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  • Three-Year Catch-up Part Two

    Busyness and the world going sideways since 2020 put my project updates on the back burner for three years. Now I'm catching up. Here's a fun one from earlier this year: a trade show booth display for DC Storage. Photography and drone footage: Synergy Photographic Display printing and construction: Monster Displays Concept, writing, design, video editing: Captivation Capital Trade show booth design with video screen on left panel Looping capabilities video for trade show booth

  • Three Years. Where'd They Go?

    Well, we all know where a couple of them went. It's been three years since my last project update in 2019, so I'll be playing catch-up with rapid-fire posts highlighting a few projects I helped create for my awesome clients . First up is a brochure I designed for Branch Capital Management. With its warm, golden glow, it's a piece crafted to put anyone in the mood to reflect on their financial future. Captivation Capital: graphic design, headline writing

  • It's Here.

    Two negative GDP quarters. Textbook(ish) recession. So now's the time to cut and cower. Hunker in a bunker. Lay low and scan the skies for some distant sliver of blue among the storm clouds. Right? That's definitely the instinctive response. Trouble's coming: recoil. But you, of course, are not the recoiling type. You understand that economic downturns are the contrarian's playground. While everyone else is playing defense, you'll be going for it on fourth and long, thank you very much. That attitude should extend to your advertising. Save the caution and timidity for the rest of the woe-is-us herd and meet the gloom with fun. Yes fun. Unapologetic, weird and wondrous, just-heard-the-recess-bell fun. Then, against that dark and stormy backdrop, your company will stick out like a soaring, multi-colored pterodactyl of positivity. And, yes, that goes for B2B companies too. After all, it's really Business 2 Bob, and Brenda, and Beauregard: people whose brains respond to wit and whimsy with synaptic fireworks just like anyone else's. Find a creative partner who can wield those recession-defying, confident concepts while remaining true to your brand and audience, and you've found yourself a winner, no matter the economic climate. PVR Captivation Capital Advertising & Creative Different Wins.

  • How to Stop Seeing Advertising Through Rose-Colored Google Glasses.

    Count on Countless Uncountables Coming from the father of modern polling, the above quote is, at first, jarring. Haven't we, in data-saturated 2019, reached a point where all things are measurable, quantifiable, and predictable? Not according to George. And not according to reality. Think of all of the "sure things" that proved anything but in the last few decades: New Coke, the Segue, Google Glass, MySpace, and countless other bombs, flops and surprises in business, politics and entertainment. So what's a company supposed to do? Shutter their market research activities and adopt the "spaghetti strategy"? (Ie: throw products and services blindly into the marketplace to see what sticks.) Yes and no. Go ahead and do market research if it's your company's bag. Steve Jobs was famously (maybe apocryphally) unimpressed by market research's benefits. Many others swear by it, and occasionally at it. Regardless, the point of Gallup's statement is lighten up on the data worship a little. Yes, you can know how many households in a 50-mile radius around a specific zip code have +$100K incomes, +2,000-square-foot homes, 2.7 kids, 1.4 dogs and half a cat...but do you really know the people in those households? Of course not. They're humans. In other words, about as predictable as earthquakes. But, you retort, you've built "relationships" with your customers through email and social media. Don't get me wrong, I'm not discounting the value of collecting and utilizing data from potential and current customers, however, keep in mind that these avenues are tools for easier, quicker communication and delivery of offers and discounts. Are they true relationships? There's only one way to find out. Send them an email next Saturday morning and ask them to help you move. Beyond Tangibles The real relationship with your current and potential customers doesn't happen online, or in the mail, or on a screen; it happens in the mind; and, at the risk of being abstract, maybe the soul. It's emotional not analytical. So seek an advertising firm that not only understands that advertising is more art than science, but has the proven ability and experience in practicing that art successfully, preferably over decades. Or, in short, find an advertising firm that understands what counts. Feel free to CONTACT me anytime. #advertising #advertisingagency #creativity #creativedirector #hollandmi #hollandmiadvertisingagency #michiganadvertisingagency #adagency #adagencies #advertisingagencies #copywriting #copywriter #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #photoshop #photomanipulation #marketingplan #colaboration #affordable #marketingdirector #marketingmanager #CMO #brandbuilding

  • Ultimate Mindshare.

