Instagram’s Latest Updates Could Help Brands Reach Consumers

Visuals are a powerful way to promote your brand. The right image can capture the soul of a brand and communicate it in an instant. Instagram – the largest image-sharing site in the world – boasts 70 million images and video uploads every day. That’s a lot of users – and a big potential audience for your brand. However, reaching the right audience via Instagram has been a bit tricky – until now.

The photo and video sharing social media powerhouse recently announced two big changes that look to be a boon to brands utilizing the app. Here’s what you need to know:

The Upgraded “Explore” Feature: Spurred in part by the explosion of users posting to Instagram, the company has updated its Explore feature to deliver trending topics in real time. Whether it’s images from the scene of a breaking news story or a nationwide event like #FathersDay, users will be provided with easy access to relevant content. Likewise, brands can gain exposure by posting content relevant to the latest trends and topics. Instagram has also added specific collections curated by an in-house team of editors that include categories like “ancient ruins” and “extreme athletes.”

All New Search: Instagram has improved its search algorithm to make finding people, places and events much easier. The update allows user to search people, places and tags simultaneously. With enough savvy, brands can utilize the search features to make themselves more discoverable to users.

To learn more about the all-new Instagram, check out the company’s blog. If you would like to discuss how your brand could utilize visual media to gain exposure, fill out the form to the right and let’s talk!

Branding by Jacob Tyler

5 Themes from Interactive Day San Diego, 2015

Ah, Interactive Day. The one day a year when Southern California’s best, brightest and most innovative digital marketers convene to remind each other just how behind the curve they are. It is a day of inspiration and excitement and anxiety and terror: how do I institute this philosophy at my agency…how do I make these trends tangible enough to sell to my clients…when does happy hour start?

The Jacob Tyler team attended several insightful sessions throughout the day and identified a short list of the most prevalent themes discussed by leaders in the industry. Below are key takeaways, implications and points of inspiration from each theme.

1. Millennials (2015 is the peak year for marketing to millennials)

THE SCOOP:

  • This coming-of-age generation, now 18-34 years old, is the largest generation in the workforce.
  • Well educated and socially mindful, expect a growing annual spending power and influence among peers
  • A stronger connection to brands provides trust and relevance

PRO TIP:

  • Don’t be afraid to evolve with this audience and use a dynamic marketing approach. Be where they are, use their preferred media platforms, you won’t reach them otherwise. (Next Up: Gen Z)

INSPIRATION:

  • Lowe’s Fix In Six (#lowesfixinsix) campaign uses Vine to provide low-budget, clever improvements to make life at home a little easier. https://vine.co/Lowes

2. Personalized Content (Your content – whether text, images, or video – should be personalized and relevant for the audience)

THE SCOOP:

  • Ensure your campaign matches the data behind what your audience cares about.
  • Engaging experiences are made through personalization and relevance to the platform being used.
  • Content should be the start of a two-way conversation (talk to them, not at them).

PRO TIP:

  • Include descriptive and informative messaging that is helpful for the audience. It’s not only about the visuals.

INSPIRATION:

  • Top performing pins on Pinterest provide instructions and tips as well as a beautiful image — brands recognize that pins are about planning and information, not just aesthetics. https://www.pinterest.com/categories/popular/

3. Augmented Reality (Creating a near-real experience with a brand in a connected world)

 THE SCOOP:

  • Consumers today have made their purchase decisions well ahead of an in-store visit.
  • Augmented reality transports the consumer to a branded environment for a fully immersive experience. It can live anywhere your consumer lives, and become interactive through a variety of devices (smartphone, wearables or anywhere in between).

PRO TIP:

  • Start simple: how can my prospects see themselves using my product? Build a simple experience reflecting that, then test, and grow, and test, and grow.

INSPIRATION:

  • Always ahead of its own curve, the IKEA catalogue took augmented reality to an innovative (and still approachable) space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDNzTasuYEw

4. The Internet of Things (So much more than using Nest to create a connected home)

 THE SCOOP:

  • Speaking of wearables…the next generation of personalization and automation provides efficiency to living and working lifestyles.
  • Let technology learn more about you to improve day-to-day tasks and challenges through data.

PRO TIP:

  • Focus on how your brand and the information it gathers can simplify your consumers’ lives, and invest in the technology to build that connection.

INSPIRATION:

5. Live Interactions (Streaming video can be used to create a real-time, shared experience)

THE SCOOP:

  • Consumers crave real-time access to events as they unfold.
  • Live, user-influenced content creates an immediacy and shareability to brand experiences.

