Protected in the "Line of Fire"

Two weeks ago, Line Of Fire Inc. participated in the Annual three-day Canadian Forces Small Arms Competition at Connaught Range and Primary Training Centre, in Ottawa Ontario. Aimed at protecting Law Enforcement and Military personnel, Line of Fine produces a unique armor system that can sustain multiple hits.

We were fortunate to join the Line of Fire team, our very own client, for the “Live Fire Demo” part of the event - their non-ceramic armor plates were to be tested against their competitor in a Rifle and Pistol range shoot. Richard, a Law Enforcement Officer from Lethbridge, Alberta (seen in top photo), shot 5 round bursts at both armor plates; the Line of Fire products tolerated the multiple hits much better than their challenger... hands down! We captured footage of all the live action on video, which will soon be available on the Line of Fire Inc. website (click here).

Since February 2009 we have produced Line of Fire's website, trade-show booths and magazine ads, and have also designed collateral including brochures, kit-folders, facts sheets and business cards. Check out our “Live Fire Demo” images above - would you choose to be protected by their products? We're certain Richard wouldn’t contest to that.

Are you and Max prepared for an emergency?

It’s almost October, and we all know what that means… no, I’m not referring to pumpkin carving! It’s Animal Health Week, a time to contribute to the promotion of responsible animal ownership and animal health. This years' national campaign aims to educate you (and your pet) about the importance of developing an emergency plan in the event of a natural disaster. Between October 4 and 10, head over to your local veterinary clinic or consult your local newspaper to find out how to participate and become involved with this public awareness campaign.

Besides the fact that we believe in supporting such a great event, Bytown is thrilled to have designed collateral for Animal Health Week 2009. Check out our posters, kid-friendly temporary tattoos, t-shirts and balloons at your nearest clinic between October 4 and 10! And, remember to talk to your animal about emergency tips and solutions - what will you do to keep little Max out of harm's way?

For more information regarding Animal Health Week, contact Kristin McEvoy, CVMA Communications Officer at 1-800-567-2862, ext. 128, or visit their website here.

Cornerstone Donor Wall

The Bytown team just returned from the official unveiling of Canadian Blood Services’ Cornerstone Blood Donor Wall. This event recognized its financial donors – since April they’ve raised a whopping $40,000... what an achievement! It may have been the quaint surroundings of the crowd, or the words of speakers Board Chair Verna Skanes, Ian Mumford and Dr. Graham Sher; either way we certainly left this event feeling optimistic and eager to make a change - we are looking into corporate donating in the near future. Afterall, it’s in us to give.

For more information on how to be added to the Donor Wall and other ways to give, click here.

Fantastic Reference

A great big thank you to Duke University for this website: AdViews: A Digital Archive of Vintage Television Commercials.

Browse around this great collection of TV spots from the 1940's to the 1980's.

Emotionally Appealing Inanimate Objects

A few weeks ago I read an article on Marketing Mag’s website about a new campaign by DDB Toronto for Knorr Sidekicks introducing their new mascot, Salty (see article here). In a nutshell, Knorr Sidekicks now have 25% less sodium, and to emphasize this point, they personified the brand with a sad little salt-shaker. Poor little Salty is no longer required on the dinner table. I finally recently saw one of the tv spots, and sure enough, my heartstrings were being plucked at the end when poor little Salty was left crying streams of salt in the rain. Adorable. Family-friendly. Effective.

But wait…

This does look a little familiar. Shouldn’t that salt-shaker be a lamp? And shouldn’t he be selling do-it-yourself Swedish furniture, not instant side-dishes?

It’s been six years since Crispin Porter + Bogusky (Miami, FL) hired Spike Jonze to direct the best advertisement in 2003. The Lamp for IKEA won awards due to its’ incredible art direction, emotional appeal and perfect wit.

The best part of The Lamp was not how beautifully it was shot, or even how the camera angles and music gave you a bird’s eye view of that sad, sad lamp. The best part was the slap-you-back-to-reality line at the end – “Many of you feel bad for this lamp. That is because you are crazy.” There you go. An advertiser that actually tells you at the end of the commercial what a sucker you were for falling for all their ploys.

Knorr is certainly not riding coattails. Not only has it been 6 years, but also the use of mascots and emotional appeals are as old as advertising itself.

Do they both create an emotional attachment to the brand? Without a doubt. But clearly Knorr and IKEA are targeting two different audiences and are portraying two different messages. IKEA says, “No need to feel bad, just buy a new lamp already.” Whereas Knorr says, “I know you feel bad for Salty. Now pity us and buy our Sidekicks.”

It may not be a prizewinner, but Knorr certainly has the head-tilt, awwww factor going for it.

See the tv spot here:

And for a reminder of the Lamp:

Nothing Beats Great Copywriting

There’s something to be said for creative writing. We have a number of creative writers on call to fill any of our needs – technical, government, environmental, healthcare, retail, etc., etc., etc.

Around our shop we all consider ourselves above-average in the creative sense – be us designers, account managers or coffee-fetchers. Sometimes, us non-copywriter-types, though, think ourselves too creative and make ourselves believe that we too can come up with those inspirational words. We love the round-table creative meetings – hashing out concepts, taglines, campaign details, etc. But sometimes you just hit that wall.

So, here you are: your job is a creative masterpiece – the photo is breathtaking, the body copy is just witty enough, yet perfectly relevant and everything comes together – except the headline. You thought you had it down, but something’s just not right. So you go back to the drawing board and start charting words, feelings, phrases… anything to come up with that big idea in a few simple words.

Boy, you can come up with some real doozies if you try to force yourself. Either that or you get stuck on some cheesy, cliché that won’t escape your writers-blocked cranium.

This is why we love great copywriters – we appreciate their endless flow of lyrical wonder. The people that take your idea and capture it just so in a few words that brings everything together into a perfect package. Absolute brilliance. Kudos.

We have had the pleasure of working with La-Z-Boy for a number of years now. Now, retail can be an interesting entity. We’ve all seen the flyers that come to our front doors – the seizure-inducing hodge-podge of product shots and starbursts. La-Z-Boy, however, has taken itself into a class of high-end retail all on it’s own. With slick, clean layouts and, my favorite, some of the best-written copy I’ve ever read in retail advertising.

The best part is that the humor is dry, subtle and finely printed near the products. It’s not meant to be a witty or clever piece of advertising. They are simply announcing a sale through beautiful product shots and including location information and a call to action. Embedded within the message though, are these great little humorous stanzas describing the product’s personalities.

If you happened to miss the last Midnight Madness flyer, take a look at the images below:

You never even see that copy coming in that layout. That’s what truly what makes this so great for me – the unexpected hilarity.

I would love to be patting our own back’s here at Bytown for these inspired words, however they were provided to us by La-Z-Boy themselves from their other agency.

Bravo LZB – keep it up.