We all have great ideas (or what we think are great ideas!) in our heads. But when it comes to the actual creative process – getting these ideas out, onto paper and onto, for example, a website or a billboard – many of us get a bit stuck. Why is this?

The trick may be in the creative process itself. Let’s delve deeper…

All organizations, businesses, brands – and people for that matter! – use design in different ways. In the world of marketing, we use it to create a corporate identity, for branding purposes. In the most basic sense, we use it to create an image. The creative process or design is central to creating new product innovations and the revamping of existing products and services.

You can use any number of flow charts, venn diagrams and even brainstorming trees, but if you don’t harness the creative process, you won’t get anywhere or translate it into an outcome. As an iterative process, where even the tiniest decisions have ramifications, you could be there for hours scratching your head, trapped in a never-ending cycle of ideas, solutions and feedback! This is where a clear and defined creative process comes into play. According to the Creative Director here at MPC, Phillip Kozis (click here to see his bio!), there are 3 steps that will add discipline to the creative process…

• First, reflect upon conversations as well as your own experiences and values to frame the outcome you want and create metaphors to explain it. The briefing stage is ALL important. Rediscover ideas; understand and integrate them to start putting the jigsaw puzzle of ideas  and creative direction together.
• Then, observe the context of and the individuals involved in the briefing stage, all the while drawing upon shared language and experiences relevant to the outcome. From here, you can begin to plan the path of action for the creative process.
• Now, you can develop the creative outcome (such as an AD, marketing piece etc), with the tools and materials available and stay close to the brief that addresses the intended purpose or outcome. Here you will draw on muscle memory to “be in the flow” of design – you’ll get in the zone but stay relevant!

Clear, defined steps such as these are essential to the creative process, a process that directly relates to a client’s needs and intended outcomes. The creative process is all about turning ideas into reality. The creative outcome needs to evoke a response and engage the intended audience!

Get in touch with us today and let MPC help your brand formulate ideas and turn them into reality.

Lately, it has been difficult to ignore the fact that companies of all shapes and sizes have been jumping on the social media bandwagon with increasing enthusiasm.

Nowadays, it is rare to go onto a company’s website and not be showered with a range of social media options; Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds, blog posts, Linkdin, and the smaller niche sites that have emerged; Pinterest and Instagram…

So which social media should your company choose? All of them? Just one? Or is that digital suicide?!? ARGH!

We all know that social media outlets allow a company to connect with their clients in more ways than ever. It is a way of keeping prospective and current clients up to date with the different aspects of the company. As well, it provides a platform for listening and networking, and generally encourages communication from companies, to customers, their staff and competitors.

But do you follow the thousands of companies who have chosen and saturated the ‘catch all’ social channels, or do you take a punt and sign up to niche avenues such as the virtual pin board Pinterest to share your latest products?

The image-based platform is a simple concept where users create and name ‘Boards’ as anything they like, such as Places I’d Like to Go, Recipes or My Wedding, and then post relevant photos to them. Users then categorise Boards under one of the general Pinterest categories. Users can then follow one another based on shared interests.

But how can brands and companies utilise this platform for their benefit? Here are tips as to how companies can take advantage of the hottest new thing in social media:

• Get your products on there and start sharing!
• Pin from various sources rather than one specific site – keep it interesting and don’t just self promote.
• Repin from within the site to engage with others – repinning is one of the most social activities on Pinterest and it’s how any user really builds his/her network of followers.
• Comment on pins you like and share ideas with users.
• Create a few boards that cover a broad range of interests, rather than maintaining a single board devoted to one topic – this will encourage a wider following.

But remember not every social media platform is right for every business. Choose carefully and make sure you have a digital and social media strategy in place before you jump into it. If you don’t, get in touch so we can help you make sense of the ever changing social platforms!

