Eat, Sleep, Breath, Tweet.
A study last year found that the average young American spends nearly every waking hour online. Whether they are on their computer, iPad, smart phone, TV, gaming system, or other device, they are constantly connected.

Many parents might panic at the idea of pale, bleary-eyed kids sitting in the dark brainwashed by media when they hear this statistic… but the older crowd is no less accustomed to having internet access whenever we want it. Who hasn’t–at some point–pulled out their tablet PC on a bus ride to catch up on the news, checked in through a location-aware app at their favorite restaurant, or (gasp) taken their phone with them into the bathroom?

Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Boston who directs the Center on Media and Child Health, said there is no need for concern. Constant access to media is unavoidable, and is “like the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat.” Basically, if you are a parent: get over it… And if you have a brand: make sure everything you do to market your brand has a way to interact for these constantly-connected consumers!

Even the most traditional media can become interactive. For example, billboards have turned into an interactive game for McDonald’s. As a promotion in Stockholm, the fast food chain has created a product-themed arcade game on a massive digital billboard. Passersby can go to a website (http://picknplay.se/) from their phone to connect directly to the billboard and play the game live projected for everyone in the area to see. If they beat the 30-second challenge, their phone automatically is sent a digital coupon for a free McDonald’s treat.

Packaging has turned into a social media success for the SpecialK cereal box. They are using the entire real-estate on the back of their package for a “What will you gain when you lose?” interactive promotion. Consumers write a word in the branded word bubble design on the back of each box, take a picture of themselves with that word and upload it to the brand’s Facebook page.

Even a local letterpress studio I recently visited is using their 19th century printing machine to print a QR code pointed to their website on takeaways for customers who leave the store. Ironic? Perhaps. Effective? Definitely.

It’s time to connect.
More and more brands are finding creative ways to make their printed materials transcend their traditional confines. How can you transform your offline media into an opportunity for more interaction?

Whether you hate or love Miracle Whip, you have to admit Kraft has some proverbial branding balls to roll out its recent “We’re Not for Everyone” ad campaign.

You won’t find too many companies willing to shell out hefty advertising dollars for television spots that feature actor and celebrity testimonials that bash the very product being pushed.

But that’s exactly what Miracle Whip is doing in a new “Pick a Side” ad campaign that has whipped up some legitimate exposure for a product category that is usually relegated to the back of the refrigerator and the back of most consumer’s minds.

“We’re Not for Everyone” rolled out in late February with television spots featuring celebrity and actor testimonials focusing on either their love or hatred for Miracle Whip – a sandwich spread Kraft has been pitting versus mayonnaise as the “edgy” choice.
While I’m not sold that younger consumers will subscribe to the pitch that condiment choice is a defining part of their identity, it certainly catches your attention when a commercial begins with a woman pegging her distaste for Miracle Whip at a “22″ on a scale of 1 to 10. Another testimonial features a man noting: “Miracle Whip tastes like lotion … but sweet. And who wants a sweet lotion sandwich?” Even Pauly D of “Jersey Shore” weighs in on the topic saying: “I would never eat it…I would never put it in my hair. It’s just wrong.”

Others in the commercial note their unabashed love for the product like one woman who notes: “If you don’t love miracle whip, you’re incapable of love.”

The campaign essentially conjures up condiment controversy by having the brand admit what most aren’t willing to – that their product isn’t the preferred option for many consumers. It integrates social media into the mix by directing people to a branded YouTube channel that allows users to view the advertisement, get free samples, comment on the product and click to either “love” or “hate” Miracle Whip with the tally recently denoting 14,000 plus supporters and around 1,000 haters.

Whether you actually subscribe to the messaging that Miracle Whip is the bold choice, you have to admit “We’re Not For Everyone” is branding in its most brazen form.

I don’t really care about Miracle Whip (I prefer mustard), but it’s saying something that I was among the 800,000 plus people who have visited the YouTube channel despite almost certainly having better things to do.

What is your brand willing to do in order to be part of the conversation?

