Fabric Printing

One of my favourite resources, Colourlovers is offering something very cool. Have you ever wanted your custom designs printed onto high quality fabric? Well, now you can! They have partnered with Spoonflower, an on-demand fabric printer that allows people to design, print and sell their own fabric designs. This is perfect for all you artsy types – you know who you are. Why not have your favorite designs printed onto fabric instead of paper! I’m thinking … I need new wall art…and curtains…and pillows….the possibilities are endless! I like how print design is overlapping with interior design today.

Browse any pattern on ColourLovers to purchase it in fabric form, or visit the Spoonflower site to check out all they have to offer.

As their website states, Spoonflower digitally prints using eco-friendly, water-based pigment inks on natural fiber textiles. No additional chemicals are used in the printing or preparation process. I love it!

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—Kathy

Art or Marketing, you decide!

July 29, 2010 Art / Marketing / Social Media / Uncategorized / Web

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Yesterday, Mashable featured a piece on a new video where a “Guy Walks Across America” that is quickly hitting viral status. At first glance, it seems like a project that can be considered a work of art. I have a hunch that this may be a subtle marketing campaign, but you be the judge:

READ MORE TO SEE MY THOUGHTS

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Now that is interactive

July 27, 2010 Advertising / Design / Marketing / Uncategorized

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A clothing/fashion store opened last June in Times Square. What caught my eye was the way they created a billboard that not only drew a crowd, it (at least on some level) interacted with them. From NYClovesNYC:

“The enormous store provides Times Square with a high-tech 61-foot digital billboard featuring virtual models who interact with the mesmerized crowd in front of the store, sometimes taking a Polaroid photo of the crowd and showing it to them, or picking up an individual from a crowd and turning him into a frog by a kiss or dropping him into a shopping bag.”

Times Square Billboard

It kind of reminds me of the Jaws movie billboard in Back to the Future II

Did Hollywood have it right? Is this the future of environmental advertising – or is it just a gimmick?

– Shaun

Cupcakes Anyone?

July 26, 2010 Social Media / Television

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Who doesn’t like cupcakes? I’ve been watching a new reality series on W Network called Cupcake Girls and I’ve found it very entertaining! The show is about a couple of girl friends (best friends Lori Joyce and Heather White) who started a cupcake business in Vancouver without a business plan, and without any baking experience. Craziness! However, what they do have is marketing and branding experience, and it shows. What initially caught my eye in the show was their branding. Everything is consistent and catchy, from the sign and awning on their storefront to the interior design of the store, as well as their print and promotional materials. Everything works well together. I was just reading an article about them in the June issue of the Globe and Mail Your Business magazine, and decided to check out their website.

It’s fun just like everything else. The Cupcakes Facebook page is well utilized also. Of course, I became a fan 🙂 (They let me know that they are looking to expand in Ontario!) Their successful marketing and branding campaign has worked. Last year they spun off three franchises while maintaining their three corporate stores. Congratulations, girls! If you haven’t had a chance to check out their show, I suggest that you do – they are hilarious! See them on W network Sunday’s at 9pm. Let me know what you think!

Heather and Lori offer the Top Ten Pointers For Branding Your Business, and don’t forget to check out the CupcakesTakeTheCake blog too!

— Kathy

Good Friends, Great Cause!

July 23, 2010 Uncategorized

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Hi everyone! This post is especially for those of you following us in the Quinte region. This Sunday, the team over at JB Printing is holding a very special event to raise money and awareness for Sarcoma, as part of the International Sarcoma Awareness Week.

What’s a Step & Fetch? We’ll let Tamara, from JB explain:

This Sunday July 25th, we are hosting a Sarcoma STEP & FETCH Cancer awareness event at JB Printing!

The walk starts at Quinte West City Hall at 1 pm, weaves throughout Trenton and then ends at JB Printing. Participants collect Sarcoma Fact Cards along the way, once back at JB Printing, the fact cards turn into tickets for chances to win some FANTASTIC door prizes!

Please come out for this ALL ages, Rain or shine event! There will be great food, awesome prizes and a delicious bake sale! If you can’t make it to the walk, come out for the BBQ & Bake sale! The Whystle Dawgs Band will be performing too! Hope to see you there!

