We had some fun putting together this little holiday video… And eating the supplies for the holiday video…
Drake Cooper “Be Merry” from Drake Cooper on Vimeo.
We also put together a holiday recipe book filled with tasty things to eat and drink this holiday season. You can download it here. All recipes are ones that we at DC make in our homes this time of year.
Enjoy! And cheers to a merry holiday season.
It is a word, a phrase, a way of life that most have become either accustomed to or have heard endless earfuls about: green. Companies are playing their part in continuing the green effort, Coca-Cola in particular.
Recently, Coca-Cola, working with the World Wildlife Federation and Momentum Phillipines, installed a 60-by-60-foot billboard in Manila, Phillippines, made of living plants. It is the first plant billboard in the country. This particular billboard is very different than most, it actually helps absorb carbon dioxide, on average 13 pounds a year. The billboard uses 3,600 pots of Fukien tea plants, which are potted in a mixture of industrial byproducts and organic fertilizers. They are maintained by an efficient drip irrigation system called trickle irrigation or micro-irrigation. The “green” effort doesn’t stop there, recycled Coca-Cola bottles were used as pots.
As a part of the company’s “Live Positively” commitment (a commitment to make a positive difference in the world by incorporating sustainability into everything they do), Coke celebrated their 125th anniversary earlier this year with the largest building illumination ever created. Their headquarters tower in Atlanta displayed nearly 1 million lumens of light. How is that green, you ask. The emissions from this event will be offset in support of Georgia’s Valley Wood Carbon Sequestration Project.
In a world of print, digital, tv and radio – advertisers are picking up the green trend. Creativity breeds ways to infuse green into design and into new and developing campaigns; saving the world, one billboard at a time. It goes without saying – but I shall remind you, behind every great idea, is a great agency. Congrats to Momentum Philippines for a job well done.
There are several levels of successful ideas in marketing, ranging from really good ideas to epic ideas. But how do you know if a creative strategy—and its subsequent marketing expression—might be one of those rare epic ideas? Perhaps a key question can help: Does the idea work at different emotional speeds? Can it emotionally upshift and downshift and still be on strategy?
Like this:
Upshift…
Downshift…
It’s a bit like people. There are times when we want energy and excitement, and then there are times that we welcome introspection and caring. If a brand stands for something huge, the same theory should apply. In Nike’s case, standing for “the athlete” is a huge position. It upshifts and downshifts but it’s always about the athlete. Because being an athlete carries a range of emotions. Harley-Davidson has done similar over time. Allstate is doing this now. The Gap did this when their advertising was part of culture.
We see this beyond advertising… we see it in rock bands. The epic groups are those capable of rocking a stadium, then immediately slowing things down, all the while still being, well, them. Consider: there’s “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and then “With or Without You.” “Revolution” and “Let It Be.” “Misty Mountain Hop” and “Going to California.” But no matter what track you’re listening to, it always feels perfectly normal and is unquestionably U2, The Beatles, and Zepplin through and through.
Most highly regarded marketing campaigns get a few great years of run time. But they need refreshing because the audience can start to wain and culture begins to shift, so we concept something new. Very normal. But I always have a fondness for emotional range. And the epic ideas are big enough to represent many different emotions all under one creative strategy, keeping the audience engaged for decades.
The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is the advertising event of the year. Over 20,000 pieces of creative advertising material from across the world are judged at this event. If you receive an award, you have welcomed temporary greatness. Temporary, because you better believe your competition is brewing and boiling with ideas to surpass your last.
In the advertising business, we live, breath, eat, sleep, read, BECOME competition. It is the light to our day, the wake to our hardly sleep, the coffee in our cup. When events such as the Cannes take place, we glue down our derrieres to see what the world has to offer; who can we beat or strive to become. We sit and analyze every word, action, prop and placement – what could we have done, what would have we done. This industry is not for the faint of heart. If we see someone do something extraordinary, we are driven and determined to one-up them.
The beauty behind events such as Cannes is that it exponentially increases the creative edge of any great agency. We can’t help but want to get back to the office to explode into a rapid fire of creativity. The great and memorable ads, such as Apple’s 1984, have set the stage for creative genius. Every year, something newer is launched, like 2005’s Sony Bravia, 2008’s Monster.com “stork”, to this year’s Puma: After Hours Athlete, the Outdoor Grand Prix winner Jay-Z’s “Decoded” (Droga5) and the Grand Prix winner, Nike: Write the Future (Wieden + Kennedy, Amsterdam); each surpassing the last, in one shape or form, creating a memorable experience, noting its place in history.
