Tag: marketing and advertising agency

Trending from G/L: Media Planning and House of Cards

Ben Schwab
Creative Director

Trending from G/L: Media Planning and House of Cards

Branding

Having that Big Idea is the backbone behind most impactful and memorable advertising campaigns. But, without the ability to properly expand that core concept across available modern media planning in a relevant and clever way, you are possibly squandering an opportunity to enter attention as part of the larger cultural conversation.

Case-in-point would be the work done over this last year promoting the return of the Netflix original series House of Cards. If you’re unaware of it, this popular Netflix bing-watch focuses on scheming politician Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, who manages to weasel his way to becoming president of the United States through a series backstabbing and nefarious acts. The show recently dropped its fourth season in March.

The media planning was designed to capitalize on the growing media attention given to the real world presidential election cycle by targeting political events and using them as a springboard to promote the reelection of the show’s main protagonist, Frank Underwood. By weaving mock campaign style ads for Frank into commercial breaks during televised events such as CNN’s Republican presidential debate, the spots became more of a topic of discussion in the following weeks than the content of the debate itself.

https://youtu.be/Se44ed4KBMA

The initial ads, which trended across Facebook and Twitter, focused on targeting aired debates and political events leading up to the show’s March launch date. They even went as far as to establish a “campaign headquarters” for the character’s election campaign directly across the street from where the GOP debates were held, bringing the mock campaign style of the television spots to the real world.

When all was said and done, this unique campaign managed to gain 6.6 billion impressions, the most successful launch of a show for Netflix to date. That’s the kind of seamless, timely integration that inspires us at G/L.

Geile/Leon generates tons of unique and captivating ideas like this for our clients every day. Contact us today to learn how we can help your brand tell a compelling story. And if you have any cool examples you want to share with us, we’d be more than happy to see them and chat!

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7 Examples of Horrible Marketing Advice

Luke Smith
Senior Account Executive

7 Examples of Horrible Marketing Advice

Advertising

As marketers, we all want to be innovators and bring the next big idea to our clients to move the needle for their brand(s). But sometimes not all ideas are good ideas. Some marketing ideas do not align with a brand’s creative and messaging strategy, other ideas might not resonate with an audience.

We’ve compiled a list of some less-than-sound (i.e. horrible marketing advice) ideas out there to provide examples of what not to do when it comes to planning your marketing efforts.

1) If you’re trying to build awareness, advertise everywhere you can.

If you’re trying to build buzz or awareness for your new brand/product, it’s important to plan, strategize and understand your audience first. Focus on who will care about your brand and where you can reach them, not how quickly you can reach anyone and everyone. A key step to marketing success is making sure that your messages are targeted and efficient.

2) You need to be on this social media platform.

The marketing landscape has changed significantly over the past 10 years, but just because there is a new, trendy social media platform, does not mean that you need to be there. Granted, you don’t always need to be on the same social channels as your customers (consider where you might find new customers and opportunities), but if you are marketing a product that appeals to a 70+ crowd, chances are you don’t need to be on Instagram or Snapchat. Focus on participating on social channels that will be an extension of your brand and help your business flourish.

3) If you buy an email list you’ll have better email performance.

Buying an email list will definitely grow your distribution channel for direct digital marketing, but it doesn’t mean that the recipients will find your content relevant. If you choose to purchase an email lists, it should be one that is appropriate for your business. Even better, activate and focus on direct outreach through current customers or interested parties that sign up for your mailings on their own. Organic growth is ideal- this means that they want to hear from you.

4) Long lead forms are always worse than short forms.

Long online lead forms can be tedious and time-consuming. That’s a good thing. If your goal is to generate new customers, would you rather have a solid lead or a lead that might not truly be interested in your offerings? You shouldn’t necessarily make the lead jump through too many hoops to get more information, but weeding out the unqualified leads with some detailed questions will produce concrete leads that are truly engaged in what you have to offer.

5) Asking for likes, retweets or shares makes your brand look desperate.

Trying to get the word out? Asking for people to share and repost your content does not have to translate as desperation. In fact, some of the greatest online campaigns are successful due to concise and clear calls-to-action. If that CTA is having others share your content- then so be it! Tying a prize or some sort of incentive to sharing will produce more results and success. You will get more shares if you just ask.

6) You don’t need a responsive website design.

Mobile and tablet internet use have now surpassed internet use on a standard laptop or home computer. If you have a CBD company for example, and you’re not prepared to integrate a responsive design with the help of a CBD Website Design Company, it can lead to frustrated visitors and a bad user experience. This will also reflect poorly on your brand. You wouldn’t want to purchase products from a brand that has a terrible website design, would you? When you are building or redesigning your website, responsive design should be a priority. If you do not have enough resources or manpower to accomplish this task, you can think of outsourcing this work to a reputed digital marketing firm like Hooked Marketing. They can help in delivering a high-quality professional website design for your business.

7) More personalization will garner a better response.

Sometimes too much personalization can come off as a bit intrusive. It’s important to know the customers, recipients and targets for your outreach efforts, but focusing on finding the right balance of friendliness and personalization (within reason) and not coming off too stalker-ish will be key. Make sure not to include everything you know about your customer.

