July 29th, 2010
Paul Werth Associates is bringing its senior-level consulting and integrated marketing communications services to the “Second City” — Chicago.
Senior Vice President and Chicago insider David O’Dowd heads up the new office, located in the world’s largest commercial building and Chicago landmark, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza.
“We are very excited about our continued growth and the addition of our Chicago office,” says Sandra Harbrecht, President and CEO. “We are seeing strong demand for our results-oriented communications in this vibrant market and plan to build on our strong ties and relationships within the business community to further expand our services and client roster.” Harbrecht plans to make monthly visits to the new office to meet with clients and prospects.
In Chicago as in Columbus, Werth provides a full range of communications services to drive client success:
- Public relations, including strategic planning, thought leadership, crisis communications, reputation management, change management, media relations, social media programs, blogger outreach, spokesperson training, message development, trade show support and community relations.
- Public Affairs, including government relations, lobbying, grassroots communications and engagement, ballot issue campaign management and research.
- Advertising, including creative strategy, brand strategy, corporate identity, advertising campaigns, video production, marketing collateral, direct marketing and word of mouth and viral marketing.
- Interactive Marketing, including analytics-based digital strategy, website/intranet development, microsites, e-commerce solutions, e-mail marketing, SEO, SEM, social media integration, online reputation audits, viral marketing, digital content creation and usability studies.
- Research, including needs assessments, strategy development, creative custom research design, communications audits, market potential/opportunity studies, brand positioning/image studies, advertising and communications testing, customer satisfaction studies, executive interviews and public opinion polling.
We welcome visitors to our new office! Call or e-mail David O’Dowd at dodowd@paulwerth.com or 312-297-1416 or Sandy Harbrecht swh@paulwerth.com or 614-224-8114.
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June 7th, 2010
Opening up closed channels gets the creative juices flowing.
And Google TV will make it happen, according to The Official Google Blog:
“Google TV is a new experience for television that combines the TV that you already know with the freedom and power of the Internet. With Google Chrome built in, you can access all of your favorite websites and easily move between television and the web. This opens up your TV from a few hundred channels to millions of channels of entertainment across TV and the web. Your television is also no longer confined to showing just video. With the entire Internet in your living room, your TV becomes more than a TV — it can be a photo slideshow viewer, a gaming console, a music player and much more.”
You will no longer need to imagine a world where you turn on the TV and content is displayed based on your preferences. This is now a place where YouTube, network and cable TV converge, and your website can stream all of them with user-generated comments — in real time!
This announcement got me excited about the possibilities for advertising and content. No doubt that Google will incorporate AdWords, but this will bring interesting ways to distribute brand content. Integrating the Web browser into TV will further user control on how to find, interact with and share content.
As the Internet continues to open up traditionally closed media and channels become more integrated, marketers will need to enhance their strategic approach. Telling a brand’s story that engages an audience will continue to get more complex — because we are creating the medium and the message.
What about your marketing approach today? Is your brand positioned to embrace the convergence of a digital world? What possibilities do you see in the new TV?
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April 29th, 2010
I don’t know about you, but I can’t watch CNN without reading the scroll at the bottom of the screen. I’ll listen to what’s being said, but for some reason, I can’t stop focusing on that scroll.
Why? First, people just love to read headlines. I admit, I’m not a huge fan of reading books, my attention span just won’t let me last that long. But put a magazine in front of me or e-mail me a quick news link, and most likely, I’m gonna read it. Second, people are naturally visual. They like to look at something and create their own story in their head. Everyone has a story, or at least likes to imagine one.
That’s why kinetic type is the new “it thing” in advertising. We use type to illustrate a script, create cool motion graphics and literally bring the words to life. The moving type creates energy and excitement, and with all that, who wouldn’t want to buy the product?
Here’s an example we just released:
Ohio Industries, Grow Your Future
The other benefit is that the message is being delivered in two, sometimes three ways at the same time. The graphics are spelling out the script word-for-word, and the words are animating to represent their meaning. Sometimes, a voice-over reads the entire script. Talk about hitting you over the head. The message is undoubtedly being delivered — loud and clear.
