Moosylvania would like to congratulate Costa Farms on their award-winning booth at the 2010 Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition (TPIE). As the most extensive marketplace for tropical plants, the 2010 TPIE was the perfect environment for Costa Farms to show their true colors.
 
The challenge Moosylvania received from Costa Farms was to develop a unique and compelling display booth for the 2010 show. The final concept “The Evolution Of Time” highlighted the range of offerings Costa Farms offers their consumers. Moosylvania concepted, designed and executed the tradeshow booth which recreated some of the dramatic and interesting time periods, from prehistoric palms to futuristic Aqualok, that gave birth to the popular plants of today.

In keeping with our digital focus, Moosylvania integrated social networking via Costa Farm's Twitter account to provide live updates to educate consumers, attendees of the show and employees throughout the show.  

Trust us, we know we’re hard to shop for. Our style can be considered off beat (we prefer trend setting and cutting edge, but call it what you will). And we’re nothing if not picky. 

So because we know it’s tough to keep up with whether we’re into Chuck Norris, ninjas or pirates this month, we’ve put together a no-fail list of gift ideas. (Santa, listen up, big man.)

10. Office Supplies (but our way, of course)

• Album Cover Sketchbook  
• Ceramic Notepad
• Apple's Magic Mouse
• Casette Tape Measure
• Pantone Coffee Mug (uh, yes – coffee is totally an office supply)

9. Modular Shelving
We've got a lot of stuff (read: toys) around our desks, but we get bored easily. So these let us reconfigure our space as often as we want.

8. Fanny Pack Hat
Hip sack OUT, Cap Sac IN. No further explanation available.

7. The Beautiful Losers DVD
We may even let you watch it with us.

6. A Turntable
And after you get us one, it wouldn't hurt to throw in some vinyl... You can't fail with any of these albums:

• Merriweather Post Pavillon – Animal Collective
• Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Phoenix
• Manners – Passion Pit
• See Mystery Lights – Yacht
• XX – The xx
• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
• Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk
• Logos – Atlas Sound

5. A Camera Level
It's ingenious, and we need it.

4. A 'Stache
Really, who doesn't want one of these or one of these. Pretty please?

3. Some Cool Shades
Take your pick.

2. An iPod Boombox
No, not just a ho-hum dock and speakers, we need a retro-way to share our tunes with the rest of the Embassy.

1. Clothes
Psyche! No, you don’t have to try and pick something out. Try a gift certificate, to a place like Threadless or even a sewing machine so we can craft totally unique pieces.

 

Happy wrapping! And warm wishes for a great holiday season.

If the first stop in Seattle was any sign of times to come, the Bacardi B-Live tour will be playing to sold-out venues all summer long.  

SPIN magazine was in the front row in Seattle on Wednesday night, and described Bacardi B-Live as an “ambitious” tour that features a “slew of amazing artists.” If ambition can be measured by talent alone, then this tour definitely fits the bill.

 

Today’s top names, including MSTRKRFT, DJ AM, Matt & Kim, Santigold and more will be mixed and matched into various lineups that will perform at B-Live events in 23 cities.

 

With a team that’s as passionate about music as it is about marketing, Moosylvania was proud to be a part of the planning that went into B-Live – and can’t wait until the tour hits St. Louis in June.

A few lucky Moosers even got the chance to meet a few artists backstage at the Winter Music Conference in Miami, when the tour was announced in March. Note the eerie resemblance between MSTRKRFT and our very own Rob Brooks (picture below).

 

For up-close views of this event, and to track the tour online, check out the B-Live blog, Twitter and even Last Night’s Party.

   
          
           

The obama logo did not just *poof* become itself.

 Here, Sol Sender (Strategist, and he of the AWESOME name) - tells us how his chicago firm, VSA partners, created the Obama logo. Great insight into the creative process of a politics --- and how his team reinvigorated what had been a very tired and unstimulating brand market with a simple story told graphically well. 

Part 1:

 

Part 2:

 

thanks to blake, for the tip!

Moosylvania Marketing's VP of Interactive, Patrick McNeil, has written a book.

 And look! It's featured on How Magazine's website, in their HowBookstore. 

 

 

How cool. 

