July 30th, 2010

Advertising vs. Soccer: 0-0

by Nicole Tronstad

My colleague’s recent post regarding last months World Cup mania made me ponder: Why does the United States not regularly televise soccer games?  Some may argue that soccer is not popular enough to warrant airtime, however I would have to disagree.  Soccer is rated the number one most popular recreational sport played by both boys and girls.  Ever since the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup, there has been increasing interest and support for the sport and several Major League Soccer (MLS) teams have formed across the country.  Flip through the sports channels and you will rarely come across a televised soccer game (unless of course you happen to land on Univision).  Why? Advertising.

A soccer match lasts 90 minutes, which includes two 45 minutes halves with very minimal interruptions.  This leaves very little time for commercials to air advertisement.  In most televised sports, including baseball, basketball, football, and golf – there are regular breaks during the game allowing networks to sell airtime and companies to market their products to viewers.  Unfortunately, the game of soccer is not structured to accommodate standard commercial advertising In my opinion this is one of the main reasons soccer is not regularly broadcasted on TV.

Advertisers and networks should explore alternative advertising methods that satisfy the advertiser and compliment the sport.  In similar fashion to NASCAR, MLS recently implemented the sale of advertising space on soccer jerseys and warm-up gear.  This gives advertisers the opportunity to purchase ad space and place company logos directly on the players, for an entire 90 minutes, not just 30 seconds of air time.  Networks could benefit by incorporating advertisements in the scoreboard graphic overlays or tickers in the bottom of the screen during the games.

As my colleague stated, why should we have to wait another four years to cheer on our favorite soccer teams?  Advertisers and networks should embrace America’s growing love for soccer, by seeking alternative advertising techniques and televising more matches!

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July 28th, 2010

Adobe PDFs: Fix for Purple Bar Issue

by Kristen Sunde

Adobe InDesign offers powerful tools for generating interactive pdfs. These pdfs can be used to gather information via form tools, or they can be coded with an interactivity that allows the user to navigate throughout the document in a manner similar to navigating through a website.

These features can create an impressive end-result; however, there is one issue that can arise: “The Purple Bar” issue. If you have generated long-format interactive pdfs from InDesign, you will be well-acquainted with this “Purple Bar” reference.

Adobe has coded a few different warning messages to appear on any pdfs that have form fields. The warning message encountered frequently is: “Please fill out the following form. If you are a form author, choose Distribute Form in the Forms menu to send it to your recipients.”

Sample of View with Purple Form Error Message
Sample of View with Purple Form Error Message

This message is handy for the majority of viewers of a form document. However, the bar also appears on interactive documents that do not have any fields to fill out! This is because Adobe interprets a large amount of buttons on an interactive document as form fields. This includes Previous/Next and other navigation buttons. This has been an issue from Adobe CS3 onward, and the subject of many animated Adobe support forums. Turning off the purple bar is easily done once the end-user manipulates his or her preferences. However, this workaround is less than ideal and appears more like a programming error versus a software flaw. Another workaround has been to program the navigation within InDesign using linking versus buttons. This proves tedious and is unattractive for scalable templates.

Problem Solved!
After many hours of testing and scouring support sites, a fix has finally emerged that appears to work across platforms and versions and its easy to do. Go into Acrobat reader Document Properties>Initial View tab> Check the “Hide Window Controls” option.

Adjust Initial View from Document Properties Panel
Adjust Initial View from Document Properties Panel

Once the pdf is saved and reopened, the purple bar is removed:

Sample of Acrobat Reader View without Purple Bar
Sample of View without Purple Form Error Message

Turning off the Window controls option should be weighed against the needs of the audience and the nature of the document.

For more information on the interactivity options in Adobe, go to Adobe TV and check out their video: Interactive InDesign PDF & SWF.

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July 21st, 2010

World Cup Fever – Why Wait Another Four Years?

by Alex Griffin

The World Cup is over and if you are like me, there is a void left in your life.  Not only am I missing waking up and watching world class soccer, but there is buzz that accompanies the worlds greatest event that just can’t be matched.  The event makes the world feel smaller and allows us to feel closer to our neighbors both near and far. So, why is it that a simple game can bring nations together, bring wars to a halt and make us feel like kids again?  Why must we wait four more years to feel this way again?

