Tag: marketing strategy

Find Your Why: Inspired Company, Inspired Growth and Company Culture

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Find Your Why: Inspired Company, Inspired Growth and Company Culture

Branding

If you have a LinkedIn account, you’ve probably seen a version of the encounter below show up in your feed:

Inspired Company Growth

It’s a fairly simple premise: if you invest time and resources in your employees, it will pay dividends. Failure to do so leads to unmotivated individuals who may not be in a position to further advance their skills. And in turn, the company itself, being only as strong as its employees, can’t grow.

But what does being an inspired company mean? And how does a positive company culture lead to growth and innovation? And can it make work fun, or at the very least, rewarding?

We’ve had the opportunity to work closely with HubSpot, an inbound marketing software company. We’ve learned quite a bit with regards to digital marketing, content marketing and business development in the time we’ve spent working with their team and learning the ins-and-outs of the platform. It’s definitely been rewarding.

In a recent article, HubSpot co-founder and CEO Brian Halligan discussed his approach to hiring and building a particular kind of culture.

“As the years passed, Halligan and co-founder Dharmesh Shah put more thought into fostering a positive company culture that Halligan said would attract the kinds of employees they wanted, while repelling those they didn’t.”

The article also talks about their annual Inbound conference and how, despite their claim that they lose money on the event, it’s still worth the cost. That’s because it can convince people to use the HubSpot platform. It can also be a Launchpad to attract top job candidates and maintain a position as the leader in inbound marketing.

Another line that stood out:

“Now, the nearly 900 employees of HubSpot, which are largely in the millennial generation, feel a sense of ownership in the company because of its commitment to transparency and trust.”

That’s a big selling point as the job candidate pool continues to crave more of a connection to their careers than just a simple 9-to-5 grind. It’s a massive shift from simply running to the place offering the biggest paycheck.

And it has translated into business success as well. The Inbound conference had just fewer than 3000 attendees in its first year, but three years later, they’re expecting more than 13,000 marketers to attend. And with more than $115 million in revenue for 2014, they seem to be doing okay financially. Happy customers, happy employees. Seems like a win-win.

WIN A FREE WHY BOOK

We’re always available to chat. And if you fill out the form below, you’ll be entered to win a copy of Simon Sinek’s book Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action.

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Why Storytelling in Media Relations Matters

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Why Storytelling in Media Relations Matters

Advertising

As of January 2013, there were more than 600,000 restaurants in the United States. With so much competition, how does one stand out from the pack?

The first option is paid media or marketing.

Television spot during a Cardinals game – $500-$2,500

Radio spot during primetime commute – $1,000-$3,000

Prominent Highway Billboard (per month) – $1,500-$5,000

You get the idea.

Advertising is necessary, but expensive. And don’t think for a second the restaurant down the street isn’t looking into the same methods.

So how do you make your business different? How do you effectively reach your targets and make them remember you? That is where public relations, or earned media, comes into play.

When a public relations professional first approaches a pitch, they are focused on one thing: storytelling. There may be more than 600,000 restaurants in the United States, but each one has a brand story. The key is figuring out what that story is.

Here are five tips for identifying an effective brand story:

1) Stop trying to sell

You aren’t mining for the brand story behind your business simply to drive sales. Sure, that is the end goal, but with brand storytelling there is so much more that goes along with it. You want to engage customers. You want them to remember you. Next time they are thinking about going to an Italian restaurant for dinner, you want them to think of the restaurant they read about in the newspaper that has been run by the same family for three generations.

2) Know your client

This is a big one. Nothing is more frustrating for a client than hiring someone to work on PR that isn’t willing to put in the work to find out about your company. It is not enough for someone trying to write a pitch to simply know the basics. It takes digging and asking questions to find that story that is going to grab a journalist’s and the audience’s attention.

3) Know your audience

Just as important as knowing your client, you need to know your audience. Who does the client want to target? What publications are you pitching this to? There may be one story, but there is more than one way to tell it so that it hits the target.

