Catalog is a Real Page-Turner
When was the last time you read a catalog? Not glanced through the merchandise and scanned a price or two, but actually read the text? Ever? That changed with the new JC Penney catalog. Pretty in pink on the outside, … Continue reading 
Groupon Goof Takes Dough From Baker
Is Groupon, the daily online deal offering food or services at a discount, good or bad for small businesses? I know what Rachel Brown would answer. Brown owns Need a Cake bakery in London. Via U.S.-based Groupon, she offered customers … Continue reading
2011 PR Year in Review
I saw a weather featurette on TV that dubbed 2011 “The Year of Destruction” because of the damage and deaths from the tsunami that hit Japan in March through the tornadoes, flooding and other natural disasters that plagued the United … Continue reading
Netflix Streaming Mistakes Directly to Customers
Have you heard the expression “shooting yourself in the foot?” It means doing something that makes you look stupid. Usually, you only shoot yourself in the foot once. Netflix is trying to empty an entire clip. First it infuriated customers … Continue reading
Blessings and Curses
“May you live in interesting times” is a saying that some theorize is based on an old Chinese curse. Not sure why it’s a curse but it made me wonder, aren’t all times interesting? Sure, we have technologies and transportation … Continue reading
A Case of Brand Overexposure?
On television and in films, significant placement of a brand can mean big bucks, both in fees for the production company and revenue for the brand owner. The concept goes back to Pavlov’s dog. People react to a stimulus. See … Continue reading
Keep Your Competition More Than a Click Away
Think of a website like a family photo. Would you feel comfortable handing out a photograph of you and the kids from 10 years ago? Not likely. Kids grow and styles change. Those shorts you were wearing are hilarious today, … Continue reading
A Marketing Idea to Bowl Consumers Over
Jesse Spungin, the general manager at Orville Redenbacher, calls it the “biggest thing to happen to popcorn in 25 years.” Is it a new flavor? A bigger kernel? Real “real” butter flavor? Nope. It’s a microwave popcorn bag that turns … Continue reading
Then Why Call it Social?
Words mean a lot to me, which is why I don’t understand why some things are called the opposite of what they are. Like “smart” bombs. “Mild” cigars. Or “social” media. I think typing onto a tiny keypad, sending out … Continue reading
At Least My iPad Is Never Overdue
Libraries used to be the primary source of information. Have a paper to write in school? Head to the library. Want to know about poisonous snakes or the Korean War? Go to the library. Even if your family owned an … Continue reading
Dive Into Re-branding, The Water’s Fine
We’ve all seen it. The kid on the diving board, scared to jump into the water, scared even more by what their friends might say if they climbed back down the ladder. I meet people like that. They want a … Continue reading
Celebrating our 100th Daily Dig of 2011
Have you checked out the “Daily Dig” link at the top of our website? 365 days of the year, rain or shine, we update this (by 9 am) to something obscure on the web which we find interesting, bizarre or … Continue reading
DAAKE Wins 10 Awards for Healthcare Clients
DAAKE, a modern design consultancy that specializes in comprehensive re-brandings, helped their healthcare clients win 10 Healthcare Marketing Awards. Winning entries included an Annual Report, Billboard, Newsletter, Direct Mail Campaign, Magazine Design, Special Event Marketing, Website and Print Advertising Campaigns. … Continue reading
The Consumer Evolves
Not much more than 10 years ago, marketing was aimed at “the consumer.” I’ve never really liked the anonymity of that term. My mind conjures an image of a nest full of baby birds, eyes closed, beaks and mouths agape, … Continue reading
Congratulations Perfect Image Window Cleaning
A big thank you to everyone who cast votes during our Design Dynamo contest. Katie Condon will begin working with DAAKE in June. A special congratulations goes out to Dave Pugh of Perfect Image Window Cleaning who registered to win 10 … Continue reading
Impeachment? Just Pull the Plug
Could a computer serve as President of the United States? In the 1970 thriller “Colossus: The Forbin Project,” the nation put its weapon systems in the control of a supercomputer – only to have it link up with a Russian … Continue reading
Design Dynamo Winner
Our Design Dynamo contest was a HUGE success. After receiving over 1400 total votes, our intern for the summer is Katie Condon from the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Thank you to all the talented graphic designers who participated. View Katie’s … Continue reading
Daake Raises the Roof
On May 21st, Team DAAKE is giving back to the community by building a home with Habitat for Humanity of Omaha. Habitat is about more than swinging a hammer. They rely on the generosity of people like you to further … Continue reading
A New ROI: Return on Ideas
A wise man I knew once told me something about a particular auto company that shall remain nameless: scratch the paint and you can see the soup can label underneath. He didn’t mean it literally. He meant the product wasn’t … Continue reading
Do Ads Have to be Everywhere?
