Forging Connections by HughesDesign

H U CONNECTIONS G H E S FORGING D E S Iyour G Nbrand marketing

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction . . . . . . . 2 The Internet . . . . . . . 8 Social Media . . . . . . . 24 Television . . . . . . . 34 Moving Forward . . . . . . . 46

INTRODUCTION

INTRO-

DUCTION the whereto’s and what for’s Creating a brand is hard. You already know this, of course. You may even be sitting and nodding your head along in agreement, thinking, “Yes, creating a brand is hard. Thank you for reaffirming this, you small, strange book.” Well, astute reader, creating a brand is hard enough, sure. But what if you wanted to create an especially unique brand? A memorable brand? A successful brand? While each of these adjectives may be invigorating power words, in practice they are a lot harder to achieve. A successful brand amounts to more than just having a product that works. Think of your brand as a story. Each facet must be cohesive; each element must connect and be comprehensible.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If the narrative of your website is contradictory to the narrative of your television advertisements, audiences will notice the dissonances and this may turn them away from your product. From its packaging to its social media presence, and its emails to its print media, every aspect of a brand influences customer opinion. The way in which you market your brand can mean the difference between sweet success and bitter failure, because as important as having a good product is, it often comes down to the marketing and advertising to make or break a potential sale. Your product can be fully functional and your packaging can be on point, but if the campaign fails in its advertising, you may fall short of reaching your core target audience, and in failing to do so, you risk the collapse of your carefully built company.

â&#x20AC;&#x153; The way in which you market your

brand can mean the difference between sweet success and bitter failure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Your product advertising is the front-line defense on the brand-soaked battlefield. In our current consumer culture, there are a multitude of products and advertisements available to the general public. Setting yourself apart is what will ultimately see you continued success, and you can do so with loud shout or a quiet whisper. Whether through a 30 second television spot or an electronic email, a good advertisement can elevate your brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice above the tumultuous din of competitors straining to make their own voices heard. To see the same success that mammoth companies like Apple and Coca Cola have, your own company must take into account all aspects of advertising.

Does online interaction through social media produce tangible enough product sales results to warrant the time spent integrating it? Just how important is having a good website? Is there any one formula for success when it comes to television ads? Ultimately, the definition of your company’s success is up to you. While this guide will not tell you the exact steps your company needs to take to be successful, it will provide you with precedents and case studies regarding existing companies that are excelling in today’s market. It will also offer analyses and insights that will culminate in a myriad of tips designed to get you started on the right path.

“ Ultimately, the definition of

your company’s success is up to you. “

THE INTERNET

THE IN-

TERNET

hallowed be thy name Let’s be honest with ourselves: most of us spend a good chunk of our time each week on the Internet. If we’re not compulsively checking our email every hour, then we’re browsing through time-suck websites like Buzzfeed or Pinterest. According to Ecommerce, a recent poll in 2013 showed that the average adult spends over five hours online per day. Add that up and it roughly translates to 21 hours per week or approximately 2.8 days per year. With all that time spent browsing through the vast sea of virtual content, it is unsurprising that the Internet stands as one of the most popular, and often one of the most successful, outlets of advertising. It is only logical, therefore, that the Internet be utilized to its maximum capabilities

Now, “the Internet,” almighty and omniscient it may be, is a very broad descriptor, especially when one takes into consideration just how much the term encapsulates. As a business trying to improve the way in which you market your brand, there are two main subsections of the Internet that you should focus on: Your website and your social media. This section will be primarily about your website, as social media is another beast entirely. Elevating Your Website Websites are important. So much so, in fact, that the word ‘important’ needed to be bolded for emphasis. In all seriousness, a good website can both attract and retain customers. A bad website can cost you clients. These days, websites are a dime-a-dozen.

