by Justin James | Jul 29, 2013 | Creative, Events, Latest
After four learning intensive weeks, I have completed my internship with 3H Communications. In my time here, I have had the opportunity to learn new programs, experience work from an employee’s perspective, and meet talented designers and marketers.
The programs I have used in my time here include Microsoft office, Adobe InDesign, and Photoshop, all of which I have used before. There were however new programs and applications I learned, such as Google Analytics, Facebook Ad Manager, WordPress, and Optify. These programs are used to analyze and build website authority. WordPress is used to create blogs with quality content, and make links, to increase a website’s authority. Optify is a massive dashboard program with a wealth of information I’ve barely dented, but has already proven useful for tracking what pages people visit on a website and what the SEO ranking is.
Facebook Ad Manager and Google Analytics both break down metrics so that you can see how many people are engaged with your Facebook page and website, respectively. Both of these programs contain a lot of informative online statistics but are extremely fast and easy to use – not to mention free.
In addition to working with programs, I had the opportunity to work with many talented people. My favourite experience with 3H was observing the focus groups to decide on new packaging for one of their clients. It was a fun experience to be behind the one-way mirror, and I learned a lot about what consumers look for in a pharmaceutical product. I think focus groups are extremely effective, because who can tell you what consumers will want better than the consumers themselves?
The last big lesson I’ve learned during my internship at 3H
is that a careful balance between online and offline marketing is needed to grow a business. Without promotion, a company will never get their products or services in the public’s eye. Effective advertising, creating a brand and promoting it in the right channels are essential for offline promotion. Positively interacting with online communities on social media, having a website, and updating that website regularly are all important parts of growing your business on the internet.
Having a clear strategy and implementing the right marketing tactics can drive the success and growth of a business. If you don’t have the marketing skills and knowledge for your business, then it pays to hire professionals who do.
Again, I’m very thankful I had this internship opportunity with 3H, and am excited to use the skills and knowledge I’ve gained here in my future business studies and career.
by Justin James | Jul 22, 2013 | Advertising, Creative, Events, Latest, Marketing
You’ve likely heard the term “Emotional Appeal” before.
Chances are that a marketing teacher, co-worker, or boss has said that Emotional Appeal can be an effective technique to build a connection with your audience and make them interested in your product. And, well… they’re right.
Emotional Appeal can sometimes be omitted or be unremarkable in the sea of other ads competing for your attention.
A beer ad, for example, may advertise a peaceful lifestyle on the beach and happiness among good looking people. There are many other beer companies advertising along similar lines, playing on those same emotions.
However, one often overlooked form of Emotional Appeal is making a timely short term campaign. If you get hold of a trend while it is still rising, there’s a good chance that you will be able to find an angle to capture audiences’ attention. However, one of the most difficult problems when creating ads is that trends can die quickly, before the ads are all in place. For this reason, it is important to look for the underlying emotions that trend evokes.
One recent example of a ‘trend’ that’s very popular right now involves Talia Castellano. To summarize, Talia is a 13-year old girl, a cancer patient from Florida. She posted some makeup tutorial videos on YouTube and Ellen DeGeneres, the little girl’s idol, invited her onto The Ellen Show.
As soon as the show went live, Talia became an instant sensation across North America! She was trending on twitter, Google searches, YouTube, and had half a million likes on her Facebook fan-support page. The general emotion generated by her fans was pity, sadness, and inspiration for Talia’s good spirit in face of adversity.
Sadly, Talia passed away on July 16th. Ellen gave Talia a professionally shot . Only then did I realize how much potential CoverGirl had for an entire new campaign launch. The campaign revolved around what teachers and colleagues have been talking about: Emotional Appeal.
The reaction this company received from making Talia a CoverGirl was incredible. Their new Talia-inspired Facebook posts are still receiving record-breaking likes, shares, and comments on social media. Because of the giant wave of sympathy for Talia and wide-exposure of the event, CoverGirl was able to instantly gain large fan-support, which they could further capitalize on if they play on the emotions and make a Talia product line.
