Cognetix Marketing, Advertising, Graphic Design, Web Design & PR Blog

By Lauren Verdi

On June 18, 2009 The Charleston AMA (American Marketing Association) hosted their Summer Social.  This was no ordinary AMA meeting, professionals were brought together to network with each other, promote themselves, and collaborate as marketers.

 When I heard about this event, I couldn’t wait for it to draw near. I was excited to meet new people, network, represent Cognetix, and enjoy a late afternoon on a yacht cruising through the Charleston harbor.

 In preparation for this event, I spent earlier that day creating my own business cards to pass out to good contacts and relevant professionals.

 When it was getting close to boarding time, a few of us ladies from the “Coghead’s Team” headed from the office to Ripley’s Point. When we arrived we were greeted by friendly gentleman at the dock to help us board the boat. The boat had plenty of room for mingling and networking. The ambiance was very relaxing and inviting. The food was catered by Heights of Charleston that included Polynesian treats of cheese, crackers, fruit, meatballs, and other dishes. The signature drink for the evening was the “Holy City Peach Tea” provided by Firefly Vodka, which had a fresh mint leaf and raspberry garnish. All drinks were prepared by ICEBOX bartending services.

 As I made my rounds from bottom to upper deck, I met Lee Deas and Emily Coleman of Obviouslee Marketing, Jan Marvin of J Marvin Studios, Shannon Odom of CVB, and I even met a few interns I could relate to and share experiences with.

MINE Magazine cover

In the office the other day we were discussing the highly intelligent age we are in. Digital mapping and personalization have become even more precise and invasive. Don’t you agree? I decided to do some research on the subject at hand, and see how Mine planned to capture its readers.

When I heard about Mine I thought it was a great idea. However, I wasn’t completely sold that is was actually something that could really be done. All I could think about was how they could afford to do this. Check it out and see what you think. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-03-18-custom-magazine_N.htm.

It is a FREE five issue Magazine subscription complied of all your favorite topics and interests. When subscribing you select five out of eight publications: TIME, Sports Illustrated, Food & Wine, Real Simple, Money, InStyle, Golf, and Travel + Leisure. In addition to the topics being personalized so are the Lexus 2010 RX SUV ads, featured in the magazine. 

MINE Magazine subscription options

This is an experimental publication by TIME, INC. It was available for subscription for a limited time to a limited number of people. The first 31, 000 people should receive a print copy, and the next 200, 000 should receive the online version. I have actually been signed up for it and am waiting for the first issue to arrive. I will update on the results. I’m excited to see what it’s all about, because it seems ideal.

There is talk about making a newspaper in this same format. People would be able to choose which stories to be featured. I can’t help but wonder if it will be successful in the publication industry and help the environment as well.

by Jeff Taylor

As each year passes, I become more convinced that stock photography is but another nail in the coffin of great advertising.  Okay, before I get started, let me clarify by saying I am as guilty as the next guy of “stocking” ads.  Like almost every other small agency we utilize stock photos everyday and recognize fully the time and cost savings associated with their use, but let’s stop for a moment and consider the consequences. Gone are the days where ads are developed from scratch and executed around an original idea or image.  More often than not, the agency goes straight from concept to design by locating the closest match on the nearest royalty free photo site.  In many cases, the original ad concept is built around the stock image itself.  Either that, or the image is Photoshop’ed to oblivion so that the end result fractionally represents the original concept.  So much emphasis is placed on the execution of the ad that little time (or budget) is left for originality.  Instead of creating something worth looking at by art directing the right shot, of the right subject, in the right location, we are left with the closest shot, of the closest subject, in the closest location.  While “close” may be acceptable (even good) in many cases, over time it becomes the norm and a subtle shift occurs.  A shift that is at the very least saddening to those of us who still enjoy the marriage of art and message.  Like a weed in the garden, it grows until the flowers become invisible and the real beauty is gone.  In our quest for fast, cheap execution, we seem to have lost our art, or at least our willingness to work for it.  Instead we water down the brand and accept cheap imitation; inviting a multitude of untrained, inexperienced designers with access to the same resources who help lower the bar further. In a time when the ad agency executive has become the pariah of business, I can’t help but think much of this is self-inflicted.  When we as a whole sacrifice our artistry, is it any wonder that what we do is seen as less of an art.

