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Ideation Behind the Scenes on Cupcake Wars

Dave Klonke — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:07:17 +0000

Obviously it was pretty exciting to hear that our client, Taste Love Cupcakes, was going to be featured on Cupcake Wars. Michelle Brown and Yolanda Baston, the owners of Taste Love, certainly didn't need our help with the cupcakes, but they did look to us to help them conceive and build the roller derby-themed display case that would help them on their way to winning the contest.

Check out the pictures below and congratulations to Michelle and Yolanda on their Cupcake War victory!

LifeBuilders Wins $100,000 in Home Depot Foundation Grant Contest

Dave Klonke — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:46:49 +0000

They knew it was going to be a tough battle — 12 worthy organizations across the country competing for $500,000 in prize money being offered up by the Home Depot Foundation in a unique Facebook contest. LifeBuilders was up for the month-long challenge as they feverishly grabbed daily votes throughout the month of March.

When the dust settled LifeBuilders finished third; winning $100,000 that will be used to develop programs that will change the lives of our youth who live in some of Detroit's most dangerous neighborhoods.

The contest allowed each registered Facebook user the opportunity to cast a vote every 24 hours each day in March. At Ideation we assisted LifeBuilders in getting the word out to their community. Our creative team designed a comprehensive and informative daily email campaign, the online promotional messaging and a series of text reminders that voters would receive on a daily basis. To give the LifeBuilders' story and mission an even bigger boost Marilyn and Larry Johnson were featured on many of the local news programs as well as interviewed on the Mitch Albom radio show and in his popular Sunday column in the Detroit Free Press.

The Pitch

Dave Klonke — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:28:34 +0000

The A in AMC must stand for advertising. This is, after all, the cable network that brought us the hit drama Mad Men. Now they've put together a compelling reality show call The Pitch that focuses on two advertising agencies as they work, brainstorm, create and pitch their way to a new big piece of business.

If you cringe watching the combative participants of The Apprentice try to produce ad campaigns and product displays you'll feel differently about The Pitch. This is much closer to reality.

The pilot episode showed two agencies vying for the Subway business. It's interesting to see how ad agencies in 2012 are going after new business. It's quite different from how we do it. Of course we're a design company not an ad agency, but we're all selling creative — from ideas and strategies to design and experiences. It's definitely worth taking a peek inside a creative company to see how the ideas develop.

We Put Our Kids to Work

Dave Klonke — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:27:00 +0000

We had a lot of fun here at Ideation on Bring Your Kids to Work day. In addition to eating a lot of donuts, the kids helped prepare a bus for new graphics and designed a brand identity for a fictitious restaurant they dubbed Funky Joe's Palace of Food. Check out the video!

Don't Overload Our Retinas

Dave Klonke — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:06:18 +0000

Can you imagine driving along a major road and not seeing any billboards or bright, back-lit company signage? In 2007 the city of Sao Paulo, Brasil, did something bold. The city's mayor banned all outdoor advertising and signage by implementing the Clean City Law or as they say in Portuguese, Lei Cidade Limpa.

Pretty drastic, but it's almost five years later and according to reports and feedback, the city and its business community is doing just fine. In fact, even the local advertising industry has figured out how to thrive and remain viable thanks to creative thinking, social media and other non-traditional marketing tactics.

If you've ever driven up Woodward into Bloomfield Hills you've surely noticed a visual difference in the affluent community nestled between Birmingham and Pontiac. Bloomfield Hills has a very strict signage policy. Signs can only be black and gold and fabricated and sized in a specific way simply because they don't want to pollute their community with poor, gaudy design. You're probably thinking a company like Ideation — who spends a lot of time creating and installing environmental graphics and signage — would have a hard time in a community like that.

Quite the contrary, actually.

Design is about quality, not quantity. Poor design and execution nullifies good placement and eyeball traffic. It's a significant reason why white space is more important than logo space or type space. Unless you're in the middle of New York City's Times Square, bigger, brighter and bolder doesn't always equate to better. We live in a 4-color world, but there's something refreshing about a reduction in visual noise that we've grown accustomed to in the marketplace. There's noise up and down the street. There's noise on the web. There's noise on your cell phone. There's noise in your mailbox and inbox. There's noise everywhere. You're only contributing to that noise when you layer communication on top of communication in order to be louder than the next person.

