When producing a radio spot, it’s not as easy as just writing a script, recording the spot and then trafficking it to the radio station. A lot of steps, that include everyone from the account team to the creative team to the client, are required prior to even talking to the studio that will be producing the spot.

Last week, we completed the production of a radio spot for our client in Mission Valley, Hazard Center. We have a specific process that we follow here in order to ensure the best quality work while being as efficient as possible. The steps we took to producing this spot are as follows:

Step 1 – Determine when you want your spots to run and on what stations. Based on your budget, this will determine if you can produce a :15 or :30 spot, how many spots you can run and if you have enough to negotiate a promotional tie-in.

Step 2 – The account team then writes a creative brief. This brief includes all necessary information on the client: who we are talking to, what we’re trying to convey in this spot, what station(s) we are running on and if there are any mandatories. Pretty much, it is the road map for the creative team to follow.

Step 3 – Obtain approval from the client on the creative brief. This is crucial. You must ensure the client is on the same page as your team prior to beginning any project.

Step 4 – The creative team, usually an art director/creative director and a copywriter, concept and write 2-3 scripts. If a sound effect or music is needed within the script, they will write a brief description of what it should sound like. For example: SFX: Louder growl

Step 5 – Internal review. The creative team reviews the scripts with the account team. This is the time for the account team to ensure all mandatories are met and the scripts follow the provided creative brief.

Step 6 – Client presentation. The account team reviews the creative brief with the client to bring them back up to speed on what we are trying to accomplish with the spot(s). The creative team then discusses the rationale behind each concept and reads the script to the client. Our senior copywriter, Rich Parubrub, does an excellent job impersonating the sound effects.

Step 7 - Client approval. This is when the client selects which script they would like to proceed with. This is also their opportunity to provide feedback on any revisions or additions they would like.

Step 8 - The account team discusses the spot, budget and timing with the recording studio that will be producing the spot.

Step 9 - The creative team reviews the approved script with the studio. This is where the type of talent they are envisioning and sound effects are discussed.

Step 10 - The studio has 2-3 days to compile their recommendations and send to the creative team to review. The creative team makes their selection based on these. If none of them work, they go back and compile second recommendations.

Step 11 - The studio then books the talent and sends them the script in advance for review.

Step 12 - Recording day. You always start with the voice recording. You want to get the talent’s part done first. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay them for the hour (which can range from around $150 – $500) that they are just sitting there while you pick out sound effects. You always need to make sure you have the client’s budget in mind. This is where the creative team gives direction to the talent on the type of voice, read and which words they want them to really pronounce when doing the read. The talent will do a couple reads of the entire script first to warm up.

Step 13 - Fine tuning. Once the voice talent is comfortable with the spot we begin recording in phases (usually line by line). The talent will read the line 3-4 times in a row, each time a little differently. We pick the one we like and move on to the next. We continue this process until the entire script has been read. We listen through the entire spot at least 15 times to make sure it all flows. Generally, you need to go back and have the talent re-do a few lines so the voice and speed is consistent throughout. I will say, I always thought you had to read the entire thing all the way through until you got it right. It’s amazing how technology allows you to cut and paste and have it sound like one fluid read.

Step 14 – Adding in sound effects. When needed, these are added in in between words or in the background, based on the creative team’s vision. Sound effects typically are the hardest part of producing a radio spot because you don’t want them to overpower the message you are trying to get together.

Step 15 – The studio puts the entire spot together and sends to the agency for review. It is crucial you have the spot nailed prior to leaving the studio. If you want changes after that, you have to pay for additional studio time.

Step 16 - Client final approval. Once the agency approves, we send the spot to the client to review and approve.

Final Step - Once it is final approved by the client, the account team traffics the spot to the station.

It might seem like a lot of steps, but all of them are necessary in order for a good, quality spot to be produced. In the end, Hazard Center’s spot went from a script written in a Word document to this.

Hazard Center Radio Spot

There are many components that are associated with a start-up. Getting your name out there is one of the most challenging.

