There are many causes that Mortar holds dear- Fair Trade USA, the ASPCA, Martini Awareness Month- however we are proud to announce one cause close to our heart has launched a brand spanking new website.
With Mortar’s help, A HOME WITHIN, a non-profit organization right here in San Francisco dedicated to the mental stability of foster children, has gone live with a beautiful new website to match the beautiful work they do for kiddies around the nation.
For foster kids tossed around until they are kicked out of the system at 18, A HOME WITHIN provides stability and mental support. They match at-risk foster children with therapists and allow them to maintain a relationship regardless of age, location or finances. A HOME WITHIN launched their new site in May to mark Foster Care Awareness Month. With programs like Fostering Art, A HOME WITHIN supports creativity and mental stability in an very overlooked—but needy–population.
Mortar is proud to have been apart of the branding, brochure production and website design for A HOME WITHIN. Hopefully this website will allow A Home Within to reach more kids, connect with more clinicians and grab more funding (hint, hint).
AWOOOOOOOO! Happy Halloween! Normally, we’d be in full Elitist Coastal Snob Mode this time of year, as we generally consider Halloween – along with its yokel buddies New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day – to be a charter member of the Unholy Trinity of Amateur-Hour Holidays. But you know what? The Giants have us in an incredibly good mood right now and not just because the wind’s blowing this way from McCovey Cove. So allow us to amaze you as we turn a random, hastily-penned scribblewide-ranging and articulate knowledge download into a focused, must-read marketing missive. You won’t believe your eyes.
Remember this?
Yikes. Here’s hoping Mr. Bateman doesn’t get too upset when he sees the new logo and business cards we just released for online ad exchange AdBrite.
“Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it…”
See how we did that? One minute, Halloween. The next minute, Random Movie Reference. Then…BAM! Work Stuff. Office magic, people. Annnnd scene.
Ok, now on to the Actual Scary Things:
WARNING: Watching This Video In Its Entirety May Cause Violent Diarrhea And/Or The Condition Known As “Death By Embarassment.”
We’re not kidding. We only made it through the first 0:48. Really. Seriously. We are so not kidding.
Oops. They pulled it. To be fair, it was supposed to be for an internal talent show. (They have that kind of budget for internal talent shows? That kind of profligacy is…scary! Awooooooo!)
Quick, Scoob! L-l-let’s get out of here!
Ahhhh. That’s better. You can always depend on the classics.
Speaking of which, it’s time for…Mortar Halloween Jukebox – iMeem Went Out Of Business Because The Economy Is So Scary-Edition!
No audio jukebox this year. And not as many songs. But you do get video, so there’s that.
DAVID/MARK/TODD: “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” – Bauhaus.
Remember this from The Hunger? We’re not sure which is scarier – the atmosphere of vampiric menace, or the 80’s hair. Either way….awesomely scary.
SOPHIE: “Two of Hearts” – Stacy Q
We know. We know. But stay with us. This hilarious-yet-creepy scene is from Party Monster, an underrated yet highly scary flick. We’ve got chills just thinking about it.
SERENE: “Ghostbusters” – Ray Parker, Jr.
Wait a minute. Something’s wrong. This is a song from the 80’s. And everyone knows Serene’s musical tastes are permanently stuck in the 90’s. Which means…that’s not the real Serene! And she’s calling from inside the house!
HUGH – is about to rip the rubber mask off of what is obviously Pirate-Ghost Serene. Will need to gather strength first. Fortunately, there is “The Crusher” – The Novas.
And finally, a little Halloween treat from our favorite non-sparkle-vampire, Count Floyd.
Writeup in SFThrillist about fun stuff to do in Reno where each picture is a little bit misaligned which makes it seem like you can rent fully-automatic weapons at local eateries?
Awesome.
Using The Power Of Mortar to reverse Reno’s 13-year decline in visitors, room rates and tax revenues?
Double! Awesome!
The Part Where We Use Numbers To Back Up All That Big Talk: In first 3 months of Mortar’s “Far From Expected” campaign,
The average daily rate paid for a room in Reno Tahoe jumped by 5%. (Awesome.)
