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Ever since the dawn of the Internet, online advertisements have become a marketing staple for practically every business because it is a relatively inexpensive way to promote a brand and in turn sell a product/service. Some businesses even forego other methods of advertising, as they believe online channels are just as effective and beneficial alone. In fact, Internet advertising revenues surpassed those of cable TV in 2011, and in 2014, Internet advertising revenue totaled $49.5 billion!
However, it really comes down to how well a business utilizes all advertising platforms because the goal is to make the biggest impact for the greatest return. While Internet advertising is a beneficial medium, businesses need to invest in other platforms to boost their awareness both online and off. With that said, Neff Associates, one of the largest ad agencies in Philadelphia, wants to share some ways you can advertise your business offline. While they may seem somewhat traditional, these advertising vehicles can increase revenue by reaching unconnected consumers.
Radio
While we live in a time where some people prefer to listen to CDs or stream music from their smartphones, many potential customers still listen to traditional radio while commuting in the car, exercising or just relaxing. In fact, AM/FM radio reaches 59% of the population on a daily basis according to Statista. The cost of radio commercials do vary depending on the region you are trying to target, but depending on the station ratings and time of day, you could air a commercial at prices that are comparable to an Internet advertising.
Billboards
According to AAA, the average American drives 30 miles per day with an average duration of 46 minutes. Drivers and passengers spend a considerable amount of time in the car. The same principals apply to those who are riding public transportation. With that in mind, savvy business owners capitalize on their commute boredom by placing advertisements along the road. Additionally, 71% of drivers “often look at the messages on roadside billboards” and 37% report looking at an outdoor advertisement each or most of the time they pass one. While the idea of advertising on a billboard is decades old, it’s still a simple and effective way to promote a business because the message will be visible to hundreds or even thousands of people every day.
Television
Did you know television reaches 81% of the population on a daily basis and advertising revenue will grow to $81 billion by 2019? Television advertising reaches a broader demographic audience and reaches a larger number of people on a national level much quicker when compared to other advertising platforms. With that said, your business should look into the idea of placing a television ad because it builds awareness and interest faster than other methods. While it tends to be more costly (depending on market), it has a greater potential of attracting new customers and typically has higher conversion rates.
Event Sponsorship
Many organizations, from nonprofits to major professional sporting teams, look for businesses to offset some of their event costs. In exchange for a sponsorship donation, the event organizers will generally display a banner or some other kind of advertisement to promote that business as a way to pay tribute to their donation. When your business sponsors a big event, your visibility and awareness will increase. But, sponsoring an event through a donation isn’t the only way a business can benefit from such an opportunity. You could also volunteer as a speaker and gain some awareness with an audience in that aspect. By sponsoring an event or speaking to an audience, you have the potential of getting your business name out in front of new customers.
Promotional Items
People love getting free items and if your business gives away inexpensive freebies that are branded with your company logo and name, you have the ability to get your image out there to the masses. Some inexpensive freebies include t-shirts, pens, mouse pads, canvas bags, decals and to-go coffee cups. While things could get pricy when you order large quantities, business-supply companies often will deeply discount bulk orders for promotional items, so be sure to research those retailers for the cheapest price.
Once you get the freebies, you can start strategizing where you’ll hand them out. If you are working a booth at a tradeshow or business expo, capitalize on the opportunity to give out the branded freebies to everyone who stops by. If you’re sponsoring an event, pass out the freebies to further promote your brand. Additionally, consider handing out branded pens to every customer who stops in your store because it’ll serve as a reminder every time they use that pen! This form of advertising has the potential of getting in the hands of tons of future customers and what better way to advertise offline than handing out freebies?
While online advertising does prove to be successful, business owners need to remember the above offline platforms because it comes down to integrating every medium to see the most benefit.
