At Acart, we did something a little different with the agency Christmas card this year. It's an old fashioned morality tale, written in reaction to the way Christmas marketing seems to start a little earlier each year.
This "Christmas Creep" (as Consumerist calls it) is starting to overwhelm the fun of Halloween and Thanksgiving. Worse, it has broken the old taboo of not being festive on Remembrance Day. After Shoppers Drug Mart made headlines by delaying the onset of Christmas music, after customer complaints, it seemed like an opportunity to push back against the trend and make a stand for putting Christmas in its place.
With illustrations rhyming couplets and online parallax scrolling, it's Dr. Seuss meets Dr. Frankenstein with a 21st Century feel. We had fun with it. It even made Ads of the World.
See the English version here
Or the French version here
I'm pretty damn pleased with our agency Christmas card this year. Written and Directed by Acart Copywriter/Videographer Christopher Redmond, it takes a different perspective on that supernatural old guy who breaks into your house once a year while you and your children are asleep:
Thanks to DOP Karl Roeder for helping out.
And some of you may recognize the scary little boy. He has certainly kept me up on many a night.
In that context, I will humbly point out that I did not find this on my own:
It's a post in the blog Flo in The City, where writer Dorothy Nixon inquires into the internet void about freelance opportunities. Jason Hamilton, our Director of Digital Media, stumbled upon it somehow. (Stop creeping me, Jason! :)
Well, here I am, Ms. Nixon. Let's see if you find this post. You're "it".
Today, my colleagues and I are wearing purple. It's part of a local day of awareness for mental illness called "Purple Pledge Day". (You can read all about it on the Acart Blog, and see all our pictures at the Acart Facebook Page).
The call went out last week to put on purple to remember the tragic suicide of Ottawa Senators assistant coach Luke Richardson’s 14-year-daughter, Daron, as well as all other victims of mental illness.
Another day, another colour, another way to feel good about yourself for doing next to nothing, right?
Well, no.
While slacktivism is often criticized as ineffective in creating meaningful change, awareness can make a difference. Mashable has a great article about why the term itself is the worst thing about these micro-movements:
“It irritates me that we have invented this term as a pejorative way to describe what should be viewed as the first steps to being involved in a cause in 2010,” said Katya Andresen, Chief Operating Officer of Network for Good. “Let’s not whine that people want to do easy things that make them feel they’ve somehow made a difference. It’s okay if someone’s initial commitment is modest -– and it’s truly an opportunity that it’s easier than ever to spread information, create new initiatives for social good, and take action.”
“What the world needs now is far more engagement by individual citizens, not less, and simple steps such as signing petitions or even sharing opinions/tweeting are steps in the right direction,” said Randy Paynter, CEO and Founder of Care2. “As Edmund Burke once said, ‘Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.’ Because small steps can lead to bigger steps, being critical of small steps serves no good. It simply disenfranchises folks.”
We are overwhelmed with things to think and care about these days. Giving important social issues their own day, with a simple action that jogs the memory and incites conversation, is actually quite useful.
This is especially important for the issue of mental illness, because there is still so much stigma attached to physical diseases and conditions that express themselves through changes to mood and personality. The mental world is very much an undiscovered country for all but a few researchers, and things that happen in our heads carry the mythological fear of the unknown.
However, it not an issue that anyone can ignore. One source estimates that one in five people in Ontario will experience a mental illness at some point in his or her lifetime. (Having worked in advertising for 20 years, I am not joking when I say that I am convinced that way more than 20% of us are mentally ill — whether diagnosed or not!)
So it matters that we're talking a little more about mental illness today, and that we were able to take some small action to feel a tiny bit more personal involvement in, and control over, a seemingly overwhelming issue.
I've been doing public transit advertising for many years now, and it's become a real passion.
When I was a kid, my Mom didn't have a driver's license. But fortunately, Kingston did have a public transit system. Service was infrequent back then (before they were a client:) but I learned early that it's just a question of knowing your routes and schedules. Once you're a "bus person", it all just becomes second nature.
Now I live in Ottawa, and I still take the bus to work. It has allowed us to be a one-car family, and I relish the chance to get some work and reading done on the way.
