Red Hot Topic #12: Breaking Down Brand Barriers
Posted by Tracy Stottler | Filed under Advertising, Travel Marketing
Every great brand has a personality. And like a real person, a brand builds relationships based on its characteristics and reputation. That is why defining the elements of your brand is essential. A brand is not simply a logo, a symbol or a tagline. A brand is a living entity—a collection of perceptions and beliefs that live in the hearts and minds of your customers. It’s the basis of communicating who you are.
But before you can work on building your brand, you must carefully analyze the possible barriers to its success. Certain market conditions can hinder your effectiveness, so it’s vital to identify and avoid those barriers early on. We urge you to consider the following in your own analysis.
Competition
Understanding what is available in the marketplace and potential consumer desire is essential to brand positioning. It is important to compile a list of your competitors, areas of benefit not currently claimed by them, any possible weak positions and ways in which your product shows superiority over the competition. This will put you at a distinct advantage in developing plans and creative concepts that garner results.
Positioning
To be effective, a company’s position in the marketplace must be unique, desirable, believable, deliverable, integrated and consistent. Work to establish brand positioning based on these criteria in order to develop successful marketing plans.
Location/Targeting
In the world of marketing, it’s about defining and redefining the targets. You need to know who your customers are before you can craft and deliver a message that speaks directly to them. It’s vital to have the resources necessary to mine the most accurate data and identify the high-quality sources that provide the best-qualified leads.
Timing
Is there a demand for your product or service at this time? Are there seasonal or time-sensitive considerations? By identifying exactly when the planning and buying are happening, you’ll be in a better position to build marketing delivery at a time when people have an interest in your brand.
Internal Buy-In
A brand cannot thrive simply by putting your logo everywhere. It’s about attitude, which starts with your senior leaders and staff. Your organization needs to understand your core brand values and live and breathe them every day. You need internal advocates that are your spokespeople, who demonstrate what your business stands for. Without this support from the ground up, a brand rarely succeeds.
Cost
Investing in getting your brand right is critical to laying the groundwork in any future marketing activity. You wouldn’t build a house without a foundation, and you shouldn’t build a marketing plan without solid branding in place. Most effective branding efforts can be costly, so unfortunately, it’s the step that is most often missed or, worse yet, cut from the strategic planning process. Finding the time and resources to get the right branding in place is the most important thing you can do.
Take control of your brand with the proper investigative and analytic approach, and be sure to stay current on market trends by subscribing to industry publications and newsletters. For more information about how you can crush your brand barriers, contact jgurtman@danacommunications.com.
Cover Your Bases
Posted by Michele Clerici | Filed under Advertising
I was once compared to a baseball umpire. As a professional proofreader, it’s my job to make the calls on the rules of language and accuracy. When I do my job right, no one notices. But if I make a bad call, I’m bound to have an angry crowd to face.
The reason why I like this analogy is because it perfectly illustrates why proofreading is vital to any successful brand. You’ll always hear about the obvious tenets of building a strong brand, like research, strategy, design, analysis, etc. But what about the importance of quality control?
We say that a brand is not a logo, a symbol or a tagline. It is a living entity—a collection of perceptions and beliefs that live in the hearts and minds of your customers. We say that a consumer should experience your brand in every facet of your product or service—from the hotel front desk to the company Facebook page. It’s in the way you design, the way you sell, the way you decorate, the way you speak, the energy you show and the tone you take. Whether you realize it or not, all of these elements contribute to how people perceive your brand. And unfortunately, so do your mistakes.
If you want consumers to trust your brand, you must show them your trustworthiness. If you want them to rely on you for their needs, you must show them your reliability. And no matter what your intentions, if you produce flawed creative and informational output, people will see your brand as flawed too.
Quality assurance is paramount to effective marketing. Just like a proofreader’s job, it may go unnoticed by your audience when done right, but you can bet that it will be front-page news when it’s not.
You have a limited opportunity to capture—and keep—the loyalty of consumers. If you want to win their business, you’ve got to play the game right—and that means taking the proper steps to ensure flawlessness in your brand messaging.
