by Miriam Hara | Jun 18, 2024 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Marketing
Timing is everything…especially when it comes to marketing tactics. Whether you’re launching a new brand or executing a plan for an existing one, timing is critical to the success of any initiative, regardless of where the brand is in its product life cycle. As marketers we are all about being on-trend and staying slightly ahead of the curve. It’s our nature not to look in the rearview mirror. We tend to look at the open road and the endless possibilities of what lies ahead.
That said, any marketer or brand manager will concur when I say that history is something to review. It’s always important to know how past marketing tactics and programs have fared. Why wouldn’t we, especially given the wealth of data available to us? Unfortunately, many times, when a past tactic has not performed well, it is often disregarded.
I’ve often heard “Oh, we’ve done this in the past and it hasn’t worked” during the course of brainstorming sessions, or marketing meetings.
KPIs are everything… or are they?
It’s very easy to dismiss a tactic or initiative because it poorly performed. However, sometimes the second time around is a charm. When assessing or evaluating a tactical program, you should base it on pre-determined KPIs. However, consider other factors that may have prevented the KPIs from being met, and carefully assess these factors before permanently discarding any past marketing tactics.
Although there are many elements to consider when evaluating any tactic.. here are the top three:
- Timing is everything…and needs to be evaluated in different ways.
a)Was the timing optimal for our audience/target market? As an agency developing programs, there are often delays out of anyone’s control. This begs the question: “Should we delay to a more appropriate time?”
b) Is this the right time to launch this type of marketing tactic in view of the brand’s journey? Is it too soon for such a tactic to even be considered?
- Are all the ducks in a row? In other words, was there a glitch in terms of the execution. This can take many forms. Did all the communications go out seamlessly and in a timely fashion? Werethe communications clear and accurate, or did they lead to confusion?
- Was the launch tentative? Was the necessary ‘hype’ or groundwork put in place to optimize the performance of the marketing tactic? Did we allocate enough budget to the initiative to ensure it garnered the attention of our target audience?
Second Time’s a Charm
Don’t be too quick to disregard the tactics of the past. It may surprise you when the second-go does perform to the KPIs. Suffice to say, it’s always good to revisit the past to see tactics that may have been ill-timed for the brand’s journey or for the target audience. Dusted off and refreshed, a ‘been there, done that’ tactic may pleasantly surprise you!
by Tara Ford | Jun 11, 2024 | Advertising, Branding, Creative, Design, Marketing
Back to the Future
What a powerful tool Nostalgia is, especially in advertising. Connecting with your target market on an emotional level is the sweet spot we are all looking for as marketers. Creating nostalgia through advertising brings back fond memories and reinforces a sense of comfort and security. This comfort and security leads consumers to be more likely to trust and purchase from the brand. Whether it is illustrated through a black-and-white photo, a retro color scheme, or an old-school jingle, these nostalgic design elements can trigger a flood of warm memories that bring joy to consumers. And then, almost like magic those positive emotions become associated with the brand.
What is Retro Marketing Strategy?
Picture this: you’re driving down a country road, wind blowing through your hair and a familiar song comes on that transports you straight back to your 21st birthday. That was a good year. Now place that song in an ad for a product or service. You will be more inclined to stop, listen and smile. In this moment the nostalgia has got you hook, line, and sinker. Elements like this transport you to another time and flood your mind and body with an explosion of emotions. That’s the magic of nostalgia, and it’s the driving force behind a powerful trend in advertising: Retro Marketing. This strategy isn’t just about looking cool or vintage, it’s about creating deep, emotional connections with consumers by taking them on a trip down memory lane.
Retro Marketing Strategy: How to utilize it
Whether it’s through music, fashion or art, retro style marketing is all about bringing back elements from the past and giving them a new life. When brands incorporate these nostalgic elements into their marketing campaigns, they tap into consumers’ sentimental feelings and happy memories. This approach goes beyond just a vintage aesthetic; it’s an intentional marketing strategy, specifically designed to evoke emotions and create a sense of familiarity and comfort. This sudden infusion of comfort and familiarity is effortlesly transferred to the brand before you even realize it.
Generational Reach
You’ve heard the infamous proverb ‘Everything old is new… again’ which highlights the cyclical nature of culture and innovation. Retro marketing works for many brands for that reason. A new spin on an old concept or trend. It resonates with multiple generations, from Baby Boomers who lived through the original eras, to Millennials and Gen Z who appreciate the charm of “vintage” styles. Children often recognize and remember brands and logos from a young age. These early impressions shape their lifelong purchasing habits and brand loyalty. Childhood memories play a crucial role in retro marketing because this is when many of our preferences and loyalties are formed. By tapping into these formative years, brands can create lasting connections with consumers that continue well into adulthood.