Do we have to see ads every time we visit an Internet news site? Here’s what got me started. Like most other people I know, I was mesmerized by the videos and news reports in the hours and days following … Continue reading
Get Social
Stick out your thumb along a highway and you might get a free ride. Use both of them to text a message and you’ve got the ability to tap into the latest marketing tool. Social media isn’t just for being … Continue reading
DAAKE Honored With Four Marcom Awards
DAAKE helped Children’s Hospital & Medical Center win four MarCom Awards in 2010. Winning entries included two Platinum Awards for the We know children. External Communication Program and the Our Story Unfolds Annual Report, as well as two Gold Awards … Continue reading
Great Rebrandings Satisfy Consumers
What’s the recipe for success? Coke has one. So does Kentucky Fried Chicken. And both keep them locked up like gold in a vault, because that’s what they are. Golden. Aside from what goes into a product, another key … Continue reading
DAAKE Honored by Neenah Paper
Neenah Paper has selected DAAKE, a modern design consultancy that specializes in comprehensive re-brandings, to receive a Bronze Award in their Paperworks Design Contest. The selection came as a result of the company’s work on the DAAKE stationery system. DAAKE … Continue reading
What I See is What You Get
When I Google clock radios, I get a little more than eight million results. But how many do I really need? Five? Fifty? I know I want more than one – especially when I click on a website and my … Continue reading
DAAKE Wins a Silver Telly Award
DAAKE helped the University of Nebraska Athletics win a Silver Telly Award, the highest honor granted at the 32nd Annual Telly Awards. DAAKE collaborated with The Great Plains Motion Picture Company and The Mixing Room to film and produce the … Continue reading
Be A DAAKE Design Dynamo*
If you are a brilliant designer interested in working with a design consultancy in Omaha, Nebraska, then you should become the next DAAKE summer intern by entering the Design Dynamo contest. Here’s the catch – we’re going to let America … Continue reading
When Voices Strike A Chord
Of all the movies made, only a tiny fraction are nominated for the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture. These fortunate few showcase compelling scripts, lavish sets and the very best actors. Like Woody and Buzz. This year’s Best Picture … Continue reading
Business Is Still In The Cards
Just when it seems almost everything has gone high tech, someone hands you their business card. Sure, the little cards have evolved over the years. Today’s versions can be personalized with unique papers, inks, etching and photos – even messages … Continue reading
Don’t Like The Latest Trend? Wait Five Minutes…
It wasn’t so long ago that business trends were assessed on a quarterly basis – at best. More often, you’d be alerted about possible trends in January – then spend the rest of the year waiting to see if the … Continue reading
The Hotel That Should Have Had Reservations
I cringed when I read about the $11 million Christmas tree in the lobby of the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi. A marketing disaster, the tree was decorated with precious gems and gold from one of the hotel’s jewelry … Continue reading
Daake Donates
The holidays are a time for being thankful and celebrating with friends and family. There is no better time to give back to the community by helping those who might be a little less fortunate. This year, as in years … Continue reading
Bring That Rabbit Into Focus
According to the old proverb, “If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.” That’s especially true in design and marketing. Lacking focus is the surest path to failure. When I ask a potential client who he or she envisions to … Continue reading
Great Ideas Need Time To Simmer
Have you ever had an idea hit you, like in the shower or while you were driving? Maybe. But it’s more likely what actually hit you was part of an idea. A spark. The complete idea came much later. I … Continue reading
Design Is About Being Practical
The opposite of conflict is compromise, yet many people confuse compromise with defeat. Successful design and marketing are based in compromise. Very few initial ideas are unchanged by the time a campaign goes to press. Along the way there are … Continue reading
When A Photo Crowds Out The Message
Have you ever seen a magazine advertisement that was made up entirely of words? That’s because the appeal of an image is undeniable. One expertly staged and properly chosen photograph can be worth a thousand words – and even more … Continue reading
Your Brand, The Final Frontier
Gap recently beat a hasty and well-publicized retreat after it introduced a new logo without first telling the people most interested – its customers – the reasons behind the change. Once mass hysteria over the new logo spread, it was … Continue reading
Design Recognizes Vitality of Paper
In the movie “Ghostbusters.” One of my favorite lines is when Harold Ramis as Dr. Egon Spengler turns to Annie Potts and deadpans, “Print is dead.” Five years ago, Sports Illustrated President John Squires repeated Egon’s proclamation and added, “Get … Continue reading
Thinking Inside The Box
Did your parents ever make a major purchase, like a TV or a new fridge, and give you the box to play in? Empty boxes for me were filled with imagination. I still find them intriguing, only now I am … Continue reading
E-Readers: Foresight Or The Final Chapter?
