Autobelettering, of autoreclame, hoe u wilt!

Sorry folks, this post is only in Dutch.

Gisteren schreef ik een stukje over het wel en wee van de vaderlandsche economie. Ik gaf hier in aan dat het wel zoals wij dat kenden, tijdelijk vervangen is door het ons aangeprate (en uiteindelijk daadwerkelijk ontstane) wee.

Is dit nu een reden om bij de pakken neer te zitten? Welnee, het is juist een mogelijkheid om eens te kijken naar wie we nu precies zijn. En nog belangrijker, hoe anderen ons zien.

Veel te vaak is hier namelijk een enorme mismatch. Het is geen overbodige luxe om eens scherp te kijken naar wat u wilt uitstralen en daar een goed uitgedachte stijl aan te koppelen. Zodra dit gedaan is kan men kiezen voor de gebruikelijke kanalen om deze nieuwe identiteit te communiceren.

Maar waarom zou u? Printwerk, is zeer mooi en kan ook zeker effectief zijn. Maar u dient wel heel goed te weten wie u benadert. En iedereen weet dat een sales actie op een dergelijke manier, enkel nut heeft wanneer er actief opvolging wordt gegeven aan de impuls. Dus waarom niet kiezen voor een rondrijdende reclame die er toch al rijdt?

Het grote meerendeel van de nederlandse bedrijven heeft één of meerdere auto's die regelmatig op pad zijn. Het is dan toch een gemiste kans als hier geen pakkende uiting van uw eigen bedrijf aan is gekoppeld? Autobelettering in Nederland heeft een zeer hoog niveau. Wellicht is het interessant om eens gezamenlijk met ons te kijken of we iets spannends kunnen bedenken dat mensen wakker schudt uit de file om naar uw auto te kijken..

Autobelettering, óf autoreclame is een goedkope manier om maximale aandacht te trekken uit een toch al rondrijdend voertuig. Bovendien is het een langdurigere actie dan één advertentie in een vakblad.

Overtuigd? Aan de rechterkant van de pagina ziet u een linkje naar onze STB site...

It's all about relationships (toprankblog.com)

I found this a very interesting article..What do you think?


Best Recession Marketing Investment? Relationships

Posted by Lee Odden on Feb 16th, 2009 in Online Marketing, Public Relations, SEO, Social Media

Search marketing has been known as recession resistant because so many companies shift or increase internet marketing budgets there in good times and in bad. When other marketing and advertising channels don’t hold up to ROI scruitiny, tactics like SEO hold up rather well. Sage advice on how to execute on this insight can be found at “Recession Proof Search Engine Optimization Tips“.

Another channel receiving budget attention even while marketing costs are being cut or shifted is public relations - especially with B2B companies. A recent story in BtoB Magazine, “Marketers stay in the conversation with PR“ tells the story of a company that relies on case studies as part of their PR efforts. Since many of their customers conduct research as part of the sales process, the case studies promoted via PR efforts are an instrumental part of their ability to attract new customers.

Public Relations is more than press releases and media relations efforts to pitch journalists stories about companies. PR also involves building thought leadership, social media engagement, content development, internal company communications and many more aspects of corporate communications that affect marketing.

Due to the shift of advertising and publications online, newsrooms have been dealing with limited resources due to job loss and budget cuts for several years. The recession has not improved that situation and creates even more pressure for journalists to produce more content with less resources. Public Relations helps meet that need for content by delivering story ideas, research, subject matter experts and resources.

Digital PR savvy agencies are making both traditional media relations, digital media relations and optimized news content work together as part of a Push Pull PR strategy. PR agencies work to partner with journalists to provide content via push delivery but can also optimize (SEO) news content to make it easy for story researchers to find companies the PR firms represent.

The trend in hard times is for companies to cut all marketing costs that are not tied to direct sales. Yet some companies are shifting budgets to smart, creative online marketing and PR efforts. When no one else is marketing, there’s even more opportunity to stand out to prospective buyers.

As companies decide where to invest their limited marketing resources, there is a distinct opportunity to focus on investing in relationships: with their customers, prospects, employees and business partners.

Online marketing and PR tactics such as social media marketing, online public relations and search engine optimization combine to provide a high value, modest cost and highly measurable solution for companies that need a competitive advantage.

Social media engagement helps build relationships with consumers and influencers as well as social web savvy journalists. SEO and optimized social media content makes it easier for consumers to find information online when they’re doing the research that will help them make buying decisions. It also help journalists to efficiently do the research necessary for writing stories and making decisions about what reputatble companies to cover.

That’s right: I am suggesting that there is a difference in optimizing content for lead generation vs optimizing content for journalists doing research for story sources. This is the kind of creative effort that digital PR brings to a slim marketing budget. The ability to use technology as well as an understanding of search and the industry to gain a competitive advantage. See: “Optimizing the Right Content for the Right Audience” for more insight.