Many people have websites, whether professional or personal, and in terms of presentation and design, they can range from rudimentary to skillful. Therefore, with the knowledge that your website is barely a flicker in the vast galaxy of the Internet, it isn’t enough to just have a “good” website. Don’t settle for good -- aim higher. Make it great. And perhaps most importantly, make it memorable. Ultimately, your website is going to be one of your most powerful marketing strategies. Think of your website as a house that you have listed on the market. If the front looks uninviting, the lawn is overgrown and dated, and there are various objects cluttered about for no discernible reason, visitors may forgo entering in favor of searching for a different house.

Unlike other forms of advertising, your website is neither a throwaway, like the packaging of a product, nor temporal, like a television advertisement. Your website is a constant, available whenever, and for however long, someone wants to view it. This can be as much a help as a hindrance. Take, for instance, the two websites depicted in figures 2.1 and 2.2, the former being Apple and the latter being TouchofModern. While TouchofModern is relatively unknown, if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recognize Apple, you would be in the minority. Apple is one of the most successful companies globally. In 2013, it was voted as the number one Top Riser on Interbrandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Global Brands of 2013 list, replacing Coca Cola,who had been the previous recipient for the past 13 years. While a portion of this success can be attributed to the physical products, the way in which Apple presents the brand to its audiences is a key factor in their success.

figure 2.1 // apple homepage

Much like the iProducts, Apple’s website is simple, clean, and powerful on the outside, while the interior is full of information and detail. The bold, colorful photographs that flick through in slideshow format are effective and visually stunning. But more than that, Apple reinforces the importance of the customer with the tagline, “You’re more powerful than you think.” The tagline, coupled with the background images, paints an image of Apple placing power in the hands of the consumer. This is an especially important component of advertising that can generate success. By stating that anyone has the power to create something amazing through the utilization of its technology, Apple is gently massaging the ego of the consumer, while at the same time, subtly promoting the capabilities of its products.

In addition to being aesthetically pleasing and ensuring that its brand resonates with audiences, Apple’s website displays a proficiency in functionality and navigation. The products are front-and-center, with customization options readily-available and easy to navigate.Having an easily accessible website is fundamental to its success: it’s not enough to have a pretty website - it also has to work. Apple’s website not only works, but does so in a way that is visually pleasing and fun to navigate. Its website encourages consumers to explore the full range of available products in detail, while at the same time, never causing them to get caught up in navigation that leads nowhere. Apple is a prime example of a corporation that understands its consumers.

Learning from Apple What to apply: Organization and Navigation: Apple has various products advertised on its website, ranging from phones to computers, and yet it is easily navigable. Each product section is consistent with the rest of the website, both in terms of design and layout. Consistency: Consistency is important. Consumers will notice discrepancies in design and navigation, and this may frustrate them to the point where they will leave your website. Remember, you only have their attention for a limited amount of time. Keep them on your website as long as you can manage. What to consider: Photos: Photography is always nice to have, as it breaks up text, making it less intimidating, and can add color and vibrancy to a dull website. However, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overdo it, as it is a very situational element. If you are advertising your law firm, having a couple photos to accentuate your website would be far more effective than plastering each virtual corner with dozens of irrelevant photos.

figure 2.2 // touchofmodern homepage

While TouchofModern is a great website in its own right, many casual consumers may never navigate past the homepage due to one glaring flaw: The required email subscription. Email subscriptions are a great tool to consider utilizing when building your website. They are a means of keeping your customers constantly up-to-date with your latest products. What you should avoid doing, however, is making these email sign-ups mandatory. Even more than that, what you should really avoid doing is forcing consumers to sign up on your homepage in order for them to access your content. By doing so, you are automatically losing a number of consumers that are either wary of entering their emails for fear of spam, or unwilling to commit to signing up for a website without knowing its contents.

If you are willing to take the plunge and sign up, TouchofModern offers a well-designed product catalogue in its interior. All products are easy to navigate, and the high quality photographs are open invitations, extended to the viewer to entice them to explore the product further. Once further explored, customers are not let down. The price is displayed in a manner that is easily-accessible, but not obtrusive, and more photographs of the product from different angles are available. Additionally, TouchofModern offers daily sales on select products, and the website encourages customers to check back daily for different offers. Though TouchofModern may be turning away customers by requiring them to sign up for the email list before exploring its website, the overall success in design and function can be a great point of learning for businesses just starting out.

