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Discovering a target market takes time. Classifying that target market can take even longer. There are so many classifications for age ranges, demographics and the like that lines become blurred and you end up with the wrong audience after all. Understanding the true meaning of a market segment is important for effective marketing and advertising. Just saying you’re targeting “millennials” does not mean you are going to be successful in the young market.
Here is a list of popular demographics you may be hearing along with their definition and an explanation of what that means for your business.
Millennial/ Generation Y
Who they are: Person born in the 1980s, hitting ‘adulthood’ in the 2000s; generally the children of baby boomers
Who they really are: This group grew up in the age of technological revolution. They saw the progression from iPod to iPhone and taught their parents how to use each device in between. An individual could be anywhere from 20 to 35 years old, which can be a difficult range to pin down being that this encompasses college students to workforce entrants to new homebuyers.
What it means for you: All calling your target market “millennials” means is that you want to hit young adults. Make sure you narrow your target to an actionable group that is interested in your product or service. Zavinos’ website has been successfully tailored to the student millennial who loves looking at pictures of food and eating delicious pizza after class.
Foodie
Who they are: Person with a particular interest in food; a gourmet
Who they really are: These are young individuals who probably complain about being broke as often as they go out to eat. Their Instagram feed is inundated with food pics and they are not ashamed. They are extremely in tune to the local offerings and are those very blessed people who somehow order the most delicious thing on the menu every time, leaving you staring at your classic cheeseburger wondering, “Why did I do this to myself.” You can probably find them at Jet Wine Bar after work before heading over to Café Ynez for dinner.
What it means for you: Foodies know local. You aren’t going to find them craving Olive Garden breadsticks or sipping drinks at Chili’s. The way to get their attention is to be organic (no pun intended). Do away with the gimmicks, focus on authenticity and prove you are consistently the best at what you provide. Foodies will be loyal brand ambassadors.
Hipster
Who they are: person who follows the latest trends and fashions, particularly those regarded as being outside the cultural mainstream
Who they really are: What used to be a very specific sub-culture has morphed into a mainstream trend with multiple levels. The original hipster is your ultra-local focused urban minimalist. Next we have your Etsy hipster whose loft apartment in a gentrifying area is full of DIY projects and Pinterest delights. Another is the mainstream hipster whose oxymoronic behavior is the reason ‘hipster’ has such a strange connotation. While their clothes, music interest and tastes may make you think they’re an original hipster, they will not go so far as to cancel their cable or Starbucks card.
What it means for you: Much like millennials, hipsters are a broad market. Defining your target hipster is important to be successful. For example, Free People and Anthopologie are two successful marketers to the mainstream hipster while East River Bank caters to the original hipster without alienating other consumers.
Mommy blogger
Who they are: Social media influencer who blogs about the trials and tribulations of being a mother
Who they really are: Mommy bloggers are healthy, fit and product savvy when it comes to what’s best for the home and their children. They love to share their latest findings with their slew of followers on their website of pastel colors and iPhone shots. The market is flooded with these influencers, but only a few have broken through the crowd and those are the ones to take note of.
What it means for you: Trust is key for these crowd influencers. Be approachable and openly communicate your product or service in order to properly target a mommy blogger. If they are impressed, their wide audience will be as well. Joe’s Steaks + Soda Shop, while not specifically targeting this market, has been branded with a family friendly feel that is a good example of how to portray yourself to mommy bloggers.
These are just a few of the common demographics we at Neff Associates have observed recently. Obviously there are exceptions to every one of these definitions and many other demographics out there that mean so much more than their definition. We pride ourselves in our ability to recognize these segments and target them effectively for your specific business need.
When companies decide to begin a rebranding campaign, it can go one of two ways. The company will either succeed or they will fail and when they fail, it goes down hard. For example, think back to a few months ago when RadioShack was in the news – they attempted to rebrand themselves as ‘The Shack’ and that didn’t seem to catch on with consumers. Reasons as to why this never caught on can vary, whether consumers dislike the name or the business has poor structure with outdated stores. At any rate, when a company starts their rebranding journey there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that it will go smoothly.
