased to announce they will be designing a new interactive website for professional fly fisherman Jad Donaldson. Jad is a professional international fly fisherman who offers a variety of services including guided fly fishing adventures and lessons. He is also a flyfishing guide and specialist for Kaufmann’s Streamborn. He currently leads guided adventures on Northwest Rivers including the Deschutes, McKenzie, John Day, Grand Ronde, Willamette, Columbia, Sandy, Clackamas, and North Coast Streams. Jad has also honed his flyfishing skills leading guided fishing adventures all over the world including flyfishing for the elusive Rooster Fish of the coast of Baja, Mexico. Coming summer 2010, his newest endeavor is captaining his new 40’ modern sport fishing boat; “The Oppor-tuna-ty”. He will be targeting Albacore tuna on the flyrod, out of Hammond, Oregon. His new website will launch this new service while allowing visitors to learn about Jad and his other services offered, make reservations, and easily communicate with Jad.
The interactive website with mobile capabilities will feature flash animations showcasing exciting photographs from Jad’s many excursions and fishing adventures. The site will also feature embedded video. To better connect with customers, Jad’s new site will integrate different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Jad will also have the ability to post articles, messages, and updates on his blog. Jad’s new unique service; fly fishing for tuna in his new top of the line, fully loaded tuna fishing boat, will be a main focus of the new site. His new boat is very impressive, with three levels and seating for eight anglers. To advertise this new service and boat, the website will feature a virtual boat tour providing 360 degree views of the new boat, its facilities, and many amenities. Visitors will also be able to reserve a spot on one of Jad’s upcoming guided adventures or lessons via Google Calendar and Google Checkout. These Google services will allow Jad to easily manage clients and scheduling from virtually anywhere with his phone. The site will also serve as a functional tool with resources like embedded widgets that stream information like tide and river levels directly from the NOAA to keep visitors informed of conditions from their phone or computer. Another feature on Jad’s new website will be a content management system that will allow him to easily upload new pictures and video and change copy and other content.
Please follow the Chado blog and Twitter feed for more updates about Jad’s new site and other updates from Chado Advertising & Design.
Last week a guerilla marketing stunt went horribly wrong in New Zealand when an actor hired to promote the new Tom Clancy game Splinter Cell: Conviction hit the streets of Auckland dressed as a secret agent, covered in bloody bandages, and armed with a fake gun. The game’s plot revolves around a renegade government agent racing to stop a terrorist plot. Ubisoft, the game’s developers, believed that the marketing stunt would help increase exposure and create a memorable experience for those involved. They ultimately achieved their desired outcome; naturally, someone called the police when they saw a bloody guy roaming the busy city streets brandishing a gun and the man was apprehended in a tense situation that could have likely resulted in a shootout. The police officers were unaware that the gun was fake until they took it from the man. The outcome of the stunt received international attention and the experience was one that those involved will not soon forget. Monaco Corporation, Ubisoft’s marketing partner for the campaign claims that the stunt was by no means an attempt to get the cops involved and get national exposure but why did they think was going to happen giving a gun to the actor in bloody bandages running through highly populated metropolitan areas?
This is a prime example of guerilla marketing gone wrong and, although they still achieved the desired results, the consequences could have been much worse. Guerilla marketing or “experiential marketing” has been increasingly effective in reaching target markets and fostering solid brand relationships through brand building experiences. These experiences can range from a simple giveaway or demonstration to a full-scale event to develop an emotional connection between the brand and consumer. As more companies try these guerilla marketing tactics it will be interesting to see how their campaigns push the envelope and venture into new, possibly risky territories. Although one of the main objectives of these campaigns is to break away from social norms but can they find a unique, non-traditional way to get public attention without getting police involved?
The iPad has received a lot of negative attention focused on what it cannot do; no flash support, no camera, no multitasking, no HDMI, ect. But amongst all the criticism, mine included, the iPad could make an excellent creative tool, especially for advertisers. There is already a wave of new apps created specifically for creative professionals that just might make the iPad worth adding to their arsenal of design tools.
