Yes, the rumors are true. We ARE working together. Can’t say much other than you can catch us every Thursday night at the museum. (Or is it a museum?) We’ll be launching two new campaigns soon. Watch this space.

Remember Angelina Jolie making headlines when she publicized her BRCA gene test results? Well, our scary-smart new buddies at Biosearch make the kits used to perform those kinds of tests. Some companies make car parts. Biosearch makes custom oligonucleotides. Say whaaaat?

Call ‘em oligos for short. Basically, they’re single strands of DNA that Biosearch custom-creates based on whatever pattern the customer requests (e.g. AGTCTGGAC). Bonus points if you remember what those little letters mean.

These custom oligos can then be used to discover some pretty amazing stuff. If you wanted to map your personal genome, Biosearch might be the one making your test kit. Or when winemakers need to make sure their vino isn’t spoiled (spoilt?), they turn to Biosearch’s tools. The list of applications goes on and on. DNA testing in murder cases. Screening the air for biological warfare threats. It’s the stuff of the future, we tell you!

Biosearch pioneered this dope technology back in ‘83, and they wanted to celebrate their big 3-0 with swagger. So some real scientists (them) called some brand scientists (us) to do their thing. And boy, did we do it.

Existing biotech advertising made it easy to know what not to do.

But we wanted Biosearch to really stand out. To be taken seriously. To flip biotech advertising on its head, the same way they flipped genomic discovery on its head decades ago. Biosearch’s oligos enable scientists to see DNA through a completely different lens – in their words, they illuminate the unseen. And then, this happened.

DNA + pinot noir = microbe-free deliciousness.

The kaleidoscope works for a lot of reasons, aside from offering new perspective. It implies perfect symmetry and precision (Biosearch’s #1 attribute). It’s beautifully eye-catching and looks nothing like the competition. And the idea of multiplication was a natural fit, given that Biosearch can create thousands of identical oligos in a single day. (We swear it makes sense if you understand nerdy things like oligos and qPCR.

The first ad recently launched in The Scientist magazine, and we’ve got more kaleidoscopes in the works. Nerd on, playas. 

Body copy for the print ad (omg, they’re reading the copy!):

It takes a powerful lens of precision to discern the true essence of a molecule. So when a purveyor of fine wine needs to know a batch is unequivocally bacteria-free, they turn to Biosearch. Our proprietary BHQ probes enable revealing and reliable qPCR testing, powering new discoveries in genomics every day. And at our large-scale, cGMP-compliant facilities, we impeccably craft oligos as if lives depend on it – because they do. When we’re not verifying vineyard goods, we’re building primers to test cancer-fighting drugs or halt a bioweapon attack. And that’s just today. Who knows what we’ll help you discover tomorrow?

Do you respect wood? If so, you’ll appreciate Mortar’s client gift this year:

Oh, and you’ll need a drinking vessel to go with those shiny new coasters.

Merry Chrismukkah, everybody.

Why are you still here? It’s New Year’s Eve. Get out there and do what the glass told you to.

Don’t you hate it when you start something, but everything gets in the way of you finishing it? Like when you’re one bite into a mind-blowing panini, and someone yanks you into a meeting about timesheets. Or when you’re trying to write a blogpost, and people keep sending you amazing internetz finds like this. Or this.

Or when you’re on your way to a bachelor’s degree. You commit yourself to earning that all-important piece of paper with Latin scribbles on it. But sometimes, unexpected things derail your quest. There’s no need to get into the details of those things, in the same way we won’t discuss what kept you from attending Sally Jenkins’ slumber party in first grade. All we know is, stuff gets in the way.

Since 2002, Mortar has handled the advertising work for Golden Gate University, a school primarily known for its graduate programs. But this summer, GGU wanted to promote its undergraduate program, which deals with a much more specific audience. These are people who have been out of the college game so long they’ve forgotten how insipid college food can be, not to mention what the word “insipid” means. They’re also blasted with continuing education ads left and right – none of which have been effective. Continue reading →