Music plays a vital role in professional creative fields. Take for example promo videos and commercials.  How many times have you seen a commercial on TV and liked it simply because it had a cool track? Often times,  I’ll remember commercials based on the music they used, not the product they sold. A perfect example is the latest IE8 commercial. The commercial itself isn’t mind-blowing, but the song “Too Close” by Alex Clare brings it to a whole new level – it makes an old internet search engine cool and sexy.

http://youtu.be/bJLMRW9XxFs

When you’re a creative professional, it’s important to always  analyze examples from the field. When it comes to music, this means assessing why a song was chosen for the project and what makes it work.  For example, the song used in the HPPrint “Happy Baby” commercial is perfect. The commercial has a very conceptualized storyline – what would it physically look like if the subject of a photo was shown being sent from the camera to the printer. Naturally, a baby is shown zipping across the Nation’s terrain in his rolling seat. The song “Brand New Key” by Melanie matches the oddity and carefree nature of the story concept and visuals. The song moves the viewer along with the baby, without the need for large sound effects.

http://youtu.be/I5s1QNfXGn4

What I’ve found is that alcohol, electronics, and car commercials usually have the best music. Take for example the amazing Greyhound spot by Absoult. The alcohol giant teamed up the popular DJ trio Swedish House Mafia to create a custom commercial where everything was integrated, from the story concept of high tech greyhounds to the title of the song itself, “Greyhound”. The song drives the entire concept of the commercial, magazine ads, and overall campaign. The song is not only in the background as an additional character of the storyline, it’s the star.

http://youtu.be/V3urgcBpFrc

Being in a creative field,  it’s important to keep your ears open and consistently discover new music. Try getting into the best practice of:

• Using the music identifying app Shazam
• Staying plugged into Pandora daily
• Following music video playlists on YouTube
• Connecting with Spotfiy
• Googling song information from commercials, movie trailers, and promo videos
• Asking restaurants and stores  “what’s that song?”

You never know when you’ll find the perfect tune for your next project.

Stay tuned for Part II of this blog where I go into detail about the music chosen for the MetroStar Systems SPtoGO  promo video! In the meantime, check out a few more of my favorite commercials that utilize music in an awesome way:

“Lover’s Carvings” – Bibio

http://youtu.be/uLg817U9URM

“Ho Hey” – The Lumineers

http://youtu.be/L-FwaCz4yZ0

“Civilization” – Justice

http://youtu.be/gYA3hoBYrIQ

“Squeeze Me” – Kraak & Smaak

The post Ears Wide Open appeared first on MetroStar Systems Blog.

Then something big happened.

I came to the office and there was a sign on the glass door that said “Shark Tank.”

I’m sorry, what?

Shark Tank?

No, no, no – too much change. This is the new Fishbowl! It has to be, we are the fishbowl!

And then I had one of those business world “aha” moments.

The office didn’t matter – the people in it did.

We could be in the basement and it  wouldn’t matter; our team is what it is  no matter where we’re working. The amazing work that comes from MetroStar’s Digital team is created through a synergy between very talented, creative, and passionate people.  We have a mind-blowing mix of the most fabulous professionals from game designers to marketing experts to social media gurus and graphic artists. That’s really hard to find, and it’s not something that is lost in a simple office move.

Anyways, Shark Tank is more fitting…we’ve become too big and amazing to be little fishies.

The post The Shark Tank appeared first on MetroStar Systems Blog.

The Army and Air Force Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA) has been one of MetroStar’s largest clients for 12 years. In an effort to expand its reach and further support the Military community, AAFMAA tasked MetroStar with creating a website that would support, inform, and inspire 18-24 year old female Military Spouses. After much research, analysis, and creative ideation we created SpouseLink.org.

One of my roles in this project was Content Strategist. A key difference of SpouseLink.org is that it provides a mix of both pop culture and important Military information. As part of our solution, we aimed to launch the site with 300 individual pieces of content.

To do this, I had to use my strengths, take into account differing opinions, and question every single thought I had when creating and editing content.

This isn’t my site – this is our client’s site for young Military Spouses. I had to (and continue to) constantly keep this in mind. There is so much free range in what content can be posted because the site covers everything from all aspects of lifestyle pieces to all aspects of Military information. The Military information isn’t as hard to decipher than the lifestyle pieces – it has to stay nonpartisan, not be controversial, and support, inform, and inspire Military Spouses. However, pop culture is a whole other dance.

When you work in a creative field, you never know what type of project you’ll be working on. I lucked out with this one because I’m a 26-year-old female who falls into the age range of our target audience. I also have a tiny bit of insight into Military life because my dad is a Retired Col. from the Public Health Service. And when it comes to the pop culture end of things – I’m the right one for the job. My collection of music boasts over 600 CDs, I average about three movies a week, and I’m online about 11 hours a day. These were strengths I could pull from when creating content.

