Indicators at Element Three are that pent up demand for brand identity development, brand positioning strategy, strategic marketing planning, design and advertising creative services are on the upswing. We're hopeful that this is a sign that business is finally picking up and markets are recovering from this long, hard time in our economy.
Businesses that continue to invest in their brand and marketing outreach in tough times are the ones that historically recover more quickly and build their businesses long term.
We'd like to hear from you. Have you been experiencing upward trends in your business?
Retail music consultants match just the right kind of music for a store's retail concept so that, for instance, when you're visiting a fast food restaurant, the music urges you to eat quickly instead of hanging around. When you visit a store that features slightly quirky, somewhat retro fashion, the music might be a similar mixture. Perhaps because retail business measures its success by the hourly intake at the cash register, anything that might help encourage purchase through any of the senses is fair game.
Whether your brand is a retail one or not, you may want to consider sound as part of your brand positioning strategy. Is your brand loud or soft? Will your brand communication include music, sound design, or atmosphere perceived aurally? Anyone who has gone to a movie theater and experienced the power of music and sound as part of the movie experience knows how much the mood is heightened with the addition of either silence, a whisper or a loud bang. Just the right music can either counter or underscore a mood or message.
As part of managing your brand, use all the senses. They can not only bring life to your brand communication, they can create a higher level of engagement for your customer.
The web site, Urban Dictionary, defines "hype" as "a fad, a clever marketing strategy which a product is advertized as the thing everyone must have, to the point where people begin to feel they need to consume it." A "hype man" is "the person who helps gets the crowd hyped/amped/pumped before/during a show." And a "hype machine" is "a video game or movie that may or may not be good, but generates a very large amount of hype before it's release." As you look at your brand positioning strategy, be careful not to fall in love with your own 'story' too quickly. Often, at Element Three, we advise our clients to do thoughtful competitive research before we establish their brand's visual and messaging elements. This insure that we're not creating unworthy hype that the brand's product or service cannot match. Hype is its own enemy. It can create long term credibility issues for your brand...so that future brand communication falls into question. Let us develop a Message Matrix that keeps your team on message for each of your audience constituencies so that your brand has a long and healthy life.
I was doing some research for a client presentation tomorrow and ran across these two charts that demonstrates how dynamic the social media landscape really is.
In 2008 MySpace led the pack with receiving 41% of the visits in the United States to social networking sites. Facebook and YouTube were far behind with 8% and 7% respectively. Today, in 2010, the graph for social media traffic looks much, much different. Facebook is leading by commanding nearly 50% of the traffic with MySpace losing market share and YouTube continuing to maintain and grow their presence in the social networking space.
If you are looking for ways to enter into the social marketing realm, create a fan page on Facebook. While there are countless other tools you could engage with - Facebook has emerged as the clear leader.
Another meaningful graph - Facebook surpassed Google for Weekly Market Share of Visits in March of this year. No small accomplishment.
Before you enter into the social marketing arena, be certain you are clear about your brand message and how you intend to communicate your Unique Selling Points as benefits to your core audience(s). A strong brand positioning strategy and message matrix is an meaningful exercise for companies moving into the social space.
At Element Three we help clients in Indianapolis and throughout the Midwest manage their brands both online and offline. An integrated plan will reap the strongest return on marketing investment.
I read an interesting article in Adweek today. Titled, The Search for Creative Leadership, it documented the challenge of searching for top creative talent with deep skill sets in both traditional and digital mediums. While the premise of the article caught my attention, it was the quote within that got me thinking. (Note: in a direction different than the article's intent.)
The article quoted Mike Hughes, President and co-CCO for Interpublic Groups, The Martin Agency as saying, "Clients aren't going to trust us if they think you're just one of those creatives who [just wants to win awards.] Creative people won't trust us if they think we're just taking orders from the clients. What we have to do is be transparent. That's not a natural trait for the best creative people."
