How to Make a Logo That’s Worth $211 Million for Your Brand
When thinking about how to make a logo that actually works, one of the most obvious answers is to take notes from the pros. The most expensive logo created in the last decade was gasoline giant British Petroleum’s – also known as BP – logo refresh in 2008. The company partnered with a marketing agency (read: paid them $211 million) to create a new logo in a highly saturated, mature market. The goal was to design something that symbolized the potential of gasoline, BP’s emphasis on green technology, and that helped them stand out from their major competitors such as Exxon and Chevron. The results transformed BP’s traditional green and yellow shield into a starburst, with an updated modern font. Seems simple, right? So why was this fresh design worth $211 million, and how can you make a logo that charges your brand with the same effect? We’re glad you asked. Why are logos worth so much to your organization? BP isn’t the only company that has invested heavily in logo design. Up and coming organizations or companies trying to refresh their image, such as Pepsi or Accenture, have been known to spend over a million dollars on logo designs as well. Yet, some of the most well known logos, such as Google and Twitter, were designed for less than $15. So, do you need to spend a million to make a million from your logo? We’re going to let you in on a secret: the answer is no. Highly recognizable companies such as Coca-Cola and Nike went through the same logo design process that we recommend to our clients, and now include their logos on their accounting financial statements as “goodwill” assets that are routinely represented in the billions – that’s a b – of dollars because they are so valuable. The trick is realizing that it isn’t how much you spend on a logo, but how effective it is and how well it complements your brand, that makes a logo valuable. Logos are, quite literally, the face of your company, so they become your most valuable hook when catching your customers’ eyes. BP, Coca-Cola, Google, and Twitter all have easily identifiable logos — so recognizable, in fact, that many consumers can identify these brands with simply their colors alone. If you ask your local Orlando marketing agency representatives how to design a logo that is worth millions, the answer is simply to make sure it’s something people will remember. Logos become an asset to your brand when they trigger continuous, top of mind cognizance about your product or are so recognizable in your category that your customers always think of you before your competition. How to make a logo that works for your brand. There is no exact “How to Make a Logo That Works” guide (although we wish there was), but there are a few tried and tested rules that can guide your logo design toward success. Taking a page out of Google’s playbook: logo creation doesn’t need to be expensive, but it does need to be effective, which is why we recommend partnering with a local Orlando marketing agency to craft something that will speak to your target audience and adhere to design best practices. 1. Avoid cliches: We know it can be tempting to use that ultra trendy free font you keep seeing around town, or purchase stock images from the web for your logo because they’re “in” right now, but don’t. Choose a symbol, an image, or font type that is uniquely you. If you are able to find the main image for your logo on Google, your customers will be able to find it too. Certain imagery – such as the infinity symbol, foliage, clasped hands, and globes – may seem like they speak to your brand in a meaningful way, but are so common and overused in the general marketplace that your logo has no chance of hitting that $211 million mark. 2. Typography can be a logo: Also realize that sometimes a picture isn’t worth a thousand words. We don’t say this often, but you don’t always need an image for your logo. Custom fonts and artistic lettering can be a logo in and of itself. If you’re unsure how to make a logo that will resonate with your customers, the best place to start is often your company name. A marketing agency can help mock up a variety of lettering treatments that capture the tone and vibe of your brand. A clean, text-based logo will help your customers focus on who you are or the services you offer without leaning on cliche images or rolling the dice with abstract artwork a la Nike’s signature swoosh. 3. Keep it simple: The most important thing you can do when creating a logo is to keep it simple. Once you create a design, do the “three second test.” Show your logo to a few friends or colleagues for three seconds, then ask them what they remember about the logo and how it makes them feel. If your logo is too complicated, they may have trouble answering that question clearly, so use their responses to guide any tweaks, simplification, or updates to your design. Color, type face, and images all play a part in crafting the perfect first impression, so don’t be afraid to try a few variations until you discover what works. No matter what image or font you choose to represent your company, your logo should be something you love. Remember, your logo often serves as the cornerstone of your brand and can be the starting point for your brand and design guidelines or creative expression. It is a jumping off point for your other marketing initiatives, so don’t rush this critical part of the brand building process. Working with client partners like you has helped us learn how to make a logo that works. Learn more about our clients and past experiences building a brand around innovative logo design. Will
How a Motion Graphics Company Can Bring Your Brand to Life
Learn how a motion graphics company can help your business improve brand recognition, engage a target audience, and attract more customers. Motion graphics refers to the synergistic application of concepts from both graphic design and animation. This kind of content gives businesses a great way to simplify concepts, enforce their brand identity, and engage audiences. Find out how working with a motion graphics company can help any business tell its story better. Why do motion graphics work? Most people refer to motion design as a type of animation. In today’s competitive marketing environment, people get bombarded by so much information that companies can have a tough time engaging and communicating with their audience with just text, static images, or even more traditional video. As a kind of animation, motion graphics can incorporate moving or still graphics, sound, and text. Most of all, they can rapidly generate a submersive storyline, which can take on the feel of a documentary, lesson, comedy, or even a video game. They can entertain, explain, and educate — and sometimes do all three. According to OpenGeeksLab, working with a video animation services company can provide a business with many marketing