Marketing Macabre

Macabre. Synonyms: appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, horrible, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible. So what's KILLING your marketing? You produce great content for your newsletter or blog, but can't get customers to read it, let alone open it.

Well, one fun way to get your emails opened and your offers responded to is with cartoons! Yes, CARTOONS! Almost everyone will take a few seconds out of their day to read a comic strip or look at a funny picture. And a few seconds is all you need to grab their attention!

No matter what your business or industry, think outside the box for a minute and do what everyone else isn't. Did you know that there is a wealth of bizarre, unique, and otherwise special holidays every day of the year? Today, for instance, is "TV Talk Show Host Day".

Now combine this "unique holiday" with a "special offer". One of the number one rules in marketing is stay in front of your prospects. They will buy when they are ready. So even if they aren't ready for your product or service today, you're likely to at least get a laugh. And a laugh means they like you. And if they like you, they are more likely to buy from you at some point.

Now, once you have catered your marketing to incorporate a bizarre holiday, you can visually grab the reader's attention with a uniquely creative cartoon. At VoogDesigns, we produce high quality custom cartoons, comic strips and caricatures for clients like you, that are designed to BRING LIFE BACK to your marketing.

P.S. What's MORE important than 10,000 twitter followers and 500 facebook friends? Send us an email to discuss a marketing strategy for your business, and we'll send you back this MOST IMPORTANT piece of information. You'll never bore your customers again. Get your emails read and your offers opened using our custom cartoons, comic strips and caricatures. In fact, rather than deleting your emails, they'll be waiting to get the next one!

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Art Academy Welcomes New Patrons

Ready to "DRAW" Partner? School is back in session and so is the VoogDesigns Art Academy!

Over the summer we were fortunate enough to make two new connections, which has allowed us to reach out and help even more students learn about the magic and joy that comes from drawing.

We are proud to now teach for the following patrons:

• Golden Valley Charter Schools
• Boys and Girls Club of Moorpark

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you!

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A Tale of a Tail

Date: 2011-05-07, 9:54AM PDT Animator/Concept Designer

Seeking someone to assist in initial designs for 3 interactive, family oriented eBooks. Characters range from human, animal, and graffiti. Stories are complete and written in rhyme. Hand drawn or computer skills fine. Open to style, but loose and elastic preferred (Disney / Pixar for example). Initially, three pages of Character Design or Story Illustrations would be sufficient. Forwarding of website or samples appreciated.

And that is how it all started. Over a year ago, I have been collaborating with Gary Frutkoff, a wonderful gentleman and founder of iTaleStudios, who has entrusted in me the privilege of bringing 2 of his 3 stories to life.

I'll share some fun stories in future posts, but for now, I'd like to introduce to you...

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A Brave Birthday

Red Rider. For me, like many others, those words bring only one movie to mind, A Christmas Story. And just like little Ralphie was obsessed with getting his Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas, my daughter was persistent about getting a Bow and Arrow set for her birthday after seeing Disney's 'Brave'.

So as a tribute to the movie, I created this fun Brave Banner for the birthday girl.

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'Braving' the Anticipation

Patience. Try telling a 10 year old girl that is anxiously awaiting to see the newest Disney-Pixar film that she needs to wait a week to see it.

Due to my work schedule and her summer activities, we were not able to see Disney's 'Brave' until this week. I promised her that I would take her and a friend to see the film at the historic El Capitan Theater on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. And WOW was the wait worth it!

We arrived at 9:30am for the 10:00am showing. Upon entering the lobby there was a great photo display set up for taking some memorable photos of the occasion. Then of course we stopped by the concession booth to grab a little something before finding our seats. (Nothing like an over-sized bag of popcorn for breakfast!)

The ambiance inside the theater was 100% Hollywood, with the velvet curtains, balconies and colorful lighting. A organ player was even on stage to resurrect classical musical melodies from Disney films of old. When at last, several screens began to retract upward, one after another until the movie screen was unveiled for us to watch the previews of all the newest Disney films in the works. Then the curtains dropped again, reminiscent of the way movies used to be preparing us for a big surprise.

Spotlights suddenly illuminated a group of entertainers who performed songs from Hollywood's best musicals while they introduced Disney's beloved characters to the stage! As soon as Donald appeared I found myself grinning ear-to-ear as if I was transported back in time to being a kid all over again. It was the most amazing feeling, and one that continued throughout the entire performance. We saw Mike and Sully, Buzz and Woody, Donald, Goofy and of course, Minnie and Mickey! To top it all off, they added a special patriotic performance for an Independence Day celebration!

