More New Work for Fortress Technologies.

Posted by truecreek on July 20, 2010 under The Work | Be the First to Comment

Another version of the sting banners created for Fortress Technologies.  The banner is designed to unroll at 50%, for table top use as well.

Adults Text While Driving Too. A Pew Study.

Posted by truecreek on June 22, 2010 under Opinions. Everyone has them., research | Comments are off for this article

There is so much research on this topic already and more seems to come out every day. There needs to be a greater focus on advertising to combat this horrible trend.  It will have to be powerful stuff, like Marsteller’s “Crying Indian” that featured Native American actor, Iron Eyes Cody.  It was one of the most successful campaigns of its kind, with some suggesting it reduced litter by almost 90% in 300 communities.

Now that’s how you do it.

By Mary Madden and Lee Rainie.

Adults are just as likely as teens to have texted while driving and are substantially more likely to have talked on the phone while driving.

In addition, 49% of adults say they have been passengers in a car when the driver was sending or reading text messages on their cell phone. Overall, 44% of adults say they have been passengers of drivers who used the cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger.

Beyond driving, some cell-toting pedestrians get so distracted while talking or texting that they have physically bumped into another person or an object.

These are some of the key findings from a new survey by The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project:

• Nearly half (47%) of all texting adults say they have sent or read a text message while driving.

• Looking at the general population, this means that 27% of all American adults say they have sent or read text messages while driving. That compares with 26% of all American teens ages 16-17 who reported texting at the wheel in 2009.

• Three in four (75%) cell-owning adults say they have talked on a cell phone while driving. Half (52%) of cell-owning teens ages 16-17 reported talking on a cell phone while driving in the 2009 survey.

• Beyond driving, one in six (17%) cell-owning adults say they have physically bumped into another person or an object because they were distracted by talking or texting on their phone. That amounts to 14% of all American adults who have been so engrossed in talking, texting or otherwise using their cell phones that they bumped into something or someone.

More about Adults Text While Driving Too here.

When a Brand Screws Us All.

Posted by truecreek on May 20, 2010 under Opinions. Everyone has them. | 3 Comments to Read

By Joseph Young

They have been all over television over the past few years.  You’ve seen them before.  The beautifully art directed HD spots from BP. All those bright green and yellows flying around to that perfect music. It’s easy to find outstanding animated spots in just a few minutes on the web.  And from what I have heard within the business, there were some spots produced recently that were in the $3 million per range. All of that backed up by a substantial national media buy.

All concepted and produced with one thought in mind:  to position BP as a friendly, “we’re here with you” company that is working hard to make the world a much better place.

What a crock.

How long do you think it will be before the millions of dollars spent by BP to position themselves as the savior of our collective energy future just melts away?

When a brand screws us all like this, they become lepers. We cringe at the very thought of doing business with them. We now look at their brand as a ‘taker’, not a ‘giver.’  And in the case of BP, I suspect you will see a growing disdain for the company as the days wear on.

So I wonder when the first round of new TV spots will start up?  It must suck for the agency that is responsible for producing what comes next from the company.  If it were my shop, I would really have to do some soul searching before anyone spent another minute behind the lens on behalf of BP.

It’s Time to go to The Movies.

Posted by truecreek on May 4, 2010 under Opinions. Everyone has them. | Comments are off for this article

Summer is almost upon us, a time when the cinema industry generates over 40% of their total annual box office revenue. It’s a time when people go out to the movies in droves, choosing to watch the hot new movies of the summer rather than stay on the couch and sit through another season of reruns on television.   According to Nielsen, the shift is dramatic, with a  13% tick up for cinema in share during the summer months.

Last year, the industry experienced a record-breaking summer, with huge hits like Transformers, The Hangover, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and many others. Coming up this summer there will be another 13 blockbusters and remakes scheduled for release on the big screen.

Here’s just a few of the flicks you can expect to see this summer at a theater near you:

Iron Man 2

Shrek Forever After 3D

Sex and the City 2

Marmaduke

Toy Story 3D

The Twilight Saga:  Eclipse

For most consumer marketers, cinema is the place to be this summer. And throughout the year, cinema advertising is a fantastic complement to any broadcast TV schedule.  So if you are in the theater, consider yourself a smart marketer.  If you’re not, give True Creek a call and let’s fix that.