benefits: Audience recall: Motion graphics make it easier to recall statistics, complex ideas, and even emotions. Studies have demonstrated that people can remember 95 percent of the information presented in a video but only about 10 percent of what they read in text. Engagement: People spend more time on pages with videos than pages with only text and/or graphics. Again, motion graphics aren’t just good marketing — they’re actually good. Brand enhancement: Good motion graphic design will incorporate both visual and textual elements of a company’s brand image. For instance, the content might incorporate the brand’s logo, mission, and personality. Viral potential: Social media users have proven more inclined to share videos than only graphics or text. They’re also more likely to comment or hit the like button. Motion graphics give businesses a chance to expand their reach. SEO value: Web pages with video and text have a greater chance to hit the first page in Google and other search engines. This can attract more organic traffic and improve brand recognition. Good ROI: Animation drives traffic three times better than other kinds of content. For the benefits they can enjoy, most businesses find working with a corporate video production company cost effective. A motion graphics company can also provide a good ROI because they’re generally open to repurposing. For instance, animation production companies may produce one longer video for a website. After that, they can also cut parts of the product into quick, 30-second promos for social media or pull out static images for infographics. This kind of content stacking can help make efficient use of marketing budgets. Examples of good motion graphics design As with most visual mediums, people generally have an easier time understanding high-quality work by seeing examples than by reading explanations. Look at a couple of effective motion graphics videos that can help illustrate the potential of this medium. Anatomy of a Computer Virus: A dangerous virus threatened public services and society at large. Created for a TV show, this motion graphics video explained a very complex topic in a very digestible and interesting way. It distilled the work of a team of experts into an engaging presentation that average people can understand. Varpet: Varpet used motion graphics to create an explainer video that also served as marketing content. In just about one minute, the good-humored motion graphics explained exactly why somebody would need the company’s mobile app, its benefits over other solutions, and the couple of simple steps required to use it. How to find the right motion graphics company As with any other type of content producers, good animation production companies should post examples of their video animation services. Find out if their style looks like a fit for the company culture. Just as important, make certain they want to devote the time to learn about your business, brand image, and goals. While the best motion graphics can stand on their own merits as good content, they also need to reflect your company’s mission and overall message.
What Your Retail Packaging Design Says About Your Brand
Retail packaging design sets expectations and even evokes emotions. Learn how to create a good first impression and making the unboxing experience special. Marketers know that consumers often will judge books by their covers. Of course, it’s not just books but the retail packaging design for almost any kind of product. Colors, shapes, and other design elements do more than make a first impression. They might even impact the customer’s psychological state. Even beyond any words on the box, you can utilize your packaging to tell shoppers a lot about your brand. That’s why many businesses go so far as to hire an experienced packaging design agency to design custom product packaging that will help them stand out among their competition. What to consider for custom product packaging design Direct Packaging Solutions, one packaging design agency, touched upon two ways that package design can affect the customer experience: First impressions: Consumer research has found that packaging can change customer expectations for a product. As an example, MacBook has a reputation for having one of the top package designs on Amazon and other online venues. Owners mentioned how much they appreciated the way their Apple packaging displayed and protected their laptops and accessories. They enjoyed the unboxing process and liked the box so much that they didn’t want to discard it. Emotions: Several aspects of the packaging can actually evoke specific emotions. For instance, many food brands use red because it can stimulate appetite, and yellow tends to communicate happiness and competence. Even shape might matter. As an example, one beer company developed a bottle with a thicker neck and more angular shape to look more masculine and appeal to men. Of course, you can also use your consistent style of packaging to reinforce your brand. When people think of Tiffany, they tend to visualize the blue boxes. Likewise, it’s hard to think of Coca-Cola without picturing the iconic red can. Packaging can also communicate something about your company’s purpose. For instance today’s customers like to see recyclable or reusable packaging. Amazon should know quite a bit about packaging, and they have gone out of their way to promote their program to reduce packaging waste. Tips for top packaging design on Amazon and other eCommerce sites For selling online, you need to make certain that your package doesn’t just look good in person. A full-sized and thumbnail photo also has to entice clicks. For that, you need clean, clear, and uncluttered graphics and fonts. Even so, it helps to give your packaging a unique, distinctive look to attract attention. You might even use your packaging to solve a problem and make your product more functional. For instance, what could be a better example of a common packaged good than ketchup? Heinz got a lot of press for coming up with the genius idea of giving their bottles a wide top, so they could be packaged and stored upside-down. For years, customers had complained that they had to struggle to get the last bit of ketchup out of the bottle, and the new design used gravity to solve a 150-year-old problem. According to CNN, they increased sales by six percent in a year when their overall industry only rose by two percent. Businesses can profit by making their customer’s lives easier, and sometimes, packaging can help. How to start designing outstanding packages As with any aspect of marketing, you should understand your target market. For instance, CBD packaging might reflect health and nature, but boxes for luxury goods should communicate a sense of indulgence and style. Experienced product packaging companies can make certain your packaging reflects well on your company in both appearance and function.