4) Be relatable

What is the point of telling a story if it isn’t one that people are interested in? It is probably not advantageous to talk about the billionaire that added this restaurant to his portfolio. No. This is not a story that people are interested in. This is not a story that is going to make customers want to experience what you have to offer. Make it a personal, relatable story.

HINT: If the brand story that you create is something that customers can mention in casual conversation, you’ve nailed it.

5) Be newsworthy

This is more important in the drafting of a pitch than in the storytelling, but it is certainly still an element of effective storytelling. Create a story that makes sense in the world. Find out what your target audience is talking about, and mine for a story that aligns with that. This also makes it easier for a journalist to take what you are offering and turn it into something more than a mention on page 10.

Does brand storytelling sound a bit like journalism? Well, it should. Developing your story takes some digging, but once you find it, have some fun with it! Take advantage of the opportunity to give your customers an inside look at your business. Tell your story and I guarantee they will remember you.

We know your brand has a story to tell. Let us help you find it.

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Trending from G/L: How Patagonia let Denali have the spotlight

Meg Strange
Senior Account Executive

Trending from G/L: How Patagonia let Denali have the spotlight

Advertising

By now, most of you have probably seen this video that has gone viral and likely reduced you to a giant puddle of tears. Unless, of course, you have no soul.

That video is a short film called Denali.

Denali

Can we talk about the feels?

In case you haven’t had the pleasure of viewing, Denali is a heartwarming film created as a tribute from one man to his best friend. In June 2004, Oregon-based photographer Ben Moon was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and endured over 10 years of battling the illness until finally freeing himself of it. The unwavering support system that saw him through? His beloved dog, Denali.

Denali, a shelter dog Moon adopted in 1999, served as a constant companion delivering that unconditional love that only man’s best friend can, for nearly 15 years. After beating cancer in 2005, it was Denali who was struck with the illness and endured surgery to remove cancerous tumors, and suffered both respiratory and kidney problems. Denali finally succumbed to his illness in February of last year.

Upon being approached in the interest of producing a film about his own story of battling cancer, Moon ultimately decided that it wasn’t his story but Denali’s story that should be chronicled. Thus, the tribute to his beloved buddy was created…and cue the waterworks.

Keying into emotion is not a new trend in media—brands like Hallmark, P&G, Disney and Apple are experts at tugging our heartstrings. Why is emotion such a standard when creating ads? Because it’s effective! When an ad evokes a true emotional response from a consumer it not only increases the likelihood that they will recall the ad’s message and purchase a product, but it creates brand loyalty. And, in this day and age, when we’re moved by something emotionally, we share it.

Brands have to be careful with emotion, though. They can’t just jump on a serious issue solely for the purpose of banking off its attention—consumers hate this (e.g. using September 11 as a platform for promotion). It comes across as self-serving and insincere.

For a brand to be able to associate itself with a serious issue or event that evokes strong emotions and opinions from consumers, it has to have a right or relevant reason to play in that space. Take Caitlyn Jenner, for instance. Within 24 hours of Vanity Fair releasing its July issue featuring a 22-page cover story on Caitlyn, there were nearly 30,000 mentions of her in the media. However, only one brand stepped forward to comment in support of Jenner—GAP, a brand that has a long history of supporting LGBT issues and advocating for the community, making their inclusion in the Caitlyn conversation relevant and credible. As Jamie Gutfreund, chief marketing officer at digital agency Deep Focus, states in this article from Advertising Age, “This is not a bandwagon moment.”

So, what does all of this this have to do with Denali’s story? Well, Patagonia happens to be one of the primary sponsors of the film. Patagonia, a certified B-corporation, has a vested interest in supporting organizations and movements that have a positive impact on the society and environment. Prior to sponsoring production of Denali, Patagonia teamed up with the film’s director and production company in 2014 to commission DamNation, a film about dam removal and river restoration. When it came to Moon and Denali’s story, Patagonia had an opportunity to support a great, feel-good story relevant to their brand given Moon and Denali’s place in and appeal to the outdoor enthusiast community. Patagonia’s contributions to projects like these shows their authenticity as a brand and, with over 8 million views of Denali in about a week, gives their brand one heck of an amount of good visibility.

However, Patagonia’s involvement in Denali is a back seat position, one they are happy to take and leave the praise, notoriety, support and tears to the true stars of this endearing film: Ben and Denali.

Denali2

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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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Trending from G/L: Social Impact Cruises

Randy Micheletti
VP, Director of Brand Strategy

Trending from G/L: Social Impact Cruises

Advertising

So you say you want to help others. You say you would if it was easy. You say you would if someone would figure it out for you. Well, now it’s time to lose the excuses and do your part to make the world a better place. And, starting in 2016 you can do this on a vacation – a social impact vacation.

With all the negative things going on in the world, Carnival Corp. will launch Adonia; a 710-passenger ship focused solely on social impact vacations. Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald says, “we will cater to an underserved market of consumers who want to make have a positive impact on peoples lives and aren’t always sure where to begin.” He goes on to say, “We believe travel is a meaningful way to allow for personal growth while making purposeful and engaging contributions in the world.”

Carnival

And you know what, I agree with him whole-heartedly. And believe me, I’m not easy to convince when it comes to vacations. I’m one who loves my resort, relaxing in the sun, sand between my toes and a cold drink in my hand. But even I can give a week of my time to help improve the quality of life for others. And if you think you still can’t help, think about a country where the average household income is $6,000 a year and more than two million Dominicans don’t have access to piped water.

With the cruise time to and from the Dominican, each person will get three days on the ground to help make a difference before returning to Miami. Transit time includes great activities such as orientation to the country, conversational Spanish lessons and creative workshops. Once you’re in the Dominican, you have several choices of volunteer activities ranging from teaching English in schools, helping to cultivate cacao plants and building water filtration systems.

For all you naysayers out there (and you know who you are) that say this can’t make a big difference, think about this: with 700 passengers arriving each week – week after week – in the first year alone, that means 18,000 travelers will spend more than 55,000 days volunteering. That’s more than making a small difference. We really can help make a difference in the region.

So give it some thought. Get off your beach chair, put down your umbrella drink and help do your part. It’ll help others and maybe even put a smile on your face too. Price point starts at just over $1,500 per person. To find out more visit www.fathom.org or call 855-932-8466.

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It’s Brandolicious

Tim Leon
President/Brand Strategist

It’s Brandolicious

Branding

I read an interesting article in the New York Times recently on the growing trend of marketers making up words of their own in place of real words. They’re disregarding all those great “real” words from the Webster College Dictionary (all 988,968 of them) and generating new, more interesting and memorable invented words in order to create some ownership and branded terminology. But why?

While there’s nothing new in the marketing world about making up words that describe your brand or brand identity, it’s interesting why there has been such resurgence. Sprint’s solution to a “friends and family” calling plan is simply called, ‘Framily.’ TJ Maxx coined the word ‘Maxxinista’ to describe their fashion-forward, value conscious customer. I’m one of them!

There are a couple techniques to creating a brilliant made up word and using it to build your brand. First, take two common words and smash them together. Take the word turkey and vegetarian, and you have the famous Butterball “turketarian” campaign. Easy. Or take a portion of the brand name and use it as a verb, like in the case of Mountain Dew – “This is How we Dew.” How about “Lets Go Krogering” or “Google it.” It’s fun and memorable. And many times, it’s an effective strategy to strongly tying in the brand promise or key brand messaging

There seems to be a strong digital advantage to these made up words, which could contribute to this resurgence. The New York Times article quotesMick McCabe, Chief Strategy Officer at Leo Burnett USA in Chicago, who said, “What’s different is the speed and velocity of the cultural uptake of language. Social and digital platforms provide the ability for something to become a widespread cultural phenomenon very quickly. It’s a feeding frenzy for material that the world of technology provides.”

So start thinking about a new word to describe your brand or brand experience. It may not make the Webster Dictionary, but you may create a valuable asset that helps give your brand a much-needed “lift.

As far as that Butterball “Turketarian” campaign, according to Bill Klump, Senior VP of Marketing at Butterball, the campaign — in print, radio and social media — “is working so well that we’re expanding into TV spots, starting next month.”