Whether you were rooting for the Denver Broncos or Carolina Panthers during Super Bowl 50, one thing was for sure, it was the third most-watched broadcast in the history of US television! While the highlight of the show for some was the actual football game, there were plenty of people only tuning in to watch the notoriously entertaining advertisements. In fact, the average price for those thirty-second commercials was $5 million each, which was approximately $500,000 more than last year.
Although it is a hefty price to pay, having the potential to reach an average of 111.9 million TV viewers easily justifies the cost. However, in order to capitalize on reaching all those viewers, it’s vital to make your ad count. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the most impressionable Super Bowl 50 ads and see what made them so memorable.
Doritos Unusual Hilarity
Of all the advertisements that played during the Super Bowl, Doritos may have scored more than either team playing football in the game with their ultrasound commercial. In case you missed it, an expecting mother was having an ultrasound while her significant other was munching on Doritos in the room. As he waved around a chip, the ultrasound monitor showed the baby following the chip’s direction leaving viewers with the idea that the baby was eager to be born, chasing the Dorito out of the womb. While some viewers were slightly appalled by the concept, the commercial worked because it was both funny and controversial, generating a lot of buzz for the brand.
Heinz’s Wiener Dogs
Wiener dogs, formally known as the Dachshund breed, are cute little canines with short stumpy legs and long bodies. These little pups have an incredible cuteness factor and was one of the reasons why Heinz’s decided to craft a commercial around them! With that said, they had a stampede of wiener dogs wearing hotdog bun outfits running towards actors wearing ketchup and mustard costumes. This commercial was an instant hit because Heinz’s played up the cuteness factor that all viewers love to see. They didn’t have to spend time creating a dialog or plot because they relied on the visual and emotional satisfaction of the little dogs running.
First Date In A Hyundai
Hyundai deserves a shout-out for crafting their light-hearted commercial starring well-known actor and comedian, Kevin Hart. Hart portrayed a father who allowed his daughter go out on a date, but there was a catch – the date needed to take Hart’s Hyundai out for the date because Hart could keep a close eye on them with its techy features. Hyundai used humor to highlight the advanced technology features of the car and made it relatable to many parents.
While there were plenty of other ads that played during the Super Bowl, there is one common aspect found in just about all of them: humor. Humor can make a positive impact on almost any brand because just about everyone can relate to something funny. It makes them feel good, makes them laugh, makes them smile and makes an impression. Connecting with an audience on an emotional level can be extremely valuable and there are clever ways to incorporate this type of marketing strategy for your brand. If you want to take your brand to a new level and get people talking, let one of the best marketing agencies in Philadelphia, Neff Associates, help you!
Whole Foods is having a troubling year. Their stock is down 41% and many are starting to question the future of the grocery store chain. If you are unfamiliar with the grocer, Whole Foods Market is a grocery store that sells natural and organic foods, which also has a reputation of being a little pricier than your average food store. They have approximately 433 stores across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, but they are currently facing a branding crisis that could lead them down a path of no return if they don’t work to fix things quickly.
First, most customers who shop at Whole Foods are almost like brand ambassadors – they love the products, they love shopping there and they love telling others about it. On top of that, they also realize they are paying a bit more for organic and natural food products. However, they may not have known how much more they have actually paid for groceries until the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs sent inspectors to investigate the matter back in June.
The ongoing investigation found that the grocer was overcharging customers by overstating the weight contents of prepackaged foods from meats to baked goods to dairy products. The discrepancies resulted in overcharging the consumer by 80 cents to almost 15 dollars per package. Additionally, the investigators found that 89% of the 80 different types of prepackaged products they tested for a re-weight failed to meet the federal standard for the maximum amount that a package’s advertised weight can deviate from the actual weight.
Some examples of what they found included:
While those totals don’t seem too outrageous to the average consumer, the constant purchase of overpriced products can cost the consumer hundreds and even thousands more dollar each year. Even after the investigation unfolded, the Department of Consumer Affairs revisited the stores in the New York City area and found that the prepackaged foods continued to be mislabeled with higher prices and false weights. This isn’t the first time that Whole Foods has come under fire for incorrect packaging labels. An investigation in California from 2012 found pricing irregularities in stores across the state that resulted in a civil consumer protection case on behalf of the people in California. The case prompted Whole Foods to pay nearly $800k in penalties and initiated a stringent in-house effort for pricing accuracy.