I think a great way start-ups can help market themselves and, in turn, help their business grow, is to add a charitable component to their marketing plan or their company’s mission. It’s something that is pretty easy to do and the return can be both financially rewarding and beneficial to the charity/charities they select (which I hope is the main reason why a company will do this).

Marketing your company as having a charitable component can open up so many doors. You tap into a market of consumers you might not have ever reached without the charitable piece. You are more likely to increase your chances of editorial coverage, because you have that different angle on your brand than your competitors. The media might give you a break on your cost or throw in a few free runs because they know you are doing something for a good cause. Most importantly, it will cause people talk, and even though people think it might not be as effective as it once was, word-of-mouth advertising is huge.

Recently, I came across a bunch of start-up companies on Trend Watching’s 2010 Innovation Insanity list of the most promising new brands. On this list, there are a lot of start-ups that involve a charitable component to help market themselves, which is great. Here are a few of my favorites.

1) How many people, like myself, hate those $2 service fees for using a non-bank ATM? Choose Change ATM in the USA has come up with a solution. Every time you use one of their ATM’s, they will donate $1 to the cause or charity you choose, which you select during your transaction. Love, love and love! Even though technically, they are making $1 off my transaction, I think it’s great that another $1 is going to a charity I believe in. Who can’t spare a dollar? My only complaint is they don’t say anywhere on their website where these ATMs are located. Hard for me to use it, if I don’t know where it is.

2) Stop buying plastic water bottles. Give Me Tap in the UK has come up with a program where people buy a reusable aluminum water bottle, and then they can go to restaurants and cafes and refill them for free with clean tap water. You can find locations via your phone. They also donate 70% of the profits to fund water aid in Africa. Cool concept. I wonder how many people have these water bottles with them at all times, how clean the tap water really is (does Give Me Tap test their water prior to allowing them to be a certified partner?) and do the restaurants and cafes allow you to clean your water bottle prior to refilling?

3) Purchase wine, donate water. So many people are involved with wine clubs or purchase wine online. Well, Cellar Thief has created an idea that when someone buys a select wine off their site, they will donate 100 days of clean water to Charity Water, a company they have partnered with. This is so easy. You buy the wine, they donate the water. I do applaud them for being involved in the social space. As they have a good amount of Twitter followers, they should be more active, as their last tweet was in the middle of July.

4) School uniforms can be expensive, especially in underprivileged  countries. FIGS in California will donate a school uniform to an African child in need for each tie that is purchased on its website. The ties though, run around $100 and I have to purchase via PayPal. It makes me a little uneasy about buying a tie via PayPal and makes me question how I know if a uniform was actually sent to a child. They really need to allow people to purchase on the actual website.

All and all, great job you four! I am glad to see that you have used a charitable component to help market yourself.

What other start-ups do you think should add a charitable component to their strategy to help their business grow?

Bailey Gardiner is looking for an Advertising Account Intern for the fall quarter or semester.

A little about you:

•    A college student (junior or senior) majoring in Communications, English, Advertising or Marketing
•    Must be able to obtain college credit for the internship
.
•    Willing to commit to a minimum of 20 hours per week, set hours and Monday, Wednesday, Friday are preferable
•    A well-organized, self-starter who shows ownership over assignments
•    Excellent communication skills- both oral and written
•    Eager to learn
•    Creative

A little about your responsibilities:

•    Assist the Traffic Manager by helping with the flow of projects
•    Coordinate print related projects from start to finish
•    Handle insertion orders and assist with organization of the media placement process
•    Research new publications, new business prospects, online opportunities and guerilla marketing, which sometimes requires going out in the field and gathering information, materials and photos
•    Writing for “Feed The Interns Blog” with other Bailey Gardiner interns
•    Responsibilities will vary and can grow with your willingness

This position is unpaid and only open to current college students who can obtain college credit through the internship.

The experience you will receive at Bailey Gardiner is invaluable. We will take the time to teach, support, provide you with responsibility and have some fun.

