Last week, the Arkansas Bank Marketing Association presented the winners of their annual awards, recognizing the best creative for the state’s financial institutions. The Sells Agency is pleased to announce that we received 13 awards, plus four judges’ awards (including “Best of Show”).
Being honored by the bank marketing industry is a great feeling. Even better is that all three of our banking clients were recognized: Arvest Bank, Centennial Bank and Southern Bancorp. You’ll also notice that the winning creative came in a wide range of media, including print, television, radio, outdoor and interactive.
Here is a complete list of winning work from the Sells Agency. The next step is the National Bank Marketing Awards, to be announced in September. You can bet that we’ll keep you posted.
Winner – Centennial Bank “Annual Report” for Collateral
Winner – Arvest Bank “Hybrid Giveaway Microsite” for Electronic Media
Winner – Southern Bancorp “Southern Hospitality Newspaper” for Newspaper/Color
Winner – Centennial Bank “Hot Dog Ad” for Newspaper/Color
Winner – Centennial Bank “Outdoor Name Change Campaign” for Outdoor
Honorable Mention – Centennial Bank “Bug and Mobile Branch Wraps” for Outdoor
Winner – Centennial Bank “Name Change Radio” for Radio/Single Entry
Winner – Southern Bancorp “Southern Hospitality TV” for TV/Single Entry
Winner – Arvest “Changing World Business” for TV/Single Entry
Honorable Mention – Arvest “Changing World Consumer” for TV/Single Entry
Winner – Southern Bancorp “Arkadelphia Campaign” for TV Campaign
Winner – Arvest Bank “Changing World Campaign” for TV Campaign
Honorable Mention – Centennial Bank “Name Change Campaign” for Total Campaign
Best of Print – Centennial Bank “Hot Dog Ad”
Best of Radio – Centennial Bank “Name Change Radio”
Best of Television – Arvest Bank “Changing World Campaign”
Best of Show – Arvest Bank “Changing World Campaign”
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Boob Tube Still King
For you marketers out there who may think traditional TV has been overturned as the king of media – think again.
According to a recent study commissioned by the Nielsen-backed Council for Research Excellence, consumers on average spend 67% of their daily media time with TV. Even 18- to 24-year-olds – who spend more time with mobile and other out-of-home media than any other group in the survey – spend a majority of their screen-time with TV (56%).
But surprisingly, those in the youngest group were not the biggest users of computers. That distinction goes to 35- to 44-year-olds. This group spends almost 40% of their screen-time with computers, by far the largest percentage among the various groups. But even among these heavy-users, television still received the lion’s share of attention (almost 55%).
We could break down newspaper and radio usage and find similar stories of so-called old school media maintaining dominance in the very different environment of today. How all of these percentages will shake out in the near-future remains to be seen. Mobile, for example, has only just begun to make its presence known. But for today, at least, new isn’t necessarily better.
Daily minutes spent with four screens:
Source: Ball State University Center for Media Design, Sequent Partners
According to a recent study commissioned by the Nielsen-backed Council for Research Excellence, consumers on average spend 67% of their daily media time with TV. Even 18- to 24-year-olds – who spend more time with mobile and other out-of-home media than any other group in the survey – spend a majority of their screen-time with TV (56%).
But surprisingly, those in the youngest group were not the biggest users of computers. That distinction goes to 35- to 44-year-olds. This group spends almost 40% of their screen-time with computers, by far the largest percentage among the various groups. But even among these heavy-users, television still received the lion’s share of attention (almost 55%).
We could break down newspaper and radio usage and find similar stories of so-called old school media maintaining dominance in the very different environment of today. How all of these percentages will shake out in the near-future remains to be seen. Mobile, for example, has only just begun to make its presence known. But for today, at least, new isn’t necessarily better.
Daily minutes spent with four screens:
Source: Ball State University Center for Media Design, Sequent Partners
Friday, May 1, 2009
We Think Bob-Bob Would Be Proud
We’re not sure how many of you remember, but this full-service advertising agency started out as a formidable public relations firm, Bob Sells Public Relations. Over the years, and following the “retirement” of the senior Sells, we took on more and more advertising and marketing clients and the agency’s primary focus shifted.
