Besides being a wet-your-drawers funny video, “The Beach Boys Shred I Get Around” is a good example of using less branding in branded entertainment videos. At the end of the video, there’s a shot of “Stick City World’s Largest Hod Rod Dealer,” which was apparently a top spot for custom cars back in the day.…
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Dear Brands and Startups, If your company is at the point in its growth cycle where it needs an agency to handle its creative outreach, then it’s important to know the best approach. Sure, you can refer to “how-to” posts on various websites, but how about you look to an unexpected video. This video comes…
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The Pitch. You’ve been preparing for it for weeks and the day has finally come. It’s just you, your team, and the client, all together in a room that will most likely not be set to your preferred temperature. Thousands of dollars are on the line if not millions, or, if you’re a smaller agency, hundreds.…
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What do Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, and Hall & Oates all have in common? Aside from their popularity in music, these artists all have songs that describe everyday situations almost perfectly. In relation to brands, the three musicians (and a few others) have tracks that describe the process of finding a creative agency surprisingly well. In…
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In its March 2013 issue, Fast Company magazine published its annual list of the 50 most innovative companies in the world. Nike came in at No. 1, followed by Amazon and Jack Dorsey’s Square. And newcomers like Uber and Pinterest helped round out the top 10. But what about the most non-innovative companies? Don’t they…
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Have you implemented a web series in your marketing strategy lately? If you haven’t, you may want to think about doing it. Creating a set of videos (a.k.a. web series) isn’t new to marketing communications, but for some reason they aren’t used as much as they could be. Big brands like IKEA implement web series…
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If there’s a lesson from SXSW it is that a brand must determine how to stand out during a major event. During events sponsors, musicians, and directors all compete for consumer attention, so it is imperative that a brand strategize effective ways to capture as much attention as possible. Converting potential consumers into brand loyalists…
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The handshake is the crucible of the business world. Deliver a memorable handshake and you’ll land that new client and be bumped up the list for a promotion. Deliver a flop and you’ll be the laughing-stock of the office and probably get fired – if you don’t quit first, that is, on account of the…
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The first week of Austin’s film, music, and interactive festival South By Southwest (SXSW) has officially started and the two-week event is already trending. The festival’s music and film components may catch your attention, but for myself, I’m keeping a watchful eye on the SXSW Accelerator award ceremony. Running from March 11th to March 13th, the…
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Nothing is more important to a client than how you behave at dinner. I’ve heard countless stories of salespeople having the deal all but inked only to lose it on account of a poor dinner performance. Here’s a list of dos and don’ts to follow when meeting with a client over dinner. Print it out…
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