If you spend any sort of time on the freeways here in Phoenix, you’ve most certainly come across one of Clear Channel’s digital billboards. Scattered along the I-10 and I-17, these billboards allow advertisers exceptional flexibility with their messages. Whether you want to change up your advertisement throughout the day, purchase multiple spots to increase your number of impressions, or get your specials out at a specific time during the day, digital billboards are gaining steam and emerging as a dominant outdoor medium.

How it works:

Once your digital billboard space has been purchased, you’ll need some eye-catching creative to ensure your message gets out to the target audience. On the Phoenix outdoor network, each billboard has eight rotating advertisements at eight seconds each. As with printed billboards, you’ll want to keep your message short and sweet as viewing time is at a premium. After getting the design aspect squared away, your outdoor ad can be up and running in as little as 24 hours. So not only are printing costs wiped away, but the ability to get your ad displayed is no longer restricted to a monthly basis. Want your ad displayed one day per week? One week per month? Wednesdays at 5pm? A great example is the way various television stations use the medium from around the valley. Got a hot news segment showing on the nightly news, or does Oprah have a special guest on today? As the advertiser, this is about as flexible as it gets, and you can even switch out an ad during the course of the campaign should you feel the results are below targeted expectations.

While some may argue that digital billboards aren’t all I’m cracking them up to be due to exclusivity issues, it all depends on how you approach the situation. Who ever said the advertiser could only buy one eight second spot? With eight spots, each running eight second ads, couldn’t one purchase all eight spots on a billboard? I think so, and with those eight spots, you could display eight different messages that are not only branding your company, but highlighting several important factors of your campaign… And for all my stats people out there, even with 1 spot every 64 seconds, at 17 hours of up time per day, that’s 187,376 spots over the course of a 4 week period. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Digital Billboards in Phoenix, Arizona

All this being said, we recently finished an outdoor digital billboard campaign for London Gold. Being that this is still a somewhat new technology, we were excited to experiment with different color contrasts, and make those diamonds “pop” off the screen as so many clients request. We worked with London Gold to create a variation of ads in order to keep the consumer engaged. Just think, you can hit drivers with variations of the message all while strengthening your brand and gaining exposure. It truly is the new era of outdoor advertising.

I’m just waiting to see when animation will come into play on digital billboards in Phoenix. Is animation something digital billboards can support? If so, are there state and federal laws against motion graphics due to motorist distractions? When I spoke with a rep at Clear Channel, I didn’t really get a definitive answer, and when conducting a search on Google, I came up empty. If you’ve got an answer for me on this one, I’d love to hear it.

It seems like just yesterday I created my Twitter account and began an online journey to make connections and meet new people. Back in January of 2009, I had the pleasure of following Chris Lee who introduced me to Twestival Phoenix and their pursuit to provide clean drinking water to those less fortunate. After clicking a few links and learning more about it, I decided it was a great opportunity for Splinter to lend a helping hand. Little did I know, this event would spawn the introductions to some awesome people in the community, and be the catalyst for future relationships with the Phinest in Phoenix

Several months later, Chris contacted me to see if we’d be interested in helping out with other Phoenix events including Twestival Local. Without hesitation, we jumped on board and look forward to making a difference by providing support to Twestival Local and the St. Mary’s Food Bank. To get started, Chris wanted us to give the logo a little Phoenix love… So I fired it over to our lead designer, Patricia, and turned her loose.  Switching out the tree with some traditional Phoenix attire (cacti) and rearranging a few elements, our first mission was complete. As we get closer to the event and get more sponsors locked down, we’ll be providing design and printing for signage along with other materials that will be on display and distributed at the event.

Event Info – Save the Date!

Twestival Local (Phoenix) will be held the evening of Friday, September 11^th 2009.

According to the Twestival Phoenix website, the hosts of various Phoenix Friday Night events have graciously offered to combine efforts and make this event one to remember.

Twestival Phoenix Local will be a tweetup for everyone complete with food, drinks, raffle and silent auction. This will be a great opportunity to meet new people from all over the Phoenix valley and have some fun, all while supporting a local charity.

Sounds like a win-win situation if you ask me. If you agree, show your support by adding a “twibbon” to your avatar. You can do so here.

While the event location is still up in the air, you can follow Twestival Phoenix for updates, or check the website for more information as it becomes available.

Have you ever wondered how they make those wicked web advertisements you see floating along the sides of your favorite news and social media sites? This type of moving media has been coming on strong for a while now. And although, I personally believe that print media is still alive and well (design critic Steven Heller gives two prime examples here), the creative minds at Splinter want to be able to assist with anything and everything our thriving clients need, whether those projects stand still or do a little dance on screen. Until now, we have always collaborated with exceptional web developers to meet the expectations of our clients’ online presence. However, we want to bring at least some of this web development in house so that we can control production time and quality ourselves (and also because we think it’s awesome!).

[kml_flashembed fversion="8.0.0" movie="http://www.SplinterCreative.com/flash/Splinter_Banner.swf" targetclass="flashmovie" publishmethod="static" width="600" height="90"]

[/kml_flashembed]

As a designer who works mostly in static media, I’ve always wanted to delve deeper into understanding Flash and the ActionScript involved in creating dynamic visual elements. This week I began my exploration into learning basic Flash elements to improve our client’s ability to communicate in an increasingly web-centric market.

I am starting with a basic knowledge of how Flash works, but I also understand that what goes on behind the scenes is a much more complicated thing. If you’ve ever tried to learn another language as an adult, you know my frustration in learning ActionScript for the first time. I know what I want to say, now I just have to figure out how to say it in AS! My first assignment was to develop a basic Flash image gallery with scrolling thumbnails. This is an element that many companies with a web presence could find useful, from displaying examples of their own range of work to showcasing event photos, etc. You can see my work below!

[kml_flashembed fversion="8.0.0" movie="http://www.SplinterCreative.com/flash/flash_scrollingGallery.swf" targetclass="flashmovie" publishmethod="static" width="600" height="400"]

[/kml_flashembed]

What is astounding is the amount of scripting that goes in to something that, on the surface, seems so simple. I’ve pasted below only a small portion of the language that sits behind the visually pleasing surface of this basic Flash gallery.

If you are unfamiliar with any sort of web development, this might surprise you. (If you are familiar, go easy on me, I am just starting out!) In any case, creating Flash elements is, to say the least, a time consuming endeavor. If you are in the market for something like this, be sure to expect a legitimate turn-around time if you want your message to be exceptional. One lesson to take away is that there is a lot more than what meets the eye when it comes to moving messages!

With the infinite amount of clubs/chambers/associations out there, it isn’t easy making a decision on where to allocate your membership dollars. Some businesses might endorse the, “I want to be a part of everything” technique, but for most small businesses out there, this just isn’t financially feasible. So if you consider yourself in the shoes of the latter, consider taking a look at what the Tempe Chamber has to offer…

After joining the Tempe Chamber at the beginning of 2009, we’ve had the pleasure of networking and meeting quite a few cool people at round table discussions, lunch mixers and after hours gatherings. While looking for new ways to get involved, I met Kari Sliva, V.P. of Communications and Special Events, and the next thing I knew, our first project was underway.

This Thursday, May 21^st, marks the 14^th Annual Women in Business Conference and Trade Show at the Buttes Resort in Tempe, Arizona. After meeting Kari, we sat down to determine how both parties could benefit the most from Splinter getting involved. We decided on a trade sponsorship where Splinter would provide design and production services, giving this year’s marketing materials and event signage a more cohesive look... And that’s just what we did

The Program Design:

Kari mentioned she wanted it to have a more feminine look and feel than the previous year, but other than that, she gave us the creative freedom to make it happen. After we had the layout and content established, it all boiled down to getting our hands on high res photos and vector logos in order to ensure a clean and crisp printed piece. Thanks to Kari and Brands of the World, we were able to make sure no company had a case of the fuzzy print blues… And I’ll never get tired of hearing her response, “the program is soooo cool.”

Signage Design:

Once the ground work had been laid and the final program design approved, it was time to hammer out the design for the signage. Kari loved the way we integrated slight touches of the vector art used on the program, and after minor revisions, we were ready to move forward with production.

Digital Ads:
Last but not least, the Tempe Chamber had a last minute sponsor jump on board, and they needed a digital ad designed to be put in place asap. As usual, we didn’t cower in fear, we put on the cape and took care of business. Thanks to DCSI, this is being displayed all over town.

Am I missing anything? Ohh yeah… As part of the sponsorship, Splinter has some space to exhibit… But you’ll have to show up and take a peek for yourself to see what it looks like

About a month ago, a lovely lady by the name of Queenie contacted me to see if Splinter could help out with a charity event she had coming up this summer. After discussing their list of wants and needs and learning more about the benefiting charity, we gladly jumped on board. (We just might need to dust off the pitching wedge and hit the range before the tourney)

For starters, the Arizona chapter of “Water for People” needed assistance with the design of a flyer and entry form. I mean, you gotta have the basics in order to get groups interested and signed up for a fun filled day of golfing, drinking and eating, right? Needless to say, they weren’t too picky about the free help, and gave our designers the freedom to do something awesome when putting together the flyer. To the right is what @patty_cake came up with… Pretty killer, no?

The ladies and gents over at Water for People were stoked. Now they had the initial marketing piece that would allow them to start hustling and make the 13^th Annual Tourney one to remember. The only things left were to finalize the sponsors and get some golfers signed up. If you are interested in becoming a part of the event as either a sponsor or golfer, please contact Queenie Tsui by clicking here.

According to their website, Water for People helps those in developing countries improve their quality of life by supporting and developing locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and health and hygiene education programs. You know, the stuff we all take for granted on a daily basis.

What came as a shock to me, is the over 800 million people across the world who don’t have access to the clean nectar of Mother Nature, and more than 2.5 billion that don’t have a sanitized place to take care of business. Add those together, and you’ve got about 6,000 people per day that are losing their lives to water-related illnesses… most of them being children. Pretty sad, terrible and unacceptable if you ask me

So without giving you the hard sell, if you’re looking to take some co-workers out for a day of fun in the sun, or you want to schmooze/impress some clients, look at this as the perfect opportunity to help others, escape the office and support a great cause in the 13^th Annual Water for People Golf Tourney.

If nothing else, you get one of these super cool t-shirts to sport around town letting others know you’re down with helping those in need. Seems like a good enough reason, no?

Thanks to popular folks and networks such as Ashton Kutcher, Oprah, Barack Obama, CNN and ESPN, twitter has officially blown-up in mainstream media. While many people are hopping on the band wagon to follow their favorite celebs, there are others using this hip new social site to brand their business and more importantly, themselves.

With over 1 million users and 3 million tweets per day, twitter alone is the perfect little tool to market your product or service, meet new people, gain a few leads, or land that next big job. They key is beefing up the profile information with intriguing content that gets others to engage in conversations and learn more about you. Just make sure you have that oh-so-important link to either your Linkedin profile (an online resume for you job-seekers), personal or corporate blog, or directly to your company’s website. Not only can this drive traffic to your business or free lance expertise, it helps educate those starving to obtain more information about you online. No point in making those juicy details hard to find, now is there?

Once you’ve got the content locked down, and you’re keeping pace by actively participating in the ever changing conversations that are happening online (tweets, blog comments, status updates, etc) it’s time to give your profile a professional look and feel. However, for reasons unknown, I see more and more users and businesses that aren’t taking advantage of the impact a custom designed twitter background provides. With some basic contact information, a rad color scheme and a couple cool photos or illustrations, you or your company can have a stronger presence in your social network and stand out from the crowd. Just get creative (or hire a creative, cough-cough) and make the most out of your online wardrobe.

The ultimate goal for any type of networking is to get out there and make more connections in the business world, but until Obama changes the length of a day to 36 hours, many of just don’t have time to hit every networking event we would like. Thus why having a unique online appearance, sharing your story, connecting with others, and engaging in the conversation gains trust and credibility from others (which is what building a brand is all about). So while you may have ¾ on lock down, keep in mind that an interesting look conveying your personality traits and/or a little bit about your business, can gain more qualified followers and friends then you ever imagined (click on image to see a custom background we did for @charshaff). Who knows, maybe you’ll even become the next big twitter star!

Just remember to stick to the basics – whether you’re marketing online, in person or through print, a cohesive look is the key to “great success!”

It was a quiet Thursday night, and good ole Cox Communications decided to stick it to us with a cable outage in our neighborhood, so my roommate and I headed over to Hollywood Video to see what kind of entertainment we could drum up.  I know, who goes to a video store anymore with redbox and netflix available, but we were in search of entertainment higher than a movie.  We needed something to activate our carpel tunnel syndrome.

