Climbing the Mountain of Interactive Infographics

Tim Leon
President/Brand Strategist

Climbing the Mountain of Interactive Infographics

I’m a Mount Everest Freak! I’ve read all the survivor books including Into Thin Air and Left for Dead. While my chances of getting to Everest anytime soon are slim (like a snowball’s chance in hell…pardon the pun), I came across one of the most engaging infographics I have ever encountered, called Scaling Everest. It’s an interactive infographic published online by the Washington Post that takes you on a virtual climb up to the peak of Everest – all from a simple click or swipe of your mouse.

In addition to serving up interesting factoids and visual eye candy, the infographic incorporates sound. Three different Everest explorers Lydia Bradey, Pete Ahtans and Suze Kelly were interviewed, and sound bites of their interviews are interspersed throughout your “climb”. Hearing these voices makes your virtual ascent even more memorable and authentic.

I found myself scrolling to the top and absorbing interesting information forgetting that I was staring at a computer screen, engaged in the moment. I finally came out of my trance to rush to an agency meeting (where I was already 5 minutes late – but hey, I was climbing Everest so it was an acceptable excuse).

What I loved about this interactive infographic is that you could “climb” Everest at your own pace. You were in control of the experience. Interactive infographics are starting to appear more often, and I think this particular infographic demonstrates the experiential nature and engagement power of this digital medium.

While video has its place in the digital space, the interactive infographic brings that same engagement, but it isn’t passive. You are more of a participant in the experience. I’m looking forward to bringing this medium to all of my clients, but in the meantime, let me share this awesome Everest experience with you!

Enjoy your climb…then get back to work!!!

Want to talk infographics? Or how about creating meaningful content that engages your audience? Let’s chat. Fill out the form below, and we will get back to you within 48 hours.

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Brand Relevance: Innovation and Renovation

Randy Micheletti
VP, Director of Brand Strategy

Brand Relevance: Innovation and Renovation

We all know that creating consumer demand grows your brands. Product managers live and breathe this every day…but what do you have to do to create this demand? How do you keep your brand relevance and awareness high in the marketplace?

For many years, product managers have relied on innovation and/or renovation…but which one? How do you decide how to proceed, and what’s right for your brand? Innovation can be a major capital investment that might not always provide the ROI you’re looking for. On the other hand, renovation can be seen as the “poor persons” brand refresh.

Here are a few important things to think about as you decide how to move your brand forward – either innovating or renovating:

Innovation

Relative Advantage

Measures how improved an innovation is over a competing option or the previous generation of a product. Show potential customers how an innovation improves their current situation.

Compatibility

Show how your innovation will be compatible with their life and lifestyle. If an innovation requires a huge lifestyle change, or if the user must acquire additional products to make your innovation work, then it is more likely to fail. Innovations meet the greatest success when users are able to seamlessly adopt them — when they replace an existing product or idea, for the better.

Complexity vs. Simplicity

Complexity or simplicity refers to how difficult it is for adopters to learn to use an innovation. The more complex an innovation, the more difficult it will be for potential adopters to incorporate it into their lives. As we all know, potential adopters do not usually budget much time for learning

Trialability

Trialability describes how easily potential adopters can explore your innovation. Trialability is critical to facilitating the adoption of an innovation. Potential users want to see what your innovation can do and give it a test run before committing.

Read more: Five Characteristics of an Innovation

Renovation

Alienating Current Customers

Often changing packaging or the product’s formulation can lead to alienation. Ensure whatever you do is well tested and does not cause a loss in your current customer base.

Gaining New Customers

A refresh can often boost the relevancy of your brand and can make you a category leader. If you go down the path of re-positioning your brand you have the chance of creating a new and excited customer base.

Limit Confusion During Switchover

As you update your product in market, especially at shelf, ensure there’s thought behind how you’ll roll the product out. It can take only one missed opportunity with a current customer for them to switch to another product. Remember, consumers aren’t always loyal, and if you give them a reason to switch – they will.

Read more: Innovation or renovation: What really fuels growth?

So when you’re faced with a choice – we say pick both. As reported in Nielson, Innovation can help attract new customers and new usage occasions, and renovation can periodically help you protect your core and build platforms for future renovation and growth. Be sure to look at both options upfront in an unbiased fashion rather than repeating what you’ve done in the past. These decisions will likely be some of the most important decisions you make.

