Besides filming in seven different countries like Germany, Australia and Mexico, winning 13 awards for our creative work, and launching a client’s new brand alongside our PR and Digital Marketing peers, I would say we’ve been busy…
Embarking on a new path after splitting with their parent company, Sectigo needed a bold vision to redefine their organization. In the last 2 months we have created a new website, new marketing materials (7 videos, over 25 pieces of templates, collateral and content, a 51-page brand guideline book, and 5 new Trust logos to be exact) turning Comodo CA into Sectigo. Check out this brand video and then view the full case study here.
With a mission to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, CureDuchenne utilizes an innovative venture philanthropy model to bring their cause forward. To break through today’s cluttered fundraising world and position themselves as the leading organization fighting Duchenne, Matter revamped their marketing process to sync up their collateral — from email, social and creative to search, PR and content — we gave CureDuchenne an impactful way to spread the word about their cause. Check out our award winning video below (warning, it is impactful!) and then see the full case study here.
Humatics is pioneering microlocation technology that is faster, more precise, and affordable than any existing 3D positioning or location tracking technology on the market. The technology has a multitude of applications in the industrial automation and manufacturing markets — think mobile robots, tracking, rail signaling and drone navigation In these emerging markets, precision drives performance, and Matter helped introduce Humatics with their entire brand identity. Check out the brand video below and the full case study here.
What’s in Store for 2019?
While 2018 was one for the books, we’re looking forward to producing more amazing content with our clients and peers next year. With immediate plans to expand our team, our reach and our production value, we’ve set the bar even higher for 2019. Want to create with us?
Matter’s Helping Hands initiative encourages a nationwide community service effort that is rewarding and fulfilling for all employees. With 1000 plus hours of impactful volunteer work done each year, Matter is truly making an impact on its surrounding communities.
With time to spare, Matter employees surpassed the volunteer goals set for this year:
1,000+ hours volunteered
60+ events held
60+ people met their personal goal of 8 hours
For those that met their personal goal, Matter made a monetary donation to the charity of their choice.
On top of our volunteer efforts in our own communities, all of our offices come together to celebrate national days throughout the year including Pride, World Mental Health Day and Unity Day. In the photo below, our employees wore orange to show we are united against bullying.
Pittsburgh office will open the door to new opportunities. To push ourselves further, we have increased our agency-wide hourly goal to 1,200 hours and the goal for each employee to 10 hours.
Industry trends, client successes and rock star employees here at Matter were enough to keep our blog content flowing during 2018. But, with limited time during the day and a high volume of content available online, it is impossible to read every great piece. To make life easier and to make sure you don’t miss anything, we rounded up our top 10 most visited Matter blog posts of the year.
#1: 15 Years Young: A Look Back and Ahead to the Future of PR, Social and Digital
In honor of Matter’s 15 year anniversary, CEO Scott Signore provided insight on the future of PR, social and digital. Much has changed in the market since he started the business 15 years ago, and much will change in the 15 years to come. He’s looking forward to all of it!
#2: Join Our Team! Five Reasons Matter is a Best Place to Work
If you’ve heard of Matter, you’re likely aware of the strong employee culture. It’s one of the standard questions we’re asked about during interviews and it’s our employees’ favorite question to answer. Check out some of the reasons Matter is a Best Place to Work outlined by our HR Director, Danielle Conlin.
Public relations is a fast-moving, constantly-changing industry. Those of us in the trenches are often asked what we do every day – and those asking are usually surprised to see us struggle to provide an answer. Jackie Fraser breaks down the daily life of a media maven in this 2018 blog post.
Matter Vice President, Matt Mendolera-Schamann, shares how thrilled he is to be a part of the management team at a company that goes above and beyond regularly to show its employees how much we care about them as people, and value their diverse contributions, talents and identities.
#5: 6 Must-Do Strategies for Reaching Millennial Moms
While a lot of attention is often given to reaching the male demographic between the ages of 18 and 34, when it comes to many consumer brands, reaching Millennial Moms (those born between 1981 and 1996) is becoming a huge priority.
In honor of International Women’s Day, we sat down with some of our employees to find out about the women who have influenced their professional lives.
