Schupp Company Blog

New Zealand Book Council Going West

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Very nice work produced by Colenso BBDO and animated by Andersen M Studios on this short film for The New Zealand Book Council making Maurice Gee’s novel Going West come to life. The objective was to develop a piece of film that would inspire more New Zealanders to read more books.

Posted in Advertising, Art, Culture | No Comments »

So, What’s Your Poison (Fruit)?

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Tell me: Is it Blackberry or Apple? No better yet, text it to me, preferably while I’m in a meeting with you. Actually, if I could be leading the meeting – the one you’re supposed to be attending to learn some information – it would just be perfect if you could get on your electronic fruit and text or email me what your poison is exactly. I’m sorry, did I say poison? Because I meant problem.

Yes, I’m calling you out. All you successful, professional men and women who are tempted by that shiny Apple – that delicious Crackberry – stuffed in your pocket or atop the conference room table. All of a sudden, it vibrates alerting you (and quite possibly the rest of the meeting attendees) that you’ve got mail. Or, a text. Or a phone call. Or a new picture. Or WHATEVER. Regardless, you must – absolutely MUST – find out what it’s about and respond immediately. Because whatever it is can’t wait. And, I mean, it’s not like you were doing anything important.

And herein lies the fall of man- (and woman-) kind. You see, you people are kind – until you become complete assholes.

I’m sorry, but a few years ago, the meetings you attended used to carry with them a sense of respect. You arrived on time; brought a pen, maybe some paper; you took your seat ready to listen and contribute; you likely refrained from emitting any loud bodily noises; you said, “excuse me” and left the room if a call for you rang out over the office paging system; you even returned to the meeting, quietly – and maybe even mustered up something like, “sorry about that.”

Not anymore. Now you look down. You henpeck. You chuckle. HEY-LOOOOO…what the ef are you doing, and why aren’t you paying attention to the flipping meeting you douchy jerkwads?

Listen, I get it. I like to send text messages. I want to respond to emails promptly. I even like checking up on the headlines of the day, the weather or that local sports team (read: celebrity gossip on that last one; we all know I don’t give a crap about sports). Sometimes I’ll even bring my phone with me to meeting, but I’ve got news for you: it’s only because I don’t wear a watch and there isn’t a clock in the room. The thing is, when I attend a business meeting, I extend the same decorum one might use when – oh I don’t know – I’m at the movies or a wedding. I TURN OFF MY FUCKING PHONE. Why? Because it’s rude not to. Oh, and putting it on vibrate isn’t the same thing…unless you ignore it.

OK, so I’m clearly pretty shocked that this has become so commonplace. But seriously, I’ve seen coworkers, clients and colleagues all fall prey to this temptation. That mobile device slithers out their pocket and into their idle little hands without any thought or concern that it might be distracting for the person leading the meeting or the others in the room. Perhaps all future meetings should commence with a viewing of a :60 “Franky and the Frogs”-style, “turn-your-phone-off” video clip; here’s the first few stanzas, sung to the tune of I Heard it Through the Grapevine:

“Well, I bet you’re wonderin’ how I knew, your iPhone made you such a huge tool. You’re looking down when I start talking, but I know you’re just Facebook stalking. Don’t you know that I heard your stupid phone chime. Not much longer ‘till I lose my mind…and throw this agenda in your face.”

Certainly, there’s a compromise here. I mean, I can be reasonable. Bring your mobile distraction with you to the meeting; just refrain from being distracted by it. Here are some exceptions:

(1) You’re waiting on a very important, time-sensitive client email to come through.
(2) A family member is currently: coming out of major surgery; on death’s door; due to give birth; or in need of you to post bail in the immediate future.
(3) There’s an Amber Alert out on your child.

Outside of these three exceptions, turn off the technology. Or, at the very least, don’t use it until the meeting is over. Of course, if you feel compelled to use it, have the decency to slink away – and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

A link to “Franky & the Frogs” movie theatre clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwpskML6TbY&feature=related

Tags: facebook, interactive, people, social media, trends, work
Posted in Advertising, Culture, Miscellaneous, Water Cooler | 1 Comment »

Maximizing your Sponsorship

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

With the tightening of purse strings comes the serious evaluation of overall marketing strategies, sponsorships and, of course, spending. There is also an increased clamor for ROI like never before.

Years of experience tells us that when it comes to sponsorships, there are a few ways to maximize the opportunity and get the most bang for your buck. As we partner with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to do just that, we thought this topic was more relevant than ever to share with all of our clients, vendors and friends. Please enjoy the following tips on leveraging your sponsorship:

Select Smart
Matching your brand with the right consumers in the right environment is the first key to a successful sponsorship. Red Bull, another Schupp Co. client, is an example of a brand that has successfully selected events that appeal to their thrill-seeking audience – raves and extreme sports. Keep in mind that sponsorship, like advertising, cannot create an advantage for your product. It can only convey it.

