Christina Drews-Leonard

The holidays are here and the holiday ads are everywhere you look. Before Charlie Brown can say “Good grief!” you’ll probably see another ad. This year seems to be the year of the self-satisfied mom who one-ups Santa by getting the perfect gifts under the tree before he can. Check out the Game On Santa ad from Best Buy (featuring Apple products) and see the rest of this year’s best holiday ads on AdAge.

What are your favorites this year? Or are these ads making you say bah humbug?!

See the book giveaway below!

Brand failures are happening constantly. Just look at how Netflix recently wanted to split its business into two divisions. Netflix (a company that in September made customers angry with a steep price raise) wanted to keep its movie streaming business and move its DVDs by mail business to a new company called Qwikster.

Surprisingly (NOT!) their customers were unhappy with the idea since it would complicate getting movies. They wouldn’t be able to decide if they wanted a movie to stream or have it mailed for later viewing from one account. Instead, they would need two accounts where one used to suffice. No company should ever make it more difficult for a customer to get their product. Netflix backpedaled, apologized and decided to keep their company’s offerings in one company. Only time will tell if customers decide to stay with them. Read more about it here.

The book Brand Failures by Matt Haig has 100 examples of big branding mistakes. It shows how brands are more likely to fail than succeed if they don’t keep the needs of their customers in mind. Each case study features lessons you can learn from the brand’s mistake. Some examples of brand failures covered in this book are McDonald’s failed product – the Arch Deluxe, Kodak’s failure to use the digital technology they had, and Planet Hollywood’s celebrity endorsed restaurants.

We’re giving away a copy of this book to one of our intelligent readers. Enter to win by following the instructions below. The giveaway starts today and ends next Wednesday.

We were saddened to hear the news of Steve Jobs passing today. We offer our condolences to his family and friends. His battle with cancer was well known but we were hopeful he might be able to experience a longer retirement since he stepped down from his role at Apple. We in the creative field of advertising and design feel a kinship with the innovative spirit of this man. The way he continued to bring astonishing new products to the world until today was impressive.

Many of us have had a lot of experience using Apple products. I remember when I was studying design back around ’90 at MICA that we had some of the first Apple computers. I used the original Mac to create an illustration that was printed out on a dot matrix printer. Macs were less immune to viruses back then and our whole computer lab was shut down for a month from an attack. I continue to use Apple’s products now and rely on my trusty iMac.

We were drawn to the “think different” philosophy created for Apple Computer in 1997 by the Los Angeles office of advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day that drove Apple’s product creation. Their products worked better for design and publication back then and continue to do so today. Here’s hoping Apple will continue in the direction that Mr. Jobs envisioned. Let’s raise a toast to a truly creative spirit.

“The Mid-Atlantic’s premier provider of Electrical Testing, Engineering & Field Services” – Potomac Testing was ready for a powerful new look. We designed a new brand identity to help them amp up their presence.

We applied their new brand to their recent sponsorship of the PowerTest 2011 – the electrical maintenance and safety trade show held in Washington, DC in February. Under tight deadlines, we created a cohesive presence for Potomac Testing in the form of t-shirts, banners, brochures and giveaways that garnered rave reviews.

We also designed and developed their website, which you can see here. With a clean, friendly design, it offers much more information and interactivity to visitors than the previous site. It launched before the conference.

Our latest website launches are for two clients whose businesses focus on the needs of children.

The first, JumpBunch offers sports activities for children from preschool through school age in the United States and internationally. Their activities are offered in schools, camps and birthday parties. Their new website brings into focus all of the different ages they serve and highlights the benefits they offer to children.

The second, The Young School, is a private preschool with several Maryland locations. Their educational philosophy promotes child directed exploration, teacher learning and parents as partners. They use Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) and Reggio Emilia curriculum in a cottage environment inspired by home and nature. Their new website allows them to showcase how this defines them from other preschools and infant care centers.