Kelsey Advertising and Design

Still A Fan Favorite: Volkswagen’s “The Force”

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 20:07 GMT

We're fast approaching the advertising spectacle of 2013, also known as Super Bowl. Once again a great set of advertisements will be interrupted by a meaningless football game. (Note: I jest - huge football fan here).

Working in an advertising firm AND being a football fan makes the Super Bowl that much sweeter - I get to enjoy the pinnacle of the sporting world combined with the pinnacle of the advertising world. Perfection.

Some advertisers are literally ahead of the game this year - most notably, Anheuser-Busch. A-B has launched a social media campaign punctuated by a transformed 200-room hotel in New Orleans tagged the Bud Light hotel. Read more about that here.

Another advertiser who likes to stay 'ahead of the game' is Volkswagen who has pre-launched their ad campaign, Get In. Get Happy.

VW has the distinction of the most shared advertisement of all time, "The Force," that debuted during the 2011 Super Bowl. Featuring a wee-sized Darth Vader who attempts to use "the force" on household objects and pets, this commercial still remains popular with consumers and is my personal favorite Super Bowl ad.

What’s the Korean word for Relevant? Is it Kia?

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:05 GMT

Have you ever been curious about the origin of car company names? Ford Motor Company is pretty obvious, named after founder, Henry Ford. How about Chevrolet? It's also named after founder, Louis-Joseph Chevrolet. Hyundai originates from the Korean word hanja meaning "modernity" while Volkswagen means "people's car" in German.

What about Kia Motors? Their website says Kia means "arise from Asia," but I'll submit Kia could also translate into "hip and relevant." Kia is one of the fastest growing automakers in the world in no small part to its savvy advertising that's fun and entertaining, hip and relevant.

Take a look at the Kia Soul -- an urban crossover with a fresh style but appears smaller than its competitors. How does Kia market this vehicle? Hamsters! Hamsters with a fresh style all their own demonstrating the Soul's ample passenger space. And in this newest spot, the vehicle is featured on stage in an opera house (with a Hamster DJ), emphasizing the Soul is made to break a few rules. And the vehicle looks stunning on stage, by the way, as it shimmers with a gorgeous 'Clear White' exterior.

In My Mind - 2013 Kia Soul Hamster Commercial

In the crowded mid-sized sedan market is the Kia Optima, a sleekly-styled vehicle with a sweet price point and UVO - a voice activated entertainment system. Blake Griffin, power forward with the Los Angeles Clippers, stars in a series of clips where he voice activates the vehicle into time travel. These spots are more groovy than commercial even though Griffin nonchalantly mentions key features of the Optima like heated / cooled seats and fold-out side mirrors.

2013 Kia Optima Blake Time Travels - 1997 Football

A crossover vehicle that's family-friendly and fun to drive on daily adventures, the Kia Sorento is featured in a series of commercials - the first originally airing during the Super Bowl in 2010. One of the spots titled "Joyride Dream," stars children's toys Sock Monkey, Muno (from Yo Gabba Gabba), Mr. X, Robot and Teddy Bear as they enjoy the Sorento with an upbeat theme song "How Do You Like Me Now?" by the Heavy. Hip and relevant, this commercial appeared in many "Best Commercials of the Superbowl" lists. These spots resonate with family-focused consumers who appreciate a do-it-all vehicle that makes even mundane errands exciting.

Yo Gabba Gabba Sorento Commercial

Are these commercials the single key to Kia's success? Of course not. Kia makes a darn good product evidenced by high quality rankings from J.D. Power & Associates and Consumer Reports. Kia vehicles are fuel efficient and have superior safety performance. Kia is actively involved in business partnerships and is community minded. Thanks to the highly creative advertising agency, David&Goliath from El Segundo, California, more and more consumers are experiencing the Kia brand - a brand ripe with hip and relevant messaging.

Why is Your Brand Positioning Important?

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:29 GMT

Brand positioning, in its purest form, is all about making the right marketing decisions at the right time. But how do you decide which brand positioning decisions are the right ones? And how do you make those right decisions consistently? By keeping a few simple brand positioning concepts in mind, you can be confident that the decisions you make, time and time again, are the ones that will position your brand exactly where you want it.

Standing out from the Crowd

Everybody knows that brand positioning means standing out from the crowd, and differentiating yourself from your competition. Effective brand positioning means you should be asking yourself if your product can be used in ways that your competitors products can't.

Are your manufacturing processes different? Do you use different materials? Is your product more durable, more eco-friendly, or possessed of a higher build quality? If you provide a service, does your service staff possess qualifications or certifications that the competition doesn't? If your product or service is substantively different from those of your competition, make sure your customers and potential customers know about it.

It isn't enough merely to be different from the competition, though; it's important to be different from the competition in ways that matter to your market. If your target market is concerned about the environment, informing them of your ecologically friendly manufacturing processes is a great idea. Telling them about how much excess power your device can output when compared to the competition might not be as useful. Stand out, but only in the ways that matter to your market.

Stay Relevant

It is also vital to find a way to make your brand relevant to your target market. Relevant, in the context of brand positioning, means that you are serving a need or want that your target market is aware of. If your product or service serves a need, or solves a problem that your target market isn't aware they have, you may need to educate them — show them their problem so that you can fix it.

A classic example of this can be found with the invention of the term halitosis. The term halitosis was first used by a major mouthwash company to make people aware of a problem — bad breath — to which they had the solution. It seems to have worked well for them.

If your product doesn't serve any need or solve any problem of your target market, it is entirely possible you been focusing your brand positioning efforts on the wrong market. If you've been trying to sell the best snow tires in Arizona, or trying to expand your ice cube delivery service in Alaska, it may be time to reevaluate who your target market really is.

Brand Fidelity

When making brand positioning and marketing decisions, it's important to determine if your decision is in line with your overall brand message. The strongest brand positioning efforts are the ones with a single focused message, one that easily assimilated by the market. If you spread your branding message too thinly, or wander off into many directions, your message becomes diluted, muddied, and much less effective.

A brand that has spent years extolling the luxury, and high build quality of their product would be ill advised to suddenly start talking about saving money. Not only is the new message unlikely to be convincing in light of previous marketing efforts, but it will almost certainly undermine those previous marketing efforts. That means this particular brand will have wasted a great deal of time, energy, and money on not one but two marketing efforts.

Defining and implementing a successful brand positioning strategy in today's complicated and rapidly changing business environment can be challenging to say the least. By keeping these fundamental principles in mind, you can ensure that the strategy you plan is solid, and the decisions you make and the steps you take will get you to your goal efficiently and effectively.

Don’t Start a Brand Loyalty Campaign Until You Read This

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 01:20 GMT

A couple weeks ago a friend of mine was excitedly telling me about the new Dell he ordered–he couldn't wait for it to come in a few days. Then apparently something happened with his order, and he called Dell to try to resolve the issue. After talking with several people who could not figure out what had happened to his original order, he was told he would simply have to place it again.

So that's what he did, he placed the order again, starting the clock all over. Only the order didn't take the second time, either. He has now placed the order three times, and after several weeks still does not have his new computer. Last I spoke with him it should be shipped in early December. That's right, December!

My friend has always been loyal to Dell, having been a customer for more than 20 years, but his recent experience has him looking at other computer brands. You can have the best products, but if the overall experience is negative customers are going to go elsewhere.

Contrast that with a recent experience I had with Apple–my wife's MacBook Air started having display issues. It would flicker for a while, then start working agin. Finally it just went out, and didn't come back. I called Apple support and we troubleshot the problem over the phone for a few minutes. When it was clear it was a hardware issue, they offered me a couple of options for getting it repaired. I was initially going to drop it off at an Apple Store, but the nearest one is more than an hour away. I called them back and asked if I could mail it in instead, and they sent me a box Next Day Air.

The box arrived the very next day, and we sent it off. It was received, repaired, and re-shipped in one day and my wife had it back in her hands the next morning. She couldn't be happier with the overall experience. Even though there was a problem, the way it was handled made her (and me) even more loyal to the Apple brand than we were before.

You can have the best product or service, but how do you follow up after the sale? How do you make things right when you've made a mistake? A brand loyalty campaign can't be successful if your policies infuriate customers, your products are sub-par, or your supply chain is broken.

All departments within your organization are collectively responsible for brand loyalty. If any one of them fails, it could send the customer to your competition.

So before you embark on an extensive brand loyalty campaign, consider doing an overall assessment of your entire customer lifecycle, from lead to customer to after-purchase support. Find the points in the process that don't adequately convey your overall brand message. Find the places where the product or service aren't exceptional, and fix them.

Robot, Bonsai Tree and Airline Safety.

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:24 GMT

Many kudos to Delta Airlines for launching a new series of safety videos for passengers to enjoy during pre-flight orientation. And yes, passengers should enjoy these videos that stray from the typical dry, indifferent productions from the past.

In the name of safety, passengers should closely regard these presentations, but who can blame inattentiveness when uninspired content is delivered with little enthusiasm and zero creativity?

Spicing up airline safety presentations isn't exactly unchartered territory as a number of flight attendants have put their own individual spin on aircraft safety (see this video of David Holmes, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant performing his hip-hop version).

Hopefully this signals the end of lifeless safety presentations as airlines understand passengers are NOT taking notice of important information.

And by the way, if you're really taking notice of these Delta videos, you'll see Abraham Lincoln during one of the scenes. Look closely!

Six Clever Ideas for Pinterest Secret Boards

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:55 GMT

One of the fastest growing social networks of all time, Pinterest has announced a new type of board to keep projects personal and private. These 'Secret Boards', are like standard Pinterest boards allowing users to pin images and videos, but pins are not shared among the general Pinterest community. Secret boards can be shared with a smaller audience of your own choosing, which got us to thinking: What are some ways to use these private boards for marketing, brand development or company initiatives?

Here's a short list we came up with. Look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions. Happy pinning!

1. Website Redesign Project.
Collect images and inspirational pieces for a website makeover - without letting the cat out of the bag about the project. Whether it's a clever way to navigate, unique content distribution, fantastic visuals or an unforgettable JQuery gallery, it's all ripe for pinning.

2. Prospecting for new clients.
Keep a collection of the sales prospects you're setting your sights on next. Keep tabs and notes on your prospects as you seek out the next big fish.

3. Inspiration for Re-branding.
Thinking about rebranding your corporate identity? Start compiling inspirational visuals including color choices, great logo marks, phenomenal photography, typography ideas, websites, and brochures. Anything and everything that catches your eye is pinned - all without letting others know anything is in the works.

4. Seeking out Job Candidates.
Have an open position in your company? Go ahead and pin your top candidates for the position. They'll never know as you keep tabs on and compare each candidate.

5. Expanding your Business (or starting a new one).
Use your secret board to pin concepts, renderings and illustrations of expansion ideas. Maybe there's a new location you're considering - pin information about the locale. Perhaps there's a new product offering - pin similar products for comparison.

6. Gift ideas for the Boss.
When the boss is happy, everyone is happy! Keep that special someone in mind during the holiday season or during Boss' Week as you and your cohorts share gift ideas on a secret board away from the prying eyes of the one-in-charge.

Look forward to hearing your ideas on secret boards. Visit my Pinterest page here: Andy's Pinterest Page

If You Follow Mellow Mushroom, They Will Follow You Back. Literally.

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 12:36 GMT

Mellow Mushroom, the hippie-styled pizzeria based out of Atlanta, Georgia, has launched a number of video spots encouraging social media users to follow their official Twitter account. Like most successful and creative campaigns, the concept is simple: After following Mellow Mushroom's official Twitter account (@MellowMushroom), the lovable yet creepy mascots of Mellow Mushroom, Mel and Dude, literally "follow" their new Twitter friend.

I love these new spots - so clever and hilariously creepy! Enjoy.

A Brand Positioning Class Courtesy of Romeo & Mike

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:22 GMT

In the past couple of weeks you've read about my thoughts on brand positioning and the importance of it to your business and employees.

This past weekend the NFL put on a clinic in positioning and communication.

First, the 3-5 Washington Redskins played the lowly Carolina Panthers and got their heads handed to them. In the post-game press conference Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan all but quit on his team. "When you lose a game like that, now you're playing to see who obviously is going to be on your football team for years to come," Shanahan said in his postgame news conference Sunday. "Now, we have a chance to evaluate players and see where we're at. Obviously, we're not out of it statistically. Now we find out what kind of character we have and how guys keep on fighting throughout the rest of the season."

This isn't exactly a good position that an employee of the Redskins should be taking. After all, the Redskins are trying to sell tickets, jerseys, concessions, skyboxes, parking, and all the other things that make the franchise money. Why would I want to contribute to a team (brand) that has given up hope?

Now transition to the Kansas City Chiefs. They, too, suffered a bad defeat -- in primetime to the Chargers. Instead of deciding the season was lost, their coach chose a different approach. Coach Romeo fired himself from being the defensive coordinator and proclaimed that he was willing to do whatever it took to turn the season around. False hope? Maybe. But it's definitely a different message than the Redskins are putting out. Maybe Chiefs fan will back their coach and have a renewed sense of hope for the remainder of the season?

Remember, the way you externally position your brand message has a direct impact on the opinion of your brand, your management team, and ultimately the revenue of your company. You should remember to manage these opportunities as you would any other piece of your business.

James Bond, Coke Zero and exclusive Skyfall tickets.

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:50 GMT

To showcase the partnership between Coke Zero and the Bond film, Skyfall, a new video has emerged (via Duval Guillaume Modem) challenging customers to 'Unlock the 007 in you'. Filmed in Antwerp Belgium's Central station, unsuspecting participants are summoned with an exciting and timed assignment to win exclusive tickets to Skyfall.

Check out the video below as consumers tap into their inner James Bond by racing through the train station avoiding intentionally placed obstacles (spilled oranges, dog walkers, janitors). All the while, participants are serenaded by violins and trumpets as they attempt to reach their final destination within 70 seconds.

Supremely clever and exceptionally well produced, this video spot strikes me as a brilliant way for consumers to interact with a great brand. Not to mention how much fun it was to plan and to watch as Coke Zero customers are suddenly transformed into international secret agents.

How to Build a Low-Cost Brand Loyalty Program

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 01:27 GMT

Brand loyalty programs are predicated on the idea that, generally speaking, it is a great deal easier and more cost effective to keep a current customer happy than it is to attract a new customer. This is true whether you're a huge multi-national corporation, a small mom and pop shop, or somewhere in between, and it's why many businesses are so focused on brand loyalty programs these days. It is much more difficult to convince a customer to do business with you the first time than to convince them to do business with you again.

If you are closer to the mom and pop side of the scale than the multi-national side, the problem with brand loyalty programs is often one of cost. Brand loyalty has become synonymous with giving away freebies, and a new or smaller business can seldom afford to give too much away for free.

A brand loyalty program doesn't have to involve giving things away, though, and it doesn't have to be expensive. The goal of a brand loyalty program is to encourage customers to give you their repeat business. Any program that attempts to do this is a brand loyalty program, and there are many ways to encourage repeat business that don't involve freebies or a lot of expense. Three of the more effective methods are to:

Simplify
Socialize, and
Personalize

Simplify

The simpler you can make it for your customers to do business with you, the more likely they are to continue doing business with you. This seems obvious, but it's surprising how many companies don't take it into account. Companies that do pay attention to simplicity are often surprised at how effective it is, though. Amazon is an example of improving brand loyalty by using simplicity effectively.

Amazon 1-click ordering is an elegant example of how a company can make it simpler for their customers to do business with them. Customers using 1-Click no longer have to add items to a “cart” or “basket”, or repeatedly enter payment and shipping information every time they buy something. It really couldn't be simpler.

Socialize

The prevalence of social social networking sites in our lives is proof that human beings are social creatures. We love to talk about anything and everything, and if you give your customers the chance to talk to each other about your brand, loyalty is the end result.

A great example of how to leverage your customers' social natures to boost brand loyalty are the Mini Cooper Mini Clubs. These clubs are a chance for people who own a Mini to get together, go for group drives and just socialize. The only thing they all have in common is that they've purchased a Mini, but by making that purchase the requirement for membership in a social group it becomes a point of pride.

Personalize

This is probably the easiest and the least expensive method to improve your customers' brand loyalty, especially in today's information rich climate. Customers are accustomed to giving away their personal information often and everywhere and, as Harley Davidson could tell you, that information can be used to improve brand loyalty through personalization.

Harley-Davidson owners receive newsletters that are customized for where they live and what bike they purchased. This kind of personalization is a fairly trivial matter to accomplish, but it makes the newsletters much more relevant to the customer and therefore more likely to encourage brand loyalty.

Most companies, if they look, can find a way to simplify their customers' interactions, engage socially or personalize their experience. Once they do, increased brand loyalty is sure to follow.

Get PROOF for Brand Tactic Success

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:27 GMT

In the past, you may have been taught to set SMART goals. That is, goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. The SMART method is great, but I've found that when the touchpoints I'm creating or managing are part of a multi-layered, interdepartmental, multi-platform brand strategy, being SMART doesn't fit 100% of the time.

What you need when deciding what tactics and processes to use in your brand implementation is PROOF. PROOF that you're heading in the right direction, that you're making the right decisions, and that you're focusing on the right brand strategy touch points.

In case you were wondering, PROOF stands for:

Priority
Reproducible
Observable
Operational
Fitting

The Brand Touchpoint Should Be a Priority
You have limited resources at your disposal. Everybody does. In order to allocate those resources to the best possible effect it is vital that you know how important each aspect of your brand strategy is in relation to the other aspects. If you know the relative return on investment of each of your brand strategy touch points, you can fine tune the resources you are spending on each of them to generate the best results. Making the most of your limited time, money and other resources is so very important to an effective brand strategy implementation.

The Tactic Should Be Reproducible

Whenever you are determining the utility of a touch point, you should be asking, “Will we be able to consistently achieve the same result, time after time after time?” Consistency is another hallmark of a well planned brand strategy, so if the answer is “No.” you may need to rethink that particular touch point. Consistency is synonymous with reliable, and a reliable brand strategy is a good brand strategy.

The Brand Touchpoint is Observable

The one metric that is absolutely foundational to any brand strategy is utility. Are the processes and touch points you've instituted actually useful to your customers or your employees. If so, how useful are they? In this context, “observable” is being used in the sense of “measurable”. If you are unable to measure the utility of your processes and touch points, you are unable to evaluate their utility in any meaningful way. Without the ability to evaluate, you have no way to get the most out of your brand strategy.

We can Operationalize the Brand Tactic

This point doesn't mean what you probably think it means. Operational doesn't mean simply making sure it works (although that's important, too). What it does mean is making sure your touch points make life easier and more efficient for your customers, your employees, or – ideally – both. Anything that slows them down or interferes with the spreading of your brand message needs to be changed or eliminated completely from your brand strategy. Your touch points should be natural, and optimize the customer experience and/or employee processes.

The Touchpoint Fits Our Brand Plan

One of the most challenging things about implementing any brand strategy is finding ways to differentiate your brand while staying true to your brand's image. With every step, with every process, with every touch point you need to be asking, “Does this fit our brand? Is this in line with our message and our image?”

TIP: You also need to ask, “Does this also fit our competitors' brands?” If the answer is inevitably “Yes” you may need to find better ways to differentiate your brand. Finding the balance between standing out from the crowd and fitting your brand's image is more art than science, but by remaining aware of the need for both sides you've already half won the battle.

And there you have it; PROOF that the individual parts of your brand strategy are solid and well thought out. Or maybe PROOF that some things need to be tweaked to be more effective. Either way, by making sure your processes and touch points are prioritized, reproducible, observable, optimizing and that they fit your brand, you'll be making sure your brand strategy is as effective as possible and that you are getting the highest possible return on your brand strategy investment.

3 Tips to KISS Your Brand Development Strategy

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:42 GMT

It seems most people think that implementing a new brand development strategy is a complicated ordeal; a sea filled with details, minutiae, and often a great deal of in-house resistance to change. As a result, many people tend to over complicate the process – they believe it to be complicated, so they make it complicated.

As with most things, though, the best way to go about implementing your brand plan is to follow a Keep It Simple, Stupid mentality. While it's true that brand development can involve a lot of work and people and details, there are ways to keep it from becoming unnavigable. Here are just a few things you can do to help keep your brand development strategy process as simple and smooth as possible.

The Captain of the Brand Ship

You've heard the saying that “too many cooks spoil the broth,” well too many captains also wreck the ship. If too many people are trying to decide in what direction to move, most often nothing moves at all. A ship can only have one captain.

