“Sound” Marketing Lexington, Kentucky

In the world of marketing, work lives or dies within the smallest of details; each piece relying upon the other to sell the story as a whole, and most importantly, get the message across. What many people don’t see is how those little details help to create an overall message, so here’s a sneak peek into what goes into the sound design of a television ad here at Oculus.

When starting a new commercial project, the slate is blank. Animations especially don’t have any sounds to them, so everything you are going to see must be given a voice. Sometimes this seems incredibly daunting, but in the end, the Lexington advertising market deserves it. With each passing year more and more of Kentuckians are opening their eyes to good advertising, and here at Oculus, we intend to raise the bar even further.

Generally, as a television commercial approaches a locked cut, we jump from assembly into finalizing the music and sound design. The first step to any good sounding ad is to create a library specifically for that project. Not to say all new, unique sounds, just a fresh file/project and an open mind. Typically we break down each scene and create folders that contain all the various elements that might be used. The process is long and tedious, but this ultimately saves a tremendous amount of time and mental energy when deadlines are quickly approaching. It can be slightly ambiguous and relies heavily on the imagination. Much of marketing and advertising is about creating worlds, so when laying out what sounds fit best within a scene, you have to not just think in terms of what things actually sound like, but are supposed to sound like.

Many people assume these are one in the same, but lets just use the first scene an example from above to prove this isn’t true. The ad starts out with a vehicle that materializes out of thin air. Now this couldn’t actually happen in real life, so it’s up to us, as the creators, to imagine what that might, moreover should, sound like within the established world of the commercial. In this example, we imagined it would sound like a giant balloon being inflated and then all the metal pieces snapping together before hitting the ground. To achieve this feeling, we used sounds of basketballs inflating, handles latching, and doors slamming closed, with a sprinkle of tire screeches and an alarm chirp to bookend the scene with something familiar and definitive.

As you watch each scene unfold, try to pick out how many different sounds are combined together to create the final mix. In the end, there were a total of 117 sound effects used in this Superbowl commercial, each one helping sell the audience on the story that’s being told. If we’ve done our job, you won’t even notice many of the sounds effects but it will just feel “right.” Making an audience feel enveloped in an ad means they can focus on the message, on the client, and on how it matters to them. In other words, advertising at its very best.

Commonwealth CU Superbowl Ad

[su_workflank client=”Commonwealth Credit Union” disciplines=”Original Copywriting Motion Graphics Sound Design Radio Production” creationdate=”January 2014″]CCUKY.org[/su_workflank]

Oculus Studios was hired to develop a brand new TV commercial and radio ad for Commonwealth Credit Union to kick off the new year with a bang. This ad debuted during the 2014 Superbowl, and aims to raise awareness of CCU’s different approach to banking. The final ad features an original script, hand built art, custom animations and a custom sound effects mix.

If you’re interested in the process, you can read about what went into the sound effects mix HERE.

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Pillsbury’s “Fresh & Easy” Campaign

[su_workflank client=”Pillsbury” disciplines=”Video Production” creationdate=”June 2013″]Pillsbury.com[/su_workflank]

Pillsbury, in partnership with Serious Eats, looked to Oculus to conceptualize and create a new online video marketing campaign to promote Pillsbury products from a savory point of view. With the advertising quality being held to the utmost standards, Oculus delivered over 10 separate videos featuring original recipes by Lexington’s very own Food Network Chef: Brigitte Nguyen. Brigitte demonstrates how to turn a few simple ingredients and Pillsbury products into fresh, fun appetizers and meals.

Marketing Lexington

When people say, “marketing Lexington,” they automatically associate those words with Lexington-based marketing agencies and ads. Every industry has its mecca. Film has Hollywood, Broadway has New York, and Entertainment has Las Vegas; however, it’s fair to say that national companies probably do not look to the Bluegrass very often when it comes to advertising, and Oculus wants to change that.

Our desire is not only to create top-notch marketing within Lexington, KY, but to unabashedly market Lexington itself to the rest of the country. This past June, Oculus had the opportunity to work with Pillsbury and New York based food blog Serious Eats. The project came about through mutual contacts and the task was dauntingly simple: Produce a 4-5 minute multi-camera cooking video for YouTube… oh, and you only have 48 hours to make it happen. The crew here at Oculus rarely backs down from the challenge of a short turnaround time, and decided to say, “No problem.”

