BEFORE AND AFTER: 6ABC Accuweather Promo

See (and hear) how the team at Propulsion Media Labs was trusted to do the sound design for these very slick “Minority Report” style visuals created by the 6ABC promotions department.  BEFORE and AFTER versions are below.

6ABC Promo Before (NOT FINAL):
 

6ABC Promo After:

Propulsion Hall of Fame Inductee #8: “The Sopranos – Season #2 Premiere” for HBO (1999)

It was just reported last week that several of the stars of HBO’s hit series “The Sopranos” will be reuniting to take part in a new movie on Nickelodeon called “Nicky Deuce”. This announcement jogged our memory to 1999 when HBO called upon Propulsion (then still called Paul Turner Productions) to produce a series of regional radio spots promoting the season two premiere of the Sopranos.  The spot at the link below ran in the Baltimore market.  #63 Jon S is the announcer.

Propulsion Hall of Fame Inductee #7: “Drop-In” for Halftime Beverages (2003)

Everyone remember the big opening ceremony production from this Summer’s Olympics where James Bond and Queen Elizabeth “dropped” in from a plane?  Well would you believe that the team at Propulsion did something similar for Halftime Beverages 9 years before?  Take a listen to this spot as Britain’s #1 secret agent discovers the best place to buy beer by “dropping in” at this New York beverage retailer.  #51 Chris R lends his vocal acrobatics to impersonating 007 while #19 Kelli C assists as the announcer.

Propulsion Hall of Fame Inductee #6: “Promo Montage” for Howard Stern (2001)

The semi-finals for this season of America’s Got Talent are just around the corner, and we’re sure to hear the candid opinions of legendary media icon and AGT judge Howard Stern.  Did you know that Propulsion Media Labs was an integral part of Howard’s nationally-syndicated radio show throughout the 1990’s until 2001?  With Paul Turner as the primary imaging voice, Propulsion’s production team was responsible for creating a majority of the promos, bumpers, and rejoins that took millions of listeners in and out of commercial breaks.  Take a listen to this short montage.

Interns: Where Are They Now? - Andrew Goodwin

Our next Propulsion Media Labs former intern spotlight is on Andrew Goodwin.  Andrew interned from January to May 2012.

Andrew’s fondest memory here at Propulsion was getting the intern team’s ideas approved for the monthly spot giveaway contest.  It took a lot of revising!

Andrew is now a photojournalist and editor for 69 News, WFMZ-TV.  It is his responsibility to shoot footage for stories they report on daily, as well as gather interviews if necessary. When working with a reporter on a package they wrote it is then his responsibility to shoot it as well as edit it for the time slot it's scheduled for.

For more information on Andrew check him out at: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-goodwin/50/a8b/6aa

Propulsion Hall of Fame Inductee #5: “Action Figure” for The Philadelphia Soul (2003)

Congrats to the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul who are in New Orleans today to take on the Arizona Rattlers in Arena Bowl XXV.  When the Soul got their start, it was Propulsion Media Labs that “kicked off” their inaugural radio campaign in style.  Then owners Jon Bon Jovi and Ron Jaworksi were in session with Propulsion to bring some life into this “Action Figure” concept.  Voice talent #72 Michael I. is credited with the announcer portion.

Interns: Where Are They Now? - Lisa Zelig

Our next Propulsion Media Labs former intern spotlight is on Lisa Zelig.  Lisa interned with us in Summer 2009.

Lisa’s fondest memory of interning with us was at shooting a commercial at a local carpet and flooring center. She also enjoyed hanging with Tom in his audio suite picking out jams and sound effects for the many radio spots that came through the door.

Today Lisa is the Office Manager and Associate Producer at Boston Digital Editing, a 4 person production company in downtown Boston. They create corporate videos, awareness documentaries, fundraising and web videos, and a variety of other projects. Lisa is the point person between the clients and her crew. For larger projects she writes scripts and handles every aspect of production from casting to scheduling to shooting and finally to post supervision. She is also in charge of writing budgets, proposals, and generating sales.

Her advice to industry newcomers is to know that “work ebbs and flows” and that sometimes you may be slammed or every one of your proposals might get tabled for a year.  To get through it you should stay dedicated and find the right group of people to work with.

