What You Can Expect in 2014

Posted on January 6, 2014 by

gary_carnac2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you noticed? The dawning of a New Year practically screams for pontifications. So, why do we feel the need to make predictions about the coming year? There are several reasons. One, we think our friends, relatives and/or colleagues want to know our opinions. This is, of course, questionable.

Another possible reason we predict is we believe we can force our diabolical plans on the unsuspecting masses simply by printing them on a widely read and highly popular blog such as this. Can we all agree that this is ridiculous?

The most likely reason we choose to make sweeping, ill-informed and, dare we say, silly predictions is because someone asked us to come up with something for his blog post. Of course, there is decidedly a ring of truth in this. In fact, it should be noted that each member of the Prejean Creative team was dragged, kicking and screaming, to the crystal ball table.

art_redSince I pleaded with my colleagues to do this, it’s only fair that I offer my own predictions for the coming year. Please don’t hold me to this. What do I know? I just write content. I don’t have to know anything!

For 2014, I think – NO, I believe – there will be much raging against the giant marketing machine. Big Data, NSA spying, the hacking of Google, Snapchat, Target and who knows who or what else have made normal people, who just want to use their credit card to buy grandma a new shawl, very suspicious of social networks, cookies (not grandma’s – those on the Internet), and behavioral-based marketing of all kinds.

I also predict that a cabal of teenaged computer nerds, working out of a secret location in Nebraska will prove that only 13 people actually read Twitter feeds. The rest of the posts, which are generated by robots, simply travel to the Twitter-sphere, never to be read by another human. Twitter’s stock will tumble.

brent_redMild-mannered but prolific prognosticator Brent Pelloquin weighs in on three critical areas: advertising, sports and the weather.

For 2014, I’m predicting an increase in the use of Augmented Reality (AR) as a supplement to traditional media and print collateral. As we continue to use mobile devices more and more for daily interaction, I believe advertisers will put AR to greater use to create more engaging content. This increased use of AR content, coupled with the development of more user-friendly mobile content, will result in improved ad interaction and retention of information at the point of contact.

In the world of sports, the Cajuns, Tigers and Saints will continue spoiling south Louisiana with their football dominance and the Cowboys of Dallas will experience yet another December meltdown. I’m also going out on a limb and predicting a summer with highs in the low- to mid-90s. Ugh.

lisa_redLisa Prejean thinks (hopes) we’re going to be a lot more careful in 2014 with our media consumption.

Ongoing privacy concerns will cause people to be more cautious in their digital habits. Digital marketers will need to make it worthwhile for consumers to share information. Individuals may experience social network fatigue, peeling back on the number of social networks they actively participate in, making it important for marketers to focus efforts on the key channels (digital and non-digital) that will reach their audiences. Mixing in some “old-school” or traditional communication methods can seem new and refreshing.

gary_redGary LoBue gazes deeply into his somewhat cloudy crystal ball and finds much to ponder.

In social network marketing, Snapchat will flounder. Millions flock to use it only to find out how ridiculously time consuming (or addictive) it will be to stay abreast of their snaps. They will then leave in droves to re-embrace Twitter. Shortly thereafter, an entirely new group of snappers will discover a completely new use for the service. Snapchat will then grow exponentially. Facebook, meh.

Technology will also change in 2014. Streaming touch-points (think Netflix) will find a way to fixate more eyeballs on more product messages in short, staccato bursts.

With regard to media, in spite of what some may believe, traditional print, especially high-end specialty printing, will undergo a significant growth spurt. Young adults (I’m looking at you, millennials), will become fascinated with printed collateral items that marketers richly craft specifically for them on a one-to-one basis.

As far as how creative will change…creative will remain creative.

As to what will drive advertising in the coming year, there’s one factor – the lure of the dollar. In 2014, nothing else will matter.

Buzzwords? You want some buzzwords for 2014?  Here’s your top 10 in no particular order: Fetching. Insulator. Flogger. Wayfarer. Circassian. Trickle-up. Debunker. Placated. Standard-bearer. Stoner.

kev_redKevin Prejean, while not known for his dystopian penchant, sees great upheaval in advertising, marketing and popular culture in 2014.