I know at least one person who dislikes e-readers, those hand-held Nooks and Kindles that allow people to download and read books electronically. He’s in the printing business, and he sees e-readers as another way to access the printed word … Continue reading
Putting You Face-to-Facebook With The Crowd
How many friends do you have? Not real friends. Facebook friends. There is a difference. I can tell you how many friends I have in real life, and it’s nowhere near the number of friends I have on Facebook. That … Continue reading
Designing From the Inside Out
Ever since the dawn of instant coffee, people crave immediacy. It’s a demand that frustrates and challenges today’s designers. Without an endless supply of duct tape, people aren’t going to sit still long enough to be educated by unfamiliar concepts … Continue reading
Should Some Brands Come With “Sell-By” Dates?
From ice cream to bottled water, nearly everything that goes past our lips has a “sell-by” date on the package. Wise to check on meat and milk, but water? If it’s a week past the date, does water lose something? … Continue reading
Marketing And Sales Aren’t The Same Thing
In bright, bold lettering the huge sign out front read “Men’s suits, 50% Off!” Potential customers formed a line that snaked the parking lot. But once they got inside, the majority walked away disappointed. You see, the promotion was for … Continue reading
Battle of the Cheetos
Take a side in the war between Crunchy and Puffs in Cheetos ad-campaign. See more…
Is Bing out-innovating Google?
Google is one of the smartest, most innovative companies in the world, but in its core business — online search — it’s being routinely shown up by Microsoft’s third-place search engine, Bing. See more…
When A Company Tunes Itself Out
I had my doubts when I heard last fall that longtime (since 1921) retailer RadioShack was finally attempting to join the 21st century with a rebranding. Rather than an engaging redesign, the company’s decision was to simply drop the word … Continue reading
Keep Watching, My Friends
It’s risky to say the least, especially in marketing. But there are times when it works perfectly. I’m reminded of this when I see Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man in the World” commercials on television. Launched in 2007, the … Continue reading
Augmented Reality
See a digital hologram of Smart Grid technology come to life in your hand. GE Smart Grid Augmented Reality.
Time For Your Business To Rise & Shine
Remember when your mother used to wake you up for school by announcing it was time to “Rise and shine!” as she flung open the drapes in your bedroom? I recently read online that the “shine” in that phrase originated … Continue reading
Design Puts The You In Unique
I went to a very cool wine tasting event at a local shop. Rather than concentrate on the varietal (Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc), they give six wines to taste – three whites and three reds – to help you determine your … Continue reading
Afraid of Failure? Then Do Nothing.
I have a friend whose 10-year-old son plays Little League baseball. Because the boys do the pitching, and because it’s hard for them to find the strike zone, there are probably 10 times more walks than base hits. But one … Continue reading
A Different Green Thumb
Regardless of the roller-coaster temperatures outdoors, the gardening season is here. People are eager to realize the personal fulfillment of putting a seed or a plant in the ground in May and a couple months later enjoying the fruits and … Continue reading
Bring Focus Into Strategy
A point of convergence. The clarity of an image. Close attention. The center of interest. The most important information being presented. All these words describe one very important word: focus. I’ve often heard people say how something “really brought that … Continue reading
DAAKE Wins 18 Industry Awards
DAAKE brings home 18 Aster & Healthcare Advertising Awards for 2010. Among them were 4 Gold Asters for Magazine Publications, Service Lines and Poster/Displays; and 2 Gold Healthcare Awards for Publication External and Website.
