Jun 2005
Aisle Be There - SuperTarget Has All The
Goods
06/20/05 09:16 AM
The
Ancient Art of
Alchemy,
with all its zeal for trying to find the
substance of immortality, was first
practiced during the Middle Ages and
managed to bring into the world such
wonderful things as
antimony
and
amalgams.
They sound so charming.
Modern Alchemy, with its zeal for trying to turn back time (and make a buck), is practiced on the Middle-Aged and has given baby boomers such palliatives as Rogaine and Viagra.
Indeed, turning "lead" into gold has never been so completely achieved.
Marketing Alchemy, a separate discipline entirely, has for years attempted to find a way to successfully blend retail and grocery - a middling problem for many of those who've attempted it.
Undated photo of early Marketing Alchemy. Researchers
at SuperTarget successfully synthesize fashion and food.
SuperTarget seems to have gotten it right. And not just with their stores, which cleanly stitch together fashion and food, but also with their own line of pantry products like Archer Farms and Sutton & Dodge Beef which are an aesthetic fusion of both sensory and design tastes. Plus, I gotta add, just a few months ago I got to try a SuperTarget "box-o-wine" that a friend had brought over on a whim. i was amazed by how good it was and just as bummed that its not available in Minnesota. Yet.
The radio spots for SuperTarget, called "60 second recipes", are a bit of a surprise as well. The temptation when producing radio commercials for something like this is to mention everything (loudly), while getting nowhere (quickly) and conveying nothing (convincingly). Bettina Gillen and Lisa Moudry, The writer/producer combo for this campaign, have smartly kept these recipe scripts as lean as is reasonable, while allowing us just enough of a sound-design leash to keep the spots interesting and focused.
We record the talent and "host of the show", Rose Abdoo, in our Minneapolis studio via ISDN Digital Patch using an APT 3d2 box dialed in to Voicecaster out in L.A. Rose really adds a nice and approachable energy to something that is not easy to do - mapping out a gourmet recipe, complete with products and directions, in under 60 seconds. And, while her name may not be immediately familiar to you, she's quite a busy actress who's currently working on a movie with George Clooney...
One unique aspect of recording, editing, and producing these spots is that it gives Greg, John and I a chance to hop into the recording studio booth and work some Foley magic - anything from pouring cans of peas, and grabbing utensils, to tossing salads and removing "food" from an "oven". Its an interesting way to add more originality to the spots while greatly enhancing the depth and breadth of our sound effect library.
Greg, getting some "food" from an "oven" - Our pal, Rose Abdoo - Me, "cooking" in Studio B' s "kitchen"
This radio campaign is savvy too with how and when the spots get aired - typically in afternoon drive and on weekends when people are likely to be out doing their Target runs while listening to the radio. As if that weren't enough, these" 60 second recipe" spots always give the SuperTarget website URL so, with just a couple of clicks, anyone can download the recipes, print coupons, and review special offers from the week.
SuperTarget doesn't yet offer a discount price on immortality, but you can get a nice porterhouse and the BBQ to grill it on.
And on a warm, sunny Summer afternoon in Minnesota, that might be close enough.
Here's a spot called "Balsamic Green Beans a Go-Go" that aired during the holidays. It features Greg at the controls and yours truly on the salad tongs...
Rose Abdoo can be booked through her agent, The William Morris Agency, in Beverly Hills
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Akers of Green - Eagles Money Kicker and LFG
Show Some Brotherly Love.
06/11/05 03:58 PM
Headlines
these days justifiably scream
about
corporate
malfeasance
or athletes on
"The
Juice".
Surprisingly, despite this trend, there's
still some true corporate good going on
out there and there's at least one sports
star who's head's not a steroid pumpkin.
Meet Lincoln Financial Group (LFG) and Philadelphia Eagles kicker, David Akers.
We got a chance to hang with David (briefly, anyway) and record a radio spot with him at Lincoln Financial Field as part of our ongoing work with LFG's advertising agency in Minneapolis, Martin|Williams.
David Akers, recording his radio commercial. This was take #2.
Regrettably, the trip for this recording session got off to a rocky start with a 4.5 hour delay out of Minneapolis due to nasty weather in Philadelphia. (What? More rain? In the Twin Cities we're already building Arks and collecting animals) With the downtime, I strolled the lengthy new C concourse at MSP airport; a cavernous reach of steel and glass with it's own tram line - and a Starbucks. Well, two of 'em, actually. From there, it was a smooth flight, a short cab ride, and a touchdown at the hotel pillow 'round 2AM.
Next day, I met up with writer Erik Kvålseth to review scripts, timings, recording approach and, most critically - where to eat lunch. With nothing but time to kill before our session we grabbed some Afghani food at Ariana in the Old City. Quite nice. Stuffed with red lentil dal, and with my "recording studio in a bag" in hand, we hopped into Erik's slick rental car and yachted down to "The Linc". There, on the field, we adjusted our eyes to something we hadn't seen in awhile - the Sun. Yes, Virginia, there still is a Sun.
We configured a makeshift recording studio in team owner Jeff Lurie's private suite at The Linc. David Akers was going to be reading a script about his charitable foundation called Kicks For Kids which, in a nutshell, works like so; for every field goal that he kicks, Lincoln Financial ponies up a thousand bucks. So, by my calculations, (and by looking at David's stats) Kicks For Kids scored at least $27,000.00 for local charities alone last year. Plus, David's made other significant donations. Money kicker indeed.
Mic's rigged, levels set, and recording initiated, David took a pass at the script. After just a few takes, David split the uprights with a pretty nice one that, in his words, was "perfect" - you'll hear it at the end of the spot.
