Breaking News: The New York Times Covers "Dead Battery Anxiety" Campaign

SLANT loves working on a great campaign (cough, DBA, cough). Recognition for it is just icing on the cake!

Today, veteran New York Times advertising columnist Stuart Elliott covered our collaboration with Philips Electronics on the "Dead Battery Anxiety" campaign in his weekly "Campaign Spotlight" feature.

Read the article here.

Mr. Elliott interviewed Kit Hughes, Shannon Doyle and Nico Riggio of the Philips Consumer Lifestyle division, and our own Christopher Cecil of SLANT to paint a picture of the collaboration, the campaign's reception to date and its expansion goals for 2011.

Thanks, Mr. Elliott! Enjoy, SLANTfans.

Stuff you gotta see: The Philips Dead Battery Anxiety "mockrosite"

Yeah, we made up a word. Heck, we made up a whole disease!

We're stoked to announce the launch of the Dead Battery Anxiety (DBA) campaign. Why? Is it because we produced the campaign? Well yeah, that. But now mobile phone users can finally stop living in fear of dead phone batteries.

Launching today, DeadBatteryAnxiety.com is a wealth of education, diagnosis and “treatment options” for those who don’t have time to plug in and charge their phones when they’re on the go. Brochures, in addition to interactive and broadcast media, support the DBA campaign.

We collaborated with Philips Consumer Lifestyle to create the mock affliction microsite, or “mockrosite” as we’re calling it (see what we did there?) and its hi-larious content to support the Philips ChargeOn line of portable chargers. The products, designed for iPod/iPhone and other mobile phones, are available for sale via the website and at Wal-Mart stores, nationwide.

“Philips has a history of trying innovative things with product launch promotion and we knew we had a unique opportunity to have fun with the ChargeOn line in particular,” said Kit Hughes, Art Director at Philips Consumer Lifestyle.

“Everyone gets how aggravating it is to lose mobile power at an inconvenient time - so we tapped into the comical side of dead battery worst-case-scenarios throughout the messaging and campaign elements,” said Christopher Cecil, SLANT’s Founder and Creative Director. “Creating the videos was a blast because they are such extreme examples of DBA, but they’re still really relatable.”

In addition to the Philips team, we worked with Tout Talent and Fox Commercial Media to cast and shoot the videos around the Charleston area and then produced the final edits in house. Catch four of the videos live on the DBA website now and stay tuned for more to roll out over the next few weeks.

So don't miss a thing - Like DBA on Facebook, follow @DeadPhonesSuck on Twitter and enter the DBA sweepstakes to win a new Honda CR-V or a ton of Philips products. The campaign is also being supported by national interactive media, social media, and 60-second radio spots with related contests and events in Oklahoma City, Tampa, Dallas/Fort Worth, and St. Louis.

On-set for "She Hit Tha Flo" sketchAt the studio with the FashionistaSetting up the alley shot

Update on 2011-03-25 19:09 by Lauren

The New York Times Covers "Dead Battery Anxiety" Campaign

December 13, 2010: Veteran New York Times advertising columnist Stuart Elliott covered our collaboration with Philips Electronics on the "Dead Battery Anxiety" campaign in his weekly "Campaign Spotlight" feature.

Read the article here.

Mr. Elliott interviewed Kit Hughes, Shannon Doyle and Nico Riggio of the Philips Consumer Lifestyle division, and our own Christopher Cecil of SLANT to paint a picture of the collaboration, the campaign's reception to date and its expansion goals for 2011.

Thanks, Mr. Elliott! Enjoy, SLANTfans.

Update on 2010-12-14 15:21 by Lauren

New Cyber Monday DBA Video

To celebrate Cyber Monday, the Dead Battery Anxiety campaign releases the Fashionista video. Hope your phone battery holds out while you're shopping, unlike hers. What a meltdown - check it out.

