Now that turkey day is over, it’s time to roll out the holiday spirit. Oftentimes, advertisements get us excited for the season and we think the ads below are some of this year’s best.  Watch and enjoy, because we can’t think of a better way to spread some cheer.

1.       Cartier, Winter Tale

Agency: Marcel Worldwide

Though Cartier’s spring 2012 L’Odyssée de Cartier left some consumers scratching their heads, the company’s 2012 holiday campaign is simply beautiful. Its animation of a tiny jaguar climbing through the snowy branches of a Christmas tree amid a variety of glittering Cartier gems is dreamlike, and we think, makes it a must-see.

http://youtu.be/9RZPmKC2c2o

2.       John Lewis, The Journey

Agency: Adam & Eve DDB

UK retailer John Lewis released its 2012 holiday commercial, and if you thought The Notebook was romantic, just wait until you see this. Following in the footsteps of the company’s widely praised 2011 ad, The Journey tells the tale of a snowman on an epic journey to get a new scarf and gloves for his snowy sweetheart. This one stirs up warm and fuzzy holiday feelings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N8axp9nHNU

3.       NBA, BIG Color

Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners

Some ads conjure warm feelings of nostalgia and this commercial does just that by adding a modern twist to a holiday classic. This NBA spot features basketball greats Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook and Joe Johnson. The bouncing balls may seem random at first, but you’ll quickly recognize a familiar tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isPm79xTzM4

4.       Gap, Love Comes in Every Shade

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather

Gap commercials are always cheery and bright, and this year’s holiday ad is no exception. Gap's 2012 print and commercial ads feature celebrities, such as rapper Nas and his father blues musician Olu Dara, actress Aubrey Plaza and musician Greg Rogove, to name a few. The various ads exemplify the different kinds of love, from father and son to soul mates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrpH2-gv8zM

5.       Morrisons, For Your Christmas

Agency: DLKW Lowe

The holidays are a time of love and joy; however, if you’re the one preparing the parties and feasts, it can also be stressful. Morrisons’ 2012 ad empathizes with a frustrated woman prepping for the holidays. She lists the things she has to do, from inviting guests to dinner and helping her son in the Christmas pageant, to preparing the turkey. The combination of light-hearted humor and an optimistic ending makes this one of the best holiday ads of the year.

http://youtu.be/Uk1F1uynims

Last week, Facebook standardized its Timeline platform for Brand Pages.  The new Timeline layout premiered last fall for profile users marking the social network’s most drastic layout change.

While the change to the Timeline format may have caught some online traditionalists off guard, as PR and marketing professionals, we think there are advantages to the new display.

The Timeline Brand Page has opportunities for businesses to engage visitors. For example, the layout offers a "cover photo" display at the top of the page which functions as a billboard for the brand.  Additionally, Brand Pages have the advantage of pinning the most important content so it appears first on its Timeline.

But what social media managers may find most useful from all of the new features is the Timeline’s archival function which chronicles the brand’s history into a compelling story. Companies like Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and McDonald's are using this feature to create a more personal experience between its brand and consumers.

What do you think about the layout of the Facebook Timeline? Is it good for brands?

Marking its “strongest iPad launch yet”, Apple recently announced that its third-generation tablet device sold more than three million units worldwide and in just four days. The latest iPad delivers a variety of new features including an enhanced camera and processor, 4G LTE compatiblity, and its most buzzed-about improvement -- its Retina Display.

But what is Retina Display and why is it getting so much attention?  Apple boasts that the new-and-improved iPad features a resolution that nearly doubles that of its predecessor producing four times the pixels of the iPad 2 and one million more pixels than an HDTV. Watch your favorite movie in crystal-clear quality. Read the fine-print of the New York Times’ best-seller. Or, play the internet’s latest game in High-Def. Consumers are raving that the iPad’s razor-sharp display provides an experience like never before.

At Res Publica Group and 36i, our services complement the full-scale of wireless technology; designing programs for and using handheld devices to advance a number of client projects. So, we are excited about the improved capabilities of the new iPad device. But, we want to hear from you. What do you think of the new iPad? Share your comments below. 

On your TV, the El, your Facebook feed, even the Wabash Ave. bridge – it seems everywhere you turn there’s an advertisement vying for your attention. In fact, it’s been said that the average American is exposed to as many as 3,000 ads each day.

Finding new and innovative marketing tactics can be challenging. To capture the attention of stakeholder audiences, marketers know they must be original and strategic. Take for example Plan UK, a not-for-profit organization that helps children in third-world countries. A first-of-its-kind, the company is currently trialing new outdoor digital ads that use high-definition cameras to determine the sex of its viewer before displaying a gender-specific ad.

The built-in system is 90 percent accurate in identifying its male and female onlookers. As a female passerby, you will see a 40-second spot promoting female education in developing countries. Males, however, are taken to the Plan UK website to convey how it feels “to have basic choices taken away.” The campaign runs for two weeks in the hopes of raising $40,000 in donations.

What do you think of gender-controlled advertising? Is it smart? Here to stay? What other ways will technology impact the marketing world? We know we’ll be watching. 

“What is that actor's name again? You know, the one from that movie?” More often than not, our response is, "I’ll Google it."

Today, we can find the answer to almost any question with only a few keystrokes. But, is this expediency helping or hurting us? A new study out of Columbia argues that, in the long-run, it may actually be a disabling convenience. 

