by Ken Lancaster (president and creative director)
We’ve done thousands of different projects – over 5,000 at last count. That’s a lot of work. In that vast sea of persuasion are there any projects that stand out? Any favorites? You bet. Here’s our list (in no particular order) of our top ten favorite projects of all time.
1. Video shoot for Israel Tourism
Our very first client was the Israel Government Tourist Office for the southern U.S. As a devoted Christian, I was, of course, very excited to work with Israel to promote the Holy Land. The association we had with IGTO was very successful (so successful, in fact that they appear later on this list as a client 17 years after our original work for them). My favorite project of all time was the eleven-day video shoot we did on location in Israel for the tourism office. We followed a tour group for eleven days and shot video of their tour. Then, the Israel Government gave us a van, a driver, a translator, and a letter granting us access to any location we wanted to visit and we went back to our favorites spots and shot motion picture film. What an incredible experience. You can see a small clip of some of the work on our television commercials page. I could write a book about the experience and if we ever meet in person, ask me. I’ll tell you a few amazing stories.
2. Radio commercials for Roundstreet Microwave Pizza
The thing I like about producing radio commercials is it is true “theater of the mind.” You can do things with a radio commercial that would be cost prohibitive in any other media. That’s because you are borrowing people’s imaginations as the screen for your story. A case in point is our radio commercial for Roundstreet Microwave Pizza. Only on radio could you have a guy juggling Persian cats and chain saws while eating pizza. Very funny. Actually, as I look over the list of radio spots on our radio commercials page, any of them could have made this list. I love radio.
3. TV commercials for CiCi’s Pizza
Back when we were first getting started with CiCi’s Pizza (before we helped them triple in size and things got considerably more complicated), the powers that be were open to making their brand stand apart by using some really fun creative. Several of our television commercials for that original campaign can be found here. The various special effects used in the campaign were fun to execute and the result was a message that stood apart from the rest of the QSR “me too” world. And did I mention we helped them triple in size?
4. Illustration for Cochran Undersea Technology
Our illustration project for Cochran Undersea Technology was fun, that’s all. It also was a great finished product. The final image took a photo shoot and a couple weeks of compositing by an excellent illustrator. The resulting image lasted for years as the cornerstone image for the company.
5. Photo shoot for Circle “S” Ranch
It was seven miles from the front gate to the back fence, a true Texas ranch. Everything about the place was authentic – from the deer, turkey and other wildlife to the real-live cowboys who worked the place. The end result was a nice little direct mail campaign but the two-day photo shoot is what I will always remember.
6. TV campaign for Consumer Credit Counseling Service
“I hate money. It’s like a monster…” If you’ve ever seen the TV spot we created as part of a campaign for Consumer Credit Counseling Service, you’re probably as haunted as we are by the big brown eyes of the spot’s eight-year old star. She was magnificent. Response to the commercial doubled the company’s leads in the first month of the campaign.
7. Trade show campaign for AER Manufacturing
When I first met with this company, they were needing a brochure designed and printed. As we delved deeper into that project we ended up doing a great deal more, including a very creative and successful trade show campaign that included booth design, collateral material design and promotional support. The new division we helped launch for the company through these and other efforts quickly grew to a $50 million part of their business. It couldn’t have happened to nicer people.
8. Website for Coats Orthodontics
We’ve developed many websites. One of my favorites was the one we created for my kids’ orthodontist, Dr, Matthew J. Coats. Dr. Coats was willing to hire a photographer to shoot his very unique facility (it resembled a cross between a soda fountain and Disney World) and he also gave us a great deal of creative freedom in creating the website for his business. The site included animated (and interactive) soda bubbles on the home page and a special arcade game page just for kids. Very fun.
9. Catalog for DX Electric
We do a great deal of graphic design – brochures, direct marketing, catalogs, etc. One of my favorite projects in this category was a catalog we did for DX Electric company, an electrical component wholesaler here in Dallas. The piece ended up very nice but the fact that it took almost two years to complete and that it was a line in the sand in my own personal life in terms of integrity will make it stand out for me forever. Ask me about it. It’s a great story about turning lemons into lemonade.
10. Israel Toursim, part 2
17 years after we first did work for the Israel Government Tourist office, they recently hired us again. This time we are helping them promote tourism in the UK. The campaign so far has included television, radio, print advertising and a the design of a website.
