Month: July 2013

Annoying, But Memorable Branding

July 11, 2013

You know what ads I’m talking about; the ones that have an annoying jingle or song or the one with that irritating character with a voice you can’t stand or just won’t shut up? Kia’s “Man/Woman of Now” commercials fall right into this category with the Australian yuppie hipsters that sound pretentious and won’t shut up throughout the entire ad. It may seem irritating at first hearing their nonstop chatter but, in the end, you know you’re going to remember “that annoying commercial”.

Click to view Kia’s “Man of Now” Commercial

Kia uses several different marketing strategies with this campaign as the “annoying” quality of it will make it memorable. You’re going to hear phrases like “OMG. Did you see that annoying Kia commercial?” and trust me, that isn’t a bad thing because it often leads to phrases like “You haven’t seen it? You HAVE to see it.” You know what I’m talking about. Things that bother people are what usually makes them talk and this was one of the paths Kia chose to go through.

Another tactic they used in this commercial was with what was actually being said. Although it seemed irritating, there were probably many things that the “Man/Woman of Now” that were relatable to you. They portrayed basically every single type of person all in one for both genders. The relevance also helps people to remember the commercial in this case.

Click here to watch Kia’s “Woman of Now” Commercial

Lastly, Kia also saved you from the annoyance in the commercial. After all of the nonstop talking, the commercial was ended with the presence of a Kia. It was like you could finally hear yourself think and have clarity and there was a Kia there for you to look at. It’s actually pretty genius how they laid out this commercial.

With the combination of these marketing tactics, Kia really made an impact on their audience. From annoying the people to relating to the people to saving the people, there is no way you could forget this commercial.

Happy 25th Birthday to Nike Slogan — “Just Do It”

July 10, 2013

It was July 25 years ago when Nike released their “Just Do It” slogan by Wieden + Kennedy. Great taglines like “Think Different” by Apple and “Drivers Wanted” by Volkswagon have made the brands what they are today and Nike is right in the mix with them.

“Just Do It” is a notable tagline for many reasons. It’s short, simple and easy to remember and sometimes, that’s really all you need. Branding is about making an impact on your audience and this tagline tells it like it is. It’s broad enough to relate Nike to just about anything and connects it with everything you do. It also basically tells you to just buy Nike products, giving it a great twist on its slogan.

Simple phrases for big ideas is the main drive for this slogan. The meaning is open to interpretation, making it relatable to everyone yet personal on each individual basis. It connected all sports and activities with one unifying message, which made it successful. “Just Do It” is one of the last few great slogans with such an impact. So next time you want to create a tagline, maybe you should just “tell it like it is”.

Stand By Your Brand Respectably

July 9, 2013

It seems that sex appeal is an option many advertisers turn to as it is highly popular. However, is that all you want your audience to see you as?

Click to watch the Roxy Pro Biarritz 2013 Teaser!

Roxy recently released a controversial teaser for its very own women’s world surfing championship, Roxy Pro Biarritz 2013. The teaser featured a “typical day” in the life of Australian professional surfer and five-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore. As a female athletic sport sponsor, it’s clear that the audience for these ads are not women who want to be portrayed as eye-candy but rather as athletes.

The teaser that showed more of Gilmore’s bottom rather than of her skill as a professional surfer had many talking… and not in a positive way. Roxy did not stand by their brand as one that empowers women for their skills and in turn, there was negative feedback for their teaser. It’s important to stand by what your brand is about. Roxy went for the complete opposite of empowering women in sports and fell through the eye-candy aspect, breaking their image and reputation for their audience. It’s important to stand by what your brand is about. Roxy did not stand by their brand as one that empowers women for their skills and in turn, there was negative feedback for their teaser.

The Importance of Image

July 8, 2013

Advertising and branding is what makes your company. It is the image you portray to others in how you represent yourself and reputation in this manner is everything. It isn’t only important to present yourself in a positive light but you must maintain this image as well, regardless of how long you’re been in good standing.

Well-known Food Network chef Paula Deen was recently released an “apology” video for using the N-word and stating other racist terms. It was also clear that the video wasn’t an apologetic one, but rather one that would point fingers at others for her mistakes. With the very-uncomfortable-to-watch interview came the destruction of Deen’s business empire. The alleged racist comments cost her three widely-popular shows on Food Network as the network fired her. Deen’s sponsors also cut ties to her brand with this toxic publicity. Walmart is also dropping the her line of Southern cookware and decor.

Reputation is everything about a brand and it’s important to maintain a positive image. Branding yourself is just the start but getting your audience to love you and your brand is what really makes it thrive. Make a statement with your brand, get people to love you and work to keep that love and you will have a success!

Not Just Online Marketing, But Content Marketing

July 3, 2013

Companies have been trying to find ways to use keywords to stay on top of search engine optimization but this is not that way to bring in the best leads. Content is what drives traffic and what brings people to in. By giving people the information that they want rather than focusing on search engine positioning placement, you are more likely to gain leads. This is what we call an inbound marketing strategy.

People will see that you are catering to them just by looking at the content you are providing. Many people use the internet specifically to find the information they need quickly. Yes, this may cause them to search through a search engine but how many times have you gone through the top 5 results only to close them and move on to the next one? If you provide the information needed, people will respond positively and both parties will be in a better place in the end.

It isn’t only smart for business marketing services to have their own websites full of useful content but it’s great to use others that provide them as well. Pay-per-click (PPC) management is also important to keep up to date. By placing your ads on sites that provide great content for the people, you will have a support system and give customers assurance that you provide important content as well.

Marketing isn’t a simple thing and it’s important to understand the different aspects that go into a digital marketing strategy. Inbound marketing starts with attracting customers to what you have to offer through your site and others as well. From there, you can go into call-to-actions and emails and so much more. Content marketing is the first step and from there, you will have the attention of customers who will turn into leads.

Are You Making Money With Your Online Ads?

July 2, 2013

Making online ads just like any other type of advertising is a gamble. You put all this money to create these ads to place out there hoping that people will respond to them and become leads. However, you can’t just simply place things out there in the internet world and expect results. The best way to achieve online awareness is by word-of-mouth ONLINE.

1. The best way to achieve online awareness is by word-of-mouth ONLINE. This method is for things like search engine positioning placement and make a different on the web. Digital marketing agencies try to enhance this as much as possible for their clients through inbound marketing. Look at Facebook, for example. There are over a billion users on that social media network alone and each of those users “like” or “comment” things several times a day. If you have a strong Facebook presence, you should look into Facebook Ads. It may seem overwhelming at first, but Facebook has several steps to help you get started.

2. Measure and track your online analytics. If you don’t do this from the get-go, you will never know where you started and how far you’ve come from there. This will help you determine the success or failure of your efforts. If one marketing method isn’t bringing in leads, it’s time to change it up. If it is bringing in leads, then keep on heading in that direction!

The top things to track are the following:
– brand awareness – ex: Google Trends
– influence – ex: Klout
– audience engagement – ex: blog comments, twitter retweets/@ tweets, facebook comments, etc
– new email subscriptions – ex: Feedburner
– return on investments (ROI) from ads/posts/contests – ex: Google Analytics
– conversion rates – ex: Google Analytics

Online presence and tracking are key to online marketing. If people don’t know you’re there, you’re not going to get any traffic. Word-of-mouth online is much easier than in person. Once you post something, it’s available online for everyone to see. Also, the best way to know if you are making money with your online ads is obviously to track what you are doing and how others are responding to you. Once these two steps are down, you will on your way towards success with your online ads. However, don’t think it stops there. This is just a starting point so just keep going from there! Good luck! 🙂