Ionic Collective

Chasing Cool…

admin — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:35:01 +0000

STOP!

Cool isn’t something you should feel like you have to be. The overall idea of cool is often misunderstood and honestly overused. Through fashion, music, television, brushing teeth, even walking dogs, people will try their hardest to make something seem “cool”. What ever happened to doing things just because it felt right, or better yet, being creative and building your own “cool”? After a while trend chasing gets a little boring. Dare to be different.

When trying to make something cool, you lose the true essence of what cool is. Cool should mean something different to each person. Unfortunately, people chase after what others make cool. While understandable to an extent, this an attitude that kills creativity. ~~In fact, I’m starting to wonder if creativity still exists.~~ I know that creativity exists, but it feels as if it’s starting to lose relevance. Every idea seems to be blatantly recycled. How ironic is it that being outside the box is actually what’s “in”.

In the pursuit of cool there is a major disconnect from individualism. To be an individual is empowering, it gives you the freedom to do what feels right to you. That freedom is what sparks the creativity that leads to innovation and progression. Going beyond the societal perception of what it means to be cool, a person not only steps outside the box, but they also disregard it completely.

While I am not against the idea of cool, I am avid in my beliefs that a person should create cool rather than chase it. No matter what is done, cool will always exist. What matters most is how you perceive it and what you allow it to define.

THE PURSUIT OF (COOL) – TEASER from R+I creative on Vimeo.

Terrence Whittaker Jr.
ElloDigsby

Social Savvy or Socially Awkward

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:38:45 +0000

“Hey good seeing you, make sure you call me when you get home!”
“Yeah good seeing you as well, I’ll text you later!”

Why call when you can just text?
Is what you have to tell me that important for you to have to do the unthinkable.
Is it really necessary for you to actually pick up the phone to *Dramatic Pause* CALL me???

We live in world that looks to sum up everything in 160 characters or less. First through the use of text messaging and more recently due to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. When do people ever have the chance to actually speak to each other? While I am an advocate of social media (even puts food on my table), sometimes I wonder if its ease and convenience is hurting people more often than it is helping them.

I can barely remember the last time I’ve literally laughed aloud at something someone has said, opposed to the ~~over~~ frequently used “Lol”. So much time is spent engaging online that offline communication, also known as talking is becoming a lost art. To put things in perspective, over 700 billion minutes are spent per month on Facebook, and over 2.5 billion texts are sent each day. I’m convinced that people will soon be able to recognize font types better than they are able to determine a person’s emotional state through voice levels and body language.

While every social media site aims to make interactions more personal, *cliche alert* why recreate the wheel? There’s nothing more personal than a face to face conversation. Trapped within the constraints of 160 characters, we can’t fully utilize the complexity of thought. With so many short thoughts, I won’t be surprised at the ~~under~~development of short-minded individuals. A society of people unable to fully articulate their thoughts through speech. No longer being known to have a gift-of-gab but rather the gift-of-Mark or gift-of-Neil.

Conversation is critical for building relationships. Being able to verbally express yourself helps people to know who you are. It also lessens the risk of miscommunication caused by words on a screen. Too often have I seen text conversations go wrong simply because words don’t have emotions attached. There’s only so many times you can uppercase your words to get your point across. Facebook, Twitter, and texting is a world where sarcasm can be lost without the proper placement of a “haha”. I firmly believe emotion is one of the last proofs of human existence. My fear is that through lack of authentic/organic conversation, emotion is misdirected and sometimes even unnoticed.

Summary 160

You’re typing is bruising more than your keypad. It won’t hurt to have actual conversation from time to time. Talking is natural and it won’t kill you, PROMISE.

Terrence Whittaker Jr.
Ellodigsby

No Room For Love: Why brands are left broken-hearted

admin — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:10:59 +0000

There’s believed to be four types of love that exists. Unconditional, security, friendship, and the much wanted romantic love. Each of these are different in their own distinct way. However, the similarity that they all show, is in how each is built on the foundation of Honesty and Trust.