As we entered the store (it had been months, if not a year since I rented a video game) I couldn’t help but take notice of all the great product packaging and point-of-purchase displays.  Even though most of the games seemed lame or not my style, I was sucked in by, A: the audacity that there was such a video game, and B: the great design used in product packaging… Then again, it may just have been my passion for how awesome ninjas are, but that’s a completely different blog post

While perusing the aisles, I noticed every wall, corner, nook and cranny had some sort of advertisement for video games.  I entered with the intention of renting “MLB The Show 09” and getting out as fast as possible, but I quickly became distracted by video games relating to television, movies, music artists, etc.  Did you know the TV show “Lost” has its own video game?  How about 50 Cent?  Clearly, the big marketing execs know what they’re doing to get America’s younger crowd hooked in more ways than one.  I was impressed with the way brand standards were followed when transitioning from television, movies and music to product packaging for video games.  With just a glance, I knew I had seen it before.

What blew me away even more were the P.O.P. displays throughout the store.  I have and always will hate the game “Halo,” (thank my college buddies for that one) but the four foot tall cardboard cut out with awesome graphics stole my attention within seconds.  Everywhere I turned there was a static cling, magnet poster or P.O.P display for a video game staring me down.  Hell, even Hollywood Video did a great job with their signage to entice America’s youth to rent multiple games and receive a discount.  Whether the consumer is paying attention or not, these ads were for the most part unavoidable and well placed.

The moral of the story and inspiration for this post: Good Design Goes a LONG Way.  No matter what your product or service is, your initial impression on the consumer can be easily won by communicating a message effectively.  Just ask ME.  I went in with the intention of renting one game (I even called ahead to make sure they had it) and ended up walking out with not one, but four video games.  What can I say, even as an Advertising Junkie, I’m still a sucker…

What can I say, it’s nothing but the best here at Splinter Creative when we get down to celebrate… But when you’re at the office popping some bottles to make mimosas, it doesn’t really matter now does it

After grinding it out for 8 months between client projects, we officially launched our new website this morning.  I mean… you gotta do the work that pays the bills first, right?  Needless to say, we sprouted a few grey hairs and had a few disagreements, but we’re proud to announce a fully functioning site complete with eye candy, anecdotes and useful information about all the services we have to offer you in the upcoming year.

The new site features a distinctive home page (you may want to click the home button a few times and check out all the awesome images), a capabilities section packed full of info and photorealistic examples, and a ton of new portfolio pics showcasing some of our favorite work.

We also added the “request a quote” feature allowing current and future clients to submit a query with ease, a downloads section to get the goods from Splinter and various links to connect with us on our social networking sites.

If you haven’t checked it out already, what are you waiting for?!?  Click the home button up top and let us know what you think by sending an email to marketingpr at splintercreative.com

Sadly, it’s time to get back to work after a morning full of high fives, mimosas and other things we can’t mention on here We hope you enjoy all the cool aspects of our new site, and we look forward to hearing your comments.

To view the press release, click here

Were you there?  Did you follow the protocol – Tweet, Meet and Give?  If you didn’t, you missed out on a great tweetup and the support of an even better cause.  Over 100 tweeps and 40 companies from across the valley joined forces with the goal of raising enough money to fund one well for Charity Water.

Now some of you may be thinking… Only one well?  That’s it?  Well little do you know, it cost a cool $4,000 to fund one of these puppies, which in our economic state, is no easy task.  Luckily, the folks of  @twestivalphx put their best foot forward, and although they’re still waiting for the final numbers, early estimates put #phx over its goal raising at least $,4600+ when tallying event ticket sales, raffle tickets, silent auction items and more!

In the words of @chrislee, “Awesome Job Phoenix!”

The folks here at Splinter Creative were happy to help, and chipped in by designing the Twestival Phoenix logo (pictured above), printing some oversize posters, and making a few contributions (both donations and purchases) to the silent auction.

All in all, it was awesome to see everyone come together to tweet, meet and give… And it was great to finally meet a lot of the cool tweeps in person that I’m following on Twitter.  Needless to say, I can’t wait for the next Tweetup… Guess Ignite Phoenix on February 25th in Tempe will have to hold me over in the meantime   Hope to see everyone there!

And if you’re not already, hit me up on Twitter @BlairHatz

Image above courtesy of @templestark