The show ended with an appearance from Merida, before the curtains opened one last time to show the movie. Not only was 'Brave' stunningly beautiful to watch, with all the cinematic scenery, I thoroughly enjoyed the story as well. And as much as we've heard about the "Disney Formula" for making movies, it once again works.
Although this was a daddy/daughter day, I recommend that mothers and daughters see this movie see together as well. It tackles the struggle that so often happens as girls mature, leading to sometimes very nasty arguments with their mothers.

The afternoon ended with a trip to Mickey's Soda Shop which is right next door to the theater. We enjoyed a nice lunch and dessert before heading back home. This was another magical afternoon that this father will continue to cherish before his daughter grows up.

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Exercise Creativity

Go Play. As kids our parents often told us to "Go outside and play." It's not until we become parents ourselves that we fathom the wisdom of their ramblings. While many artistic people believe that it is going outdoors for a run that eases their 'block' in composition, scientific evidence suggests it's physical exercise, or playing.

Musicians, artists and writers say running can aid their creative thinking.  

“Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible.” (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar).

Physical Exercise, Mood and Creativity
The  ideas was debated in sports science 10-15 years ago that physical exercise could enhance creative thinking. Some scientists found that exercise enhanced creativity occasionally. Other scientists researched the impact of various physical activities on mood and found that for some sports a single session could improve an individual’s mood.

Physical Exercise Enhances Creativity
In 1997, Scientific evidence of a definite link was reported between exercise and creativity – giving some support to the stories of artistic runners. Psychologists found that exercising or playing enhanced an individual’s creativity. Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Volume 31, Issue 3), Steinberg and colleagues from Middlesex University, United Kingdom reported findings that mood and creativity were improved by physical exercise independently of each other.

Exercise for Creative Breakthroughs
The Runner’s World Guide to Running states that running ‘helps you to reach creative breakthroughs’ (p.25). Psychological research has found that bodily movement can enhance creative thinking. This supports the belief held by many men and women that going for a run can help them problem solve and overcome mental blocks. Running as a creative outlet can also bring wider benefits to health and wellbeing.

Benefits of Creativity
Studies have shown that there are several wider health and social benefits to creativity. Most creativity experts do agree that the benefits of creative expression include:

• Concentration on creative works strengthen the immune system
• Creativity releases emotions, reduces pain and contributes to repair of physical injury
• Personalised creations – of music, art, storytelling and writing – can lift self-esteem

If exercise can enhance our creativity regardless of our mood and bring such rewards, then let's "Go outside and play!"

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Draw In Your Audience With A Comic Strip

Just like public speakers begin their seminars with a joke to get the attention of their audience, using comic strips can help brand your marketing and drive home important messages. Although surprisingly inexpensive to acquire, humor can be one of your most powerful marketing tools.

Humor puts your readers at ease. Readers appreciate a touch of humor in an otherwise overly serious world. Humor operates on an emotional level, driving home your message in a far more memorable way than words alone. Humor makes sensitive topics more approachable while summarizing and reinforcing points that would otherwise be lost.

Why does this make comic strips perfect for print communications? Because readers will typically check them out before reading the adjacent articles. More importantly, comic strips communicate at a glance. A comic strip can attract your reader’s attention and drive home an important point in a memorable way.

Humor also adds a visual dimension to your marketing, differentiating your message from your competitor’s. Comic strips encourage readers to look at topics they might otherwise skip.

Where do you get custom created comic strips that market your message? If you see a comic strip you like on a blog or website, write the cartoonist in care of the publication and ask about availability and pricing. If there is a particular cartoonist whose style you like, contact the cartoonist about a custom comic strip. This has worked very well for Bruce Sallan and he owns total rights to use the comic strip as he wishes.

Comic strips are great for the home page of your website, newsletters, training materials and presentation visuals. In each case, the unexpectedness of a comic strip immediately captures your audience or reader’s attention and visually reinforces your message.

Using humor in the form of comic strips is a powerful way to brand your marketing and drive home important messages to your prospects and clients. Not only are comic strips fun, it’s easy to get started and they work like magic to increase sales and attract brand new clients. Contact VoogDesigns@gmail.com for a creative consultation to discuss your custom comic strip today.

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