An interesting quote I read the other day stated that, “Brands want love, consumers want sex”. A bit caught off guard at first, slowly it began to make so much sense. Marketers try their hardest to gain love and please consumers. However, through everything that is done an attempt to gain love, brands are constantly the ones left broken-hearted.

Scratching their heads and looking clueless as to why they were used as nothing more than a one night stand, brands spend thousands upon million of $’s attempting to keep your attention.

The brand thinks, “You know I’m always here for you. We should hang out today (and every other day this week). And by the way, is it anything I can get for you, Flowers? Candy? a Car?”

The consumer thinks, “Well this is awkward, I enjoy our time together. Not really looking to do the whole commitment thing though. I’m still looking to see what else is out there for me. You understand right?”

The consumer doesn’t have any immediate ties or loyalty to a brand. The consumers decisions are based on the similar thought of a person who just wants sex out of a relationship.

Enjoyment without commitment. Depending on your brands performance they may come back for more. In short, brands should expect for the consumer to use them, possibly enjoy them, and POSSIBLY be back. I like to think of it as a fling mentality, the brand can only hope the occasional trials and usages will turn into lasting relationships. Out of lasting relationships, evangelists emerge and ultimately love is found.

Love won’t occur through overly pushing incentives, or by just offering weekly coupons. Consumers who actually love brands have relationships that are built on trust and honesty. Once a brand realizes that the consumer can not be bought and that there is a strong possibility that the consumer will look at other brands, focus can be placed on creating loyal consumers. The consumer wants to be helped and not sold to. Unfortunately in a world where brands run on green, there’s no room for love. Honesty is forgotten and some brands won’t even take the time to form a proper relationship with the consumer. Until this is understood many brands will continue to be left with goodbye notes on nightstands, and ultimately be left broken-hearted…

T. Whittaker Jr.
@ElloDigsby

SXSW – Here We Go

admin — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:37:27 +0000

Tomorrow begins the mass exile from Cincinnati, OH to Austin, TX for the 2011 South By Southwest Interactive and Music Conference (SXSW). This year an unprecedented number of agencies, creatives and firms are making the journey from the Tri-State area and Ionic is leading the way. We kicked off the trip with a Cincinnati SXSW meet and greet last week at Mainstay Rock Bar, where local groups traveling to Austin link up, network and make friends before they even got to Texas.

Monday March 14, look for live tweets and Facebook posts from us as we launch the new website Wearcast.com. Wearcast”’ is a website that lets you broadcast your experiences through apparel. Whether you have an idea for something funny, cool, inspirational, or simply interesting, you can create fashionable apparel to wear and then share with your friends. All in mobile real-time.

The launch party for Wearcast”’ will kick off at Venue 222 in Austin with a superb line-up of bands including Ted Leo, The Dig, local band Bad Veins and The Lemurs. This free event is sure to impress and we will be sharing all of the social content with you live. See you in Texas !

Death Of A Pop Star – David Banner & 9th Wonder

admin — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:21:56 +0000

Wondering what that bass rumbling from inside our office is all about? Thats the new David Banner & 9th Wonder album “Death Of A Pop Star” that was released last week nation-wide. Ionic was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be involved in different elements of the project. Needless to say we are very appreciative and proud of the masterpiece that Banner & 9th have put together.

Death Of A Pop Star is Banner’s 5th album and first cooperative project with another artist. The album was a change of pace for Banner who’s reputation for aggressive beats with attacking vocals has transitioned to a much expanded flow that many industry experts are praising.

Early reviews are ranking the album 4 out of 5 stars and commentary is continuing to grow as more ears are reached. Last year we had the opportunity to produce a behind the scenes video during the album photo shoot with the help of producer Jeremy Mosher. (www.jfmosher.com) You can view the video below on our YouTube page here:

You can also buy or sample the album at Amazon.com

“Death Of A Pop Star is arguably Banner’s best work to date, and certainly the most digestible to those jarred by the Crooked Lettaz’ front-man’s production.” – The Company Man – HipHopDX.com

Light Up OTR – An Ionic Holiday Tradition

andysalzbrun — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:58:08 +0000

What a holiday it has been around here for us! As we began to plan our holiday party this year, we decided we should put a cause behind it, and while we are at it, we should start a neighborhood tradition. What came of that train of thought was Light Up OTR.