Learning from TouchofModern What to apply: Product Display: TouchofModern does an excellent job of displaying its products. High quality photographs are front and center, encouraging browsers to take a closer look. The product information is simple and concise, and prices are easy to find, which is an important factor. Few people like finding a product on a website that they may be interested in purchasing, only to spend the next ten minutes hunting for the actual price. If you are selling products through your website, be sure to include the price somewhere that is easy to find, even if it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the immediate focal point. What to consider: Email Subscriptions: While email subscriptions can be an effective way to reach out to your audience, forcing potential customers to sign up via email before even entering your website can be a big deterrent. In doing so, you are alienating users who may have a casual interest in your product, but may not want to commit to taking the plunge headfirst.

Having an aesthetically pleasing, fully functional website is not the only key to increasing the success of your brand. Another element to consider is the email advertisement.

It is a realistic assumption, then, that many of us filter emails based off of personal importance, and emails that contain advertisements for websites we know we signed up for at one point - but can’t entirely remember why - can often fall by the wayside and remain unopened.

Now I know what you might be thinking: email advertisements? Do people still read those? More than that, do people even open them when they see them in their inbox, or do those go straight in the trash? I, for one, am certainly guilty of sending many-an-email advertisement to its early grave, unopened and unloved. It’s not a lack of interest that leads me to instantly trashing the email moreso than it is that I can’t be bothered to open it. We receive many emails each day. They can range from personal to professional, from academic to spam.

The lack of general public attention toward email ads can lead to a reduction in quality, because it’s easy to ignore aspects of your brand that may or may not see the light of someone’s computer screen. Though this may be a tempting path to take, you should steer clear from allowing yourself to be sucked in. Every aspect of your brand is important, and you should take care to ensure the quality remains consistent across each element, whether it be your gloriously-customized Facebook page or one tiny email ad your business sends out every Sunday evening.

Email ads: Do we honestly read them?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Internet is the most important single development in the history of human communication since the invention of call waiting.â&#x20AC;? Dave Barry

So how can you make your emails interesting enough to get your target vaudiences excited? First and foremost, you must understand what your audience expects of you. If your brand is a highend clothes line with a clean, simple aesthetic, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t send emails to your subscribers containing wacky colors and ridiculous, chunky type. Maintaining brand cohesion is important because there will always be consumers who will notice the discrepancies, and unlike print media, once content is uploaded to the Internet, you will find it nearly impossible to erase every trace of its existence. Make one bad impression online and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be amazed how quickly the news will spread. Another way to increase reader traffic is to engage audiences.

Include a poll with content specific to your brand, offer deals and discounts exclusive to the recipients of your email, link back to fun activities or events you may have on your website, or include giveaway opportunities. Your goal is to keep your recipients engaged, even if it means adding more to your already busy workload. While emails arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, and will likely never be, the be-allend-all determining factor that affects your customer retention, they can still be a powerful tool when utilized correctly. Think of them as the proverbial icing on the cake. If your cake is great all around, having that extra dollop of delicious icing on top completes the overall experience, and will certainly go a long way in helping to retain customers.

SOCIAL MEDIA

SOCI-

AL MEDIA it’s not as scary as you might think The term ‘Social Media,’ much like ‘the Internet,’ is very broad. It includes many different outlets that are constantly evolving and multiplying. Collectively, social media can be a very powerful tool. It can instantly connect businesses with consumers from across the world, forging connections that were once absent. It can be used as more than just a means of communication, however. Through social media, you can create fullyrealized experiences for consumers. You are able to reach out and communicate on a personal level with your target audience on a daily basis. Simply put, this is not an opportunity you should pass up. If you have yet to incorporate any social media into your marketing strategy, I beg you to reconsider. At the very least, consider implementing the following Big Three social media outlets into your brand.