Universal Appeal
The beauty of nostalgia is that it has a universal appeal that can cross a multitude of boundaries. It isn’t confined by age, culture, or geography. Which is why retro marketing is a versatile tool that can attract a wide and diverse audience. By blending retro design elements from the past with contemporary trends, brands can create campaigns that feel both timeless and fresh.
Retro Connections
In a world where trends come and go at lightning speed, retro marketing offers a way to create timeless, lasting connections with consumers.
By combining the familiar and comforting elements of the past, with the innovation of the present, brands can craft campaigns that resonate on a deep emotional level. This blend of past and present not only attracts attention but also builds enduring loyalty.
Retro marketing is more than just a nod to the past, it’s a strategic approach that leverages the power of nostalgia to create meaningful, emotional connections with consumers. By evoking happy memories and comforting familiarity, brands can foster trust and loyalty that stand the test of time.
So, the next time you spot a retro-inspired ad, take a moment and feel the nostalgia flood in – that’s the magic of Retro Marketing.
by Miriam Hara | Jun 4, 2024 | Branding, Design, Marketing
What is functional branding?
You’ve heard of functional art. It’s where art meets practicality without giving up on its artistic value. In essence it’s the delicate balance of form and function. Functional branding follows the same line of thinking. It’s where branding meets the science of functionality. Functional Branding is a discipline where a brand’s raison d’être is based on solving the problems of its consumers, eloquently.
Succinctly stated, it’s where brands fulfill a practical consumer need, while crafting a compelling narrative that is anchored in the products real world benefits and attributes. By seamlessly integrating the features of the brand with every communication touchpoint, brands can deliver satisfying consumer experiences that appeal to consumers emotively, fostering loyalty. It involves aligning the brand’s identity, values, and communications with the functional benefits its products or services offer.
In functional branding, the focus is on the practical benefits and utility of the products, while in image branding, the focus is more on the emotional or symbolic attributes a brand represents.
Strengthening brand image
While functional branding is inherently focused on practical benefits, it can deepen the brand’s overall image. By building a reputation for reliability, efficacy, and quality, brand image can flourish. In fact, functional branding is a foundational layer that supports and enhances a brand’s overall image. It makes the brand’s promises concrete and verifies them through functionality.
Patagonia and IKEA: Two highly functional brands
Patagonia has a strong brand image centered around environmental sustainability, ethical sourcing, and activism. These transcended and evolved from the basic Patagonia offering that emphasizes the functionality of its products. Their clothing and gear are designed to be durable, high-performing, and suitable for extreme outdoor activities. From the very beginning the, Panagonia brand always focused on the technical aspects of their products, which were are functional benefits for their target market of outdoor enthusiasts.
IKEA is another excellent example of how brand image and functional branding work together to create a cohesive brand experience that resonates with customers. They’re not just selling furniture; they’re selling the idea of smart living, where style and functionality are available to everyone, regardless of budget. Needless to say, IKEA focuses heavily on the practical benefits of its products and the ease of which they are assembled. IKEA maintains a strong connection between its brand image and the functional attributes of its products, creating a distinctive market position that appeals to consumers’ desire for style, functionality, and value.
These are only 2 of the many brands that offer consumers a deeper connection by being functional brands. From Zippo lighters to Apple to Nike. What’s your favourite functional brand and why? Please let share them here.
by Tara Ford | May 28, 2024 | Branding, Design, Marketing
What’s in a Colour? More Than You Think!
Have you ever paused to consider how much colour influences and shapes our lives? It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. Our brains are hardwired to respond to colour in particular ways. A very basic example is how we instinctively stop at red lights and go when it turns green. On a wider scope, colour has the power to transform our daily experiences, infusing ordinary moments with extraordinary feelings. Whether it’s the warmth of a golden yellow that brings a sense of comfort or the energizing burst of red that ignites passion, the strategic use of colour can turn every day into a palette of emotions. I’ve always found colour to be a force in evoking emotions and shaping perceptions.
Now, let’s tie this into branding.
Brands and colours when done right are like peanut butter and jelly – they just belong together.
A well-chosen colour raises brand awareness because, let’s face it, people notice colour before anything else. Just think about the McDonald’s logo. The red makes you hungry and commands attention, while the yellow radiates happiness and friendliness. I believe that brand did a thing or two right.
Colour in relation to branding, goes beyond just looking good, it’s about tapping into the psychology behind it. The study of colour psychology is fascinating, testing how people react to your brand colours through grassroots research is always a good idea. Green for example is associated with health and being environmentally friendly; think about Whole Foods or Starbucks. Where blue speaks to clarity in communication; think IMB or PayPal. Colour in branding is crucial for communicating your message and influencing consumer decisions. Understanding colour psychology can help you pick the perfect palette for your brand, creating a powerful visual identity that resonates with your audience. Once you have chosen a colour, it’s important to incorporate it in all communications so that whenever people see that colour, they think of your brand.