If you seek marketing advice from a consultancy and their only suggestions involve advertising and promotions, i.e. spending, spending, spending (above-the-line marketing), walk out the door. Any marketing consultancy worth their salt, will suggest business development strategy as a leading priority…

Think about it – there’s no point having the slickest branding; hilarious advertising, and attention grabbing promotions if there’s no conversion, nor repeat business. It’s like putting on a concert at a vacant stadium. The exercise is redundant.

Business development involves attracting customers, making them clients for life, and having them sell your business for you. It involves firstly having a strategic marketing plan in place to attract the business, and then having sales processes in place to grow the business.

As a most basic example, how frustrating is it to check out a new restaurant that’s been all over the media (advertising, publicity, promo deals) only to then be disappointed by its service, and/or given no further incentive to return?  You don’t want this disappointment experienced in your business. You want a purchase, you want ongoing engagement, and, you want them to rave about you to everyone they know.

And that’s what Business development is. It’s growing your business. A strategic marketing plan creates leads for the business development process to convert to new sales resulting in growth for your company.

At Marketplace we don’t just give you a marketing plan and leave you to it. We look at what’s going on behind the scenes, we look at what happens during the sales process, and we look at what you do to convert the lead. Then, we give you the methodology to improve all three (i.e. a 90 day comprehensive business development plan) to ensure maximum business growth.

Remember: marketing creates opportunities. Business development converts the opportunity to new business for your company.

If you want to know more, get in touch. Let’s get started.

Businesses are getting on board the social media bandwagon. And good on them! It’s a quick and targeted way to approach customers and potential customers. However, asking the Gen-Y  work experience kid who is forever on their own personal Facebook or Twitter page to implement your business’ social media management activities, is not a good idea…

Social media is a proactive method for keeping top of mind with your target market, and, you want those thoughts to be “Oh they’re great!” and “They’ve got a deal on!” or “They’re the best for quality”. Not “Remember when they tweeted that…”

Cineplex Australia got on board the Twitter bandwagon, and unfortunately didn’t use a filter for tweets, which resulted in crass comments appearing on their website’s featured Twitter feed. They had completely the right idea – displaying public tweets about the movies they were showing at their cinemas, to create excitement and buzz – however no filter meant that anyone and anything could pop up on their website. Twitter is a public forum after all!

To manage your social media, we recommend you:

1. Hire someone or a company that specialises in community/content management. Community managers oversee all interactions with potential or current customers, positively, and in an engaging way, and, in line with your business’ brand.
2. Failing that, write a social media policy for your company. This should include who is responsible for social media communication; how often you ‘update’; type of content; what not to post; potential risks, and methodology for responding to crises. Remember what we said here – ask yourself: “What could my worst enemy do with this?” Put your negative pants on and explore all possibilities.
3. If you’re low on ideas for content, draw up a calendar of public events – Australia Day, Valentine’s Day etc, and identify how your business can relate to each public event. Wild example: You’re a zoo and it’s Valentine’s Day? Post a fun photo of a monkey hugging one of the zookeepers with the heading “We love cuddles on Valentine’s Day!” Get creative!

Still nervous about the risks or what to post on social media? It’s okay. We can manage your social media for you. Get in touch!

Once you’re in the public eye, your skeletons are only a few bored reporters away from being out of the closet. Similarly, if you’re a public figure, you’re only as good as your last project / event / damaging appearance on ‘Today Tonight’.

So, what do you do if you mess up? You do what Eamon Sullivan did. Remember what he did? No? And that’s our point.

Unless you’re a huge fan, you probably don’t remember (or probably never heard of) Eamon short-changing a taxi driver after a boozy night with team mates, as the next morning he was in damage control (i.e. reputation management), before the media had even finished their Weetbix. He had called and apologised to police, and had tried to do the same to the taxi driver. He subsequently hosted a media conference, telling everyone how disappointed he was in himself, and that there’d be no more boozy nights for a while. This is before the newspapers had printed the story. Reputation managed.

