Articles from FORGE in Dayton, Ohio

Twain Talks Marketing by Chad Mullins

In order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.
Mark Twain

Brand Congruency by Jän Ostendorf

If we were to fit the concept of brand congruency into a can, it would be identity, customer service, marketing, advertising, and business operations all condensed down to accurately represent a brand. It’s when everything jives with what someone expects when interacting or receiving a message from a company.

In the smaller arena of brandmarks and brand names, brand congruency is when the name and mark exemplifies who you are and what you offer to potential and existing customers. It’s when there’s no discrepancy.

What is the by-product of brand congruency? It is trust, loyalty, and value in the product or service provided. When brand congruency is not achieved there is a need for validation or explanation––a demand for a guarantee or price adjustment.

Branding is a pretty well-known term, in and out of the business world. A term less used, but all the more essential, is brand congruency. If we were to fit the concept of brand congruency into a can, it would be identity, customer service, marketing, advertising, and business operations all condensed down to accurately represent a brand. It’s when everything jives with what someone expects when interacting or receiving a message from a company.

Rooftop Garden by Rob Harr

Seeing as how we have a space that gets full sun and we cook a lot here, we thought a rooftop garden would be a good idea. Tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, onions, and okra have all been growing since May. Instead of driving to the grocery, we can just climb the stairs and pick our own home-grown veggies.

Why Social Media Matters to Your Company by Libby Whittaker

There’s a lot of talk about social media today. It’s quickly becoming obvious that it’s not going away. Social media isn’t a fad––but rather a way we communicate. In 2010, an estimated 96% of Generation Y uses social media. Facebook and Twitter have given marketers a powerful tool to target people in a way that was unimaginable even ten years ago. Companies today are trying to figure out the best way to get involved in the conversation, but often shy away.

If your company targets an influential community that’s involved in social networks, like teens or young adults, the worst thing you can say is nothing. 78% of consumers on social media networks trust peer recommendations, but only 14% trust advertisements. What are they saying about you? What do you want them to say about you?

Case in Point: Old Spice’s Real-Time Web

Old Spice was, well, old. I would buy it for my grandpa. Their recent brand refresh was a huge overhaul, bringing a fresh look to the brand that was well overdue. Their latest ad campaign from Wieden+Kennedy with Isaiah Mustafa, also known as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” has become a hilarious hit with marketers and consumers alike.

Recently, Old Spice joined the social media train, and created such a ground-breaking campaign that even advertisers took note, including influential sites like AdWeek and Mashable. Old Spice showed up on Twitter with one simple phrase: “Today could be just like the other 364 days you log into Twitter. Or maybe the Old Spice man shows up.” The result was astounding.

In 48 hours, Mustafa and his crew produced more than 180 YouTube videos in response to comments and questions posted to Twitter and Facebook. (He even made a marriage proposal for someone.) As for exposure, these videos were viewed 5.9 million times just in those 48 hours.

Social media experts on the Wieden+Kennedy team chose questions to respond to based on two variables: they must 1. have opportunity to produce amazing, hilarious content and 2. have the ability to then embed themselves in an interesting or virally- relevant community (read: influential). The campaign showed their ability to keep up with the high metabolism of the Web, with several videos released per hour. The campaign marked the beginning of the transition from brand-time to real-time in the lives of consumers.

And now, I would buy Old Spice for my husband. Wieden+Kennedy found a way to become a part of the conversation without being overbearing or too “advertise-y.” They didn’t shove the product in your face. In fact, the products were only shown in a handful of the videos. Instead, they utilized a great spokesperson that is liked by men as well as women to influence people’s perceptions about the brand, which is proving to influence their purchasing habits as well.

Social Media is Only a Piece of the Puzzle

While their campaign was inspiring for anyone working in social media, what’s important to realize is that social media isn’t everything. As groundbreaking as it was, and for how many people are blogging about it right now, this campaign was just a piece of the puzzle. It didn’t receive nearly as many views as their TV commercials.

Just as you wouldn’t tune only one string on a guitar, there’s no sense in fixing one part of the problem when the entire marketing scheme needs to work seamlessly together. Social media, for all the things it’s done for marketing, doesn’t fit the bill for every marketing strategy.

If your target market isn’t highly involved in social media, it might not be worth your time. The key is to integrate all aspects of the marketing mix into a well-rounded campaign–– including print, TV, and digital tactics––that hit the mark from all sides.

There’s a lot of talk about social media today. It’s quickly becoming obvious that it’s not going away. Social media isn’t a fad––but rather a way we communicate. In 2010, an estimated 96% of Generation Y uses social media. Facebook and Twitter have given marketers a powerful tool to target people in a way that was unimaginable even ten years ago. Companies today are trying to figure out the best way to get involved in the conversation, but often shy away.

FORGE Printing Fieldtrip by Ryan Clark

frog1
A couple weeks ago we had the pleasure of traveling to Kansas City for a press-check at Vahalla Studios. They are the screen-printing masterminds that produced our A Modern Eden animal posters, which are now available for purchase on www.amoderneden.com. Check out more pics of the process and our trip on our Flickr Stream.

iPhone Development: Yeah, We Do That Too by Rob Harr

Last night one of the coolest things ever happened in my professional career. An iPhone application we had been working on for a few months was approved for the iTunes store. This was a project that we had developed mostly in our free time. It was the culmination of several hours of learning and experimenting with Objective-C. Everything in the application was done in-house, including the illustrations and design.

Above anything else it was the first time one of our very own ideas was sent out into the world. This is just the beginning. We have several more ideas in the works–some that will be launching soon and others that are still in the early stages.

This project is actually a smaller part of a larger project that will be launching next week: A Modern Eden. We look forward to sharing the rest of it with you. If you can’t wait until then, you can get some free iPhone, iPad, and desktop wallpapers here.

Without further ado, I present you with the link to “Speak, Piggy!”:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/speak-piggy/id377053526?mt=8#

Marketing: An Investment, Not an Expense by Chad Mullins

This article contains two portions from the fifth presentation by Chad Mullins.

The quote, “I know that half of my advertising budget is wasted, but I’m not sure which half,” is credited to John Wanamaker. These words may have been uttered almost a hundred years ago, but the message still holds true today.

Social Media by Ryan Clark

This article is derived from the fourth presentation by Ryan Clark

Social media is a ubiquitous form of communication in today’s world. Your volunteers use it. Your employees use it. Your donors use it, and hopefully you do too. With the breadth of ways to get the word out, we need to take a step back first and talk about social media strategy, then the specific ways to carry out your specific goals.

Social media is an ever-changing landscape, with new services popping up everyday. With the mediums constantly changing, a strategy helps you to stay on route towards your goal. Read More

Mom’s Nite Out by Ryan Clark

We’re currently inundated with giveaways for the Mom’s Nite Out event we are sponsoring tonight, along with fellow sponsors Kroger, Subway, and Good Samaritan Hospital, to name a few. A small number of local area moms will be treated to a sneak peak of A Modern Eden, as well as tons of prizes and giveaways! Full info here.

Word of the Day by Andy Rossi

Ensmallenize

verb

To shrinken, make smaller.
Coined by Andy

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