How Brands are Winning Over Customers by Being Genuinely Authentic
The authentic arms race: A competitive route that can only be won by working with a branding agency to help position your messaging genuinely. You don’t need to run a branding agency to understand that consumers crave authenticity. Given that most of us are continually bombarded with advertising and marketing, it’s natural that we seek messages that connect on something deeper than a purely commercial level. Technology has exacerbated our impatience with inauthentic branding. We live in an age of Instagram filters, perfectly curated social media accounts, Photoshop, and even outright digital manipulation. In an environment where people are surrounded by the phony and the superficial, it’s little wonder that they desire something raw, real and unmediated. And that’s a desire that today’s savviest brands are trying to accommodate. Two tips for creating authentic connections We’ve established that people crave authenticity. So now let’s talk about two strategies that brands can execute to create messaging that resonates. 1. Be human when developing your brand voice For as long as consumer society has existed, its primary mode of communication has been a bland, neutered form of corporate-speak, designed to minimize the odds that someone, somewhere might take offense. Yet while this tone may not offend anyone, it’s also not going to challenge, engage or excite anyone, either. Time to take a risk! Too often small to mid-sized businesses adopt this generic brand voice out of insecurity — they mistakenly believe they will be perceived as “unprofessional” if they opt for something too colorful, lively, edgy, etc. The truth, however, is that people want to hear brands speak in human-sounding language. They want brands to interact with them the same way that people in their social networks do. This is partially because Twitter and other social platforms are absolutely overrun with bots. A recent Pew study showed that an astonishing 66% of shared links on Twitter were generated by bots, versus utilizing a branding agency. In order to be perceived as authentic, brands must speak in a recognizably human voice. They should also be familiar with the social conventions of the platforms on which they are communicating. Fast food companies are the masters of this kind of consumer marketing interaction. KFC, Burger King, Arby’s and other chains love to propagate clever memes on Twitter and poke sly fun at themselves. They are also highly adept at taking trending topics and relating it to their own brand — and people, of course, eat it up(no pun intended). 2. Standing up — and standing out — for a good cause Over the last year, we’ve seen several examples of brands creating an authentic connection with consumers by taking a public stand on social issues. Patagonia’s “The President Stole Your Land” was a fierce bit of advocacy marketing. It delivered a stinging indictment of a powerful figure couched in simple language. It was also deeply authentic and perfectly in line with Patagonia’s brand identity. Gillette’s famously polarizing “toxic masculinity” ad was a much larger gamble, as its message wasn’t guaranteed to resonate with much of the company’s customer base. Though it was criticized in some quarters, it was joyously received in others, while raising Gillette’s brand profile exponentially. Brands will often attempt to earn goodwill and position themselves as good citizens by offering general statements of support for various social causes or donating money. These gestures, though well-intentioned, are usually forgotten almost immediately. Not so with Patagonia and Gillette, who turned their social advocacy into a deeply felt, authentic message. Finding the right branding agency At BIGEYE, we help our clients create deeply authentic marketing messages, while also giving them the advanced technological tools they need for effective targeting and distribution. If you’d like to hear more about what an authentic marketing campaign can do for you, please reach out to us today.
Leverage Brand Messaging Services to Increase Email Subscriptions
People who are interested enough in your products or services to sign up to receive your emails are often just one small step from becoming customers (if they aren’t already). Consequently, the size of your email subscription list is a good measure of your marketing success. Is it the only measure? No… quality counts, too. But (email list) size does matter! How can you grow that list? One of the best ways is to take advantage of brand messaging services from an experienced agency to ensure you’re saying what prospects want to hear. Strategies for increasing your email subscriptions Use these seven proven brand messaging services tips to add depth to your email subscription list. 1. Be likable Sounds like something your grade school teacher would tell you, right? But it matters in business, too. With all the marketing chatter out there, people are much more likely to read something from a company whose messaging is friendly and appealing. 2. Keep it concise Consumers today have lots of demands on their time. The more quickly and concisely you can express yourself the better. Some companies think that as long as all the important stuff is in the first paragraph or two, it doesn’t matter how long an email is. This is not the case at all! Think about it… how often have you opened a marketing email, seen that it was multiple paragraphs of text, and immediately deleted it? (Lots of hands are going up on our side!) 3. Make the benefit of reading obvious Again, consumers don’t have a lot of time. The more quickly you get to the specifics of “why you should read this” part, the more likely they are to sign up. 4. Tease future emails In some cases, the information a prospect has received from you may not be of value to them. But, some of the topics you have planned for future emails will be. A “preview of coming attractions” may just be the nudge they need to add their name to your list. 5. Entice readers with subscriber-only benefits Whether it’s helpful information like white papers and case studies, or coupons for significant savings on products and services, consumers are more eager to share their contact information if there’s something in it for them. 6. Share “social proof” How have other subscribers benefitted from their email subscription? Sharing their stories can encourage people who are on the fence to sign up. 7. Create serial messaging If the material you want to share is too long for one email, spread it out over two or three emails. The desire to see the next installment is a great incentive for signing up. Just be clear at the start of each email that it is “1 of 3” for example. Not only do expert brand messaging services help you grow your email list, they help you communicate more effectively and more profitably with your audience in general. Contact our team today to get details on our full range of services, from digital to branding and more.
