Media Manufacturers and Male Models

The ADS Group has it all! In addition to our prowess in the world of media manufacturing and services, our employees often demonstrate spectacular fashion sense. So fashion-foward, in fact, that PIM (Printing Industry Midwest) selected them as the male models for their September 2011 magazine cover. At this time we’d like to request that the paparazzi respect their need for privacy, as the guys are still adjusting to their newfound worldwide Midwestern fame. No autographs,...

A-wards and RE-wards

When Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners outgrew their Wayzata space, they knew they’d need mass funding to expand their organization. A nonprofit organization serving the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, the need for their services was escalating. IOCP runs a food shelf as well as providing housing, transportation and child care services to families in need. They found the space they needed in a desirable location to serve their clients, but needed to raise five million dollars for the conversion and the move. With only a few months to generate the funds, they turned to The ADS Group and Studio 120 for help. We developed a five minute fundraising video for IOCP, and using this powerful tool they were able to raise the money they needed to continue to grow this vital community resource. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlwbwKkQGug&fs=1&source=uds] It’s a huge honor to be selected as a vendor helping to serve an organization such as IOCP, who pours so much love and so many resources back into our own community. Icing on the cake was being honored professionally for the development of the fundraising video. This morning, Mitch and Tom stopped by IOCP to present them with the International Communicator award and the Telly that were bestowed upon The ADS Group and Studio 120 in recognition of the production of this fundraising DVD. We are grateful as an organization for these Awards, but the real REward has been – and will always be – the opportunity to help better our entire...

WCCO Good Question – Are DVDs Dead?

The recently announced splitting of Netflix services has the masses in an uproar. Moving forward, their DVD by mail program will  be taken over by Qwikster and be run and billed independently of their streaming services. This is prompting the public to ask a question. ARE DVDs DEAD? WCCO-4’s Jamie Yuccas turned to us for the answer – a resounding NO. Mitch Waters, Executive Producer at Studio 120, spoke with Jamie for WCCO’s Good Question segment. We at The ADS Group replicate about 80,000 DVDs per day – for markets that vary from the healthcare industry to the supplemental information included with high price point products. Streaming is a great option for a retail giant like Netflix, and will certainly change trends in the media industry, but there remain myriad applications for a tangible product. As we continue to grow our suite of services, streaming and content on demand is already becoming a larger piece of the puzzle, but physical discs are – and will likely remain – our brick and mortar for the next few years.  WATCH THE VIDEO...

ERA 2011: A Summary

With a short-form DRTV slot, you’ve got a very brief window of time to make an impact – often only thirty seconds. One one thousand… Two one thousand… Three one thousand… Four one thousand… Five one thousand… Without belaboring the point, thirty seconds is more time than you may realize – at ERA D2C, exhibitors were lucky to have five seconds to make their initial mark. As one weary attendee said to Mitch Waters, “So what do you guys do? Give it to me in 25 words or less.” His answer? We do everything. Short and sweet, isn’t it? And we do! From script-to-screen video production, disc manufacturing and asset management, The ADS Group is ready to partner with you on your next short – or long – form message. ERA D2C 2011 was a spectacular place for us to voice our message. According to Electronic Retailer, the official publication of the Electronic Retailing Association, almost 116 million U.S. homes have at least one TV. Add to that the nearly 160 million people who watch video content online using a computer or mobile device, and you can see the vast potential of the direct to consumer market. Last week we made note that the fitness services and products had a stronghold at the show, so it’s no surprise that Electronic Retailer’s July 2011 list of the top 25 long form products sold on TV backs this up – 12 of the top 25 sellers are advertised as health or fitness products. New to this year’s show was the D2C Learning Lounge. In a world of faster, faster, fastest the ERA recognized that mini-seminars were the...

ERA: Day Two

It’s clear that the focus is on fitness – even at ERA D2C. Booths for health and weight-loss supplements abound, but if pills aren’t your thing, it’s good to know you can slip into the Lipo Dress. Fitness equipment is a popular product for direct to consumer marketing, as evidenced by the self-boxing gear, the Perfect Push-Up and the…well, we didn’t catch what product this booth was marketing.  ListenUp Espanol, a Spanish language call-center firm, had crazy traffic at their booth. No breath mints or coozies here – they hired midgets and set up a photo booth. The gentleman manning the booth pointed out that in this economy, even incremental increases in revenue are reason to celebrate – which, apparently, was how they justified their decision. If profits rise as they hope, they plan to hire giants next year. Call center applications, payment services and media buying were the prominent services promoted at ERA. For all its behemoth reputation, the Google booth appeared slow. This poor gentlemen could barely be bothered to stay awake. Perhaps they too could have benefited from a bit of midget frivolity. Other booths offer patent services to inventors who are certain they’ve come up with the newest pet rock. This cheery man was very excited to demonstrate his camera umbrella, and admittedly it worked. There was no rain damage to his equipment…inside the ballroom. But it hasn’t all been midgets and models. Meetings and messages have been our focus. Meeting with our existing clients and looking for new opportunities. Our message has been clear – ADS On Demand is the future. With a full suite of...