I was fortunate enough to travel to South Africa and experience the World Cup in person.  The pride and joy that many of you saw on television, was bigger and better then you can imagine.  The hospitality and kindness that I experienced was something I won’t soon forget.  Meeting so many people from different countries and being able to watch the world come together to celebrate was great. However, the connection I felt to those around me was truly magical.

I’m fortunate in that this was my second trip to the continent of Africa.  My first being a summer abroad when I was in high school, living with a host family in Tunisia.  I was blessed to have parents who saw the importance of introducing their children to other cultures and making us realize that our similarities to people around the world are much greater than our differences. The memories I took away from both experiences will last a life time.  However it made me think: Do I have to travel across the globe to feel that way again?

The answer is no. We can all experience a great connection to one another without ever leaving town.  I encourage everyone to expand your horizons.  Move outside your comfort zone and experience something new.  Whether it is volunteering at a cultural center, teaching English as a second language or hosting a foreign exchange student, there are countless ways we can shrink our world and enrich our lives.  Below are just a few resources which offer these opportunities.  Go out and experience different cultures.  Learn to respect our differences and embrace our similarities.  Let’s not wait another four years to experience World Cup fever!

AFS: http://www.afs.org/afs_or/home

AYUSA: http://www.ayusa.org/

TESOL: http://www.tesol.org/

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June 23rd, 2010

File Transfer Services Demystified

by Kristen Sunde

It’s time to send your files to your vendor. You zip up your files into a neat .zip package and it is 40GB! Uh oh! Your email client won’t allow you to send a 40gb file! What to do? Fortunately online file transfer services are on the rise and there are a number of options available.

YouSendIt, Dropbox, and SendSpace each offer a solution to get your larger file to where it needs to be. While these companies also specialize in a number of other solutions, below is a comparison of the features and benefits specific to their free-of-charge, large file transfer service.

YouSendIt Lite
YouSendIt is the most popular file transfer service available. Their free, registration-required membership allots 100MB of transfer space. Only one file may be transferred at a time — a hurdle quickly surmounted with a .zip package. There are a number of plug-ins that allow files to be sent directly from most commonly used applications such as Outlook, Acrobat, and Photoshop. To send a file you may login to you YouSendIt online or from the desktop application, complete a standard email form, and attach your large file. The recipient receives an email with a link to a YouSendIt download page. Alternatively you may simply copy and paste this link into an email and send via your regular email client — without using the YouSendIt email form. The file is hosted for 7 days then taken down. Advanced security and a return receipt are available on a pay-per-use basis. A 1 GB per month download limit is free with this level of subscription.

SendSpace Lite
SendSpace works much like YouSendIt, but registration is not required. The limit on file sending is 300MB per file, with up to 5 files allowed per delivery instance. By registering you are able to track the number of downloads per file. Files expire if they are not downloaded for 30 days. Like YouSendIt, you may either use their email form to send the link to your recipient or simply send the link to the download page. Watch out though, the SendSpace download page is noisy with animated ads, and often times the emails sent from SendSpace are interpreted as spam.

Dropbox
This company’s primary business is file syncing, but with their free membership comes a snazzy way of delivering files quickly. Dropbox works as a virtual online storage space accessible via a shortcut installed across any number of your personal or work computers. Upon registering and dowloading the application, the Dropbox folder is installed directly on the desktop. If are online, anything transferred into this folder is automatically synced with your global Dropbox account. Subfolders can be shared from the Dropbox folder by sending an invite to new or registered users. To send files to someone without a Dropbox account, simply place the file in the “Public” folder of your Dropbox directory. With a right-click on the file, you may copy the public, downloadable link to this file and send to your intended recipient. The file size limitation is 2GB total for your entire Dropbox. Controlling the file expiration is done by removing the file from the Dropbox directory.

Comparison Chart

Each company provides a free service aimed at getting your large files where they need to be. In addition to the lite membership levels there are several subscriptions tiers for each, allowing increasingly larger file space, security options, and other enhanced features.

If file expiration control and larger file size is your primary concern, the Dropbox option may be for you. If unlimited downloads and trackablility are paramount, SendSpace may be the way to go. And if ease of transfer from your commonly used applications such as Outlook and Acrobat is what you desire, be sure to check out at YouSendIt.