Gig now over, Erik and I kept to our strategy of efficiency and exigency and grabbed a bite and a beer at Eulogy Belgian Tavern back in the Old City. Frankly, if you haven't had a Hoegaarden with lemon on a hot day, you have something to look forward to.
Unlike our bumpy flight back home to Muddyapolis.
Kicks For Kids reminds me of this quote from a certain Philadelphian who knew a thing or two about philanthropy, Ben Franklin...
"Energy and persistence conquer all things"
(or, in this instance, gives them a swift kick)
He also wisely said..."Fish and visitors smell in three days"
Lentils and beer probably only hasten that process. Good thing we weren't there long.
Here's, "I Kick Things"
The other voice in the radio spot is from disclaimer voice extraordinaire and all around good guy, John Wehrman. He can be found through Moore Creative Talent, inc.
The Local - The Best Place Downtown To Get
Some "Craic"
06/06/05 01:59 AM
Irish
pubs are a lot more than just whistle
stops where you can linger over a pint
after a long day (but they're not a bad
place to get the ball rolling). They
have a unique culture where you can hang
out, laugh, get a good meal, and hear
some music - what the Irish call,
"craic", or, to midwestern ears, "pretty
good times".
I've been lucky enough to visit a few of these authentic haunts working as the recording engineer on Summit Brewing Company's Good Will Beer Tour over the past few years. The vibe that permeates from every corner of "a local" in Ireland is that your amongst a group of convivial friends who are more than willing to share some elbow space, and a pint or two, with a stranger; a pretty different experience from the downtown Minneapolis bar scene.
(Well, other than the fact that both Minneapolis bars and Irish pubs now share a non-smoking policy that irks certain frequenters equally on either side of the Atlantic.)
The Local, seen through a pint glass during a Spring mist
Despite current trends, its nice to know that we have a place in downtown Minneapolis, The Local, that offers the flavor of an Irish Pub without the cliché that might occur from trying to be a flat-out mimic of one. The great pints, warm wood tones and comfortable conversation are there - as is the great pub fare, but the place is a thoughtful and sophisticated Irish/American blend. Don't believe me? - check out their webcam.
About a week ago, around the time our own soggy Irish Spring-like weather was finally beginning to dissipate, we worked on a few radio spots for The Local with Paula Maki, a writer from Fallon. The spots were meant to give a broader feel than those they have done in that past that have mainly focused on the Irish roots of the place. The promise of this campaign, that will be heard on Cities 97, is that it will showcase The Local's humor and sensibilities as well as its distinctiveness as a place to enjoy a pint and a conversation without the blaring techno beat and meat market milieu.
We were really pleased that the client, Peter Killen, from The Local, came down to the recording session for a few laughs during the voice-over tracking, editing, and mixing that was handled by John Lukas in recording studio B. John Farrell of NUTS was the announcer on all the radio spots while Scott Combs and Matt Sciple of Talent Poole were the main voices for "True Pint" & "Ladies Night"
And so, a toast to what we hope will be a successful radio campaign...
"Slainte" (insert your own "glass clinking" sound effects here)
Here's "True Pint"
And, as a chaser, "Ladies Night"
United Way gives us the 4-1-1 on 2-1-1
06/01/05 09:40 PM
Advertising
can be a satisfying domain in which to
work. It's creative, interesting,
challenging and, more often than not -
pretty amusing. One gets to hobnob with
actors, voice talent, musicians,
writers, directors, editors, and other
peculiar and charismatic personalities
and get paid for it.
Any and all references here to the "1st profession" are completely valid.
So, if you work in this medium long enough, its not uncommon to feel like all you might be doing is mixing an extra layer of noise onto societies backing track; a broad stroke of sheen and glitz with little lyricism or depth - Brittany Spears in microcosm.
Thankfully, there are occasions where all is rewarded. Such was the case this past week when we worked on some meaningful radio spots for the Greater Twin Cities United Way.
Reid Holmes, the writer from Campbell Mithun, penned scripts that voiced a simple fact; just donating a few ducats to United Way can have far-reaching effects. So, as these radio ads lay out, even the laziest of folks can show they've done something to aid life's greater causes. Lynda Crotty, the producer and a gifted writer in her own right, tossed in her edgy instincts to the production and casting which added to the final mixes.
For voice talent, we primarily went outside the Twin Cities and did a digipatch via ISDN with John Chominsky's Atlantis Group Recording in Santa Monica, CA. This was a no-brainer as his facility is known for its community work. He quickly added his presence by unearthing, in no particular order, a bag of carrots (don't ask), a boundary mic (likewise), and a well of patience that got all three spots in the can and produced in a timely fashion.
For this radio campaign, the spot "Dozer" might be the strongest. Stefan Marks, Tommy Smeltzer, and Twin Cities Playwright Patrick Coyle were asked to give the feel of a stodgy boardroom scene. Though, in this case, "bored-room" would be most accurate. Poor Patrick popped into Studio A here at Babble-On just to snore in the background.
Nevertheless, the spot is no snooze. And the resource line that the ad touts, 2-1-1 Minnesota, is a creative and smart solution for those who might not know where to turn when times get tough.
Hey, all that, and we all had fun getting it done.
Here's "Dozer"...
Other talent involved in the project were Joe Mortimer, Salli Saffioti, and Melanie Chartoff of CED and Roger Scott of SBV.
Stefan Marks is listed with CED, Tommy Smelzer with ICM, and Patrick Coyle can be found locally through Wehmann Models and talent, inc.