Aquent's New Marketing Campaign Showcases Creative Talent Through 'Studio Smackdown' – an Interactive Online Design Competition

CreativePro Staff

Aquent announces the launch of Studio Smackdown, an interactive online talent competition, which begins Tuesday, January 25 and runs through February 22, 2005 at www.studiosmackdown.com. Designed as a weekly elimination contest, five graphic designers wrestle for creative supremacy in this online public forum by responding to four design challenges:

• Self-promotion
• Pharmaceutical Advertising
• Political Campaign Collateral
• Music Promotion

Every week, site visitors will not only have the opportunity to view each designer’s solution, they will be able to act as creative directors and interact graphically by marking up samples of the contestant’s work, posting comments, viewing what others are saying, and casting their votes to determine who is smacked out of the creative arena. Aquent is a pioneer in consulting, outsourcing, and staffing solutions for marketing and creative services organizations worldwide. No stranger to innovative marketing strategies, Aquent frequently designs inventive recruitment campaigns that draw the best in creative talent.
Studio Smackdown is the brainchild of Erin Bloom, marketing program manager based in Aquent’s Philadelphia office. To recruit talent for the contest, Bloom asked Aquent’s network of local offices to nominate talent who pride themselves on their quirky personalities, one-of-a-kind personal style, and unrivaled attitude. The nominees were invited to participate in an audition process that included an interview, portfolio review, and the submission of an audition tape. “We selected the five finalists who responded with the greatest creative fervor, demonstrated a genuine excitement about design and, simply, people who made us laugh,” she says.
The five finalists, Andy Kendig Toni Greaves, Brady Kazar, Matt Loftiss, and Colleen Madden, have been provided with digital camcorders with which to record their work during the four phases of the contest. The videos, described as “confessions,” will be three to four minutes in length and express the designer’s choices, obstacles, and a running commentary on their experience. The contest promises a ringside seat to anyone wishing to log on and wade in.
While the majority of voters will consist of existing talent, clients, and others from the creative community, Aquent invites anyone with an email address to “be the creative director,” vote, and participate in the entire process (site visitors must register with an email address in order to vote).
Subscribing to the “everyone’s a winner” principle, Aquent has determined that the last place gets to keep the digital camcorder, while the fourth place winner keeps the camcorder and receives 25 iTunes downloads. Third prize wins a Silver iPod mini, 25 iTunes downloads, and the camcorder. Second prize wins an iPod, 25 iTunes downloads, and the camcorder. The grand prizewinner comes away with a $5000 Macintosh G5 computer system complete with Adobe Creative Suite and the camcorder. The winner will be announced February 22. 2005.
About Aquent
For nearly twenty years, Aquent has led the way in helping businesses master the ability to generate marketing and communications from within. From its inception in 1986, this marketing services company has pioneered consulting, outsourcing and staffing solutions that enable clients to build their internal marketing and communications capabilities. Providing unmatched resources and expertise through its network of nearly seventy branches worldwide, Aquent today helps thousands of companies make the most of their people, processes and technology. Aquent, www.aquent.com, is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.