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June 16th, 2010

Hello Moto: The Age of Mobile Advertising

by Nicole Tronstad

Everywhere I go I see people fiddling with their mobile devices, in restaurants, on the bus, waiting in line, or walking down the street.  People young and old depend on mobile phones not only to communicate, but to access information on the go – whenever, wherever.  Consequently, marketers are having to re-evaluate marketing campaigns and are finding themselves engaging with customers in a whole new virtual world – the mobile world.

Mobile advertising is catching up to the fast growing mobile market.  In the Mobile State of the Industry Survey conducted by DM2Pro, agencies reported that mobile advertising average spending increased a substantial 80 percent in 2010 from $143,000 in 2009 to $260,000.  This advertising allotment may not appear significant.  However, with the rapid increase of new mobile technologies coming to market and the flexibility and possibilities these devices enable consumers, mobile advertising is at the forefront of the advertising world.

As the mobile market continues to grow, consider incorporating mobile advertising into your brand’s marketing campaigns.  Here are a few effective types of mobile advertising that can be implemented:

Mobile Web Banners – Similar to banner advertisements you see on Internet websites, mobile web banners (located at the top of a page) or mobile web posters (located at the bottom of a page) are advertisements created specifically for website interfaces developed for mobile devices.

SMS Messages – SMS ads are short messages sent as text only messages to mobile phones and can be distributed to a purchased list of phone numbers.  According to the Mobile Marketing Association, SMS advertising accounts for a staggering 90 percent of mobile advertising revenue worldwide.

MMS Messages – With mobile devices now featuring large, color displays, multimedia messages (MMS) are becoming increasingly popular in mobile advertising.  Engaging graphic advertisements are replacing plain SMS text messages.

Sponsorships – Mobile games, apps and videos are viable sources for advertising opportunities. Advertisements can be placed within these mediums, before the applications or web pages load.

Augmented Reality Apps – Applications, like the Layar Reality Browser, use one’s current surroundings to highlight businesses and places of interest in the immediate area. This is a great opportunity for business to consumer companies to list places of business within augmented reality applications. Consumers can gain access to business information, including real-time directions taking consumers directly to a business from their current location.

These are just a few examples of how advertising is penetrating the mobile market. When planning your next marketing campaign, extend your advertising reach by adding a mobile advertising element into the mix.

Tip: To learn more information on mobile advertising, mobile marketing guidelines, or mobile marketing case studies, visit the Mobile Marketing Association website.

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June 7th, 2010

Tips for Preparing for Scope Creep

by Sasha Ayloush

Often deadlines loom over our heads, so the pressure is on to get a project completed. However, if you take the time to determine all aspects of the project at hand, you will inevitably save time and of course money. Brainstorm ideas, devise a plan and determine the desired outcome. Keep in mind every revision costs money!Scope Creep Poster

While this concept is straightforward, unfortunately new ideas, collaborators and goals often change the course and timing of the project. Behind the scenes, we refer to this as scope creep. Scope creep refers to unaccounted-for changes in a project’s original scope. This phenomenon can occur when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled. A few hours here and there – next thing you know, 20 hours have been tacked on.

Here are a few strategies for thoroughly planning and defining a project that solve for some of scope creep’s favorite weak spots:

  • Creative brief: A creative brief is a document used to develop creative deliverables: visual design, copy, advertising, web sites, etc. Make sure the creative brief is completed before the work begins – especially in advance of copy writing or design. Be sure to review it over the phone or in-person with your client to ensure that all questions are addressed. Check out this workshop from the people at Dare for more information on developing a solid creative brief.
  • Role playing: Imagine you are the target audience. What happens next? What information is important? What is left to be desired? Have a colleague that hasn’t worked on the project evaluate it. Make sure that you’re communicating what you intended.
  • Call to action (CTA): Determine what you want the audience to do and how you will measure success. Once the audience has reacted according to your CTA, what happens next? Are statistics and metrics needed? Do you want to capture email addresses for an opt-in?
  • Q&A: As always, don’t be afraid to ask questions during the planning process. The key from an agency perspective is to provide an insightful question that gets your client thinking. Instead of “What color do you like?” say “Blue is calming and red is action-oriented. What emotion do we want to communicate through our color scheme?” The client will take the time to think through the various options instead of going with a gut reaction that might be second-guessed in the next round of revisions.

While scope creep is inevitable for almost every project, there are steps you can integrate into your workflow that will lessen the blow. Expect that the scope will change and make sure you address this with your client. Some clients may want to pay for these changes as they go in the form of a change order, and others may want you to include room for revisions in the original estimate. If you go with the latter, make sure you clearly define the terms of the revisions that are covered in the original contract.

