10/26/10
Campaign thinking v. brand thinking.
There is a fundamental issue that keeps coming up in our industry. We’ve heard it from potential clients. We’ve seen it time and time again in the marketplace. And brands continue to paint themselves in a corner by not understanding the sometimes subtle, sometimes stark difference between building a brand and executing a campaign. The basic premise is this: your brand transcends any initiative or moment in time. It is the foundation for which a campaign is launched, but the reverse should never be true. A campaign, built in a vacuum, might be perfectly effective for a time, but creates brand chaos if not built as part of the larger brand story. We find that the “older school” the agency, the more likely they will approach any assignment through campaign thinking first. How will you know? Breaking it down simplistically:
Campaign thinking:
Reacts to your latest initiative without regard to brand foundation.
Brand thinking:
Takes the long view. Includes never-wavering brand values. It creates your position in the marketplace that you are committed to staking.
Campaign thinking:
What’s hot right now. How can I best take advantage? This is appropriate, but can never be at the risk of becoming your brand.
Brand thinking:
What will always be relevant. What are you going to be in 5 years, 10 years? Is it accommodating?
Campaign thinking:
A new tagline every media budget cycle.
Brand thinking:
A tagline that will last 10-plus years.
Campaign thinking:
Starting from scratch every year. Advertising the latest feature.
Brand thinking:
Creating a community, building a fan base. Communicating a customer-centric thought.
Campaign thinking:
Traditional agency thinking: find a way to reinvent (and thus re-invoice) every year.
Brand thinking:
New agency standard: Stewardship. Finding a way to simplify and clarify over time.
Campaign thinking:
Reacting to competitors, treating them as moving targets.
Brand thinking:
Transcending your competitors. Inventing a new language. Creating a new standard and living up to it.
Campaign thinking:
RFP/spec work/creative shoot out.
Brand thinking:
Gathering voice of customer. Testing. Being patient. Crafting a solution based on information.
Campaign thinking:
Media-specific application.
Brand thinking:
Transcends media choices. Applicable to any.
You get the idea. But don’t get me wrong - the two ways of thinking are not mutually exclusive. Brand thinking still requires highly creative campaigns, but it insists that you do so in a manner that is consistent, informed, and will fit into a larger dialogue.
At least that’s our thinking.
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
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
05/28/09
11 thoughts for 11 years.
As I celebrate 11 years of being in business, I look back on some of the things I’ve learned.
- We get better every day. Back in 1998, I thought I knew everything there was to know about advertising. All I really knew was how to win awards. That is not the same thing as helping our clients prosper by any stretch. Every day, I learn something that we can apply across our client spectrum to improve their business.
- The client knows more than we do. We used to walk into a room and try to out-passion people about their own businesses. This is not our job. Our job is to take their passion, help take it to the next level, and help it spread in the marketplace.
- Technology should be wrapped around fundamentals. I’ve seen web firms come and go. I’ve seen online ad agencies come and go. I’ve seen SEO companies come and go. Hell, I even recall a couple of Second Life agencies. Technology has grown so much in the last 11 years, and even in the last 11 minutes. But technology is a means to deliver proven marketing fundamentals. It is not a fundamental on its own.
- The good days are good. Getting new business. Launching a campaign after months of work. Presenting a client with a plan and a vision and a brand that gets them re-excited about why they come to work every day. Those are good days, and they make it well worth it. Heck, they even make up for the….
- The bad days are really bad. Getting a budget cut. Not getting paid for our work. Winning a pitch and then finding out it wasn’t funded. Losing business for all the wrong reasons. Internal issues. These are the bad days. And they can really wear on you in this business.
- We get to meet some of the coolest people on the planet. Celebrities. Industry movers and shakers. People with little more than an incredible idea. Their stories are so different, but remarkably inspiring. There is no other business I can think of that allows such access to unique stories, goals, visions, and dreams within deep, meaningful relationships.
- You’ve got to have fun. As a small office, we tend to drive each other insane. So we have office games (including this one called Mickless that is so perfect, I believe I could sell the concept). We joke. We rib. And we get an incredible amount of good work done on behalf of dozens of clients.
- Take a long view of successes. When I think of client engagements, 11 years gives you the ability to see not only what worked immediately, but also what is sustainable from a marketing perspective. Every agency shows you their success stories. I’m not afraid to show failures as well. After all, are you going to trust someone who claims to have never failed? How then, have they ever learned to succeed?
- Times will always be tough. The last 11 years in the State of
- Share more. I used to be afraid of letting go. Letting go of industry secrets. Of the special sauce. Of our client list. Of relationships with other partners. It took me a while to see the light, but the more you give, the more you get back. So now I share freely, ask frequently, and open my business to anyone who wants to look. If you can replicate it, go for it. But you can’t.
- Eleven things on a list? Unnecessary. Brevity is still king. If you can’t sum up things quickly, you’re doing it wrong. This blog post has gone on way too long, and if I’m being honest, there was diminishing returns after about 4.
05/11/09
The new world of Pre-Customer Relationship Management
In this quickly-changing day and age, it is difficult to navigate the shifting world and its new rules. It used to be a fairly straightforward model of either 1) someone is interested in your product or service based on an ad or referral and contacts you directly. Or 2) based on direct cold calling, nagging, and/or visits, you finally get through. It was a fairly straightforward “do you want to dance?” followed by an abrupt “yes” or “no”.
Today, this model is very different. Through various means, the customer can now find everything out about you first. They can visit your website countless times. They can instantly find out what activities you are involved in. They can follow you on the various social networking sites. In other words, you need to prove to them that you are legitimate, smart, relevant, and offer something beyond your product or service. You must develop leadership and show results on a consistent basis. It’s “Pre-Customer Relationship Management.”
This development is a positive one for people who are competent, results-oriented, and have excellent reputations. Your brand is no longer your own. You can create and nurture it, build a look and feel, arm people with talking points, etc. But ultimately, you cannot put a brand façade around a broken company anymore. You must create a brand that showcases the very best a company has to offer.
To further the dance analogy, if you ask a customer to dance, they no longer say yes or no right away. They say “show me what you’ve got” and watch you dance for a while. They go around the room and ask if you’re a good dancer based on other people’s experience. They look and see if you’ve won any dance competitions in the past. They attend a dance seminar in which you are the teacher. Finally, after all that, they may say “yes”.
The bad news in this new world is that if you are a bad dancer, you will remain a lonely wallflower. But if you are good, present yourself well, follow up, and are exceptional at what you do, you will be able to dance until you drop.
I took that analogy way too far, but you get the point. Marketing today is about being extremely active – and backing up what you say every day with actions.
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.
04/21/09
Website launch: Ann Arbor Summer Festival
We are proud to introduce the new Ann Arbor Summer Festival website. Designed and built by Phire, the new site is 100% content managed by AASF staff. Check it out - we think it's pretty darn cool.
http://www.annarborsummerfestival.org
B-to-C, Community, Design, Interactive, New Work, News, Website Launch
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
04/17/09
Website launch: Ann Arbor CVB
After launching their first site five years ago, we are proud to announce the launch of the new annarbor.org. Now created with dynamic content, a CRM system, and loads of valuable information, it is the definitive source for everything Ann Arbor. Enjoy the view.
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