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Author: Chris Talbert

A Hall of Fame Year at the 2017 American Advertising Awards

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Updated: February 27, 2017

For most, February signals a number of noteworthy events: Valentine’s Day, the Super Bowl or even Mardis Gras. But to us, the month means one of our favorite celebrations is near—the American Advertising Awards. The opportunity to gather with industry peers and enjoy the best creative work our city has to offer is why February 25th is capitalized, circled and starred on our calendar.

The awards are held each year by the Knoxville chapter of the American Advertising Federation with winning work becoming eligible for district competitions. Those district winners then advance to the national competition. While we’ll always have those aspirations, what’s most important to us is supporting our local chapter. Just ask Sarah Loebner, AAF Knoxville president and account manager here at Designsensory.

Each year, when submission time rolls around, we’re sure to choose a mix of projects that represents as many members of our staff’s tireless work as we can. That way, we can all enjoy an evening at the Crowne Plaza Downtown in high spirits and afterwards, win or lose, hit the town together.

After it was all said and done, this year became one of the most memorable in recent years. Last year marked our agency’s first Best of Show award, and this year saw Designsensory Founder and Executive Creative Director Joseph Nother receive an induction into the AAF Knoxville Hall of Fame. The induction marks the second of our team, as our Director of Strategy Josh Loebner also received the prestigious honor in 2015.

We’re proud to have received 11 Gold awards—an encouraging fact, as it was the most received by any entrant—as well as a few nods for Best Of and Judge’s Choice. Our sister agency Popfizz had an exceptional year, so help us congratulate them on their accomplishments and a year of excellent work.

Without further delay, here’s a rundown on everything Designsensory and Popfizz won for the 2017 American Advertising Awards:

Designsensory

Best Of

Judge’s Choice

Gold

Silver

  • East Tennessee Human Resources Agency – Brand System
  • Tennessee Wesleyan – Branding
  • Tennessee Wesleyan – Website
  • University of Tennessee Extension – Be More Website
  • University of Tennessee – Membership Guide
  • Visit Augusta – 2016 Annual Report
  • Visit Wilson, AR  – 2016 Tourism Book
  • YWCA Knoxville – GameChangers Print and Video System
  • Zoo Knoxville – Annual Pass Social Media Campaign

Bronze

  • Apple Barn – Packaging
  • Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union – General Brand Collateral
  • Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union – Video and Print Campaign

 

Popfizz

Gold

  • Scripps Network – HGTV Happy Social Videos
  • Southeastern Anglers – Promotional Video
  • TNECD – Mastered in Tennessee Anthem Video
  • YWCA Knoxville – GameChangers PSA Video

Silver

  • Cityview – Top Chefs Photography
  • The Scout Guide – Knoxville Scout Guide Photography 
  • TNECD – Mastered in Tennessee Teaser
  • TNECD – “Hands” Photography Campaign
  • TNECD – “The Working Man” Photography Campaign
  • TWRA – Tennessee Uncharted “On The Fly” Teaser

Bronze

  • Cityview – Abby Ham Portrait
  • Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union – “I Will Never” Video Campaign
  • Webb School of Knoxville – Lookbook Photography

Version Control Systems: An Informal Chat With Justin Gibson

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Justin Gibson, Designsensory’s quality and support technical manager, was gracious enough to explain the ins and outs of Version Control Systems. Read on to find out what a VCS is, why you should care, and why it’s good for Designsensory and our clients.

Simply put, a Version Control System (VCS), also known as Source Code Management (SCM) or Revision Control System (RCS), is a way to track files over time and view who made the changes and what the changes were. The VCS helps developers make the behind-the-scenes magic happen without worry of losing their work or overwriting something that they may need back. There are a few VCS software options out there. DS uses one called “Git.”

So, how does it work? In Microsoft Word speak, it’s similar to hitting the “save as” button for every change in the project. The VCS constantly creates a new “save point” as coders work on it, without killing the old file. Think about a presentation you’ve worked on. You might have saved each new file with an altered, descriptive name. If you shared the file to be edited by others, you would hope they saved under a new name so you knew which was the most recent/relevant. And then the challenge arose: which file name ending with “final” or “latest” was really the final or latest? Or, heavens forbid, what if you needed to then add changes to that so-called “final” file? It’s a system that made liars of us all. 

Writing code doesn’t so much resemble a linear progression as a fractal phenomenon. Coding projects tend to be much, much larger and more complex than the average presentation or business proposal, so manually tracking each change becomes almost impossible. And managing this with multiple coders simultaneously working? Forget it. 

