Recently, Adventure House art directed a photo shoot for a local banking client which spanned a few days and produced thousands of possibilities. This shoot was the culmination of meetings and discussions with them over a long period of time to identify what exactly they wanted out of their photography strategy. Since they are a local brand with strong ties to the people of the community, they felt it was absolutely essential to represent people accurately as they were in real life. Doing so, meant having the subjects being photographed be themselves so their unique personality would shine through.
There were over 30 diverse subjects in the “cast” of the brand, from seniors to kids. Some were actors, some were not, some were real moms, some were people we pulled in at the last minute. But all of them had one thing in common: they were warm, friendly and represented real people. In one interesting case, we pulled in the mom of the kids that were in a shot and it turns out that she has a personal connection to the brand. She was banking with this particular bank since she was 8 years old. In another specific case, a senior subject wasn’t coming across as natural and comfortable until we surrounded him with kids. Once that happened, his real, warm nature just came right through.
To get the best real results out of the photography, we employed these rules:
• Have a plan and shot list mapped out but don’t be afraid to break it almost immediately
• Give them a motivation
• Catch them off guard
• Let people interact with each other and find a common interest
• Ask them to do what they would do personally in their own life
• If it’s not working, stop and try something new. Don’t waste time and budget.
Once the brand campaign is live, we’ll post some photography samples here on this blog. If you have any questions, please email me at aa@adventurehousegroup.com.
Celebrate the New Year with your favorite touchscreen device in bubbly style with Adventure House’s latest Wallpaper.
Best wishes for a great New Year from the Adventure House team.
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- Champagne 2012 iPad
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- Champagne 2012 iPhone
Thank you for making 2011 a great year!
Thank you to our clients—both existing and new—for the trust you place in our abilities to deliver on your brand promise.
Thank you to our Facebook fans and Twitter followers for listening and enjoying our digital goodies. We have many new things coming in the new year so stay tuned.
Thank you to our business partners for your incredible talents and willingness to go the extra mile.
Cheers and Happy New Year!
For the last time this holiday season we are celebrating the holidays with one of four holiday Mad Libs we created for you to enjoy with your family and friends. Today’s Mad Lib is the classic song “_____ Wonderland”. Thanks for sharing some holiday time with Adventure House. Happy Holidays.
Click on the image below to download a printable PDF.
Adventure House Holiday Mad Lib 2011 Winterland
Once again we are celebrating the holidays with one of four holiday Mad Libs we created for you to enjoy with your family and friends. A new one will be posted every couple of days so check back. Today’s Mad Lib is the classic song “Ruldolph the Red-_____ Reindeer”. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Click on the image below to download a printable PDF.
Adventure House Holiday 2011 MadLib -Rudolph
Adventure House is honored that Getting Unstuck: A Primer was selected by SlideShare as a Top Presentation of the Day for Sunday, December 18th. Our presentation was chosen from the thousands uploaded to SlideShare everyday from across the world. Check it out:
Once again we are celebrating the holidays with one of four holiday Mad Libs we created for you to enjoy with your family and friends. A new one will be posted every couple of days so check back. Today’s Mad Lib is the classic song “Let it _____”. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Click on the image below to download a printable PDF.
Adventure House Holiday 2011 MadLib – Let it _______
In any situation where you need to create something, it’s just a matter of time until you get stuck. From writers, musicians and artists to marketing directors and website designers, getting stuck is a normal part of the creation process—but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating.
When you get stuck, what do you typically do? Keep going down the stuck path or start over? It’s less icky to keep going on the path you’re already headed down because starting over means going back to the drawing board. Then you’re essentially nowhere, which never seems like a good plan, especially if there’s a deadline involved.
Cue panic.
Starting over fresh and reworking your original assumptions from scratch would most likely yield the best results, but time constraints or creative hurdles or just plain not wanting to do all that extra work can make this an unsavory option.
