Something has been puzzling me for a while, and I can’t seem to find an explanation for it. Why do some brands have multiple mascots? I’ve always been told that in advertising, the most important thing is consistency. It makes sense to me because consistency builds credibility. However, several big brands seem to be going through an identity crisis. Here is my brief case study.

Geico
Mascots: gecko, cavemen, “Kash”
Analysis: These characters have appeared in enough ads to make it safe to say they all count as mascots. Each one comes with a slightly different message. Kash is all about saving money, the cavemen emphasis ease of use and the gecko states the facts.

So my question is, why create so many personas for your brand? Are you really able to increase market share that way? Personally, it turns me off to a company when I see this. I would really like to get some feedback.  New to the industry, I’m trying to learn as much as I can.

As a result of my not-so-hot interviews this past spring, I’ve been hit with the reality that my Web skills need serious improving. Even for an entry level graphic design position, I’m expected to know ActionScript and be familiar with php, MySQL, and ASP. Desperate to find some training on the cheap, I began searching for online tutorials. I had not really considered taking a class at UF until I accidentally stumbled upon the UF IT Training Committee Web site.

They offer, “free, guided programs and recognition to University of Florida faculty and staff for increasing their computer knowledge and skills.”

After choosing a certification track, you have 18 months to complete all the required courses. When you are finished, you receive a certificate of completion and a “special gift”. Of course the real benefit is having increased your skill set and value as an employee.

I signed up for the Web Development certificate. They have classes in everything I need except ActionScript. I really can’t wait to get started! As for learning Flash, I’m going to have to suck it up and subscribe to lynda.com.

Recently I was asked by someone to create and manage a Google AdWords account for her business. Excited by the prospect of finally getting to practice some of my media buying skills, I decided to give it a try. Establishing the account, choosing keywords and writing the ads were a piece of cake. Google really does a great job of automating most of this. The real trouble comes from managing the budget.

Google allows you to set a daily limit on your campaign spending, however this is more of an estimate than a flat number. If you set your budget to $10 per day for the campaign, and you’ve already hit $9.99 in clicks – Google will continue to show your ad until you reach your limit. So if you bid $1.50 on a keyword, you end up spending $11.49 for the day. It may not seem like much, but when you have a limited budget- it really makes a difference.

To complicate things a bit further, by default Google sets your content ads to auto-bid. This means that Google will automatically determine the cost-per-click to place your ad on a relevant Web site. While content ads  are ideal, newbies should not use the auto-bid feature. I learned this the hard way. My daily budget was a measly $1.50 for a campaign. It worked out to about 5 clicks per day. I had set the keyword bids, but kept the auto-bid on for the content ads. The next day, I checked my report and saw that Google ended up blowing my entire daily budget on one content ad!

In theory the auto bidding for content ads makes sense. Content ads are worth more because they are displayed on relevant Web sites. You are more likely to convert that lead into a sale. However, my experience has taught me that this is not the best way to start out with AdWords. Clients want to see numbers, AdWords cost $X for X impressions. There is no way to calculate the impressions if you use auto-bidding. I believe content ads are great, but when it comes to cost – I prefer a fixed bid.

My work with AdWords is ongoing. Once my client’s Web site makeover is complete, I will be increasing the budget and hopefully bringing in a lot more traffic to her site. As I learn more about calculating that perfect budget,  I will be sure to let you know. And remember, traffic means nothing if you don’t make sales! Make sure your Web site is the best it can be before you splurge on AdWords.

Advertising is a great way to start a trend, but what about trends in advertising? A few months ago I noticed a bunch of ads using animated vector flourishes to showcase the product, whether it was appropriate for the brand or not. Check out these examples:

Sherwin Williams

Zappos by the AD Store

Saturn Vue by Deutche

Out of the three, I think the Sherwin Williams execution makes the most sense. The others may look cute but are lacking vision. Just compare the Saturn Vue commercial to the new Prius ad. Same basic principle, but the copy, imagery and use of people instead of graphics all work together beautifully.

Lately I’ve noticed a new trend among companies. A lot of agencies are trying to work economic buzz words into their ads. The first one I noticed was a commercial for Domino’s in which they “Released their own stimulus package.” The campaign for Daytona Beach tourism is using an almost identical strategy. Since then, a plethora of other agencies have gone this route. While I agree that using current events in advertising shows that a business is aware of consumer needs,  I can’t help but feel blasé. A clever play on words isn’t going to help sales right now; the economic situation is too serious.

What I am try to say is that advertisers are not immune to trend following, even if it comes at the expense of the brands they represent. I love Zappos, but I hate that commercial. Yes it is pretty and full of energy- but it has nothing to do with great customer service, which is their USP. By themselves, trends aren’t so horrible. The trouble happens when we let them influence us when it is not in the best interest of the brand.

My question to all the designers and admen/women out there: How do you separate your personal taste from what the client needs?

]]> http://www.alisonkw.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=137 0 http://www.alisonkw.com/blog/?p=133 http://www.alisonkw.com/blog/?p=133#comments Sun, 31 May 2009 21:13:51 +0000 alison http://www.alisonkw.com/blog/?p=133

Since my job doesn’t really involve graphic design or advertising, I have to stay sharp by doing online tutorials. I have been dying to learn how to create floral typography, so I decided to give this one a try. There are a bunch of example and other free tutorials on Smashing Magazine’s Web site. When it comes to Photoshop, I still feel like such a newbie. Someone recently told me that without special training, I’m not going to get anywhere in the design world. Everything that I have learned is self-taught. Am I ever going to reach my career goal? Even if I could afford portfolio school, employers are looking to see real-word applied ads. You are supposed to be able to back up your campaigns with sales figures. It’s getting a lot harder for an entry-level person to get his or her foot in the door.