After viewing different available apps and taking factors like portability and battery life into consideration, it seems that the iPad’s main appeal is it can replace the traditional sketchpad. Most creative professionals will always have some sort of sketchpad readily available and constantly at their disposal, just in case genius hits away from the office. Whether its to write a new idea for a tagline, sketch a quick concept, or to jot down a few ideas to brainstorm, a sketchpad is an important tool. The iPad makes a great replacement because it would allow users to email and share their ideas with colleagues quickly and easily and import the original sketches directly into their hard drive at work. Adobe has released a free iPad app at launch that is made specifically for this. Adobe Ideas is a digital sketchbook to start working on concepts on the go. Autodesk’s Sketchbook Pro is another great program that features a bunch of professional tools for only $8! The popular iPhone app “Brushes” has been redesigned for the iPad and is also allows the user to make nice illustrations using a variety of tools.
Besides serving as a digital sketchbook, the iPad has other apps useful for creative professionals. OmniGraffle is an app that allows users to create layouts, diagrams, and workflows from their iPad. Masque is a basic image editing program that has a variety of useful image manipulation tools at a low price. Wordpress also has an app that allows users to manage their blog directly from their tablet for blog posts on the go. There are also FTP clients and Pantone color guide apps available.
With these useful apps already available and rumors of more Adobe products on the way, the iPad could become the next great tool for creative professionals and possibly replace the indispensable sketch pad.
It was reported earlier this month that Twentieth Century Fox is working on a movie based on the babies from the E*Trade commercials that have premiered during the Super Bowl over the past two years. The movie will most likely be terrible but studio heads still believe it could do surprisingly well at the box office. The plot supposedly involves the talking babies from the popular commercials trying to cross a playground. This isn’t the first time trade characters have made the leap from commercials to longer endeavors. A couple years ago they gave the Geico cavemen their own television show. As expected it didn’t last a full season but it demonstrated the ability for trade characters to have a screen presence for more than 90 seconds. While having your recognizable trade character star in a full length feature seems like a good way to increase brand exposure it also runs the highly probable risk of destroying the character. The E*Trade babies have been launched pretty successful commercials for the brand; people talk about them and they are often picked as favorites among the Super Bowl commercial premieres, effectively increasing the company’s brand equity. If/when this movie fails it will cast a negative shadow on the trade characters making them unpopular, irrelevant, and possibly unsuitable for further commercials. Also, the movie would be blatant rip off of the Look Who’s Talking movies, which were run into the ground in the early 90s with uninspired sequels. I believe that if E*Trade wanted to prolong the success of their “talking baby commercials” and keep their credibility intact, do not make this movie.
Product placement has always been a bit of a controversial topic in advertising. Some feel that it is unethical pitching consumer products and brands in mediums meant to entertain and can be seen as disrespectful to the viewer trying to sneak in blatant advertisements. I have usually taken the stance that it is acceptable in most cases and can usually add to the viewer’s experience. Placing real products in television programs and movies makes the film’s universe seem more realistic and, as long as the brand being represented doesn’t take artistic control away from the writers, actors, and everyone else involved in production, it is an ultimately good thing. Also with the rise of DVRs, Tivos, and streaming video with the capability to skip commercial breaks, traditional television commercials are becoming less effective and being seen by relatively fewer viewers. To remedy this situation it makes sense that ad dollars would be spent on adding the brand directly to the content for maximum exposure.
AMC’s Mad Men does an excellent job of realistic product placement; the advertising firm on the “period piece” show has real brands as clients such as Lucky Strike cigarettes, Heineken Beer, and Hilton Hotels. They also use retro ads to make the 1960s they portray more realistic and engaging.
Another example of well-executed product placement is a recent episode of ABC’s Modern Family, where one of the main characters was very excited about the release of the iPad coinciding with his birthday and not only did the iPad make a cameo, it was the focal point of the episode. The main storyline was about his family going to great lengths to buy the hot new product in time for his birthday. It was mentioned throughout the episode by name numerous times with testimonials on how awesome it will be. Viewers were also treated to a demonstration at the end when the character finally received his new iPad with 37 seconds of screen time. The episode was very well received with about 9.5 million viewers making iPad’s product placement work close to $1 million. Surprisingly, Apple did not pay a dime for this high profile placement! They did a great job of maintaining the show’s integrity while still incorporating a product placement.