When it comes to your brand development strategy, there needs to be one person, and one person only, who is responsible for overseeing the whole process from start to finish - from top to bottom. This person should be empowered to make any and all necessary decisions related to the brand development strategy, and will ensure that everything stays on schedule, stays in budget, and most importantly, stays focused. Having too many people “in charge” is often worse than having no one in charge. Only one person at a time can steer the ship.

Understand Where Your Brand is Going

To plot your course you need to know two things at the very least:

Where you are
Where you are going

Once you know these two things you can be empowered to make good decisions about what your brand development strategy should be, and about how best to implement it.

If you understand your company's current position in the marketplace as well as its desired position, you have the basic information you need to make the sudden course corrections that are inevitably necessary along the way. Without those two pieces of information you are left guessing, and guessing is bad.

Know Which Way the Brand Wind Blows

Every brand development strategy includes opportunities to build momentum within the company. These are the situations you can use to generate enthusiastic involvement and cooperation from other parts of the company, and that involvement is the wind in the sails of your brand plan.

One of the most difficult aspects of implementing a new brand development strategy can be counteracting inertia and resistance to change within your own company. Having as many people in as many different departments as possible on board can mean the difference between a successful brand plan and an unsuccessful one - between moving fast and not moving at all.

Implementing a new brand development strategy can be a daunting task, and it can be easy to drown in a sea of details and personalities and complications. Following the Keep It Simple Strategy can help reduce the clutter to manageable proportions and keep everything focused and on track. Put one person at the helm, chart your course accurately, and identify the best opportunities to focus your attention and energy for best effect and you should have clear sailing all the way.

Brand Strategy 101: Build Brand Loyalty

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 03:06 GMT

What is brand loyalty and how does it work? Before we tackle those questions, let’s consider this exchange between Aaron and Dave:

Aaron: “Hey Dave, do you like Acme Wakeboards?”

Dave: “No, I don’t like Acme Wakeboards. I f***ing love them. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about cinching up an Acme board and carving up a killer wake. These boards are gorgeous - best styling I’ve ever laid eyes on. And they fit my feet like a glove. I have more control of the board and can pull off stunts I wouldn’t dream of attempting with other boards. Plus, the guys who started Acme are wakeboarders and they understand what it takes to build the perfect board -- wakeboarders who build wakeboards to perfection.

Okay, so Acme Wakeboards doesn’t really exist and neither does our fictional brand advocate, Dave. But this scenario seems plausible because we all know people like Dave and brands like Acme Wakeboards.

People like Dave are downright infectious. Even if you already own another brand of wakeboard, you get the feeling you made a bad purchase after hearing Dave’s testimonial. You consider trying an Acme wakeboard out of curiosity or plain jealousy. And something makes me think that Dave wouldn’t dream of considering another brand of wakeboard. Dave is supremely brand loyal to Acme.

What would happen if Acme launched a new line of wakeboards? You think Dave would be interested? You’re damn straight he’d be interested. My bet is Dave would hear about this new line of wakeboards months before they hit the stores. He likely pre-orders a new board on Acme’s website to arrive at his home before the boards hit the stores.

Dave cares little about what this new board is going to cost. Brand loyalty transcends cost and great brands can generally charge a premium for their goods and services. Besides, Acme isn’t going to gouge their customers. Remember, they are fellow wakeboarders who understand the culture.

How do Brands achieve Brand Loyalty?

Brands who achieve fanatical brand loyalty - Apple, Coca-Cola, BMW, John Deere - have done so because of a deep sense of trust. Casual buyers are converted into brand advocates because they earnestly trust these companies and believe they will consistently deliver a first-rate experience.

John Deere delivers a proven, reliable green tractor - every day. Apple delivers a superior user experience - every time. Brand loyalists are only loyal because they trust the brand and are willing to put their neck on the line. Brand loyalists know that these companies can deliver a similar positive experience, without fail.

Think about your own company, your own brand. Do you honestly have customers who would stick their necks out for you? Do you have confidence that you deliver a phenomenal experience every time someone interacts with your brand?

Think about the companies and brands that you consider your favorites. Are you willing to stick your neck out for them? What characteristics do these companies and brands possess that you admire?

Brand Loyalty isn't happenstance

Great brands don’t get that way by accident. There’s a strategic brand plan in place. There are brand initiatives underway in every level of the organization. Employees are motivated and excited to be part of the team. Metrics help chart trends of brand initiatives. This is brand development and all companies large and small stand to benefit from it.

Mr. CEO: Don’t Let Your Salespeople Position Your Brand

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:56 GMT

You’ve spent a great deal of time and money developing and implementing your brand positioning strategy. You’ve spent countless hours hammering out brand positioning statements and media campaigns that will be effective in driving home to consumers exactly what your product or service can do for them. You’ve thought of every angle, and covered every base.

What about your sales staff? Are they familiar with your brand positioning direction?

Out of all your company’s employees, your sales staff is easily one of the first and more important contact points you have with your customers. It's a critical time, too - before they buy. When prospects think of your company and consider it for purchase, it is your sales staff that provides the face. Your sales staff either do the most good for your brand positioning, or the most harm.

In their zeal to close the deal, bad sales representatives may use strategies that can do your brand significant harm. Usually, it's to sell a "product" rather than an "experience". They compete on price, negating the effects of your careful brand positioning and turning your product into nothing more than another commodity. They focus on the features of the product rather than the benefits to the customer.

It is therefore vital for any company that takes brand seriously to provide their sales force with the training and materials necessary to correctly position you company’s brand favorably.

Customer Driven Sales

Modern marketing is all about the customer. This requires a fundamental shift in thinking from your sales force. Instead of “How can I make this sale,” your salespeople need to be thinking, “How can I help this customer.” This is a subtle difference, but your customers will pick up on it.

By shifting focus to one that is centered squarely on the customer rather than on the sale or the product, your sales people will be operating from a shared frame of reference with your customers. This empowers them to better understand your customers’ needs and better meet those needs, which leads to more satisfied customers who are vastly more receptive to your brand positioning message.

Product Experience, Not Product Features

Your sales team should be focusing on selling an experience rather than features. This follows naturally from the customer-centric viewpoint. The product is about you, about your company. The experience of using that product is about your customer, and their life. Can you guess which one your customers care about more?

In addition to falling in line with good brand positioning practice, this is also great for sales. By framing the conversation in terms of the customer’s experience your sales people are much more likely to brand make the sale.

Don’t Compete On Price

Competing on price can sometimes make a sale if a customer is on the fence, but it does so at the expense of your entire brand positioning strategy. By competing on price you are moving the focus of the conversation from the customer back to the product. In the mind of your customers this turns your product into a commodity, rather than the image or experience you want to project. Brand positioning isn't about price, it is about experience and image.

Customers have become accustomed to asking “What’s in it for me?” and if you want to make the sale, you’d better have an answer ready. Even if your product has a stand out, unique, or far superior function or feature when compared to the competition, your sales staff need to be framing that uniqueness in terms of how it will benefit the customer. After all, how it benefits the customer is what your brand positioning strategy is all about.

How To Build a Brand Development Strategy That Works

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 01:14 GMT

What is your brand development strategy? You do have one, don’t you?

It may seem like common sense that if you want to grow your business you need to grow your brand, but how do you come up with a brand development strategy, and how do you know if it is a good one? It may help to realize that when you clear away all of the unnecessary details, a successful brand development strategy has three main elements.

Understand Your Customers
Be Relevant
Be Patient

Understand Your Customers
The first element of your brand plan is to make sure you truly understand your customers. Understanding what really drives their behavior will inform all your branding decisions, as well as determine the direction your brand development strategy will take. The more you understand your customers the better you can predict how they will respond to your marketing, and that really is the key. Understanding them is key to being relevant to them, too.

Be Relevant
Once you’ve determined what motivates your customers you can start to answer the question, “What need does my product fill?” This is quite possibly the most important question you will ever ask in regards to your brand development strategy. For your company and its services to become meaningful in the eyes of both present customers and future ones, your product needs to be relevant; it needs to fulfill a need.

People have many needs and it is quite possible that your product could fulfill several of them. This is where understanding what motivates your customers will help you decide which needs are most fundamental and therefore most effective. Customers are often very creative creatures. Listen carefully to what they tell you and your sales/service staff. Once you identify a need that your company can satisfy, the goal is to associate your product with the fulfillment of that need in the minds of the public. If you can do that, you’re well on your way to solid brand development. Strategy aside, it’s just common sense to ask yourself what your product can do for your customers. When it comes to your advertising, they are certainly asking themselves, “What’s in it for me?”

Be Patient
The third element is simply to be patient. Implementing a solid brand development strategy can be a very long and slow process. It takes time to change the way the public thinks abou your product, and it is important that you be prepared to take the necessary time to do so effectively.

For your brand development strategy to be truly effective it needs to result in strong communication and positioning that lasts. If you are in too much of a hurry, if you cut corners and take shortcuts, your carefully built image could be as fleeting as a morning fog. Take your time, play the long game and build your brand slowly and patiently on a solid foundation. If you’ve taken the time to discover and communicate the needs your product fills, your patience will be rewarded.

How an Internal Branding Strategy Rings the Cash Register

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:41 GMT

Branding is typically a term that tends to be focused on using external marketing tactics to attract and retain valued customers. However, one of the most effective marketing programs you can do actually begins with an internal branding strategy aimed at each and every employee.

The Internal Branding Philosophy

In addition to understanding their jobs, employees should have a thorough understanding of the company in which they serve. A team member that understands the brand from top to bottom and their place within it is in a better position to communicate that brand effectively.

A few core internal marketing benefits demonstrate why employee understanding of the brand, creating brand ambassadors, and in turn raising company sales and revenue matters so much. Some of these are:

Staff alignment with company goals and purposes
Improved brand understanding and communication
Higher productivity
Better overall customer service
Contribution to brand differentiation
Corporate Employee loyalty & longevity

Directing Your Brand Ambassadors

Each of your staff members, from the lowest ranks to the executive level, play unique and important roles in the organization. Each of them come in contact with your customers either directly or indirectly. Just as every employee needs to understand the "what" and "why" of your business, each of these employees should be educated on the best way to interact with the customer via their specific touchpoints. There is no hard and fast rule for doing this, but it can be as simple as establishing loose guidelines or more in depth by creating stringent processes, scripts and training. The decision depends on your particular business and the communications channels being used.

Ultimately, consciously and systematically creating an army of brand champions through an effective internal branding strategy will translate into dollars at the register and profits on your bottom line. Internal brand development is an investment that contributes lasting results.

Question: What types of internal sales, service and training development do you do within your company? Tell us in the comments section below. We'd love to hear about it!

An About Face for JC Penney: Sales are Back!

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:40 GMT

Perhaps consumers aren’t ready to abandon sales and discounts yet. After a bold move by company executives to eliminate discounts racks and the word ‘sales’ from JC Penney lexicon, the company is now doing an about-face on previous pricing tactics.

‘Sales’ are being introduced back into JCP advertising as the retailer begins to backpedal from the “fair and square” pricing strategy. This bold pricing strategy was similarly designed like Walmart’s “everyday low prices,” but never resonated with consumers looking for bargains and good deals.

The about face was triggered in large part by weary investors who have seen JC Penney stock hit new lows. After JCP traded at a high of $43.18 per share in February 2012, share prices have steadily declined into June, trading between $24 and $28 per share.

Despite the stock woes, JCP and CEO Ron Johnson have full support from one notable investor, Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital. Ackman owns about 39 million shares of the retailer – about 17.9% of the company.

Ackman has voiced his full support for JCP in various investor forums boasting that the company is blazing new paths in consumer retail markets. However, Ackman has admitted that the company suffers from several problems, namely that the JCP brand does not sit well with other premium brands.

It’s unlikely that consumers have ever considered JC Penney a “premium” brand. If this is the retailer’s ultimate goal, many of the sub-brands and stores under the JC Penney name need to change immediately. Sales and discounts are unconventional since premium brands rarely discount their prices – the backlash from investors and consumers proves that JC Penney isn’t considered premium.

Creating a terrific brand has many internal and external initiatives requiring a significant investment of time, funds and resources. It’s hard work, but superbly rewarding. Loyal brand advocates will seek out your brand before all others, will tell others about how they love you, and will pay more for your products and services.

JC Penney is blazing new paths, but to where? Despite bold pricing strategies, a new brand identity, interesting alliances and innovative marketing ploys, there’s hard work ahead for the retailer. With good strategy and the proper investment of resources, they will be rewarded for their efforts.

5 Questions to Ask Before You Spend a Dime on Brand Development

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:46 GMT

Brand development is a process that, when properly executed, can produce results that drive both top and bottom line expectations inside the c-suite, AND better position your company in the minds of your customers.

However, conditions must be right (notice I didn't say perfect) in order for your new brand building venture to be successful. Before you begin, you need to get real and ask yourself these five important questions.

1. Do you have total buy-in from everyone in the c-suite?

If the CEO, CMO, and CFO don't believe in the branding process and the tangible financial outcomes, you'll never get it off the ground. Brand development is something that needs to start from the top. It's a culture change. Everyone in the company needs to know how important the process is, and only the CEO can make that crystal clear.

2. Do you know why your brand matters, or should matter, in the eyes of the customer?

You should know why you're in business in the first place. Is it just to make a profit? Probably not. Behind every great brand is a story of why they are in business. Find yours. It's worth its weight in gold.

3. Do you know what differentiates your brand from your competitors?

Many companies are in a price-driven commodity type businesses. Why drive to Walmart when I can go to Target? Why go to Burger King when I can go to McDonald's? Every brand has something that makes them different than the competition. (hint: don't say “best service” or “lowest prices”) Your differentiation is your brand essence. Protect it and be true to it.

4. Can you prove it?

If you can prove those points of how and why you are different, you'll be better positioned in the eyes of your customers. Perhaps you say you have the best selection of auto parts in the industry, yet customers consistently can't get the parts they need from you, there's a disconnect. If you make a claim of distinction around your brand, you better be able to follow through on it.

5. Can you continue to prove it?

Big deal, you proved it. Can you keep proving it? If you claim to have the best-trained group of plumbers in Atlanta, then you better keep training them, over and over. If not, your competition will overtake you before you know it and your claim of distinction will become antiquated - and your customers will notice. Make it a point to continue to prove your claim(s) of distinction and stay true to your brand essence.

So, did you pass? Are you ready to embark on the brand development process? Branding your business is a difficult job, but if you've asked the right questions, you'll be well on your way to building a company that is successful in both your P&L and your customers' eyes.

Balancing Brand Builders With Sales Drivers

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:17 GMT

Branding a company is a marathon not a sprint. Yet as business owners we often need to see immediate results. Knowing how to balance the future with the present in terms of sales numbers now and brand affinity later is a delicate balance that every CEO and CMO struggles with.

Your customer's brand experience is made up of hundreds of touchpoints and interactions with your business daily. These experiences go on before, during and after the sale. Each one can be treated in one of two ways - as a Sales driver, or a brand builder.

Drivers Are Cash Machines

Drivers are events and touch points that create immediate sales. They bring your business short-term gains.

Consider Groupon. Groupon is a service that uses the social web to level the playing field for small retailers, enabling owners to expose their brand to a larger audience. By offering digital coupons to new customers, owners can see an instant bump in sales.

Sales drivers come in many forms, both internal and external. They include brand tactics like celebrity endorsements to sell more product, timing sales around holidays, sporting event sponsorships, a sales contest between your employees, a discount to your customers for paying their bill early. The list goes on.

Brand Builders Lay a Foundation

Branding initiatives that are thought of as "builders" are things that may not bring immediate gains today, but grow it in a positive way. Think of these tactics as "paying it forward."

In the book "Satisfaction" by JD Power IV, he tells the story of an AVIS bus driver that passed a customer at the airport several times. He finally stopped to ask the customer which bus he was waiting for. Frustrated, the man told the bus driver he was waiting for a Hertz bus. The AVIS driver offered to take him to the Hertz check-in even though the man was not an AVIS customer. Not only was this a kind gesture, the next time the man rented a car he chose AVIS.

Brand builders are also internal. Employee retention programs, staff training, 401k programs, health benefits, vacation policies, and even your day-to-day business processes are all internal brand builders. They too affect the way employees and customers view your company.

The Dark Side of Brand Drivers and Brand Builders

There is a downside to every tactic, and your brand drivers and builders can be evil too.

Let's revisit the Groupon example. What would happen if you sell too many 'groupons,' your store is overrun with customers, and your staff cannot handle it? Your positive brand driver has now become a negative brand builder. The service was lousy. New customers that have never dealt with your company before now have a negative brand perception.

Consider every touchpoint and tactic that your company employs and what the consequences will be - both positive and negative. Balance your drivers and builders to create a memorable, profitable brand that will live on for many years.

A Rock-solid Brand Development Strategy Is Simple. Really.

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:02 GMT

It's a fact - Building a strong brand drives higher profits directly to your bottom line. Although it's a long process, getting there doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, you can boil your brand development plan into two distinct parts - defining your points of distinction and then proving each one of them on a consistent basis.

Discover your Unique Value Propositions (UVPs)

In order to have a brand that stands out in a crowd, you need to be unique. Every company IS unique, right? Otherwise, they would all be called the same name!

First you need to find out what makes your company truly unique. This is deceptively difficult. It's easy to say things like, "We have the best products." "We have the best service." "We're fun people to work with!"

Do a deep dive and make a list of the things that you think put your company head and shoulders above your competitors. In the end you should ask yourself, "Does this list truly make us unique?" If the answer is "no," then why would a customer choose your brand over the company across the street? Keep digging. The answers are there.

This can be a daunting task, so consider the following aspects of your company. Think about every department inside your company, the various spaces and materials customers come in contact with your brand, and the overall experience these customers have.

Brand history
Dealer network
Locations
Products/Services
Technology
Customer Service Techniques
Brand experience

Develop a Plan to Prove It.

The list of things that make your brand unique is nothing but lip service unless you 'prove it' to your customers. Competitors pop up around the globe almost daily, and the Internet has turned your customers into smarter buyers. You need a way to get in front of the competition and stay there. A solid brand plan puts you there.

Your brand strategy plan should communicate and prove each UVP continuously. If you claim you are better at something than a competitor, you have to be willing to deliver it everyday and measure it. The measurement is your proof.

Proof can take dozens of different forms. Consider these examples.

If your brand has the best technology in the industry, perhaps you measure this by the number of patents that your company holds.
If you have the best customer service, you could prove this with third party ratings like ZAGAT, JD Power, or even TripAdvisor. This is a way to display third party opinions of your service which always carry more weight.
If your staff members are more knowledgeable than the competition's, have them do things like write for your company newsletter, speak at trade shows, or display their training and trade associations memberships on your website. Each of these actions are small, but together they are powerful proof of your staff's expertise.

Repeat this for every single UVP.

"But I can't prove it. Yet."

Your company isn't perfect, otherwise you wouldn't need brand development. You may have a weakness that could easily be corrected and turned into a strength, or there is something aspirational the company wishes to become - this could be a new product or service, or an improvement to a lagging metric. Don't be afraid to add this to your UVPs. Just realize the curve for growing this part of the business could take much longer, and sometimes be harder to prove in the beginning.

Once you have a plan to prove it, your company's advertising, customer service and R&D channels can be aligned to support the brand's strategy. There are several benefits that come out of this exercise.

Communication becomes easier because your brand knows exactly what it is best at, and has the proof to back it up.
Customers aren't confused about what you do, and why they need it.
Employees know what is important to the success of the business and work daily to deliver the UVPs.

Planning a brand strategy for operations, communications and advertising is a simple way to achieve your business objectives quicker. Follow the two steps above and you'll be on your way to dominating your competition!

Give a Little, Get a Lot: A Comedic Brand Building Experiment

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:09 GMT

One of the hottest comedians in the US, Louis CK, conducted an experiment to see what would happen if he independently created and sold a DRM-free video of unaired material direct to consumers on his website for $5. Standard sales of comedy specials would typically cost about $20 per video, the videos would not be available until months after TV specials had aired, and would come with numerous viewing restrictions if purchased online.

CK looked past the possibility that people would steal the video (the greatest downfall of DRM-free videos). He looked past the possibility that it might not work (risking a $200,000 investment), and he looked past the ease of letting a big production company shoot and sell the video for him. In doing so, he created a stronger way to build brand loyalty with current fans and made it easy and affordable for new fans to see his act.

To marketers, CK’s distribution experiment makes perfect sense; video sharing is a key tactic in building brand strength. By regularly posting videos on a blog, your site will experience an organic bump in SEO--building brand presence. Offering video tutorials will show potential clients your expertise--building brand ethos. Giving customers something as a token of how you value their business--building brand loyalty.