The way a person’s eye trails through a layout can be the key to comprehension and retention of the message your company is trying to relay. And when done correctly, it will lead your viewer to follow through on the call-to-action and take the next step with your company or product. Here are five best practices to ensure the information in your print advertising, brochure, sales sheet, tradeshow booth, retail packaging, point-of-purchase display, website and other layouts are being viewed in the most effective way.

1. Determine the order you want information delivered before creating the layout.
Before your information is placed in a layout, put it in order. What is the first thing you want people to notice? If the information is for a magazine ad, it might be the headline. If it’s for a package, it could be the product name and logo. For a promotional landing page, you may want a call-to-action to be the first thing noticed. Number your content and keep in mind the order as it is designed into a layout. A great self-test you can do once the information has been placed in the design is the blink test.

Close your eyes… now open them on your layout… what’s the very first thing that you look at? Is it the information marked #1 on your list of hierarchy? If not, assess the design to remedy this. The remaining four practices provide ideas to help you troubleshoot.

2. Use fonts wisely.
The bigger a font, the more prominent it will be. True. A bold font will stand out in a crowd. Yes. San-serif typefaces are eye-catching, while serif typefaces tend to be easier to read in paragraph form. Proven. Putting words in ALL-CAPS, italics and underlines shouts they are important. Of course. However, using all of these treatments in the same layout will lead to chaos. A sophisticated layout uses only one or two of these methods to indicate “important: read this” through type style. Adding too many different type treatments in one layout is as effective as highlighting every single line in a textbook when studying for a test.

3. Use icons and color for quick-read summary information.
Some information can stand alone. This type of “CliffsNote” information can be designed for quick reference and easy reading. Bullets are the stand-by method, but go a step beyond this and you’ve got an even more successful way to showcase this information through the use of icons. Creating universal symbols for each bullet point will attract the eye in the same way, hooking the viewer visually first and engaging them to then read the related content. The icons give the viewer an idea of what they’ll be reading about before they get too involved. In your information order, icons are most effective for items that are the second or third piece on the list. Use of color for icons can move them forward or back in that rank. For example, a complimentary color that blends in with the rest of the layout will not place as much emphasis as bright contrasting colors.

4. A classy and updated call-out can be just as effective as a bright orange star burst.
Call-outs often bring to mind some sort of infomercial graphic or clearance sticker in neon colors. These design elements are commonly referred to as “violators” because they invade the space of a layout with a totally unrelated style. There is often still a need for this kind of information prominence when you want your audience to “Call Today” or see a “New Product”, but you can be just as effective at getting attention without sacrificing design. For example, in a layout with many straight lines and 90-degree angles, a call-out can stand out through the use of a more organic shape and curved lines.

5. Keep important information “above the fold.”
We are all familiar with the top news story being placed in the top half of the front page of a newspaper. That’s the story that will catch your attention when sitting in a stack or in a news bin. The same practice is successful for other media as well. For example, websites have a “fold” that is generally considered to be about 760 pixels down the browser window. This is the length the average website viewer has their monitor settings at to see a web page without scrolling. Items near the top of your order should reside here, while lower priority items might require scrolling.

If the information in your branded materials does not follow these best practices, you are not getting the most out of your content. Contact us to see how we can control the eye and the understanding of your customers.

In 1970, David Ogilvy published a book, Ogilvy on Advertising. In his book, Ogilvy talks about what a great medium direct mail was for some of his most successful account acquisitions – including his successful acquisition of the Mercedes-Benz account through a direct mail initiative. Ogilvy was an advocate of direct mail and even described it as, “Direct mail, my first love and secret weapon.”

It’s now almost 2010 and, although direct mail campaigns have proven to be successful in the past, does any of this hold true today, now that everybody’s mailboxes are inundated with direct mail pieces? Do people even look at direct mail? I never did, at least I never thought I did, until recently I found myself clipping a coupon I received for a buy-one-get-one-free offer. Progressive Grocer announced that coupon redemption rates are up 19% in 2009 compared to 2008. Direct mail has also proven to show a 1-3% return. Is this something we should turn our heads to now that we’re seeing very high returns with Internet Marketing?

