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by Ed Weiss
I may have said this before but it’s worth repeating; branding is a process and not a quick fix. Its strength is that it provides a solid foundation for a company and its image. It assures, among other things, that there will be consistency in messaging. Provided that the branding concept is good, the repetitive brand message will hammer home the strength of the company.
Here’s an example: There is little doubt that BMW knows how to sell its products. It has a long history of telling a great story about their cars. BMW has had multiple ad agencies throughout its history. One thing you can imagine is that when a new agency is hired they want to change things. They are likely to assume that if a client changed agencies, they wanted something new and different. That is probably true. However, there is one thing that BMW never wants to change and that is its brand message. “The Ultimate Driving Machine®” has remained its brand essence over many decades. So the message from BMW to its new agency is, change what you think needs changing but never monkey with our brand’s foundation. Read the rest of this entry »
By now you’ve heard of Pinterest. I’ll even bet that you’ve probably seen stories about why your brand needs to be on Pinterest. You may even be annoyed by all of the Pinterest articles, because I know I am. But this is not just another blog post on why you need to be on Pinterest, or a hot list of brands using Pinterest well. Nope. I’m going to share a concept around the interest graph – the backbone of almost all bookmarking and visual social sites.
THE SOCIAL GRAPH
Courtesy of facebook
Many social media sites have some sort of graph identifying various characteristics of each user. Facebook uses the “Social Graph” where individuals are connected based on social characteristics – friends, colleagues, family, live near each other, grew up together, are regulars at the corner bar, met at a networking event, etc. On Facebook, our behavior is very social, too. We tag ourselves and friends in photos, we share videos of the kids doing silly things, we share cool news stories and start conversations around hot topics, and more. We are connected to each other through social identifiers. Read the rest of this entry »
by Meghan Ray Virro
Most of us feel like there is barely enough time in the day to get three things checked off the to do list, much less devote time and energy to individual creative thinking or “dabble time.” Given multiple demands on our time, energy and personal bandwidth, how can we make the case that it’s a good return on the investment of time? Scheduling some dabble time will help spark your creative process, give you new insights into your own business, help you innovate and encourage fun!
I learned the true value of dabble time in business school in a new product development (NPD) class. From day one our assumptions about creativity, brainstorming and innovation were consistently challenged. I left every class energized, invigorated and a little sad it was over. Most of my colleagues felt the same way because we were dreaming of the freedom to dabble and learn about anything we wanted while we were on the clock. Read the rest of this entry »
by Luke Harlan
The most inexpensive and underutilized resource available to every business is one’s own ability to effectively communicate to those they interact with everyday to either begin new relationships , strengthen existing ones and/or continue to nurture and develop the trust that will lead to increased opportunities for success. We have this opportunity in all aspects of our lives but none as highly focused and available than that in a planned networking event itself.
However, the biggest issue with “networking” that repels people is not in the event itself, but in how they perceive those who attend. Most importantly, it is the misconception of how they believe one is supposed to interact which is often the polar opposite of what it really takes to actually create the right opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »
By now you’ve heard the news about Facebook Timeline for brand pages. You’ve probably read a few blog posts about the changes and have observed how all of the cool kids are using Timeline for their brands. I’m bringing you a big daddy post about Timeline, what you really need to know, and throwing in some resources that you may have missed.
Why the big deal?
As a client of Facebook, I have been super excited about the new Timeline changes. In fact, I was so excited that they invited me to their offices in Austin, TX while I was at SXSW. (Okay, so the invite came before Timeline was released, but still…and yes, I signed the “Wall!”) I couldn’t stop smiling while at their offices, chatting it up with Facebook product managers, engineers, sales and marketing folks, and others. All about the new Timeline possibilities. Oh, and I’m pretty sure that everyone on my floor at the office could hear me oohing and ahhing during Facebook’s first ever Facebook for Marketers Conference (fMC). Seriously, I love the new changes!
Here’s why:
• The timeline allows brands to tell a much larger story about their brand through content, photos, videos, milestones, and more. Think of Facebook as the new history book. Read the rest of this entry »
by Arsham Mirshah
Promotional products are unparalleled in their ability to attract new clients, increase brand awareness and ultimately grow your business.
We’ve all heard that phrase “you have to spend money to make money” haven’t we? But what, exactly, are we supposed to be spending our money on?
I’ll tell you what.. Promotional Products!
They are a proven, cost effective way of marketing your company to an extremely large audience while doing minimal work. Sounds efficient, does it not?
If you’re new to the idea of promotional products, I understand that you might be hesitant. Despite any fears you may have, I strongly urge you to continue reading and discover just what quality promotional items can do for your company. Read the rest of this entry »
Do you feel that you’re benefiting from your involvement with AMA Baltimore? To be completely honest, it’s difficult to maximize your membership if you’re not aware of all the wonderful member’s only resources. Well, don’t worry – as VP of Membership, entering my third year in this role, I’m more than willing to share some of the valuable benefits which you can access. But, don’t just take my word, hear it from other members in our AMA Baltimore Testimonials Video Series.
Below are ten different ways that you can start maximizing your membership today! Read the rest of this entry »
Photo courtesy: microsoft.com
I posted an article on my Facebook Fan Page about how you can now opt out of receiving the yellow pages. I don’t know about you but as soon as I get mine they go straight to the recycle bin. What this says to me is the yellow pages as we know it is on its way out. With that said, now more importantly than ever, if you truly have a business (not a hobby) and want to be found you should have a website.
Your website is the hub for all your business online as well as some offline activity. For some strange reason we forget to promote our website address everywhere possible. Here are seven simple places to promote your website you may have forgotten about: Read the rest of this entry »
by Nigel Assam
Watching a recent ad by Porsche, I could not help but think that the car company that once carried the cache of exclusivity is in danger of losing its way, speeding off into the pedestrian.
The ad’s tagline, “Engineered for Magic. Everyday” begins with the image of a mother brushing snow off of her red Porsche, then snapshots to a baby in the car, before being driven off down the suburban street, with the tag “SNOWMOBILE” above it.
This is followed by a middle-aged man walking to his silver Cayman with bags of what is probably soil or gravel from a hardware store, who then drops them into the trunk, and the tag “PICKUP TRUCK” hangs above it as he enters his car. Read the rest of this entry »
by Steve Markenson
A few months ago, on my way back up the driveway from wheeling out the blue recycling bins to the curb, the question occurred to me, “What does it mean to be a green consumer these days?” Doesn’t nearly everyone recycle aluminum, plastic, glass, and paper? I also thought about my county’s about-to-be-implemented five cent plastic and paper bag tax and the impact that would have on my behavior and that of my fellow county residents. This raised the question, who is most responsible for protecting the environment—corporations, the government, or perhaps—me?
Fortunately, I was able to help get some answers by leveraging the resources at WB&A Market Research. We surveyed consumers in the Baltimore and Washington, DC markets on their green attitudes and behaviors across a range of topics. I shared the findings of the study and explored the implications in my January 11 webinar. Let me highlight the findings that should be of interest to you. Read the rest of this entry »
marcidevries
Dov Hoffman
Amy Garland
Jennifer Glass
Megan Campbell
Katie Roberts