If you’ve ever opened the Instagram app, you’ve likely scrolled through countless sponsored posts and #ads. Whether it’s people you’re following or suggested content popping up on your feed, brands and products are in almost every photo. Check out Martina Corona’s blog for everything you need to know.
#9: Free Social Media Tools Your Company Should Be Using
We thought we would save you some time and pick out the free tools that are actually worth using when it comes to social media. Whether you are a social media marketer with multiple clients, you run your company’s social accounts or you’re just trying to expand your personal online presence, these can come in handy.
Matter’s Precision Group focuses topnotch public relations and marketing to fit any organization ready to tell their story. With five successful years of growth, this team has truly made an impact here at Matter.
And there you have it – the top 10 blog posts of 2018! From the ongoing series to the insider information from industry specialists, the Matter blog is growing and has even bigger plans for 2019. Make sure you are subscribed to our updates and feel free to reach out to any of our authors using the contact form.
Happy New Year from all of us at Matter!
Want to make sure you aren’t missing out on any content in the new year? You can subscribe to our blog by clicking the button below.
The opening of Matter’s sixth office, addition of notable clients and key personnel appointments signal agency’s continued success in 2019
BOSTON – December 11, 2018 – Matter Communications — a Brand Elevation Agency specializing in PR, social media, creative services and digital marketing — achieved tremendous success in 2018, highlighted by a 13 percent increase in revenue and the opening of its sixth office in Pittsburgh, PA. Surpassing milestones set in previous years, Matter achieved significant growth in employee headcount, service offerings, client partnerships, agency accolades and volunteer efforts.
“The successes Matter achieved this year were all the more meaningful as we celebrated our 15-year anniversary in April,” said Scott Signore, CEO of Matter Communications. “Our growth is more than a story of surpassing revenue goals and signing new clients – it’s a testament to the hard-working employees at Matter and our commitment to offering top-notch services that outpace competitors. I’m incredibly proud of the team this year, not only for the exceptional work they do, but also for the collaborative, fun and impactful culture we have built together. We look forward to reaching new heights in 2019.”
Office Expansion and Growth
In November, Matter opened its sixth office in Pittsburgh, located in the old Cigar Factory in the Strip District. Additionally, Matter’s existing offices experienced significant revenue growth after winning multiple new client accounts in the local markets. The Boulder, CO office saw a 38 percent increase in revenue over the previous year and the Portland, OR office experienced a 26 percent increase in revenue.
Employee Growth and New Hires
Matter’s headcount across the six offices increased 28 percent in 2018. Notably, Matter’s Boston office added 27 employees and doubled its physical space in its West End location, making room for continued growth in the coming years. The agency also bolstered its leadership team with key hires and promotions. Strategic hires include Jeff Tahnk, who joined as a general manager leading the digital marketing team, and Emma Gielata, who returned to Matter to lead the new Pittsburgh location.
Digital Marketing Momentum
Matter’s digital marketing service offerings helped drive significant growth for the agency in 2018, adding six new clients and 10 employees. Matter’s enhanced digital marketing capabilities help further elevate client programs with fully-integrated marketing campaigns, and include:
Strategy, Analytics and Insights: Brand and messaging strategy, digital go-to-market planning, customer segmentation, research, brand & competitive audits and analytics
Search Marketing: SEO, paid search, site and technical audits, Google support, landing page optimization, keyword segmentation and content optimization
Social Media (organic and paid): strategy, content creation and measurement
Digital Advertising: Paid social, pre-roll video ads and sponsored content
Websites: Website creation, landing pages and site optimization
Key Client Wins
In 2018, Matter added many new clients across key verticals ranging from healthcare to technology, and include:
128 Technology: A next-generation networking company that develops Session Smart™ Routers that are simple, agile and intuitive while providing more advanced security, reliability, and performance capabilities than traditional hardware-centric networking products.
CureDuchenne: The global leader in research, patient care and innovation for improving and extending the lives of boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Databricks: Provides a Unified Analytics Platform that accelerates innovation by unifying data science, engineering and business.
