Paradigm Marketing & Creative

"Garden of the Gods" Project: Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:46:00 +0000

Memphis-based company RVC Outdoor Destinations recently announced the acquisition of a campground in Colorado, which will be their first property located in the Western US. Eventually the campground, Garden of the Gods RV Resort, will be branded as a true “Outdoor Destination”. RVC has been a long-time client of ours and we’re excited to help with this transition.

Even though it’s not an Outdoor Destination yet, we’ve already started working on the identity to make it consistent with the other RVC property images. See the before and after:

Take a moment to read the article about this campground and how RVC will be making it the ultimate outdoor vacation. Their concept of creating upscale camping experiences is pretty cool.

Our next project is the website. It's lookin' pretty snazzy so far, so stay tuned for that!

Paradigm Wins 2012 Telly Award

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:14:00 +0000

We just received notification that we won a bronze Telly Award for our set of holiday commercials that ran on local TV last winter. They were made for specialty jewelry store, Jewelmasters, located in Hattiesburg, MS. This marked the 33^rd annual Telly competition. We’ve received over 10 Telly Awards thanks to our awesome creative team.

To see the commercials or some our recent video work, click the links below to go to our YouTube channel.

Make Her Melt

She'll Light Up

Gift of Anticipation

Our Consensual Review of The Pitch

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:06:00 +0000

Many of us in the firm have been talking about the new show on AMC called “The Pitch”, which is a reality series that follows different ad agencies each week as they pitch their ideas and campaigns to try to land new accounts. While it’s quite stereotypical and doesn’t show the fun side of working at an ad agency, the meeting interactions are entertaining and somewhat insightful (mainly on what not to do).

If you've ever worked, or are currently working, in an ad, design, or marketing agency, you should check it out to see what the buzz is about, if not only for entertainment purposes. You can go here to watch clips of The Pitch on AMC's website.

Process Matters

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:10:00 +0000

Lately, we’ve been adjusting and perfecting our “process”, used both internally and for the client. This is basically a contractual document that outlines the steps involved for each phase of the client’s project. You might be wondering…why does having a process matter?

Defines the scope of work
When it comes to marketing services, the list of requests can get lengthy and confusing. A process outlines exactly what the client will receive, when, and how.
Places confidence in the client
Adding to what’s written above, the client knows what to expect and doesn’t have to worry about hidden fees or inconveniences of the like. People feel better when they have something written in contract that is easy to follow.
Sets deadlines
Which not only gives the client a time frame, but keeps the creative team on track.
Identifies client responsibilities
Lets the client know what is needed from them and when.
Keeps everyone in the loop
Most of the time, you can’t get started on a phase unless another one is complete. For example, without Paradigm’s “blueprint/foundation”, we can’t jump into creating a website. A process clarifies these steps and is something every team member can refer to.
Creates less room for error and is better for feedback
…or else things could get messy. The process allows the crew to pinpoint a step and adjust if needed versus starting fresh…which is a major drawback and costlier for the client.
Ensures accuracy
As would any outline of steps.

All marketing firms are different. Some provide one-off projects and we're more of a full-service agency. In the end, the goal is to give the client something superb that hopefully exceeds their expectations. If you're the client, you may want to ask about your potential firm's process to ensure you get what you want, on time.

Helping With Your Event Essentials

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:03:00 +0000

We may not be an event planning business, but we can still help you with one! One of the projects we’ve been working on in the past month is helping with an event that Victory University is sponsoring. The University is attending a national convention for community colleges and they are hosting an exclusive breakfast for a special group of attendees. They came to us for organizing help and to use our design and messaging expertise to produce some pieces that properly promote Victory, while also tying into the convention’s theme this year. We also assisted in finding the best swag items based on budget and the audience that is invited.

Here are a few things we made for them. Simple, but messaging is on-point for this situation and the pieces are consistent with the brand’s image.

table tent

first banner

second banner

Finished product! A professional triathlete's website

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:37:00 +0000

Remember us raving about our new triathlon clients? Well, we finished Dede Griesbauer’s website, so check it out here and let us know what you think! Do you like the design?

Dede requested having a few essential elements in her new site. First, she really wanted her blog to be integrated with the site so she could show her fans/followers race reports, give updates, interact with them, etc. Second, she wanted the “coaching” aspect to be prominent, whereas it was not on her previous website at all. Third, she wanted CMS access so she could go in and edit the site’s content herself, which is important for clients such as Dede since their schedules and updates are constantly changing.

Thanks to Dede for giving us this opportunity and best of luck on your triathlon endeavors! She's competing in the Ironman New Orleans 70.3 on April 22! Amazing!