For more information on Lisa check out her company’s work at www.bostondigitalediting.com.

Propulsion Hall of Fame Inductee #4: "Splash Island" for Wild Adventures Super Park (2003)

This summer’s heat waves have everyone thinking about cooling off in the pool, so we “backstroke” to 2003 when Propulsion “dove head first” into this Caribbean-themed production for Splash Island and Wild Adventures Super Park in Valdosta, GA.


Voice credit goes to #44 Llou J.

Interns: Where Are They Now? - Amanda Dunfee

Our next Propulsion Media Labs former intern spotlight is on Amanda Dunfee.  Amanda interned with us from May 2009 to August 2009.

Amanda’s fondest memory during her internship was creating the final intern video.  She found it empowering to finally see all the skills she attained during her internship to come together in one project.  Amanda had this to say: “The creative freedom that was given during the project was really great. It really allowed all of the interns to rally together for a really memorable production. I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up the summer!”

Today Amanda works as a Marketing Coordinator at Biztech, an Oracle Platinum Specialized Partner, in King of Prussia, PA. Biztech does full life cycle implementations and upgrades utilizing the Oracle applications as well as providing remote database and Business Intelligence services to their customers. As the Marketing Analyst, she works closely with their Sales Team to spread the word. 

Her advice to new interns, learned from long hours searching for a job she loved post-college, is to keep your head down and never give up.

For more information on Amanda check her out on LinkedIn.

Propulsion Hall of Fame Inductee #3: "QB Calls For A Free Month" for HBO (2000)

Who did HBO sign for a game-winning Hail Mary radio commercial to promote its line-up of shows back in 2000?  Its this Hall of Famer from Paul Turner Productions, where legendary programs like the Sopranos, Sex and The City and Arliss were “audibled” at the line of scrimmage by field general (and General Manager) Corey Dissin for this football-themed spot.  Talent #1 Lance H ran his voice “between the tackles” to tell the exciting story.

Interns: Where Are They Now? - Jake Tompkins

Our next Propulsion Media Labs former intern spotlight is on Jake Tompkins.  Jake interned with us in Spring 2009.

Jake describes his time at Propulsion as “challenging and rewarding.”  Jake and his fellow interns helped Propulsion drum up new business during a struggling economy.  He has fond memories of sneaking outside to play ball on sunny spring days with other staff members.  Jake had lots of hands-on experience shooting spots on location.  Of the skills he acquired while interning here, Jake says “The skills I learned at this office were invaluable and are skills I rely on every day in my career.”

Today Jake is the Lead Marketing Manager at the Wellness Learning Center in Atlanta, GA. He is responsible for deploying Shopify e-commerce storefronts for the sale of TWLC's various medical products, management of the company's social media profiles, and Apple in-office IT. His position is directly responsible for increasing and maintaining online sales for the office.

For more information on Jake check him out at http://www.jaketompkins.com.

Propulsion Hall of Fame Inductee #2: "Green With Envy" for Victorville Motors (2006)

This not-so-typical auto dealer spot was produced in the spring of 2006 for Victorville Motors in Southern California, in which a certain green and muscular “avenging” superhero was kind enough to make a cameo. (Actually, we just told Propulsion GM Corey Dissin that we forgot his lunch order and then we threw him in the booth to play the part of the quick-tempered Bruce).


Voice credits go to #4 Lisa L. as the customer, #2 Doug T. as the salesman, and #26 Bud Z as the announcer. Lesson learned?  Don’t make Corey angry.  You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.

Interns: Where Are They Now? - Lauren Phillips

Our next Propulsion Media Labs former intern spotlight is on Lauren Phillips. Lauren interned with us from June 2008 to August 2008.

Lauren’s fondest memory during her internship with us was filming the “Rocky Donkey” video.

After interning at Propulsion, Lauren attending the Chicago Portfolio School for one year followed by six months of freelance copywriting.

Today Lauren works for Catapult RPM as a copywriter where she has written copy for Mars, Gerber, Kellogg's, Capri Sun, Mio, Uncle Ben's, and many other brands.

For more information on Lauren check her out at http://www.laurennphillips.com.

Inductee #1: Philadelphia 76ers Announcing #1 Draft Pick Allen Iverson (1996)

With the NBA draft last month and pending blockbuster free-agent deals, we thought it was appropriate for our first Propulsion HOF inductee to pay homage to former #1 NBA draft pick Allen Iverson in this radio spot created back in 1996 shortly after he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers.