But I realize that not everyone loves transit. That's why I'm so keen to do whatever I can to make it less of a mystery to people. If you can get the attention of non-riders, show a transit benefit, and get them to check out the online info, you can at least start to put transit on their consideration list.
That's why I loved working on this campaign. York Region Transit is a large system that connects with the TTC and gets people all over a large suburban and commercial area. We won the account last year, and ever since we have been enjoying one of those great client relationships that some ad people only dream about: a client who has great creative (as well as business) ambitions, and the means to let us bring them to life.
ACD Vernon came up with the concept. The messaging is mine. And Javier did most of the Art Direction heavy lifting. Chris from Photolux shot the originals.
Today is a school holiday in Ottawa, and like many dual-income families, my wife and I were faced with a "take your kid to work" day. I brought our six-year-old son with me to the agency, and as he always does when he's at Acart, he started making his own ads.
If you read this blog, you know how I feel about many social issues. My son has similar passions. But right now, all of his efforts are focussed on science, nature, and especially fish. He has been known to tell off fishmongers for stocking unsustainable species, and piped up during a morning conference call with a supplier to deliver a rant about shark fin soup.
But when it came to his ad, he decided it was important to teach people about invasive species:
"Snakehead Fish: Very Bad"
Yes, I know his handwriting is atrocious. That's genetic too...
But his rendering of Channa argus, from MEMORY (no photo reference) astounded me.
What he really wanted to write as copy, before he decided to be more brief, was "Snakehead fish are very bad for the environment. If you capture one, give it to the Toronto Zoo". (I love that he doesn't even consider a deadlier cull...)
The Northern Snakehead is an aggressive freshwater food fish of Asian origin that was released into the waterways of the Northeastern United States sometime before 2002. As a new top predator, it immediately began to displace native fish and colonize more and more bodies of water. Wildlife management efforts are underway to prevent it from entering the Great Lakes, where it could destroy the ecosystems and fisheries.
My son loves to keep fish, to catch fish, and to eat fish, so this is the kind of stuff that keeps him up at night.
The sad thing is that, in China, the snakehead is a valuable food fish. If we could only convince American anglers that Chaozhou-Style Steamed Snakehead or Snakehead Hot and Sour Soup were delicious, maybe unrestricted angling could give this voracious predator a taste of its own medicine.
This came out a few years ago, but it's still gaining fans. Especially since the trend of reaction videos has arisen. Seems like the right time to post it.
Don't worry, it's just an ad. But long ago, people noticed something funny near the end of the car beauty shot. And like the Time Travelling Hipster or the Chaplin Cell Phone Lady, it took off.
See if you can spot it:
And, if you're still new to the meme, check out this playlist of general takeoffs:
Today, Acart celebrated survival and hope... for women who have lived through breast cancer.
Our "Breaks for Breast Cancer" event, in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Network, raised over $800 to help survivors across Canada. It's a small event, but as part of a national movement, every dollar matters.
To give this fundraising effort legs, we also produced our own book of recipes. "Tidbits" shares some closely-guarded heirloom dessert recipes — including my mom's WWII-era "wacky cake", which is vegan from before vegan was on the radar.
You can get your own copy of Tidbits for a minimum $5 donation to CBCN. We don't have any e-commerce available, but if you're in Ottawa you can pick one up at Acart reception. Otherwise, you may want to befriend an Acartian willing to spot you a fin + postage!
Find our more about this event, and meet the people behind it, at Acart's Corporate Blog.
According to Acart Videographer Christopher Redmond, this TLA* means "This Is Africa". It's an expression the foreigners at the Burundi Film Center use when confronted by extreme culture shock.
And that's what they're getting, now that the new crop of Burundian home-grown films is in production.
The BFC was established to develop media and filmmaking skills in post-conflict Burundi, so that the people of this nation few in the west have heard of can show their stories to the world.
Then, while filming in a marketplace, a vodka company representative decided to give out free samples, an action that in a place like Kigali can end up in bloodshed. Christopher tried to distract the crowds from the shoot by telling them they were extras in some fake second unit work. This gave them time to finish the shot and GTFO.