It’s batter up, and all eyes are on you. So be sure to step up your game with star quality!
Red Hot Topic #11: Will Twitter Brand Pages Take Off?
Posted by Chris Buckelew | Filed under Advertising, Red Hot Topics, Social Media, Trends
Sure, Twitter attracts Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga fans in hordes (16+ and 17+ million followers respectively), as well as last-minute deal hunters (think JetBlue Cheeps). But can the micro-blogging site compete with other social media platforms in building brand awareness?
In December, Twitter announced a redesign of its website and apps, making the start of 2012 the ideal time to rethink Twitter’s role in your marketing plan. Dana investigated and found four features of Twitter’s redesign worth noting.
- Easier to use: The redesign attempts to move the growing interest in Twitter to actual engagement—especially for social media beginners. A big change is demystifying those Twitter symbols; for example, replacing “@” and “#” with “connect” and “discover.” “Connect” lets you see who is followed, mentioned or re-tweeted, while “discover” offers follow suggestions based on your interests and location.
- More brand-friendly: The addition of business profile pages allows Twitter to compete with other social networks (read: Facebook). These brand pages (now available to a select group of companies like American Express, Dell and JetBlue) will make a bigger impression through more prominent logos, customized headers, embedded media and the ability to keep a specific tweet at the top of the timeline. Currently, customizing your company’s Twitter page is limited to the background, which is usually covered up by the timeline.
- Beyond the 140 characters: Twitter’s Promoted Ad Tweets let you extend your message with embedded video, images and more. Basically, the 140-character tweet becomes your caption.
- Better filters: Twitter now separates @ replies from mentions. The new filtering feature will allow brands (especially large ones with a lot of activity) to monitor messaging.
So what’s the takeaway on the Twitter redesign (in 140 characters or less)? Contact Dana for information and insights about using these new features to keep your brand on top—and follow us at twitter.com/danacomm!
Google PPC – Using Ad Extensions
Posted by Chris Rak | Filed under Interactive, Media, Trends
About a year ago, Google introduced a new AdWords advertising feature called Ad Extensions, which provides space for pay-per-click advertisers to include up to four links to their websites, underneath their sponsored listing.
Ad Extensions makes it uber easy for advertisers to update existing ads on a continual basis, refresh and promote various or seasonal offerings. They can be changed as often as the advertiser would like, making it possible to keep each ad up to date for current sales and marketing efforts.
This feature also expands the sizing of sponsored links. Advertisers need to bid appropriately to ensure that their sitelinks appear in the first or second position on the search engine results (a Top-2 position is required for the ad extensions to appear). However, there is no additional cost to running them. It’s just the cost-per-click, capped by the max bid amount.
There are five main extensions offered by Google:
- Location Extensions: Link your Google Places page to your ad campaign.
- Product Extensions: Link your product pages to your ad campaign, to display product pictures and prices within the Google search results.
- Sitelink Extensions: Direct users to more specific, relevant pages within your website.
- Call Extensions: Add a phone number to your campaign, and mobile users can click directly on it to call you.
- Social Extensions: Link your Google+ page to your ad campaign.
The results are proven as well, since ad extensions provide fantastic click-thru rates. While a standard text ad can expect an average click-thru rate of 1-2%, early results of ad extensions are showing 30% increases in click-thru rates for marketers, year over year. Sellers are noticing a 15-30% increase in brand PPC sales year over year.
At Dana, we are also seeing strong results from the ad extensions. Amongst our active campaigns, call extensions receive a click-thru rate ranging from 2.85 to 18.5%. Sitelink extensions are producing clicks at a rate of 8.5 to 22.7%, and location extensions are garnering a click-thru rate ranging from 5.4% to 18.1%.
Given the proven effectiveness of Ad Extensions, as well as its set-up simplicity and the expansion of on-page space on the search results page, we strongly suggest that every advertiser use some form of Ad Extensions in any ongoing Google paid search campaign.