If you’re a public figure, you need to protect your personal brand. Your reputation is what sets you apart, so here’s how to manage it:

• Don’t do stupid things. Easy. A good barometer – if the news got back to your family, would they be impressed by your behaviour?
• If you do something stupid – apologise immediately. Be proactive, not reactive.
• Don’t offer pitiful excuses. Stay on-message – you’re sorry and this won’t happen again, and mean it.
• Follow up the misstep by doing something positive. Remember, you’re only as good as your last project.

If you or your business is on public display, and there’s a potentially contentious issue – contact us immediately. We’ll manage your reputation effectively and pro-actively. We’ll help you avoid a media frenzy.

Not an outcome McDonald’s was seeking, we’re sure.

Yes McDonald’s should be on Twitter. Yes they should be on Facebook, but they also should have had their ear to the ground before they invited the public to engage in their brand promotion social media campaign.

A question they should have asked themselves is “What could our worst enemy do with this?”… Sounds a bit dramatic, but the answer might have prevented people from sharing horror stories of McDonald’s toilets. Ick!

If you’re going to use social media, here’s how to successfully and positively promote your brand:

1. Before any communication, ask yourself the aforementioned question: “What’s the worst our enemy could do with this?” Then make necessary, cautious adjustments.
2. Be aware of current community sentiment of your brand before asking for referrals/stories (e.g. QANTAS debacle).
3. Provide interesting, topical, and positive content, and do so in your brand’s voice.
4. Don’t be brand-absorbed – share good news yes, but also ask people what’s going on in their lives, still keeping it semi-related to your brand. Eg. If you’re a hair salon, and it’s raining, ask: “How’s everyone’s hair looking? Are you keeping the frizz under control?” Then respond to replies, and give advice if requested. It’s all about engagement.
5. Have a sense of humour, but make sure it’s a conservative one, just to be on the safe side.

Using social media to promote your brand will ensure top of mind awareness amongst your current fans, and, if you’re providing interesting content; will gain you more brand advocates, as friends of those fans who are engaging with you, will ‘stop by’ to see what all the fuss is about.

Need some advice on promoting your brand through social media? Give us a call, or send us an email. Or more appropriately; Tweet or Facebook us!

Last week tragedy struck the Australian public with the news that the replacement Yellow Wiggle Sam, would be ousted by the original Yellow Wiggle Greg (we say ‘tragedy’ with tongue firmly in cheek). What could have been a minor blip and a celebratory event, turned into a media car-crash – watch here for the TODAY show’s Wiggles interview disaster.

Following the Blue Wiggle’s fumbling and perceived apathy when asked about Sam, The Wiggles were labeled ‘cruel’, ‘heartless’ and ‘money-hungry’ on  Facebook pages and news websites.

And the majority of this negativity (and damage to their brand) could have been avoided with an Issues Management Plan…

If The Wiggles were our client, these are just a few of the key things we’d have done:

1. Announced the news in a most positive way, whilst sincerely thanking Sam; mentioning how sad we were to see him go; acknowledging that a number of ‘new’ fans would be upset (empathy is very important), then wishing Sam all the best, through every form of media. This would have included social media, and, we would have appointed a social media community manager to respond to all messages about Sam, quickly, and in a most positive and comforting way.
2. Appointed one Wiggle to be the spokesperson for the news, and have equipped him with a prepared statement to stick to for interviews, before presenting him to the media firing-squad.
3. Anticipated and prepared responses to ‘curly’ interview questions.
4. Paired Sam’s departure announcement with some positive news e.g. A free concert in each major city to re-introduce Greg to The Wiggles’ fan base.

By acting quickly, showing empathy, sticking to prepared statements and providing an accompanying bit of positive news, The Wiggles could have avoided being received as cold spaghetti, cold spaghetti.  Sorry. We couldn’t help ourselves.

Speak to us if you need help with your Issues Management Plan.

So it turns out Jenny Craig – now re-branded ‘Jenny’, has backed out of sponsoring the Kyle & Jackie O Show, after originally and most curiously putting their hand up to be the new major sponsor of the radio program. Curious because of Sandiland’s recent tirade i.e. calling a journalist a “fat slag”, and, previously suggesting that Magda Szubanski (one of Jenny’s spokespeople) go to a “concentration camp” to lose weight.