PRO TIP:

  • Listen to and know your audience, then build events and stories that invite them in as a live participant.

INSPIRATION:

  • Watch Gisele fight back to negative comments as the new face of Under Armour. http://gisele.underarmour.com/

How do these trends come to life, and how to they apply to your brand (or your clients’ brands)? What success stories have you seen, and what pitfalls should brands avoid?

Jacob Tyler | Branding Agency in San Diego

5 Easy Tactics to Reach Brand Enthusiasts

Do you own a gadget that you can’t wait to tell all of your friends about? Are you quick to recommend your favorite restaurant or a film you enjoyed to anyone who will listen? If so – to paraphrase the late Jeff Foxworthy – you might be a brand enthusiast. Brand enthusiasts are more than a fan of a certain product or brand – they champion brands, spreading word far and wide, without expectation of compensation. And they’re more common than you might think. According to a recent study, more than 25 percent of consumers are considered brand enthusiasts. That number doubles among Millenials, whose social media prowess makes them the most powerful and effective purveyors of enthusiasm – not to mention a powerhouse purchasing demographic.

Marketing to brand enthusiasts is a no-brainer, and the reasons are largely self-evident. Brand enthusiasts are trust worthier than advertising or marketing campaigns – and they don’t charge. They personify your brand from a deeply personal place, relaying their experience to a willing audience. Quite simply, brand enthusiasts are the most powerful arrows in your marketing quiver.

But reaching these magical marketing creatures – and convincing them to evangelize for your brand – is no easy task. There’s no magic formula, and if there were, there’s no way to guarantee enthusiasm for your particular brand. Aside from offering a great product or service, there are strategies you can employ to help you win brand enthusiasts to your cause. Start with these five:

Show Up: Don’t wait for brand enthusiasts to knock on your door asking to sample the goods. Go to where they are. With a little research, you should be able to find out where the conversations around your particular market are taking place – social media channels, chat rooms, etc. Be where the conversation is, and add to it.

Start a Conversation: Want to know what people think about your brand? Ask them. You will learn more about the perception of your brand from a conversation than you ever will from your assumptions. You’ll you gain a solid understanding of the way people feel about your brand, and learn how you can improve your brand in the eyes of your customers.

Gather Information: Brand enthusiasts are generally more willing to offer personal and contact information than more skeptical consumers. By collecting contact information and staying in touch with them, you can move from conversation to relationship.

Make Sure Your Technology is up to Snuff: Brand enthusiasts are known as some of the most tech-savvy consumers on the planet. As such, they research and engage with brands overwhelmingly through mobile devices. Make sure your website is easily accessible though mobile devices and operating systems.

Feed the Hungry: Brand enthusiasts devour content. After all, one can’t truly be considered an enthusiast if he or she isn’t an expert on the subject. Provide timely, targeted and useful information to your audience. If your brand enthusiasts like what you have to say, they’ll share it with the world.

Want to learn more about how you can generate enthusiasm for your brand? Fill out the form to the right and lets chat!

San Diego’s Best Branding Agency | Jacob Tyler

Is Anyone Watching This? – Video Ads and Viewability

In the beginning of this millennium, around when the DVR became ubiquitous and the Internet realized its potential as the platform for content delivery, the television ad was pronounced dead. The perpetual march of technology, combined with a growing distrust for traditional advertisements, was implicated in the TV ad’s demise. The death certificate, however, was written far too early. After all, the advertising spend on the 2015 Super Bowl was the largest ever, and shows no signs of slowing down. Sure, less people view ads on televisions these days, but the visual advertisement continues to dominate the media landscape – by way of the Internet. Both advertisers and publishers have increasingly focused on video ads over the last few years, resulting in both more video ads – and more questions about their effectiveness. Advertisers, in short, want to know – “Is anyone watching this?”

Web pages draw a much less captive audience than do TV screens. Visitors move about freely, clicking links and refreshing pages to locate the content they desire, rather than having it fed directly to them. Merely placing a video ad on a page offers no guarantee that the ad will be seen. Rather than base ad costs and effectiveness on delivery metrics, advertisers and publishers are now relying on a metric called “viewability, ” created by the Media Rating Council, which measures the percentage of the time a particular ad is seen. An ad is considered “viewed” when at least 50 percent of its pixels are on screen for more than two seconds. Viewability is an evolving metric, but it represents a shift in the way advertisers are doing business.