Logo Lingo
Posted by Lynn Kaniper | Filed under Advertising, Design, Media, Red Hot Topics
The time and space you have to market yourself becomes smaller and smaller with each passing day. Faster technology, shorter attention spans, growing competition—all of these contribute to the cacophony that exists in the marketplace.
That is why your logo plays a very important role in your brand strategy. It’s the single most valuable element to distinguish your brand amid the marketing clutter—and the quickest way to be recognized by your audience.
Have you tapped into the fullest potential of your logo design? Does it possess enduring value? Does it transcend language and cultural barriers? Derive its meaning from the quality of the brand it symbolizes? Represent a compelling brand story?
If not, it might be time to reevaluate. We’ve compiled some valuable tips for ensuring that your logo design is both effective and memorable.
Develop the brand first.
A brand promise and tagline are important to defining your brand. And since your logo is a visual representation of your brand, you’ll want to develop these elements before diving into design. But keep in mind that while a brand promise and tagline are critical to development, they do not have to be anchored to the logo.Use distinctive features.
Your logo generally receives only a quick glance. Which is why it must be easy to see and recognize instantly. If you choose to have a graphic element or icon in your logo, create something unexpected to get noticed. Also, make sure it can be identified at any size.Choose your font carefully.
Especially if your logo does not contain a graphic, a unique font is vital to your logo design. Present the font in an uncommon, unexpected way (hint: the most accessible fonts that come with your computer system are not the ones to use). You can go to http://new.myfonts.com/ for inexpensive, yet unique options.Be considerate of color.
Create a logo that works in black and white first, then version it to color. A one- or two-color design is best. Although a variety of colors may do well on the Web, it could cause major problems and expenses when used in print. Your logo colors should reflect who you are and what your brand stands for. They need to resonate with your audience as well. It’s a good idea to make sample color palettes and organize a focus group to test them.Create graphic standards for consistency.
Once you know how you will utilize your logo, create a standards manual or documentation that can be followed easily by others. Ensure these rules are followed carefully and not altered, as doing so will affect the consistency and success of your branding.
Dana specializes in logo design that creates long-lasting and unique brand recognition. After all, it is only after a logo becomes familiar to its audience that it can function properly. For more information about bringing your logo to life, email lkaniper@danacommunications.com.
Top Tips for a Fruitful Agency Partnership
Posted by Bethany Diddle | Filed under Advertising
Happy Holidays!
The end of the year is upon us, and well, 2011 was…not too shabby. I really wish I could say that every business is booming, jobs are abundant and the sky is the limit for growth. But while there are positive signs, not everyone is there just yet…
Things are different after these past three tumultuous years. We’re smarter, leaner and swimming in shallow water (heck, I might even go as far as to say we’re synchronized swimming in shallow water!). Point being, we all do more with less.
As such, and as an account service professional with almost 15 years of experience in an agency environment, I wanted to share some thoughts on how to get the absolute most out of your agency.
View agency as partner. Be an open book.
Sharing information and keeping your account service team up to date ensures that your agency is offering ideas and recommendations that best align with your strategies—and that you are getting the full value from your marketing advisors.
Draft the blueprint.
Establish a clear picture of what you want to achieve. If the objectives aren’t identifiable, account service will not be able to accurately direct the creative team and will likely waste time and money getting to the right solution. Help your agency help you by giving good direction. Ten minutes of quality time could save hours of shots in the dark.
Give your agency time.
Creativity is a process. When possible, give your agency the time they need to provide you with a well thought out execution that embodies the best thinking and planning. My father (the basketball coach) has always said it best…Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. It’s true on and off the court!
Get to know your creative team.
Being the man behind the curtain was effective in The Wizard of Oz…in the real world, not so much. Share your vision, connect with your team, communicate. Your direct influence on their work will often spark something spectacular!
Lay the cards on the table.
Identify the budget up front. This helps your agency determine how to maximize your dollars and get the most out of each line item. Time is all too often wasted working on ideas and suggestions that simply aren’t feasible.
Sleep on it.
