The Five and Dime

This is a commercial we created for the Ad Diner. It uses Motion software, where we can take photos and manipulate them in a 3-D space, and then add video on top of that.

This particular commercial is a “spec” piece, (the jewelry store in the ad is not real.) It can be sold to any business and is designed to be flexible enough to work for anyone from insurance agents to car dealers. If you are thinking of doing holiday advertising, check out the Ad Diner for other holiday spots from their “menu” section. (We also created some fun radio called Santa’s Workshop where the store owner talks to elves.)

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The hype and the reality of social media

(Please note: this article is really written for the small business. For our larger clients, you may find it interesting, but there really is a different strategy for larger companies dealing with social media. Contact me and we can talk about those ideas.)

Everywhere you turn, it seems like people are telling business owners that they have to be working with social media. The latest buzz is all about Twitter and “tweeting”.

As a marketing person, I have a keen interest in anything that helps promote my customers’ business (or my business, too.) But with all of the hype, all of the articles, and all of the news, I have yet to see many concrete examples on how a typical small business can use social media such as Twitter as a marketing tool.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-social media. I just believe that there is quite a bit of hype and less substance when dealing with social media. There’s simply a lot of businesses that really can’t take advantage of Twitter and Facebook (other than placing ads on Facebook.)

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We’re located on a bluff in the Wisconsin countryside, about halfway between the towns of Belleville and New Glarus, a couple miles south of Belleville, off of Highway 69.

About 25 years ago, there was a UFO sighting that received national press. It was the start of several sightings, and now the town of Belleville commemorates it with their UFO Day celebration.

Where was this sighting? The police officers that reported the UFO claimed it was on a bluff in the country, about halfway between the towns of Belleville and New Glarus, a couple miles south of Belleville, off of Highway 69…

Here’s a video where we interviewed author Noah Voss, who fills us in on the details.

When I talk to people, I hear all the time about how they don’t watch commercials. Then I ask them which Geico commercial they like best, “the money you could be saving”, the “cavemen”, or the “gecko”? Funny, they know exactly what I am talking about and have an opinion. They can name a lot of different versions of those commercials. How is that possible if they never watch TV?

Brian Banks, the owner of the upscale Lifestyles Furniture store based in Moline, Illinois, has seen a substantial increase in sales even during this down economy. He attributes it to an increase in advertising. His advice to other retailers?

“There’s a party going on, you’ve got to invite the guests.”

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