By Giles McGrath | @GilesMcGrath | Creative Director
Last year there were a plethora of logo changes across many major businesses. In the case of American Airlines, not every logo change is welcomed by customers or the general public.
Logo changes can play a major role in developing a new image for your company, but not all logo changes require major design changes; just ask the Minnesota Vikings.
Recently, MediaWhiz Creative Director Giles McGrath took some time to answer questions related to the benefits – and potential pitfalls – of brands redesigning their logos. He also offered some best practices you can use to ensure the successful redesign of your logo.
1) How do you know when it’s really time for a redesign and that you’re not just listening to others who say you need a new logo? How do you make your new logo/branding stand out?
There is no simple answer as to when a logo should be redesigned. Often companies will undertake a redesign prematurely. Some questions brands should ask themselves prior to undertaking a redesign include:
- How does my logo reflect on my brand positioning and personality of my business?
- Is my logo still unique in the market?
- Has the focus of my business changed?
- Would a new logo reflect the new direction of my business? (more…)
By Daryl Colwell | VP, Business Development
Every good marketer knows that to generate leads, they need a robust database. And a good call-to-action. And a means of reaching the potential customers in their database in a timely and efficient manner.
While those ingredients alone won’t necessarily improve your lead-generation campaigns, they will set the stage for the one tool that is a must in any online marketer’s arsenal: email.
But how do you ensure your emails stand out from the crowd? In an age when consumers and business prospects receive hundreds of emails — some great, some OK and many just plain awful — the standard prospecting email won’t cut it anymore.
What you need is great email creative. It’s what helps turn an immediate delete into a potential prospect.
When developing your email creative, keep in mind that not all lists are the same. (more…)
By Sultan Riaz | Marketing Coordinator
One of the hottest trends in online marketing is native advertising. While not necessarily a new concept — the relatively old-school advertorial has been around for decades — it has seen a resurgence in the current content marketing era. Recent examples of native advertising can be seen with Google’s paid search results, YouTube’s sponsored videos and, to a lesser extent, trending topics on Twitter.
Content marketing has led to innovative forms of online advertising. With the online user experience key to a successful marketing campaign, this non-disruptive form of online advertising will continue to capture marketers’ addition — and advertising dollars — in 2013.
Native Advertising: The Basics
Native advertising is considered one of the newest forms of online marketing.
According to a September 2012 article in Mashable, the term didn’t take root until famed start-up investor Fred Wilson told an audience at OMMA Global in early 2012 about “native monetization” for Web properties, which he described as ads that were “unique and native to the experience” of a website.
Dan Greenberg, the CEO of Sharethrough, is credited with coining the actual term “native advertising.” Here’s Greenberg’s definition: “Native advertising is a form of media that’s built into the actual visual design and where the ads are part of the content.”
What separates native advertising from the equally hot trend of content marketing is a matter of debate. John LoGioco, SVP and general manager of content at Outbrain, recently told Mashable that the two are pretty much the same. “Native advertising seems to be the thing that most are able to hang on to and get it.”
What Makes for Great Native Ads
At its best, native advertising blends seamlessly with the editorial content of a website while providing content that is valuable to the target audience. Below is an example of native advertising on Twitter.
(more…)
By Sultan Riaz | @Riaz_MediaWhiz | Marketing Coordinator
Editor’s note: “Around the MediaWhiz Nation” is a regular editorial series in which MediaWhiz employees discuss the intricacies of their work.
The internship experience at the MediaWhiz’s New York office has helped students develop their skills in their respective fields. This month I sat down with Chelsea Birns, Art Studio and Communications major from NYU. She discusses her experience as an intern in the Art Department and how MediaWhiz experts, Giles McGrath & Trevor Ashley, helped her sharpen her graphic designing skills.
RELATED: Read all posts from the “Around the MediaWhiz Nation”
Name: Chelsea Birns
Title: Intern, Art Department
Location: New York City
Sultan Riaz: What was your first day like at MediaWhiz?
Chelsea Birns: My first day was really great! Giles, creative director, and Trevor, art director, both were very helpful in getting me setup for the internship. They gave me an overview of what they were working on along with what I would be working throughout the internship. I jumped right into it and worked on different projects with advertising, newsletters, and email letters.
