by Devorah Abrams Farmer | May 9, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Creative, Design, Latest, Social Media
Before social media came into existence, many of the things said on today’s blogs, Tweets, and other various social media venues, were said by word of mouth. Messages can become viral by word of mouth up to a point, but how accurate are these messages? Do you remember playing the game “Telephone”, where the message ended up totally different than the original statement? Then again how accurate is what is placed on the Internet?
An excellent example how Tweeter has affected people two years ago is the Arab Spring. The 140 character texts chimed out to thousands and thousands of people during that time. How many people it affected was totally amazing. Lest we forget Facebook was widely used during this time as well. Both of these social media sites also helped people worldwide have a distinct indicator of what was going on in the region.
This effect that social media had on multiple nations and its people, was noticed by businesses. It actually propelled the area of business into a new age. The age where there are immediate photos, voice bits, videos, and phone calls, which now have become the norm. We now have a worldwide society that addresses all markets, and the numerous people who are in them in real -time.
A recent example of social media affecting people and bringing their world to you in real-time, is the Boston Bombing. People Tweeted pictures, video, and sound bites to television media, in a matter of moments, maybe even nano-seconds. The FBI, Homeland Security, and the Boston Police had instant fodder to work with in trying to get the culprits. One man in Waterdown, Massachusetts took pictures and video on his balcony of the firefight that was going on in front of his apartment. He then flew into his bedroom for cover, but lifted his smartphone up to his window and continued to take pictures. These were later used for network and cable television news as well as information for the law enforcement people.
How has social media infected the Internet and the stock market? One incident that occurred recently was a hoax done in poor taste. It was claimed on Tweeter that President Obama was bombed in the Whitehouse. The stock market got hold of this information and for an hour the stock market numbers plummeted. The perpetrator was found and dealt with swiftly. Luckily, the stock market bounced back within an hour. It was an hour of hell for investors with mega-bucks to lose.
How does one prevent being infected like this again? Can a society who yearns for real-time information wait for social media to do some fact checking? Tweeter suspended this infectious account and provided information to the police, but serious damage had already been done. Billions of dollars had been traded for significant losses. Perhaps news like this if not caught in a short time frame does not only infect businesses in North America, but relationships abroad as well. After all in the Arab Spring social media not only brought protestors out into the streets, it toppled governments.
One thing is for sure is this shows people are more engaged than ever before on social media. How does one affect a new market area without accidently infecting social media with superfluous and potentially noxious information?
by Devorah Abrams Farmer | May 1, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Creative, Design, Latest, Social Media
Will your logos die a slow painful death, or will it stay vibrant and alive for a long time?
The old adage if your product is in demand, your logos could be timeless, proves to be true with such brands like Windsor Salt or Maple Leaf Foods. Products that are fortunate enough to get near what those products have achieved is the goal of every advertisers and no doubt their dream.
If your product has a simple recognizable logo such as Apple with a bite taken out of it, is recognizable anywhere in the world. It is not a complex, unobtainable symbol. It even provokes thought as to what the bite out of the Apple means. One meaning could be the bite Eve took out of the apple in the Garden of Eden, and gave it to Adam.
One of the most widely held interpretations says that the logo memorializes Alan Turing, the mathematician and scientist who laid the foundations for computer science with his pioneering research into artificial intelligence and unlocking German codes during the World War II. Turing committed suicide in 1954 by biting an apple laced with cyanide.1
Internet-Geeks and other Apple users like this interpretation. And yes, this simple logo is so thought provoking that the rumors to its meaning is debated to this day. There is no doubt this is part of the appeal of Apple’s logo.
Apple didn’t always have this logo Apple has changed the logo in color, theme and texture over the years. It has used the logo with a rainbow theme, an aqua theme and, since 2003, with a glass theme.2 It has adapted and has changed with the times.
When it comes to political candidates logos go a long way. A candidate cannot be in many places at once, but his logo can be everywhere. The logo even has to be simple enough to fit on a button. Having simple and bold ideas, and the adage that “less is more”, advertisers can make strong and empowering messages.
In order to proceed with determining what your logo will be you must research to see if a logo already exists; does it mean something strange or offensive in any other language; will consumers and companies be able to find you on the Internet.