Color theory’s critical – but often hidden – role in marketing
If you haven’t thought deeply about the relationship between color and branding, a quick look around any retail environment will be an eye-opener. Consider the rich red tones used by Coca-Cola, the warm pink hues of Victoria’s Secret, or the bold green colors used by BP. Color theory within the context of advertising and marketing plays a key — but not always obvious — role in how consumers perceive and understand these brands. Before we begin to process a marketing message (whether through advertising or by viewing a simple logo), we first experience the color in which that message is embedded. How we relate to that particular color often sets the tone for everything that follows. Using color to connect with audiences Satyendra Singh, an academic researcher at the University of Winnipeg, published results from a study that showed two very interesting things. First, people make up their minds about brands or other people within 90 seconds of meeting them. Second, between 62 and 90-percent of this assessment is based on color. The choice of color plays an instrumental role in influencing moods and feelings — and ultimately attitudes. Given this importance, a strong grasp of color theory can help support marketing efforts by making messages more resonant and powerful. Choosing the appropriate primary colors, secondary colors and tertiary colors can also make messages much more readable and help with comprehension. By failing to grasp the importance of color, the effectiveness of messages can be significantly diminished. With that in mind, here are some key things to understand before choosing your own color schemes: If you’re looking to maximize conversions (and who isn’t?) choose bold and bright primary colors. Primary colors, such as blue and red, are those which can’t be created by the combination of other colors. Darker colors typically have lower conversion rates. Consider the benefits of blue. Look around at corporate marketing and branding and you’ll see that no color is as popular as blue. Facebook, IBM, American Express — the list of prominent firms that use blue is a long one. In fact, 51-percent of Fortune 500 logos contain some shade of blue. Choose simplicity over complexity. 82-percent of Fortune 500 firms use two or fewer colors in their logo. By keeping your color scheme simple, you encourage immediate brand identification (Coca-Cola and red, Facebook and blue, etc.). Red delivers a message of energy. Blue evokes feelings of trust and placidity. Green generates feelings of naturalness. Orange and purple are “fun” colors. Black suggests luxury. If you understand the specific feelings and mood each color evokes, you’ll be on your way toward successfully applying color theory in your advertising and marketing. Finding the right partner There’s no need to type “top Florida advertising agency” into a Google search; BIGEYE is right here and we’re ready to help. We’ve helped countless clients understand and apply the insights of color theory for their own benefit, and we’d be happy to do the same for you. By creating sophisticated and highly compelling content — and pairing it with an innovative and data-intensive approach to distribution — BIGEYE is able to deliver exceptional marketing ROI for all of its clients. Contact our team today and let’s spin the color wheel together.