Featuring Paul Turner as the announcer along with clips from Sixers play-by-play commentators Marc Zumoff and Tom McGinnis. This spot was produced pre-Pro Tools with the clunky and crash-prone Roland DM-80 digital workstation and was assembled just a few weeks after we (then called Paul Turner Productions) opened our doors of the Malvern facility after moving from Bala Cynwyd.

Introducing the Propulsion Hall Of Fame!

Before Facebook. . . Before Twitter. . . Before the internet was the internet as we now know it. . . Propulsion Media Labs was producing radio spots. And good ones, at that. We wish we could have shared them with as many of you back then as we can now, but that would have involved a room full of FedEx supplies and a few thousand cassette tapes. And back then you would have had to fax us your “Like”.

Now that media is a little more “social”, we’re digging in our archives and dusting off some of Propulsion’s golden oldies for induction into the Propulsion Hall of Fame. Over the next several weeks, we will be introducing you to some of the most note-worthy radio spots we’ve ever produced. You’ll hear spots for very well known brands, spots that feature A-list celebrities, and spots that we just think are pretty freakin cool. Heck, we’ll even dip into some stuff from the Paul Turner Productions era.

So stay tuned. . . and enjoy!

Interns: Where Are They Now? - Jonathan Boulton

Our next Propulsion Media Labs former intern spotlight is on Jonathan Boulton. Jonathan interned from July-September 2005.

His fondest memory was creating graphics for a water park spot.  Those graphics made the final cut and were aired on TV.  He says that was the first time anything he had personally worked on made it on TV and that gave him a feeling that has stayed with him even til this day!

Jonathan is the Videographer/Director of Photography at AmericanMuscle.com.  He is responsible for shooting all video content for their website and social media oulets.  This includes product reviews, social videos, and event coverage.

“I started out as an editor and soon realized I wanted to be in the action so I started doing work as a shooter. Since then I've had the opportunity to work on some pretty radical stuff like a cannonball run style car rally, shooting aerial footage out of helicopters and shooting from boats. Having done all this has helped me become confident in my ability to shoot under pretty much any condition.” – Jonathan Boulton

For more information on Jon check him out at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanboulton

Interns: Where Are They Now? - Jon Heller

Our next Propulsion Media Labs former intern spotlight is on Jon Heller.  Jon interned with us from August 2002 – December 2002 during the Paul Turner days.

Jon’s fondest memories are scheduling his first session with a guy who was in England. Coincidentally, Jon had just come home from a semester in England.  Another was Corey giving him a Pro-Tools assignment and delivering it that same day.

Jon is currently an Account Executive at Schubert Communications. There, he is in charge of managing 5 B2B accounts that focus on Web-Centric Marketing. He maintains and nurtures client relationships to realize strategic initiatives, drive projects to completion, and create new business from existing clientele.

He was also the Senior Project Manager in Creative Services at the Campbell Soup Company; he was there for 8 1/2 years.

For more information on Jon check him out at http://www.linkedin.com/in/hellerjonathan.

Interns, Where Are They Now? - Alex Kramer

This week’s former intern is one Alex Kramer.  Alex interned with us from May 2007, until August 2007.

Alex’s fondest memory that he took from his time interning with us was creating the infamous intern video “Real World: Propulsion Media Labs”. 

Alex is currently the Media Scheduling Associate at ESPN.  There he is responsible for scheduling and maintaining promo inventory for 5 domestic networks.  He works with ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, and ESPN Classic.

For more information on Alex, check him out at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/alex-kramer/1b/428/15b

CG Motion: To Be or Not To Be

Remember all of those fancy commercials on your parents’ or grandparents’ black and white TV?   Didn’t think so.

Now, we have computer-generated animation films, 3-D television sets, and high-definition cameras that take those fuzzy faces and 2D images and transform them into something almost…touchable. Television advertising today comes mostly in 2 extremes (with a handful of middle ground): The creative and the there’s-too-many-commercials-in-the-running-so-I’m-going-to-throw-as-many-words-on-a-screen-as-possible-in-the-next-30-seconds-of-your-life.