Social media powers will unite to form one mega-platform called TwittFacePinterLinked.

The Weather Channel will create spring weather events, starting with “Pollen Allergy Storm Allegra.”

Fox News and MSNBC will each report a news event in a professional and ethical manner.

Microsoft will create a Windows Operating System that almost works. Almost.

In the season finale of Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson will come out of the closet and announce his engagement to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The release of the 13th Friday the 13th movie hits theaters – Jason vs. Smaug.

And that, good friends, clients and media partners, is what to expect in 2014. Based on these perspicacious insights, you might want to examine and modify your investment portfolio, hug your children or go off the deep end.  For us, we’ve done all we can do. It’s now up to you to go out there and make it a year to remember!

What do you think will happen in 2014? Tell us (below) and we’ll share with everybody else.

Posted in Advertising, Design, Fun Stuff, Popular Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A New Reality in the Printed Word

Posted on December 11, 2013 by

Passion is a very powerful emotion. When it’s channeled properly and multiplied exponentially, it can yield impressive results. Such has been the case with growth of the  Foundation of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette  and this is why passion is the theme of this year’s Annual Report on Philanthropy.

Traditionally, an annual report such as this has been presented in a printed format, although digital reports are becoming more commonplace. As a higher-education institution, a printed piece is still relevant for the UL Foundation report. However, this year, ink on paper was just not enough to convey the passion and exemplary actions of the featured donors. More was needed. Prejean Creative designers chose augmented reality (AR) technology to bring the report to life and create added value for the printed piece.

Combining Video With Print
Prejean Creative associate creative director, Brent Pelloquin, who was responsible for the design and execution of this unique combination of print and video said, “We were given the facts and figures about the success of the UL Foundation, some of the background on the people involved and it was apparent that we needed a special media application to convey the passion that each of these supporters brought to helping the university grow. We found it in augmented reality.”

yvonne-web2Yvonne Lanoux, the Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations for the foundation, has worked with the team at Prejean Creative for the past 10 years and enjoys seeing “what’s next” from the virtual drawing boards of the designers. She also understands her mission, implicitly.

She notes, “There are people behind each and every gift the university receives. By highlighting a few of our donors and exploring the motivation and passion behind their gifts, we hope to illustrate the impact of the foundation on UL Lafayette. I think the report captured that beautifully, especially through the interactive portions of the report.”
Augmented What?
While most of us have heard of and likely cringed at the onslaught of  reality TV, widespread use of augmented reality (AR) as a design tool is relatively new, but growing. The augmented reality application uses a “quick response code”– very similar to the barcode found on packaged goods which enable the grocery cashier to scan products. When a mobile device such as a smartphone scans the code, content is downloaded from a server.

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In the case of the UL Foundation Annual Report, this content comes in the form of video clips of some of the people responsible for the exemplary growth of the organization. After a mobile device scans the code, all of the videos associated with the report are loaded and as the viewer moves his or her device over select pages in the report, video presentations of the featured donors can be seen on the tablet or phone. See it in action in the video below.

 

Lisa Prejean, a partner at Prejean Creative notes, “The driving factor behind this innovative design tool are the great stories associated with the people who have made the UL Foundation such a success. Without these stories, augmented reality is just a tech toy.”

It’s not surprising that the design and fluidity of the report is enhanced by the minimal use of copy. Reports of this type are often inundated by clutter which comes from large amounts of copy and financial information.  The use of augmented reality in this report allowed for a great deal of information without the need for a lot of printed words. It allows the reader/viewer to hear the donors’ passions in their own words.

Less is More
While AR dramatically enhanced the UL Foundation annual report, Prejean Creative designers urge caution in overuse of this application. “As with any medium, graphic technique or technological advance, it’s important to use augmented reality judiciously. Too much of a good thing gets tedious, quickly,” notes senior creative director Gary Lobue Jr.  “We’ve taken a solemn oath to only use AR for the good of mankind!”

The report is also available on the UL Foundation website.

 

 

Posted in Design, Digital Design, Lafayette, Our Work, Printing, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Real Men Shop Early!

