BARGAIN OR RIP OFF? POINT OF REFERENCE DICTATES WHICH.

BARGAIN OR RIP OFF? POINT OF REFERENCE DICTATES WHICH.

When I was in college, I bought my ties at Macy’s for about $30 per tie.  It’s where my other tie-wearing friends bought theirs.  One day I discovered Marshall’s and was looking at designer ties alongside an elderly couple.  I remember the man exclaiming to his wife: “I can’t believe these ties cost $10.”  I was thinking the same thing.  We were on the same page- except he was complaining that the ties were 10 bucks, while I was praising my good fortune.  How come we looked at the exact same ties and one of us thought we were being ripped off, while the other was thrilled at the great bargain?  It was because of our “point of reference.”  In my mind ties cost $30; the elderly man thought ties shouldn’t cost more than $3.  Neither of us were wrong, it’s just our life experiences were different. (just as there are people reading this who wouldn’t be caught dead in a $30 tie). Customer Expectations These experiences often dictate what we see as a good value.  When I was a kid candy bars cost no more than 35 cents.  Today, they’re about a buck.  But since in my mind they should only be 35 cents, I haven’t bought a candy bar in years.  Not because I’m cheap or because I don’t like candy bars, but because I always think I’m being ripped off.  My point of reference is based on when I used to buy lots of candy bars, and no matter how much evidence I see to the contrary, psychologically, candy bars are 35 cents. Period. (or they’re handed out for free on Halloween). So why’s this important?  Because...

DIARY OF AN ADMAN Advertising Plays Fun Role in David Ligon Films David Ligon, Creative Principal, Sacramento September 16, 2014 Since my last article dealt with clichéd local ads, I thought it might be fun to post some of the silly ads that I have done in my short films. While writing the last post, I realized that advertising is a consistent theme in my movies. (hint: mouseover name of film for a brief synopsis). Either I create commercials inside the movie (“as advertised”; “Inside Scoop”; “Terror Detectives”), or a phony brochure (“Meow!”); or discuss advertising (“Portrait of a Red Light Woman”; “Ménage à Ted”); or simply used actual creative work as a backdrop for an office because the character presumably works in advertising (“Pilgrimage to Becca”). Since I create comedies, I try to make it humorous too.  I assembled this little montage of advertising in my films. Although out of context, they’re still kind of fun and I think safe for work – ish. (although if you are easily offended, I would recommend not watching).  Unfortunately, most of these are pre-high definition. In order of clips – “as advertised” (actor: David Ligon; vocals: Dan Wallace), “Terror Detectives” (actors: Sean Morneau, Cameron Johnson; vocals: Dan Wallace), “Inside Scoop” (actors: Rae Wright, Vincent Dee Miles; vocals: Dan Wallace), “Meow!” (actor: Galen Howard; voiceover: Mark Hoffman), “Portrait of a Red Light Woman” (actor: Sean Morneau), “Pilgrimage to Becca” (actors: Kelly Symone, Galen Howard), “Ménage à Ted” (actors: Cameron Johnson, Sean Morneau, Vincent Dee Miles, Justin Blenkle, Rae Wright (on computer screen)) and “as advertised” (actor: David Ligon; vocals: Dan Wallace). Contact Us If you like, share. If you don’t like,...
CREATE ORIGINAL TV COMMERCIALS – THINK HARDER

CREATE ORIGINAL TV COMMERCIALS – THINK HARDER

I have a sign on my wall I wrote that simply reads: “If it’s not original, think harder.”  So if I ever make this suggestion: “We should mimic those ‘the most interesting man in the world’ commercials – it’ll be good … and so funny.”  You have my permission to slap me.  The commercial will not be good nor funny, it will simply be bad.  Really bad.  I can’t stress enough how bad it will be.  Because unless you are really talented — you cannot, will not, and should not try and pull it off.  You will fail.  Miserably. And then have to face the embarrassment of these commercials on TV. Because I have seen way too many local commercials (and let’s be frank, late night national ones too) that are so terrible, I started a file on my computer entitled “God Awful Local Commercials.”  I haven’t decided if I’m going to contact these companies to let them know just how bad their commercials are.  I suspect they already know.  Maybe not.  I’m certainly not going to publically mention them here, although if you are familiar with local Sacramento TV commercials you might be able to figure out who I am referencing in some of my examples here. Let me state I don’t mean every local commercial falls into this category.  There are a lot of good ones, but there are those that just leave me shaking my head wondering how someone could’ve created this and actually charged money.  And how a client could have approved the concept when presented with it. In a nutshell the problem with most local commercials is the people who...
BUILDING PRACTICAL WEBSITES

