So God Made a Designer

April 24, 2013 in Advertising, Design, Graphic Design, Uncategorized by Jessie at Omni | No comments

So the designer in me has to admit, I absolutely lOVE this little gem of a video, “So God Made a Designer” a tribute and parody to designers by David Brier, created for Fast Company. This video was inspired by this year’s incredibly heartfelt RAM’s commercial, that made it’s debut during the Super Bowl, “God Made a Farmer” with Paul Harvey, narrator done by legendary impressionist Jim Meskimen. Don’t let me delay your viewing any longer, Enjoy! So God Made a Designer

FOR THE DESIGNER IN EACH OF US.

Script sample:

“And on the 9th day,

God looked down on this blank canvas of life and said, “We need a way to be reminded of the finer things.”

So, God made a designer.”

Talk about a Viral Sensation! Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” Campaign

April 19, 2013 in Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized by Jessie at Omni | No comments

Ok, if you haven’t seen it already, Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” campaign has completely gone viral: The YouTube video has over 9 million views at the time I wrote this, has attracted responses from several major media outlets, and been shared several thousand times on social media websites. Not only that but it has inspired a parody of the original version, which itself has gone viral.

In a nutshell, Dove recruited several women from a variety of ages, ethnicity and backgrounds to participate in a new campaign. The spot features an FBI forensic artist sketching these women, which he can not see, by the way in which they describe themselves physically. Then strangers were brought in to describe those same women who had been sketched earlier. The two sketches are then hung side by side, resulting in stark contrast. The concept is that women are simply too critical of themselves. Hence, the tagline: “YOU are more beautiful than you think!”

After viewing it, I for one am not surprised that it went viral so fast. It’s a perfect combination of true emotion and honest insight and really pulls at the heart of the consumer. I love seeing marketing efforts get honest buzz amongst the public that goes beyond traditional advertising trade publications! Kudos for taking such risks Dove.

Published on Apr 14, 2013

“Join the conversation at: #WeAreBeautiful
Watch the whole experience at: http://dove.com/realbeautysketches
Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see.
And don’t forget: YOU are more beautiful than you think!”

Have a look at the ad yourself, if you haven’t seen it already! Dove Real Beauty Sketches

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the spot.

Feeling uninspired? Check it: Inspiration Station

April 12, 2013 in Advertising, Creative Services, Marketing, Social Media by Jessie at Omni | No comments

What inspires you?! When I’m feeling uninspired, unmotivated or need some creative energy, I look for inspiration anywhere I can find it. I’m loving Entrepreneur’s new Inspiration Station topic board, where you can share inspiring ideas with others in an organized and visual way. Check out this inspiring quote from Barbara Corcoran to help inspire you, and go ahead sign up for board and start clipping items that inspire you!

What inspires Barbara Corcoran

Inspired Reclip

“Whenever I feel stuck, I get up from my desk and go outside. I’ve never had a really creative idea sitting at my desk. I’ve found all the big ideas that make a sizable difference in my business when I’m playing outside. Fun is always good for business! Whenever I conduct my business as usual, it results in usual business. But when I take the time and put in the energy to plan something fun for myself and my company outside of the office, it always results in extraordinary business!” — Shark Tank investor and real estate mogul, Barbara Corcoran @whatsinspiring

inspiration.entrepreneur.com

- See more at: http://inspiration.entrepreneur.com/clipper/inspirational.entrepreneurs/barbara-corcoran-6915/7666.html#sthash.EAxlAVvG.dpuf

The Changing Role of Public Relations

April 1, 2013 in Advertising, Content Management, Marketing, Marketing in Management, Public Relations, Social Media by Jill at Omni | No comments

As I have been helping my soon-to-be college freshman explore the incredible breadth of college majors focusing on marketing and public relations available to her, I have seen firsthand how diversified this industry is in the digital age we now operate in. Just 10 years ago, Public Relations was more of an add-on to the main strategy but now has top billing in any solid tactical plan with the inclusion of all forms of social media and search engine opportunities.

Managing communications between a business and its audience is the traditional definition of Public Relations. And that perfectly describes how social media and SEO function in this brave new world of marketing.

The drawback however, is content-overload; sometimes companies are more focused on having constant ‘marketing touches’ to their audience and they ignore whether that message is relevant. And that is where the ‘old school’ teaching of Public Relations comes back into play – evaluate the message, rank its relevance to the audience, decide which media channel is appropriate, and examine if it even has any positive impact on the organization’s marketing presence.

“Content is king” has always been and will continue to be true, but managing all that content in a memorable, actionable and meaningful way is an art form in itself, and puts Public Relations smack in the driver’s seat.

Inside the Mind of Creative Geniuses – Children

March 26, 2013 in Creative Services by Brooke at Omni | No comments

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. -Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)

After 5 years of being home with my 2 favorite children, I am back to work for the company I love. But don’t think I have been out of practice for 5 years. My son who is now 7 and my 4 year old daughter are constantly pushing my creativity.

For example, with the several inches of snow on the ground, I spent a couple hours yesterday building a fort with my children. When we were finished, my daughter decided we needed to decorate it. She found a mirror and placed it at the entrance. The purpose: so that it could scan a visitor’s eyes to detect if they were aliens or not. I was amazed and amused that from a child’s perspective, our simple fort wasn’t just a place to hide out in the snow, but also a high-tech fortress to protect us from alien life forms.

A lovely picture created by one of my little artistic geniuses, Haven.

From playing make-believe to finger-painting, children find new ways to be artistic daily.