Fortunately, your agency partners have a mind of their own. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t need them. Agencies are a great way to channel creative thinking, so if they bring something to the table that you weren’t expecting, sleep on it. It may seem crazy at first, but it could be transformational.
Putting these thoughts into practice for 2012 will help your agency run at its prime, generating more bang for your marketing buck.
Red Hot Topic #9: Marketing with Social Media
Posted by Shawn Carter | Filed under Media, Red Hot Topics, Social Media, Trends
The use of social media networks for buying and sharing is on the rise. By now, at least to some degree, many brands have caught on and tapped into social media marketing. They know that their presence is necessary, and with a little effort, a promotion could generate some short-term sales. But are they capitalizing on its full profit potential?
These days, it’s not only about who you know—it’s about who knows them. One simple click of the “Like” button or fast-fingered Retweet can launch a chain reaction. An informed customer can lead to another loyal fan for life. And another. And another. Let’s break down basic ways you can produce a well-crafted social media campaign that results in the ultimate goal: skyrocketing revenue with no sign of stopping.
1. Create buzzworthy content.
When they see something good, people rarely want to keep it to themselves. So when your update, email or blog is worth sharing, your audience is more likely to pass it along. Keep messaging consistently on brand as well as easy to find and read. Also, avoid making every communiqué a sales pitch. Enrich your marketing with fun and informative content that kindles enthusiasm for your brand.
2. Integrate, integrate, integrate.
Don’t rely solely on your website or even Facebook. Your customers aren’t all in one place, and neither should you be. Represent your brand on all the major social media apps. For maximum impact, capitalize on the different strengths of each with cohesive campaigns that talk to each other. Cross-promote everywhere, from profiles to blog posts to emails, so your followers can choose how and where they want to jump into the conversation.
3. Encourage your network to work for you.
Word-of-mouth marketing is free and fabulous. Since most people seek advice and recommendations from friends, it follows that referrals from their social circle are likely to breed qualified interest. It goes like this…Post or send content to your existing fan base. Expect many of them to share it with a few—maybe all—of their friends. Watch the social signals fly and conversion rates soar across all social media apps. Better yet, empower your virtual street team. Incentivize your audience to become brand advocates by offering up rewards for sharing content.
4. Listen in and engage.
It’s crucial to patrol your pages in order to preserve your brand reputation. But engaging your audience is also key. An easygoing, friendly approach invites your customers to interact with your brand on a whole new level. Show your appreciation, and respond to questions and criticism as soon as you can. Rather than feeling used as another prospective sale, your customer will feel like more of a friend having an honest-to-goodness conversation.
5. Verify Your ROI.
Methods you can use to measure social media ROI have evolved from the early days, so your success is less of a guessing game. Today, comprehensive analytics can substantiate your return on investment for social media marketing efforts. Remove any mystery by pinpointing the channels with the highest conversion rates and revenue potential. Then use this invaluable data to help plot lucrative future promotions.
Unplugged
Posted by Jeff Gurtman | Filed under Social Media, Technology
I haven’t been sleeping well lately. And I’ve thought about what’s changed in the past few weeks that has negatively affected my slumber. Am I eating dinner too late? Am I not getting enough exercise? Or is it just the typical stress of the upcoming holiday season? Sure, all of these are probably factors, but something else has occurred to me.
I’ve identified the real culprit. My iPad.
Yep, that genius device that has so positively impacted my life has also been keeping me from sleeping. Because here’s the problem: I have been reading, social networking and watching videos from bed.
Sleep experts will say that this is a real no-no, and I have to agree. They say bed should be for sleeping (and a few other activities), but certainly not for Web surfing.
As a digital marketer, I tend to live much of my life on the Web. And sometimes my virtual world can creep in and overtake my real world. Sad, I know. But surely I’m not alone…am I?
It seems my recent sleep funk has reminded me that every so often, we need to take a step back from our e-lifestyles and tap into reality. Put the iPad down long enough to get some rest. Take a break from email, YouTube and Facebook, and get back to the basics of our everyday lives.
