PARTNER SPOTLIGHT | AQU WELLNESS
Design and Branded Content Services for Pacific Palisades-based Acupuncture & Wellness Brand.
Tema provides full service creative for Aqu Wellness. Check out some of the examples below.
Services Provided
Brand Identity
Logo Design
Website Design
Product Photography
Package Design
Social Media Content
Fliers and Business Cards
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT | Qorum - "Your Free Designated Driver"
We began our partnership with Qorum after I went on a tea date with their founder and CEO, Andrew Pietra. It didn’t take long for me to buy into what the Los Angeles-based startup was selling. Andrew showed me a beta of their app and walked me through some of its functionality. The app serves as a veritable Swiss army knife for going out. It allows its users to look up bars in their area, see updated menus in realtime, it can open and close your bar tab automatically and most importantly - GIVES YOU FREE RIDES when you’re ready to leave!!! That’s right, the last part is particularly ingenious - the company utilizes ‘drink responsibly’ campaign funds from partnering liquor companies to give each of their users free uber credits for their rides home. They’re essentially providing a free designated driver for everyone.
Still not totally clear? Check out this explainer video we helped them create.
Needless to say, I was immediately interested and agreed to help them with their campaign. In addition to creating the explainer video, Tema is responsible for populating the app with photos and videos of their partnering venues. Qorum have been able to secure partnerships with an impressive and expansive list of some of the most exciting places for nightlife in Los Angeles and Orange County and I’ve been bouncing around town with my camera gear. We’re even working towards a 360 photo integration in the app to allow the users to experience the space virtually before heading there IRL (Stay tuned!)
We've worked with Paolo over the past year to create several videos ranging from short 30-second videos for social media to a 3-minute explainer video. He consistently delivers great work. He has always been receptive to feedback and edits are handled quickly and without attitude. We're excited to continue working together.
- Andrew Pietra - CEO, Founder
Now before you head to the App Store to download the app, you should know that the company is still in beta. Patience is a virtue… but we think it’ll be worth it.
Have a startup or small business in need of content? We’re here to help. Feel free to reach out to me directly [paolo@tema.studio] to inquire about our creative services!
Got Boogie Fever? | Take your videos to the next level with Music Supervision
We most certainly do!
Music can be a large part of successful campaigns. Sometimes finding right track after combing through countless royalty free libraries can be exactly what the project calls for. However, there are some major advantages to syncing licensed music and there is a way to do it without necessarily breaking the bank.
Advantage one- Value
It can increase the production value of your TVC and digital spots tenfold. By syncing a song that has more production attached to it, that value gets transferred to the video itself. It inherently adds an expensive connotation and shows your audience that you mean business. Beyond inspiring cinematography and exciting editing, it is the easiest way to give your content a rounded off polish.
Advantage two - Branding
In addition to increasing production value, It also serves as a great branding tool that connects your business or product to pop culture and an existing fanbase. If you’re able to secure a sync to a top 40s track at the height of its success, that sure is a great way to flex but it’ll come with a hefty pricetag. Another, perhaps more effective approach, would be to target cool emerging artists. Explore the genre that best fits the mood of your story and take a look at the new acts that are making waves. The cost is considerably less and it positions your brand as a tastemaker, especially if that artist goes on to be the next big star.
Advantage three- Exposure
By putting out a spot with a licensed song from an artist you become connected to their fanbase. It almost acts as an endorsement from the artist and a foot in the door to thousands or potentially millions of prospective customers.
Is it in my budget?
It might not be as expensive as you think! Over the years, I have collected a lot of close friendships in the music industry and have used my connections to sync several songs at a fraction of their licensing cost. Remember the advantages I mentioned before about aligning your brand with an artist? Well, the inverse is true too. Your company may have a lot of leveraging points when negotiating a license agreement. The trick is identifying the right artist and song. That’s were we come in! We are more than happy to offer Music Supervision to our services. I personally have had a lot of success over the years and have seen my projects take on new life just by adding that shiny polish.
Video Produced for LA Galaxy’s 2018 campaign. Music: Sofi Tukker - Best Friend feat. NERVO & The Knocks
Viral in Italy | CASE STUDY
Soccer, Football, Futbol, Calcio content
After seven years of creating soccer content, I got reeled back in. Earlier this year one of my clients, New York-based DJ Gattuso, approached me with a special project. Fans of the historic Italian soccer team AC Milan had caught wind of the DJ because he shares his stage name with a former player and current head coach. More began tuning in and he started developing a cult following. Taking advantage of the occasion, he produced a song specifically made for AC Milan fans called Scusa and asked me to create a visualizer. The video spread like wildfire online and made it to several Italian broadcast TV stations, including sky sports.
A few family members from Italy told me that the video had been popping up. It’s always great to see your videos go viral and help your clients gain exposure in new markets. The main take-away here is that: niche content works.
More from GATTUSO
Poetry over Prose | The changing landscape of digital advertising
A look into creating mobile-optimized content for Facebook and Instagram
Change:
Things change. Habits are perhaps its biggest driver - from improving your posture to changing our collective values as a society. To remain relevant it is important to study our habits, learn from them and incorporate them into our practice.
“The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.”
Confucius
How it pertains to brands
Cultural changes are part and parcel of brands, so (in the marketing world) keeping up with trends is synonymous with success. Attention span today is in short supply, however content is not. This disparity should be seen as an opportunity for brands to stand out in front of the noise. How? By tailoring creative to each platform’s best practices.
Facebook saw that most of its traffic is coming from smartphones and its users are sifting through content at blazing speeds. They responded by launching MobileWorks, a program dedicated to reformatting and re-envisioning the standard campaign films of their clients to help maximize their ad spend with more efficient content. The videos are reshaped from standard horizontal video (16:9) to vertical (4:5) to maximize real estate on the platform, can be viewed without sound and are re-cut to reveal its message sooner. They also added a resource called Blueprint to educate creators and brands on the best practices for sponsored content and details how its users are engaging with content. I encourage anyone to study the site to get tips on how to successfully advertise on Facebook and Instagram. We at Tema have been fortunate enough to partner with MobileWorks and Genero to successfully redesign several campaigns for companies like SongPop2, West Coast University and Walmart Mexico. If you need help creating new mobile-first campaigns or optimizing existing assets, feel free to call on us!
“Every major brand has a TV commercial, but not every TV commercial is optimized for the mobile environment. Most TV commercials have a linear story arc revealing brand or benefit only at the end. If the scrolling speed of mobile is averaging at 1.7 seconds, we must fundamentally rethink the first few seconds and capture attention quickly with our most arresting frames.”
May Seow, global story director at Facebook Creative Shop.
Death to 30 seconds commercials?
There will be a place for the classic commercial spot as long as Television and Film is a thing. But as media consumption on phones continues to rise, I think it’s necessary to pay attention to consumer habits and devise a strategy accordingly. Why tell a long drawn out story when a delicately-crafted, succinct haiku would make more sense? By taking a multi-dimensional approach, the effectiveness and over all success of your brand messaging will skyrocket. Yay!