This recent example immediately reminded me of past Seinfeld episodes where products and brands like Junior Mints, Bosco, Drake’s coffee cakes, and even Kenny Roger’s Chicken Roaster restaurants were the main focus of the episode and moved the storyline along playing an integral part of the episode’s plot.
Another medium where we seen increased product and brand placement is videogames. Although much different than television the same theory applies; as long as it doesn’t take away from the content and adds a touch of realism to the game’s universe it can be done ethically. So far it has mainly been sports games that feature real brands and products that add realism to the game’s universe with in-game advertisements and sponsors. For example, in every game in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series the player can skate on real skateboard decks, wears real clothing, and be sponsored by real companies. These in-game placements added value to the player’s experience while enriching the game’s universe.Although product placement in video games has been done well in recent years, it seems to be changing. It was recently reported that the next title in the wildly successful Metal Gear Solid franchise, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will feature product placement for brands like Axe body spray, Doritos, Walkman, and Pepsi Next (a flavor currently available in Asia only). This wouldn’t be a problem in most games but this game’s storyline takes place in the early 1970s, long before any of these products were available. Discussion boards and blogs are already going nuts with Metal Gear’s rabid fan base and looks like it is already starting to backfire.
I believe that content creators have responsibility when determining whether or not to include product placement. They should be the gatekeepers to determine if including brands will add value or cheapen the consumer’s experience. Product placement is becoming more and more necessary as the industry changes but ethical considerations must be taken.
Yesterday, along with the iPhone OS 4.0, Steve Jobs introduced iAd, Apple’s own mobile advertising platform that according to Apple, “combines the emotion of TV ads with the interactivity of web ads”. This new platform, that will directly compete with Google’s new mobile ad platform, enables users to view fun, interactive in-app advertisements that unlike current ads do not require the user to go into a separate browser to view content. The average iPhone user spends an estimated 30 minutes inside apps everyday so if an ad is displayed every three minutes there would be over one billion ad impressions everyday on all of Apple’s 100 million devices in use. The new ads will be different than traditional mobile ads. They will feature interactive and video content within the ad enabling instant video playback, sound clips, and even games. For example, a Nike ad lets users watch videos, design their own custom shoe, or find a store all within the app. Apple plans to sell and host the ads while giving developers 60% of the revenue. Since Apple devices do not support Flash media all interactive ads will be done through HTML5. The ads will also be targeted towards specific users based on the content in their app.
I think iAd is a great idea for Apple to release now for a number of reasons. First it keeps the actual prices of the apps down while allowing app developers to get paid. As the developers get paid more for their apps they are more likely to develop better apps or provide better support for current apps. Also it gives magazines and other publications a good reason to move to the iPad. They make their money and run their business from advertising sales and these specialty apps give them an incentive to transition to their product. Lastly, this new platform will be very profitable for Apple. It will be very interesting to see how the new ads evolve, how they are received by users, and what impact they have on the industry.
Today Nike premiered a controversial new ad featuring a sad, tired, vunerable looking Tiger Woods and a voice over by Earl Woods, Tiger’s recently deceased father/coach. The 30 second spot was shot in black and white and is airing to kick off Tiger’s return to golf at the Masters. The ad is very dark and besides being shot on location at the Isleworth Country Club course has nothing to do with golf. Earl Woods’s voiceover seems to be asking Tiger to reflect on his recent actions.
“Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything.”
I am also inquisitive to what exactly Nike is trying to accomplish with this ad? Was bringing Earl Woods into the commercial the best idea? His recent death could make this ad seem in bad taste along with previous claims that back in his day he had affairs of his own. Does using the voice of his deceased father taken out of context to sell a product cross the line? I understand that they are trying to re-launch the Tiger Woods brand but I expected Nike to steer clear of the entire incident rather than address it head on in the first ad. But maybe this ad is just one small part of an entire campaign aimed at Tiger’s redemption. It will be very interesting to see how the ad is received and what will follow in the re-branding of Tiger Woods.
