five days of fun

Posted on January 20, 2012 by admin

Ready, set, go! 2012 started like a cannon shot here at Clear Blue as we launch new product lines, finalize media plans, kick-off new campaigns, etc. etc. To make sure we have all the photography we need for the great things planned for Char-Broil, we ushered in the new year with a five day photo shoot in Charlotte with Michael Harrison.

Over those few days we nearly managed to buy out the meat sections at a few local grocery stores, burned through truck fulls of propane and captured beautiful shot after beautiful shot of many of the great products Char-Broil offers. Thank you to Michael Harrison and the rest of the team for their hard work and thank you to LaDon from Char-Broil for all your product knowledge and expertise. Now, it’s time to sell a few grills!

re-launching your brand: when is the right time?

Posted on October 26, 2011 by admin

Every day, the best companies ask, “How do we thrive in this crazy world?” To be a leader, you have to discern what your customers want, even before they ask for it. This takes empathy and creativity at all levels and sections of an organization.

When an organization leverages its creativity to develop or acquire major new service areas, it may be time to consider a re-launch of the brand. It’s wise to evaluate the elasticity of the old brand to accommodate the growth, first. Then, document the merits of a brand re-launch to best engage new audiences and revive relationships with existing and former audiences.

We have been through this exercise ourselves recently. With additional capabilities reaching new audiences, we are a completely different company than we were two years ago. So, taking our own Branding advice, we re-launched our brand and have a new-found appreciation for the process.

Take a look at how we tackled this exercise and let us know what you think: theclearblue.com.

By the way, there are four other good reasons to consider a brand re-launch. Stay tuned for more insights.

bam! just launched the website

Posted on October 24, 2011 by admin

In between launching national and international integrated advertising and PR campaigns, (see our Wall Street Journal post below), designing and developing marketing videos, international research projects and websites, grilling up a storm, hosting daily ping pong tournaments, etc. etc. we somehow found time to do a little house keeping of our own.

Check out our new site, theclearblue.com. A modern brand and marketing firm like us needs a website that reflects who we are and the things we do so well. Now, after a lot work from the team, we feel like we do. Please, tell us what you think!

getting front page news where it belongs

Posted on August 16, 2011 by admin

Congratulations to LiuGong for this, their first article in the Wall Street Journal. After months of tradeshow interviews, releases and follow-through from Clear Blue and the LiuGong marketing team, this coverage of a Chinese construction equipment company gives them a leg up in North America. This article appeared on the front page of today’s online version and on the front page of today’s Marketplace section in the printed version.

stepping into the bullpen

Posted on June 1, 2011 by admin

Summer is finally here! The spring semester has come to an end, and college students can at last breathe a collective sigh of relief and look forward to a few months of rest… if they aren’t choosing to attend sessions of summer classes or adventure abroad to gain new experiences, that is. Some students have had the pleasure of landing themselves an internship in their field of study – myself included.

My name is Anna Selby, and I am a junior Graphic Design major at East Carolina University. The field of study I have chosen is a very competitive, talent-driven one and I was absolutely ecstatic to have the opportunity to gain experiences that my fellow classmates are missing out on when they’re laying out at the beach.

Now, to the average college-age person, this internship I have would seem like a nightmare – proofing copies of products? Researching international companies? Compiling a database of useful specialists of the trade? That sounds like the stuff we did all year while we were away at school…

And yet, I could not be more excited about this. I have the opportunity here to learn things that would never be taught to me if I only concentrated on the classes for my fine arts major. Quite a few (albeit, not all) of the people I have classes with really have no idea what kind of job they want to pursue after they achieve their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and I feel so blessed to have the chance to dip my toes into the waters of an industry that I can really see myself working in one day.

I am not the only lucky student who was able to land an internship at Clear Blue. Laura Yost, a sophomore Public Relations major at the University of South Carolina, is in charge of keeping the sanity around the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A true southern girl, she loves country music, summer, and cowboy boots. Although she is in school for a degree in communications, her true passion is photography, and she hopes one day to be able to own a photography business on the side to earn some money and, most importantly, have some fun. She is also incredibly excited about this internship because it will help her gain knowledge for her upcoming classes and for the professional world after graduation.

While our stay here at Clear Blue is only for the summer, we both know that the experiences we will gain are invaluable tokens of knowledge that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. That sounds far better than spending a summer sleeping in or spending hours beside the pool to me!

-Anna Selby, Summer 2011 Intern

my typographic struggle

Posted on April 12, 2011 by admin

When I was asked to step in and write a blog post about typography no real mind-blowing type designers came to mind nor did any recent infatuations with new foundries so I thought I write about some personal struggles.