Integrate Your Brand
In a playing field with hundreds of sponsors vying for attention, being “the official sponsor” is no longer enough. Instead you must fully integrate your brand into your sponsorship and prove your connection to the sponsorship audience. This is especially important in sports-specific sponsorships and the very personal relationship the fan audience has with the sport, teams and players. Your brand must show that it knows and loves the sport as the fan does. You prove this by creatively weaving your brand into the story of the sport. Fall short, and a real fan will see right through it.

Think Long-Term
No sponsor can expect to win the affection of consumers in an instant. A relationship of trust and affiliation must be built over time. Your sponsorship dollars will always be best spent if you stick to a single strategy and to a sponsorship that best supports that strategy for multiple years.

Leverage Your Investment with Activation
Once you’ve creatively integrated your brand into the sponsorship and committed to the cause, pull it together with a comprehensive activation program. According to research firm Real Feedback, a well-chosen sponsorship followed by a strong activation can result in a 30- to 40-percent increase in consumer openness to trying a product.

The most effective brands support their sponsorship with a marketing campaign that helps activate them, including advertising, direct marketing, promotions, interactive, public relations, social media and more.

William Chipps, senior editor for IEG Sponsorship Report, once put it plainly: “For every dollar a sponsor spends on the sponsorship, it should spend another $1 to $3 to activate and promote that sponsorship.”

An Example in Action
Enterprise Rent-A-Car has selected Schupp Company to support them in their quest for proper sponsorship activation and maximization. We’re currently in development of a fully integrated television commercial for their National Hockey League sponsorship as well as print and online efforts to support their NCAA sponsorship package. Keep an eye out for these materials in-market early 2010.

Want our help maximizing your sponsorship? If so, e-mail us.

Posted in Holiday 2009, e-newsletter | No Comments »

Miller Lite 2009 Holiday Program

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

For nine years, Schupp Co. has partnered with MillerCoors to develop on-premise promotional programs for Miller Lite. This holiday season, Schupp Co., along with partner agencies, has created a Miller Lite holiday-themed program to be used in bars and restaurants that will encourage consumers to “Toast to Great Taste” while connecting with their friends and family. The program features multiple components, including an interactive table top game, a national sweepstakes and an innovative, post-bar digital component featuring augmented reality.

While consumers are waiting for their friends to join them, or waiting for their meal, they can play the interactive table top game, Holiday M-L-R. This game is designed to encourage friendly competition among consumers with the use of special dice and player chips.

The program also includes gift items such as the limited edition Taste Activator™ glassware and the national “Toast to Great Taste” sweepstakes. Sweepstakes prizes include a $4000 travel voucher and 1,000 limited edition Taste ActivatorTM glassware gift sets to toast in the New Year.

Additionally, Miller Lite brand ambassadors will get consumers into the spirit of the holiday season with the Classic Cards program. They will take pictures of consumers toasting with friends wearing holiday-themed props (e.g., reindeer antlers) holding a photo card. When the picture is uploaded to the Miller Lite holiday Web site, the design on the photo card is recognized by software and acts as a canvas for consumers to digitally customize their photos, using augmented reality.

What is this trend of augmented reality, you ask? Well, augmented reality is the blending of real world photographs or video with digital content. It has many wide-ranging applications; the most common includes the yellow first-down indicator lines shown during NFL games on TV. For the purpose of the holiday program, when consumers see their photos online, the unique design on their photo card represents a pre-determined image that is inserted into the picture (Miller Lite bottles, holly, mistletoe, snow men). This image can be still, animated or three-dimensional. After customizing their photo, consumers may choose to print the photo, e-mail it to friends or post it on Facebook.

The Miller Lite holiday program came to market nationwide November 1, 2009. Be sure to look for it when you meet up with old friends and new over the holiday season and toast to the Great Taste of Miller Lite!

Posted in Holiday 2009, e-newsletter | 2 Comments »

Get Up-to-Speed on Q4 Media Happenings

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Around this time of year schedules get hectic and free time is anything but abundant. That being said, we’ve decided to approach the Schupp Co. Media Minute in a way that gets you up-to-speed on multiple timely media subjects in a flash.

You might think of these as “media seconds within the Media Minute.”  Here it goes…

Difficult Holiday Season Predicted for Retailers
Recent trade articles in Brandweek and Adweek focused on the difficulties that retailers are anticipating this coming Holiday season. This expected bad news for retail could possibly translate to some good news for media sellers, however. For example, 56 percent of retailers surveyed expect to advertise more aggressively this holiday season relative to last year. Further, 66 percent plan to offer greater discounts to the consumer. Both of these responses portend an uptick in media demand. Yes, Virginia, perhaps Francis Pharcellus Church was correct, at least for media sales.