Knowing how vital public and media relations are to any well-executed marketing plan, we’ve been working with clients to place more emphasis on long-term PR efforts. It’s been exciting to get back to our roots! We’re still that full-service agency you’ve always loved and trusted, but we’ve beefed up our PR department and people are taking notice.
Most recently, the Northwest Arkansas PRSA chapter took notice at their annual APEX awards, held on April 29. The Sells Agency received three out of 14 awards given for outstanding work in the PR/Communications field. No other agency received more!
We were honored for our work on the city of Fayetteville’s eNewsletter, Mercy Health System’s “Move to Mercy” press kit and Mercy Health System’s “Sister Anita” illustration. We’d like to thank these clients for all of the hard work they put into these projects and for recognizing that dedication to public and media relations will long outlast the effects of any one campaign.
Isn’t that right, Bob-Bob!
Knowing how vital public and media relations are to any well-executed marketing plan, we’ve been working with clients to place more emphasis on long-term PR efforts. It’s been exciting to get back to our roots! We’re still that full-service agency you’ve always loved and trusted, but we’ve beefed up our PR department and people are taking notice.
Most recently, the Northwest Arkansas PRSA chapter took notice at their annual APEX awards, held on April 29. The Sells Agency received three out of 14 awards given for outstanding work in the PR/Communications field. No other agency received more!
We were honored for our work on the city of Fayetteville’s eNewsletter, Mercy Health System’s “Move to Mercy” press kit and Mercy Health System’s “Sister Anita” illustration. We’d like to thank these clients for all of the hard work they put into these projects and for recognizing that dedication to public and media relations will long outlast the effects of any one campaign.
Isn’t that right, Bob-Bob!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
In Honor of AmberFest
Today we celebrate the agency's most recognizable face – the person who this office could not survive without and the one whose vacation week sends us into sheer panic. Today we celebrate Amber.
We at the agency think our chipper-voiced, problem-solving office manager is so deserving of praise that we host a special event in her honor. Around here, April 22nd is known as “AmberFest,” the year’s most anticipated day. Perfectly planned potlucks for breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack help us celebrate the amazing woman who always keeps us on our toes. If we’re not as attentive as we should be today, we’re probably telling Amber how much we appreciate her and how wonderful she is. Or we might be asleep from all the food we’ve eaten.
If you talk to Amber today, feel free to tell her how you appreciate her, too. And happy Administrative Professionals Day to all of the wonderful people who keep offices everywhere from falling apart.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A New Face for Fayetteville
The Fayetteville A&P Commission has decided to re-brand its logo along with a new tagline with the goal of attracting more visitors to the travel destination in Northwest Arkansas.
Fayetteville is a great place to visit and we want everyone to know what the city has to offer. Because the Razorback brand dominates recognition throughout the area, we determined during the GOST planning process that there was no better way to attract tourism to Fayetteville than by leveraging Razorback red.
The new logo features “Fayetteville,” the most important aspect, in a red collegiate font and the tagline “Are You Feeling Fayetteville.” The Fayetteville A&P hopes that this logo redesign will help highlight what gives the city its unique feeling:
• Fayetteville is a stand-alone getaway experience
• There is a loyal following of the Razorback brand
• Fayetteville is a destination beyond sporting events
This classic logo design combined with the new ad campaign captures the essence of Fayetteville that includes art admirers and football fanatics. See the logo for yourself here, and check out the campaign on our home page under “Recent Work.”
Fayetteville is a great place to visit and we want everyone to know what the city has to offer. Because the Razorback brand dominates recognition throughout the area, we determined during the GOST planning process that there was no better way to attract tourism to Fayetteville than by leveraging Razorback red.
The new logo features “Fayetteville,” the most important aspect, in a red collegiate font and the tagline “Are You Feeling Fayetteville.” The Fayetteville A&P hopes that this logo redesign will help highlight what gives the city its unique feeling:
• Fayetteville is a stand-alone getaway experience
• There is a loyal following of the Razorback brand
• Fayetteville is a destination beyond sporting events
This classic logo design combined with the new ad campaign captures the essence of Fayetteville that includes art admirers and football fanatics. See the logo for yourself here, and check out the campaign on our home page under “Recent Work.”
