OrangeRoc is excited to announce that on April 10th we attended the Hawaii Advertising Federation 2010 Pele Awards, which honors the year’s best advertising, marketing and design. We ended up winning 5 awards for 5 different clients, representing 5 distinctively different projects (Website, POP Display, Trade Show Booth, Poster and Stationery Package).

So there it is..we tooted our horn.

But we wanted to let our readers in on a little bit of the behind the scenes…on how work is selected by the agency to submit to the awards shows and also what we have determined through years of going to these awards shows that the judges are looking for.

First of all OrangeRoc considers all of the work we’ve done for all of our clients to be “best in show” or else we would never let it go out our door. We treat every door hanger and email blast with the same care as we do a big budget television commercial or print campaign. What we produce is a reflection not only on our clients’ reputations but also on ours.

When we lay out all of the work we’ve done from the previous year, we go through a mental checklist of what we’ve seen win form different categories in past awards shows. We only select the key pieces that we feel have a good shot at an award.

What do the judges look for? Well we are a little bit of an anomaly here in Hawaii. Judges are always flown in from the mainland every year and what we’ve found to be a trend is that pieces that have a very demonstrative Hawaiiana feel to them always seem to do better than those pieces that look like they could be from anywhere. We think that the judges get sort of seduced by the colors and textures of Hawaii and all this imagery is new and fresh to them. Diamond Head scenics, orchids, whales and hula girls are all interesting and exciting to them, but for us they are tired clichés.

For OrangeRoc, and many other Hawaii firms, we are many times trying to think of new marketing and design solutions for our clients that don’t rely so heavily on the “Hawaii Experience.” If it makes sense to have Hawaii imagery for a particular client or project then we use it but if it is just convenient graphic safe zone we try to avoid it. Simplicity is also a trend. Pieces that solve a communications problem with the fewest amount of pictures, words and clutter always fare better than those that are jam packed with information. All of the work we create for our clients is based on the philosophy that less is more. Now with that said, less on one piece could mean 500 words and 10 photos where as on another piece it could mean two words and a small logo. It all depends on the project and the client and the message.

Finally, we notice that pieces that are produced with high end papers, printing processes, special die cuts, fancy camera moves, custom music and time intensive animation elements always stand out and seem to win more awards. It is true in some respects that you do get noticed more if you spend more money. Think about walking into a dinner party. You are going to get more looks if you are wearing a designer gown or tuxedo versus an outfit from the GAP. Now with that said there are also times when doing exactly opposite of this also gets you noticed. Going against the trend and designing a piece to intentionally look raw and gritty can also win praise if it communicates effectively the right message to the right audience.

OrangeRoc does not create our work for awards shows. We create work for our clients and they are our first and only priority. Making our clients happy and successful is the greatest award we could ever receive. Thanks to all of our clients for allowing us to produce best in show work time and time again…and if that work happens to win a Pele Award then it’s just the cherry on top.

OrangeRoc shared our professional and industry insights with the students from Hawaii Pacific University on March 30, 2010. Han Nee teaches a class in communications at HPU and she thought it would be a good idea to help students bridge the gap between school and a day on the job.  So she us sent a quick email and we agreed to share a day in the life of a marketing/communications firm. It started with a warm welcome with all of their names on our door. Remember “a day in the life of OrangeRoc” its part of our culture – “our place is your place.” Next, we all stood around, “literally,” and shared 10-20 tasks we had already completed, and it was only 2PM. Next, was a warp speed presentation of our research to implementation process.  Next, we shared 3 OrangeRoc case studies and one case study from my company on the mainland. The case Studies were HIFF 28 and 29, ABC, Extreme Make Over Home Edition “the making of” and the rebranding of Society Brass on the mainland. There are only 3 rooms at OrangeRoc; one room is for creating, one for accounting and one for eating and sharing, watching movies and big student presentations.  It was a tight squeeze with all of the students but we made it work just fine. We enjoy sharing with students and expressing what really goes into creating an award winning campaign, from start to finish.  Good luck to all communication majors.

Han Nee’s response to our tour:

Hi, Mel,

Thank you so much for having us yesterday! The presentations were amazing! I spoke to a few students afterwards and they were all very impressed and inspired. They found the case studies to be really interesting and they also like the ‘day in the life of’ each team member at OrangeRoc. A few students were asking about internship opportunities afterwards and I said I would check with you.

You guys are AWESOME! Thanks again for taking the time and effort to put together such a thoughtful presentation for us. The students were amazed when they first saw their names on the door! It was so very thoughtful.

Mahalo!

Han Nee

Well they’re here..in Hawaii! I was amazed at the talent that was represented at this years State Finals of the Skills USA Art Board Competition. I was privileged to be a guest judge along with two others from Pacific Sign and Graphics. There were about 15 professional young men and women – each of whom represented their high schools with their winning design pieces. The winners will move to the national level competition and represent the State of Hawaii.

As designers we try to get inside of the creators mindset and process. We saw a lot of thoroughly developed ideas and sketches, which for me is worth more than any award. I felt privileged to listen to these students passionately present their hearts. These students are taking design to a whole new level. The winning piece was a Sci-fi inspired 3-D poster that represented the Skills USA program in an extremely intriguing way – this student hand crafted her own 3-D glasses, USB towers, Skills USA students as citizens and a glaring Godzilla-like satellite man. Here at Orangeroc, we love connecting design back to our communities and do all we can to stay involved with the students and upcoming talent. We see it as our responsibility to teach the skills and fuel the fire of young designers.