In light of the latest news regarding Whole Foods, their brand has lost credibility among consumers and they are attempting to fix it with a new sub-brand of stores called 365 by Whole Foods Market. These new store are said to offer lower prices with some locations opening during the second half of 2016. However, it may be harder to recover from their branding crisis as the trust from the consumer has diminished.
The Take Away
If Whole Foods Market plans to win back the credibility and trust of their consumers, they need to start over. They have the potential to recover from this crisis if the think of launching a full-fledged branding campaign that revolves around pricing honesty and the reasons why they are on a mission to save their shoppers money.
Consumers are smart and when they are taken advantage of by a brand they love, consequences will follow. We’ve learned that from watching what’s been happening to companies like Volkswagen and the problems behind the emission tests of their diesel vehicles. They are dealing with brutal and expensive ramifications of falsifying the truth to consumers and unfortunately, it’s not looking good. When you make promises about a product and cannot deliver on that claim, your brand will definitely take a dive.
Learn from the branding mistakes that other companies have made and keep a close eye on how your consumers perceive your business! Let the professionals at Neff Associates help build and maintain your brand in Philadelphia so you can continue to provide your customers with trust.
Imagine living in a world without Google. What would we be left with? Would we Ask Jeeves or would search on Alta Vista? Well, both of those scenarios aren’t even fathomable because Google set precedence many years ago. So, with that said, what’s one of the latest changes with Google besides the rise of its parent company Alphabet? Google My Business.
Google My Business, formerly known as Google Local, Google Places for Business or Google Places, has had a bit of an identity crisis over the last few years. At any rate, this more recent iteration is supposed to give business owners a more seamless management platform for individual location pages. While it didn’t change must of the users’ external experience, the backend got a major facelift making it much easier for businesses to deliver consistent brand messages across their local pages.
Reviewing of Reviews
One of the nicest monitoring perks of Google My Business is the review of your reviews. No, you can’t change the bad ones to good ones, but it provides you with a great resource to see how you look on the web in term of business reviews. It compiles data from various reviewing sites that your customers have posted to like TripAdvisor, Booking.com, etc. It will generate an average review rating from sources around the web and also show you the average rating you have on your Google reviews. This is a great perk since there are so many review sites on the internet and keeping track of the latest customer reviews can be a little difficult. Additionally, the Google My Business platform lets you respond to Google+ reviews directly through the management dashboard.
Making It Easy For Customers To Find You
Are you taking advantage of Google My Business? If not, you could be losing out on potential customers. Sure, your own website may feature your telephone number, physical address and store hours, but how much searching do you think a customer is doing to do to find that information? By using Google My Business, you can quickly give them the info they want at a glance when they search for you on Google. When looking at the regular results, users would see a static dialog box that features a dropped pin on a miniature Google Map and buttons like call, directions, write a review, follow, etc. This can be an extremely simple way to be found without a user having to click around through the many pages of your website.
Hangout On YouTube
If you haven’t yet realized, Google can make or break you. If you aren’t coordinating an effective marketing strategy with one of the top marketing companies in Philadelphia, than you might be in trouble. It’s important to take advantage of the tools they offer because they will only help you, if you use them right. For instance, the Google My Business dashboard lets you hangout with your customers. This can be an effective way to make instant content that’s sharable on multiple channels. Whether you hangout with customers on air (which can stream directly to YouTube for archiving) or you hold a Q & A session, you can directly connect with 10 to 15 customers at a time when they join a hangout.