At our Indianapolis marketing firm, strategic creative is part of the mix of services we offer along with brand development and marketing strategy. It has been our philosophy for some time to shy away from awards programs. Instead, we prefer to ask our clients the question, "What does success look like?" to define the measurable outcomes of an engagement. We believe if the focus is on results, the "award" is a satisfied client and a positive business outcome. We'll take that over a trophy on a shelf any day.
I teach young designers at my local art school. As many of you know, I also practice as a designer here at Element Three. Today in class, I had a brief chat with one of my students. She said that the fact that I am a practicing designer who teaches is invaluable to her and that the verbal cues I give help to clarify her process and her ideas. Of course, I was glad to hear all of this. And whether or not you believe she was just being nice because I'm the professor or she really feels that way, I do agree that practicing what you teach is an important thing to do. Because I work with clients ongoing, I am able to relate the principles I teach to real life stories and projects. Students always seem to be very interested in learning more as soon as I show up in the classroom with project sketches to share because it makes what they are learning real.
On the other hand, I also believe that the fact that I teach makes me a better designer. Teaching has taught me that not everyone knows what I know or shares my view of the visual world. So when I'm talking with a client about brand communications or revieiwng a brand positioning strategy, for instance, I might more readily step back, take a breath and ask myself, "What do I need to know about this person's viewpoint before I share with them what I have to show?" This tiny moment may not seem like much. But it can mean the world. Part of selling my best work is actually teaching. Not as a way to condescend to a client, but to share new information. Helping others to become more aware of new levels of visual and conceptual literacy is, I believe, part of a professional designer's role.
Most importantly, I have learned through my dual roles as a teacher and a designer that it is key to my success in both that I am a lifelong learner. Often, I find that what I am teaching helps me be a better practitioner. Some of the information I already know and some of it is brand new. But my curiosity gets the better of me and each year I teach, I want to share something new and different. This helps me stay fresh and allows me to bring new ideas to my design work, too.
The Indianapolis based company, SGI, is looking to hire an additional Account Coordinator. Our Indianapolis Marketing firm, Element Three, has done work for SGI (we redesigned their logo and helped articulate their brand position). SGI is a stable company with strong leadership.
For more information on the position, click here. Interested parties should forward their resume to Jack Burns, jburns@mysgi.com. This is an entry level position for someone a couple of years out of college. Experience is not necessary.
This week, President Obama gave his State of the Union message to a joint session of Congress. No matter what your political leanings, it was easy to see that one side of the chamber reacted to his message with raucous clapping and cheers. The other, silence. [Unlike his last visit to Congress, when one member on the silent side chose to shout, "You lie!" in response.] This year, during one especially pointed comment toward the Supreme Court, one of the justices could be seen to mouth, "That's not true." Not the most effective exchange.
Just a few days later, the president took part in a gathering of Republican House members Friday in Baltimore that brought some conciliatory words from both sides, but also some pointed complaints and accusations. See more about this by clicking here.
According to Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, this was the most meaningful exchange yet between the two parties and it was what could be the first real step in having Democrats and Republicans working together for the good of the nation.
What's the point in all of this? Communication is so much more meaningful when it's two way. Let's translate this discussion to your brand communications. Are you allowing your brand's constitutents to respond to your products and services? Social media allows dialogs to develop that can inform your product or service development, even your brand itself. Knowing where and when to have this two way conversation is key. As part of our and marketing and brand positioning strategy, we can recommend the most fruitful places for your brand's two way conversations to take place. So you get as much out of them as your customers.
I watched Governor Mitch Daniels State of the State Address this week. I was interested in hearing how he would chose to address the highs and the lows of Indiana's performance over the past year. While acknowledging the challenges faced by our state and the residents who live here, he also took some time to put those challenges into perspective. Indiana has successes that are worth noting and celebrating.