ExceleraRx: A healthcare company advancing integrated care of complex patients, The Excelera® Specialty Pharmacy Network is comprised of integrated delivery networks, health systems, and large academic medical centers.
Kit Check: The leading provider of automated medication management and drug diversion detection solutions for hospital pharmacies.
Myomo: A medical robotics company that develops devices with myoelectric technology to restore the mobility of individuals with arm paralysis or muscle weakness.
Omnigo Software: The leading provider of public safety, incident and security management solutions for law enforcement, education, healthcare and other enterprises, offering easy-to-use, flexible applications that provide actionable insight for making more informed decisions.
Sectigo: Trusted by enterprises globally for more than 20 years, Sectigo (formerly Comodo CA) provides web security products that help customers protect, monitor, recover, and manage their web presence and connected devices.
“After interviewing seven agencies, we decided to go with Matter and we could not be happier,” said Joanne Forster, vice president of communications at CureDuchenne. “Our extensive team at Matter is incredibly responsive and act as an extension of our staff. They have all immersed themselves in our business and take initiative to improve the way we communicate before we ask. Many marketing agencies brag about how they can do it all, but this is rarely the case — Matter is an exception. From creativity to SEO to video production to PR, Matter has gone above and beyond our expectations and we are thrilled to be working with them.”
Award Recognitions
Matter celebrated multiple award wins this year for its notable workplace culture as well as exceptional client work including:
Global Agency of the Year by Bulldog Reporter
Top Place to Work by PR News
Finalist for Agency of the Year in PR News’ PR Platinum Awards
Merit Award for Agency Citizenship/Pro Bono Work from PR Club’s Bell Ringer Awards
Finalist for Rhode Island Coolest Companies Awards
Bronze Bell for Best B2B Campaign from PR Club’s Bell Ringer Awards
13 recognitions ranging from platinum to gold in the MarCom awards
Best Video Series for PR Daily’s Video and Visual Awards
Volunteer Program Accomplishments
Matter’s volunteer program, “Helping Hands,” exceeded its goal of volunteering 1000 cumulative hours throughout the year for the second consecutive time. Employees across all offices contributed to the total of 1230 hours in 2018. A total of 59 volunteer events were held in support of organizations such as Salvation Army, Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, Our Neighbors’ Table, International Hearing Dog Institute, Refugee Services of Texas and more.
Helping Hands is one of Matter’s many benefits and offers employees opportunities to give back by volunteering during work hours. Next year, Matter plans to increase the agency total goal by 200 hours and will encourage all employees to reach a personal goal of completing 10 volunteer hours in 2019. This will help Matter reach more organizations in need and positively impact its local communities.
With more than 160 professionals in offices in Boston and Newburyport, MA, Providence, RI, Pittsburgh, PA, Boulder, CO, and Portland, OR, Matter is one of the fastest-growing public relations, social media, creative and digital marketing firms in the country. Matter has won 11 “Agency of the Year” accolades in the past three years and has been recognized as a best place to work.
About Matter Communications
Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency, unifying public relations, social media, creative services, and digital marketing to create strategic, content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with six offices spanning North America, Matter works with the world’s most innovative companies across healthcare, high-technology, consumer-technology and consumer markets. For more information, visit www.matternow.com.
“Everyone eats.” Food is synonymous with memory, Don’t believe me? Watch the climax from Ratatouille. It’s indicative of all cultures. Witness that in action by throwing on Parts Unknown: you’ll notice most of the conversations take place around a table layered with local food and drink. Whatever your relationship is to food, one thing remains clear: food is universal.
Social media has made sharing our experiences with food transparent and intimate. I’ve been the guy taking pictures of dishes at restaurants, and I’ve also been the one making fun of the person standing on the chair to get a better angle of their plate.
Food photography has exploded over the last ten years. One of the most popular Instagram hashtags on the topics, #foodporn has 167 million posts.
Say it with me, PRE-PRO-DUCTION
If you’re a food brand, kitchen supplier, or even a blogger, how do you stand out in a room that is over crowded and over saturated?
To quote the U.S. Military, “Proper planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance.”
