We are in the process of producing another television commercial for Skagit State Bank. Originally based on a campaign we created a few years back, the new commercial will have a similar tone to the two we produced in November 2010. The latest is a 30-second spot we shot at Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham.

Again working with Hand Crank Films, filming under our direction, the shoot took place on a typical day for our Spring in the Northwest. As the month concludes we will work with Hand Crank on editing, finalizing the script and producing the voice over.

Par with the last video shoot, Anacortes photographer Matt Brown tagged along to capture stills, which allow you see us at work below.

We’ll bring you the video in due time, upon its completion. Until then, we’ve provided a teaser: enjoy some of Matt’s photos and anxiously await the final result!

1. Continuity is Key

Presenting your brand in a consistent manner, within every aspect of your business is essential to brand enhancement. It begins with message presentation, both visually and literally. The message components (visual and literal) need to work cohesively, be clear and concise and maintaining continuity over time. This does not mean the message has to be exactly the same, it can vary, however the core substance should be intact. Continuity is not only in the marketing message you deliver and engage with, it is also key in customer service whether it be in how the phone is answered, how your greet your customers in person, how you interact with them on every communication level, it must all be presented in a way where you are there for them. And, over time, this continuity will bring a sense of trust to your customer and potential customer. You will soon see the true benefits of continuity.

2. Medium is the Message

Continuity is extremely important to your brand enhancement yet your options for message delivery are vast. Maintaining the continuity across a variety of mediums means you’ll need to adapt your brand and message to to fit the different mediums available. Mediums can include everything from print to broadcast to social media, online (your website or online advertising campaigns) environmental and more. Start with being aware of the audience the medium will be addressing and the medium itself – how it translates to your audience. For instance your message presented in a magazine ad can be full bodied and encompass a complete thought targeting one of your demographics. When translating the message online in a banner ad you could be targeting another demographic yet your message will need to maintain the essence of the overall look and feel. Also, given the medium – an online ad banner, you’ll have only a few seconds to grab the viewers attention much like driving by a billboard where only a few words will work. Unlike a billboard you will have animation choices to help get the needed attention. So when it comes to enhancing your brand across the various mediums available, make sure you understand the medium itself and the audience.

3. Meeting and Exceeding Expectations

What better way for you to enhance your brand than through expectations. Meeting and better yet, exceeding expectations, on a consistent basis, will fulfill customer needs and create positive word of mouth. Depending upon the category you serve, a customer’s expectation will differ. You will want to determine, within your category, what you do best, what you can do better, and with these things, how you can differentiate yourself from the competition. The best way to differentiate yourself is to meet and exceed your customers expectations. Apply what you know and what you can do better – consistently and you will easily exceed expectations.

4. Customer is King

If you were to think back to why you started your business, no matter what size it is, you will come up with an answer similar to others who started their own business. It was to fill a need, to help people. This applies whether you manufacture a product or provide services. Filling a need is all about the customer and that is why the customer is king and the reason you are in business. If you have no customers, you have no business (or what you have is a hobby). Knowing this truth yourself and for the entire organization to understand, will always keep the customer front and center.

5. Your Brand is Your Business

Understanding your brand is the whole of your business will help you to consistently enhance your brand. Your brand is not your logo, it’s not you, it’s not your product, it is all these things and more. More being the customer, your employees, the place in which you conduct business and so on. Maybe an easier way to understand it is to state it is all a reflection of your brand, all of these components. And when put together, they equal your brand.

Enhance your brand on a daily basis following these five steps, doing so will create a greater position in your category and elevate your brand overall.

Skagit Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (SDVSAS) is (unfortunately) an important service agency for our community. We have a commitment to serve selected non-profits with pro bono services. SDVSAS is our most recent partner, helping them with a greater visual awareness.

We began our work with SDVSAS with three in-depth discovery meetings, two with their board and one with their staff. We then evaluated all of the gathered information and developed concepts. A presentation was then made of a solution that best represents the clients served by this important organization.

To demonstrate to the client how we came to the identity solution, we created a flash animation, see it here. We also created multiple variations of the identity to help the organization target specific groups/events. We are currently developing the business papers package.

Most recently we designed posters for Domestic Violence Awareness month. See the posters in this post, and for a larger version, click on the image. To support awareness of domestic violence, SDVSAS sells purple bulbs to light throughout the month.

If you are so inclined to help the organization either financially or in-kind, visit their site. Your help will go a long way!