TIA indeed!
You can follow Christopher's international development work at BFC in his blog on Citizenshift.
(*old tech. industry joke: "TLA" is a three letter acronym for "Three Letter Acronym")
In this third installment of my followup on Acart Viedographer Christopher Redmond's African journeys, I'd like to get a little mushy.
You see, Christoper has recently been joined abroad by his Burundi Film Center partner, Bridget. And by "partner" I mean "PARTNER". And also partner.
The story goes back a few years, to when BFC was first getting started. As Christopher blogs:
"I asked Bridget to come to Burundi in 2007, first and foremost, to document the pilot-project through pictures. As a professionally trained and award-winning photographer, I knew she could find a beauty in the chaos over here that might help us get the attention we needed to continue. It was no small bonus that she’d also been making films for 10 years and has design talents that we continue to exploit in all our promotional materials. She deserves far more credit than she gets for her BFC work, for sure, but I also preface her many talents to save face a little. A love affair was indeed born, but luring her deep into Sub-Saharan Africa to do so certainly wasn’t the calculated ploy many of my friends joke it must have been. At least I don’t think it was…"
Bridget, whose last name is now also Redmond, married Christopher last year in a ceremony at the Mayfair Theatre that was true to their film geek roots.
Bridget is also a committed media nut, but in her case the passion has led to a career in photography and film. In addition to her "regular" job, Bridget runs a wedding film business called First Kiss Films. Now, Bridget is back in Africa fulfilling her role as BFC photographer, documenting the group's work teaching video media skills to Burundi's next generation of documentarians and filmmakers so that they can share their stories with the world.
It's nice to see those film-crossed lovers reunited doing the work they love. And, as always, you can follow their story through regular updates in Christopher's blog.
The Ottawa Ad community is really one, big, incestuous family. Many of the people who work for the "competition" are men and women we've worked with in previous lives, and quite a few remain lifelong friends. It's in that spirit that I give you twin Art Directors Daryn Wantuck and Tim Wantuck from The Bytown Group in a living work of pop art:
(Photo by Mike Z.)
Daryn and Tim were recruited, among many other sets of identicals, to appear in the exhibit Pop Life: Living in a Material World at the National Gallery of Canada. According to the "about" page it explores the "complex relationship between contemporary art, marketing and the mass media", starting with Andy Warhol and ending with... well... these guys.
It's a recreation of the 1992 Damien Hirst exhibit at the Cologne Unfair art fair, where the British artist commissioned a set of identical twins named Ingo and Torsten to spend time sitting in front of his trademark spot paintings.
You can't invite ad creatives to be part of an exhibit like that without getting something extra. And so it happened that, after their first sitting in the installation, Daryn and Tim asked their Facebook friends if they should wear some more conceptual matching outfits for the next one. They wanted to make a statement about commercialization that was all their own.
Michael Zavacky, from McMillan, is well known for his campy illustrations and love of vintage clothing and trends. He offered to make some matching tees for the Wantuck Twins.
That's where I chimed in and suggested "Doublemint", after the famous commercials of our Gen-X childhoods:
Everyone gave it a thumbs-up, Mike designed and screened suitably retro tees, the lads wore them to the Gallery last Thursday, and it was a big hit. I love it when a plan comes together. And I love the sense of community that our agency peeps have. You guys all rock.
Daryn and Tim's next sitting at Pop Life: Living in a Material World is this Sunday (SUNDAY! SUNDAY!) from 10 am to 1:30 pm. Check it out, and ask the boys for a stick of gum!
My mom was a teacher, before she ended up staying home with four kids.But she never lost the spark for teaching. So, in addition to our regular schooling, we all got tutored at home. One of Mom's favourite teaching tactics was the mnemonic device. In fact, just last weekend, she successfully taught my 5-year-old son how to memorize a licence plate by making the letters and numbers into words in a sentence.
