3 Advertising - Three Advertising - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Why everything is a media channel.

These days, campaign elements include nearly every touch point a customer can have with your business. Opportunities for advertising and design have long since ventured beyond the traditional media and new media formats. Customers assume, consciously or subconsciously, that their brand experience with your company will be carried through the advertising or design that piqued their interest all the way to the actual use of your product or service
and beyond.

As an example, here's a brief list of elements we've created recently that are all brand touch points, but aren't the typical playing fields of ad agencies and design firms: employee uniforms, product designs, greeting cards, apparel designs, self-directed sales kits, product prototype manufacturing, wayfinding, interior design, and lots more.

In a world that's getting flatter and smaller every day, it's a valuable reminder to recognize that customers want a seamless relationship with your brand, and truly feel rewarded for choosing your offering when their total brand experience is engaging and consistent.

Branding doesn't begin and end with your logo, ads and marketing materials.
In fact, it's only the beginning.

Posted by 3 at 11:04 AM | Post a comment

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Measuring strategy.

Determining the success of a potential ad campaign is an interesting proposition. You can endlessly weigh your media options and test creative executions into an early grave, but rarely does anyone ask, “How do you know if the strategy is right?” Here are guidelines to help you evaluate your thinking.

Some short-term indicators:

Gut: Make sure the strategy feels right in your gut. Your instinctive reaction
to the strategic idea is the first and best way to gauge its strength. You’ve reviewed all the background information, you’ve poured through target research...it’s all there telling your gut what to do. If you’re excited about
the strategy, and you can’t wait to get going, you’re probably on to
something good.

Other people’s reactions: If your agency’s creative and media personnel get excited about a strategic premise, it’s an excellent sign that it will have some impact. Likewise, if our clients are jazzed by the strategy after seeing it even in a Powerpoint format, it’s a great indication.

Springboard effect: Is the strategic premise springboarding new and fresh tactics? If the strategy begets new ideas, it’s probably right on. A good sign: The strategy is taking your campaign to new places untried and even unknown to you or your competitors.

Energizer effect: Does everyone in the client’s company get excited when they hear about it? Does it make employees and staff feel good about what they do? This is arguably the best measure of “rightness”: you’ve found a compelling way to tell the truth, and people see it and identify with it. And they want to hear more.

Of course, once the campaign is up and running, there are more tangible ways to measure the strategy:

Obviously, business results: Are sales up? Are objectives being met?

Creative awards: While awards really gauge the abilities and talents of the creative staff, it’s not surprising that those campaigns garnering the most creative recognition start with a solid strategic direction, enabling the creative team to do their best work.

Impact: Does the campaign break out of its boundaries? Does it get talked about rather than just seen and heard? Do people enjoy it?

Longevity of the idea: A great way to know if your strategy was right is by how long it lives before someone asks, “Let’s go back to the drawing board.” Campaigns with sound, insightful strategic directions live longer because they work harder.

Strategy is the unseen framework behind great marketing and advertising campaigns. When it works well, you’ll want to protect it. Perhaps that’s the best measurement of all.

Posted by 3 at 09:21 AM | Post a comment

Friday, May 2, 2008

Are you marketing a zombie brand?

Take a look at your business category. Does your advertising look and feel like that of your competitors? Do you see too many of your category’s cliches in your overall messaging? Do you analyze your competitors’ advertising and find it difficult to discern anything different about what they are selling compared to your own benefits? Can your customers honestly tell you apart from your competitors?

If this is your scenario, you may have a zombie brand: moving within a slow-moving pack, hunting for the same customers as your peers. To your potential customers, your brand is shuffling down the street with a mob of folks who look and sound just like you. (Hopefully, without the moaning and outstretched arms.)

We think that the most successful brands have distinct personalities, just like memorable, likeable people. Sure, they may follow certain rules of their categories, but great brands usually stand for something. They say, "we stand for this," instead of, "we stand for what everybody else stands for, too.”

So if yours is a zombie brand, find out what truly separates you from the pack that makes a meaningful difference to your customer. If you can't find one, it may be time to take a fresh look at your product offering.

And when you are ready to advertise, don’t hesitate to kill the remnants left over from your “zombie” campaign. There’s no harm done here, a “me, too” campaign is lifeless from the beginning.

Remember: aim for the head. A mere body blow won't do.

Posted by 3 at 10:10 AM | Post a comment

Why everything is a media channel.

Measuring strategy.

Are you marketing a zombie brand?

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Albuquerque Ambulance

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Why everything is a media channel.

Measuring strategy.

Are you marketing a zombie brand?

Page 6 of 14 pages « First < 4 5 6 7 8 > Last »

Latest work: Albuquerque Ambulance

SEARCH BLOG

RECENT BLOG ENTRIES

BLOG ARCHIVES

COOL LINKS

SYNDICATION

Latest work:
Albuquerque Ambulance