About Purple Light Nights

Purple Light Nights was formed in 2004 by the Covington Domestic Violence Task Force. Now a 501(c)(3) organization, Purple Light Nights can be found in 23 states, 3 Canadian provinces and Guam. Visit their website for more information.

I can’t say I look at their work to only admire; I look at this work to gain ideas, critique and ultimately try to take away some little bit of knowledge. And sometimes my takeaway is what not to do, which brings me to the photo below.

While driving home from dinner in Chicago one night, we stopped at a red light and saw the bench advertisement. Everything right so far: great placement, pretty visible message.

Yet on further review, not a very clear message.

I have to say I ended up laughing primarily because of the tagline. Had it not been for that, I probably would have continued on by without a photo.

The tagline stated (my photo is not so clear): “Because when you do one thing, you do it right.”

So my takeaway for you… If you want to expand your services but your name and tagline reflect only one, change your name or create a new business.

Be clear and honest in your message delivery. It is very important as this is the beginning of garnering trust with your clients.

I’ve spent a little time with Google+ (Google Plus) in the past few weeks, so I thought it proper to document some initial thoughts on its functionality as well as how it stacks up to Facebook.

The Design & Functionality of Google+

We, collectively, have been with Facebook for about seven years now and, when you look at how it has progressed over the years, the overall core design has changed little. Facebook is great at innovating, but we still have the same color palette, which now appears slightly tired.

So right away it’s refreshing to see Google taking things in a slightly new direction.

Google+ looks a lot like Facebook, and yet its feed feels somewhat Tumblr-like. And rather than “friending” someone, it’s more like “following” them in Twitter. So functionally, it blends elements of several existing social sites.

I do prefer some of Facebook’s infrastructure a bit more than that of Google+, namely how comments are added, “Likes” are added, and management of Pages.

Organizing with Google+

One of my favorite features in Google+ is the “Circles” concept.

Ever wonder how to effectively navigate your hundreds of Twitter followers easily using Twitter Groups? Or maybe segregate your Facebook friends to inform only those closest to you of personal details? It’s possible on both, but not always intuitive.

With Google+ it’s downright simple.

“Circles” are core to the Google+ design, so organizing those you follow is easy. The same goes for adding friends and sorting them into your newly created Circles.

Google also makes monitoring Circles super simple. Just click on what you want to “Stream” in the upper left corner. Google’s “Stream” is on par with Facebook’s wall.

In the image below, you can see by the orange highlighted Stream that I am viewing everyone I am currently following. Clicking “Friends” will highlight that stream and display only posts by individuals I have sorted into that particular Circle.

Finally, Some Privacy!

So organizing people into groups is easy, but what about posting to your wall (again, what Google+ calls the “Stream”)?

Yes, limiting posts to specific groups, too, is super easy with Google+. You just select which group you wish to post to in advance of hitting the “Share” button. It can be public, or be limited to select Circles, or shared only with one Circle (see image below).

Per the image above, one just needs to click “Add more people” to add Circles. A user can also select “Public” which means anyone browsing your Google+ page can see the post.

Privacy. Here is where Google+ shines. And here is where Facebook has been heavily criticized.

Integration with Other Google Products

Being a regular Gmail user, the advantage is obvious in that I can see all of the people who have messaged me in the past currently using the new social platform.

Like many using the email platform, I am always logged into my account and use Google Docs excessively for personal items. But Facebook has an advantage on the integration side, thanks to the widespread popularity of their “Log in with Facebook” website add-on.

This could change as more people enter Google+. The “+1” feature is popping up everywhere on the web as early adopters swarm to Google+ (currently numbering well over 20 million), so we should be there soon.

Google+ For Business

One key issue with Google, in the past, has been the individuality of email addresses. Previously, users could only be logged into one account at a time, making it cumbersome for those with a personal account and a business account.

I experienced this first hand with my personal account and the one for my blog; so much so that my personal account is ignored most of the time. Thus my personal Google+ account was created with my blog’s email address.

Google has finally made a multiple account log-in easy to manage. By setting your Google+ account to multiple log-in, users can easily toggle between two or more Gmail accounts.

As Google+ is currently closely tied to Gmail, this is a very good thing.

However, there is the issue of hitting the +1 for items around the web while logged into one account. Hitting +1 will post it to your Google+ section for +1s for whatever account you are logged on in, personal or business. Allowing those with multiple check-in the ability to select which of their Google+ accounts to attribute the +1 would be nice.

