In theme of this celebration, matrix worked with Warner Bros. Entertainment in adapting creative for temporary corrugate pieces for their new release of BBC’s FROZEN PLANET, produced by the same team that brought us The Blue Planet and Planet Earth. FROZEN PLANET is the well-acclaimed Original UK mini-series narrated by David Attenborough that explores the Polar Regions, its inhabitants, and how global warming has affected these regions and their existence. Experience the phenomenal cinematography and footage of life in the Artic and Antarctic.

Frozen Planet QWL - Walmart

Frozen Planet temporary displays can be seen in Walmart and Future Shop across Canada.

Frozen Planet is available now on Blu-rayTM and DVD.

Based on the novel Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by author Jonathan Safran Foer, and directed by Stephen Daldry, director of The Hours and Billy Elliot. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Max von Sydow) and Best Picture.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a post 9/11 story about an 11 year old boy, Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn), and through his eyes, he relives the events of what he refers to as “the worst day”. A story about a father-son bond that was immeasurable. Oskar is extremely intelligent and often curious, his father Thomas (Tom Hanks) fully embraces Oskar’s inquisitiveness in playful ways, challenging him with fun expeditions and adventures that Oskar plays out in full detail. However, Oskar’s relationship with his mother (Sandra Bullock) is distant, as she struggles in sharing the same kind of connection with him. It is through Oskar that we feel and experience his innocence and vulnerability to the world around him. It was on the “the worst day”, that Oskar’s world turned upside down. His father was in one of the World Trade Center buildings, as it collapsed, losing him forever. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is Oskar’s journey in trying to find what he believes his father left for him, a key he found hidden in a vase in his father’s closet, some time after he had died. It would become a new and exciting expedition that would take him from borough to borough in New York City, to find answers in hopes that it would take away the pain of losing his father… his best friend.

matrix adapted creative for Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., in producing impactful and bold corrugate pieces for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. They can be seen in Walmart stores nationwide.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is available now, on Blu-rayTM and DVD.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

If you guessed the infamous tap-dancing Mumble from Happy Feet (2006), the Oscar® winning animated movie from Warner Bros… then you guessed correctly!

Mumble, along with his family and friends are back and joyfully tapping away in the sequel, HAPPY FEET 2. But wait, there’s a new little addition to the batch, Mumble and Gloria’s son, Erik. Unfortunately, the poor little guy is lacking the talent known to the bunch of tapping penguins…. Erik is ‘choreo-phobic’. Not feeling confident on how he fits in with the Emperor Penguin world, he runs away with friends in search of himself and to see what may be bigger and better ‘out there’. Erik finds himself in wild adventures and life-changing situations, while meeting new characters on his journey, filled with excitement and bravery.

matrix worked with Warner Bros. by adapting existing ‘Easter themed’ graphics to a number of temporary corrugate displays and POP signage. These bright and colourful pieces can be seen in retailers across Canada, such as Walmart and Zellers.

Happy Feet 2 _ Universal Medium Display

Happy Feet 2 _ QWL Display (Walmart)

This fun-filled family movie, stars the voices of Elijah Wood, Pink, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and more!

Just in time for March Break and Easter…

Hurry and tap your way to stores!

Pick up HAPPY FEET 2, available now on DVD, Blu-ray and 3D Blu-rayTM!

Thankfully the game of retail marketing is slightly less intense. Game of Thrones is a popular book written by George R. R. Martin that was adapted by HBO into a television show. The book is part 1 of a 5 part series called The Song of Ice and Fire. It is about a mystical land where powerful families control sections of the country, and the political battle for the Iron Throne that controls the land is always in flux.

To borrow language and theme from the novels: House Warner Brothers sent word via messenger crow across the realm of Toronto. The maester (chief adviser of the keep) read the decree aloud: “We request the services of Clan matrix to spread the good word of our new, dramatic offering… Game of Thrones: Season 1.”

matrix created Game of Thrones graphics for the launch in various retailers, and printed graphics for displays as well. Walmart and Future Shop both received custom displays that educated customers about the exclusive bonus each retailer had. Future Shop also had a header designed for their A-frame perimeter display (a matrix creation). A poster was designed for Best Buy and featured in their prominent Media Zone in the front of the store, and a header was designed for an inline section as well. Another display was also designed for other retailers, such as HMV. The art centered around Ned Stark (played by actor Sean Bean) sitting in the dramatic throne and holding his faithful sword, Ice. An interesting detail to appreciate is the faint grey mural on the headers of most pieces: it has the animals that represent the houses (eg. Direworlf = House Stark, Dragon = House Targaryen) locked in battle.

