02/23/10
Phire Branding wins 19 Awards at this year’s Addy competition
We are proud to announce a very successful night at this year's Addy Awards. Nineteen awards in all, we were lucky enough to win in numerous categories and in a variety of vertical markets. The Addy winners will move on to compete at Districts for further consideration. We'd like to thank everyone who helped put together a wonderful awards celebration this year. But most of all, we'd like to thank our clients for allowing us/helping us/working with us to let us do what we do.
Results for the 2010 Ann Arbor Ad Club Addy Awards competition include:
JUDGES’ CHOICE
Phire Branding Company
Clancy’s Fancy Brand Relaunch
JUDGES’ CHOICE
Phire Branding Company
Ann Arbor Summer Festival Campaign
ADDY
Phire Branding Company
INTERACTIVE MEDIA: Websites, Consumer Flash, Products
Clancy’s Website
ADDY
Phire Branding Company
MIXED/MULTIPLE MEDIA: Consumer, Regional / National
Clancy’s Fancy Brand Relaunch
ADDY
Phire Branding Company
SALES PROMOTION: Packaging, Campaign
Clancy’s Fancy Packaging
ADDY
Phire Branding Company
INTERACTIVE MEDIA: Websites, B-to-B Flash, Services
Pitney Bowes Marketing Solutions
ADDY
Phire Branding Company
ADVERTISING INDUSTRY SELF-PROMOTION:
Creative Services and Industry Suppliers, Interactive
Phire Branding Company Website
ADDY
Phire Branding Company
OUT-OF-HOME: Campaign, Out-of-Home, Campaign
Flint Journal Outdoor
ADDY
Phire Branding Company
ADVERTISING FOR THE ARTS & SCIENCES:
Collateral, Brochure / Sales Kit
Ann Arbor Summer Festival Brochure
ADDY
Phire Branding Company
ADVERTISING FOR THE ARTS & SCIENCES:
Campaign, Mixed / Multiple Media Campaign
Ann Arbor Summer Festival Campaign
Silver
Phire Branding Company
SALES PROMOTION: Product or Service Sales
Presentation, Catalog
Merillat Masterpiece Catalog
Silver
Phire Branding Company
SALES PROMOTION: Product or Service Sales Presentation,
Sales Kits or Product Information Sheets
Clancy’s Fancy Sales Brochure
Silver
Phire Branding Company
INTERACTIVE MEDIA: Websites, B-to-B HTML/Other, Services
Second To None
Silver
Phire Branding Company
INTERACTIVE MEDIA: Websites, Consumer
HTML/Other, Products
Dale Earnhardt Website
Silver
Phire Branding Company
TELEVISION: Cinema Advertising, In-Theatre Commercials or Slides
Clancy’s Fancy Cinema
Silver
Phire Branding Company
ADVERTISING FOR THE ARTS & SCIENCES:
Broadcast/Electronic, Interactive
Ann Arbor Summer Festival Website
Silver
Phire Branding Company
ADVERTISING INDUSTRY SELF-PROMOTION:
Creative Services and Industry Suppliers, Collateral
Phire Branding Company Book
Silver
Phire Branding Company
ADVERTISING INDUSTRY SELF-PROMOTION:
Campaign, Single Medium Campaign
Phire Branding Company Advertising
Silver
Phire Branding Company
MIXED/MULTIPLE MEDIA: Consumer, Local
Be Saline Campaign
Advertising, Awards, B-to-B, B-to-C, Community, Design, Interactive, News
10/28/09
Emergence and marketing.
Marketing seems simple. But in all reality, it’s an extremely complex system of pushing, pulling, experiences, word of mouth, face-to-face, sights, sounds, feelings. Put on top of this the fact that all of these transactions are highly personal, and are multiplied across a large population. To think that you can control this is futile, but these complex systems generally form fairly straightforward and trackable patterns.
In comes the theory of emergence. A simple explanation of emergence is that an emergent behavior or emergent property can appear when a number of simple agents operate in an environment, forming more complex behaviors as a collective. You begin to discern patterns based on the big picture of the complexity. In marketing, human behavior differs greatly individually, but the sum total of activity and movement can become predictable and repeatable.
What can be learned from emergence theory when applied to marketing? You need a few key things to help ensure success:
- You need to learn as much as possible from as large a sampling as possible before you begin. The purpose of truly good surveys is to discern trends and patterns through disparate answers. Therefore, individual answers are meaningless, but the sum total is the true guide.
- Crafting a communications plan must cover enough venues to create multiple paths to the same conclusion. Since people act individually, you cannot assume that even a successful campaign worked to engage enough people for a sustained effect. Instead, there have to be enough points of contact to create a tapestry of communications in order to connect this complex world of individuals.
- There needs to be some heavy-duty analytics available to take in all the information. With so much happening so quickly, emergent systems are hard to predict. But through today’s technology, they can be relatively simple to track. There will be no two success stories that will happen in exactly the same way. However, there will arise patterns that appear as trends, and therefore can be replicated and expanded.