At this early stage, I still favor Facebook as there’s a clear distinction between types (i.e. Profiles, Pages and Groups), but only slightly. With Facebook Pages, we can easily see all the business and organization Pages we administer. And they show statistics, which are beautiful.

With Google+, they’re all the same. I have yet to see a way to associate several Plus streams with a single email address, or vice versa — attribute several email addresses to administer a single Plus stream. This makes things a bit convoluted and complicated for those who enjoy the Facebook Page functionality.

The Business Advantage

Don’t count Google out in this area yet. Google has a huge advantage in tools like Google Places and Google Analytics. Integrating these into Google+ is a no-brainer.

The big question is how (or even if) they will differentiate a business stream from a personal one. Given the various business tools available, it would make sense to segregate the two in some manner.

If they do create a Google+ stream specifically for businesses and integrate Analytics and Places, this is where Google+ becomes very exciting.

Conclusion

Facebook is great. Pretty much all my friends are there. I can check out great music and become a fan of local businesses. It is, for the most part, pretty easy to use.

But being an early adopter, I’m ready for something fresh and new. And that’s Google+.

It’s not so bad; already, I have over 40 people in my various Circles — and I’m being selective.

Google+ wins over Facebook on privacy, organization, and overall newness (a big +1 for early adopters). This early in the game, it’s hard to tell if they will win on innovation and integration, but don’t be surprised if they meet Facebook head-to-head in this area.

Google+ has a few bugs to work out, and they know it, but the social platform shows immense promise. They’ve broken social media records for growth. They take the good elements of competing social sites and mash them into their own unique offering.

Personally and professionally, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next…

Last year, BrandQuery worked with Skagit Valley Hospital and Skagit Valley Medical Center to rename and re–brand the center to Skagit Regional Clinics. Late in the year we were asked to develop one of the first pieces of collateral for Skagit Regional Clinics. The challenge was to create a piece that is recognizable in its relationship to Skagit Valley Hospital, but speaks to the new identity of Skagit Regional Clinics.

The result is a tri-fold brochure with a general overview of the Dermatology Department and a pocket for cards highlighting specialized services.

Print collateral like brochures continue to be strong marketing tools, particularly when combined with elements of an overall campaign. A strong message distributed across a variety of mediums in a cohesive manner will generate positive results for your organization.

Give us a call if you′re looking to bring a product or service to life.

Five Tips for Creating a Good Brochure

1. Entice with the cover.
2. Include a call to action.
3. Be concise in your content.
4. Use strong, appealing imagery.
5. Most importantly, don’t forget the who, what, where, when and why.

Here are six things to consider when designing a wayfinding program:

1. Scale: A two-inch letter can be read from a distance of 60 feet.

2. Layout: Flush-left words best guide a motorist’s eyes.

3. Quantity: Three destinations per sign location is recommended (four tops).

4. Alignment: Consistently align directional arrows on one side of all signs.

5. Simplicity: Keep it simple. Use directionals and words or destinations people understand.

6. Consistency: Continuity is key to any successful wayfinding program.

The City of Anacortes determined mid-year 2010 to develop a city-wide wayfinding program. BrandQuery worked with City Planner Ryan Larsen to create a plan and design the wayfinding signs.

Our process began with facilitating a number of stakeholder focus group meetings. This included Anacortes business owners, service club members, the Mayor, and City staff. The participants helped us to establish both what was important for this wayfinding program and who the wayfinding is intended to help.

We then took the “discovered information,” organized it and placed the wayfinding destinations by location on a new map developed in-house. This pinpointed the important locations around the City and ultimately acted as a point of placement guide for the wayfinding signs themselves.

We visually surveyed the City multiple times. As Commercial Avenue is the major thoroughfare for Anacortes, locating the majority of the wayfinding on it made the most sense. More importantly, we looked at Commercial Avenue from a visual perspective to determine how the signs would be located. The amount of existing poles and signs up and down the avenue guided our decision to utilize existing City street standards (light poles) for sign attachment. This also reduces the cost of implementation.

With a clear direction for implementation, we set about designing the wayfinding program, creating three solutions for presentation. Alterations were made and the signs you see here are the ones selected (the first displayed “Anacortes” sign is our preferred).

Wayfinding Sign Dimensions:
• Point of Interest Signs: 10.0″ in Diameter
• Directional Sign Panel: 4′-6″ x 8.0″
• Anacortes Entry Way Sign: 25.0′ x 6.0′

BrandQuery recently completed another city-wide wayfinding project for the City of Burlington which is gradually being implemented.