Clients tend to have the same fears Louis CK had to push past in his endeavor. What if someone clicks on a link to my video and hires a competitor to execute my ideas? They might, but what if they never knew your website or company existed? Can you consider it a lost sale if it was never yours in the first place?

See It to Believe It
A recommendation is a strong factor in decision making for most consumers. Who better to recommend your services than you. If potential clients have easy access to you and can see your expertise first-hand, then they are more likely to trust you.

The logic behind this is simple. Give people something that is easy to use and affordable, and they will buy into your brand. Give a little, get a lot. It worked for Louis CK. In first four days of sales, CK recouped the $200,000 he invested in the video and made an additional $200,000. To date, the video has grossed $1M. Loss in sales due to people stealing is negligible considering all factors.

Because of his success, other comedians such as Aziz Ansari and Jim Gaffigan are following CK’s distribution model. Gaffigan is taking it a step further and donating a dollar from each sale to charity. “What Louis did was make the product at a super low price and super easy to buy. It was a really simple, but really brilliant idea,” he says.

While you may not be selling a good online like these comedians, the idea holds true. Creating an easy, affordable way for customers to have access to you is one possible way to build a strong brand.

The Decline of Celebrity Brand Endorsements

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:21 GMT

Are celebrity endorsements a thing of the past? A brand marketing dinosaur? I say No, and I'll tell you why.

Celebrities are cool. Celebrities are recognizable. Celebrities are dumpster fires just waiting to happen.

Americans are obsessed with fame. How else do you explain American Idol, The National Inquirer, TMZ, and Celebrity Apprentice? The fact that the city of Los Angeles is what it is today is proof enough.

A recent AdWeek article noted that celebrity endorsements are down 9% since a high of 19% in 2004. They quote a former General Motors vice-chairman as saying, "There are more effective ways of communicating with the consumer without using celebrities, with really great creative." He was also quoted as saying, "I’m not sure anyone really believed that Tiger Woods drove a Buick."

Red Lobster used a similar brand tactic by using real cooks and servers in their ads. The reason was they were trying to be more "authentic."

That thinking is just plain wrong. Unless you are a local brand with real personality that people know and trust, this is NOT the way to go. Fundamentally, I see 3 problems with this thinking.

Problem #1: It's All About the Benjamins

I believe the biggest factor for the shift of brand marketing dollars away from celebrities as brand spokespeople is cost. We are currently in a recession. If I were CEO of a huge, public company, how could I justify paying Tiger Woods millions of dollars a year to appear in 30 second spots while at the same time cutting my workforce by thousands and taking bail-out money from the government?

I couldn't.

Cutting costs is the only way to get through the recession for GM, and that includes cutting the use of celebrities in the ads. Which is something they obviously don't believe in because Buick is now getting Shaq to drive their cars.

Problem #2: Celebrities are Trendsetters

Celebrities have been selling product for hundreds of years. Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley sold tickets to Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Mickey Mantle and countless other athletes sold cigarettes in the 50s. Mean Joe Greene sold Coca-Cola in a Super Bowl spot so effective that is STILL being parodied today. Tom Cruise sold Ray-Ban's (unofficially), not once but twice, first in Risky Business and then again in Top Gun. More recently, the Duchess of Cambridge is making designers across London both well-known and wealthy.

Celebrity is an addiction. People want to be movie stars, performers, and athletes. People may not be able to reach those levels of fame, but they can still buy the dress or wear the sunglasses.

Problem #3: Lowered Expectations, Lowered Profits

I expect certain things from the brands I hold in high regard. I expect a celebrity to wear a Tag Heuer watch. How else does I know that Tag Heuer is a luxury brand worthy of commanding the price tag that it does? I really have no idea what makes a Tag Heuer worth more than a Timex other than my brand perception.

I'm reminded of the analogy on the cover of "Building the Brand-Driven Business." On it, appears a plain black t-shirt with no label. The only thing that gives the 100% cotton tee value and turns it into a $50 shirt instead of a $5 shirt is the brand behind it. In fashion, celebrities most certainly influence the buyers of their clothing.

As long as Americans are fascinated with celebrity, there is a place for celebrity endorsements. These costs are not only justified, but in many industries necessary.

Pull. Don’t Push. Inbound Marketing and Why It’s Important

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:03 GMT

The following is an excerpt from our newest ebook on inbound marketing. Download it here.

Inbound marketing is the act of attracting prospects and customers through the publishing of ideas, expertise, articles or other original content that educates your audience. If done correctly, this "earned media" technique results in a higher number of leads and sales.

For example, B2C companies that blog (an inbound marketing tactic) generate 88% more leads per month that those who do not¹. We believe that utilizing inbound marketing makes closing sales easier and therefore less expensive because the customer has already been educated, vetted and qualified by a virtual salesperson -- your website.

For these reasons, it is necessary to redirect a portion of your marketing resources from traditional outbound tactics in favor of these new inbound strategies. More than half of marketers polled increased their inbound marketing budget in 2011.

Inbound marketing tactics like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), blogging, social media, website lead generation and lead nurturing are more cost-effective than traditional forms of outbound marketing. Marketers are already shifting their budgets, and seeing results.

Content is King. So what?

For all intents and purposes, optimized blog posts, social media conversations, articles, and web sites are all parts of an inbound marketing strategy which could potentially help you be found online. Once this content is created and published online, potential customers find your content in one of three different ways: links from other sites, paid online advertisements such as Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and organic search results on search engines.

It's unrealistic to believe that companies can purchase all of their traffic in the form of incoming links and PPC -- 70% of the links search users click on are organic, not paid². The more organic search results in which your website appears, the less your overall SEM costs will be.

There are 88,000,000,000 searches made worldwide per month on Google³. It's paramount to have content that has been optimized to grab your fair share of those searches.

94% of customers research the company or brand on the Internet before they make a purchase.
75% of those who search online never scroll past the first page of search results⁴.

It's not sufficient to merely be listed in Google. You need to rank high for the terms you are targeting.

A solid inbound marketing strategy helps your company focus on what they are saying online and what they are being found for.

If your business is not ranking well for the words that describe your products and services, then they are not helping potential customers find you. The only way to do this it to consistently create useful, relevant content.

Sources

HUBSPOT, STATE OF INBOUND MARKETING LEAD GENERATION REPORT, 2010
MARKETINGSHERPA, FEBRUARY 2007
SEARCH ENGINE LAND, FEBRUARY 2010
MARKETINGSHARE.HITSLINK.COM, OCTOBER 2010

Brand Crisis Averted: How the NFL stuck it to the New Orleans Saints

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:01 GMT

The National Football League – commonly referred as the NFL or just ‘the league’ – is a favorite pastime of mine. Throughout the year, pro football is the prime mode of entertainment for millions of fans worldwide.

Primarily I enjoy the exceptional product the NFL puts on the field. Any given Thursday, Sunday, or Monday, fans enjoy attractive team matchups with compelling storylines and intense competition.

Viewership, brand loyalty, and game attendance are at all-time highs for the League. Television networks fiercely compete just to secure a sliver of the NFL’s broadcasting rights. Advertising and sponsorship opportunities continue to drive revenue up and up.

Fans also appreciate the way the NFL continues to innovate the game. For instance, quarterbacks and linebackers have wireless devices embedded in their helmet so that coaches can radio plays and formations to their on-field generals. Genius.

Protect this Brand

But the thing I most admire about the NFL is how they protect their brand. A recent scandal involving the New Orleans Saints was handled about as well as you can handle a crisis. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell worked swiftly and fairly to squash a potential brand management nightmare.

As you’ve probably read, the scandal in question involved a bounty system established for Saints’ players.The bounty concept was straightforward – injure an opposing player and you were rewarded – typically with a cash bonus. Saints defensive players were compensated for “cart-offs” worth $1,000 and “knockouts" worth $1,500, with payments doubled or tripled for the playoffs.

The NFL said the scheme involved 22 to 27 defensive players, targeting opponents including quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, Brett Favre, and Kurt Warner. Another way to look at it: 22 to 27 NFL players were paid to damage the top brand ambassadors in the league. Just shameful.

Had Goodell and NFL officials let this behavior go unchecked and unpunished, permanent brand damage would have resulted. Fans (customers) will not stand for despicable behavior. Once customers lose respect for a brand, they no longer buy the brand’s products, don’t talk/blog/post positively about the brand and, most importantly, don’t remain loyal to the brand.

The bounty penalties imposed are harsh. Saints coach Sean Payton is suspended without pay for all of next season. Former New Orleans' defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams is banned indefinitely. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is barred for half of 2012, assistant head coach Joe Vitt has a six-game ban, and the team is docked two second-round draft picks (one in 2012 and another in '13) plus a $500,000 fine.

Integrity

Among essential values and beliefs listed in the official brand guide, the NFL lists ‘Integrity’ as an important aspect of the organization. The brand guide states that “together our actions and values shape our brand image.” Indeed.

I applaud the NFL’s sanctions against the Saints. In fact, I believe the league has emerged stronger than ever. League officials continue to prove they understand the complexities of brand management without comprising competition, innovation, and yes, integrity. There’s no wonder the NFL’s brand equity is better than ever.

The 3 A’s of Brand-Driven Employees

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:18 GMT

From the moment a new employee starts their job, they begin on a journey. The ultimate destination for every employee is that they become a brand-driven employee. During the process, there are three A's to remember.

Aware

First an employee must be immersed in the positive practices and processes that make your company what it is. If your brand has problems at the employee level, this is where you need to snuff it out. Hopefully your company has a good reputation as a great place to work. Otherwise, your hiring process, orientation, and first couple of weeks on the job are the first intimate encounters they have with your company.

What they hear during this time is paramount. As CEO, YOU are the number one brand champion. As you've heard, it starts at the top. Talking about the brand everyday with new and seasoned employees makes them aware of just how important a strong brand is.

Absorb

If well-coached, an employee will transition from an employee who is just aware of the brand's promise to one that begins to absorb what's really going on around them. They begin to understand the business objectives. They start to "walk the walk" and "talk the talk". If your business is practicing good processes, your employees will absorb them. If your processes are bad, they absorb those too.

Ambassador

A brand ambassador is one that has heard the brand (aware), one that has seen and understands the brand (absorb), and has finally started to live the brand (ambassador).

This is the point when an employee falls in love with the company. They begin to tell everyone they meet about it. They try to get their friends and family to work there. They brag about the great fun they have, how successful the business is, and they try to promote the business "as the only possible choice." Just like in love, they become passionate about doing a great job for the business, the customers and their co-workers.

Begin to think about how you foster and shape your staff at each phase, and you'll develop an army of brand-driven employees resulting in a thriving business!

5 Ways to Find Your Creative Process

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:30 GMT

While designers, illustrators, and fine artists are all creative, each have a very different creative process. Most of us only pay attention to the end result while the process is often ignored or neglected. Glenn Griffin and Deborah Morison examine these possibilities and trends in their book "The Creative Process Illustrated: How Advertising's Big Ideas Are Born " as they seek to find how looking at the creative processes of dozens of creative professionals - in hopes that it might help you to find your creative process.

In preparation for creating the book, Griffin and Morison sent out requests for creatives of all facets to "illustrate" their creative process, three things became very apparent. For one, they found that fear, frustration, and the thought of rejection are often common overlapping themes. The duo also discovered that processes are very personal. While similarities in processes are sometimes present, each individual interprets their own steps differently. Griffin and Morison quickly realized how much process matters.

Griffin lectures how we are all metacognitive beings which makes us great at being creatives. He states there are three types of metacognitive thinking abilities that we all posses. Personal knowledge (your belief about your creative ability), task knowledge (assessment of resources) and strategic knowledge (a combination of the two previous types of knowledge types) which we all use to find solutions to individual problems.

The two developed a short list of ideas to help you find your creative process. The following list reiterates just a few tips suggested to help you find your creative process:

1. Your process is personal. Identify markers of your process (ie. a favorite pen or a particular way you like to sketch).

2. Find metaphors that clarify your process. It's a great start and help you tell your story. One submitter stated to "take an idea apart and put it back together. What's in between is what is interesting."

3. Create a timeline of how you look at things through the day. Use this to help you identify when you are most creative. You should be able to recognize your habits as key pieces to finding when/where your best ideas come.

4. Be honest with yourself about your process. Transparency separates the real and ideal. To help achieve a honest opinion of your process you could take a tutorial approach.

5. Take full account of your career path and think about the most significant lessons you've learned (what was the process behind the biggest problem you have solved). This will help you to find the “happy place” for you, the client, and the agency.

Whatever your process, you need to realize that you need one! Practice and refine your process as you go, and never stop creating!

How do you stay creative?

8 Bad Habits that Crush Your Brand Development Efforts

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:30 GMT

Developing a brand that customers can connect with, celebrate, and persuade their friends to use is a marathon. Since your brand is reflection of everything you do over and over day in and day out, it's easy to fall off the wagon. Here's eight bad habits that will crush your brand development efforts.

Bad Habit #1: Not Starting at the Top

A good brand builder starts at the top with the CEO. If not, any efforts that don't start in the C-suite will be made in vain — "If it didn't come from the boss, it must not be important."

Bad Habit #2: Not Aligning All Departments Behind the Brand.

If the marketing department has drunk the Koolaid but customer service has not, you have a major problem on your hands. You can have thousands of dollars spent on an ad campaign that could be completely undone by one bad CSR. Get the employees in your organization on the same page.

Bad Habit #3: Throwing Money at the Problem.

Increasing marketing dollars won't improve your brand. Money just amplifies the story you are telling. Make sure it reflects your uniqueness.

Bad Habit #4: Not Empowering Every Employee to Champion the Brand.

As I mentioned in #3, all of your employees need to be aware and pulling in the same direction — then get out of the way. Over time, employees will go from "hearing" the CEO talk about the brand, to believing in the brand, to then living the brand. At the moment that happens, you'll have something really special on your hands!

Bad Habit #5: Not Rewarding Brand-Driven Performance

When the brand wins, your employees win! Your employees ARE your brand. Rewarding your employees for a job well done is the best way to keep your brand growing in a positive way.

Bad Habit #6: No Tracking

All of your brand development efforts should be measured in some way. Decide what goals are meaningful to realizing your business objectives. This could be any number of metrics including a rise in brand preference, brand satisfaction, or brand relevance — just to name a few.

Bad Habit #7: Hiring for Hard Skills Instead of Brand Skills

Many applicants can appear to have the technical skills to do their job, but do they know and understand "why" they are doing their job. Are they aware of "how" they are doing their job? Employees that live the brand and portray a positive image for your company are, in most cases, more valuable than someone who is merely capable of performing.

Bad Habit #8: Letting business as usual get in the way of brand efforts.

We're all busy. Life happens. Things seem to pop up and we take our eye off the ball. These moments are not interruptions in our brand development plan, they are opportunities to put that plan to use! Difficult clients, broken processes, employee turnover are all chances to make giant strides in building your brand from the inside out.

Working on building your brand? Let me know, what's your bad habit?

Don’t Promote Social Media with Your Brand Marketing Dollars!

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 03:45 GMT

If there's one thing that our social media accounts have taught us, it's that you can't afford to send traffic directly to your social media accounts any longer. At this point, using your marketing dollars to send your customers to your Facebook page, Twitter feed, Pinterest boards, or YouTube channel is foolish. It's just too much of a gamble to think that these platforms, or the people who frequent them, will be there long term. Think I'm crazy? Here's why.

First, there's the old adage that says, "The only thing that stays the same is 'change.'" This is especially true when it comes to your social media accounts. This "change" alters the way you market on these platforms on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis.

For example, take Facebook's "tabs" feature for brands. At first you could extend your brand experience on Facebook with FBML tabs. Then brands were forced to change their tab content to iframe based apps. Then Facebook rolled out the Timeline feature for companies, and tabs are now nearly completely hidden, limiting companies to only 3 visible tabs.

I predict Facebook will eventually phase out tabs altogether, or make them a pay service.

Second, you don't own the data, they do. Sure some of the social networks allow you to export your data like Google+. Some even have great APIs that allow you to pull your data and display it in other sites like Twitter.

Don't allow your social networking sites to be the primary resting place for your data. If Twitter goes out of business, you don't want to lose everything. Use your social accounts as a marketing channel like you do traditional advertising. With TV, radio or print ads, you tease and entice customers to come to your office, showroom, or restaurant. Use social media as bait to bring people to your website.

Third, you can't take your fans with you. Your time is best spent building your email marketing list and RSS subscribers, not growing your number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans. Yes, having a large number of Facebook fans helps increase your reach, but imagine what you could do with those people on your email list instead.

Think I'm crazy? Answer me this: What are you doing with all those MySpace "friends" you accumulated 5 years ago?

Don't get me wrong. You can't afford to NOT have these social media accounts. If used correctly, these sites are a huge traffic source for your website and allow you to cheaply and quickly promote your brand in the place people spend a majority of their time online.

Next time you create an ad for your brand, resist the temptation to place that Facebook and Twitter icon on it and instead promote your website FIRST. You can then sprinkle in social media links where they make sense on your website.

No more discount racks? Has J.C. Penney lost their mind?

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:18 GMT

Consumers love the discount racks. They’re drawn to big savings and deep discounts like ‘50% off the last ticketed price.’ But one large retailer is bucking this system. J.C. Penney is heading in a brave new direction by rethinking their entire brand strategy and style.

If you’ve been in a Penney’s lately, there’s a comprehensive elimination of discount racks and sales. After recently scouring through my local JCP, I found not one single sales item. And that’s the point – all items are offered at affordable rates throughout the store, throughout the year. You’ll never pay more for an item just because you missed the sales days.

This intriguing and risky change in pricing strategy is a new plan to offer consumers discounted items year round. It’s a bold move for JCP, but certainly an innovative step to revive a struggling brand.

With a complete shake-up at the top levels of management including new CEO Ron Johnson of Apple-retail-store and Target-merchandising fame, J.C. Penney is rethinking all the paradigms of retail sales. As a recent Forbes article describes, they are a most interesting retailer to watch in 2012.

Despite how J.C. Penney chooses to spin its pricing model, consumers will invariably translate year-round discounted items into ‘everyday low prices’. It would appear J.C. Penney is striving for a Wal-mart / Food Lion category of retailers – fewer sales, deeply discounted items, affordable brands, and emphasis on the salt-of-the-earth American shopper.

For example, American shoppers love America. The new J.C. Penney’s brand identity is a not-so-subtle reminder of the American flag -- complete with a bold and vibrant red, white, and blue color palette. For those who love baseball, apple pie, and hot dogs, this new brand identity is surely a homerun.

And don’t forget that JCP has a new spokesperson, Ellen Degeneres. Ellen has a loyal following and wide appeal with women. Plus, Ellen actually worked in ladies apparel at J.C. Penney’s in Louisiana before getting into acting. She’s witty, friendly, and most importantly, relevant to today’s culture.

In rethinking business models from the ground-up, J.C. Penney is letting imagination and innovation guide their way. No more retailer paradigms and no more “me too” strategy. JCP is taking the essential steps to remain relevant in the 21st century and avoid landing in the graveyard of deceased retail brands.

4 Holes in Your Digital Marketing Strategy and How to Plug Them

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:00 GMT

You may be new to the digital marketing space, or you may be a seasoned veteran. Either way, you’re going to have a digital campaign that will under-perform your expectations. If your strategy and creative are on point, you might be overlooking some easy fixes.

Here are four easy things to look for in repairing your ailing digital marketing strategy:

1. Lack of Tracking

“You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”

Same is true in digital. With Google Analytics, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be tracking every aspect of your digital campaign. Where they came from, how long they stayed, what page they landed on, what page they exited from. The data is there for the taking and it’s information that can help you make fast decisions about your campaign and turn it on a dime.

2. Lack of Traffic

“If you build it, they will come.”

Hope you saved some money for marketing, cause you’re gonna need it. I make it a point to ask every client I work with if they have a marketing budget for when their webpage/microsite/e-commerce project is complete. You’d be surprised at how many are shocked by that question, or think I am trying to pry more fees out of them. Remember, your project is one of tens of thousands that will hit the Internet everyday, and it’s not going to marketing itself - and it probably won’t go viral either.

3. A Weak Offer

“All cruelty springs from weakness.”

And what’s more cruel than wasting money on bad marketing? The whole purpose of your marketing is to elicit a desired response from the person viewing it, like a phone call or purchase. Be clear and direct in what you want the customer to do. Look through your local newspaper. Most of the ads don’t even have a call to action in them!

4. An Overly Complicated Process

“R.T.F.M.”

