Roger Darnell

Publisher, press agent, producer and writer Roger Darnell is the principal of The Darnell Works Agency, the PR firm for the creative and high-tech industries.

Case Study: Tool of North America

Last updated in 2006: Elite U.S. Commercial Production Company Elevates Position, Delivers Award-Winning Work for Top U.S. Agencies

“Strategic Two-Year Public Relations Campaign Designed and Executed by The Darnell Works Agency Helped Tool Maximize and Expand Its Success”
See also: TOOL MEDIA COVERAGE

Since 1995, Santa Monica-based Tool of North America has established itself among the leading U.S. commercial production companies, representing top commercial directors including Erich Joiner, Tom Routson, Oscar-winning cinematographer Bob Richardson and several other creative all stars. During the time the DWA campaign was in effect (April 2004 through May 2006), Tool also operated satellite company Paranoid Projects: Tool, which provided U.S. representation for directors Poiraud and Francois Vogel.

Executive Summary
Among many high-profile accomplishments during DWA’s two-year tenure as the PR agency of record for Tool of North America and Paranoid Projects (2004-2006), Francois Vogel’s HP “Picture Book” campaign was named Adweek’s Campaign of the Year for 2004… and also landed him in Creativity Magazine’s feature that year on the world’s hottest emerging directors. The public and media relations campaign diligently promoted commercial projects of the highest order, from top agencies, major brands, and Tool’s all-star roster of directors.

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Getting serious about starting a business…

I posted a piece a couple of weeks back about the many folks I’d heard from who were beginning new careers and starting their own new ventures. So, in considering what may be of the most interest to you, I thought I’d come back to this topic and share a few more great resources. Regardless of your area of interest, there is a wealth of truly great advice to be found online.

Read moreGetting serious about starting a business…

Click along with a scientific expedition, right now…

When I invented this blog five months ago, I sought to investigate the intersections of marketing, science, technology and entertainment with the objective of unearthing some practical, actionable data that would be readily useful. It’s my pleasure to dig deeper into the field of science today with a pointer to the website for Project Exploration.

Read moreClick along with a scientific expedition, right now…

Marketing to young people? Keep it real…

As a follow-up to my “Technology bridging teens’ socialization needs article” today’s Research Brief from MediaPost Communications encapsulates a new report from Forrester Research closely examining how young people communicate. Reviewing the Research Brief and Forrester’s summary for the report, which tabulates findings from a recent survey of Canadians and Americans aged 12 to 21, reiterates the need for those wishing to reach today’s youths to understand how technology factors into these individuals’ daily lives, and the importance of appropriately “talking the talk”. Among the reports’ gems are facts that reveal that two-thirds of respondents have computers, MP3 players top their wish lists, 94% have some type of device for playing games, half prefer game play to TV, and more than half seek and rely upon friends’ and familymembers’ advice before making purchases. The size of this group, in full, is estimated at 73 million.

Read moreMarketing to young people? Keep it real…

Case study on TV’s most beloved ad campaign…

Last year, San Francisco ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners hatched an idea for its clients at Hewlett Packard’s Digital Photography division which has led to some truly phenomenal results. Collaborations with the talented French director Francois Vogel, which began in 2003 in the development of another award-winning television commercial entitled “You”, produced a new … Read moreCase study on TV’s most beloved ad campaign…

Take a walk on the bright side…

Thank goodness for Ode Magazine. With the mission of telling stories about real people making positive change in the world, each piece posted to its website earns scores of thankful acknowledgements from readers around the globe. Editor Jurrian Kamp boldly states that each contribution is well researched, well written and inspiring. Do you agree?

Read moreTake a walk on the bright side…

Product placement business, small and big…

Soon after graduating from college, I landed a job as a production coordinator on the small, unpaid crew of the no-budget debut feature of an ambitious filmmaker. The film was to be shot in 35mm Cinemascope, had a very accomplished DP, production designer and first assistant director, but the lack of budget was a major … Read moreProduct placement business, small and big…

Is sales marketing’s spouse, or its offspring?

In a strategic marketing plan that I put together for a client last year, I wrote that the term Marketing refers to a great many activities, including market research, brand management, customer service, sales, promotions, public relations and advertising. Drawing on extensive research, I also emphasized the need to unify those activities around a common strategy, driven by a thorough, up-to-date understanding of a company and its brand. I just read several stories from the special report in the July issue of CMO Magazine entitled The Sales-Marketing Culture Clash. I recommend reading the report, and this definition of Marketing from Wikipedia.

Read moreIs sales marketing’s spouse, or its offspring?

Technology bridging teens’ socialization needs…

Terril Yue Jones has filed a detail-laden piece for the Los Angeles Times from her San Francisco post entitled “24/7, Teens Get the Message,” which sums up the many ways in which today’s teens are fulfilling their ancient instincts to socialize. The story draws in so many statistics it makes one’s head spin, validating the vast extent to which the story’s subject teenagers are embracing computers and mobile technology devices to connect to friends and groups, notch themselves upward on the ever-important ladder of popularity and deal with the other highs and lows of growing up. In other words, for an increasing number of teenagers, these communication-enabling technologies play pivotal roles in virtually all of their day-to-day activities.

Read moreTechnology bridging teens’ socialization needs…

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