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So I was sitting around, waiting for my Nigerian lottery winnings and thinking about spam. I had just read Angus Gastle's spam vs. email advertising post at Leo Burnett Toronto's The Fruits of Imagination blog. He outlines how spam costs businesses like Leo Burnett about $50,000 a year. (Angus…don't fret! It just means the CDs are going to have to cut back on the gin & free swag..)
He goes on to explain:
"So what does this have to do with advertising? Well, our legit email marketing campaigns are getting caught up with all of this spam. Many spam filters are collecting our perfectly crafted sales pitches for real products with real benefits…"
Hmmmm… earlier this year an Ipsos Reid survey revealed that "nearly eight-in-ten (79%) have registered with at least one website to receive e-mails, registering with average of 8.5 sites, up from 8.2 in 2005." But just as quickly as we are registering willy-nilly, we are also unsubscribing:
Four-in-five Canadian internet users who have registered at a website to receive e-mail have also deregistered, stating a variety of reasons including a loss of interest (43%); the inability to deal with e-mail volume or no time to read the emails (25%); and, too much junk mail or irrelevant information (22%).
So, even if you don't set off the spam filters and use only your own opt-in list, unless the message is engaging and relevant, your message will ultimately be treated like spam… perfectly crafted sales pitch or not.
Want to improve your email campaigns? The Seven Sins of Email Marketing is a great article that outlines some definite no-no factors. As well, go to ThinData's Free Whitepaper: The Marketer's Guide To Successful Email Delivery and download the complete PDF.
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According to Wikipedia:
"A redshirt is a stock character, used frequently in science fiction but also in other genres, whose purpose is to die soon after being introduced, thus indicating the dangerous circumstances faced by the main characters. The term comes from the science fiction television series Star Trek, in which security officers wear red shirts and are often killed on missions under the aforementioned circumstances."
Thanks to adlister Michiel, and Adland.
Today LogoVortex.com launched, and I was lucky enough to ask Carlos Otero, the designer behind LogoVortex.com, five questions about design, trademark components and trends. Influenced by the Bauhaus and Constructivist movements, Carlos creates rational visual designs based on analysis of communicative need. His design style has been called "sharp, contemporary and accurate." Carlos Otero graduated cum laude from the prestigious visual arts academy Instituto de Diseño Newman in Caracas, Venezuela. After graduation, he worked as a freelance graphic designer for The British Council, La Fundación Mozarteum Venezuela and Monte Avila Editores.
How is your company, LogoVortex.com, different?
I want to help people to start their business properly with the right image or help others who want re-design their old existing trademarks.
LogoVortex.com is different because I specialize in designing trademark logos that are completely customized and are truly a projection of the company and reflect the soul of the company. Trademarks without this energy flow are dead and don't communicate a message.
I also apply the Gestalt principles of perception… These must be managed within the design; you have to understand the meaning of all of the different parts - the symbol, the typeface, the meaning of the tagline, the company vision - and how they work in unison together. A trademark logo is far more than the sum of its parts.
LogoVortex specializes in delivering accurate, targeted, customized and very affordable trademarks exactly suited to the clients' needs. Based in Montreal, LogoVortex.com offers services worldwide! Why not ? :)
What makes a great trademark logo?
A great trademark is alive. There is a balance and a living relationship between its components. When there is this sort of relationship between the iconic symbol (the logo) and the logotype (the typeface) then the trademark has an energy flow. And it is completely unique. Quite simply, it must be simple and universal…timeless !
What things do you consider when designing a trademark?
There are 3 very important steps:
#1. Listening carefully the client needs…such as goals, fears, ideas…even body language! Use this information to understand the unique needs and personalize the design to that.
#2. Analyze the competitors trademarks…and their evolution in time; in addition, see what it is already done in the field, observing their markets…how they do in business etc.
#3 Then translate all these information into a graphic design using resources like colour, typography, forms, background, space, air…In other words, the magic comes along and the conceptions take place and - poof! - a vortex of ideas come through! This is fun!
What are the trends in trademark design today?
Authentic personalized trademarks are touched by simplicity, intention and character - and they must be timeless. However trends are always present and they do influence design. But, those trends must be manipulated carefully and properly into the design.
Today, plain colors, sharp and clean lines, sans serif fonts …are ultimately the fad!
What are some of your favorite logos/trademarks?
My favourite trademarks are simple and they have evolved with time. They grow like us and they change over the years in an intelligent way.
Pepsi, Nike, Apple, Saturn are some of my favourites.
Here are two of my favourite reads from last week.
Iain Tait's piece on The Image of Joy Division
What: A fascinating look at how the inability to photograph freely due to finances helped to create the mythology behind Joy Division.
Why: It's a thought-provoking piece that will not only get you thinking about how digital media has changed our access to imagery, but reflect on how we craft stories that adhere to a criteria of simplicity, credibility and concreteness.
How: How can you make your message stick? How can an economy of style develop your brand?
Tom McNichol's article, What Works: Stormhoek Masters Web 2.0, at Business 2.0 Magazine
What: A report on how blogging, viral marketing and crowdsourcing has boosted the sales of Stormhoek wineries.
Why: Not sure Web 2.0 can do something for your company? Think again.
How: How can you use the Web as a low-cost marketing tool? How can you get closer to your target audience?
You've seen them on multiple sites. If not these exact images, a variation of the type. Overused stock images that are mining new depths in the "tired and clichéd" department.
