Friday, July 11, 2008
Huey Partners Design Wren’s Nest Advertisements
Posted by: lain // Category: Joel Chandler Harris, Marketing Tricks, Storytelling // 10:45 am
For longer than I’ve been alive Joel Chandler Harris has had terrible marketing.
Once one of the most popular authors in the country, his name is largely forgotten. And if it’s not forgotten, it’s derided. And if it’s not derided, well, only then is it revered.
It’s a different story now than, say, in 1908 when Harris’s obituary referred to him as “the most beloved man in America.” Surprisingly enough (to us), few disagreed.
The good news is we have a great story to tell. Huey Partners, the ad firm responsible for our logo and brochure, has developed some advertisements to help us get the word out.
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What do you think?
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9 Comments
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These are awesome! Very informative, respectful of both JCH supporters and critics, and not at all pushy with the message being sent. I call that a success.
My one critique is that the smallest font on each of the images might be a little hard to read - although that may have just been the result of viewing them on this computer.
These tread a fine line, as they should; they’ll certainly get noticed, and hopefully get some people in to the Wren’s Nest. My only quibble is with the Uncle Remus illustration on the first ad; it’s frighteningly garish and cartoony, and doesn’t totally mesh with the premise of JCH respecting his narrator. Of course, that goofy photo of JCH makes it pretty hard to imagine that he had ulterior motives.
Fantastic work, the only thing I would add is your address and phone number. Perhaps this is already being accomplished by printing them off on Wrens Nest letterhead, but its information that should probably be there. The more way’s people have to contact you, the more likely they are to do so.
These are terrific - and should generate a lot of interest. What are we going to do with them - given our huge advertising budget.
Ronni, that is an excellent question. We’ve got about three or four large poster size prints of each. And all sorts of computer files, but, um, I don’t know. Our budget for advertising currently stands at $0.
Kirk, I always forget about phone numbers. Good lord. We might be able to change that, but probably not. Will remember for next time a great ad agency makes free posters for us!
David, that bothers me too, sort of. On one hand, that picture of Uncle Remus was the primary illustration of Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings in 1880. On the other hand, Joel Chandler Harris disliked the picture for the same reasons you do. On the third hand, there aren’t too many other images of Uncle Remus from that era. On the fourth hand, the way I rationalize it is that by presenting it, it gives us an opportunity to talk about it rather than sweep it under the rug. That said, it’s not perfect in my opinion, either.
Scotty, the posters are quite large. Hopefully if they’re printed anywhere the ads will be quite large, too.
I didn’t read the whole thing, but I like the headlines. Eye catching and provocative.
How about some guerilla marketing?
The last one is potentially offensive. It implies that a nationally known and revered civil rights organization went after Joel Chandler when based on the ad, they criticized a movie. If you want to redeem Chandler’s image, throwing mud at others isn’t the way to do it.
As product of communication, very fine work! Unfortunately, the critics of Mr. Harris’ work will never be won over by this campaign, however cleverly devised.
The fact is our culture has forever labeled the “Old South” as evil and his work will be forever tarred (forgive the pun) by association. I’m afraid we are not so easily fooled into taking a sophisticated view of history, much less literature.
As for me, I’m going to see Br’er Rabbit and Friends at the Atlanta Puppetry Arts Center and then heading over to the birthday party at the Wren’s Nest. Yes, we may even break bread with the peddlers of hate at the old Harris home. May God forgive me for indoctrinating my son with the insidious racism perpetuated by Mr. Harris.
As penance, perhaps I shall make my 2 year old sit through a documentary about the horrors of American slavery - that’d rub that catchy Zippty-Bluebird-whatever, Disney nonsense out of his little racist head.
On sincere note, thank you for preserving and for trying to rehabilitate the public image of these wonderful stories and their author (recorder?). Mr. Harris and the Wren’s Nest are a treasure to be remembered by Atlanta, the New South, and by the United States.
Thanks, Kim. Great reply.
I always struggle with the word author, because while Harris put his own artistic touch on the stories, the stories themselves are as old as time.
Usually I settle on saying something like “Harris penned the stories,” which is the least false distinction I can come up with.