Midsize Agency Match Up – Real Art

Today we visit Ohio, and I get to talk with Chris Wire , President and CEO at Real Art . I don’t even know how to describe the impressive range of work the Real Art creates, so I’m going to leave it to him.?I would describe Chris as the modern-day Willie Wonka.? See if you understand why by the end.

Julia: Chris, my readers want insights on agencies that are great partners for Midsize firms and brands.?What should they know about Real Art??

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Chris:?Real Art is a full service creative agency based in Dayton, OH. Established in 1985, we've shifted and evolved significantly since our start. We operate under the mindset of ‘building wonder’—we believe that people respond best to what they've never seen before and that it takes something truly unique to capture someone's attention. We love a project that starts with ‘wouldn’t it be cool if…’ and we make it a reality.

Like when a normal lunchtime conversation turned into the world’s largest claw game–the Santa Claw was created initially as our clients’ Christmas gift and grew into an internet phenomenon. We built a larger-than-life claw machine and gave people all over the world the ability to control the claw through a website. The site generated over 1.2 million views, people waited up to 8 hours to play, and Verizon used the platform to anchor their Super Bowl experience.

We love crossing boundaries with our work, but it generally fits into branding, content, or experiential. Some of our most recent projects include an experiential activation for ESPN at the NFL Draft to give fans a chance to feel like they were participating, a motorcycle launch for Royal Enfield for journalists from around the world, a digital project utilizing AI for Enfamil to empower new parents to make important decisions, and a digital game to build brand love and anchor Chipotle’s National Burrito Day campaign.

Julia:?Creating a ?“Sense of Wonder”!?That is a standout capability.?And I see what you mean about branding and marketing campaigns merging with experiential work. What’s Real Art’s Secret Sauce when it comes to working with midsize companies??

Chris: We’re often working to find ways to help midsize clients stand out in a crowded marketplace. They usually don’t have the same resources as their larger peers and need to carry budgets further through earned versus paid media. That’s what we love to do—create work that sparks people and gets them talking.

Our goal is to grab people’s attention and weave in a brand story or drive someone to act. When The Ohio Department of Health came to us to convey the message of social distancing, something that wasn’t a well-known concept in the spring of 2020, we came up with a plan to communicate visually the gravity and impact of interaction with a ping-pong ball. Our team set up hundreds of mouse traps next to one another and placed a ping pong ball on top of them–one additional ball was thrown in, setting off a chain reaction. In a second shot, they were spread out, and when the ball was thrown in, it sailed right through without disruption. The piece was featured in AdWeek, The Washington Post, and on The Today Show. It had 5.8 million views within the first 20 hours of its release and 22 million views on Twitter in the first month.

We also challenge companies to think about their business holistically and in different ways. The Real Art team has the ability to impact and make recommendations outside of traditional marketing or advertising; to improve products and processes as a whole, which can help our clients reach their goals.

Julia: That is a remarkable concept and execution.?And I love creative that is strong enough to drive earned media.?Every Midsize needs that hack!?Can you share a case study or example of a successful campaign you have created with a midsized client?

Chris: One of our more recent projects with Kohl’s speaks to our ability to combine physical installations with the latest in technology. Kohl’s approached Real Art wanting to create something special and memorable for their holiday campaign. There’s a lot of competition for holiday shoppers, and holiday shopping can be stressful. Our initial spark was asking if we could use AI to recommend the perfect gift but present it in a fun, delightful way.

Real Art designed, programmed and fabricated Kohl’s Storybook Magic. Our team took inspiration from the classic ‘Zoltar’ fortune-telling machines and created a winter wonderland kiosk. The whimsical console, containing a mini-holiday village (complete with a gust of snow) prompts visitors to answer simple questions, then uses custom AI to create one-of-a-kind poems, complete with Kohl’s gift recommendations. Launched in Manhattan’s Bryant Park, the experience also reached millions more Kohl's customers online.

We were able to take Kohl’s budget and stretch it into something that demonstrates fun, personalization, and a high-level use of technology in a really beautiful and memorable way. At Real Art, we love to give a wink to nostalgic technology and repurpose it in a way that is fresh and new. This evokes an emotional response while instilling our trademark sense of wonder.

Julia: So nice how the Kohl's execution cuts across so many consumer-facing channels. The experiential, social, scaled digital all drove holiday sales.?Feliz Navidad!?What advice would you give to midsize companies looking to choose an agency partner??

Chris: Start with a broader ask of the agency. When you open a conversation with a partner, know what you want to improve about your business. We all know that we don’t know what we don’t know. When you come to an agency with a prescriptive tactic, like a :30 broadcast commercial, it limits the agency’s ability to bring fresh eyes and strategy.

Allow the agency to be your eyes and potentially uncover a blind spot or bring something completely new to your brand to unlock a new level or possibility. Agencies that are excited about the unknown and the challenge of being asked to deliver on the why and not the how are the ones ready to be innovative and are excited to focus on helping you obtain your goals, not just delivering a project.

Look for agency partners that enjoy the work and you’d enjoy working with. A great partner is an extension of your team—you want that partner to be optimistic, passionate, and collaborative.

Julia: Chris, every Midsize Marketing Team wants a partner that delivers “beyond the project”. And in today’s message-cluttered world, it takes a sense of wonder to get noticed.? Real Art is an agency that combines multiple capabilities to make its magic.?Midsize marketing teams - I officially certify Real Art as a Midsize Match Up.?

For those wanting to talk directly to Chris (see why I dub him the new Willie Wonka?), you can reach him at [email protected] or visit their website. Their site gives you a better idea of their range of work and an impressive roster of clients. Click on their Chipotle work!??