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Let's Talk About Stuff.
Our Blog
Our goal in posting our blogs is three fold: To introduce timely industry news that is relevant to our clients; to post items we find interesting and entertaining, and finally, to give you a glimpse of TSW US “Behind the Curtain”. We take the business aspects of what we are doing very seriously, but we like to have fun, hopefully that shines through here.
Our Blog is a puzzle being assembled. Sometimes the individual pieces of the puzzle don’t look like the whole picture once completed – You have to keep adding pieces one at a time to make the image clear. We hope you keep coming back to see how the TSW US puzzle takes shape.
Throwback Thursday Bacardi Point of Sale
It is Throwback Thursday at Elarbee Media and this week we are all about bats. We love this Bacardi Bat coaster as it carries on our theme.
Coasters used to be a significant marketing tool, making their presence known in bars at "point of sale". We see them less and less these days and wonder if the glamour of other media have distracted advertisers from the basic premise - interact with your customer where and when they purchase your product.
Encourage and reinforce the purchase.
Wit & Wisdom Wednesday - Batman
“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” Batman
It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and we pulled this Batman quote to continue our bat theme for the week. Actions are the true expression of who we are.
Businesses so frequently miss this connection. Spending time developing strategy, then failing to execute defines the business. Theory is only theory. What you put into practice is what will determine your success.
This Batman rendition is by Brent Woodside. WoodsideIllustrations.com
Art Tuesday Hanged Man Bat
It is Art Tuesday at Elarbee Media, and today we are continuing with our Bat theme. This picture is actually a Tarot card, the Hanged Man. We own the original of the "Six of Bones" (Pentacles) in this entirely wooden representation of the Tarot deck. All of the images come from nature.
We love the cheekiness of the Hanged Man being a bat, When artists make you smile with their wit, it is an extra bonus.
Power of Imagery - Rorschach Plate V
In our segment the Power of Imagery, we explore the impact of pictures on ourselves as consumers and individuals. This image is of the Rorschach Plate V, commonly known as the "Bat"
How much of traditional imagery is also laced with symbolism that we don't credit when first viewing an image, and does it really matter?. "Bats are symbols of rebirth - the facing of fears and being reborn." Do I really recognize that in any form when viewing the image?
To some degree when the symbolism of images is pervasive in a culture we do add that into the mix, but fringe or subtle suggestions may not translate.
Cocktail Friday Birmingham Travel
It is Cocktail Friday again at Elarbee Media. Travelling for business this week, we were fortunate to spend the evening in Birmingham. Alabama where we were served our craft cocktails in these adorable vintage glasses.
The cocktails were frankly “not good”; but, trying new things and keeping an open mind is always important. While business travel is rarely a glamorous adventure, it is always an opportunity to learn. We had a great time this week in neighboring Alabama. Cheers Birmngham!
Throwback Thursday Jean Nate
It is Throwback Thursday at Elarbee Media and this Jean Nate ad screams summer. You can almost feel the sunshine coming off the page.
Of course you would want a refreshing tingling splash of Jean Nate to refresh you and keep you smelling great in the heat.
The photograph of the product being poured to splash is cooling just looking at it.
There is ad copy that no one will read past the headline, but it doesn't steal form the message of the image, and the placement of the product as the star is perfect. We think this is a win.
Art Tuesday Is it Art?
And the first rude sketch that the world had seen was joy to his mighty heart, till the Devil whispered behind the leaves 'It's pretty, but is it Art?' Rudyard Kipling
It is Art Tuesday at Elarbee Media and this week we thought we would have a bit of fun! Is it Art? What a great question. We ask that time and again within the office even after we have made a new purchase.
Is this Art? No. It is a cast iron mermaid wearing a pair of Monster High plastic shoes. It is the product of an unfettered 6 year old imagination which is even more beautiful than if it were "Art".
The Power of Images - Rorschach Plate IV
These Rorschach slides were originally produced in 1921. The inkblots are a projective test using “bilaterally symmetrical inkblots”. What you see in the inkblot is expressive of your personality. The fact that not everyone sees the same thing is essential to the test. As with art, these inkblots evoke responses based on what we bring to the table. They are not fixed or finite. They are reflections of who we are when we look at them. What does that have to do with advertising? Everything.
Evoking emotion with an image can create either a bond or a revulsion. Always test the impact if imagery on your target audience before rolling it out into the marketplace. It is often surprising that what seems innocuous to one person stirs deep emotion in others. We all have our own lens created by the lives we have led. Whether we are viewing the images through our baggage or our hopes, we always see them through a filter. Look at your customer to determine what they are likely to see and test first.
Throwback Thursday Enjoli
It is Throwback Thursday at Elarbee Media and today we've pulled out a classic ad campaign for your entertainment. "Enjoli. The 8 hour perfume for the 24 hour woman."
After all of these years, we can still sing the entire commercial and see an attractive blond swinging a frying pan In fact our offices have been filled with off-key renditions of it all day long.
In this case the TV campaign does not translate to print. This ad, although it advances the same claims, fails to create the same look or feel as the television spot it loosely copies. The disjointed images, and heavy copy just don't work.
Print sells a brand with an image that grabs your attention. Product, lifestyle, mascot or functionality are all fair place to focus; but, the story needs to speak through the images.
Wit & Wisdom Wednesday Kipling on Fear
“Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.” ― Rudyard Kipling
It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we thought we would share a Rudyard Kipling quote that is as applicable to our personal lives as it is to our business.
Anticipating failure causes a failure to act. Embracing the fear of beginning and the fears of change are two of the most damming choices businesses make. Mistakes are teachers. You have to act to learn.