by Miriam Hara | Jun 4, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Creative, Latest
What makes for bad advertising? The answer is simple.. and often it’s not in the brief, because there wasn’t one! Ultimately what consumers see as the result is often the cumulation of poor direction, bad decisions and no creative brief outlining the brand’s basic position, the reason to believe and competitive landscape.
Way too often I find print ads selling their features and not educating and concentrating on benefits; or billboards featuring paragraphs rather than clever succinct statements and visuals inspiring curiosity…. and my all time favourite, TV ads way too concerned on providing entertainment value at the expense of the brand and benefit. When ever I see any of these, I always wonder what the brief looked like to begin with.
Before going any further, let me acknowledge that I can hear it from here…. the outcry… “but it’s what the client wants!” Well, that may be true, but as Creative Professionals, I believe it is our role to accommodate our clients’ wishes but also to advise them in making the best marketing decisions possible to avoid some of the symptoms of bad advertising. If a brief isn’t provided, then provide one…before you start on creative. Only then can you direct any creative discussion rationally.
Let’s face it, bad advertising only results in unsuccessful marketing and very poor ROI. It has been my experience, when presenting to clients, that once you explain the reasons why you shouldn’t do something and yes, even invest in showing them what is being compromised, clients really do get it.
Throughout my career I have often been asked by marketing professionals what I think of an ad (no matter what channel) that they or their organization just created. My answer is always the same,“what was the brief?”. Creative must come from the brief. The brief must be accurate, clear and pertinent… If a brief was not written, the ad assessment will be dependent on a number of criteria, many of them subjective…and a moving target. When I see ads that actually get to the marketplace without a clear single focused message…. I really wonder who did it…and what happened….and why.
Advertising isn’t about pretty pictures and for it to work there are certain protocols that need to be followed. At times it can be challenging, I get that…. but isn’t that very challenge the reason we as Creative Professionals are in this particular industry… Am I right?
As Creative Professionals we are often faced and given mountains of information to decipher and create a single succinct statement that speaks to the end benefit, the reason to believe, the unique selling proposition. As designers, we are given too many visual elements AND the logo (if there is only one!), along with too much information…all to be incorporated in a layout that has to have a visual flow directing the consumer’s eyes to make sure that the main message is delivered. The challenge remains the same in each one of these instances…a single focused message.
Great creative needs a very clear message. Bad ads don’t have one… they have a few… all shouting for attention. Great ads are those that increase brand and service awareness, increase the knowledge of the brand or service benefits and inspire confidence as well. They inspire confidence because they are presented professionally and well. When a client wants to throw in the kitchen sink into the ad…. as creative professionals you do have 2 options. 1) Give in without a fight and create mediocre advertising, or 2) go the extra mile, show them the ad with the kitchen sink… and show them the single focused ad . More often than not, they will side with the value…the single
I invite you to talk to me…. Share with me your stories… the brilliant, the bad, the ugly and the win! I’d love to hear about them.
by Lisa Wedmann | May 30, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
Influential at work
Let’s face it you can’t get anyone to do anything. Nobody cares. You’re a big loser and you get nothing done.
You’re not the boss and everyone knows it. It doesn’t matter that the Big Giant Head told you to make it happen. It’s not happening. They won’t listen. Just like the theme song for the TV show, Malcom in the Middle, your coworkers are telling you “You’re not the boss of me and you’re not so big”.
Sigh.
If only you had authority. If only you could put your foot down and make people do what you want. If only you were influential. Then it would be easy.
… double sigh.
You may think you are the only one who has this problem. You’re not.
We all do.
No matter where you are in the organization, each one of us needs the help and cooperation of others in order to get results.
The challenge for you and for each one of us is how to get results without being the Big Giant Head?
One of the most important strategies to get results from others is influence.
Being influential is not manipulative or devious or taking advantage. It is about working with the team to overcome barriers that can stand in your way to get things done.
There are many ways to influence others. But in my view these are the top 5.
1. TAKE AN INTEREST IN OTHER PEOPLE
People do things for people they like. Become sincerely interested in other people. Smile, remember their names and be a good listener. Encourage them to talk about themselves. It’s that simple.
2. BE SENSITIVE AND PERSISTENT
What if they still say NO?
Don’t give up.
Many times no doesn’t mean no. It could really mean I need more information or I am lost. After you identify the underlying reason, do what you can to fix the objection and don’t hesitate to ask again. Be sensitive and persistent.
3. KEEP YOUR OPINIONS TO YOURSELF
Do not criticize your coworkers. Do not criticize management. And in particular do not talk about your personal beliefs. Do not discuss politics or religion. Criticism is insidious and will rip your team apart. Instead be professional and focus on the positive aspects of the job.
4. BE GRATEFUL
Everyone wants to be appreciated and noticed in a positive way. Acknowledge to them and to others the important role they are playing or have played. This is not about you and the praise you receive it is about recognizing others. If they think you won’t express appreciation then it is unlikely they will do anything to help you meet your goal.
