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• Small time

  The popular saying, "God is in the details" emphasizes the importance of being meticulous. But in the process, we sometimes forget to step back and look at the big picture. Often, it's the most obvious thing that gets missed. When designing... Posted Jun 15 2009, 02:48 PM by Armand Kerechuk - Art Director with | with no comments Marketing, Creative, Branding, Production

• Optimizing for the mobile market

  The popularity of mobile devices continues to grow, creating new obstacles to overcome when developing websites. Because mobile browsers display Web content the same as larger screen systems, the content is quite difficult to view and, in most cases,... Posted Jun 15 2009, 02:41 PM by Daniel Sinor - Usability Strategist with | with no comments Interactive/Online, Creative, Production, Technology

• Jargon. The double-edged sword.

  We all use jargon to some extent, often not realizing that we are inserting "code words" into our conversations. Jargon speeds communications between those in the know, while simultaneously keeping outsiders from knowing what it is you're... Posted May 19 2009, 04:48 PM by Mike Rose - Art Director with | with no comments Marketing, Creative, Culture, Business

• Does sex sell?

  Yes and no. Sex doesn’t sell when it’s used as a cheap trick to grab attention but has nothing to do with the product. This was the case with a recent fast food commercial that showed a sexy woman devouring a burger in an orgy of bites, drips and slurps... Posted May 19 2009, 04:29 PM by Howie Cohen - Messaging with | with no comments Marketing, Creative, Advertising, Branding

• Is everything “going HD”?

  The national analog to digital broadcast "switch" does not mandate HDTV. High Definition (HD) refers to a specific set of video formats, and Digital Television (DTV) refers to signal transmission. Think of a parcel and its delivery truck. Digital... Posted Mar 11 2009, 10:20 AM by Maria Brenner - Video Production Specialist with | with no comments Creative, Production, Technology

• Can you make the logo BIGGER?

  We’ve all heard it. There are even several spoofs about it on YouTube. But making the logo bigger isn’t a branding strategy. It’s just a logo — not a way to get into the hearts and minds of today’s fragmented consumers who need to be engaged with your... Posted Jan 30 2009, 11:40 AM by Amber Bryan - Account Management with | with no comments Creative, Advertising, Branding

• Is e-mail the enemy of creativity?

  When it comes to creating great ads, I believe that e-mail has set us back about 50 years... to the old days, when a copywriter would write a headline; then, he’d walk that headline down the hall to the art director and slip it under the door. The art... Posted Nov 21 2008, 07:26 PM by Howie Cohen - Messaging with | with no comments Creative, Culture

• The Pepsi Logo Challenge: It’s supposed to be what?

  Pepsi recently revamped its logo by arcing the white band in the Pepsi circle so that it forms a series of “smiles.” The estimated cost for the redesign according to Advertising Age – over $1 million. The cost of changing signage on vending machines,... Posted Nov 21 2008, 07:19 PM by Tom Rector - Messaging with | with 1 comment(s) Creative

• ∆ - The sign of change.

  We intuitively know when we’ve experienced great creative work. It affects us. It makes us talk. It makes us wonder. It makes us remember. And it makes us do things that we had not previously done. Like trying a new product or a new brand. Simply put... Posted Oct 17 2008, 02:09 PM by Kent Land - Creative with | with no comments Creative

• What makes a great theme line?

  Call it a tag line, slogan or theme line, it’s the essence of your brand – distilled into (preferably) seven words or less. A theme line can: • Express your company’s vision or unique market position. • Define your brand’s character or extol a benefit... Posted Apr 04 2008, 03:48 PM by Tom Rector - Messaging with | with 2 comment(s) Creative

• What’s the big idea?

  Big ideas can come from anywhere and occur at anytime. But, for those times when your creative engine is stalled and the ideas aren't coming, here are a couple of proven ways to get "unstuck." This one you should do alone. Find a quiet place... Posted Mar 13 2008, 10:17 AM by Armand Kerechuk - Art Director with | with 1 comment(s) Creative

• The silent treatment

  Here's a creative technique that is used far too little. Especially in this information age when we're bombarded with so many messages.... Posted Feb 12 2007, 01:23 AM by Howie Cohen - Messaging with | with no comments Marketing, Creative

• "AWESOME"

  My guess is that there are 987,000 adjectives in the English language. So why does it seem like everybody uses just one? AWESOME! ... Posted Feb 05 2006, 07:13 PM by Howie Cohen - Messaging with | with no comments Creative

• Tension = Retention

  Tension may be a bad thing in our everyday lives, but it’s a good thing in advertising.... Posted Sep 14 2003, 05:55 PM by Howie Cohen - Messaging with | with 1 comment(s) Creative, Advertising

• 10-Point creative reality check

  Before development of any ad begins, the following questions must be answered. At The Phelps Group the last question on our list is very important because we believe in an integrated marketing solution to our clients' problems.... Posted Sep 08 2002, 04:15 PM by The Phelps Group with | with no comments Marketing, Creative