What do JC Penney and Target have in Common?
I have told anyone who would listen how impressed I have been with the way JC Penney has repositioned itself in the market. After all, I'm a sale shopper and Penney's recent ads have portrayed, among other things, how crazy it is to get up at 4 a.m. to get in line for a sale that doesn't start until 9 a.m. Their television commercial delivers the message, stay in bed and sleep, prices are the same low price at JC Penney every day. The fair and square campaign certainly has my attention.Who doesn't love Target? Before ad agency Peterson Miller Hooks (PMH) took the reigns twenty years ago, probably not many people knew anything about Target, much less loved them. PMH delivered one great campaign after another, but it all started with 1999's Sign of the Times campaign. You started seeing the bulls-eye everywhere, especially on the white dog!Last May, PMH and Target parted ways. Target CMO Michael Francis ended up at JC Penney. What's the first thing Mr. Francis did? Hired P...
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Caitlin McClure Featured in Get Out Magazine
Our very talented graphic designer, Caitlin McClure, was recently featured in Get Out magazine (thanks Mark Jones!)When she joined our team we knew she was a skydiving instructor, we just had no idea how many other talents she was hiding! http://www.getoutchattanooga.com/news/2012/mar/30/graphic-display-caitlin-mcclure/
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Even Big Brands Rebrand
When we present the idea of refreshing their logo, many companies seem bewildered. Why would they change their logo? Who is crazy enough to do that? The fact is, it's standard practice. Most brands, even big brands, update their logo periodically to keep it fresh & relevant. Today Universal announced such a change. So we thought we'd take the opportunity to view their logo throughout the years. Photo Courtesy of Mashable.com
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How Joe Dirt Would Improve Your Business
Remember the movie Joe Dirt? I know what you are thinking, "Rob, how could I ever forget a cinematic legend like Joe Dirt?" Fair enough. Remember when Joe Dirt helps Kickin' Wing with his firework stand? Kickin' Wing's business had plummeted. He had no clue why sales were so dreadful. Then mullet-wielding Joe Dirt busts upon the scene, exposing a critical flaw. Kicking Wing doesn't have any of 'the good stuff'. Kickin' Wing's inventory has no black cats, no roman candles, or screaming mimis. no lady fingers, fuzz buttles, or snicker bombs. No hoosker do's. No hoosker don'ts. He's missing all of 'the good stuff'. Are you providing your clients with 'the good stuff'? When they connect with you, are they finding what they want? Maybe you are like Kickin' Wing. You have the sparklers and they snakes, because 'those are the ones [you] like'. But what 'you like' doesn't matter, unless you are on the same page as your customer. Beginning this spring - a time for new beginnings - ...
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Text Message Marketing, a Lazy Man's Social Media
Tags: TEXT-MESSAGE-MARKETING
The emergence of social media has created a divide. There is now a growing population of businesses that don't truly understand social media. In an effort to market digitally, these businesses are turning to SMS or text message marketing. It is much more comfortable to an old-school marketer, however, there is a problem with sms marketing.When compared to social media, sms marketing has a very limited range of use. It works in the now - at the moment users opt-in. But soon after, it becomes traditional, interruption-based marketing. More so, these interruptions intrude into a very personal domain…the cell phone. For many people, the cell is the first line of defense against interruption based ads. By violating this inner sanctum, your business' messages are being met with frustration and the regret associated with granting you permission to market. These are not favorable terms for your business. If you wish to use SMS marketing in your marketing mix, be careful. You want to ...
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Take This Job And....Post It?
In a recent post, Mashable unpacks the freedom of speech rights given in the employee/employer relationship, as it relates to social media: A federal agency has declared Facebook posts are legally protected speech, even for employees who write negative things about their employers. In a lawsuit that probably won’t sit well with most employers trying to enforce social media policies, the National Labor Relations Board said that a recent Facebook-related termination was unlawful. The employee in question, Dawnmarie Souza, used some vulgar language to deride her boss on Facebook when he denied one of her requests. Several of Souza’s co-workers joined in on the thread, also making negative comments about the supervisor. Souza made these comments on her own time and on her own computer. An NLRB representative told The New York Times that company social media policies that prohibit making negative remarks about one’s boss or company online are actually in violation of...
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5 Reasons Your Business' Social Media is Ineffective
If your social media efforts have been lacking in luster, maybe you simply need to make a few tweaks. Below you will find 5 reasons your social media may be missing the mark: Who Knows? No, this isn't an admission of ignorance. I am asking, "Who Knows?". Who knows about your online presence? Where else do you advertise your Facebook & Twitter profiles? Are they on your print media or business cards? Do you acknowledge them on your TV or radio ads? Do people know they can find you in the social realms?The Fine Line of Updating Some porridge is too hot. Some porridge is too cold. Some people update too much. Some update too little. To have an effective social media presence, you need for your updates to be just right. You're too Sales-y Historically, advertising has been based on interruption. However, social media relies primarily on permission. As a company participating on the social mediums, you must earn your audience's permission to advertise to them. If you are to...
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Baby Boomers...Booming On Social Networks
Allow me to share with you a relatively unsurprising statistic: 96% of people under the age of 30 are on a social network. That really isn't shocking, is it? Kids, these days, love the inter-web. Now allow me to share with you a few statistics that are surprising. According to a study on social networking usage by The Pew Internet & American Life Project, the following trends have emerged between April '09 and May '10: Users 55-64 years of age grew by 88% 47% of this age group indicated their use of social media Users 65+ years of age grew by a whopping 100% 26% of this age group indicated their use of social media Users 50+ increased their social networking usage from 22% to 42% Based on information from a different study, females 55+ years of age are the fastest growing demographic on Facebook. With the emergence of social media, many marketeers have dismissed social platforms because their composition has been much younger than the targeted demographics....
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Followers vs Influence: The Value of Tweeple
At this moment, Ashton Kutcher has almost 5,856,505 followers on Twitter.That's roughly 4 times the size of the United States military.However, a recent study by Northwestern University found that despite his army of followers, Kutcher has surprisingly little influence. Researchers developed an algorithm to measure influence by tracking which topics of discussion were identified by Twitter as 'trending'.The study's results suggest that when discussing their field of expertise, celebrity tweeters carried significant influence (i.e. athletes talking sports, politicians talking politics). However, when the topic ventured from areas of expertise, influence quickly diminished (i.e. the political statements of Hollywood).These results confirm something very important about social media:Social Media is not about the masses. Social Media is about the niches.In other words, quality over quantity also applies to social media. Starring in cinematic classics such as 'Dude, Where's My Car?'...
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