A Spacey Logo

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:51:00 +0000

Martian Jargon (prev. known as Martian Signs) is a company we’re currently working with, who puts on crazily fun promotional events. You may have seen the “Blue Villains” around town, who are somewhat associated with Martian Jargon.

So far we’ve renamed the company to what it is now, created the Martian character and logo, and we’re in the process of designing a fun website that matches this unconventional brand. This is probably one of the quirkiest logos we've made. It's awesome that this company embraces creativity in so many ways.

Office Madness Update 3

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:39:00 +0000

Stats!

Coming up in first - Scott with 95 pts.

Chris 83
Brian B. 82
Alex 82
Brian S. 79
Randall 78
Emile 75
Wendy 58
Charles 57

Campus West Apartments - 3D video

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:50:00 +0000

3D virtual tour of Campus West Apartments in Syracuse, New York. These are upscale apartments conveniently located on the Syracuse University campus. Videos like this are helpful in giving residents a preview of what the apartment facility will look like while construction is still being completed.

Bracket Competition Update 2

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:54:00 +0000

Sorry it's taken a little while, here is the "Office Madness" ranking:

In first - Randall with 78 points
2nd - Scott, 75
3rd - Chris, 73
Tied in 4th - Alex and Brian B. - 72
5th - Brian S., 69
6th - Emile, 65
7th - Wendy, 58
8th - Charles, 57

"Tennessee based creative agency share their TeamworkPM story"

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:17:00 +0000

A little while ago, the people behind the awesome project management software we use contacted us to write something for a guest post on their blog. We described a little bit of what we do, who we work with, and how TeamworkPM helps keep us on-point. And yes, we sent them a photo of our infamous foosball corner, complete with an impressive entourage.

Check it out here:
http://engineroom.teamworkpm.net/tennessee-based-creative-agency-share-their-t

"Office Madness" Update 1

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:32:00 +0000

How bout’ them games this weekend?!

Here is the ranking for the Paradigm bracket competition:

In the lead is Brian B. with 44 pts.
Next, Wendy W. tied with Randall J. with 42 pts.
Chris D. tied with Charles W. with 41
Alex E. with 40
Brian S. with 39
Scott H. with 37
Emile D. with 35.

We score the rounds 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 15. This is the scoring after two rounds. We’ll keep you posted throughout the weeks to come.

Office Madness 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:50:00 +0000

We've coined March as "Office Madness" with all the construction that's about to take place in order to transform our work environment into a creative haven...designed by none other than ourselves. Check back for photos of our shiny new "court"!

Of course we didn't forget about the real tournaments going on in March, so in celebration of Office Madness, we're holding a bracket competition.

Winner will get their choice of a $50 Old Venice, Holiday Ham & Deli, or Starbucks gift card.

Click here for a link to a blank bracket, fill it out, and email (info@2dimes.com) or fax (901-531-8513) it back to us by 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 15.

Good luck!

Creating Re-creation

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:18:00 +0000

We’ve always pushed our clients to truly show their difference among their competition. All too often, companies beat around the bush by using excessive fluff or “fun” language to do this. Fun-ness (not a word, but we’re using it anyway) is usually a must in many cases too, but your audience will appreciate you coming out and clearly stating your uniqueness (AKA why they should choose you).

Here’s a perfect example of a client that’s got some tough competition, but they’re really not like the competition at all. They’re actually a totally new creation within the RV/outdoor vacation industry that unfortunately gets compared to lower-grade properties because that’s all many people know of.

So, we helped them create a “re-create” page, which we’ve coined internally as the “comparison page”, to put on their websites as a quick-n-dirty fact sheet of what they are…and what they’re not.

click to enlarge

To get the full effect, click to view (you can see the interactive features).

Of course, we’re not saying a single web page like this is the solution to clarifying your difference (and a heck of a lot more went into this little one-pager). The solution lies deeper within all branding of your company from the start, with all things considered. Ohhh marketing.

2012 Addy Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:07:00 +0000

Saturday was the 2012 Addy Awards ceremony. According to this article in the Memphis Daily News,

"The American Advertising Federation Memphis presented 54 gold and 69 silver awards out of 500 paid entries at Saturday's ADDY Awards..."

We're proud to have won a Silver Addy® Award for our project - 2011 Holiday Campaign for Jewelmasters. This consisted of a cohesive concept of billboards, TV commercials and print ads that ran in the Hattiesburg, MS and surrounding area last November and December. Here's just a snippet of the work, which has also been featured on the Memphis Egotist. Click here to watch the videos from the campaign.

click to enlarge

Since the holiday campaign was so well-accepted, we also formed a Valentine's Day campaign shortly after:

We want to give a big congratulations to all of our fellow Memphis agencies that also won awards. So much talent in this city.