Since the days of oral history, many different mnemonic devices have been used to help people remember important things: structured verse, allegory, metaphor, and of course the simple rhyme. But as we became a literate society, the simplest of these powerful cultural devices was relegated to song, bad poetry, nursery rhymes... and... oh, yeah! Advertising:
Having a child now, and watching how easy it is for him to memorize AC/DC lyrics (I'll never forget when he burst into "Let's Get it Up" in the grocery store) I have been re-evaluating old ad methods that I once thought played out. And so when the City of Ottawa challenged us to come up with a campaign to brand the local promotion of Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index, I drew inspiration from my Mom, Schoolhouse Rock, and Canadian songstress Feist:
(Let's pause for a fanboy crush moment.)
Anyway, the AQHI is a new measure of air quality and how it affects health. From EC:
It is a health protection tool that is designed to help you make decisions to protect your health by limiting short-term exposure to air pollution and adjusting your activity levels during increased levels of air pollution. It also provides advice on how you can improve the quality of the air you breathe.
This index pays particular attention to people who are sensitive to air pollution and provides them with advice on how to protect their health during air quality levels associated with low, moderate, high and very high health risks.
One of the chalenges of this campaign is that there is another index, the Air Quality Index, that also measures pollution levels. It goes to 100 and above. But our job was to differentiate AQHI as a simple tool to help people in general — and especially people at risk — plan their daily activities. We took the scale of ten, and broke it into four easy, colour-coded pieces, and started planting the scale all over town:
This is a fairly modest-budget campaign, so your tax dollars are working quite hard on this one. Now, we're working on a social media strategy to help spread the word over the summer. While it is still in development, you can visit the AQHI Facebook Page and "like" it to sign up for AQHI updates and news.
So, hopefully, people will know what to do the next time manmade smog, climate, or Quebec forest fires cause the air to look like this:
That was a nine, my friends. A NINE.
Next time that happens (hopefully not soon), I'll heed the AQHI number and take the bus instead of burning out my lungs by walking to work.
Those of you who follow this blog know that this is a topic of great importance to us here at Acart, as we are honoured to be the agency chosen to work with the Government of Canada on this important file. And we were further honoured with a Excel Award for the campaign's effectiveness in getting people to talk about — and even act on — this important social issue.
Elder abuse is an important issue for Canadians. It is estimated that somewhere between 4 and 10 percent of seniors in Canada experience some kind of abuse. New research conducted by Environics for Human Resources and Social Development Canada has provided the following information * about Canadians' awareness of the issue of elder abuse.
• 96 percent of Canadians think most of the abuse experienced by older adults is hidden or goes undetected. • 22 percent of Canadians think a senior they know personally might be experiencing some form of abuse. • 90 percent of Canadians feel the abuse experienced by an older person often gets worse over time. • Raising awareness among seniors about their right to live safely and securely is seen as the most important issue for governments when it comes to elder abuse with 9 in 10 Canadians (90.5 per cent) rating it as a high priority. • 67 percent of Canadians feel older women are more likely to be abused than older men. • 12 percent of Canadians have sought out information about a situation or suspected situation of elder abuse or about elder abuse in general. • Almost 1 in 20 Canadians (5 percent) have searched the internet for information specifically about elder abuse issues.
Seniors.gc.ca has lots of information on understanding and identifying elder abuse, whether it's physical, psychological, financial, or neglect. If you're caring for an older adult, you might also want to watch the older ad (not ours) embedded below, and ask yourself if you are treating your elders with all the understanding they deserve:
It's time for everyone to face the reality of elder abuse.
For the second year in a row, Acart's Cause Loop (our corporate social responsibility committee) organized a clean up of the block of Nepean Street in front of our downtown Ottawa office.
Everyone who could spare an hour came out in amusingly decorated hazmat suits to remove a year's worth of cigarette butts, beer caps, Timmy's cups and worse from our block.
We had a good time, thanks to the unbridled enthusiasm of my 5-year-old son (a nature-lovin' litter-hater who pitched in last year as well). And hopefully we showed the neighbours and passers by that we are proud of — and dedicated to — our inner-city community.
Plus we had the pleasure of noting that the street was much cleaner this year than last. And we only had to deal with two dead birds, one "white balloon" (as I called it to my son) and two (empty) dope baggies!
