Disney and McDonald's mastered the art of business collaboration and cross promotion for more than a decade. When a new major animated film was slated for release by Disney, consumers knew to anticipate cross promotional ads, highlighting Happy Meal toy tie-ins with the film. The relationship was clearly a win-win for both organizations because of their equal status as iconic American companies, each with built in public good will. The same principles apply for small businesses seeking to grow.
There are a variety of reasons why two organizations may want to collaborate. In the Disney and McDonald's venture they shared a core audience for a specific product each offered. Tots – and there parents – love Happy Meals featuring toy versions of their new favorite characters. The excitement generated from pre-opening cross promotion publicity at McDonald's helped to ensure plenty of anxious ticket buyers on opening weekend and assisted in sustaining repeat moviegoers.
When seeking businesses to collaborate with, it is important to do your homework regarding the health and reputation of the organization before hitching your credibility with theirs. What may appear on paper as a good business alliance can quickly turn into a public relations nightmare if you do not follow through on this critical step.
Sponsoring charity events is also an effective collaboration tool with other business. By donating staff, services or products to a popular fundraising event, a business can generate goodwill in the community, by gaining the reputation as a good corporate citizen. In many ways the benefits are even better for small businesses, helping local - less prominent - charities. Although the audience is smaller, they are often very committed, will take note and really want to do business with those who support their favorite charity.
In addition, the contacts and resources gained by planning and working with the the event team can prove highly profitable in the long run. Event planners work with organizations across industries. If your business goes above and beyond when working with the charity and event planning team, the rewards can be immeasurable. Simply following-up by snail mail with a “enjoyed working with you” type letter, plus your marketing materials can be what the doctor ordered when they hear of a need from their colleague seeking just the product or service you offer. They feel good about helping your company out after all your hard work before, and you feel very happy all the way to the bank.
Finally when choosing businesses to collaborate with, think outside the box. Why would a local toy store want a 10% off coupon inserted in the envelope when monthly statements are sent from a local long term care insurance agent each October? Because the toy store owner knows that grandparents buy an estimated 25% of all toys, seniors love coupons and they are the most affluent consumers.
So when looking for businesses to collaborate with, by all means look for the obvious fit. But also do just a little bit of homework, identify a customer base that overlaps with that of a strategic partner yet is often overlooked by your competitors.
Showing posts with label Freelance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freelance. Show all posts
Friday, July 17, 2009
Trends in Logo Design
When it comes to good logo design there is no rest for the weary. As the wave minimalist wave in logo design begins to wane, determining effective ways of using bold colors are taking center stage.
Described as psychedelic pop, designers are busy photoshopping popular vector shapes to create a logo that provides big bang with a punch of color. In general these bold patterned shapes work better with white background, allowing the logo to standout, avoiding any color clashes and maintaining easy readability
Tactile logos invoke a sense of touch while incorporating depth and dimension with words and shapes. Some variations convey a classical and almost sensual or fluid presence. Successful use of tactile logos is challenging even for experienced designers because they have to walk a fine line to avoid a clunky or gaudy feel to the logo. As a result it is not a widely common design but remains an emerging trend.
Naturally what is old, is new again. The 1960s and 70s have enjoyed their revival in fashion and trends during the last few years. Now we are seeing classic modern vintage designs reminiscent of the mid-century looks. Logos representing this style use fundamental shapes and letters with bold, often single color that stands out on a white background. Colors like orange, red, yellow and green are popular with these designs.
Pictogram logos is another design form that brings the emphasize back to the icon and logo, less about the background which took center stage in recent years as a result of the fascination with bold and colorful backgrounds technology could produce. With pictograms, the image often tells the story and speaks strongly about the brand itself. Pictograms utilize universally understood symbols and images, which is important in a global economy. The color palete is usually very simple with normally no more than two colors used.
Typographic logo design never really goes out of shape, it simply evolves to new phases.
Typographic logos are perhaps simplistic in design but generally bold and often elegant. With thousands of fonts in the market there is a sense of endless possibilities with typographic logos.
That in large measure will depend on the attitude and feel the organization seeks to convey to the viewer. There remains debate among logo designers if words alone are enough, some feel an image of some type is also needed.
Another emerging logo design is street art. While it is not exactly new, it is trying to stretch beyond simply infomercial status and gain a little more respect. The design is popular with urban centric brands as well as extreme sports. Street art logos fit well with these type of companies because of its edgy vibe.
Described as psychedelic pop, designers are busy photoshopping popular vector shapes to create a logo that provides big bang with a punch of color. In general these bold patterned shapes work better with white background, allowing the logo to standout, avoiding any color clashes and maintaining easy readability
Tactile logos invoke a sense of touch while incorporating depth and dimension with words and shapes. Some variations convey a classical and almost sensual or fluid presence. Successful use of tactile logos is challenging even for experienced designers because they have to walk a fine line to avoid a clunky or gaudy feel to the logo. As a result it is not a widely common design but remains an emerging trend.
Naturally what is old, is new again. The 1960s and 70s have enjoyed their revival in fashion and trends during the last few years. Now we are seeing classic modern vintage designs reminiscent of the mid-century looks. Logos representing this style use fundamental shapes and letters with bold, often single color that stands out on a white background. Colors like orange, red, yellow and green are popular with these designs.
