A little over four months into 2008, and Substance is a busy place. Some new site launches, some work in progress, and of course other news. For those of you who have been here before, some of this is old news. But there should be something new in here for everyone…
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Work We’ve Done
Bambuhome.com
Simple, straightforward, and more than product facts… it’s the stories that tell the craftsmanship and reason behind the products (I think this is going to be a trend for 2008). It’s not just a Lacquerware bowl, it’s how it’s made. More importantly, it’s why it’s made. Learn more about the bambu web site at findsubstance.com/portfolio/bambu
Arakawagrip.com
Technically, Arakawa, “supplies quick-release cable grippers to retail stores and fixture manufacturers, exhibit builders, galleries and museums, and general contractors.” But what they really do is create solutions that show stuff off for their clients. Instead of being another company that sells gripper and cable commodities, we helped Arakawa reposition themselves as providing more than grippers and cables… they provide the hanging solution that is worry-free, easy to adjust, and puts the focus on the object(s) being displayed. Arakawagrip.com focuses on the solutions as the entry way to the web experience. Learn more about the Arakawa web site at findsubstance.com/portfolio/arakawa-grip
Logobama.com
As our first project under the Substance Labs banner, we wanted to create something that can show how quick and easy it is to build a powerful digital media vehicle. We’ve created a lightweight Flash application based on the Obama “movement” that allows people to upload their photo, choose their color theme, and save their logo (their “logobama”) to use on social networking sites, or wherever else they might want to use it. Ten weeks in, the site has over 24,000 site visitors, almost 7,000 logos created, and more than $670 in donations to the Obama campaign. You can learn more about Logobama at findsubstance.com/portfolio/logobama
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We’re working on this now…
Portland Trail Blazers
We mentioned at the end of 2007 that we were working on a project with the Portland Trail Blazers. Well, as the regular season comes to a close, we’re busy at work on IAmATrailBlazersFan.com 2.0. Our goal is to create an incredibly deep, rich experience for Trail Blazer fans, players, and staff and the new site promises all that and more. Look for it to launch in the summer of 2008.
Oregon Coast Visitors Association
Substance was recently awarded the honor of working with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA), Travel Oregon, and Wieden+Kennedy on developing the digital brand experience for the new OCVA web site. We’re thrilled to be working with this collective group, as we’re big fans of the Oregon coast. Research trips are being planned; the new site should launch in the summer of 2008.
RYZ
From the RYZwear.com temp site, “We provide a level playing field where anyone has an opportunity to shine. Anyone can submit their own sneaker designs, share their creativity, and showcase their own personal style. And anyone can be a rock star.” Working with Swift Collective, we’ll be making the full site a reality. Yet another project slated to launch in the summer of 2008. Looks like it’s going to be a busy summer…
ACS
We received an RFP that makes us think, “wow, this sounds like an awesome project.” The RFP (actually an RFC – Request for Conversation) for the ACS web site had exactly this kind of impact. We’ve been thoroughly impressed with their thinking, their approach and their philosophy to advanced business war games. Next steps are translating concepts into the new site. And you guessed it… due to launch in the summer of 2008.
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Substance Year One Cavalcade of Awesomeness
At the end of February (February 29th to be exact), Substance celebrated it’s first year anniversary with the Substance Year One Cavalcade of Awesomeness. There was eating, drinking, and plenty of rocking out. Photos and a recap are on FindSubstance.com
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Walking the Talk: Substance Gets a Portfolio
After 16 months of being in business, we’ve finally had a free moment to launch our portfolio. It showcases many of the projects we’ve had the privilege of working on for the last year+, and shows some of the thinking behind why digital brand strategy is important, and how it is realized online. You can view the portfolio at findsubstance.com/portfolio
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Around Town, Around Out-of-Town, and Elsewhere Online
We’ve been doing some other things around town, and out-of-town as well. David was on a panel at the Food Alliance’s 10th Anniversary Industry Forum, discussing the role of brand and digital brand in marketing sustainability. He also moderated a panel about online marketing at the Kitchen08 conference in Portland on April 24th. Shaun was in Toronto from April 19th to the 23rd, representing Substance at FITC. Stephen is participating as an author for the Age of Conversation 2.0. Substance was featured on the Travel Oregon blog, documenting our company excursion to Mt. Hood. There’s the Substance muxtape that we update every few weeks with some of the latest tunes we’re rockin’ at the HQ: findsubstance.muxtape.com. We celebrated Todd’s birthday at the Green Dragon. Substance representatives will be floating around at Forward08 and WebVisions. And if all that isn’t enough, we’re planning on having a company outing to Fire on the Mountain this week for lunch. It’s always good to get out of the office every now and then.
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The Next Eight Months and Beyond
The first four months of 2008 have flown past, and the rest of the year looks to stay exciting. If you want to keep up-to-date on a daily basis, you can always visit us at findsubstance.com/thinking or subscribe to the feed.
If there’s anything we can do to help with your potential, you have a question or a comment, or you just want to talk, give us a call (503-445-0482), email us at “info (at) findsubstance.com” or stop by the office.
with love,
the people of Substance
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