Google’s recently released State of Ad Viewability report offers some important insight on ad visibility, including where ads are being seen, how often they’re being seen, and how format and placement affects viewability. The following are a few major takeaways from the report:

Averages

The average video ad viewability across the web (not including YouTube) is 54 percent. With YouTube, it’s 93 percent. The difference between YouTube and non-YouTube ads isn’t quite as striking as it appears, since only the YouTube numbers accounted for viewability on mobile devices.

Heard, Not Seen

Video ads that played in the background (in a separate tab, etc.) but were not technically “viewable” still resulted in a 33 percent increase in ad recall, when compared to those who had no exposure to ad at all. It’s better to bee seen than heard, but better to be heard than nothing!

Going Mobile

The massive shift to mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, is reflected in viewability data. YouTube video viewability is 94 percent on mobile devices – due largely to the fact that videos often utilize the entire screen on these devices.

Why Videos Fail the Viewability Test

The majority (76 percent) of videos not seen were due to the video playing while in a background tab. The remainder (24 percent) was due to visitors scrolling away from or clicking off the ads in less than two seconds.

Size Matters

Unsurprisingly, viewability increased step by step with screen size. The largest format (848 x 477) had an 87 percent viewability rate, while the smallest (300 x 250) had less than 20 percent viewability.

It’s All About Location

Google’s report showed that not only player size, but also location on the page is an important factor in viewability. Ads placed at the top of the page vertically, and in the center of a page horizontally, had far better viewability rates.

What Does it All Mean?

While viewability is an important step in determining where advertisers should focus spending, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Ad content, audience identification and a solid marketing strategy will ultimately determine an ad’s true effectiveness, and move potential customers from viewing to conversion.

 

Jacob Tyler | San Diego’s Best Branding Agency

Attention Retailers: Facebook Product Ads Have Arrived

Remember the days of catalogue shopping? A slew of catalogues would arrive on your doorstep – JC Penny, Eddie Bauer, Sears, etc. – and you’d flip through hundreds of pages to find the items that you wanted or needed. While a 300-page catalogue full of products could be exciting at first – with seemingly endless possibilities to quench your retail thirst – it was often cumbersome. There’s not a person on earth that could possibly want or need every product in the JC Penny catalogue. Product catalogues worked much like Encyclopedias (remember those?) – you had to physically search for products that matched your desires.

The days of receiving 5-pound catalogues in the mail are largely gone (though the Yellow Pages continues to mysteriously appear on my doorstep). But catalogues aren’t. Have you ever been to Ikea’s website? It features thousands and thousands of products in hundreds of countries. A virtual catalogue. Ikea is a phenomenal business with an international reputation. But what about smaller retailers? Are consumers willing to wade through hundreds of web pages of products to find what they’re looking for? In today’s climate of endless choices, probably not.

I’ve written before about the importance of brands reaching out directly to engage consumers in the virtual spaces they inhabit. With more than 700 million daily users, Facebook is the world’s most populous virtual space. Facebook is an important channel for retailers to engage audiences. And with Facebook’s latest evolution to its advertising service – “Product Ads” – retailers can now promote individual products from their catalogues to consumers. The service, introduced in mid-February, could be a game changer for brands with extensive product lines.

Facebook’s announcement described the new service: “Product ads offer businesses a number of ways to highlight different products on Facebook. Marketers can upload their product catalog and create campaigns targeting certain products to specific audiences, or let Facebook automatically deliver the most relevant products to people. Products can be shown in single- or multi-product ad units.”

The new service should take a lot of the guesswork and tedium out of how to reach the right audience at the right time for brands. However, brands must continue to raise the bar on creative presentation and engaging content. Does your brand’s creative stand out from the crowd? Contact us using the form to the right – we’d love to help!

Internet Marketing in San Diego | Jacob Tyler

5 Simple Rules to Create Impactful TV Ads

Every brand wants new customers and will do what it takes to engage them. Though there are now a bevy of mediums through which to advertise, TV remains the most prestigious – and most expensive option. As we saw during the recent Super Bowl, brands are willing to shell out some serious cash for TV ads. Despite rising prices, the big brands continue to utilize TV. But what about growing brands that want to reach a target audience through TV? Often, these brands have smaller budgets, and need to make all 30 seconds really count. The biggest mistake many new brands make is the desire to create a spot that simply tells the story of the brand. While a brand story is important, it’s not enough to win hearts and minds in 30 seconds. Follow these five simple guidelines, and you’re on your way to an engaging and effective TV that gets results for your brand.

