For a Charlotte, NC branding agency, we like think we're wide open when it comes to using viral craziness to promote a product, service, or good cause.
Remember the guy who said he’d get a tattoo if 25,000 people joined his Facebook group? Or the lady Well at least that was entertaining (and novel) for the time. Now, however, people are starting to plumb the depths of bad taste and internet-fueled excess. Yes, a man is offering to name his son Batman if he can get 500,000 people make him their Facebook friend.
There are currently about 486,000 fans, so chances are he’ll have reached his goal by now. This questionable parent is also encouraging fans to give him their e-mail addresses so that he can e-mail him the birth certificate once his son is born.
Sounds to me like the “media” company behind the whole thing just wants 500,000 e-mail addresses.
A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails.
It's a new form of spontaneous group performance art, but it’s easy to see how this type of viral event could be used to promote a brand or marketing event (the famous T-Mobile Liverpool Street Station flash mob in London)
If you don't get it, please call our Charlotte ad agency and ask to speak to Jim.
Since 2003, Roger Federer has sported a monogram on all tennis-related clothing. But now the intertwined “RF” is back. It’s big enough to be legible in photographs. And it’s everywhere: on Roger Federer’s shoes, his duffel, his jackets, his racquet cases. Forget all the subtle functions a monogram used to perform – discreetly personalizing a gentleman’s wardrobe, helping the servants sort the shirts. What three years ago seemed a plausible, if affected, style on the part of an athlete has now transformed this international tennis superstar into a master of personal branding.
Along the way fans and the media have speculated that the idea for the monogram had been his all along or whether his primary sponsor, Nike, made him do it.
The font – a slightly redrawn version of Bodoni, which with its cousin Didot, has been the basis for logos for Vogue, Giorgio Armani and Louis Vuitton – is a signifier of fashion at the high end, and here at birdsong gregory, our Charlotte branding agency is glad to see the stuffy old monogram emerge as clean, modern logo with loads of branding potential.
Would have to be the spots featuring the credit-healing powers of Reverend Rob and Apple Auto Sales. I'm not sure what Charlotte agency is responsible for this classic (-ly bad) advertising, but it's been a fixture of late night local programming for more than a decade now.
Have you always wanted to know the difference between a pictogram and an ideogram? Or where America's first advertising agency opened its doors? (FYI: it was Philadelphia in 1841). Then check out www.designhistory.org. This wonderfully illustrated site begins with the origin of symbols and type before moving through the various cultural movements (Bauhaus, Arts and Crafts, etc.) that influenced and eventually evolved into the modern digital state of design and advertising.
Here at birdsong gregory, the graphic designers and branding gurus at our Charlotte ad agency are always looking for ways to sharpen their craft and deepen their knowledge of this creative, mercurial industry. So to that end, this site is a helpful collection of facts, faces, and inspiration.
When the economy is troubled and dollars are tight, we continue to see companies invest in expensive traditional media, including digital banners and television spots. These companies are missing an opportunity to interact with their audiences. At birdsong gregory, our Charlotte ad agency, we strive to build brand awareness and engagement around content and community where the target audiences of our clients live. And all things considered, we believe advertising agencies in Charlotte can generate more effective and higher-quality impressions at a much lower price than traditional online and offline media.
Want to find out more about the ways we're helping our clients get more bang for their marketing buck? Simply give us a call.
Here at birdsong gregory, our boutique Charlotte ad agency, we specialize in the lost art of simplification and clarity. So as the world's obsession with social media deepens, we've taken it upon ourselves to translate this exciting and complex new landscape into a client-friendly version that doesn't raise more questions than it answers. Here you go . . .
Social media is as simple as its component parts – social interaction meets media – the sites, events, communities and resources that enable people to share with each other, collaborate, communicate and reinvent.
Social media marketing is harnessing that media to drive conversation, build awareness, and spark word of mouth around a brand, individual or particular subject matter.
The big take away? If you company is headquartered in Charlotte, social media can deliver a global audience.
Want to find birdsong gregory on the web? Search for Advertising Agency Charlotte, Branding Agency Charlotte, Charlotte Graphic Design or even Charlotte Social Media. These are just a few of the keyword phrases we try to optimize against because we recognize when prospective clients hit Google to research potential agency partners, it's what they'll be searching for. The more competitive or broad the phrase, the more difficult it is to win. For instance North Caroilina Advertising Agencies is one we continue to pursue, but it's a long haul.
Are you on page one for your company's keywords? If not, give Jim Cusson a call at 704-332-2299 or visit our site at www.birdsonggregory.com
Though recent high-profile media coverage suggests that a large percentage of the US population participates in online social networking and microblogging, more than half of Americans (51%) do not use Twitter or participate in either of the two largest social networking sites – MySpace and Facebook – according to a recent Harris Poll from Harris Interactive. This gives a Charlotte marketing agency or a Charlotte ad agency something to consider.
The survey finds that just under half (48%) of US adults have either a MySpace or Facebook account, and that only 16% update their page at least once a day. Usage statistics are much lower for Twitter, with only 5% of Americans saying they currently use it, Harris said. And as expected, Harris reports that there are substantial differences in who is and who isn’t using these selected social networking sites:
Three-fourths of those ages 18-34 (74%) have a Facebook or MySpace account, but this quickly drops off the older people get. Just one-quarter (24%) of those ages 55+ have an account.
Tweeting is also slightly more prevalent among the young, but not by much; only 8% of 18-34-year-olds use Twitter, while 7% of those ages 35-44 use it, 4% of those ages 45-54 and only 1% of those ages 55+ use it.
While men and women use Twitter at the same levels (5% each), women are more likely to have a Facebook or MySpace account (52% vs. 45%).
There is an educational difference in usage of MySpace and Facebook. Two in five people with a high school degree or less (40%) have a Facebook or MySpace account, compared with 55% of those with some college and 52% of those with at least a college degree.
To learn more about how our Charlotte advertising and marketing agency can help you create a measurable, unified online brand, please visit birdsong gregory or contact Jim Cusson at 704-332-2299.
And in a big way. Plans were announced this summer that Apple will invest $1 billion in a computer data center over nine years.
The data center is expected to have at least 50 full-time employees, although another 250 contractors could be employed to manage security, landscaping and heating and air conditioning systems. Including construction jobs, the presence of the facility could put a total of 3,000 people to work, according to Department of Commerce estimates. This would provide a significant economic boost to local communities, the state, and possibly Charlotte branding agencies and the wider Charlotte graphic design community.
The exact location is still undecided, but Apple has to build the data center in one of North Carolina’s more economically distressed counties, according to provisions in the incentives legislation. It is expected to choose a location in the western part of the state, likely between Charlotte and Asheville.
To learn more about our branding agency or the marketing, advertising, and graphic design services we offer, please visit birdsong gregory online, contact Jim Cusson at 704-332-2299, or stop by the next time you’re in downtown Charlotte.
At least that's what the US Marine Corp thinks. They issued an order recently that bans social media sites including Twitter, Facebook and MySpace on its network. The ban, which will last a year, essentially rules out use of all public social networks by Marines, unless a mission-critical need exists.
According to the order, "These internet sites in general are a proven haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due to information exposure, user generated content and targeting by adversaries. The very nature of [social networks] creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries and provides an easy conduit for information leakage."
Here at birdsong gregory, our full-service Charlotte marketing agency isn't worried about the danger of social networking or our clients. Whether doing B2B marketing or building a consumer brand, companies of any size and in any industry can turn the power (and affordability) of connecting with the right audience into a true competitive advantage – especially in the battle for market share.
To learn more about the branding, marketing, advertising, and design services our agency offers, please visit birdsong gregory online, contact Jim Cusson at 704-332-2299, or stop by the next time you’re in downtown Charlotte
Companies such as Zappos, Dell, and JetBlue are all known as successes in harnessing the power of social media for business. However, the aforementioned businesses sell directly to consumers. How about the business that sells products to other businesses? What if you’re a company that builds inventory software or administers group benefit plans? Is Twitter, Facebook, Ning, or a company blog going to be of any use?
In a word, yes. There are plenty of companies utilizing the social web for B2B marketing purposes. To help you make sense of it all, here are a couple of tips that our Charlotte ad agency shares with our B2B clients to help them find customers, build up a reputation, and gain the upper hand on landing the big deal. Although the Charlotte social media scene is still catching up to other regions of the country, there is a lot of opportunity for area companies.
Step 1. Build a reputation of expertise
What use is a company blog if you only have 10,000 customers, rather than 10 million? While it may be true that a B2B’s blog or Twitter is not going to be followed by as many people, it doesn’t change the fact that it will affect the decisions of your customers. Say a potential customer becomes aware of your software solution, and goes to your website to find out more about you. How can you stand out from the crowd? By building a blog with your expertise in focus.
If a potential customer comes to your company’s website and sees an active blog with insightful posts on how your company’s product helps customers, reads detailed posts demonstrating your company’s knowledge, and comes across a few case studies, they’re going to be far more inclined to come to you for their needs. North Carolina Ad Agencies need to take note.
Social media provides an outlet for displaying who you and your company are. Talking about your industry in an intelligent way via Twitter and a regularly-updated blog can raise your company’s profile and brand it as a thought leader and expert in its specific business area.