Congrats!

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:17:00 +0000

We want to give a shout-out to our new client, triathlete Dede Griesbauer, for finishing top 10 at the Ironman 70.3 in Panama on February 12! This was her comeback race since a horrible crash in Germantown in 2011. What a great feat for Dede.

Here, she is interviewing a six-time Kona champ, who is also back in the sport after an accident. This was filmed during the Ironman event.

A little about Dede: She has raced in the sport of triathlon for seven years, and is a 2-time Ironman champ among her many achievements. She previously worked as an equity trader on Wall Street for eight years, but gave it up to follow her passion for triathlon.

We’re lucky to get to work with national athletes, especially since many of us here are huge sports fans.

Are there any athletes or teams you work with or follow? Local, national, or up-and-coming?? Tell us about them!

Stuff We Learned This Week

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:25:00 +0000

We get a lot of articles passed around the office…sometimes it’s just an update about cool technology, and sometimes it’s tips within the industry. Here are three things that landed in our inboxes this week… you might find one or two interesting or noteworthy too.

“3 Metrics that will change the way you market on Facebook” – if you’ve looked at your company’s FB page lately and wondered what “People Talking About This” or “Engaged Users” really means, this article explains. And after you know, be prepared to get distracted by “researching” your page.
“12 Things Successful People Do Differently” – In reality, not many of us are going to read this and remember these tips. But, this article does point out things we've all fallen into, and it makes you think. We like #s 3, 5, 7, and 8. It's a good lunch break read.
Who doesn’t like the classic & fun style of CSA images? For our fellow designers, they’re now available on iStock, FYI - here

"Paradigm Productions Charles Gaushell Discusses how to Provide More Than Just a Product"

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:49:00 +0000

Just a few days ago, Animation Career Review posted this interview with Charles about our animation process and this side of Paradigm’s work, and he gives some tips for aspiring animators. Jason Lee, 3d artist, was also involved in giving his insight for some of these questions.

Many of the most successful animation production houses in the country have been around since animation's infancy—Paradigm Productions is one of them. Since 1992 Paradigm has been creating Cel & 3D animation, CGI, photography, video and illustrations.

Paradigm's long-standing success was built on taking a different spin on the business side of animation; Paradigm offers not only a full range of production services but also offer advertising and marketing services via their Paradigm Marketing & Creative wing. By attacking the industry with an artist's creative touch and a marketer's out-of-the-box thinking they have succeeded in the zany and cut-throat animation industry. Paradigm's slogan paraphrases this: “creative story telling & digital media…that gets results.”

Leading the successful team over at Paradigm is Charles Gaushell, company Founder and award-winning Creative Director. We got a chance to talk with the man with the plan and he offered some real-world, actionable advice for our aspiring animator readers:

For any of our readers not familiar with you could you explain your studio's

vision and what separates you from the (vast) competition?

Our goal is to provide more than just a product. We talk with clients about what their needs are, what they are trying to accomplish, and then figure out the best way to help them. We see 3d animation as a tool to tell the client’s story. We create work that is visually appealing and has a certain quality to it that clients can notice. We have a diverse "style" to our work that clients seem to like, and not having a specific style keeps our work from looking "cookie cutter". In addition, we are a full service agency, so animation and illustration is often a piece of the package. Consistency in all levels of branding, marketing and advertising are very important to us.

As a creative professional how have you handled the business-side to running

an animation studio?

Actually I majored in architecture, with a minor in business because I’ve always seen the creative profession as both a design/creative outlet and a money making venture. We take our craft very seriously, but we also track time, develop processes and are highly aware of customer relationships. We haven’t been around since 1992 (20 years) for no reason. Creative and business go hand in hand. Everyone that works at our firm has a design background with the exception of our public relations/copy writers. Myself and all of the project managers have lived and breathed creative so we are always sensitive to the artistic aspects – after all that is the fun part – but making a good living off of this also matters.

How did you initially get your foot into the door of the animation industry? (aka

what was your first job and how did you get it?)

Actually I was practicing architecture and using 3D as a design tool way back in 1988 (using Datacad). In 1992 another architect friend and I decided that 3D had a real future as a design, presentation and marketing tool. People thought we were nuts– guess they were wrong! We were self-taught and just decided to do this. It took a lot of hard work to grow the business but to date we’ve worked in over 40 states and 7 countries.

What kind of education did it take to get you where you are today?

Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in Finance. A lot of long nights and weekends to learn CAD (Datacad and AutoCad), 3D (Lightwave3D), 2d programs (everything Adobe), editing, multimedia, web development, etc. And many years of working with clients to develop analysis tools for helping them clearly define their business, service, product or project. Others in our firm come from a variety of backgrounds – graphic design, fine arts, land planning, film school, and self-taught.

Who does the hiring for your company?

Primarily me, though I always involve others in the office in interviews and portfolio reviews. Quality of work, diversity of skills and a real ability to take and give critiques is huge. If you don’t like change or challenges you don’t belong at Paradigm. We are always trying new methods and helping our clients be their best.

Has the trend of overseas animation outsourcing affected your firm, if yes, how

have you dealt with it or compensated for it?

As far as we can tell, it hasn’t had any negative impact. The few clients of ours that have tried overseas companies come back to use due to value. It isn’t all about money. If you don’t get it, can’t service the client or even communicate clearly there is zero advantage. Too many of those companies make it all about dollars and I’ve seen US based 3D companies outsource full projects only to have a major quality drop or huge inconsistency. Doesn’t bother me – real business is about relationships, service and quality – e.g. Value.

If you were going to hire a new employee/intern what qualities would you look

for in a person and portfolio and where would you look?

The first place I would look is at the people I already know. The qualities would be a strong portfolio that shows a variety of skills, not just talent in a specific area like modeling for example. We look for people who can do multiple things well and enjoy learning and solving problems. A strong work ethic and ability to work in a team environment are important. We’ve had little luck with broad postings as people tend to apply while ignoring qualification requirements – it is tiresome weeding through those. Networking seems to work best. We are always happy to review work, but usually better if they touch-base up front.

Do you hire freelancers? If yes, what would make you throw work their way?

Only for modeling. Never for illustrations or animations. We won’t outsource those ever due to lack of quality control and frankly we work as a team and are tough on each other. Finding someone who is reliable, efficient, and accessible is important. Good listener. If they are doing 3d work for us then it’s nice if they use the same programs.

What animation software packages does your firm prefer to use? Which one

would you recommend to beginners?

We use Lightwave 3d. It’s a really easy program to use and can create some amazing things. Unfortunately Lightwave would not be the first software I would recommend to beginners. It’s much harder to find studios that are using Lightwave. 3d Max is more common, especially in the architectural viz field. Even so, you can learn 3d in any software and still develop the skills that will translate to other programs. The most important thing is to develop an eye and understand some of the methods that exist in all the different software packages. We use Lightwave because it has a lot of pixel and color depth not to mention a softer look than Max. Modo is a good alternative, though anyone working for us ultimately needs to be on Lightwave. We have a large render farm that takes advantage of its rendering speed as well.

What advice would you give to aspiring animators looking to break into the

industry?

Spend some time creating good work and put together a strong portfolio or demo reel. Try to have an element about your work that stands out from everyone else. The way you present yourself and your work goes a long way. Be aware of the good work that’s out there and set a standard of the quality of work you want to be doing. Get to know others who are working in the industry. Listen to critiques and learn the art of observation. No spaceships, skulls or bad character animations. Architectural interior lighting and composition actually stump a lot of artists. Much harder than they think until they try it. And since we many times are having to wing it, design skills are key. Note that artistic skills are huge, but if you have to have everything handed to you and can’t solve problems then you are pretty much a technical artist. We want design artists – problem solvers that create exquisite illustrations and animations that tell the story needed by our clients.

Original article here, by Robin Wilding

New Year, New Plans!

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:26:00 +0000

With the start of the first work week of 2012, we’ve been busy planning for what’s ahead and are excited to share some of our goals.

First, this is going to be an extra important year for us, as it’s Paradigm Marketing & Creative’s 20 year anniversary! We can’t believe we’ve been doing what we love for two decades, and are so grateful to have worked with amazing clients and people. So, Paradigm's thinking of ways to celebrate and what to include in our monumental celebration….pass on ideas if you’ve got them!

Second, we’re getting ready for our annual Paradigm retreat next week. We hold one every year to evaluate ourselves, talk about future goals, etc. It’s a great way to get everyone’s input outside of the office.

Third, we’ll be completely redesigning our office into a mod, hip, new work-space! More details to come later…but the 3D models look awesome.

Check back for updates!

Hail to the Printer

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Here are some images of the brochures we made for local Victory University, hot off the press at Mercury Printing. These brochures will go to students that are potentially interested in a scholarship program the college is offering. We assisted with copywriting, design, and deciding which print qualities would work best (paper type, size, etc).

It’s always satisfying to see the product transform from our screens to actuality.