It got me thinking about Indiana and even Hoosiers as a brand. States definitely need to clearly articulate their unique selling points when pitching themselves as a place to do business to the outside world. I imagine the average Hoosier, if asked, would describe Hoosiers as hard-working, value-centered, and relatively conservative. While that may or may not be an accurate description, those are not the unique selling points that differentiate our great state. At least not in terms that matter when pitching Indiana to newcomers.
From an economic development standpoint, what I heard about Indiana is:
Affordable housing
We can back that up with statistics that prove the cost of living here is an attractive differentiator.
Fiscally sound
We are one of very few states that can claim a working cash reserve. It has allowed us to navigate the current recession without making cuts to the most basic of necessities. That is not to say we haven't had to make sacrifices, but the severity of those sacrifices have been mitigated by the financial position of our state. Our bond rating remains strong, and outside companies know that they can set up business in a state that can support infrastructure development.
Progressive posture on taxes
The reforms made to the statewide property tax system were accomplished through a bipartisan effort at a time when many states were forced to raise taxes. Residents of the state demanded change and the political system worked to support it. From an outsider's perspective, this is evidence of a state willing to tackle tough reform.
The purpose of this post is not to put forth personal political opinions. Instead it is an opportunity to review the message through the brand positioning lens. As brand communicators, the Element Three team understands the importance of defining those points of differentiation that separate you/your company from your competition. As speeches go, Governor Daniels clearly defined Indiana's differentiating points. He was "on message." It's something his team can back up with proof points. On a personal level, it made me proud to identify with being a "Hoosier."
If you, like I, tend to get overwhelmed at this time of year, you know how much there is to get done. As a brand communicator, you may feel the same at work. There are the obvious seasonal greetings to get out, all in keeping with the brand positioning strategy yet bringing a bit of cheer to those who have been good to you all year long. Then there are the corporate gifts and the celebrations, as well. This can all become quite an expense – and a time sucker.
Here's another idea: instead of saving up the cheer for the holiday season, find ways to bring cheer to your brand's fans all year long, a little bit at a time. If you spend, say $5,000 at the holiday season (a small amount for most brands), you might create a number of meaningful events during the year in which you bring experts in to speak on a relevant topic Or you might spend the money creating content on your Web site and inviting special guests in with a password. Because content, to many, is more important than a box of flavored popcorn or a slightly drunken party. And in the long run, it brings more value to your brand.
I encourage you to read the article in its entirety, but a couple of macro themes stuck out to me.
1) Consumer confidence remains low. Until people are certain their jobs are not going to go away and they become certain they are not going to need to support additional family members or friends - people are going to do without and pull back on discretionary spending.
2) The available housing inventory is decreasing as a result of the 'first time home buyer' tax credit and crazy low interest rates - but whether or not we can continue to outpace the number of foreclosures and defaults coming into the market has yet to be seen.
3) Ad spending is down for what could be the third consecutive decline, unprecedented since the Depression. People are certainly consuming less, but they are also becoming more focused in their spending. At our marketing firm in Indianapolis, Element Three, we have encouraged our clients to spend less building general awareness (these would be ad dollars) and shift that spend towards client retention, penetration and creating brand awareness in target markets. This is a time when companies should become more focused in the products they offer and the customers they service.
What are steps your company is taking to become more focused in their marketing efforts in this economic period?
Are you a confident, self-starter who enjoys working in a team environment? Are you motivated by new challenges and looking to join a growing company? Element Three is looking for an experienced Creative Lead to work with an existing and growing client portfolio.
Element Three is an Indianapolis-based marketing communications firm that specializes in brand development, marketing strategy, and creative execution to measurably advance our clients' business objectives. To learn more about our firm and our work, visit www.discoverelementthree.com.
The position of Creative Lead is an established role with responsibility for managing the creative direction and execution for Element Three's clients. We are targeting an individual who has the desire to take on a leadership role, has leadership capabilities, but may not have formal leadership experience in an agency setting. The candidate should have experience in traditional and on line marketing design with an appetite for growth and learning. Experience with brand development marketing is a plus.