Lindsay Sleightholm of 3H Communications Inc., of Oakville, Ontario says “when developing a logo, type-faces, graphics, colour, size, balance, print or digital applications, and mobile items are all important considerations. Another issue to consider is whether or not your logo will survive going from colour, to black and white. With a logo, you have to have a succinct visual, in order to communicate the brand essence. Your logo has to be easily recognizable, and stand apart within its market segment.” Logos, branding, and advertising methods have to change with the times as well; even from day to day in order to stay competitive.
by Daniel | Apr 29, 2013 | Advertising, Creative, Design, Latest
Flyers, brochures and catalogs are used globally and on a massive scale. They are a very cost-effective way to market your product, service, brand or event, and they produce some amazing results if they’re done well. The only problem is that with so many flyers out there already (literally millions), and so many more being produced and distributed each week, it can be very hard to produce something which stands out from the crowd, grabs the attention of the reader and makes an imprint on their memory.
In order to make something like this, which produces the results you’re looking for, you need to make sure your design is different. It needs to be fresh, original and unique – the more different from everything else it is, the better it will perform. In this post I have rounded up some awesome flyer designs to help you in your design project. Try to pinpoint which elements of the designs are consistent throughout and then incorporate that into your design. What is it about each design that draws your attention, are any more memorable than others for you? If so, why. It’s thinking and designing like this which will make the difference between a successful flyer and a complete disappointment.
On to the inspiration:
These flyers should have given you plenty of inspiration, ideas and pointers to take away and incorporate into your own flyer design. If you have any amazing examples of flyers, catalogs or brochures, then please feel free to share them in the comments section!
Once you’re finished with your design and you’re looking for a company to print a catalog, flyer or brochure for you, make sure you select one who provide a manual quality check process every order. Companies that offer this will check your order by hand to make sure it looks exactly as it should, and just as good as it looks on the computer screen. After putting so much work into your design, you don’t want it to fail at the last hurdle, so go with a reputable company.
Stay creative, and good luck with your flyer design!
Author Bio:Daniel has worked in design and marketing for the past 10 years. He enjoys keeping up to date on everything to do with design, print, technology and creativity, and you can find him blogging about these things regularly here and at other top blogs around the web
by Lisa Wedmann | Mar 8, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Creative, Design, Latest
Adrien Gagnon, the Quebec Natural Health Products provider for over 60 years, found themselves losing their market, their leadership and their relationship with Quebecers. As such, they needed to reposition their brand to the Quebecer of today, providing a contemporary and youthful image. With our understanding of the regional market differences in Quebec, we were able to create a strategy that will speak to the Quebecer to re-establish Adrien Gagnon as a leader in health and wellness.
The first step in this process was to re-brand their logo and their positioning
Here’s how:
Positioning Statement
Adrien Gagnon is all about health and wellness. The goal for the new tagline was to create a simple message that would ultimately speak volumes for the brand. As a health and wellness company, «santé vous-bien» (“Be Well”) or Take Care of You, was the positioning statement that speaks best to what Adrien Gagnon is about. PLUS, the french tagline includes a fun play on words. The French word for health << santé>> and feel << sentez >> sound the same phonetically…so it was a natural.
Logo
The redesign of the logo was kept simple, peaceful and tranquil. We used 2 leaves in the corner of their name to represent wellness while keeping Adrien Gagnon’s name bold with a healthy green colour.
The 2 colours are representative of heritage (dark green) and growth (light green) illustrating the credibility and new stance that is now Adrien Gagnon. This new vibrant logo speaks to Adrien Gagnon’s health and wellness values and positions the company and young and vibrant.
From concept development, graphic design to positioning statements, we deliver solid re-branding strategies that are sure to embody your brand values and get your brand noticed!
by Jenna Elberson | Feb 11, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Design, Latest, Social Media
Marketing is essential for any business, and it’s a field that’s constantly researched, analyzed, and developed by professionals. In general, there are lots of marketing activities you can do on your own to save money, such as posting flyers around town or designing business cards. There are others, however, that are best left to the experts, and here are five of them.
Review Tracking
Because so many people rely on online reviews to make their purchase decisions, it’s incredibly important that you keep track of what people are saying about your business online. Review tracking can help you stay ahead of the curve in managing your online reputation, but it’s also a time-consuming and tedious process. For the most efficient review tracking, it’s best to outsource the job to a company who has the necessary tools and experience to do it for you.
