Grant Day James

Some things are better than summer

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:16:52 +0000

If summer were purely about barbecues, lounging by the beach and wearing new tie-around-your-ankle sandals, then wouldn’t we wish for summer all year round? If you could enjoy a cold beer and a warm breeze on your balcony at 10pm in July, would it not make your life complete?

Actually, no. It may come as a surprise to some, but an endless summer is not the Holy Grail. It’s more like a grail that promises lollies and chocolates and icy-poles but then gives you liquorice. The truth is, summer can be sleepless air-con-free nights, parking fines accrued at by-the-beach locations and holidays that must always come to a close…

The end of summer is not to be lamented. In fact, in here at GDJ, the end of summer means the beginning of some exciting new campaigns. And what could be more exciting than a brand new account? We’re very pleased to announce our new partnership with the Australian International Motor Show, which sees the Melbourne and Sydney Motor Shows combine for one big annual event (see here for more on the new merge). In here at GDJ, we’re looking forward to revving up for a massive campaign prior to the October 2010 show in Sydney. This should see us cover TV, radio, press, outdoor and online advertising. Stay tuned for a first look at this campaign soon.

We’re also thrilled to reveal our latest project with Temptation Bakeries. If you’ve already tried Temptation’s delicious range of quiches, slices and petites, you’ll understand why this particular job was so enjoyable! We had the fortunate task of photographing the tempting treats and putting together a new concept for re-branding and re-packaging (yes, there were a few leftovers and, yes, there were also a few satisfied bellies in the GDJ office!). Several of the newly designed packs have already hit supermarket stores with more to follow. Check out Temptation’s new look in our recent advertisement below.

So summer’s almost over, but that’s not such a bad thing. In fact, it’s the perfect excuse to settle down with a mug of steaming hot chocolate and a slice of crusty, home-style Temptation quiche. Mmmm, I can feel winter beckoning…

Season’s Greetings

Nicole — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:05:39 +0000

Merry Christmas to all our friends, clients, families, pets and Secret Santas! May your festive season be filled with peace and joy, and your bellies be filled with pudding!

The GDJ office will be closed for Christmas from December 23rd to 29th and again for New Year’s on January 1st 2010. For anything urgent during this time, please contact Cathy Grant on 0412 434 781.

Enjoy your holidays!

A Shocking win

Nicole — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:45:26 +0000

Whilst we are yet to get a full eyewitness account from our
man-on-the-ground, Marty, all media coverage indicates that this year’s Melbourne Cup race was indeed a thrilling one. Certainly not a favourite to win, Shocking pushed through to an impressive victory as thousands watched on.

Just as there can only be one winner in the Cup, there can also be only one winner in the workplace sweepstake. This year, it was a shocked (pardon the pun – I’m practising restraint, I promise) Cathy Grant who drew the lucky horse. As the most passionate horse-person in the office (with Bianca a close second), it’s a fitting win for Cathy. For the rest of us, it’s a shocking disappointment (sorry).

Bets are on

Nicole — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:47:13 +0000

If you’re reading this post from somewhere in Melbourne, you have probably already donned your hat/fascinator and placed your TAB/workplace bets in preparation for tomorrow’s race. Perhaps you will throw caution to the unpredictable-Melbourne-wind and brave the elements at Flemington racecourse. Or maybe you have the obligatory Cup Day barbie to attend. Whatever your plans, at approximately 3pm tomorrow, you and the rest of Australia will be tuning in to the race that stops a nation.

Here at GDJ headquarters, a competitive mood has replaced the usually mellow vibe. Money was pooled this morning and horse names drawn in an office sweepstake. Of course, every talented member of the GDJ team is a born winner. But some people will do anything for a taste of fame and fortune! Therefore, it’s a good thing we have the very trustworthy Leni in charge of the sweep. She’s keeping a strict eye on proceedings, making sure no double dips, swapsies or shady allegiances take place.

Good luck punters and may the best horse win!

GDJ Snow Trip ‘09

Nicole — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:57:15 +0000

Going on the GDJ snow weekend is kind of like going on school camp. Everyone is a little over-excited, most people refuse to go to bed when they should, and there’s always the kid up the front of the bus who ate too many fries at Macca’s and feels like spewing (at least I managed to hold it in, guys!). Only difference is, on the GDJ snow trip, there are no camp leaders.

But we’re all mature adults, right?

*ahem*

Right.

This year, the weekend was held at Falls Creek – a long journey but worth every minute. After arriving late on Friday, we awoke Saturday morning to perfect weather, beautiful scenery and great snow! Boarders, skiers and tobogganers alike, we were all on the slopes by 9.30, practising our moves with instructors or, for those with more experience, flying down the mountain at high speeds. After a quick stop for sustenance, the afternoon saw us back out there with renewed energy to, well, pelt each other with snowballs! Duels broke out across the mountainside, suspiciously always in the vicinity of ‘the kids’ – aka Ben and Pete.

At the end of the day, a hot shower, refreshing beverages and delicious meals were waiting, thanks to the staff at Diana Lodge. We were also met with stories of relaxing facials and massages from the few who hadn’t seen the slopes. And then, in preparation for another day at Falls, it was time for … a couple more refreshing beverages. And a few ‘hilarious’ mobile phone games. Needless to say, some were up earlier than others come Sunday morning…

The weather was again in our favour for another chance to hit the slopes. Various techniques were tried out – Joel’s ‘no fear’ attitude, Bec’s ‘snow plough’ approach and ‘the face plant’, as demonstrated by one who shall remain nameless – with varying degrees of success. All methods, however, were sufficient in getting their bearers to the bottom of the mountain – with or without injuries (and bruised egos).