The Big Three social media outlets are the most recognized, and are often the most popular: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Each have their own advantages, disadvantages, and overall purpose. Facebook is a great way to connect with a community of people, and is the most likely to provide you with personalized brand information based off of your location. It is used by small organizations and businesses just as much as it its by mega corporations, and this is largely due to its approachable design, and the ease with which a page can be customized and tailored to fit your brand. Due to communal aspect of Facebook, it can often feel like a more personable way of interacting with your consumers, and may be the perfect option for smaller businesses and organizations who are interested in crafting an experience centered around community.

â&#x20AC;&#x153; Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube... Each have their own advantages, disadvantages, and overall purpose.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

YouTube Figure 3.1 “The Big Three”

Twitter, on the other hand, is less focused on creating a tightly-knit community, and more focused on providing fun and relevant information over short time intervals. Much like the name itself implies, Twitter’s strength lies in chatting. Many companies that take to Twitter often participate in relatively short backand-forth chat sessions with customers, engaging them in activities such as polls and trivia. Some companies even hold contests with prizes for the winning participants, which is an excellent incentive that can lead to returning customers. Twitter can also be used to respond to customer concerns in a quick and efficient manner, minimizing the wait time that would normally be present if a customer had submitted a question through a website’s ‘contact us’ form.

As its premise does center around constant communication, it requires more commitment and upkeep than Facebook. If you plan on taking to Twitter, be sure you, or another of your staff, are able to commit several hours each day for its upkeep. As a professional company, having an inactive Twitter account can be even more ineffective than not having one. In fact, an inactive account can actually yield negative effects, as customers who may be trying to contact you may think you are ignoring their inquiries, and this can harm your brand’s image.As with any important decision, make sure you are wiling and able to commit before diving in headfirst.

The final of the Big Three social media outlets is YouTube. It is a very different entity from the aforementioned two in that its main focus is video. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the instant back-and-forth capabilities of Twitter, nor is it all that community-oriented like Facebook. By no means does this mean YouTube is at a disadvantage. In fact, YouTube is quickly becoming more popular than television, and it has a wider reach than cable networks. Many companies are taking advantage of this popularity by leasing their ads on YouTube first before being debuted on television. This is especially helpful in increasing YouTube channel traffic. Additionally, website traffic can also increase due to ease of access: If a consumer watches your ad on YouTube and becomes interested, they may search for a link to your website to learn more information.

YouTube is a powerful tool in your arsenal that can (and should) be utilized, especially if t.v. consumption continues to decline while Internet consumption steadily increases. Even if you decide not to incorporate one of the Big Three, there are many other social media options available for you to utilize. Tumblr, Pinterest, BuzzFeed, Vimeo, and LinkedIn are just a couple more examples, all with their own particular merrits.

â&#x20AC;&#x153; ... It will be ultimately up to you to decide which forms of social media would best suit your brand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;

While I can offer suggestions and insights into what has the potential to yield positive results, it will be ultimately up to you to decide which forms of social media would best suit your brand.

Incorporating social media into your brand How it can be effective: While some outlets of social media should be applied on a case-to-case basis, you should consider incorporating the Big Three: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Facebook can promote the image of your brand in a community setting; Twitter can provide the Internetsavvy with constant updates regarding products and sales, while YouTube acts as a supplement to your t.v. ads, allowing for a more customizable approach. Each have their advantages and disadvantages, and should you choose to incorporate them, if you do so at all, know that they can be as great an asset as they can a detriment. Be sure to understand exactly what you are looking to promote and plan your social media outlets accordingly.

