Blitz: Behind The Scenes

Ken Martin – Chief creative officer at Blitz talks to Web Designer about life as successful agency, augmented reality, the iPad and why creative should ‘get their hands dirty’.

WD: To kick-off can you tell the Web Designer readers how the agency got started and what was the thinking behind the name and why did you finally settle on Blitz?

KM: It all started in Silicon Valley, during the early years of the dotcom boom. Ivan (Todorov, CEO/CTO) and I went to college together – majoring in 3D Animation and Storytelling – and we wanted to build a company that would use technology to tell brand stories. Like many start-ups, we started in a garage and quickly moved into warehouse office space. But in 2001, we moved to Los Angeles, entered the entertainment industry and began showing people that technology could be used in their benefit to help spread their brand, amplify their stories and create an involved audience. This was when we decided the world was ready for Blitz. In terms of coming up with the name, we both knew we wanted a single word that really stood out in your mind. ‘Blitz’ in German, means ‘lightning’, and in English, it means ‘an all around attack’. In the marketing world, it represents a very bold, energetic approach which is what we do with all of our clients. At Blitz, we connect creative channels with products and attack solutions in the sense that we work quickly to satisfy our clients.

WD: Back when Blitz first started out, what was the original vision for the agency and how has it developed since its inception?

KM: We started out building an interactive agency that also had very strong storytelling capabilities. For a while we even created animated webisodes.
Today, Blitz has expanded beyond digital. We’ve become a new type of integrated agency that harnesses our interactive and digital DNA as a conduit to connect all touch points and reach people at different levels.

WD: An agency’s website can often be the first point of contact for prospective clients and employees. How much time and effort is devoted to the Blitz website?

KM: We believe an agency’s website should be a showcase for its abilities. The Blitz site took four years in the making, which includes the recent redesign that occupied that past year. As a team, we put a great deal of thought and effort – and about $25,000 per month – into the Blitz site so it can continue to display our best work, highlight our impressive talent, and give visitors a sense of the Blitz culture and lifestyle.

WD: Augmented reality is the big buzzword for 2010 and Blitz recently worked with John Mayer on his AR video for Heartbreak Warfare. How did the project come about?

KM: Long renowned for pushing the boundaries of music and entertainment, John Mayer wanted a way to connect with fans that extended beyond just listening to a new track or watching a music video. For his new album, Battle Studies, Mayer wanted to take advantage of the latest technology while blurring the boundaries between music and new media in order to attract new listeners and appeal to existing ones that don’t ordinarily buy his music. Therefore, his management reached out to Blitz directly in search of a groundbreaking, interactive concept. We decided to produce an augmented reality (AR) music video for Heartbreak Warfare and teamed up with Adobe to deliver it via Adobe Flash Player and FLARToolKit. By utilising AR technology, Mayer is able to connect with fans in a way that transcends traditional marketing techniques and methods of experiencing music. Additionally, by leveraging Flash as the video player, we were able to extend its reach to over 98 per cent of personal computers worldwide.

WD: Augmented reality has yet to hit mainstream web design. Does Blitz have a specific set of AR designers or is it part of a current skill set that your designers have?

KM: Our design and development team is crosstrained on new and emerging platforms, and our user experience practice operates in multiple channels. In order to continue our innovative approaches to client requests, we constantly research AR and look at new ways of incorporating its use in consumers’ lifestyles. We also build prototypes for research and development projects, to experiment with novel uses and really push the limits of AR capabilities.

WD: When working on an AR project such as Heartbreak Warfare, what does the process involve and what timescale was the agency given?

KM: The overall process for Heartbreak Warfare was similar to most other forms of interactive media design and development; except for a few technology areas which required special attention. Most importantly, optimisation had to be at the forefront of our minds when it came to the design and development of an AR piece, which typically takes about eight weeks to complete. Since the scene is continuously changing and moving, both from the video animation as well as the user control of the glyph, we couldn’t make it too complex. Also, because Flash has to handle many large assets all at once, we had to be careful with how we constructed the video.

WD: It could be said that AR is still something of a novelty rather than a practical technology. How does the agency view the current state of augmented reality?

KM: AR is currently in a transition period. Even after a year, we still see innovative implementations of AR and believe its state is becoming more accepted and its adoption more mainstream. AR began as a “wow” sort of novelty. But as it evolves, we can look at how it can add true value to our lives and become more utilitarian.

WD: The potential of augmented reality has yet to be fully realised. Where does the agency think the future of AR lies?

KM: We believe that AR will become so mainstream that it will be embedded in hardware, which will allow us to improve its visual and interactive performance. With the implementation of more markerless or glyph-less applications, AR has the ability to live everywhere that digital displays currently exist: car traffic and navigation systems, mobile phones, and outdoor displays, to name Web Designer | 33 a few. Basically, AR could easily become the glue between digital and physical. Essentially, anywhere we can find how to marry virtual with reality is where this technology can be used.

WD: The ‘magical and revolutionary’ iPad is a device that has been hard to avoid. What are Blitz’s thoughts on the device and does it have a future in web design?

KM: Yes, the iPad does have a future in web design. We are very excited about the iPad because it will allow a whole new suite of applications that will engage consumers. From a print standpoint, the iPad offers an exciting way to take traditional print and forge it with an interactive format that has potential to truly personalise reading and any entertainment experience. In the future, as Apple continues to not support Flash, HTML5 will be accelerated as a requirement for us to master. Blitz is already looking at website design that will be compatible with iPad dimensions and operations.

WD: Getting maximum exposure is crucial to ensuring the longevity of an agency. What are the principal tools used by Blitz to get seen?

KM: Come end of day, it’s all about the work. Our job is to get clients noticed and make a connection with their audience. If we do our job correctly, we inherently get noticed and receive positive wordof- mouth; that leads people to the Blitz site and generates further interest in our work. Other actions we take to increase exposure are submitting projects to award shows, actively speaking and contributing within the industry, and maximising PR efforts, such as this one (thanks to our awesome agency Fusion PR).

WD: Trends and styles are part and parcel of web design. What has caught the agency’s eye recently and how much attention do you pay to trends?

KM: There’s definitely a trend to find the sweet spot between brand-rich experience and community, social, web 2.0-type applications. Brands are looking for agencies that can weave the two together so to create a story involving consumer participation. The Blitz team is very aware of trends and is constantly looking for innovative ways to engage consumers so they can experience brands in a new light. We have built our reputation on trust and confidence in our ability to advance a brand among its audience. Moreover, because many trends are short-lived, we are very selective in terms of our recommendations to clients, especially when every brand has its own set of unique needs.

WD: Blitz is an agency with some very talented people on-board. What advice would you give to anyone trying to get into the industry?

KM: Jump in head-first. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Live, breathe and eat the industry – study what’s been successful and deconstruct it to discover why it worked. Learn to be a thinker and understand why user experience matters. Get your hands dirty. Learn to love Red Bull, or in my case, candy. Practice, practice, practice and then, work hard.