Uncomfortable Marketing

A couple recent of projects we've worked on have been interesting in the sense of "why have we been asked to help?". It's a common issue too, a client commissions an agency to do what they are comfortable with, understand and essentially, could do themselves. Now, we realise that there are issues of time, staffing etc which means that often, work is outsourced. This is fine, understandable and makes sense. However, employing an expert to carry out work you could do yourself doesn't make as much sense.

It actually seems that a lot of organisations commission work they could do themselves to remain comfortable in understanding the process, often remaining completely oblivious to whether the process has achieved it's objectives. Does it matter if Andy Murray understands the science of how a tennis racquet is made? No, it matters that he knows how to use it to win tennis matches.


And so, when you commission an expert to do something, make sure you let them do it, as long as it achieves your goals and objectives. After all, it's unlikely that they will be able to advise and strengthen any day to day operational work that you carry out?

This may seem like a little bit of a rant. It really isn't! Just an observation to help people invest in outsourcing more efficiently. If you're uncomfortable with not understanding certain processes and ideas, that's fine. Because the person that is running it, probably isn't!

January Blues or Blossoms

January 21st, the most depressing day of the year, so we're told each year on January 21st (no wonder it's depressing!).

January as a whole has traditionally been a harder month for businesses. Christmas hangovers, cash flow suffering, staff moving on to pursue new avenues....and it's always so cold! However, this year, 2013 sees a slight change in mood.

We're 5 years on from the start of the meaty end of the 'credit crunch' (haven't heard that for a little while) and there seems to be a positive feel around. Yes, there are still the big name losses, HMV and Blockbuster spring to mind. These are more born out of a change in purchasing habits (iTunes and film streaming etc) than people purely having less. As technology evolves, unfortunately for some so do the ways we do things.

There are plenty of stats to show that those that invested in their marketing during the recession of the early 90's were more likely to be stronger coming out of it. It seems some organisations are adopting the same logic this time round. New branding, clever marketing requests and the general need to be 'out there' giving the right messages to the right people seem to be much more prevalent this year than in the previous few. We, as a creative marketing, branding and design agency are really benefitting from this and are lucky enough to be working on some very interesting projects, both in the public sector and private sector.

So, while some of the big hitters feel the blues as technology makes them obsolete, there is plenty of evidence of other organisations moving with the times and spending wisely to keep themselves relevant. Blues and Blossoms (cheesy I know but we needed a title!)

Www.fraser-king.co.uk
Creative Marketing, Branding, Design

Logos are expensive?

This is a real area of confusion. How much should I pay for my logo to be designed? What's the answer? Is there one?

Let's do a quick comparison. The London 2012 logo famously (or infamously) cost £400,000, BP spent a small, actually, a very large fortune on their new logo, whereas Start-ups that have ballooned like Twitter and Facebook have relatively cheap logos. In the case of Twitter the bird was originally taken from a stock site so the logo probably cost between £10-20!

So, what do we learn from this? Probably that there is no official 'menu' for logo design costs. It's worth investing until you're happy and it reflects what you do in the right way. In the case of London 2012 and BP there was no way that they could be anything but 100% sure as so much rides on their identity. So, it doesn't necessarily pay to invest vast sums in a logo but if you invest a small sum and get it wrong, it can be game over. Although the London 2012 logo was met with quite a lot of pessimism (typically British) it appeared absolutely everywhere in the build up to and during those amazing two weeks in the Summer. Imagine if it was naff and instantly forgettable, all that extra revenue through souvenirs, kit, food, drink, clothes, pretty much everything, would have been greatly reduced. Add to that the fact the Olympics has such a tiny shelf life and in some ways, £400,000 seems like a good deal!

The advice would therefore be, make sure you know what you need your logo to do and reflect and also, make sure you are completely happy with the final proof. If this is difficult, get a professional to help. This initial time and investment will save going in the wrong direction and ending up with something naff.

www.fraser-king.co.uk

Cheap Websites - Too good to be true

If you are looking for a web company to build (or re-build) your company web site, you've probably noticed that there are a whole raft of companies out there and vastly varying costs.

The basics of a website are centred around value. If you have got value for your investment then its a success. This doesn't mean it cost the least so it was the best value but the value that you have received from it in terms of direct commerce, brand development, SEO and communication etc.

This is where the varying costs and raft of promises that are given comes into play. Generally, if something sounds too cheap, it probably is. Having said that, if something sounds expensive and you can't see where the costs are, then it probably is too expensive. The web and the modern world is such that web design agencies can no longer hide costs behind smoke and mirrors, they buyer is generally too savvy. 

So, when choosing who to use to design and develop your website, look at what they have done previously. Ask the questions that you need answering, any company worth their salt will be able to answer any question sufficiently. Look at comparative websites and where they come in searches etc. Decide what you want the website to do and then look at who can provide it. Ask questions and make sure you are getting value. 

www.fraser-king.co.uk 

Apps for the sake of it?

We cover quite a lot of ground in the work we do. No matter how focused you try and remain, clients have varying needs so flexibility has definitely been a positive over the last few months. There are cases however when a moment of taking stock and challenging the client is imperative.

Mobile apps are a good example. We often are asked whether we can produce them, 'yes' we reply. To which the client will usually ask us about content and what we would suggest they include in their shiny new app. This is all great and the creative process is one that we thrive on. But, before looking at what you will include in the app, you first need to define who will actually use it and what you want them to get from it. This last point is the most important, it's a marketing tool, this is pretty much the only question! Sadly, it's one that is often bypassed when the possibility of being in the app store and all the loveliness of having a cutting edge toy becomes more of a reality.

Apps are great, let's not get confused about that, used in the right way they are amazing marketing tools and can be relatively inexpensive in terms of the potential ROI. However, if what you do really isn't suited to an app, why have one? There are several reasons, branding, viral potential, client engagement on a new level etc etc, all valid points. But for an SME in an industry of mature clients who, on average, don't have a smart phone (as an example),  making an investment of a few thousand pounds on brand development and client engagement need to be more direct, until that marketing budget starts to grow considerably and you can start secondary targeting (relatives and friends of a different generation for example).

This is a minefield of debate and cannot be covered in the three small paragraphs above. But, it's always worth asking 'why?' before jumping into something new and exciting and making sure you're doing it for the right reasons!

www.fraser-king.co.uk

To Brand or not to Brand, isn't a question

So, here we are basking in our self congratulations as we've finally finished our new website to replace the old, slightly tired one and it's just about to go live. Great! This is a really nice position, you're happy to share your web space with anyone that will listen and you're sure that when they land there you will be telling them the right things.

But, the small tweaks and slight change of angle means that some of the existing literature we have doesn't quite match with the new sparkly site. Oh well, 'we can use them up and then get something new printed'. No! We spend a lot of our time talking to our clients about the overarching importance of consistent branding and the need to be seen everywhere in the same way. Even the smallest of changes can change a clients view of our company, a question may arise that we don't have the answer to. All in all, is it worth it to save a few pounds of money we have already invested into confusing how people see us? (that's a rhetorical question).

And so, we begrudgingly resigned the old, perfectly good and on the whole, relevant bits to the recycle heap and started again. It's just not worth it. However, we were also safe in the knowledge that you need to practice what you preach otherwise what help are you to your own clients?

Whatever your industry and whoever your clients are, a consistent brand is imperative in consolidating and building your business.

www.fraser-king.co.uk