According to the neuroscientist-led study, the world’s largest search engine has transformed the way we remember information – because we don’t. After four experiments testing participants’ memory of searchable information, the study found that we remember where to search for information but have forgotten the information itself.

“People actively do not make the effort to remember when they think they can look up information later,” the study’s authors write.

So how dependent on the internet are we really? The study went so far as to compare losing a SmartPhone and hence, our ability to easily access the internet, to the experience of losing a friend.

Do you suffer from the “Google effect?” Leave your comments below.

It’s that time of the year. The time when we take a moment to extend well-wishes to our friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances to let them know that they are important to us.

The postal service expects to handle about 16.5 billion cards, letters and packages between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. However, the USA Today estimates that one billion fewer holiday cards will be sent in the mail this year in favor of the popular e-cards, distributed via email or an online service. 

We’ve created all kinds of holiday greetings on behalf of our clients and our firm. Here’s a digital card we created last year for our client, Wirtz Beverage Group. And, below you will see how our firm spread holiday cheer to clients and friends this year.

Whether you’re a fan of traditional cards or e-cards, we can all agree that there’s something special about receiving a holiday greeting. So, from all of us at Res Publica Group and 36i – happy holidays and best wishes for a safe and happy New Year. 

To strengthen its relationship with advertisers, today Twitter joined the ranks of its social media siblings – Facebook and Google – by launching brand pages. We recently wrote about Google+ extending its functionality for brand and business pages in this post.

So, what are Twitter brand pages and how can you use them as part of a greater marketing strategy?

Brand pages have a few key elements:

1.  Design: Pages can now be customized with large header images. Advertisers can use this to prominently display logos, taglines and product shots.  Brands can also choose a tweet to keep at the top of their time line. Customize your “top tweet” by embedding a photo from Flickr or a YouTube video.

2.       Interaction:  Brand’s @ replies and mentions are now separated from its feed. That means companies can respond to users without “diluting” it’s messaging.

Already, top organizations like American Express, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Nike and Paramount Pictures have signed up.  Learn how these organizations are using Twitter brand pages to add to their marketing strategies, here.

According to Twitter insiders, the move is just one part of a more comprehensive redesign strategy. Stayed tuned, we know we will. 

More than a communications firm, Res Publica Group assists clients with top to bottom communication strategies executing a wide range of website design and development projects on their behalf.

To support current and upcoming efforts, we are seeking a web designer and developer intern to assist our team with the upkeep and creation of a wide range of web-based projects.

Requirements and skills of an ideal candidate include:

·     Proficiency in HTML, JavaScript.

·     Knowledge of ASP.net, PHP and CMS Platforms.

·     Basic understanding of web design standards and concepts.

·     Strong verbal communication skills.

·     Basic understanding of flash. Basic video editing skills a plus.

While working in teamwork with the staff at Res Publica Group, responsibilities of a web design intern include:

·     Collaborate with the Chief Creative Officer on client websites and web-based projects.

·     Assist with the upkeep and updating of client websites and web-based projects.

Intern's schedule is flexible; however preferred availability is 3 full days per week at our Michigan Avenue offices. The duration of the internship is 3 months, with potential to go beyond. Intern will receive a compensation of $10 per hour. 

Interested candidates should contact Chief Creative Officer, Travis Schoening at Travis@res36i.com with a resume and design/programming samples by December 14, 2011 to be considered. 

36i, a division of Res Publica Group, is a full service website design and interactive strategies firm. Often irreverent. Occasionally outrageous. Always effective. We help clients break through the clutter to make their point. Learn more about 36i and its parent company, Res Publica Group.

A new study examined the CTR (click through rate) for links posted to the news feed by Facebook Pages. The study, performed by analytics provider EdgeRank Checker, found on average links posted by Facebook Pages receive 1 click per 1,000 fans.

Ultimately, these figures give marketers and communication specialists an idea of how many Facebook fans they’ll need to drive significant traffic to external websites.

Other interesting findings from the study include:

• ·         Most major brands have 100,000 fans.
• ·         Posts on Wednesday receive the most clicks and shares, while posts on Fridays receive the fewest.
• ·         Links posted by Pages have nearly three times the CTR of Facebook ads.

Facebook Pages can be a useful marketing channel and an important component of your online strategy. To find link click metrics of your Facebook Page, click the Insights button on the left side of your Page.

Click here to see just one of the Fan Pages executed by Res Publica Group and 36i.

Data based on 84,000 link posts by more than 5,500 Facebook Pages in October. 

When it comes to technology and communication - we're always asking ourselves, "What's next?" That is why we launched our interactive web division 36i to further our clients' communication needs. It is also why we updated our business cards to feature QR codes.

Why? Access.

QR codes, or Quick Response codes, present the opportunity to offer more than just your name, telephone number, and email address. When the QR code on the business card of a Res Publica Group or 36i employee is scanned, the user is directed to that person's bio, including their LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.

We want you to know more about us.

A study conducted June 2011 revealed that 14 million mobile users in the U.S. have scanned a QR code on their mobile device. It shows that people want access to information immediately.

At Res Publica Group and 36i, we use QR codes to enhance clients' marketing and communication efforts. Given the popularity of SmartPhones and Droids, we see this as a trend that will likely stick around.