Design and Well-Being
Health. Happiness. Prosperity. Security. All are factors that affect a person’s well-being. But for a designer, there’s more. Designers go beyond welcoming each new day, we welcome each new project. With every challenge comes the opportunity to live a different … Continue reading
Design Requires a Pac-Man Sized Appetite
Creativity can be described as fulfilling a hunger to produce something new, relevant and exciting. To satisfy their appetites for fresh ideas, designers need to be more than skilled producers, they must be voracious, non-stop consumers. Think of Pac-Man, the … Continue reading
The Blank Face of Electronic Communication
How many emails did you send and receive today? Now, compare that to how many face-to-face meetings. Is the ratio of emails to meetings 10:1? Higher? Communicating electronically allows my recipient to read and respond at his or her convenience. … Continue reading
Speak Figuratively
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a figure of speech should be worth at least nine-hundred. When you say something that causes the listener to interact with the statement and visualize it, or put context around, or … Continue reading
Design To Overcome ‘Attitude Gaps’
Designers realize the mindset of an individual changes dependent upon demographics such as education, income, even the area in which we live. But to market successfully requires going beyond obvious distinctions and examining other factors, not the least of which … Continue reading
Insist on Thrashing Early
Design, in my opinion, is like sculpting something out of a large block. First you make the big awkward block out of all the practical, impractical, crazy and logical ideas. Pile on everything the audience wants and everything the client … Continue reading
A Brand You Can Bank On
How long is a brand? How deep? Better yet, what is a brand worth? All intangibles, as difficult to measure as dedication and integrity. But still possible. A brand’s true value, once the creative process is complete, comes not from … Continue reading
Smart Mobile Site Links
I’ve been to a lot of sites on my mobile phone. But for the first time ever (I think) I saw a button that allows me to call, without having to dial a number. When you’re creating a mobile experience … Continue reading
Visual Ergonomics
Design can be summed up as the translation and organization of information. Just like a spoon or weed whacker fits well in your hand, a brochure or billboard fits well in your eyes. The art of getting the viewer’s attention … Continue reading
Advertising Your Brand
EVERYTHING a brand does is advertising. All the tiniest details. Most people these days point to Apple as a delightful brand. But that’s hardly based on their TV ads. It’s based on how elegant (and reliable) their products are to … Continue reading
Reaching Baby Boomers
They’re defined as the generation born between 1946 and 1965. Dubbed “baby boomers,” it’s no less than 78 million Americans. At ages 45 to 64, they may not be the prime youthful group most marketers target. But they comprise nearly … Continue reading
Will Everyone Have an iPad?
It’s already been said a thousand times, but the iPad will revolutionize the publishing industry. Why would a newspaper (or magazine) continue to print itself when readerships continue to shrink. I am amazed that our local paper has full page … Continue reading
Alice in Wonderland for the iPad
Tilt your iPad to make Alice grow big as a house, or shrink to just six inches tall. This is Alice in Wonderland digitally remastered for the iPad. Play with the White Rabbit’s pocket watch – it realistically swings and … Continue reading
Heineken Italy Case Study
Heineken staged a fake classical music concert at the same time as a crucial Real Madrid vs. AC Milan game on October 21, there was no chance that any real soccer fan would be there…except if their girlfriends, professors and … Continue reading
Design Has a Fudge Factor – Positioning Doesn’t
Tune in to CNN and nearly every day there’s a new poll gauging the public’s approval or disapproval of someone or something. When the numbers are distant, the result seems clear. But when they’re a few points apart, we are … Continue reading
What The Web Has Ruined
The Web was supposed to make things simpler for us all, right? At first, it seemed that way. Lately I find myself succumbing to the massive amounts of information it offers. Recently I wanted to buy a portable docking player … Continue reading
Playing Ketchup
Heinz Ketchup recently introduced ketchup lovers to a new way to enjoy their product. Their latest innovation is packaging that allows the choice of dipping or squeezing. While their press release claims this to be a monumental achievement, I do … Continue reading
Getting It Wrong The First Time
Some people sit and stare at a blank screen until their eyes hurt. They just can’t put down the first word or draw the first line. Why? They’re afraid of getting it wrong. Well, guess what? We all get it … Continue reading
Does My Website Make Me Look Fat?
