Craving the Warmth a Frozen Pizza Could Bring

April 07, 2009
Posted by Kara Schwab
filed in Great Expectations

5 comments

There it was, hot off the UPS delivery truck. Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, I could spot that logo and box anywhere. The “Caution: Contains Dry Ice” warning confirmed what I already knew to be true. Someone in my office was the lucky recipient of a “taste of Chicago,” a Lou Malnati’s pizza. If you’re a pizza connoisseur, the pure awe and drool this logo conjured in that moment needs no further explaining.

Oh, but just for fun, let me explain further . . .

branding

To Be or to Do?…That Is the Authentic Question

March 13, 2009
Posted by Kara Schwab
filed in White Space

1 comments

Super bloggist, Seth Godin, recently opened up a discussion on authenticity. He shared that he believes authenticity is doing what you promise, not being who you are. He explains, “That’s because ‘being’ is to amorphous and we are notoriously bad at judging that. Internal vision is always blurry. Doing, on the other hand, is an act that can be seen by all.”

As much as I dig the man, the myth and the legend that is Godin, I couldn’t help but wince at his reasoning. Since when have we elevated “doing” over “being” as a culture?

branding, authenticity

Break Out With Color

March 04, 2009
Posted by Stephanie Labuskes
filed in Speak Boldly

Giving your new brand an edge requires more than having a good product that totes its benefits. With all that competes for your market’s attention, strategically using color is an easy and effective way to differentiate your new brand and subliminally tell a compelling story. All-powerful color elicits feeling, strengthens the memory and attracts or rejects. Choosing the right color is imperative to accurately represent your brand.

branding, color theory

“I Need a What?” – Online Community Manager

March 04, 2009
Posted by Jason Clewell
filed in Refresh Page

Social media has been a hot topic lately, and for a very good reason. The phenomenon is changing the way brands communicate. More and more breakout brands are noticing the impact of social media, and they're looking to capitalize on this relatively low cost tool to gain exposure. They've heard of the technologies: Twitter, Facebook, forums, customer reviews, etc. Middle market brands finally understand that having an interactive strategy is as important as their overall branding strategy. The challenge for these brands doesn't come from implementing social media, it comes from executing and administering it. Their ability will determine whether a community will succeed, fail or worse become notorious.

twitter, social media, facebook

Marketing That Makes You Go OOH

February 24, 2009
Posted by Alicia Gozycki
filed in Bang for the Buck

1 comments

In the world of traditional media, the breakout brand faces two major questions. How can a brand rise above the clutter of messaging that surrounds consumers on a daily basis? And the second question, which begs the first, can my brand afford this?

out-of-home

Web Analytics, Who Needs ‘em?

February 12, 2009
Posted by Jason Clewell
filed in Refresh Page

Google Analytics We are all aware of the businessman's profound obsession with statistics. After all, we do measure everything, don't we? We measure the ROI of an ad campaign, the success rate of our direct mail, the impact of POS on consumers purchasing behavior and many many other things. But what about the web? Are you tracking the success of your website? I sure hope you answered yes, because if you're not, you are missing out on a whole boat load of statistics.