5. STOP WHEN THEY SAY YES
And once they’ve said yes. Stop. Don’t continue to say why it is important. This is insulting and plain annoying. They understand, why do you keep telling them?
So now you have a strategy and some tools to work with your team and get the job done. The Big Giant Head will be proud.
by Miriam Hara | May 30, 2013 | Business Success, Latest, Social Media
It’s clear that like all things in marketing you need to determine your objectives. Only then can you evaluate and assess if your Social Media efforts are performing well. Once you have determined your objectives, the most critical aspect of developing a community is creating a social media calendar that will provide you with clear and concise directions and strategy on writing of posts.
What is an social media calendar?
A social media calendar allows you to plan out your topics and initiatives by week, and by month. This provides you with the foundation to develop Facebook Posts, Blogs and Tweets by evaluating and considering the social media landscape as it pertains to your business or brand. It allows you to integrate all your efforts into one visual document to make sure that you have a holistic approach to your social media.
Here’s how you start establishing a Social Media Calendar.
1) Understanding your target audience…intimately. For starters, Facebook allows you to really niche your audience. So reaching the 1% of the 15% is totally attainable. And Twitter allows you to evaluate and assess trending topics….So put these 2 great abilities together and you can now get a dimensional view of your target. Understanding your consumer’s psychographics has never been more important. What do they like? Who do they like? What other brands are they following?
2) Visually map up your brand’s interests. That’s right. What subjects are important to your brand or business? It goes to follow that those are the same interest for your audience. Let’s say your brand is a Health Supplement, then fitness, health issues and nutrition are all top interests. This is a good starting to point to direct you in creating posts and engaging your brands with other relevant Pages.
3) Fill in your brand’s social calendar. It’s important to know when events that are key to your brand’s make up happen…and partake and engage in them. Taking my previous example of a Health Supplement, there’s a Nutrition month or Heart Health Month, or Diabetes Month. If your brand or business is within the Food Industry or Beverage Industry, then Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentines, Weekends and BBQs are all events that are pertinent which can fill your social media calendar.
4) Build excitement. Launch a contest, provide samples, offer coupons…get in the know with your community. While the excitement is on…or the contest, take advantage of their interest to provide relevant and thought provoking posts for them to engage in.
5) Be in sync. It’s important for brands to have all their marketing integrated. If there’s a product launch, make sure you plan for it, tweet it and promote it.The timing of posts and tweets is key to the success of your marketing activities.
A social media calendar is a plan…but its the sum of all its parts that provides a solid foundation for a Brand’s Social Media Initiatives. Having a social media calendar doesn’t mean it’s rigid. Quite the contrary, like all things social, it must be allowed to be fluid, to respond and react to twitter trendings, a newsworthy topic, or he latest and greatest happening that pertains to your brand or business.
by Miriam Hara | May 29, 2013 | Branding, Latest, Social Media
It’s nice to see so many brands that were once fearful of plunging into social media finally dive in, at least on Facebook. Many brands and businesses have a Facebook page understanding that it is no longer an option to not have one. It is a “media” channel… and a way to build awareness, educate consumers and engage consumers through their buying journey.
Now that brands and business have a Facebook Page, how do they leverage it… and more importantly, how do they build a community… a strong one that will enable them to reap the benefits of this exciting social media marketing channel.
So how do you write relevant posts to build your brand community? Here are 4 rules you must adhere to.
1) Develop your brand’s voice. In the past the brand image was visual and often static. With the exception of those brands that could afford TV and radio, brand persona and character largely dealt with the visual. With Social Media, and especially with Facebook, brands have to have a dimensional brand voice so it is key to determine it before you start. Is your brand voice serious? Will it take on the one of a mentor or educator? Will your brand be personable, fun and/or dynamic? Whatever your brand’s voice style is, it’s very important to keep the tone of your voice consistent.
2) It’s not about selling. Every post doesn’t have to be about your business or brand…. actually, this may come as a surprise, but every post can’t be about your brand or business! It’s about the community your brand belongs to or rather, if created properly, owns. Understanding how your community feels, what they want to hear about is important. Let’s face it, brands and businesses have a Facebook Page because they need to be there… be seen and be part of their audience’s world. Make sure you take advantage of it in the right way!
3) Be engaging. That means that it’s not good enough to push out posts onto your Facebook Page. It’s about going to other Brand Pages or relevant pages and engaging with them. It’s about being responsive to your community and adding to their engagement. So if you have a wine store, or a winery, it would be good to like pages of boards such as chicken or beef…or other recipe sites. Maybe even “like” magazine Facebook Pages that in the past you have advertised in or plan to advertise in.