Timing Is Everything
Before your company rolls out the new branding initiative, the old adage ‘timing is everything‘ bears some significance. For instance, say your business is a retail store and you’re getting ready to launch new products – do you wait to start the rebranding process before or after the new products hits stores? If the new products are innovative and glorious, you may want to initiate the rebranding campaign before the product launches in order to capitalize on the hype. However, if you forecast the product to be less-than-exciting, you may want to wait until the product becomes available to consumers. While this situation is only an example, you must find the right time to roll out the campaign by carefully evaluating your market, the needs of your consumers and have a backup plan in the event things don’t go as planned.
Fully Committed
Rebranding isn’t only the job of your marketing team, it’s something that must be reinforced and backed by those higher in the company like the executive team. It’s important to have everyone on board so the rebranding initiative can be backed by people like the CEO, who can instill a feeling of trust with those within the company. If the whole campaign is wishy-washy, things won’t get done in a timely manner and the company will suffer as a whole.
Know The Reason
A company doesn’t decide to rebrand itself for no reason. Many people know the phrase ,’if it’s not broken, why fix it?’ More than likely, there are reasons as to why you are rebranding. Knowing those reasons is a crucial part of the process for you and your whole company. During the process, it’s important to be as transparent as possible in order to establish a higher sense of credibility.
If your company needs an effective and creative strategy, let the best branding company in Philadelphia steer you in the right direction!
Are you socially savvy? Social media is a powerful medium, whether you use it for personal pleasure or as a marketing tool, it’s a way for us to stay connected and share our thoughts online. With that being said, if you handle your social media accounts for your business, you might already know it takes some skill to manage. But how much thought do you put into every tweet, status or post? If you share the wrong thing, prepare for a PR nightmare!
Just recently, you may have heard that Paula Deen has once again been hitting headlines and this time it stems from her Twitter account. The controversial Southern chef may have not thought long enough before tweeting a picture with the hashtag #TransformationTuesday on July 7th. The image was from a 2011 Halloween episode where she’s dressed as Lucy from the I Love Lucy TV show but things hit the fan when everyone noticed who else was being impersonated. Her son, Bobby Deen, was also featured in the picture as Ricky Ricardo, the Cuban-born fictional husband of Lucy and viewers were not pleased with his tribute to iconic TV character.
Bobby Deen was wearing brownface in an attempt to impersonate Ricky Ricardo, which quickly spiraled downward soon after being posted. After a slew of harsh criticism was thrown at Paula Deen, the tweet was quickly removed and she immediately passed the blame to her social media manager. Whether her or her social media manager was responsible for the post, one thing is for sure, Deen’s PR team has a lot of explaining to do.
To avoid this type of social media mayhem, there are a few things to ALWAYS keep in mind when you share things online:
By following these posting tips from one of the best public relations firms in Philadelphia, you can avoid social media mayhem and keep your brand looking good! And this probably won’t be the last time we hear about PR nightmares from Paula Deen.
Do you think you’re a pro at branding? Sure, you may be getting tons of engagements and followers on social media. You may feel that you have created a brand with its own unique personality that really speaks to your audience. But even the most famous brands can learn a thing or two about branding. We here at Neff Associates understand that branding is a constantly evolving, ever-changing form of marketing. Here are five things you may not have known about branding:
Which fact about branding were you most surprised by? Does knowing these facts now change how you plan to brand for your business or yourself in the future?
Can you imagine a life without public relations? There would be no events sponsored by different companies or various forms of the media. Press releases would not exist. Radio advertisements would never have been conceived of. Newspapers, whether in the traditional paper form or the newer digital medium, would not exist. You can forget about social media, too! There would be no branding, no advertising, no marketing, no news, no media. Nothing. Public Relations firms like Neff Associates would also not exist, because without public relations, there’s no need for a company to provide it.
It’s hard to imagine a world without public relations in the 21st century. The media has become an incredibly important tool for helping us to spread word about new products, services, and brands. But of course, public relations could not have existed forever – someone had to start it. So then, how did public relations come to be?
A form of public relations existed as early as classical Greece and Rome. Although it may not have been called that at the time, there are many examples of now-famous historical figures participating in acts of public relations in antiquity. Julius Caesar, for instance, utilized public relations as early as 50 B.C. when he published a political biography as part of his campaign to become head of state. This is not very different from how politicians use public relations today to market and promote themselves prior to a run for office.