For a little more information about us, visit our website or the blog by our interns.

If you are interested and meet the criteria above, please email your cover letter, resume and preferred schedule to becca@baileygardiner.com.

No phone calls.

When we hit a recession, people sit down and think about ways to save money.  A lot of people cut back on their charitable donations and the frequency that they eat out. When people stop eating out as often, marketers need to think of ways to entice customers to come into their restaurant. And non-profit organizations need to work triple-time to keep the dollars coming in, not necessarily for them to stay in business, but for the people in need of that money.

What if a company came up with a way that you could still eat out but also be donating to a local charity organization at the same time? Well, it happened. Panera Bread opened a donation model restaurant, also known as, Panera Cares Cafe, in St. Louis, as an experiment in community service.

This idea is awesome, in theory. People come in and the menu has suggested prices for what the meal should cost. Then, people pay-what-you-can. There are no cash registers, no change. People drop their money into a donation bin — more or less than the suggested price. The hopes is that these donations will offset one another, so the restaurant breaks even and can remain open. What’s nice is that for people that can’t pay anything, they can bus or clean tables.

I have a concern of people taking advantage of this. Sure, it’s really nice for the people who really are in need — homeless, low-income families, etc, but , as sad as this is to say, we do have a lot of “greedy” people in the US who would take advantage of this program.

Panera Bread did not put a lot of money into a new location or complete renovation. Instead, they closed down a current Panera Bread location, made a few construction changes inside, renamed it and reopened. They also didn’t put a lot of marketing dollars into the launch of this concept. They announced the launch of this via social media platforms and word of mouth. This has caused a lot of buzz, nationwide.

It appears this whole idea is working for them. According to Panera Bread’s company chairman, Ron Shaich, they are already planning on opening two more restaurants using this exact same model. But I wonder, will these stores fail in the long run once the buzz has died down? I feel it is crucial for their marketing team to come up with ideas to keep this idea fresh, popular and most importantly, profitable for the community (since they say they are doing this as a community service).

I have two ideas on how they can keep this model going, and possibly make it national.

1) Get all Panera Bread stores, nationwide, involved. Set up donation bins (similar to the one in St. Louis) asking people to donate what they can, even their change. This money will then be donated to the donation model restaurants to help keep them afloat and/or open additional locations. They could make it a contest that the store to raise the most money wins something.

2) Create a “Why our town deserves a Saint Louis Bread Co” contest. Have people create a video to why their town needs something like this. Promote the contest via Twitter, Facebook, traditional PR. The money from my first idea could even be used to open up the store in the town that wins.

Do you have any ideas on how Panera Bread can keep this cool idea going?

Last month, I participated in the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. I won’t go too far into how the race went or my new found dislike for Fiesta Island and the 163 Freeway, but I will say, I was a little surprised by some of the advertising tactics displayed by some companies.

Every participant should have known the event was put on to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an organization that I have been involved with for three years.

With a lot of marathons, there is a corporate sponsor who spearheads the event. I knew in the past that PF Chang’s was the official sponsor of the the PF Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon. That one wasn’t too hard to figure out since their name is in the actual name of the event.

However, I couldn’t recall one corporate sponsor of the event leading up to this marathon or even during the marathon. It wasn’t until about 2-3 weeks later, I realized there was actually a head sponsor of the event. What do ya know,  it was actually PF Chang’s.

When I came home from work one afternoon, I started sifting through the mail. It was full of the usual junk. But then, I came across a random letter addressed to me from PF Chang’s. I will admit, I was about 3.2 seconds away from tossing it with the rest of the mail but then I felt something inside. Being a curious person, I opened it. Inside was a congratulations letter from PF Chang’s on completing the marathon as well as a $10 gift card to their restaurant. For someone like me who loves local deals (trust me I’m known as the coupon/deal girl in the office) I was pretty excited.