I stumbled across this website today and I wanted to share it with everybody. It’s an online contest sponsored by Volkswagen and you can see it for yourself at www.thefuntheory.com. “This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.” Below are a few examples and if you want to see more just go their website. Remember to have fun in everything you do too!

OrangeRoc supports the National Guard and Reserve and we are honored to have Andrew Jackson who is both a part of our creative team and also a member of the Hawaii Air National Guard, 154th Wing, Public Affairs Division. His skills transition from military duty to the public sector as a videographer with the talent to contribute from creative to production and finished video product by masterfully working in Final Cut Pro. He often shares his stories; relating to us how the two hats he wears have helped both parties and contributed to his skill and vision.

As a surprise, OrangeRoc was honored on Monday March 8, 2010 with a presentation from the Department of Defense as an ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) company. For me personally, it’s never been a second thought other than to support Andy and his duty and service to the military. He makes everyone smile with his personality. He also has had a few shockers here and there, like, “I’m going to Thailand for 3 weeks.”  When?

Support our troops.

Check out these super cool TV spots we just finished for one of our favorite clients – Bella Pietra. We wanted to create TV spots that had the same WOW factor that you feel when their stone is placed inside your home. Their stone really does bring your home to life. Enjoy!

These Olympic torches are perfect,
I want to one hang over my desk.
I love the winter olympics.
Tonight was awesome. Seeing the plains indians dancing did my heart good. (being part plains indian my self) My wife thought i was crazy when i got up and danced with them.

What is your favorite sport of the winter Olympics.

"I want the world. I want the whole world. I want to lock it all up in my pocket. It's my bar of chocolate. Give it to me now." – Veruca Salt

I came across a really good “food for thought” article from Advertising Age the other day that I thought I should it share with all of the advertising and marketing devotees that we have following our little blog. It’s an article about the 10 basic “wants” that all people desire in life. It’s all stuff we really already know but it’s nice to have it all bundled for us in a neat package. As marketing and advertising professionals we always try to find that nugget that will get people on the hook and make them open their wallets. The best ways to motivate people are always emotional triggers – advertising that gets at us emotionally usually works better than anything else. One of my teachers in ad school described it this way…there are three types of advertising 1)Features advertising – which just gives you the facts about a product or service such as, “This sports car has a 450 horsepower engine” 2) Attributes advertising – which talks about all the things you can do with a product or service such as “This sports car can go really fast”  and 3) Benefits advertising – which address the emotional reasons why we buy things such as “This sports car will help me get women.” The best advertising and marketing always address the benefits and the emotional pull products and services have on us.  So what are those emotional pulls? That’s where the following article  from Brian Martin of AdAge comes in:

Remember to Give Them What They Want

Successful Brands Do a Good Job of Satisfying People’s 10 Basic Desires

Brands spend more than $450 billion each year to influence us. They wouldn’t spend that kind of money unless they knew something we didn’t know.

The most-successful brands don’t focus on what we need; they focus on what we want. We need a credit card; we want an American Express Black card. We need a cellphone; we want the yet-to-be-released iPhone 4G.

Fortunately for brands, when it comes to identifying what people want, we aren’t particularly complex. The human mind seeks to satisfy 10 primary wants. Direct your actions toward meeting as many as possible, and your brand will grow exponentially.

So what do people want, exactly?

1. To feel safe and secure.

2. To feel comfortable.

3. To be cared for and connected to others.

4. To be desired by others.

5. To be free to do what we want.

6. To grow and become more.

7. To serve others and give back.

8. To be surprised and excited.

9. To believe there is a higher purpose.

10. To feel that they matter.

To read the full text of this article go to: http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=141897

Like most people, when I see a product I can usually decide if I like it or not. For example on sight I like most chocolate (especially in nice packaging), Moleskin notebooks, Paperchase stuff (can’t help it, the stuff works like a magnet when I’m at Borders) and, of course anything Apple (duh). But every once in a while along comes a product that I just can not put into the “like” or “not like” category. Instead it hovers between in its own special domain, usually to my embarrassment. There is just something about it that makes me want to love it, but there is too much about it to hate. On the list are: the Snuggie (I want one… NO I DON’T!) and mouse-click sound scripts (Travis, PLEASE add gunshot mouse-clicks to kilimanjarorifles.com!). My newest addition is the Wooly Vagabond. It is crazy. You can carry your plant around in your purse — its awful — its awesome!

Don’t be surprised if you see me carrying my pet plant around town… nope, never!

Commercial art must be vigilant over color trends for the season as well as for decades. When designing logos and corporate identity packages we need to reflect not only the attitude and personality of the company, but also the color theory that applies – all while being conscience of the years color forecast and trends. Promotional items or marketing materials with a shorter shelf life should pay closer attention to the current trends. As designers, once we have overall awareness of an array of color information we also need to review the buyer profile and specifically target that audience for color cues that trigger a positive response.
This year’s spring and summer color trends seem to be filled with warm hopeful hues across the color palette – Red with blue undertones, Green as natural grass, Yellow warm and buttery, Blue with a cast of green or purple.

For more information about color trends, follow these links:
http://www.fashiontrendsetter.com/downloads/Lenzing-Trends-Autumn-Winter-2010-11.pdf
http://www.pantone.com/downloads/articles/pdfs/Pantone-FCR-sp2010f.pdf