It’s the season of giving, and Luckie & Company is eager to make the holidays brighter for those in need.

Take a minute to click here and view our video, “A Luckie Christmas Story.” It’s the tale of a young Santa, who was just a scruffy kid until a gift changed his life.

Each time the video is viewed, Luckie will donate $1 to Toys for Tots (up to $5,000). Be sure to share the link and spread the word about this great cause.

It’s simple: Watch, share, and help a child have a merry Christmas.

Edward Bowser is Community Manager at Luckie & Company. You can contact him by email or follow him on Twitter.

Photo credit: mia3mom via Flickr

Finding the perfect banking experience is often a difficult balancing act. But Luckie & Company was up for the challenge.

After research findings indicated that Americans want more control and better balance over their financial lives, Regions Bank charged Luckie with creating a new marketing campaign to emphasize these key messages. Knowing consumers’ familiarity with the Regions LifeGreen® cruiser bike as a symbol of the positive experience Regions promises, we wanted to continue using the bike in the new campaign.

Enter the world of artistic cycling – a perfect display of both control and balance.

Artistic cycling is a type of competitive indoor cycling, mostly popular in Europe and Asia, where athletes combine graceful choreography with difficult-to-perform maneuvers. Think figure skating or gymnastics on a bike. These maneuvers are the result of pure physical agility, artistic skill and hours of practice. No harnesses or fancy camera tricks here, folks. The result was spectacular TV spots that were memorable and reinforced Region’s message of control and balance.

Given the success of the marketing campaign and, let’s be honest, the sheer entertainment value of seeing gravity-defying tricks on bikes, Regions decided to feature these award-winning cyclists at some of their sponsored events, bringing the marketing campaign to life. Top performers in the world of artistic cycling will join us all the way from Germany. As great as they are, the TV spots only offer a sample of artistic cycling. I mean, there are only so many tricks a 30-second TV spot can capture. The feats these talented cyclists perform live are nothing short of an act in Cirque du Soleil – riding backward with no hands, standing on top of one another, holding a pike position longer than what should be humanly possible, all while on a bike.

I have no doubt their performances will provide spectators with the “wow” factor. As a former event planner, this is always the ultimate goal of any event – to leave guests with a feeling they’ll remember long after the streamers are gone. But, from a client’s perspective, I think this is an important opportunity for Regions to gain brand interaction with its current and potential consumers. In addition to seeing the television commercials and print advertisements, Regions’ consumers will now be able to experience artistic cycling firsthand, and hopefully they will gain a better understanding of the control and balance a Regions relationship offers.

And, to top it off, the cyclists will have the opportunity to expose Americans to artistic cycling, giving their sport some legs wheels to stand on in the U.S. As The Office’s Michael Scott would say, it’s a win-win-win.

Elizabeth Boldin is an Account Executive at Luckie & Company. You can contact her by email or follow @keboldin on Twitter.

So you want your ad to stand out? What a coincidence. So do we. There’s nothing particularly original in setting that kind of goal in advertising. After all, if the ad doesn’t get noticed it doesn’t have a chance to succeed, no matter what you’re selling.

And naturally you’re proud of your product, whether it’s a newly redesigned sedan; a flatter-screened, higher definition TV; or the right dinner combo at the right price. It’s your baby. It’s what you live, day in and day out. In fact, it’s the whole reason you hired us in the first place.

And therein lies the challenge. You want your ad to stand out, yet you want to prominently feature your product, even though it most likely looks, acts and performs pretty much exactly like what your competition is selling. So how do we make it different enough to get noticed?

Well, in the case of the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, the answer wasn’t to just write some catchy copy to go along with a big beauty shot of the Asheville mountains or the vibrant downtown scene. Just about everybody in the category uses a similar technique. Our solution was to put those types of images into a context that everyone can relate to: the drudgery of everyday life. To take the bland things that people do every day and contrast them with the much-needed escape offered by Asheville.

Our print and television campaigns use mundane situations that need no explanation: One look at a long line at the DMV or a laundry room piled high with dirty clothes tells a story that everyone is far too familiar with. The campaigns use iconic technology that everyone can instantly recognize: Smartphones permeate virtually every level of our society. And best of all, the ads showcase the city of Asheville in a way that the viewer isn’t expecting.

Within a sea of sameness, these ads are different. They stand out. They offer the audience a problem that’s relatable and a solution that’s within their grasp. In short, they tell an entire story without having to say a word. View our new spots below.

Andy Odum is Associate Creative Director at Luckie & Company. You can contact him by email.

The Secret Sisters, Laura and Lydia Rogers, gave us a taste of their beautiful and soulful harmonies from the yet-to-be-released song, “River Jordan.” They felt right at home shooting in the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, considering they are the latest sensation to hail from the storied Shoals area.

Lil Jimmy Reed played a few original licks on the Jammer in the iconic Dothan Opera House as a nod to Alabama’s rich blues heritage. The crew set up backstage, he pulled out his harmonica, and magic happened.

David and Patterson Hood, on stage at the historic Alabama Theatre in downtown Birmingham, kicked off the campaign with a few Jammer riffs from Patterson.

It’s true – a lot of great music comes out of Alabama. And these spots are just a sample of the great shows and festivals happening from Florence to the Flora-Bama. We would have loved to have included it all in the campaign, but then we would have to call it The Decade of Alabama Music.

To hear more of Alabama’s great musical heritage, check out The Ultimate Alabama Playlist. Every Friday, a new track featuring artists with Alabama ties is added. To nominate your favorites, submit them here.

Mary Lanaux is an Account Executive at Luckie & Company. You can contact her by email.

Dog food maker Naturia has created radio ads that specifically perk up the ears of their target audience – dogs.

Touted as the “first radio ad for dogs,” the spot features a 15 kilohertz tone that most people can’t hear but that makes dogs respond enthusiastically. The tone was played whenever the name Naturia was mentioned.

Dogs and their owners were convinced. Naturia reportedly saw a 28 percent increase in sales over the course of one month.

The ad shows the importance of reaching your target audience – those with two and four legs. Check out the video below.

Markus Beige is Design Director at Luckie & Company. He can be reached by e-mail.