Last night was the return of basketball season, and I watched dutifully as LeBron James fan. I couldn’t help but be stoked for his first night with the Heat, especially since I’d had a good, long discussion about him at work that same afternoon.

It all started when one of our Account Execs, Anna, asked if we had seen his new Nike commercial. A few of us gathered around her desk and watched in unison as LeBron came through the computer screen and spoke to us. Anna, being the devil’s ADvocate that she is, asked what we thought. It sparked a lengthy discussion (so lengthy, in fact, that we all left work way past 5 PM) of creativity, entertainment value, perspective, LeBron, Nike, and brand personality.

For Nike, LeBron was their boy in Cleveland and is now their boy in Miami. For them, its more about him as an athlete than about his dedication to a certain city. But when he announced his departure from his hometown, he alienated thousands of fans. Was this something that Nike had to worry about? Maybe.

While we argued through these points, it became clear that the Nike commercial wasn’t about that. It was more about LeBron as a person, an athlete, than about their ability to sell a product. They were giving him a soapbox; it was his opportunity to address his critics AND fans. But more than anything, we all walked away with the idea that LeBron is who he is and that all he wants to do is play the game. He embodies Nike’s brand in that he is unapologetic for pursuing his passion: to be the best athlete he can be.

Regardless of how you feel about LeBron, regardless of your reaction to this ad, at the end of the day Nike has always been true to its brand messaging. It is all about the game. YOUR game. Which to this day is perfectly embodied by their tag line: Just Do It.

Been seeing crab claws all over the state of Maryland? Well, we’ve put them there!

We are working with The Chesapeake Bay Trust to help educate Marylanders about the impact of buying Bay Plates. Part of the overall campaign is trying to overcome misconceptions about the Chesapeake Bay Plates. While most residents can recognize the license plates, most don’t know that revenues derived from the $20 plate directly support Bay restoration or education programs.

The integrated campaign includes an interactive website, online advertising, social media outreach, digital billboards, mall kiosks, bus shelters, bus posters, metro dioramas, bus wraps, and ambient media signage. In addition, listen and look for radio, tv, and print news coverage.

In addition to helping educate Marylanders, the Trust is also hosting the Hooray for the Bay Contest. Bay Plate factoid signs, which you can see above, have been placed all over the state of Maryland to help people learn about how the Plates support the Bay. Simply snap a pic of the factoid sign and send it to contest@bayplate.org, and you are eligible to win a free Bay Plate or $2,500. Find out more about the contest and other ways you can enter.

Recently, we worked with HeimLantz of Annapolis and Alexandria to define a new corporate identity for their brand. You can see what their old site looked like in this image.

From Old:

Former website for heimlantz.com

They gave us the freedom to work our magic to design based on the needs of their target audience. We created a new brand identity from an updated logo to signage, print collateral and a website. Take a look below, click images to see larger size.

To New

Partners at HeimLantz in Annapolis, MD with new wall signage

Corporate identity for HeimLantz

Brochure for HeimLantz’s Alexandria location.

HeimLantz.com

Last Call, a dark and interactive horror film created by German horror channel 13th Street, just scored a top prize at the Cannes Lions. Owned by NBC Universal, 13th Street’s take on branding goes above and beyond anything we’ve seen lately.

Interactivity

The movie-turned-commercial is interactively groundbreaking; it uses new technology to allow the audience to participate in the film. Using voice recognition software, a select audience member is chosen to give instructions via cell phone to the protagonist in the story. Because each audience member provides different answers, each creates a unique film.

The great thing about this (or any) interactive campaign is that it allows the consumer to participate. It gives them something to latch onto that reinforces what the German Horror Channel is all about. It creates an active experience out of what would ordinarily be a passive one, allowing the consumer to have in depth interaction with the movie and brand.

Branding & Identity Strength

Zombies might not be your thing, but this stuff has some strength. In addition to the interactive movie-turned-commercial, a series of stationary was created. It seems that every aspect was thought out, taking normal stationary to interactive and creative pieces of advertising. It took 13th Street branding to an entirely new level, continuing along the path of interactivity (as you rip the envelope open, you also “rip off” some dead guy’s eyeballs).

Although it might be gory and gross, the movie and stationary have some mental staying power. They are brilliantly unique and again, reinforce what the German horror channel is all about: gore, guts, and scary stuff.

While the creativity is strong, there lacks a certain carryover. The 13th Street website lacks any resemblence of the strong brand identity that the movie, stationary, and overall brand have. If NBC had carried this over, the overall impact could have been staggering.

What do you think about the horror filled movie and stationary?

Images compliments of Behance.

Being in the ad industry, we pride ourselves on being creative. And while it is something we are always thinking about, we’ve come to realize one thing: creativity is a fragile thing. If you try to rush it, dictate it, limit it, or add too many rules, you end up with an inferior product.

While our industry hinges on short timelines and on-your-feet thinking, it is important to make sure the creative team has a healthy environment to function within so they can create the best work possible; creativity, ingenuity, and originality must all be fostered. Some features are essential, like open space, music, toys, and a team approach, etc. But something else is essential that we might not consider a quality or necessity of creativity: time.

When our creative team finishes an execution, their work is good. But giving them an extra hour – hell, an extra ten minutes – they can always tweak their work to make it GREAT, whether it be a color change, a new font, or an additional element. Fostering a creative environment that doesn’t put creative under the gun can only bring good things for everyone at an agency.

See what creativity looks like.