  1. Reveal the “why” – Tell your client’s story but make sure you make clear why they love what they do. The end product or service is just that… a product or service! You need to create a connection with the personality of the brand, not just its offerings.
  2. Have a hook!  – How does the ad influence you and others?  Did you touch the consumer with an emotional response?  Most successful ad campaigns engage the consumer on an emotional level. Make your creative speaks to our common humanity. Think about when you see a great movie – no one moves or speaks when the credits role.  Did you touch the consumer like this?  If not, you just created another ho-hum ad.
  3. Create relatable characters – Why do we all love “Flo” from the Progressive commercials?  We can relate to her and the simplicity of her character.  People buy from brands they can identify with.  They need to believe your client’s product or service is the best on the market, but they first need to believe in what  – or who – represents your brand.
  4. Create stories that highlight the brand or product – How many times have you watched a commercial and thought, “What was that commercial about?”  Make sure to highlight the benefits of your product. Benefits don’t need to be the focus of the ad, but they must be perceived.
  5. Get creative!  –  Create something memorable, beautiful and enduring. The best part of creating TV spots for brands is the amazing time you have in the creative process from storyboards to post production.  Have fun, get your creative juices flowing, and enjoy the process!

Want to learn more about how to promote your company? Contact us via the form to the right!

5 Simple Rules to Create Impactful TV Ads

The Jacob Tyler Super Bowl Ad-wards

It’s that time of year again: the advertising orgy known as the Super Bowl. Each year, brands line up to pay a sum greater than the GDP of the country of Burundi to spend 30 seconds on the world stage promoting themselves to the largest TV audience on the planet. In between commercials, a football game is played. This year’s Super Bowl audience was the largest ever, making it the most watched TV program of all time. The effectiveness of the ads is debatable, but brands certainly got a lot of eyeballs on their products. To honor the financial sacrifice these brave brands made this year, we’re dolling out some awards. Without further ado, the Jacob Tyler Super Bowl Ad-wards:

Best Set Design/Logistics Nightmare: Bud Light for “Coin”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9A1NowrnGI

Expanding on their “Up for Whatever” campaign, Bud Light treated an unsuspecting bar patron named Riley to a real life game of Pac Man. The set was constructed in downtown LA, populated with 20-somethings to cheer on the action and Michael Buffer to kick the game off. We’ve got to say, it looks really fun. Maybe real life Donkey Kong for next year?

The “It Takes a Village” Award: Newcastle Brown Ale for “Band of Brands”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaqRwWwXau0

In a wonderful sendup of the Super Bowl ad frenzy – and a clever financial gambit – Newcastle recruited 37 other brands to pitch in money for this 30 second spot featuring a couple hurriedly trying to mention all of the brands before time runs out.

The Tearjerker Award: Budweiser for “Lost Dog”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAsjRRMMg_Q

Because, puppies. Not everyone agrees though. The wolf lobby was none too pleased.

Best/Weirdest Newcomer: Loctite Glue for “#WinAtGlue”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKe7j9tSwW4

The little-known brand leaped into the spotlight with this delightfully odd spot that features a group of socially awkward people in fanny packs getting down to a glue-themed reggae mix. Your move, Crazy Glue.

The “Wait, What?” Award: Nationwide Insurance for “Make Safe Happen”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKUy-tfrIHY

Super Bowl Sunday is generally a feel-good day for families and friends to get together, eat food, drink beer and be merry. But it’s also a time to be reminded that THE WORLD IS INCREDBILY DANGEROUS AND IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL KIDS WILL DIE. Nationwide’s controversial spot drew a ton of criticism and some pretty funny memes. When grilled about the appropriateness of the ad, Nationwide said they wanted to “start a conversation.” Mission accomplished!

Best Dad Ad: Dove for “#RealStrength”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKUy-tfrIHY

Dad ads were big on Super Sunday with spots from Nissan, Toyota and more. But Dove takes the prize with a heartfelt spot featuring dads being dads.

The Guilt Trip Award: Weight Watchers for “All You Can Eat”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppPpgdCHzAE

Weight Watchers’ spot puts the gluttonous American diet and its marketing on trial in front of Super Bowl fans who are undoubtedly taking part in a gluttonous American afternoon and encourages us to “take back control.” Thanks for ruining my super-sized pulled pork sandwich, Weight Watchers.