How Ben & Jerry’s Flipped the Lid on Content Marketing Strategy
Ben & Jerry’s content marketing strategy involves bold flavors and social activism to maintain a positive brand and reputation. From their fanciful flavor names to the way that they embrace political activism, any experienced content marketing agency should understand that Ben & Jerry’s provides a good example of a successful brand that does things a little differently. For example, most agencies will usually advise conducting market research as the very first step in developing a content marketing strategy. In contrast, Ben & Jerry’s current CEO, Matthew McCarthy said that conducting too much market research can lead to mediocrity. Find out how this beloved brand has retained its market position by delivering what customers want without trying to spend to much time upfront attempting to even predict what that is. What’s Different About Ben & Jerry’s Content Marketing Strategy? Instead of creating a perception of maintaining just another high-quality ice cream brand, Ben & Jerry’s continues to generate a positive brand perception by working to disrupt their market and revolutionize society through their content marketing strategy. Maintaining Their Reputation as a Disputer So how can the CEO of Ben and Jerry’s say that too much research, a staple of most content marketing plans, can lead to mediocrity? McCarthy told Marketing Week that he spent years working for Unilever and for much of that career, they relied upon consumers to tell them exactly what they wanted. Of course, he agrees that this kind of research still provides an incredibly useful tool. However, he’s learned that it’s impossible to please everybody and by trying, it can lead to not actually pleasing anybody that well. If you ask a random group of people to choose their favorite ice cream, a lot of them might settle upon chocolate, vanilla, or maybe, strawberry. Instead, Ben & Jerry’s has stood out by coming up with interesting and memorable concoctions that may or may not rely upon the old standby flavors as part of the mix. Instead, they begin by having product development teams work with their flavor gurus, also known as professional chefs. After they’ve developed new flavors, they may test them by either sending them directly to market or by inviting small groups of Ben Jerry’s fans to try a scoop. And he believes this practice continues to help them grow and maintain a reputation as a market disrupter, even though they’re an established brand that’s been around for over four decades and has a presence in at least 35 countries. So, when Ben & Jerry’s introduces such brands as Phish Food, Cherry Garcia, and Americone Dream, everybody wants to find out what the buzz is all about. It doesn’t hurt that they’ve associated at least some of their flavors with celebrities. They can also glide a bit on not just their own media presence but also that of the people or concepts they honor and support with their delicious pints. How Ben & Jerry’s Maintains Their Activist Image Ben & Jerry’s dedicated one of the most popular flavors, Americone Dream, to Stephen Colbert. Not only that, a portion of profits also goes to some of Stephen Colbert’s favorite charities. Not only should an inbound marketing agency consider this an example of genius marketing, they should also take note that the favor’s really good. Who wouldn’t like a fudge-covered pieces of waffle cones and caramel swirls drenched in a high-quality vanilla base? Plus, each pint helps such worthy causes as the environment, veterans, and disadvantaged children. Just mentioning it here will probably move a few more pints off the shelf. Don’t forget to try the Chunky Money while you’re at it. Besides sales, the extra attention has generated plenty of positive press from news agencies, supported charities, and of course, Colbert himself. Ben and Jerry’s recent statement on white supremacy should not have surprised anybody who has followed a company that already introduced flavors like Pecan Resist and Justice Remix’d. Not only did their statement help them solidly their serious stance as a brand with a purpose, it also helped them align with activist movements. What’s Activism Got to do with Ice Cream and Content Marketing? When asked by Marketing Dive what activism has to do with ice cream, the CEO said, “Not a lot. Except we care about it, and our team cares.” Judging by the extra positive mentions that Ben & Jerry’s has received by blogs, news sites, and even activist organizations, it looks like their customers care too.