Do you need help deciding which is right for you? Do you know which is right for you but you aren’t sure how to plan and execute? Let’s chat. Fill out the form below and we will contact you to talk about what’s best for your brand.

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Consumer Engagement: Branding Your Memories

Luke Smith
Senior Account Executive

Consumer Engagement: Branding Your Memories

The broad term “experiential marketing” can translate to a million different tactics and strategies, but the core goal remains the same–create consumer engagement and experiences that aid in the evolution of your brand.

Consumers are bombarded with anywhere from 3,000-5,000 passive messages a day. While the exact number is not known, we know that it’s overwhelming, and we know that it’s easy to get lost in the clutter unless we plan accordingly and support marketing efforts with outstanding creative.

Sensory Memory

While traditional advertising certainly serves an important role through reach, frequency and precision (and it’s easier on the budget), marketing through experiences with a brand will not only generate a personal interaction with a consumer, but also implant a sensory memory as well.

Sensory memory refers to how we remember the way things look, feel, smell, or taste. Typically, our brain stores this type of information as if it were taking a snapshot of the event using your senses as the camera. These are the sorts of memories that generate the building blocks for brand relationships.

Every marketer should strive for their brand to create a personal relationship with consumers.

Think about this–do you have a brand or product that you still buy today because your parents or grandparents raised you with this brand/product? You’re not just buying this because you like it; you’re subconsciously committed to the brand because of the experiences you’ve had and the relationship you’ve built with it.

Unforgettable Experiences

Let’s take a look at some recent, inspirational examples of brands that set the standard for experiential marketing.

While I’m sure that there were some strict rules and detailed planning, the execution and strategy is something to be admired. The positioning of this experience was clever. Not only did Carlsberg capture the interest of an already busy, vibrant street, but it was also strategically placed just around the corner from a popular craft beer bar, where the taste for local beers is taking dominance over more mainstream brews.

At the 2015 Ted conference Delta Air Lines created an installation called “Stillness in Motion,” based on the book The Art of Stillness. This was part of a suite of different products designed to make a more productive use of your time. Approximately 800 visitors tweeted about it, resulting in 9.3 million Twitter impressions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_VWKEt2e3w

Creating Your Experience

Experiential marketing is another great tool to use in our marketing arsenal. If executed correctly, it’s a tactic that breaches traditional and emerges as a branded memory. It truly creates a powerful opportunity for your brand to build a relationship with consumers.

Would you like to learn more about how experiential marketing can help your brand? Fill out the form below or email us at [email protected] and we can talk more.

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Brands on Social Media: Keys to finding “Insta” Success

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Brands on Social Media: Keys to finding “Insta” Success

Social media channels are a great way to stay connected. At the same time, there can be such an over-saturation of content on various platforms that it can be difficult to sort through it all. Even on a site like Twitter, with it’s feed platform, is experiencing some growing pains in figuring out the best way to insert sponsored content.

While it’s true that Instagram has evolved dramatically since being initially released in 2010, at least one main value holds true: strong visual content compels people.

As brands look to grow their Instagram following, a handful seem to be doing it right, according to this recent Contently article. Here are some of the reasons why they’re resonating:

Natural

National Geographic has been around for generations in it’s print form. While some longstanding publications have had trouble adapting to a digital and mobile landscape, @NatGeo has kept ahead of the times. They’re able to leverage the top-notch photography they produce and use it well on Instagram without coming off as overly promotional. When you know how to properly use awesome content, you’re in good shape.

Photo @ladzinski / Let’s face it, the desire to explore and see new places is something that burns inside of just about everyone of us. We’re nothing short of blessed to live in a world so big and abundant with beauty. My long time friend @sashadigiulian is a true born adventurer, always looking for that next great experience, new place to discover and how she can interact within it. She’s also one of the top rock climbers in the world, which is pretty handy when you see a climb as stunning and hard as this one seen here in South Africa’s #WatervalBoven. If you’re a fan of adventure then good news, @natgeoadventure just dropped on Instagram and it’s already charging. It’s an ever growing repository of photos and experiences from some of the top adventure photographers and athletes out there, it’s sure to be hot, check it out!

A photo posted by National Geographic (@natgeo) on

Candid

Vogue Magazine knows their audience well and they know how to provide content that their audience wants. By using their credibility, access and partnerships with top influencers to deliver info and images that no one else can, they’re able to offer a unique experience. @VogueMagazine is also really good at using Instagram to direct their followers onto their owned platforms, such as their website.

 

How @beyonce and @officials_c_ arrive at the #MetGala. Photo by @kevintachman. A photo posted by Vogue (@voguemagazine) on

Community

Many followers throughout social media want to feel a connection to the brands they follow. By regramming content from users and giving appropriate credit, @Mashable is really banking on digital word-of-mouth marketing to give them a personal touch. By making their feed more about their followers than about them, they’re able to build community that has an impact on everything they’re doing.

 

Irreverence

@ESPN has become a surprisingly polarizing force in the sports media landscape during the past decade. Some adore the network while others bemoan their focus on top teams and athletes. On social media however, their accounts have a consistently conversational sports fan feel about them, which is fairly in line with their SportsNation branding. Their Instagram presence is no different, highlighting the lighter side of the games we love.

 

Consistently Cool

New York Magazine has a sophisticated voice that showcases their influence in one of the world’s biggest hubs. Their Instagram, @NYMag, is promotional, but it is so in a way that compels readers to stick with them. Again, when you mix good content with good promotional hooks, you’re going to have a good combo on hand.

Need help figuring out the digital marketing mix for your brand? Contact us and we’ll get the ball rolling! (We’re admittedly not as good as the Pope at it, but we’re not bad!)

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Read the full article and see different examples on Contently here

 

Ad Viewability: “Game of War”

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Ad Viewability: “Game of War”

Recently, Ken Wheaton of Advertising Age wrote an opinion piece on ad viewability. We shared the piece in our meeting this morning, and because “Game of War” ads make me want to pull my hair out, and I suppose more importantly because of viewability, I felt the need to share.

I’m with Ken on this one (aside from the “telling my 15-year-old boy self” part) I am over these ads. This seems to be a question of quantity of views versus clicks. We can all admit that viewability is important. Duh. You have to be seen to get engagement. However, I fully agree with Ken when he says that viewability is the bare minimum that we should be striving for.

Really, we (marketers, advertisers, publishers) should be using targeting and tracking (since, let’s be honest, so much of our data usage is tracked anyways) and tailor to the right audience to provide more applicable ads. This seems obvious – don’t we all know this? Aren’t most people already doing this? Yes, yet we still see “Game of War” ads, well…EVERYWHERE!

Ken makes a good point that he is the target audience for Kate Upton’s milk bath, but if he (as the targeted audience) has seen the ad X number of times and still has not clicked on it, at what point can the ads finally change? At what point can he finally see something else he might actually be interested in? At what point can I, part of the unintended audience, view something else I’m actually interested in? 

“In the digital and mobile spaces, what I’d rather see marketers and publishers focusing on is addressing the problems with targeting and tracking. If you’re following me around and scraping my data, you should be serving me better ads.” Ken Wheaton, AdAge

Ultimately, what I believe Ken is trying to express in his article, is that if we have our audience pinned, and we are targeting people who could actually be interested instead of just targeting everyone for quantity of views, then we can focus more on what will get that pinned viewer(ahem, the creative and content – what we are here for and what we love to do) to click and commit to what we are advertising.

As much as I truly believe that every single person reading this has seen a “Game of War” ad, the one Ken talks about is included below for reference.

Note: This is no reflection of the game itself. It could be great and entertaining, and I would have no idea – but that is the point! The annoyance of the ads have actually deterred me  from downloading the game. That is definitely not the purpose of advertisements. 

If you want to talk about your ad viewability, or what you can do to increase not only your viewability but your engagement and leads, lets talk. Fill out the form below and we will get back to you shortly! If you want to learn more about making the most out of your ads and what to pair with them for better engagement, look out for Meg’s blog next week!

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Consumer Engagement: Think Your Marketing is Tough? Try Selling Heart Attacks.

Dave Geile
Creative Director Managing Partner

Consumer Engagement: Think Your Marketing is Tough? Try Selling Heart Attacks.

We admit, creating and executing a successful healthcare marketing plan is tough.

After running an advertising agency for 25 years, we have done a lot of healthcare and hospital branding and awareness campaigns with success of course; but your customer, or patient in this case, really isn’t fully engaged in your message unless there is a need. For instance, I can probably make a Dairy Queen Blizzard look pretty good and get people to pay attention and they may even dash out and buy one. Try doing that with cardiac care.

I ran across a great blog on Marketing Healthcare by Stephen Moegling. It stuck out to me because he used an example I have used many times myself (As a matter of fact, just used it recently in a meeting with a health system marketing manager). He compared healthcare marketing to other big ticket, seldom needed purchases such as cars. Everyone who needs a car probably has one, and once they buy one, you won’t see them again for 3-5 years. So the car companies try to keep you engaged with their brand, and when the need eventually comes around again, their image is swimming around somewhere in the back of their customers’ mind space. Your healthcare marketing plan should have that same impact.

In healthcare, having a relevant brand means engaging consumers today for solutions they may need tomorrow. – Moegling

My point is, I have lived through this process of marketing healthcare many times and I think this blogger is right on. The other aspect that stood out to me was that he didn’t even mention expensive TV and radio, but he did list some very doable suggestions (many we have used ourselves) to help keep your healthcare brand out there and part of the “considered set” when the healthcare need arises. His list is below, and you can read the entire blog here. It’s worth taking a look at and passing along if you are in the healthcare industry.

-Downloadable questions to ask your physician about a specific condition
-Microsites for more in-depth interaction among consumers and your services
-Email campaign with links to wellness information, classes and events
-“Ask the Expert” monthly web chat led by physicians
-Interactive kiosks in hospital lobbies and common waiting area
-Men’s health promotional events at local hardware stores
-“Afternoon Tea” women’s events
-Heart healthy shopping menus at local grocery stores and restaurants
-Sign-ups for Facebook “fan” exclusive promotions
-Twitter/tweet announcements from live events
-Sign-ups to hospital Twitter accounts get entry into raffles
-New resident gifts for completing surveys or calling to get a new physician
-“Find a new physician” promotions with a call center or website payoff
-Use Flickr and other photo sharing sites for cutest baby contests
-Baby fairs and other community events
-Meet the Physicians Night at housing community clubhouses
-Clinics for sports medicine promotions (proper stretching, nutrition and rest)

If you have questions about how to create, execute or evaluate a successful healthcare marketing plan, fill out the form below and let’s discuss your options!

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From the Expert: How to Use LinkedIn Effectively

Dan Diveley
VP of Business Development

From the Expert: How to Use LinkedIn Effectively

This blog goes to the millions of people on LinkedIn, and the millions of others that should be. 

Ben Kniffen, director of campaign management for LinkedSelling.com, was the featured speaker at a recent meeting hosted by the BMA-St. Louis. He and his team help organizations increase sales by teaching them how to use LinkedIn effectively.

Ben presented his company’s successful approach for using LinkedIn for business development efforts which I list below. I want to stress that this plan is based on building trust and not about spamming your connections. By providing useful information you can become a valued source. However, if you use LinkedIn as another way to push your sales messages, your efforts will result in offending your targets and, in my opinion, lead to minimizing LinkedIn’s potential for everyone else. Some of Ben’s top suggestions are included below.

Targets and optimization


Develop a profile of who you want to reach.

Decide who could best benefit from your products/services and build a list. LinkedIn has a powerful Advance Search feature that will allow you to target individuals by title, industry, and location – even if you don’t have a Premium subscription.

Join groups.

If you are not a paid subscriber, LinkedIn is limiting the number of profiles you can view when using the Search feature. Because of this, Ben suggests joining groups that match your target’s interests. Once accepted into a group, you have access to all group members. Click on the Members feature within the group and then you can search to find titles and locations that appeal to you.

Develop a target list.

Select a reasonable number of people you would like to get to know. LinkedIn doesn’t have a way to store these names so you will have to copy/paste their names and profile url to a separate list. With this list developed, now it is time to decide what information you can provide that will benefit these individuals and develop a content calendar.

 Lead Generation

 

With your targets selected and your profile optimized, now it’s time to start your Lead Generation efforts.

Work on your own profile.

Just as in the off-line world, people want to know people that are likeable and who they perceive as being someone worth knowing. Ben states the two most important aspects of your profile are your photo and headline. He recommends a photo that looks friendly, and not foolish. He showed several profile images that he felt were not appropriate for a business forum. Regarding headlines – most people list job titles. This does nothing to differentiate these people from the thousands of other people with the same title. So Ben recommends creating a title that is different and implies some benefit to why people should engage with you.

Since attending this presentation, I updated my profile and would love to hear your feedback. Please visit me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dandiveley and let’s connect!

Screen Shot 2015-05-05 at 4.00.11 PM

Develop a content calendar.

Spend time to determine what issues are important to your target audience and then find information that will provide knowledge to help them. A content calendar should be developed that includes the subjects, links and the dates you want to post this information. This will help you stay on track and ensure you are communicating consistently with groups and individuals.

Share content with your groups.

People join these groups to advance their knowledge. It is important to contribute to the group’s discussions to build trust and name recognition. Read the discussions and respond to any that you can provide useful information to – either your original content or a link to a relevant article. Ben suggests posting a discussion one or two times a week in each group. His rule of thumb is: 90% of the time you should repost someone else’s content, and 10% your original content.

Be careful to not push sales messages. Decision-makers are smart and they can recognize a sales pitch. Posting sales messages will not only turn away people who might have a need for your product, but also if you are posting in a locked group, the group’s owner may not publish your content.

Ask your targets for a connection.

If you are truly providing valuable information, and if your profile implies that you can help, reach out to your targets and request to connect. You will need a short explanation of why you want to connect and make sure there are no ‘sales’ messages in this first request. Once you make the connection, use the content calendar to push useful information to these new contacts. Ben suggests you continue to send information and monitor if you get any response before asking for a meeting. Use your best judgment to decide the frequency that you communicate with these new connections – don’t over-do it and definitely don’t spam them!

Monitoring and maintenance.

If your company does offer something unique that will benefit your target audience, and if you follow the steps listed, this system should work to help you engage in the types of organizations that fit your criteria. Monitor your results and adjust your approach as needed. Not all prospects will respond so move these names off your list and continue to find new targets.

For more help using LinkedIn

LinkedinSelling.com works with sales organizations throughout the US and in several other countries. They provide a range of services that can help you organize your LinkedIn efforts. If you are looking for ways to improve your outreach, or that of your company, please fill out the form below and I will connect you with Ben.

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Trending Now from G/L: The Evolving Content Landscape

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Trending Now from G/L: The Evolving Content Landscape

TRENDING NOW FROM G/L

Every Monday morning, the G/L office starts our week by meeting together and updating everyone on new business, old business, this week’s needs, last week’s successes – all the good stuff. We always take time at the end of these meetings to discuss what is trending now in our marketing and design world. We decided that what we talk about isn’t only beneficial to us, but to our clients and followers – so throughout the week we share some of our favorite trends with you.

THE EVOLVING CONTENT LANDSCAPE

If you’ve been to a digital or general marketing conference during the past year, you’ve probably heard this phrase a lot: “Content is King,” or alternatively, “social media is gasoline; content is fire”.

Creating engaging content should be one of the biggest objectives for most brands for the foreseeable future. However, sometimes there is a disconnect in defining what engaging content actually looks like. While primarily text-based blogs (like this one!) are incredibly important, being creative about the vehicle that content is served on is evolving rapidly.

A recent article from Contently looks at three newer content formats that they expect to gain traction this year. Here are their insights compiled with our thoughts:

Branded Web Stories

The way that we view video has changed dramatically during the past decade. Heck, it’s changed a lot even in the past year. Consumers have continued to move away from the model that half-hour or hour-long TV shows to be viewed at a certain time are the only way that people can get their entertainment.

Branded Web Stories are a big part of the shift. While brands will continue to put versions of their commercials on sites like YouTube, many are going much further and creating stories that stand alone as entertainment in a way that viewers will actively seek out. The branded examples shown are high quality in every way possible. See the video Contently references below.

Plus, with how much YouTube celebrities are making these days, it doesn’t make sense to skimp on costs.

As the article states, nearly 80% of consumer Internet traffic will be video based within the next three years. The message seems clear: invest in video content now and stay ahead of the curve.

Interactive Infographics

Infographics have become exponentially more popular in recent years. They’ve created a compelling way to pull words and numbers together to create a puzzle that’s visually appealing to the viewer.

While static infographics have grown, some notable interactive infographics have captured the attention of viewers. Look out for our blog this week solely about interactive infographics.

Branded Comics

We preach the importance of telling compelling stories on a daily basis. A visual way to do that might crack through in 2015 through still comics and illustrations by telling and ongoing narrative. With this option in particular though, it’s important to make sure that the content fits your brand’s guidelines. See the cartoon Contently references below.

Content continues to grow as a marketing tool, but finding the right medium to use that content is half the battle. Our team is constantly looking for new ways to create and leverage digital content in a way that strongly resonates with the end user.

Want to talk more about creative content landscapes? Fill out the form below or email us at [email protected] and we will lend our time to discuss your digital, design and content needs.

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Writing Style Guide: 10 AP Style Tips You May Not Know

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Writing Style Guide: 10 AP Style Tips You May Not Know

Updated May 11, 2015

The AP Stylebook is a writing style guide used when writing for news media outlets. Most people who are familiar with AP Style know the common rules such as which months are abbreviated, how datelines are used and when to spell out numbers. However, AP Style covers a large amount of less known rules to follow. Knowing the style well and using it appropriately will positively impact credibility and utilization of media submissions. Here are 10 underrated tips that will improve your AP style writing:

1. Acronyms

Hint: You shouldn’t find these in parentheses.
When referring to an organization, the acronym does not come in parentheses after the first reference. Acronyms that are easy to recognize can be used on their own after the first reference of the organization’s full name.

Example: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is cracking down on dog fighting with their recent campaign. The ASPCA has created a social campaign with the tag #GetTough to teach people about dog fighting and how to stop it.

2. More than, over

Hint: This is a game of numbers.
Recently, AP Style announced it is acceptable to use over in reference to numbers due to common use, but the preference is more than to be used with greater numerical value, and over to reference spatial elements.

Example: In 2014, unboxing videos grew more than 55 percent from the previous year. In the recent Samsung unboxing advertisement, the actor swings over buildings and cars to show the camera quality of the phone.

3. Trademark Symbols

Hint: Nope. Never. Nada.
Trademarks and other symbols should not be used when writing in AP Style. Removing these symbols makes it easier for reporters to use your press releases.

Example: The phrase “Band-Aid” is a trademarked for the adhesive bandage, owned by Johnson & Johnson and is at risk for losing the trademark due to generalization.

4. Job Titles

Hint: Before is better.
Only capitalize a title used before a person’s name.

Example: DIY Engineer Jason Bell created a human catapult to launch people off of a bridge.

5. Because, since

Hint: Relationships versus time.
Use because when describing a specific cause/effect relationship. Since is acceptable in casual senses in regards to a sequence of events, but that may get confusing, we recommend only using since for time elements.

Example: Toyota is looking for new ways to fuel cars with hydrogen because it is the most abundant element in the universe. Since launching a short video about hydrogen fuel, Toyota has earned many supporters and skeptics.

6. Commas in a sequence

Hint: Leave it out.
The Oxford Comma is commonly misused when writing in AP Style. When writing a list, the comma is NOT included after the conjunction in a series UNLESS it is an integral part of the sequence also includes a conjunction.

Example: Peter Bamforth is making trick shots using Oreos, milk and an abundance of free time. (Free advertising on Oreo’s end. Not too shabby).

7. Farther, further

Hint: Far describes a length.
Farther is a physical distance. Further is an extension of time or degree

Example: Dozens of people are taking a leap off of the second tallest residential building in the world, farther than 1,000 feet in the air.

8. Entitled, titled

Hint: Magazines don’t have rights.
To be entitled is to have a right. A movie, book, magazine, etc. is titled.

Example: One of Netflix’s newest series titled “Daredevil” had approximately 4.4 million views of at least one episode in the first 11 days after its release.

Tip within a tip: Magazine and newspaper titles aren’t italicized, just capitalized. Composition titles such as books, video games, films, TV shows, works of art, etc. use quotation marks.

9. “S” or no “S”

Hint: And none for Gretchen Weiners.
The proper AP Style use is toward, backward, upward, forward, downward, etc. without an “s”.

Example: Moving forward, brands can buy ads from both Google and Twitter together.

10. That, which

Hint: It’s “that” much more important.
That and which can be used in reference to inanimate objects or animals without names. That gets used when it is important to the meaning of the sentence. Use which where the pronoun isn’t necessary (and use commas).

Example: The 90-year-old tortoise that lost two of her legs could still beat the hare with her new wheels.

The AP Style guidelines change frequently; every point is re-evaluated every year for relevance. See more about the process behind the AP Stylebook in this video.

Follow AP Stylebook on Twitter to see constant updates of rules you should know and tweets with information on how to write about current events. Here are a few recent examples:

Screen Shot 2015-05-01 at 2.37.43 PM

Want to talk more about writing for media? Fill out the form below or email us at [email protected] and we will lend our time to discuss your writing and media needs.

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