The VCS makes it simpler to do a long list of project-related tasks:

  • Backup and Restore
  • Synchronize
  • Short-Term Undo
  • Long-Term Undo
  • Track Changes
  • Track Ownership
  • Sandboxing
  • Branching/Merging

It’s a tool that simplifies the tracking part of a project. It’s the kind of thing that makes coders wonder how in the world they ever got along without it.

VCS also helps check you as you go. If two coders write conflicting changes in the project, the VCS will flag it, which prevents mistakes and glitches. There are other ways to tag and make coding notes in the project through VCS.

VCS is great for a team of coders, but it also works well for personal coding projects. It protects you against erasing hours (or days!) of work in one Mountain Dew-fueled session of coding madness.

There you have it! VCS demystified for the technical non-expert.


[Press Release] Designsensory Adds Zoo Knoxville, Champion Physical Therapy to Client Portfolio

Posted on by Chris Talbert

KNOXVILLE (February 1, 2017)—Knoxville advertising firm Designsensory has added Zoo Knoxville and Champion Physical Therapy to their extensive client roster.

As of January 1, Designsensory serves as Agency of Record for Champion Physical Therapy, a Knoxville-based organization with 13 clinics in East Tennessee and Southeast Kentucky. The goal of the partnership will be to expand the Champion Brand into new markets across the southeast.

“Designsensory extensively researched our company and provided a custom plan to help us achieve our goals,” said Champion Vice President Robb Seahorn. “They provided a team of professionals with expertise in both traditional and digital media. Their comprehensive approach, understanding of our business and core values made them the best choice for Champion Physical Therapy.”

For Zoo Knoxville, Designsensory will serve as lead agency, facilitate an integrated marketing program and spearhead the advertising campaign behind the arrival of a new, rare Malayan Tiger named Arya. Her arrival marks the opening of Asian Trek, the largest and most immersive project to date for the organization. Tiger Forest, the first part of Asian Trek, is slated to open in early April.

“The team at Designsensory presented us with strategies that were innovative and dynamic accompanied by exciting creative,” said Lisa New, President and CEO of Zoo Knoxville. “They took the time to understand what drives us and what our future goals are to build a campaign that resonates with our target audiences.  We feel very confident that Designsensory will help take us to the next level.”

About Designsensory
Designsensory, founded in 2001, is one of the fastest growing companies in Tennessee. The Knoxville-based, full-service agency, specializes in branding, advertising, public relations and digital experiences. They help grow strong brands across industries such as tourism, economic development, eCommerce, healthcare and higher education with bold, design-centric, integrated marketing solutions.

For more, go to www.designsensory.com.

Media Contact
Samantha Smoak
[email protected]
865-690-2249 x 151

[Press Release] Outdoor Television Show “Tennessee Uncharted” Wins Regional Emmy

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Outdoor Television Show “Tennessee Uncharted” Wins Regional Emmy

Production Partners Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, PopFizz and Designsensory Honored

Knoxville, Tenn. (January 27, 2017) — The outdoor lifestyle television show “Tennessee Uncharted” has won in the Writer/Program category of the Midsouth Regional Emmy® Awards by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). The award marks the show’s first regional Emmy from its fourth nomination in two years. Winners were announced on January 21, 2017.

Producer Taylor Walters of Designsensory and host Erick Baker have each won an Emmy® for writing on “Tennessee Uncharted,” and were also nominated in the Informational/Instructional Series category alongside Executive Producers Bryan Allen, Don King, Joseph Nother and Brandon Rochelle.

The Nashville Chapter of NATAS announced the winners at its 31st annual gala, which was held at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

“We are extremely proud to have our work be recognized by our peers,” Joseph Nother, executive producer and creative director at Designsensory, said. “The writing and storytelling have always been the strong points of the show.”

The show was conceptualized in 2014 after Tennessee Wildlife Resource Association (TWRA) approached Knoxville marketing firm Designsensory for a creative solution when traditional advertising avenues were not connecting with citizens of Tennessee. The agency sought to communicate the power of outdoor entertainment and the contributions the makes to provide those opportunities.

By November 2015, Designsensory had signed on production partner PopFizz and Baker, developed the brand and saw the premiere of the first season.

“Tennessee Uncharted” is currently airing season three. The show features some of Tennessee’s most unique locations, interesting residents, outstanding recreational activities and deep-rooted culture. Each weekly show highlights adventures such as falconry, skydiving and caving, as well as traditional hunting and fishing.

“Taylor and Erick have been very successful at expressing the vision of what we set out to do with the concept—which ultimately is a love poem to our wonderful home state of Tennessee, its people and our shared culture, rooted in the outdoors,” Nother said.

