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Time and Talent Given to Gasparilla Art Festival for Second Year

In a repeat performance of public service and community involvement, PeakBiety branding + advertising designed the official show t-shirts and commemorative posters for the 41st Annual Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. The show took place on March 5 & 6, 2011, at the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa. Hundreds of artists from 13 diverse disciplines participated, and the festival gave out $74,500 in award money to artists.

PeakBiety 2011 Gasparilla Festival of the Arts Poster

For the past two years, the Board of Directors has followed brand guidance from PeakBiety in the selection of just one piece of artwork to represent the show. “We know from our experience in effective branding, that one consistent image chosen to represent an event like the annual Gasparilla Festival, reinforces awareness and keeps the identity of the show fresh, year after year. Deciding on which piece, however, was not an easy task,” comments Amy Phillips, Creative Director. “We literally looked at more than 600 pieces of artwork and considered originality, variety compared to work chosen in previous years, and what would symbolically represent the year. Leading a selection committee made up of mostly Board members, we gravitated toward a multi-media painting by Louisiana artist, Rebecca Rebouché, titled Apple Button. From a distance, the color, contrasts and forms get attention and make a bold statement. On closer inspection, fascinating little details in the collaged background reveal scraps of old children’s books, dictionaries and bits of sheet music hidden within. We saw in the piece an unusual combination of nostalgia, strength and sensitivity.”

The artist explains, “The apple is this bold symbol, paired with the button as a small and tedious symbol of care. The duality is presented on top of these life lessons like sharing, playing and doing chores. There is a chord in there that is specific enough to be real, and yet, common to all of us. It represents an emotion that unites us—tension and tenderness. That is what I like to express in my work.”

Held annually during the first weekend in March in downtown Tampa, Florida, the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is one of the country’s premier outdoor shows. Featured art includes ceramic, digital, drawing, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, watercolor and wood.

Festival staff is made up entirely of volunteers who work throughout the year to continually improve the show, year after year. To watch a recap of the festival, check out this video.

Classic Advertising Icons Live Forever

Although so much in media changes quickly, after watching this feature we were reminded that third-party borrowed interest techniques (i.e. imaginary characters) still work. Geico’s gecko offers one of the best examples of a more recent popular and memorable icon. The “return” of Mr. Peanut speaks volumes for effectiveness. Often, these icons derive from anthropomorphized versions of real creatures as in the case of the Tony The Tiger, Geico’s gecko and the Trix silly rabbit. Many win us over with a cute and lovable demeanor as in the case of the Pillsbury Dough Boy. What’s not to enjoy?

PeakBiety donates design for Sertoma promotional brochure

TAMPA, FL - Tampa East Sertoma selected PeakBiety branding+advertising to assist the organization with the design and production of an informational and promotional brochure.

Sertoma is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit international service club that benefits the less fortunate. Through dedicated membership involvement, Sertoma is able to provide volunteer hours and funding to many renowned charities around the world.

Sertoma Brochure

Tampa East Sertoma has been serving Hillsborough County since 1965 with a charitable focus on children with speech and hearing disorders. The name Sertoma comes from its brand promise, SERvice TO MAnkind. Long-term charity support includes United Cerebral Palsy, Bolesta Center, Inc., Salvation Army, and Sertoma Youth Ranch.

“Our agency is happy to help Tampa East Sertoma,” remarked Glen Peak, President at PeakBiety. “Their organization is a well-acclaimed group of selfless volunteers with a commitment toward helping those in need. And its members are extremely dedicated to making a difference in the community.”

PeakBiety branding+advertising services local, regional and national clients in a variety of business sectors. The agency focuses on adding value for its clients by improving customer perceptions. This commitment is summed up in the agency’s promise, “the power of perception®.”

PeakBiety is also one of the few agencies in Tampa Bay to meet strict requirements to be a Google Adwords Certified Partner as well as membership in the prestigious American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As). For more information, call Glen Peak at PeakBiety branding+advertising, 813-289-8006, extension 114, e-mail gpeak@peakbiety.com or visit peakbiety.com.