BUILDING PRACTICAL WEBSITES

Since Ed Goldman mentioned me in his Sacramento Business Journal column today as the programmer of his new website, I thought this would be a good time to write about websites. When Ligon Media designs websites, we typically have two types of clients. Type A is the client who hands us the keys and tells us what they need and we design a website around those needs. Type B is the client who sketches out the website and then tells us how to design the website and we are told to do it their way. Period. This article is for the Type B client. (and yes, I know, I have the characteristics of Type A and Type B personalities backwards here.) If you decide to do the website yourself, or have someone design the website but want something very specific (i.e. tell them how to do their job) here are a few things to remember. Research. Be sure to research other websites, especially those that are in your fields. For example, if you are a restaurant, take a look at other restaurant websites. Not just ones in your city, but across the country. Look for things that are similar, things that are done well, colors that are used (on a side note, colors should not clash with your logo), and any particular calls to action. Make a list of everything you love about a website and everything you don’t like. And use this as your starting point.  Take special note of any new trends you start seeing. Fonts. When possible, use fonts instead of graphics. If you look on...
IMPORTANCE OF ADDING SOUND EFFECTS TO YOUR VIDEO

IMPORTANCE OF ADDING SOUND EFFECTS TO YOUR VIDEO

I’m always surprised to see professionally produced videos which lack some of the basics – off camera audio, steady camera and good lighting, just to name a few.  One of the things that is often overlooked is the importance of adding additional sound effects – Foley.  Foley can be the difference between a believable scene and one that leaves the viewer with the feeling that something was missing.  The next time you see a movie with a couple talking in a coffee shop listen to the background audio.  If it’s done well, you’ll hear things like cars from the street, a distant bell of the door opening, dishes clinking, a cash register, the murmur of people speaking, footsteps as someone walks by, a laugh … the possibilities are endless.  While this may sound like a lot, adding these effects gives realism to a scene.  Most likely the scene was shot with all the background actors miming conversation, but actually being silent.  The only folks doing any talking are the actors the camera is focused on. It’s not just movie scenes that need sound effects.  Even in commercials and industrial videos sound effects can be crucial.  And often it’s the little things the viewer doesn’t notice (and a good sound effect is something you don’t notice, but enhances it anyway … like the description above with something as subtle as dishes clanking).  Like when a graphic zips across the screen and there’s a slight swoosh that follows it; or as letters are being etched into the side of a brick building, hearing the destruction of the brick as the letters materialize. In...
LIGON MEDIA GETS FACELIFT … NEW NAME “JOAN RIVERS CREATIVE” (not really)

LIGON MEDIA GETS FACELIFT … NEW NAME “JOAN RIVERS CREATIVE” (not really)

My summer vacation is over.  I didn’t go to the beach, or the mountains.  Didn’t see the family.  No movies, plays or concerts. Nope.  I sat at my desk, in my well-worn chair in beautiful Sacramento, and built a new website for Ligon Media.  That’s what happens when you own the company.  You work. Our site has been completely redesigned, using some of the latest enhancements.  This may mean that older computers can’t view it, and that’s a shame, but as technology moves forward you have to make a decision of where you want to be.  Building something that is dated so everyone can view, or use some of the latest technology and design techniques, but in doing so running the risk of limiting your audience. It’s always a dilemma we deal with with our clients.  What to advise? Here’s the catch, every situation is different.  A few years back I had a client who couldn’t view the DVDs we burned.  Can’t we burn them differently?  Well, no. Their DVD player was old, so the answer was to buy a newer DVD player.  Old stuff doesn’t always work with new technology.  But on the other hand, you need to understand where your target audience is in the marketplace.  If the vast majority of your customers are seniors, then Twitter, Facebook and text messaging campaigns are probably not the ideal way to reach your customers. Traditional communications are. So when I decided (I’m the owner, I get to make decisions) to design the new website for Ligon Media, I looked around at what I liked, what I wanted, and ultimately,...