Category: Media
August 4th, 2014

There’s a Place for People Like Us! (And It’s Not the Nuthouse).

Our summer campaign for the Exploratorium is live, and it feels so good.

Using exhibits at the museum, we produced a series of short films that were shared on the Exploratorium’s social media pages (see the rest of the videos on their YouTube page).

And then we took over the entire city of San Francisco.

Curious_Wall Billboard _Single Flag Pole

Mortar’s biggest ad of the year.

Curious_Flag Poles_Embarcadero

Our Thursday night campaign targeted young locals (and, we’re pleased to report, Thursday night attendance numbers have soared since the campaign’s launch.) The current summer campaign aims at the hordes of tourists trudging aimlessly toward Fisherman’s Wharf, because that’s all they’ve ever known. We’re here to let them know there’s more to San Francisco than whining sea lions and sourdough bread. Head down the road to Pier 15, and your brain just might get bigger.

Curious_Muni

Curious_Muni_Posters

Curious_CastroMuni

Because the Exploratorium’s exhibits play with perception and encourage interaction, we created a campaign with plenty of “head-tilt” factor. The black and white photos, which came from the Exploratorium’s archive, all depict actual exhibits from the museum.

For Pandora radio, we wanted to make people stop and tilt their headphone-wearing heads. So we created anthem-like spots that glorify everything the Exploratorium…isn’t.

Exploratorium_Mobile

We’re sure there’s a place for non-curious people, too, but we couldn’t tell you where it is.

Curious_Clam Chowder

The above billboard was supposed to go up at the Pier 39 parking lot, but the Port of San Francisco requested that we move it to Union Square. (So now we’ll catch the tourists before they board their cable cars.)

And of course, the new work is expected to draw more locals to the museum, too. At 100,000 square feet, you literally discover something new every time you go. Curious? Well, we know a place.

Curious_Trolley

Curious_Pedi Cab

July 22nd, 2013

Packard Children’s Hospital Makes Babies Strong Like Bigfoot.

Whether they’re delivering healthy babies, or making sick children strong again, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford is darn good at what it does. Ironically, after becoming the go-to name in Silicon Valley for treating the most complex pediatric cases, people thought of delivering at Packard specifically for high-risk or special-needs pregnancies. But that’s cray-cray. First off, how your pregnancy goes is about as predictable as Colin Farrell in a singlet. So, isn’t it a good thing if your hospital is prepared for any circumstance – even if your pregnancy ends up going as smooth as Larry David’s head?

Second, while other hospitals make you comfortable and give you fuzzy slippers on The Big Day, Packard cares for you throughout your entire pregnancy, and beyond. They don’t just deliver your baby, they build a long-term partnership with you. After your little un’s out in the world, s/he can get spectacular pediatric care from Packard, too. And with Stanford University medical school being one of the top-ranked in the country, it’s awfully nice to know you’re in the hands of the best of the best.

What we mean is, delivering at Packard gives your lil’ one the strongest start possible. That became the anthem of our campaign, and we blanketed the San Francisco Peninsula with it.

Lucile Packard_1

You know what’s cute? Baby fists making hand gestures. You know what’s not cute? Getting a baby to make those gestures in a photo shoot. 

Lucile Packard_3

LPCH_safewaycrop

Who says infants can’t double-fist?

 

LPCH_parenting

lpch_mobile

 

Targeting pregnant or soon-to-be-preggers women presented an interesting challenge. (Hell, even some pregnant women don’t know they’re pregnant.) But thanks to our media team wrangling technology in the cleverest of ways, the ads are being served to Silicon Valley women visiting top pregnancy websites. Because if you live in Menlo Park and are reading about the Creighton Fertility System, you’re almost definitely our audience. (Or you’re a copywriter doing research who’s about to get bludgeoned over the head with retargeting ads. Le sigh.)

We’re talking thousands of websites, and 80 million impressions. Basically, if you’re in Silicon Valley and pregnant, or thinking about getting knocked up, there’s no way you’re not seeing these ads. We even did ads in Spanish. Top that, huevones.

LPCH_grocery1

 

The campaign is running through August. High-five our little/alarmingly large guy if you see him around.

May 13th, 2013

A Whiff of Something Strong.

Have you seen those giant baby fists towering over Highway 101? Who did those billboards, you ask? And where did they find a baby the size of Bigfoot?

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February 4th, 2013

GGU Rules the Superbowl; Meets Dashon Goldson Along the Way.

There are some things that only happen once in a lifetime. Like a snowflake made of human skydivers. Or your hometown’s team making it to the Superbowl. With the San Francisco 49ers headed for football’s biggest night, Mortar’s media team knew this opportunity was rare. We also knew that Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area – the authority for 49ers coverage – was sending their entire team to broadcast live from New Orleans. Which made it the perfect opportunity for a local brand to reach a captive SF audience…

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May 11th, 2012

Thank you “99 Problems, But A Pitch Ain’t One”

The Mortar PR team would like to thank the creator of this tumblr.

We giggle through each and every post.

Many people have no idea what PR people actually do. This certainly helps.

We sent the link to our Moms… and therapists.

Whoever you are: thank you.

Call us if you’re looking for work.

You’re hired!