See our displays in store today, and pick up your copy of Game of Thrones: Season 1. And don’t forget to watch Season 2 on Sunday April 1st.

The majority of people are ‘visual’. It’s the simplicity or complexity of the choice of imagery, the colour, and sometimes even the texture of let’s say… a book cover, that makes you to ‘pick it up’.  It’s these times where you may find yourself picking up that book with the title or author’s name in ‘shiny’ letters, or the book cover itself feels ‘silky’ or ‘textured’ in comparison to the pages within, or a black and white simple cover with a pop of ‘red and glossy’ finish on a specific part of the main imagery…. next thing you know, you’re at cash and the salesperson has just finished ringing in your new purchase!

This reaction is not only particular to purchases of books, but for many different products on shelves everywhere at retail.  Innovative and unique packaging used on toys, DVDs, music CDs, or in-store counter cards, brochures, booklets, pamphlets, mailers, hand-outs, flyers … and more!

In the printing industry, these applied elements that ‘catch our interest’ are referred to as Finishing Techniques. There’s a wide variety of techniques that are offered and can be applied to almost any type of print. However, there are many things to consider, ensuring that you’re choosing the most effective techniques to get the best result.

Adding printing techniques to enhance areas on printed pieces needs to be well thought out, not only so that it looks good, but to answer questions like:

- Will this add value to the image?
- Will this effectively draw customers to this promotion or product that we’re trying to sell?

Matrix offers our clients a wide selection of techniques and finishes for specialized applications. Our exclusive Print Techniques booklet, works as a handy and visible tool to guide our clients in making these effective decisions. We want to make sure that the final prints are pleasing to the client and appealing to their audience. Our print brochure features everything from standard 4-colour print, die cutting, foil printing to embossing… and everything in between.

MATRIX Print Techniques (Glitter)

MATRIX Print Techniques (Holographic Foil)

matrix has created a number of great pieces utilizing numerous techniques to enhance the final print.  The following are examples of a few projects that effectively show how applying these print techniques can enhance the look of the final piece:

UBISOFT Black Eyed Peas Counter Card

UBISOFT Tin Tin Counter Card

A simple and great blog entry called “A Guide to Popular Printing Techniques“, written by Ciara Panacchia, graphic artist and blogger on Design Instruct, briefly describes the standard processes of how some of these print techniques are applied.

Now, take a few moments and think about how matrix could successfully help you make YOUR lasting impression.

An excellent example are the  Multi-Studio distributions, typically conducted monthly, comprised of a variety of retail POP pieces custom-kitted to clients’ requirements and shipped to a group of associated in-store representatives who then place materials accordingly throughout the store.

From the outset, preparation is key in coordinating the distribution. We ensure that creative, printing, kitting and of course delivery are conducted in a timely fashion to meet target deadlines for both out of province and local destinations.

Shared among several studios at once, shipping the designated promotional material in one “kit” allows cost-savings to be realized in both pre- and post-production stages. Receiving one kit of materials is also a benefit to the field reps as they have one package delivered for the studio work and not multiple deliveries.

Promotional materials may range from stickers featuring a new-release DVD to larger and more elaborate interchangeable graphics for placement on permanent wire displays.

Multi-Studio - DVD Endcap Display

In a recent distribution involving two major retailers in Canada, 142 groups consisting of 276 in-store reps were shipped nine different pieces of print materials in varying quantities totalling 4086 shipped pieces.

Our full service approach to retail marketing provides clients with peace-of-mind, knowing matrix can fulfill their distribution needs efficiently and expeditiously.

Why not look to matrix for your next retail distribution?

On February 26^th, 2012, the Academy® of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be celebrating its 84^th year of The Academy® Awards.

For the film buffs and ‘celebrity watchers’ out there, every year during Awards Season, February brings us this much anticipated annual awards show. It’s also referred to as The Oscars®, taken after the name given to the golden statuette that’s awarded to the winners. It’s a celebration that greatly appreciates film and the talent of those not only in front of the camera, but to those behind it as well. Each and every one working endless days and nights to produce fantastic films that had been screened in theatres worldwide, this past year.

