Written by Aimee DrysdaleTuesday, September 06, 2011
On March 8, 2011, the duo LMFAO posted “Party Rock Anthem’s” music video to its YouTube channel. It now has more than 191 million views. This speaks to how a contagious message can quickly spread and go viral through the use of online marketing and video.
The video starts out in an apocalyptic world where no one is around. After the singers put in Beats headphones by Dr. Dre (a great co-brand marketing tactic) and are told to “play along,” they quickly fit in with the robots, aliens and even a man dressed up as Jesus who all have the shuffling fever.
The song has become rapidly popular since it came out, and has been recently picked up by Kia Motors for a Kia’s Soul commercial, which features the three hamsters you may remember from last years Super Bowl commercials.
Any company can put out a message or an ad campaign, but without a holistic approach, which looks at both online and offline marketing, the company could very well be missing a big opportunity to see their brand grow exponentially.
Carolyn Kiser, one of my fellow co-workers, introduced me to the wonderful world of Pinterest.
Pinterest is one of my newest online addictions. If you are not familiar with this site, it is basically several online inspiration boards for whatever you want to keep track of. This easy-to-use, visually appealing site allows you to name your “boards” and “pin” websites that inspire you with ideas, favorite quotes, fashion, recipes, DIY projects and so on.
Here’s mine:
So why is Pinterest so great and what’s the big deal?
If you are a visual person like me, you know what I’m talking about. This site enables you to weed through all of the nonsense on the Internet and provides a way to see only the best of the best and choose what you want to track.
It is a great way to help make decisions, plan events and generate ideas. Of course, the iPhone app is pretty cool too!
Businesses and individuals alike should take an interest in Pinterest. In particular, if you are a retail business. If you have an online shopping cart or online products page on your website, you are able to put a “pin-it” button, which is a great way to promote buzz about your company and products. Pinterest also allows you to monitor what others are posting from your company site.
If you are interested in getting an invite to Pinterest or learning more about how to get others talking about your company, contact us and we will be happy to discuss this further.
What influence they have on a consumer is not always easy to determine without keeping in mind demographics and your product or service’s messages.
According to a marketing study from the University of Loyola, Maryland, color increases brand recognition by 80 percent! When developing brand identities for our clients, we always evaluate the use of color knowing how important it is in the success of a brand and its identification in a crowded marketplace.
As a reference, I have indicated basic color meanings below. Note, these are not rigid rules, just general associations to keep in mind:
Blue = depth, stability, trust, masculine, tranquility, security
Red = intensity, energy, war, danger, love, passion, strength, energetic, urgency
What are these fuzzy boxes of randomly sequenced black and white squares popping up all over the country, you ask?
Example of a text message QR Code
Example of a URL QR Code
They are called QR codes, or “quick response” codes. Essentially, QR codes are an alternate form of a barcode used to direct smartphones to a mobile website, product video, click-to-call number, or text message by using your device’s camera and a barcode scanner application.
And what’s great about these codes is that every smartphone operating system has access to free QR decoders -- and there are an endless number of free websites that have the ability to generate them.
QR codes are quickly beginning to register on the marketing radar and businesses are looking for the most creative way to use them to best promote their company. Here are a few places these complex little communication channels have recently been seen:
• Magazines
• Billboards
• Business cards
• In-store displays and windows
• Print ads
• Television broadcasting • Buses • Event tickets • Maps • Trade show materials • Direct mail campaigns • Coupons
Really, just about any printed surface the general public would need to get more information about a business or product can have a QR code. They are structured in a way that is readable from a 360-degree direction and work on both a small and large scale, leaving endless possibilities for concept development.
You can generate QR codes from a number of sites, but the one I have found particularly easy is Kaywa QR Code.
QR CODES IN 2011 Because QR codes are customizable, users are able to measure how many people are being targeted with a particular marketing piece, in turn allowing for easier calculation of ROI or “return on investment.”
Neilsen reported that by 2011 51% of all Americans will be carrying smartphones. Will QR codes be the future of advertising? With society gravitating toward online gaming and viral videos, it’s only natural that QR codes will enhance our mobile experience. If you are interested in learning more about how you can integrate QR Codes into your marketing strategy, be sure to give us a call.
I once heard someone say that people you are friends with on Facebook are the people you have once known personally, but don’t really have much in common with, and the people you follow on Twitter are those you don’t know personally but have a lot in common. How can you start interacting and making a connection on the Twittersphere? Many people are still unaware of the benefits of Twitter and how it can help a company or an individual engage with the public. Here are a few basic pointers on how to start doing this:
1. Hashtags # A great way to get in front of like-minded individuals is to put a #hashtag symbol before a keyword. If you use a hashtag in your tweet, and you have a public account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag can find your tweet. Anything can be made into a hashtag, but there a several common ones that can be found here. As a side note, the location you put a hashtag into your tweet is really up to you. Most people put them at the end of their tweet, but you can also integrate them inside the tweet. This is also a great way to find out what people are saying about your company or industry. 2. @ Replies or “Mentions” By using the @ symbol or #hashtag in front of a Twitter username to reply to someone or refer to their post, you are basically saying hey, @XYZTwitterUsername, I am paying attention to you! The user below prefaced his RT (which I will go into next) with a comment, which makes this a hybrid tweet. He both mentions @thebecheragency by making the comment “Hilarious!” and RT’s @thebecheragency’s post by saying RT before the username: In this post, user @WhitleyGaffney mention’s #thebecheragency by using a #hashtag. It is not as easy for the Twitter user to notice these posts, but it is still searchable. Best practice would be to use the @ symbol when mentioning @XYZTwitterUserName in your post. 3. RTs or “Re-Tweets” If someone posts something interesting on his or her wall, RT their post. This will share it on your wall and will appear to all of your followers. A standard RT does not include additional comments. 4. DM or “Direct Messages” A direct message is a private, off-the-record message that you can send your followers. Think of it as a short email. The only rules are that the user has to first follow you and the message has to be under 140 characters. One great way to use DMs is to send a short thank-you message to the user when they follow you, or to make connections with them outside of Twitter.