The best way to become creative adults is to tap into the child inside all of us. Try these easy and fast exercises to get your brain in the right framework to be its most creative:

Look around the room and find an object that has a specific use – such as a plate. What other ways could you use the object that normally you would not think of? A Frisbee that shatters on impact. Use a dry erase marker to draw a face on it. Balance it on your head.
Go an entire evening talking in a foreign accent – mine always end up sounding like a pirate. And while you are at it, rename yourself to match your new accent.
Dream up a BETTER electronic (for example an iPhone). I am truly addicted to my iPhone and honestly don’t know if it could be any better at keeping me organized. But what if it actually had wings and a way to fly out of hiding when you were looking for it? And what if it had an alarm so that when a person other than you (with finger print technology of course) grabbed the phone, it would play Gangnam Style at a very loud volume to let you know? Who would run away with a phone playing that song extremely loud?
Something less silly? Sit down for a half hour and color/draw – with crayons. Try different techniques, such as coloring and then scraping it off, or coloring with 3 crayons at the same time.

Adults take life way too seriously, that is why we find ourselves stuck on a project. So relax a bit – take 10 minutes to be a kid – and you will be amazed at the ideas that you can come up with.

Need more wacky creative ideas to “wake up your brain”? Option 1: One of my favorite resources is “Caffeine for the Creative Mind” by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield. Or, Option 2, just spend the day with a toddler!

The New LinkedIn Features – Grow Business or Job Hunting Tips!

March 20, 2013 in Marketing, Marketing in Management, Media Services, Social Media, Uncategorized by Jessie at Omni | No comments

Have you heard about the new features LinkedIn has to offer? Are you or your business taking advantage of the latest updates? If you said “no”, have a further look at what they have to offer and how you can generate more business using LinkedIn! The updates range from hyper-linked banner images, endorsements, and notifications. New stuff for all profiles and pages.

Have a look at this full article from the Social Media Examiner on, “6 Ways to Use the New LinkedIn Features to Get More Business” by Viveka von Rosen. This post will show you how you can use LinkedIn for your business to make better connections, engage and create more business with the latest features.

#1: LinkedIn becomes more Image-Centric
#2 Cool, Clean New Look
#3 Get Introduced and Get More Business
#4 Whom Do You Know?
#5 Get Active and Get Business
#6 Common Interests for Engagement

So basically, LinkedIn’s new interface allows you to easily generate new connections to add to your network, review potential prospects and ultimately interact and engage with them. We encourage you to take a look at your LinkedIn account and consider using some of these new features and follow Viveka’s advice!

Bonus: Below is an article from Forbes, “3 Ways LinkedIn Just Made It Easier to Find a Job” by Nancy Collamer, if you’re on the hunt for your next gig! This post covers the New Job-Hunting Free Features, and LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Searches.

Happy Clicking!

Celebrity Brand Managers and Creative Directors?

February 12, 2013 in Advertising, Creative Services, Marketing, Uncategorized by Jessie at Omni | No comments

Yes, it’s true. You may have recently noticed the trend in celebrity A-listers in marketing “partnerships” with various brands. Gone are the days when marketers paid big bucks for the usual celebrity endorsements, where the stars grace a box of Wheaties or sip on a beverage in a commercial. You could basically pay a celeb to say anything to represent a brand.

Now, brands are working with celebs to fill specific roles on their marketing teams witch such titles as “Brand Ambassador, Creative Director, Musical Curator”, etc. This is all in an attempt to position the pair as a more authentic team, a true ambassador, in a time when consumers are much less impressed by the usual endorsements.

There are pros and cons to this idea, and there is no doubt it will have an impact on traditional celebrity marketing.

Check out the recent article by Ad Age;

“More Than a Pitchman: Why Stars Are Getting Marketing Titles”

By: Natalie Zmuda, Rupal Parekh Published: February 11, 2013

“If you wanted to take a very cynical view, you could say these brands are taking borrowed equity to another level, trading on the celebrities’ name at a higher level,” said branding consultant Denise Lee Yohn. “But in some cases, a lot of value is being provided by these celebrities.”

“So what do real creatives think of celebs getting these titles? “Most is hype,” said Pete Favat, chief creative officer at Havas-owned Arnold. “But no doubt some people become celebs because they are truly creative people, so why not experiment?”

That said, he added, “If brands are doing it for PR buzz, it’s a stupid idea. … No one cares who the creative director is as long as the work is great.”

For the full article visit:
http://adage.com/article/news/timberlake-beyonce-marketing-titles/239712/

Happy clicking!

Some Ad Stories Never Get Old

February 4, 2013 in Advertising, Creative Services by Jill at Omni | 1 comment

Brotherhood by Budweiser

I doubt I was the only one who thought the Budweiser Clydesdale ad was awesome. It was great to see them going back to an iconic image associated with Bud. And more subtly, the Stevie Nicks “Landslide” song evokes some good memories for anyone over 40. I even loved the ‘name the baby Clyesdale’ campaign at the end. I don’t even drink beer, but could almost like Budweiser after this.

7,300 Days. That’s A Lot of Marketing Time.

October 26, 2012 in Uncategorized by Jill at Omni | No comments

Just as parents feel like it was only yesterday that their now-grown kids were learning to walk, it’s hard to believe we’ve been at this for over two decades. Some amazing people have walked through our doors – from staff to clients – and each has left their mark. We’ve learned a lot in 20 years, but from Day 1, we’ve stuck to our focus on strategy driving the creative train. Thanks to that focus, we get to continue to bring our clients to their destinations and be a part of a lot of success stories.