If you would like some GOOD marketing advice instead of horrible marketing advice, please reach out to us. We’re here to help your brand reach it’s potential and provide advice on utilizing the right marketing tools to guide you to success.

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Trending from G/L – Marketing Buzzwords aren’t even real anymore

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Trending from G/L – Marketing Buzzwords aren’t even real anymore

Advertising

It’s tough for me to admit, but I’m very susceptible to falling into the cliché trap on a regular basis. I used to do a bunch of sports writing, so when you’re around athletes for a decent amount of time, you’re bound to want to give 110% percent every week. It just comes with the territory, and it’s hard to beat around the bush any other way.

The marketing world isn’t all that different. Sometimes we just can’t help ourselves.

So, when Joe Lazauskas at Contently put together this quiz of marketing buzzwords, I figured I had it in the bag. Nevertheless, I’m afraid I overlooked the competition and ended up in the 60-69% bracket. Dang it. Guess I’m going to have to put in a strong week of training so I can be ready for next week.

Here are some of my current favorites:

Owned Media/Owned Audience – this is one that I used a lot when I was working extensively on social media platforms. The premise is simple: with TV, radio, billboards, and other traditional advertising mediums, you have to pay to get in front of that audience; whereas, with social media, your brand “owns” those Likes/Follows for the rest of time.

Problem is, social networks (*cough*Facebook*cough*) are making it harder to reach those connected to the brand…unless you have an advertising budget, of course.

Actionable insights – I’m kind of surprised this one hasn’t become more popular in the business world. Basically, you’re trying to say that you should do something based on research. Which might be slightly redundant because most research is probably conducted with an end result in mind. But it sure sounds cool!

Brand journalist – We’re big believers in helping brands tell their story in a compelling manner. We definitely believe in creating good content that makes the target audience want to learn more. But I know quite a few journalists who HATE this term. Like, want to put the word on a bullseye and throw darts at it kind of hate. Pro Tip: never call yourself this when pitching a press release.

Branded emojification – I literally can’t even.

If you’re ever looking to cut through the clutter (dang it, I did it again), contact us and we’ll help you create a message that doesn’t sound like a millennial version of Mad Libs.

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Mobile Social Marketing: The Perfect Trend for Bargain Hunters

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Mobile Social Marketing: The Perfect Trend for Bargain Hunters

General

Let me begin by introducing myself, seeing as I am the newest addition to St. Louis marketing and advertising agency, Geile/Leon. My name is Lindsey, and just a week ago I started my journey as a G/Ler. Immediately thrown into the hustle and bustle of agency life, one of my first tasks was to write a post for the agency blog. Well, one thing you should know about me is that I love a good deal. I am a coupon redeeming, discount-shopping queen. So naturally my favorite marketing movement right now is mobile social marketing. This rapidly spreading movement is the perfect trend for someone constantly connected and addicted to a good bargain. It is with no hesitation when I say I have been a victim of this explosive trend lately.

I recently took a trip to Plato’s Closet to rid my wardrobe of some unnecessary clothing. Of course, only to replenish what I managed to get rid of while waiting for them to rummage through my bags of clothes. But really, how could I turn down a $12.00 pair of designer jeans? My impulse-purchase behavior isn’t exactly the point of the story, but more so is the conversation that took place upon checkout. It went something like this:

“Do you have the Facebook app on your phone?”

“Well of course I do.”

“Would you like to save 20 percent on your purchase?”

“Obviously.”

“All you need to do is “like” this location on your mobile phone.”

Done. And just 30 seconds later those jeans cost me $10.00.

Next stop on my impromptu shopping trip was the mall, wallet heavy with my $40 profit from Plato’s. And what do you know, yet another promotion similar to that of PC. $10 off jean shorts for “checking-in” at American Eagle using Facebook Places. So was it a coincidence that I came across two places using these types of mobile promotions? I don’t think so. A social networking – mobile marketing phenomenon? I would bet on it.

Location-based check-in services like Facebook Places, Foursquare, and Yelp are popping up everywhere, offering incentives for consumers to interact with a brand and share valuable data. These services use your geographical location to determine public locations and venues that are close to your proximity. Ann Taylor, Best Buy and Starbucks are a few of the companies jumping on the LBS bandwagon, offering immediate “check-in” rewards.

In addition to the location-based apps, there are coupon sites, like mobiQpons, offering on-demand special promotions from local restaurants, stores and services near you. All it takes to redeem your deal is showing the offers to the cashier directly from your cell phone – simplicity at its finest. On top of the LBS apps are the increasingly popular, QR codes showing up on ads, posters, and restaurant menus everywhere (learn more by checking out a great blog post from fellow G/Ler, Miranda). And, we can’t forget about the SMS offers. I still love getting my monthly Redbox free rental code!

Gone are the days of scissors and coupon cutting. Bargain shopping and coupon redemption has never been simpler. Now the real challenge lies in trying to sort through the hundreds of apps being offered, and I for one, graciously welcome the challenge.

 

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