A product line, or just a few products with the name dedicated to the young girl, would have many fans lining up to support her memory. Even more hordes of well-wishers would support the if CoverGirl decided to donate a percentage of the proceeds to the American Cancer Society (or Canadian Cancer Society). They would be able to increase profits and good will at the same time, while supporting a worthwhile cause.
There are many similar tactics a marketer could use with their company in the future. Remember, however, that this is a short term advertising strategy. Inevitably, the story will be replaced by another over time. The key to selling trend-based Emotional Appeal is to act quickly and ride the wave. That is where a quick thinking entrepreneur or marketer could get the jump on larger, slow-to-act conglomerates.
Some insight, as well as a bit of luck, is required to get on a story that will ‘blow-up’ or ‘go viral’. It pays to have an active marketing team to keep your content and ads fresh and current. If you arrive at the station too late, you’ll miss the train.
by Justin James | Jul 17, 2013 | Creative, Latest
Wow! My second full week at 3H! In the eight days I’ve been here, I have already learned much about building a brand name, marketing, and using social media to interact with your audience. I’ve also learned how similar school and work are, and also how different they are.
First, what’s similar between School and Work?
- You are always learning. Whether its knowledge or a skill, there is always more you can learn to complete your work more efficiently and effectively.
- Punctuality is important! Both your teachers and bosses expect their charges to arrive on time.
- You work is marked! You complete a series of tasks for your supervisor, and then are graded on them; just in a different way: Instead of an “A+” it might be a “Good work, Jones. You aren’t fired… today…” Instead of report cards, there are employee evaluations, but someone is keeping track.
- It helps to know the smart kid! Whether you’re lost in the curriculum the night before the test or the boss has already explained your duty twice and you still don’t understand, the smart kid, or co-worker, can always help you pull through.
- Deadlines must be met! You must plan ahead to complete your work by the agreed-upon time or there will be repercussions.
Although the core elements of both school and work may be similar, there are defining differences between the two.
What are the differences between School and Work?
- You have more responsibility in a workplace. In school, you can have an off day and write an assignment poorly, get a “C” and move on to the next day, where hopefully you do better. At work, you disappoint both the client and the boss, which reflects poorly on the company.The boss now has to take your below-standard contributions into consideration, and may fire you as a result. The stakes are higher, and the repercussions are more serious. This is because there is money on the line with businesses.
- There’s less subject diversity! In school, you can take a variety of subjects, many which are unrelated. You can take a Spanish class, followed by marine biology, followed by health and fitness. In work, you will likely be limited to one or two fields, with very similar day-to-day tasks to complete. It’s true when they say, “Do what you love,” because you’ll be doing a lot of it!
- Asking questions: In school, when you have a question about content, even if it’s silly, you raise your hand and ask the teacher. At work, you want to ask your boss as few questions as possible, so that you seem more competent. Google is my best friend—it knows the answers and doesn’t judge by how obvious the answers are.
- Time spent: Not only is the average workday two hours longer than school, but the lunches are shorter as well. In a standard workday in Ontario, an employee is entitled to a 30 minute meal break every five hours (unpaid) and that’s all. In school, you have an hour long lunch, sometimes longer.
- Money! At school, you labor with the hopes of attending entrance to a top college or university or, better yet, to get a scholarship. At work, you are paid for your hours, and exemplary work may result in bonuses! Good thing too, since the parents are usually willing to foot the bills once school ends.
What I have learned is that it is important to put a lot of thought into my future career. Doing work is hard – but it can be challenging and even enjoyable when you do something you love.
by Justin James | Jul 15, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
In my past blog posts, I stated the reasons why companies should rethink making their YouTube commercial stream before popular videos can be viewed. I believe that video marketing can be a very effective tool. However, like other social media, it can also backfire when done incorrectly. In order to avoid the ‘hard sell’ on viewers’ ‘me time’, there are some guidelines you should follow:
Four tips on how to have a not-so-awful YouTube commercial:
1) Make the ad enjoyable. If you are going to try to bring business into the social space, then avoid the hard sell. You want to make sure that the video is, at least, mildly entertaining. Humor can turn your video from a sales pitch to entertainment, making it something people may actually watch. If you can’t make the ad funny, at least be creative with it.