4) Be exciting. Launch a Facebook contest or better yet, if feasible, provide a determined number of free samples of your products or promote a sale that’s going on in your store. Yes, understandably, everyone loves free stuff and a contest…and more so on Facebook. However, think of it as a trial run that has 2 great benefits: 1) you can develop a very strong and current database that you then use to target on further specialty programs and promotions, and 2) This is a great way to get people to like your page! Through the duration of the contest or until they get their free sample, they get to see what your brand posts are all about. , By doing that you are showing them why they should continue to stay in your community. The only reason for them to do that is that they really really like your brand!
Once you develop a sound solid community then you can advertise on Facebook, to further build your brand’s community and build traction and excitement for your contests and your community. It would be wonderful to hear about some of your Facebook Page successes. Please share them here!
by Lisa Wedmann | May 28, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Most of us are familiar with Morse Code, that mystifying alphabet where letters are represented by a combination of long and short signals mostly called dashes and dots.
Typically we’ve seen Morse Code used in movies where the distress signal S.O.S, three dots, three dashes, three dots is sent and a rescue is made.
What made Morse Code so popular in movies is that it could easily be sent in a short time and get an immediate response. The tool was adaptable. You could use a hammer on a pipe or a flashlight. Whatever worked.
Poignantly when Morse Code was retired in the nineties, the French Navy’s final message was “Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence.”
Obviously they hadn’t heard about Twitter where silence has been replaced by a deafening roar.
And talk about immediate response.
In 140 characters or less, Twitter provides a quick and easy way to get your message out to clients and potential clients.
OK I’m sold. What are you waiting for? Let’s get tweeting right?
Not so fast, before you do anything else you must develop a TwitterMarketing Strategy and Plan.
Begin with your marketing objective and build a Twitter strategy around that objective. What do you hope to accomplish with your Twitter Campaign. This is the most difficult to establish since your objective will set the tone and your approach to tweeting.
On the plus side having a strategy makes it easy to manage your account since you do not have to second guess yourself when sending out a message. This also makes it easier for multiple people to manage an account while keeping it consistent with company goals and branding.
In creating your Twitter Strategy and Campaign consider:
How will your landing page look? Will it include photos?
What is the name of your Twitter account? Will it reflect your business name and brand in a way that makes it easy to remember? This may seem obvious but is it easy to spell?
How will you get followers?
What are the keywords associated with your account? This is an important element since these keywords will attract the right followers.
What type of tweeters will you follow? Will you follow only those who work in your industry or will you include others?
How often will your post?
What type of information will you post? Will you post about specials or sales, news events or other comments about your industry?
Will you be provocative to stimulate feedback?
Will you block irrelevant or spam accounts?
What is your policy on “Favourites”? This is strategically important since each time you favourite someone’s content they are notified and your name is in front of them.
What are the rules for abbreviations? Will you develop a lexicon of common terminology and abbreviations for your business that you will use consistently to promote your brand?
Will you retweet and if so what type of information will you share?
These are just a few examples of what to include in your Twitter Marketing Strategy.
This is your first step in a quick and easy way to get your message out and you won’t even need a flashlight.
by Miriam Hara | May 27, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest
Twenty five years ago when I started 3H Communications , the specialty question always came up. This was one main hurdle to constantly overcome. We are lucky to say, 25 years later, we specialize in a multitude of industries because we positioned ourselves as a marketing specialty agency. With that in mind, marketing is our specialty; the industry is only the playground.
It is our business to bring relevant and forward thinking to any project we undertake, whether it be branding, packaging, web design, advertising campaigns or corporate communications. And for all industries. Variety is key to a growing company, and getting caught in a silo of expertise can sometimes kill business, and new business, quicker than a negative tweet.
When I mention specialty agency, I don’t mean specialized as in digital agencies. This, in my opinion is not a specialty agency…it’s a channel. As I have said before modern agencies have to have classic techniques and a well-integrated digital front. Gone is the traditional media versus new media. The new media is now traditional. It’s part of every plan. It is important for your team to be creative, flexible and have a solid research base. The only limit is the one your set for your business. More than ever having a holistic approach is fundamental to success for business.
The specialty I refer to specifically in this post, is industry-specific – such as pharmaceuticals, food, retail, financial or apparel. My belief is that the more exposure an agency has to a variety of industries and mandates, the better equipped they are in exceeding objectives via creative thought and design articulation.
Before any specialized agency became specialized, they had to learn and understand the industry. At that point, they probably challenged the “norm”, By being too specialized, too niche, specialty agencies have a wealth of knowledge in one industry… and they risk becoming to complacent. They understand the issues that the industry is faced with, and its limitations…. and they stopped challenging because they did that already, and it didn’t work, or it wasn’t accepted. Not a good thing… especially in the marketing industry! .Agencies that are too steeped in one industry will begin to get a single/narrow focus, and creativity could be slighted.
If your agency constantly exercises in different terrains, you are flexing different muscles, working different cells…constantly learning The result? A strong marketing agency willing to be different, willing NOT to accept the norm…not just challenging it, but working within the limitations to exceed beyond the expected.