With that in mind, online videos are highly engaging and popular, so you should take advantage of them when you can. In fact, YouTube is the number one video website in the world with more than 1 billion active users and visitors per month, according to Huffington Post. This equates to about one third of Internet users and those are the people who you want to target for your marketing strategy. Interestingly enough, YouTube reaches more 18 to 49 year olds than any cable network in the United States! As a shift towards online video content picks up more steam in the marketing world, your business needs to be on the forefront with every resource possible.
Talk with Neff Associates today to review your marketing strategy and to figure out if you’re utilizing Google My Business to the fullest!
Web design has come a long way. Many of us remember the days of dancing baby GIFs, “under construction” signs, and flash-driven, cluttered web pages. Some far more recent trends, however, are going the way of the dodo with the advent of responsive design and the emphasis on mobile. From landing pages stuffed with as much content as they can fit, to slideshows that require clicking tiny numbers at the bottom of the page, a lot of the more recent design elements you’ve become accustomed to will likely disappear in the next year or so. And the change has already started. Here are some of the biggest ways that web design is currently evolving:
Scrolling is becoming more important than clicking
Let’s face it: scrolling used to be harder. At the time, it made sense to have a lot of links and buttons to redirect people so that they wouldn’t have to use a scroll bar as often. However, the rise of mobile has made it necessary to come up with a faster, more intuitive option. Now, site visitors can scroll down to the information they want with a swipe of the finger. This gives web designers more freedom as they now don’t have to focus on cramming as much important information onto the main landing page as possible and can work based on aesthetics and user friendliness.
Clicking buttons are getting bigger and less frequent
One of the disadvantages of using a mobile device is that clicking tiny links and buttons can be difficult – which means that newer designs are taking this into account and creating larger, easy-to-click buttons and links. Web designers are also trying to decrease the need for such links by making longer scrolling pages that require less to and from.
Ghost Buttons
Of course, bigger buttons can sometimes take up more space than designers might want. One of the new ways to get around this is the use of ghost buttons. These are transparent buttons on which the only visible elements are the outline and a directive, such as “click here” or “find out more”. Through it, you can still see the background on the site, creating a more continuous, seamless appearance.
Pictures are larger, more frequent, and have more emphasis
Depending on the type of site web designers are operating and the intended purpose of it, some people are opting out of photos altogether. Those that are holding onto photos, however, are using more pictures and making them larger, often having them fill the whole screen. Generally, these pictures will be realistic that show people using products or interacting in a believable way. Boring stock photos with white backdrops are out!
Unique (but easy to read) typography
Simple, large, and easy-to-read typography is key. No one wants to have to squint at tiny writing with narrow line spacing or try to interpret the fancy cursive font that most of America is no longer taught how to read or write. Many savvy designers are choosing slightly quirky, unassuming typefaces to convey information without distraction.
Flat design has taken over
The days of shading, 3-D, and glossy surfaces to catch the eye are over. Today, many buttons and icons are flat and offer bright colors and open spaces so that users can navigate easily.
Getting lost in a mess of information, bored by the images and layouts, and generally alienated by difficult mobile experience is something that no web designer wants for visitors. All of this indicates that minimalism is the new wave for web design – something that talented marketing companies in Philadelphia can help you to achieve. Call us today at (215) 627- 4747 to talk about your site goals!
Think about all the advertisements you’ve seen lately – some have been sentimental, some have been funny and some have been downright aggressive. Promotions such as the ‘McWhopper’ campaign fueled by fast food giant Burger King (that was abruptly pushed down by the golden arches of McDonald’s) makes it seem as though companies are doing anything they can to target customers. These types of ads can turn into fun-spirited ‘joint’ advertisements or ones that blatantly trash a rival. It makes you think just how aggressive you should be with your branded advertisements.
Subtle Aggression
Let’s take a moment to review some ads that clearly are a little passive aggressive as an attempt to subtly sway the consumer. First, let’s talk about TV service providers like Comcast/Xfinity and DirecTV. Both companies provide home TV service, which makes them eager to get as many customers as possible. Looking at their commercials, both companies tend to subtly (or not so subtly) throw jabs at each other. DirecTV subtly throws out get rid of cable at the end of their commercial and Xfinity takes the forthright route by saying don’t get blindsided by DirecTV. Whether either company broadcasts their competitor’s names in their commercials or not, they are still trying to win the viewers over by using aggression.
Sorry Not Sorry
For openly aggressive advertisements, we turn to cell phone service companies. Assuming you’ve watched TV, seen ads on the internet or have looked at outdoor billboards, you can probably already tell where this is going. Cell phone service companies like Verizon, AT&T, Sprint & T-Mobile can be brutal when it comes to their advertisements. Whether these companies mimic each other’s commercials, offer the strongest signal or fight over Twitter, they are all on a mission to grab your attention and your money.
Your Strategy
But how much is too much? When it comes down to your brand’s advertisements, how aggressive can you be? While you could try and take a few notes from the big guys above, it might not be the best idea to throw down with your direct competition. Sometimes advertisements that are too aggressive will put off consumers and that’s the last thing you want to do.
While you definitely want to get out there and strengthen your brand awareness with effective ads, you need to find a happy medium. An ad that drives home the fact that you are better than the competition and one that isn’t overly aggressive to the point where it’ll drive away consumers is the best bet. You don’t want to end up with a situation like Verizon. It’s one thing to be a little ill-spirited towards competitors in advertisements, but when it carries over into a different message that involves customers, that’s when you get into hot water. Verizon’s CFO made an aggressive comment about price-sensitive consumers and essentially said if they don’t care about their quality of service, they can bid farewell if they don’t want to pay for it. His comment fueled an onslaught of backlash and not valuing your customer can result in a huge loss, like 138,000 customers leaving.
Whether you are crafting an advertisement to be published on the internet, printed on flyers, aired on TV or broadcasted through the radio, it’s important to be strategic, smart and savvy. Let the experts at Neff Associates, one of the best branding companies in Philadelphia, help you craft advertisements that’ll show consumers why your brand is the better choice!
Designing a website is about more than simply getting all of your important information on a page. Today, there are so many other elements that make a site navigable, attractive, and interesting to users, and these are the things that we at Neff Associates are interested in bringing to your design. So, what is it that makes a website stand out from the others? Here is a list of some of the essential elements of good web design:
1. Responsive Design – According to the Pew Research Center, 64% of U.S. adults own a smartphone of some variety, and 19% use of them it to access the Internet to some degree. That’s a lot of people viewing sites on a small screen, and a demographic that your business cannot afford to ignore. And there’s every indication that that number could grow. By having a responsive site that adapts to the type of device that it’s being viewed on, you can ensure that your information gets to your target audience more effectively.
2. User-Friendliness – It’s no good having responsive design if your site is badly organized and hard to use. You’ll need to make sure that your whole site is aesthetically pleasing and makes sense to users. For instance, these are some key points to user-friendliness:
3. Easy Social Media Access – You’ll definitely want to ensure easy access to social media accounts related to your business, as mobile users are particularly active on social platforms. It’s a good idea to have social media buttons displayed prominently on your main page, as well as on your bottom menu. And if you don’t have social media accounts yet, get them! Choose the platforms that make the most sense to your business, starting with the most common, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.
4. Visual Media – Visual interest is priceless in marketing, and if your company happens to have any videos showing a work process, images of your products, or charts or infographics showing industry statistics, it can make a huge impact on user engagement. Animation, DIY tutorials, slideshows—anything that breaks up the text on your site and presents ideas and information in an easy-to-digest format is a good idea.
These are just some of the key elements to web design in the current market. But watch out! The ever-changing nature of the Internet means that half of the web standards that are considered necessary today might be completely irrelevant in just a few years. If you are looking for a company that can customize your site to meet all of today’s design standards and keep up with the trends of tomorrow, look no further than our Philadelphia web design company, Neff Associates!