Our most valuable customer service is: Brand naming
You have an amazing idea for a new app, you just got your first prototype back on a product design, you’re excited to hit the market and your customers are ready… ah, the excitement of a startup. There is an almost tangible, electric buzz in the air when a brand is ready to launch. And there are a million decisions to make between when you hatch an idea and when it hits the streets. The most important decision a business can make is brand naming. In the excitement of a launch, naming can either become an afterthought with too little strategy too late, or a gridlock of decision paralysis. That’s why it sometimes helps to call in a third-party point of view that can guide you through this process. Here are just a few of the things we encourage our clients to think about when it’s time to name their products and brand. Do Your Homework: As soon as you think you have a name that works, do a little research. When you put it into Google, what are the first search queries that populate? Are there social media hashtags, handles, or personalities associated with or similar to your proposed product name? What corresponding URLs exist? Your goal isn’t simply to ensure your brand name is free, but to evaluate any preexisting associations with words related to your budding business. As an example, in 2014 the frozen pizza company DiGiorno used the hashtag #WhyIStayed (presumably the pizza) in a product campaign. Only later did the organization find out that #WhyIStayed was hashtag often used by domestic abuse victims to share their stories. What was meant to be a lighthearted new product plug quickly became a public relations nightmare. Do your best to understand the ways in which your brand and product names can be interpreted before committing. You’ll thank yourself later. Tell Your Story: We are rolling our eyes just thinking about the number of startups that use obscure names and nonsensical words in their product and brand names. While this can be an effective way to infuse your company with a little mystery and marketing mystique (honestly, what does a fruit like a blackberry have anything to do with smart phones?), it isn’t a safe bet. You risk customers forgetting or misinterpreting your brand name, or seeming too obscure to matter. Your name is your customers’ first impression of you and should tell part of your brand story. When “ShoeSite” was founded in 1999, the owners knew they would need to come up with a better brand name to capture what they were selling – shoes. Can you guess what ShoeSite settled on? Zappos. Zappos plays off the Spanish word for shoes, zapatos, offering a playful way to explain what they do, while differentiating the brand from the competition. The brand name is straightforward, creative, but helps tell the Zappos story. In other words, it’s perfect. It sounds simple, until you try to do it yourself. Consistency is Key: No matter what you choose as your brand name, it should serve a keystone for all future releases and iterations. Whether you are versioning products, or releasing something entirely new, use your brand name as inspiration and an anchor for future decisions. For example, the Swedish furniture company IKEA has over 9,500 products, all of which have Scandanavian-inspired names paying tribute to the company’s roots (all the way in suburban America). While the Kivik, Karlstad, Klippan, and Vimle collections may not necessarily tell consumers what those brands look like, the underlying brand values of streamlined Nordic simplicity and price value echo within these categories. The company’s values are reinforced with each product iteration that adheres to these naming principles. Just think how out of place Restoration Hardware’s product categories would sound knowing their emphasis is on artisan craftsmanship and materials: Gramercy Metal, Weathered Oak, Printmakers Collection, to name a few. No matter how small these details may seem, your customers will subconsciously absorb them. Let us work with your brand to craft the perfect naming strategy or refine the brand and product structure you have today. Like we said – no detail is too small for your customers. Check out our website to learn more about our services and contact information.
Integrate transmedia storytelling into your brand story
Transmedia storytelling is a powerful tool that integrates marketing and entertainment across channels to deepen fans’ connections with the narrative. More simply put, transmedia storytelling helps bring entertainment to life. It uses a popular story – usually, a movie, television show, novel, or trend – and expands it from its channel of origin (e.g., television) into the mainstream world. For example, The Limited clothing brand released a line of Olivia Pope-inspired clothes based on the ABC hit drama Scandal’s main character. Blogs discussed what Kerry Washington’s character wore each week, “Gladiator” wannabes could dress like Miss Pope herself, and enthusiastic viewers could be part of the show in some small way … all while expanding the brand’s influence and revenue. The idea of transmedia storytelling isn’t new. Large franchises from the likes of Harry Potter to the NFL have harnessed the power of integrating media platforms with games, apps, websites, merchandise, and spinoffs that bring the magic of their brand into the real world. But one recent breakthrough has left them all in the dust. And your brand can’t afford to miss out. TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING AND AUGMENTED REALITY: In 2010, we hit a critical turning point in transmedia storytelling. DreamWorks Entertainment debuted the family-friendly fantasy How to Train Your Dragon around the same