Brand Archives - Page 7 of 7 - Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Jun. 05, 2015

Higher Education: Is Free Coursework Charity or Promotion?

Advertising

Now you can achieve MBA status for free—well, sort of—it may just be a higher education marketing masterstroke. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will offer a seemingly revolutionary MBA program they call the iMBA. It works like this—UIUC will offer the entirety of its iMBA coursework on Coursera, a free online education platform where students are able to earn specializations such as accounting, business operations and digital marketing. Pretty cool, right?

Well, as the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. While course “certificates” may be earned for free online, legitimate iMBA’s can only be obtained by gaining admission to the University, then paying somewhere in the ballpark of $20,000. That ain’t free.

So what’s UIUC’s angle here? Maybe we can chalk it up to an act of charity—here’s a university providing a solid curriculum to folks who can’t or simply don’t want to pay for a traditional MBA. Could be, but what if UIUC saw free online coursework as an education marketing opportunity?

Perhaps UIUC realized prospective students’ reservation to delve into the all-too-familiar realm of student-loan debt. Maybe prospective students just needed a small taste of MBA coursework, like a sample at Costco, to fork over the $20,000 for the official iMBA. After sampling the coursework and assuring themselves that an MBA is attainable, they’d feel confident investing tens of thousands of dollars.

Charity or genius promotion, free coursework from any university as esteemed as UIUC should be greatly valued in this day and age. Average undergraduate student-loan debt is up to $30,867 per student—the highest it’s ever been. While college costs surge, the value of a degree has remained substantial. According to the Wall Street Journal, workers with only a high school degree earned a median weekly wage of $668 compared to $1,193 for workers with at least a bachelor’s degree.

If all of the knowledge can be found online, I fear it’s become blatantly obvious that we’re paying large sums of money (that we don’t have) for a posh piece of paper. This is neither profound nor a revelation. College has always been about getting the degree, and hey, if you learn something along the way, that’s great too.

We work with a number of education clients to help define their brand and create strategies that drive results. Think your brand could benefit? Contact us today!

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Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Jun. 04, 2015

2015 Internet Trends Report – What Stands Out

Advertising

Every year, Mary Meeker from KPCB, a top Silicon Valley firm, releases the Internet Trends Report, which offers a comprehensive look at how the web is changing and evolving.

And at just under 200 slides, it sure is comprehensive. While most of the information makes sense, some of the numbers and trends are simply staggering in terms of pure volume.

Here are some of the trends that stood out in terms of importance as well as sheer entertainment value:

Mobile, mobile, mobile everything

In case you missed it, accessing the Internet from your phone is kind of a big deal these days. In fact, over the past year, mobile grew at three times the speed as Internet usage in general. On top of that, mobile data usage rose by nearly 70 percent in 2015.

So what does this mean? People are consuming media on the go more then ever. The times at which consumers are being presented with information continues to evolve, and as long as they remain glued to their phones, marketers would be wise to find opportunities to meet them there.

It seems like that’s what’s happening, with mobile ad revenue growing by 34 percent while desktop only growing by 11 percent. It’s not surprising on the whole, but the numbers behind really drive the point home.

Facebook Video – An attempt to keep growth going

You’ve probably read 74,393 different articles by now about how Facebook is dying or dead. Which is good for clickbait headlines, but the jury is still out.

On the one hand, Facebook revenue per user growth is slowing down. It grew nearly 60 percent last year and is down to only 30 percent this year. Some people are indeed looking elsewhere for their social networking needs.

On the other head, Facebook video is going through the roof. There are nearly 4 billion video views every day. Unsurprisingly, 75 percent of those views are coming from mobile. Not too shabby.

So while some may think Facebook is on the way down, I tend to believe the platform still has some room to maneuver. While the desktop version is down, there’s still a high ceiling for video, messenger and calling options within the platform that should help the old standard stay relevant.

What a difference a couple of decades make

The tech industry is one of the most disruptive. As such, companies that have been on top in the past might not evolve well enough to stay on top. Early in the presentation, there’s a great example of this.

Here’s an example: can you name the top Internet company in 1995? It was Netscape, who rose to prominence in large part with their product Navigator, which was a precursor to Internet Explorer.

Where are they now? Well, AOL owns them now and uses the brand to market a discount Internet service provider.

In fact, while the dot-com bubble burst knocked out a good chunk of the names on that list, there is one notable company who has able to hang around:

That’d be Apple, who finished second on the list in 1995 and is now #1.

Staying on top of trends is a full-time job, and we treat it that way. It keeps our digital offering relevant and our clients benefit immensely. Contact us and lets talk about what’s trending for your brand.

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Randy Micheletti

VP, Director of Brand Strategy

May. 26, 2015

Brand Relevance: Innovation and Renovation

Branding

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.

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.

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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Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Mar. 20, 2015

Can You Afford Not to Have a Crisis Management Plan?

Branding

Crisis Management Plan

Property insurance, product liability insurance, business interruption insurance… you probably have policies in place to help with those risks, but what about protecting your brand during and after a crisis?

A crisis is defined as a time of intense trouble or difficulty. Every company can have a crisis any day of the week, no matter its size or industry. In other words, bad stuff happens in a blink of an eye.

Internal operations related to product recall or plant injuries can cause a crisis. So can external factors such as misinformation being distributed about your company or a disruption caused by a natural disaster.

How you handle a crisis or emergency will define your brand for a very long time.

Rumors, customer requests, social and traditional media reports… they come so rapidly that it can be overwhelming.

Are you prepared? How will you respond? What kind of actions will you need to take? How do you fight back when inaccuracies are being reported? Who do you talk to first? And who does the talking? How much do you tell the media and when? It seems like so much to think about when you’re in the line of fire – but you can do most of this critical thinking ahead of time to be most efficient in a crisis.

Manage and Communicate

Some PR firms call for a crisis communication plan, but it is really a crisis management plan. It is not only about communication but also about prevention, strategic planning, evaluation, honesty, media, etc.

Every moment that is wasted will have far-reaching implications as judgments about your brand, organization and leadership are made without your comments or actions. And yet, the absolute worst thing you can do is to respond without thinking through the consequences.

With so much at stake with your employees, your customers and the public, can you afford not to have a plan of action?

You need a plan to relay accurate information, relieve tensions and direct activities that can mitigate damages and continue or restore business operations.

Whether you are writing a crisis management plan internally from scratch or evaluating a current crisis communications plan already in tact, be sure you are committing the appropriate time and resources necessary. Your plan should be honest and realistic. Establish weaknesses or potential pitfalls ahead of time. It will be much easier to deal with address troublesome issues and critics if you are prepared for and acknowledge the worst scenarios.

We can help.

Geile/Leon’s experienced PR team helps companies to design and executive crisis management plans, and can answer additional questions that you have. The best defense for any crisis is to have a plan that hopefully you will never need. If and when you do, it will be invaluable.

Download our crisis management plan checklist to evaluate your current plan or to assist you in building a new one. Building or improving a plan takes time and resources, allow us to help. Let’s talk about your potential risks and crises scenarios and build your plan now to save you time and resources later.

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Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Mar. 16, 2015

The Key to Building a Better Brand? Experiences.

Branding

Building a Brand: Enhancing your brand equity through strategic marketing and valuable customer experiences.

For many companies, especially those in niche industries that have a loyal following such as equine or manufacturing, there’s an ongoing struggle to raise their brand to the top. Before the Internet, brands relied on repeat customers, advertising through traditional mediums and amplification of their products/services through trial and word-of-mouth.

Now, at every turn marketers are fighting for a piece of the consumer pie (in more places than one). How do you make your brand stand out when consumers are overrun with choices? Through new experiences and meaningful relationships, on and off-line.

In the equine industry, consumers are immersed in their brands. They are constantly looking for a product or service that they can trust and really rely on – whether it’s to make their horse(s) healthier, get a leg up on the competition, make their job easier or their business better.

So, the opportunity for equine brand building (outside of traditional mediums) lies in experiences that are developed through digital problem solving.

We’ve all turned to Google at some point in our lives for a recommendation. And, for niche industries, this is the sweet spot for brand building. Through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), website content and blogs that truly help your customers and an authentic brand voice that’s consistent on- and off-line, customers have a chance to experience your product before they even buy it. Therefore, creating relationships that will resonate with consumers the next time they are in need of your product or service.

Are you interested in other digital brand building strategies? Download our digital audit to assist you in setting up and executing a successful digital marketing campaign.

Interested in equine marketing? See some of previous our work building equine brands:
Senior Campaign
Integrated Ad Campaign
On the Move Sweepstakes

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Tag: Brand

Higher Education: Is Free Coursework Charity or Promotion?

2015 Internet Trends Report – What Stands Out

Brand Relevance: Innovation and Renovation