Brand Dots

Posts Tagged ‘Advertising’

Boone Oakley is an advertising agency that has created brilliant campaigns for clients, such as MTV, Carmax, and Ruby Tuesday.  Their work is hilarious and their cutting-edge tactics have earned them Ad Age’s title of Southeast Ad Agency of the Year.

Boone Oakley uses a YouTube video for their main website.  It’s interactive and fun!  Check it out.  It’s very clever.

The video above is their homepage.  It shows an innovative and humorous brand story.  Storytelling is a common thread in their advertisements and viral campaigns.

My favorite video on their website can be found under “News,” where they thank Obama for naming his dog Bo after the company.  They make the connection between their initials and the spelling of the pooch’s name.  They also reveal that they share a name with Bo Derek, whom they refer to as a dreadlocked white girl, forever connecting their brand with sexiness.  It’s pretty funny.

The dawn of social networks has undeniably created new opportunities for marketers. Consumers have an opportunity to share opinions about anything and everything they purchase. A reported 50 million Facebook users are currently sharing their thoughts about brands on a regular basis.

According to Reuters, earlier this year social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, were struggling financially. They have been trying to find a way to capitalize on their massive and rapidly growing consumer base. Like most websites, advertising revenue seemed to be the most logical way to generate a profit.

This week, the NY Times reported that Facebook is now selling advertisements that display people’s profile photos next to commercial messages that are shown to their friends about the brands that they purchase or register an opinion about. Consumers that participate will have the opportunity to share their online purchases with their friends. For example, if you buy a new CD from iTunes, you can add it to your Facebook profile and let everyone know how you feel about the new album.

From a marketing perspective, this is the perfect marriage between understanding consumer behavior and advertising. Every profile contains demographic information about each consumer. This tool could shed light on who is really purchasing products and why they make the purchase decisions that they do – marketer’s dream!

But not so fast; the Federal Trade Commission sees the risk associated with protecting the privacy of consumers. So for now, Facebook has promised to keep these details to themselves.  Oh…to be a fly on the wall at Facebook.

Laura Reis’ article, The Demise of Dell, provides a great example of why expansion is NOT the answer. 10 years ago, Dell was the best selling personal computer brand in the world!  They were focused on one thing: selling personal computers directly to businesses.  And then they decided to expand to the consumer electronics market.  They even started selling their PCs in retail stores, such as Sears and Walmart.

What were they thinking? Dell was known for having a direct to business sales/distribution model. They sold their souls, thinking that they would be able to capture more customers if they found new ways to sell and distribute their product. This change turned their tried-and-true business model on its head. It confused consumers and made people wonder what their brand really stood for.

History repeats itself and this is one example that proves that brands can’t be everything to everyone.  Stick to what you know and what you’re known for!

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?

As a child, I was always creative.  I loved art, music, and eccentricity.  God bless my parents because I put them through hell during my teenage years.   If I could label my teens and early twenties, I would call them my “Rockstar” years.

I started my undergrad degree as a rockin’, partying, art student.  But after a few years I realized that, while I loved art, I didn’t want to end up a “starving artist” so I changed my major to Marketing.  This was probably the best decision I ever made because, little did I know at the time, Marketing was my calling. While pondering my evolution, I had an epiphany.  I may have grown older and my focus has shifted to my family and career, but I haven’t lost my rockstar roots.

To build a successful brand, YOU have to be a ROCKSTAR!

• Stand out!  Be the company that sports pink hair, so to speak.  Make people within your respective industry stand up and take notice.
• Go against the grain.  It’s okay to be controversial.  Burger King is the first example that comes to mind.  They make a lot of people question their advertising methods but they continue to win over fans from their target market.
• Revolutionize.  You say you want a revolution?  Create one!  Be the first to try new things.  Break the mold.  Give your customers new and improved products.  Try a new distribution method or take your advertising strategy up a notch.
• Keep it real! Don’t be fake; authenticity is key.  Be consistent in your brand messaging, stay true to yourself and company values, and be genuine.
• Nobody likes a sell-out.  Fans know if you’re the real deal.  Give them what they want and stay true to who you are.  You can’t be everything to everyone.  Be you!
• Start a fan club.   Build a sense of community around your brand.  Give your customers an interactive experience.  Plan events, encourage feedback, and reward your loyal customers.  Harley Davidson has mastered this strategy.

So, to all my fellow rockstars – the key to your success is staying true to who you are, making yourself the center of attention, and embracing your fans.  If you keep this in mind, your brand will continue to ROCK ON!

Oh my!  Check out the new Evian Roller Babies commercial.  According to the NY Daily News, this commercial is the latest YouTube sensation.  It has been watched by 3.8 million people!  Some may think it’s creepy.  Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a mommy, but I thought it was hilarious and adorable!  It makes me want to pick up a bottle of Evian so I can feel as good as those little guys.

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.

In today’s economy companies are getting desperate!  Some of the most established companies have lost sight of the basic elements of a promotional campaign.  So, here are a few pointers.   Be sure to ask yourself the following questions before you hit the ground running:

1.  What’s the point?

Identifying your marketing objective is the first step to developing your promotional campaign.  All goals should be SMART: Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time related.  You have to make your objective clear to everyone involved in your campaign so your team knows exactly what is expected and your final destination.  Is your goal to increase customer retention by 5%? Close on 5 new clients? Increase revenue by $2,000?  The possibilities are endless…but they should always be clearly communicated.

2.  Who’s your target?

Next, you’ve got to identify your target market.  You have to make sure your campaign is seen by the demographic that will benefit from your product most.  If your target market sees how your product will benefit them, they will be more likely to purchase your product of service.

3.  What do you have to say?

The whole idea behind a promotional campaign is to make customers aware of your product or service.  Your brand message should be consistent and clear. What’s your story?  What are your values, the core essence of your company, your competitive advantage?  The message that you send can affect the type of promotional media you will use-viral, internet, guerilla, radio, TV, etc.

4.  How much is it going to cost?

Marketers hate the “B” word. That’s right…BUDGET.  I know, I said it.  Sorry.  A marketing budget is actually a good thing.  It gives planners a guideline for what they have to spend.  It will also help you determine the type of promotional media you can afford to use.

5.  How are you going to mix the market?

You must then determine the mix that you will use to promote your product.  The marketing mix consists of the 4 Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.  Depending on your product or service, you may have to put an emphasis on one function more than another.  Identifying the correct balance for this mix may be the most important part of developing your promotional campaign.  You need to research the competition, conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, and determine how you will differentiate yourself.  You may also want to identify how the other (added) 3 Ps will affect your campaign: People, Processing, and Packaging!

6.  How long do you have to send the message?

When will your campaign start and end?  Will it be completed in phases?  As you set these time-oriented goals they should be measureable and realistic.  It’s okay if you have to reevaluate your goals as you make progress.   Goals must still be set.  It’s easy to put things off if you don’t have a clear goal for the completion of each task.  It may be most effective if you create a calendar that shows what will be completed each day until the campaign is complete.

7.  What’s the benchmark?

Finally, you must identify how the success (or failure) of your campaign will be measured.  How will it be evaluated?  There are several marketing campaign evaluation templates available online.  A good evaluation can help you determine how to keep your current campaign going and will give you insight on how to plan for future campaigns.