Let Goat Yoga Enlighten Your Viral Content Strategy
Goat yoga videos went viral through engaging content and good promotion. Add viral content to your social media marketing strategy. It’s been the butt of jokes, pun intended. People who have never seen it always ask if it’s even real. Comedians on late-night TV make fun of it. Still, goat yoga has turned into a serious business, mostly because of a successful content media strategy. No content marketing agency or forgive me, guru, can give you the exact formula to guarantee a viral content marketing strategy. Still, it’s easy to pick out what viewers found engaging and sharable when they viewed goat yoga videos online. Can goat yoga teach you how to get a video viral? That’s My Idea! Marketing, a local content marketing agency for a goat yoga location, offered a very transparent glimpse into their social media strategy. Like any good marketers, they defined their target market. They decided taking yoga classes in a field with cute, little goats would appeal to the most to females who were at least 25 years old. Once they had their target, they promoted videos of the activity on Facebook. Of course, by then, lots of people had already heard of goat yoga, so their job may have been a bit easier. According to CNBC, the original founder of Original Goat Yoga actually started gaining attention through a story and photos in Modern Farmer. The videos arrived somewhat later. She made a solid six-figures her first year just from viral media attention. During that time, images and videos of goats and yoga students in action spread fast. For her, the business grew so quickly that gaining attention was the least of her problems. Instead, she needed to abruptly leave her full-time job and struggle to get the infrastructure in place to support all the people who wanted to attend classes. During that first year, her expenses kept up with spiking revenues because she had never planned to grow so fast. At least from a marketing perspective, it was a job well done. Later, she managed to develop revenue and funding sources to make the rest of her business as successful as her marketing. The ingredients of the goat yoga viral content strategy While the exact formula might not work for every business, it’s easy to spot the qualities of the photos and videos of goat yoga classes that engaged viewers: They’re fun, interesting, and effective: People have a natural attraction to cute animals, and these dwarf goats are as photogenic as kittens. People also have an interest in yoga. While neither goats nor yoga are new ideas, combining them was novel. Like peanut butter and chocolate, putting goats and yoga together produced magic. It’s like the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups of exercise and animal videos. People who have tried the classes in person say that having the goats hop about is surprisingly calming. They’re visually appealing and engaging and very sharable: The goats snuggle, prance, and sometimes, even hop up on the yoga students while they’re holding their poses. While the videos are actually fairly simple and easy to understand, the unpredictable nature of the animals generates countless possibilities. The combination of visual appeal and simplicity makes this kind of content very sharable, and that’s a key ingredient for viral content. They evoke positive emotions: Goat yoga doesn’t just connect with its audience. It also helps connect the audience to nature and animals. This sort of content almost immediately evokes a sense of joy, makes people laugh, and relieves stress. These days, it’s easy to get bombarded with bad news and negative emotions, so the goat yoga videos offer a pleasant refuge. What can goat yoga teach a content marketing agency or business about viral videos? Neil Patel, the internet marketing guru, published some simple characteristics that he believes every viral video needs. As you explore his suggestions, you can see how goat yoga videos provide a great example: Rapid engagement: To get attention on a busy video site or social platform, videos need to gain attention quickly. Novelty: If you’re advertising a type of yoga class or a toaster, you should stand out by doing something different. Think about the example of advertising a blender by finding out if it could blend a cell phone or tablet. Decent quality: These days, you should pay some attention to production values. That’s true even if you can’t yet afford professional equipment or producers. Even if the videos aren’t perfect, they still need to be good enough. Practicality: This might appear almost counter-intuitive when you’re talking about producing novel content; however, videos that offer accessible solutions tend to garner the most views. Promotable: Even the most sharable videos need to gain that initial audience, so have a plan to distribute and promote the videos in order to help them gain momentum. If you read more about the early days of goat yoga, you will learn that the founder hit upon a fantastic idea, promoted it, and then let her audience find her. She honestly never expected it to gain momentum as quickly as it did. If you’re setting out to develop viral content, you should first define your target audience and research the types of content that have a good chance of appealing to them. Original Goat Yoga first distributed to Modern Farmer. You may want to spend time figuring out the sorts of platforms and publications that your audience might frequent in order to create your distribution and social media strategy. Even though viral content relies upon having the audience share it, you first need to develop that audience. Even the most successful marketers will admit that they need art, science, and some luck to produce viral video content. By neglecting the important characteristics of a viral content strategy, you’ll greatly reduce your chances. Still, by studying past successes, you can craft and distribute content in a way that will greatly improve your odds, so you won’t need to rely upon luck
