Monthly Archives: May 2015

Canopy Favorites: Monkey Madness

In honor of one of our favorite TV shows ending this week (#RIPMadMen), each day a member of the Canopy team will give some insight into one of their favorite shows or movies.

monkeykingdom

This weekend I took my grandson to see Disney’s ‘Monkey Kingdom,’ a nature documentary that follows a mother and her newborn baby monkey as they fight the fight to survive within their own social hierarchy and from attacking monkey forces from the outside. These ever resourceful monkeys come up with all sorts clever ways to fight the fight…they lose their kingdom, retreat to the city to heal their wounds and come back to win and move on to another day.

Sounds familiar doesn’t it? An unintended, but powerful reaffirmation of what we do every day in the agency world. Thanks for reminding me of our madness in your own clever way, monkeys.

Movie: Monkey Kingdom
Team Member: Frank, Chairman

Canopy Favorites: The Puzzle That Was Cobain

In honor of one of our favorite TV shows ending this week (#RIPMadMen), each day a member of the Canopy team will give some insight into one of their favorite shows or movies.

montageofheck
There’s never been a more fitting title for a movie than ‘Montage of Heck’. This long awaited Kurt Cobain documentary is simply a work of art. Taking excerpts from his personal diary, both written and recorded, and translating them into an artistic story only fitting for this rebellious rock legend. Director Brett Morgen creates a fascinating assembly of filmmaking genres that are transcribed into puzzle pieces that ultimately reveal intricate parts of Cobain’s undiscovered and disturbed life. Mind bending stuff. The score was amazing, as expected, but done in such a unique way, transforming iconic Nirvana tracks to match the specific periods of his life (imagine a lullaby version of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’).

This fast paced, wickedly crafty experience takes you from literary genius, to animated horror, culminating in a compilation of chaos, also known as a ‘Montage of Heck’. Check it out. Keep the lights on. Have a drink on hand. Enjoy.

Movie: Montage of Heck
Team Member: Marc, CEO

Dinner is (Instagram) Ready!

Screen Shot 2015-05-15 at 4.45.20 PMChili’s, the international chain of casual dining restaurants is upgrading their menu to bring more to the table.  We aren’t referring to increased portion sizes or even changing menu items, Chili’s is changing the way they present food in an effort to draw more tech-savvy millennials.

Think this sounds a bit farfetched?  Think again. Instagram has over 300 million active users, 75 million of those users are active on Instagram daily, and every single minute an average of 90 new photos with the hashtag #foodporn are uploaded. 

The presentation of food, known as plating, is a longstanding important element of all upscale restaurants and their dishes, but since instagram hit the scene, users across the world are posting filtered food pictures constantly.  It’s a wildly popular trend that has withstood tons of backlash from chefs, restaurants and journalists.

We aren’t sure if this result in an increase of social media posts or sales for Chili’s, but we commend them for tailoring their product to meet their audience’s desires.  Good job Chili’s, we hope this marketing tactic doesn’t backfire like endless apps at TGI Fridays.

What Sparks Our Fire: Brands that pay attention to their customers

Envisioning A Whole New Reddit

reddit

With over 169 million unique monthly visitors and the infrastructure to self-segment, some might wonder why Reddit isn’t already a go-to destination for brands looking to advertise online. From the outside, Reddit’s platform provides an ideal way to uniquely interact with consumers through sub-reddits that populate the site and segment users based on interests, location, etc. However, Reddit’s nasty reputation has prevented it’s advertising business from growing at the same rate as sites like Facebook, Twitter, or even the more risqué Tumblr. Even though 6% of the US population visits Reddit, the site has always been known more for it’s embrace of the idea that anything goes in the name of free speech, including online harassment.

As of today, Reddit executives are looking to change that reputation by implementing a new anti-harassment policy. Users will be able to email Reddit employees about harassment, which will result in the harasser’s ban on the website. While some are skeptical about about the impact of a team of Reddit employees monitoring this activity, most users see this policy change as a step in the right direction. If Reddit is able to clean up it’s harassment issue, the impact on the community will be an improved user experience, and will entice brands in the process.

What Sparks Our Fire: A policy shift that may open opportunities for your brand

Marc-eting 101: Christmas Is Not Coming Early This Year

marc-eting blog

Being a huge New York Knicks fan, we knew we had to ask our CEO Marc Sampogna his thoughts on this year’s NBA Christmas uniforms that were leaked this morning. He shared his creative opinion on the designs and their eco-impact with us below.

xmasuniforms

Unfortunately there’s no emoji for my reaction to the new design of the NBA’s Christmas uniforms, which happen to be bleh. There’s nothing seasonal, or spectacular about them from a design standpoint, and that’s all I have to say about that. HOWEVER, there are a couple of elements that captured my attention. They’re promoting sustainability! Now this is a change for the NBA, and a good one. Not using any dye or bleach on the uniforms make these collectors items good for the environment and disposable. Marketing tactic? Not sure. But I think it’s a step in the right direction for an association not known for it’s eco-friendly ways. One last element I enjoyed was how they treated the logo, in a wax seal. While I love the nod to Old English times, I’m not sure how it fits in overall with Christmas. But who am I to judge? I’ve just been following the NBA my entire life, love the Knicks, and happen to run a creative branding agency.