Ever keen to give back to his fans and push his brand and materials that step further, 'Strictly' professional dancer Ian Waite understands the value in maintaining a sharp, polished image. And as 2010 draws to a close, what better next step than a bespoke 2011 Calendar?! Not just a timely gift idea... but also a great marketing & PR opportunity: placing him in everyday line-of-sight of fans and media figures alike for the year ahead. With a vision from the outset of a Calendar that would be stylish, premium and very much on-brand, appealing to his broad demographic and showing versatility beyond his repute as a dancer, Ian commissioned Bungalow to present him as a 'Man For All Seasons'.
The first step was to organise a new photoshoot and we were all in agreement that Leo at Snooty Fox Images was the natural choice, with his eye for location and visual narrative. We sketched out some initial ideas which Leo developed, refined, and proposed to set against the stunning backdrop of Moor Park, a beautiful stately home in Hertfordshire with opportunities aplenty for some great shots. David accompanied Ian as his stylist and behind-the-scenes photographer, and along with hairstylist
Caterina Maiolini, makeup artist
Carlo di Caterino, and Leo's assistant, Meriet, the team staged Ian in a storyboard of settings, outfits and scenarios.
Much fun was had on the shoot - and we were incredibly lucky with the weather which enabled Leo to shoot some impromptu shots in the grounds of the property as well as using its magnificent interior. A beautiful classic Aston Martin was also sourced for the shoot, adding cinematographic panache and reflecting an era of suave sophistication to which Ian is perfectly tailored.
Armed with the shots straight off camera, Ian came to the Bungalow to shortlist them down to a series of images that worked not only photographically, but that also gave good narrative to the calendar - capturing the character of the moment, each image a good fit to the month portrayed.
Bungalow then began work on the design: the size, shape, image placement and typography of the calendar - keenly maintaining the sharpness and style of his branding… then working this look into two formats: one sized to hang on the wall and one for the desk. We retouched and polished the images to get the best possible results at the required sizes, and as a final touch included some extra content on bonus pages: a Welcome & New Year message from Ian accompanying another super photo; a photo index with each image entitled to enhance the storytelling for the romantics among his fans; a montage of David's behind-the-scenes shots to share the experience of the shoot; a year-to-view page, and finally a smartly designed back cover with yet another cracking portrait.
The back page also displays the WellChild logo: Ian is an active supporter of this charity and generously pledged to make a donation from the sale of each and every calendar.
Artwork completed and approved by Ian, files were then sent to the printer to produce a set of final proofs. This underway, we set about marketing the Calendars to build buzz, excitement... and demand...
Without having the final products in our hands to photograph, we created 3D digital renders instead. These were deployed across the internet in a number of ways: we prepared the listings on Ian's online shop for which we wrote the detailed descriptions & set the pricing; we then updated his home page with a large promotional graphic to inform every visitor to his site; we designed a HTML email and sent this out to all subscribers on his email list (carefully tracking its impact and responses), and then began plugging it on Twitter to Ian's 12,500+ followers. The influx of orders began immediately!
With proofs signed-off, calendars were literally 'hot' off the press - those summer months in particular! And adding to their value and appeal, Ian signed the cover of each one before they were shrink-wrapped.
We coordinated the signing, print management and packaging of all the orders including arranging international shipping for his overseas sales, and were very grateful to Paul at Print Synergy for pulling out the stops ensuring we could ship the first batch in time for the 'Strictly Come Dancing' semi-final!
Great feedback is already appearing on Twitter as excited fans' parcels are arriving, and those who've opened them (unable to wait until Christmas!) are already tweeting their favourite months directly to Ian. They're generating new sales as a result, too, so much so that demand will soon outstrip supply and another print run will be needed.
We're thrilled with the result: a really stunning, premium product! Ian, too, is delighted, and he's already thinking about locations for shooting his 2012 Calendar! If you'd like to 'Make a date with Ian Waite', visit his online shop here - but be quick... supplies are 'Strictly' limited!
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