    It occurred to me that I've used this blog mainly to tout recent successful projects or pontificate about this or that advertising philosophy, but I've rarely given a glimpse behind the scenes. What makes the CC Team tick? How's the team synergy? Do you guys ever get out of the office? Well, as many of our clients will tell you, the team here is so close-knit that it's almost as if we're one person. Pete generates amazing concepts and copy, collaborating with Pete on the graphic design, all overseen by creative director Pete, who's our staunch brand consistency warden. Add Pete who zealously attends to each clients' needs as account executive, and you have a team that surrounds each client with strategically-sound, brand-driven creative with a singleminded focus on delivering a project promptly and attentively every step of the way. Outside of the office, the team is almost indistinguishably close, whether golfing (see above), boating, downhill skiing, or enjoying time together with family, the Captivation Capital Advertising crew is truly inseparable. Curious to find out how our exclusive Singleminded Advertising™ might enhance your brand? CONTACT me today! #advertising #advertisingagency #creativity #creativedirector #hollandmi #hollandmiadvertisingagency #michiganadvertisingagency #adagency #adagencies #advertisingagencies #copywriting #copywriter #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #photoshop #photomanipulation #marketingplan #colaboration #speed #nimble #team

  • Cover to Cover Captivation

    As mentioned in my last blog post (FIVE months ago!) I was busy last August. Still busy. You say, "Congratulations, but what's it to me?" Well, if you advertise a product or service, my busyness means a lot, because there's hardly a marketing media that I haven't tackled since last fall. Need an amazing catalog, capabilities brochure, annual report or other long-form marketing piece? I just conceptualized, designed and wrote a full-color 56-page catalog (see sample spread above). The client (a growing outdoor furniture manufacturer) is delighted. To see more sample spreads, please look here. Beyond crafting beautiful sales-stimulating catalogs, I helped an international truck equipment company design the over 100 graphic panels that made up its extensive trade show exhibit (see more here at the bottom of the page). Needless to say, if you have an upcoming trade show and need your booth (of any size) to bring 'em in and keep 'em engaged, Captivation Capital is your creative partner. Outdoor? Clever print ads? Not to mention brand bolstering point-of-sale and exquisite Photoshop work? All here. Yes, I've been busy...busy kicking out innovative, on-stategy, captivating, well...everything. So CONTACT me today for effective advertising and marketing that "gets" your brand and gets it out there beautifully. You know...if you're into that sort of thing. #advertising #advertisingagency #creativity #creativedirector #hollandmi #hollandmiadvertisingagency #michiganadvertisingagency #adagency #adagencies #advertisingagencies #copywriting #copywriter #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #photoshop #photomanipulation #marketingplan #colaboration #speed #nimble

  • Spontaneous Vertical Exponential Capacity Expansion. (And Other Buzzwords I Just Made Up.)

    Captivation Capital Advertising is wrapping up one of its busiest Augusts on record: creative for an over 100-panel trade show exhibit and a 48-page catalog are just a couple of the many projects that I've completed or are in the works. In other words, I have a pretty full plate. Not to worry. Because we here at Captivation Capital (me) have developed a revolutionary breakthrough technology that allows me to offer the same responsive service and captivating creativity for new clients and projects as I already provide to current clients and projects. It's a little something I call: Spontaneous Vertical Exponential Capacity Expansion, or SVECE for short. SVECE is a highly complicated process, but I think I can sum it up thusly: When I have a full plate, I just toss a new empty one on top. Thanks, SVECE! Now there's all kinds of room for me and my 20+ years of experience conceptualizing, writing, designing and producing effective advertising and marketing, to get to work on your next challenge. Just ask my clients: quick, responsive service is a hallmark of my approach to business—regardless of workload. Ready for another buzzword? Big Agency Syndrome. It's the belief that only big ad agencies can produce great work. If you are under its influence, Captivation Capital has the cure: just CONTACT me today. #advertising #advertisingagency #creativity #creativedirector #hollandmi #hollandmiadvertisingagency #michiganadvertisingagency #adagency #adagencies #advertisingagencies #copywriting #copywriter #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #photoshop #photomanipulation #marketingplan #colaboration #speed #nimble

