{descr}
In the first quarter, Articulation supported the launch of Marc Robillard’s sophomore album, “Left London”. Through the utilization of social networking sites, the team set out to expand Robillard’s fan base, strengthen his brand, and garner increased visibility for maximum impact when the CD hit the shelves. Articulation’s efforts included design of the album artwork, social networking sites and marketing materials that all came together to ensure a successful launch.
As we transition to 2011, it is important to reflect on your firm’s performance this year, as well as your goals for the New Year. By analyzing your successes and failures, assessing your overall growth, and establishing long and short term goals, you can determine exactly how your firm’s branding and marketing needs have changed. It is also important to consider relevant changes in your target audience or the competitive landscape that may affect your marketing plan. With the help of a marketing and branding agency, you can develop tailored strategies to suit each initiative. Incorporating web, media, print or press efforts, you can implement a cohesive marketing plan that effectively communicates your brand and positions you for success.
In the fourth quarter, Articulation once again partnered with a singer-songwriter to create the artwork for the release of his upcoming album. The team at Articulation contributed original photography, branding and design efforts to the project, developing unique textures and treatments that capture the mood and emotion of the music. The artwork was the first step in an effort to update and extend his brand, coinciding with his sophomore album release in early 2011.
On the heels of a wildly popular multi-spot advertising campaign, Proctor and Gamble’s Old Spice and its Brand Manager have been named Marketer of the Year by AdWeek. For decades the company attempted to reconcile an outdated brand identity and a fresh, young audience, while competing with edgier new brands like Axe, which emphasizes sexual appeal in their branding messages. However, with their 2010 campaign, Old Spice managed to appeal to the sense of humor of male cologne-wearers, and the lust of female cologne buyers. In the process, they reinvented iconic brand elements, transforming old to experienced, clipper ships to yachts, and sailors to spokesman Isaiah Mustafa, clad in white pants, for an effective brand update that remained true to their nautical roots.
Articulation recently underwent efforts to refresh elements of their own brand. Focusing on the website homepage and the Portfolio of work, the visual update maintains the same color palette and style long associated with the firm’s core identity, while implementing a bold new design to emphasize recent work and successes. It is important to periodically revisit your branding strategy to ensure that your visual identity evolves as your company does. Adjustments to your look, when consistent with the overall brand, can take advantage of new services, features, and technologies, as well as repositioning your firm to reflect current focus, goals and offerings. A brand refresh can also serve as a new and interesting touch point to reach out to past and current clients and prospects.
Spurred by their recent giveaway of a free bag of chips for the signing up of new fans, SunChips Facebook page gained nearly 200,000 fans in a matter of days. Following up the efforts with a free song download for all fans and a promise of more giveaways in the near future, the company is set to gain a significant following on the ubiquitous social networking site which could translate to real-life profits. PandaExpress, Baja Fresh, T.G.I. Friday’s, 1-800-Flowers.com, The Children’s Place, and many other companies have also begun using giveaways as a means to expand their fan base, promote their offerings, and build brand awareness. As with any strategy, it is important to assess whether the strengths of your company’s offerings can be effectively conveyed through this type of method before including it in your marketing plan. When executed appropriately, a fan giveaway can be an excellent marketing resource as well as true testament to your product.
Articulation partnered with a leading provider of branding, interactive, and content services for athletes to develop the design framework for the firm’s corporate identity brochure and print materials. The company, which provides branded content that reflects the individual interests and personas of each unique athlete, contacted Articulation to develop a Brand Blueprint, or creative brief with a multi-tier strategy demonstrating the marketing potential of an individual athlete. The team at Articulation contributed significant identity and design efforts to the brochure, which has since been successfully employed as part of their marketing and branding process.
Throughout the first quarter, Articulation Agency worked closely with a synchronous web training provider, developing and executing a multi-tiered marketing plan corresponding to the launch of their global online learning platform. Challenged to effectively convey the firm’s unique position in the industry as the leading provider of live, instructor-led online training, the team incorporated strategic branded messaging throughout their website and marketing materials, with additional emphasis on the company’s deep experience and unique expertise. The project, which involved significant research, custom website design, core messaging, content development, an email marketing campaign, and press materials, helped to solidify the company’s substantial market presence by reincorporating their core values and benefits into their brand identity.
Articulation partnered with a growing film and television production company, building and designing a custom website to showcase the broad capabilities and diverse body of work. In addition to web design and content development, the project involved significant media conversion and optimization to incorporate the firm’s media assets, moving logo, and action stills of their productions around the globe. The company’s latest program, Two Weeks in Hell, which details the trials of Green Beret selection, is currently airing on the Discovery Channel.
As your company moves into the New Year, it is important to review your strategic marketing plan to see how your branding needs have changed in the past four quarters. When updating your brand, it is important to assess the overall growth strategy of your firm, pinpoint long and short-term goals, and analyze past successes and failures to ensure that each initiative is tailored to your specific needs. Your re-branding book should include:
Using strong web, media, print, and press strategies, your company can effectively communicate and build lasting relationships with its target audiences. With the right combination of strategic thinking, creative insight, and innovation, you can achieve business growth and success in any economic environment.