The Afton Group

Business Cards and site for Wind Turbine Start-up

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:13:27 +0000

Nelson County design-build firm Tectonics II has been constructing homes along the mountains and valleys of Central Virginia’s Blue Ridge for years. And you know what? It can get pretty windy around here.

And so was born EcoTecture, an offshoot of Tectonics II that focuses on designing and building structures with an ecological perspective. Along with wind turbines, EcoTecture delivers solar and geothermal solutions that can be integrated into existing or new residential or commercial structures.

The name had to be simple. EcoTecture is a marriage of the words ecology and architecture. In print and online, the look is efficient and seamless.

Front side of business card

Business card, reverse side.

Gaia Homes’ cross-platform marketing

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:49:56 +0000

Charlottesville-area construction company Gaia Homes needed help streamlining its print and online marketing strategies. What exactly does that mean? For Gaia, that meant creating a logo that echoed its smart, no-nonsense approach to building energy-efficient homes.

We built them a gallery-themed site that focused on the company’s construction portfolio. Coupled with our search engine optimization strategy (we don’t believe in SEO wizardry, by the way), the site – along with its print ads – delivers Gaia’s message: Energy Efficient Building For More Than 30 Years.

Gaia Homes print ad.

Southern Alpine Racing Association site redesign

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:17:00 +0000

The Southern Alpine Racing Association approached us with a common problem: they had a web site but updating it was a chore. Their new site had to be a place where members could interact and post photos of races. It had to have links to the group’s new Facebook and Twitter pages. All in all, it needed to be more dynamic. The result is a fresh magazine-style site with a featured post slideshow. Clean and fresh, like a layer of fresh powder.

Steven Brill to launch online paid news venture

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:10:33 +0000

It’s the “paid” aspect that raises my eyebrow. Monetizing online content is nothing new but doing it with a subscription? I guess you’d expect it from people described as “media veterans” – that may, in and of itself, be the problem:

Via Breitbart:

Three media veterans plan to bundle the Internet content of newspaper and magazine publishers into a subscription package that will test Web surfers’ willingness to pay for material that has been given away for years.

The system won’t be ready until the fall, but the plans were announced late Tuesday because so many publishers already are clamoring to sign up, said Steven Brill, co-chief executive of the new venture, called Journalism Online …

And it looks like some legal big wigs are standing by: antitrust lawyer David Boies and Theodore Olson, former U.S. solicitor general.

How about an iTunes model for news content? Access to iTunes content is free; content – which can be rated by users – is either free or paid.

Branding conistently in print and online

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:24:37 +0000

A “hopping” microbrewery in the Rockfish Valley, Devils Backbone Brewery values the importance of keeping its branding consistent. So how do you fit the content of a large full page magazine ad into an online ad measuring 288 pixels square? You animate it.

More luring to the online reader than a static ad, this animated version loads quickly and gets the message across.

Newspaper publishers cry the blues at conference

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:31:23 +0000

Linking to this AP story is exactly the kind of thing the Associated Press says is causing their business to fail.

Newspaper publishers meeting in San Diego got a brutally honest assessment of the struggling newspaper industry from the perspective of Google CEO Eric Schmidt:

Schmidt commended newspapers for staking claim on the Internet in the 1990s but said there wasn’t a second act. He says news Web sites take too long to read, even slower than flipping through a newspaper or magazine, a shortcoming that can be addressed by improving technology.

Grumpy old media journos need to listen up: Relevant content matched with relevant advertising works.

More coverage here.

The Spirit of Red, White & Brew

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:45:34 +0000

As part of Nelson County, Virginia’s Spirit of Red White & Brew campaign, this vibrant rack card stands out. Using existing logo/identity elements, we created a full-color, 2-sided glossy rack card with an eye-catching photograph of a local vineyard on one side, and a list of area wineries and breweries on the other side. Thirsty yet?

Is it an ad or a widget? Yes!

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:40:41 +0000

NelsonCountyLife.com weather sponsor amFOG didn’t want your standard – often ignored – web banner ad. Can you blame them?

Since amFOG sponsors the daily weather audiocast, why not brand the audio player with amFOG’s sponsorship? The result is a stable audio widget ad that can be shared and embedded on various social media sites. Talk about viral marketing.

Feds poised to regulate viral marketing

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:50:17 +0000

Apparently Word-of-mouth marketing – blogging product reviews, sharing them on Facebook, Twitter, etc – isn’t protected by the 1st Amendment? Scary.

If a blogger received a free sample of skin lotion and then incorrectly claimed the product cured eczema, the FTC could sue the company for making false or unsubstantiated statements. The blogger could be sued for making false representations

FT’s full report here.

NYT editor says saving the paper is like saving Darfur

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:54:42 +0000

Via Politico:

Commenting on the keep-the-Times alive movement, Keller said: “Saving the New York Times now ranks with saving Darfur as a high-minded cause.”

Keller, you’ve got to be kidding.

Save Darfur or save the New York Times?