Pictogram logos is another design form that brings the emphasize back to the icon and logo, less about the background which took center stage in recent years as a result of the fascination with bold and colorful backgrounds technology could produce. With pictograms, the image often tells the story and speaks strongly about the brand itself. Pictograms utilize universally understood symbols and images, which is important in a global economy. The color palete is usually very simple with normally no more than two colors used.
Typographic logo design never really goes out of shape, it simply evolves to new phases.
Typographic logos are perhaps simplistic in design but generally bold and often elegant. With thousands of fonts in the market there is a sense of endless possibilities with typographic logos.
That in large measure will depend on the attitude and feel the organization seeks to convey to the viewer. There remains debate among logo designers if words alone are enough, some feel an image of some type is also needed.
Another emerging logo design is street art. While it is not exactly new, it is trying to stretch beyond simply infomercial status and gain a little more respect. The design is popular with urban centric brands as well as extreme sports. Street art logos fit well with these type of companies because of its edgy vibe.
Topic: How to assess your marketing campaign and determine if it is succeeding.
Freelance Project, May 2009
The popular cliché says, “The definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing, but expect different results.” Unfortunately businesses can get caught up a similar vicious cycle. Reusing the same marketing message via the same platforms, yet failing to timely notice the diminishing returns. Companies asleep at the wheel were really caught napping as the fallout from the current economic downturn kicked in.
It is reported that nearly 70% of marketers do not even know how to measure the return on investment for the campaigns. This amounts to a throw it on the wall and see what sticks type of approach, wasting valuable resources on poster printing, print ads, etc.
Factors to consider when developing your marketing plan include how does your audience want to communicate with you? Many may assume it is email, but experts say texting is rapidly rising as a preferred option. Headlines are filled with the news regarding the meteoric growth of Twitter, a micro-blogging service.
While it may be tempting to create an account, following a lot of users, because many may reciprocate because of your brand name or the fact you are a local company. Gain a certain number of followers, and some might believe this is a measurement of success for the marketing campaign. However, when you begin to flood them with sales messages only, they will just as quickly unfollow resulting in no or very little response to your promotions.
On the surface it may appear to be a minimal outlay of resources because no money was spent on poster printing or website ads. However, how many hours of staff resources were used to produce the one measly sale? Yet by spending more time identifying Twitters who love a good bargain, and their primary focus is sharing that type of news with fellow Twitters and via their shopping related blog, can be a gold mine for increasing traffic and sales.
Recently a popular food and household product company offered up to $50 in printable coupons for a limited time. They shared the information via their website, bought ads on popular websites and blogs their research showed their shopper visited often. They also sent the word out to popular bloggers. Then they just sat back and watched the message get shared and reshared via blogs, twitter and other social media mediums.
How can they measure the results: how many new visitors registered with their site, which was required before you could select the desired coupons. They already know what coupon redemption rates to expect they might see a slight bump in the usual rates. More importantly now they can reach consumers with an email newsletter highlighting recipes featuring their product. Following this up with posters printed in a variety of sizes and shapes and strategically placing in the store can result in more sales and focus group results showing your company foremost in the customer's mind.
When developing a marketing campaign it is important for the team to not only come up with a great new branding message but identify measurements by which the outcome will be evaluated. It is very important that buy-in is received on these measurements at the executive level to ensure everyone is on the same page and committed.
The popular cliché says, “The definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing, but expect different results.” Unfortunately businesses can get caught up a similar vicious cycle. Reusing the same marketing message via the same platforms, yet failing to timely notice the diminishing returns. Companies asleep at the wheel were really caught napping as the fallout from the current economic downturn kicked in.
It is reported that nearly 70% of marketers do not even know how to measure the return on investment for the campaigns. This amounts to a throw it on the wall and see what sticks type of approach, wasting valuable resources on poster printing, print ads, etc.
Factors to consider when developing your marketing plan include how does your audience want to communicate with you? Many may assume it is email, but experts say texting is rapidly rising as a preferred option. Headlines are filled with the news regarding the meteoric growth of Twitter, a micro-blogging service.
While it may be tempting to create an account, following a lot of users, because many may reciprocate because of your brand name or the fact you are a local company. Gain a certain number of followers, and some might believe this is a measurement of success for the marketing campaign. However, when you begin to flood them with sales messages only, they will just as quickly unfollow resulting in no or very little response to your promotions.
On the surface it may appear to be a minimal outlay of resources because no money was spent on poster printing or website ads. However, how many hours of staff resources were used to produce the one measly sale? Yet by spending more time identifying Twitters who love a good bargain, and their primary focus is sharing that type of news with fellow Twitters and via their shopping related blog, can be a gold mine for increasing traffic and sales.
Recently a popular food and household product company offered up to $50 in printable coupons for a limited time. They shared the information via their website, bought ads on popular websites and blogs their research showed their shopper visited often. They also sent the word out to popular bloggers. Then they just sat back and watched the message get shared and reshared via blogs, twitter and other social media mediums.