A few years back, product placement within movies and television shows started to become more popular. From promotional tie-ins with fast-food restaurants to the contrived placement of a specific brand of beer in every other scene, product placement is still figuring out how to be authentic in this medium. Because it has to. The traditional commercial has been struggling since the dawn of the VHS tape and continues on life support with the popularity of Tivo and the DVR. Like any type of branding, the stuff you don't notice is typically the stuff that sticks and the stuff that sticks is what's generally real and authentic. Clutter, however, is burning our eyes and causing us to ignore the message entirely. For brands to be effective in their communication, they need to give their consumer's eyes a rest. A police officer once told me that cops are trained to look a minute down the road, meaning that they are looking out for things that could become obstacles like hidden driveways, speeding cars and winding curves 60 seconds before they drive by them. By the time you're right on top of something it's too late to react. When you're a company trying to engage with your audience you have to focus on the longer vision rather than the quick impact.

With communities like Bloomfield Hills and Sao Paulo aware of the visual pollution that can plague their cities, there's a clean and calming feeling when you realize you won't be inundated by poorly executed design intended only to grab your attention away from everything else around you. It's not about being anti-advertising like Sao Paulo. Should we ban advertising and signage? No way! But we, as marketers and creatives should be more responsible for what goes out there.

It's not about being louder, it's about being memorable. Just remember, there aren't any 26.2 mile sprints.

Lemonade Detroit

Dave Klonke — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:34:57 +0000

If you're tired of hearing the negative news stories surrounding Detroit and would rather focus more on the positive things happening in this region, look no further than what Erik Proulx is creating with the documentary film, Lemonade Detroit.

For now there's a 17-minute short that's dying to break out into a feature-length film. You can't watch it without wanting, needing to see more. In fact, I'd be willing to bet the trailer and short actually inspired last year's Chrysler/Eminem Super Bowl spot.

While Proulx is the director/producer there's an opportunity for anyone interested in this project to literally own a piece of the film and become a producer by purchasing a frame. It's really a movie for and by Detroit and the buy-a-frame concept allows people to support the effort and share this region's story.

Proulx's no stranger to documenting stories of re-invention. In 2009 he interviewed and told the stories of 16 advertising professionals who lost their jobs and went on to re-invent themselves by following their passion in the original Lemonade movie.

As one of those ad pros who was let go back in 2008, finishing this film is Proulx's passion. His energy and enthusiasm is a visible force behind making Lemonade Detroit happen. If a recent tweet by the world's most popular movie critic, Roger Ebert, can spread some much-deserved attention, Lemonade Detroit's may be taking a huge step closer to becoming a full-length film. Let's hope!

No Questions Asked?

Dave Klonke — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:27:04 +0000

Governor Rick Snyder spoke the other day at the Detroit Economic Club. The bullet points were his summary of his first year in office and the current state of the State. As he spoke about aggressively paying down the State's deficit, he mentioned that after building a surplus there were many groups standing in line for this money. It was interesting to him that these people came walking up to him like he was some sort of human ATM — slide your card, enter PIN and get cash…no questions asked.

It got me thinking. When we work with clients, money changes hands (hopefully). Any time there's a transaction there should be a question asked…what can I expect? Over the years, I've seen varying approaches to design and branding from both sides of the aisle, if you will. On the one side you have those folks who look at branding and marketing as an expense. These people don't see it for what it truly is — an investment in their company's message and growth. The other side sees it quite differently. They love design. They love what they get with design. They know they need it and they're willing to open their wallets for it. They jump in and are ready to go.

You can argue that both are looking at it a little skewed if they aren't asking the right questions and approaching this as an investment with a long-term return versus a necessary evil that everyone has to do. As Snyder said in his speech, it's not the government's job to spend money. It's their job to wisely invest taxpayer dollars. Regardless of your political views, it's hard to argue with that view of money and its purpose. It's the interpretation of "wisely" that creates party lines. Too many business leaders tend to spend money on design rather than invest in it. There's some sort of expectation that the work will turn into increased revenues, but all too often, it's not taken into consideration to the level that is needed in order for branding to be effective and directly tied to the business plan. This spending usually places expectations far beyond reality.