Many Greek philosophers also spoke of forms of public relations on a regular basis, including such notable persons as Isocrates (not to be confused with Socrates), Plato, and Aristotle. There are writings from Plato that describe “Sophists,” or individuals in ancient Greece who would charge residents a fee to teach them methods of persuasion and how to influence members of society. This was most frequently used in ancient Greek politics.
In fact, Isocrates made a very bold PR move when he wrote a speech, Against the Sophists, detailing the failings of sophistry during his era. This was meant to set himself and the more high-minded among his colleagues apart from those he saw as frauds, who charged in advance for teaching mere rhetorical tricks instead of actual principles. In essence, this was one of the earliest reputation management campaigns.
18th century America borrowed heavily from ancient Greco-Roman ideas, as evidenced by the many examples of public relations during the Revolutionary era. It’s no secret that political figures and activists used propaganda during this time. What some people may fail to realize, however, is that propaganda can still be considered a form of public relations. Although often biased, propaganda still does an excellent job of spreading awareness about an event, idea, product, or other issue. This method of PR helped get the word out about the Boston Tea Party – a political move that had a huge impact on the tensions between the British and their fractious (then) colony, and lead directly to the war.
We still use public relations in modern politics, but we have expanded its use to many fields beyond that. We can see examples of public relations everywhere: it is used by brands for advertising, individuals seeking to move up in the world, whether politically or in their careers, non-profits trying to raise awareness for an issue or get funding, and the list goes on. Even before there was a specific, universal term for the practice, public relations was a highly-utilized way to spread the word – and it will continue to be.
There was a time when the only way to share pictures was to print them out; sharing your thoughts with the masses meant writing an editorial to your local newspaper; watching videos meant buying a disk and a DVD player; and texting your friends meant paying 10 cents per message or making an email account. Feels like a long time ago right? We’ve got news for you; that time was less than 15 years ago.
Yeah, pretty shocking right? Incredible to think that prior to 2006 you had never asked for a wifi password at a restaurant and your blog was really just your AOL away message. Well Mashable, a ‘buzz-focused’ online news source, is holding their sixth annual global Social Media Day on June 30th to commemorate the incredible social revolution of the past few years. Using #SMday, the entire world gets involved by sharing pictures and innovative social initiatives. Events will pop up around the world. Previous event locations included Egypt, Spain, San Diego and of course, New York City.
The coolest part of social media is that it has transformed into so much more than the founders and developers ever dreamed. Facebook isn’t a place for students to connect; it’s a place for brands and consumers to talk one-on-one. Instagram went from a photo-sharing app to a content gold mine. Twitter transformed from a mini-blog to a place where brands can share their unique voice.
At Neff, we make social work for you. We project your voice into all posts so your brand’s story is told. Without a presence on these platforms, your company will likely be harder to discover and potential clients are lost. We make sure your brand is likeable, sharable and retweetable—all words that didn’t even exist 10 years ago. Check out our twitter to follow along!
Philadelphia Distilling, Pennsylvania’s first craft distillery since before Prohibition, announced that it will be moving from Northeast Philadelphia to the historic Ajax Metal Building at 1000 Frankford Avenue this fall. The 125-year-old building will also house Live Nation’s The Fillmore – a premiere music venue. The addition of the distillery marks a pivotal moment on the Delaware River waterfront.
The distillery, which produces premium craft spirits including Bluecoat American Dry Gin, Bluecoat Barrel Finished Gin, Vieux Carre Absinthe, THE BAY Seasoned Vodka and Penn 1681 Vodka will move into the expanded space – gaining 15,000 additional square feet. The new space will boast a tasting room, bottle shop, event space, restaurant and outdoor patio – making it an ideal destination for locals and tourists alike.
“We’re excited to share our award-winning spirits with thousands of Philadelphians and visitors,” says President and Co-Founder Andrew Auwerda.
“We look forward to contributing to the city’s burgeoning food, drink and cultural scene.”
Upon opening, tastings and guided tours will be offered several times a week. We encourage you to follow along for updates and behind-the-scenes photos on Philadelphia Distilling’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In conjunction with this exciting announcement, Philadelphia Distilling has also hired several crucial new team-members to support their rapid expansion: Director of Marketing – Mike Carollo, Christopher Chamberlain – Portfolio Manager & Beverage Development Specialist, Jenna Gill – PA Market Manager and William Burke – Director of Sales and Distribution.