“Tennessee Uncharted” can be seen on local public television stations, statewide on The Tennessee Channel, on YouTube and on the online streaming service from TWRA, TWRA.tv.For more information on “Tennessee Uncharted,” visit TNUncharted.com.

About Designsensory
Designsensory, founded in 2001, is one of the fastest growing companies in Tennessee. The Knoxville-based, full-service agency, specializes in branding, advertising, public relations and digital experiences. They help grow strong brands across industries such as tourism, economic development, eCommerce, healthcare and higher education with bold, design-centric, integrated marketing solutions.

For more, go to designsensory.com.

About “Tennessee Uncharted”
“Tennessee Uncharted” is produced in close partnership between Knoxville-based agency Designsensory and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The production partner is PopFizz. In 2015, the show was awarded first place for a television series by the Association for Conservation Information. “Tennessee Uncharted” can be seen across the state on public television stations. For more information on “Tennessee Uncharted,” visit TNUncharted.com.

Media Contact:

Hunter Foster
865-690-2249 x131
[email protected]

A Guide to Using Social Media for Non-Millennials

Posted on by Chris Talbert

A strong social media presence is an important part of your business’s marketing strategy, whether you’re a new business or you’ve been around for years. Social media platforms are constantly evolving, and it’s tempting to join every platform and start posting. But the truth is, it’s best to choose the platforms most applicable to your business and manage them well. Here’s a guide to help you choose which social media platforms are right for you and how to best manage them.
 

Facebook

By far, Facebook has the most users, making it the obvious choice for promoting your business. Over 70 percent of adults have a Facebook account, with ages 25-34 being the most common demographic.

Do:

  • Create a free business page and share the page on your website, through e-blasts, etc.
  • Create a marketing calendar to determine what you’re going to post about and when you’re going to post it.
  • Consider paying for ads to grab the attention of your targeted audience.

Don’t:

  • Go in without a plan. Once you build a follower base, you don’t want to lose them. Creating an effective social media marketing plan will help you grow your followers and keep them following you.
  • Neglect your page. You need to be sure your company is ready for social and staffed with someone who can manage it. If you don’t have a person in place who can manage your page(s), we can help.


Twitter

Twitter ranks right up there with Facebook when it comes to top social networks. It’s a great platform to address customer service issues, but because of this, it’s important to be active in replying to tweets. The average twitter user follows five businesses, so it’s a smart place to start a conversation with your audience.

Do:

  • Create a free business page and share the page on your website, through emails, etc. and maintain a marketing calendar.
  • Reply to tweets as quickly as possible.
  • Consider adding GIFs and emojis into your posts, when appropriate. Gifs are commonly found on giphy.com.
  • Activate Twitter analytics.

Don’t:

  • Tweet only about yourself. Retweet others!
  • Post long urls; they’re messy! Be sure to shorten like bit.ly.
  • Hashtag everything. The hashtag is used to highlight relevant keywords or phrases. Stick to a short hashtag if your content relates to a popular keyword.


LinkedIn

Boasting 450 million active members, LinkedIn is the place to engage other businesses, their decision makers and other professionals, including potential employees and business partners. It’s one of the few social media sites that has more male users than female.

Do:

  • Build a company page.
  • Customize your content for the professional network.
  • Post company updates.

Don’t:

  • Just post job openings. Also consider posting your company’s blog entries, sharing industry-related news and celebrating company successes.
  • Post like you would on other social media sites. It’s a business audience, so keep it uber professional.
  • Remain silent. Connect with other businesses, comment on articles and build respect among your peers.


Instagram

With more than 400 million users, Instagram is a fun way to reach your customers through pictures. It has a younger demographic and even boasts a strong global audience, with 90 percent of its users being younger than 35.

Do:

  • Use Instagram stories.
  • Link your Instagram and Facebook accounts.
  • Be sure you have enough visual content to maintain your page.

Don’t:

  • Be mindless about your content. Tailor your content for the individual platform.
  • Hashtag everything. Highlight relevant keywords or phrases within your post with hashtag; otherwise, don’t hashtag at all.
  • Neglect advertising on Instagram.


Snapchat

Since 2011, Snapchat has grown to 150 million daily users. Did you catch that? Daily! It’s a fun platform to interact with your audience, if your audience uses it.

Do:

  • Use other social media platforms to lead people to your Snapchat account.
  • Consider creating On-Demand Geofilters for a company event.
  • Show transparency. If showing your company’s true colors is important, consider Snapchat as the way to do it.

Don’t:

  • Share the same old content. Snapchat is the place to be engaging and creative. You’ll grow a following with unique content.
  • Overly polish your content; Snapchat is raw and fun.
  • Just post pictures; use videos, too.