Some detour from competition, from strength in progress, however, we invite it. Competition fuels greatness. We are passionate about providing the best options to every client that walks into our door. They do not come asking for mediocrity, copy-cats or stagnant ideas. Props to our industry comrades for your wins, for you have given us fuel to our ever-burning fire.
Another award season down, another successful evening of fun and mingling with talented creative peeps in Idaho. This year we’re happy to report that Drake Cooper took home 17 Rockies at the Idaho Ad Federation’s award show. Among the total were 6 Golds, 11 Silvers and a dozen citations of excellence. This year we also took home 3 Silver NW ADDYS® at the 2011 Northwest ADDY® Awards Competition.
We share these awards with the following DC clients: Idaho Travel Council, CBH Homes, 44º North Vodka, Bodybuilding.com, United Dairymen of Idaho, Idaho Department of Commerce, Keynetics, Idaho Department of Agriculture Idaho Preferred, Kount and Boise Bicycle Project. Here’s how it all shook out:
Gold Rockies
- Bodybuilding.com | LIFT LIFE Magazine Campaign
- Idaho Travel Council | Idaho WINter Installation
- Idaho Department of Agriculture Idaho Preferred | Trade Show Booth
- CBH Homes | Shiny New Awesome Web Video Series
- 44º North Vodka | Consumer Marketing Materials
- United Dairymen of Idaho | I Like Milk TV Campaign
Silver Rockies
- Idaho Travel Council | Idaho WINter Installation & Campaign
- Boise Advertising Federation | 2010 Rockies Award Show Collateral
- Boise Advertising Federation | 2010 Rockies Award Show Campaign
- 44º North Vodka | Distilled By Earth & Sky Newspaper Ad
- 44º North Vodka | 44º North Vodka Website
- Idaho Department of Commerce | Skinet.com Interactive Magazine Digital Insert
- Keynetics | Keynetics Website
- Keynetics | Keynetics Identity/Stationary Package
- Boise Bicycle Project | Boise Bicycle Project Event Posters
- Kount | Kount Business Cards
- Idaho Department of Commerce | Lewis & Clark in Idaho Website
Congratulations are also due for Dave Cook and his talented cohorts over at Stoltz Marketing Group for reeling in the “Best of Show” award for their work on the United Way Treasure Valley campaign. Big ups to Dave on a personal note for receiving the Silver Medal Award and forever being enshrined into the IAF Hall of Fame.
A complete listing of the IAF Rockie Award winners can be seen here.
Some brands are more than just the packaged product. A brand can evoke a place and even a state of mind. At this level, the creative process becomes more like an existential quest for meaning—a step beyond a simple logo and tagline.
When 44° North Vodka approached Drake Cooper for branding, marketing, and digital work, we quickly realized this brand raised more questions than answers. Questions like “What is Idaho about?” And even, “What is America all about?”
Part of the reason was 44° North Vodka’s origin as an independent, crafted vodka in a world of bland, mass produced spirits. Unlike most global vodka brands that are produced from neutral grain spirits, 44° North is Grown in Idaho and five column distilled, using Rocky Mountain Spring Water, Famous Idaho Potatoes (aka earth apples), Mountain Huckleberries, Rainier Cherries, and Brundage Winter Wheat.
While this sounds like a refreshing break from the mainstream, what does “Grown In Idaho” really mean? Outside of the Northwest and beyond the Famous Potato, Idaho is pretty much a blank slate. Upon further exploration, this turned out to be a good thing. People can make Idaho what they want to make of it, defining and redefining in the process. This notion is at the heart of the rugged independence of Idahoans. Coincidentally, this is the same DIY spirit that sparked 44° North’s early backpack revolution style of marketing and distribution.
This insight evolved into the North of Center brand direction. This tagline-and-more speaks to the indie mindset and the iconoclastic spirit of the Northwest. The brand identity evokes a rugged authenticity that is defiantly optimistic, wide-open and refreshingly direct.
The new brand allows 44° North to handle all avenues of communication in a unified approach, all the way from shelf-talkers to ads and from out-of-home to an engaging website complete with up-from-ordinary swag.
The results? 44° North is the number one vodka in Idaho and recognized by the Idaho Potato Commission and Idaho Preferred. Nationally, 44° North continues to gain distribution in many states, becoming the ambassador of North of Center—and all things Idaho.