Friday, March 13, 2009
If a Tweet falls in the forest
To marketers, the appeal of social networking isn’t hard to recognize. A quick and usually free opportunity to promote your product may sound like a great idea, but too often, marketers get what they pay for. The effectiveness of these efforts still falls short when compared to that of well-executed creative and well-timed media.
We’re not saying there’s no value to social network marketing. It can be a powerful tool when used to reinforce existing impressions and brand loyalty. Users may want to follow upcoming Riverfest events on Twitter, or Facebook fans might look forward to news about the Race for the Cure in their area. Established brands like these can easily keep devotees up-to-date through social networks.
But capturing the attention of new followers still presents the biggest challenge. Even the most intricate fan page can’t replace the original impression that only a campaign makes. If you’re looking to make such an impression, let us know. We’ll have a solution that’s not limited to 140 characters.
We’re not saying there’s no value to social network marketing. It can be a powerful tool when used to reinforce existing impressions and brand loyalty. Users may want to follow upcoming Riverfest events on Twitter, or Facebook fans might look forward to news about the Race for the Cure in their area. Established brands like these can easily keep devotees up-to-date through social networks.
But capturing the attention of new followers still presents the biggest challenge. Even the most intricate fan page can’t replace the original impression that only a campaign makes. If you’re looking to make such an impression, let us know. We’ll have a solution that’s not limited to 140 characters.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Beautiful car. Shame it won’t go.
Auto shows are places where manufacturers show off their latest ideas with what they call ‘concept cars.’ They’re sleek, pretty and most always completely impractical. Because these vehicles are never meant to be driven, they often don’t start or even offer the potential to propel themselves in any kind of forward motion.
Unfortunately, many advertising campaigns work the same way. They are great ‘concepts,’ but they’re never meant to actually do any of the work that’s required of a campaign.
We’ve all seen an ad that fits this description – it’s clever, it’s entertaining, you even tell your friends later. But when someone asks you whom the ad was for, you have no idea. At best, you may know what category, but you aren’t sure which company or product specifically.
Think about ads you’ve seen and liked. It’s easy to remember that the ad during the Super Bowl was for an employment site, but was it CareerBuilder, Monster or HotJobs? Was the energy drink on the outdoor board Red Bull or Rockstar? Was the ad in the fashion magazine for Diesel, Lucky or Gap?
As we’ve said before, clarity of message is important if you want to build a brand. You need to visually separate yourself from the competition and then reinforce that with a unique message. Advertising must do all of these things, not simply entertain people. Look at your current campaign. Is it readily identifiable as your brand? If not, then you may have a problem. Could its message apply to any of your competitors? If so, then you definitely have a problem.
It doesn’t matter how entertaining of an ad you have. Just as concept cars are interesting, so are the concepts behind these types of ads. But until they’re fleshed out with a driving message that propels people to take action for your specific product, then they’re nothing more than flashy smoke and mirrors that will never be seen outside of the auto show. And, these days, is the auto industry really worth emulating?
Unfortunately, many advertising campaigns work the same way. They are great ‘concepts,’ but they’re never meant to actually do any of the work that’s required of a campaign.
We’ve all seen an ad that fits this description – it’s clever, it’s entertaining, you even tell your friends later. But when someone asks you whom the ad was for, you have no idea. At best, you may know what category, but you aren’t sure which company or product specifically.
Think about ads you’ve seen and liked. It’s easy to remember that the ad during the Super Bowl was for an employment site, but was it CareerBuilder, Monster or HotJobs? Was the energy drink on the outdoor board Red Bull or Rockstar? Was the ad in the fashion magazine for Diesel, Lucky or Gap?
As we’ve said before, clarity of message is important if you want to build a brand. You need to visually separate yourself from the competition and then reinforce that with a unique message. Advertising must do all of these things, not simply entertain people. Look at your current campaign. Is it readily identifiable as your brand? If not, then you may have a problem. Could its message apply to any of your competitors? If so, then you definitely have a problem.
It doesn’t matter how entertaining of an ad you have. Just as concept cars are interesting, so are the concepts behind these types of ads. But until they’re fleshed out with a driving message that propels people to take action for your specific product, then they’re nothing more than flashy smoke and mirrors that will never be seen outside of the auto show. And, these days, is the auto industry really worth emulating?
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