John Gholson, Director of Creative Development at Rocksauce | APPS | 04.05.2012 @ 8:02 am
Our new travel app, iGoToo, hasn’t launched just yet, but I still thought I’d provide a little “behind the scenes” on some of the process that goes on with our creative team, especially in regards to marketing. The clients were very interested in creating a commercial with us. Now, that may sound beyond the capability of most app companies, but our CEO, Q Manning, also happens to be an experienced feature film maker, and several members of our staff have a background in film production as well (and if you’re wondering how filmmaking translates to the world of app design — it’s all about production coordination and clarity of “storytelling” — things we use in our app-making every day).
We pitched three storylines for a one-minute commercial, and you can see the pitches and the finished product after the jump.
The iGoToo app allows people to create and view custom tours, for those looking for more local flavor in their travel experience. It’s a bit like having your very own neighborhood tour guide. The app was dreamed up by photographer Enrico Cortesano, and Rocksauce took on the job of bringing Mr. Cortesano’s vision to life.
Our first idea for an ad featured the same traveler shown two different ways — one with stacks of traditional maps and books and the other carrying only an iPad, loaded with iGoToo. We wanted this ad to get across how streamlined and fun-to-use the iGoToo experience is. The proof of concept art shows the same guy, in the same place, with two completely different travel experiences.
Proof of Concept #1 for iGoToo
The second pitch involved both sides of iGoToo — tour creation as well as travel. In the proof-of-concept, someone builds a tour, then hands the iPad over to their loved one, allowing that person to take a “surprise” personalized tour from the app. For the artwork, I chose to draw a father and daughter, instead of a boyfriend and a girlfriend, to add an extra layer of emotional warmth to the idea and sell the concept to two completely different demographics (young and old).
Proof of Concept #2 for iGoToo
I’m proud of my art for the third concept, though it seemed like the least likely to fly. Here, a young person follows a tour based around significant spots related to their favorite musician, ending the tour at a concert. This was perhaps the least focused idea, and probably would’ve required the largest budget for shooting (for the concert, especially).
Proof of Concept #3 for iGoToo
All ideas are valuable, even if one of them seems beyond the scope of the project. Just pitching the concept can lead you down a road to new ideas that can really pay off in the end. Though I did the concept art, the ideas behind the ad were a Rocksauce team effort, and the final product takes the seed of that proof-of-concept and brings it to life.
Which one did we use? Find out for yourself…
iGoToo, Your Amazing Trip Starts Here! from Rocksauce Studios on Vimeo.