time that augmented reality (AR) was gaining some steam as a new technology platform. Augmented reality represents the marriage of technology with the real world. Think: Google Glass. At that time, DreamWorks released an augmented reality app in which fans could interact with dragons by using the camera on the phones. Sound familiar? It should if you’ve been following the Pokemon Go craze. In many ways, the How To Train Your Dragon app paved the way for augmented reality as a viable transmedia storytelling channel. While early AR adopters may have gone crazy for Google Glass and geo-based advertisements, the general population simply wasn’t ready for widespread applications of augmented reality. Just six years after DreamWorks’ first attempt to use AR as a transmedia storytelling vehicle, the public is finally ready. Nintendo’s stock has soared an unprecedented 90% thanks to the newest combo of transmedia storytelling and augmented reality. Enter, Pokemon Go. Pokemon started as an anime series and evolved – as transmedia storytelling does – into a card game, clothing lines, toys, and more. Pokemon Go takes it one step further by encouraging fans to search for Pokemon in the real world using the camera on their phones. See, we told you that DreamWorks app sounded familiar. The results for both the Pokemon brand and for local businesses alike are mind blowing (for more information about how local businesses can take advantage of the Pokemon Go craze, check out our Marketer’s Quick and Dirty Guide to Pokemon Go here). Your brand could be next. YOUR BRAND MEETS TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING: Whether your brand is telling a story or complementing a story, you have the opportunity to become part of a transmedia storytelling narrative; and with the rapidly increasing adoption of AR, this process has never been easier. To determine how to use transmedia storytelling to your advantage, ask yourself these simple questions: Is your brand part of a larger story or trend? If so, it’s time to start forging partnerships and taking note of where your customers are naturally discussing your story. If not, ask yourself: what types of stories does your brand align with? Tangible goods and hospitality brands may have an easier time answering this question, but even service-based brands are packed with potential. Our team of Orlando marketing agency experts is on call to help you brainstorm and build out an action plan. No matter where your brand falls, augmented reality can help you bridge a gap between your brand and the story you want to help tell. Learn how to best tell your story here.
3 Questions To Ask When Appealing to the Mom Market
Does your brand need to appeal to the all-powerful Mom Market? If so, ask yourself the following three questions to ensure your target audience chooses your brand over the competition: 1. Is Our Brand Memorable? Is It Easy to Find When You Look? A brand that is not memorable lacks staying power. Though the brand doesn’t necessarily need to be in mom’s face at all times, she does need exposure to the brand and needs ways to be able to find it when needed. In this era, being able to find the brand means that she can find it in the store, using Google, or on Amazon. [quote]Check out BIGEYE’s successful mom marketing strategies that brought The Daily Mom App to the Top 25 Downloads Position on iTunes. [/quote] The harder it is to instill this brand into one’s memory, the harder it will be for brands to generate loyalty in their targets. In order to help make the brand memorable, it’s essential to go to the platforms where moms are sharing information with one another in order to leave a lasting impression. 2. Is Our Brand Meaningful? Where is the Connection Point Between Our Product and Our Target’s Life? The greatest brands are the ones that make life better. Whether it’s enjoying a meal together at Olive Garden or walking through the mall in attention-getting Gucci shades, those brands that have positive impacts on the target’s lives are the ones that will succeed in creating preference. Without meaning, there’s no difference between buying Huggies and buying store brand diapers; but many moms are more apt to go for the Huggies because of their variety of facets, such as age-appropriate diapers, that help ease the frustrations of changing diapers. Huggies have made a connection point not only in their marketing, but also in their appeal to make women’s’ lives easier. 3. Is Our Brand Likable? What’s Great About Our Product? Why Do Existing Customers Like It? Brand marketers should work to ensure that their brands are in line with the desires of mothers. A brand with a tough edge can open up it’s market to the modern mom by softening up, portraying the brand as likeable and fun. The brand marketer should embellish the aspects of their products that make moms’ lives easier, more exciting and more fulfilled. Sometimes it’s not just about the product, but about the brand as a whole. A company that sells necessities for children can reach moms by bundling items such as diapers and baby wipes. Also, with new developments in big data, it’s easy to monitor what your users are saying about your products on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media outlets. Marketers can learn what existing customers prefer by region, income level and numerous other demographics. It’s easy to overlook small ideas, such as the recent insight that moms like shopping at Home Depot because it offers a sense of empowerment. Want to learn more about generating brand preference? Contact our team of strategists today to discuss strategies that appeal not only the mom market, but also a wide range of target audiences. Let’s get started!
