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General
By Steve Hanthorn, on August 19th, 2010
Sure, it’s been hot outdoors just about everywhere this summer. Here’s something that’s hot for many brands: outdoor, also known as out-of-home, or billboards.
Outdoor has always been a favorite media of mine, due to it’s challenging creative canvas: you basically have room for 7 words or less to make an impression that lasts mere seconds as your audience zooms by on the way to work, shop, or play. (Unfortunately, many creatives routinely break this 7 word rule, thinking their message or design is better than some “arcane,” old-fashioned rule. Here’s my message to them: it’s not. Your type’s too small, your idea’s too weak and your board will fail – period.) But I digress…
My point today is that outdoor media, when executed properly, is hot for all shapes and sizes of brands. Whether playing a supporting role to a larger media vehicle like television or radio, or as the sole media driver for a brand’s effort, outdoor is still a larger-than-life premium canvas capable of informing, entertaining and persuading tens of thousands potential customers everyday.
 Take our salad dressing client BRIANNAS, for example. Sales were lackluster in the Miami market and they needed a fast, cost-effective boost. Outdoor to the rescue! We crafted a special outdoor-centric campaign exclusively for the Miami audience and began scoring almost immediate recognition. Why? Because the boards followed all the creative rules of premium outdoor: they were succinct, clever, entertaining and memorable. All for pennies on the dollar compared to a broadcast effort in a major market.
What’s more, new technology has entered the outdoor arena with the advent of bright, full-color digital display boards. These incredibly vivid billboards deliver maximum “pop” and are almost impossible to ignore. What’s more, they’re highly cost effective because there’s no paper or vinyl to produce.
So the next time your brand is feeling the heat from new competition, shrinking share or stagnant sales, consider taking your message outside with some outdoor. For many brands, it can be a hot pick to deliver even hotter results. Just make sure your agency or production resource is capable of delivering the right creative message for this very tricky medium! 
Advertising
By Steve Hanthorn, on July 14th, 2010
Does the name James Dyson ring a bell? It should.
As the inventor and marketer of revolutionary Dyson Vacuums, Mr. Dyson has cornered the market on unconventional thinking for a very conventional task–vacuuming carpets and rugs. Mr. Dyson’s fresh, new approach to the technical aspect of dust removal and collection proved that if you can invent [...]
Advertising
By Michael McKeon, on June 28th, 2010
It is a new media world, defined by consistent and instantaneous connectivity. This trend has had premium brands in the world of photography finding themselves in competition with mobile phones equipped with increasingly more competent digital camera capability. But when it comes to capturing the treasured moments of our lives and sharing them across the [...]
Advertising
By Steve Hanthorn, on June 25th, 2010
There are a variety of premium brands I’m fiercely loyal to. Mobil 1 Oil. Mirado Black Warrior Pencils. KTM motorcycles. All of them share premium traits like impeccable performance, superb fit and finish and long-lasting quality.
But few brands impress or excite me more than my favorite place for gasoline and sundries—QuikTrip. Do you [...]
Advertising
By Steve Hanthorn, on June 16th, 2010
Too often, premium brands become content with their position in the market, and are satisfied to simply plonk along, year after year. They rarely step out, or stretch any true boundary to further refine their image or grow their share.
Brands like this could learn a thing or two from Betty White.
Have you seen this senior [...]
Advertising
By Steve Hanthorn, on May 18th, 2010
Years ago an assignment came across my desk to create some “indoor” advertising for a client. A little investigating revealed that “indoor” referred to bathroom/urinal ads. This was uncharted territory for us at the time so we attacked the job eagerly, crafting clever, pun-filled creative to make the most of this new environment.
Today, bathroom advertising [...]
Advertising
By Marilee Travitz, on May 7th, 2010
I was recently looking for some more healthy food options when eating out. My friend, Lauren, immediately pointed me toward Panera. I really like Panera, but had never heard that their chicken was all-natural. I went to their website to see what else they offered, and no where on their website could I find any [...]
Advertising
By Steve Hanthorn, on April 23rd, 2010
I’m what you call a gear head. A car and bike nut, if you will. I’ve been crazy for fast cars and motorcycles since I was a kid. So when the Internet came along, and with it sites like eBay, I was as happy as a pig on ice. Why? Because [...]
Advertising
By Doug Briley, on April 16th, 2010
When it comes to marketing premium brands, there’s usually no shortage of RTBs (Reasons To Believe) to choose from. Although brands in commodity categories are sometimes challenged to differentiate themselves, the premium brand(s) in any “vertical” should carefully choose which RTBs make it to the front lines of consumer messaging. Whether or not emotional or [...]
Advertising
By Steve Hanthorn, on March 31st, 2010
These days, every brand and their pet logo is leveraging the new world of social media for some type of promotion . From Facebook pages to Twitter Feeds and iPhone apps, countless brands big and small are leaping into the social fray with creative offers designed to engage their constantly connected audiences.
But, what about the [...]
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