]]>]]>This campaign is about taking chances. The beauty of. And the need for.
Humans take chances to move forward, to feel good, to fight boredom, to fulfill dreams. Like the guy at IBM said “Every time we’ve moved ahead, it was because someone was willing to take a chance.” Even the act of buying an instant game ticket can clear your head and get your juices flowing. When you’re scratching that darn thing, you are living in the present. For one brief moment, you’re not thinking about your boss, your mortgage, or the brand new dent in your right front fender. All that’s in your head is what that ticket holds in store. Sure you might not be a winner. But by buying that ticket, by taking that chance, you at least have a shot. And that, on so many levels, is what life (and this campaign) is all about.
]]>You watched the game. You saw the ads. What did you think? Were they better than last year, or worse? Which ones were memorable? Which ones failed? MDB Communications CEO Cary Hatch talks about Super Bowl ads then and now on WJLA's Washington Business Report. See the full article here.
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WASHINGTON (January 31, 2012) – Destination DC, the official convention and tourism corporation for Washington, DC, has selected MDB Communications as Agency of Record to update its consumer-focused “Power” campaign and guide its media planning.
MDB was selected in a competitive review that involved 11 agencies, and will provide strategy, creative and media buying services. The campaign will unfold in multiple media channels that will likely include online, print, and out-of-home, and incorporate multi-media marketing initiatives that promote visiting DC during the summer and holiday seasons.
“We have tapped MDB to renew our popular Power campaign. After several years in market, it is time to freshen the creative while maintaining consistency with the DC brand,” said Elliott Ferguson, President and CEO of Destination DC. “The Power campaign is our primary platform to promote travel to DC in regional and national markets during the critical summer season and in other periods throughout the year, and we are looking forward to our work with MDB on this important project.”
According to Richard M. Coad, Chief Creative Officer at MDB, “This is a wonderful opportunity. Let’s face it; Washington, DC is the most compelling tourism destination in the country. We’re very happy that the emotionally driven work we developed resonated with our new client.”
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This article was originally posted at Capital Communicator on 1/25/2012
With the 2012 presidential election, the summer Olympics and emerging positive economic growth on the horizon, the advertising industry is expected to experience exponential growth. Importantly, these events bring new advertising opportunities, which many advertisers are bound to capitalize on now. Today, the economy is in a much healthier state than it was back in 2008 and 2009, and companies are reinvesting in their advertising efforts. These developments will undoubtedly give rise to increased advertising spending, which will positively affect the local economy in Washington, DC and the nation at large.
Many of us will soon be seeking shelter from the throng of repetitive presidential ads – there’s also the silver lining of political spending that will favorably impact many a media outlet’s bottom line in 2012. Given the 2010 Supreme Court ruling, allowing Super PACs (Political Action Committees), to spend an unrestricted amount of money for political campaigns, there is virtually an unlimited flow of media investments to be made. By the end of December 2011, USA Today reported that candidate-specific PACs spent more than $6.8 million already.
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Virtual Sources of Inspiration
In a 140 character world, we art directors aren’t left out. We have our own quick-glimpse social media communities that we use to keep inspired and help develop our work and our styles.
So, when considering color combinations, graphical style, photo art direction, and use of typography, we sometimes turn to…what else…the Internet! Over the past few years, two important visual bookmarking/visual sharing sites have come to prominence within the virtual world, Dribbble and Pinterest.
Dribbble.com is basically “show and tell” for creatives. On Dribbble, designers, illustrators, developers and other creatives share “shots”— 400×300 pixels snippits— of designs they’re working on.
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[Back To The Future Title ©1986 Universal Studios]
As 2012 unfolds, if you are a leader willing to embrace change (and invest the time and resources to capitalize on them) there are considerable challenges that present significant opportunities for the next three to five years.
With three decades of advertising experience, I learned early on that our success is based solely on the value we provide (and continue to provide) for our clients. In our industry (as with most) that means “leaning forward” to pursue knowledge and to examine and vet methods and channels that can advance our clients brands. Period.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s take time to adapt and adopt now – or risk becoming irrelevant. Here’s our take on 10 items of note for the coming years.
As the principal of an advertising agency celebrating our 30th anniversary, I learned early on that our success is based solely on the value we provide (and continue to provide) for our clients. In our industry (as with most) that means “leaning forward” to pursue knowledge and to examine and vet methods and channels that can advance our clients brands. Period.
I continue to ask our team, partners and vendors one simple question. If we don’t continue to be a renaissance resource in brand leadership, why would anyone hire us? We continue to lead the charge on new and emerging marketing fronts. Including SEM and social media monitoring, among others.
While we take time to reflect on our humble beginnings in 1981 (when MTV was introduced, the IBM PC was announced, and long before the internet) we also relish our growth and diversified services, and numerous business and industry awards. Who knew that we’d be currently leading a national search engine marketing campaign touted by Google as one of the most successful case studies to date, or that we’d have the privilege over the last 30 years to work for brands like Sprint, National Geographic, Boston Market, the DC Lottery, the US Mint and the recently announced International Spy Museum?
It may be luck, pluck or our date of origins good karma…but the fact that we’re still here doing work that works for our clients, is something just short of amazing. As one of the largest independent advertising agencies in Washington DC, we salute our clients and partners, and the many employees over the last three decades who have fueled our success – and the success of the clients we’ve had the good fortune to represent.
Here’s my take on the top 30 lessons learned:
Perhaps you’ve seen some in your living room. You know, while you’re watching your favorite TV show? In the corner of the screen, a logo pops up and a mini-commercial plays around it, or sometimes in it, while the rest of the screen is filled with your program. Marketers call those little pop-up messages “bugs,” and it’s the latest way they hope to grab your attention.
Today, the idea that your program segment remains uncluttered while you’re trying to watch it seems to be crumbling. Broadcast Networks CW and Fox have both embraced the idea of selling “bugs” to advertisers. Time Warner’s Turner has allowed bugs on its entertainment networks. Still, there are a few holdouts, like CBS.
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WASHINGTON (November 28, 2011) – The International Spy Museum has selected MDB Communications as Agency of Record.
The International Spy Museum is the largest permanent collection of international spy-related artifacts on public display, and is the only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to espionage and the only one in the world to provide a global perspective on this profession.
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