About Stuart Bran Advertising

Bran is good for you.
Stuart Bran Advertising, that is.

Creative communications.

Since 1988, we have been providing fresh, creative solutions for a wide range of clients while maintaining cost effectiveness. Our clients vary greatly in size and industry – from local retail businesses to small and medium-sized regional companies to large national and international corporations; from software developers to financial services, from fashion to industrial automation systems, from interior design to international cargo shipping. And, we are proud to say that more than 90% of our clients came to us on referrals, and many have been our clients for more than ten years.

About one-half of our business is done directly for our clients. We supply the concepts, marketing and production, including media. The other half of our work comes from other marketing and advertising agencies for which we supply creative services.

Stuart Bran, the President and Creative Director, has a proven track record of over 40 years. Twenty of those years were spent at Madison Avenue ad agencies, including ten years at Young & Rubicam, Wells, Rich,Greene; David, Oksner & Mitchneck; and Lockwood & Waldman. In that period of time, he has created print & television advertising, sales promotion and collateral pieces for just about every industry – food, fashion, financial services, feminine hygiene products, computer software, health care, industrial recycling equipment, environmental monitoring systems, interior design, construction, publishing, and more.

All design work for our clients is created by Stu, with the aid of very knowledgeable and gifted assistant art directors. Our writers are all experienced professionals – each with their own style and area of expertise. They work for us on a per project basis. This allows us to pick just the right writer for your job. And, it saves you money. But, be assured that you'll always be working with our top level – because that's the only level we have.

We're a lean, nonfat, creative, full-service agency. Just think of us as Madison Avenue advertising at Main Street prices. Our work is worth a look. Just click on the Portfolio or What's New buttons to see for yourself.

Folklore

Picture a castle looming high on a rocky hill in Romania, surmounting a desolate garden. The wind sighs mournfully and dark clouds with heavy rain oppress the green sweep of the countryside below.

Bran Castle, a 14th century fortress in Transylvania's Carpathian mountain foothills, was believed to be the ancestral home of Vlad Tepes, a Romanian prince who died over 500 years ago. He is known to history as Vlad the Impaler.

He is better known as Dracula.

The name Dracula stems from the Romanian word for evil, "dracul." It was applied to Vlad because his father, also named Vlad, returned from the Hungarian army in which he served, wearing a medal bearing a red dragon – the symbol of a heroic soldier.

The peasantry, however, mistook the symbol for something evil. Hence the name.

In 1897, author Bram Stoker enlarged upon the widespread Slavic legend and created his vampire character in the Gothic horror novel "Dracula."

Today, the castle with its surrounding area is a peaceful scene – and somewhat frustrating in a way. For the final resting place of "Dracula" bears little resemblance to the image you would imagine; that of a fanged, black-cloaked figure prowling through the misty gloom on Transylvanian nights with wolves howling at a full moon partially obscured at times by clouds.

Alas, Bran Castle is now a tourist attraction!

Although no relation to Prince Vlad, Stuart Bran has created some "killer" advertising and won a significant number of awards and medals – gold, silver and bronze, but no red ones.

Awards

We do not make it a habit of entering award competitions. Our goal has been to concentrate on increasing a client's sales through unique and compelling messages, rather than creating advertising to massage egos. Some of the greatest award-winning advertising campaigns in the industry's history have failed miserably to increase sales. We are proud of the fact that many of our clients have grown in size over the years, and we believe we have played a significant part in that growth.

However, we have over the years made a few exceptions when we felt the creative level and quality of the work was so extraordinary that it should be seen by a larger audience. Our most recent industry recognition was a Gold Award in the 2006 New Jersey Advertising Club Annual Jersey Awards competition for the design of The Clinton Global Initiative invitation. Our website design for Thermo Systems was also selected for a 2008 American Graphic Design Award. We also received two Certificates of Excellence for brochure design from The Art Directors Club of New Jersey and two American Graphic Design Awards for brochure design and logo design in the Graphic Design:USA annual competition.

Listed below are some of the major awards Stuart Bran has received during his years on Madison Avenue and as Creative Director of Stuart Bran Advertising.

Art Directors Club of New York – 4 Certificates of Merit for Print Advertising, Public Service and Television Commercials

Advertising Club of New Jersey – Gold Award for Invitation for The Clinton Global Initiative

Art Directors Club of New Jersey – Gold Medal for Advertising - Consumer Campaign; Gold Medal for Television Commercial; Silver Medal for Advertising - Single ad; Silver Medal for Television Commercial; Silver Medal for Self Promotion Brochure; Bronze Medal for Self Promotion; Certificates of Excellence for Advertising - Consumer Campaign, Single Ad, Television Commercial

Clio Awards – Finalist - Package Design

CEBA Awards – Award for Merit in Advertising & Communications to Black Communities: Print & Television

The One Show – Merit Award for Television Commercial

The Andy Awards, Advertising Club of NY – Merit Awards - Consumer Single ad & Consumer Campaign; Certificate of Honorable Mention for Public Service Print Advertising

Society of Illustrators – Certificate of Merit for Package Design

AIGA (American Institue of Graphic Artists) – Certificate of Excellence for Package Design

DESI Award – Awards of Excellence for Logo Design and Advertising Campaign

Bran is good for you. Stuart Bran Advertising, that is.

Creative communications.

Folklore

Awards

Bran is good for you.
Stuart Bran Advertising, that is.