"Give me a sign!" Props to a local craftsman

via facebook.com

Last year I had the pleasure to help the Oncology & Hematology Institute of Southwest Louisiana create a new logo to coincide with their move to a new location in the Lake Charles, Louisiana area (you may remember the post).

Working on this logo was a rewarding experience all around, and the Institute's reaction was very positive. The logo has been used online, in outdoor advertising, and on digital outdoor banners, but it was recently highlighted in it's use on the Institute's new sign, crafted by Lake Charles sign-craftsman, Mark Hebert.
Mark is one of the few, if not only, remaining sign-craftsmen in Southwest Louisiana. I have a unique appreciation for his work since I myself earned my early advertising stripes in the sign industry, although it was of the more computerized and commercialized variety.

Mark has been working in the sign business for a long time, stepping out for a while, but now apparently working at full speed. What Mark does is special in that it takes years to learn and hone. His sort of ability isn't just an acquired skill; it's a natural born talent that Mark obviously worked hard to refine.

I've had the pleasure to meet and discuss the sign-craft with Mark. He is a gracious and knowledgeable individual, and I'm hoping to see more of my design works brought to life by his hand in the future.

If you need a sign in a hurry, go to a commercial shop; that's what they are good at, and there is definitely a need for that in this "fast paced and highly competitive market." However, if you need a sign that stands above the rest, specifically crafted to suit your business, a sign with character and individuality, you should definitely contact Mark Hebert of Hebert Signs, a true master of his craft.

Don't believe me? Take some time to browse around Mark's Facebook gallery and see for yourself.

VIEW MARK'S GALLERY HERE >> http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10273&id=100000466031458

Posted via email from The Parker Brand Picture Post!

What's Behind Button Number 4?

So, I stopped to fuel up this morning, and before I could get out of my vehicle I was bombarded with the sound blaring from the little screen at the left of the pump. Look, I'm all for advertising. In fact, good advertising can actually be entertaining and beneficial to society (I'll defend that another time). All that being said, good advertising is not what comes to mind when I run into one of these devices. They're very annoying, and nothing short of noise pollution.

I reached out to look for the magic mute button, and what did I see? If number 4 is any indication, then I'm not the only one who can't tolerate these things.



Thoughts?

You "Mite" Like This Billboard (or "Local Outdoor Concept Gets The Parker Brand Bump")

Outdoor advertising is one of my favorite forms of communication. That may come from the roots that I laid down in the sign industry when I first got into the advertising field. Like most medium-sized markets, we've got our fair share of billboards. Most of the time they're just more noise on the landscape, but from from time-to-time something really cool will pop up. This time, it popped up right across the street from my office.

So, what's so exceptional about this particular billboard? Well, there are few things, but I'll get to that in a second.

On the surface it looks like just another pest control advertisement. It does the job of telling you who the company is, and what they do. It's not overloaded with text. I do happen to know that the logo was inherited by a local sign company, and then they created a set of graphics for a vehicle-wrap (which is pictured in the layout), and it seems that those graphics have set the tempo for everything you see here. I'm assuming that the jeep is a large part of this company's advertising campaign because I've seen it used in their print advertising as well.

Now, on to the good stuff. This is actually a double-stacked billboard. If you look closely you can see the backside of the board. I think purchasing both boards is a great idea. You get all of the attention that way.

They've utilized an extension from the top of this over-sized outdoor purchase to draw attention to their "100% Effective" message. If that's what they wanted folks to see, then it does the trick.

All of those things are great, but what really made me stop (literally... I pulled over) was the pole. Who uses the pole? In this market, just about no one. This company wants you to know that it's termite season and all of those little termites crawling up the pole do the job just fine. What a creative way to draw a potential customer's eyes up to the message.

This pest control company owns this side of the board, 100%! It's the only board on this side of this particular stretch of highway, so if you're scanning the horizon as you drive then chances are they'll own your attention as well.

I'm not sure which agency advises this particular company. Maybe they make their own media decisions, or maybe they were advised by AdSource Outdoor Advertising. I know that Henry "Rock" Hardy is an experienced outdoor man, so I wouldn't be surprised if this little morsel wasn't cooked up by him.

No matter where is came from, this local piece of advertising get's the Parker Brand Bump! I hope that we see more of this type of creative thinking in this market. Good job!