The kinetic approach is really taking off. You see it everywhere. There’s some good, some great and some…not so great. In cases of the “not so great,” the creators really lacked a creative direction. With technology at our fingertips, and stock imagery and footage so readily available, sometimes creativy is dictated by what’s available out there on the Web, and not by what should ultimately be custom-created specifically to deliver the appropriate message in a style that is consistent throughout the entire piece to hold it together.
Even though kinetic is a new approach to delivering brand messages, it still needs to be true to brand standards. Today advertisers are looking for cost-effective ways of delivering messages as quickly and precisely as possible. Kinetic is one answer to that question. Couple kinetic with viral video, and you’ve got yourself a campaign.
Werth has a talented team of creative professionals on staff, specializing in motion graphics, editing, shooting and delivering your advertising message on time and on budget. We understand how to deliver strategic branding and can help to determine whether kinetic is the best tool to help you get there. Give me a call at 614.224.8114 or e-mail me at kwaldron@paulwerth.com, and let’s talk about your next brand opportunity.
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November 16th, 2009
It’s that time of year again. Time to look back at the work we’ve done over the past year and see what has Addy award potential. The questions start to swirl:
• “Do we have enough to enter?”
• “What should I have done differently?”
• “What have I seen that might be up for an award?”
• “What are my friends at other agencies entering?”
• “Can I quickly think of a cool idea and produce it for someone, before the entry deadline?”
The last question is interesting. We creatives love to imagine, and sometimes our ideas aren’t right for our current clients. This is a terrific stretch opportunity. I see nothing wrong with developing a great idea and selling it to a prospect — when it’s the right fit. Sometimes, off-the-wall, in-the-moment creativity leads to long-lasting, profitable relationships.
A former boss of mine once came up with an idea, called a potential client and said, “I have a great idea that you must hear.” He met the prospect for drink, wrote a tagline on a cocktail napkin, slid it across the table….and a 10-year relationship was born.
On the flip side of the coin… there’s nothing better than winning an Addy for an existing client, especially if it’s a concept that resulted in increased sales. Years ago there was an award called “Documented Success.” To me, this was the most important Addy of all. This award recognized great creative, great marketing and the work that created the biggest return on investment. What client wouldn’t want to be part of that award?
And then there are the awards won for really good creative, but with little return on investment. Bottom line, these ads failed. Remember: the ultimate goal for advertising is to sell products. If we create something that is a work of art that never sells, we’ll end up being starving artists with a sad reel of unsuccessful work.
I’m proud that Werth has a reel of advertising successes with clear return on investment. Want to join me over coffee or drinks to inspire that next great Addy idea that will drive your sales? Give me a call at 614.224.8114, send me an e-mail at kwaldron@paulwerth.com or leave me a comment on this blog post.
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August 14th, 2009
As a student in my beginning years of college, my fine art professor told me, “You must have a unique style.” Which I didn’t.
As I gravitated toward design, my new professor told me, “Whatever you do, don’t have a unique style. You must adapt and design to your clients’ needs, not yours. An agency whose work all looks the same will be temporary.”
That really stuck with me. It wasn’t just one of those things that I learned in school and applied it because someone told me that was the right answer. It was, and is, one of those things that just makes sense. Her lesson is something that I truly believe and will always think about before approaching any branding project.
But, there are trends, and sometimes those trends tend to grow into styles, and once that happens, it’s all over.
The other day I walked through our break room and saw an annual report lying on the table, designed by another agency. The cover caught my eye because it was smartly designed. But once I opened it, I knew the agency that designed it.
Later in the day, I received a direct mail piece from a company. I investigated further and found that it was created by the agency that designed the annual report. Again, I saw the same trendy look. These work samples were created for two different clients, in different industries—but the designers executed almost the exact same brand guidelines. It seems that the agency is using the same brand for its book of business. That’s just not right. Clients deserve better than recycled brands.
Here’s my approach—and what you will see in the work of Paul Werth’s creative:
The brand represents the one-of-a-kind soul of an organization and should shine through in every work of design. Our work reflects each company’s unique soul, not our own.
Ask yourself this question:
Does your agency interview you before each project, as a continuing opportunity to know what you and your projects are all about? Are they seeing your brand through their company’s lens or the lens of your company’s soul?