And then it was time to head home. The long bus ride was made much more enjoyable with a pre-arranged stop-off in Myrtleford at Carlo’s pizza – thanks to Andy ‘2IC’ Baker. We finally arrived back at the office … to flashing lights and a group of men in uniform. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the usual North Melbourne drug raid but a fleet of taxis waiting to take us to our respective homes.

And so again we say thank you to Cath, Ben and Pete for a fabulous weekend, and, until next year, contemplate the techniques we’ll try out on the GDJ Snow Trip 2010 … ‘The mogul meander’? ‘The one-legged heli-ski drop’? Definitely not a reprise of ‘the face plant’.

The sad demise of the deux chevaux

Peter James — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:24:29 +0000

Twenty years ago, the missus and I wandered off to Paris for our honeymoon and fell in love with the most beautiful little French car in the world - the humble 2CV. It seems that with every Parisian photo we took, it was nearly impossible not to include within the frame a cute little ‘deux chevaux’. It was a symbol of France and of the French people themselves. It was style, function, audacious practicality and personality. One could argue that it was more iconic than the Eiffel Tower itself. OK, that’s a big call, but it’s right up there with the baguette and the chocolate eclair anyway. We loved it so much that we eventually got one and, like fools, got another. Some would say this is a little crazy. Sometimes we say this of ourselves too. But we continued the delusion that we were over here in our little part of the world driving around in the very car that the French were driving around in over there. How wrong we have become.

Sadly folks, I can report that after returning to the land of the baguette, C.E and E.T. for the first time in twenty years, the better half and I discovered that while the latter are alive and well, the most beautiful little car ever created has all but disappeared. Of course, it was always going to happen, wasn’t it? Here in Australia, we hardly have FJ Holdens parked on every street corner do we? The French, like us, have moved on and have embraced the virtues of the Smart car, which is considerably smaller than the original ’smart’ 2CV, and is … well, everywhere. If I had the skills, I would post an interesting picture here of just how smart a Smart car is for the tight parking challenges that Paris provides, but I don’t. Watch this space though, because I’ll get someone with technical capability onto it shortly.

Grand Final is this weekend for Mazda

Peter James — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:12:43 +0000

It’s the biggest Sales day on the Mazda calendar - M Day. And it’s on this Saturday.
It’s also one of the biggest weeks in GDJ’s calendar, with hundreds of M Day ads heading to newspapers in all points of Australia. Phew! If you’re watching telly this week, you also won’t be able to avoid the snappy 15 second M Day tvc that hits Australian television networks from Wednesday (oh, and did we mention the 15 second M Day radio saturation?). The Point of Sale has been printed and despatched to more than 150 Mazda dealerships around the nation and all is in readiness for Saturday - where huge Mazda M Day deals will be done in regional towns and cities right across Australia. We’d like to wish every Mazda dealer out there all the best for a fantastic M Day and encourage every Australian motorist to take a good hard look at the car they’re driving and get down to their local Mazda dealer for a monster M Day deal!

Who needs the Bahamas anyway?

Peter James — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:02:06 +0000

Well, we didn’t win, although I managed to hold my end of the bargain up by selecting one of the winning numbers - Number 12 (maybe I should ask the guys for my money back?). Despite our disappointment, we’re all recovering from the tragedy of not winning sacks and sacks of money. In retrospect, we didn’t really want to win it as it would have corrupted us and we wouldn’t want that. Instead, we are merrily making ads and listening to Micky J (the late great loved one).

Ozlotto numbers safe with GDJ

Peter James — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:28:04 +0000

According to the crystal ball at GDJ, the sequence of numbers required to win the mountain of cash that is being offered tonight in the 90 Million dollar Super Sevens Ozlotto draw (gosh, that’s a mouthful!) is in the grasp of the GDJ staff, who have already packed their bags for the Bahamas. We would like to formally apologise to all those others out there who bought a ticket in vain. If, in the unlikely event, our crystal ball is faulty, it will be business as usual and we look forward to crying our way through Wednesday (although, we are quite looking forward to wearing our Bahama gear in the office tomorrow).

Mazda End of Financial Year ads kicking goals.

Peter James — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:46:17 +0000

Mazda have great product and a great sales force out there in all corners of Australia, not to mention a brilliant pricing strategy and outstanding support from Head Office (sounds like a pathetic plug for our client doesn’t it?).

But we’d like to think our recent End of Financial Year ads have also helped to bump up sales lately. And how they’ve bumped. The new Mazda3 has been the number one selling small car for the third time this year and is a whopping 17.7 percent up on this time last year (May08 to May09). At around 8.6% market share in Australia, Mazda are flying. Well, not necessarily flying but certainly zoom-zooming.

The zippy little 15 second tv ad we produced is a nod to the fifty years Mazda has been in Australia with some iconic Mazda vehicles of times past leading into a flip-card diary device that jumps us forward to present day and profiles the current lineup. Simple, eyecatching and features the memorable ‘retail’ music track that underpins the Mazda retail message. Check the little animated tv ad here and you can also see how it’s linked to retail press ads that run around the country here.