On May 11th, I walked through the doors of Neff Associates to begin my summer internship. Three months, eleven pitches, four blog posts, three press releases, hundreds of social media posts and ten orders of fries later, I am wrapping up my time here and thinking back at all I have learned by working at this incredible agency.
Here are just a few things I have learned this summer at Neff:
And most importantly…
This summer, I have had the opportunity to work not as ‘the intern,’ but as a valuable member of the team. My colleagues gave me the responsibility and freedom to work independently on major initiatives that would be seen by our clients and the media while always steering me in the right direction and ensuring that my questions were always answered. I am leaving Neff not only with a greater understanding of agency life and public relations, but an entire network of mentors and friends.
Thank you for everything Neff!
These days, almost any entry-level job requires at least one year of experience. But how do you get that experience if no one will hire you? Internships.
Both undergrad and post-grad internships are great for a number of reasons. They give you so much hands-on experience that you can’t always get in a classroom. The industry is always changing and the best way to keep up is to be involved. Being involved through internships also allows you to find your niche. You get to find out what parts of the industry that you like; and what you don’t like, which is just as important.
Interning at a full-service agency (especially at Neff) is a great way to get a taste of all aspects of the industry, while getting that experience requirement. There’s never a dull moment when everything is done in-house. On a daily basis you’re exposed to public relations, media buying, social media, website design, the list goes on and on. Full-service agencies are also a great way to get your foot in the door. There are plenty of opportunities to network and meet plenty of people, even outside of the agency. This is important because building relationships is a key part in finding a job after college.
Even if you have a few semesters worth of internships under your belt by graduation, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t intern somewhere post-graduation. Instead of packing up all of your things and moving to another city, you can intern there for a few months to find out if that is somewhere you really want to be. Post-graduate internships are a great way to gain experience in a new city or an agency without the huge commitment up front.
Brands are pairing personal sentiment with advertisements as a way to hit the hearts of consumers. Do you remember the Super Bowl commercial from this past year that featured a cute puppy that got lost? It was really an advertisement selling beer, but since it was adorable and hit the hearts of viewers, it was almost like a subliminal message. Or, have you seen the Tylenol commercial that is a part of their #HowWeFamily campaign? It shows a wide variety of families being together and at the very end, the Tylenol logo appears and it’s over. It’s almost a surprise because the commercial tugs on our heartstrings, showing all types of families and all the while, Tylenol, a popular pain reliever, is behind the ad.
Some may ask, why are ads this like popping up all over the place? Emotional ads create a stronger connection between the consumer and the brand. As these emotional advertisements become a more popular and effective marketing strategy, your brand can capitalize in a similar way. But what steps do you need to take in order to craft a sentimental ad that will relate to your products and/or services?
1. Identify
First, you must identify the way your products/services are utilized by consumers. Do you offer things that are used at home, on the go or at your physical location? This will help you figure out how you’ll spin your advertisement with your target consumers.
2. Truth
What truth does your brand convey? To really find that personal sentiment concept, you must find that one singular truth within your brand. This means that you need to look at every product, your company mission, your employees and all the feedback you’ve gotten from your customers and find the golden thread woven throughout all channels. You can then run with this profound truth and craft it into something that your brand is known for with that personal touch.
3. Brainstorm
Roundup the troops and get creative for an all-out brainstorming session to develop an idea for the advertisement. There’s no better way to develop a sentimental advertisement than hearing everyone’s ideas and looking back on what you’ve done in the past. For instance, if you own a restaurant, maybe you’ve been running advertisements about the food you serve, which would sound like a reasonable thing to promote. However, that may not be the most personal thing to connect with consumers because they can get food anywhere. Instead, try spinning the advertisement as your restaurant being a place where families can come together and enjoy each other’s company. These are the types of ideas and concepts that can be the result of a successful brainstorming session.
Are you ready to take advantage of this growing trend? Let one of the top advertising agencies in Philadelphia help! The experts at Neff Associates can turn your idea into a full-fledged advertisement to boost your brand.