If I have to read a manual to interact with your ad or take advantage of your offer, you lose. I’m clicking on something else. Most users aren’t at the same level as the web developer or marketer who put the piece together. While it's fine to want to use new technology and techniques, keep in mind your target audience and plan accordingly. Every additional, unnecessary click results in lost opportunity.

Plug these gaps when putting your next digital marketing strategy together, and you’ll be ahead of most of your competitors.

Making a Business Case for Mobile

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:22 GMT

For years, marketers have been saying “next year will be the year of mobile” and ever year, we have gotten closer and closer to that point. But despite the massive increases in mobile adoption, decision makers (especially small business owners) have been hesitant to embrace mobile. No, next year will not be the year of mobile. The reign of mobile has already begun, we are now in the decade of mobile.

According to a study by Gartner’s, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide by 2013. It makes perfect sense - we have our internet-connected mobile devices with us all the time, and spend far more time with them than we do with our desktop, or even laptop, computers.

But the fact that people are accessing the Internet from mobile devices still doesn’t make a business case for mobile marketing channels. After all, new smartphones have few problems loading most standard websites, and as data networks keep getting faster, do you still need a dedicated mobile website?

The data overwhelmingly says yes. A recent study from eConsultancy found that mobile accounts for 10% of e-commerce visits, but that traffic had half the conversion rate. This was an e-commerce store without a mobile-optimized website. I decided to run some numbers on my own e-commerce business. For all of 2011 (so far), 12% of our overall traffic came from mobile devices. And sure enough, it converted at less than half the conversion rate of non-mobile visitors.

What could doubling the conversion rate on 12% of your traffic do to your sales? I ran some numbers using the average e-commerce conversion rate of 2% and 100,000 visitors per month with a $100 average order. The results were staggering. Revenues increased 6.38%, or an additional $144,000 per year. If that’s not a business case for a dedicated mobile website, I don’t know what is.

Mobile adoption is increasing at an exponential rate, yet Google recently found that 79% of large online advertisers still do not have a mobile-optimized website. I’d bet money that number is much higher for small businesses. So, what are you waiting for?

Is Your Local Advertising Strategy Stalling?

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:18 GMT

You’ve spent thousands of dollars on newspaper ads, your radio ads are in heaving rotation across the dial, and you even wrote a big check to redesign your website.

So where are all the customers? Why isn’t the cash register ringing?

Your advertising may not be the problem. It might be the result of a much more fundamental problem - a weak brand message.

It’s fair to say that most of the ads I see for local businesses tout “exceptional service”, “the best selection,” or “prices that can’t be beat”.

The problem with this type of marketing strategy is the fact there is always somebody with better service, better selection, and lower prices. There’s nothing original about these selling points. And there lies the problem. Even Walmart has given that up, and they really do have the lowest prices.

A “brand” by definition is the deliverable proof of your distinction. Take a moment to think about what makes your brand really unique. Ask yourself if anyone will or should care about what you are selling.

Here are two fun (and sobering) brand exercises:

Take your ad(s) and put your competitor’s logo on it - and vice versa.
Do all the selling points in both ads still hold true? They shouldn’t. Every company has a distinction that will attract a certain segment of customers. Find your distinction “sweet spot,” and you’ve found the recipe for success.
Use the word “Only”, then prove it.
Look at the claims you are making in your ads, and use the word “only” in the copy. If you’re not the only one doing something, you’re not unique. Passed that test? “Prove it.” Can you absolutely prove without a shadow of doubt that you are the only company who can deliver that claim, or is it just a pipe dream?

Instead of declaring you have “the best selection of BBQ grills in Toledo”, try the distinctive claim, “the exclusive dealer for Big Green Eggs in Toledo.” Instead of having “the best service in the HVAC business”, try something unique like “every installation is personally inspected for quality by our owner.”

Remember, the buying public now has choices. The Internet, social media, and increases in all forms of media have given customers options they have never had before, and they’re talking to each other too. There is no reason to buy local anymore if you’re simply talking about price, service and selection. Stop wasting money on your bad advertising and concentrate on your brand distinction. Your brand will stand out if it is unique and memorable, and brands that stand out are winners at the cash register.

What to Consider When Integrating Mobile Into Your Marketing Mix

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:36 GMT

Back in the 90's, when it became apparent you needed a website, businesses started throwing a little money at online marketing to test the waters. They bought some banner ads, and maybe put their web address on business cards. Some even had an “online marketing” strategy. But they soon realized that a website and online strategy as a silo can’t be nearly as effective as a holistic strategy. As a standalone marketing channel, a website can bring in some traffic and even conversions, but its real power lies in how it integrates into all the other marketing channels companies are already using.

Mobile is much the same – by itself it can bring in some visitors, convert a few into paying customers. But mobile marketing’s true power lies in how well it integrates with other forms of marketing to drive brand awareness, support the overall marketing plan, and even build brand ambassadors.

What’s better, mobile can easily be integrated into almost any existing marketing campaign, giving it a call to action with detailed analytics to help drive future marketing decisions.

Where Are You Currently Advertising?

Instead of looking at mobile marketing techniques or mediums, the first step is to look at where you are currently spending your advertising dollars. Are you running print, television or radio ads? Do you have billboards? Do you do a lot of OOH (out of home) advertising?

Look at where you are currently spending your advertising dollars and ask yourself how mobile can fit into your current marketing plans. Especially consider media such as billboards or radio that lack the ability to easily track success.

Ways to Integrate Mobile

Think of how you can integrate mobile into your existing marketing strategy much in the way we wondered how we could integrate our website years ago.

1. Mobile-Optimized Website

The most obvious way to integrate mobile is to have a mobile-optimized website. You probably already have your web address on hundreds, if not thousands of items ranging from business cards to billboards. A mobile-optimized website will allow mobile users to quickly learn about your company and products or services.

It’s imperative if you invest in mobile marketing, including any of the strategies below, you direct customers to a mobile-optimized landing page. Sending mobile users to a regular website only frustrates them, and will be much less effective at converting visitors.

2. SMS Marketing

SMS (text message) usage is skyrocketing in the United States. SMS messages are available on virtually every mobile phone made today, and sending a text is often easier and quicker than opening a browser and typing a web address.

Adding an SMS call to action on an ad can drive consumers to act on an offer or promotion immediately. They work extremely well with contests and sweepstakes, but are also a great way to get more information to the consumer about your product or service. They also offer customers a way to “subscribe” to regular updates and promotions from your company.
You simply line on your marketing message like “Text ‘mobile’ to 12345 to learn more about _____”, and the mobile user receives a reply with a clickable link to more detailed information.

3. QR Codes

QR codes (quick response barcodes) are multi-dimensional barcodes that can be scanned by most smartphones using a free application. The codes can contain all kinds of information, but typically include a web address or auto-populate an SMS message.

QR codes are still relatively new, but are gaining in popularity exponentially every month. Many advertisers are using codes customized with their logomark to drive consumers to a more emmersive and interactive brand experience.

Get Started Today

By 2013 mobile users will access the Web more than traditional desktop users. The majority of new phones sold today are smartphones, capable of scanning, browsing and texting. People will be looking at your advertising with a computer in their pocket, how you engage with them is up to you.

Take a look at your current marketing strategy today, and look for ways to incorporate mobile into your marketing mix in the near future. For more information on how to implement any of the strategies above, call 706-298-2738.

Give ’em What They Want. Add a Blog.

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:32 GMT

As you have already heard a hundred times, a blog is an essential part of your online strategy. Not only does the blog let your customers know what your company does, it highlights your insights and expertise. It also serves a more important purpose.

Your blog provides valuable keywords that visitors surfing the Internet are searching for on Google and other search engines.

Imagine this scenario: You’ve built a new website for your business. It’s user-friendly. It looks great. Your mom says she loves the colors. You show it to clients and they praise you for your hard work.

You say “Mission Accomplished” and move on to the next fire. 3 or 4 months later, you log into Google analytics and discover that after your initial launch and self-generated “buzz”, you are getting about 10 unique visitors a day. Bummer.

What happened?

First, check the number of pages on your site. Do you have enough pages to attract the number of visitors you think you should be getting? Take in consideration the amount of content on all of your pages as well. Every page on your site should be valuable to the visitor reading it, and optimized for the same reason. No “under construction” pages allowed! Any pages less than 250 words long should be re-evaluated.

Next look at the number of keyword searches that your site generated. You can do this by logging into Google Analytics and looking at the keywords report. What this tells you is the number of unique keywords that visitors used to find your site at the search engine (Google). As with most things in life, the bigger the number, the better.

And lastly, ask yourself, “Do I have content that people want to read and share with their friends, family, and business contacts?”

So what do you do if you determine you don’t have the quantity and type of content that will attract the number of visitors to your site that you seek?

Determine specific people (customers) who are relevant to your business. In other words, who is searching for your company’s services? Are you targeting CEOs? Are you targeting purchasing agents? Are you targeting CPAs? Are you targeting stay-at-home mothers?

Next, you need to determine the types of content this audience will be interested in. Do your research. Immerse yourself on sites where your target audience lurks. Find successful sites already catering to your target audience. What are the articles about? How are the article titles worded? Familiarize yourself with the things that make your audience tick.

Once you determine who you are going to write for, and what you’re going to write about, you need to create a keyword list for your content. This keyword list will act as a reminder of the topics, phrases, and buzzwords that you were audience is searching for in reading about. Keep this list handy and refer to it often when writing. Scrutinize your posts. Ask yourself, “Will my audience be interested in this article?” “Does my article utilize the subjects and keywords on my target list?” If not, you should consider editing your post, or throwing it out altogether.

Lastly, keep your momentum moving forward by creating an editorial calendar. Your blog post schedule should have a certain cadence to it. Decide if you are going to write once a month, once a week, or daily. Whatever intervals you decide on, stick to it. Your visitors will pick up on this schedule, and begin looking for your content on a regular basis.

Google analytics can tell you if your blogging efforts are making a difference.

After you have been on this regimen for a few months, log back into Google analytics and check your keyword report. You should begin to see an increase in the number of active keyword searches on your site! This means your hard work is starting to pay off, and your visitors are getting what they want!

QR Codes: Don’t Be Surprised When You Start Seeing These Little Beauties!

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:47 GMT

You’ve probably seen or at least heard about Quick Response (QR) codes on print advertisements, billboards, and business cards. Using your smartphone to scan a QR print ad, you’re typically directed to a web page containing detailed information on the product. Some individuals place QR codes on their business cards – scan the code and you land at a LinkedIn profile, personal blog, or a contact page.

In the not-so-distant future, you’ll be able to stop by your local grocery store and scan information on nearly every product in the store.

For instance, if you’re curious about when and where a gallon of milk was processed, just scan a QR code on the carton to find out.

Is a coupon available for a particular brand of cereal? Are the tomatoes locally grown and harvested? The QR code will tell you.

QR codes are rapidly changing the method by which we receive and process information. Advertisers and manufacturers are quickly adopting this technology for everyday use.

In terms of wide acceptance, it’s still relatively early in the game. Greater usage of QR codes is contingent on cellphone users transitioning to smartphones. And smartphone users must grow accustomed to recognizing the codes on advertising and packaging.

Here at Kelsey Advertising & Design, we have started placing QRs on print advertisements where we anticipate our target audience having increased smartphone usage. As QR adoption rates increase, we intend to use them more often and in more creative fashion.

For those just learning about this technology, here are some quick bits on QR codes. Enjoy.

What exactly is a QR code?

It’s most similar to a barcode, except it stores a wider array of information. QR codes contain embedded information such as text or a web address (ex: www.kelseyads.com). The technology has been around since the 1990s, but adoption of QR codes has only increased with the advent of smartphones with bar scanning abilities.

How do I scan a QR on my phone?

If you own a smartphone (Droid, iPhone, Blackberry), you must install an app on your phone to scan QR images. There are dozens of apps available and most are free.

What’s the breakdown of QR code usage by smartphone?

Approximately *63% of individuals scanning a QR codes use an iPhone, while a quarter use an Android-powered phone. Other devices like Blackberry and Windows-based phones comprise the remaining 12%.

Why should I consider using them?

By using QR codes, you can enhance the brand experience. Instead of your customer viewing an advertisement and then forgetting about you seconds later, you provide the chance to learn more about a product – and perhaps prompt them to make a purchase.

Another enormous advantage of QR codes is the ability to track the number of scans. For example, when linking to web address, use a URL-shortener service. You’re then able to precisely ascertain the number of scans (or page views). This can be incredibly useful information in determining ROI.

What does the future behold for QR codes?

The potential applications of QR codes are endlessly creative. For instance, a grocery store in South Korea has created virtual storefronts in subway stations where consumers can shop for products via QR codes while they wait for their train.

Some individuals have even had QR codes tattooed on their bodies! Use your imagination to guess where these codes direct “interested parties.”

*statistics via http://www.beqrious.com

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail. Right?

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:00 GMT

How much research do you do before you run an ad? Before you post on Facebook? Before you plan your biggest fundraising event of the year?

Many times as business owners and marketers we work in a vacuum. We concentrate hard on the task at hand, and are driven to get "the next big thing" out the door. We fail to recognize the great big world out there that we will have to eventually get our product and ads into. In our haste, we become oblivious to what is happening around us and fail to consider the "context" in which we will pitch our idea/product to the public.

Timing is Everything

It's not always about what's convenient to you, your artificial deadlines, or the fact that this needs to go out before you go on vacation. You need to consider your audience and what's happening with them when you decide to "ship".

I'm reminded of April 20th, 2011. Lexus bought a sponsored tweet placement on Twitter's "Trends" list. These go for well over $100,000 a day. What Lexus failed to consider when they bought this ad space was that April 20th is Hitler's birthday, the anniversary of the Columbine massacre, and the celebrated pot head day, "4/20" - all of which were trending heavily on the same day.

Do yourself a favor and research. Google. Ask your customers. Insert yourself into their world and live life as the customer sees it.

If you don't, you may be in for a big surprise. You could be throwing away money trying to compete with people or events that overshadow your efforts. As the title says, "Fail to plan, plan to fail."

If you know of (or have personal experience of) other failures like the one Lexus had, share them with us!

Your Mission Statement Is Lame

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:52 GMT

I recently had a customer who insisted on putting a mission statement on the website homepage. To them, they believed it was an important step in the customer's pre-purchase decision process.

No. I'm sorry.

Your mission statement is lame.

Customers don't care about a mission statement, or a vision statement. Chances are they work at a company with a fancy mission statement and they know what that's all about. Don't believe that customers buy because of a well-crafted mission statement. Your vision/mission was probably crafted at a "leadership retreat" by committee, and is probably chock full of corporate lingo like "synergy," "excellence," and "customer service" (see above).

Let's get real. They buy because you do what you do better, easier, cheaper, or more consistently than your competitor. It's your brand's promise. You've made this promise either consciously or unconsciously through your actions since the day you opened your doors.

A mission statement should simply describe the purpose of your company.

"To combine aggressive strategic marketing with quality products and services at competitive prices to provide the best insurance value for consumers." - Aflac

Your vision should be aspirational and describe what your company wants to become.

"Be the world's beer company." - Anheuser-Busch

These statements generally have no place on any of your marketing materials. At most, even if done correctly, they shouldn't make it out of the annual report. Your brand promise is where your energy should be focused. It's what your customer cares about.

So what is a brand promise, and how do I get one?

A brand promise simply lets customers know what to expect from your company when they come in contact with it.

Here are a couple of brand promise examples:

"Don't be evil." - Google

"When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight." - FedEx

"Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." - Ritz-Carlton

Some might argue these are slogans, mottos, or tag lines, but ultimately what they do is promise what the customer experience with that company will be like.
It sets the bar for current and future employees, and is a guiding light for marketing, operations, and management. The brand promise is part of the larger brand development foundation you should be striving to build.
Your brand promise should be bold and project confidence. Chances are your competition is scared to be that forward.

When crafting your brand promise, use your vision and mission, then create a statement that describes "how" you will behave, operate, appear, communicate or interact while performing [insert your mission here] en route to [insert your vision here].

Take the time to determine how you're going to deliver your brand, and plant that flag. It's a benefit to your operations, staff, and customers.

Brand Judge and Jury

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:21 GMT

From a young age, my mother and father taught me not to judge others -- judge not how others look. Judge not by what others say. This is a good policy and I commend my parents for instilling this in me.

However, I now realize that in the big bad world of branding and advertising, it's impractical to believe that customers WON'T judge your company and your brand. Judge your brand by the messages you convey. Judge your brand by the design and layout of your website, lobby, brochure, or email campaign. And perhaps most harshly, judge your brand by the way you treat others.

Ultimately customers are judging your brand purely on an emotional level. Their emotional perception is your reality. It should be noted this doesn't make your customers bad people, it makes them human.

What's most disturbing about this whole notion of judging your brand, is how customers will speak to others about you. You see, your customers don't have the luxury of a well-scripted advertisement which they rehearse. Or a fancy ad slick. All they have is their intestinal impression (gut reaction) to your brand. Typically this impression is verbalized in unadulterated and brutally honest language. Ouch!

This makes perfect sense. Only your customers' opinions matter in the end, because they've had an up close and personal experience with your brand -- an experience you'll never be able to fully understand. And when your customers speak with others, it's their reputation on the line. There's no way they are going to embellish on your brand unless they are convinced you can back up your brand promise.

If your brand has experienced deterioration, it's reassuring to know that most customers are willing to forgive. In other words, it's never too late to change. Yes, damage has been done -- in some cases irreparable -- but that's no reason not to immediately "right the ship." Get back on track with full understanding that the next brand experience with a customer can be a positive one. Or even better, a brand experience that is immeasurably extraordinary.

The Importance of Integrating Online and Offline Marketing

Tue, 31 May 2011 13:00 GMT

Over the last decade, the way we communicate with each other has changed. Some think the digital world around us has made advertising more complicated, but the fundamentals remain the same. Integrating newer online techniques with more traditional offline methods can help your business grow and allow you to communicate with customers in more ways.

Let's say you spend 3 months running a great outdoor campaign, with well-designed billboards featuring your newest offer “Summer Celebration – 30% Off all Outdoor Items”. After seeing this, a customer goes home and visits your website to shop online. Upon selecting their items and beginning checkout, they notice their outdoor items are still regular price. Most likely, they are gone, and you've created an unhappy customer. Your offline billboard message was not reflected in your online presence.

Whether your business is small or large, your marketing efforts should be consistent everywhere you create a connection with potential customers – online and offline. The idea is to have all these efforts support each other and work together to promote your business. If a customer sees a current promotion in a direct mail piece and walks into your store to find the promotion doesn't start for two more weeks, again, you've created a huge disconnect. Likewise, if the mail piece prompts them to visit your website and they don't see anything about a promotion, you've lost them. Planning your online and offline marketing messages to run within the same time frame is equally important as keeping a consistent message across all mediums.

Easy Steps to Integrating Online and Offline Marketing:

1. Create Customer Referral incentives and promote them on your website, social media accounts, and print ads simultaneously.

2. Offer a discount/certificate that can be accessed only from your website, but can be redeemed in-store or online.

3. Promote an online sale with a direct mail piece.

4. Include your website and social media networks on magazine ads, newspaper ads and in other printed publications.

5. Encourage customer feedback through phone calls and in-store surveys, and post these reviews on your website, social media outlets, and in printed collateral.

6. Promote your electronic newsletter in-store allowing customers to receive product updates and promo news.

There are countless ways to tie your online and offline marketing messages together. The important part to remember is planning out ideas in advance so that your messages can be well-executed across the board.

Destination, Destination, Destination.

The destination from both your online and offline marketing efforts is, most likely, your website. Be sure to include your web address or campaign tracking URL on all communication pieces. Furthermore, if your website is your destination, make sure it looks professional and has the capabilities to deliver on any promises you've made. If you've told your customers they can redeem a voucher online, make sure that functionality actually works. If customers visit your website and can't easily find what they need, they are likely to leave and never return. All of your information should be accurate, easy to find, and match what is being done with your offline advertising efforts. This consistency between your materials is very important and creates a sense of trust in your customers' minds.

Integrating online and offline marketing allows you to get the most out of all your advertising campaigns, large or small. By using these methods together, you're able to increase the performance of both.

Make Your Brand Bold, Clear, and Direct

Thu, 26 May 2011 14:51 GMT

Larret Wright, principal of Roundtable, once told me, "Be B.C.D. with your marketing.. Bold, clear and direct." It's something that has stuck with me, and those words come rushing back when I see bold, clear, and direct messages from smart advertisers.

In this instance, I'm talking about Hyundai. They're at it again.

In 2008, at the bleakest point in our recession, Hyundai's "Assurance" campaign was bold enough to guarantee that if you bought one of their cars and lost your job, they would buy your car back from you. No penalties. No blemishes on your credit.

