http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php en erin@thinkmktg.com Copyright 2009 2009-12-21T17:52:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/decorate_your_holidays_with_joy/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/decorate_your_holidays_with_joy/#When:17:52:00Z Add a little joy to your day creating your own gingerbread house on our site!  Happy holidays from all of us at Think! 2009-12-21T17:52:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/and_the_turkey_award_for_branding_goes_to/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/and_the_turkey_award_for_branding_goes_to/#When:01:11:00Z Aol.  Period!  Yes, AOL’s new brand mark.  Aol with a period.  Better?  It’s reversed out font over images that constantly change.  So check out this new “logo”:  Really?  Really.  According to the company’s press release and a statement from their CEO, “Our new identity is uniquely dynamic. Our business is focused on creating world-class experiences for consumers and AOL is centered on creative and talented people–employees, partners, and advertisers. We have a clear strategy that we are passionate about and we plan on standing behind the AOL brand as we take the company into the next decade.”   “uniquely dynamic,” “world-class,” and “clear strategy” get translated into rotating images and the brand acronym with a period?  Since when did a period communicate dynamicism???   (Not a word, I know, but since we’re breaking all the rules anyway….)  Since when did world-class get communicated by a brand mark that disappears into an image?  Since when did a “clear strategy” get communicated by constantly changing images in a “logo”?   Since when did reversed out fonts EVER become a good idea?  It’s an insult to the world of branding and brand managers everywhere.   But hey, let’s give thanks to AOL for giving us all a terrific example of what not to do with our brands.   Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!    2009-11-26T01:11:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/a_case_study_in_product_launch/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/a_case_study_in_product_launch/#When:01:48:00Z Ford is about to launch their new Fiesta, a new "global car" they’re introducing to the US market.  The "Fiesta Movement" campaign is truly worth taking a look at.  Social media.  In-person events.  Advertising.  Product sampling.  Live and media-driven testimonials.  Microsite.  Viral.  PR.  Polling.  Interactive.  Email campaigns.  You name it.  There’s not a marketing tactic that’s not well treated or powerfully harnessed for this campaign.  Ford, I.  Am.  Impressed.  When I sat down to write this blog, 2 things drew me to it as a topic I wanted to share with you – 1) it’s a truly integrated campaign, and 2) it’s a terrific example of a product launch.  But, as I came to further researching it, what became even more impressive to me was the way in which Ford is strategically targeting a younger audience with this product and the campaign to launch it.  Their goal of course, is to create life-long brand relationships and drive brand loyalty.  Not only is the product a perfect response to market need, Ford is speaking to the youth audience in ways that reach them “where they already are” and involve them from moment go.  The messaging is succinct and the campaign elements are ideal.  2-way conversations and genuine Web 2.0 functionality throughout the whole “Fiesta Movement” – and even the title of the launch speaks directly to their audience.  I also love the heavy use of video, since both the 18-24s and the 25-34s have video content as their top use for social now.  Check out their microsite for a glimpse into this great product launch: http://www.fiestamovement.com/    2009-11-20T01:48:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/great_quotes_on_branding/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/great_quotes_on_branding/#When:21:43:00Z  “A brand is not aproduct.  It is the sum total of everything a company does — the good, the bad and even the off strategy — that creates a large context or an identity in the consumer’s mind.”- Scott Bedbury, Formerly of Nike and Starbucks "A brand is a complex symbol. It is the intangible sum of a product’s attributes, its name, packaging, and price, its history, reputation and the way it is advertised. A brand is also defined by consumers’ impressions of the people who use it, as well as their own experience."- David Ogilvy, Ogilvy & Mather “A brand is a living entity - and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures" - Michael Eisner, Former CEO Disney “A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.”“The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity.”- Al Reis and Laura Reis, from The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding  “I think that if you’re really using the Internet effectively, you’re going to figure out how your brand relates to the individual which is not something that has been a tremendous issue in branding in the past because it has been a one-to-many kind of marketing message outward.” - Terri Holbrooke, Ziff-Davis 2009-08-13T21:43:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/getting_a_brand_up_and_running/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/getting_a_brand_up_and_running/#When:21:44:00Z Think Marketing congratulates client, the Pasadena Marathon, on a sold out event!  Yesterday’s marathon brought over 9,100 people (and 1,200 volunteers!!).  Even with rain pouring down from the sky, participants rallied behind the 5k, half marathon, bike and full marathon.  A great time was had by all and Think Marketing is celebrating this great success.       “The work of years culminated in one of the most successful events that Pasadena has ever seen, and that’s saying something," said Israel Estrada, Executive Director, Pasadena Forward.  "While our staff, volunteers, and contractors worked to ensure the execution of an excellent event, the brand and recognition designed by Think Marketing was strong enough to bring in people from all over the world.  I don’t believe there’s another team of professionals who could have done it better – thank God for Think!”  Think Marketing worked with Pasadena Forward, the organizer and owner of the Pasadena Marathon, to create simple, polished marketing programs that created the buzz and community support needed to convince the Pasadena City Council to unanimously approve plans for the inaugural Pasadena Marathon. (No small feat for a city that already shuts itself down for the world famous Rose Bowl!!)  And yesterday, on March 22, 2009, Pasadena Forward held what we hope is just the first of many successful marathons and fund-raising events to come.  "We feel we’ve created a legacy and a great tradition for the southland," said Erin Mills, president, Think Marketing.  "Think Marketing is proud to have paved the way for this local gem to become a powerful brand for many years to come."  2009-03-23T21:44:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/great_creative_wasted_on_bad_execution/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/great_creative_wasted_on_bad_execution/#When:04:47:00Z Recently, the city of Los Angeles announced a new ad slogan: “That’s So LA,” which will be used to launch a $2 million marketing campaign seeking to capture the hearts, minds and dollars of tourists “around the world.”  (How, you ask will $2 million reach around the world?  Well, I’ll get to that….)  First, let’s talk about the campaign concept itself – taking a term of derision and turning it into an advertising motto is, well, So LA (and great creative). For the past several years we’ve been using “See My LA” – a campaign completely focused on celebrity-ism versus actually seeing anything about “my” LA.  Sampling of creative below – just celebrities and what they say LA is.  (Note: If you’re viewing my blog on a feed or Plaxo, you’ll need to click to our website to see the images.)  We never did get to see my/our LA…..  And when I first heard of the new campaign (just heard the motto without seeing the creative executions), I thought “That’s So LA” would be the same, but it actually presents so much more than the celebrity point-of-view – it takes the concept of what happens in LA and exploits it.  A bit of fun poked at ourselves – and that, I think, is a good thing.  Well that and actually *showing* LA.  OK, you had me at “So.”    A gripe on execution. The “That’s So LA” campaign, however, will be launched targeting primarily Southern California residents who travel to LA.  Fascinating.  Given, I’m clearly not the demographic (since I actually live in LA and don’t vacation here - although I openly admit to spending most 3-day weekends here.  Does that count?!), why would anyone want to waste the dollars on ensuring I see the outdoor media while I drive to work?  (I promise not to mention by name the company I used to work for that specifically bought outdoor for its President to see on her way to work, so this does really happen.)  Does this make any sense?  No.  Especially not with a global budget of $2 million.  Perhaps these couple mil should be spent not on the billboards at LAX, but rather, on billboards in Chicago and everywhere else that’s completely snowed in.   To quote the promotional materials, “There is definitely an LA way of doing things and we’re famous for it – whatever ‘it’ means.  The expression ‘That’s So LA’ has become part of the language because it captures that indefinable something that makes LA – LA.”  So perhaps, “That’s So LA” is indeed So LA?  If by that you mean wasting a couple million on self-promotion to ourselves, then indeed, that’s So LA.    2009-02-20T04:47:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/anatomy_of_a_rebrand/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/anatomy_of_a_rebrand/#When:01:39:00Z Non-profit Center for Positive Prevention Alternatives, Inc. came to Think Marketing looking for help developing a new brand image to reposition itself.  Selecting the new name Family and Youth Services of San Joaquin County set the tone for the new image they wanted to put forward - a professional, services organization with multiple programs for youths and families alike and also provided them a with a catchy acronym that reflected their brand orientation of helping people through and into new phases of their lives, FAYS (pronounced just like "phase!")  Their current logo (a puppet) was not able to reflect the positive approach their programs take, so we set forth to develop a new visual identity that would help them achieve the approachable, professional look they desired.  Although we developed multiple concepts to present, the following is a peak into the creative development of the selected logo.  The goal was to provide a logo that would accurately portray the tone of the new FAYS brand and represent their work in the community.  Here’s a visual sampling of the before and after brand ID:      2009-01-06T01:39:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/happy_holidays_from_all_of_us_at_think_marketing/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/happy_holidays_from_all_of_us_at_think_marketing/#When:04:08:00Z Here’s hoping 2008 leaves you with many fond, warm memories and that 2009 is filled with good fortune.  Our best wishes to you during the holiday season: http://thinkmktg.com/fortune/.      2008-12-15T04:08:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/think_marketing_client_pasadena_marathon_sells_out_in_year_1/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/think_marketing_client_pasadena_marathon_sells_out_in_year_1/#When:19:32:00Z Congratulations to our client, the Pasadena Marathon (run by Pasadena Forward), for selling out their event!  On its own, it’s a huge accomplishment to launch their inaugural year of the marathon, but to also sell out, just incredible!  Our best wishes to them and we can’t wait to see everyone this Sunday at the event - what a great honor to be involved with the success of their work - amazing that just one year ago we launched them publically:For more information on the sold-out marathon, see today’s article in the Pasadena Star.  2008-11-11T19:32:00-08:00 http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/comments/creepy_advertising/ http://www.thinkmktg.com/index.php/weblog/creepy_advertising/#When:00:12:00Z So much creepy advertising lately...here’s one of my favorites (which I’ve now come to think of as the creepiest thing to happen to chocolate since the Oompah Loompahs):  http://axedarktemptation.com/video.shtmlTry eating that Halloween candy now!!  Happy Halloween everyone! 2008-11-01T00:12:00-08:00