Last week, the long-awaited list of Oscar®  nominees were announced. It sure looks like it’s going to be a close race, with  a number of strong contenders among the studios.

This year’s gala will be hosted by Billy Crystal, one of the Academy®’s legendary ‘host with the most’ appeal. For many years, Crystal has had a memorable history with the show with his infamous musical numbers, as well as, humorous pre-recorded skits of himself integrated into scenes from the nominated films. The last time Crystal hosted the Oscars® was in 2004, so this year it’s something many are looking forward to again, as he hosts for the 9th time.

matrix worked with Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Canada in creating retail items to promote past Oscar® Winning Titles. Graphics for a temporary corrugate display were created to showcase these past Award Winning Best Sellers, and can be seen in numerous retailers across Canada. Alongside the displays, matrix designed and printed ‘Academy® Award Winner’ Gold Foil Stickers, to be affixed onto specific Warner Bros. Oscar® winning titles.

Celebrate decades of wonderful film and entertainment and pick up an Oscar Winner on Blu-rayTM and DVD today!

OSCARS® 2012 _ Temporary Display

When alcohol was outlawed, outlaws became kings.

Terence Winter (Emmy® Winning writer of The Sopranos) and Executive Producer Martin Scorsese bring us the Golden Globe®-winning HBO® television series, Boardwalk Empire. It’s 1920, the era of Prohibition, when organized crime was at its peak. This fantastic TV series takes us into the life and historical times of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi), Atlantic City, New Jersey’s well-known politician and gangster.

matrix worked with Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. in adapting U.S. based graphics for numerous POP and corrugate temporary displays. Such pieces can be seen nationwide in-store at Walmart, Future Shop and Best Buy.

Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season is available now on Blu-rayTM and DVD.

Mobile marketing promises a lot for retailers. Their customers are carrying devices that can educate, locate and even make transactions. With mobile, customers could get the information that may be keeping them from converting to a sale. Retailers can offer targeted coupons and discounts that can be redeemed right instantly from the device. The data from those coupon redemptions can be then used to close the data hole: exactly what marketing dollars brought the person in the store? Mobile can also be used to advertise based on exact location; imagine walking beside Best Buy and your phone reminding you that you needed to pick up that video game for your son, or with future technology, walking down the computer section and getting a message from HP.

Mobile is also a defensive play for brick and mortar retailers from their biggest threat: online retailers. E commerce retailers want to take away in store buyers even while they are walking down the aisles. Online retailers can offer shipping to customer’s doors and better pricing because of lower overhead costs and lower margins. If retailers aren’t connected to their customers through their mobile phones, then their e-competitors will be.

Amazon fired a big shot across the bow of brick and mortar retailers by offering $5 off of their purchases for using their price comparison mobile app. The mobile app called “Price Check” allows customer in store to use bar codes, pictures of products, text and voice commands to see Amazon prices for products they see on shelf.

Clearly retailers need to respond to get in front of threats like that in this new channel; and they seem to be. Now, when the National Retail Federation asked the industry “Which technology should retailers be investing the most in for 2012?” and “mobile retail and marketing” was the clear leader with 41% of the vote. The distant second was in store technology with 28%. Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, Starbucks, Toys ‘R Us and many others have already started. These apps allow the retailers to connect with customer in a variety of ways, from requesting customer service, making a shopping list, scanning QR and standard bar codes, and redeeming coupons.

Shoppers, retailers, and brands alike need to understand and use this new marketing channel, or competitors will be pulling away customers away… by way of their smart phones.

The scariest movies are the ones that hit close to home. Contagion fits that bill. To a society that has recently experienced the threat from Swine Flu, and continually worried about Avian Flu, Contagion is a disaster movie that hits hard. In the movie, and international team of doctors from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have to work quickly to contain the outbreak and synthesize a cure before society breaks down in fear. Contagion has an all-star cast, including: Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon,  Laurence Fishburne, and Jude Law.

matrix produced some corrugate floor displays as well as graphics for others. Larger footprint displays went to Walmart stores nation wide, and the 2 wide display went to various retailers across Canada.

Contagion 2 wide display

Display for Contagion

Display for Contagion

Check out the matrix display graphics in stores Canada-wide today, and contact us today to see how we can help you with your presence at retail.