Update on 2010-12-14 15:21 by Lauren

New in the DBA Video Library

Teens and the parents who don't understand them. GAH.

liquidpubs: superior digital publishing coming soon to an iPad near you

What do you talk about when you sit around discussing how things should be? A frequent topic at SLANT is the creative potential of consuming content on touchscreens.

These conversations became more focused in February when Apple demoed the iPad without a digital media solution in place. Since then, a few magazines have launched digital versions, but interactivity has been dismal, at best and consumer reviews have been below average.

It's easy to see that iPad publication readers want a richer experience.

liquidpubs came to SLANT this year with the concept of creating a new customizable application that would allow publishers to create more robust digital and interactive newspapers, magazines and books.

1. storyboarding the user's reading experience2. taking designs to the iPad screen3. all good review sessions involve the Thriller dance

How often do you get to be part of the solution? So of course, we dug in.

We started with storyboarding the graphic user interface elements of the base application, including the paths users would take through the content. We then concepted ways to infuse gorgeous interactivity within the magazine like like pop-out timelines and galleries within articles. Paired with animated covers and articles with motion backgrounds, the truly interactive magazine came to life.

From here, liquidpubs began working with their development team to program the app to make their customizeable base application a working reality.

In the company's press release, liquidpubs founder Ryan Vetter added, "We've been developing and planning since last year, and have worked hard to assemble an amazing team of people and a powerful solution for the next generation of publishing. We're excited to finally be out in the world."

"We can't wait to work with liquidpubs to help publishers' deliver unbelievably cool content on this digital platform.” said Christopher Cecil, SLANT's founder and Head of Creative Intelligence.

For more information, visit the liquidpubs website (we designed that, too). And while you're there, check out the video we produced on the homepage to take a tour of the protypical magazine experience running on the liquidpubs platform.

SLANT wins Charleston AMA Spark Award for SEO/SEM marketing campaign (note keyword-dense headline)

AMA Spark awards are pretty hot (at least that's what their names imply)The SLANT team headed to lunch Thursday (at the pretty gorgeous Marriott on Lockwood) for the Charleston American Marketing Association's Annual SPARK and Marketer of the Year Awards Luncheon, emceed by Marcus Amaker, editor of Charleston Scene.

(hold on while we catch our breath)

We're happy to announce that SLANT took home the Firecracker Award for Excellence in Interactive Media (including websites, email marketing, banner ads, search engine marketing). No, it wasn't for a website. It was for a SEM/SEO campaign.

Over the spring and summer, SLANT executed a rather smashing search engine optimization and search engine marketing campaign for our client, Dolphin Architects & Builders. We researched and prioritized 16 keyword phrases, updated, tagged, linked, tested, monitored, tweaked and tweaked and tweaked over four months.

The results:

#1 organic search ranking for five of our priority terms
top five search ranking for six additional priority terms
position improvement in all other phrases

Plus, the SEM campaign helped drive an additional 24% in web traffic. And we added more points of contact to increase lead capture opportunities exponentially. The best part is the SEM conversion tracking that lets us tie our paid search campaign to leads generated each month. Glory be, how much do we love metrics. Thank you, Charleston AMA for recognizing our work, as visually unappealing as SEO and SEM is.

SLANT + Obviouslee SPARK award swapThe AMA also recognized our very own Will Bullock as one of the five Marketer of the Year finalists. The award went to Kay Hyman of the Charleston Animal Society - well deserved and brava, Kay!

Our afternoon switched into movie plot mode when we inadvertently swapped awards with Lee Deas of Obviouslee Marketing (who won a Dynamite Award for their work with Charleston Moves' Battery2Beach initiative). A high-speed chase and a strategic meetup ensued. Here's a pic of how that went down.

So for those of you wanting more proof, this overly wordy and linky and tagged blog post (did you see? did you hover???) is another example of how SEO skillz... we has them.

Christopher is getting locked up.

You know Christopher.

The one who helps old ladies cross the street.

And coaxes kittens out of trees.

And selflessly drinks Corona so other bar patrons won't run out of good beer.