Today, everybody’s talking about search engine marketing, social media, Facebook, Twitter and other essential, Inbound Marketing tactics. Hubspot reported that 37% of lead generation budgets, on average, are dedicated to Inbound Marketing. Inbound Marketing allows you to effectively reach your target prospects. You can even test marketing through A/B testing strategies. Why bet the farm on a particular message, call-to-action or creative design that you think will generate leads when you can quickly and easily A/B test all of your messaging, creative, call-to-actions and be certain you’re generating qualified leads?

Now that we’re leveraging these great tools online with Internet Marketing, does this mean we should disregard traditional, seemingly more expensive marketing mediums such as expensive tradeshows, traditional public relations and even direct mail? Absolutely not. Rather, we should leverage what we know with Internet Marketing to make our traditional marketing efforts even more successful, especially direct mail marketing.

By leveraging Internet Marketing, we can prove our messaging, creative and call-to-actions BEFORE sending out our direct mail campaigns, thus increasing the likeliness of effectiveness.

Here are some important direct mail tips to keep in mind as you craft your campaign:

• Post office regulations [http://www.usps.com/] – Make sure to double-check the post office regulations prior to sending out a postcard or letter to make sure you’re not violating any regulations. A reprint can be costly!
• Gold database – Make sure your database is solid. Without a database that targets the right people, with the correct contact information, it doesn’t matter how effective your messaging is.
• Test your messaging – Leverage Internet Marketing techniques to test as much of your direct mail piece as possible. Do A/B tests on the headline, subhead, image, call-to-action, offer, layout, etc.
• Don’t look like junk mail – If your envelope looks like junk mail, it is not likely going to be opened. Make sure the envelope you send your piece in has an “openability” appeal.
• What’s in it for me? (WIIFM) – It’s important that the recipient of the direct mail piece knows immediately, WIIFM? This will increase readability.
• Coupons – Make sure your offers are something you can stand behind. I recently saw a coupon for a FREE Papa John’s Three-Topping pizza, effective on one day, through online ordering. Coincidentally, on that same day, the online ordering for the locations offering the coupons was down, along with the phones.

Have an upcoming direct mail campaign? Call MicroArts, a creative agency.

Welcome to the world of [insert your company name here].
When preparing for your next big tradeshow, be sure to carefully consider the design of your tradeshow materials. The success of getting people interested in and paying attention to your product is directly associated with the ability of your booth itself to invite people in. Your booth needs to be its own world, revolving around your product but also standing out amongst all the other booths available.

The TOTAL experience.
Your booth should be a TOTAL experience for your customers. The way it looks, the way it feels, perhaps even the way it sounds or smells should draw them in and hold them so they become engaged and interested in learning more about your product or service. How? Use colors that set the mood. Whether the mood is hyped-up, soft and comfortable or scientific and intelligent, choose colors that support and present this mood to your customers. You want them to be comfortable in your booth and start to feel the presence and excitement around your product.

Think big!
The most important message at your tradeshow booth should be visible from a good distance. The goal is to draw people in so they come and read more – set the bait in order to lure them there, and then read your supporting messages. Text looks great on screen but if it looks like ants on a wall at the tradeshow, people may just pass it by.

Positioning is everything!
Not only does your information need to be large in size, it also needs to be placed on areas of the tradeshow booth that are easily visible. REMEMBER, your tradeshow booth is an interactive experience, People will be walking through, standing outside and inside, so keep your information around eye level if you don’t want it to get missed. Position the most important information in the places that are most easily seen, where people are most likely to look to first.

Your centerpiece.
Your product or service is your focal point … the most important element. Make sure it is easily visible and digestible for the customers. Be creative in the way you display it. If your product has a demo, consider TV screens displaying the demo or perhaps have a live demonstration. Make sure everything is well lit. Good lighting will help add to the overall atmosphere of your tradeshow booth and help direct people’s attention to the highlights.

Overall look and feel.
Your tradeshow booth design should have a look and feel that supports your brand identity. Incorporate elements from your brand identity that make it easily recognizable and memorable. The more exposure and consistency to your brand, the more people will become familiar with it and recognize it from a distance. Increased brand recognition will draw visitors to your booth and keep them coming back in the following years’ tradeshows!