Obviously, their goal from this direct mail wasn’t just to get people into their restaurant, but it was also to create a buzz. They got exactly what they wanted from me. I immediately got on my phone and tweeted out a thank you to PF Chang’s letting them know I had received my gift and I posted a message on my Facebook page about how I love coming home to free stuff. And now, tonight I am actually going to go  there for dinner, just because I have that gift card. Lettuce wraps = amazing!

This was a great thing for them to do, yet I feel they could have done a few things differently to generate more buzz and a higher-return on investment.

1) Make your presence well-known as a sponsor prior and during the event.

2) As email addresses are supplied when registering for the event, send an email 1-2 days after the event congratulating the participant on their accomplishment and to keep their eyes peeled for something special in the mail. Don’t tell them what, make them curious. This way, they know something is coming.

3) Better packaging. The envelope looked 100% like junk mail. It was plain white with my name ink jetted on it and the PF Chang’s name in the top left corner all in black. There are more creative ways to send something that doesn’t break any postal envelope regulations.

Overall PF Chang’s did a good job. I look forward to seeing what they do next year, if they continue to be a sponsor, as well as seeing what Dodge will do, since they are now the official sponsor of the 2011 San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. And no, I will not be running it. I am retired from marathons at 27.

I always get quite excited when the World Cup comes around. I think I get more excited about it than I do with the Olympics.

Like football and the Superbowl, I also thoroughly enjoy the commercials that are created specifically for this event. It’s interesting to see the approach companies take and which celebrities they were able to get to endorse their brand.

Naturally, the big hype this year has been about the Nike and Adidas commercials. Adidas is the official sponsor of the 2010 World Cup, which to be honest, I didn’t even know until I read it in the USA Today this morning. Nike’s Write the Future campaign, which focuses on traditional print and viral marketing, has overpowered Adidas’ campaign by having more than double the views in the first week they launched alone.

Nike’s campaign features a viral ad before the World Cup even started. They created a video that used world-famous soccer players as well as appearances by Kobe Bryant and Rodger Federer. Genius call by Nike, if I may say. They selected two very well-known athletes in other sports whose big competitions would be going on during the same time as the World Cup- the NBA finals and Wimbledon.

In fact, I think this might be one of the best videos I’ve ever seen. It is powerful and involves so many elements. I like how they even included social media aspects in the commercial.

What makes this campaign even cooler, is the way they rolled it out. This entire campaign started by Nike running a traditional print ad in The Sun’s football section. They then slowly released more print ads, then the video and lastly, commercials.

Seeing all this great stuff by Nike does make me feel for Adidas since they missed the ball and didn’t get things out earlier. It’s crazy to think people are not even aware that Adidas the official sponsor of this magnificent event. I think it is time for Adidas to re-evaluate who they are in the soccer industry, or sports industry as a whole, and make their presence known. Because if they don’t,  Nike may always overshadow and overpower them.

In this day and age, the online space is constantly changing, and at a pace that no one could have ever imagined. Here at BG, we specialize in everything from advertising to public relations, social media and interactive. We understand how crucial it is to be up to speed with everything that is going on in all these industries and we are also always looking for new talent.

We are currently looking to build a diverse group of web freelancers that can assist both our interactive department and creative department. The areas we are looking for assistance in are as follows:

• Rich Media
• HTML implementation with emails
• PHP
• Java Script
• Wordpress — PHP & CSS
• RIAs — Adobe Air & AJax
• CMS
• Flash Animation
• Facebook & Iphone applications
• eCommerce — Triple & Juma
• My SQL
• C++
• Custom Content Management

We will be hosting an open house here at Bailey Gardiner on Monday, June 21 from 5-8 pm for applicants to showcase their work as well as meet the Bailey Gardiner team. For more information on us and our clients, please visit our website.

Light appetizers and refreshments will be served.

No need to bring your laptop. We will have laptops set up for display purposes. Make sure to bring a jump drive if needed.

If interested, please RSVP to Becca Burnham at becca@baileygardiner.com by Friday, June 18. Please include your resume and link to your portfolio. Lastly, locals only please.