As for the work, Drake Cooper recently won one Gold and two Silver Rockies at the 2011 IAF Rockie Awards. Gold for the 44° North brand materials and Silvers for the website and Distilled by Earth & Sky newspaper ad. Boo-ya.
Shout Out: Ken Wyatt, Ron Zier, Harold Joyce, Dylan Amundson, John Drake, Sean Young, Jennie Myers, Matt Stevens, Chad Connelly, Amanda Cash-Crowley, Chris Robinson of the PromoShop, and Scott Kelch.
Kount Introduction Video
The threat of online and card-not-present fraud can be complicated. Imagine trying to explain how Kount’s technology stops fraud before it becomes a problem.
Kount approached Drake Cooper to create an introductory video to give potential customers insight into how Kount can not only prevent fraud, but also help them maximize sales. To accomplish this, Drake Cooper went back to the drawing board. Or should we say, the whiteboard?
The result was a three-minute whiteboard video that was shot in-house, literally. Featuring the Drake Cooper conference room and white board, the images unfold in sequence to a voice-over outlining the Kount story. The process was more involved, featuring hours of illustration and post-production magic to deliver the final, hand-drawn video.
The video has launched to huge kudos from the client, who’s already put the video in the power position on the website to help generate qualified sales leads. Check it out:
http://www.kount.com/campaigns/video
Shout out: Kount, Dennis Budell, Mona Teffeteller, Brandie Holly, Sean Young, Cale Cathey, Chris Ennis, Allen Gladfelter, Chris Vandershaaf, Joe Boren, Sound Logic.
It just looks like a 3D-kinetic-paper-sculpture thingumbob. Or, Behind-The-Scenes of the Idaho Winter Campaign.
In traditional print advertising, placement is key. It’s all about reaching the right audience at the right place, at the right time. Different media outlets and publications are combined to achieve a desired reach and frequency level, and all that. That is so old school, though.
When Drake Cooper was asked by the Idaho Division of Tourism to find new ways to bring the Idaho Winter Adventure to life, we decided it was time to get off the page and get out into the real world. With the primary target of neighboring Northwest metropolitan areas, we installed a giant paper snow sculpture in one of the most heavily traveled areas, the Bellevue Square in downtown Bellevue. With a holiday foot traffic of over 120,000 shoppers a day, this opportunity proved to be a no-brainer considering that a print ad may take up to one month to reach just 400,000 impressions.
Under the call-to-action moniker “Tear it up,” shoppers are treated to a visually arresting installation constructed by Hens & Chicks Collective as an artful reminder of Idaho’s wide-open winter escapes and jaw-dropping snow assets, and adventure possibilities.
(This is the trailer for the Tear It Up Installation. The making-of-video is even more awesome, with behind-the-scenes look at how Hens & Chicks Collective work.)
At several kiosks on site, visitors were prompted to visit the Idaho Winter website every week in order to enter to win a series of impressive prize packages in any of Idahoʼs deluxe key resort destinations. Even Jake Moe, co-founder of Powder Magazine, was on hand to answer questions about Idaho snow. Visitors to the website could check out current powder conditions, learn about other Idaho resorts, watch the behind the scenes video on the massive snow sculpture, and share with friends via Facebook and Twitter.
Call it luck, or some insider strategery, the installation launched just 50 yards from the grand opening of the Bellevue Square Microsoft Store. This event drew large crowds and long lines along with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and celebs like Apolo Anton Ohno, Dave Mathews Band, and Miley Cyrus. This flips the idea of distribution—the audience comes to us.
One further nod to Microsoft was the integration of Microsoft Tag technology for the QR codes on the display. This allowed people to access the Idaho winter website by simply using their mobile devices to snap an image of the code, go online, and enter the contest.
The results? With over 21,000 website visitors, 11,000+ sweepstakes entries, 6,119 partner opt-ins, 20 promotional offers (both online and at Bellevue Square)—the winter installation “ad” thingumbob is going strong.
High-Fives to all the suppliers and partners that donated over $30,000 in prizes.
Shout-Out: Idaho Division of Tourism, Idaho Film Office, Ski Idaho, Sun Valley Resort, Brundage, Schweitzer, Grand Targhee, Horizon Air, Smith Optics, EpicQuest, Kemper Development Company, Vision Marketing, Kira, Sara, and Shannon with Hens & Chicks Artist Collective, Mitch Mattraw with Cabfare productions, Lisa Gerber, Jennie Myers, Joe Quatrone, Josh Mercaldo, Justin Yonk, Lindsay Shumate, Amanda Cash-Crowley.