Make it a lasting experience.
Make sure your tradeshow materials leave your customers with a lasting experience. A great way to create a lasting experience is to provide tradeshow programming and materials such as flyers or t-shirts (or any materials customers can physically take away with them). Most importantly, make sure your booth itself leaves a lasting impression through its tradeshow materials so customers remember the experience, the product and the brand.

Let us help you create a physical world around your brand and your product through your tradeshow programming and materials. Contact us!

You may have heard the rumors about Google being in talks with Twitter to buy them. This is not the first time that a sale of Twitter has been discussed. Facebook was apparently after them late last year. But why would Google want to buy Twitter?

To answer that, we simply need to look to 2003, when Twitter CEO Evan Williams sold Blogger to Google. In many ways Blogger and Twitter are similar. Typing to you from within the Blogger content creation interface (Blogger powers our blog) we recall the early days of blogging. Back then, like Twitter, some derided blogging as a fad – and we all know how blogging turned out Of course unlike Twitter, blogging exists without Blogger. Though it’s worth noting that there are other Twitter like products (Jaiku for example, was purchased by Google in 2007). But, like Blogger, Twitter enables both content creation and search within that content.

That’s where Google comes in– revenue from search advertising is the name of the game (accounting for 40% of Google’s revenue). With Twitter search quickly becoming as important as blog search, and some say even a threat to Google, it’s easy to see that Google wants to insure that when you execute a Twitter search that you do it through them. Not only that, but owning Twitter would enable Google to add Twitter content to their main search results pages in ways they can’t now, ways that would be exclusive to Twitter otherwise. Google’s history with Blogger is a guide of what might come- they integrated Blogger created content in near real-time within their search results and used the body of Blogger content to help tune their search results to be even more relevant then they are now. In the end, a Twitter purchase would circumvent the issue of Twitter becoming a destination for search instead of Google. Coincidence that rumors of talks sparked up the day after Twitter rolled out a new UI that placed search prominently on the user screen? Perhaps not!

Food for thought: Google had the foresight to buy YouTube, which now fights it out with Yahoo to be the number 2 search destination. A Twitter purchase would be made for the same reasons, but will it happen? At MicroArts we’re leveraging Twitter as part of our brand’s marketing strategies. A Google purchase could extend and strengthen the value of Twitter to our brands. We’re excited to see how things will play out, stay tuned!

Facebook has been known for it’s large population of “the younger set” (as of this writing, Facebook estimated an advertising reach of 10,238,980 35-54 year olds in the United States, versus 31,500,120 18-34). The articles linked above are proof enough that this “younger set” just aren’t providing an effective ROI. However this growth in the 35-54 demo, this shift in the demographics of Facebook, represents a new opportunity for Facebook advertisers.

It’s up to us to take advantage of this opportunity. We recently observed new Facebook ads from FLO TV and other quality advertisers, and MicroArts is currently executing Facebook ad campaigns for select clients. We’re taking our formulas for predictable ROI and connecting it to Facebook’s advertising platform. Stay tuned- look for stories of success in this space as well as in our brand launch case studies area.

I believe it be a visceral reaction to the creative and I’ve tuned my psyche to watch for it. Potentially valuable creative concepts often times will make you a little anxious, nervous and borderline tense. It’s true. If the core message is differentiating your superior value honestly, but the “manner and way” the message is “packaged and delivered” makes you nervous, don’t ignore this feeling! Don’t walk away from the creative concept because what makes you nervous might be what makes the concept memorable, noticeable and/or create an element of surprise for your target customer.

Furthermore, if the concept makes you nervous, it probably also means you didn’t expect-to-see a concept like the one you’re considering, which means it will be unexpected for your target customer too.

Nobody likes to be nervous, I understand, and some don’t like to be surprised, but nobody notices “comfortable and expected.”

Another visceral reaction to be mindful of when reviewing new creative concepts is what I call “The Pang.” It might be a great creative concept if you think, “I wish I had thought of that.” I’m kidding, sort of.

How do you know when you’re looking a great creative concept?