Posted on November 25, 2013 by

presents
Guys and holiday shopping….what could possibly go wrong? Nothing much, except for the fact that men are notorious for waiting until the absolute, eleventh-hour, last minute to shop. If you ARE this guy or you know someone like him, this blog’s for you.

Let’s start with the basics. Men are genetically wired to procrastinate, especially about shopping. Why? Recent, ground-breaking research and mapping of the human genome shows — well, actually this genetic research has shown nothing about men and shopping. We just dropped that scientific reference in to make this argument seem more credible.

Basically, this tendency to wait until the last minute for shopping for any special occasion – Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays, anniversaries – comes down to the fact that most guys just don’t see the need to shop early. They have other things they would rather be doing than shopping, and the media onslaught of “you better be shopping or you’re gonna be a failure” promulgated by the retailer cabal does not permeate the frontal lobes of the male brain. (That’s just another scientific reference to show you how much we’ve researched this topic!)

The Game Changer
So, what’s a wife or significant other to do about this character flaw? How can men be encouraged to break the painful cycle of waiting until December 24th at 6 p.m. to begin shopping? First, (and this is very important) never use logic. These are guys, right? Logic rolls off their back like rain off a mallard. No, the only way to help the men in your life to wake up, smell the eggnog and start shopping earlier is to show them a shiny object – some gadget – that allows them to play.

selfy-ishThat object is a smartphone or tablet and like the Internet, it will change everything. Why? It enables shopping without the hassle of, you know, shopping! Here’s a new mantra for every guy and the women in his life – Go Mobile! 

In order to ensure this strategy works, it is important for you – the experienced shopper in the relationship – to offer a roadmap for your guy’s shopping adventure. As a public service, and in the spirit of the season, we offer the following ways a man can shop without feeling like he’s shopping.

Social Media is Not Just a Time-Waster
Have you ever wondered why billions of otherwise sane people spend hours each week posting random and often embarrassing pictures and thoughts on Facebook and Twitter? The answer is simple. These sites are packed with digital gossip and this is addictive.  Because of their pervasiveness, they also offer a way for men to easily use that shiny object – see smartphone above – to complete the holiday shopping task. Plus, this can be done in the comfort of his couch, while watching the UL, LSU or Saints game.

Most guys don’t know about Pinterest, but this social site is a goldmine for the accidental shopper. By simply going online to the Pinterest site of the women in his life, Mr. I-Wait-til-the-Last-Minute can find more ideas than he has money. It’s as if the founders of Pinterest knew that someday, guys would come troll the sites of their significant others and their teenage daughters and find the perfect holiday gift.

Guys check out the pins on Pinterest. There’s your perfect gift.

Instagram, while not as popular and well-known as other social media, is also a great place to get gift ideas. Guys, more than likely, the women in your life have some favorite specialty retailers and styles on Instagram.

Don’t forget the 800-pound gorilla of social media – Facebook. Guys can check the Facebook pages of their wives, girlfriends, daughters or granddaughters and find some great ideas for a holiday gift. This social network also works just as well for the ladies shopping for the gents.

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While Amazon is not exactly a social medium, it is a great place to get ideas and shop for the holidays. If any of your family or friends have a wish list on Amazon: Bingo! With a brief scan of this list and a few keystrokes on the smartphone or tablet, a guy can have the shopping done before the third quarter starts.

When Black Friday Comes
Maybe you’ve noticed that Black Friday has morphed into Black Thursday/Friday. In an effort to generate more sales, many big box retailers have opted to battle the tryptophan daze and open up for business on Thanksgiving Day. This means the hordes of shoppers will cluster for two days, rather than one. Oh, the horror!

This unfortunate situation will not affect those savvy shoppers – men or women – with a mobile device and a strong WiFi signal. Many retailers are planning “doorbuster deals” without the requirement of busting any doors. Online Black Friday deals will be very much in evidence this year, allowing the couch potato of either gender to let his/her fingers do the buying.

relaxing on couch

Hopefully, these suggestions have helped everyone relax a little about the hand-to-hand combat/shopping experience that the holiday season has become. You have our permission to take a deep breath, get out and play football with the kids, click on one of the many football games, chill in the deer blind or wet a line from the fishing boat and don’t worry about shopping. With your trusty smartphone and overnight delivery, there’s plenty of time.