SR: What goals did you set for yourself before joining MediaWhiz as an intern?
CB: I came in with the goal to improve my Photoshop and Adobe suite skills because that is what will help me in the long run. Working on my portfolio was another goal I set for myself because when I apply to a job I want to show the work I have done within the field. Eventually, I would like to get
Gile’s and Trevor’s advice on creating a new website. (more…)
By Keith Trivitt | @KeithTrivitt | Director, Marketing and Communications
Welcome to The Friday Five, curated reads about marketing, advertising and digital media from the team at @MediaWhizLLC. Read previous Friday Five posts here.
What’s Premium in the Post Homepage Era? | Digiday
Search was first to put a serious dent in the primacy of the homepage. Now, with social and mobile gaining steam, publishers are left without the big, splashy homepage premium ad placements.
The fact is, most publishers see half or more of their traffic come in through the side door, whether through search, social or other means. That means publishers need to create new premium placements in a world where “every page is a home page.”
Coupon Sites Prove Attractive for Retailers Doing Affiliate Marketing | Internet Retailer
When it comes to affiliate marketing, coupon sites have proven far more valuable than content and comparison shopping sites for Bake Me a Wish, an online retailer of cookies, cakes and brownies, says says Joseph Dornoff, the merchant’s vice president of marketing and operations.
Why Big Bird Remains Powerfully — and Globally — Significant | Harvard Business Review
Big Bird has had a big presence in the collective conversation lately, thanks to mentions in the first two presidential debates. The outpouring of support for the giant yellow puppet that followed the first debate is a testament to his and Sesame Street’s continued relevance in people’s lives. Sesame Street, in fact, is a great case study of a brand that has managed to remain powerful over decades and across cultures.
Tweets Spawn Ad Campaigns | The Wall Street Journal
Consumers’ tweets are starting to influence and find their way into brands’ traditional, online and TV ad campaigns. What impact will that have on how brands engage with consumers online and the efforts they take to develop digital consumer advocates via social media?
What Red Bull Can Teach Content Marketing | Digiday
The marketing world woke up recently with Red Bull envy. At a time when brands talk of being publishers, Red Bull showed how this can be done on a grand scale: enabling Felix Baumgartner to complete a historic (and awfully cool) skydive from “the edge of space.” Red Bull’s bold sponsorship of Baumgartner’s historic jump shows a glimmer of the future of brand content marketing.
By Giles McGrath | @GilesMcGrath | Creative Director
Editor’s note: The following post was originally published in the September issue of the MediaWhiz employee newsletter. It reflects the vision of MediaWhiz Creative Director Giles McGrath for the type of creatively innovative campaigns he and his team will design for the agency’s clients.
Brothers and sisters: Our Herculean odyssey to the hallowed plains of creative excellence continues. Long since are the days where our banners sat quietly by, unnoticed, floating in a sea of blogs and tweets. Gone is the age of landing pages that informed but did not engage, that were live but did not live. Behind us is a time when our work squeaked as the world sought a voice to rise above the huddled masses.
Before us, arms unfurled, is our Nirvana; our Shangri-La of conceptual virtuosity ripe for the taking by anyone bold enough to tread upon it’s virgin soil.
We must stand as one in the face of those who would strive to hold us back. Push forth and show clients, competitors and the industry at-large that our creative cannot be ignored and will not be trifled with.
In the past few weeks our revolution has grown. New recruits have joined the ranks, and our numbers swell with creative prowess. Please welcome Trevor Ashley, to our resistance. He sits directly across from Gini, and these two lieutenants spend their days plotting our next creative coup.
The upcoming weeks will see increased growth with the addition of a frond-end developer whose skills in assassinating JavaScript and HTML code will be invaluable in our fight with those traditional Flash dogs.
Keep your eye affixed to the Horizon. Compare Top Colleges is going live, and the user experience is one to be reckoned with.
There is growth. We are making an impact. Our voice is being heard, and the weight of our creative strength is being felt by friend and foe alike.
Keep on the fight. ¡VIVA LOS CREATIVE REVOLUTION!