Teamed with our friends over at PB&J Public Relations, Branding and Jabber, we put together an evening that consisted of 943 Luminaries, 300+ Friends and one HUGE Christmas Tree.

Volunteers got to The Famous Neon’s Unplugged to help assemble the luminaries which were then distributed by teams of four people with a little help from our friends at Kroger. Each team of four maneuvered a Kroger shopping cart complete with a boom box blaring their favorite Christmas tunes around the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood delivering Christmas cheer.

Once they were finished, everyone met back at Neon’s for the inaugural lighting of the OTR Christmas Tree. Led by Mayor Mark Mallory and Cincinnati Bengal Michael Johnson, the tree was lit to fireworks and brought in the holidays with a round of the famous holiday carol “Oh Christmas Tree”

With it being such a huge success and so welcomed by the neighborhood, we are already planning on how to have even more holiday fun in 2011. Pictures from the event are on facebook.

Happy Holidays from Ionic Collective! Now if we can just come up with as good an idea for Easter……

7 Tips For Rapid Iteration (aka The Quirky Approach)

andysalzbrun — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:24:53 +0000

(source- 99percent.com | By:Ben Kaufman)

My career has been all about rapid iteration – generating lots of ideas and then quickly testing them to find the ones worth pursuing. My latest project is Quirky, which aims to develop a new product every week with the help of an active community of participants and a committed in-house design team. Quirky has rapidly accelerated the traditional product development cycle, but perhaps the better example of rapid iteration is how I have launched three businesses in five years. Five years may not sound like very rapid anything, but trust me, it was.

In the spirit of the 99%, I want to share some of the tenets I live by – the ones that have enabled us to accelerate product development and make so many ideas materialize.

1. It is very much about ideas.
It’s been said that it’s not about ideas, it’s about making ideas happen. Who could disagree? Me. It’s very much about ideas. Lots and lots of good ideas. The trick is killing good ideas quickly and swiftly in an effort to focus on great ones. This requires being a ruthless prioritizer and relentless critic. You need to be able to sift quickly through a long list of ideas both good and bad, slicing and dicing until you end up with a great, effective, and elegant solution.

2. Find great critics.
Part of the idea-killing process is surrounding yourself with critics who aren’t afraid to give it to you straight. Quick, educated opinions, even if they’re harsh, are key to picking up and moving forward to your next iteration.

3. Don’t worry about the new, focus on the next.
Fail and fail fast. At Quirky, every product we develop, whether it’s a runaway success or a huge flop, teaches us valuable lessons that we can apply to future iterations of that product or other products. Whether it’s a failure, success, or something in-between, there’s always something to learn from each iteration. We’re never “done,” which allows us to stay on our toes and figure out what’s the next step for that initiative, instead of worrying about what was just delivered.

4. Set unrealistic deadlines.
This is where people start to think I’m nuts. Put ambitious goals on the table and publicize the heck out of them. This may force you out of your comfort zone, but that’s the best place for a creative person to be. Knowing that people are expecting great things will motivate you to actually make those things happen. And hey, if you fail, at least you’ll learn a good lesson for next time.

5. Distract yourself from your unrealistic deadlines.
It’s natural to get too caught up in an ambitious or unrealistic project. Make sure you take regular breaks to pursue other interests – reading, sports, cooking, or anything else that uses your brain in a different way. Doing other things allows your big project to percolate in the back of your mind in a way that can be surprisingly productive. The inspiration you’ll need to meet your unrealistic goal – that “a-ha!” moment – usually comes when you least expect it, especially when you’re trying to do something that’s never been done before.

6. Know what options D, E, and F look like.
Even if you follow all of the tips listed above, you’re probably not going to get it right each and every time. Most people will tell you to have a Plan B and C; I’d take it a step further and say come up with a Plan D, E, and F as well. You want to be flexible and always look as far down the pipeline as possible. If A, B, and C fail, use the best elements of those plans or experiences to create newer, better plans. There’s no shame in making an F if it’s better than A, B, C, D, or E.