37Signals, the maker of Software-as-a-service business collaboration products, is a prime example of this philosophy in action. Their blog is regularly read by thousands of people, shared among businesses, and has even opened up another revenue stream in the form of a popular job board. Social media builds reputations.
2. Research your customers
Everyone thinks of social media as a communication tool, but not enough people think of it as a research tool. With the ridiculous amount of data produced every day on social networks, blogs, and in conversations, it should be apparent that you can learn tidbits or spot major trends by tracking the social universe.
Know what your customers are saying: If you’re trying to secure a contract from a big business, then they are probably talking to their customers via Twitter, Facebook, and more. Learn what they’re saying to their customers and read the blogs of decision makers to learn what they value and how they think.
Know what your customers’ customers are saying: Your customers don’t care about you – they care about their customers and their bottom line. If you can find behavior patterns in their customers that your product can address, your pitch will resonate more. Driving the point that their current solution doesn’t work, and then proving that with social chatter is even better.
Step 3. Ramp up your networking If you are competing with another company to land a big deal, it always helps to have connections and friendships within the company you’re trying to woo. You should always be networking, because you never know when a contact can become your advocate or even the decision-maker. And that’s where social media can help.
There are a lot of things you can do to get started on the networking front. They key, though, is that you have to reach out. Otherwise, how will people know to listen? While there are literally hundreds of ways to network with potential partners, vendors, clients, businesses, customers, and decision-makers, the truth is it doesn’t matter which tool you use as long as it is one that the other person values. LinkedIn, Twitter, Plaxo, etc. are always great places to start, but if you can network with them on niche social sites, you’ll stand out just a bit more.
Step 4. Learn from others In the end, you want to come out sharper, more knowledgeable, and better prepared than your competitors. It doesn’t matter if you have 60 or 600,000 customers, and it does not matter whether or not you sell to general consumers or Fortune 500 companies. Almost everyone is using or tracking social media and it provides you a prime opportunity to make you and your business a leader rather than a follower.
- Seek out blogs and publications in your industry and subscribe via RSS
- Network with relevant experts, including those who may only be partially related
- Follow the insights of business leaders on Twitter
- Connect with commenters on your own blog
- Make yourself very easy to find on the web – if people search for your name or your business, you should be at the top of Google’s results. Building a blog, using a Twitter, and creating a decent corporate website always helps
- Keep an open mind
In closing, don’t underestimate how much information is on the web. It’s stunning what you can learn just by reaching out. If you and your business have a strong social presence, it’s simply easier for potential partners, customers, employers, and businesses to find you. So when it comes to B2B marketing, Charlotte needs to get ready!
Today, it’s not enough to have a well-designed website or a secure e-commerce presence. You need people to actually go there and interact with your online brand. And if you are a member of the branding Charlotte or marketing Charlotte, NC communities, you know you have to pay to play.
Pay per click search engine marketing is a form of online advertising where the advertiser pays to be listed in the sponsored link section of the search engines. When you launch a PPC advertising campaign, you pay only when someone clicks on your ad. Of course PPC ads, also called sponsored links, are related to the searches made by the users. You have to buy keywords using an auction feature that determines the Cost Per Click (CPC) of a given keyword, this bid also has an influence on your position among the other ads on the page.
You then set a maximum budget for your campaign. That means that if you set a $500 budget for a $1 keyword your ad will virtually be printed on search pages until five hundred users have clicked your ad and landed on one of your website’s pages.
Charlotte, NC advertising agencies please take note: PPC advertising is one of the most effective marketing methods used on the Internet. According to some experts, online marketers will spend more than 5 billion dollars on PPC campaigns by 2010. Consequently the competition for keywords is likely to get tougher and tougher as time goes by, making the optimization of that process ever more necessary for North Carolina advertising agencies, from Charlotte to Raleigh.
You know that tired old mantra as to why it's smart to advertise during a recession? Ever wonder why it's regurgitated ad naseum every time the economy tanks? Because it's true! Yes, advertising during a recession is the right thing to do and there's research to back that up.
A McGraw-Hill study of 600 businesses found those that maintained or increased their ad spending saw higher sales growth during a recession and in the years following. In fact, the study found those who maintained or increased their ad budgets experienced a 256 percent increase in sales compared to those who cut their budgets.
Another study found businesses that advertised during a recession saw their market share increase 2.5 times.
And if you think waiting until the recession is over is a smart thing to do, consider this; a third study revealed 80 percent of the businesses that waited until a post-recession economic expansion to advertise saw zero increase in market share. Which, of course, is obvious since everyone else began advertising again.
Sadly, not many companies take these facts to heart. Rather, they recoil, close the wallet and pray. Other realities come into play such as the indisputable realization that if there's no budget, there's no budget. And all the desire in the world to advertise during a recession isn't going to change that sad fact.
But...if you can beg borrow and steal, study after study proves, time and again, it's the smart thing to do.
birdsong gregoryis just one of many Charlotte advertising agencies preaching this advice – because smart marketing and branding are essential when times get tough.
Then tell a story. That’s the top finding from an intensive three-year study released earlier this year, and Charlotte advertising agencies should pay attention.
The Advertising Research Foundation and American Association of Advertising Agencies, both based in New York, set out to measure consumers’ emotional responses to TV advertising. What they discovered is that advertisements that tell a branding story work better than ads that focus on product positioning.
The report contends that in many ways, advertising is stuck in the past. The 20th century was dominated by a one-way transactional focus where ads were pushed at consumers. Today, consumers interact with ads to “co-create” meaning that is powered by emotion and rich narrative. “Advertising has been standing on the sidelines, stuck on the language of positioning,” said Jim Cusson, Principal at birdsong gregory, a Charlotte, NC branding and marketing firm. “Telling a story about the brand is more engaging, memorable and compelling than telling a bunch of facts. What worked 30 years ago with a 30-second spot doesn’t work today.”
Thirty-three ads across 12 categories, from brands like Budweiser, Campbell’s Soup and MasterCard, were analyzed by 14 leading emotion and physiological research firms. The research tools varied from testing heart rate and skin conductance of the ad viewer to brain diagnostics.
One such pattern was that a campaign like Bud’s iconic “Wassup” registered more powerfully with consumers than Miller Lite low-carb ads that essentially just said, “We’re better than the other guys.” Why? Because Bud told a story about friends connected by a special greeting.
Can you believe some advertising agencies don’t like working with babies? Well at birdsong gregory, everyone at our Charlotte agency had a blast time filming this spot for Britax, an industry leader in child safety seats. Our charming baby model was plucked from the stands of a Little League game and makes her acting debut in this spot to help with marketing the Chaperone Travel Collection.
As someone who makes their living in the world of advertising and marketing here in Charlotte, I can certainly relate to the facetious monologue of comedian Bill Hicks as he points out the commoditizing tendencies of agencies that do a lot of B2C work. Fortunately, here at birdsong gregory, we don't send out any ad campaign or brand message into the world which we wouldn't feel comfortable having our parents or our children exposed to.
What do you call it when advertising agencies come together . . . to advertise themselves? How about Minneapolis.
Local agencies up in the frosty Gopher State are setting aside their usual rivalries to join forces for the promotion of the state’s biggest city, Minneapolis, as a place for anyone in advertising to work and live. The centerpiece of the effort — to be called MinneADpolis, the City of Advertising — is a website scheduled to start this week. Take a look here
The site will include samples of campaigns produced by Minneapolis agencies, video clips of employees discussing why they like the market, information on events and careers and even a virtual tour of the town that can be taken with personalized avatars called advatars, which can be dressed in skinny jeans, flannel shirts and other signature outfits of the creative class.
This an interesting idea for Charlotte ad agencies and branding firms to consider. How can we do a better job of letting the rest of the Southeast (and the country) know about the local creative talent we have right here in the Queen City engaged in marketing in Charlotte.
Check out these logo trends for 2009. See any that look familiar? As someone who works in marketing in Charlotte, I feel that an organization's graphic mark has to be clean, fresh, and memorable - but it also has to work across a variety of formats So when it comes to graphic design, particularly logo design, Charlotte-area companies should also keep the following tips in mind.
Logos must be designed with every form of media in mind.
First, when creating a logo try and imagine what it will look like on a t-shirt, website, business card, letterhead, etc.
Second, imagine the logo appearing on different surfaces and backgrounds (light and dark).
Thirdly, try changing the colors and view the logo in both grayscale and black/white.
Finally, try playing with the logo by increasing and reducing its size dramatically. Logos that are too vertical or horizontal will become highly distorted when enlarged or reduced in size, so choose dimensions wisely.
To learn more about the branding, marketing, advertising, and design services our agency offers, please visit birdsong gregory online, contact Jim Cusson at 704-332-2299, or stop by the next time you’re in downtown Charlotte.
Now that social media tools have become more mainstream, there have been some interesting developments in this years Tour de France that a Charlotte marketing agency like ours has taken note of (besides Lance Armstrong twittering from inside the race).
If you've ever been a fan of these races, it's pretty common that fans cheer up the participants writing messages on the floor. The NIKE Chalkbot follows the same principle and lets you send your 40 characters message to be drawn on the road by a machine.
To learn more about the branding, marketing, advertising, and design services our agency offers, please visit birdsong gregory online, contact me at 704-332-2299, or stop by the next time you’re in downtown Charlotte.
Powered by Compendium