Big Bear Lake Resort Branding and Website
Big Bear Lake is Southern California’s only true four-season mountain resort, located 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The area has a seven mile long lake with fishing and water sports in the summer. It also has two full-service ski resorts in the winter—Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. The 200-member Resort Association, consisting of lodges, hotels, ski resorts, marinas and restaurants, enlisted Drake Cooper to help ramp-up marketing efforts to attract visitors to the Big Bear Lake region. This included not only a website redesign but a cohesive brand upgrade.
The new brand identity for Big Bear was launched under the thematic “Live It. Up.” This direction inspires and motivates outdoor enthusiasts to reap the benefits of an all-season escape out of SoCal city doldrums for some full-on fun.
For the brand, Drake Cooper created an identity scheme inspired by various National Forest trail signs at Big Bear Lake. The key elements of the logo include a newly revised “bear” icon, along with the brand designation “Mountain Lake Escape” which describes the heart of the brand. A modular identity system was created which allows for versatility to change out the icon in the shield, to help communicate certain activities or marketing objectives.
The website was redesigned, shifting to a more member-focused functionality based around individual detail pages for each of the association members. Coupled with an SEO revamp, a custom-built, easy-to-use Content Management System (CMS) was developed so the members can easily update content, events, maps, alerts, banner ads, and much more.
The new brand identity and website launched mid-February to rave reviews from Big Bear Resort Association and site visitors.
See for yourself: www.bigbear.com
Shout-Outs: Bill Drake, Mona Teffeteller, Chad Connally, Josh Mcdannel, Justin Yonk, Heidy Agalsoff, Dennis Budell, Joe Quatrone, Amanda Cash-Crowley, Dave Casey, Joe Boren, Javier Barrera, and Gummibear.
Bodybuilding is about results. At least that’s what all the trade pubs tell you with all the tanned and oiled hypertrophic muscle fetishizing going on. What’s lost is all the willpower, agony, and repetition that goes into transforming one’s body.
Bodybuilding.com approached Drake Cooper to help launch a key initiative through a national print campaign. A key challenge was to help grow Bodybuilding.com’s customer base without alienating its core audience, the competing bodybuilder.
Besides being the largest online sports nutrition company, Bodybuilding.com has really built its success by celebrating the bodybuilder. One aspect of this has been fostering a large, networked community called BodySpace on the site. Here, over 650,000 people connect, sharing workout tips and nutrition regimens. But it doesn’t stop there, the Bodybuilding.com site puts its people front and center by featuring their transformation stories online.
Spending some time reading the transformation stories, it becomes apparent that many Bodybuilders are everyday people overcoming amazing challenges to get into optimum health. It becomes clear that what is really transformed is not just the physical, but all aspects of life.
This motivation is what bodybuilders bring to the gym and when it comes right down to it, this willpower is found right there in every rep. It’s this insight that led to the brand idea of “LIFT LIFE.” This direction allowed the ad campaign to tap into and celebrate the LIFT LIFE, speaking to all audiences—from hardcore bodybuilders, gym junkies, athletes, active exercisers, and the emerging MMA crowd.
The LIFT LIFE gives voice to the willpower that says: “Lift, press, curl, pull until you can’t do one more rep. And then do one more rep. Half-hearted is half-crazy. Don’t show up, just to give up.”
Each ad features BodySpace and Bodybuilding.com bodybuilders in real-life environments. The stunning photography of Andy Anderson captured the LIFT LIFE story across all segments from compelling transformations to the competitive core crowd of bodybuilders.
The immediate feedback from the Bodybuilding.com community has been overwhelmingly positive and reconfirms the core purpose of the Bodybuilding.com brand—to inspire and celebrate everyone who lives the LIFT LIFE.
Look for the ads in major national publications like Shape, GQ, Men’s Fitness, Oxygen, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Flex, Playboy, UFC, and more. For more of the ads in the series, see Andy Anderson’s featured portfolio on LIFT LIFE.
Big Ups to our real-life, LIFT LIFE Models: Jamie Eason, Christina Vargas, Ashley Schutz, Sean Sarantos, Kizzito Ejam, Parker Cote.
Shout Out: Ryan DeLuca, Tanya Vaughan, Jennifer Hetherington, Andy Anderson, Michael Perez, Jennifer Diehl, Cindy Whitehead, Jennie Myers, Dylan Amundson, Sean Young, Karma Jones, Joe Quatrone, Dennis Budell.