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What’s the word for when the opposing army’s arrows blot out the sky?

May 14, 2012 by Dave Sandstedt

Even if you haven’t seen the movie, I’m sure you’re familiar this now famous scene from Zack Snyder’s movie, '300'. It’s that beautifully CGI'ed portrayal of the Spartan army withstanding Xerxes’ first parry at the Battle of Thermopylae; the classical epitome of stoic resolve against incredibly imbalanced odds. But what’s the word for it?

Lately questions like these keep popping into my head. (What’s the word for that little fizzle of smoke that appears over exasperated cartoon characters’ heads?) I got to thinking maybe I was too busy at work, but an informal poll showed that it wasn’t just me. Some of the responses to my question: ‘Armageddon?' ‘Overwhelmed?' ‘Tuesday?' And my favorite so far, ‘Middle Management.'

When I sat down to write this post a few weeks/dozen projects/hundred Change Requests ago, I was tempted by the thought that ours is a uniquely 21st-Century dilemma. (What’s the word for when every generation thinks it’s the end of the world?) Then it hit me, plunk. Maybe, sometimes, there simply are no words.

As a copywriter turned small agency owner turned creative director, I’ve seen, time and again, that visual solutions to communication problems trump great copy, just about every time. (What’s the word for when you need a PPT chart to explain your job?) This is increasingly relevant to me as our clients’ products become increasingly complex—Fabric Computing, Optical LANs, Subsea Repeaters are just a few things I know far too much and far too little about—and the markets we play in become increasingly fractionalized and crowded.

The digital world lobs a sky full of arrows at us consumers every day. Companies need to find the most efficient way possible to help people understand their product and form an immediate emotional connection to it before, plunk, the next Skype message starts to blink. Enter the impactful visual. Maybe this is why the iPad is one of the fastest adopted technologies ever? I think it’s one of the first devices to deliver on the promise of making technology truly transparent—almost visceral. But, ultimately, maybe it’s just an all-around amazing visual experience. (What’s the word for when you go to look up directions on Maps on you iPad, then click to Satellite View, and 30 minutes later realize you’re exploring an underwater trench in the middle of the South Pacific?)

So, as I board a plane to visit a client and prepare to discuss whether a 60-second video should have more than 10 seconds of voice over copy attached to it, and the arrows plunk plunk plunk around my shield, I keep telling myself: Keep it simple, keep it visual.

What’s the word for that, again?

 

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PJA Named Agency of Record for Country’s Largest Ace Hardware Dealer

PJA Named Agency of Record for Country’s Largest Ace Hardware Dealer

March 7, 2012,

BOSTON -  PJA Advertising + Marketing (PJA) has been named agency of record for Westlake Ace Hardware, according to agency President, Mike O’Toole. The Lenexa, Kansas-based account was won after a national review of agencies. Billings for the account were not disclosed.  

The account was previously split between Barkley Advertising in Kansas City, Mo. and Bozell, headquartered in Omaha, Neb.

Westlake Ace Hardware is a chain of 88 neighborhood stores throughout the Midwest and is the largest member of the Ace Hardware Cooperative giving the company access to over 70,000 items.

Working with Westlake Ace Hardware’s Director of Customer Relationship Development, Liz Benditt, Vice President, Marketing, Jonathan Swiskow, and COO, Rob Easley, PJA’s responsibilities will be focused predominantly on driving store traffic through innovative and creative integrated campaigns.

Commenting on the selection of PJA, Westlake Ace Hardware COO Rob Easley said, “From the start PJA demonstrated a keen understanding of our business and a commitment to truly innovative approaches. Their early thinking around how they’d help drive customer acquisition for Westlake Ace Hardware from both a strategic and creative approach convinced our team that PJA was the right choice.”

President of PJA, Mike O’Toole said of the account win, “Westlake Ace is a great specialty retailer with enviable customer loyalty. We're excited to integrate digital and social channels with database marketing to get Westlake's story out there and help them hold their own against the big box stores.”

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Brother International Taps PJA Advertising + Marketing As Agency of Record for Printer Business

August 1, 2011, Boston, MA

PJA Advertising + Marketing (PJA) has been named agency of record for Brother International's Business Machines Group's Printers and All-in-Ones. Brother International is a premier provider of products for the home and office, according to agency President, Mike O'Toole. The Bridgewater, N.J.-based account, was won after a national review of agencies.

Working with Brother's Vice President, Marketing, John Wandishin, PJA will be responsible for on and off line advertising and marketing efforts as well as media strategy, planning and buying. Commenting on the selection of PJA, Mr. Wandishin said, "We've been aware of PJA for quite sometime and selected the agency not only because they were the right partner, but because of the strategic and creative innovation they bring to their clients brands"

President of PJA, Mike O'Toole said of the appointment, "We're very pleased to be working with Brother. The company makes top-rated products, and people who own Brother's products love them. We're excited to launch a campaign that gets Brother the credit it deserves.".

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PJA Advertising + Marketing Unveils Latest Interactive Ad Campaign Creative for Limelight Networks

July 6, 2011, Boston, MA

PJA Advertising + Marketing (PJA) today announced the launch of the newest interactive ad campaign for Limelight Networks (NASDAQ: LLNW, "Limelight"). The creative, targeted at senior marketing professionals and creative and media agency teams, are currently running on trade sites including eMarketer.com, MarketingProfs.com and Mashable.com.

"We developed our interactive ad campaign to deliver a strong message to advertisers about the importance of using the most effective technologies to target the most relevant audiences at the right times and in the right places," said Paul Alfieri, VP Corporate Marketing and Communications, Limelight Networks. "In fact, to deliver this ad campaign we used our own best practices and technologies from Limelight EyeWonder Interactive Advertising services—in essence we're practicing what we're preaching.

The visual centerpiece of the campaign is a series of attention-getting "Stop Faking It" instant-play video banners, the first of which features a faux magician complete with pencil mustache pretending to open a garage door as if by magic.

"The point behind this fake demonstration of prowess and the entire campaign is to communicate how Limelight can help marketing and advertising professionals use new digital marketing technology not just for the sake of it, but to achieve real, measurable results," according to Janet Carlisle, Vice President, Client Services at PJA Advertising + Marketing. "We worked closely with Limelight to illustrate that concept in a fun and engaging way."

Users can engage with the ad units to instantly download a "Quick Tip" to increase engagement, or click through to the Limelight resource center to register for a more in-depth report covering online advertising, mobile and video trends and best practices.

Demos of the ad units can be seen here and here.

These interactive ad units are part of a larger integrated Limelight demand generation campaign utilizing other marketing channels such as email, content syndication programs, database marketing, mobile advertising, social media and SEM.

The first phase of the online ad campaign promotes Limelight EyeWonder Interactive Advertising services, while later phases will promote Limelight's technology offerings that allow marketers to easily and effectively capitalize on the use of video and mobile in their marketing programs.

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PJA Blogs

CMO Network Blog

The Man Who Took on Amazon and Saved a Bookstore

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The story of an independent bookstore with a digital strategy that allows them to compete with industry giant Amazon. new window

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There was a long stretch of history, of course, when the last people you'd want to turn to for advice on productivity improvements was the auto companies. Depending on whether you were talking about Dodge or Ferrari, their approaches were either too generic or too personalized. Fast-forward a few decades, and that's exactly who drug [...] new window

This Week in Digital Media

The Electric Car and Your Digital Future

Mar 22, 2012

Guest: Vijay Iyer, Director of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications for OnStar In 2015, analysts estimate worldwide sales of 3 million hybrid and electric cars and light trucks – and almost 100 million electric scooters and ...

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