July 1st marked the beginning of Levis new campaign “Go Forth” which places a huge emphasis on American Exceptionalism, our fight for independence and manifest destiny. They have invited us to take part in the campaign, the illusion they have created (and make no mistake it is an illusion). They have declared us “generation denim”…
Names are a tricky business. Marketing agencies and law firms tend to take the less creative and egotistical route and call themselves by name, for example: Hanson Bridgett. Law firm or ad agency? Not too easy to tell.
Other companies take a more obscure approach, which can be quite successful with the right marketing, i.e. Apple, Google, Starbucks.
And then there is the more descriptive genre: Direct TV, UPS (United Parcel Service), Beds, Baths & Beyond.
And then there are these:
And my personal favorite: http://www.bigassfans.com/
It’s descriptive, funny, memorable and there is no mistaking what they do. So, what does your name say about your business?
Don’t miss the National Latina Business Women’s Association’s 4th Annual Helping Build the Latina Woman Business Conference today at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel. The conference starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. The afternoon session (starting at 2:00 p.m.) includes a panel of three marketing professionals who will share insight and information on “How to get Explosive Results from the Use of Social Media.” The panel includes:
Lindsay Myers, Senior SEO Consultant/METRO SEO
Tammy Burleson, President & CEO/Why Not Web
Debi Hammond, President & CEO/Merlot Marketing
Want more information or interested in attending?
Click on Agenda or Registration for more information.
You can’t say ‘restaurant’ in Sacramento without saying Paragary’s. The two have gone hand in hand for longer than I have been alive, and Paragary’s Restaurant Group (PRG) latest foray into the restaurant business is simply swinging!
With winter right around the corner, the Today Show featured a segment on ‘How to update your fire place,’ and of course, we had the perfect product for the segment! Our client, Eldorado Stone was the featured highlight with a hearth as the backdrop for Meredith and George. The segment shared some great ideas for updating that old fire place. Our favorite? The architectural stone veneer, of course!
Watch the segment: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33653115#33653115
Need more inspiration? Check out the images below or visit Eldorado Stone’s Walkthrough.
According to a new study from Performics and analytics from ROI Research, 46 percent of social media users have recommended or talked about a product or brand on Facebook, and 44 percent have done the same on Twitter.
With more than 3,000 responses to an online survey of social network users, 30 percent said they have learned about a new product, service or brand from a social networking site, and 25 percent have gone directly to an online retailer or ecommerce site after learning about a new product or brand. Twenty-five percent have recommended a product or brand to friends through social networking sites while 20 percent have discussed them on social networking sites after seeing an ad elsewhere.
Want to engage your target audience?
Twenty-seven percent reported being receptive to invitations to events, special offers or promotions received through social networking sites.
Just like with any public relations or advertising campaign, a social media program needs to be based in strategy and provided the resources needed to succeed. But the real question is for those companies out there who still wonder if social media is just a fad. They continue to hesitate to truly get involved or invest the time and resources to get involved successfully. Well, if those companies wait for much more evidence, that ‘bandwagon’ will be long gone…. Full article at BrandWeek.
This story is taken from Sacbee / Business / Bob Shallit: Published Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Sacramento’s Merlot Marketing continues to rake in contracts to promote upscale home products. The latest deal: an agreement to represent PR-111, a Brazilian manufacturer of exotic and sustainable hardwood flooring.
Merlot execs recently flew to Miami to pitch their ideas for the account and apparently wowed BR-111’s president with proposals to stage product showcases in crowded venues such as Times Square - and to build “floating” glass ceilings above the displays that visitors could walk on and then gaze down at the flooring.
As company president Debi Hammond recalls it, BR-111’s Ricardo Moraes at first found the ideas a little, uh, wild.
In a heavy accent, he inquired: “So exactly what do you guys ‘grow’ in Sacramento?” Implying that the Merlot team might be smoking what it was growing.
Hammond replied that wine sometimes stimulates ideas at the company. Never anything stronger.
The team left on a high note, so to speak, with what Hammond calls a “very big account.”
For the Original Story: http://www.sacbee.com/shallit/story/2300988.html or back columns: www.sacbee.com/shallit
Sacramento Business Journal - by Debi Hammond Contributing writer
Are you in the zone? People love the zone — the end zone, the “I’m totally focused” zone and their comfort zone.
Let’s take a closer look at that last zone. The comfort zone is extremely easy to fall into, but one of the most difficult to get out of.
The comfort zone keeps us doing what is comfortable and familiar. It also keeps us from changing and trying something new. It keeps us in the same place, avoiding the ever-frightening unknown.
Well, in today’s business and marketing landscape, a lot is changing, which means there are a lot of unknowns. We need to step outside of our comfort zone and start to embrace change.
So, what’s really changing and why should we care? Here’s a list of five significant changes and tips on how you can capitalize on them.
Recently I stumbled across a series of ads produced in 2006 for a men’s clothing company by the name of Stori. I have to admit that the first thing that caught my eye was an image of Spiderman getting dressed, but upon further inspection I noticed a few other things that I thought made these ads worthy of the awards they won.
Don't be a Jesse James
It seems as though, if given the opportunity, marketers will try to blur the line between fact and fiction and this holds true no where better than the ‘wild wild Web.’ Since the first blog was posted, marketers have been seeking ways to capitalize on those blogs with significant audiences, and at times (shocking!), they have forgone transparency for the sake of the sale.
A perfect example is Wal-mart’s Walmarting Across America blog (no longer active). Basically the premise was about a couple who just “happened” to drive their RV around the United States, parking in Wal-Mart parking lots as they went and blogging about their great Wal-mart experiences. The problem was it was billed as authentic when, in fact, it was a carefully scripted (and paid) campaign by Edelman (a well-regarded worldwide PR agency) for Wal-mart.
There are many examples of the misuse of blogs and bloggers by companies marketing their products and services as well as a blatant disregard for disclosure and as such, the FTC has stepped in with guidelines to help keep unethical marketers (and companies) at bay.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued final changes to its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. While advisory in nature, the new guidelines will reset standards of behavior that public relations, marketing and advertising professionals should adopt to avoid violating underlying laws against unfair competition and false advertising.
As outlined in a notice provided by The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the FTC Guidelines make three key departures from previous guidelines that could impact marketing professional’s practices:
While the FTC will approach each potential violation on a case-by-case basis, the new guidelines will impact how professionals should approach some common practice scenarios. Here are some applications of the guidelines:
A note to marketers, we owe it to ourselves and our profession to do what’s right by, not only our clients, but by the general public as well. Consumers are already wary of advertising, so let’s not ruin it in the online community too. Just because it’s the ‘wild wild Web’ doesn’t mean we need to act like Jesse James.
Please note: The opinions and positions expressed within this blog are my own (or of those who contribute) and don't necessarily reflect those of Merlot Marketing, Inc.
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