All I can say is thank goodness for small business owners who are looking for a good deal on a freelancer!

I am thinking of proposing an extreme Web site makeover for one of my clients. I’m a huge fan of her business, but I think the Web site could use some editing. However, I want to get an idea of what other people think before I make the proposal.

A little bit about the company: University of Doglando offers dog daycare, cage-free boarding, grooming, low-cost vaccines, training, organic pet foods and high quality pet accessories. Their Web site is http://univeristyofdoglando.com.

Please help us out by taking this brief, 7 question survey evaluating the Web site! http://tinyurl.com/qv666p

Thank you so much!

One of my favorite brands is Apple. I must love their advertising as much as I love their products, because I never get tired of seeing Apple commercials. Their latest creation is a combination of three video banners running simultaneously. It’s kind of difficult to describe, so I suggest you check it out. AdvertisingAge posted a video of it here: New York Times Contextual Ad.

The agency who created the ad is TBWA/Media Arts Lab.

To supplement my job at Video and Collaboration Services, I have taken up some freelance work. Right now I have two clients that own small businesses- one in Orlando, the other in Alachua. It’s been a real test to the past four years of my life. All the studying and planning for success in advertising, now I get to actually quantify my efforts. My first exposure to the bottom line.

The problem with advertising for small businesses is the incredibly limited ad budget. Even a one-time newspaper ad can be too much of a splurge.  Mailing lists and postage costs- forget sending direct mail! So I’ve been trying to encourage my clients to take a grassroots approach. Become an ambassador to the community and you will get an extremely loyal customer base. Take part in service projects on behalf of your business. Try posting your ad in a church bulletin instead of a big newspaper. Host an event or table at a farmer’s market. Write press releases and send them to publications- include digital images. Have an informational brochure, maybe even a product demonstration.

The best thing you can do is just be active in the community. Talk to people about your products in person. Be sincere and you will succeed.

One of my projects is to help optimize the Web site for the University of Doglando, and figure out how to promote their online store, “Bark Avenue.” If you have and advice, please let me know.

It’s been about a month since my last post. Much has happened since then, but most importantly- Campaigns class is over! Now I can finally reveal the ads my team and I made.

As I mentioned a while ago, our client was a Forensics for Lawyers Online Continuing Legal Education course. (Try saying that five times fast) Our concept for the campaign was, “Blinded by Science: What you need to know about Forensics and the Law.” It’s a play off the whole justice is blind and science is objective thing.

So here’s the fun stuff: our print ads.

I made html rich e-mail versions of these to be sent via Constant Contact to a database of lawyers.  In addition to the print and e-mail campaign, we made a little animated Flash banner ad to be placed on the Florida Bar Web site. (Nothing too exciting) Both the html rich e-mails and the banner ad link to the newly redesigned Forensics for Lawyers CLE Course Web site. I spent my entire spring break working on this site, and I think it looks pretty freaking good for someone who’s not a programmer/web designer.  Feel free to compare it to what they’ve been using. The content is the same, just better organized. Also, there’s a new video demonstration of the online course to give people an idea of what they are getting.

There is a lot more to the campaign than just the ads. We did tons of reasearch, planning, budgeting, etc. Our final plans book came out to 68 pages! (Don’t worry, we printed on recycled paper) Plus there was that huge presentation. But in the end it was all worth it because my team, Ingroup Media, won the account!!! As a reward, we get $350. Divided by seven, that’s $50 per person. May not be much, but the experience and recognition is what’s really great. Yay!

I decided to try my hand at an Italian classic last night, tiramisu. The recipe has been in my purse for the past week and I’ve had a heck of a time trying to find the ingredients. The folks at Winn Dixie hadn’t even heard of ladyfingers, and with that being my fifth grocery store, I decidede to substitute them with Twinkies. I have no idea how it’s going to taste, but I will find out tonight!

On a completely different note… I finally had a couple of interviews! One with KDS Studios in Orlando, and another with 352 Media Group here in Newberry. The KDS interview went really well- they told me I got the internship! I will be designing promotional materials for their studios as well as CD covers and flyers for the recording artists they represent. It sounds like a lot of fun. The 352 interview wasn’t as great. I stumbled a bit on some questions about web design versus advertising and print design. I wish I was more articulate… I’ll hear from them in a little over a week.

Seems like the only interviews I’m getting are for unpaid interships. I’m not trying to complain, honestly I’ll take any opportunity to learn something new. However, money is more than a bit tight right now. I don’t know how I’m going to manage next month’s rent- let alone the rest of the summer. It’s been well over a year since I’ve had to ask my parents for money, and I don’t want to start now. I’ve been living modestly, only went on one trip my entire college career, never go out to bars or clubs, rarely buy soda or junk food… I thought being hardworking and living modestly was enough, but apparently not. The thing is, I’m so excited to start this next phase of my life- I don’t want to worry about money!

The campaigns project is almost done. I’m bringing the book to the printer tonight. It looks really clean and classy. The ads are great. I can’t wait for the presentation to be over so I can post them up here. Until then, I’ve got to keep it a secret!