Our work in wayfinding also includes campus signage and internal building wayfinding for the new Campus Center at Bellingham Technical College (BTC) currently under construction. The building was designed by HKP Architects. Previously we designed new building identification signage for four campus buildings also at BTC.

BrandQuery has created signage, both electrical and non for a variety of clients. If you have a building or space that needs identifying or directioning, call BrandQuery!

The Coupon & Offers Craze

Groupon has been growing rapidly. Groupon sells coupons such as this $50 coupon for $25 from Nordstrom Rack. The catch is that a certain number of people must buy-in for the coupon to be activated.

Foursquare allows business owners to give rewards to those who check-in. In some cases, the mayor (the person who has checked in most) receives freebies or discounts. In others, businesses give discounts when users hit milestone check-ins like 5 or 10.

Facebook Places, too, allows businesses to create special check-in offers with Facebook Deals.

Yelp has long given business owners the option of including coupons and discounts in their Yelp listings. And now Yelp has joined the check-in offer trend. Head over to Mashable for a great article on how it works.

This new feature is the obvious next step for Yelp; to remain competitive with the rapid adoption of Foursquare (now boasting 4.5 million users), the domination of location-based services, and the great appeal these social offers have for the user, it was bound to happen at some point.

Yelp Versus Foursquare

As a geo-location user, I like Foursquare badges and the potential for offers and coupons extended to those that check-in. The game element is also fun. In Seattle last week, I checked in at Trader Joes and was notified that other users were on-premises.

Until now, there wasn’t a viable reason to check-in on Yelp. Yet I prefer using Yelp to seek out new businesses. Here’s why:

• It is organized, easy to find what I want, and the mobile app is clean and intuitive. It has to be: seeking out new spots is the basis behind Yelp — it’s what helps the social site thrive.

• It is integrated with Google Maps; clicking on the “Directions” button allows you to easily navigate from your current location to the business. I have lost count of how many times I’ve used this feature.

• Ratings and reviews help me decide where to go. This is why business owners should be aware of and regularly monitor their listings on social sites like Yelp.

Check-in offers through Yelp make using the site’s location-based check-in service more appealing because it encourages Yelp users to announce their presence and in turn rewards them with a potential incentive offer set by business owners. You’ll now find me checking in more frequently via Yelp for precisely this reason.

The next step will be for Yelp to display how many people have checked-in using a system somewhat similar to that of Foursquare. This includes the following for each listing: personal check-ins, the number of users who have checked-in, and the overall number of check-ins. Adding this will provide users with another decision-making metric: popularity.

Why not Facebook Places? When Facebook allows you to check-in via their platform and it feeds the action to Yelp and Foursquare, I may pay more heed.

Evolution of the Check-In

We are likely to see the geo-location landscape change rapidly over the next year as consumers continue to join the movement. Don’t be surprised if the sites listed above all incorporate push-notifications by 2012, prompting users to check-in when they visit a store or restaurant.

We’re also likely to see apps pop up that pinpoint where our friends are on the map. This relates to my privacy discussion earlier — to be successful, users must feel comfortable announcing their location at all times to their friends. Such an app will need to include a selection feature where the user manually selects which friends can see their location, as well as allowing an “off the grid” mode.

For the biggest of socialites, check-in will go one of two ways. Users will develop loyalty and affinity toward a specific platform, be it Facebook, Yelp or Foursquare, or they’ll buy in to a mobile app or site with multi-checkin capabilities such as Check.in, available at m.check.in using your iPad, iPhone or Android.

Geo-location is only poised to grow. Coupons and special offers make it more appealing for those on the fence about whether to join in.

Working with Hand Crank Films, filming under our direction, we were able to shoot both spots in one day. The weather provided us two distinctive, and I might say “very Northwest,” kind of moods. Following the shoot, we worked with Hand Crank on editing, the final scripts and voice overs.

We also brought photographer Matt Brown along to capture stills from the shoot:

Setting Up The Dolly (Kayak):

Shot From Above (Hike):

With the completion of both commercials, the corresponding print and online ads were updated to include still photos from the shoot and revised ad copy for greater continuity in the overall campaign.

Skagit State Bank was thrilled with the final commercials, now in rotation on Comcast cable stations throughout Northwest Washington.

Skagit State Bank Television Commercial #1: Father & Son Hike

Skagit State Bank Television Commercial #2: Kayaks