Pinterest

The digital scrapbooking start-up site Pinterest has over 100 million users, and those users spend nearly an hour and half using it each month on the site. Since nearly two thirds of its users are women, you’ll really need to know your audience and gage whether it’s the right platform for your business.

Do:

  • Pin relevant industries’ pins.
  • Create multiple boards and hundreds, if not thousands, of pins.
  • Think outside the box and create boards that indirectly relate to your company.

Don’t:

  • Exclusively pin your company’s stuff or overly promote yourself.
  • Just pin; also optimize your pins with keywords.
  • Forget about Promoted Pins, as a way to reach a larger audience.


YouTube

With nearly a third of the people on the Internet using YouTube, it’s definitely a platform you’ll want to consider adding to your social media repertoire. Behind Google, YouTube is considered the second largest search engine in the world.

Do:

  • Invest in the right equipment.
  • Optimize your content for search engines.
  • Keep up with trends and post relevant content.

Don’t:

  • Post only one type of video; post both company commercials and internal videos.
  • Be afraid of posting longer content.
  • Forget about embedding your YouTube links on your company’s website.

Considering any of these social media platforms? Let’s have a chat and discuss what’s right for your business.

Snapchat Spectacles create ‘immersive experience’

Posted on by Chris Talbert

By Cortney Roark
Knoxville News Sentinel 

Snapchat users now can share moments from their perspective like never before by using Snapchat’s Spectacles, glasses with a camera that connect to the user’s Snapchat account.

The glasses can only be purchased through a Snapchat pop-up “snapbot,” a Minion lookalike vending machine that is frequently moved. Josh Loebner, director of strategy for Knoxville-based advertising agency Designsensory, was able to get his hands on two pairs – one teal, one black – from a New York City location.

Read the full story at knoxnews.com.

What We’re Reading in December 2016

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Taylor Knight, Project Coordinator

I don’t know about you, but Chip and Joanna Gaines continue to empower and motivate me regardless if I’m binge watching HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” or reading their first book “The Magnolia Story.” A story about love, adventure and dreaming big, this piece is perfect for the young professional who is still trying to figure out their place in this crazy world. Chip and Joanna are the ultimate duo when it comes to being business owners and a married couple with a beautiful family. Their story inspires me to keep working to reach my personal and career goals and serves as a reminder that each day I’m that much closer.   

Matt Montgomery, Senior Designer

I most recently read “Dune,” by Frank Herbert. Set thousands of years in the future, it’s a science fiction tale in which noble houses war over control of planets with key resources. It’s a wonderfully layered book that explores futuristic humans’ religions, politics, customs and emotions. Though Dune doesn’t necessarily translate directly into my design work, this kind of novel stokes my imagination and inspires my love of storytelling. Whenever I begin a new design project, I always try to put the focus on what story I’m trying to tell a prospective viewer/user.

Brittany Cross, Content Strategist 

I’m basically a chicken when it comes to scary movies, but when a friend of mine told me about Stephen King’s book, “On Writing,” I thought I’d give the horror fiction writer a chance. What immediately caught my eye was the forward, in which he credits his friend in inspiring him to write this book and confesses that many of the popular novelist also “care about the language … and care passionately about the art and craft of telling stories on paper.” While King shares a lot of what shaped him in becoming a writer, he also offers encouraging and practical advice for other artists. No matter what kind of communicator you are, caring about the art and craft of telling the story should be at the heart of everything you do.


Sharing the Good News of Tennessee Business

Posted on by Chris Talbert

We’re excited to announce the launch of 12 new websites, which we rolled out simultaneously as part of the TNECD County Website Enhancement Program.

We’ll take any opportunity to brag about our home state of Tennessee, especially when we know many of the counties so well, having worked with them for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and the Center for Disease Control. So when the Tennessee Economic Development Commission (TNECD) reached out to us to help create their Tennessee County Program, a program which helps 12 of the lesser-known Tennessee counties in corporate recruitment and expansion, we jumped at the chance to share all we know and love about Tennessee. 

On a granular level, we needed to familiarize the team with each county. That meant visiting each county, interviewing government officials, business people and residents, and eating local food.

Resident content queen, Susan Hamilton, said about the trip, “Everyone is jealous of our trip to Sparta and White County, where we started with Darling Billy bread at Foglight Foodhouse on the banks of the Caney Fork River, and ended the day with a pint of J. Henry at Calfkiller Brewing.”

In all seriousness, we’re pretty proud of this project and how these websites will bring economic development and expansion to Tennessee. Check out the websites below. Each county is unique, reminding us yet again why we want businesses to love Tennessee as much as we do.