How can they measure the results: how many new visitors registered with their site, which was required before you could select the desired coupons. They already know what coupon redemption rates to expect they might see a slight bump in the usual rates. More importantly now they can reach consumers with an email newsletter highlighting recipes featuring their product. Following this up with posters printed in a variety of sizes and shapes and strategically placing in the store can result in more sales and focus group results showing your company foremost in the customer's mind.
When developing a marketing campaign it is important for the team to not only come up with a great new branding message but identify measurements by which the outcome will be evaluated. It is very important that buy-in is received on these measurements at the executive level to ensure everyone is on the same page and committed.
Latest Trends in Brochure Designs
Freelance Project, May 2009
Sure it seems like everyone is online tweeting, emailing and texting but that has not removed the need for the quality brochures. However that does not mean brochure design has remained stagnant. Updating your brochure means more than just adding your email and Twitter ID. Once you have a potential customer's attention, how will you keep it beyond the seemingly two second glance and thus avoid the recycling bin?
What do you sell? Let's say it is lamps. A brochure in the shape of a lamp with the shade opening from the top and the second half of your brochure text visible when you open the bottom half of the lamp. A colorful design and this unique shape will capture the attention of the consumer.
A popular trend is to design a brochure related to a particular theme. For instance there has been a resurgence in recent years with crafts such as knitting. Local craft stores often allow passionate knitters to meet in their store. A colorful brochure using yard and needles near the cash register will easily capture the eye of the shopper. A sewing pattern like look would also fit for sewing or quilting groups.
As with fashion and vehicles, each year there are color trends. It is important to keep these in mind for your brochure design. An outdated color palette will cause the reader to quickly overlook your material or dismiss it as dated.
Headlines have a heavy focus on green technology and growing organic and recycling movement, variations of green are a nature choice. However, organic also brings to mind the pale hues of unfinished wood, or sandy color tones. Terra cotta or rattan colors with a weave pattern can fit well with a gardening type theme.
Not everyone has abandoned city life. Silver and metallic tones are often associated with an urban look. As more people are moving into lofts and management seeks to build a sense of community, they frequently use brochures to advertise upcoming events and news. An urban brochure design gives an opportunity to incorporate texture by using foils in an effort to highlight the metallic look.
Keep in mind how the bold colors are utilized. Perhaps it is best to have a splashy cover with complimentary but toned down colors inside the brochure. The text should be easy to read and although a deep pink and fuchsia are colors that will stand out, the reader would likely have a hard time reading the information. So, use a bold cover, and then edge the inside with the bold color pattern using white or a pale pink for the text area. Then the brochure will have a punch of color, yet remain readable.
The standard rules of brochure design still apply. Be creative but do not go overboard by trying to be too trendy or squeezing four full-size pages of text in a tri-fold brochure design.
When designing a brochure do not be afraid to stretch the boundaries in your effort to create unique promotional material that will capture the attention of your audience.
Sure it seems like everyone is online tweeting, emailing and texting but that has not removed the need for the quality brochures. However that does not mean brochure design has remained stagnant. Updating your brochure means more than just adding your email and Twitter ID. Once you have a potential customer's attention, how will you keep it beyond the seemingly two second glance and thus avoid the recycling bin?
What do you sell? Let's say it is lamps. A brochure in the shape of a lamp with the shade opening from the top and the second half of your brochure text visible when you open the bottom half of the lamp. A colorful design and this unique shape will capture the attention of the consumer.
A popular trend is to design a brochure related to a particular theme. For instance there has been a resurgence in recent years with crafts such as knitting. Local craft stores often allow passionate knitters to meet in their store. A colorful brochure using yard and needles near the cash register will easily capture the eye of the shopper. A sewing pattern like look would also fit for sewing or quilting groups.
As with fashion and vehicles, each year there are color trends. It is important to keep these in mind for your brochure design. An outdated color palette will cause the reader to quickly overlook your material or dismiss it as dated.
Headlines have a heavy focus on green technology and growing organic and recycling movement, variations of green are a nature choice. However, organic also brings to mind the pale hues of unfinished wood, or sandy color tones. Terra cotta or rattan colors with a weave pattern can fit well with a gardening type theme.
Not everyone has abandoned city life. Silver and metallic tones are often associated with an urban look. As more people are moving into lofts and management seeks to build a sense of community, they frequently use brochures to advertise upcoming events and news. An urban brochure design gives an opportunity to incorporate texture by using foils in an effort to highlight the metallic look.
Keep in mind how the bold colors are utilized. Perhaps it is best to have a splashy cover with complimentary but toned down colors inside the brochure. The text should be easy to read and although a deep pink and fuchsia are colors that will stand out, the reader would likely have a hard time reading the information. So, use a bold cover, and then edge the inside with the bold color pattern using white or a pale pink for the text area. Then the brochure will have a punch of color, yet remain readable.
The standard rules of brochure design still apply. Be creative but do not go overboard by trying to be too trendy or squeezing four full-size pages of text in a tri-fold brochure design.
When designing a brochure do not be afraid to stretch the boundaries in your effort to create unique promotional material that will capture the attention of your audience.
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