  • Making a Big Splash Can Be a Pain

    Chairman of the Board Summer's well underway which means you'll find yourself at the edge of a pool or other body of water sometime soon. If you're lucky enough to find a pool with a deep end and—even rarer these days—a diving board, don't miss your chance to make a splash. Sure, peel off a few of your signature splashless swan dives first, but then take the opportunity to wake up nearby pool-goers with a depth-charge-like cannonball that sends a tsunami of sunbather-soaking spray to the far corners of the pool deck. Summer is a great time to plan for making a big splash with your company's brand, too. A new ad campaign, tradeshow displays, website revamp—the watery wake up call to your current and potential customers can take many forms, but how you execute its development comes down to two opposite approaches. The Branding Bellyflop To make a splash you must focus on reach, correct? Reach out to as many audiences as possible with all the marketing tools and messages that your budget can muster. The problem with this approach is, quite simply, its results. Hurling your brand out there while reaching out with one method here and another method there leaves you as spread out and unfocused as, well, the guy in the picture above. Your impact on the marketplace will be an ineffectual and painful bellyflop. Maximum Impact The key to supreme splashiness is not so much the methods, but the message. Tightly focusing on what your brand is saying and displaying, not how it's delivered, is like focusing your body into a tight, explosive cannonball that sends shockwaves well beyond the initial point of impact. A post won't be shared simply because it's posted. An ad won't be remembered simply because it's run. Spending your time and, yes, money on developing the right message that truly captivates your audience and radically differentiates your brand from all others is the only way to see lasting results. Method Madness Then why, you ask, do so many marketing and advertising firms make method the centerpiece of their approach? Because method is easy: learn the steps, sell the steps. Message is harder. It's art as much, maybe more, than science. People respond to captivating art, ideas, and other eyebrow-raising messages. It tickles their brains. A keyword optimized demographically-cross-sectioned inbound marketing initiative...doesn't. Firms that offer the art of captivation are a little harder to find. To make it easier, I put Captivation right in the name of mine. You're welcome. Putting your marketing plan together for the fall? Feel free to CONTACT me anytime when you're ready to make a (captivating) splash with your target audiences. #advertising #advertisingagency #creativity #creativedirector #hollandmi #hollandmiadvertisingagency #michiganadvertisingagency #adagency #adagencies #advertisingagencies #copywriting #copywriter #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #photoshop #photomanipulation #marketingplan #colaboration #affordable #marketingdirector #marketingmanager #CMO #brandbuilding #summer

  • Awww...Your Brand Is Just Too Precious.

    Are you celebrating your brand or suffocating it? So much goes into building a brand, not the least of which: money. Depending on your company's size, it could mean anywhere from thousands to millions. Billions, even. Now, I don't know about you, but if I build something that cost millions to create, I'm not only going to coddle it, I'm going to think seriously about locking it in a double-walled titanium warehouse with 24/7 armed surveillance. It stands to reason that you're protective of your brand. But pampering it beyond reason can lead to less than optimal results. Babied brands run timid ads, launch safe social media posts, and tiptoe around any message that might possibly under the right circumstances and hypothetical situations ruffle a single feather of just one potential customer. To break out of Babied Brand Syndrome, think of your company's brand as a high-end sports car. You had it custom-built and there it sits, gleaming like a jewel in your garage. Will you leave it there? Roped off from human contact, let alone the ability to drive it? Or, will you rev it up and let 'er rip down the twistiest tarmac you can find? It takes a little courage to get behind the wheel and step on the accelerator, but that, after all, is what that machine was created to do. So unleash your brand from your own clutches. It's built to be pushed; it's built to be celebrated. Let it shine. Let it speak out. Let it get creative and reach people, interest people, captivate people, and, yes, maybe even annoy or unnerve a few people. At least it has a pulse, and is quickening the pulse of others. How do you get your babied brand out of the coddled zone and into the fast lane? Here are a few thoughts: Value Ideas Often, advertising and marketing dollars are focused on the implementation of the campaign: the ad buys, the printing, and other production-related expenses that come with any substantial communications effort. That's natural. The bulk of the cost almost always comes at the end, not the beginning. All the more reason to invest a little more in the concept development and creative on the front end. Go ahead, spring for a few more hours of development time. Another couple grand in the ideation stage might extend the thinking just long enough to spark a million-dollar tagline, a priceless visual, or the next social media sensation. Customers are People, Just Like Your Brand Maybe it's just the nomenclature: "consumer," "customer," "the target." After a while, the people to whom you're selling stuff can become faceless blobs which you mercilessly bombard with "messaging." Babied Brand Syndrome only encourages this approach, because it's "safer" to rely on repetition than originality.However, as advertising legend David Ogilvy once stated, "The customer is not a moron, she is your wife." Breaking free of the babying means speaking to the people who might buy your product or service from your brand's unique and authentic brand personality. Haven't developed your brand's personality? Well, baby, it's time you consider it. Channel Your Inner Entrepreneur Every business person has at least an inkling of entrepreneurial spirit. If you founded your company, you have heaps of it. If you're in any director- or manager-level position, you have plenty. At the core of any entrepreneurial endeavor is a tolerance for risk. For some, this characteristic carries over to marketing and branding; for others, however, it's not as easy. If you're in that camp you must consciously tap that dormant drive to take a chance in order to make great rewards a possibility. In other words, there are times when it's beneficial to throw the baby out and the bathwater, and start a new risk-accepting, creative-encouraging brand development process. That time may just be today. Want to talk more about unleashing your brand? Feel free to CONTACT me anytime. #advertising #advertisingagency #creativity #creativedirector #hollandmi #hollandmiadvertisingagency #michiganadvertisingagency #adagency #adagencies #advertisingagencies #copywriting #copywriter #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #photoshop #photomanipulation #marketingplan #colaboration #affordable #marketingdirector #marketingmanager #CMO #brandbuilding

