- Here’s how brands sell trust subconsciously: http://ow.ly/85yvO
- 5 tips to turn any event into a networking opportunity: http://ow.ly/7Y104
- Why the best brands eventually leave their names behind: http://ow.ly/84iLK
- How to: use Twitter as a lead generation tool http://ow.ly/81K9Z
- Branding: how it works in the social media age: http://ow.ly/81JY6
- 5 tips for writing your 2012 marketing plan: http://ow.ly/80Law
- Meet the man behind tech’s most recognizable fonts: http://ow.ly/7Zi8H
- Google + brand pages get a holiday update: http://ow.ly/85yFi
- How to give online shoppers confidence in your website: http://ow.ly/84iV2
- 5 things you should stop doing in 2012: http://ow.ly/81MDJ
- 5 ways to improve creativity today: http://ow.ly/80KOI
- 5 trends that will shape business in 2012: http://ow.ly/7Y0Gy
- 4 biggest social networking mistakes of 2011: http://ow.ly/7WQn5
- 6 questions you have to ask in interviews: http://ow.ly/7RQvQ
- Top 10 Worst Logo Makeovers and Lessons We Can Learn From Them http://bit.ly
- 7 things every employee must know about marketing: http://ow.ly/7MDEx
16 Trending topics for branding + business in December
Posted by on January 2, 2012 Speak Your Mind
Why Digital Marketing + Branding Go Hand-in-Hand
It’s a digital world out there – smartphone usage increases everyday, tablet use has exploded, and integrated marketing campaigns are everywhere! But what would all of these aspects of digital marketing look and feel like if a brand hadn’t been established? Marketing is about values – if you don’t know your values and who you are, you can’t market, you can’t establish a brand, and you can’t create integrated materials and strategies.
But it’s also a branding world – consumers are overwhelmed with choices, images, advertisements, and sales. One factor leads the consumer to make a choice: brand loyalty. Are you a Mac or a PC? Coke or Pepsi? Nike or Adidas? While these choices were traditionally impacted by advertisements, they are increasingly impacted by website design, social media presence, and search engine ranking. Companies now focus on creating connections with consumers and among consumers. It is growing more and more difficult to connect with consumers without digital marketing, and without a brand, it is impossible for consumers to even be aware a company exists. In today’s world, branding and digital are no longer options on a checklist. They are essential to every marketing strategy.
Branding provides creative direction for every piece of marketing collateral a firm will ever use. From press releases to website design, social media voice, and email signatures, a well-branded company is consistent and easy to identify and understand. Steve Jobs said, “…it’s a very noisy world. And we’re not going to get the chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. So we have to be really clear on what we want them to know about us.”His quote illustrates the fact that companies need unique brands to stand out, and need to truly embody their brand to survive. Companies that can’t keep up in the quickly evolving market will disappear like Pontiac, Borders, and Circuit City.
The growing importance of digital marketing and brand strategy is a key factor in the merger between Tempo Creative and Miss Details Design. For over a decade, Tempo has been Arizona’s premier web design and digital marketing firm. Miss Details Design is recognized for its brand strategy and creativity, and Tempo can now offer these crucial services in addition to our award-winning digital services. Tempo and Miss Details are proud to be Arizona’s powerhouse of both online and offline marketing design to maximize ROI for all our clients.
Posted by on December 5, 2011 Speak Your Mind
12 Trending Topics for branding + business
1. 5 Big business growth strategies that are useful for small business: http://ow.ly/7K2oy
2. 3 Tips to conquer public speaking: http://ow.ly/7K2sQ
3. 4 Scenarios when you should ask for help at work: http://ow.ly/7IEH6
4. Digital Darwinism – why brands die: http://ow.ly/7Hlf1
5. 6 tips to dealing with negative comments on social media: http://ow.ly/7HgGi
6. 5 ways to keep employees engaged during the holiday season: http://ow.ly/7wL3x
7. 6 things to consider when expanding your small business: http://ow.ly/7uj8K
8. Top 5 apps for iPhone and Android: http://ow.ly/7K5o8
9. 5 common email mistakes your business is probably making: http://ow.ly/7IJjP
10. Siri’s Sister Company Launches a Discovery Engine http://bit.ly
11. 4 Key Considerations When Choosing Web Typography http://bit.ly
12. 3 New Time-Saving Technologies http://bit.ly
Posted by on November 30, 2011 Speak Your Mind
6 Trending stories for branding + business
5 ways to include your customers when changing the brand: http://www.openforum.com/articles/5-reasons-why-you-should-include-customers-when-pivoting-your-brand?extlink=em-openf-SBdaily
6 steps to providing social media support for executives: http://mashable.com/2011/10/24/social-media-executives/
Why it’s so important to keep ahead of trends – the Kodak story: http://www.openforum.com/articles/how-not-keeping-up-with-technology-trends-led-to-kodaks-demise?extlink=em-openf-SBdaily
Absinthe Case Study – structure and graphic design to embody the brand. http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2011/10/19/absinthe-case-study.html
How to elevate your senses – from the Dr. Oz show: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/5-day-full-body-recharge-plan
Customer experience leads to happy customers! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-marketing/customer-service/three-crucial-steps-to-happy-customers/article2204207/
Posted by on October 31, 2011 Speak Your Mind
3 Ways to Assign Value to a brand
1. Firm Level Branding
Establishing a brand is a necessary part of creating a successful company. However, assigning a monetary value to a brand and determining ROI for brand initiatives can be very difficult.
Firm level branding is one way of assigning a monetary value to a brand. When using the firm level branding method, brand equity is an intangible asset. Other intangible assets – sometimes referred to as intellectual property- include trade secrets, copyrights, patents, and structural activities. At the firm level, brand value is determined by measuring the difference of a company’s value before the creation of the brand and after a brand is established. If all other things remain the same as before the brand was invested in, the difference between the two numbers is the value of the brand. For example, a company is valued at 37 million dollars, and then invests for 3 years into developing its brand. They do not spend any money on new products, equipment, or office space. After 3 years, the company is valued at 47 million dollars. The brand development is worth 10 million dollars.
Determining the value of a brand using the firm level allows firms to define value of the brand if they are contemplating mergers or acquisitions. It also allows firms to account for expenses associated with brand development initiatives.
2. Product level branding
Product level branding is another method companies use to assign a monetary value to a brand. In the product level method, the value of the brand equals the price of a popular product minus the price of a generic product. For example, if a 12 pack of Coca-Cola is $4.50 at the local grocery store, and the store brand is $2.50 for a 12 pack at the same store, the brand Coca-Cola at the product level is worth $2.00. The consumer is paying for a branded product, and their reasons for purchasing the specific brand are usually emotionally based – they drink Coke because their parents drank Coke, or it reminds them of summers on the beach.
The term “negative brand equity” is colloquially associated with product level branding (although there are different schools of thought on what negative brand equity actually is) when a name brand is priced at a lower point than a generic brand, resulting in a negative dollar amount as the difference between the two products.
3. Consumer level branding
Measuring branding at the consumer level is the most difficult of the three ways to assign value. Consumer level branding seeks to measure brand recognition, awareness, and public perception. Marketers assign value to a brand based on how the consumer feels about the brand – a very difficult metric to measure and monitor.
Posted by on October 27, 2011 Speak Your Mind
19 Takeaways from “Brand your business like your favorite restaurant”
This past Wednesday, we partnered with the Arizona Technology Council to present a panel of branding experts to discuss building a brand experience like your favorite restaurant. Our panelists included Kate Unger, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Kahala, a franchising company (owners of Cold Stone Creamery and Blimpie brands, along with 12 others); Deborah Topcik, Director of Marketing for Z’Tejas, Inc. which owns and operates 11 restaurants in six markets; and John Banquil, Regional Manager for Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill. Below, we have have posted 19 takeaways to recap the event.
Cold Stone Creamery is launching with International Delight – ice cream flavored coffee creamer sounds amazing!
Take advantage of product placement opportunities like Cold Stone Creamery did with Ryan Seacrest. Ryan sent out this tweet: On the way to @kimkardashian’s wedding…traffic so bad on the 101 I had to stop at cold stone creamery…coffee lovers in my belly…I will quick change in the car…I always keep a suit in trunk!