Many organizations fall prey to the “one resounding success” syndrome, where they try to replicate lightning in a bottle by looking at a success sampling of one. This may prove to be disastrous because the overall pattern may differ greatly from the one experience. The next potential success may be out there, ready to capture. But it may look entirely different from the previous. And there may be several in between, somewhere in the complexity of how people live, decide, and purchase.
08/24/09
Newspapers, advertising.
It's no secret that newspapers are having a tough time. But smaller, more focused local papers are finding that their readership loyalty is stronger than ever.
We helped Booth Mid-Michigan create an outdoor campaign for each of their cities: Flint, Bay City, and Saginaw. These will help assuage fears and rumors in the community that the papers are disappearing. In fact, they are becoming stronger than ever.
07/13/09
Advertising through Social Networking?
“Paid advertising on online social networks in the US is expected to fall 3% in 2009.” (eMarketer, 2009)
With all of the attention and buzz social networking has received, that may come as a shock to many, and as an “I told you so” to those inherently skeptical of the medium.
Many companies are clearly still trying to find their way with social networking. It appears that some have a presence on Facebook or Twitter for no other reason than that they feel they should. However, other companies have seen great success in targeting and reaching both niche audiences and in more broad consumer based initiatives.
We feel that the pull back is temporary as companies refine and integrate their efforts, and that social networking will have a major role in the advertising mix going forward.
2009 may be considered the year that companies worked to develop their presence within social networking sites, establishing content and fleshing out their environments. To us, this is a logical first step, which must be taken before more proactively advertising and working to draw new people.
Because it is such a new and emerging medium, we believe many companies are waiting to see which will take the lead (Facebook? Twitter?), and which will fall off the map (MySpace)? This will allow them to better focus their efforts, and not feel they need to be redundant with ad dollars spent and information/content they generate and share.
Once companies become more comfortable with social networking, it’s natural that they may circle back and work to see how to best integrate with their advertising/marketing efforts. When they do, they will find that they have a wealth of information at their fingertips, including deep data to target users (friend networks, likes, dislikes, and much much more).
Companies will learn to harness this data to deliver custom advertising that works on a more conversational, one-on-one manner. This is not your traditional mass communication, rather, it’s a more nuanced, information based approach that will allow companies to micro target and communicate like never before.
Advertising, B-to-B, B-to-C, Community, Interactive, Opinion
06/25/09
Rebranding: Internal v. External
In the dozens upon dozens of major rebranding engagements and efforts we've been involved with, one thing has become exceedingly clear: rebranding an organization is equally important within the walls as it is to the outside world.
There is nothing quite like cutting through the clutter and showing a company what it looks, sounds, and acts like at its finest. It gets people re-energized. It gets them on the same page. It makes them want to become the company they see in front of them. It is motivational. It builds aspiration. And, more than anything, it gets people excited to go to work again.
In order to see why organizations crave a strong brand internally, let us quickly break down the lifecycle of an organization that leads down the path to status quo. This is the case of several companies we’ve worked with.
- The company is formed with an entrepreneurial spirit and a clear vision and passion, generally created by one individual.
- The company grows, and this individual shares his contagious spirit and wills the company to success.
- The owner sells to a larger organization, leaves the organization, stops day-to-day activity, etc.
- The company is left with a series of systems but no real soul or driving force. The brand reflects a “good enough” mentality but does not reflect any passion or sense of exceptionality.
- This goes on for some time. The brand becomes more and more internally focused on “what we do” vs. “why we exist for our customers”. Major difference.
- The company gets more and more layered, with more services/products, new departments, new technologies, etc. There are acquisitions, partnerships, business changes. All adding new personalities, layers, and needs.
- The business goes on cruise control on every level. Mission, vision, and values are created, but they are generally clichéd and empty. The outside world starts to lose touch.
- The brand starts to reflect a certain “say nothing” mentality. The internal staff, while still committed and passionate about their individual positions, has an increasingly difficult time when asked “what does your company do?”
- Internally, correction is attempted. Through meetings, retreats, and other common methods, a “reason for being” is attempted to be recaptured. Unfortunately, it is through people who are too close to it, have seen too many of these steps, and who have a vested interest in their own “piece” of the puzzle rather than the big picture.
That is why companies like ours exist. We are able to get to the deep issues, connect dots, and see the company from a 30,000 foot perspective. We can then start to rebuild the energy and thought that went into #1, no matter how big or diffused the company has become.
This is done in order to communicate to the outside world. But every single time, our effect within the walls of the organization is just as great. This, in turn, leads to an organization that lives up to its new, re-energized brand promise.
05/26/09
Viral marketing: Catching lightning in a bottle.
In meetings, seminars, and even the occasional new business presentation, we get asked the following questions more than a few times:
- How can we get seen on YouTube?
- Can’t we just create something viral?
Both questions are pointing to the same underlying questions. How can one create something viral and ensure that it is seen everywhere? And furthermore, without a budget to back it up? Answer: can’t be done.
Consider the following stats:
- Every minute, ten hours of video is uploaded to YouTube (YouTube.com)
- Some 53% of YouTube's videos have fewer than 500 views (TubeMogul)
- About 30% have less than 100 views (TubeMogul)
- Just 0.33% have more than 1 million views (TubeMogul)
In other words, you can’t ever count on anything becoming viral. It happens more organically, and in a less controlled manner than you can possibly image. Plus, without the benefit of sending people there via a more traditional media buy, it may never be seen.