Raise Your Instagram Strategy Game With Experiential Sets
Adding experiential experiences to your content marketing strategy can help grow and engage your audience online and offline. Instagram, the popular photo and video site, will celebrate its 10th birthday in 2020. According to Sprout Social, just about a billion people use Instagram regularly, with about sixty percent of these users logging in at least once a day. While Instagram isn’t the largest social site, it is remarkable for the sort of famously Instagrammable experiences that its devoted audience has come to expect from content providers. As a marketer or content marketing agency, learn one way that you can tailor your Instagram strategy to include such an experience. Developing an Instagram strategy around experiential set design Many kinds of businesses have used Instagram as part of their effective content marketing strategy. Lots of other businesses even owe their starts to this unique social platform. As an important example, Instagram has even birthed an entire cottage industry of off-line sets that creative people develop just to generate the perfect backdrop for Instagrammable experiences. Lately, these typically colorful and well-designed places have been called experiential sets. Fast Company referred to them as a sort of Disneyland for the selfie set, designed to appeal to short attention spans and a be-seen culture. Besides typically charging an admission fee, they also generally have sponsored rooms or galleries. What is experiential set design? To understand experiential set designs, it helps to consider some examples. Fast Company highlighted the Museum of Ice Cream’s debut in 2016. It launched in New York City, and then later attracted such celebrities as Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, and Katy Perry as it spread to Los Angeles and Miami. Copycats with similar ordinary themes and extraordinary sensory experiences popped up soon afterwards. Some examples include the Museum of Pizza and the Egg House. Of course, the most obviously named one is called the Museum of Selfies. No matter the theme, they’re always designed with a photogenic quality in mind; however, they usually offer a live experience that appeals to multiple senses, such as feeling, smelling, and even tasting. Naturally, the admission to the Museum of Ice Cream includes a free scoop, provided by rotating vendors, who hope to gain more exposure both offline and online. This new trend in experiential set design for events has moved to established museums or galleries and traveled as popup exhibitions. Critics have sometimes belittled these sets as dumbing down culture for the digital age and exploiting patrons by letting them pay high admission fees for superficial art and blatant advertising. Great examples of experiential settings At the same time, some efforts have been taken more seriously. As an example, The Color Factory has enjoyed serious design credibility with its focus upon color, creativity, and the way people experience spaces. They’ve even collaborated with such prestigious designers as the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Design Museum. While the developers keep it a kid-friendly place, The Color Factory also appeals to couples on dates, tourists, and of course, Instagram and other social media influencers. Of course, major brands have started sponsoring their own experiential settings. One good example includes the Escape the Room games that HBO sponsored at SXSW. They provided sets inspired by popular HBO shows, including Game of Thrones, Veep, and Silicone Valley. These games immersed players in the shows’ stories in an incredibly engaging way. Using experiential set design for B2B on Instagram It’s sort of intuitive to see how a B2C content marketing agency can make use of these experiential sets to help improve brand recognition and grow their audiences. For example, Refinery 29’s contribution to this new industry, 29 Rooms, has had branded rooms from such companies as Smirnoff, Kraft, and Revlon. Non-sponsoring celebrities and social influencers might simply use the interesting backdrops of the venues as imaginative settings for their photos and videos. Meanwhile, the settings themselves may benefit from plenty of online exposure, admission fees, and sponsors. At the same time, the concept of experiential sets can also lend itself very well for marketers who want to gain exposure for B2B on Instagram and other social sites. It’s important to note that a Bizzabo survey of hundreds of experienced marketers found that 87 percent of C-suite executives think live events will begin to factor much more in their marketing strategy. Turning life events into Instagrammable experiences For some good examples of way the executives might consider spending some of their marketing budgets on experiential sets for live events: Look at the Healthymagination marketing campaign by GE. They designed realistic medical settings that include demos of the ways that their tech helps improve them. For something a bit more colorful and in line with other experiential settings, consider the way that HubSpot has designed their inbound marketing conference, complete with a giant #INBOUND hashtag sculpture to remind attendees how to find their posts and tag their own. If you want to add a high-tech approach, you might even follow Intel’s lead in using immersive augmented and virtual reality tech to create a memorable and Instagrammable experience. One highlight included a hologram of one of their general managers, Gregory Bryant, speaking to