Call or email me for details; 613-394-3245, [email protected]

Thanks!!
Tamara (from JB Printing)

Registration is FREE, and it’s open to all ages. It sounds like a blast! Make sure to check it out, support a good cause, and have a tonne of fun along the way.

New Internet Spice

July 22, 2010 Advertising / Marketing / Social Media / Web

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Last week, the internet saw one of the most popular viral campaigns of all time! Old Spice teamed up with Wieden + Kennedy to bring “The Man Your Man Can Smell Like” guy, portrayed by actor Isaiah Mustafa, to fans by creating a series of personalized Youtube responses.

How great was this campaign for exposure?

In a 24 hour period, they were able to get:
•   180+ videos created
•   5.9 million views
•   22,500 comments

We can compare this to other notable viral videos and see that it beats out influential people like Obama and Bush.

(Via Mashable)

I will have to agree with Iain Tait, Wieden + Kennedy’s Global Interactive Creative Director , when he says, “In a way there’s nothing magical that we’ve done here, we just brought a character to life using the social channels we all use every day. But we’ve also taken a loved character and created new episodic content in real time.”

They used many of the principals for social media success that have been discussed thoroughly around the internet. This campaign engaged consumers, added value to their lives, was created in a human voice and was done in a timely fashion. Let me explain:

Engage Even if the personalized was response wasn’t written directly to you, it still felt like he was in your bathroom answering questions.
Add Value This is something that consumers had never seen before, a global national brand reaching out to its consumers through a ‘brand mascot’. You simply HAD to tell all your friends that would care!
Human Voice Even though it was a global-national brand, it felt more like a simple sketch comedy bit. It felt real, it felt human.
Timely The fact that these responses were sent out in real-time is unbelievable and makes this campaign a huge success – it was about conversation.

I am hard-pressed to call this campaign a success, yet. I would still want to see how this campaign had an impact on sales before we start creating case studies that will be looked at until the end of time. I have no doubt that there is a positive influence on the bottom line, but at the very least I think this campaign has reinforced the “new and youthful” revival to the Old Spice brand. I also believe that this has opened up a chasm of potential in how brands can now communicate with their consumers.

What are your thoughts?

Nice concept but…

July 20, 2010 Advertising / Design

2 comments

I saw this a few days ago:

I thought it was pretty clever at first–salt as dandruff–cool concept. Then I thought “Wait a minute, who is going to put that on their food?!” I mean, they put these in restaurants. What restaurant wants something so unappetizing on their tables? I can’t imagine how this would be good for business (at least for the restaurant).

To me, this is an example of a concept that although clever, just misses the mark. I would be interested to hear what others think.

Focus on the Heart

July 19, 2010 Uncategorized

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I have a personal blog this week. In light of recent family events, I would like to focus on good heart health. While sometimes you do all that you can to promote a healthy lifestyle, like exercising, eating right and being positive…life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect it. This post is for my dad.

It is important at any age to promote healthy living. I recently picked up a copy of Alive magazine at my local Good Health Mart and I really enjoyed reading the articles. I actually read the entire magazine from cover to cover, which is rare for me. It is very informative, while being a light read. This month the magazine is dedicated to women and the many natural health and wellness solutions available for increased well-being. I especially enjoyed the article on the health benefits of the ten most popular fruits of the season. If you are unable to find a copy of this magazine, visit www.alive.com to view the articles online or to sign up for their newsletter.

An invaluable source for good heart health is the Heart and Stroke foundation They have interactive and easy to use Action Plans online to help you reach your goals. As the website states, with these e-tools you will be able to set and achieve goals to manage your blood pressure or achieve a healthy weight and keep track of important details such as medications and appointments. The first step is to take the assessment in order to be directed to the plan that’s right for you. The assessment is based on well-researched science. It’s free, confidential and takes about 10 minutes to complete.

I have started to follow Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet as a way of promoting good heart health, along with going to my spinning/bosu class every week, and I feel great. I recommend her book – the Eat Clean Diet Recharged! to anyone who would like to embrace a cleaner healthier body.

It’s a nice sunny day today with blue skies. The wind is picking up now – it’s a perfect day for a sail.