by Miriam Hara | Apr 13, 2011 | Advertising
For effective pharmaceutical advertising you need to take off the lab coat. It might be intuitive to assume that regulation stomps creation, but structure can also be viewed as a firm jumping-off point. You need to colour within the guidelines.
There were two specific hurdles ahead of us at 3H when we partnered with global brand Johnson & Johnson to develop “Point it out”, a campaign for acne care product RETIN-A MICRO®: 1) Create a campaign that would speak to young adults while promoting a new OTC (over-the-counter) product, and 2) adhere to the strict guidelines of PAAB (Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board).
This campaign also achieved duality, speaking with authority while welcoming the attention of the target (young adults) with its contemporary approach. Our creative had to be crisp and efficient, so we made every element informative – pairing strong headline messaging with a striking visual that instantly communicated the product’s benefits.
Use clear messaging; use bold creative.
by Miriam Hara | Mar 30, 2011 | Advertising
Many marketers believe that the internet has replaced classic research methodology. The interactive/digital arena has allowed us different channels or more accurately, a different way to approach research. The age of online surveys is upon us- with its panel respondents and “e-recruitment” approach. Gathering critical information has never been easier…
But is that truly accurate?
Beware, these new “quick and easy” approaches come with their own set of disadvantages and compromises.
True enough, social media has allowed us the ability to segment and plunge into market trends and preference at little expense. One shouldn’t confuse the ability to reach with the ability to gather information of those segments. They are two entirely different components of the marketing whole. Those that believe that classic research approaches such as focus groups, surveys and case studies are things of the past, may be a tad too hasty.
The alphabet of market research may contain digital media; digital media does not replace it. In the ever changing world of marketing (B2B or B2C) reaching “consumers” via social media is an integral part of your published content vehicle- it is important to publish text, video and keep above the tide of the feed. Not only will research help you to develop your target, it will give you an edge on the competition and help you in strategizing your campaigns.
Classic marketing research needed to adapt and it has. The ability to do online focus groups (no, not surveys) in the comfort of your own home is really something to celebrate! I recently attended one through an innovative firm, Head Research… and loved it!
The need for a concise and professional discussion protocol, with the added expertise of an excellent moderator can never be replaced. Just like a well engineered survey questionnaire. Market Research must be done well as it gives a company a strong backbone and further leverages investment potential.
mph
by Miriam Hara | Mar 23, 2011 | Advertising
Let’s face it.
Things have been challenging for print advertising. The rise of social media has made it apparent that online, mobile content gives clients more opportunities when trying to leverage sales.
The recession also didn’t help.
You’d think advertising budgets would go down, but is that really true?.
New trade ads show print media is investing in advertisements for advertisers – defining their readership in order to attract the right ones.
In the good old days, publications were the platform, period.
But according to Nielsen ratings, Canadian ads fell 21 per cent in the last year. And so print must respond, “We are worthy!”
Despite global cuts to ad funding, more and more publications have chosen to invest in their own in-house marketing departments and now ad revenue is climbing.
Media buyers and advertisers are selecting ad space with a critical eye and marshalling traffic for strategic placement.
The market is pressing reset, and largely distributed publications are launching these sophisticated marketing outfits in order to (re)define their readership and attract the right consumers.
The Globe and Mail’s Globe Media have launched a campaign that “gives a glimpse inside the lives of [Globe & Mail readers].” Oxygen magazine went so far as to label their ideal reader as the “O Generation,” creating a trade ad, which depicts a young, fashionable blond woman carrying an iPod™.
Savvy of their image, modern print media is strengthening their revenue backbone, turning the financial tables by controlling what they have, in the past, relied so heavily on.
by Miriam Hara | Feb 16, 2011 | Advertising
Smartphones are getting smarter, all thanks to advertising. With more people accessing the internet through their mobile phones, ad upgrading offers a huge niche for ad revenue. Mobile advertising is where creative juices (and funding) will be flowing hard. The thought of putting progressive advertising into the palm of every smartphone user’s hand couldn’t’ be more exciting!
Image provided courtesy of the Annie Mole (flickr), under the creative commons license.
With Google’s acquisition of Android Operating Systems and with the purchase of AdMob, the largest mobile advertising network out there, Google has put their stake in the sand for the fight in mobile advertising dominance.
A hair behind is Apple, with a $275 million dollar acquisition of Quattro Wireless after losing out to AdMob. The launch of the iPhone 4G which allows users to browse multiple programs simultaneously, has invariably improved the possibility for greater advertising space.
This means a great change for agencies, as it builds a brand new facet to our already lively interactive sector, and a viable tool for branding and monetizing the mobile web. Mobile advertising in the recent past was relatively archaic and chunky, but with big media players investing in functionality, the result is our playground.
mph
by Miriam Hara | Jun 7, 2010 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative
Advertising 101: Deadlines don’t change at the last minute, so why wait till the day of delivery to state that to clients? It always surprises me to hear a certain timbre of frustration in clients’ voices when speaking about this topic in reference to their agencies. How complicated can this be? Our business is based on creativity and deadlines. Advertising 101 is all about meeting both of these requirements is what solidifies sound working partnerships and relationships.
Photo by @mikepick available under a creative commons license
The philosophy at my agency has always been to be transparent with our clients. If we are brought into a project and briefed with a set deadline that we feel we cannot meet based on our quality standard and the mandate, we will say so right there. That’s exercising Advertising 101 for relationship building. Nothing is worse than accepting a project and not respecting the time commitment, and in fact, letting down your client. That is setting up your team for failure. At times it hasn’t been easy, but with our process efficiencies, knowledge and talent, we can proudly say we have never missed a deadline in over 20 years… and that really means that we have never failed our clients.
by Miriam Hara | May 19, 2010 | Advertising
As a long-standing advertising agency, we consider ourselves as professional creative marketers.
Regardless of the industry or medium in which we are working – we ask the same questions with one key difference: we listen first.
Every advertising agency has its process, and we do as well. Our Brand Kinetix ensures that we evaluate every project in a certain way. We listen with no expectation of what the answers will be. No ‘same-old, same-old’ standard, run-of-the-mill solutions. The result is fresh, appealing, even zesty creative – with out-of-the-box new strategies for any particular industry. Keeping fresh is what makes our agency hum, and tick, and whirr. We constantly build and keep momentum… at the creative and marketing level, as well as at our client level.
Photo by faith goble available under a creative commons license
The cross exposure of all that our creative team touches makes us versatile and constantly challenged to be progressive. I have to say that after 20 plus years of exposure to so many industries (just go to our on-line portfolio to see), the beauty of our diversification, is that we have become specialists in many industries and so many mediums.