How does that Ella Fitzgerald song go? “Summertime and the livin’ is easy”? Well here’s our rendition…Summertime and the office is freezing.
Outside the sun is shining and the birds are chirping, but inside the AC is blowing and the keyboards are clicking. There’s something about summertime that thermostats don’t like. It seems that instead of keeping the office cool and temperate, the air conditioner decides you would be better off in a frozen tundra because gosh darn-it, it’s hot outside. The problem is, you have no idea that it’s hot outside because you’re at the office and your buddy on vacation is snapchatting you pictures on the beach (which is really just cruel and unusual punishment).
However, summer is a beautiful time for creative agencies like ours. The colors are vibrant, natural light streams through the windows and audiences are in better moods. The problem is, we can easily lose inspiration in our cold and pixilated environments. So here are some things we do at Neff to keep copy-writing fingers warm and the creative juices flowing.
Remember, summer is supposed to be a time for fun, friends, food, and feeling refreshed. Use that to your advantage in the workplace and be sun-spired.
Advertising has come a long way since the first advertisement was published back in 1704! The ad specifically ran in the Boston News-Letter where an announcement was made about real estate and how someone was looking for a buyer to purchase a property in Oyster Bay, Long Island. Fast forward 300 years and things have drastically evolved but we still see advertisements in newspapers and other printed publications. But how has advertising changed in the past decade?
If you think about some of the ways we currently come across advertisements, those ways were unheard of and even nonexistent 10 years ago. For instance, most of us had no idea what Facebook, Twitter & Instagram was and a lot of us were rocking flip phones that had limited internet connectivity. Streaming music was foreign and watching videos online was a rarity. See where we’re going with this? Technology has changed and the way we connect with the world and that has transformed the way advertisements are broadcasted.
Online Expansion
Traditionally, advertisements would be comprised of three different mediums: television, radio and print. But looking beyond 10 years ago, advertisements were making their way online and catching up to today, they have evolved. With so many people signing up on various social media accounts, advertisers began to capitalize on this new technique to grab potential consumers because there are billions of users engaging with one another online!
If you own a smartphone, you probably have a music streaming app that you use on a daily basis – do you hear ads play between songs? While traditional radio still serves as a vital medium to send advertisements to listeners, music streaming services are another effective way to broadcast ads! Brands will often take advantage of these mediums to hit a big target audience because we all love listening to music and it’s the perfect opportunity to get in the ears of listeners.
Have you noticed an increasing amount of advertisements playing on videos you watch online? Online video services like YouTube have skyrocketed in popularity and short advertisements will often play before the video begins. Video ads pair a plethora of elements together that can greatly impact the viewer because it can hit a few of our senses, specifically sight and sound. With stunning visuals, engaging noises and complementing text, video ads stimulate the viewer online.
Traditional Changes
With the big wave of changes in the digital world, one may think that traditional advertisements have taken a seat on the back burner but that is all but true. Traditional mediums have found new creative ways to get their advertisements out there because you’ll often see billboards, signage and other printed avenues with vibrant and visually captivating designs that stand out among the landscape. On top of that, strategic placement is key which means a billboard or something similar would be placed in an area that has high volumes of traffic. Television will continue to be a powerful tool for advertisers as well as radio and studying the times when listeners or viewers are tuned in is the best way to find ideal times to run these ads.
What changes can we expect for advertising in the next ten years? Trust one of the best advertising agencies in Philadelphia to develop cutting edge ads for today, tomorrow and the future!
Working at an agency is a bit like being Sheldon Cooper: no one knows what you do, but they know it’s important and you’re good at it.
Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you see what we mean. While you may view agencies as a third-party enigma, we are some of the most energetic, creative-minded, fun-loving, coffee-consuming, dog-petting, junk-food-eating people you will find. Our offices have no doors, we shudder at the mention of “business formal attire” and we’re not yelled at for being on Facebook and Twitter at work. Pretty great, right?
We wanted to share some of the quirky things that make us who we are. Follow this guide to find out if you’re living the agency life.
So there you have it; a definitive list of what it can be like in the world of PR, marketing, advertising, branding, and development agencies. It’s a weird nine to five, but somebody’s got to do it. And trust me, we love doing it.