“Social media is much more than selfpromotion. It is a two-way street, a set of tools that allow you to reach out to people and become the bringer of positive things and experiences. In turn, these people will not just support you. They will be there to help you increase your reach and audience – and turn your business into a viable endeavour.” Cendrine Marrouat

TELEVISION

TELE-

VISION if it ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t broke... These days, television is a tricky medium in which to advertise. While many of us still watch t.v. shows, watching the ads that air during commercial breaks is becoming optional, thanks to recording devices like DVRs and Tivos. Whereas you were once required to sit through each commercial while waiting for your show to return, praying that the network wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play that really annoying ad repeatedly, you can now record a show ahead of time and fast forward through all of the commercials. This is both good and bad. It is good for the viewers, who would prefer to skip through all the unnecessary ads so they can continue watching their show. However, it is bad for the companies that invest a great deal of money into creating ads that may or may not be seen. This has forced companies to become more creative with their advertisements, lest they risk being left behind.

The mark of a good ad Take a look at the images on the left. How many of these brands can you name by heart? And if you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly recall the name of the brand, is there a particular quote or tune that stands out in your mind? The mark of a good ad is that it will not only sell the product it was created for, but it will also do so in a memorable fashion. Being memorable doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily equate to playing a singular advertisement over and over again. The constant repetition of an ad can actually have the opposite effect on consumers, and may turn them away from your product solely because the commercial was annoying. Instead, memorable ads often possess a particular quality: they have a narrative. Whether the story being told is zany and off-the-wall, like Old Spice, or warm and heartfelt, like Frosted Flakes, ads with narrative elements will often succeed over those without.

Old Spice: Case in Point There are commercials, with their quick jingles and lackluster cinematography, which are ultimately forgettable. While those advertisements may be mildly successful in that they dutifully depict the product they are selling while appealing to their desired target audience ranges, they are often unable to stand out from a crowd of advertisements with similar attributes. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, (where marketing departments across the world aspire to end up), is Old Spice. Old Spice is manufactured by Procter & Gamble, a long-standing company that has been around since 1837. As a company that has always had its roots firmly planted in the community, it comes as no surprise that Procter & Gamble was able to create one of the most popular and long-lasting product advertisements in recent years.

The movement started with the company’s desire to re-brand the product in order to extend its reach to a wider target audience range. In 2010, just prior to the Superbowl, Procter & Gamble launched their “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign. Due to the ingenuity and innovation of the campaign, the Old Spice commercials were able to go viral, and garnered a large following, even to viewers who were not in the target audience. The immense success of their first advertisement prompted a second ad: the “Smell Like a Man, Man – the Sequel,” as well as a series of interactive videos where viewers were able to send questions to Isaiah Mustafa (the “Old Spice Guy”) and receive a personalized video response. In a movement that exemplifies what it means to engage your audience, Procter & Gamble published over 200 video responses on YouTube, which were viewed over 46 million times.

Logically, the commercials make little sense, and the dialogue often jumps erratically. However, Procter & Gamble’s particular way of marketing the product – the off-the-wall, eccentric humor – won consumers over. Through this, Old Spice was able to create a series of advertisements that audiences connected with, regardless of whether or not they had any existing attachments to the product. This allowed their company to successfully expand in a way it hadn’t in the past. What’s more is that once the Old Spice commercials were released, they were almost immediately shared across the Internet. With the free advertising from hundreds of thousands of people, Old Spice didn’t have to wait long before they became a household name.

Though the initial fervor and excitement for Old Spice has died down, their campaign has left a lasting impression on the industry today. Not only has it inspired a new generation of advertisements from companies looking to acquire some of that same viral success, it has also set an expectation that commercials can be entertaining and funny, without sacrificing brand integrity or quality. A lot can be learned from the “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign, not the least of which includes knowing and interacting with your audience through follow-up videos, which then becomes a form of advertisement in itself. Your goal should be to go above and beyond producing a simple advertisement for television. Following Procter & Gamble’s lead, your goal should be to create a lasting identity that will see you success in continued years to come.

Emotional Advertising The concept of emotional advertising has been present in many different marketing campaigns. Whether through humor or sorrow, anger or excitement, advertisements that target emotions are often among the most successful. At their core, these types of advertisements are narrative-driven, using stories and tales to lead audiences to their products. These advertisements often see the most success because viewers are much more inclined to forge a lasting connection with a product through emotion rather than through necessity. You may not be able to taste the difference between Kelloggs Pops cereal and another cheaper knockoff, but your sentimental connection to Kelloggs as a brand may manifest when you are out shopping, and cause you to purchase the brand you recognize and trust rather than an unknown brand that might be a more financially viable option.