The former was fashioned to counteract the latter. But nevertheless, many creative commercials are beginning to repeat themselves, taking old ideas and somewhat “modernizing” it.

So what’s the next step?

I have a proposition. I’d like to dub it: CG Motion. Copyright © Jenny Shi. Come at me.

“What is CG Motion?” you may ask (and if you didn’t, you just mentally did). Let me lay out my proposal for you.

CG Motion: Take One.

CG Motion is the lovechild of stop-motion and computer-generated animation. You may or may not familiar with the idea of “speed painting,” the new YouTube phenomenon of time-lapsing the creation of a painting, drawing, event, incident of a cat yawning, etc. This is an extension of stop-motion using software that takes screenshots of your computer at any desired interval that can later be stitched into one fluid movie.

I, Jenny Shi L.L.C. dot dot dot and company and incorporated and characters welcome, suggest that we take this phenomenon and apply it to television advertising. Every agency is looking to expand their business, push beyond the limits of box number one. But, what about box number two?

CG Motion creates a new branding of creativity, 2-feet-from-hipster-rebellion imagination, and desire to perfect. Click here for a professionally-created sample (cough. Otherwise known as: an intern created this with Photoshop, an iPhone camera, and semi steady hands): [link here]

This idea of CG Motion takes from the already existing ideas and stereotypes that such short films are creative, unique, and imaginative. Don’t we want our advertising to be the same? So much revenue could be obtained if we simply used what we already know and applied it to business.

I’m surprised no one has thought if this yet.

Or if they had, they didn’t give their idea an awesome enough name.

CG Motion: The Future Of Advertising, The Future Of Lovechilds, The Future Of Creation.

And….scene.

Video Game Acting, Redefined.

Nolan North had no idea what he was in for when video game developer Naughty Dog called him in for an audition. He probably just figured that his prolific voice acting career in video games just landed him yet another role, where he would sit in a booth with a microphone and record lines for yet another grizzled space marine. He had no idea that he was auditioning to be a part of the critically-praised "Uncharted" series of games, and to witness the birth of a revolution in game design.

In most video games, the scripts are read by voice actors in a microphone booth, body actors go through motion capture to record the animations (characters falling down, firing a gun, ect.), and the programmers put it all together. Since the people doing the voice work aren't the same people doing the body work, the finished product can sometimes look a bit unnatural.

Naughty Dog inspired a great deal of change by having the voice actors provide the physical motion capture at the same time as they recorded the lines. The actors wear motion capture suits, and go through the scenes like they're shooting a movie. The dialogue is recorded at the same time as the motion capture, which adds a tremendous amount of realism to the performances.

So, what does this mean for voice actors? Other game companies have taken notice of Naughty Dog's approach and success, but does this indicate a possible radical change in the way that voice actors do their jobs? Perhaps all games will eventually be made this way, but what's next after that? Will voice actors starring in animated television shows be asked to provide motion capture for their characters? Will Brad Pitt don the mo-cap suit for his next big film?

What do you think?

Interns: Where Are They Now? - Rick Agajanian

Our first Propulsion Media Labs former intern spotlight is on Rick Agajanian.  Rick interned with us from January-June 2003, during the Paul Turner/Propulsion transition.

Rick’s fondest memory during his internship with us is being sent home by Corey, before he could even walk through the door.  Rick’s little cough infecting Paul’s voice was too much of a risk that day.

Rick’s major take from his internship with us was to work hard and take chances. Rick has had his fair share of jobs from data entry, to selling products, to then designing them.  He has been moving up the corporate ladder due to some of those chances turning into brilliant decisions.

Today Rick is the Director of Broadcast Products at Radiate Media.  He works with web, mobile, and television graphic products to create sellable products that are also cost efficient and utilize the latest technologies available.

For more information on Rick check him out at http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickagajanian

A Gamer's Fear

If you were born after the seventies, I have some good news and some bad news. Unfortunately, the bad news is that you missed most of the good music. However, on the positive side, you probably grew up with video games, playing classics such as The Legend Of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., and even Pong. Yes, I'm sure that most of your allowance was sacrificed to that seemingly ancient arcade game, whiling away the hours at the mall until your mom picked you and your friends up. Since then, games have transcended the arcade experience, and have invaded our homes and offices (not Propulsion Media Labs' office, of course ☺).