So as we begin this holiday season, it’s important to remember that social networking is not a replacement for face-to-face interactions. As marketers, for example, we need to acknowledge that it is equally important to train staff to exhibit your brand as it is to have a full-featured website.
This is the time of year to drop those gadgets and reestablish personal connections with loved ones, colleagues and customers. And how about sending a few handwritten cards this year instead of those of the email variety? I guarantee you’ll stand out from the crowd.
Happy Holidays!
Red Hot Topic #8: Green Goes A Long Way
Posted by Michele Clerici | Filed under Red Hot Topics, Technology, Travel
It’s no secret that there’s been much to-do about the ways in which businesses have left a larger-than-life footprint on the environment, especially in the travel and tourism industry. Consumers have noticed, and according to recent research*, they are making their buying decisions accordingly:
- 90% of Americans state that companies should be mindful not only of their profitability, but also of their impact on the environment and society.
- More than 50% say they would be more likely to select an airline/rental car/hotel that uses more environmentally friendly products and processes.
- 54% assert they would be more likely to patronize hotels or resorts that they knew practice environmental responsibility.
With statistics like these, it would be a mistake to ignore the need for sustainable practices in your business. Check out some of the ways in which thinking green can boost your bottom line.
- Distinguish yourself. Step out from the competition by showing travelers how your environmental concern is a step above the rest. By offering sustainability initiatives not offered by others in your competitive set, you can position your brand as a leader in this area.
- Target ethical consumers. 35 million Americans are Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) consumers.* They tend to gravitate toward activities, products and services that are environmentally and socially conscious. By aligning your offerings with the values of these consumers, you can open up your target reach.
- Consider carbon offsets. The consumption of natural resources and the generation of waste all cause carbon dioxide emissions and, ultimately, global warming. By offering carbon offsets (solutions for maximizing energy efficiency and reducing emissions), you can make your business a greener option for discerning consumers. Visit http://carbonoffsets.org for more information.
- Tap into travel philanthropy. This movement comprises conscientious travelers and travel companies that donate time, money and patronage to protect the natural environments they visit. It also includes voluntourists, or travelers who visit a destination to take part in local volunteer projects. Think about partnering with some of these organizations to open up avenues for untapped market growth.
- Get certified. A great way to market your brand is to advertise your accomplishments—especially with regard to sustainability efforts. Take the steps necessary to secure environmental certifications from respected organizations, so you can boast your credentials to the public.
”*Trends in Sustainable Travel and Tourism,” GreenMoney Journal, Winter 2011/2012
Exquisite Eats + Divine Drinks = Philadelphia
Posted by Michael McNulty | Filed under Culinary, Dining
Any Philadelphia resident knows there is no shortage of great places to eat and drink in the city. It’s home of Iron Chef Jose Garces, whose restaurants are popping up like porcini mushrooms in every neighborhood—giving top restaurateurs like Georges Perrier, Stephen Starr and Marc Vetri a run for their money.
Some of Philly’s best bars and restaurants can be found off the beaten path. Take The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co., a tribute to the speakeasies of the 1920s, for example. Here bartending is an art, not a shot chased by a beer. You can count on the staff going out of their way to concoct the right cocktail for you.
Philly’s variety is virtually endless—whether you want to hit a local bar for a pint of craft beer and some good pub grub or you want to woo a date over a hand-carved steak at Butcher & Singer while taking in the low lights and dark wood of old Hollywood. With so many offerings around every corner, how do you go about choosing where to indulge your taste buds and quench your thirst? Just follow me!
Rittenhouse Square
Parc Restaurant
Village Whiskey
Butcher & Singer
The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co.
Le Bec-Fin
Davio’s
Washington Square
Tellula’s Garden
The Farmer’s Cabinet
Varga Bar
Tria
Chops
El Fuego
Old City
Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant
Serrano
Alma de Cuba
National Mechanics
Zahav
Nick’s Roast Beef
The Mexican Post
University City
Pub’n’Grub
Distrito
Get out there and taste Philadelphia! And let me know your culinary discoveries…
