My Résúmé, updated.

I’ve made some changes to my résúmé to be more descriptive of what I accomplished and/or gained from my previous professional experiences. Also, per the suggestion of some, I have added a couple of numbers (worked on over one hundred promotions, “pitching and producing a handful of programs”) to be more specific. There are fewer clients mentioned, yet an increased focus has been placed upon what I did with them. The Education section is quicker, less conversational. The Activities bullet-points showcase what was/is gained by my previous/current activities.

Were my changes effective? Were the addition of specifics helpful or do I need to share more numbers, objectives, and details? And finally, should I keep “Matt” or go with the more formal “Matthew?” Keep in mind, every online iteration (blog, Twitter, LinkedIn) is “Matt,” not “Matthew.”

Zoom in on this résúmé and review it for all it’s worth. Your feedback would be appreciated!

My resume, updated.

Matt Earley – Advertising and Marketing Professional

A young professional's not-so-young work.

I’m seeking a new opportunity in Advertising and Marketing, and here’s my updated resume to help obtain that new opportunity! Do you think any changes need to be made?

Thanks!

Walmart’s Private Label Product Packaging Re-Design

It’s Out There

The word is out: Walmart has re-designed their private label products, a re-molding that many consider long over-due. You may view multiple images of the various products and read commentary from designers on this post from Brand New, a branding design blog. And not to boast, I learned about this packaging overhaul over a month ago but was sworn to secrecy. Sorry, I could not break the circle of trust!

Review

Given the poor design of the previous Walmart “store brand” lines of products, I was fully on the bandwagon for change to a new look. The cursive “Great,” the average product shot on the package, and the boring layout all were elements that proved an update was necessary. Many were calling for a package re-do when Walmart released its most recent logo to the public in 2008. At the time of the logo announcement, it appeared that Walmart was set to run through its stores and change everything, seeking to bring in even more diverse demographics and increased sales from the myriads of moms that regularly patronize the gigantic retailer. “Perhaps packaging that will attract Mom’s eye and inform her as to Walmart’s product benefits shall come forth from this eventual re-design,” thought the many Walmart-watchers. Sadly, it was not to be.

Walmart’s private label packaging is now the most bland, unattractive, boring, empty, and depressing packaging in the retail world. Of course, this is only my opinion. Yet, I cannot help but be dismayed at the horrible attempt to include the new sunburst logo on the side of the packaging, which only accentuates the vast difference between the new, hip logo and the old, boring headline typeface. Take a look at the orange juice image. How does that font choice complement the brilliant logo? How does the sad imagery add to the value and worth that Walmart is seeking to add to its products? It doesn’t, which is terrible.

Walmart is all about value, as evidenced by the “great value” product name. Yet, this packaging screams “cheap,” “poor quality,” and “sub-par taste.” This packaging implies that although you may receive value from this product, you certainly won’t get great taste at the same time. Please tell me if I’m wrong here…

How do you feel about the new packaging? Does it fit Walmart? Is it accurate to the desires of the consumer and what they wish to see? Go ahead and share, I’m interested to see what you have to say. Thanks!

Matt Earley Works – The Re-Invention

This blog must change, and it will change according to what you suggest. I will explain that further in a moment.

First, why does Matt Earley Works exist? I’ll make it no secret why:

• to build my personal “brand”
• to spread my work and abilities to friends, co-workers, and other professionals
• to showcase the existing talents, skills, and knowledge of the marketing/advertising industry I presently possess and point to the potential I have within this field

I feel that this blog has succeeded thus far in achieving these goals, as I have tracked the traffic and consistent visits to the site, and the numbers look good.  In addition to increased readership and the distribution of my work, I have gained comments of support and respect, which I greatly appreciate.

Yet, I was recently informed by my employer that I would have to limit posts on my blog to work unaffiliated with my full-time job. The company that employs me has a policy that exists to protect itself and its clients from the sharing of confidential information. This is why some posts you have seen previously on Matt Earley Works are no longer visible – they have been deleted. Therefore, I am unable to show any promotions, advertisements, or projects that I complete as a function of my full-time position.

So, this blog must change. And to help that change, I need you.

Whether you are a friend that regularly follows my posts or you are a professional that has somehow happened upon this site, I need your help via your shared opinion. The question I need you to answer is:

• Given the goals I wish to achieve with this site (listed above), yet remaining mindful of the restrictions that have been placed upon me, what should I post to Matt Earley Works?

I see that there a handful of options before me:

• Showcase work I have completed previous to my current employ, from different fields and topics outside of marketing and advertising
• Merely direct my audience to current work I respect and admire from peers within the marketing and advertising field
• Comment in depth and detail on work that I feel is worthy of debate and/or further study, as a means of conveying the knowledge and understanding I have of the field I operate in, that being marketing and advertising

Are there more options I am not thinking of? Are there still better ways to fulfill my desires for Matt Earley Works without breaching the policies established by my employer?

