Sending A Message That Sticks

To promote the new Mars Chilled candy bar, Auckland, New Zealand-based ad agency Colenso BBDO needed to make a big statement while working on a small budget. And what better way to make a big statement than with a 30-foot tongue several dozen feet in the air? On display during the dog days of New Zealand’s summer (January and February), the one-off project consisted of two billboards on the side a of a highway-one of a person’s mouth and the other of a giant Mars Chilled bar-connected by a “tongue” that stretched from the mouth to the “freezing cold” candy bar.

The graphics for the drool-worthy campaign were output by Boston Digital, a print company within Clemenger Communications, which also owns Colenso BBDO. The print company received the raw files on a CD and then tweaked and corrected the files in Adobe InDesign. Using its Keundo SupraQ 3200 and solvent ink, the print provider then printed a section of the graphics onto Reid Kyoung PVC 500 gsm. A section of the “tongue” was also printed on Avery MPI 3000 calendared vinyl using the company’s Seiko ColorPainter with solvent ink. Since the graphics were printed on two different types of media, Brian Keegan with Boston Digital explains, matching the color between the two substrates was very important.

Once Colenso BBDO approved the proofs, Boston Digital printed the final graphics using the same media and printers. In total, 581 square feet of material was printed for the billboards and the total media used for the tongue was approximately 84 square feet. Print time was 31/2 hours. Using a matte laminate, the print provider laminated the Avery vinyl with an Image 62 Plus Seal laminator, which took one hour. Two employees from a local billboard installer, Billboard Solutions, installed the graphics in four hours.

In business for six years, the Auckland, New Zealand-based Boston Digital has 16 employees and operates out of a 5000-square-foot facility. Specializing in large- and grand-format printing, the shop also has extensive finishing capabilities in house. In the few years the shop has been open, it has already won several New Zealand industry awards for its high-quality, and perhaps tongue-wagging, work.

BOSTON DIGITAL
www.bostondigital.co.nz