Mass Mailing
Direct, mass mailings are incredibly effective when compared to other forms of offline marketing, and it’s still an approach that many businesses take and profit from. Mass mailing, however, is just that – massive. When mailing out thousands and thousands of flyers – as you need to do to achieve sufficient results – it is a job best left to another company who specializes in it. They have the printers, machinery, and hands needed so that you don’t have to waste time and suffer from papercuts as you address and stuff every envelope by hand.
Review Moderation
Another job that’s best left to outsourcing is review moderation. Not only do you need a company to track your online reviews and reputation, but you also need a company who can moderate those reviews. For example, they can be on the lookout for damaging, fraudulent reviews, and they can take the necessary steps on your behalf to remove fraudulent reviews from the web. A company who specializes in review moderation can help you maintain a good online reputation.
Television Commercials
Unless you run a video production company, it’s best to leave your television commercials to other professionals. When you run an ad on TV, the quality is highly important. If you run a poorly filmed and poorly edited commercial, it will make your business look of lesser quality. It’s also time-consuming and difficult to create a good commercial if you don’t know what you’re doing – if not impossible. Outsource your TV commercials to a video production company that specializes in creating marketing videos and commercials for businesses like yours
PPC Management
A pay-per-click campaign is an excellent way to boost traffic to your website. It’s quick and efficient, but it also requires a lot of monitoring, maintenance, and strategic planning. An online marketing company that can help run your PPC campaign is a good investment to make. They can help you analyze its effectiveness, do tedious keyword research, make sure your ads look and read as well as they should to earn clicks, and make sure you’re getting the best value.
Garrett Payne is an online review management professional with a special interest in review tracking. Garrett suggests those involved in review management; which tasks are best left to the experts.
by Matina Singh | Jan 23, 2013 | Branding, Design, Latest, Marketing
So your business made it off the ground, you’re generating revenue, but you’ve hit a roadblock with your growth and revenue. Perhaps it’s too niche or misleading, or tied to a geographic location – what to do? Re-branding your company requires careful consideration and planning in order to achieve a successful outcome and take your business to the next level. But this also involves a lot of risks.
Be aware of all the risks of re-branding before you start the process. As a marketer I know how quickly you can get caught up in design and other issues, just don’t let it get you! Re-branding is more than changing a logo or adding bolder images. It is also about researching and understanding the consumer, analyzing changes in target markets when exploring opportunities for brand expansion and repositioning.
Yet, even when forewarned, many still make some common mistakes. Here are the top 5 mistakes to avoid:
- Re-branding without research
Put money and time into researching the consumer’s perspective on the product or service. What do (don’t) they like, what attracts them etc.
- Wrong assumption “A brand is just a logo”
Your brand is more that just a logo. A brand integrates all aspects of your business; everything from look, feel, culture, tone, voice, product quality, customer care… leading to consumer perception.
- Getting started without a plan
Make sure you have a plan from start to finish. From research and analysis to setting up time frames, to identifying metrics for assessing results (ROI).
- Not leveraging existing brand equity
A company with high brand equity may not need to undergo a big transformation… or rather, shouldn’t need to go through a huge transformation. When you have a strong brand equity… tread softly and lightly. However you do it, make sure the current brand equity stays strong!
- Getting buy in internally prior to external.
Getting employees to understand the reason and goal of re-branding is very important because they will have to sell it to the consumers. This is equally more important in lieu of social media. Internal branding is increasingly important as each employee is a brand ambassador. In short, if they don’t believe it, neither will the consumer.
Going through a re-branding is and can be very challenging. It’s not so much setting the goal, but reaching it successfully. Having gone through a major re-branding I can only say that walking the talk is monumentally important. The re-branding that I was involved in failed miserably on convincing internal people that the change was necessary. The bigger the company, the more time is needed to make sure everyone is informed and all understand why there needs to be a change. If they understand, they will be able to explain it to the consumer. If you believe it, you will show it!
A successful re-branding requires a vision that inspires consumers, investors and others to see the company in a new light. We can learn from other companies who have gone through re-branding. This could be a successful re-brand or even a failure, if we learn from them we will not make the same mistake. Check out the 10 most successful re-branding campaigns ever. This article not only shows how they did it, it also let us know the lesson to be learned. Very interesting!
