If you’ve been managing – or, rather, trying to manage – your company’s Social Media and Content Marketing efforts, you know how time consuming it can be. Chances are you’ve also noticed how frustrating it can be. People. I assure you. It doesn't need to be this way. Let me show you the ways, my friends. Read more... 1 Comment Every summer, without fail, my clients take somewhat of a marketing and advertising hiatus. Honestly, I don't blame then. They have backyard barbecues to attend, beach balls to toss around, and picnic baskets to fill up. Taking full advantage of the beaches, barbecues, camping, ice cream and afternoon cocktails is key to enjoying the summertime! But the equal and opposite reaction to the summertime marketing slow down, however, is that your brand will lose mindshare amongst its target audience. Then, when Fall rolls around, you'll find yourself investing a significant amount of money on new, larger-scale marketing and advertising initiatives...just to get back to where you were! There is a simple solution to all of this: keep your company at the top of your target audience's mind during the summertime slowdown. There are many ways to do this. Email, direct mail, online banner ads, print ads, and – my personal favorite – sending summery promotional gifts. Promotional products for summer include custom iced beverage tumblers, branded water bottles, promotional beach coolers and weekender bags, customized beverage coozies...all sorts of summertime promotional items that will keep you at the top of your clients' and prospects' minds. There are many reliable brands, like Leed's, Bullet Line, Prime and Hit Promotional on the market. The key is to look for distributors that sell to the public and to businesses. PromoManagers provides business promotional items almost all of which are offered with free shipping and setups, including the popular Elleven series of products, High Sierra and Wenger. The added benefit to giving promotional gifts over the slower summer months is that, as your clients and sales leads walk around with your promotional gifts, they increase exposure of your company and help generate brand awareness! Prepare your business for the Fall marketing and advertising rush by sending summer promotional items now. Trust me, you'll be glad you did! You're running pay-per-click ads. Someone clicks onto your site through a paid ad. They leave your site without converting. And then, as they continue to browse the Internet, they see strategically placed banner ads for your site – more specifically, for the product or service they were looking at on your site. And that is remarketing. Read more... I generally have a pretty strong opinion either for or against a controversial ad campaign. But I'm actually on the fence about this one. On the one hand, I feel like they've gone sooo over-the-top with the "It's Not For Women" concept that it's gone past offensive and come back around to just being funny. How can a woman take offense at a commercial that makes men out to be so, I don't know, dumb? I kind of thought, 'Thank GOD this isn't for women!' But I also thought, 'Hmmm. Not for women? Just TRY and get me to not drink it.' So, on that level, it may just be brilliant use of reverse psychology. Then again, on the third hand, this campaign could alienate both men and women. Read more... Good advertising works. But companies must have patience. A call-to-action is important, but consumers tend to respond negatively to persuasion. It can take months or even years for your advertising to take effect – but it will take effect and you will generate a financial return. That is, if you’re ads are good. Read more... I believe that, as a human, we inherently know what to fear. Death. Injury. Spiders… So why do advertisers (and, of course, the media…) try to create new fears that, when you think about them, are really nothing to be afraid of? Read more... ChapStick’s latest ad shows a woman looking for a lost ChapStick behind her couch. All we can see of this woman is the bottom of her feet and he butt up in the air. I think it’s a great ad. Definitely catches your attention. And I have to give ChapStick props for capturing the reality of the perpetually lost ChapStick. But not everyone shared my sentiment. Read more... Halloween is a branding gold mine for companies with a memorable mascot. From Disney characters to cereal mascots and everything in between, these big brand costumes make up a large portion of the nearly $5 billion spent on Halloween each year in the United States. The problem, though, for these big brands, is that they have no control over how the costumes are worn (read: how their brand is portrayed). So, what are some companies doing to standardize the October 31st portrayal of their brands? Read more... A long time ago, in a faraway land (okay, in Brookline…) I interned for a boutique marketing and design agency (okay, I still work there…but now I get paid). During my internship, we were vying for an account with an internationally renowned brewery. They were the ‘Budweiser’ of the West. And they were moving East. And we would have won that account. Except that there was a little corporate embezzlement issue that stopped the marketing program in its tracks. But, to me, that wasn't the most surprising ethical faux pas. Read more... | 
AuthorHello, my name is Robin and I have a unique perspective on marketing and design. Read about it here. ArchivesJune 2012 CategoriesAll |
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