the crowd. Live events can lend themselves perfectly to serving as venues for Instagrammable experiences. Of course, it’s possible to turn the setting into its own event. Businesses can create their own branded experiences, either to keep in their headquarters buildings for visitors or as a popup that they can move around to trade shows and conventions. They can use their sets to highlight their company’s history, products, and community service. All the while, they can turn this immersive experience into something very sharable, so they benefit from both offline and online attention. Should experiential sets become part of your content marketing strategy? If you can find an experiential set relevant to your business, you may find that a great venue to produce sharable content. If you’re looking for a novel, competitive edge for your content marketing agency, you might even come
Why Richard Simmons Would Love Our Motion Graphics Work
If you’re looking for motion graphics that bounce, pop, and just work, you could do worse than to draw inspiration from Richard Simmons. When someone says “motion graphics,” the campy exercise guru Richard Simmons may not be the first thing to pop into your mind. But when it comes to finding motion graphics that work, he just may be the ultimate standard bearer. The basics of motion graphics In the modern digital environment, the term “motion graphics” refers to a specific genre of animation that bridges the gap between tradition moving pictures and graphic design. It has proven highly successful in the marketing and public relations sectors for communicating to audiences in a captivating and easy-to-watch manner. According to high-tech thought leader and motion graphics authority Michael Betancourt, the history of motion graphics date back to the Futurist painters of the early 1900s, who created experimental films with a firm emphasis on graphic design. Over the next century, marketers developed commercial motion graphics that seamlessly blended textual elements with music and/or sound effects in order to further targeted branding and adverting campaigns. Listing primary examples of commercial motion graphics, Betancourt points to television commercials with their animated logos/graphics and the moving title sequences of feature films. But in both the fine art world and the consumer marketplace, motion graphics rely on “the aesthetic principles that organize and structure the relationship of image to soundtrack originates with…color music” – a synesthetic art form that “established the ways that sound and image can be related to each other in a visual medium such as motion pictures.” Although the line between motion graphics and full animation has never been clearly drawn, the look and feel of modern motion graphics are immediately recognizable to anyone who has been exposed to digital media over the past several years. Essentially animated graphic design, motion graphics almost always combine voice-over narration a wealth of words/symbols to allow viewers to learn visually and aurally at the same time. The independent technology news and information platform Lifewire outlines the power of motion graphics as “purpose-driven pieces with the goal of presenting information to the viewer through the use of animated text or graphics” and “voice-overs narrating what the text or graphics are representing.” What should good motion graphics look and sound like? Think Richard Simmons! Although he has largely disappeared from the public eye for the last several years, Richard Simmons is an unmistakable media personality with a distinct style all his own. In fact, his unique personality and approach to spreading physical fitness to the masses have a lot in common with quality motion graphics work. Here are just a few traits that colorful exercise guru Richard Simmons shares with the outstanding motion graphics of the BIGEYE marketing agency: 1. Bounciness Describing the look and feel of motion graphics, Lifewire asserts that they typically employ a “very fluid, bouncy animation style.” Lifewire goes on to cite the use of “snazzy transitions” and “dynamic movement” – two characteristics that simply scream Richard Simmons! Without this kind of busy visual engagement, viewers are likely to begin to “zone out” as they listen to the narrator drone on. 2. Bright Colors Although most motion graphics have a sophisticated look and an elegant appeal, they also typically use vivid color palettes that match the bright workout clothes and colorful personality of Richard Simmons. When it comes to informing and educating viewers, the bright colors of motion graphics both capture attention and keep it. 3. Musical As detailed above, music is an absolutely essential component of motion graphics. And anyone who has ever seen “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” knows that Richard Simmons knows how to integrate music and active visuals. 4. Instructional As entertaining as Richard Simmons might be, the real reason to watch him is to get or stay in shape! Like good motion graphics, he has a real knack for wrapping detailed instruction in a positive, likable, and easy-to-understand package. 5. Fun The bottom line when it comes to Richard Simmons: he manages to make exercise fun. In a similar vein, motion graphics are an exceptionally effective tool for anyone who wants to transform dry, boring content into an entertaining, engaging experience. Getting professional help If you want fun, informative, eye-catching, and attention-commanding motion graphics that even Richard Simmons would appreciate, contact Bigeye today. In addition to our achievements as a motion graphics company, we have all the state-of-the-art tools and innovative vision that you need to drive a comprehensive and competitive modern marketing campaign.