I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on authentic and unique, company-specific branding. Please drop me a line, as a comment on this blog or personally, at kwaldron@paulwerth.com.
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July 24th, 2009
Increasingly skeptical about brands and resistant to marketing, many consumers are using the Web to research products and brands – turning to blogs, review sites and social networks for advice on how to find the best values as they seek to stretch their budgets.
Smart marketers are engaging their customers online, but it’s important to do some testing before you dive in to the digital ocean. Research provides the crucial difference between an online campaign that merely agitates the water and one that creates an ongoing current of measurable results. And the same technology that enables customer-to-customer conversations also makes it easier to conduct research in real time.
Here are some tools the Werth research team uses to help clients get to know their customers:
Search engine and keyword research – Because the majority of consumers start any quest for information with Google or another search engine, it’s important to know what keywords your customers are most likely to use.
Online reputation audit – A 360-degree view of your online presence uncovers who is talking about your company, your products and your competitors, where and when these conversations are taking place, what is the tone and content of these conversations and how conversations begin and unfold. Werth has developed an online reputation audit that is helping clients determine which online platforms and strategies are worthy of investment and sets a benchmark prior to campaign launch.
Social media monitoring – Ongoing monitoring of blogs, Web sites and social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, etc. provides real-time insight into how your campaigns are working, highlights new opportunities and signals early warning of any negative trends.
Other digital research methods include e-mail and online surveys, online focus groups and proprietary online panels. I’ll explore the uses and benefits of these in an upcoming post. Whatever the method, market research remains the best way to understand consumer behavior and to make smart investments during a time of economic challenge.
Interested in learning more about consumer trends? Research presented in the July 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review shows that the recession is having a far greater impact on consumer spending habits than previous downturns, and that some behavior patterns, as well as brand perceptions, may be dramatically altered. Paul Flatters and Michael Willmott of Trajectory, a consumer trends forecasting consultancy, document massive shifts in consumers’ purchasing behavior and attitudes toward brands.
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July 17th, 2009
Inexperienced “experts” in the social media world don’t understand that it needs to serve a clear purpose and be measured. The social media frenzy is now at the stage where companies aren’t taking so-called experts at their word. Companies are seeking substance—and experience. But are they getting it?
Werth has noticed that rising above the frenzy are some well-positioned strategic thoughts, like Peter Shankman’s recent blog post. But some are focused more on the purely social aspects of social media and represent themselves from an overly casual point-of-view, possible juvenile and often not aligned with corporate culture that seeks results (translation: not all fun and games) for the investment.
Here’s the rub:
Companies that put inexperienced professionals (admittedly power users of social media, but not communications or marketing experts) in the driver’s seat with their social media run the risk of damaging their reputations.
People are panicked to get a social media presence because it’s seen as the next silver bullet. As professional marketers and communicators, we all need to recognize one important and timeless fact:
Social media is—with deference to Tony the Tiger—simply “an important part of a balanced marketing breakfast.” I’m probably dating myself, but readers out there who get the reference are the fastest adopters of social media. According to Nielsen, FaceBook alone has more than 200 million active users with the fastest growing age group adults 35 and over.
Thinking like Tony, social media should be used as an important part of a total program to help achieve marketing goals. On its own, social media can be just like breakfast cereal–an addictive snack easily gobbled down by the handful throughout the day, or something served once daily or weekly with milk, OJ and some banana slices on top.
How can you tell if you are really getting expertise or just meaningless chatter behind your social media effort? Nothing beats a plan that is executed within corporate norms with respect for social media authenticity—while demonstrating results. As you are looking for experts, ask about experience, the strategy behind the program and most importantly, what business results it will generate.
Join us for an informed and results-oriented conversation on social media. Over the next few weeks my colleagues and I will be posting on successes we’re seeing with social media and sharing some amazing results, starting with a Werth client that reached more than 50 percent of its campaign goal in one day with a social media campaign.
If I were asking Tony the Tiger, I’m sure he’d say it’s “Grrrrrrrreat!”
Future posting: Using social media to rise above industry reputation challenges.
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