Holiday Wishes

Eye Candy Time

(click on one of the candies above)

PeakBiety revitalizes graphic identity for Heart Gallery

Tampa, FL—The Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco recently tapped the creative talent of PeakBiety branding+advertising to assist the non-profit in updating its logo as well as identification of an expanded sponsor base.

As part of the national movement founded in 2001, Heart Galleries all over the U.S. provide traveling exhibits featuring the faces and stories of local foster children ready for adoption. Professional photographers donate their time and talent to create portraits of foster children as an emotionally safe way to connect children with families.

Unlike many Heart Galleries that are part of a state child protection agency, the Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco is an independent, charitable organization that began four years ago as a grass-roots community initiative. The premier sponsors include Bright House Networks, The Higham Family, Progress Energy and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Heart Gallery also partners with Eckerd Community Alternatives, the lead agency for child welfare in Pinellas and Pasco counties. According to Kristin Brett, Executive Director, “We are so fortunate to have the luxury of working with such a top-notch design firm. Not only did PeakBiety modernize and streamline the logo, they figured out how to feature our sponsors in a very clean and logical fashion. This contribution is especially timely, since November is National Adoption Month, which provides the opportunity for lots of additional awareness for us and the children we serve,” Brett added.

PeakBiety branding+advertising® services local, regional and national clients in a variety of business sectors. The agency focuses on adding value for its clients by improving customer perceptions. This commitment is summed up in the agency’s promise, “the power of perception®.”

PeakBiety is also one of the few agencies in Tampa Bay to meet the strict requirements for membership in the prestigious American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As). For more information, call Glen Peak at PeakBiety branding+advertising, 813-289-8006, extension 114, e-mail gpeak@peakbiety.com or visit peakbiety.com.

The Joshua Bell/Metro Station Experiment and the Power of Perception

Edited from The Washington Post article by Gene Weingarten

He emerged from the metro station at the L’Enfant Plaza Station and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play.

It was 7:51 a.m. on a Friday in the middle of rush hour. In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed six classical pieces, 1,097 people passed by. Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape.

Three minutes went by before something happened. A middle-aged man altered his gait for a split second, turning his head to notice that there seemed to be some guy playing music. Yes, the man kept walking, but it was something. A half-minute later, Bell got his first donation. A woman threw in a buck and scooted off. It was not until six minutes into the performance that someone actually stood against a wall, and listened.

After 10 minutes, a 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His name was Joshua Bell and his performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities.

Just days before he appeared at the Metro station, Bell had filled the house at Boston’s stately Symphony Hall, where merely pretty good seats went for $100. The Stradivari violin he played at the metro station has been estimated to be worth $3.5 million.

The questions raised: in an ordinary place at an unbefitting hour, do we recognize beauty? Do we pause to appreciate it? Do we appreciate talent in an unexpected context?

In the fields of marketing and advertising, many studies have been conducted to analyze how context affects overall perception of quality. Weingarten’s findings are a great example of what PeakBiety is all about: the power of perception®.

The results of the Joshua Bell experiment aren’t too surprising to us. The nature of a presentation is closely linked with how it will be perceived. A client’s product or service could be the best available, but without relevant strategy, a strong branding platform and appropriate marketing—the product or service could be easily overlooked.

Gasparilla Festival of the Arts celebrates its 40th Anniversary

PeakBiety is proud to support the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, one of the nation’s premier fine art and craft festivals. The agency designed the official festival poster and T-shirts incorporating commissioned art by long-time participating festival artists, Larry and Sherry Paulsen of City Art Market.

Through PeakBiety’s creative direction, the art depicts the Festival at the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, downtown Tampa and incorporates such important Tampa landmarks as the Tampa Theatre, the new Glazer Children’s Museum and the new Tampa Museum of Art.

The juried show, awarding $75,000 in prize money, returned to its riverside roots on March 6th and 7th, 2010. The festival featured exceptional art from established and emerging artists, live musical entertainment and hands-on art activities for children. Perfect weather and the newly redesigned park location next to Tampa’s brand-spanking-new art museum helped make the show a tremendous success.

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