Keep running.

When I was in high school I ran track – the 800 to be more specific.  I wasn't the best but I was consistently okay.  And by consistently, I mean I ran the 800 in two minutes and forty-four seconds five races in a row. 

I trained hard.  I did every work out that my coach gave me and I gave each one my all.  When spring break rolled around, I headed to Florida with my girlfriends with a list of workouts from my coach in my suitcase.  I got up each morning and ran while my friends were all still asleep.

When I returned from spring break, I was sure that I would start knocking the time off but instead I ran the 800 in two minutes and forty-four seconds, again!  I was frustrated but instead of giving up, I kept running and kept training.

I hit the start line for my last race of the season with more butterflies in my stomach than ever and I crossed the finish line feeling like I left everything I had on the track.  As I walked toward my coach, I could hear him yelling “two forty-four” which stopped me in my track.   To my surprise, what he was yelling at me was not two minutes and forty-four seconds but rather two minutes and forty POINT four seconds. 

So, what does this triumphant story have to do with marketing?  Well, maybe it has more to do with all careers.  We all inevitably go through 2:44 ruts but it’s the people who can persevere through this that eventually achieve success.  And it doesn’t hurt that all the training makes the 2:40.4 feel that much better!

QR Codes

I have been struggling lately with all of the discussion regarding marketing and its newest tool - QR Codes.  I have to admit that I'm a fan and use them regularly when building campaigns for clients (And, I admit, my husband stopped me from including one on our Christmas card to increase my personal blog's traffic!).  All the same, I can't help but wonder if our audiences "get" and appreciate them.

What do you think?  Do you scan them?  Use them to get more information quickly?

Macy's has been using them well and extensively but is it working?

Husband said no to the Christmas card but maybe he'll go for wrapping paper?

Care to Tangerine Tango?

Last year color master, Pantone, introduced Honeysuckle as a way to brighten business' blues when they chose the shade as the color of the year.  And this year they are asking us to Tangerine Tango with them in an effort to boost energy, recharge and move forward.

Always an orange lover, I'm excited to use the color in designs and find the color of the year invigorating.

What do you think?

Favorite Logos.

Here is a small collection of some logos that I've come across recently that I love.  I didn't do any of these but I sure wish I had!
Enjoy!

Mayhem.

Sometimes companies just hit the nail on the head with their marketing.  I pay extra close attention to the insurance industry and I've come to adore "Mayhem." 

The campaign is relatable.  We've all been there - cursing the teenager with the cell phone, cursing our GPS for taking us on unforgiving routes or cursing the tough winter building on our roof -  so we smile and nod our heads knowingly. 

What Allstate has done even better is merge their campaigns to create an answer to the Mayhem by maintaining their relationship with Dennis Haysbert - the ever soothing voice that reminds us that we are in "good hands."

Creating a Brand Identity.

It seems that a lot of projects lately  have been focused on creating a brand identity.

First step?  Let's define what we mean by "brand identity."
Definitions vary but I subscribe to the below:
A brand identity is all the visual elements of a business (name, logo, symbol, colors, fonts, etc.) that together identify and distinguish a brand in a consumers’ mind.

We've all got our favorites, right?

Next Step?  Define your business name and logo.
Often businesses draw from a notable type-face, a specific color or an elaborate icon to determine their logo and even more often companies combine all the above elements to help them define themselves.  For small businesses {and we all start out small, right?} it's often important to develop a tag-line that helps define what you do best. 

Final Stages of Development.
After your logo is designed and tagline is created, your brand has a solid foundation on which to build from.

To be sure that your visual concepts remain consistent, I recommend developing a simple Brand Style Guide for your reference.  Your graphic design or ad agency can help with this as well.  Some important elements to include: 

• Logo versions. How you intend to use your logo in both horizontal and vertical settings.
• Color palette. Be specific. List the Pantone and CMYK numbers.
• Fonts. List font names.

Even more important than developing your Brand Style Guide is communicating its contents to anyone interacting with your brand on a regular basis; employees, consultants, web-developers, etc.

Remember that often times your brand is the first impression you have on clients, prospects and centers of influence.  If you create a lasting impression, you've created a powerful business strategy.

Imported from Detroit.

The best ad from the Superbowl was great because it wasn't an ad at all.  Today's marketing is about interacting with consumers and this "ad" did just that - while utilizing traditional media.  The ad spoke to the emotion in all of us.  The ad assured us that we can come back from the tough few years that we, as a nation, have experienced.  Chrysler spoke to us honestly and with pride.  They used a "tough town" to represent a "tough nation."