Pretty bold. Unmistakably direct.

What was their strategy?

In a market where most car companies brag about where the cars are made, luxury for less, or superior craftsmanship, Hyundai kept it real. They understood consumers, and what was important to their buying decision. Hyundai realized at the time people were in self-preservation mode and scared to make major purchases because of uncertainty. What did they do? They gave people a little bit of "Assurance."

No doubt it worked, being named 2009 Marketer of the Year by AdAge.com.

Now they are back for more, with an even bolder offer. Hyundai's new campaign: Guaranteed trade-in value. When you buy a Hyundai, they will guarantee, in writing, the amount you will receive at trade-in for that car (assuming you decide to buy another Hyundai).

In an era when getting maximum value for your dollar is paramount, Hyundai has proved to be bold once again, projecting the confidence in their product to the extent they believe the cars will hold a certain level of value at trade-in. They are "direct" in the fact that they are taking the questions and haggle out of determining the value of your car years from now.

What can we learn from Hyundai?

Be Bold.
Use creativity and a new approach to selling your product or service in a way your customers may not be used to. Doing so immediately makes you stand out from the crowd. Offering a way to get out of a major purchase free and clear was a unique selling point that no other company could match.
Be Clear.
"Assure" people what you are offering and how it benefits them. Don't beat around the bush with a bunch of fine print. Shelf the trickery. Tell your customer exactly what you promise, then follow through. Hyundai is going to tell you up-front what your car is worth in four years. Guaranteed.
Be Direct.
Understand your client, what makes them tick, and then move fast. Hyundai understood people weren't necessarily looking for German engineering or the ultimate driving machine. They were simply worried about the uncertainty in the market and their jobs. Find out the pain points of your customers, and address it head on.

Sometimes you need to stick your neck out there and be bold, clear and direct. Your customers will take notice...and so will your competition.

4 Steps on Your Journey to an Enlightened Brand

Fri, 20 May 2011 03:29 GMT

Customers, partners, and prospects come in contact with your brand on daily basis in dozens of different ways. These areas of contact are called 'brand touchpoints' and should be managed as aggressively as you would manage any other marketing tactic - this is the process of brand development.

Because there are literally dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of points of interaction for your business (both internally and externally), capturing them all on paper can be a dauting task. However, it is paramount to the success of your brand that you take special care in analyzing both current and potential touchpoints. It's not a quick journey by any means, but you can get through it by following these four steps.

1. Internal Touchpoint Review
The internal review of your brand touchpoints should involve employees from every department of your company - sales, accounting, customer service, management, HR, etc. By including these individuals from the beginning, you'll get better understanding, "buy-in", and assistance when it comes time to implement your plan.

Sit down with the department representatives and ask about their processes and how they come in contact with other people on the job, keeping in mind to consider both internal and external transactions. For instance, if you are sitting down with a person from the accounting department, you may ask questions like:

How do we bill our clients?
How long does it take?
How do we accept payments?
What do our invoices look like?
How do we handle billing discrepancies?
How do we handle vendor relationships?
How do we work with the sales department?

At first glance these may seem to be purely operational in nature and bear no affect on your overall brand, but each one of these processes lends to the perception of your company, and may help/hinder your ability to deliver your brand promise. By reviewing every touchpoint, department by department, we can become acutely aware of these interactions and make educated decisions regarding their importance and priority in our brand development plan.

2. External Touchpoint Review
In this step, ask your prospects, loyal customers and lost customers what is important to them. Finding out what matters to each of these groups helps you further refine your touchpoint plan.

From loyal customers, you can find out what won them over and keeps them coming back.
From future customers, you find out what factors they are considering while choosing a brand - this includes things that your competition is doing.
From lost prospects, you gain insight into the things you are doing wrong that made them choose against your brand.

3. Touchpoint Priority Chart
Once the touchpoints have been collected from the first two steps, you should begin the prioritization process. Rank each of the touchpoints in four main areas - your ability to improve, cost, amount of improvement needed, and level of importance to the overall business objectives.

4. Plan & Execution
By now you know what touchpoints your company has, and what level of importance they hold in your current and future business goals. The key now is to determine a plan of action.

Don't try to act on every touchpoint at once; It's an impossible task. Pick a few that you can easily manage, measuring your progress before, during and after your work.
Delegate the appropriate parts of the plan to the members of your cross-functional team you assembled during the internal review. These people understand what you are doing, and can help you sell and implement your changes to their co-workers.

If you follow this process diligently and thoughtfully, your customers will notice significant differences in your efforts to better serve them before, during and after the sale...and that may just result in more ringing of the cash register!

5 Secrets to a Successful Mobile Marketing Campaign

Tue, 17 May 2011 22:01 GMT

Mobile marketing has grown rapidly in the last three years, primarily due to the staggering growth in smartphone adoption in the United States. According to ComScore, at the end of 2010 almost half of all mobile users were mobile media users (they browsed the web, downloaded applications, downloaded content, etc). Four of the top 5 devices in 2010 were smartphones, and as smartphone and data plan prices continue to drop, even more mobile users will have access to the mobile web, applications and other advanced features.

With this rapid adoption, mobile marketing growth is exploding as well–the mobile marketing industry will reach $1 billion globally in 2012. How can you leverage mobile marketing to drive customer engagement, increase revenues, and extend your existing marketing campaigns?

1. Research Your Target Market

While mobile marketing isn’t restricted to only smartphone users, some methods (such as search, display, and app advertising) are primarily targeted to smartphone users, while tactics such as SMS marketing can be targeted to all mobile users. Before selecting the advertising medium for your mobile campaign, it is important to research your target demographic.

Even the most brilliant location-based marketing campaign using Foursquare or Facebook Places would be lost on the majority of age groups. Location based social networks are still very new, and are used by less than 1% of the general population. The users also seem to be predominantly young adults — over 65% of Foursquare users are 25-44 years old.

Similarly, although QR codes are gaining in popularity, they require a smartphone with a camera and a specialized application to read and decode the two-dimensional barcode. A marketing message utilizing QR codes would completely miss the mark with anyone using a feature phone.

This is not to discourage you from utilizing mobile marketing in your campaigns, but it is important to match the medium with your target demographic. There are numerous sources for industry data on mobile phone and app usage including Forrester, Google and ComScore. Use this data in the early planning stages of your campaign to ensure you are reaching your intended audience with your marketing message.

2. Clearly Identify Goals & Success Metrics

Defining key performance indicators (KPI's) is standard practice for any marketing campaign. The old saying “I know half of my marketing works, I just don’t know which half” doesn’t apply anymore. Traditional forms of marketing may have been difficult to adequately measure, especially for smaller campaigns, but many different metrics of online and mobile marketing campaigns can be tracked.

What is the overall goal of the campaign? Brand awareness? Leads? Purchases of a product or service? Traffic to a landing page or website? These are all very different goals. Before you can measure success (or failure), you have to be on the same page. Determine what the KPIs are for your campaign first, then determine the metrics that represent success or failure for those (there can be more than one).

3. Utilize Traditional Marketing

A mobile marketing campaign can be successful on its own, but its real power is in how well it pairs with traditional marketing to leverage the many advantages of online marketing with traditional mediums such as print, out-of-home (OOH), and television. Mobile marketing gives advertisers the ability to add an interactive experience to a print advertisement, poster, park bench or television ad. Users can request more information, join your list, or enter a contest simply by scanning a QR code or sending an SMS message.

Traditional marketing gives you access to mobile users while they are mobile. Print and OOH advertising can put your brand, product or promotion in front of users while they are on the bus, waiting for an appointment at the doctor's office, or walking through the mall.

4. Make Data Collection a Priority

One of the biggest advantages of online marketing (including mobile marketing) is the available metrics you can track. Once you've determined your key performance indicators, be sure to track them so you can report on the effectiveness of the campaign. You can track text messages sent and received, unsubscribes, QR codes scanned, landing page views and unique visitors, online leads, phone calls, and more.

To collect all available data, you may need to use multiple tools. When tracking mobile landing pages, be sure to include server-side tracking scripts if possible, as many mobile phones (even some smartphones) ship with JavaScript disabled by default. Google Analytics offers mobile-specific tracking code that can be used instead of or in addition to their JavaScript tracking code.

Your data may be spread out across multiple tools such as a web analytics package, SMS marketing platform, and a mobile display advertising platform, consider exporting the raw data from these sources and combining in Microsoft Excel or Google Docs spreadsheets to show an overall picture of how your campaign performed.

5. Follow-up to Build Relationships

Whether your campaign's primary goal was to drive sales, build brand awareness, or generate leads, the campaign is only the beginning. Use the opportunity to start (or continue to build) a relationship. Ask for permission to contact participants in the future, and by other communication methods. Someone may have found you by scanning a QR code, but may also be interested in receiving emails from you. Make it simple to sign up to receive additional information.

3 More Reasons Small Business Owners Should Blog

Thu, 12 May 2011 17:42 GMT

I've had more than my fair share of discussions with business owners who don't have time to blog. They believe it to be an extravagance that doesn't lead to direct sales, or worse yet, they have better things to do with their time. Pamplets and business cards still carry more importance. I guess because you can actually pick these items up and hold them.

Just as you wouldn't walk into a meeting without business cards, you shouldn't go in without a blog either.

Blogging is an essential business development tool. Beyond the obvious reasons you've been told a hundred times before - SEO, "pull" marketing, etc - here are three other reasons why you need to start your business blog today.

Blogging plants a flag, creates a voice for your business, and lets customers and prospects know where you stand on a topic relevant to them. The blog allows you to prove to prospects that you know your stuff, and that there is depth beyond your keyword-stuffed, buzzword-saturated website. 94% of customers research the company or brand on the Internet before they make a purchase. It's better to display the breadth of your knowledge on your website with regular and timely updates.

Business blogs allow customers to get to know you before the first meeting. Cold calls don't work very well anymore, and many owners (even myself) won't take them. A blog allows you to put your message and expertise in front of prospects, allow them to find out what kind of company you are, and virtually "warm-up" to you.

Blogs don't interfere with your offline marketing, they support it. A blog makes sense for your business if you do any of the following:

Public speaking.
Buy traditional media (TV, radio, newspaper, or OOH).
Have a Facebook fan page or Twitter account.
Send press releases or other PR-related activities

If you spoke at a conference in front of a hundred prospects, bought $30,000 in media, or sent out 200 press-packets, and the recipients/viewers immediately visited your website, what kind of information would they find? Would they find a site containing only a list of services and business locations, or would they find one with a blog containing hundreds of posts relevant to your expertise and their needs? Which kind of website do you think is more powerful? Which do you think is more likely to be shared or acted upon?

Yes, a blog is a lot of work, but it can validate everything else you do in your marketing plan. Get started today!

Is the Los Angeles Lakers brand dead?

Mon, 09 May 2011 13:29 GMT

A truly extraordinary brand begins to decline into mediocrity once a mindset of ‘good enough’ is accepted in its company culture. Truly exceptional brands never stop getting better and continually look for ways to improve.

‘Good enough’ is just another way of saying, ‘I am content with meeting expectations.’ Typically, meeting expectations makes great business sense. Why should a company (or franchise) pour more money into products, employees, or customers than what’s absolutely necessary? Here’s why: once employees (or players) know that ‘good enough’ satisfies the company’s expectations, apathy eventually sets in.

And that’s when your brand begins a slow and painful death.

Just look at the 2011 Los Angeles Lakers for a great example of how quickly a brand can deteriorate.

According to Forbes, the value of the Lakers franchise has more than doubled since 1998. The magazine estimated it at a league-leading $607 million in 2009. How much of this $607 million is brand equity? A lot.

In 2010, the Lakers were crowned world champions of the NBA in a seven-game series with the Boston Celtics. The Lakers reached this pinnacle of their sport for the 16th time in team history, second only, ironically, to the Celtics.

Fast forward to 2011: the Lakers were swept in four straight games to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Poor defense (lack of effort), poor shot selection (bad strategy), and team apathy (no leadership / content with ‘good enough’) were all pinpointed as systemic issues for the Lakers in this series.

As if losing four straight to the Mavericks wasn’t bad enough, the Lakers further tarnished their brand by the way they lost game 4 – with flagrant fouls and a complete lack of sportsmanship. The sports world took notice as fans and media lit up the Internet with harsh criticism and condemnation of the Lakers players and coaches.

What a difference a single year makes in the history of brand!

So, is the Lakers brand dead? Doubtful.

Has the Lakers brand deteriorated? Most certainly.

Will the Lakers recover? Maybe. Vice president Magic Johnson calls for a complete overhaul of the roster and a new coach is taking over next season. It’s a start.

Regardless of the Lakers tactics, a complete turnaround will only take place with great leadership to re-ignite the franchise. A franchise that previously had a passion for dreaming big, working hard, and improving themselves every single day.

4 Ways To Put Facebook To Work For Your Business

Thu, 05 May 2011 22:12 GMT

Facebook is undeniably the most successful networking site ever. However, despite social media experts saying “you should have a Facebook page,” if you have no objective, what’s the point? Facebook is NOT pointless. If you have a plan with set goals - as you would with any marketing strategy - your chance of running a successful campaign is much greater.

There are many ways to approach Facebook, and only you can determine what will work for your business.

For example, if you are looking to gain a modest level of brand exposure by having a presence on Facebook, I would recommend implementing a plan that keeps your momentum going, even on your busiest days. This plan should include:

Creating a six month editorial calendar. An editorial calendar is literally a calendar where you strategically map out every post you are going to make during a pre-defined period - whether pre-written, or merely a note of the subject matter you will post about. Keeping an editorial calendar reduces impulse posts, and ensures that the posts you do make have been thought out and are on point with your brand message and business objectives.

Keeping your fan page clean and easy to navigate. Only use tabs that are functional and be sure to keep your information section up-to-date. While a Facebook page is not a replacement for your flagship website, it should get plenty of attention in regards to content, pages and navigation as your regular website does.
Experimenting with the post types to see which posts engage the most users. For example, ask your fans open ended questions, or make a statement and ask your fans to “Like” the comment if they agree or comment if they are indifferent. Not getting interaction? Perhaps stop "selling" and start "sharing." Always look at the post from your audience's perspective and ask, "What's in it for me if I read this post?"
Regularly adding photos and videos to your page. This allows fans to feel connected to you, and gives them more content to possibly share with their friends. Again, just make sure it is relevant and consistent with your other brand messaging and business objectives.

A strategy using these techniques is easy and cost efficient.

Prior to creating “out of the box” type posts, fill in your calendar with all known celebratory days, such as upcoming holidays, employee birthdays and anniversaries and your company’s anniversary. Then, fill in most - not all - of the remaining days on your calendar with a combination of informative and educational posts (related to your field of expertise), along with a handful of creative and fun posts.

It’s also essential to regularly find new ways to engage with your fans. For example, always respond to your fans posts. Interaction is more important than the number of fans you have. Interaction offers your fans something tangible and it falls in line with the social spirit of Facebook. Additional ways to connect with your fans is by setting up a discussion page or by running a contest. These techniques do come with a larger price tag, mainly because it requires more labor. Still, it will definitely boast your ability to reach the Facebook audience of 500 million active users.

These are just a few suggestions to help you get started. Keep in mind, Facebook profiles should reflect your brand personality and what “works” for one business, may not be right for yours. It’s just that simple.

How Internal Brand Development Helps Your Business

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:00 GMT

Aside from advertising, employees are the first contact customers have with your brand. Making sure employees deliver a consistent brand experience goes beyond well-documented processes and checklists. Consistent brand delivery is a product of an intentional internal brand development process which helps employees to hear the brand, see the brand and ultimately live the brand.

So what exactly is Internal Brand Development?

Internal Brand Development is the process of training and educating your employees to properly deliver your brand values, products, and procedures. In other words, you are aligning your employees' actions to that of the brand and what the brand uniquely offers your customers.

Why care about internal brand development?

When your entire staff (top to bottom) is pulling in the same direction, it yields several desirable outcomes, such as:

- Consistent delivery.

Visit any Chick-Fil-A restaurant and every "Thank You" is followed by a "My pleasure." It's a small token, but this memorable reply is distinctive - and consistent.

- Employees are more energized and it shows through a better brand experience.

When Bernie Marcus was CEO of Home Depot, employees were constantly reminded of the Home Depot difference, and associates were passionate about helping the "DIY" customer. This spirit revolutionized the category.

- Customers are willing to pay more to get "more".

Starbucks charges more than anyone else for a cup of coffee because of the way the baristas make customers feel. Staff is engaging, welcoming and always willing to "make it right."

So how do you get started?

First, a strongly defined brand promise and core brand values must be discovered and settled upon. What differentiates your business, and what promise are you willing and able to make to your customers?

The "brand" starts at the top. If the CEO of the company doesn't find value in this initiative, it will be D.O.A. The brand development process (both internal and external) will only succeed if the CEO consistently verbalizes the importance of the brand and its values to all constituents - shareholders, employees, and customers.

Once leadership is on board and communicates the initiatives, hire people who get it - fire the ones that don't. Employees come in contact with the customer on a daily basis, not management. If they "buy-in", the customer will notice. The employee must understand the "why" behind what you do - what your company stands for, what makes you different, and why the customer needs the brand.

Once the employee understands the "why", they need to be taught the "how." This is when the processes of the business are installed. Keep in mind that every process you have should support and reinforce the brand promise and values. How do you handle returns? How long does it take to checkout? How do you greet customers? Every customer touchpoint should be examined. Once again, consistency is the name of the game.

After leadership and employees are performing in unison and processes are in place, reinforcement and recognition need to commence. This helps buttress the long-term success of brand adoption and remind employees how important consistent brand delivery is. How will you recognize and reinforce positive brand delivery? Words of encouragement, company awards, and employee perks are just a few of the many ways you can reward employees. Reinforcement reminds employees the importance of good habits.

Internal brand development is a long-term strategy. Done correctly, it can take your business to unparalleled heights (as in Starbucks' case). Done poorly, it provides lackluster returns and opens the door for focused competitors (think Home Depot).

How will you begin your path to better brand delivery?

UPDATE: Our good friend Patrick O'Keefe wrote a great article supporting this concept. Too bad he had to have a bad experience to make the point.

“Marketing Doesn’t Work” or So They Say

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:00 GMT

"Marketing Doesn't Work" or So They Say

Business owners are always looking for new ways to build brand awareness. Whether they're providing the best goods and services in hopes of increasing word-of-mouth marketing or running a multi-dimensional marketing plan, most owners are doing something. The question is, are they doing it consistently? Some have larger marketing budgets than others, but regardless of the budget, it's important to stay committed to your efforts, particularly if you're a small business.

When talking with new prospects about marketing, we always start with a discovery session: learning about who they are, determining their goals, etc. One of the most interesting facts to learn is their past marketing efforts and how those worked in promoting their brand. Quite often, small business owners will say something like this, “Well, I ran a few newspaper ads last year, and that didn't work” or “I sent a few emails over the holidays, but didn't have much success” or maybe “When we first opened, I ran several radio ads and sponsored the local high school's homecoming parade.” These people believe they've tried advertising and it failed. They feel marketing doesn't work. All they've really done is given a small donation to the local newspaper, radio station or high school.

It's not a question of whether marketing helps build your brand or not, because we know it does. It's a question of how you approach it. There are many things that should be taken into account before any marketing efforts begin.

Do you know your target audience?
Have you researched the best mediums to communicate with this audience?
What is your message going to be?
Does your message appeal to the right people?
How is your timing in relation to the type of media you've chosen?

The list goes on and on. When building or promoting your brand, it's imperative to have a strategy and develop a plan. Maybe your target audience isn't attending the local high school's homecoming parade. Research will tell you this, and your decisions won't be based on a whim.

Your plan should include multiple efforts that run in sequence with each other so your audience is exposed to your message many times in different ways. The most important part is consistency. If your audience sees one newspaper ad, they'll easily forget about you. However, if they're exposed to your brand on several occasions in different ways over a period of time, you are more likely to become credible in their mind, and you're more likely to be remembered.

So, the next time you talk with a business owner who is unhappy with the outcome of running their magazine or radio ad, don't immediately assume you'll have the same outcome. If you have a well-planned strategy that includes one of these mediums for the right reason, it will play a role in building your brand. Marketing is an ongoing effort, not a one-time fix. Businesses who understand this have already won half the battle.

5 Easy Steps to Better Social Media Marketing

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:14 GMT

Are you new to social media marketing? Do you need a refresher of best practices?

