A number of years ago we designed everything for legendary classic rock station 94.1 KRNA. Founded by a couple of University of Iowa students, Rob Norton and Eliot Keller. KRNA grew from grassroots to powerhouse. Hell, they played a lot of Grass Roots.

Rob and Eliot sold off their lifelong project in 1998. Prior to doing so, we kicked off a new look for KRNA, with a new logo and positioning line. In a sea of tired rock station taglines, we wanted to create something fresh, maybe even a bit odd, but definitely regional.

The result? KRNA. 94.1 IOWANAROCK.

94.1 IOWANAROCK

Our involvement with quarterly magazine, The Brass Bell, caught the attention of a Boca Raton, Florida-based client interested in establishing an upscale lifestyle magazine for the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin area. This was a great opportunity—the chance to establish a vertical, niche publication for a legendary tourist destination.

For those not familiar with Lake Geneva, this small community on a lake is nestled just north of Chicago, and just west of Milwaukee in southeastern Wisconsin. The area has more interesting history than any small Wisconsin town should have—the playground of the Schwinn’s, the Maytag’s, the Wrigley’s, and yes, Guns ‘N Roses lead singer Axl Rose. Hugh Heffner even established one of his legendary Playboy Clubs in Lake Geneva.

The first issue of G is the result of many hours of interviews, sweat, and mental gymnastics. It’s not the easiest task assembling a magazine from vapor, but given G’s overwhelming debut, I think we hit the mark.

Click the above image to browse an issue of G

How do you promote a radio station, targeted primarily to females, ages 24 to 45? You borrow interest from the most iconic female of all time.

This wrapped “Barbie Bus” traveled the streets of Cedar Rapids for well over three years. When the bright pink bus wrap was first introduced, young girls everywhere were begging their moms to chase it down. No joke. When the Barbie Bus was handling school routes, children squirmed with excitement. Barbie was also the chosen mode of transportation for at least one birthday party celebration. Copywriter Chris Lien was challenged with the writing the definitive Barbie euphemism—on his first day on the job no less. We think he nailed it.

How do you promote Z102.9 to a University of Iowa, music download inclined/payment averse student population? This ad was specifically concepted for this tough crowd, and was featured in the U of I’s student newspaper, The Daily Iowan. The concept for this ad, hit students right where they live—in the world of free music, and wireless connectivity. This ad also ran about the time the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) was clamping down on illegal music downloads. Given this, a healthy dose of paranoia drove the ad home.

Z102.9 Daily Iowan Ad

In the prior post, I mentioned a client of ours, Nelson Boatworks. Dan Nelson is a boat builder and restorer in northern Minnesota who has a reputation for creating concours-winnning, museum-grade boat restorations.

This ad has a very quiet look about it. But the message is strong, and strategically on target.