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June 4th, 2010

The Art of Advertising: A Review on the Documentary Art & Copy

by Lauren Marchi

I’ve always had a creative itch, growing up in a family of artists and architects of all different specialties, so when I decided to pursue advertising, everyone wondered why I would choose an industry that bombards the media today with mediocre attempts to sell products and brands.

However, just as Doug Pray conveyed in his documentary film, Art & Copy (which premiered in the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and was funded by the non-profit advertising organization, One Club) – “Hate advertising? Make better ads”.  Pray bases his documentary on the idea that advertising may actually be a unique and rebellious accomplishment, similar to what most of us know as “art”, rather than the manipulative “Devil’s workshop” with which the industry is typically associated.

“Sure, [advertising agencies] were just selling us stuff, but along the way, their ads actually inspired us, entertained us, or might have even been socially redeeming,” wrote Pray in his film synopsis.

Art & Copy details some of the greatest advertising since the 1960s and unearths the creative mavericks behind these ad campaigns and innovations that have literally defined mainstream culture.  The cast includes the real “Mad Men” of today’s industry, including: Dan Wieden and David Kennedy of Wieden+Kennedy, who helped turn a then little-known athletic shoe company into a trend for decades with the slogan, “Just Do It”; Lee Clow, the man behind Apple’s  “Think Different” ads; Mary Wells, with the help of Creative Director Charlie Moss, who fashioned the “I (Heart) New York” campaign; and George Lois, whose “I Want My MTV” campaign elevated the booming channel into the mainstream (and into a song by Dire Straits).

These are examples of the commercials and campaigns we can never seem to get out of our heads.  We may not appreciate advertising that treats us as needy, unintelligent or easily manipulated, but we do appreciate when advertising is clever, brilliant, funny, or emotionally charged, as these creative and innovative campaigns have been.  Advertising is the daily language of our entire system of commerce, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

As one of the top creative minds in advertising says in this inspiring film about creativity, art and innovation, “That’s advertising, baby!” –George Lois.  Art & Copy was released on DVD in May 2010, so I suggest you buy a copy in order to be introduced to the real “Mad Men” of advertising.

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June 2nd, 2010

The Journey of a Lifetime

by Pat Belding

The Journey of a Lifetime – AIDS/LifeCycle event

The bike ride of a lifetime is just two weeks away. Starting June 6th I’ll be participating in the ninth annual AIDS/LifeCycle event, a 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I saw this event as an opportunity to do some good for a worthy cause, get in shape and travel distances I would never have fathomed doing on my own. But like all great adventures, each step has provided surprises and discoveries, making this event all the more meaningful and exciting to participate in.

The generosity I have received from family, friends, business associates and complete strangers has been amazing and empowering. I have received several positive comments and notes from people thanking me for my time and dedication. These kind words have left a lasting impression and a better appreciation for the entire event and cause as a whole. What I thought was just a personal journey, is now becoming an achievement of many goals. This journey helps me appreciate the smaller things in life: to slow down and be grateful for what I have and how lucky I really am.

Getting more involved in the cycling community has taught me additional skills and a better appreciation for the sport. Two of my friends have recently been seriously injured while riding bikes. One of them was training for the AIDS/LifeCycle ride and now is on a successful, but long recovery from a broken hip. Needless to say, I have a new found respect for safety on bikes and for all bike riders. I hope we can learn to be kind to bike riders and for bike riders to be safe and respectful. Wow, I’m sounding old!

One temptation I have avoided is participating in the “Princess Ride”, as the insiders call it. This provides all of the participating riders the opportunity to sleep in motels instead of camping with no power, porta-potties, portable showers and sleeping in tents with strangers. Now come on, if I am going to ride 545 miles, I’ve got to do this camping thing too!

I may be in my 50s, but the good thing about starting something new is I have a lot of room for improvement. Although I have not trained as much as I would have liked to, I think I’ll survive the 545 miles!

Thank you to everyone that has contributed and supported my journey. If you are interested in helping me raise additional money for this wonderful cause, please visit the Pat Belding AIDS/LifeCycle homepage and look for the orange box titled “Support Pat”. Thank you!

Pat watching California AMGEN Bike Race

Carpe Diem!! Ready or Not Here I go!!

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