When business owners can see the long-term rewards, they're more engaged in the design process and they're more committed to continuously contributing to that investment. Great businesses don't spend money foolishly. They invest wisely. Smart investing requires certain questions to be asked. It's like what the Governor said about the "$5 bill rule." If someone comes up to you and asks you for $5 you might not think twice about giving them the money. However, as you're opening your wallet it is very likely that you'll ask what they intend to do with the money you're loaning or giving them. Fair question, right?

Understanding the benefits of great design and how it will help your company is one thing. But if you're going to invest $5, $5,000, or $50,000 into brand building, you need to ask and understand clearly what it is that's going to be done. How exactly does your design partner plan to achieve results? You need to know that a great design company is also a great listening company.

Klonke Joins Ideation

Daren Bossenberger — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:16:49 +0000

After 12 years as a founding principal and creative director at SOZO / PIVOTAL, Dave Klonke has joined Ideation as vice president of brand strategy. As the newest member of our team Klonke's focus is on strengthening the relationships he has with his existing clients and develop new business opportunities.

"Im excited to bring the best of what we offered at SOZO / PIVOTAL and combine that with the best of what Ideation has to offer," said Klonke. "This is an extremely talented group of people and I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

Prior to forming SOZO / PIVOTAL in 1999, Klonke served as marketing director for a Troy-based IT firm. He started his career at a Farmington Hills-based public relations firm.

Design To Move People

Daren Bossenberger — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:41:25 +0000

We believe design can change the world. Sound bold? We believe design moves people and can move people to change the world. Good design moves people toward the products and services they might like. It can stir people to engage with organizations and causes that are making the world a better place. It has the power to make people comfortable, to make them happy. It can move the media. It can inspire employees and shareholders. It can make them proud of their company.

Design is everywhere. We feel it subconsciously and we miss it that way as well. The companies that understand the value and purpose of design are the companies that win. That's truly what we believe here at Ideation and that's the approach we take to the projects we work on — whether it's a complete brand strategy or assisting a company in the design and development of their branded environment.

We encourage you to look around at the products and companies that are a part of your lives. What do they have in common? Chances are they're memorable and very different than their competition. Design is at the center of those characteristics that help companies differentiate. It's an exciting world to work in and its even more exciting when a new client comes to us and says we need to communicate what sets us apart. That's our opportunity to help them design something that is truly going to move people.

Nothing Can Wait

Dave Klonke — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:45:00 +0000

It used to be that there was an element of surprise during the Super Bowl commercial breaks. Which company was going to reveal that next groundbreaking spot? How was Budweiser and Go Daddy going to outdo themselves this year? It was always a huge part of Super Bowl Sunday even if your primary reason for watching was for the football.

Not anymore. If you even spend a few minutes in Facebook or on watching morning news programs, you had already seen half of the spots that ran throughout the game. It's sort of like starting Black Friday in the PM of Thanksgiving Thursday. We've become a society that needs it now. We want to be the first to see the new spots and the advertisers know it. We want to be the first to share it on Facebook and say whether or not we like it. That's why it doesn't take long for a new Volkswagen ad to spread on YouTube.

So what does it all mean? It means that although the Super Bowl has been around for nearly 50 years, there's always a different and better way to deliver a message within the context of the big game. In fact, I'm waiting for the first advertiser to say "forget paying millions to appear in-game, we're just going to make a splash around the game...for free...in a more strategic and memorable way."

Think about it. The Super Bowl is the ONLY time we pay attention to the commercials during a sporting event. Now we see them weeks in advance. What is that ultimately going to do to the price of the Super Bowl spot? Probably not much, but it should make companies think twice about their strategy.

This isn't so much a post about the Super Bowl commercials, but the lasting impression that companies have on a captivated and massive audience. We're reminded that there's so much more than just 30 seconds to get your brand out there. Like most people on the Monday following the Super Bowl, we talked about our favorite commercials around the office. There really wasn't a spot that rose to the top of that discussion. No "Wazzz-up" or talking babies dominated the conversation.

I'm thinking that's a good thing. I think advertisers and their creative partners are getting smarter. Maybe, they're realizing that long-term branding and story-telling is more important than the eye-catching and humorous creative that dominated the Super Bowl for so long. It seems that the focus is more on making products stand out in a specific marketplace as opposed to making advertising stand out amongst other advertisers. If that's the case, these companies are on to something by generating buzz well before the Dorito bags are ripped open and the parties begin.