The Q Score Award: Left Shark for “Halftime Show Featuring Katy Perry”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAtCSio876c

OK, this isn’t technically an ad, but any mention of the 2015 Super Bowl that doesn’t include Left Shark just doesn’t seem right. During the halftime show, a pair of sharks joined Katy Perry onstage for a dance routine. The shark on the left – now forever known as “Left Shark” – was hilariously out of sync – and quite possibly drunk – causing the Internet to explode. Left Shark went from total obscurity to the undisputed star (with apologies to Malcolm Butler) of Super Bowl XLIX. How’s that for a jump in Q score? #WeAreAllLeftShark

Want to discuss how you can make a big impact with your brand? Fill out the form to the right – let’s talk!

San Diego Branding Agency by Jacob Tyler

Going Native

Digital advertising tactics continue to evolve, but there’s one that seems to be growing faster than any other – “native” advertising. Second only to display ads in usage, native advertising was estimated to be a more than $3 billion industry in 2014. In a nutshell, native advertising is sponsored content on a website or social media platform that mimics the host page’s layout, design and content. A more cynical type might call it “camouflage” advertising. At first glance, it can be difficult to determine what is an ad and what’s not. But the goal isn’t deception; it’s to increase brand awareness in a more subtle fashion than display ads – which are often immediately ignored. Some studies suggest that native ads have similar viewership rates to editorial content, and the format seems to enhance brand awareness by getting more “eyeballs” on a brand in a repetitive fashion.

The technique isn’t new – print “advertorials” are basically the same concept, and have been around almost as long as the printing press. And like advertorials, native ads offer more than just a brand mention or a strategically placed logo. Native ads often feature content a visitor might find helpful or interesting, generally related to the topic a visitor is already searching. The tactic seems to be working for brands, which continue to invest more of their budgets in native ads. But the real winners in the native advertising game have been media outlets. After years of revenue crisis as the traditional print model all but vanished, digital media platforms are cashing in on native ads. Online-only platforms like the Huffington Post and Buzzfeed are pioneers in native advertising space, but traditional outlets, like the New York Times and the Washington Post are getting in on the action too. Native ads have undoubtedly been a boon for media outlets, but are brands getting their money’s worth? With surging numbers of brands utilizing native ads, it sure looks that way.

Want to strategize about your advertising? Fill out the form to the right so we can chat!

Marketing Agency in San Diego | Jacob Tyler

The Delightful Pandering of Honda’s Skeletor Ad

The holidays have come and gone but we thought we’d revisit a campaign that had amazing reach! Everywhere you turn during the holidays, you’re inundated by advertisements for everything from vacuum cleaners to vacation homes. The message is the same: “Product X would make a GREAT holiday gift!” The competition for eyeballs – across digital, social media, TV, radio, print, and more – is intense. To stand out, advertisers not only have to get really creative, but also have to focus on specific market segments in order to get the most bang for the advertising buck.

Honda’s latest campaign is a great example of marketing towards a specific demographic – children of the 1980s. Now 30-something adults, this demographic is a prime target audience for Honda’s vehicles. The ads, featuring popular 80s toys headlined by “Skeletor” – the villain from the He-Man toys and cartoon series –summons the ghost of Christmas past. Transfer advertising is not a new concept, but rarely has it been so hilariously direct. The toys literally tell you to associate your good feelings about the 80’s with 2015 Honda vehicles. Skeletor, speaking from inside a Honda CRV, turns to the camera to say: “Remember the exultation you felt when you got me for the holidays? Feel that again with new CRV during happy Honda days!”

More 80’s toys – including Strawberry Shortcake, G.I. Joe, Jem, Stretch Armstrong and even Gumby – appear in subsequent spots, all espousing the same message: buying a Honda will make you feel like a kid during the holidays. The spots are well executed, well written and truly funny – they also garnered a great response, prompting Honda’s social media team to expand the campaign to Twitter, where “Skeletor” staged a brief coup on Honda’s account. The self-proclaimed “Master of the Universe” proceeded to troll a slew of big brands – including Olive Garden, People Magazine, Charmin and Sephora – as only a 1980’s evil cartoon mastermind could. The #Skeletakeover, as it was dubbed, is a great example of cross-platform advertising in the digital age.

#skeletakover Check out the ad, in all it’s 80’s glory, here.

Advertising in San Diego by Jacob Tyler