Please share any thoughts you have (save for those complaining about my employer’s policies – nothing will be gained from such comments, so please focus your thoughts on how to move forward with this blog in the best manner possible) and impart as much of your wisdom and opinion as you wish. Frankly, the more the better. Please share your comments on this page, so each contributor may view the previous poster and hopefully build upon others. Remember, what you say may have be a major determiner of my future posts and therefore, my career. Here we go web-democracy! Thank you sincerely in advance for your comments.

Matt Earley

Russian Roulette

Before I entered the field of marketing and advertising, I was a trained professional in the art of filmmaking. My first job out of college was at a non-profit organization as National Creative Director. This position provided valuable opportunities to grow in my craft. One of the many videos I created during my time at this non-profit was the piece highlighted within this post, my first video shot on HD, titled Russian Roulette.

I am sorry that you cannot view it in true HD, as it was shot, but hopefully this YouTube version will be able to stand as an accurate representation of a quality short film. I hope that you are impressed with the execution of the video, from the direction of the actors to the shot selection and editing decisions made to convey to the audience the appropriate emotions at the most fitting time.

As I have done with previous posts that you have read (no longer viewable online, which is to be explained in short detail in another post) I will comment more fully on the creation of this work at a later time, giving some background on why and how the piece was created. Enjoy, and please share your comments below.

Resume de Matt Earley

Sorry for the lack of posts lately – I have had to rethink the methods I utilize to obtain the goals I have set for this blog. Many aspects of the new structure are as yet undecided, but I at least wanted to share my resume and ask that you would take it further as well.

Thanks for your support and your interest. Enjoy!

Matt Earley Works, as evidenced here!

Cwenar Shoot Upcoming

I’ve scheduled a shoot this Tuesday with Tom Cwenar – please view his awesome work here. Imagine him snapping a gorgeous picture of three well-known breakfast items and you’ve probably got an amazing image in your head.

Stop back soon, as I hope to share one or two pictures of the shoot (without revealing too much, of course).

Thanks!

Link Up

I’ve just joined LinkedIn, which I am finding to be a potentially powerful networking tool. If you’re on LinkedIn as well, then reach out to me and we will connect!

http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattearleyworks

Thanks!

Morton Salt in All You Magazine

You’ve seen the quick-shot preview of this ad, but I wanted to display the full-quality version that reached the eyes of at least 925,000 people in the November issue of All You Magazine.

The Background

Sorry, I can’t say too much regarding the background of the ad and why MatchPoint produced it, but I can tell you what the client was going for and you can see how we achieved it.

We were to advertise Morton’s System Saver II Pellets, a product that is used to soften the water at one’s residence. Hard water is something to be avoided, as it prevents a good lather when you shower, is tougher on clothes, and can cause some spotty dishes in your dishwasher. Morton’s product solves that problem by making your water appropriately soft, as it should be.

What Morton Wanted

Morton’s pointed out something to us about the advertising of water-softening products. It’s all negative! It seems like every time you hear of water-softening, you hear of iron in your water, poor lather from your soaps, and general discomfort. Instead of going the negative-campaign route, Morton’s wanted to highlight the benefits of water-softening, and obviously connect their product with those benefits. They wanted something positive, bright, and endearing.

Copy

Thankfully, we didn’t have to bullet-point a list of water-softening postives and put paragraphs upon paragraphs of copy in the ad, all we needed to do was put together one nice paragraph that effectively would solidify System Saver Pellets as the product to soften water, lending to a more pleasant life.

In the creative brief that I wrote, I requested that the ad copy would discuss the benefits of water-softening, position Morton’s as the product to achieve those benefits, and still not get too educational and lose the cleanliness of the ad that we were aiming to achieve.

Our creative director, Steve Henry, came up with this:

Morton Pellets with System Saver II Formula are specially formulated to consistently outperform other water softening salts in all water softeners. Essentially we make your water softener work better so you can live better. Get whiter, brighter clothes, better lathering soaps and cleaner, spot-free dishes and appliances…and of couse, bigger smiles.

I happen to think that copy is excellent! Not only does it accomplish the above goals, but it also makes a subtle connection to Walmart’s “Save Money. Live Better.” tagline AND works in conjunction with the image we chose of a beautiful child with a big smile. And it’s simple, too!

Image

I envisioned a great image for this piece, and our creative team sure did locate one! The placement of the child in the water is no accident – we chose that image to further draw the line between Morton’s product and its water-softening abilities.

The image below was one of the first ones chosen, but we did not believe that it connected as well with Morton’s product.

I like this image, but it just wasn’t working for the piece as much as the baby-in-soapy water would. And a little-discussed positive to the final image is the very subtle connection between the curly blond hair of the baby and the curly blond hair in the famous Morton logo.

Etc.

I could discuss the placement of the logo, the balance in the ad, the choice of font and placement of copy, but it’s probably unnecessary. So, I hope you enjoy the ad and I also hope it’s effective! Let me know of any feedback you may have.

Thanks!

Morton Salt Ad!

I just received the November issue of All You Magazine, featuring my Morton’s Salt ad! I will pen a more detailed article covering the background of this ad later on, but for now I’m very excited to share this work with you! I’ll have a better image for you at another time…

Enjoy!

Matt Earley