We were really proud of this spot, and everyone who worked on it — at HRSDC, Acart, SOMA, and even the actors — felt that we were obligated to do our best for such an important and emotional issue.
Apparently Canadian viewers felt the same way. We just found out that, in research conducted by TNS Canadian Facts last fall, this campaign achieved an amazing 58% unaided recall among Canadian adults outside Quebec!
As you can see, the benchmark for federal government campaigns is 36% unaided. Our clients told us these are the best results they've ever seen.
Of course, with social marketing, it's not enough to be seen. The actions taken by viewers (including those who recalled the ad with prompting) show that the campaign was successful in getting people to talk about the issue:
As a taxpayer, you'll probably be happy to know that the ROI was good, too: 28¢ per recall, and $3.22 per action.
The reason Québécois were not included in this phone survey is because the campaign did not run there. The Province of Quebec was doing its own campaign on the issue at the same time.
We did, however, produce a French version as well (for the many francophones in the rest of Canada).
Kudos to everyone involved in this, an excellent example of doing Work That Matters.
If you're a client or partner of Acart Communications, you probably received our official Christmas e-card.
This is not it:
I wanted to let Change Marketing readers meet some of the people I'm fortunate enough to work with every day. They're a varied group, hailing from the four corners of the world, and they all celebrate the holidays in distinctive ways. But what unites us all is our love of the Christmas season.
I wanted this vid to be as real as possible, so I just brought my camera in on Monday and started walking around the office asking people the first Christmas-related question that popped into my mind. The result is a mosaic of real personalities, from Craig's head shake to Al's homespun tales of childhood in Friuli. A little amateur editing, and it's ready to go.
The cast, in order of appearance are:
Me (Intro) Cindy, Production Artist (First Acart Xmas) Mike, Controller (Lots of Xmas Ties) Kevin, Media Planner/Buyer (Musical Tie) Marco, Developer (Stocking) Kate, Developer (Xmas Sweater) Kerry, Art Director (Carol) Kevin again Colin, Production Designer (Xmas in the UK) Julia, Amanda and Christine, Account Executives (Bestest BFFs) Craig, Account Supervisor Lynn, Production Manager (Best Age) Christopher, Copywriter (Letter to Santa) Leslie, Designer (First Xmas Memories) Russel, Proposal Coordinator (Best Xmas Gift) Sarah, Designer (What The Kids Asked For) Jason, Manager of Digital Media (I Dunno) Bernie, Receptionist (Xmas for Teens) Mimi, Account Executive (Engaged Xmas) Lara, Account Executive (Xmas on the Beach) Chris, Senior Accountant (Réveillon) Nat, Media Planner/Buyer (Xmas in NB) Josee, Senior Production Artist (Xmas in Mauritius) Javier, Art Director (Mexican/Belgian Xmas) John, Senior Creative Director (Meat) Vernon, Associate Creative Director (Hot Pot) Linda, Director Finance and Admin. (Someone Else Cooking) Perry, Art Director (Taking it Easy) John, VP Client Services (Beverage) Al, President (Fill Your Boots) James, PC Tech (True Meaning of Xmas) Me again Al again
I didn't get everyone, due to illness, vacation and (to be honest) camera shyness. Some notable absences are Gill (Account Director) and Sue (Director of Consumer Marketing). But you get the idea.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone. Change Marketing will return on January 4, 2010.
Conceived and produced by your favourite Change Marketeers here at Acart, "Winning Kids" includes a TV PSA/Web video series, posters, and print and internet ads.
Those of you who follow the blog have already had a sneak peek at the videos, but fairweather friends can see them here (click through to YouTube and follow the playlist):
What you may not have seen yet is the print part. Here it is:
The ads were all presented at a gala launch in the Museum of Nature. I was gutted that I couldn't be there, but according to other team members who attended, it was a moving sight. Apparently the ads had some people in tears (in the good way).
The one that hits me where I live, though, is this one:
When we were brainstorming the campaign, we wanted everything to look user-generated. So to give the client an idea of the snapshot-style photos we were envisioning, we raided our own Facebook pages for family and friend photos.
