Author: Geile/Leon

The 2023 Marketing Trends Year in Review… How Did Our Predictions Hold Up?

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

The 2023 Marketing Trends Year in Review… How Did Our Predictions Hold Up?

Communications Agency

As 2023 comes to a close, it’s time to look forward to 2024. But before that, let’s go back to the future…when we were staring into our crystal marketing ball to see what 2023 had in store for us. Did we hit the mark? Did we miss it? And what does the marketing landscape for 2024 hold in store for our industry? 

 

In the previous article, we weren’t able to foresee two of 2023’s biggest shakeups. For one, Twitter became X and began to circle the drain. We may be seeing its death rattle, and you may have seen that we are leaving it behind. As they scare off brands and advertisers, Elon Musk and his supposed dedication to the free market continues to insult them on their way out to ensure they won’t return and then blames them for X’s downfall. 

 

Beyond that, the algorithm deprioritizes posts with links to external websites, which is kind of the whole point of social media for marketers, and upcoming subscription updates, a paywall, restrictions on free accounts and blocking unregistered users mean that many won’t see these posts in the first place. So if it’s not a useful tool in achieving our KPIs, which has been our experience, what’s the point? 

 

However, that’s not even the biggest news of 2023. You guessed it, it’s AI. Especially generative AI like ChatGPT and the legions of others that are popping up at a breakneck speed. It’s starting to become when, not if, brands will adopt AI in some shape or form. While it may never replace the human brain’s capacity for creativity, making connections that have never existed and thinking outside the box (at least in our lifetimes), there are many avenues for using it as a tool instead of a crutch. And we’re definitely exploring that. 

 

As far as our predictions go? We thought we would see more brand building. Not just rebranding, but also focusing marketing tactics that focus on building the entire brand instead of just a single product. This would include communicating values like trust, reliability and customer focus. And during a year that saw many twists and turns in the marketplace, this turned out to be a great strategy. A big-picture, long-term focus is one that is made to withstand the tests of time instead of getting lost focusing on the smallest details. 

 

Our next prediction was that authentic videos would continue to gain steam and help brands maximize conversions. And we’ve seen TikTok and TikTok-style reels only gain momentum and popularity. At this point, if brands aren’t finding some way to utilize honest, authentic video communication, now’s the time to start. Or if we had a real time machine and not the metaphorical one that we are using for this article, then hop in that and get started yesterday. Social media algorithms can’t get enough of this content. 

 

And conversational marketing? Check. If you’re not building a rapport by talking to customers like real people, then it’s time to start treating them with the dignity they deserve. Not everything is about closing the sale. You wouldn’t walk into a party and just start talking about how great you are. Or maybe you would. But the point is that you shouldn’t. 

 

Finally, we talked about how Google has some competition when it comes to search. Now more than ever, consumers are going to their favorite platform to find information rather than just typing it into Google and clicking on the first result. You can find information, locations for businesses and plenty of product reviews. When it comes to search, it’s time to rethink it. 

 

What do you think 2024 has in store for marketers? Are you interested in implementing a forward-thinking approach into your marketing plans for the upcoming year? There’s no better time to start than right now. Give us a call, shoot us an email or slide into our DMs on social media. Let’s talk! 

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There’s No Such Thing as a One-size-fits-all Budget

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

There’s No Such Thing as a One-size-fits-all Budget

Uncategorized

In life and in marketing, taking a shortcut rarely gets you where you really want to go. It’s that time of the year that many marketers are taking a hard look at their annual budget. Wouldn’t it be easy if there were some sort of definitive formula that could tell you exactly how to spend your money the best? 

Sure. But there isn’t. 

Building a budget is just as much of an art as it is a science. It’s a lot like marketing itself. Relying too heavily on data or too heavily on intuition can take you off the right path. But finding the right balance of the two will lead you to success. 

The science of budgeting is pretty obvious. ROI, sales forecasts and what’s in the product pipeline are pretty standard in this arena. You may use a rule of thumb regarding a certain percentage of overall revenue based on historical data or industry benchmarks. 