Since gaming is so pervasive through our culture, it makes a lot of sense that advertising would start to work its way into the industry. Businesses are hard pressed to find a group of people that stare at a screen for enjoyment more than gamers, allowing massive opportunities for product placement, pop-ups, or even full-blown commercials. Indeed, the 2010 Xbox 360 title "Alan Wake" contains a scene where two full commercials for real companies can be viewed for points.

Now, I don’t mean to diss advertising, but here’s the million-dollar question (bad pun, I know). What’s the future for advertising within video games? Could the mobile game “Fruit Ninja” one day advertise for the produce department at Wegman’s groceries? Perhaps in the next “Legend Of Zelda”, Link has to go to Cabela’s for his boomerang. Could you imagine the next Mario game including side quests revolving around trips to Home Depot for a plumber’s uniform?

What do you think?

Jake Summers
West Chester University

Where are they now?

At some companies, the word “intern” is synonymous with “gopher”, where bright-eyed, bushy-tailed students are relegated to photocopying, sorting mail, stuffing envelopes, and getting coffee and food. At other companies, it can get even worse…

At Propulsion Media Labs, we’re proud that our internship program encompasses much more, allowing our interns to make real contributions to the company. Whether it’s assisting our production team, creating their own unique projects, joining the promotion effort, we encourage our interns to take initiative. Our goal is to try to expose our interns to as many aspects of the business as possible.

Since 1998, our unique learning environment has welcomed hundreds of students, several of which have gone on to even greener pastures and successful positions within the media industry. In the coming weeks, we salute these alumni as we feature select former interns and highlight where they are now!

The Revolution Of Autotune

According to Tank Wire, approximately 95% of Top 40 songs use auto-tune.

“What’s auto-tune?” you ask? It’s that revolutionary invention that makes any word, phrase, rap, belch, and laugh into…BAM…music!

You may recognize the phrase “Hide your kids, hide your wives,” lyrics from a viral, auto-tuned rendition of a once little-known reporter interview.  Or, you might recognize the familiar “digitized” melodies of Ke$ha and Lady Gaga (pre-Lady Gaga was much more eloquent with words, much more stylistically artistic with voice, but lacked pitch every now and then).

Want to achieve this ability? Now, you can auto-tune any phrase with the touch of a button! iPhone has developed an application called “Songify,” which directly allows consumers to change any word, phrase, rap, belch, and laugh into song.

But wait. Question time: Isn’t music a thing of talent and art?

Society’s reply: Oops.

We went from Mozart, to Etta James, to The Beatles to Led Zeppelin, to Britney Spears (cough. Lipsync), to Nikki Minaj.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Money happened. Statistics. Business. The Apprentice.

The revolution of auto-tune has created the abilities to erase vocal mistakes and/or create simple masterpieces, thus making production quicker and appealing to the simple-minded mass of listeners whose’ ears are pining for perfectly pitched, rhythmic beats of the auto-tune world. Here, the deduction of auto-tune, through live music or pure recording, may create a feeling of genuine talent, but tends to reach a limited audience, thus decreasing revenue. However, the addition of auto-tune creates the ability to percolate throughout the population, thus welcoming itself to the wallets of many.

In a sense, auto-tuning has nulled and numbed the impact of musical passion, replacing it with entrepreneurial desires.

The question now becomes: When does music infinitely change from art to business? Or more so: How far and how much is a musician willing to compromise for fame?

Evolution of the Third Screen

Back in the days of glam metal and the Berlin Wall (the eighties, people), a company called Motorola was testing a brand new piece of tech. In theory, it was a device that enabled you to communicate with anyone on the planet, anywhere, at any time. This technology (codenamed "Cell Phone") was an instant hit, garnering critical and consumer acclaim. It sounds a bit odd when you consider that the first few models were about the size of a brick, but that just goes to show how far we've come.

In the years since then, we've made huge advancements in both the technology and aesthetics of cell phones. Today, you can buy a phone that folds up in your pocket for convenience, that will show you exactly how to get from where you are to anywhere on the earth, and that can even respond to verbal commands. Basically, everyone now carries a small computer with them at all times.