Lately I’ve felt like I’ve been stuck in a type-tunnel. I’ve been designing for a large corporate brand that is very steadfast on using one typeface. Surprisingly, this can be a little relief sometimes when designing. It’s sorta like the uniforms I was forced to wear growing up in a Catholic school. My teachers used to always say how we should be thankful since it was one less decision we had to make. Deep down I knew they were really trying to subdue my style. However, looking back they were right, I go to lay out this clients collateral and I know the typeface search is one less thing I have to allocate time towards.

Even though I may be constricted to the typeface this is only a small aspect of the design. This is where the designer must shine. Realizing where to position and balance the typography is the real challenge. Correct use of the design’s negative space and well-balance typesetting can work to direct the eye, set the mood and pace the reader.

Below are some examples of well-utilized space with type-based in layouts.

by Grain Edit

by Victor Magalhães Silva

by Marco Bernardi

by Beto Nunes

by Ozone Studio

by octaviopv

Finally, just incase you were only reading this post in the event that I share some fonts. Here are a couple to try out that I’ve been enjoying.

by Vissol

by Mario Arturo

-Michael Stout, Graphic Designer

the intern has landed

Posted on February 8, 2011 by admin

The next time you call Clear Blue, chances are good that you won’t recognize the voice on the other end. That’s right ladies and gents, Bryan and Ryan are taking a little break from receptionist duties, handing them off to the new intern, Joel Simpson

Currently enrolled at UNC Charlotte, Joel will graduate in May with a B.A. in Marketing. He has high aspirations of not living in a cardboard box after he graduates, so he plans on learning valuable skills while working with Clear Blue. He expects to be well versed in the ins-and-outs of a full service advertising agency, ultimately making himself far more marketable when his internship concludes. That is of course, if we let him leave. Most days you can find him in the library, but on those lucky days when there is no homework you’ll find him playing some kind of sport or just relaxing.

Some quick facts about Joel (kind’ve) and by Joel (certainly):

Bacon is good on everything
He doesn’t like writing a bio about himself
“The Other Guys” is an all-time favorite movie

in case you hadn’t heard the news

Posted on February 7, 2011 by admin

The official press release is below, but to boil it down, we are psyched to be working with the Char-Broil team as their Agency of Record. Lots of great things in the works for 2011 and beyond!

“Huntersville, North Carolina-based, Clear Blue, Inc. has been hired as the agency of record for Columbus, Georgia-based Char-Broil, LLC. Char-Broil executives cited Clear Blue’s experience and proven results in a broad variety of consumer goods as a key factor.

“We selected Clear Blue because of their ability to demonstrate a level of commitment and deep understanding of our business goals and how to achieve them through strategic, integrated marketing,” said Michelle Zeller, vice president of marketing for Char-Broil.

Char-Broil has recently raised its profile as the innovator of infrared grilling systems, the hottest topic in outdoor cooking today. Char-Broil infrared grills heat the food directly, locking in natural juices and flavors. Other grills heat the air which dries out the food as it cooks.

“Char-Broil has a proud history of leadership and innovation in their category,” said Robin Konieczny, president and chief creative officer of Clear Blue. “We are driven to bring our agency resources – from creative and media planning to digital and social media — to tell the next chapter of the brand’s story.”

About Char-Broil®:
Part of the W.C. Bradley Co. family of brands and based in Columbus, Georgia, Char-Broil (www.charbroil.com) is the leading marketer of infrared, gas, charcoal, portable and electric outdoor barbecue grills sold under the Char-Broil®, Thermos®, Oklahoma Joe’s® and New Braunfels Smoker Company® brand names. Char-Broil markets and distributes a complete line of grills, smokers, fryers and outdoor fireplaces, along with parts and accessories, throughout North America.

About Clear Blue:
Rapidly growing Clear Blue, a full-service integrated branding and marketing communication agency was founded in 1998, serving clients in the US, China and Latin America. The North Carolina based agency employs and engages top leaders skilled at producing insight-driven campaigns utilizing all advertising vehicles, digital and emerging media as well as public relations. Strategic, nimble and entrepreneurial, Clear Blue creates collaborative and transparent relationships with its clients including, Char-Broil, Rubbermaid and LiuGong, to name a few.”

oh to be young again

Posted on December 8, 2010 by admin

Once upon a time nearly all of us were interns. We made coffee, answered phones, went on emergency trips to Staples for ink cartridges AND somehow, in the midst of all that, had some of the most valuable and educational experiences of our academic and professional careers.

Well, as it turns out, we need someone to make coffee, answer the phones and keep score for us during our ping pong matches too. Sounds interesting enough, right? In partnership with the Belk College of Business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Clear Blue, Inc. is now accepting resumes for our inaugural 2011 Marketing + Branding internship opportunity.

For more information, hop on over to the UNCC website by clicking this link.

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