As marketers, we know how crucial a brand’s reputation is, as well as what its consumers and potential consumers say about it. Many companies, including some of our own clients like Seaport Village, Beauty Encounter and Sushi, have gone through a rebrand to help reinvent the brand and/or reconnect with their target market(s).

When relaunching a brand, you can’t just announce it to the world. You need to get out there and show people the new you; show them why you are better than ever. A lot of companies are doing this by pulling stunts or through street teams.

Seattle’s Best Coffee is one of the newest companies to rebrand. They started with simplifying their logo, dramatically. Already, in just a week, this change has stirred up heated opinions. People have classified this new logo as looking like a bowl of cereal filled with tears or even worse, a blood donation center. It’s crazy to see that after only one week, 68% of over 2,000 respondents said Seattle’s Best should try again and produce a new logo. Wow! Let’s hope this isn’t as big of a disaster as it was when Tropicana rebranded a few years back. They had to ditch the new look and revert back to the original design. People need to learn that simplifying a logo isn’t always the best way to go.

While the logo has been less well received, the way in which the company is getting the news out has proven quite popular. On May 12, brand relaunch day, the Seattle’s Best “red-capped invaders” took over headquarters of Starbucks by replacing the signage at the very top of the clock tower with their new logo. As awesome as this is, it is likely that Starbucks gave them permission to do this since Seattle’s Best was acquired by them in 2003. Still though, it’s an awesome idea.

To relaunch the Seattle’s Best Coffee brand in some of their biggest markets, Seattle and Portland, they placed big red refrigerators throughout the cities filled with ice-cold lattes and mochas. Genius! This simple idea has caused a buzz both online and off. It also shows the public that just because your look has changed, your great taste and price hasn’t changed. I know I would be quite intrigued by seeing a giant red fridge in the middle of the street — nothing written on the outside explaining what it is, and to open it up and find free coffee in it, especially from Seattle’s Best. I would be ecstatic.

These are just a few ways that they have launched the new Seattle’s Best brand out into the world. I’m curious to see the kind of response both the new logo and stunts get both from current consumers and potential consumers.

For me, if I am already a consumer of a particular brand, a rebrand probably won’t stop me from continuing to purchase that item. The only thing that would make me swap would be if the price increased. Yet, if I wasn’t already a consumer and a company rebranded with a new logo paired with these types of stunts, it would most definitely catch my eye. I would be willing to try the product, as long as the price was equal, or less, than what I was already paying.

How would you react to a change in the look of a product you’ve been buying for years? Would you all of a sudden steer clear of it and cause a backlash like people did with Tropicana, or would you embrace it and continue to purchase it? What about if this was a product you’ve never tried but heard of? Would you be enticed to try it?

In a recent post by our very own Traffic Manager, Heather explained how the traffic department at Bailey Gardiner functions. In her fourth step about final delivery, she makes an excellent point that just because the client has approved something, that doesn’t mean the project is done. If the final delivery is a printed piece, that is where my role of Print Specialist comes directly into play. Not to say I’m not involved in the rest of the process from the kick-off meeting to reviewing all pieces before the client presentation, but this is the part of the process where I take over along with the Production Manager.

Once it is handed off to me, this is how the rest of the process goes:

Step 1 — Creative Review – Before I begin the printing process, I discuss the final creative piece in depth with the creative team. The key information I need from them are the specs (size of piece), number of colors (PMS or CMYK), if there are bleeds (color running all the way to the edge), if there are any special additions to the piece (die-cutting, binding, etc.) and lastly, what type of paper they would like this printed on (you can see in my previous post about the world of paper, there are thousands of options to choose from).

Step 2 — Review With Account Team — Here I discuss the client expectations and needs with the account team. These questions cover the following: How many pieces need to be printed, what is their budget (if they have one), do they have any rules for the type of paper this needs to be printed on (recycled or FSC certified), does this need to be mailed and when are they needing this complete by?

