Brand Dots

Archive for the ‘design’ Category

Check out this video of one of Seth Godin’s TED speeches.

I’ve become a huge fan of Seth over the years.  I have found that his blog is one of the best marketing resources online these days.  His posts are meaningful and thought provoking.  In addition to creating the amazing new website called Squidoo, he has written books that include Purple Cow, The Dip, and more recently, Tribes.

The graffiti revolution was born in New York City subways in the 1960’s.  Over the years, tagging became more and more prominent.  Artists were determined to 1) get their name out as much as possible and 2) compete against each other in terms of style and recognition.

Is it just me, or does this sound like two of the most important goals for brand managers?

There is no question that our society is bombarded by advertising.  You can’t leave your house without seeing slogans, brands, logos, and subliminal messaging.  It’s a form of “style wars,” in a sense.  Marketers and graffiti artists are trying to accomplish the same thing.

Graffiti and marketing share a common goal.  They both strive to grab their audience’s attention and make them yearn to learn more about who they are.  They strive to reach as many people as possible, while focusing on the ability to leave a lasting impression on others.

It’s all about branding!  Taggers understand branding.  They sleep, eat, and breathe branding.  In my opinion, graffiti is art and brand managers would be smart to hire accomplished graffiti artists.

Web Urbanist shows some excellent examples of 3D graffiti and traditional graffiti that has been or should be used in guerrilla marketing campaigns.  Artists like Shepard Fairey, who created the famous Obama campaign HOPE poster, have already proven that graffiti art can be used to promote brands.  So, since we share the same vision, why not unite to reach a common goal?

MTV has taken building interactivity and community into a brand strategy to the next level.  They are giving their fans complete creative control over their branding.  Today I came across this really cool website that allows people to submit their own version of the MTV logo, and if enough people like it, it will be used on the MTV website.  How cool!

MTV’s brand strategy had a humble beginning.  For those of you who haven’t noticed, MTV doesn’t really stand for “music television” as it once did.  MTV is synonymous with “pop culture,” so why not choose a logo that represents the same.

Frank Olinsky, Pat Gorman, and Patti Rogoff, young independent designers at the time, created the first MTV logo.  The original design consisted of a blocky 3-D “M” with a graffiti-scrawled “tv” on top of it. In the spirit of pure-nonconformity – rather than choosing “corporate colors” for the logo, they decided that the logo should always change, as music, art, and culture changes.  Over time, it has changed size and style, but the fundamental logo design has stayed consistent.  The ever-evolving design has kept the brand strategy current and trendy.

Now that’s what I call brilliant design!

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays.  It’s a low-stress holiday, full of bar-b-q, parties, beer, flags, and fireworks.  Independence Day gives us the opportunity to remember how fortunate we are to have freedom.  As we approach America’s birthday, I can’t help but point out how powerful a patriotic marketing strategy can be.  After all, American’s have the strongest sense of national pride!

Patriotic marketing works!  It is one way that companies can appeal to a very broad segment of consumers.  Most Americans love to support their country, veterans, and American brands.  People tend to feel a connection to their country of origin and strong sense of national pride.  By embracing these emotions, companies can influence consumer-purchasing decisions.

One way companies incorporate patriotism into their brand strategy is through their logo design.  Some companies choose a name and company logo to show their pride and others, such as Google, have incorporated the stars and stripes into their existing logo.

Other companies choose to incorporate patriotic colors or images into their packaging.  Most of us have seen “Made in the USA,” eagles, or American flags stamped on products.  This stamp of patriotic approval could make or break a consumers buying decision.

Another way to show national pride is by outreach marketing with customized promotional products.  People love free key chains, stress balls, magnets, pens, and pins.  And the best thing about them is that people keep them, use them in the future, and will reference back to them to find your phone number or web address.

Military discounts are a win-win marketing approach.  They show others that you support the troops, give back to those that protect and serve our country, and specifically speak to a very large and precise target market: military personnel.  If you’re having a difficult time promoting your discount,  Veterans Advantage is one way you can get your products or services in the hands of vetrans, personnel, and their families.

Display your support!  Patriotic marketing can be as simple as decorating with American flags, stars and stripes, or a yellow ribbon.  Just make sure you display patriotic items that are in good condition.  There’s nothing worse than a worn and tattered flag on display.

So get out there!  Hang your flag and show your pride.  Stand UNITED!

Flyers are a popular and effective way to market your company. However, there is a right and wrong way to create and distribute flyers. Over the many years that I worked in the property management industry, after trying countless methods of generating traffic, I found that one of the most successful ways to get prospects in the door was by distributing flyers.

This seems pretty basic and low-tech in today’s society, but it works! Nothing beats pounding the pavement, networking face to face, and getting the word out about your company with a small piece of paper.

I’ve created a list of dos and don’ts to guide you:

Do

• Distribute them in a place that will reach your target market.
• Have them printed professionally to ensure quality.
• Include a special promotion that is advertised on the flyer so you can easily track its effectiveness.
• Be consistent. Use the same theme, colors, and words as the rest of your brand messaging.
• Research your competitors and determine what is working for them.
• Include your phone number and website address.
• Use striking graphics. Use lifestyle photos and realistic images.
• Organize the content with boxes that have contrasting colors.

Don’t

• Include anything that is discriminatory (If advertising housing, fair-housing laws apply. You must advertise all sizes, kinds, and types.)
• Annoy potential clients. Beware of parking lots.  Most people hate getting flyers on their cars so if you must distribute them that way, consider putting a small flyer on the driver-side window, so it’s not as inconvenient and makes a better first impression on the customer.
• Go overboard on the verbiage. Keep the flyer simple. Include the top two to three features/benefits.
• Forget to proofread and double-check to make sure all of the information is accurate before your have them printed.
• Forget to include attention-grabbing headlines.
• Use hokey, cartoon images.

If you’re looking for inspiration and a few tips on how you can get your flyers noticed, check out this link.  UPrinting.com has several really creative designs.  In addition, HP offers some pretty nice templates that you can use if you don’t have a graphic design background and can’t afford to hire someone that does.

Today I found an amazing website called Paper Beats Internet.  It was created by the Ontario College of Art and Design.  This college is using Internet marketing to promote their services.  Visitors to the site can post a drawing and other users can respond or comment on each work of art by posting a drawing in response.  

www.paperbeatsinternet.com

This is a perfect example of how an organization can build a sense of community among its target market and use interactivity to make their product interesting and fun!  I have a passion for art and design so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share this website with you.