Take Notice of Increased Magazine Readership
While a decline in magazine newsstand sales has grabbed the spotlight, a somewhat opposite trend of increased magazine readership has gone unnoticed. That’s the case at least for leading consumer magazines: MRI has reported an increase of 8 percent in total readership over the last decade based on an analysis of 81 top titles. It could be a case of reported behavior (MRI) not reflecting actual behavior (declining newsstand sales). Or, maybe more people are looking for news and entertainment, but are just not willing to pay for it. Either way, the result is the same for the publishing industry: more reliance on advertising revenue and less on subscription and newsstand sales.

Women & Social Media
Recent research indicates that a significant portion of women don’t find information found via social media all that helpful and credible. Is this a function of the medium or perhaps of the low quality of the content?  Regardless, marketers need to make sure that social media efforts are meaningful to the audience – or don’t go there.

Video Consumption Rising
The latest Nielsen “3 Screen Report” (TV, Internet and Mobile) indicates that video consumption on all three platforms continues to increase. For traditional TV, this includes both an increase in the total number of viewers (+0.9% vs. YAG), as well as an increase in average time spent viewing (+1.5% vs. YAG). To paraphrase Mr. Twain, it appears that the reports of TV’s death were greatly exaggerated.

Influences on Purchases
According to Mintel, 34 percent of U.S. Internet users who purchased a product or service based on a recommendation got that tip from a friend or relative. Another 25 percent based their decision on advice from a spouse or domestic partner. Lower on the list were bloggers and chat rooms. While bloggers may bring buzz to a product, converting the buzz to sales is another matter – unless, of course, the blogger is a friend.

Ad Spending on the Decline
U.S. ad spending declined for the fifth consecutive quarter during Q2, 2009, with the biggest declines experienced by radio (-24.6%) and newspapers (-24.2%), according to TNS. There is a little bit of good news for some of the media, however, with internet display advertising realizing a 6.5% increase and newspaper FSI’s increasing 4.6 percent.  Does anyone else see the irony of increased FSI spending while newspaper readership and revenue continues to trend down?

Online vs. Traditional Media
It’s interesting how the trade media continues to give the headlines to online, even when the real news may be regarding a more traditional medium. Example: 9/25 MediaPost article regarding latest Opinion Research Corporation’s survey of where people get their news. The report states that both TV and dailies have declined in terms of where consumers get their news…and that radio and online both realized increases.  In fact, radio as a news source is now tied with the daily newspaper – with both representing 19.4 percent of total news consumption.  However, the subhead of the article reads “Changing Times: Online Trumps Newspapers.”

St. Louis Moms & FOX
A recent look into the St. Louis Scarborough research indicates that St. Louis Moms love their FOX.  79 percent of them regularly tune-in to KTVI, and 24 percent regularly visit MyFoxSTL.com. Just think how high these numbers would be if Gossip Girls aired on Channel 2.

By the way, if you like this “news bite” version of the Media Minute, let us know. We’d like to hear from you. Give us feedback.

Posted in Holiday 2009, e-newsletter | No Comments »

A Jolly Good Time at the Schupp Co. Holiday Party

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Last-minute trips to the mall, never-ending lines and visiting the in-laws. Sometimes the holiday season can leave much to be desired.

Fortunately, the Schupp Co. Holiday Party is full of desirable fun!

To get us all in the holiday spirit, here are Top 10 reasons why the Schupp Co. holiday party is always a good time.

10. Free cocktails.
9. Free food.
8. There’s usually a psychic, tarot card reader or some other crackpot on hand, not including Mark Schupp.
7. Partying with people you work with is much better than working with people you work with.
6. You get a chance to see how Schupp Co. blows through its already thin margin.
5. You can finally get an answer to the age-old question “Does Schupp Co. make shoes?”
4. It is the one day of the year the entire creative team doesn’t wear black.
3. Seeing the sweet holiday sweater is a present unto itself. It will be back again this year!
2. The party is your only chance to see the account team drunk on something other than power.
1. Mark’s paying for something when he doesn’t have to…it’s a truly a Miracle on 4^th & Pine.

Posted in Holiday 2009, e-newsletter | 1 Comment »

Schupp + Wine + Dine + Trip = Party Pix.

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

This fall the entire company loaded up on a bus and headed west to Chandler Winery. Here is the photographic evidence of the fun.

Posted in Holiday 2009, e-newsletter | 1 Comment »