According a National Retail Federation study conducted by BIGinsight, 73% of viewers of the Super Bowl see commercials as entertainment. This sets a high standard for advertisers for not only capturing the attention of viewers distracted at parties, or looking down from the television to check Facebook on their phone. It also requires that they keep consumers entertained.
Here's the double-edged question that every client is bound to ask their marketing agency: When should we be advertising? As someone who owns an agency, the answer I immediately want to shout out is "ALL THE TIME!" Unfortunately, that's not exactly the right way to respond to ensure that the client's needs are being met. With a question like this, the client is looking to you (their agency) to play the part of "the expert" and provide an answer that will help them shape their marketing strategy for the foreseeable future.
How well does your logo represent your brand? Could strangers to your brand know what you do, simply by viewing your logo? As designer Adam Ladd's five-year-old daughter proves, some are iconic, others are interchangeable, and some are almost baffling. If you haven't seen this video, Ladd recorded his young daughter's reaction to a diverse series of 29 established brand logos.
This year’s Super Bowl battle has already started. Before the teams even hit the gridiron, advertisers have jumped onto the field with the hopes of taking an early lead and running up the score. Well before Manning or Brady completes their first pass, marketers are avoiding the coin toss and going head-to-head to compete, not for the Lombardi Trophy, but for the ultimate Super Bowl prize…you! The Super Bowl is a huge event for sports and marketers alike.
In recent years, many brands have "gone green" to improve their environmental impact. Organic, recyclable, locally-sourced — "green" takes many forms. Lately, green is turning brown. The prevalence of the green movement has resulted in a variety of "certified" green labels popping up.
On January 7, Jay-Z and Beyonce gave birth to their first daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. On January 11, a trademark application was filed for "Blue Ivy Carter NYC." However, the application was filed by a fashion designer unrelated to the Carter family. Who deserves the rights to a baby's name? We've read about personal brands being "hijacked" after death, but at birth?
Whether you are in the shower, on your way to work, or sitting at your desk, advertising is subtly working. You may not realize it, but that annoying song you’ve had stuck in your head for the last three days may have come from a jingle. Jingles, musical images, or audio brands are notorious for being catchy, yet slightly annoying. Great jingles last for decades, while others are heard on local radio stations until the small business’s ad budget runs out. Some in the ad biz may claim that jingles are a thing of the past.
Who says 2012 is the year of the dragon? According to Stonyfield, this is the year to get to know your food. Stonyfield has launched a year-long campaign called “Know Your Food” that helps consumers know what’s in their refrigerators, and ultimately what’s in their stomachs. The campaign will provide information, tools, and resources to help people make smarter food choices, primarily through a new website, www.IWillKnowMyFood.com.
We recently saw how luxury marketers are succeeding — and struggling — in digital, and some of the keys to maintaining a prestigious brand image. One of the tactics is, understandably, content marketing. Now, Jason Brick of the Content Strategist has some suggestions for enhancing and leveraging an effective luxury content marketing strategy.
Did you see Larry a.k.a. “The Target”? His photograph was taken with his mobster sidekicks, Johnny “The Face” and Freddy “The Fish." The photos were part of a branding campaign I worked on (yes, it was a while ago, so don’t rub it in) for the DayGlo Color Corporation. The issue was that their brand was being hijacked.
