Bealls' creative team makes ad magic happen

BRADENTON -- Deep within a Bealls Department Stores distribution warehouse on 38th Avenue East, style and glamour are being made every day.

Most days, models, photographers and stylists can be found there, flitting through the company's in-house photography studio while making images for upcoming print ads and the company's shopping website. The pops of strobe lights and the whir of hair-fluffing wind machines are the sound track for the scene. A collage of colorful tops, pants, skirts and shoes -- most on racks, some flaunted by the models -- provide the visuals.

All of it is the basis for a hungry advertising machine that demands up to 150 product shots a week for newspaper inserts and as many as 800 images for the Bealls' Department Stores website. With those images, the company prints more than 120 newspaper advertising inserts a year, making them almost ubiquitous for shoppers. The work is all done by a 70-person in-house creative and marketing department that has grown dramatically since the start of the millennium.

The work is high-pressure for the 12-member photography studio, but don't think it's drudgery. Emily Keener, the studio's director, says it's impossible not to have a few laughs when you're playing dress-up. That goes double for the models.

"They love to work for us," Keener said. "They have a lot of fun."

Bealls has long been an

innovator in how it uses photography to sell its brand. When the company got its start a century ago, product drawings were all customers had to go on when they saw the company's newspaper ads. That didn't change much for decades, even when some black-and-white photos began to appear in print.

As the fashion industry changed, Bealls stayed at the forefront of innovation. It moved into color photography relatively early, bringing its first color ads to customers in 1977. It was also an early adopter of a type of product shot that is now taken for granted.

"We were one of the first retailers to shoot product on models when digital photography arrived in the market," said Ralph Hauze, Bealls' creative director.

Sixteen years ago, the company moved its photo production away from agencies and outside contractors, bringing it in house. The move roughly coincided with the industry's switch from film photography to digital. Bealls does its publication design and copy writing in house, an arrangement that shortens production timelines.

"The only thing we don't do is print the book," said Karen Filips, director of marketing operations and media for Bealls Department Stores.

Today, Bealls customers know almost immediately when a new shoe, necklace or pair of slacks hits the company's inventory. For the recent opening of Bealls' Premium Comfort Shoe Shoppe in Boynton Beach in South Florida, photos taken on a location shoot at the Bradenton Riverwalk turned up as store posters in just two weeks.

Shawn Koi, Bealls' lead photographer, said new technology can make his job an instantaneous endeavor. The company recently began posting playful model shots on Instagram. Those shots are taken in addition to the 20 or so done daily for print or websites. But once models and stylists are on site, doing a few extra shots makes the day run more efficiently.

"We can utilize the time a little bit better," Koi said.

Creative types wanted

The creative department is a local job generator for designers, photographers, writers, models and e-commerce professionals. Hauze said Bealls is a top prospect for people in the field looking for work.

Sarasota native Natalie Weiffenbach is one recent hire. She was brought on board as Bealls' lone print copywriter in 2013. Her workload keeps her creative brain humming.

"I'm doing five inserts a month, and I'm working on about 50 at a time," she said.

On the models end of the business, Bealls has been a springboard for a number of careers. Before many knew who they were, the Backstreet Boys performed in a Bealls commercial and made appearances in stores. Prolific male model Steven Beck also got his start with the company, Keener said, and returns to work for Bealls when he's in Bradenton.

As the field continues to innovate, Hauze said creative work with Bealls will become even more attractive. Creative staffers will be working on projects for Bealls' new upscale standalone store, Bunulu. They also "cross pollinate" on projects for Bealls Outlet stores. Bealls outlet has its own, smaller creative and photo department.

Bealls still relies on some outside vendors for advertising. The company's video work for television ads is done by a Tennessee production company, Flip Film + Design.

Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027, or on Twitter @MattAtBradenton.

This story was originally published March 9, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bealls' creative team makes ad magic happen ."