For instance, industry budgets for new brand or product launches for B2B companies range from 3-8% of forecasted revenue. However, it’s the art that so often goes overlooked. Especially for B2B brands. 

There is an art to being aware of and responding to all variables that impact budgeting. How supportive is senior leadership of marketing? How much brand equity do you have in the marketplace? How strong is your brand recognition? What’s in the sales funnel currently?

And here’s one where the art of budgeting is invaluable: new product introductions. When launching a new product, there are certain marketing elements that are absolutely necessary. You may not see immediate sales upon investing in these “marketing essentials,” but you will need to have them in place by the time you go to market, even though your new product or brand has not produced a single dollar of revenue at that point. 

And even though you haven’t seen any sales at that point, you sure won’t want to be without the branding, website, sales collateral, public relations and digital support that you would depend on to ensure a successful launch. 

That’s where an experienced brand-driven marketing communications agency comes into play. We’ve worked with many B2B companies in support of new brand and product launches. It’s that perspective that helps us understand the art, so we serve as a partner to the scientifically oriented people who are seeking to determine their marketing budget. That’s really what defines a great partnership at its very essence. 

We’re in the heart of budgeting season now for many of our clients, so as you map out your marketing calendar, get in touch with us. We’d love to lend our perspective (at no charge!) to help you create a budget that is realistic and can achieve your brand’s sales and marketing goals.  Email Tim Leon at [email protected] and let’s chat.

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My summer spent at Geile/Leon

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

My summer spent at Geile/Leon

G/L Culture

by Kyle Crews

 

I am extremely grateful for my time at Geile Leon this summer. When I entered the door for the first time, I felt like I was instantly a part of the team. In fact, this feeling of inclusion and family led me to the idea I created my project around. I will get into that in a moment. 

First, let’s dive into the culture at G/L. As I said, it felt like I belonged when I first entered the doors. That is attributable to the wonderful team here. Everyone gets along extremely well and seems to genuinely enjoy seeing each other every day. This has created a phenomenal working environment that you look forward to being a part of. The team has a lot of fun while doing impeccable work. In my time here I have never seen a client unhappy, in fact they are always thrilled with the product they receive. I think that is why G/L is so successful, relationships are of the utmost importance. Whether you are a client or a member of the team, G/L has your best interest at heart. 

The knowledge and experience I have gained at the agency is priceless. One of the first things I learned was how to properly do media research. This is an important skill, especially at the start of many jobs. Research leads to ideas, concepts, and information that is imperative to these creative projects. I grew comfortable using new programs that I will use in the future. Some of these are Qwilr, Workamajig, Dropbox, and Keynote. 

I also got to experience Public Relations for the first time. I think this is not only important but one of G/L’s strengths. As I stated earlier, relationships are so important to the agency. This is evident by the way the clients interacted with us on Zoom calls and other meetings. Terri Waters, Director of PR, had a great relationship with all of the clients I worked with at G/L. Due to great communication and the ability to write great press releases, our clients were always happy. I learned that there is more to PR than I initially thought. I worked with several clients that we have on retainer doing media research, helping proof or formulate press releases, finding and recommending publications for their articles, etc.

I also learned about social media and how you can effectively use this for business. One client I learned about was Weinhardt Party Rentals. Melissa Ross, our Digital Content Producer, taught me several things about social media marketing through this client. One of the big things was KPIs. Key Performance Indicators dictate the marketing success. Melissa would create posts for Weinhardt’s Instagram. These came in the form of Instagram reels, a carousel of pictures, stories, and more. Based upon engagement, we could monitor how the Instagram account’s following was receiving the posts, also known as the KPI’s. Learning how to use popular trends and different techniques to draw engagement was really intriguing. I now have confidence that I could run an account similar to this. 

One of the tasks I was given was to audit their Instagram and look at what posts did better than others. I then based upon engagement and the content of the post could deduct why it did better or worse than others. This allows us to adjust and change strategies if needed. As social media gets even more popular, these skills will be crucial to the future of marketing. 