7. Take a deep breath.
Living a rapidly iterative life can burn you out pretty quickly. It’s important to give yourself time between iterations to pause and regroup. Use this break to evaluate the previous project(s) and gather your thoughts so you can take on the next one.

Landor windows inspire staff, passersby

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:47:04 +0000

It’s hard to walk along Race Street north of Sixth these days and not become mesmerized by the windows full of mannequins in gowns of gold, seaglass or copper pennies.

Beside them are carefully hand-drawn portraits of women in lavish dresses, hats and furs circa 1930s-1970s. And embedded within the displays are images of Procter & Gamble products like Tide, Old Spice and Pantene.

The windows line the offices of Landor Associates, a branding and design firm that helps companies like P&G market their iconic brands. It’s also the ground floor of the old Shillito’s department store building, once housing several floors of clothing, accessories, shoes and home goods.

Through July, these brightly colored and lit displays will catch the eyes of passersby. Along with a public exhibit inside the lobby of the firm, the displays pay tribute to the work of Covington portrait artist Anne Wainscott.

Landor’s managing director, Mary Zalla, had been looking for a way to inspire her staff of 138 branding experts and designers and bring back the nostalgia of the decorated retail window. Sitting at a dinner at a friend’s one night, she was struck by a Wainscott masterpiece hanging on the wall, ‘The Woman of the Shrub.’

She soon learned that the 93-year-old artist lived just down the road in Covington, and her long career included illustrating fashion advertisements for Shillito’s that appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Times-Star and the Cincinnati Post. Hundreds of Wainscott’s pieces hung in homes around the region.

Her work had never been featured for the public. So Zalla concocted a plan that would both honor Wainscott and her contributions to Cincinnati’s fashion history while sparking the creative spirit of her workforce.

“We’re highly invested in the longevity of brands. We need to elevate creativity and inspiration to fuel that,” Zalla said.

The effort would fall right in line with Zalla’s 2-year-old training and development program called Renaissance.

Renaissance was to inspire employees to be courageous and fearless, to think outside the normal parameters of their work. It would allow workers to take time away from their computer screens to draw, create, think and dream. It would include workshops and community projects, like the ‘Inspired by Anne’ exhibit. Zalla hoped to bring more storytelling and narrative to their work.

Groups would often leave the office for events that ranged from architectural tours to arts and musical experiences. On one recent day, a group visited a coffee shop to hear an older bluegrass musician and a younger jazz player perform and talk about their work.

‘Inspired by Anne’ would challenge employees to converge fashion with design. Because branding firms are charged with re-inventing brands, there are many parallels with fashion, which often changes on a whim, Zalla said.

Fashion Week Start

Zalla assigned teams to re-create Wainscott’s work in today’s context. They had six weeks to build an exhibit to coordinate with April’s Cincinnati Fashion Week. Some blew up Wainscott’s pieces, added color and frames or displayed portraits through projections on the wall. Five teams worked specifically on the windows, dedicating each to one of Landor’s key accounts.

Landor had shown bits of the firm’s client work in those windows for years. This time, the teams chose a piece of Wainscott’s work and let it inspire a story around a popular P&G brand.

For example, beside a more masculine Wainscott piece is a mannequin wearing a suit of patches, each of which signifies male achievements. Beneath the mannequin is a treasure chest of Old Spice.

In another window, a shirt made of pennies, a skirt of shredded newspaper and hair made of wallets told the story of the P&G brandSaver coupon catalog, another Landor account.

Keeping Top Talent

The ‘Inspired by Anne’ exhibit has brought employees away from their desks to meet in the space. It has brought clients in for meetings. Passersby now linger outside those windows admiring the way Landor associates illustrated their brand work through fashion.

“Everyone says, ‘It’s one of the best things I’ve done,’” Zalla said.

Of Landor’s 24 offices around the world, its Cincinnati office now ranks highest in employee engagement surveys. Turnover is at an all-time low. It’s prompted Landor to institute Renaissance companywide.