So, the next time you’re working on your brand’s visual identity, don’t just pick colours at random. Think of them as your secret weapon – tools that can emotionally connect with your audience and amplify your brand’s message. Let your colours do the talking and watch your brand come to life!
How has colour impacted your brand? Share your thoughts here!
by Miriam Hara | May 24, 2024 | Advertising, Agency, Branding, Business Success, Creative, Marketing
‘Marketing Creative’: What’s that?
Marketing Creative is the ability to hone in on a brand’s message. Regardless of the industry it’s imperative to creatively articulate the brand message. Ultimately this is achieved by a creative team’s use of their transferable skills. These skills are perfected by years of experience and diverse exposure in many industries to achieve all kinds of mandates. For instance, my career has allowed me to contribute to many different industries (B2B and direct to consumer) in a variety of marketing mandates. It has enabled me to develop in myself and my team a nimbleness that is quite unique. And that development takes time and diligent effort not just to meet the requirements but to excel in them.
Despite the rules and regulations and in spite of the limitations!
The challenge many marketers face is attempting to break through the clutter and be different in an arena where they feel they have been handcuffed! Whether working on mandates in the Alcoholic Beverage Industry, Food Industry or Healthcare Industry, each industry has a set of advertising regulations. And these regulations must be adhered to. It’s very easy to throw in the towel and say”we can’t do this “and we aren’t allowed to do that”. That’s looking at the regulations at face value. When a brand has something unique to say, there is always a way to address that uniqueness.
Each industry is its own universe with its accompanied black holes! When we get called in, we work our marketing nimbleness to creatively articulate the brand’s messaging, uniqueness and image. And we need to do all that by avoiding being sucked in by a black hole that leaves your brand completely in the dark and void of any distinctiveness.
Everyone touts outside the box thinking…but it needs to be done inside the ‘regulation’ box.
It’s working inside the box of regulations that matters. It’s thinking outside the regulations but staying inside the box that makes brands perform. Achieving marketing creative prowess takes time, energy, and experience.The more you do it, the more you excel. With a career that transcends industry niche and focus, over three decades it has become a way of thinking for myself and my team. We must still endeavour to stand out without infringing on the rules that govern the industry…that’s what makes great creative. Actually, that’s what makes great marketing creative!
How do you creatively articulate a brand’s message when your hands are all tied up in knots?
by Miriam Hara | May 17, 2024 | Advertising, Branding, Marketing
‘Individuality’ segmenting is where it’s at. Ordering my Grande Chai Latte with oat milk at Starbucks got me thinking about marketing and how today our need to profile and segment has gone beyond the niche. Standing in line to place my order, my coffee craved humans waiting to place their order before me, made me realize how significant considering the “individual” as a segment has become the norm for marketing.
As names and orders were announced— “Tall white mocha no whip”, “Grande non-fat vanilla latte with 1 pump vanilla”, “Venti iced matcha with 2 pumps brown sugar & oat milk”, “Tall honey almond flat white”, “Grande chai tea latte with soy” – not one of us had the same order! That essentially means that not one of us had the same likes or parameters for our coffee… What does that say for marketing segmentation. Here I am in a “coffee lover niche” – and that’s all we have in common.
And while standing in line I realized how Starbuck’s menu mirrors the individuality of their niche target. Admittedly I am a Chai Latte with oat milk for sure. Am I the only one out there?
Individuality segmenting is where marketers will find true success. It wasn’t that long ago that marketing, and thus we, as marketers, relied heavily on demographics with the rigid dividers of age, ethnicity, gender (only 2!) or financial means, seems really archaic now. Can you believe we used to market so broadly?
The Digital Segmentation Era
Then ushered in the digital area, touting with its entry the new segmentation of psychographics. Psychographics is an approach to marketing that uses personality, value, belief and lifestyle as a measure. Wow isn’t that novel? The digital era required that as marketers, develop multi-dimensional targeting allowing brands and businesses to tap into digital properties and networks to reach inclusive grouping of minds, and hence the groupings of likes, dislikes, ideas and values…. With the digital era, it became the norm to speak to the psychographics of the demographics. Psychographics is the glue, connecting certain demographics (remember those rigid dividers?), and speaking to an underlying emotional character – sometimes subconscious.
Hello Social Segmentation
Segmentation evolved yet again, with social media. Along with its proliferation, from a marketing perspective, social media has opened the depth and breathe of market strategies to set aside the newly involved psychographics and start building communities. With social it’s about the community…but even the community isn’t “single-minded” or “one-minded”. Social media isn’t just about forming a homogenous community; it’s about embracing the unique identities within each community, as varied as individual DNA.
Marketing must now cater to each person’s ‘slice of life’— their journey, their identity…their individuality…just like their Starbucks coffee order. So, what do you think? Is Individuality segmenting a real marketing consideration or not?
