How Entertaining Can Increase Readership

One of the biggest challenges of any communicator is getting the attention of their target audience.
 
As businesses, our messages arrive at the consumer’s eyes and ears but are allowed in only with their permission. Very often, they’re not seeking what we have to say.
 
The entertain-engage method of communication is one way to break through the sea of communications. Give your target audience something they’re hungry for—whether it’s entertainment, inspiration or a mental break—before you give them the message you want them to absorb.
 
We recommended this method for a university’s recruiting piece we helped develop targeting high school sophomores. We know that messages that carry entertainment value are more likely to be allowed in, and chose to pay an irreverent visit to age-old clichés that parents use to get the readers’ attention and build a platform for a deeper message.
 
Besides increasing the chance for engagement with this audience, its unexpected approach provides a fresh take on college recruiting material—much of which looks very similar.
 
Are there opportunities for you to tell your brand’s story using this method?

Client Showcase: Award-winning Annual Report Features Fresh Imagery

For more than a decade we’ve partnered with Key Technology to produce their annual report. And for the second year in a row, their annual report has been listed in the Top 100 winners gallery in the 2010-2011 international LACP Visions Awards Annual Report Competition. Number 29 on the list, it was selected from more than 5,000 entries across all categories—and from 24 countries.
 
The Top 100 list included companies like Korean Air, Hyundai, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Walmart (Mexico/Central America), Qualcomm, Charles Schwab and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.
 
The report also garnered the Platinum Award, the highest of four awards offered, for annual reports in its industry category. A panel of professional judges scored the project on eight aspects ranging from first impressions to message clarity.
 
This year’s report cover image suggests both the international nature of their company and how their technologies benefit the consumer by bringing us fresher, purer products. We love the power of the image and its utter simplicity—made more notable by generous use of white space and use of vibrant colors inside.
 
LACP is the League of American Communications Professionals that helps promote best-in-class practices in communications.

Client Showcase: Calendar to Promote Early Literacy

We were delighted to partner with Umatilla County Special Library District to develop a calendar to help promote literacy in young children, since this is a cause we care about.

We identified a local artist who agreed to develop custom illustrations that brought to life the client's desired monthly themes. Every spread features not only this colorful and playful artwork and calendar, but recommended authors and activities to promote literacy among children. The calendar will be used for parents, teachers and caregivers as they help children develop language skills.

One can still make the case for the practicality of a calendar—even in an age of technology—because of its ability to be present in a home or office over an entire year. What other printed piece has this longevity?

Not only does a calendar have duration and presence, it can offer the chance to inspire and teach while still fulfilling that work-horse role as a calendar.

Showcase: Scholarship Worksheet Keeps it Simple

Walla Walla University’s new scholarship program gives students instant feedback on what they’re eligible for—and has proven to be an important part of their marketing successes.

When they asked us to develop a simple piece to communicate this complicated message—we recommended an interactive visual piece that is available in print and on-line (click here to view the online version).

Very often, a visual is the best way to convey complex information quickly.

Color Counsel: A Monochromatic Scheme Can Be Chic

A monochromatic color scheme uses shades (created by adding black to a color) and tints (created by adding white) of a single color resulting in a clean and elegant look. This color palette is soothing to the eyes and works especially well with green or blue hues. It is easy to get right and has a sense of authority to it. The primary color can also be used with neutral colors like black, white or gray.

The only downfall to a monochromatic color scheme is that it lacks the contrast of a complementary color scheme and is not as vibrant. But don't be afraid to try this when you're wanting a sophisticated but cost-effective look.

Client Showcase: St. Anthony North 40-Year Collateral Piece

This is the final piece in a campaign to promote St. Anthony North Hospital's achievements via its 40-year anniversary. This printed piece serves as both a direct mail and a brochure that tells the hospital's story and casts a vision for its future. The campaign theme, "We," celebrates the team's efforts in reaching this milestone, while creating enthusiasm for the hospital's future. It pairs well with the employee video, where we build on a reality-style production to show what "we" means. 

 

The campaign included transit, outdoor boards, mall displays, building banners, kinetic typography, Web content, videos, and print ads. 

 

The focus of the messaging was not just about their accomplishments and plans for the future, but was a way to celebrate the achievements of the team, which always infuses energy into an organization.

We can't wait to see what they do together in the next 40 years.

 

How are you celebrating the achievements of the people who make your business successful? What company do you know that does this well?



Sweat the Details and Get a Proof

Your creative project is finished, and now it's time to send it to the vendor for printing or production. But never assume that once it is out the door it doesn't need your attention anymore.

 

On the contrary, mistakes often occur in production. Here's an example of a recent problem we navigated.

The project below was for a mall display (featured last week on our blog).  As always, we include a printed proof along with the design files, so the production team can see how it should render—and this can often save mistakes in the final stages of a project.

Even then, it isn't uncommon for something to go wrong—which is why we insist on seeing proofs.  In this case, we went through three proofs before getting it right.

In the first, the outside vendor producing the actual display introduced those odd shadows around and across the bottom of the icon where there should have been a drop shadow instead. In the second, they corrected this problem but introduced a new one—the registration was off causing the type to appear blurred. We sent it back with instructions and finally got it resolved in the third round.

Sweating the details at every stage of the project is the only way to ensure that you receive the quality of work your firm aspires to.

Attempt 1: Drop shadow didn't print correctly

Attempt 2: Registration was slightly off resulting in blurred type

Client’s Annual Report Makes Top 50 List and Garners Platinum Award

 

Key Technology’s 2010 annual report has been listed in the top 50 winners gallery in the 2009-2010 international LACP Visions Awards Annual Report Competition.

 

Other winners included companies like Cisco Systems, Munich Airport, Monsanto India, Office Depot Foundation, Direct TV, Xerox and Whirlpool.

 

The report also garnered the Platinum Award—the highest of four awards offered in each category—for annual reports in its industry. A panel of professional judges scored the project on eight aspects ranging from first impressions to message clarity.

 

The photo of the executive team, above, appears inside the report and mirrors the cover theme that evokes freshness, purity and quality—all outcomes that Key's product line helps achieve.

 

We have worked with Key Technology on their annual reports for more than a decade, and must say that they know how to inspire good work. We love helping to tell the story of this innovative, forward-thinking international company.

 

More than 4,400 entries representing 25 countries were received. LACP is the League of American Communications Professionals that helps promote best-in-class practices in communications.

Client Showcase: Key Technology Annual Report

 

 

For a decade we've had the privilege of working with this innovative manufacturing company on their annual report. This year's starring photos were staged at a historic landmark overlooking the beautiful valley in eastern Washington where their international headquarters are located. This beautiful setting, paired with an abundance of fresh produce, helped convey their brand promise to deliver fresher, safer and purer products through new technologies that sort, process and remove defects.

The piece was printed on a suede-like paper that provides a richly tactile experience with the piece, and lends an organic air to it—reinforcing the message of quality and freshness.

Client Showcase: Hospitalist Brochure

The concept of hospitalists—hospital-based physicians whose exclusive role is to manage the care of patients who are hospitalized—is still new to many consumers, and many don't understand how a hospitalist might benefit them. To explain this, we developed this piece for the hospitalist program at Avista Adventist Hospital. We paired text that addresses likely consumer concerns with images from both our private stock collection and the hospital to create a custom piece that helps set a patient's expectations about working with a hospitalist—and allay their fears about this new way of delivering inpatient care.