  • From The Marketing Director's Chair

    No, I've never sat in a marketing director's chair, but I've sat across from plenty of people who call it home. I don't envy them. Most are very hard-working folks with about twelve helpings of tasks and responsibilities on their plate, chief among them: producing the bulk of their company's advertising and marketing. Print ads, trade show displays, TV spots, social media posts and a host of other content must be conceptualized, created, and deployed in a never-ending stream of communication and hopefully, persuasion. Naturally, to keep it flowing, the marketing director relies on a team. The team may be internal, external, or a combination of the two. Also naturally, the last thing a marketing director wants to do is mess with a good thing. If her internal team is cranking out what needs cranking out, why fix the proverbial unbroken? If his outside agency or agencies are delivering the required content, that's one less headache. I get it. A high comfort level means lower stress. So low in stress, in fact, that in some situations the soothing sounds of sufficiency can drown out the captivating notes of a fresh, brand-building approach. Bottom line for marketing directors: never get too comfortable. Never stop seeking the creative sources that will not only deliver to, but disrupt your target market. Feel free to CONTACT me anytime for a wake up call you'll actually enjoy. #advertising #advertisingagency #creativity #creativedirector #hollandmi #hollandmiadvertisingagency #michiganadvertisingagency #adagency #adagencies #advertisingagencies #copywriting #copywriter #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #photoshop #photomanipulation #marketingplan #colaboration #affordable #marketingdirector #marketingmanager #CMO #VPmarketing

  • Good and Quick. Any Questions?

    I just received an email from a client, an excerpt of which is "dramatized" above. If you're looking to develop any kind of advertising, what more could you ask for? Creative work that you'll love, delivered when you want it, or even quicker. The project that sparked this ebullient email is in production. Once it's released I'll be adding it (as well as other completed projects for this client) to the WORK section of the Captivation Capital site. Emails and calls like this aren't rare around here. I do strategically-fueled creative work at competitive rates and deliver it on time. I hesitate to call hiring Captivation Capital a no brainer, because once you get me started on a project my brain will pounce on it like a hipster on a complementary demitasse of freetrade espresso. Let's just say that clicking here to CONTACT me should be the easiest decision you make today. #advertising #advertisingagency #creativity #creativedirector #hollandmi #hollandmiadvertisingagency #michiganadvertisingagency #adagency #adagencies #advertisingagencies #copywriting #copywriter #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #photoshop #photomanipulation #marketingplan #colaboration #speed #nimble

  • Kicking Off the New Year.

    2016 was a good year, and 2017 is already shaping up to be better. I feel like I'm kicking the year off with about 15 footballs simultaneously. Need more hours in the day (or more feet). I have advertising, collateral, web, and trade-related display projects in the works with everyone from relatively new clients to old friends. Despite the workload, now is a great time to get in on the fun, if you're seeking one-of-a-kind advertising creative. I do my best work under challenging circumstances and I'd love to hear your creative challenge! #advertising #advertisingagency #creativity #creativedirector #hollandmi #hollandmiadvertisingagency #michiganadvertisingagency #adagency #adagencies #advertisingagencies #copywriting #copywriter #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #magazinedesign #magazineredesign #photoshop #photomanipulation #summer #marketingplan #businessbook

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