I recently attended the Marketing Professionals Digital Marketing Forum in Austin, TX, and I wrote down some points that stood out for me on the topic of social media best practices. Whether you’re developing a social media strategy for your business or establishing guidelines and tactics to integrate social media into your existing marketing programs, these are important points to keep in mind. It’s also important to use them across the board, not just on Facebook and Twitter, but on your company blog, your LinkedIn account and other platforms.

1. Content needs to be easy to find and share. It’s simple enough to make it easy to find (as long as you make that a priority), but is it easy to share? Users don’t want to jump through hoops to share your content. Use icons and make them prominent.

2. Industry jargon is the number one killer of content! Customers don’t understand it and don’t search for it. It’s okay for the office, but develop your content so that it makes sense to your customer. The problem is, many of us aren’t aware how often we actually use industry jargon. If you’re not sure about it, have family and friends proofread for you; even ask a local business owner.

3. Companies that blog get 55% more visitors. Simple as that.

4. It’s important to express personality in blog posts, Facebook posts, tweets, and everywhere else you have a presence. Here’s an example:

“Hey folks!” or “Dear Customers,”

Which has more personality? Fun companies write upbeat posts, stale companies write stale posts. Even if the subject has a serious tone, you should still speak to the reader as a friend, not as a stranger. Let your bright and shiny personality show!

5. Give your customers the option to fill out surveys. Did they like their experience/interaction with your company? Did they hate it? If it’s negative feedback, you can use that knowledge to fix a problem. If it’s positive, you can use these as blog posts. They provide great publicity about your company from a customers’ perspective.

These are just a few small, but beneficial, things you can do to increase the effectiveness of your communication. Sometimes the smallest changes can add up to make a big difference.

Building (and Delivering) a Memorable Brand. It’s Not Just for the Big Boys.

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:48 GMT

No doubt you've heard the famous stories of “over the top” customer service a select few brands are famous for. Ritz-Carlton allows up to $2000 in discretionary spending by any employee to make a guest’s concern better. Zappos employees are empowered to assist customers, no matter what, even if they buy from another company. Nordstrom. Starbucks. This list goes on.

Few small business owners I talk with can afford to offer the same level of service. Their pockets just aren't deep enough or their staff isn't large enough.

However, when you begin to think about what happens when the customer walks in the door, calls the main line, or emails an associate you can start coming up with ideas on how to become more customer-centric. Start brainstorming about what happens the moment after they’ve seen your ad, made their decision, and are ready to buy.

What happens next?

No matter what, the experience should deliver your brand promise, and it should be memorable. In a good way.

How can small businesses do what the big boys do? Look no further for inspiration than our local hotdog stand here in LaGrange, Georgia.

Charlie Joseph’s has been in business since 19-twenty-something, has about 20 seats, and if you go anytime between 11:00am and 1:30pm, plan on waiting for a seat. That’s six days a week!

What’s their secret? Is it the food?

Not really. I can get a bigger, better cheeseburger elsewhere.

Is it the location? No. It’s on a one-way street downtown - parking out front is hit or miss.

No matter what it is, the ownership and employees understand that one of the biggest draws to this famous hotdog stand is the experience of eating there. Consider these parallels in the Charlie Joseph's brand experience to those of the larger companies:

- The moment you walk in, you are greeted (often by name) and within seconds, someone is with you taking your order - think Zappos.

- Charlie Joseph's employees aren’t assigned tables. You don’t have a personal waiter. Every employee at CJ’s is there to serve you. If any employee walks by and notices you are low on Coke, you get a refill - think Nordstrom.

- If you walk in with a child, they get their food served to them with some sort of unique presentation. I've seen anything from drawings on napkins and paper plates, to ketchup smiley faces and octopus hotdogs. Anything to make your child's lunch special - think Ritz-Carlton.

How can you deliver your brand and capitalize on that same opportunity, everyday? Try these ideas for creating a better brand experience:

A smiling face can make a big difference, so be happy. So many employees who interact with customers are hum-drum. If you’re in a bad mood, or even just a mediocre mood, people notice. Customers become agitated or uncomfortable and want their interaction with the employee (and your company) to be as short as possible. It’s much more pleasant to interact with employees who make them feel comfortable and appreciated as a customer.

Make it personal. Try a simple “Thank You” for stopping by and look your customer in the eyes (this shows interest on your part and is much more personal). How many times has a cashier totaled your ticket, taken your money, and given your change all without even looking up? It happens more than you think.

Whatever you choose to do, don’t be “hit or miss.” Stay consistent. This is what separates the memorable from the unmemorable, and it's how Charlie Joseph’s has created a customer-focused culture enabling them to generate enormous word-of-mouth advertising while creating generations of loyal fans.

How can your brand deliver a memorable experience?

Location-Based Ads: What’s All The Hype About?

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:53 GMT

As the mobile web continues to evolve, the door of opportunity remains open for interactive marketers. Analysts are already proposing companies will spend $1.8 billion dollars on strategies like location-based advertising by 2015; and with so many new ways of connecting consumers with their peers and places of interest, it is no surprise everyone is wondering what all the hype is about.

Research shows adoption levels for location-based services like Loopt, Foursquare and Gowalla, to be fairly low. However, the opportunity for growth is very promising thanks to the increasing number of smartphone users worldwide. According to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, total smartphone sales for 2010 were close to 302.6 million, up 74% from 2009. With such an increase in smartphone sales, it makes sense location-based service users are projected to reach 486 million by 2012; A huge jump from 61.3 million in 2008.

In terms of location-based engagement, a survey done by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) says nearly half of those who were surveyed responded favorably to location-based ads. Additional findings concluded that survey respondents use these services to frequently locate nearby points of interests, shops or services. In addition, 53% of mobile Wi-Fi users are interested in sharing their location automatically in exchange for perks, such as free use of mobile applications and mobile coupons.

So, how can location-based advertising work for you? Consider the following scenarios.

On any given night, a nearby Bar & Grill - within a 25 mile radius - could be featured in a mobile ad. Using these location-based ads, if you are the Bar & Grill owner, you could inform your patrons of that night’s drink specials, or offer them a free appetizer or even a discount on their meal. If you owned a car wash you could advertise weekly discounts, whether it be $2 off on Tuesdays, or a free car freshener with the purchase of your “deluxe car wash package.” To go even further, if you owned a nail salon you could offer your customers a free eyebrow wax with their purchase of a mani/pedi between 2:00 and 5:00 pm.

Whether it’s enjoy the “$1 beer on draft between 5 and 7” at the nearby Oceanside Bar & Grill, or getting pampered at the nail salon around the corner, one thing is for certain; if your customers are influenced by your mobile ad, and their experience is great, they’ll likely share their experience with their family and friends, maybe even via Facebook and Twitter.

What is more influential than “word of mouth” advertising? Not a thing. People will believe what their family and friends say, no questions asked, and they’ll remember it for a long, long time!

Kelsey Wins 1st Runner-up in Better Business Bureau 2011 Torch Awards

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:19 GMT

Kelsey Wins 1st Runner-up in the Better Business Bureau 2011 Torch Awards. The BBB of East Alabama, West and Southwest Georgia's Torch Award is designed to promote not only the importance of ethical business practices, but also the willingness and efforts made by outstanding businesses to ensure that our country's marketplace remains fair and honorable for all Americans. All for-profit businesses located in this BBB's 42 county service area of West GA, East AL & SW GA were eligible for the award.

Official judging was directed by the Columbus State University Abbott Turner College of Business. Kelsey is honored to have been recognized by this great organization and thankful for their diligent employees who strive everyday to make Kelsey a great company.

Kelsey wins 6 ADDY Awards Including “Best of Show”

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:26 GMT

Kelsey Advertising & Design, a local advertising firm, entered the world’s largest and oldest advertising competition – the 2010 Addy Awards – and earned “Best of Show,” the top honor in media broadcast from the Chattahoochee Valley Chapter of the AAF. This is the fifth consecutive year they have received the “Best of Show” award.

The coveted J. Tom Morgan "Best of Show" award was given to Kelsey Advertising & Design for the Houze.org website for Houze & Associates, Inc.

Kelsey also received three prestigious “Gold” awards. The first award was for their creative work on the Houze.org website. The SomethingEdible.com website and the Kelseyads.com Mobile Site also received gold awards. Two “Silver” awards were awarded the group for the LaGrange Banking Company “Text Local Campaign” and the Spinks Brown Durand Realtors “A Night Out Campaign”.

“2010 was a busy year for us. As our company continues to work hard and grow in this challenging business environment, it’s an honor to be recognized by our peers,” said Brant Kelsey, Principal of Kelsey Advertising & Design.

The Addy Awards represent a global search for advertising excellence in all types of media. The contest, sponsored by the American Advertising Federation, a national advertising trade association in operation for over one hundred years, represents fifty thousand advertising professionals. The competition is fierce and considered the toughest contest of its kind.

Kelsey Advertising & Design is a "Small Smart" traditional & digital advertising firm located at 133 Main Street, LaGrange, Georgia. This talented group of brand development specialists produces interactive media solutions and brand strategies to secure the success of their clients in the global marketplace. The team at Kelsey is widely recognized as industry thought leaders and are truly “results addicts”. For more information, contact Kelsey at 706.298.2738 or visit online at www.kelseyads.com.

The Mobile Disconnect: 4 Things Small Businesses Can Do to Create Big Opportunities!

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:31 GMT

Many large companies are taking advantage of the great opportunities the mobile web provides. They are optimizing their existing sites for mobile, they’re tapping into mobile advertising, mobile landing pages, mobile applications, and so much more. Conversely, smaller businesses are on the exact opposite end of the spectrum; they are not adopting this technology as readily as their larger counterparts.

With 5 billion mobile subscribers, no one can any longer deny the power of the mobile web! Compare that to only 1.7 billion PC’s in use. 87% of mobile users access the mobile web more than once a day, and more than half access at least 5 times per day. There is an 85% year over year increase in overall smartphone ownership. The statistics are astounding.

Mobile Users to Exceed Desktop Internet Users by 2014
source: Morgan Stanley Research

It’s time small businesses STOP missing out on big opportunities!

People are constantly ‘on the go’, but they always have their cell phones. Whether they’re looking for a place to eat, searching for the nearest towing service, or even their nearest ATM location, they are using their mobile phones to do it. It shouldn’t just be the big businesses that get ahead. Small businesses need to take advantage of this opportunity – it’s not going away, it’s only getting bigger.

Here are 4 things you can do to start taking advantage of the Mobile Web:

1. Coupons - Upload a coupon to your mobile site. Visitors can show the cashier their mobile phone at check-out to redeem discount. Coupons are easy to create and they can be rotated out as new offers become available.

2. Gift Card Balance – If you offer gift cards, your mobile website can have a feature allowing customers to check their balance via their mobile phone. This is a convenient feature for your customers and also gives them another reason to frequent your website to find out what’s new.

3. Menu’s/Services – Do you have a menu or list of services provided? Users can view your menu or services quickly no matter where they are.

4. Appointments/Reservations – Customers can schedule an appointment with you via your mobile website, even after business hours. Customer’s like to know you’re easily within reach, and with a mobile appointment or reservation calendar, they have access any time, any day.

It’s time to make your presence known on the mobile web. Chances are, you’ll be the first to take advantage of this space before your competitors. Millions of potential customers are waiting on the other end. Even if you start with a small mobile landing page, that’s better than not being visible at all. To begin, ask yourself these questions:
1. What are the top reasons people would search for your business? Your contact information is the most obvious piece of information you’d want to include, but what are some others?
2. What do people often do on your existing site they could also do via the mobile web? Do they purchase products? Access accounts for online transactions? Book online? Maybe they check recent news and updates. Think of your unique capabilities.

In summary, your customers and potential customers are mobile whether you are or not. If you are not interacting with them on the mobile web, then someone else is. The good news is that you can take control of your brand and make a splash in the mobile space. Your customers will notice.

Kelsey Launches New Troup County Archives website

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:00 GMT

Kelsey has launched the new website for Troup County Archives. The Troup County Archives provides a central location for the permanent preservation of historical papers and assists in the management of local government records for Troup County, Georgia. Their facilities are located at 136 Main Street in LaGrange. The Troup County Historical Society is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting a greater appreciation of Troup County's heritage. Kelsey had a great time working on the Archives website. To view the new website, visit trouparchives.org.

Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:25 GMT

Great brands continue to thrive for years after their introductions. Others don't. The great ones control categories and set examples for others to try and mimic. Brands like McDonald's, Ralph Lauren and Apple are emblematic of great brands.

Why do these enduring brands continue to exist? I believe it is in their brand leadership.

There are certainly other factors like brand management, operational efficiencies and market gyrations that affect long term performance, but the starting point for nearly every great brand is the leadership position taken at inception or assumed at some later point of enlightenment. The instant an advertiser begins the brand development process, they inherit the leadership position in their category or industry - guaranteed.

How you ask?

Review the definition of a brand: A brand is your claim of distinction.

Once successfully differentiated through brand development and branding, they've separated themselves from their competitors and thus, assumed a leadership role. That same differentiation helps to determine the most deliverable role and the underpinnings of long-term success are almost immediately put into place. When Maytag proclaimed quality and reliability as their brand differentiation over 30 years ago (think Maytag Repairman), it was not because all their competitors were claiming the low quality slot; everyone said they were high quality. Maytag assumed the quality leadership position by suggesting that their quality was so high that their washing machines didn't break down! What a leadership spot to claim. Then, they created the loneliest repairman to communicate their leadership and internalized the brand position with delivery mechanisms like better quality control and manufacturing processes to ensure the endurance of their leadership.

Brand leadership tends to land in one of four major categories:

Price. The price leader is that brand that owns the position. Two obvious leaders here are Walmart at the low price end of the spectrum and Rolls-Royce at the high end.

Innovation. Lots of folks like to stake this claim. Apple in technology and GE in home products are perfect examples.

Cultural Connection. Harley-Davidson is king of this category. There could be an argument made for Starbucks here, maybe even Ben and Jerry's.

Quality. Ford. For them, it's Job One.

From these four, we can drill down further and find leadership in sub or smaller leadership positions like safety = we think Volvo. Convenience = Amazon.com. Courageous = (When it absolutely, positively has to be there) FedEx, and Irreverence = Virgin tops the list. We could continue to go deeper and deeper. Today, Kevin Roberts, Worldwide CEO at Saatchi & Saatchi has created a category called "Lovemarks." These brands are adored or loved brands. They include Southwest Airlines, Nike, Levi's and a long list of other brands. But for our tastes, Ben and Jerry's could cross over here too. Volkswagen and certainly Mini Cooper fit here as well.

What's the importance of brand leadership? It's the added value good brand positioning offers. It also allows consumers to adopt the brand as their own. It also allows for better brand management, internal brand adoption and crystal clear communication.

What's the downside of brand leadership? Well, living up to your claim is one. Having the guts to advertise like a leader, not a follower is another. Having the vision of the future is mandatory. But, the benefits far outweigh the downside.

How do we go about claiming a leadership position? Start with a good discovery session. It's magic how well it works. The reason? We're simply looking inside and finding the essence of the advertiser's brand. It's always there. Or, at least the seeds are there. Here's how it works:

The process starts with listing facts by examining the company, its history, origins of business, markets served, the founders, traditions, legacies, innovations, values, ethics, customers, the people, and culture. In this first stage, we uncover literally hundreds of facts.

Through a series if three other stages, we eliminate the non-unique characteristics, extrapolate potential truths, and finally, distill the remaining information until we have a prioritized list of three to five absolutely unique and deliverable selling points about our client's company.

From this, we can establish the foundation for a proprietary brand franchise, unique branding concept and a leadership position they are capable of controlling.

We know we've simplified this process for the sake of space but don't underestimate the power of brand discovery - the deeper you dig and the more thorough the analysis the more obvious the essence of the brand and its leadership capabilities will become. And the easier it will be to assume a long-term brand leadership position.

Top 5 Location-Based Services (#mobile)

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:53 GMT

It's no secret that location-based social networks are growing in popularity and usage. While planning your mobile web strategy and assessing mobile marketing opportunities, don't forget about these services. People are interacting with your company on Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp and more. If you're not there to monitor reviews and provide feedback, you're missing the chance to connect with a growing number of potential customers. In addition, these services are gateways to your mobile website, where visitors can learn even more about your brand. Read more about the Top 5 Location-Based Services.

3 Reasons Long-Term Domain Registrations Make Sense

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:14 GMT

If you have ever marketed your business online, chances are you’ve bought more than one domain name over the years. It’s important to periodically review all of your domains, even the old ones pointing to a micro-site promotion you ran eons ago. If you don’t, you may be losing out on traffic, money, or even worse, facilitating a brand catastrophe.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Reason #1. Simply put, your website could go “down.”
It is blatantly obvious that visitors won’t be able to access your website, except most people don’t consider the “collateral damage” of letting a domain name registration lapse. When your domain expires, not only is the website unreachable, but you stop receiving email. This means all business critical email communication has been severed, and your customers can’t communicate with you.

Not only does your email stop coming in, but customers can’t find the phone number prominently displayed on your website either. Chances are your phone has stopped ringing too.

If you have an e-commerce site, you’ll have zero orders coming in. Imagine if your domain expired on a Friday, or even worse, while you were on an extended vacation! Failure to spend ten minutes and few bucks on a domain registration could result in hundreds, or even thousands of dollars in lost revenue and productivity. Not to mention you and your company look sloppy due your lack of attention to detail.

Reason #2. Someone “steals” your customers.
Those old domains you used in the past have traffic, and value. They’ve more than likely been spidered by search engines, have old links from websites pointed to them, and I guarantee you there are folks out there who haven’t updated their bookmarks. These domain names might even contain one of your trademarks - your name, a product name, or a proprietary process term. Call me paranoid, but your competition could swoop in and grab that old domain, and in the process, all of the incoming traffic. Imagine the damage that might be caused by an unscrupulous competitor - they could re-establish old email addresses, damage relationships with existing clients, or even intercept new business leads meant for you.

I found a recent article talking about TIAA-CREF allowing an old micro-site domain registration to expire. They obviously didn’t
need it anymore, right? Wrong. A pornographer who happened to be paying attention picked up the domain. Suddenly anyone who “thought” they were going to a TIAA-CREF site was now presented with online sex chat. Wow. At this point, TIAA-CREF is looking at a whole new set of brand management challenges they never could have imagined. And it should have been avoided for a small price.

Reason #3. You may have less “trust” with the search engines.
It’s been debated for a while now whether or not search providers such as Yahoo! and Google look at the length of your domain registration when calculating your search ranking. A one year domain registration may save you a few bucks, but consider a search engine’s perspective; Does this domain (your company) appear to be a long-term viable website (your business), or just a spammer with a keyword-crammed landing page? Aside from not worrying about the issues I described above, a long-term registration demonstrates you are in business for the long haul. And if it is definitively revealed later that there is an advantage with the Yahoo! and Google algorithms, you’ve got it covered. Check one more thing off your SEO checklist.

So, what can you do to protect yourself?

Get Audited
Normally this is a bad thing, but in this case, it’s perfectly fine. Keep a spreadsheet of all the domains and sub-domains that you use, and what you used them for. Review your list periodically and make sure the domains are still in your control. If you keep your domains registered, you can re-use them later. If you aren’t going to re-use them, properly redirect them to other domains or create landing pages to inform your visitors on where they should go next.

You can check your domain’s expiration date by using a "Who-Is" tool, or by logging in to your registrar’s website.

Pencil Me In
Online services like Google Calendar, and offline programs like iCal and Outlook, make it easy to track your domain registrations. First, create a separate calendar just for domains, and put all of your domain name expiration dates in the calendar. Set alarms to notify you before your domain expires. For instance, set an alarm one month before your domain expires, and you’ll be reminded to go extend your registration. Creating a separate calendar allows you to hide the calendar from view, but still get alerted when your alarms go off.

Long Term Relationship
It’s a bit more expensive, but if you register all of your domains for multiple years, you then set one day a year to extend the registrations for all of your domains. This way you can extend each domain name by just one year, always staying ahead of the curve. For instance, a domain originally registered for three years and then extended every year for a single year, would always have an expiration date at least two years in the future.

With all of the negative things that can happen to your brand’s reputation, it makes good sense to go ahead and pull the trigger on that long-term domain name registration. We advise all of our clients to renew their domain for at least three years. It costs a few dollars more, but it saves everyone involved a lot of heartache down the road.

Exercise Good Judgement, Then Stretch!

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:00 GMT

The desire to stretch a brand outside of core offerings seems to be a temptation that big companies struggle with at one point or another. Instead of capitalizing on what the business does best by innovating the core product and delivery, they try to use a high level of name recognition and brand equity in an attempt to print more money. It’s this loss of focus that causes these companies to lose more money than they make.