Among numerous other advancements, the interface for cell phones has changed drastically. We've gone from numerical keypads to phones with a screen that you can touch to command (à la Star Trek). These screens have been increasing in quality since their invention, cumulating with Apple's "Retina Display", a screen with such a high resolution that it is said that the human eye cannot distinguish any further increase in quality.

Since we've pushed the two dimensional screen to it's highest possible variety, we have to ask, what's next for cell phones? 3D displays? HOLOGRAPHIC displays? Microsoft is already working on a pair of glasses that work as a mobile computer, calling, texting, and connecting to the internet, but what if we lose the physical apparatus altogether? Personally, the whole "Pinky & Thumb" approach works well for me.

Wave at the future, folks.

A New Standard of Definition- Why Advertisers Will Embrace HD Video as the Latest Trend in Television Ad-Space

For anyone who hasn’t been keeping track, nearly three quarters of households in America now have a high-definition television, and are enjoying high-definition programming on a regular basis. As always, television ads have been a successful means for promoting and advertising a product. Unfortunately, for those still producing standard-definition television ads, their product may be quickly dismissed by consumers.

Having grown in popularity over the past few years, HD television is quickly becoming the standard for broadcast programming, with most audiences today being able to differentiate between the two formats. So why haven’t advertisers begun to produce HD ads? With an eye for digital detail, consumers more than ever are recognizing SD ads during a HD broadcast, and it’s leaving them with a bad impression.

According to a study done by the digital media-services company DG and research firm Kantar Media, results show that retention for HD spots were 18 percent higher than for standard-def spots. Not only do HD ads retain a consumer’s attention longer, but they also reflect a perception of quality regarding their product. When consumers watch an ad aired in SD, they are left questioning the very quality of the product. Being said, any marketer who decides to air a SD ad for their product may in fact be wasting millions in ad space for an inferior presentation.

In a world of polished presentation and high standards, it seems standard-def programming is falling by the wayside. In order to keep up with an ever demanding and critical consumer, high-definition ad space will become the new standard of definition.

-Joseph Mountz

Commercials in 2022: The Year of the Consumer

With the help of such location-based technologies such as Foursquare, people everywhere are leaving digital trails of where they been and who they were with from their smart phones. For many, it is a fun way to interact with other friends and contribute to the ever-growing social media climate. For marketers and ad agencies, it means knowing what to advertise to you and when. 

In such films as Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, similar technologies are depictedthat direct ads in the mall towards those passing by, scanning their pupils for identification.  Although an extreme depiction of the future, are we really that far off? For a second, allow me to transplant myself to 2022, and describe a day in which these location-based technologies are being utilized, and governing our daily lives.

 My day begins with an alarm on my cell phone. Having checked into my house location and my work location, I am automatically awakened with enough allotted times for my morning commute, including the option to stop at my favorite café for coffee. Also, having established a predictable routine for myself, offers that I would be inclined to use that day are sent every morning. 

By now, the act of checking in has become obsolete; stores now have kiosks that scan the information from our smart phones upon entering a store, similar to the security partitions that exist today. Then, during my morning commute my phone will alert me of the various cafes in route that my profile would lead to believe I would enjoy.

While driving, I pass numerous billboards. Outside of the vehicle, these billboards are blank. However, inside the vehicle, these boards come to life through my windshield, and speak to me as I drive, suggesting this restaurant or that product. Also, our phones aren’t the only medium for which these ads are presented. Our cars, computers, and even televisions will be used to deliver the advertising to us. Our cell phones will serve more as GPS trackers, profiling our locations throughout a given day.

Once at work, I am contently productive until lunch. Upon approaching this hour, I begin to receive specials and coupons from businesses around the area, enticing me to choose them for lunch that particular day. Similarly, at the end of the work day, I am bombarded with Happy Hour Specials for bars that are on my commuter route. 

Having survived the day thus far, I return home for the evening. It’s soon dinner time, so again, come the ads for local restaurant and even recipe ideas with where to find said ingredients.

After dinner, I begin to watch some television. In between the scheduled programming, is when the customized ads air. There is not one commercial presented, that my profile would have not indicated would pertain to me. Each individual will have customized commercials targeted specifically towards him or her. And if two individuals are watching television, the ads will cater to both parties, without the other’s ads contradicting their own. 