In psychology, Sigmund Freud said that a mental block against recalling memories, events, or ideas is called resistance.* For any number of reasons, your brain is being resistant to opening itself up to new ideas that could potentially get you unstuck. But you don’t have to remain stuck; here are a few ideas to help you get the creative process rolling again.
Get Some Space.
If it’s possible, walk away and do something else for an hour or a day (depending on your time constraints). Your mind works in mysterious ways and what’s a challenge one day is sometimes easily solved the next.
Get Another Perspective.
Ask a colleague, a friend, a spouse, or anyone else who is not connected to the project for an unbiased opinion. I remember once I text messaged ten friends and family members to ask them what their initial impressions of a specific brand were. The results were both surprising and helpful.
Go Back and Review.
Review the original assumptions of what you’re working on. In the case of developing a marketing piece where you need a metaphor or visual hook to connect with end-user needs, go back to the original brief. You may pick up on something that wasn’t internalized during your development process that could now send your brain down a new conceptual avenue.
Do Impromptu Research.
Google is a great place to get inspiration from and to see what peers are doing in the same space. It can provide quick visual thought-starters to unlock an idea you hadn’t considered previously.
Brainstorm.
Grab some colleagues and lock yourself in the conference room for 30 minutes. Brief them on what the challenge is, show your progress, and encourage uncensored feedback.
Start Fresh.
When all else fails, just start over. The key to success is to not consider your previous attempts a failure but the beginning for the new direction you’re headed now.
These simple steps can often give you the initial push you need to get unstuck, but if you find yourself still stuck and want an unbiased opinion, email me at aa@adventurehousegroup.com.
The holidays are here and to get into the spirit we created four, fun holiday Mad Libs. A new one will be posted every couple of days so check back. Today’s Mad Lib is the classic song “Frosty the ______ Man”. Go ahead and make it your own. Happy holidays!
Click on the image below and print it out.
Adventure House Holiday 2011 MadLib – Frosty
Recently, we examined the marketing campaigns, websites, and product offerings of over twenty national, regional, and local banking organizations to analyze the most current messaging of the top banks in New York City. We then analyzed the branding and positioning of each bank. As a result of this study, we’ve gathered substantial insights and have summarized our findings here.
The Message: Customer Service
The primary message of the banking institutions in our analysis is that they are financial specialists; they can offer assistance in managing your money and offer secure places to guard your money. The differentiators between the banks can vary, but one of the most common differentiators is good service. Yet, service can be represented in a myriad of ways. Customer service is no longer just a teller asking, “How may I help you?” in a pleasant tone of voice.
Choices
True to American style, choice means freedom. “Would you like checking account option number 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5?” Our study found that in most banks there is a wide range of banking products that offer various inviting combinations of fees, rewards, and rates for each segment of the market. This is often positioned as personalizing the product mix. “We have the perfect product for you and your needs.”
Convenience
More branches, more ATMs, and longer hours all allow a better customer experience by enhancing convenience. But, convenience doesn’t end there. Online, text and mobile banking are allowing customers to bank easily from anywhere. (Nearly every bank is currently promoting their new mobile banking apps.) In our busy city, “Hassle-Free” banking is a key selling point. Great examples of hassle-free banking can be found in the multitude of ads in the New York market that demonstrate new time-saving instant check deposits at ATMs. Banks today advertise the ease and quickness of enrolling in a checking account online, contacting a service representative, or completing a transaction.
Personal Service
Personal service, the irreplaceable human factor, is still a huge selling point across the board. For those clients with higher account balances, the larger banks offer personal relationship managers who guide the customer through all business and financial concerns. The focus here is on accessibility and expertise. On the other end of the spectrum, a smaller local bank or credit union can offer every customer, no matter your account balance, a friendly banker who knows your name. This is old-fashioned customer service, but it still remains a strong message in today’s market. Some banks have merged convenience with personal service in the form of 24/7 telephone banking amplifying the message of “we are here for you.”
To learn more, please contact us.
Alexander Acker
Vice President, Account Director
212-243-6867 x212
aa@adventurehousegroup.com