Companies that have been engaged in social web participation long before the economy went into recession may already have an asset those looking into social media now desire: better relationships with their customers. PR, SEO and Social Media can facilitate the effectiveness of building those relationships - even for companies that are just now starting. The challenge is figuring out how to best use the resources available and what internal expertise or outside help will make best use of them.

Is this real?

A couple of weeks ago I received a calendar. Here I saw an amazing photograph of a lady in a field, with an owl flying by. My first reaction was: "Nice, I see you have some great photoshop skills." Our colleagues at ECC however assured me that no montage had been done. The owl was shot at the same time as "Scary Mary" herself.

When I showed this calendar to other colleagues, their response was very similar to mine. Well, the following link http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1113896364735 shows "the making of".

And, I am happy to admit, it is all real. This shoot shows just how innovative and creative the people at ECC are. Another reason why we are happy to have them as a member of our club.

Marketing in a global context

The way your product looks, should it differ per region? Perhaps, this depends very much on the product of course. Food is one of those examples where local customs and tastes are too important to be ignored by some global marketing department.

So does this mean that international, or even intercontinental, cooperation between marketing divisions is futile? I think not. Sure, adaptations must be be made to local preferences. But isn't it so that the heart of the parent company remains the same, whether the products are sold in Texas or Malaysia? I feel that the core values of the company do not change.

With this in mind it would therefore be very beneficial if suppliers of a company on one continent can offer assistance on another continent as well. Sure, the setting is different, but the relationship already exists and caters for a deeper understanding between the partners. 

Our company has recently started a cooperation with GFX in the U.S. Why? Well both parties are convinced that this will offer an additional service to our partners who want to roll out their business in a different region. Plus, it is never a bad idea to open up and learn from somebody else's experience, now is it?

www.gfxi.com/NewsFolder/news.php?id=145368343172992569

Truck Advertising. Is it worth it?

Yes it is. 

Well, it depends. As with every communication issue it is vital to get the message and the tone right. Being located in the heart of The Netherlands, between the large seaport of Rotterdam, the airport of Amsterdam (Schiphol Airport) and the Industrial heart of Germany we see a lot of traffic. Thanks to efficient investments by the Dutch government in the past, we see most of this traffic standing still..

A smart advertisement on a truck therefore has a large impact on its audience. At our company we have done research on which results can be achieved across Europe. These results vary, because traffic density varies across Europe as well. However, it is safe to say that the message as displayed on a truck has a large audience.

Interested in the results? Drop me a line via our website. We can offer you everything from advice, design, production to implementation.

www.stbsigngroup.com

New functional & creative display in 36 hours?

The C-word. I have been very skeptical about the whole thing ever since it started last summer. But the more people talk about it, eventually it becomes reality. And the reality now is that less is being spent now  than exactly a year ago.

Well, that's not completely true. Dutch retailers, according to the Dutch Bureau of Statistics, saw their turnover grow by 2,6% in 2008. And the forecast for 2009 is still positive. Personally I don't eat any less than a year ago (although I probably should, but that's a different thing).

With consumers still spending money on food and related items, but looking sharper at prices it is important to stand out. One way of doing so is by initiating short term price actions on a selection of products. 

Last week we are asked to do so by one of our larger clients. Unfortunately this was done at such a late stage that we had to come up with a solution in no more than 36 hours. Thanks to the flexibility of our organization and having all capabilities in house we did just so. 

After a quick-scan of the requirements our consultants came up with a plan for what it should like. Our display designers made sure it looks good and stable. Our own powder coating facilities took care of the color. And finally our creations department in combination with the print production facility took care of the right visuals.

The result? A creative & functional display in less than 36 hours. Looking very much forward to hear about the clients decision..

Have a look at what we can do for you at www.stbsigngroup.com

Narrow casting, the next big thing?

Many people in retail claim that narrow casting will be the next big thing when it comes to getting your product noticed in a retail setting. This may well be true, but as with most types of communication it all depends on the product and the manner in which the medium is being used.

The logic behind narrow casting is pure and simple. People have already made the decision to walk (or drive) to a store. Even better, they are already in a certain section of that store. Say, a potential customer finds him (or her) self in the drinks section of a supermarket. Placing an ad of your product right at that spot is very valuable. Or is it?

Danone seem to think that it is, according to the article quoted below the company has decided to invest in a narrow casting campaign that will take place in 830 supermarkets across The Netherlands. This in order to promote their Evian brand of water. 

Smart idea? I am looking very much forward to hear about the results. The ingredients seem to be right. Evian is a high-end brand of water, with a low price-elasticity for its consumers. But a lot depends on the message, the location of the screen and the frequency. Other question that arise are, will there be sound included in the message? How do retailers respond to a supplier having a more prominent position in a time when private labels are such a high priority?

Again. I am looking forward to hear about the results.