Step 3 — Bidding Process — This is my second favorite part of the process. Here is where I call on my vast network of printers. I discuss the project with them and request they provide me with an estimate.  Once I receive all the estimates, I work with the printers to get the cost down or within budget. Naturally, going with the cheapest printer is not always my recommendation as you never want to compromise quality of the final product.

Step 4 — Release to Printer — Once the client has signed off on the print estimate, I alert the Production Manager as to which printer has been selected, which format to create the final piece in (hi-res PDF, native files, etc.) and how to provide the final piece to the printer (FTP, CD with laser print out or email). Once out the door, I provide Heather with the print schedule.

Step 5 — Proof — The printer provides us with a physical proof of the piece. This is for us to make sure all files were transferred successfully between Bailey Gardiner and the printer and that the colors are correct.  We make sure all people that have worked on the project at any point review the proof. Every person then signs off on the proof stating they have checked the color, copy and layout. They also review the position proof. This is where the printer has done a mock-up of the piece to show the order they will bind it in. Once I have received approval, I give my final blessing and back to the printer it goes.

Step 6 — Press Check — A press check is where our Production Manager goes to the printer while the piece is printing. This is primarily done to ensure the color of the piece is spot on to what we are envisioning the piece to look like. Colors can change based on the type of paper being used, so it can take her and the pressman numerous tries to get it perfect.

Step 7 — Fulfillment — The printer completes the project. This involves trimming the piece to special die-cutting to binding the project.

Step 8 — Delivery — My favorite part! This is where the final piece is delivered to us and to the client or to the mail house if required. It always amazes me how a piece can go from something on a computer screen to a beautifully printed and finished product.

Step 9 — Completion — I look at the Heather and say: “This project is complete you can remove it from the queue.”

The print process has a lot of steps, but each step is crucial to making sure the final product meets Bailey Gardiner’s expectations and even more importantly, the clients.

Growing up, my parents bought me and my siblings video games for Nintendo, Sega, and Nintendo64 (yes, old school), even though they always lectured us that playing too much would rot our brains and was bad for us. Well, a new study has shown playing a specific video game can actually be good for you. Yes!

Playing Tetris after a post-traumatic stress event, can actually help reduce flashbacks and bad memories of the event. They are even linking it to helping people with Alzheimer’s and reducing people’s stress levels. It’s amazing to see how a game that people once played for pure enjoyment and fun, can now actually help people mentally and reduce stress.

It makes me think that all companies, no matter what business you are in, should invest in getting Tetris in their office. I mean, who wouldn’t want to lower their stress level?

Reading about this study on Tetris, it makes me wonder why they haven’t re-positioned themselves in the market and started advertising again. It seems to me like a missed opportunity not to. People have always viewed Tetris as a game to play for pure enjoyment, which Tetris should never stop promoting. But, with this new discovery, they should also start informing people about its mental benefits. If I were them, I would do the following to get my name back out in the market.

1) Twitter: Currently they do not have a Twitter account. They should promote both to the every day consumer and to doctors/medical field about the mental benefits.

2) Facebook: They do have a corporate Facebook page called Tetris Friends. I would suggest they play up the health benefits more on their page. Either by talking about it or asking questions to users about how they feel it effects their stress level. Add a fun feature to the application. When people are done playing ask them to click a ‘how stressed were you’ button. Make it cartoon-ish and funny.

3) Print: I would suggest running two different campaigns. The first should be geared towards the medical community or people with interest in health focusing on the medical benefits of Tetris. The second should be geared towards the everyday player, like myself. Make a spin on how fun the game is, as well as maybe a spin on how to reduce your stress. Comedy would be the key.

4) Online Advertising: Behavioral targeting to reach your exact markets with the health news.

5) Guerrilla: Come up with some massive guerrilla marketing stunt that creates a buzz. Maybe some street team has some massive Tetris competition and people’s stress levels are tested before and after to see how Tetris has helped.

Those are just some initial thoughts on what Tetris should be doing. I hate to see when companies miss opportunities to market themselves, especially when it is something as positive as this.

So Tetris… what you gonna do?