That is brandolicious in my book.

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Maintaining Your Marketing Plan

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Maintaining Your Marketing Plan

Integrated Marketing

Before we know it, the first quarter of 2014 will be behind us. Hopefully the annual marketing plan that was so carefully developed is being implemented, and so far, proving successful. Although, there’s one valuable aspect to remember – plans aren’t set in stone. While some initiatives prove to be as successful as you anticipated, there are others that may need enhancing along the way. Here are a few suggestions to ensure you find continued success throughout the year:

Monitor, then Modify: If you’re not measuring performance, you won’t have a clear understanding of what’s working. Set objectives and individualized metrics for each effort in order to measure effectiveness. With consistent evaluation, you’re able to make necessary tweaks along the way, and you’re not stuck reacting to what you ‘could’ve done’ differently.

Evolve: Sure, objectives and goals are imperative, but within loose parameters. Allowing your plan to continue developing throughout the year decreases the likelihood of missed opportunities. Industries change, customers foster new needs and wants, and the tactics to engage with them is ever changing.

Stay Focused on the Mission: Don’t lose sight of your end goals, which are likely increased awareness, relationship building and an uptick in sales and profitability. Keep in mind the overall mission of your product, service – even your identity – and strive to maintain just that.

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With Time, Comes Greater Knowledge

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

With Time, Comes Greater Knowledge

G/L Culture

What could possibly be better for agency life than experience? How about a dynamic, outgoing personality to go with it? Geile/Leon Marketing Communications’ longtime account service leader, Miranda Warren, just so happens to have it all. And now, the time has finally come to get to know the driving force that has been pushing our G/Lers forward and keeping them in shape for the last 14 years. (more…)

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Cloud Computing Firms Need Recognition

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Cloud Computing Firms Need Recognition

General

dropbox artwork

Hello readers. I’m Robert Mews, the new guy at G/L (a.k.a. the digital marketing strategist). This is my second week at G/L, and the final piece of my initiation is writing this blog post. I decided to talk about cloud computing, because it is a topic near and dear to my heart. I just purchased a home server that allows me to access all of my personal content from anywhere that I have Internet access in the world. I also use Dropbox for some of my files. It’s a pretty sweet deal, especially when you have a personal laptop, work laptop, iPhone and iPad, like I do.

The benefits of cloud computing are great. Easy access to files on the go. All your content syncs between devices. No more recording files to thumb drives, CD’s, or emailing yourself the file. That process was a headache, and I’m glad to leave that behind.

dropbox artwork syncBusinesses also stand to gain from cloud computing. More employees are mobile and more will be in the future. Which means business leaders need to give employees a cheap and effective way to share documents. The advantages for businesses are that most cloud computing services are cheaper than enterprise solutions.

However, there are two problems with cloud computing. One is the security risk. If your content is accessibly from an Internet connection, it’s possible that someone could hack into your files and do some damage. I’m sure the cloud computing community is making sure that doesn’t happen, since their business relies on peace of mind and convenience.

The other problem has been an explosion of these cloud computing services, and more confusion lies in the difference between the B2B and B2C services. As a consumer or business leader, how do you choose between all the services? Who has brand recognition? I think we’re getting past the cloud computing ‘education’ period and finally into the period where people are starting to use these services. It’s an important time to think about gaining brand recognition.

The only way these cloud computing services survive is if they develop a smart marketing strategy. I gravitated toward the Dropbox service because they gave me more space for conducting small tasks. I’d get free space if I watched a video demo. Then I’d get more free space if I shared the Dropbox service via Facebook or Twitter. As a business leader of the cloud computing service, you should be thinking about how to incorporate smart ways to expand your service and gain valuable name recognition. Dropbox is a leader because of it’s way of incorporating game mechanics (do this task to gain more space) and social sharing (share us for more free space). Who will emerge as the leaders is yet to be decided. I think we’ll see more heavy marketing by these services in the near future.

I welcome your comments and look forward to talking more about digital marketing with you in the future.

Artwork courtesy of Dropbox.

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