A viral video isn't anything if it doesn't delight the consumer. And as Pizza Hut's recent insult-o-matic situation has shown with 100,000 views in 2 days (that's not a lot) .... if it doesn't delight or improve the life of the consumer, you got nothin'. I may add my vote to Merlin's -- the Web *does* need an entrance exam.

Rodney Mason, COO of Moosylvania, agrees:

It seems Pizza Hut was trying to rip off Burger King or Coke Zero's hidden camera tactics sprinkled with a little Sonic in the car humor. All of those campaigns focus on a benefit for the consumer.

I don't see any benefit here. I just get the message that Pizza Hut is rude to small business owners.

How would they like it if Papa John's did that to them? I'm pretty sure the Papa John's folks are smart enough not to attempt, but if they did, the videos would be strategic and deliver on a benefit - like "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza."

I don't know about you guys, but I think Rodney's passed the exam. 

Pizza Hut's Viral Attempt- Two Days, 100,000 Views - Advertising Age - DigitalNext_1229374415985.pdf (424.70 kb)

NotCot.com is "is a visual filtration of ideas + aesthetics + amusements. NOTCOT's two sites have become the daily sources of inspiration for creatives everywhere, fighting the good fight against "creative block" since 2005 with visually stunning imagery, the latest in international trends, and a passion for all things well designed."

Which is WHY we're thrilled to say that Moosylvania's work has been featured! 

Here's what they have to say about it:

"Martinis + Pop Art? How could i resist...Take a look at the original 50’s and 60’s advertisements by Warhol on the next page, as well as some of the new Martini Factory Drinks! With playful names like the Factory Martini, Velvet Edie, Pop Art ‘Tini, Bohemian Cocktail, and more… this is certainly one of my favorite retro/present campaigns of the moment, and the merging of art + drink is such a perfect match."

 

 

  To get t full idea of Martini's collaboration with Warhol, here's a snippet from the press release:

“After collaborating to create an Ad Campaign for their vermouths in the late 1950’s, MARTINI & ROSSI brings Warhol’s iconic artwork and style back to life with a modern twist. From canvases to cocktails, MARTINI & ROSSI has embarked on a new advertising and cocktail campaign - The MARTINI Factory - aimed at redefining vermouth and the art of the aperitif. The vermouth aperitif drinking occasion, hugely popular in Europe, has yet to take hold in the U.S. market where cocktails dominate popular culture. This new campaign offers consumers an array of innovative vermouth cocktails featuring contemporary ingredients. MARTINI & ROSSI will also unveil a collection of six innovative Warhol-inspired vermouth cocktails at an invitation-only MARTINI & ROSSI Warhol Factory party - being held in NYC on August 6th - what would have been Warhol’s 80th birthday.”

I, for one, hope this ad campaign brings the aperitif to America. I just might have to start a facebook group. I feel that strongly about the aperitif.

Congratulations to those who worked on this, and to Moose! 

(also, Alan Cumming was at the party! Listen for the end when John reminisces about old Martini ads ...who knew he was an ad world connoisseur!) 

 

This is a little dose of serendipity, since I *just* saw a "Make Your Own Video" for the band Arcade Fire on Very Short List this morning, and now our COO Rodney has gone and made his own Radiohead video. 

(They're touring Japan and a group over there has 12 cameras, allowing the viewer to edit and make their own live version of the song "15 steps.")

All of which begs the question: What came first, the Radiohead or the Arcade Fire?

One thing's for sure, enabling folks who are interested in your product (in this case, those marketing vanguards, Radiohead) to share their love for your product is so key it's not even funny. Keeping the web viral by enabling conversation and sharing is the least we marketers owe to the greater interwebs community.

 Or can you?

You are your own event.  This is a FULL BAR that packs to the size of a suitcase! That's gotta come in handy.

Gotta show this off -- it is just too cool with the sun all rising over the Embassy of The Great State of Design -- Moosylvania Marketing. 

Wanna see where we work (before we even get there?) Watch this.

   

 

Amateur filmmakers, and designers here at Moose, Nick and Ben got here at 5am (IN THE MORNING! This morning!) to shoot this time lapse video. It's just the beginning of what will be showing off the whole of the agency, (the church, the steeple AND all the people....actually, we don't have steeple. Well you get the point.) in a longer video. We'll keep you posted as our in-house artists continue their creation.