Unfortunately, I cannot write about every single experience here at G/L or you would never stop reading this. With that being said, lastly, I would like to talk about my “final project.” I was tasked at the beginning of the internship to come up with an idea for a comprehensive project. I was to lead this project by creating the idea and the schedule. Naturally, I was a bit nervous at first. I have never led a project like this and it was not very comparable to a school project. I was most concerned about getting an idea with real substance to it. I looked at the website for inspiration and found the employee content somewhat entertaining. I did not really know everyone yet and liked the candid videos on the site as it felt I was getting a behind-the-scenes look.

As about a week or two went by, I had no concrete idea and was a little worried. After experiencing this work environment that is second to none, I thought of something. The website could use some new content as the videos are a tad dated. On top of that, G/L does not necessarily market themselves. Like many marketing agencies, they are so caught up with clients that they tend to not advertise themselves. 

So, considering all this I came up with an idea to create an employee testimonial social campaign. I also wished to tie this in with “Make It Mean Something” as that is a key slogan describing the culture here at the agency. I thought this would be great for the website and G/L brand, but also for prospecting employees or clients. With a frame of an idea, I was taught how to create a brief and properly share that with the team. I got great feedback right away. This would provide social content for the website and other forms of social media that is sometimes hard to come by. On top of that, it would cost little to nothing for us to do the project, yet it would benefit the agency greatly. 

Through this process, I learned how to create and follow a project schedule. I hosted meetings and check-ins with the team throughout the summer to get feedback and input. Before these check-ins, I was taught about deliverables and how to work with a creative team. It is rewarding to see your project come to life through the great minds of the team members. For example, Shawn Maher, our Associative Creative Director, came up with a great bucket of questions pertaining to “make it mean something,” the work environment, and G/L in general. Aidan Douglas, Junior Art Director, came up with a great template for the static media element as well. The static media has the person’s name, title, two images, and quote. The quote is pulled directly from one of their video responses. This is condensed into a carousel format and easily shared across socials. We decided this would complement the video content well. Take a look for yourself, the content should be viewable on our socials and website soon. 

 I cannot thank Luke Smith, Assistant Director of Brand Strategy, enough. He helped teach me how to run a project and direct the ins and outs of the process. As well as Meg Strange, Senior Brand Manager. Meg and Luke gave me guidance and knowledge throughout my entire time here, not just on my big project. The rest of the team deserves a lot of credit as well. They made my project come to life and taught me so many things to bring into my future employment.  Lastly, I would just like to say how thankful I am that I received the opportunity to intern here. Tim Leon, Dave Geile, and Randy Micheletti were great to me from my first interview all the way through the internship. I cannot thank them enough for the opportunity and mentorship. I feel that I am now prepared to enter the workforce next year with confidence

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Video Content Trend: An Interactive Cinematographic Encyclopedia

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Video Content Trend: An Interactive Cinematographic Encyclopedia

Creative

Each week at G/L, we get together to discuss trends in the marketing industry. They can include campaigns that we like, love, hate or think missed the mark (newsworthy or otherwise) as well as up-and-coming tools or strategies that we could possibly adopt to help us do better work. It often gets our creative juices flowing and excited to finish the week strong.

In one of these meetings, a website tool called Eyecandy got our creative juices flowing like the Mississippi River.

Eyecandy is a website that demonstrates different video technique shots with examples from both modern and classic television and movies that use exemplary cinematography. As soon as I pulled up the website in my browser, I pulled an Alice in Wonderland and fell into a rabbit hole of stunning and captivating visuals.

And of course I couldn’t help thinking about how we can use it here at Geile/Leon.

When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, a tool like this could be worth even more when explaining an idea we’re working on at G/L Content Studios, especially during pre-production work. Eyecandy will help us create dynamic storyboards that highlight the techniques we would employ and aid us in effectively communicating what the video will look like shot-by-shot to our clients.

And you can only imagine how it would kick start brainstorming sessions for videos no matter what the medium.

Yeah, you could say we have a sweet tooth for Eyecandy. There’s nothing that gets us more excited then imaging what we can create for our clients. So if you’d like to get in on the excitement, get in touch and let’s talk about how we can inject a little bit of eye candy into your video content.

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In 2023, empathy is more important than ever for brands to embrace in their marketing efforts

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

In 2023, empathy is more important than ever for brands to embrace in their marketing efforts

Branding

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost three years. In 2020, the world’s history took a dramatic turn as the pandemic changed the way we lived our lives. It changed how people wanted to interact with businesses and in turn, pushed businesses to change the way they serve customers.  That also means that it’s been nearly three years since we began discussing  Return on Empathy™.  ROE as we call it, states that brands who infuse empathy into their marketing efforts can realize both tangible and intangible benefits.  Empathetic brands experience increased brand loyalty for their efforts.

When we first introduced this metric, we predicted that demand for more empathy in marketing and communications was here to stay and that brands had to get on board if they wished to remain relevant in their markets. That has proven to be true.  While the pandemic seemed to precipitate consumers’ desire for brands to be empathetic,  many other societal topics and consumer concerns continue to drive the empathy movement in marketing.  This graph featured in MarketingCharts  highlights what societal topics are on marketer’s minds:

A 2020  IPSOS study conducted on behalf of PepsiCo Beverages reported that 94% of respondents stated that empathy is important to making society work, and 85% reported that they believe brands demonstrating real empathy is critical to creating customer loyalty. Fast forward to today and we still see marketers addressing empathy in marketing.  A 2022 Vericast Survey of 316 U.S. marketing decision-makers found that almost half (46%) of respondents find it challenging to express empathy in ads, and a similar share (44%)  are struggling to strike the right emotional tone given what is happening in the world.

And that’s not all. Empathy needs to be demonstrated not just in marketing efforts but at touchpoints throughout the customer journey – the total brand experience.  The March/April 2022 EcoConsultancy Future of Marketing Report found that 60% of respondents agreed that the ability to navigate changing consumer behaviors and expectations will be very significant to success, which leads to why “improving the customer experience and customer journey management” is a top-three priority for marketers over the next two years. 

The demand for empathy from brands is nothing new. In the mid-2010s, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio used data from around 20 years of research to determine that emotion is critical to the decision-making process. While it took a pandemic to create a flash point, consumers have shown how deeply they value empathy.   And so, Return on Empathy™ continues to become increasingly important to a brand’s success.

Now is the time to ask yourself if your brand has remained empathetic during these seismic shifts in the marketplace. We would love to discuss how we can infuse some empathy into your marketing and communication and share 5 actionable strategies to ensure your brand is relevant to your target audience. Get in touch with Tim Leon ([email protected])  and he will schedule a quick, 15-minute chat to talk about it.

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Gaining Confidence: My Summer as a G/L Intern

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Gaining Confidence: My Summer as a G/L Intern

G/L Culture

When I found out I got the internship at G/L, I was really excited to finally gain experience at an agency. My goal throughout my college career has been to get experience in as many different industries as I can to have a good idea of what I want to do by the time I graduate from Mizzou. At school, I enjoyed my strategic communications classes that put us students into a team that acted as a mock agency, so I was excited to get an internship with a real agency this summer. 

Admittingly, I was a little nervous at the start. Having to juggle multiple campaigns at once seemed daunting – at my previous internships I only had to focus on one and that got overwhelming at times. I was eager to learn how it all came together and how everyone worked together to get things done. 

On my first day, Tim Leon told me that if there are other things I see in the office that I’d like to try, tell him and he’d make it happen. I decided to take advantage of that sentiment – it couldn’t hurt to gain experience in different areas.

Before I knew it, in addition to writing copy for social media posts and writing blogs for the website, I began to write press releases and take headshots of everyone in the office. I was able to gain experience getting to know our clients in different ways. I was given beneficial feedback to help sharpen my skills as a person in the marketing world. It all clicked: I had to take initiative in order to gain valuable experience.

I learned a lot by taking initiative. I was able to gain more experience and really gauge what role I think I’d like the most in the future. One thing that was always highlighted no matter what area I was working in was just how important it is to pay attention to detail. One word really can really make a difference – especially when it comes to social media that tends to have small copy. Even if you’re posting the same thing to each platform like Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, your audience is different on each so it’s important to cater the captions to them specifically. You have to make it mean something to them.

This attention to detail will always stick with me in my future work. For example, before I even started to work on anything at G/L, they showed me their social strategy for their biggest clients. They wanted me to fully understand the voice and tone of each brand before I got started so that I could understand the goals. This really opened my eyes – I had never approached social media in such a strategic way before. 

Not surprisingly, this attention to detail has really helped give me confidence in my abilities and what I’m doing. At previous internships, social media was done more on-the-fly rather than planned out. While that taught me many things, being thrown into it made me feel unsure of myself given the fact that I didn’t have much experience in the field. At G/L, I was able to make up for that. I gained confidence in my writing skills and that I can, in fact, write effective copy in specific tones. 

As I wrap up my time at G/L, I can confidently say that I can picture myself working at an agency in the future. The teamwork and variety of clients is an encouraging and fun way to work. It has been fun to flex different parts of my brain to strategize campaigns for clients. I can’t wait to bring this experience with me back to school and into my career.

 

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How Voice of Customer Research Helps You Develop Empathetic Marketing Campaigns

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

How Voice of Customer Research Helps You Develop Empathetic Marketing Campaigns

Dynamic Branding

 

You’re probably aware of what your customers want and how they feel. But do you truly understand them? In order to remain relevant, you need to listen to your customers and evaluate why they feel the way they do. This gives you an opportunity to truly connect with them and even increase your Return on Empathy™, making your brand a star in their eyes.

 

One part of our Dynamic Branding process is conducting voice of customer research. This step is useful to gain an insight on many issues your brand may be facing such as irrelevancy, entering a new market and other shifts in the landscape. It gives us a leg up on what your customers are thinking, pointing us in the right direction. Once we create a new brand positioning statement it validates that we have reached your target audience. Additionally, it can gauge current brand perceptions before the Distilled Thinking process begins. Regardless of where your brand is in the market, voice of customer research can get you back on track and at the top of your game. 

At G/L, we conduct voice of customer research via one-on-one interviews either in-person or online. It typically only takes eight to 10 of these interviews to validate the direction that we are going. This research gives us a clear answer on not only how connected customers are to your brand, but also what they think of it. You want a complete picture of your target audience and what they are thinking in order to be the most successful you can be. What is their impression of your brand? Are they satisfied with the products or services you provide? What do they think can be changed for the better? These are just some of the questions that will be answered and once we understand how the customer is connected with the brand, we can build off that to meet their unmet emotional needs and create a stronger customer experience.

 

In turn, this connection leads to Return on Empathy™ , which is invaluable to any brand. According to a study by Method Communications, 42% of Americans say that empathy has decreased over the past year and 81% of them find that concerning. If a company can show empathy (and be genuine about it), creating a campaign that acknowledges what your customers are going through and thinking can really leave an impact. In fact, 55% of customers are more likely to purchase from a brand that shows empathy than from one that doesn’t.

Voice of customer research gauges if your customers think your brand is empathetic or not, giving us a good starting point on the direction we should go. If we discover that customers think your brand is empathetic, great! Let’s build on that. If they think it isn’t, we can help your brand get a refreshed look and message to help improve that attitude for the better.

 

Let’s help your brand create an empathetic campaign to increase your Return on Empathy™. At G/L, we have the tools and personnel you need to conduct voice of customer research to help your brand be at the forefront of customers minds. With the right research, we can help your brand be the best it can be.

 

 

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Trends on How to Gain, Keep and Break Consumers’ Trust

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Trends on How to Gain, Keep and Break Consumers’ Trust

Trending Now

Given how turbulent and uncertain the past couple of years have been, it is more important now than ever for brands to earn and keep consumers’ trust. Morning Consult’s Most Trusted Brands of 2022 report examines the 10 largest economies in the world, including the United States, and unpacks why trust is important, how it’s built and how it’s broken. In this report, they do a deep dive on the most trusted brand in each country and on the top 10 most trusted brands in the United States. Let’s look at some key insights of the results and see how they can benefit your brand.

Consumers are more likely to trust local brands 

As they say, there’s no place like home. A shared home, whether it’s local, regional or national, gives consumers a reason to trust your brand and even take pride in it. While it may take awhile, spending time to gain consumers’ trust and loyalty will pay off. In fact, in six out of the 10 countries surveyed, the most trusted brand originated right there. The most trusted brand in 2022 in the United States is Band-Aid, which was founded in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Making your civic and/or national pride a central part of your brand messaging to your fellow citizens can help establish your brand and increase its popularity – simply because they share an origin.

Consumers tend to trust small businesses

The popularity of shopping small has increased ever since the creation of Small Business Saturday in 2010. They have become the most trusted in the United States, with 77% of Americans saying that they trust “a lot” or “some” of small businesses. While it can be difficult for small businesses to gain a large following, they can give their consumers a personal and memorable experience. This makes consumers feel good, earning their trust and satisfaction. Also, Gen Z is less likely than older generations to trust established brands, which means there is no better time for your small or new business to enter the market.

Engender trust through high quality and value

One way to gain – and keep – consumers’ trust is to provide them with a good value for the price and high-quality products and services. These two factors are the highest rated among Americans when it comes to factors that build trust with a brand. Consumers feel good when they can be confident that they won’t be wasting their money when spending it on your brand, so don’t make them regret it. If consumers can’t trust their money with your brand, then it will be difficult for you to regain their trust and convince them to purchase from you in the future.

You can lose it all with one bad experience

According to Morning Consult’s report, bad customer service experiences were one of the top three reasons that global consumers lost their trust in brands. Picture this: you’re shopping for a new product at your favorite store. You ask an employee for advice on what to get, and instead of being helpful, the employee is judgmental and rude. You’re shocked – you’ve always had a great experience with this brand. It turns you away because you feel betrayed and hurt. 

That’s the thing about trust. You can spend years working hard to gain it But with just one mistake, your brand could lose it all. Consumers want brands to deliver on promises, so make sure that you provide excellent customer service with great value and follow through when you say you will. It goes a long way with consumers.Here at G/L, we can help ensure that your consumers will continue to trust your brand. We have created successful campaigns in the past to earn and keep consumers’ trust and we’d love to do the same for your brand! If you’re interested, contact our president, Tim Leon at [email protected], to find out how we can help you gain trust in the marketplace.

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Dynamic Branding: Refresh vs Rebrand

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Dynamic Branding: Refresh vs Rebrand

Branding

It’s important to remain relevant in this fast-moving world, especially as a brand. When your brand falls behind and loses its luster in the marketplace, it can quickly feel daunting and nearly impossible to catch up. Here at G/L, we want to help brands become dynamic so they are able to adapt and remain aligned with the world around them. This does not require having to do an entire brand overhaul, but rather a refresh.

Think of a brand refresh as a home renovation. You evaluate and decide which elements are structurally sound and which elements need to be reinforced or redone. We understand that your brand still likely has valuable brand equity and that some of what inspired the brand still may be true. It just needs a little touching up. We make slight changes to the graphic identity, tone, presentation, and/or messaging to create value and relevance between your brand and the marketplace.

A total rebranding is like completely destroying a building and building a new one to serve new needs and functions. This means creating a new brand identity, brand standards, and/or new message architecture. Our team at G/L will conduct voice-of-the-customer research to identify the problem and fully understand what it will take to regain your brand’s relevance with your audience. Then, we reposition the brand, develop new brand architecture, and communicate this new brand messaging both internally and externally. This ensures that the brand is embraced and understood by all audiences.

That doesn’t sound too bad, right? With our experienced team, we can lead the way to help your brand find relevance with the customer, no matter what path you choose.

One of our many successful rebranding campaigns was with Cottey College, an all-women’s school in rural Missouri. They challenged us to update their brand to be relevant, especially with prospective students that sought a specialized college experience. That’s when we developed the ‘Creators of Incredible Futures’ branding, tagline and campaign. This bold look highlighted the unique students at Cottey College with hero portraits to make them stand out. This messaging was all about Cottey offering students not just a college experience, but also a life experience, which caught the attention of many prospective students. Not only did the fresh modern look catch their eye, but the powerful messaging did too.

Another rebrand we are proud of was for our client Clayco, a full-service national real estate, architecture, engineering, design-build and construction firm. The challenge they presented us was to evolve their brand from a local design-build firm to a national design-build firm that was building the structures that significantly improve healthcare, the environment, and our future. The messaging reflects the company’s holistic approach to creating buildings that have an impact beyond the physical structure. As a solution, we created the “Beyond These Walls” brand campaign that highlighted Clayco’s forward-thinking passion to deliver building solutions of the highest standard. This branding campaign is over four years old and still as relevant as ever. We are thrilled to have been involved in the national success that Clayco has had and it has been exciting to see what they have accomplished as a result of the “Beyond These Walls” campaign.

Finally, we sometimes recommend a lighter-touch refresh, like the one we developed for Upper Iowa University’s (UIU) brand. UIU, located in Fayette, Iowa, is a private, not-for-profit university that challenged us to develop an integrated marketing plan to create a cohesive brand and message. Through a comprehensive brand discovery session with UIU leadership, our team developed the ‘Education Built for Life’ campaign. This new brand identity gave prospective students a better perception of the UIU experience for both undergrad students and adult learners who were looking for a university that met them where they were in life and designed an educational experience that helped them succeed. Don’t take our word for it, studies show that after launching this campaign, UIU experienced growth in applications and enrollment.

Doing a brand refresh or rebrand is not something to shy away from or delay. In fact, most companies wish they had done it sooner! Our team at G/L is ready to help you with whatever path you choose. Take the survey on the homepage of our website to find out if your brand needs a rebrand or refresh. If you have any questions about the dynamic branding model or process to help brands regain their relevance, email our branding expert Tim Leon at [email protected].

 

 

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HIRING: Brand Manager

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

HIRING: Brand Manager

Communications Agency

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications is now hiring a brand manager!

The Brand Manager ensures that client needs are met by completing a variety of tasks that guarantee projects are completed on time and on budget and agency workflow is managed appropriately. 

This person has a drive to provide excellent client service and has 4-5 years of experience within the marketing communications field (agency or client side). Excellent verbal and written communications skills, personal organization, interpersonal dynamics and an eagerness to learn are keys to success. 

Reports directly to VP, Director of Brand Strategy

 

Responsibilities:

Client Interaction

  • Serves as day-to-day point of contact for assigned clients
  • Leads tactically-oriented client meetings and discussions
  • Gathers and assembles background information and analysis as needed by Brand Management in development of reports, plans and strategies    
  • Manages client expectations and alerts supervisor to any potential issues/problems that jeopardize the account
  • Addresses scope challenges/issues/status with client; alerts VP, Director of Brand Strategy, when needed
  • Articulates client’s brand strategy and ensures strategy carries through in service delivery
  • Manages third-party relationships and identifies possible new relationships that enhance capabilities of the agency
  • Develops and provides direction for client and media materials: plans, presentations, reports, and communications documents

Project Management

  • Develops and executes high-quality programs from conception to execution 
  • Provides input during brainstorming sessions for new ideas and development of client strategies    
  • Prioritizes project tasks so that tasks stay on track
  • Handles and maintain files on all client activities, competitors and industry   
  • Proofreads copy, artwork and layouts 

Financial Management

  • Develops and manages budgets and ensures profitability
  • Develops scope of service and project agreements, in conjunction with clients and available consultation with senior level staff
  • Works with Senior Brand Manager/Assistant Director of Brand Strategy /VP, Director of Brand Strategy to facilitate resolution, with clients of budgetary issues
  • Provides forecasts for agency income to senior level staff

Knowledge

  • Learns, understands, and internalizes assigned brands in detail; deeply knows brand’s competitive positioning and messaging
  • Understands internal project and operational processes
  • Stays current with interactive trends and developments; shows ability to suggest application to clients’ needs
  • Develops and maintains communications plans
  • Brings new, innovative thinking to clients
  • Analyzes competitor activity and consumer trends related to client accounts

Business Development

  • Assists with new business pitches by researching, developing a deeper knowledge of the prospect and industry 
  • Ensures case studies are created at the conclusion of projects to assist agency in new business efforts

To apply, send your resume to our Vice President and Director of Brand Strategy, Randy Micheletti at [email protected]  

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