How can someone so inherently good be headed to jail? Well, he's not really going to jail.

But, on Wednesday, September 29th Christopher will be "Locked Up for Good" in the 2010 Downtown Charleston "A Taste of Charleston Lock-up" fund raiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He's calling on his similarly good-as-gold friends to help to raise "bail" for his release.

The money he raises (the goal is $2,400 for anyone who just wants to write one big check) will go to help fight Muscular Dystrophy in the Charleston community.

Every amount helps and really matters to those living with muscular dystrophy who hope for treatments, cures and assistance.

Here is where your money will go:

$30 Flu Shot
$74 One minute of research
$100 One support group session
$150 One physical, occupational or respiratory therapy consultation
$300 Professional fees related to initial diagnostic work-up at an MDA clinic
$500 Assists one person for one year with the repair of a wheelchair or leg braces
$800 Sends one child to MDA summer camp

Did we mention the fundraising goal is $2,400?

How to make a donation

Click here to donate online or, you can write a check* made payable to MDA and send it to:

Muscular Dystrophy Association
29 Leinbach Drive, Suite D-5
Charleston, SC 29407
C/O: Christopher Cecil

*Be sure to include Christopher's name in the memo part of the check so that it will be attributed to his bail. And drop us a line or post in our comments section so we know we're closer to our goal.

Thanks for joining Chrisopher's circle of those who do good deeds. We know you want to be just like him one day - now you're one step closer.

VOTE Will, The Designer's Marketer!

Will Bullock makes marketing look good. You know him as an awesome graphic designer, photographer, and even mayor of a few local establishments.

Today, add Charleston AMA Marketer of the Year nominee to Will's list of accomplishments.

Here's what Will's nominator said of him (and no, it wasn't us):

Will Bullock | Partner, Graphic Intelligence at Slant Media
Will’s experience and training as an architect continues to influence how he approaches graphic design for Slant Media’s clients. Slant’s client list ranges from retail-based to service-based businesses. In everything he does, his ultimate goal is to bring clarity to their client’s designs through thoughtful simplicity. Though he can appreciate a design that is visually appealing (what I used to refer to as having “cool factor”), I am much more intrigued by designs steeped in process, meaning, and theory. He has also previously served an Adjunct Professor at The American College of the Building Arts.

We couldn't agree more.

In fact, we'll let you in on a few other reasons why Will rocks:

He not only creates beautiful things, but he takes the time to understand and consider the business side of the equation. (Let's be honest, you can't really say that about most designers).

He also racks up points for giving back to the Charleston community - lending his time to coach and critique design students at the Art Institute of Charleston, starting up the local chapter of AIGA, and coaching his daughter's soccer team.

Form and function, style and substance - Will has the head of a marketer and the heart of a designer. We're lucky to have him. Congrats, buddy!

So, fans of design, fans of marketing, fans of Will, let's vote him to the finals! Voting closes August 4th.

And if you need fantastic design and marketing help, you know who to call. (cough, SLANT, cough).

Update on 2010-08-11 17:03 by Lauren

Thanks to all SLANT friends and fans!

You helped voted Will into top five for the Charleston AMA Marketer of The Year Award.

Will thanks Lee Deas of Obviouslee Marketing for nominating him, and all of you for your support - there were over 3,000 votes cast and he commanded enough of them to be a finalist!

Will is now preparing his final entry to impress the panel of judges from the AMA chapter in Reno-Tahoe. The 2010 Marketer of the Year will be announced at the Charleston AMA Awards Luncheon at noon Thursday, October 7, 2010.

We'll keep you posted.

SLANT rebrands J. Henry Stuhr, est. 1865

J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. has been serving the Charleston lowcountry for almost 150 years. But despite their history, they were struggling to leverage their long-standing legacy of personal service as a differentiator from their many competitors. After conducting an in-depth analysis of their existing brand and marketing efforts, as well as their competitors and industry in general, SLANT Media undertook a brand redesign, now visible throughout its business collateral and the new www.jhenrystuhr.com

Old LogoNew design strengthens "crest" and incorporates founder's signature.“We felt strongly about drawing inspiration from Stuhr’s roots, while also conveying their modern approach in providing services beyond those of a traditional funeral home.” said Christopher Cecil, SLANT’s Creative Director.