Social media and blogs were aflutter yesterday with the original news of the sponsorship, with many opining that ‘Jenny’ clearly cared little for clients’ self-esteem. Basically the gist was “what a massive slap in the face.” Not a great way to protect your brand!

Whilst Jenny has done a backflip now, the consequential damage to their brand has been done, and could easily have been prevented with a bit of research (focus groups, social media sentiment, etc), and really – common sense.

What’s the lesson in all of this? Do everything you can to protect your brand, including choosing appropriate ‘destinations’ for your advertising placement. Remember every association your brand has, counts.

To protect your brand you should also portray a consistent, appropriate and targeted brand message. But what happens if you stray from your brand message?

An example of losing yourself, and your brand message, is Meat and Livestock Australia’s latest lamb campaign featuring Sam Kekovich. The annually released ‘address to the nation’ (and this year’s bonus ‘chop hit’ *cringe*) seems to have lost what it means to be Australian; the running theme of the campaigns since its launch in 2005.

The campaign is released each year around Australia Day festivities, but this year’s seems to take a detour, arriving at rhymes commenting on Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian’s ‘un-Australianness’ (probably because they aren’t Australian)…

There have been countless twitter comments, opinion polls and Facebook rants. So is this a case of all publicity is good publicity? Or will this tirade against popular (American) culture cost Meat and Livestock Australia a few devoted meat eaters?

Got a branding question? Be sure to get in touch. It’s what we’re here for.

Well, they’re called Quick Response Codes or QR Codes (if you’re a cool kid) and when scanned with a smart phone app, they bring up additional information or enable interaction in order to convert to sales. Basically, they’re another way for marketers to market, and, they provide a platform to measure consumer behaviour.

They’re popping up all over the place at the moment – some companies are using QR Codes well – Account Director Jasmin, during her recent trip to the USA noted that American Universities are using QR Codes on their bus shelter/billboard advertising – when scanned they produced University library tours, and others – not so well; we recently scanned a real state ‘For Sale’ sign and it offered nothing more than photos that were already on the sign. In order to take advantage of QR Codes, the agent could have included an internal floor plan; recent sales around the area; additional photos, and upcoming inspection times. Aside from ‘selling’ the property even more by providing this information, doing so would also have saved the agent time by not having to provide that same information to interested buyers over email/phone.

QR Codes can be used to direct people to social media sites to encourage likes/follows; to deliver gift discount vouchers direct to the customer at anytime, recommend complementary products to encourage further sales; link to platforms such as YouTube to provide event previews and interactive content, and can even be used on business cards to link to websites and LinkedIn profiles. And that’s just the beginning.

Like many aspects of interactive media, QR Codes might not be appropriate for all businesses, and adopting them without understanding the potential advantages for the consumer, will do little more than annoy your customers and potential customers.

QR Codes are gaining popularity with savvy marketers, so if you want to know more, be sure to get in touch!

QR Codes - What you need to know

By using the ‘advanced search’ Twitter function, you can find potential new clients who are tweeting words related to your business, and, then you can approach and engage them.

As a light and fun example – one of our staff members volunteers her time with an animal rescue group. To find potential adopters, she searches for people tweeting about ‘dogs’, ‘cats’, ‘puppies’, ‘kittens’, and ‘adoption’ and then she engages in conversation with them.

Example:

Tweet: Really want a dog for my birthday but I don’t even know where to start looking!

Animal Rescue Group reply Tweet: Hi! We’ve got lots of dogs needing adoption, they’d be so grateful if you had a look at their profiles on our website?! 

Tweet: Awww thanks! Will check them out!

And there you have it. A helpful interaction over Twitter, and, a potential new adopter/client.

It’s time to jump on board the Twitter train… who knows who you might meet?!

And, if it all seems too hard, there’s always us. We’ll tell you whether Twitter is right for your business, and if it is, we’ll Tweet for you.

Social media – i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc is what we do!