 

Photos: Flickr Creative Commons

Posted in Fun Stuff, Marketing, Miscellaneous, Mobile Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Prejean Creative Designer (Temporarily) Changes His Stripes

Posted on October 23, 2013 by

bfrent_lsu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The associate creative director at Prejean Creative, Brent Pelloquin, is usually an easygoing, genial, funny guy. Most times, he’s up for a laugh about the foibles that surround the quirky world of advertising – the demanding schedules and deadlines, the sometimes mercurial clients and the challenge of finding new ways to accomplish the old objective of selling something.

However, on Friday afternoons in the fall, when his beloved alma mater Louisiana State University has a game the next day, Brent has his game face on and his school colors on display. As a native of Lafayette (Acadiana High School, class of ’93) and a graduate of LSU with a degree in graphic design, Pelloquin bleeds purple and gold.

Imagine the surprise for everyone in the 70508 zip code one Friday in September when his colleagues noticed a different tiger, with a different color scheme appearing on his oversized Apple computer screen. Further investigation revealed that not only was Brent changing tiger stripes (if only for the moment), but also was working on something that would normally be unheard of. There were action photos of football players wearing helmets adorned with tiger’s paws, and the word CLEMSON was clearly visible on this lifelong LSU fan’s computer monitor.

What Gives Here?
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The only things that could make this passionate LSU Tiger change his stripes and immerse himself in a design project that focused on the Clemson Tiger were his dedication to his craft and a request from a Prejean Creative client – Bill Burke. Here’s how this changing of the Tigers happened.

“This project came about through a previous working relationship we had with Bill Burke when he was the co-owner of EasyClosets,” said Brent. “Bill is a great client and he always liked the work we did for his company. So, when he needed a design for a personal project, he knew who to call.”

Just a wild guess here, but is Bill Burke a big fan of Clemson University?

Brent smiled and said, “That would be a big, enthusiastic ‘yes!’”

While Prejean Creative has designed a number of vehicle graphics, this one had a slight twist. Brent noted, “I have had quite a few opportunities to design vehicle wraps for utility vehicles and food trucks, and as far as my approach from a production standpoint goes, it was pretty much the same. I got the basic measurements and prepared the files to scale for the printer to apply the graphics.

“However, from a design standpoint this was a little different. Most of the corporate wraps I’ve done had certain requirements right out of the gate. Clients usually say, ‘We need to have these logos represented, this messaging needs to be communicated, etc.’ This wrap was different.

“Bill’s main directive was to simply let it scream, Clemson football! He wanted me to use every available square-inch of the trailer to represent the passion that he and his tailgating brethren have for Clemson. Simply put, it was the cleanest canvas I’ve ever had to start working with.”

Keeping the Tigers Straight
It’s fairly well-known, based on his purple and gold shirts, caps, pennants, shoelaces, water bottles and other items, that Brent attended a well-known university in Baton Rouge. Was it a challenge to design a vehicle for a rival school?

Brent said, “Yeah, it initially had me fidgeting in my seat, but for the most part I was able to look at it strictly as a job and leave my fandom at the door. I think Bill was initially a little worried about approaching me to design the trailer because of my alma mater, especially after Clemson beat LSU in last year’s Chick-fil-A Bowl.

“Both schools having a tiger as the mascot made it somewhat easier. It felt right having a tiger of another color. It definitely eased the pain.”

Roll Tide?
With everybody happy about the Clemson Tiger tailgate vehicle, including and especially the client, would Brent take on another project like this one, say for a Texas Longhorn fan or some other school?

Without hesitation, Brent said, “Certainly. Vehicle graphics are always fun to work on. It’s always a challenge to design with dimension in mind, considering how the final product will be viewed from multiple angles. Although, I must say, if another trailer project came along calling for a certain crimson elephant, I may have to reconsider!”