The new logo updates the crest that has long been a part of Stuhr’s identity. And instead of putting the company name in script font, SLANT utilized an original J. Henry Stuhr signature that was found during research. “This combination of logo elements conveys the century-old identity of the company and illustrates their personal touch,” said SLANT’s Will Bullock, the branding project design lead. “Then, from a design standpoint, we use these traditional elements in more modern ways - for example, extending beyond the edge of a business card, on a surreal peaceful backdrop on their website.”

Business Card - FrontBusiness Card - BackIn addition to providing information about burials, cremation, aftercare and advance planning, the website also has an obituary section with personalized pages so family and friends can access information about the deceased, the services and convey condolences to the family via an online guestbook.

“We feel fortunate our business’s heritage has had a place within the history of Charleston. And while being extremely proud of our history, as a business we need to convey our leadership as a forward-looking provider of funeral services,” says Catherine Stuhr, Vice President of J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. “We are thrilled with our updated identity and the additional services and information we can provide on our new website.”

Okatie Legacy Plan Charrette wins Mayor's Merit Award

Earlier this year, SLANT collaborated with a team led by DesignWorks, LC to create a sustainable growth plan for the Town of Bluffton's Okatie Headwaters community.

We're happy to announce that the collaborative submission earned the Town of Bluffton's "Mayor's Merit Award".

SLANT's contributions included insight into issues surrounding community identity, as well as human interaction with and without technology in order to garner public involvement. Other members of the team included land-planners, architects, attorneys, developers, conservationists and community activists.

Click here to check out more details about the project and award in this post by DesignWorks, LC.

An earlier SLANTASTIC post about the project can be found here (for your reference because January was a LONG time ago!)

Move, Charleston. Seriously.

You know Pee Wee would ride from B2B! But he'd need a helmet first. At least he has a bell.Get out your road bikes, cruisers, trikes and unicycles and gear up for the Charleston Moves "Battery2Beach" First Ride.

At 10a.m. this Sunday, a group of bicyclists will start at Folly Beach and another group will depart from Isle of Palms. Both will end the ride at Whitepoint Gardens at the Battery.

Want to get your ride on? Here's the route info so you can join the peleton at a convenient point. No, we won't judge you if you start at the Market. Yes, you can set up seats to view the cycling sea of spandex.

Just kidding folks - this event is about a building a safer, more connected bicycling environment for everyone in Charleston, not just for the Lance Armstrong types. SLANT Media is a proud supporter - we hope you'll learn more and support the route, too.

Need some more arm-twisting? Well, at noon, B2B riders and supporters will converge at Vickery's for the B2B afterparty (of course, featuring Fat Tire beer), as part of Sunday's car-free King Street event, Do The Charleston.

What better way to spend your Sunday Funday?

iFive:K - We'll run if you bribe us with beer.

Last night, Team SLANT dusted off our running shoes and got some exercise.

Why would we do that, you ask? It was the Charleston Digital Corridor's fourth annual iFive:K, a scenic 6:30pm race from the Charleston Maritime Center to White Point Gardens at the Battery and back again. Followed by pizza, beer and a gorgeous sunset.

SLANT has been a lead sponsor and the creative sponsor of the event from the beginning. We worked with the Charleston Digital Corridor to create the identity of the race, including the event's name, logo, shirts, bib tags, mile markers and finish line signs.

Team SLANT represented the range of possible iFive:K paces: run, walk and shuffle. Our best time was Megan DeCamilla's 27:48. Just think what she could have done on rollerskates (she's on the Lowcountry Highrollers Roller Derby team)!

A link to the REST of our results, you ask? Uh... we lost them.

But we do have fotos. Enjoy!