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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.
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?!
New AOR Relationship Black Creek Precision
07/30/2014
Elarbee Media is proud to announce our new AOR relationship with Black Creek Precision! Stay tuned for our exciting reveals of their new consumer site and fall ad campaign.
Art Tuesday Lock up Next Years Contracts
07/29/2014
It’s Art Tuesday again at Elarbee Media. This photo of the "love locks" in Paris was taken by my brother. Use this as a reminder that if you are in a contested category, August is the time to lock up your 2015 contracts. With appropriate cancellation policies in place of course!
Happy Birthday Patricia Vinette
07/28/2014
Elarbee Media would like to wish Patricia Donohue Vinette a very Happy Birthday! (Age omitted to keep family harmony.) Cheers to a fabulous role model who raised and educated four hellions while dragging us around the globe! She proved without preaching it, that women are indeed tough as nails. She taught me that being adaptable is the key to a success that includes happiness. Life, like business, is very rarely a smooth road with no bumps.
Rural Advertising Small Town Life
07/27/2014
After spending a lot of time in the country recently, I am reminded of how different life is in a small town. This basket of corn and tomatoes was brought over by a neighbor that had a bumper crop. That type of neighborly behavior just doesn't happen where I live in town. Advertising to the rural market is different as well. While most offers still resonate effectively, the delivery of the offer often has to be very different. Smaller circulations and more shipping destinations don’t daunt us at Elarbee Media. We love tapping into this “small town” market. Let us show you how.
Throwback Thursday Buzz Versus Product Focus in Ads
07/24/2014
Check out these very divergent images from Ray-Ban. Does the movement toward discounting the product itself in ads really work? Is the buzz worth sacrificing the focus on product? Personally, I’d love to get my hands on a pair of the retro green Ray-Bans and “enjoy the sun in style." #ThrowbackThursday
Wit & Wisdom Wednesday Patrick Roy
07/23/2014
Being that I am both a business owner and mom, I try and find inspiration in different places. I don’t watch a lot of TV outside of PBS, and I don’t follow sports (besides baseball and hockey). Here's a quote I pulled from my favorite hockey player, Patrick Roy: “I play a position where you make mistakes. The only people that don’t make mistakes at a hockey game are the people watching.” Mistakes happen in business. The key is deciding how to address them. Failure doesn't lie in mistakes, it lies in self-pity and the inertia that often follows. Edit, adjust, and always move forward.
Art Tuesday Photography is Art
07/22/2014
Is photography an art? You bet! After spending the past month doing product photography for a new consumer website, we at Elarbee Media know that there is a big difference between “pushing a button” and creating an image. Making uppers, lowers and gaskets look sexy is hard work- and YES, it is an art. Cheers to all of you photographers out there that make it look easy.