“We’re comfortable with our food – we want to make sure our staff is doing the right thing for our brand every time” – John Banquil, Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill
On social media…
- “Make it so people can see behind the curtain, give them sneak peeks to upcoming menu items.” – Deborah Topcik, Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill
- “Social media doesn’t replace people. If a manager sees someone in 4 times in 2 weeks, do something for them! Don’t just rely on check-ins.” – John Banquil, Ling and Louie’s
- “Someone sits at the bar tweeting, we can respond right away and make them laugh – that’s a personal experience.” – John Banquil, Ling and Louie’s
- Talking to your staff about promoting via social media is a fine line – you never know what they’re going to say.
“Our Taco Time stores are individually branded towards their communities. It was difficult to do, but well worth it, and fit in with the original store.” – Kate Unger, Kahala
“The Ling and Louie brand is about relating everything back to Ling and Louie, including the servers we hire and the way we communicate.” – John Banquil, Ling and Louie’s
“Make sure there is added value to discounts. Your discounts should not be telling the discount story.” – Deborah Topcik, Z’Tejas
“Always stay ahead.” Kate Unger, Kahala on frozen yogurt in Cold Stone Creamery.
“You have to make sure what you want to do as a corporation is what makes sense for franchises in their markets.” – John Banquil, Ling and Louie’s
“When people feel informed, they feel better about decisions.” – Kate Unger, Kahala
“There is a holiday for everything, and it’s a fun way to establish your brand through marketing.” – Deborah Topcik, Z’Tejas
“We want to be out of the box, out of the ‘wok’ if you will.” – John Banquil, Ling and Louie’s
“Cold Stone Creamery started in Tempe, at an ice cream shop that made ice cream creations on a cold stone” – Kate Unger, Kahala
“Blimpies was the first sub shop in the country, that’s where the tagline ‘America’s sub shop’ comes from.” – Kate Unger, Kahala
“Lance Armstrong started Livestrong at Z’Tejas in Austin – the first location, we benefited from it, but it was all chance that the launch happened there!” – Deborah Topcik, Z’Tejas
“It’s all or nothing with discounts – we stick to ‘not boring holidays’ to go along with our brand” – John Banquil, Ling and Louie’s
Special thanks to the Arizona Technology Council for setting up this event!
Posted by on October 21, 2011 Speak Your Mind
The Holy Trinity of Restaurant Social Media… and Yelp
Social media is essential in promoting businesses and engaging with customers and guests. At first glance, social media may seem like a waste of time. Below we’ve outlined the 3 most popular sites for restaurant goers – Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare. We’ve also included Yelp, because we’ve noticed that the site is a growing concern for owners and managers of restaurants. 
Twitter:
What it’s used for: interaction and conversation, real-time taste of consumer attitude, promotion
Overview: Twitter is a great resource for real-time interaction. Correctly monitoring Twitter results in a better understanding of the marketplace. Twitter allows users to search for topics and see what trending topics are in a specific area. It is a great place to interact with guests and join conversations that relate to the type of food or drinks served. For example, a sushi restaurant might search for #sushi, and find someone that is craving sushi in the area. They can then invite them in, establishing a connection with the guest. Restaurants can also use Twitter to announce and promote specials.
Foursquare:
What it’s used for: relationship building, loyalty rewards
Overview: Guests can use Foursquare to check-in to businesses. Businesses take advantage of this by setting up specials, like free chips and salsa for every check-in or a free drink for the mayor. Restaurants can take advantage of Foursquare by monitoring check-ins and welcoming guests that have checked-in. Making a guest feel welcome and special increases the likelihood of them coming back again and again.
Facebook:
What it’s used for: promotion; conversation, photos, events
Overview: Facebook for business is helpful in promoting specials, posting images, and conversing with guests. One major benefit of Facebook is that restaurants can post things that people can look back on for months, like photos and comments. Facebook also allows users to create events and invite guests who “like” the page.
Yelp:
What it’s used for: reviews from guests; research from potential guests
Overview: Of all people who dine at a restaurant, a very small percentage post reviews on Yelp. It is important to monitor a brand through Yelp, but more valuable information about the way a restaurant is perceived can be obtained by talking to guests while they are dining. If a guest has an issue while dining and it is not corrected before they leave, they are leaving unhappy, and any review they write will reflect that. If a manager talks to the table and corrects the problem before they leave, the guests leave satisfied.
Do you need help making social media sites branded? Contact us, we’d love to help!
Posted by on October 17, 2011 Speak Your Mind