All of the ads were professionally re-shot with volunteer models except this last one. That's my own son, on a Saturday fishing trip to neighbouring New Edinburgh last spring. Nobody could figure out how to re-create the scenario believably, so we just made due with my 5 megapix personal shots. (It was strictly catch-and-release, BTW.)
Thanks to Chris at Photolux Studio for a great job. And thanks to our team and all the volunteers.
I'll blog the rest of the campaign later this week.
Not everyone knows this about me, but I actually started my career writing some fashion. I was never really in the industry, but when I used to spend time in Milan and was looking for freelance opportunities, it was only natural.
So, with that in mind, I present Change Marketing: Fashion Edition.
This is my favourite shirt, made by Icebreaker of New Zealand. What's that, you ask? Check out their pitch:
Your Icebreaker garments can be worn solo or layered with other Icebreaker pure merino pieces to create a fine, breathable system that moves effortlessly between the mountains and the city, or wherever your travels lead you
We’ve translated this miracle all-weather fibre into a clothing system that gives people the same freedom to push their limits in the outdoors.
Icebreaker merino forms a buffer zone around your body, keeping you at an ideal temperature in all climates and conditions. It’s also lightweight, odour- resistant and soft against the skin – all qualities that will help you to perform at your peak.
These clothes are seriously addictive. My cousin John, an avid adventure racer, has worn Icebeaker over mountains and through deserts around the world. Julia, my wife, finds it stands up to the rigours of teaching primary public school.
In my world, I have come to love this shirt because:
- It is the optimal non-colour for a modern Creative pro: black - It never fades (I bought it last March) - No ironing - Feels great - Looks sharp
Yesterday, however, I gave my Icebreaker polo its harshest workout yet. Sure, they've been to the top of Everest and back, but can one of these merino miracle shirts stand up to a 12-hour TV shoot at an 80-year-old steel mill? Let's see.
Agency Call, 5:30 a.m. at the Mariott in downtown Montreal. Out of the bag and fresh as a daisy, as always. (The shirt was ready to go as well...)
6:30 a.m., Les Forges Sorel. We get our security briefing, and get our safety gear. My black shirt, jeans and boots pass the test for toughness and fire/melt resistance. Plus, it looks cool with the orange flameproof coats.
First shoot was an exterior. Beautiful day, but it was about -10 degrees. Everyone around me was freaking out about the cold, but the combo of a windproof shell and a wool base layer was pretty effective. They all thought I was crazy, but only my bare hands got really cold.
By mid-morning, we were ready to shoot inside, near the actual forge. White-hot metal and sparks all around us. But once again, I was quite comfy in my breathable base. Here is our Director, Jacques, and some of the team having lunch. They feed you non-stop at a shoot, and by the end of the day everyone is wearing coffee and grease stains. But you'd never know with the black Icebreaker polo. Black wool hides many, many sins.
I wish my eyes, ears, nose and throat were as rugged as this shirt. The smoke and dust of the ancient industrial site have been harder on my lungs than Don Draper pitching American Tobacco. (*hack, hack, hack*) The shirt didn't show the slightest bit of soot.
This steel mill began life as an arms factory in WWII, making barrels for heavy artillery. By mid-afternoon, we were shooting in the millwright shop, where some of the machines seemed to be original equipment.
They sure don't make 'em like they used to... except for this shirt. After 8 months of weekly wear, it still looks like new. But if I ever do get sick of it, Icebreaker recommends burying it in the garden - merino wool is both renewable and biodegradable.
All shoots have unexpected stresses, and this one was no exception. At this point, we were all tired, and the actors were having a hard time nailing the scene. But in cases like this, you can't let 'em see you sweat, and I was as cool and dry as bactrian camel in the Icebreaker.
Just an idea of the environment I was working in. Evening shift at the blast furnaces, and the shirt is still bringing it. I wish I was made of merino.
11 p.m., back in Montreal. About 3 pints into the day one wrap party. Note my glassy eyes, haggard appearance, and absolutely immaculate shirt. I could have slept in this sucker, but I needed to rid myself of the smell of burning steel.
Hell, I could've just kept rocking the black Icebreaker for the entire week. But there's no need. I also have this shirt in brown and blue.