Here's Part II of A.C. Riley Communications' take on the worst stock photos - and by the way, this is not critical of images themselves or the photographers, but rather how often they are used by web designers!
The Symbolic Teamwork Image
One word: Purell.
Several People in Motion
We're a relatively dull software company but we want to look dynamic and robust…and oh yeah, we loved The Matrix.
The "One Person Smiling at You While a Bunch of People Look Busy in the Background" Photo
Did you ever get a "I see dead people" feeling while visiting a web site? That only one person can see you while others are so totally engrossed in a large brown book?
The Come-Hither Office Worker
We are ohhhhhh-so-approachable... (and have eye-candy hiring policies...)
The Handshake
The granddaddy of all clichéd stock images… this one says, "We don't think our copy gives you enough of a clue that we do business...so we've added this photo to "moron-proof" our site. Now, let's make a deal, Bucko."
Business Dude on the Mountain (tied with Guy With Arms Outstretched on Mountain)
Taking your business to new heights - in clichéd imagery. (Personally I'm rooting for the guy to fling himself off…)
The Chess Board
Strategy… we're all about the strategy - see we've got a stock photo to prove it. (Who's the pawn?)
Yoga in the Office
We're so blissed out working in our über-cool office, we've just got to do a little yoga.
Smiling Customer Service People
We sit here and laugh about our inability to actually do anything.
Three People Huddled Around the Laptop
How many people does it take to figure out a laptop?
Have you seen the latest ad for Loblaw? Created by Bensimon Byrne, it's the one with friendly gazillionaire Galen Weston Jr. talking about Loblaw's commitment to the environment… They've resurrected an old tagline ("Worth switching supermarkets for.") from the 80s when Dave Nicol was Loblaw's spokesperson and agent of change.
There's an interesting article at Marketing Magazine on Weston Jr., and what caught my eye was this bit…
Don Watt, chairman and CEO of retail consultancy DW+Partners, and the man who first put Dave Nichol on television, believes having a platform is key to becoming a successful pitchman. "One of the things that made it work well was that Nichol was a highly innovative individual who was making real substance of change. If Galen Jr. wants to go on television, he really needs to have an idea of where he's going and indicate how he's going to make a difference. Just going on television and talking about platitudes would not do him or the chain any good…"
An idea of where you're going and an indication of how you're going to make a difference.
That's something that any company -big or small- needs to remember when it comes to any kind of branding and advertising. How can you do it?
Stay on the Pulse - How do your clients perceive your brand? What is it that they love about your brand? When you know that, you'll be a lot further ahead in understanding your differentiators.
Brand isn't a Logo - It is the whole experience from beginning to end. Scary? Hell ya! Constantly try to improve your customer experience.
Tell Your Story - Every company has a story. Internally, make sure all employees are in-step with the brand vision and promise. Externally, tell your story in an engaging and compelling way…consistently. Great stories are heard, remembered and retold. Make yours great.
Back to Galen's commercial - does it work? For me, although I heard the promise to reduce the amount of plastic bags going into Canada's landfills by 1 billion (WOW!), was it engaging and compelling? Not exactly.
What do you think?
In university, one of my mandatory classes was large-format photography. The things are huge. After glares from fellow passengers on the ever-crowded Sherbrooke 24 bus (carrying a large-format camera case is not too dissimilar from hauling a body around town), I decided instead to do a portfolio of still lifes from the safety of my apartment.
The end result was a bunch of carefully crafted, highly composed images. It's my least favourite portfolio. The time it took to set up the camera and the shots removed the element that is (for me) the most interesting part of photography - that raw, lightning-in-a-bottle spontaneity.
What does large format photography have to do with copywriting?
In copywriting you need that spontaneous element as well. It's that excitement of the breakthrough moment when - bingo! - after reviewing the strategy, you suddenly know exactly what you need to write, and it's as if there is a voice in your head dictating the words. It's a very creative, wonderful time.
Then you sit back, make yourself a cup of tea, perhaps find a biscuit to go with it, and, review and edit with fresh eyes.
It is so easy during the editing stage to overwork the copy. Tweak, adjust and tweak some more. If you do it too much, that energy and excitement is gone from the text. It becomes contrived. And, the audience has the great misfortune of reading heavy, tedious copy.
For better copy, edit ruthlessly - get rid of the extraneous stuff, but keep the voice fresh and relevant to your audience.
I found out this morning that I was tagged by Get Clients Now coach Cristina Favreau, the blogger behind The Savvy Entrepreneur.
The tag meme is to share 5 links. They can be business links, favourite sites, affiliate links, whatever…There are also Five Rules:
1. MUST be clean. No R rated sites.
2. Only FIVE links.
3. MUST tell 5 people.
4. A link back to the person who tagged you
5. Lara’s Place is the meme originator
So, without further ado, here are my five links:
Marketing Profs Daily Fix - A great resource and a daily must-read!
Copyranter - Not for the faint of heart, but wickedly funny
One Degree - Warning: Highly addictive, hugely entertaining and incredibly informative
Eight Principles of Fun - For when you need a little reminder to put some fun into your day. (Psst: I heard a rumour that Michael Bungay Stanier is releasing a new online movie soon!)
ClickZ - Always fascinating and fact-filled.
I'm tagging:
Kathryn Presner of Zoonini Web Services
Denise Mosawi of Destineering - check out her blog!
Nicki Weiss - Sales Coach and Squidoo Lensmaster
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