2) Allow your audience to skip the ad after the first few seconds. If you’re spending money on the ad, you don’t want people to leave halfway through—you want people to watch it! But the longer you keep the viewer waiting to see their intended video, the more intolerant they will become of your ad and message. Give them the option to skip the ad should your product or service be of no interest to them. If your product or service is relevant and they are willing to watch the full ad the first time it plays, they would already know what you have to say, and would not want to watch it again.
The optimal time your ad should run before you give them the choice to stop watching is five seconds. By then, you should have already established who you are and what you offer. If they aren’t interested in that time, you’ve already lost them. Alternatively, you can give the viewer the option to skip your ad as soon as it pops up. However, most viewers will not mind a few seconds and you have a better chance of getting your message across if you set the skip option at 5 seconds.
3) Keep it concise. YouTube is not a place for long-winded infomercials, unless you put them on your own channel. As I mentioned in #2, if someone isn’t interested in your YouTube commercial within the first five seconds, they won’t change their minds after thirty. To be successful, your ad must immediately grip the viewer and make them curious. Keeping your YouTube commercial short will ensure you don’t annoy those who are not presently interested in your message.
To get a viewer hooked, bring your message across quickly and clearly. Have a call to action – to visit your YouTube channel, your Facebook, your twitter, your website – whichever space you are promoting. If they are interested in your message, they will click through for more information. Once they are on your turf, you can offer the longer commercials.
4) Choose your music carefully. Remember that your ad could be viewed several times by the same viewer. If your video begins to play and you have a song that sounds unprofessional or unpleasant, it will become increasingly annoying the more they are forced to listen to it. Choose a popular song or an instrumental version in the music genre that best suits your target demographic, or keep the soundtrack neutral. After all, no one’s ever complained about elevator music.
With these tips, you can advertise to YouTube audiences more effectively—without driving potential customers away.
by Justin James | Jul 12, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
If you read my last blog, you would know that I am not a fan of video ads on YouTube. Not only are they irksome to the viewer, but they may actually hurt the company’s reputation and cause ill will.
Luckily, Google ads allow advertisers to reach their audience through YouTube without disturbing the video viewers. The two preferred alternatives to YouTube commercials are:
Post original content – Creative YouTube Videos
Companies can post as many commercials as they want, as long as they’re on their own channel. For example, Pepsi has a four-minute long commercial with over 130,000 likes and 37 million views! The reason this commercial is so much more successful than other paid commercials on YouTube is (1) because the video is humorous and (2) they invite you to come see it, rather than hunting you down.
The point of using social media is to have people share and discuss things that interest them. Offering a more entertaining option instead of a ‘hard sell’ video on a social site can lead to greater success when people share the video with friends.
The alternative method would be…
Pay for static ads –
To reference my last blog post again, the door-to-door salesman is back, but he hasn’t rung your doorbell. You can see him through the window, sitting outside your house with his big sign and briefcase, but at least he’s not harassing you while you eat. This salesman is still making you feel slightly annoyed, especially when he begins to dance around or tries to make you play a game (gif ads), but at least he’s willing to be courteous enough to let you choose if you want to hear what he has to say.
Alternatively, if you have a static ad, perhaps in a sidebar or underneath the video, it will not directly interfere with the video the viewer is trying to watch. Even a pop-up ad on the video is acceptable, since a viewer can just click the “x” in the top right corner to close it.
Static ads are less engaging than videos with original content. However, they are also less expensive. If the tag lines of the ad are interesting enough, a few people may actually click through and read what you have to say about your product.
If you feel compelled to make YouTube commercials anyways, I will offer some tips in my next blog post on making your video ads as palatable as possible.