There was a great example of this in a recent Wired Magazine article. Mini, the company that brought you the Cooper, debuted a new Mini E-Scooter at the Paris Motor Show. The E-Scooter is a electric-powered moped that is recharged by the average wall outlet. Great idea, right?

Wrong.

At least for Mini, anyway. Here’s why.

When people think “Mini”. People already think “Mini Cooper”. They’ve drilled this into our minds for years by innovative and creative advertising campaigns. Mini has tens of millions of dollars invested in the positioning of their brand in our minds. Heck, who didn’t want to run out and buy a Mini Cooper after watching The Italian Job?

Mini = Small, fast, and fun cars.

Now the fine folks at Mini want us to think “and scooters.” Electric scooters, at that.

Scooters are slow, the Mini Cooper isn’t. Mini Coopers are quick, nimble, and a heck of a lot of fun to drive - according to them, a street legal go-cart!

However, Mini saw an opportunity to leverage the brand and make some money. All this is going to accomplish is to muddy the water and extend the brand into an area that doesn’t align with their core offering. Mini is not trucks, not sedans, not electric, and certainly not scooters. Mini is small, fast and fun.

Who got it right? Smart.

An electric scooter fits perfectly in Smart’s mission to be the leader in electric urban transportation. It’s not a stretch to think that an electric scooter would be a great addition to the Smart stable of products. People who buy Smart products believe in green, sustainable transportation, and a Smart Moped fits that bill.

When considering a new product offering, consider your existing brand. Failing to do so can not only doom the product launch, but can also damage the existing brand portfolio and lessen existing brand equity.

Does the product improve or enhance your current line of products or services?
Putting your brand on a new product is going to make a splash. When extending the brand into areas that run parallel to existing products and services, it’s more likely to make sense to customers and they are able to see the connection. The splash is a good one!

Consumers everywhere know Arm & Hammer baking soda is a great cleaning agent. Arm & Hammer extended their brand into toothpaste and laundry detergent. People trusted the new product and the new products were (and still are) a huge success.

Will the new product or service make sense to your current customers?
This is something to consider when expanding its offerings into new territory. Will customers make the connection between your brand and the “itch” you are trying to scratch? If the new brand diverges from what it stands for, it won’t be authentic and your customers can smell a phoney money grab a mile away.

Leveraging a brand is a good thing, but there is a limit. Keep your brand focused on what you do best, and only expand when it makes good sense.

McDonald’s MeEncanta.com Goes Mobile

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:54 GMT

McDonald’s now reaches Hispanic consumers on smartphone devices through mobile-optimized advertising on MeEncanta.com (a sister site of McDonalds.com).

Through digital media buys and redirected mobile traffic from MeEncanta.com, mobile Hispanic consumers are directed to targeted, landing pages optimized for smartphones. These mobile landing pages feature full-length video playback of national advertising messaging and are offered entirely in Spanish.

Made possible through a collaboration between Kelsey Advertising & Design, McState.com, McDonald’s Corporation, and Alma DDB, these mobile sites are enhancing digital Spanish messaging in the U.S.

All MeEncanta.com mobile landing pages feature a single concept -- the McDonald’s monopoly game or the return of McRib -- with limited copy and controlled graphics. All graphics render in appropriate size and resolution depending on the smartphone platform such as iPhone, Droid, or Blackberry.

Videos are also rendered appropriately depending on the smartphone platform. With the multitude of mobile video protocols in place worldwide and the diverse video and audio compression techniques available, serving a correctly rendered video is important to consumer messaging.

Next time you’re browsing the Internet on your smartphone, be sure to check out our handiwork at meencanta.com. Disfrute! Enjoy!

Got Good Customer Service? Me Too.

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:40 GMT

Adology recently posted a blog entry entitled Marketers Promote Customer Service as a Competitive Edge. In it, an Empathica study suggested companies should begin promoting exceptional customer service as a way to separate themselves from their competition in the marketplace.

Indeed, customer service is an important component of the entire brand experience. But should we be promoting this as a core offering?

No.

A self-proclamation of “great customer service” falls on deaf ears. Unless you happen to be the CMO for a huge multi-national company and winner of multiple J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Awards, all a potential customer has to say is “prove it.” The only way to “prove it” is to do it day after day after day.

Your patrons expect good service. It’s a necessity of running a viable business in America.

Make improving customer service an internal program. Train employees how to handle these precious customer relationships. Make sure staff understands the power of word-of-mouth, and the positive and negative returns that flow from it. Identify and verbalize the value of your customers, and what it costs you to gain trust and profits from those customers. Millions of dollars are spent on award-winning advertising campaigns, only to be wasted when a prospect phones a call-center employee who’s having a bad day.

Concentrate on marketing what makes your company unique. If “awesome service” is the only thing that makes your company great, what happens when the competition begins providing the same level of service? They'll be claiming "me too" and you'll be stuck looking for something else to separate you from the pack.

If the food at the restaurant stinks, it doesn’t matter how great the waiter is.

Promote your brand’s differentiation. If customers have a great experience, they’ll tell their friends.

Define your Brand Advocate

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:07 GMT

Have you ever sat down and defined your brand advocate? Not just a broad description of your brand’s target audience, but a rich definition of the perfect individual that reflects your brand?

Many clients we work with find this very unnatural: they are absorbed in age bands, income ranges, and socioeconomics tags. If you feel the same, then take a break from this ‘marketing-speak.’ Defining your brand advocate as an individual may seem limiting, but we promise it will create all sorts of ideas and opportunities.

A few examples of the dangers of using age ranges:

Marketing plans typically define the brand’s target audience in age ranges. The range may be 25-30 years old, or it may be 30-40 years old. We’re all familiar with this type of scenario, and all too comfortable with it. The risks of using age ranges become even clearer as the target audience gets younger. A target audience of 8-12 year-old's for a children’s brand may seem reasonable in a marketing plan, but anyone with kids will tell you that the wants and needs of a 12 year old are very different from those of an 8 year old.

As the “Baby Boomers” age, it has become abundantly clear that for the 50+ segment, their ages are just a number. Remember this is the group who invented “going against the grain.” The last thing they want is for some company to ignore them just because they are no longer between the ages of 18 and 34. In addition, they are the group with the largest spending power. What a shame to overlook this market…simply because they may be classified as “too old.” Using age ranges as the starting point for building a strong brand create all kinds of confusion and fuzzy thinking. And if that isn’t confusing enough, remember that Baby Boomers span the birth years from 1946 to 1964. Imagine trying to market to a group with an eighteen-year span. A 60 year old certainly has different wants and needs than a 42 year old. Or maybe not!

And the risks are the same with all the other ranges, bands and tags we use in marketing plans.

So, get specific. Create an individual.

Write the profile of an individual, write their daily diary, and even role-play their life. We give our target audiences a face and a name, and learn to love them. You can use research to guide you, but use your insight and intuition, too. And build up a rich picture of not just words, but of music, images, and sounds.

Don’t limit yourself to this individual’s relationship with your brand, or even just your category. Explore their life in totality – for example:

Their daily habits

Where they shop

Which brands they buy (in every category not just yours)

Where and when they socialize

The clothes they wear; the music they love

The political party they support

The current ‘issues’ they are passionate about (or not!)

Their motivations and attitudes to career, life and love

The list is endless…

If you’re not sure if your brand advocate is male or female, then create a couple, or colleagues, and do the same for both - then explore the differences and similarities between them.
Finally, explore the opportunities.

As you are doing this work you’ll start to see opportunities. These opportunities might be communications-related: new media you could test, an unidentified new brand touch point, a new promotional idea, or a new moment to reach into the life of your brand advocate.

Or the opportunity may be more strategic – it may have an impact on how you define your desired brand. Or it may be that you see a potential brand partnership or a product innovation you could explore.

Whatever the immediate payback, you’ll find defining your brand advocate as an individual to be a worthwhile investment…because a brand advocate is a human brand asset. Defining and focusing on your next best customer by giving them life allows you to create experiences and build the all-important emotional connection with them. It doesn’t matter what you are selling: soft drinks to teens, cosmetics to women, or a software infrastructure to senior IT executives... it’s always about the people.

Once customers become your brand advocates and go off steadfastly in support of your mission, their credibility is enormous, their power tremendous, and their value – immense.?

Kelsey Launches New Houze & Associates Website

Fri, 21 May 2010 19:54 GMT

Kelsey has worked with Houze & Associates - a company specializing in the evaluation, design, and administration of employee benefit plans for employees throughout the Southeastern United States - since 1999. As part of an effort to broaden visibility and increase awareness of their offerings, Houze asked Kelsey to assist in developing a brand development strategy for the company. With a new design, a complete re-organization of information, and re-tooled content and images, the Houze & Associates website is the hub for all external brand development efforts. To view the new website, visit www.houze.org.

Why is Branding so Important?

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:59 GMT

In today's world of advertising, business owners should be focused on the most effective method for creating brand 'awareness' without breaking the bank. The resounding answer seems to lie in establishing a powerful and consistent brand image. So why is brand development so important, and why now? And how exactly is more expenditure on the brand supposed to help your business if all you want is a website, a few print pieces, or even 'just a little more exposure?' Truth is, brand development is an investment - a proven investment. In my professional opinion, every business owner should budget for a brand discovery session, mainly so you can uncover your business' core truths - those qualities which you are not even aware exist yet - so you are able to put you and your business in a much better position for success. For those of you who still need some convincing, perhaps it's best you take an objective approach while I point out a few enlightening facts about brand development.

By definition, branding is the use of a name, term, sign, symbol, or design - or a combination of these - intended to identify the goods and/or services of one seller or groups of sellers. In other words, your brand gives you a distinction to claim, an identity to own - it has the potential to single handedly set you apart from your competition. Regardless of which business you're in, branding will always bear a significant importance. It's that simple, and that hard - and that inescapable!

According to Interbrand, “regardless of your view of the world, in good times and bad, your brand is your company’s most valuable asset. Understanding how your brand creates value for you is key to maintaining market leadership or establishing it in the first place.” Perhaps the most compelling evidence that supports the power of brand development can be found within the Coca-Cola brand. They are ranked number one on Interbrand's top 100 global brands of 2009, a spot they've held for nine consecutive years, and their brand alone accounts for 51% of the company's stock market value. The reason the Coca-Cola brand has survived since 1886 is largely because Coca-Cola has always known the importance of their brand. Coke has been very successful at integrating current, relevant and consistent branding strategies. It is this methodology that has gained them "brand of preference" status, along with an enormous amount of support from their many loyal consumers.

While a strong identity has always played an integral role in the world of advertising, it is true that your brand differentiation carries more weight today than ever before. The reason being, there are simply more businesses competing in each market today than there were 100 years ago. As consumers, we are exposed to thousands of messages a day. Fortunately, with the help of a brand discovery session, you will be able to uncover your unique selling points - "core truths" - which, in turn, will help as you begin the process of distinguishing your brand from your competitors. Next, you should begin the process honing in on the values that you believe truly represent your business, even though you may never reveal them to the public. They should become visible in every aspect of your business' routine, from customer service, to your website, to phone calls and emails, right down to the treatment of your employees - past and present. Once you have completed a brand discovery session, your brand essence will be revealed and your marketing firm will be able to use this as the cornerstone for developing your brand's image.

Fortunately, no matter how young or old your business is, you can still bring your brand to life. For starters, you can help an existing brand evolve or you can develop strategies to reinvent your brand. Either way, one hurdle that stands between you and the future success of your company is having a well developed strategy to grow your brand. Honestly, you shouldn't be asking yourself, "why is branding so important or why now?" What you should be asking yourself is, "can I really afford not to jump on the brand wagon?"

Small Design, Big Ideas

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:05 GMT

As a business owner, you have spent alot of time and consideration on your current website. What you may be wondering now is, is it possible to translate the big ideas of your current site into a smaller space such as the mobile web. This article will aid you and your team so you can make smart design decisions for your mobile website.

Let's start with a little background knowledge. The difference in viewing a site on a 20 inch monitor verses a 128 x 160 pixel cellular screen is huge and may plant doubt and skepticism in the mind of many. However, web browsing on mobile devices is on the rise and if a mobile site is well strategized, your mobile site can have a huge impact on your business. With so many devices and screen sizes it will be critical to identify your targeted users, their devices, and their needs and then tailor the design of the site to compliment the functionality. Now to the nitty gritty. Try asking yourself, "why should a user come to your site and what is it they need to be able to do?" Once this is done, the functionality and design of your mobile site can begin to take shape.

When designing a mobile site, there are three main ideals that should be kept in mind. First, you should keep your design simple. Second, always keep your design concise. Lastly, target your users needs. For a current web designer, keeping the design simple may be a bit of a challenge. The easiest way of doing this is to take a hard look at the mobile site design and ask the question, "is this graphic/image needed to make this site successful?" Once all the excess is stripped away, the core of the mobile design will be revealed. In this instance, less really is more.

Next, try deciphering what content is needed for the mobile site to be successful, but remember to make the content concise. This allows the user to concentrate on the core purpose of the mobile site and design. Having detailed graphics and wordy copy on buttons and backgrounds may seem appealing, but the truth is, many phones will be bogged down with screen-load time and cost the user time and money. Instead, try sticking to solids and web safe type with only necessary content. Color has a huge impact on the look and feel of a mobile site and can drive a users focus and fuel their interest. Also consider clear and concise buttons for your audience to select, limiting images to those necessary to deliver your message.

Lastly, target the users needs immediately. Use color and web safe type to drive the users directly to the call to action(s) or important content when they first arrive. The two previous steps will help you get to this point, but it's going to take some serious analysis to pinpoint the users exact and specific needs. For each function of the site, ask the following questions: why does the visitor need your mobile site, what action or information does the visitor need to take away from the site, and will this function make the users interaction with your company better and/or easier? Once you can answer these questions, you can then tailor the design to have maximum impact that will compliment the functionality of the mobile site. Just remember, mobile devices are not equipped with a mouse, so jumping around through a site is not a realistic option.

So, can the big ideas of a pc website translate to a small space like a mobile website? Absolutely! In fact, a mobile site may reach clients in a way that your current site does not. Mobile users are on the rise. Cell phones just may be what your business needs to offer clients a new way to access your services.

For detailed information on mobile web statistics and other information, please refer to The Mobile Web for the CEO by Brandon Eley.

Social Networking

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:47 GMT

It is an indisputable fact that there is success in advertising. With the right ad campaign, your start- up business has the potential to become a Fortune 500 company; you can even lure the most brand loyal consumer away from his favorite brand. However, your business's current budget may not be flexible enough to roll out an ideal ad campaign. Given the importance of advertising, the one question you should be asking yourself is, "How can we deliver our message to our consumers faster, better and more affordable?"

The answer is simple: through social media. More than likely, if you haven't dabbled with one already you have at least heard or read about social media. According to Wikipedia, there are close to 250 major social networking sites worldwide. What is even more impressive, it is very common to find people who are members of more than one site. While the reasons for becoming a member of any networking site vary from person to person, the reasons why businesses should join the bandwagon are undeniable. To name a few, they allow you to connect realtime with consumers, as well as, with people from your local community. They also provide you with the opportunity to promote brand awareness, and the best part, it's free.

Facebook, for starters – one of our personal favorites at Kelsey - is a network-based website organized by city, workplace, school, and region. According to their statistics, Facebook currently has more than 300 million active users. Of those users, more than 10 million become “fans” of “pages” each day. Just imagine how much exposure your business could receive if you had a page on Facebook. They are simple to set-up and do not have to be time consuming. Your greatest challenge, as is often the case with advertising, will be making sure you communicate the right message to consumers given the medium. You want your page to be inviting but it is equally important that you keep your message relevant, thereby promoting brand awareness.

There are many ways you can setup your Facebook page. You could take a proactive approach and use your page to promote your latest sales, offer coupons, even provide rules on how to enter contests. Or you could use your page as an information guide for your business, as we do here at Kelsey. For example, you can include your business hours, address and location, your essence statement, which “groups” you are affiliated with, etc. We have also found it beneficial to keep our page updated with photos and videos. We believe this gives our page more of a personal feel. However, your creativity does not have to be limited. Considering that Facebook is full of bells and whistles you are almost guaranteed to find a great way to showcase your business.

Another Kelsey favorite is Twitter. It too is an incredibly popular social networking service. Like Facebook, Twitter has the ability to reach a wide variety of diverse users. Twitter, however, is more commonly recognized for their micro-blogging service. In 140 characters or less you can send any message or “tweet” to all of your peers or “followers” real-time. If you want to share an interesting website, article or book, Twitter is the perfect place. By doing so, your “followers” stay interested and are just one click away from your website at all times. Another way to keep your followers active is by posting questions or surveys. Simple business reminders are also effective tweets. They can be as often as you would like and if you do not want to be bothered with the daunting task of logging on everyday to post new information, you do not have to be. There are RSS features in place to automate your posts for you.

While each social networking site offers something a little different, they are each great advertising tools in their own right. To say the least, they are among the latest innovations attributing to the success of advertising and they allow you the opportunity to connect with consumers like never before. Simply put, social networking is cutting edge advertising, efficient and extremely affordable. With it being such an integral part of how people choose to connect with one another instinctively, if your business can use social networking to its advantage, why wouldn't you?

Getting a Feel for Paper: Smarter Choices for Your Business & the Environment

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:21 GMT

Many of you may be thinking, "what could my company possibly do to help the environment?" This article will help you understand that becoming good environment stewards doesn't have to be painstaking. There are small steps you and your company can take to help out the environment starting with your company printing.

Paper and its technical terminology have long been a mystery to many but we are here to help you set the record straight. Knowing and understanding paper jargon can help you and your company make smarter choices when it comes to selecting paper stock for day-to-day in-office operations as well as your advertising and marketing efforts. While switching paper stock is a seemingly small effort, the manufacturing of and processing of paper is resource intensive and its consumption has exhaustive effects on the environment. Making small informed decisions about your company's printing can help give the environment a boost, as well as give your company a boost, for all their hard work of trying to be more environmentally conscious.

Here are just a few basic terms of environmental attributes you will need to be aware of to make an informed decision. Granted, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but knowing some basics will help guide you in the right direction. Let's begin with the term "recycled." While used intermittently and loosely, the term recycled simply means to be made from old de-inked paper which has been processed chemically. Paper that is recycled generally appears with or has the recycled logo printed on it. The term recycled is also commonly used with the acronym PCW. PCW stands for Post-Consumer Waste. This means that particular product contains materials recovered after being used by a consumer. The percent of PCW the products contains is denoted inside or to the right of the recycled logo and indicated as a percentage. There is also PCF or processed chlorine free paper. This paper is made from recycled PCW but is processed unbleached or is bleached without Chlorine compounds. This type of paper is the most environmentally friendly.

Now, down to the nitty gritty. The following terms are a little more detailed and specific in where and how the paper products are harvested. If you believe strongly in protecting against deterioration of the world’s forests, then an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or SFI (the Sustainable Forestry Initiative) certified paper is what you are looking for. Both companies are independent nonprofit organizations who promote responsible management of the worlds forests and both hold stringent guidelines when it comes to their certification programs. However, if you're looking to identify a leader of the two, the FSC's standards are clearer on the issue and are more strict of their environmental standards.

Lastly, there are several processes that can be evaluated where the actual manufacturing of the product is concerned. We all know about renewable energy but did you know that some paper companies use renewable energy to produce their paper products? Some papers are manufactured with carbon neutral processes while others are manufactured with energy generated by windpower alone. You can look for most companies using these processes to be Green-e certified. This seal ensures that the renewable measures a company is taking to produce their products meets strict environmental and consumer protection standards.

Understanding environmental paper terminology is the first step in helping your company improve our environment. With this knowledge, you can now make informed decisions about your paper selections.

3 Ways Brand Development Benefits Your Business

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:15 GMT

During slow times, a business' first instinct is to cut costs. I came across a recent statistic showing how increasing brand loyalty by just 2% is equivalent to a cost reduction program of 10%. Wow! This just underscores the importance of driving your company through the use of an effective brand strategy, a strategy which highlights your claim of distinction.

Losing focus on your brand is an easy thing to do. The phone is ringing, payroll is constantly around the next corner, and business owners are always looking for that next bit of income. It's easy to "fall off the wagon" and forget about the importance of sticking to the plan.

A properly designed brand strategy is executed day after day and pays back in different ways.