Often, clients come to us asking for a specific piece of brand communication. They may say, "We need a web site," or "We need a brochure," for instance. Often the need to get brand communication out into the marketplace is indeed urgent. And we want to serve our clients' needs. So we will most likely take what I call the dual track.
Track One: Take care of the urgent brand communication need. If the market is moving fast, often marketers must move with the market. So we get out the needed messages.
Track Two (happening concurrently with Track One): With the client's permission, do due diligence to strategic marketing and brand understanding. If the organization hasn't yet done it, we begin with our Brand Chemistry deep dive process to completely identify the brand's unique assets and promises. We also get a clear understanding of the key audiences with whom the brand interacts. If these steps are completed already or once they are done, we find out through a variety of research processes, what the position of the brand is in its marketplace and what forces are at work that may affect the brand. From this data, we develop a complete strategic marketing plan. The marketing plan outlines goals, objectives and strategies to assure that all of our brand communications efforts are directed in the right place. The plan also includes a prioritized list of tactical recommendations (should we be creating a Web site at all or should we start with events, for instance).
Dual tracking. It works. And it puts your brand on the right track for the long run as well as the short run.
Sometimes the best conversations take place off the cuff. At the conclusion of a recent Business Marketing Association board meeting, we were talking about the overwhelming focus on social media tactics like Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs to enhance marketing communications. Within our group, we started to share stories about how the tactics and tools sometimes get prioritized ahead of the strategy.
And here is what our group concluded. Marketing strategy is still the foundational element that needs to be in place before moving into the tools necessary to implement it. For example, if your website is the cornerstone of your communications' efforts, then you need to be sure it's ready for the calls to action generated by starting a blog strategy, for example.
In the eagerness to get involved in the newest technology, we sometimes forget the basics. If the foundation isn't in place, then the tactics won't generate the desired results. At Element Three, we firmly believe in the foundational elements that define our brand and our position in the marketing communication's business: Brand Development. Marketing Strategy. Creative Execution. Our blog strategy is a natural extension of communicating what we do to the market place.
With years of advertising copywriting experience, I've confronted a new reality. Search Engine Optimization writing for the Web. My background always taught me to use conversational language relating to the reader. I learned to stay away from 'business speak', jargon, and overly formal language.
Now, I'm learning the complex reality of writing for bots that search the Web for key words – all so that search engines can find my copy. In fact, right now, I'm writing copy that must include key words so that Web bots can find this blog entry. The problem is, most readable copy isn't sprinkled with business terms usually identified as key words. For this blog, I am supposed to insert key word phrases like marketing launch strategy or brand positioning strategy, for instance. In fact, as I typed in those words, the little Keyword Strength Monitor turned from red to green...to bright green! But I can't imagine casually sliding these phrases into copy you'd actually want to read.
My hope is that the next generation of Web bots has the intelligence to pick out word patterns in a more human way, arriving at concepts as a result of reading the copy as you or I would. I can write SEO copy because I have to do it. That doesn't mean I like inflicting it on anyone who has to read it! Oh, by the way, marketing integration, done by brand consulting groups causes return on marketing investment due to strategic marketing planning. Boy, is the Keyword Strength Monitor green now!
As important as it is to have a clearly defined point of differentiation in the market, it is even more important you have proof for the claims being made. At our Indianapolis marketing firm, Element Three, we use the phrase "claim of distinction' when referring to an organization's brand positioning strategy.
It's not enough to just claim what is distinctly different about your company/product/service - you have to be purposeful about integrating proof of those claims into the operations of your organization.
For example, if safety is a claim of distinction for your organization - you need to make sure you have a safety program to minimize accidents, provide safety gear at every entry point into a plant, train personnel above that recommended by OSHA or standards the exceed the industry.