It was important for me to remember that just because I think something is cool doesn’t mean 19-year-old Military Spouses will. Not only do I have to be aware of the younger Spouses, the site is also geared towards Generation X (33-44 year olds) and Baby Boomers (46-64 year olds). I have to constantly put myself in the shoes of these different women and (using what I’ve learned from my insane amount of research) do my best to determine what content they would be interested in.

To do this, I used those strengths and maintained an ongoing dialogue in my head. Here’s an example of how that works:

Kathy: I love this song! I think this would be a really good post for SpouseLink.org

Professional Kathy: Why?

Kathy: The context of the song is inspiring.

Professional Kathy: You need to have better reasoning than that. Remember who your target audience is and the purpose of the site.

Kathy: The song is about love, support, loyalty, and what home means. Listen to the lyrics. I could totally see this being a Military Spouse theme song.

Professional Kathy: Are you sure it’s not too hippie-dippie?

Kathy: Yes. We’ve been posting a lot of popular music lately, it would be good to add in a different genre and this is more folky. I really think Military Spouses would appreciate this.

Professional Kathy: Why?

Kathy: OMG…you are so annoying. I can picture myself missing a loved one and playing this song to feel better. I can also see Spouses sharing this with friends and loved ones through our social media properties or directly from the website. This song supports and inspires Military Spouses. From my research I know they are proud and like to share content that shows their loyalty and love. I could even see this as music in a promo video for SpouseLink.org.

Professional Kathy: Ok, I agree – post it.

When fulfilling the role of a Content Strategist, you have to be the Editor who chooses the best content, but also the gatekeeper who keeps inappropriate content out.

Use your strengths, take into account differing opinions, and constantly remember the goal of your project.

The post Content Creation: The Internal Dialogue appeared first on MetroStar Systems Blog.

1 week…6 months…1 year…5 years…

It is the 10-year mark, a full decade, that marks a special period. It is a noteworthy interval of time that curves around change and growth. This significant mark has now been imprinted onto the tragedy of September 11th, 2001.

It has been 10 years, and we still remember.

We remember the heroes.
We remember the fallen.
We remember and honor the sacrifices of those that have gone to fight for this country and those who continue to fight to protect us.

When thinking about 9/11, I realized I wasn’t alone in my memories. I work in a company full of people who remember that day and want to show honor and respect to the heroes, the fallen, and the loved ones left behind.

I sat down with some members of our team, including a Marine, a Purple Heart recipient, and a mother of two, who shared their stories capturing a timeline of memories, sorrow, hope, and strength. The reflections my colleagues shared with me were truly moving, and I wanted to share them with you  as we remember 9/11, 10 years later.

We will never forget.

The post 9/11 Memorial Video appeared first on MetroStar Systems Blog.

Last week our New Media team was brainstorming a name for a new application MetroStar Systems is creating, and we thought our tips for name creation might be worth sharing.

In this video, Theresa Kattula, Monica Huie, Patricia Joo, and Kathy Ohlhaber give four quick tips for naming a product or service.

1. Define: Define your or your client’s mission/goals for the product or service as well as define your target audience. For example, you don’t want to use inappropriate words for a Government targeted audience. Do a competitive analysis to see the names your competitors are using for similar products and see if the name you want already exists.

2. Abstract vs. Obvious: Based on the objectives and target audience that you define, consider whether you want to create an abstract or obvious name for your product or service. In other words, do you want a name that’s really unique and creative but needs some explanation? Or, do you prefer to use a more self-evident name that’s clearly reflective of what you’re offering? Whichever kind of name you choose, decide how you want it to relate to your product or service and build your brand around it.

3. Longevity/Memorable: You want to keep in mind that the Internet is going to be around for a long time (unless the Mayans were right and 2012 is the end). So make sure you’re coming up with a brand name that can retain its longevity. Look at what sites your brand can work with and choose the ones that have the potential to be around for a while (i.e., of course Facebook). You also want a memorable brand, so be creative with the marketing of your logo or mascot. You still remember what animal Geico’s mascot is, right?

4. Easy to pronounce?: Is it easy to pronounce? If you create your product name by combining two or more of the features of your product or service, you may come up with a name that is difficult for people to pronounce such as Type + Tweet + Display = “tytwdi”. This is really hard to pronounce with just one vowel! Keep it simple because if it’s hard to pronounce, it’s probably hard to spell and remember.

We hope these four quick tips have been helpful! Have fun coming up with a name for your product or service and don’t be afraid to get creative! Good luck, and be sure to post your comments on Supernova!

The post Tips to name a brand, product or service! appeared first on MetroStar Systems Blog.