"Make Your Advertising Dollars Work Harder..."
     
 
Forgot Password? | Register
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
  • JoomlaWorks AJAX Header Rotator
Ad Design
Image Manipulation

Effective advertising starts with getting attention. 

Sometimes, an unusual image is just the right thing to accomplish that.  
golfhead.jpg
[Click to Enlarge]

This image was created as the cover to a promotional package that included a golf outing. It was being presented in late winter to customers who would be waiting feverishly for spring and the chance to get out on the course.

The image was the whole cover of the piece and much larger than it appears on the page giving it more power. 

Just click on the image to blow it up and you'll get a better idea of the effect. 

 

 

 

 

 

Other times, what you need is the perfect image
fashion6.jpg
Final Result [Click to Enlarge] 

Like this one that we created for www.teenvibrations.com

We were looking for a young girl with hispanic roots, in a setting that potential customers would feel comfortable in, wearing the product.  

The budget didn't allow for use to do custom photography.

So we combined images to make the perfect image. 

  1. The girl was removed from her white background with special care to make sure we kept her hair intact.
  2. Then we added the mall scene behind her - carefully resizing it to remove the multistory aspect and to keep anthing that might be  identifiable out of the final image.
  3. Adding the jewelry came next. First it needed to be removed from the bust, then we needed to stretch it to fit the woman's neckline, and add in shadows and details to make it look like it was on the model when she was photographed.
  4. Finally, we changed the color of her jacket to better match the color of the jewelry.
Here are the source images:
fashion1workparts.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sometimes you just get lucky... 

ugly1.jpgHere the assignment was a picture to use as part of an Ugly Car Promotion. 

Grabbing a camera, I hit the streets and within 15 minutes ran across this beauty.  

 

By the way, you can click on any of the pictures for a larger version. 

 

 

 

 

ugly2.jpg Of course, we didn't want it to be too identifiable. The first step was to fog the windows up so you couldn't see the background.  Along the way a sponsoring radio station logo was removed from the front window. 

I also decided to primer the driver's door.  And I took off the license plate number.

 

 

 

 

 

ugly3.jpg Next we got rid of the rest of the background, highlighting the flat tires.  A shadow was added to make it a bit more realistic when it was put in the final poster. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ugly4.jpg Finally, to make it show up better on a white page...and because it was the least fashionable color I could come up with, I gave it a paint job of pale yellow.  And I gave it a Vanity Plate!

 

I later ran into the young man who owned the car and we had quite a laugh.  He said that his friends had seen it and wondered if it really was his car, so they had sought out a poster and decided that it had to be! 

 
Newpaper & Other Print

newspaper.png We can't read the newpaper in public.  It usually starts as a not-too-quiet muttering, but before long there are loud expressions of disapproval.  It's not the news, or dissatisfaction with a sports team. 

It's the ads.

We get a little upset by the blunders we see in way too many ads.  In fact, we have a checklist that you can download and use when you're looking at the proofs for your ads.

Or, better yet, give us a call and we'll take over the creation of your ads.  It's a little more than having the people at the paper do them for you, but it'll make you more money in the long run with more effective advertising.

And we'll be able to read the paper in public again.

 

 

Just click any of the examples to enlarge. 

 

 mamp-motorcycle.png  sunshinepumpperksad.png  
oph-coupon.png

Motorcycle Sale Ad for
MidAmerica MotoPlex. 

Full Page Ad for gas promotion
at Sunshine Foods 

Coupon ran in entertainment magazine
for Original Pancake House

 

 
Yellow Pages

yellowpages.png The Yellow Pages are an expensive weapon in your marketing arsenal, but they can have excellent Return On Investment - if you use them correctly.

Inline ads (those that are still in the alphabetical listings column) are cheaper than the display ads, and can be even more effective.  We often advise clients to make that move, or to cut the size or color of their display ad in order to do both.  It's even better if you have more than one number and use them to "test" which works better.

 

 

tires-yp.png
[Click to Enlarge]

 

Our biggest piece of advice...

is to not use standard yellow pages designs.  They are notoriously bad.  Just look at this example for an Auto Repair / Tire Shop that was opening it's first store in a new market.  We've included both the yellow pages design and our design to show you the difference.  Which do you think will be more effective ?

 

By the way, we were working through an independent marketing rep on that one and he said the Yellow Pages Salesperson asked if we might be available to help her with some special clients!

 
Fliers, Posters, and POS

signage.pngThey say you never get a second chance to make a first impression.  Customers notice the little things and they come together to give an impression of the overall quality of your company.  If you look like a highly successful company, people will act accordingly toward you.  That can come down to your bottom line, since your business will be perceived as having higher value and will not be as sensitive to pricing as they might be in a place they perceive as second-rate.

Given that, and the advent of computers, color copiers and laser printers, there is no reason for sloppy looking graphics in your place of business.

McColley Marketing Media can help you in two ways:

  • First, we can create custom design templates for your everyday signage, like toppers for display units.  We'll set it up so you can add text using everyday software, like Microsoft Word. You just add the text, hit print, and put the signs in your frames.
  • We can also create extra special signage or posters to promote special events.  Many of the color laser machines will print 11 x 17 in posters, which can be very valuable in grabbing attention.

Here are some examples of posters, fliers and other Point of Sale items we've created.  Just click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. 

 sunshineposter.png    
 20 x 28 inch Store Promotion Sign