Back when you went *live*, your website was sooooo hot. It was lean, had the right balance of text and graphics, just a few clicks to everything anyone needed to know. Made you feel great, didn’t it? What’s happened since … Continue reading
The Long Odyssey of the Cell Phone
Did you see this on Time.com a while back? Interesting. What’s next? See More…
The Difference Between Art and Design
I read the other day a comparison of art and design. There are definitive shared characteristics, from their creative nature to relying upon the visual senses for interpretation. Both entertain. Both connect with their audience. But the author, John O’Nolan, … Continue reading
LEGO Island
Step back, Jacobsen, Utzon, Kjaerholm, Wegner, and all you other great Danes. When it comes to Danish design domination, the unrivaled champ is undoubtedly the almighty plastic brick—Lego. See more…
What makes a great brand
A brand is the gut feeling you have when you think about a product or service. It’s not the product itself. Thus, a great product or service must come before a great brand. A magnificent identity and an elegant website … Continue reading
Design’s Duty is to be Daring
What’s it take to stand out in a crowd today? Besides a stepladder. Bombarded by media messages from the moment we awake until our last text or tweet before bed, it’s become increasingly difficult to be noticed. Years ago, hippies … Continue reading
Hungry Beast: De-Branding
Marc Fennell looks at companies de-branding their products as a marketing technique.
Embrace Life
One of the greatest PSA spots of all time! Embrace Life is an award-winning seatbelt advocacy commercial, created by Writer/Director Daniel Cox and Producer Sarah Alexander. Since launch in January 2010, the advert quickly became a worldwide viral smash, gathering … Continue reading
Great Marketing Can’t Save Everything
Put Eddie Murphy’s name on the marquee and you’ve got a blockbuster, right? That’s what Hollywood used to think. Remember “The Adventures of Pluto Nash?” Few people do. The outer space comedy cost $100 million to make and market – … Continue reading
3D Projection on Buildings
This is a must watch video. It is 3D animation/video that is projected on buildings by NuFormer Digital Media. NuFormer – Kazan, Russia. August 2010 from NuFormer Projection on Vimeo.
Due To Popular Demand… The Outtakes
For those of you who received our Holiday card in early December… here are a few outtakes from the photo. Thank you to all of you (75+) kind folks who questioned the legitimacy of our vertical jumps.
Bold Tech Trends for 2010
If you like bold predictions, here’s one, courtesy of the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association. See More…
Looking Back on the Old Year
Maybe it was our relatively warm fall. Maybe it was the “instant winter” as we were hit by not one but two blizzards. But suddenly Christmas has come and gone, and here we are on the verge of another new … Continue reading
Capitalize on Universal Symbols
Does everything have to be new to be effective? It doesn’t work that way with symbols. Pretty much everyone recognizes a red octagon atop a post at the intersection of two streets. Same is true with the male and female … Continue reading
James Geary, Metaphorically Speaking
Aphorism enthusiast and author James Geary waxes on a fascinating fixture of human language: the metaphor. Friend of scribes from Aristotle to Elvis, metaphor can subtly influence the decisions we make, Geary says.
Design Has No Template
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but that isn’t the path most traveled by creative thinkers. Straight-line thinking is too restrictive, because there is no template for innovation. Edward de Bono in 1967 coined the term … Continue reading
Don’t Lose Control of Your Story
Of all the sins Tiger Woods may have committed, add to the list his failure to take control of the story. From behind the walls of his gated community – patrolled by security forces who ride in, ironically, golf carts … Continue reading
Convergence is Everywhere
Convergence is everywhere. It’s easier than ever to reach a large audience, but harder than ever to REALLY CONNECT with it. Are you ready for the FUTURE?
Daake Honored in Midlands Business Journal ‘40 Under 40’
Greg Daake, principal and founder of DAAKE Design in Omaha, has been named one of the Midlands Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” young entrepreneurs for 2009. The annual award is given to individuals based on their “creative leadership and growth … Continue reading
