Thoughts from the Shelf

New solid oak furniture retailer ‘The Solid Oak Furniture Store’ has opened for business, offering consumers an alternate choice when shopping for hardwood furniture online. The following press release was recently submitted, exclusively for The Shelf.

At the Solid Oak Furniture Store, our aim is to bring you superior quality solid hardwood furniture at unbeatable prices.

We offer over twenty exclusive ranges of solid oak, mahogany and mango furniture in various styles and finishes to perfectly compliment every room in your home.

Each product is expertly handcrafted to the highest standard using only the finest A-grade solid hardwood and all drawers are constructed using robust dovetail joints with solid hardwood backs, bases and runners to ensure maximum strength and durability. You will never find any veneers, MDF or flat-packs at the Solid Oak Furniture Store, only top quality hardwood furniture at amazing prices.

Our fully assembled products are delivered free of charge to your room of choice by our two-man delivery team and in the unlikely event that you’re not fully satisfied with your purchase, we operate a seven day no-quibble money back guarantee.

You also have the option to take up to 3 years ‘interest free credit’ or if you’d prefer, buy now and pay later on orders over £600.
Take a look at our fantastic selection of solid hardwood Dining Room Furniture, Living Room Furniture and Bedroom Furniture – you won’t be disappointed!

Creating a new TV campaign is a daunting prospect and finding the right TV agencies will make a substantial difference in taking away the unknown of media production. The process begins with selecting a media agency who will then strategically choose the best time slots for the demographic being targeted.

The next step is the creative; this is the purpose of the production. A tender process will be completed and a Production Company will be chosen to complete the creative. This is important as the Production Company must understand the specific requirements and make the concept come alive. Once chosen, meetings will then be held with the Production Company to discuss all considered concepts in greater detail. This is where the expertise of the Production Company can be utilised to identify specifics to focus on the visual for concepts.

Once a creative has been decided on the Production Company will then aid creating a storyboard (a group of images or media segments that describe the key elements of a media ad, campaign or program). This can be solely with the Production Company or more commonly a joint solution to create the perfect outcome for both parties.

The great advantage of working with a Production Company in this situation is the ability to see exactly how the advert will play out in being able to offer more than just one facet i.e. not just humour or not just a serious advert all while maintaining the Unique Selling Points (USPs) for the advert.

For preproduction the Production Company will have to perform several tasks before the cameras start rolling. This carries on from scriptwriting to location scouting, prop collection, hiring actors, renting of equipment and creating ‘shot-lists’. The pre-production stage is where the TV commercial’s scheduling is setup. Commercials must be planned down to the minute because time is literally money. If a shoot overruns the excess hiring actors, renting equipment and reserving locations will dramatically expand the budget.

After pre-production is finalised the process moves to production and editing (post production). This is essentially recording of the commercial; the director coordinates the process using a script and ‘shot list’. Actors then go through several takes for dialogue and actions in the script. Production for TV commercials can take a day or multiple days of shooting, dependant on length and complexity of the scripts. Once all of the shots are filmed, the director sends the film, tape or video files to the editor.

Once the tapes are received the post-production process starts whereby all video editing, special effects, sound manipulation and exporting of the TV ad happen. The footage is reviewed and manipulated with several ‘cuts’ being left out, with the final best selection constructed by the editor. Once finalised, the commercial is exported to videotape or hard drive, depending on the needs of the TV studio, and delivered.

The end result is a finished television ready advert once clear cast approval has been achieved.

Oak Furniture Land case study: The true power of TV advertising

Oak Furniture Land recently worked with media agency partner MNC and production company partner Wordley Production Partners ltd. to fulfil the company’s long awaited objective to trial TV adverts.

Since entering the TV market, TV adverts have now become a major part of the company’s marketing mix and a major contributor to the increase in website traffic and footfall to their retail stores.

The new advert ‘Don’t do this to nan‘ represents a further evolution of the original Oak Furniture Land story that started off in the showroom now with four new characters Nan, Granddad and the Grandchildren being introduced ready for even more stories in 2013.

*Since mid-2011 both MNC and Wordley Production have been retained by OFL.

A record of Google updates that suggest the search giant is actively pushing users away from long tail searches. As long suspected these queries are harder monetise. By driving more users to generic queries it inevitably increases the cost for advertisers on Google’s proven ad platform.

How to Choose Your Next Sofa

Although it’s important to choose a sofa that suits your living room, comfort and durability should also be at the forefront of your mind. A typical sofa should last for approximately ten years, and there are many factors that can affect its longevity. Here are some hints and tips to help you find a sofa which will stand the test of time:

Sofas – Hardwood Frames

Let’s start from the inside of the sofa. When choosing a new sofa, it’s vital you pick one with a strong, well-constructed frame. Even better, pick one that features handcrafted solid hardwood frames that are dowel glued and screwed rather than stapled. Leather and fabric sofas such as the Vermont large sofa and Jasmine small sofa from Oak Furniture Land each boast hardwood frames, which are glued and screwed together by skilled craftsmen in the UK. Unlike cheap fabric sofas with chipboard or softwood frames, these sofas are much more cost effective in the long run as they offer exceptional durability for years of reliable use.

Sofas – Seat Fillings and Cushions

Sofas are designed to offer you ultimate comfort and support and the type of filling used in the seat cushions is of the utmost importance. The best type of seat cushion you can find is one that’s been filled using either Duratech or Encore carded fibre. These are the only two filling types to have ever received the FIRA Gold Award for product excellence. The material moulds to the shape of your body – much in the same way that memory foam works – which ensures unbeatable comfort and support. Another key feature to look out for in your new sofa is generously deep seat cushions with fibre-filled backs for extra support.

Choosing sofas – Upholstery

In the sofa world, choice is everything. Leather and fabric sofas come in a wide range of finishes and the type of upholstery used can make a huge different to the comfort and durability of your new sofa. When shopping for a new leather sofa, ‘semi-aniline’ is a key word to look out for. Representing the highest quality, this type of leather sofa will age beautifully and allows the beauty of the hide to be enjoyed in its most natural form. Fabric sofas, on the other hand, can be deliciously soft and the covers are often removable for dry-cleaning purposes.

Contemporary Sofas and Traditional Sofas

Last but certainly not least, you should choose a sofa that complements your living space. If your home is ultra-modern, perhaps you might enjoy the understated sophistication of a full-grain, Italian leather sofa. For a classically-styled conservatory, you might opt for a loose cover fabric sofa with elegant valances. Finally, before you delve into the sofa world for your next purchase, make sure you check for free delivery services and interest free finance options!