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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.
Interpersonal Communication Styles
08/20/2014
A picture of my sister Kim (AKA Dr. Herrin) sits on the corner of my office desk; I look at it every day and think, "wow, that would be a great picture if she were smiling”. Every time I think that, I also remind myself that for chimps, bearing your teeth is a sign of aggression, so it is NOT a good idea to smile at one unless you're ready for a fight. I also look at the picture and think, “she is in the Congo while I'm selling Direct Response advertising…. poor Kim."I've been thinking a lot about communications in advertising and business lately, and found the following information very interesting- tying the country of origin of the speaker to the communication style.
Art Tuesday Tough Day
08/19/2014
Having a rough day, dear? Well it's Art Tuesday at Elarbee Media again and this sixties pottery mask looks like it has had a “rough day." It is one of a collection of five in earth tones in our Creative Director’s office. Hopefully she has a better time at Elarbee Media than he does!Always remember, tomorrow is another day! We’d like to make it better. Let us know how we can help!
Throwback Thursday Brand Iconography
08/14/2014
It’s #ThrowbackThursday at Elarbee Media. Who doesn't know this guy? Mr. Peanut, the advertising logo and mascot of Planters, is quite the iconic figure. That my friends is because he was designed to be iconic! Creating an icon to represent a brand is an advertising concept that has proven to be a viable technique since the early 1900s. Who is your favorite brand icon? Let us know! If they are vintage enough, they can be the subject of next week’s Throwback Thursday.For more on Brand Iconography, read on: http://bit.ly/1vEado7
Art Tuesday Color and Pattern
08/12/2014
It’s #ArtTuesday again at Elarbee Media! This week’s selection of our company art is a set of four highly colored giclée pictures. These are four interpretations of the same image, repeated, but re-interpreted.In advertising, repetition is key to making sure the message is driven home. Some advertisers may choose to place an ad that is a carbon copy across all platforms, others may choose a repetitive approach similar to this week’s art -- varied for interest.Interested in learning more on the concept of the repeated message? Read on --> http://bit.ly/1ppLtuZ
Cocktail Friday Size and Scale
08/08/2014
It's Cocktail Friday again at Elarbee Media. This kitschy ice bucket looks like an over-sized beer stein. It would probably hold about a gallon of beer if you wanted to drink from it! Likely, the beer would get too warm before I could finish. Being over-sized, it begs the question "is bigger always better in business?" Does buying media with scale translate to success, or are refined buys with more precise targeting the way to go? The only way to know is to test.
Art Tuesday Perception Lense
08/05/2014
It’s Art Tuesday at Elarbee Media! This painting has an inclusion in the belly, which is full of pills suspended in clear gel. When I look at the painting, rather than finding it “dark," I see the figure as showering down good wishes (represented by the X’s). In art, life and business, the same thing can have different interpretations depending on what attitude you bring to the table. Is a crisis a crisis, or an opportunity to embrace change? Does a positive, “roll up your sleeves and get busy” attitude make the difference? Does changing the attitude you bring to the table affect the outcome?
Cocktail Hour Family Focus Group
08/04/2014
Here is what came out of the mix this week: "Mother is always right." Although it is an old adage, I recently had the great experience of finding it to be true.At cocktail hour I heard "Kelly Danielle, you look tired. You need to find a babysitter to let you take a few hours off so you can get yourself together." (That is the iron fist; Mom hasn't bought the kid glove yet- she is a New Yorker). It got me thinking about a creative campaign I've been working on for a caregiver client that has babysitters with background checks at the ready. If I look tired, so do all the other working mothers out there. I wrote out a new ad concept around Mom getting a few hours off to "Be Me. Not Mom. Just Me." This concept has been proposed for testing starting in the fall.
Cocktail Hour Family Focus Group - An Introduction
08/01/2014
Cocktail hour in my family home has always been a loosely qualified focus group. With an international salesman, an artist, the proverbial doctor and lawyer, blue collar worker, earth-mother, a gaggle of children and an advertising hack gathered around with the wine flowing, the truth is spoken rather quickly.We have ages in mix from 5 to 75 (a broad spectrum) and very different opinions from each age range. I often bring up work challenges and talk through them; their reactions and thoughts shock even me.Some of the surprising advertising insights that come out of these family focus groups will be the inspiration behind our new Monday blog posts. If they don't turn out to be insightful, I am sure they will be amusing.
Cocktail Friday Frequency Counts
08/01/2014
Sometimes small glasses are great – especially when refilled frequently! That's right, it is Cocktail Friday here again at Elarbee Media. These mini cocktail glasses provide the perfect parallel for test budgets. When testing new media, go for small, but frequent test investments.Media tests that are “refilled frequently” can ultimately lead to a new core media strategy. Set limits, keep them “mini,” but keep testing. You will be surprised at how potent the results can be.
Throwback Thursday Sexism in Advertising
07/31/2014
It's Throwback Thursday and here is a throwback in concept. In this vintage Marlboro ad, the woman is actually looking at the man as the “object of desire." When was the last time you saw this type of concept in an ad instead of a bikini-clad blonde as the “object?" Makes me want to run out and buy a pack of Marlboros. Who doesn't love a man in uniform?!