Omega Co-Axial Chronometer: Not Just Another Watch One such company that has, until recently, been absent from the radars of general viewers is Omega. Omega is a Swiss watch company and is, at its core, traditional and well-respected within its niche community. Though they have sold top quality watches to consumers since 1894, they are perhaps not as well known as the monster companies like NescafĂŠ and Rolex. With the release of a single advertisement back in 2013, Omega has suddenly jumped forward in the industry and into the minds of consumers. The Omega Co-Axial Chronometer commercial is a beautifully timeless work of art that has inspired a multitude of consumers, and has allowed for the expansion of their client base.

Upon watching the commercial, viewers are instantly drawn in to the gorgeously animated world that Omega has presented. With the thoughtfully-crafted animation and the gentle, almost wistful music in the background, the commercial flows from start to finish, telling a story not just about the quality of their brand, but also about how much time and care Omega has placed into this project. On Omegaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s YouTube channel, the reception is overwhelmingly positive, with many viewers commenting that this advertisement solidifies their need to buy an Omega watch. The positive reception of the Omega CoAxial campaign is due, in no small part, to their understanding of the human nature and the tendency to gravitate towards, and connect with, emotionally resonant subject matter.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The heart is a strange beast and not ruled by logic.â&#x20AC;? Maria V. Snyder

The presence of music in advertisements is one of the strongest assets of a campaign. With the creation of this commercial, Omega has tapped into the psychology of music and how it affects the human condition, and this has resulted in an enormous positive reception. According to an essay published in “The Aesthetic Mind” by William Forde Thompson and Lena Quinto, music can be used to manipulate emotions in order to achieve a desired effect: “... Specific attributes of music are individually associated with distinct emotional interpretations, and may be manipulated by performers and composers to convey complex and dynamic emotional messages.” In the context of product campaigns, the right music can be used to produce

a specific target emotion, and this emotion in turn can often create a strong associative connection between the consumer and the product, even where there was previously no connection. Like a score composed for a film, the music in this commercial has, as Thompson and Quinto state, the “capacity to resonate with psychological processes that function in human synchronization, and [elicit] emotional effects related to these processes.” Omega’s Co-Axial commercial is a perfect blend of narrative and promotion, and many of their techniques can be applicable to advertisements for your brand. Whether you would prefer to create ads that are humorous or ads that elicit nostalgia, resonating with your audience through emotion can create a connection that will last a lifetime.

MOVING FORWARD

MOV-

ING FORWARD the future is now There are many ways in which you can improve your brand. While it is necessary to maintain a presence on the Internet, in social media, and television to some degree, the information in this guide is more suggestive. It has the potential to increase the overall success of your brand, but ultimately, you will decide the measure of your own success. The companies listed as case studies, like Procter & Gamble, are not the first to succeed, and nor will they be the last. There is a growing expectation for a higher quality of advertisement, and at the very least, you must take not of this trend. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, you are already putting yourself at a disadvantage against competing companies.

Out of all the information presented in this guide, if there is one thing you should absolutely take away and apply to your advertisements, it is this: Be memorable. Memorable advertisements and marketing strategies will always succeed. They elicit laughs, sympathy, or nostalgia. More than any other facet of a brand, successfully marketing and advertising your product will the greatest lasting effect on consumers.

If you are willing to take the risks and leap at opportunities to innovate with your brand, you will not only see an overall increase in generated interest and sales of your products, but you will also maintain a loyal consumer base that will provide a lifetime of support.

Whether you are interacting with your customers on a day-to-day basis on social media outlets like Twitter, or you are causing your customers to emotionally connect with your t.v. spot, you will find that your ads have the greatest potential when they engage your customers.

“Good design is good business.” Thomas J. Watson Jr.