When Smith Brothers Agency landed the national launch of Red Bull’s first-ever new flavors, they turned to Animal, Inc for help. With a small team, and an even tighter deadline, the Animal team, led by director Samm Hodges, designed a :30 & :15 to announce Red Bull’s three new flavors: cranberry, lime and blueberry.nnThe only creative mandate was to use the new cans – and those cans only – to tell the story. nnThe idea of flight in some ways is a straightforward choice for Red Bull, who of course, “gives you wings.” Characterizing that flight as something unique and compelling on a crazy tight turnaround was a little less straightforward. Animal‘s Samm Hodges said, “We immediately came to the conclusion that we didn’t want to have the cans form any man-made object like planes or jet turbines. Instead, we took cues from nature, especially the flocking of birds and fractal patterns to communicate flight in a more abstract way. It took a little custom coding and a lot of trial and error, but we ended up with something everyone involved was really proud of.”nnThe cg team, headed up by lead cg artist Lenny Wilson, had about four weeks to make more than 40,000 cans take flight. nn
nView ‘Flight’ here. nnMedia placement includes massive YouTube and Spotify preroll buys, ESPN and MTV website takeovers, NBA playoff banners, and massive outdoor LCD screens at Penn Station and Victory Park.nnCreditsnAd Agency Smith Brothers Agency, Pittsburgh, PAnCo-Chief Creative Officers Lindsey & Bronson SmithnExecutive Creative Director/Digital Brian MoorenCreative Director/Writer Cathy BowennArt Director Geoff HoskinsonnAccount Supervisor Kelly McCormicknAssociate Director of Production Sam KesslernProduction Company: AnimalnDirector: Samm HodgesnCreative Director: Michael KillennExecutive Producer: Kathy DziubeknCG Lead: Lenny WilsonnAnimator: Carver KoallanAnimator: Marcin ZeglinskinAnimator: Julio ClavijonAnimator: Hannes WeikertnEditor: Steve HoovernColorist: Allan Stallard nProducer: Nathan VoltznAssociate Producer: Ally OleyniknnAbout AnimalnFounded in 2001 by director and vfx artist Michael Killen, vfx artist Jim Kreitzburg and Executive Producer Kathy Dziubek, Animal operates as a lean, multi-disciplinary studio, partnering with national and international brands and advertising agencies to deliver world-class visual effects and transmedia for the broadcast, broadband and feature film worlds.nnAnimal interweaves post production and production, providing creative and technical involvement at the conceptual stage, as well as on set supervision and custom-tailored services across the range of offerings from both studios, including motion graphics, visual effects and CGI, color grading, finishing and compositing.nnFor more information, please visit www.animaleast.com
Kathy Dziubek Animal 412-566-5656 Contact Kathy via email
Sonic Branding For Social Media: Engage, Align, Connect
By Chad Cook -- With more than five billion people accessing social media daily, savvy brands understand the importance of cultivating a strong social identity. They devote massive resources toward brand awareness, audience targeting, content strategy and community engagement. Yet, while they know that social platforms are critical to boosting sales and attracting new customers, many neglect one of the most effective tools for connecting with consumers: sonic branding. Marketers often associate sonic branding with catchy mnemonics used by big brands like McDonald’s, Netflix and Intel in their advertising. But that is a very limited view of what sonic branding is and what it can do. Sonic branding is a way to build awareness and stimulate engagement across all touch points, from advertising to broadcast digital, in-person and social. And it’s not limited to members of the Fortune 500. Brands at all levels can benefit from a sonic identity that is memorable, engaging and reflective of its core values. Sound has been scientifically proven to be deeply tied to memory and emotion. There’s a reason that certain songs stick in your head and bring back memories formed years or even decades earlier. So, it’s surprising that sonic branding is often an afterthought in marketing plans. That is especially true in social media marketing. Faced with tight deadlines and strained budgets, creative teams are often tempted to select music for their content simply because it “fits.” Unfortunately, that may result in content that is in tune with what’s trending but is out of tune with brand identity. Effective sonic branding, by contrast, requires thoughtful strategic planning,... Read More