“We’ve always attracted top talent. Now we’ve found a way to keep it,” Zalla said.

The exhibit stays at Landor through the end of July, open weekdays during business hours. This fall, it will be replaced by a new exhibit designed by Landor employees.

Share your thoughts and story ideas with me via Twitter @laurabaverman or email lbaverman@enquirer.com

City of Lights

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:30:53 +0000

Ionic is heading to Las Vegas, Nevada for the weekend to learn from other agencies, discover cutting edge campaigns, and figure out what really makes this city all its rumored to be.

Follow along on Twitter as we embark on our adventures!

Landor exhibit brings retail back to its roots

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 00:58:43 +0000

By: Jenny Kessler
May 18, 2010 – 9:45 am

Leading brand development and strategy firm Landor has something new in the shop windows of their Shillitos department storefront space. Walking down Race Street, one encounters mannequins dressed in lavish colors, materials and textures, each manifesting a different brand the company represents. These artful displays are an homage to an incredibly talented fashion designer and illustrator: Anne Wainscott.

Anne Wainscott was Cincinnati’s fashion guru for nearly five decades. As a fashion illustrator, she set the pace of the local trends for the Cincinnati Enquirer, as well as, department stores like Shillito’s. Fashion illustrating was essential to the newspaper medium before the use of photography gained popularity. Wainscott is an artist whose attention to detail and linework is exquisite. She created thousands of drawings showcasing the latest and greatest in fashion looks for every trend setter in the Tri-State, and her work was featured not only in the Enquirer, but the Times Star, Post and other trade journals. The creative team at Landor recognized the beauty of Anne’s work and had the unique opportunity to reunite a former fashionista’s work in the very space it was created.

“Inspired By Anne” is Landor’s newest exhibit concept that encompasses the lobby space of their Shillitos Place office, inviting the public to come and experience the work of Anne Wainscott. Mary Zalla, managing director of Landor’s Cincinnati and Chicago offices, was initially inspired by one of Anne’s works while visiting a friend in the Covington area. After learning that the artist of the piece was local, Zalla was determined to connect her team to Ms. Wainscott, knowing it would inspire and jumpstart a new wave of creative thinking at Landor.

“At Landor, creativity is the engine and inspiration is the fuel that keeps us going,” Zalla explained. “The entire Landor team jumped in and really became inspired through creating this exhibit. We pulled our various brand teams, and had them choose one of Anne’s works to get inspired by, and then put it into context through the lens of their brand.”

Accompanied by Steve McGowan, Mara McCormick and the rest of the crew, Zalla strove to create an exhibit for the public that would showcase Wainscott’s work through the lens of Wainscott’s passions. Through learning about the artist, a garden party theme was decided, inspired by Anne’s love of pink, flowers, garden, gilding, black and white floors, and linework. The result is a transformed lobby space with horticultured mannequins, living walls, and a soft, beautiful background to the work of Anne Wainscott.

“We really took an ‘Anthropologie’ store style approach to designing the interior, by implementing as many handcrafted details as possible,” McGowan explained. “All of the various disciplines at Landor got involved: graphic, environments and new media all invested in this endeavor.”

The entire concept was conceived and executed in less than six weeks, in order to coincide with the first-ever Cincinnati Fashion Week. The opening reception on April 21 was a tremendous hit, and Anne herself, at age 93, was the belle of the ball. Passersby can stop, admire and be challenged by the various displays in the storefront windows, but all are invited to come into the space and have a look around.

“This exhibit is absolutely open to the public and has been well received by the community. We wanted to reconnect our retail heritage, inspire our employees, engage the community, and project our brand,” Zalla said. “I think all of these things have been accomplished with Anne’s work.”

Inspired By Anne runs through the end of July. A new concept will be unveiled August 1st, but until then, guests are encouraged to stop in and explore during Landor’s office (map) hours, which are 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday. For those not able to make it down during the work day, there will be one more evening event before the end of the exhibit, connecting the fashion theme to the non-profit Dress for Success. More details to come at a later date.