Tips on Hiring the Top Video Production Company
If you are looking for the very best video production services for the money, pay close attention to these five essential tips. In today’s media-saturated consumer marketplace, no one can dispute the awesome power of an effective video marketing campaign. But if you truly want to stand out from your closest competitors (or even if you simply want to ensure that your next video advertisement is a benefit and not a liability), you have to secure the services of an outstanding video production company. So how can you be sure that you are working with one of the top video production companies in the business? Here are five key guidelines that can help you choose the very best video production services for your company and its particular needs. 1. Don’t be fooled by a demo reel. Both the Business 2 Community online platform and Entrepreneur magazine warn against putting too much stock in the demo real of any given production company. In fact, devaluing or disregarding the highly persuasive but often misleading demo real ranks high among many authorities’ leading video production company search tips. Consider the length of the average demo reel. Can a minute or two of video really provide an accurate picture of the overall quality of any company’s total content output? While a demo reel can certainly give you a peek into the ultimate potential of a specific production house, you simply can’t equate a company’s ability to release a compelling demo reel with an ability to meet your specific video marketing needs. It may be fine to eliminate video production houses with poor demo reels, but don’t let a good demo real dazzle you into a bad decision. 2. Evaluate recent projects. As an alternative to the video production demo reel, take a close look at the recent projects of any video production companies under consideration. Although these won’t always be readily available on official company websites (website updates can be time-consuming and expensive), most video production companies post links to their most recent work on their various social media sites. However you access it, the most recent work of any video production company will give you a good idea of the equipment, talent, and level of quality that company will bring to your project. Can’t find any recent projects for a particular company? Perhaps you should choose another! 3. Find a video production company that is right for your audience. Consider the disparate consumer bases of companies such as Louis Vuitton and Quaker Oats. Although there is certainly a demographic overlap between the target audiences of these two companies, their core customers are obviously quite different. Like any other organization, each video production company comes with its own unique set of values, approaches, and stylistic strengths. Part of your job, when searching for a video production company, is to find one that is capable of producing content that will resonate with your existing customer base and your prospective target audience. 4. Prioritize value over cost. On its Trends and Insights blog, American Express warns that “cheap video comes at a premium.” Business 2 Community echoes this sentiment, declaring, “you really do get what you pay for.” Although you want to be sure that you are getting quality services for your dollar, you must realize that professionals who command higher rates are able to do so because they are highly confident in their abilities, their equipment, their processes, and their final product. Just make sure that you get an itemized bill so you can see exactly where your money is going. 5. Consider a marketing agency that offers video production as part of a comprehensive marketing package. The greatest marketing video or advertising spot in the world will fail to make an impact if you don’t know what to do with it after it is in the can. To seamlessly incorporate your video content into a larger marketing campaign and to truly leverage its persuasive appeal, consider contracting with a full-service marketing firm that offers video production as part of a broad spectrum of services. Of course, the overall quality and relevance of a video production company must remain your paramount concern. Don’t accept an amateurish video just to sign a comprehensive deal with a big “one stop shop” agency. For more information If you want to learn more about the characteristics that define a truly outstanding video production company, contact the comprehensive marketing agency Bigeye today. In addition to our considerable expertise in video production, Bigeye’s team of forward-thinking marketing can lead your organization in all aspects of modern-day marketing.
Oxford Comma? Copywriting 101
In the copywriting world and elsewhere, the question remains: to use the Oxford comma or to eliminate it? Otherwise known as the serial comma, the Oxford comma remains a subject of considerable debate in multiple public and private circles. This notorious punctuation mark is succinctly defined by the Oxford University-affiliated Lexico as “an optional comma before the word ‘and’ at the end of a list.” Although it neglects to mention that the Oxford comma can also appear before the conjunction “or,” this definition matches the influential general writing style guidelines of the Associated Press (AP), which recommend employing an Oxford comma only when needed to prevent obvious cases of probable reader misinterpretation. Oxford comma basics Traditionally used by the editors and printers of the Oxford University Press, the Oxford comma is intended to prevent ambiguity and promote ready grammatical understanding by clearly demarcating all items in a series. Consider the following example presented by Lexico: “These items are available in black and white, red and yellow, and blue and green.” The Oxford comma before the penultimate “and” makes the color combinations above perfectly clear. But look what happens when the Oxford comma is omitted: “These items are available in black and white, red and yellow and blue and green.” Colors blur into one another, making a real mess! The Oxford comma in copywriting and other industries / sectors Although widely used in academia, the Oxford comma has long been a matter of debate in sectors that range from journalism to law. The legal implications of the Oxford comma recently became apparent through a $10-million class-action lawsuit involving a dairy company in Maine. As detailed by the leading editing and proofreading service provider Scribendi, this lawsuit centered on the following sentence: “The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of: (1) Agricultural produce; (2) Meat and fish products; and (3) Perishable foods.” With no Oxford comma after “packing for shipment,” the exact exceptions for the shipment and/or distribution of the listed food products remain unclear. In the world of marketing, the average copywriting agency is likely to let the client have the final word when it comes to including or omitting the Oxford comma. At BIGEYE, however, we tend to encourage the use of the Oxford comma to avoid problems such as those detailed both above and below. Why the Oxford comma is important In addition to the confusion inherent in the instances listed above, the Oxford comma is essential to avoid the misunderstandings that can arise when readers mistake appositives (which rename nouns) for items in a series or vise versa. You may have seen one or more widely circulated examples that drive this problem home using humor. Take, for example, the sentence… “This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.” With the Oxford comma, it is perfectly clear that the book has three dedicatees. Now, look at the same sentence without the Oxford comma: “This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God.” If read as an appositive, the phrase “Ayn Rand and God,” leaves the book dedicated to two people only…and a highly unlikely couple to have a child together! For this reason among others, standard-bearers of scholarly writing such as the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, and the Chicago Manual of Style recommend the consistent use of the Oxford comma. The argument against the Oxford comma In addition to the AP, many official style guides attempt to avoid the clutter of unnecessary punctuation by recommending that writers use the Oxford comma only when reader confusion is likely to occur. In many ways, this makes perfect sense. After all, the phrase “less is more” applies to all aspects of writing and should be actively employed to prevent wordiness and produce text that is easy on the eyes. But who is qualified to differentiate cases that may lead to misunderstandings from cases that will not? In short, writers who fail to consistently use the Oxford comma may easily miss language that will seem confusing and/or conflicted to a large number of readers. Other Oxford comma detractors cite purely grammatical reasons for its omission. For example, consider the sentence “This book is dedicated to my mother, Ayn Rand, and God.” If mistaken for an appositive, “Ayn Rand” can, once again, be mistaken for the mother of the book’s author. If it is universally recognized as a tool for setting off items in a series, however, the use of the Oxford comma before “and” cannot be misinterpreted. Getting professional copywriting help When it comes to writing effective copy, the ultimate answer to the Oxford comma debate is best answered with the assistance of a skilled and knowledgeable marketing agency like Bigeye. A one-stop shop for all of your marketing needs, we offer a range of premium copywriting services.
How Slack is Making Product Marketing Addictive
Here’s what brands can learn from the companies and product marketing agencies that know how to sell products and design experiences at the highest level. Slack, the social workplace messaging platform, has drawn lots of favorable notice in advance of its $23 billion IPO. If you’ve used it, you understand why Slack has grown so popular. The overall experience is sticky in the extreme, encouraging near constant use. You don’t have to work at a product marketing agency or specialize in consumer marketing to recognize what an effective job Slack has done by integrating clever marketing with a deeply engaging user experience. So how exactly has Slack been so successful? Let’s take a closer look. How Slack uses clever copywriting to create highly addictive user experiences If you’ve spent any time on Twitter in recent years, you’re familiar with a certain brand voice: Clever, self-deprecating, irreverent, but not offensive. In other words, the voice that many popular fast foods brands use on social media and featured in many startup marketing campaigns. Slack uses its own version of this voice in its product, but deploys the voice strategically. The company understands that users have varying levels of receptivity to a lighthearted tone. After all, who wants to deal with jokes and puns when struggling to figure out an onboarding process? Instead, Slack uses jokes and whimsical visualizations during so-called “end stage” or “empty stages” of the customer experience. These are pages or screens that don’t require any copy to help a user progress toward a goal — a “thank you for registering” page, for example. While Slack takes a clever approach to copywriting, the company also understands that it’s important not to go overboard. Sara Culver, Slack content and design manager, listed a few of the company’s copywriting rules at a recent marketing seminar: Don’t make the user feel guilty. Anyone who has ever been asked to download an e-book or sign up for a newsletter is familiar with the standard guilt trip: The “yes” button includes language along the lines of “I want to take advantage of this incredible opportunity!” Meanwhile, the “no” button says something like “sorry, I’m not interested in subscribing because I want my competitors to put me out of business.” These guilt trips are annoying, alienating and defeat the purpose of using clever copy. Voice continuity. It’s extremely off-putting to read copy associated with a product and have the language veer from voice to voice. Stick with your brand voice when creating product copy and users will be much more comfortable, and receptive to what you are saying. Use active prose and eliminate repetition. Good product copy is lively and engages users from a slightly different angle than what they are used to. It also avoids repetition, which is clunky and unprofessional. Great copy enhances product marketing but can’t make up for poor UX and/or functionality. Even the most clever and compelling copy won’t alleviate the stress users deal with when confronted by poor UX and confusing or inoperable functionality. What the right product marketing agency can do for you If you’re looking for direct to consumer advertising and other creative services, you should have one key priority: Finding an agency that can deliver consistently compelling campaigns and strategy. At Bigeye, we know the power of well-executed product marketing. If you’re looking for a product marketing agency to help you create the kind of sticky and hyper-addictive copy favored by Slack, don’t hesitate to reach out to us today.
