RIESTER Blog » Tom Ortega

Post Super Bowl Thoughts: Great Year for Football but Weak Year for Ads.

Tim Riester — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:24:54 +0000

It’s a good thing the Giants and Patriots kept us glued to our TVs until the last second because this year the Super Bowl commercials lacked excitement.

In fact, other than a few good ads, the Super Bowl advertisers of 2012 lacked creativity and originality. Volkswagen repeated its performance of 2011 as having the best commercial during the big game. It’s ad for the new Beetle, featuring a dog committed to self improvement, won our hearts. The Star Wars characters at the end of the commercial who compared the ad with last year’s was an incredibly creative way to connect two years of VW Super Bowl messages.

Madonna’s half-time performance (with LMFAO, Cee Lo Green and Nicki Minaj) had mixed reviews, but likely added a little something extra to the M&M’s campaign with her rendition of “I’m sexy and I know it.”

RIESTER’s Chief Creative Officer, Tom Ortega said “the only good commercial was the Chevy Mayan Calendar spot. For me, everything else either lacked a concept or was over-hyped. Madonna was the perfect half-time act for such a line up: over-hyped. No substance. Over produced. Dang good thing the Giants won. Otherwise I would have been disappointed.”

Alan Perkel, RIESTER’S Executive Director of Digital added, “the online experience was very strong, minimal delay, I’d guess only about :30 seconds. I had my laptop on and the LCD going. Very impressive.” It was estimated that more than 60% of the Super Bowl audience had at least two screens (smart phone, iPad, computer, etc) in front of them while watching the game today.

Overall impressions: The M&M “Just My Shell“, Chevy’s Mayan Calendar commercial, Budweiser’s historic moments, VW’s Star Wars themed ads, and Acura’s adventure with Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno round out our top five.

McDonald’s touts locally grown goodness.

Tom Ortega — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 06:39:20 +0000

At McDonald’s in Idaho, the french fries aren’t just made from any potatoes. They’re made from potatoes grown locally – in the nutrient-rich fields surrounding the communities that McDonald’s customers call home. In other words, the best fries in the world are made with the best potatoes in the world. At RIESTER, we worked with our client, the Southern Idaho McDonald’s Advertising Co-op, to highlight this point of difference…and point of pride. Our efforts have included in-store marketing, outdoor, and public relations throughout the region.

Tobacco: Choose or refuse.

Tom Ortega — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:27:07 +0000

When teens are offered tobacco, it’s not always easy to say no. So RIESTER has teamed up with the Arizona Bureau of Tobacco Education & Prevention to give kids the refusal skills they need.

Choose/Refuse is a video questionnaire that takes kids through a variety of scenarios.

They’re watching it on venomocity.com, YouTube and Facebook.

It features real Arizona kids, along with a real mechanical arm.

Happy 50th Tom!

RIESTER — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:07:01 +0000

RIESTER’s Chief Creative Officer Tom Ortega turns 50 today! Where do the years go? We love you Tom! -Everyone at RIESTER

Advertising’s Super Bowl.

RIESTER — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:18:52 +0000

The Super Bowl is more important than ever for mass marketers. Could Super Bowl ads become part of a shift to a society that STANDs FOR LESS wasteful consumption?

February 4 update: Listen to our Chief Creative Officer Tom Ortega discuss this year’s ads with Dennis Lambert on Arizona’s largest NPR station, KJZZ.

American media habits have changed substantially. The media we consume is more fractured and the ways we get information and entertainment continues to evolve rapidly. Large events, with the Super Bowl at the top of the list, provide marketers an increasingly rare opportunity to communicate with a mass audience.

The creativity that goes into Super Bowl ads is part of the annual Super Bowl conversation and we are among those who watch closely to see the latest work from our industry.

Social media channels provide marketers new challenges and opportunities to give Super Bowl ads life beyond game time. This is the new wild west of the marketing world.

Read more about this year’s trends and analysis of the most noteworthy campaigns at:

Advertising Age’s Super Bowl coverage and Adweek’s “Super Commercials.”

In some regards the Super Bowl is an example of the pinnacle of our consumer culture. At RIESTER we believe that it’s vital for the sustainability of our way of life to change how and what we consume. Read more about this at the STAND FOR LESS website, one of the campaigns we are especially proud of.

Don’t miss Tom’s interview on KJZZ.

Tom Ortega, born to run.

Tim Riester — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:46:31 +0000

Tom Ortega was born to run. As an owner of RIESTER, chief of its creative department, internationally acclaimed contemporary artist and father of two children, Tom manages more in a day than most people take on in a year. His discipline and work ethic are truly unmatched. While many people are aware of the award-winning creativity that has come from Tom’s commitment to quality and completion, few know that Tom finished among the top 50 runners in the Boston Marathon. All of us at RIESTER admire you Tom, even on the kickball field!

RIESTER's Tom Ortega.

RIESTER launches first La Victoria commercial in 20 years.

Tom Ortega — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:49:37 +0000

The La Victoria brand has been on grocery shelves for more than 90 years, but it has not been on TV in more than 20. This week, RIESTER is helping La Victoria end that advertising hiatus with a brand new commercial that targets food enthusiasts of every level.

The commercial, directed by veteran still photographer and director Dana Tynan, embraces the cooking process and the feeling cooks have when they prepare a successful meal. It also features a brand new tag line for the brand: “You. Victorious.” Derived directly from the brand name itself, the line and the commercial speak directly to the confidence cooks have when they use any of the delicious La Victoria products.

RIESTER delivers a clean design for Clean Air.

Tom Ortega — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:00:36 +0000

Maricopa County’s Clean Air brand recently became more visible with the unveiling of the Air Quality Department’s new office. Working with a team of graphic and interior designers, RIESTER developed a look that is, itself, clean. The space features an illuminated wall that glows in accordance with the color-coded air quality grade; a glass table that floats on the letters “AIR;” and an entire wall made out of 100% bamboo paper pulp. The sustainable design aligns perfectly with the Department’s “Clean Air Make More” campaign.

Tim Riester and three others honored as fathers of the year.

Christina Borrego — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:55:35 +0000

Tim Riester, Lee T. Hanley, Eliot Kaplan and Tim Manning were honored last night as 2010 Fathers of the Year by the American Diabetes Association.

We had a fun evening and I was reminded of how lucky we are to have Tim and Mirja Riester as mentors and leaders accessible to us every day.

When it was time for Tim to take the stage to make a few remarks, Scott Light of NBC introduced the entire Riester family.

Tim, Mirja and their two boys took the stage. The boys completed his introduction following a testimonial-style video about why they love their dad; by that time there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Tim’s speech was heartfelt. He thanked RIESTER clients Casino Arizona/Talking Stick Resort and MidFirst Bank who generously donated to the Diabetes Association; recognized the RIESTERites in the audience and spoke emotionally about the importance of family.

The event raised almost $300,000 toward the fight against diabetes.

Tim and Mirja Riester with their two boys on stage at the American Diabetes Association's Father of the Year event, June 10, 2010.

Women of RIESTER with Scott Light of NBC. From the left: Onida Perkel, Christina Borrego, Amanda Stiles and Cammy Wagner.

RIESTER's Chief Creative Officer Tom Ortega with his wife Stacia.

Humor in green advertising highlights important messages.

RIESTER — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:20:18 +0000

Is Maricopa County, Arizona running out of air? View this hilarious spot RIESTER helped create for the Clean Air Make More campaign:

Visit the Clean Air Make More website for more on the campaign.