If a video gets posted on YouTube and no one watches it, is it still a video?
YouTube is a perfectly good tool. But again, it is not a plan. Your odds of having something take off on YouTube are about the same as winning the lottery. Is that how you’d like to conduct business?
05/17/09
The Basis of Marketing: Changing the Conversation.
A small marketing firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan can change the world. We firmly believe that, or we wouldn’t be in business. We’re not looking to start a revolution, mind you. We just want to change conversations, influence perspectives, and replace misconceptions with realities – one organization at a time.
Marketing professionals, after some time, fall into two camps. There are those who want to affect people through pure creative – more of a gut instinct. And there are those who are very analytical and want to affect charts, and will only consider numbers when doing so.
Very few go back to the fundamental basis for what all marketing is aimed at: changing the conversation. Think about it: very few of your (or anyone else’s) decisions are unilateral. When purchasing a product or using a service, you usually consult at least one other person. Therefore, you have to affect both decision maker and influencer. If there are negative perceptions in the marketplace, these can be death to a brand whether they are real or imagined. If your perception didn’t come from a direct experience, chances are it came from a simple and seemingly harmless conversation.
Consider this: a recent study illustrated that a full 30% of all negative recommendations were given by individuals who never used the product or service they were asked about. This frightening statistic means that they are relaying others’ experiences in a kind of negative evangelism. Brands do a good job of steering initial conversations, but do little to provide defense of this negative conversation. And these tend to be the ones we recall the most.
At Phire, we are involved in the beginning stages of a corporate turnaround/rebranding effort for a new client (one of our specialties). The issue is not the reality… they have plenty of positive things happening internally. However, due to a lack of information and actively presented to the public, people have filled in the blanks themselves. These blanks went negative (they always do), and the negatives became the known truth.
It is not our job to change the organization. It is our job to change the conversation. And to do so, we must be bold, loud, creative, and above all – truthful. Then and only then can we move momentum toward a more positive direction, and give customers the talking points and experiences to complete the turnaround.
It takes a lot to change the conversation. But it is not a matter of pushing a 10 ton boulder up a hill. It is more like trying to convince thousands of people to each carry a tiny stone up that very same hill. And for them to tell all their friends to consider doing the very same thing.
05/11/09
A Daly thought.
I grew up a fervent Pistons fan. They won their first championship my senior year in high school after some devastating playoff defeats (Bird steals the ball, etc.) in previous years. Their success was inspiring, because they were simply different than the rest of the league in every way. Even though they were from all parts of the country, they were all Detroit personified. Tough. Intimidating. Hard working. Results-driven. And resilient. They climbed the ladder one step at a time – no shortcuts.
Chuck Daly was the unlikely leader of the group. He was slick. Charismatic. Well-dressed. And smiled more than any NBA coach before or since. He was a special guy who was able to subtly bring out the best in everyone, while keeping egos carefully in check. When he passed away over the weekend, we wanted to do something to quickly commemorate it.
This billboard is now appearing on at least two of the electronic boards in the Detroit Metro area. Amazing what can be done in a moment’s notice.
05/1/09
An advertising agency… advertising itself?
Some of you may have found us via our ad campaign that we are promoting throughout the area. Why? Two-fold:
1. Because (in our opinion) we have been a hidden gem in the Midwest for quite some time, and we’re ready to be discovered.
2. Because advertising agencies should do what they believe in. We are counseling our clients to do what they can to hold onto marketing budgets, even in recessions, because it will allow them to have continued recognition during difficult times, and thrive in a turnaround.
We’ve often wondered why advertising agencies never advertise themselves. Largely, it is simply a cobbler’s-kids-shoes thing. But I believe it also speaks to their belief in their own product’s ability to succeed. If you talk the talk, you’d better be walking the walk. In our humble opinion, of course.
04/19/09
Facebook is a tool, not a plan.
OK. Let’s have a frank one-sided conversation. Social media is powerful. Undeniable. But game changing? Not so fast. While it is true that it is an inexpensive (free) way to reach and stay in contact with potential customers, it is not some kind of silver bullet that will destroy all learned and proven notions of how marketing is done. It is a tool that can work in line with proven strategies, but it is not a strategy in and of itself.
We’re steering our customers (where appropriate) into it in an easy-to-manage way. But like everything else, it has to reach your audience, it has to reinforce your position, and it must forward the ball in terms of the brand-customer spectrum.
In short: social marketing: a powerful tool, not a panacea. It is the new, bright, shiny object that everyone loves, but no one has proven it to be effective completely on its own. We’re looking for the case study that proves us wrong, but so far, it has only been successful in a certain demographic in concert with several other elements.
OK. That’s it. Now if you’d like to follow us on Facebook, click here. If you’d like to follow us on Twitter, click here. But if you’d like to engage with us, let’s do so in person, over a serious, one-on-one conversation. That is the connection that matters most.
Advertising, B-to-B, B-to-C, Community, Interactive, Opinion, Sharing
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