Tapping Cooking Channel host and Lexington native Brigitte Nguyen, we set about the marathon shoot/editing session and put together a fun and enlightening piece about a New York summer craze, the “Cronut.” The video went live at the beginning of June, and since then has gone on to be one of their top 10 videos topping segments with the likes of Alton Brown, Mario Batali, and Anthony Bourdain that have had years to garner more and more views.

While making a product with a great team, great talent, and a great client is…well…great, we had our hearts set on a continued relationship with our New York friends. While Oculus has lots of experience marketing companies in Lexington and all over Kentucky, we had the new task of marketing ourselves as a better alternative to “local” companies in the Big Apple.

We made the case for producing more content in Lexington that could be done to the standards that a national company would require but with the benefit of cost reduction. Lexington, and Kentucky in general, afford companies like Oculus the benefit of lower overhead in our day to day, which allows us to pass that reduced cost onto our clients. Then, in late August, the spoils of our marketing efforts paid off. The call came down from Pillsbury that they wanted 10 more videos.

Oculus takes great pride in proving that Lexington isn’t the small, backwoods town that much of the South is portrayed to be in movies and television. It is a vibrant city full of talent and endless possibilities. Marketing Lexington actually turned out to be easy, and Pillsbury has been thrilled with the products and the growing online reception.

In the new series targeting social media and blogs, we are helping Pillsbury craft an online image that mirrors what they are trying to cultivate with their brand through traditional advertising methods like television. Our goal was simple from the start: deliver national quality for a national brand. Social Media content doesn’t need to live in a no man’s land of cheap and boring or overpriced and effective.

Oculus hopes to continue bringing national attention to Lexington, Kentucky, whether it falls into our lap, or we have to steamroll our way in. We aim to prove to those in the “big cities” that Lexington is able to provide the best quality there is without breaking the bank. For us, it wasn’t even a task of marketing Lexington, it was advertising the amazing things it has to offer, proving that talent can be found anywhere and quality should always come first. We can’t wait to sink our teeth into what’s next…

Kentucky Proud – The Wonder of Being An Advertising Agency in Lexington, KY

Oculus Studios is a company that was conceived and built in Lexington, Kentucky. The founders of Oculus Studios were both born and raised right here in the Bluegrass, and that Kentucky pride runs through and through. Every day, we work with companies from all over the nation with a variety of different needs and messages they want to send. While we love all of our clients, sometimes the job or situation doesn’t necessarily allow us to work exactly how we’d like to. It’s genuinely exciting though, because every day is incredibly different.

But every once in a while, you get a client who says, “We want you to be you,” and that’s exactly what we had with the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union. UKFCU met with us, and went through some of our work before simply saying, “We want you to make a commercial about nothing but us. Not a program or product, just us; Our company and who we are.”

This opened up an interesting line of dialogue, because for us, we weren’t sure who they were. Their name says “University of Kentucky,” but they’re not controlled by the University. Their name makes you think alumni, but they’re membership isn’t limited to just UK students, alumni, faculty, and staff. That’s not even where it begins. So what became clear to us was that this company wasn’t the University of Kentucky, they were simply Kentucky. They have members all over the state, many of their staff are made up of Kentuckians, and, like us, they’re Kentucky through and through.

In the next meeting, we emphasized our view, “You are not simply your name, you’re so much more than that, just like Kentucky. Let’s make Kentucky the star of this commercial and show people that UKFCU isn’t a University credit union, it’s Kentucky’s credit union.” This approach to the project was met with warm enthusiasm, and with that, we set off.

We traveled all across the Bluegrass, capturing the essence and beauty of this majestic horse capital. We found interesting businesses, people, and places to form a one minute spot for both TV and radio that showcased this amazing state that we call home, and UKFCU truly let us run wild with it.

This isn’t simply a Lexington TV commercial, it’s a Kentucky TV commercial, and the driving force of a poignant campaign. We shot in Frankfort, Louisville, Winchester, Midway, Versailles, and even at the top of Natural Bridge overlooking Red River Gorge (hauling all the gear was awesome). What came out of this ad though, for us, was not only a TV commercial, but the privilege of seeing this gorgeous state in what may have been the most beautiful summer we’ve ever experienced. Yes, it rained (and rained) more than we could remember and countless shoots had to be reshot or rescheduled, but what resulted was a constant barrage of beautiful skies, green grass, and mild temperatures. We saw more breathtaking Kentucky sunrises and sunsets than we could ask for, and yet, we never got tired of seeing that golden sunlight blanket this state.

In researching the commercial, we also found out so many amazing facts about Kentucky that really give it a unique history. From the song “Happy Birthday” being written by two sisters in Louisville in 1893, to the cheeseburger being born in Kentucky in 1934 at Kaelin’s Restaurant. We truly have wonderful traditions, delicious food and drinks, and above all, amazing people. The people we met were welcoming to us filming and many even offered to pitch in and help, a tell-tale sign of the charming people of this land.

Oculus prides itself on custom written music for much of our work, and this project was no different. Matching the theme of a commercials script in music can be difficult, so when it comes together it deepens the value of the spot. “My Old Kentucky Home” is the State’s official song, so we felt it appropriate to use as the foundation for the music. So while the opening notes are the same as My Old Kentucky Home, by the end of the piece, it transforms into something completely different. This echoed the theme that both Kentucky and UKFCU are more than their beginnings, more than a name.

Finally, the visual voodoo took place in all its usual forms by color grading and compositing the shots to really make the details pop. From replacing gray skies with blue, cloudy ones, to transforming the look or timing of whole shots, the editing process is always fun to see culminate into some fantastic results.

Throughout the commercial production, companies like Ale8one and Alltech were kind enough to let us film at their facilities. We were even allowed to shoot in Rupp Arena, and be right on the floor where the cats play… check that off our bucket list. It was truly an honor to meet and shake the hands of fellow Kentuckians that are working hard to make the Bluegrass the special place it is. If every client asked us to simply enjoy the state we live in, we would be the luckiest company in the world. Until then, we will continue to enjoy living and working in Lexington and cherish the opportunities we have, like this campaign, and companies that let Oculus be Oculus.

More Than A Name Ad Campaign

[su_workflank client=”University Of Kentucky Federal Credit Union” disciplines=”Video Production Original Copywriting Motion Graphics Radio Production” creationdate=”July 2013″]uky.edu/UKFCU[/su_workflank]

Oculus Studios was hired to conceptualize and create a new voice for the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union for the modern generation. Featuring an original script, custom music based off notes in “My Old Kentucky Home,” and shots taken throughout Summer, this ad campaign features images all across the majestic Bluegrass. It aims to speak straight to the heart of hard-working Kentuckians that make up this wonderful state.

Read more about how this campaign was made in our blog HERE.

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Commonwealth CU MY Card Animation

[su_workflank client=”Commonwealth Credit Union” disciplines=”Original Copywriting Motion Graphics Sound Design” creationdate=”November 2013″]CCUKY.org[/su_workflank]

Oculus Studios was hired to develop a playful motion graphics marketing animation that would be used for both broadcast and online advertising to help explain Commonwealth Credit Union’s new “MY Card.” Featuring an original script, hand built art, and a custom sound effects mix, the piece helps inform customers and members alike of the product and all its benefits.

Commonwealth CU Membership Animation

[su_workflank client=”Commonwealth Credit Union” disciplines=”Original Copywriting Motion Graphics Composed Music Sound Design” creationdate=”October 2013″]CCUKY.org[/su_workflank]

Oculus Studios was hired to develop a new motion graphics animation to help explain what being a member at Commonwealth Credit Union really is. This final product features an original script, custom composed music, hand built art, and a custom sound effects mix. The result is a powerful marketing & advertising tool helping to educate in a fun yet informative way.

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We CU Differently TV Commercial & Campaign

[su_workflank client=”Commonwealth Credit Union” disciplines=”Video Production Radio Production Original Music Website Design” creationdate=”August 2013″]CCUKY.org[/su_workflank]

Creating a new look and feel, as well as developing the new tagline, “We CU Differently” helped raise awareness and give a little insight to what makes Commonwealth Credit Union different among other credit unions and banks alike. This playful yet poignant TV commercial features original copywriting and custom music to really give this spot a unique, one-of-a-kind result, and additionally translated well across all mediums including radio and print.

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Oculus was also tasked with creating a new, custom membership portal with extensive information, animated family trees and an interactive eligibility wizard to help potential members in making a decision to join.

Commonwealth Credit Union Water Bottle

[su_workflank client=”Commonwealth Credit Union” disciplines=”Brand Management” creationdate=”June 2013″]CCUKY.org[/su_workflank]

Tasked with creating a national looking water bottle label for Commonwealth Credit Union, Oculus chose cool blue colors combined with water elements to give a refreshing feeling of ice cold water. Additionally, Oculus created another label for the grand opening the Commonwealth Credit Union in Hamburg, Lexington.