1. A strong brand allows you to charge a higher price for your goods or services. This could be because your customers recognize you, they've heard their friends talk about you in a positive way, your customer service is second to none, or your packaging is more attractive. There are countless other reasons, but the point here is you are able to charge higher prices which means higher margins. By losing focus of the plan and going after the easy money, you have removed your claim of distinction, thus enabling customer's to make a decision based solely on price. Now you are a commodity.

2. Businesses with good brand strategies have higher customer loyalty. This loyalty means more success when you launch new products or services. I alluded to this earlier, but customer loyalty plays a huge factor in your success. Statistics show 50% of customers would rather pay a premium price to use your product than switch to a competitive brand¹. Let me repeat that. 50 percent of people are not concerned with price, they want you! On top of that, when you roll out a new service or product, they are more likely to try it because of the goodwill you have grown with that customer. You have credibility and trust.

On June 29, 2007, Apple released the iPhone. The device revolutionized what people thought of a cell phone -- being the first to play video, music, and boast a touchscreen interface. In the first week, Apple sold over 700,000 iPhones. Fast forward one year to the eve of the iPhone 3G release, loyal Apple customers once again camped out on sidewalks across the U.S. in anticipation. Why? Apple continued to deliver on their promise of stylish and revolutionary devices by releasing the iPhone in 2007, and the slightest hint of an even "better" device was irresistible. By the end of 2008, Apple had sold 13.7 million 3G iPhones. Loyalty and trust like this is not bought, nor is it created over night. Apple is executing a long term vision and brand strategy that has been going on for over 2 decades.

3. Strong brands are also talent magnets. Potential employees want to work for a winner. When your brand is strong you will see an increase in applicants and quality of applicants. This pays off in two ways. One, recruitment costs are much lower because applicants are coming directly to you. The money saved by not using a recruiter service or temp agency is substantial. Second, more talent at your company means you have more experts. More expertise results in better processes and better products. This translates to higher margins, higher prices, and higher profits.

Starting to see a pattern? A properly crafted brand strategy prevents brand decay and keeps profits and net worth high. Concentrate on your brand and begin to take control of how people view it. Over time, with discipline, it will pay dividends in higher sales. Ultimately, your business and it's reputation will be worth significantly more.

At Kelsey Advertising & Design, we handcraft custom brand strategies for every single client on our roster using our holistic approach, benefiting companies of all sizes. As the only Certified Brand Strategists in Georgia, and one of only a few credentialed brand strategists in the country, I mesh insightful research and a proprietary discovery process with traditional advertising and fast-moving digital techniques. This unique combination gives life to complete plans addressing each client's brand development and marketing needs.

Remember, your brand is a claim of distinction, and the "results addicts" at Kelsey won't sleep until we deliver your distinction in the most effective and creative way possible.

¹ Davis. Prophet's Brand Asset Management for the 21st Century Study.

How does Graphic Design Impact You?

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:57 GMT

You may be surprised to find examples of design surrounding you almost anywhere you are. Understanding exactly what graphic design is may change your interpretation of how design can benefit you or your company.

Graphic design is the most pervasive art in our world today. It is spread throughout the branches of almost every entity of our lives. Simply put, designer and columnist Jessica Helfand said, "graphic design touches everything we do... it is the art of visualizing ideas." In order to fully understand this statement, you must stray from the normal realm of what you feel is art.

Take a look at the book sitting beside you, the empty beverage can on your desk, the website you are browsing or the billboard you drive past every morning. All of these items have been carefully and thoughtfully executed by a graphic designer. Designers of all forms are collaborators and problem solvers charged with choosing and executing the best solution possible and with that, achieving progress. Sometimes that progress is a boost in sales or sometimes it is just to make an idea or concept understood. If consumers react to the solution (ie. an intriguing book cover, a tempting soda can, an easily navigated and aesthetically appealing website, or a enticing billboard), then the designer has made a step in the right direction towards achieving progress.

One very recognizable example of a graphic solution taking a step in the right direction is Coke Zero. Coke had the need to re-launch their Coca-Cola Classic as well as launch a new product which had "zero" sugar. This no-calorie drink was designed to appeal to men with a range in age of early 20's and up. With it's sleek masculine black and silver design and the concept of "it's not a 'diet' drink, it's the real thing with zero calories", Coke Zero was a huge success slamming into the market and quickly becoming the 3rd biggest-selling cola product in it's category. This success can be attributed to a gap in the market that was identified, targeted and effectively marketed to with well-done package design by Turner Duckworth and followed up by an extensive online campaign by Crispin Porter Bogusky. This was Coca-Cola's largest product launch in 22 years.

Immediately noticed or not, graphic design touches everything we do. Realizing how design can impact you as a reader, consumer, user, or customer, may not only change how you interpret a product but also how you utilize design in your everyday life or business. Next time you have a moment, take a look around and reflect how graphic design touches you and your business. Ask yourself: How could you better utilize the power of a solution?

Advertising in a Recession?

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:24 GMT

Money is tight and confidence is low, but every cloud has a silver lining, even if it’s hard to find.

Advertising budgets are always the first to be cut during an economic downturn, and if you listen to the magazine and newspaper sectors, this time is no different. However, there is one big exception. Unlike the recessions of the 70’s, 80’s & early 90’s, there is now a thriving internet segment. Businesses have always concentrated on traditional forms of advertising (TV, radio, print, direct mail). That may be easy when the economy is booming, but when it’s not, there is a greater need to spend wisely. A new advertising arena was born with the Internet and has really evolved over the past ten years. Many companies haven’t taken advantage of online advertising, but for those who are looking for a more targeted and measurable method to advertise, this is it. When compared to other traditional advertising channels, it’s becoming the preferred route in a gridlocked market.

There are many forms of online advertising: banner ads, rich media ads, contextual ads on search engine results pages, video, online classified ads, email marketing, social network advertising and more. Unlike traditional media, where you are bound by publication dates, air times, and regional boundaries, you get an immediate broadcast of content and information that is not limited by time or geography. And, you can begin tracking results instantaneously. If you see an area with low response, you can change it in real time, without having to wait for the next print date. You have control over your budget and your results. Spending at its wisest.

All predictions today show that online advertising will continue to grow as we fall further into recession. The World Advertising Research Centre (WARC) has just released a report that suggests that online advertising will grow by 17% in 2009 and a further 12% in 2010. Here’s why: Online advertising can be tracked, measured, adjusted and tightly targeted. During times when every dollar counts, this is just what the doctor ordered.

The graph below represents spending in online advertising and how quickly it’s predicted to grow in the future.

Kelsey manages online advertising for several clients, and each campaign has created a significant increase in online conversions and sales.

Also consider these ways to thrive during a recession:

• Focus on your existing customer base instead of spending more to attract new customers.
• Concentrate on advertising that provides a clear return on investment, such as Internet and specific promotion-based advertising.
• Be ready to cut projects that have a harder time proving ROI, like tradeshows and print ads.
• Use this time to build your brand. Flaunt your company’s stability during rough times, and come out ahead of those who chose to lay dormant.

Staying in the game can be challenging when everyone around you is cutting back. Yet those who continue to show strength by making smarter advertising decisions and keeping their brand in front of consumers will bounce back much faster when the market turns. Here’s to wishing everyone success in 2009.

Collaboration with Google Apps

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:28 GMT

Gmail has made a name for itself as a great email system largely because of it's accurate spam filtering, and since it's launch in 2004 has become the 3rd largest free email provider. Google recently released Google Apps for Business, a suite of software-as-a-service business tools including email (Gmail), calendar, documents and intranet websites customized to your domain.

Kelsey recently switched our email to Google Apps primarily because of Spam and email deliverability issues. What we gained was much more than outsourced email.

Collaboration and Increased Productivity
We used to keep important documents on our file server, but they weren't available outside the office. By moving those documents to Google Docs, we can access them from anywhere. It allows us to have spreadsheets, documents and presentations (even uploaded Microsoft Office files) ready at a moment's notice. Google Docs offers real-time collaboration, meaning several people can edit a document simultaneously and previous versions are archived.

We also moved to Google Calendar for shared calendars. With 10 people, it was difficult to plan meetings around all employees' schedules. With the new shared calendars, we can see everyone's agenda and plan accordingly.

Groups (committees, departments) can be created which allow you to email multiple people at once, invite multiple people to a meeting, or even share a document with an entire department without typing everyone's name.

Spam & Virus Prevention
Google's spam filter is one of the best in the industry. Where we used to fight with dozens (sometimes hundreds) of spam emails a day, we now get 1 or 2 (if any). Because Gmail is the 3rd largest email provider, they have access to millions of users' spam complaints and they use that knowledge to correctly identify and filter spam messages. The system also automatically scans attachments for viruses.

Cost Savings
Google Apps has two versions: Standard and Premium. Standard edition is free for up to 100 users, includes approximately 7 GB of storage for email and is supported with ads. Premium edition is $50 per user per year, includes 25 GB storage and ads can be disabled.

It's worth noting that if you use an email and calendar client to access Google Apps, you will not see the ads. They only appear on the Google Apps websites.

Compared with similar intranet and outsourced email solutions, the savings that come with using Google Apps can be substantial.

Solution	Intranet Software	Hosted Email
Google Apps	Free	Free
GroupOffice	$180 / user annually	n/a
WebEx WebOffice	$144 / user annually	n/a
HyperOffice	$110 / user annually	n/a
Noteworty Hosted Exchange	n/a	$150 / user annually
Intermedia Hosted Exchange	n/a	$150 / user annually

With other hosted services, you need two services: outsourced email and intranet software. Both are included with Google Apps, and are integrated together seamlessly.

Permissions
Sharing isn't always allowed. Certain documents may contain trade secrets or simply be for viewing only. With Google Apps, you can control users' sharing in two ways:

Global preferences - you can determine whether users can share documents with anyone, inside the company only, or not at all.

Per document - when sharing a document with people, you can choose whether than can only view or whether they can also edit.

Go Mobile
You can configure Gmail to work with most smartphones, and Gmail is also accessible as a web service from any web-enabled cell phone. Google Calendar and Gmail can also sync with the Blackberry and iPhone.

Get Google Apps
Visit http://www.google.com/a or watch the introduction video to get more information about Google Apps or compare the premier and standard editions here.

Kelsey has implemented Google Apps for our own company and for clients. Give us a call if you need help setting up and configuring Google Apps for Businesses.

Finders, Keepers… or Not

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:02 GMT

Have you ever heard the saying, “A buyer is not your customer until they buy again.”? There is much truth in this statement.

The number one goal of most every organization is to increase revenue. Likewise, most companies allocate large amounts of time and money toward acquiring new customers who will enable them to achieve this goal. However, the number of companies who allot an equal or greater amount of time toward retaining current customers is much less, but arguably just as important. So, why is a buyer not a customer until the second time they buy your product/service? The first time, they are simply “trying” your product. If they are not pleased with the product or any other aspect of their experience with your company, they are unlikely to do business with you again. But when a buyer purchases your product/service for the second time, they become your customer. This second purchase could have happened for one OR several reasons: your product performed well or met their expectations, your customer service was good, your sales staff was friendly, and so on. The key is to give your customers as many reasons as possible to stay loyal to your brand.

The race isn’t over yet. Now that you have your customer, you must keep them. The next step is earning their loyalty. Understand and anticipate what their needs are going to be and develop your products to fulfill those needs. You must also know why they are doing business with you. Is it because you are the most convenient? The cheapest? The newest trend? Or because they truly love your product and trust your brand to meet their needs? Hopefully it’s the latter. Yes, the other reasons will bring you business, but they will not create lasting, loyal customers. The best way to build this trust is to consistently deliver a quality product/service that satisfies their need. Every business has competitors, but not every business produces quality products. Defining your brand based on quality will always set you apart and be recognized and appreciated by customers.

Quality = Satisfied Customers = Continued Business = Customer Loyalty

Another great thing about earning loyal customers is that a large portion of new business will come from referrals made by this group of customers. Seems like a win-win situation to me.

Just as product quality is important, it is equally important that quality is portrayed throughout all contact points your company has with consumers. Especially in your marketing efforts. Aside from past experience and word-of-mouth, the only information consumers will know about your brand is through the advertising and messaging you create. You want this message to represent the same quality they expect from your company; anything less will be detrimental.

Finally, reward your customers for being loyal. Yes, you are already anticipating your customers’ needs and providing quality products/services to fulfill those needs, but it never hurts to give them another reason to remain loyal to your brand. Before you can reward them, you must first identify the buying characteristics of your best customers. What do they most like about your product? Do they buy often or infrequently? What do they buy most often? Once you know these answers, you can customize the reward. For example, if you are a car dealer, your buyer is much more infrequent than a grocery store, and your reward would be tailored differently. When thinking about your reward, you don’t have to start big. Promotional coupons and discount offers are nice, but so are the small things, such as a personalized ‘thank you’ note or a birthday e-card.

Now, take a moment to look at your customer/client list. Eliminate anyone who was only a one-time buyer. Are your customers loyal?

Big Mistakes in Advertising

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:43 GMT

I read more than my share of billboards. I also flip through magazines skipping the articles and turning straight to the advertisements. Many times I browse websites just to click on the web banners. The search for great advertising is never-ending and is what I enjoy.

When I see terrific advertising, I feel inspired and I think to myself, “Here is a company who is implementing a plan to sell great ideas and products.”

On the flip side, I see an assortment of bad advertising. It’s not that the ads look unprofessional or don’t have good layouts – it’s just that they lack some of the elements that make advertising successful. Let’s call it what it is… I see mistakes in advertising.

The first mistake I see time and time again is called ‘lack of focus.’ I find that many advertisements fail to communicate any specific message to their customers. Consumers yearn for information – don’t disappoint them with generic promises and a list of services.

One company ran an extensive ad campaign and neglected to pinpoint any concept their customers could comprehend. The ads were nicely designed with great photography and layout, but neglected to give any lasting impression of the company or their products. Don’t pass off such poor advertising as a ‘brand campaign.’ Too many poorly executed campaigns will put your company’s brand on life support.

The opposite mistake is trying to sell everything under the sun to your customers. One large retail company offers to sell you anything from here or there, near or far, large or small. Consumers know what they want and they’re actively pursuing these wants and desires everyday. Reach your customer in a targeted, specific manner and they will reward you – with business.

And by reading this article, you are avoiding another mistake of advertising – not doing your homework. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into terrific advertising, but often overlooked is the research and investigation that predicates any creative work. Facts and data will usually win over blind assumptions, half-truths, and opinions. Find the facts and your customers will be nearby.

Terrific advertising takes time, resources, and commitment. Terrific advertising makes you proud of who you are and what you’re selling. What’s really special is when you see the fruits of your labor – when customers respond to ideas and products featured in your ads.

Commit yourself to terrific advertising. Your customers will respond.

Andy Fritchley is an advertising account executive with Kelsey Advertising & Design.

How Do You Measure Success?

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:39 GMT

In this day and age, virtually every business has a website. It’s a great low-cost marketing tool, but with any marketing, you want to be able to measure its success. With an e-commerce website it’s simple... sales. But it’s not so easy with others.

How do you measure the success of your website?
First, determine what success is. You should have built your website with some goals in mind. An e-commerce website is obviously looking for online orders, but there are many other reasons to have a website, such as: increasing brand awareness, increasing marketing and public awareness, disseminating information about your products or services, disseminating information to your employees or vendors, providing support to customers, generating requests for information, driving retail or business traffic, supporting other marketing efforts and Hiring/Recruiting.

As you can see, there are many different uses for a company website, and determining your primary goal (or goals) is important in being able to measure “success”. Your website can have more than one goal, but be careful of having too many. In the majority of instances, a “does everything” website does nothing well.

Quantify Success
You can’t simply say “We want resumes” or “We want to drive retail traffic.” You have to quantify your goals. “We want to receive 10 resumes per week” or “We want to increase retail traffic 15%.” Quantifying your goals will make you think about what you define as “success” and will often require more planning and thought than simply saying “We want to increase X.”

You also want to make sure your goals are both attainable and realistic for your marketing strategy. If your goal is to double your walk-in traffic with your website, what is the marketing plan for getting visitors to your website?

Get Analytical
The first step to measuring anything is having a tool with which to measure. It’s hard to know the width of a board without a tape measure. Websites have statistics, and though there are many different programs and websites, they all give you the same information.

Visitors
Unique visitors are the number of different people that came to your website. This shows you, over time, the growth (or decline) of your website’s traffic. More sophisticated analytic software programs can show you where geographically these visitors are coming from, what type of computers they are using, and more.

Page Views
Page views show you how many pages on your website the visitors viewed. Some software can even show you the exact progression of visitors through your site. For example: Home Page > Product Page > Shopping Cart > EXIT. This is useful because it can show you where people are leaving your website.

Goals
Goals are the most important metric you can track with analytic software. Defined by you, they can be any action a user completes, such as filling out a form, visiting a specific page, or ordering a product.

With both number of visitors and goals, we can track the “success” of your website by measuring your conversion rate, or the percentage of visitors that completed a goal. For example, if you had 1000 visitors to your website in a month, and 20 of them filled out your contact form, your conversion rate for that form was 2% (20/1000 = 0.02).

What next?
Now that you can measure the success of a website, how do you make sure your website is successful? Just looking at your numbers every week or month doesn’t do anything to help them improve. There are processes and tools available to test changes to your website and show you, in a scientific way, their success or failure. Some of these are A/B Split Tests and Multivariate Tests. If you’d like more information about these kinds of test or website analytics in general, please call us today at 706-298-2738.

How Mobile Is Your Website?

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:13 GMT

Your customers are on the go.
You're out with friends, and it's almost time for dinner. None of you can decide "what sounds good", until your someone mentions that new place somewhere downtown. What's on the menu? How much is it? WHERE is it? Your friend pulls out his trusty mobile phone and "Googles" it. Voila! She reads off the menu and even makes a reservation!

Can your customers find you this easily? If you don't have a mobile optimized website, chances are, "no". Even if they did, most websites are not optimized for mobile devices. Having a mobile optimized website can give you a distinct advantage in the marketplace by providing valuable information to users on the go, at the moment they want it. Most sales are impulse buys, so being there when the urge hits the consumer could translate into big money for your business.

It's worth the effort.
iPhones. Blackberries. Razr's. iPods. PlayStation Portable. Smart phones and mobile devices are everywhere. An estimated 95% of Americans have some kind of mobile phone and has become one of the most personal items a person owns. Everyday we go to work, grabbing for our keys, wallet, and mobile phone. A mobile phone is instantly accessible anywhere. In the car, waiting at the doctor's office, on the train. By making your website "mobile", you could potentially reach 2.7 billion mobile phones worldwide. David Ogilvy once said, “If you’re trying to persuade people to do something or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.” Last year, 1.3 billion of those phones accessed the Internet. Even if mobile traffic only counted for 10% of your Internet traffic, just "speaking the mobile language" gives you an advantage with 10% more customers and the business they could potentially bring you.

What can you do?
Everyday, you think about what your customer needs, and you give it to them. That's what keeps you in business. Do the same with mobile content. Consider what your mobile website could be. Imagine how your customers use your services when they are not at their computer. The obvious answers immediately come to mind. Maps, directions and phone numbers. But what about your pricing or rates? Could your customers log in and check their orders? Maybe they are having a bad experience and want to tell you about it right then and there on your mobile contact form. How about coupons or specials? Imagine how many more widgets you could sell with a mobile coupon. It saves you money, it's environmentally friendly, and it creates a "buzz" because your competitors probably aren't doing it. Most new phones are GPS ready, just having a mobile site could help customers find you and allow you to sell your service to customers on vacation or just passing through.

Make it sticky.
No matter what you do on your mobile site, give your customers something useful, and they will come back. Mobile visitors can bookmark websites on their phones just like they can on their PCs. It only makes sense that if you have a mobile site that is useful, your customers will come back to you when they need your service again.

Next, give your users something to talk about and more will follow. Mobile websites are relatively new, and people like to talk about the latest and greatest thing. If they hear someone talking about your service or mobile site, chances are they will pull the phone out of their pocket and check the site. Try it. It's an interesting phenomenon I've noticed.

Also, don't forget to tell your existing customers about your mobile website! If they don't know about it, they can't check it out or tell their friends about it. Put a story about it in your company newsletter, send an email out to your customer list, put it in the Sunday paper, or just tell them about it in a place where they are likely to need your service. Do something your competitors aren't doing, then and then let your customers know about it! Tooting your own horn just a little will jump start your mobile site and the hits will start coming in.

If you're not mobile, you're missing out.
Be ahead of the curve. More and more devices are able to connect to the Internet. Game systems, iPods, even refrigerators. Be ready, engage a new segment of potential customers. Maybe ones you haven't considered in the past. Your customers are on the go more and more everyday. Keep pace with them and retain your competitive advantage.