This year’s luncheon was highlighted by the announcement of a $150 million gift from the Fred W. Fields Fund. This is the largest single donation the organization has ever received, as well as the largest single gift any institution in Oregon has seen.

We are very proud to continue providing marketing and advertising services to the Oregon Community Foundation.  During the past two years Magneto has developed a compelling print ad campaign and recently produced two TV spots for OCF. The foundation is the sixth largest community foundation in the U.S., with current investments of $1.1 billion going to charities and nonprofits across the state of Oregon.

There was a time when an automobile said a lot about a person. It was a symbol of status and boy was it cool to have a car in high school. Nowadays only 46.3% of potential drivers ages 19 and younger even have a driver’s license. Recent studies have shown that among 31 popular brands not a single automobile company ranks within the top 10 preferred by consumers in the “Millennials” age bracket (born 1981-2000). This generation is exceedingly difficult for auto companies to resonate with, as there seems to be a general disinterest in automobiles these days and little can be said for brand loyalty. With the apparent obstacles in approaching the Millennials it may seem pointless to cater to this age group, but a study done by comScore shows that this segment holds $170 billion in buying power. Also, establishing brand loyalty at a young age could mean a long lasting relationship through the consumer’s car upgrading and servicing life.

So what can be done? Some manufacturers are working to realign their company culture to better understand younger generations in hopes of increasing sales to that segment. This also includes changes at the dealership level endeavoring to make young drivers car purchasing experience more comfortable. Studies have shown that younger drivers tend to respond best to a more hands off sales approach, much like that at an Apple store, where salespeople aren’t pushing you to buy product, but are present if you have questions or need their help. Unfortunately this method doesn’t jive particularly well with commission-based dealerships.

Others appear to be sitting back and waiting for the Millennials to grow up and into their company culture. Perhaps that will happen. Perhaps it won’t. GM has tried to directly face this issue by hiring Scratch, an MTV consulting company, to breath youth into the company. With both culture and manufacturing changes being made within the company it will be interesting to see if the alterations directly influence sales. We are personally excited for the “techno pink” and “lemonade” Chevrolet paint colors to be released by GM.

What are the challenges and possible opportunities we see? Car companies are trying to make cars “cool” again to young drivers. Some are modifying design and persona, others are appealing to deeper values such as sustainability and cost and energy savings. While making a “cool” car or a car with the right features may attract the attention of a young prospect, it won’t necessarily increase interest among the rest of the segment that are disinclined to even get their drivers license. What would increase the interest among these young drivers? By effectively communicating the benefits, importance and ease of owning a car.  By placing some emotion behind it, that it’s more than just being cool, it’s having the freedom to go anywhere at anytime. Because let’s face it, the perception by many Millennials is that owning a car can kind of be a drag. Insurance is expensive, gas is expensive, maintenance is expensive, and in some instances even parking is expensive. And that’s all anybody really talks about anymore. The key will be to get the message across that buying a car is a lot more than, well buying a car. So in an age where information is instant and priorities are shifting the auto industry must show consumers it’s worth it.

In looking for ways to promote the venue – which is typically thought of as just a racetrack – PIR track Manager Mark Wigginton asked Magneto develop a print ad to promote the variety of events that take place at PIR throughout the year.

With the headline “Events for Every Speed” and visuals depicting the wide array of activities at PIR, the ad is designed to create awareness that the track has a lot of entertainment offerings and is also a great place to hold an event.

Additionally, we created a mini-site that plays off the print ad and offers up additional information about the goings on at PIR. You’ll find the ad in the May issue of Portland Monthly. To view the microsite visit: http://www.portlandraceway.com/events

After wide success with the ads over the past year, OCF wanted to enhance its efforts with a TV commercial to play regionally. In step with the established campaign, we created and produced a TV spot which reinforces OCF’s messaging of putting philanthropic dollars to work where donors direct them to go. The lighthearted commercial takes place at an auction and juxtaposes bidding on an antique table with funding an at-risk group of students. The spot is now running on KGW, cable channels and OPB.

A big thanks to the Director/Producer team of Andy Batt and Therre Geitler of Andy Batt Studio in pulling off a carefree production in short order. Also credit goes to Phil Incorvia for his expert editorial skills on the spots.

Check out the spot: OCF Auction

Using the logo, look, and feel that Magneto created last year for the “Blue Home,” Magneto was asked to freshen up some of the show materials.

The Blue Home was a hot commodity at the show with their backyard barbecue cooking demonstrations and in home use of the oven to bake fresh cookies. Heck, people may have even learned a few things with all of the “Did you know?” placards with sustainability fun facts throughout the home.

Did you know that about 60% of your home’s energy use is from space and water heating?

Until next year Blue Home…

OCF hired Magneto to help raise awareness among their potential donors and supporters. A simple, yet clever print campaign was developed that reinforced the position of OCF while educating donors about how they can make a difference by contributing to the Oregon Community Foundation. This campaign has been running in publications across the state over the past year.

Magneto is currently producing a commercial for the Oregon Community Foundation that follows suit with this campaign. The commercial takes place at an auction and juxtaposes bidding on an antique table with funding an at risk group of students. The spot, which was shot last week, is currently in post-production and has an initial airdate of Saturday, March 31^st on KGW.

Running along side the commercial will be two new print ads Magneto developed in similar theme.

Check out the some behind the scene photos from the shoot and the OCF print campaign below and stay tuned for our new commercial in the coming weeks…

The concepts revolved around conveying the high level of service offered by both companies juxtaposed with the weirdness of Portland. It was a shoot filled with doughnuts (a lot of doughnuts), members of the March Fourth marching band and a rather large bunny.

Both print and digital banner ads were developed and were placed in the Source Oregon production directory and online version found at sourceoregon.com. Source Oregon is a nationally distributed directory accessed by anyone looking at media production in the state. Check them out. They’re definitely not run-of-the-mill B 2 B ads.