Test advertising leader, The Napoleon Group, turns to Simian to enhance collaboration, boost productivity and extend sales reach.
For The Napoleon Group, New York, the Simian media management platform has become an integral part of virtually everything it does. The company uses Simian‘s Custom Branded Microsite Generator® to create client presentations and manage projects as they move from concept through production and post, as well as the cataloging and management of their vast storehouse of media files, which includes, not only audio and video files, but also storyboards, animatics, and hybrid media. The company’s sales team utilizes Simian to deliver marketing media and Real Time Analytics® to manage and meet their goals.
“Simian is fluid and easy,” says Napoleon Group President Doug Miller. “We use it to post work for our clients, making it easy for them to monitor their projects at different stages, and view related elements and assets. We can show them anything from a wire frame to a color treatment or rough cuts and even samples of our work. It works very well for us.”
The Napoleon Group has been producing test advertising for the biggest ad agencies in New York and elsewhere for more than 30 years, and has successfully responded to the innumerable changes that have affected the industry over that time. A few years ago, the weak economy caused advertising budgets to tighten just as the test advertising business was expanding from a traditional 2D model to other models such as 3D. In addition, advertising was quickly spreading from television and radio to the web and mobile. Agencies were clamoring for more advanced and diverse products at a lower cost.
The Napoleon Group responded by upping its game. “We analyzed and revamped our pipelines to produce a broader range of products,” recalls Miller. “We reformulated everything about the way we do business and we’ve come back stronger than ever.”
The company invested in new technology and highly skilled workers that have enabled it to boost productivity while constraining costs. It also added production resources, including a new state-of-the-art shooting stage, limiting its reliance on outside vendors. As a result, it has not only been able to more than hold its own in New York’s rough-and-tumble advertising community, it has expanded its reach to agencies across the United States and Europe.
As part of its modernization, The Napoleon Group adopted Simian as its sole media management platform two years ago. This integration has helped the company achieve further improvements in production efficiency. Simian‘s project management tools have proven a great way for designers, producers and artists to create, share and build ideas. It’s also facilitated faster and closer collaboration with clients.
Miller explains that as the company moved into 3D production and diversified the types of test advertising it produces, its repository of media assets quickly grew. “We were having a difficult time managing media,” he says. “Simian has allowed us to manage media content through several departments with seamless integration. Our whole team has been impressed with the frequent upgrades, product customization and Simian‘s constant attention to our company’s needs.”
Miller adds that Simian is constantly being upgraded, so that it keeps pace as The Napoleon Group‘s needs evolve. “Simian has responded quickly, they have integrity and they keep the product at a consistently high level,” he observes
Contact:Brian Atton Simian 310.736.1363 Contact Brian via email
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“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More