Eventually, I go to bed, only to start the next day the same exact way again. For the time spent sleeping will be the only way to escape from the omnipresence of advertising, for the time being at least. 

For now, I will be more productive, and I will consume. 

- Joseph Mountz  

Super Bowl commercial hints at Samsung vs. Apple

As those of you who watched this year’s Super Bowl commercials may have noticed, Apple failed to show an ad this year.  The reason why this is notable is because Apple made arguable one of the most famous Super Bowl commercials of all time in 1984. The famous ad promoted the first Macintosh by boldly challenging the competition with an ominous promise.

This year, however, Samsung capitalized on Apple’s absence with a commercial for the Samsung Galaxy Note that takes a jab at Apple’s iPhones.  Actually, Samsung has been producing commercials like this one for a while now, but the Super Bowl has given them a national stage on which they can continue this campaign. You could say that Samsung is now boldly challenging Apple with fun-filled teasing.

As an article on mashable.com points out, this is smart marketing on Samsung’s part and Apple’s counter (if they make one) may be telling for Apple’s future after sadly losing Steve Jobs last year. What we may be witnessing is the start of a true rivalry between these two hardware manufactures much in the same vein as Apple’s previous rivalry with Microsoft.

[To see the original article yourself, click on the following link: http://mashable.com/2012/02/06/why-didnt-apple-advertise-during-super-bowl/]

Have your own opinion on Apple’s lack of a Super Bowl appearance? Have an opinion on Samsung’s Super Bowl commercial? Leave a comment or post on our Twitter or Facebook pages to let us know what you think.

The Buzz about Super Bowl Sunday Ads

From all of the car advertisements to the “Sexy and Naked” M&M’s, this years Super Bowl commercials were just another reason, besides the game of course, as to why people were glued to their televisions this past Sunday. These days, whether you are a sports fan or not, people are looking forward to the advertisements just as much as they are to the rivals playing on the field. Bathroom break? Going to get more food? You are better off doing that during the game, rather then during a commercial! 

According to NBC, advertisers were paying on average $3.5 million for a half minute spot during the game, which is about a half million more than the average cost of a spot during the 2011 Super Bowl. So was it worth it? About half of the commercials were released for viewers to watch online days before the game, and had been viewed millions of times. Do advertisers really need to spend the money for the 30 second spot if their just going to release them online before with no “anticipation” for the best commercial shown on game day? 

Either way, the important thing to notice is that the Super Bowl has turned into much more than just a sporting event. These advertisements are to sell their product as well as entertain their audience. Each year the biggest question following the Super Bowl is what commercial was the “best?” 

What was your favorite Super Bowl Commercial of 2012? 

Check out a complete list of the commercials here: http://mashable.com/2012/02/06/super-bowl-2012-commercials/

And go on our Facebook page to vote for your favorite! 

http://www.facebook.com/PropulsionMediaLabs 

Blair Danial

Intern

West Chester University 

Press Release: New Year New Gear

Contact: Corey Dissin                                                 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phone: 610-640-4040

Email: coreydissin@promedialabs.com

PROPULSION MEDIA LABS ANNOUNCES STUDIO AND EQUIPMENT UPGRADES FOR 2012

New Camera, Teleprompter And A Green-Screen Shooting Studio Are Now Available For 2012

Malvern, PA – January 5, 2012 – Propulsion Media Labs is announcing upgrades to their shooting equipment and studio.  Propulsion’s recent purchase of the Sony NEX-FS100 Super 35mm HD camera will bolster their current stockpile of shooting gear, and also allow for 2 camera shoots with their existing Sony HVR-Z1U camera.  Additionally, Propulsion now offers an Ikan 15” LCD teleprompter that is available for location and in-studio shoots. 

One of Propulsion’s production studios also received a dramatic facelift.  An 8’ x 10’ Chroma Key wall has been constructed on premises and is available for use in its 200 square foot shooting studio. 

“We’re really excited about our recent upgrades,” said Chris Craft, President and Owner of Propulsion Media Labs.  “It brings our shooting service and the quality of our production, both here in-studio and on location, to a whole new level.”

Propulsion Media Labs is a Malvern, PA based audio and video production facility, working for a national roster of clients over the last 20 years.  They provide commercial post-production, shooting services, and represent the 100 most qualified non-union voice talent in the country.

New Year New Gear

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