Comments on: What do you think?

By: Irene Goldberg

Irene Goldberg — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:02:23 +0000

Really appreciate being included.
Just returned from a week with grandchildren, so found I could not warm to #2. Escaping from children is not our first priority.
#1 with some tweeking is on the right track. Graphic caught my eye, but less text, and MUCH larger would be better.
I do not have a problem with the word “little”–aren’t those little problems that the public really needs help with?! We’ve got lots of Medical, Investment, and other highly visible professionals out there to help with the big problems; sometimes it’s the little ones that are the ones pushing us all over the edge. Often, in my experience, it’s the “I don’t have any idea where to turn” questions that we are best suited to answer–and for which we receive the most praise.

By: Michele Dupey

Michele Dupey — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:43:42 +0000

I chose the first for its clarity relative to the symbolic ad. On the other hand, regarding clarity, we’re still left wanting. The visual is *so* overpowering… We’re not selling bowling balls! The reader needs to understand that the ad is about the LIBRARY. I don’t mind the tagline, “Solving Life’s Little Problems” because people usually go to places of last resort (i.e., library) for big problems. NJLA is selling libraries as *the* place to go. Period.

By: Anna Marie Bateman

Anna Marie Bateman — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:35:17 +0000

I also do not care for either design. Elaine Gaber and Joanne Kares both pretty much summed up my feelings about these two ad ideas.

Thank you very much for asking for our input.

By: Carolyn Wood

Carolyn Wood — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:57:34 +0000

The designs both “feel” familiar to me, resembling something I have seen in other ad campaigns. I prefer the second treatment as I am attracted to the split screen layout and angle bracket. It’s funny how something like an angle bracket can make or break a design decision.

Personal testimony is a powerful marketing tool. The stories to be shared by library users across New Jersey should draw attention to the value of libraries.

By: JoAnn Tropiano

JoAnn Tropiano — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:10:59 +0000

I can visualize big dollar signs instead of bowling balls in the first ad!

John Sitnik’s comments really resonate with what I perceive here in Nutley.

I also like Cheryl’s note about using New Jersey Libraries rather than New Jersey State Libraries.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment. This is a great process.

By: Chris Grippo

Chris Grippo — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:25:05 +0000

I just want to say how impressed I am by this discussion. I hope that these ideas can be merged into a coherent campaign. But one further idea. Are we preaching to the choir or are we looking for outreach? Even though I work in a library most of the people in my life (family, friends, neighbors) are NOT library users nor do they support their public library. The reasons they give range from not understanding how the libary is arranged (many librarians could not give a understandable explanation of Dewey) to unhelpful staff or librarians unable to answer simple questions in plain English. Finally, libraries often are miles behind the curve. We got into videos long after there was a video store on every corner. Wii has been around for a while. If we are going to be relevant in today’s world we need to demonstrate cutting edge habits. If the library was the FIRST place to find new ideas and technology instead of the LAST people would be more inclined to support their local library. Finally, I would like to get to the heart of the problem that a number of people have commented on. A very smart librarian who now teaches at Rutgers once made the comment that there is no such thing as an average library in New Jersey. Even here in Middlesex County libraries range from the sprawling (Old Bridge, Monroe, etc.) to the very small. To try to offer the services that the large libraries with their multiple meeting rooms can in a library that could almost fit into one of those meeting rooms is physically impossible. Thus if we are going to push activities like Wii bowling are we going to condemn small libraries to eventual death? Right now is not the time to try to get communities to build new buildings.

By: Ingrid Betancourt

Ingrid Betancourt — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:07:17 +0000

Treatment # 1 gets my vote. Granted, it needs some work, but it is eye-catching and communicates the message in an unexpected way. Bowling balls as a lead-in to libraries? I love that. It presents the library as a dynamic resource for the community. It begins to open people’s eyes to the many different ways in which libraries can help solve life’s problems.
I agree that the print needs to be larger, the word library featured more prominently, and that it would be good to have the faces reflect a bit of NJ’s ethnic & racial diversity.

I’m afraid #2’s “seeking sanctuary” concept underscores the old stereotype (myth, actually) of the library as a solid, quiet institution for serious seekers of knowledge. Nothing wrong with a reasonable dose of that -when you can get it- but we are so much more.

By: Elaine Gaber

Elaine Gaber — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:55:54 +0000

Unfortunatlely, I don’t like either of the two designs. The first marketing approach is dramatic, but doesn’t communicate today’s LIBRARY. The second marketing approach is cute, but communicates a negative connotation of babies. In addition, libraries aren’t necessarily “sanctuaries” these days. They are busy, bustling places with people of all ages enjoying programs and other library services. Perhaps emphasize new communication technologies or innovative programs in another campaign?

By: Bobbi Bennett

Bobbi Bennett — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:57:14 +0000

The second marketing approach will grab all those people who only glance at the large print in an ad and give them something that is easy to recall.

By: Andrea Londensky

Andrea Londensky — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:23:21 +0000

Ok, I’m going to dump my left brain reactions into the mix.

First, thanks for asking. I really appreciate that we get some input here.

Second, I absolutely *adore* the concept — Solving Life’s Little Problems. That is exactly what we do and how we want people to view us. I just worry about how the concept translates into the actual promotions. I also loved the concept of the last campaign, “connecting your world to the world” but didn’t like how that got translated.

In terms of the two designs, I responded to the first one, i.e., between the quirky short text and the off-center graphic, it would warrant a second look from me. If there was somewhere on the page where Libraries stood out I would probably take the time to glance at it. I like the idea of one graphic that provides a twist on traditional library service.

And although I do like the *idea* of the second treatment, pane one, state the problem, pane two, show how the library solved it, (it appeals to my love of symmetry) neither of those graphics pulled me in.

You already have me thinking about our library’s stories!

Lastly, I am really concerned about a campaign that focuses on things my library cannot deliver as several commentors already brought up. We are already being compared to several of the bigger (and better funded) libraries in our neighborhood and I would therefore hate to fuel any more “library envy”.