One key component to food photography is creating an atmosphere or mood. You are dictating how the viewer sees your photo, and the emotions you want to conjure. Think back to the Ratatouille moment, when feared food critic Anton Ego is served ratatouille. Upon taking his first bite he is transported back to his childhood, eating a bowl of his mother’s ratatouille. Hence the movies name.
You want to invoke a feeling or a reaction, as you would with any image. We all have deep personal attachments to food: this is your opportunity to dig into that, not just for the viewer but yourself.
Instagram and Pinterest are wonderful places to start. You can create mood boards, and save posts to reference. Consider other mediums of art. See how you can apply the style of stark contrasts of Chiaroscuro paintings to food photography or the color theory of Basquiat and Keith Haring to your images.
Wherever you pull your inspiration from, keep it on hand when you shoot. Give yourself something to constantly look at and examine as you go through your images. It could be in the form of a tear sheet, mood board, whatever you’re comfortable with. Just make sure to have it handy!
The Day Of The Shoot
When it comes to production, you’re going to need two things, a food stylist and a chef. In my experience, it’s always better to get a pair that work in tandem. That way you avoid any personality clashes. The best way to shoot food is via tethered shooting. Tethered shooting allows you to connect your camera to a screen or tablet for instant viewing of the images as you’re taking them. This allows everyone involved in the process to see the RAW images as they are taken. This means the food stylist can go in and clean up an area, remove greens that have gone limp, or simply rearrange the food.
In food photography, there tend to be a couple of angles that are considered popular and safe. The first and most popular being the “flat lay,” where you place the camera above your subject and shoot straight down. Another option is the 45-degree angle, which is just above table height. This lets you get a good angle on your shot, and build layers/tiers within the frame. They say terrible things happen in threes, well I’m here to tell you that’s the opposite in food photography. When utilizing elements, read anything but your main dish, within your frame keep in mind that three tends to be the magic number. These elements effectively let you balance out the frame while keeping the focus on your main object. For example if you have a dish that has strawberries in it, try not to use more than three strawberries within your frame. You want to show your viewers what is in the food, but not take away from the main focal point of the image.
Lastly, when introducing a human element to your images, make whatever actions they do feel justified. Use it as a litmus test and ask yourself, is this how someone would serve pasta, is this how they would pick up that cherry. You want the model’s movements to feel as real as possible; otherwise, they will look staged. The key to working with your models is to make them comfortable in the role they are in. Get to know them, strike up conversation, and keep shooting. Another way to do this is to have your chef or stylist work with them a little bit. That way they can show them quick tips and tricks for how to do movements naturally.
The Editing Process
When it comes to editing food images, less is more. No matter what background, props, or elements you used. It’s up to you to uphold the integrity of the food. Don’t mess with the color. Uphold what food looks like, by playing with its saturation or HSL you run the risk of making food unappetizing.
You also want to create a balanced exposure, and this can mean a variety of things depending on the mood you set for your shoot. You may have to dial back your exposure because you used a darker background and want the food to pop. Or on the other hand, you shot with natural light and have to make sure the exposure on the left side of the image is the same as the right. There is no right or wrong way to go about this. Unlike other shoots much of your contrast and complementary elements should have been picked out in the preproduction phase when you are selecting the atmosphere you want to create.
Conclusion
It always goes back to the connection we have with food. Compositions should feel natural and spaces lived in. Understandably, that feels dishonest given how manufactured and meticulous the layout of food images are. Keep in mind you have the creative control, you’re the one telling the story, do your best to make sure it’s representative of you.
Keeping all of this in mind, the world of food photography is crowded and noisy. It takes a lot of prep work, patience, and experimenting to find a style that’s your own. The key is to represent food in the best way you know how. Let your own experience and relationship with food guide you to what feels natural, and your work will emulate that in return. And of course, always remember, “Proper planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance.”
Photographs from our shoot with Mama Rosie’s
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On top of our volunteer efforts in our own communities, all of our offices come together to celebrate national days throughout the year including Pride, World Mental Health Day and Unity Day. In the photo below, our employees wore orange to show we are united against bullying.
Pittsburgh office will open the door to new opportunities. To push ourselves further, we have increased our agency-wide hourly goal to 1,200 hours and the goal for each employee to 10 hours.
