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

Cognetix shined last night at the Charleston AMA Spark Awards held at the historic American Theatre. Katie Kern and Jessica Crouch were awarded the Dynamite Award (excellence for an event) for their work on the 2008 Shopping with Friends event benefiting Lowcountry AIDS Services.

The AMA Spark Awards recognize the most effective marketing campaigns in South Carolina and awards seven companies and one individual that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and programs in the previous calendar year. The entries are judged on the ability to show results through clearly defined objectives strategies and tactics.

Senator Lindsay Graham visited our friends and non-profit clients at The Dee Norton Lowcountry for Children’s Center on Wednesday, September 2 2009. The visit consisted of a successful and friendly meeting about working together to fight child abuse and help child abuse victims.

About The Dee Norton Lowcountry for Children’s Center

The Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center is a community-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit program that provides safe and non-threatening “one stop shopping” for victimized children and their families. Since 1991, DNLCC has helped over 15,500 children and their families.

Mission

Our mission is to keep children safe from abuse, and when abuse occurs, to work with our community to bring healing to these children and their families.

Vision

Our vision is to end the cycle of child abuse so that children can live in a safe and nurturing environment and grow into productive and healthy adults.

Here are some of the photos from our newest client’s, Bishop Gadsden, photo shoot. Enjoy.

About Bishop Gadsden

As the Southeast’s leading life care retirement community, Bishop Gadsden has more than 450 residents and 300 employees that shape the vibrant character and active lifestyle on our 70-acre campus. We are located on James Island, just 10 minutes from downtown Charleston. While we have first-class facilities in an amazing city, it is the people, relationships and friendships that make us who we are today.

Founded in 1850 through the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, Bishop Gadsden is the state’s only non-profit, church sponsored life care retirement community. We welcome everyone, regardless of faith background.

Our state-of-the art community is recognized nationally for its architectural design and community service commitment. Additionally, Bishop Gadsden has been continually noted for our financial stability. In 2009, Fitch Ratings affirmed our “BBB” credit rating, noting that out of about 2,000 Continuing Care Retirement Communities in the United States, only 152 of them were rated by Fitch.

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.