They wanted to create a powerful presentation to kick off Black Friday. It was certain to have many complex components and an incredibly tight timeline. Prestone was chosen to work alongside Nikon’s design firm, DC3 to guide them through the myriad of challenges and decisions that were bound to arise. Our capabilities were put to the test on every front.
Over a dozen components needed to be manufactured coordinating offset and digital printing and finishing both on and off site. Some elements were highly complicated involving out-of-the-box creative thinking and unique problem solving. The final stage was the hand assembly and fulfillment which presented it’s own challenges. In total the promotion, which conservatively required 4 weeks to produce, quickly hit snags and slow downs resulting in the need to manufacture and deliver within a 2-week span of time.
With the Black Friday deadline firmly locked in, we were asked to meet Nikon’s urgent schedule while navigating any and all unexpected obstacles.
“Prestone was an unbelievable partner on this project, providing technical and production expertise to execute our creative vision. They quite literally delivered a product of the highest quality during the Storm of the Century!” ~ Ivan Brewster, Executive Creative Director DC3
From the project’s inception we consulted the design agency on initial sketches and prototypes in order to turn their creative concepts into promotional materials that could realistically be manufactured within their timeframe. We produced multiple iterations of the exterior box, showing comps and offering advice each step of the way. We engineered the interior box, proposing an inside tray built of a gator board platform, cut and routered to be capable of housing the entire package of promotional materials.
Each step of the way we advised the client on stock and finishing techniques, such as the use of soft touch aqueous combined with matte uv to create an upscale look for each internal element. Additionally, there were daily reassessments to insure we met the client’s budget and scheduling restrictions.
About the Schedule:
After finalizing all the individual elements, time had virtually run out…there was little time left for manufacturing. Everything HAD to be in stores before Black Friday. Faced with an immoveable deadline, we were asked to produce a project that required a month of manufacturing in 2 weeks time. The client knew they were asking for an outrageous schedule. They asked us to find a way to get it done.
The lead designer lived in our conference room for over a week running interference between the end user, Nikon and our production team. This was vital as we were accommodating a ‘designing on the run’ approach with elements of each component was sent to us piecemeal…changes were coming in before we finished proofing a given piece. This system required streamlined, tight communication with checks and balances to insure everything was funneled in a timely manner into production.
The interior platform was adjusted right up until the end as final decisions on size and stock for each element demanded a new die to create functional slots for everything to sit properly in the box.
To make matters more interesting, due to Super Storm Sandy supplies were hampered and were at a premium to secure. Our vendors also were backed up due to the storm and were significantly challenged to squeeze us in to meet our end date.
While the many individual pieces were straight forward, when coordinating all elements while racing against the clock created added challenges. Having strong relationships with our suppliers was a critical aspect that enabled us to convince them to make our work the priority it needed to be to meet our looming deadline. We began feeding the client a few hundred a day to meet their needs while ferociously working to fulfill the balance of the job.
The elements of the project included:
- External Box
- Interior Box with tray
- Fan chart – grommet and die cut
- Accordion fold
- 96pp book
- 16pp brochure
- Fun Fact Cards
- Cheat Sheets
- Counter Cards
- ClingZ stickers
- Regular stickers