If you are going to be bold in claiming a distinction - customers and prospects are going to want to ensure you can provide proof of those claims. If you can provide that proof, you will build a strong, authentic brand for your company.
After months and weeks of brand and marketing strategy development work, yesterday was an exciting day at Element Three as we unveiled brand position strategy recommendations to one of our clients. By design, this "event" was a production because we wanted it to be an immersive experience for those participating. Through the use of actors, music, pictures, words, and video, three distinct expressions of the company's brand direction were presented. It came alive for those involved and through multiple sensory experiences the decision makers were able to envision how their company's brand message will play in the market. The effort was well received and by the end of the day, we had a decision on a chosen direction for the marketing communication work that lies ahead.
While those in the industry recognize that what we do for our clients is not really magic, it's a result of hard work and sound methodology. From our clients' perspective there is still some mystery in how we can move through the brand development process, uncover those all important unique selling points, define the brand essence, and turn it into creative message strategy. It's the kind of work that makes our office hum with excitement.
Yesterday was a home run day at Element Three. Just in time for the start of the World Series. Go Phillies!
If you, like me, are trying to minimize your impact on the environment, you can now shop green and frequent local stores, buy organic products and fair trade brands online through green.thefind.com. You can also get online coupons and save your favorite green shopping links.
More and more, sustainability, cause related marketing and socially conscious brands are winning. Consumers and businesses are starting to look for brands that pay attention to their impact on the environment, too. There are even courses in sustainable business available now. If you are considering your brand positioning strategy and wondering how you might consider sustainability, ask us how we can help.
I like this from Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio.
In an interview, Silverman said the company will develop content and marketing across every medium, "from Twitter to television." He said the idea is to break out of the old media paradigm that centered on the 30-second TV spot. "Attention is the toughest commodity to harness," he said."To get people's attention you have to disrupt, you have to make things part of the culture, not just part of the marketing."
Mr. Silverman has one thing correct. If you are to build a lasting brand that consistently grabs the attention of your target audience, it has to be lived out in more places than just marketing. It has to become part of the fiber or culture of your organization and the individuals tasked with creating the brand experience.
If your brand positioning strategy is solely a marketing initiative - when customers and prospects encounter your organization - your brand promise will ring hollow. Brand is a promise you are making your customers. You have to be purposeful about ensuring they experience your brand at three places - 1) pre-sale 2) during the sale and 3) post-sale.
If you work with our Indianapolis based marketing firm, you can be certain we will help you not only integrate your brand message into marketing communications, but also make recommendations on how to bring your brand message to life within the operations of your organization.
Make certain your company is living out its brand promise throughout operations and not just in its marketing message.
I was saddened last evening when the news first broke that GM's Saturn brand will ultimately cease production as the deal to sell to Penske Automotive Group fell through. AdAge article here.
I remember well when the Saturn brand first popped onto the scene with its "Different kind of car. Different kind of car company." brand messaging (developed by Hal Riney Partners, San Francisco). In 1993, my wife and I purchased our first new car together – a blue-black Saturn SL-2. Damn, that was a gorgeous car. The bottom line: the car buying experience lived up to their brand positioning. At the time, it was different – a new way of buying a car as Saturn was the first to offer "here's the price, let's not play the car buying game". I remember they also took our picture (Polaroid, of course...it was 1993!) and placed it onto their bulletin board with all of the other proud new owners.
Our SL-2 lasted 10 or so years (at least five of the valves lasted 9 and half years). Ultimately, I donated it to St. Vincent De Paul and purchased something else. Funny thing is I don't remember that purchase as the car buying experience just wasn't the same.
So, farewell Saturn. And thank you for making our first car buying experience a memorable one.
For just a taste of the Saturn experience, here's a Saturn Homecoming spot from 1994:
Business First is our motto at Element Three, and our Blog is designed to provide marketers and decision makers with fresh ideas and perspectives in the worlds of business, brand, marketing and design.
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