"Package Simulator" Video

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:58:00 +0000

Here’s one of the videos we created for Children’s Museum of Memphis, which will be publicly displayed in their facility. These put a visual twist into teaching basic geography & logistics to children. The one below is customized to Beijing, China.

We also made similar videos for these countries:

Moscow, Russia
Paris, France
Nairobi, Kenya
Washington, DC
Cairo, Egypt
Delhi, India

And of course, the North Pole.

What Will You Recycle Today?

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:27:00 +0000

Southern Sales & Services came to us for help with rebranding their company and additional marketing services to follow. After completing the first step of our process, the Blueprint, we discovered that they are quite different from similar companies in their industry with their range of service offerings and the area in which they operate.

The company’s focus is on eco-friendly mattress and appliance recycling, as well as delivery, hauling and most recently, metal scrapping. They serve the entire Mid-South area and will travel greater distances across the US, which is pretty impressive.

Basically, we decided a clearer name for the company would benefit them, so we changed it to Southern Recycling Service. With the new website, we wanted to give “fun facts” in the form of interactive Q&As about environmentally friendly recycling to spruce the subject matter up while educating people about it and marketing SRS’s services:

If you want to see the whole product, visit www.southernrecyclingservice.com.

Along with the blueprint and website design, we’re also working on Eblasts, stationery, letters, mailers and other collateral to push the word about their unique services.

Adopting Market Driven Strategies

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:48:00 +0000

Written by Michael Ganda, Project Manager and Brand Developer. Published in the Memphis Daily News, November 17, 2011.

Thanksgiving approaching only means that Christmas is right around the corner. As consumers prepare to get bombarded with holiday advertising and companies begin wondering how to push their products, businesses may be missing an enormous opportunity if they adhere to the outdated product-driven marketing strategy rather than adopting a market-driven strategy.

A market-driven strategy puts priority on the consumers in order to devise the underlying objective. Put simply, a market-driven strategy asks the question, “How can I tailor my product/service to what consumers want,” rather than, “How can I sell or push my product?”

By focusing on the consumer first, companies can gain great advantages that aid in the marketing and sales of their products or services. Developing a market-driven strategy involves aligning internal operations as well as external communications in order to affect every aspect of customer value, and therefore is not a short-term solution. However, when done correctly, a market-driven strategy can provide excellent results and even reduce long-term costs.

Here are a few tips to consider when developing a market-driven strategy:

Think like a customer. I don’t mean think about why they would buy your product or service. Think about how your product/service makes their life better, what is missing from your product, what competitors offer that you do not.
Focus on benefits, not features. Features are relative to your product or service while benefits relate directly to your customers’ experience. Think of cell phones as an example. The advertisers do not say the phone has a 1540 mAh capacity battery (feature), they say you get up to 480 minutes of talk time (benefit).
Be honest. Our mothers taught us this important quality, but people (and companies) have a difficult time being honest about their own product or service. In order to be as competitive as possible, you have to at least know what the positives and negatives of your product or service are. Even if you are not able to change a negative aspect, you can at least be prepared to address it.
Get outside opinions. All companies fall victim to “drinking their own Kool-Aid” and will inevitably miss important factors because they simply cannot view their product as an outsider. That is why it is important to get honest opinions from friends and colleagues from another company.
Check your ego at the door. For this process to be successful, companies must be willing to recognize their faults and weaknesses. This process can often be terrifying for people and very uncomfortable, but it is truly the best way to develop a competitive market position.

These five guidelines may seem basic, but using them is a start in the right direction for developing a strong, competitive position for your company. If successful in doing so, this new market-driven strategy will help pull customers into your product or service with more ease than you expect.

Article Link: click here. If you have any questions about market-driven strategies, feel free to leave us a comment and we'll get back to you!

Campaign Part 3: JewelMasters Commercials

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:34:00 +0000

One of our current projects is the holiday campaign we implemented for JewelMasters. It started with developing and designing a concept for various billboards (we posted them few weeks ago). This same concept was used for ads, and now we just finished up the commercials below. These could either: put you in the holiday spirit, make you want something shiny, or if you’re a male…provoke a little fright!

All joking aside, here they are:

Can you tell what is 3d cgi, photo and video in these?

"Trolley Ride"

noreply@blogger.com (Paradigm Marketing & Creative) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:02:00 +0000

"Trolley Ride" was created by our employee Jason Lee, who is also a photographer and 3d artist. The angles, shots, music all make this a very well-put-together clip that encompasses the feeling of riding the famous Memphis trolley at night.

Trolley Ride from jason allen lee on Vimeo.

Also check out a few other trolley shots on the seen: Memphis blog here, where we originally saw this video posted. Thank you for sharing it!