Taxes from hotel rooms jumped by 25%. (Also awesome. You thought we were going to say “Double Awesome” there, but we’re talking about taxes, which carry a natural awesome-deficit, so, sorry, no.)
Visitors to the area increased by some 82,000 room nights – the first growth in a period of nearly 13 years of decline. (See, now that is Double Awesome.)
Double Awesome. It's what we do.
The Part About The Results: We could have bumped Reno’s numbers up by just giving stuff away. But that’s what’s been going on for 13 years. People throwing their chips in the air as if to say “Vegas! Sort of!” and then a too-low price on a room. Instead, we went after “a specific subset of SF Bay Area tourists (with) the greatest potential for increased Reno visits.” People who liked Reno–but had not visited, or had visited once, time long ago. People who are active on the Internet. People like you.
A recent EMC survey of over 1,000 adults in the San Francisco Bay Area showed the following:
"Awareness is higher, Intent-To-Visit is higher, and people are talking about Reno Tahoe USA more."
Facebook fans jumped over 1,000 within one week after the national Save RENO 911! campaign and over 600 within 3 weeks after the Bay To Breakers promotion. Flickr and YouTube hits are up 30%.
Some call it "a grown man in sheep suit." We call it: Strategy!
Attributes that were used to describe the Reno Tahoe brand are: "fun" "good value" "easy" and "unpretentious.” Which, when you consider they used to say “diesel fumes and heartburn," blows right past awesome and heads straight to Double Awesome-town.
Our point? Great creative is awesome. But when it drives great results? Make ours a double. Fact.
Illustrations courtesy of the amazingly stupendous Allie "Raptor Face" Brosh, whose blog, Hyperbole And A Half is required reading of the very finest kind. We should all give her money. Right after we get back from Reno.
Most people would shop more responsibly if they knew what to look for.
Problem is, our capacity to focus on what’s good and what’s not is short-and-getting-shorter. Instead of lecturing them, we thought it might be nice to say “This is extra-good because…"
Hence a bouncing, baby brand for The Artists Formerly Known As TransFair USA. Check it out:
TransFair USA Changes Name to Fair Trade USA
Nonprofit Launches New Name and Brand Identity during National Fair Trade Awareness Month in October
OAKLAND, CALIF. (September 21, 2010) – TransFair USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, today announces that the nonprofit organization will change its name to Fair Trade USA (www.fairtradeusa.org) on October 1, 2010. The updated, simplified name and brand identity will support the organization’s efforts to increase awareness of Fair Trade among a broader consumer audience, increase sales of Fair Trade Certified™ products, and generate more benefits for farmers and workers around the world. The company’s ethical label–Fair Trade Certified™—will remain the same.
“American consumers and the business community are more eager than ever to embrace the simple concept of better products for a better world. Fair Trade delivers both,” said Paul Rice, President and CEO of Fair Trade USA. “In the past five years, consumer recognition of the Fair Trade Certified label has tripled. By strengthening our brand, we seek to accelerate that momentum and awaken millions of Americans to a simple truth: every purchase matters. Every shopping decision is an opportunity to improve lives, restore hope and protect the planet. Ultimately, we aim to dramatically increase the positive impact of Fair Trade for hardworking farming families around the world.”
Fair Trade empowers consumers to vote with their dollars for fair prices, better working conditions, environmental stewardship, and brighter futures for the people who make the high-quality products that they buy every day. In 1998, TransFair USA pioneered Fair Trade certification in the United States. In 12 years, it has helped industry partners and consumers generate nearly $200 million in additional revenues to support community development and sustainable agriculture in farming communities in 70 countries around the world. Today, as Fair Trade USA, the organization works with more than 800 companies to certify more than 6,000 products as Fair Trade. In 2009, Fair Trade Certified products generated $1.2 billion in retail sales.
Fair Trade USA will transition the organization’s website and marketing materials over the next year, starting with Fair Trade Month, which also kicks off October 1st with the theme “Every Purchase Matters.” The annual national awareness campaign mobilizes a wide range of corporate, nonprofit, producer and consumer partners through more than 100 events, promotions and fund-raising parties across the United States. These activities raise awareness of the Fair Trade movement as a comprehensive approach to social, economic and environmental empowerment and sustainability among farming communities in the developing world.