By Lauren Verdi

What a night of seeing the hidden talents within the city of Charleston unveiled.

While walking from the Gaillard Auditorium parking garage to the grassy area set up for the 3^rd installment of Pecha Kucha I was pondering what to expect of the event. After making my way to the lawn I discovered this was a very relaxed and laid back atmosphere that was very inviting. As I scanned for anyone I recognized from the “Cogheads team” I noticed everyone had chairs set up or blankets laid out staking out their spot to watch from for the evening. There was a huge crowd of over 400 people. I had no idea this event was in such high demand. I was in awe when I discovered it takes place in more than 200 cities, and that tonight it was in our beloved downtown Charleston.

PKN View in Charleston

Through some prior research and an explanation at the beginning I learned that the words Pecha Kucha actually mean “chit chat” in Japanese. Each presenter would only be allowed to show 20 images for 20 seconds each. They were to be done in a PowerPoint presentation, and their total timeframe for presenting had to be six minutes and 40 seconds.

There was a diverse group of people presenting. Presenters included: multimedia artist Kevin Hoth, from Charleston Conservation League Josh Martin, Chef Iverson Brownell, founder and dancer Julia Jaskwhich of Buen Ache Afro- Latino Dance Company, architect Jane Fredrick, and skateboarder and founder of Pour It Now Ryan Cockrell.

 My personal favorite was Iverson Brownell.

Iverson Brownell

He was able to hold my attention and keep me genuinely interested. This might be because I have a love for food and anything to do with it. He showed motivating photographs of places or objects that gave him inspiration for the food plates he created. He showed a picture of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Brownell emphasized on the strength and shape of the columns. He imitated the features of the columns by using potatoes that he shredded and rolled up into a cylindrical form. He then deep fried it for the potato shreds to hold and stay together. It wanted them to be strong and secure like the Acropolis building he was trying to emulate. I really enjoyed listening to him, although I and many in the audience commented that we wished he had brought samples.

http://pechakuchacharleston.com/

By Lauren Verdi

My name is Lauren Verdi. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Winthrop University in Integrated Marketing Communication. As I approach my senior year there are a lot of things I need to be prepared for the rapidly approaching real world. Getting an internship brings me one step closer.

I landed an internship with Cognetix Advertising and Marketing and couldn’t be happier here. It is such a wonderful atmosphere to work in. The “Cogheads”, as they are called, are the friendliest and most hard working people. I was so warmly welcomed into this new environment the first day. It was easy to see how genuine everyone was and that it will continue to be that way. Everyone treated me with the utmost respect and gave me the benefit of the doubt without yet knowing my potential to be a great employee.

Although I don’t have someone to sit beside me daily to watch over my every action, I know and feel comfortable approaching any of them with questions or concerns. I almost feel it is better to have more trial and error experience on my own before turning to someone for help. It makes me more self sufficient. This brings out the quality of perseverance which is important for anyone to have, and I’m thankful they hope to instill more of that in me.

Cognetix has everything I’ve looked for in a company. They are very talented and innovative. I have already seen many awards won and creative pieces designed. I feel that it is just my style. It is a laid back yet professional atmosphere which is easy to work in daily.

I can already tell this experience will fill me with so much knowledge about working hard, fast pace environments, taking the initiative and stepping up, and just learning the ropes of working for a successful company. Every day will be fun and different. In addition every assignment should be just as exciting. Some projects I may be familiar with and others I may have to learn as time goes on, but isn’t learning what this experience is all about?

Again, I look forward to all the assignments, projects, meetings, and events I get to be a part of here. I hope to put my best foot forward, showing my style through the top quality work that I plan to do. I have high hopes of making a good impression on everyone, showing that I’m not just an intern, but genuinely a part of the Cognetix team.