We are proud to announce that “Law Talk Blog” went live this evening. Neal Advertising worked closely with Attorney John Sheehan to create a well designed, prominent blog that will prove to be a valid law resource to it’s users.
This website will provide an easy and functional place for John Sheehan and his team to write, engage and help the local people.
Most of you would not know who I was talking about if I mentioned the name Paul Rand. You would, however, be able to identify the IBM, Westinghouse, ABC and UPS brands by looking at their logos. Paul Rand is responsible for that.
Born In Brooklyn New York 1914, Paul Rand became one of the most well known graphic designers in the field most notably for his logo and corporate identity design. Rand was able not only to produce a quality logo design but he had a great ability to explain the importance his designs would have on branding a company. Graphic designer Louis Danziger says,
“He almost singlehandedly convinced business that design was an effective tool. [. . .] Anyone designing in the 1950s and 1960s owed much to Rand, who largely made it possible for us to work. He more than anyone else made the profession reputable. We went from being commercial artists to being graphic designers largely on his merits.”
Rand’s simple clear cut designs are some of the best and most recognized logos being used today. He said that neither logos nor art need be over the top to be recognized and grab attention. As the says goes..more is less.
UPS just went though a very controversial issue when they changed Paul Rand’s original logo to a more flash and 3D looking logo. Now UPS has a logo that blends in with the crowd. It is a very trendy logo and lacks the creativity that Rand originality put in. What is your opinion about the update?
In the process of paving the way for graphic designer he also helped brands thrive and become more recognized. It is something to think about and appreciate.
Web analytics can be defined as the measurement of data relating to an Internet website. This includes the number of visitors, number of pages viewed, how much time the visitor was on your site, etc. We can use this information to examine and improve your website and its content. It is also very important tool to utilize when you are analyzing internet advertising and Search Engine Marketing campaigns.
There are a number of services out there that provide analytics reports of your website. At Neal Advertising, we are partial to Google Analytics for its accurate reporting, ease of use and the amount of available data. Today we’ll take a look at 3 basic metrics.
The total amount of web pages that were viewed on your site in a given time period is referred to as page views. If someone visits your site once, but views 15 different pages, your site just generated 15 page views. When using this to analyze your website, you also need to look carefully at the number of pages you have on your site and the content on each page. You can also delve deeper into this by looking at which individual pages garner the most traffic.
An individual or browser that views your site is measured by a unit called a unique visitor. If an individual visits the site more than once, it is only counted as one unique visitor. This is a great way to measure your websites traffic, giving you an accurate reading on your audience size.
When Google calculates your time on site, they take the total amount of time that each visitor spends on the site before exiting the website. If you view 2 pages for a total of 10 minutes or 20 pages for a total of 10 minutes, your time on site will be the same. Every website is unique and thus, the amount time a visitor spends on your site gets will vary. When analyzing this metric, it is important to look at the number of pages, content of those pages and your ultimate goal or purpose for the website.
As with any web metric, Google Analytics is not 100% accurate, but it is a great tool to measure the effectiveness and stickiness of your website.
Print is not dead
I hear a lot of people saying that print is dead, and the digital age is taking over. This is something that I disagree with. I am aware that technology is very abundant in advertising, but just because technology has become the new way to advertise doesn’t mean that the art of print design is dying out.
Print design in mainly used in advertising to create products such as posters, billboard, direct mail, magazine ads and much more. What people don’t see is the other side of print design that is needed to make a business run. Business cards are a good example. The design of them is extremely important to a business. That little card that you leave behind is the first impression people get of your company. It gives your company personality and helps support its brand and image.
Let’s take a step back from business cards and think about what is the most important thing for a company to have. A logo. Your company’s logo is what identifies your company. Without it a business is not branded and advertising will not be as beneficial. A logo makes you associate with the brand. That logo will go on anything and everything your company creates throughout print or web.
I am not saying that technology is bad; it is a wonderful tool and I think it has a lot of great benefits. The best way I think of web design and print design, is to see them as two different things. Web design is a new tool to advertise your brand, but the root behind getting web advertisements recognized by consumers goes back to good print design. So while print advertising may be dying, print design itself is not dead.
As part of the Account team at a small ad agency, we tend to wear a lot of hats. Whether it is helping out with a creative idea, proof reading, copy writing or analyzing campaign results, our job description is an ever-changing chameleon of advertising duties. But our most important job is the relationship with our clients.
Establishing a rapport with a client and making that client feel comfortable dealing with you is crucial. When you are working with a client, you are the face of the company. You are representing everyone in your office, from the president of the company to the receptionist. Once a solid relationship is established with a client, it must be maintained, which is true for any relationship that hopes to be long-term.
It is sometimes very difficult for the client to realize that we are working with them and have their best interest in mind. It’s not just about putting together a few new ad layouts and spending dollars. Our job goes deeper than that, we want to be a part of the team. We strive to be the marketing arm of our client’s company, helping them every step of the way.
Some key things to remember:
a) Be friendly – when answering the office phone, greeting a client at the office, or working with your client on a daily basis. This will make your client feel comfortable when trying to reach you or anyone else in the office because it is a friendly environment. The client should not feel like they are bothering us or hesitate to pick up the phone. When coming into the office they should feel welcome and at ease.
b) Listen to your client – always hear what the client has to say at first, even if it is negative. Negative news can be hard to handle and hard not to take personally. Remain positive, and stay focused on the task at hand. Listen to the client’s needs and make sure they are met with your own personality thrown into it. A client might not understand all the design factors that come into play so it’s good to be open with your client about new ideas WHILE STILL making sure their needs are met.
c) Be reliable – do what you say you are going to do. Clients will respect and admire a quick turn-around on a project. This is not to say do a rush job, never sacrifice the quality of work to get something done. This means to deliver the project when you say you are going to. Hold true to your deadlines. Make your deadlines accurate. Clients will be impressed if you deliver ahead of time. They will feel important because you are focusing on their project and it’s on the top of your mind to complete. Clients will be assured that you are going to get a project done when you say it will be done. Not only is this good for your client but good for your piece of mind. Get it finished and move onto the next goal at hand.
Remember, you want to develop business relationships that form into life-long partnerships with your clients and both parties will benefit from respectful, friendly interaction.
Neal Advertising was happy to help The Ad Club out in promoting the greatly anticipated Ad Club Reunion taking place June 22nd at the Cyclorama. Working with The Ad Club team, we designed and developed adclubreunion.com. The site integrates video, photos from the past, superlatives, social media links such as a blog, twitter and facebook and a really fun “Who would you like to see at the reunion” application. Check out the site and consider attending the Ad Club Reunion which is open to agencies, media, clients and anyone looking to network and have a great time!
Have you considered supplementing your advertising budget by using Cooperative Advertising? Cooperative advertising is an agreement between a manufacturer and a retailer that reimburses the retailer for advertising the manufacturer’s product.
Cooperative advertising reimbursement funds can be used to offset advertising expenditures. Instead of cutting back on print, electronic, direct mail or interactive advertising, which reduces their effectiveness, your company will be able to place an effective advertising program at a reduced cost. With manufacturers reimbursing a sizable percentage of your advertising expense, it is a good way to get your message out to the consumer while keeping your advertising costs down.
Let us guide you through this cost effective budgeting tool.
First, make sure you have funds available and find out the guidelines of the co-op program…
1. What percentage will the manufacturer reimburse?
2. What products do you need to advertise?
3. What are the advertising requirements?
4. When do the funds expire?
Next, check with the manufacturer about pre-approval requirements. If the manufacturer does require pre-approval, make sure you have a written copy of this. You will not be reimbursed without it.
Finally, you must gather all the information needed to submit your claim and obtain your funds in a timely manner. Most submission must be done in a sixty to ninety day period. The deadlines are strict. Keep the following in mind…
1. If you are doing radio or television you will need to provide a notarized script and invoice from the station(s). Television also requires a DVD of the spot.
2. Print advertisements require a tear sheet or e-sheet (electronic tear sheet) from the newspaper or magazine along with an invoice.
3. Direct mail advertising requires an invoice, a postal receipt and a mail sample.
4. Interactive advertising requires an invoice and screen shots of banners from the media website. If you have a pre-roll video you will need a DVD.
Coop funds are paid to you by check from the manufacturer, or can be done as a credit to your open account with the manufacturer. Who wouldn’t want to supplement their advertising budget with cooperative advertising? If you’re considering co-op but it sounds a little overwhelming or too time consuming, a professional advertising agency will be able to help you receive the greatest benefits from your cooperative advertising account.