Are you looking for vehicle graphics? Prejean Creative has developed quite a few. Just click here to see some examples.

 

Posted in Advertising, Design, Fun Stuff, Louisiana, Our Work | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Google’s New Search Formula Will Affect You

Posted on October 10, 2013 by

google_search

 

 

 

It’s amazing how a hummingbird could raise such a ruckus. The most successful search engine on the planet – Google – has fundamentally changed the way it scours the Internet for information by changing its search algorithm. The company calls this algorithm “Hummingbird.” The folks at Google chose this name to convey greater precision and speed, and the billions of people around the world who interact with Google every day may not know it yet, but this changes everything.

The first generation of search engines relied on keywords tied to links to Web pages. As data associated with these searches has been analyzed, this process has become more sophisticated. The engineers at Google say they have found a way to deliver more relevant answers to these search queries without making the searchers click on links.

Here’s the New Search Deal
The Hummingbird algorithm uses a semantic approach to search. Basically, it seeks to understand the meaning of the search. Sounds simple and elegant, right?

It’s important to note that this new algorithm is not aimed at reducing spam or punishing those who purvey it. It is an attempt to display results and data more efficiently via a “Knowledge Graph” which will consist of side-by-side comparisons, lists and other quantifiable facts.

In a piece written for the trade publication Search Engine Land Danny Sullivan noted, “The goal is that pages matching the meaning do better, rather than pages matching just a few words. For example, a search for “acid reflux prescription” (previous to Hummingbird) used to deliver links to Web pages listing different drugs. New search results go deeper, focusing on information about treatments including risks of medications.”

There are ways to obtain more precise information with this new algorithm. When the search query is formulated in a manner that complement this semantic approach, say, if a search includes concepts such as “how, why, when or where,” terms which are more than likely associated with a voice on a smart phone, the query yields more precise information. Search experts have used the example of someone entering the query: “How do I tie a bow tie?” which would likely result in a video showing how this feat is accomplished. If the query was “bow tie,” a likely result would be a retailer that sells the tie.

hummingbird 1 by dhiren2

And the Winner Is…
Since Google is the dominant player in the search engine game, those whose living is made from consulting with clients or using effective search protocol – online retailers, search marketing consultants, search engine optimization experts, ad agencies and bloggers in search of an audience – must rethink their tactics (especially those who tried to game the Google system in the past).

This can be a boon or a bust for content developers and keyword-focused enterprises. Companies and individuals who built their business on search engine optimization focused on keywords should probably change their tactics or prepare to join the buggy whip makers in the Land of Irrelevance.

However, those marketers, content developers and search engine optimization gurus who can broaden their work to include the context as well as the content of the search process should flourish. Is this lemons or lemonade?

Don’t be Evil
While Google engineers such as Amit Singhal have publicly stated that the changes brought about by Hummingbird were “based on a knowledge graph of 500 million people, places and concepts” there are always suspicious souls who see these changes as self-serving on Google’s part. Human nature being what it is this has a ring of truth to it.

These changes seem to favor those companies who successfully bid on keywords sold by Google rather than those who execute organically based search strategies which use carefully constructed content. Google would argue that some if not most of this content was chock-full of superfluous keywords, which were designed to game the company’s system. There is, of course, truth in this analysis.

There’s also the matter of the Federal Trade Commission  (FTC), which decided to drop the antitrust case against Google earlier in 2013. The FTC spent two years investigating Google as being a monopoly and then decided they weren’t one after all. Needless to say, Microsoft (owner of Google competitor Bing), lobbied hard for prosecution but to no avail and the irony of Microsoft alleging monopolistic activities is darkly funny. Political trade publication Politico estimated that Google spent $25 million on lobbyists and lawyers to get the case no-billed.

Google fans would likely say this FTC (non) action allowed the company to continue to innovate and come up with whiz bang algorithms such as Hummingbird. Google haters would mutter something like “money talks.” Of course, these actions on the part of Google are self-serving, just as any other company would use their resources to build market share and generate profits for shareholders. However, it remains to be seen if the company is living up to its motto – Don’t be evil.

Posted in Advertising, Digital Design, Technology, Web design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment