The Work That Made Me: Dianne DeMatteo

Dianne DeMatteo is a creative director who, unlike your typical Gen Xer, has declined the trend of changing jobs often. She has been servicing the clients of Mondelez for over 20 years and takes pride in understanding the market while simultaneously increasing her passion for some of the world’s best-known cookie and cracker brands!

LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me/made me want to get into the industry…

Dianne> THE MTV LOGO.

I had just been diagnosed with dyslexia. I finally realised “study more” wouldn’t get me where I wanted to be. I began to panic about finding something I would be good at. 

It was the 80s, and MTV was all the rage. 

At the time, my aunt had been engaged to a guy who was a production manager there and I found him and his work completely FASCINATING. We talked shop all the time. 

For Christmas that year, he gave me an MTV jacket. Black satin, with the logo on the back (my name was embroidered in the front-cherry on the top!). I wore that jacket every day. The power of that logo was incredible. I could not enter the hallway without kids stopping me to discuss their favourite new video. It really left an impact on me. Communicating through art was a whole new concept.

Life changing without a doubt.

LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…

Dianne> NABISCO PACKAGING.

I have been working on the Kraft/Nabisco brands for about 20 years now and love seeing how the brands have evolved — not the product per se, but the look and feel of the brands. 

Some brands have not been updated in years (Nilla, Mallomars, Vegetable Thins) while the more prominent brands change every few years. In small doses... it’s more of a “refresh” — so the brand identity doesn’t get lost. 

But as you string these refreshes together, the journey is fascinating. Similar to listening to an old song, these package designs evoke childhood memories.

LBB> My first professional project...

Dianne> B.DALTON HOLIDAY IN-STORE SIGNAGE.

My first job out of college was at MEDALLION, a retail design company. I was put on the B.Dalton Booksellers account. My main job was updating monthly signage placed throughout the store, and my first assignment focused on the Holiday Season. 

B. Dalton had just purchased a book that was a rendition of 'The Night Before Christmas' and all the artwork associated with it by Leonard Weisgard. I was to redo all the signage placed throughout the store, their holiday catalogue, and all graphics for the national sales meeting using Leonard’s artwork. It was a fun, feel-good project and a nice entryway into the industry. In an ironic twist, a lot of the projects I work on now are in-store programs for Mondelez.

LBB> The creative project that changed my career...

Dianne> ELECTRASOL POWER PACKS SWEEPS with THE JETSONS

Electrasol wanted to work on sweepstakes to generate excitement for its new state-of-the-art “power packs,” which came in two forms — concentrated gel in a dissolvable pack or powder in a dissolvable tab, which housed a finishing dry agent. These tabs were completely different and poised to take over in an industry loaded with messy gels poured out of squirt bottles and clumpy powders. It was the first time I sat in on a brainstorming session that lasted hours.  

We executed mailers, FSIs, on-pack IRCs, tearpads, and collector tin packaging. I began to realise it was MY JOB to make the brand fun and appealing. 

GAME CHANGING LESSON I’ll never forget. 

LBB> The work I am most proudest of...

Dianne> OREOid's lead gen social Media ads

Lead generation is the process of generating consumer interest in a product or service with the goal of turning that interest into a sale. In online marketing this typically involves collecting a visitor's contact information (called a “lead”) via a web form.

I was recently asked to work on the lead gen ads for an OREOid Custom Cookies collaboration with IF the movie. With only five days live, the creative we released was the best-performing lead gen for Mondlez ever in the US! It was so successful that within four days, the client made the call to increase the media investment.

LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe...

Dianne> Planters Peanut sweepstakes tie-in with NCAA.

I was out on maternity leave with my second son. After eight weeks, I was dying to get back to work and sink my teeth into something super exciting. I returned a few weeks early and jumped into a promotion with Planters Peanuts (a Nabisco brand at the time) and the NCAA. My then creative director had sketched up a concept and told me I could attend the photoshoot to help direct.   

However, we ended up being short models. I went from being a CD to standing next to Mr. Peanut holding a basketball.

It didn't help that I was crazy insecure because of all the baby weight I was carrying. OH, and did I mention? THE AD WAS FEATURED IN THE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT EDITION, which I have still not lived down!

I threw out the magazine long ago, but I still have a few friends who love to send me this zoomed in pic every year to kick off basketball season!