Apple TV is going live. Deals have been done with, among others, Dish Network for its Sling TV platform and Fox for its Live Fox Sports Go service, bringing dozens of live channels to Apple TV users. But is Apple too late? Does anyone care about, or watch Live TV anymore?
We asked our RockStars – do you Live TV?
In communications, digital is the way of the future. Agencies that hope to remain viable in the future need team members who can tell an array of stories across all of those platforms.
So it is with this in mind that we proudly welcome our agency’s new digital strategist, Rafael Aguirre, into the fold. Our latest RockStar sports an expertise in digital marketing and an in-depth knowledge of the realm of social networking. Rafael has a proven track record of organically increasing brand awareness online while developing a lasting correlation with consumers—skills heavily sought after by our brand partners.
Recently, Rafael has crafted impactful campaigns for numerous large brands, including Volkswagen, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Royal Caribbean and Marriott.
Rafael says he approaches jobs by trying to understand a brand’s core needs, then by working to identify trends and opportunities that are authentic to the brand. He has extensive expertise in dealing with the U.S. Hispanic market, the largest growing demographic in the country.
A graduate of Full Sail University in Orlando, Rafael got his start in the industry as a digital product production coordinator for Sony Music. Most recently, Rafael was at Miami-based Nobox where he was a social media strategist.
“Social media is the untamed, wild west of the web,” he says. “It’s powerful because it’s instant. You reach millions of people directly.”
At RockOrange, Rafael will tailor client content to best reach end users using search engine optimization tools that help brands navigate the internet wilds. In short, he’ll help our clients brands shine online.
Supply Chain Services (SCS), a company that provides customized purchasing and supply chain solutions to companies in the hospitality, food, retail and service industries, approached RockOrange with a challenge many companies face: does your brand tell a powerful story?
The best brand stories are those that are compelling, emotional, and proactive. Often, they just need to be simple so that the target audience can connect with it. SCS wasn’t telling its brand story in a way that helped them differentiate themselves from competitors or communicate the achievements of their seasoned team. As a result, they weren’t generating the buzz and awareness they wanted among their target market.
RockOrange worked closely with SCS to craft a more inspiring story that will humanize their brand and make it more consumer-friendly by simplifying their message. Their initial messaging utilized a lot of industry jargon that was confusing for the general audience.
We knew that their content had to change drastically so anyone could understand the work they do. But content was just the beginning. We needed to take an integrated approach to completely rebrand them in order to accomplish their goal.
First, we created a tagline for SCS that summarized the message they wanted their audience to walk away with: “Leave it to Us.” SCS’ main message to their clients is that they don’t have to worry about anything, because the company will work as an extension of their team through collaborative efforts. With a relationship with more than 300 suppliers, SCS helps companies develop the supply chain strategy that best fits their unique business goals, including purchasing, contract negotiation, distribution and logistics, and global sourcing and fulfillment solutions.
Second, we revamped the look and feel of their website and worked with our digital and creative team to make some magic. The website is the most important tool any brand can have. If it seems difficult to understand or navigate, then you’ve lost your audience, and you are most definitely losing out on business. Along with the website makeover, we also created a manual to help them manage it long-term.
As we gave the site a new look, we worked closely with SCS to schedule a photo shoot that would allow us to convey a more collaborative and consumer-friendly attitude through imagery. A picture really does say a thousand words, and we needed to make sure those words were fresh and aligned with the new messaging.
And finally, the hardest step: simplifying ALL of their content to make it rock solid. Let us tell you, that was one heck of a challenge but we LOVED it! We made it easy for anyone to understand their services: what they do and how they can help businesses. The best part? They now get to leverage the new foundation we have laid out for other projects, including digital and social media efforts.
We leave it up to you to judge our work. Check out SCS’ new website and let us know what you think!
Our very own “Rock” and “Orange” — agency principals and managing partners Miguel Piedra and David Naranjo — spoke to Billboard about some of the work we do best: connecting celebrities to brands (and brands to celebrities) through multi-channel marketing campaigns, tailor-made digital strategies, and by taking traditional and non-traditional public relations initiatives to a new level.
Miguel and David shared some of the wisdom they’ve acquired over their careers with Billboard’s Angie Romero, chatting about everything from their journey to launch the agency, to some of the mistakes major brands make when talking to consumers. The article highlights some of our major and most successful projects, including the launch of Macy’s Thalia Sodi collection, Cotton’s 24 Hour Runway Show and the launch of Gloria Estefan’s 27th album, The Standards.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE!
By David Naranjo
When our new client, Macy’s, and our longtime client, singer/songwriter/author and all-around-superstar Thalia, both approached RockOrange about activating a fashion line, we saw an opportunity to make history.
RockOrange was engaged to drum up US Hispanic media interest for the launch of Thalia Sodi, the Mexican icon’s clothing line with Macy’s, through an intimate, short lead media event. The collection officially launches in early-February at 300 Macy’s stores nationwide (and on macys.com) and was inspired by Thalia’s personal style. The line features bold colors and animal prints in dresses, tops, pants, shoes and jewelry, all designed to make women feel comfortable, confident and beautiful.
The collection is beautiful, and we needed an activation strategy to match. RockOrange envisioned a high fashion event of live looks for an intimate crowd of media, with the added dimension of giving access to a virtual crowd made up of Thalia’s fans.
It all came together at Gold Bar in New York’s Little Italy, where an exclusive, invitation-only soiree was held for select media. Those in attendance, who included all major US Hispanic networks, the Associated Press, People en Español, and many more, came in out of the cold to get a front-row seat for hot new styles.
But media was just the beginning. In a social media first, we coordinated the debut to stream live on Thalia’s Facebook account where it promptly broke the Internet (ok, not really, but the traffic was still huge). Together, we made history. Fans from around the world tuned in to watch the live feed of the show, and continued to stream it with more than 3 million viewers to-date.
The activation was a drop-dead success on all levels. As the first ever Hispanic-backed exclusive clothing line at the quintessential department store, the Facebook runway reveal also became the first of its kind in the history of the ubiquitous social network. The launch was one of the largest in Macy’s history.
And, let me just say, I love this project as a case study for what we do, because we satisfied all manner of requests and work types in one job. From digital to outreach to on-site event management and production, we brought together so many of our key capabilities into a multi-directional campaign that hit all the right notes for the client.
That’s because RockOrange, if I can be a bit self promotional – and this is our own blog, so I can – is a value-adding agency. We aren’t just order-takers. We are an organization built on ideas and execution. With every client, and especially these two, we develop creative, innovative solutions that break down walls.
In this case, we broke down the walls separating Thalia’s fans from a first look at her latest endeavor. Both clients won big, and RockOrange put another idea and execution firmly in the “fresh” column.