Less is most definitely more these days.
Short attention spans are in evidence everywhere.
To stay connected to your audience, you’ve got to be brief. Your points crisp and concise.
This applies to meetings, presentations, advertising, emails, Tweets, web sites, and memos.
Short is not only the new black, it’s the only way to be heard over instant communication.
How many Super Bowl commercials can you remember, a couple of weeks or so out from the game? And of those you do remember, how many do you also remember the brand?
Chances are good, not many.
I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with folks over the years about an ad they “loved,” but couldn’t remember the name of the product.
And then, there are the generic brands. They don’t advertise because they aren’t going for brand recognition. Generic products like black and white cans labeled “Cat food,” or “Dish soap,” don’t want brand recognition. They are just filling a product need with direct, brutally obvious, hyper clear messaging.
And that labeling is certainly marketing, too. And it works for stuff where we don’t care about quality; we are just filling a need as cheaply as possible.
But for the majority of brands, making a connection with potential users of the product is what is at stake. We want that connection to last. Like the Doritos Super Bowl commercials, for example. You not only remember that the chips are Doritos’ brand, but you also remember the commercial’s payoff – humor. In fact, Doritos brand was the one most often mentioned when folks were asked which commercials they remembered a week after the Super Bowl.
What other brands do you recall immediately when you think of a product? Hoover, Kentucky Fried Chicken, The Beatles, Apple computers… all of these products have name recognition because of marketing tying brand to product.
But how to get there — especially when you don’t have the corporate budget of Apple computers? The best idea is not to do it in house. A group of untrained folks searching for a word or phrase tends to push toward obvious or generic way of thinking about a product. And generic advertising doesn’t stick. Instead, you need a hook, something memorable to link your product and brand to your customer’s need.
That’s where we come in. Folks experienced in marketing, who will see your product from a different perspective, and explore how to set your brand apart. Maybe with humor, maybe with elegance. Perhaps with music or a tag line that sticks.
So if you’re exploring new ways to get your brand to stick like a Doritos ad, we would be delighted to share some of our interesting branding work. Give us a call. We’ll provide the chips.
I find myself frequently disappointed with local customer service. As an Indy businessman and homeowner, I’d like to turn that observation on its head. I’m fiercely proud of my city and my business. I’d like to represent both well.
New year, fresh start!
No matter what your business faced or how your team pulled through, now’s a great time to provide your team a well-deserved pat on the back and a thoughtful review.
How can I expand my business in a slow-growing economy, you ask?
We get that question a lot here at FocalPoint. Because despite news that employment numbers are up and the economy is percolating, we’re not feeling any kind of surge here in the Midwest.
So, what can you do to increase your marketing share?
The short answer is: get creative! But of course, any marketing solution we recommend begins with us doing a lot of listening to what you do, how you do it differently, and what you are trying to achieve.
That said, here are some interesting ideas we may consider for small and medium sized businesses on a budget:
Here’s a glass half full way to think about marketing on a budget: Because your business is smaller, you have the ability to react quickly to current conditions and (together with us) create ads and promotions that use trends, changing circumstances, opportunities, and headlines to your advantage.
Let the creative sparks fly!
It was a little over a year ago that I wrote a post entitled, What’s All The Buzz About Drone Videos? In this post, I took a closer look at what drones really are (and aren’t), how they are being used and what benefit they might have to your business. A large reason for me writing the post was that drones were a hot topic at the time in the video production world and I was getting asked several questions about my viewpoint on drones. Fast forward to over one year later and drones are still a very hot topic.
A lot of the discussion around drones still stems from the whole “newness” factor. As I mentioned in my previous post, a flying helicopter with a camera isn’t really new, but an unmanned flying helicopter with a remote control is a different ballgame. Business and the general public have misconceptions about what a drone actually is and, often times, only hear the “bad” things. That being said, there have been some important updates since my last article that I want to share.
The FAA confirmed during a recent press conference current drone owners – and not just new purchases – will have to be registered. Officials hope to have the rules in place by Christmas, when as many as 700,000 drones are expected to be sold.
Currently, only commercial drone users are required to register with the FAA. Other drone users are required to fly devices below 400 feet and obtain FAA permission before operating within five miles of an airport. Operators are also supposed to avoid passenger planes.
The FAA will establish a committee of government and industry officials, as well as drone users, to work out the details of the registration system. It’s unclear if all drones will have to be registered, though the AP reports that toy and other small devices will likely be exempt.
Nobody knows exactly how many of the robotic aircraft are already flying around, but most estimates top 1 million. This means plenty of people will need to get familiar with these new regulations. As with many things drone related, when it comes to laws there is a lot of gray area. This means it’s likely there will be reports of mishaps with unregistered drones showing up in the news.
The crazy thing about drones in the news is that the discussion rarely is about video. With the exception of this drone fireworks video below that now has over 12 million views, the #1 reason drones make headlines is regarding safety. While it’s completely understandable because there have been some safety issues, it’s a shame because these devices can capture some magnificent HD quality video.
As a marketing professional and owner of a company that provides HD video production services, my hope is that the conversation surrounding drones will make a shift toward one with positive sentiment. I’d like to see the necessary laws get put in place and misunderstandings be resolved so we can all focus on using these devices in the way in which they were intended – to capture high quality video from a unique perspective.
As with all new technology, it takes time for people to understand it. The same is true with drones. Once the dust settles on the law updates and adoption of these devices continues to accelerate, business usage will grow. This is what is exciting about using drones to shoot video, take photos, etc. The sky is the limit (literally) to what can be done using drones in industries such as real estate, agriculture, sports, etc.
Want to talk more about using drones for video production? Here’s my card so you can get in touch!