5. Follow Those Who Follow You Personally, if someone is trying to sell something, speaking in a different language, or is posting vulgar information, I will not follow them back. If for example you are a contractor and another local contractor follows you, follow them back! Twitter is a very powerful networking tool that could potentially lead to strong partnerships and friendships. By following your followers, you can not only monitor the competition, but also re-Tweet relevant information of local and national companies or individuals who are in similar industries.
6. Find and Follow Like-Minded Twitter Users This is crucial to learning more and engaging within your industry. The best site I have found for this is Twellow. It is very straightforward and allows you to add your username to certain categories. For example, @thebecheragency is listed under 5 categories:
Marketing + Advertising + Ad Agencies
Marketing + Advertising
Marketing
Marketing + Public Relations
Information Technology + Software Programming + Web Developer + Web Design
Social media is supposed to be fun! The more you do it, the more familiar it will become. It can seem like a lot if you are first starting out, but really becomes second nature when you dive in. Yes, social media is always changing, but please feel free to give me, or anyone at tba | PR + Advertising a call if you have any questions and if there is anything we can assist with.
Like many Americans, I am infuriated about what is being done to the animals and tourism in the Gulf of Mexico. I have several friends and family members in Florida and Louisiana, and have become sickened by what BP is saying and doing to try to help fix the mess. After seeing this video called “Gulf Oil Spill Birds – Don’t Let Kids Watch” it reminded me about the power of YouTube.
More and more, we are hearing about people getting their 5 seconds of fame by posting videos on YouTube. I naturally found it really funny when one of the most recent viral videos of a Brazilian baby dancing in his diaper titled “Bimbo Dancer,” made it on national news. This video was used to note Tony Hayward’s behavior during his recent testimony to Congress:
BP published a TV spot in early June to try and fix the issue it created. Regardless of the messaging set forth, its actions so far do not reflect what the company said it would do.
BP’sactions have only led to more and more anger and mockery, such as this video below titled “BP Spills Coffee.” I think they had this one coming.
YouTube is not only a medium for people to vent their frustration but also a medium for resourceful, newsworthy information of what is truly happening. In the video below, Mike Ellis, a boat captain in Louisiana, notes his negative experience with BP while assisting with rescuing endangered sea turtles from the spill.
The media have changed. It is unnerving, but regardless, people’s actions are transparent, and anything said or done has a strong likelihood of being posted online or made into a spoof. Watch out BP, and anyone else out there doing something they are afraid of others finding out about. YouTube is advertising you! And your reputation might never be the same again.
Written by Aimee DrysdaleMonday, February 15, 2010
In the creative industry, inspiration can come from anywhere and at anytime. With creative juices constantly flowing, we decided we needed a place to capture ideas, interesting news, articles, ads, and notes. tba needed an “inspiration board!” What started so simple an idea, ended up being quite a team effort. Read on for some inspiration.
MATERIAL CHOICE | STRATEGY
After doing a lot of research on large bulletin boards, magnetic boards, cork boards, blogs, etc. I came across this post by Shiso Mama and this one by Martha Stewart. We decided that by using a recycled material and painting the board we would be able to help the environment and get exactly what we wanted at the same time. So Homosote it was! I called Lowes, Home Depot, and every other local hardware spot in between and the majority of the people I spoke with responded with confusion and comments like, “Homo-what!” Finally, 84 Lumber in Pearisburg, VA, who has great customer service, by the way, said they would be able to get a 4’ x 8’ board shipped to the Salem, VA store in two days! I was there by noon that day to pick it up. On my way back from 84 Lumber in Salem, VA with the Homasote board in tow
Thomas and Chris helping to carry in the board from Carolyn’s Explorer Chris and Thomas unloading and carrying in the board Christina admiring the board before it got painted
DESIGN | STRATEGY
We really wanted the board to be simple and not take away from the pieces we hung on it, so we decided to paint it white and use yellow and red stripes to match our space. Luckily we had a few old cans of wall paint that Lowe’s kindly shook up for us. I applied two coats of primer and two coats of white. Then Christina and I adhered painter’s tape, to make sure the lines were perfect! For the stripes I put down two coats of tba red, and two coats of tba yellow. Ariel and Carolyn then had a lot of fun removing the tape. And we were finished…or so we thought.
Ariel and Carolyn removing the painters tape! After several days of painting and clean up, I began the detail work
HANGING | CREATIVITY
After painting, we ran into the issue of hanging the board on a wall that had no studs or support! Lowe’s in Christiansburg, VA had a solution. They suggested we use ¼ inch Steelworks Systems Toggle Bolts (and we ended up using all eight!) Thomas, Chris, Ariel, Dave, Christina, Sonja & I made sure the board was hung properly and aligned on the wall. We all contributed to make sure the inspiration board was a success (and not a liability). This was a true team effort!
Thomas helping screw the board into the wall Carolyn and Ariel making sure everything is straight The inspiration board up and painted!
PURE INSPIRATION | RESULTS
Since the board was hung, there have been several posts from our employees, both internal success stories and work from outside inspiration.
From this day forward we will be able to share and contribute our ideas and success stories. We hope that you will do the same and tell us about it!
