Insight Categories: Brand Strategy

Funny how we call ourselves creative thinkers, but go about our work the same way day after day. We’ve developed our own tried and tested formulas for problem-solving. We’ve chosen the tools, the process and the atmosphere that makes us most comfortable. And in doing so we’ve created a safety zone.

Now don’t get me wrong, playing it safe in an awful economy is never a bad idea. It’s just not the way to get to the best solution. Breakthroughs only occur after you’ve hit the wall once or twice, and in truth, most of us aren’t willing to put up with that kind of pain. No, we prefer comfort.

In the most recent issue of CA, Milton Glaser says one of his greatest influences was Picasso. “His incredible willingness to abandon his own accomplishments … was the most important thing you could learn from Picasso; this incredible desire to give up what you know and always move toward uncharted waters. That ambition, is what I thought was extraordinary.”

We all know the uncharted waters Glaser’s referring to. When we first got into this business, that’s where we spent most of our time. And now that we’re a little older, (and hopefully a little wiser) it’s where we need to return.

So let’s go. There are no rewards for safety. So let’s go get uncomfortable.

We’re pleased to announce the launch of McArdle’s new website (www.mcardlesolutions.com). Long known as one of the area’s top printing companies, McArdle has evolved their knowledge, service and offerings to stay one step ahead of the rapidly changing communications industry. They approached Grafik to help communicate their evolution from ink on paper to today’s full breadth of offerings which include customized training, digital asset management, 1:1 marketing and more. With over 10 years of experience working together, Grafik began a rebranding process from logo design, print collateral, display signage and now— a new website.

The new website navigation design allows users to easily find the service they need while surfacing other services that visitors may not be as familiar with. A series of “Did You Know?” facts throughout the website support the effort to communicate their depth and breadth of expertise and service.

The website also communicates a level of personality and service McArdle is known for by their long standing client relationships through the straightforward design, color choices, illustration style. Features such as “Ask Our Experts,” and “Get a Quick Quote,” allow McArdle to raise the bar on customer service and generate new ways to stay in touch with prospects and clients.

It’s always nice when someone recognizes the good work being done by one of our clients. As he references the Arts District Hyattsville development, Richard Layman, from the Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space blog, points out that the ultimate goal of any mixed use urban development is to promote life within walking distance. This is exactly what the smart folks at EYA envision as they plan each development.

Read the full article here.

I love social media. I spend hours each day (maybe too many perhaps?) checking Facebook on my iPhone or Mac, tweeting (@psubuzz) and following the various “thought leaders” on Twitter, uploading pictures of my wife or puppy to Flickr and Facebook, streaming music from Last.fm, and reading the latest web news from Mashable or Techcrunch. So, it is not surprising that I am asked by my coworkers here (almost daily) why I haven’t blogged yet. And the answer to that question can be broken down into two simple points, the later being the most important:

1. As much as I know about social media, there is so much more that I don’t know and have yet to learn.

1. Social media requires consistency.

My officemate Tony (@tonyvia on Twitter) and I had this discussion last week as we kicked around the growing social media needs of our clients. Too often, social media is thrown about recklessly as a silver bullet, a means to generate big business, or a box that can be checked as companies develop their marketing plan. But as people have found out, social media is not a means to generate substantial revenue (yet), social media is not a quick and dirty way to market your company, and social media is certainly NOT a silver bullet. Social media is instead a way of thinking, a way of living, and a way of doing business. In 2009, social media can no longer be ignored when developing your business plan. Instead, social media should be a substantial component of your business strategy, one that requires an investment of time. It’s a way to get your message out, a means to connect with an audience, and largely, a way to talk with your peers, your customers, and sometimes, people that have never crossed your mind.

That said, let me return to why it’s taken me a few months to post… social media, like brand management requires consistency. And I have asked myself over and over, as any company should do before sticking their toe in the social media water, “can I provide enough consistent value to make the effort worthwhile?” This is my personal brand on the line, and to a certain degree, Grafik’s brand, as it is your brand when you participate with the social media community. It would be considered a failure in social media terms (and my own for that matter) if I were to make one post, and then never post again. Consequently, it would have a negative impact on my personal brand. The same thought process applies when setting up your company profile on social media platforms. Social media is not just setting up a MySpace profile or a Twitter account —The people you are connecting with need to perceive consistent value from what you are providing.

So, it is after some serious thought, that I say “yes.” I, as well as the rest of our interactive team, can indeed provide consistent value to our clients, our colleagues, and hopefully, value to the larger community. We live and breathe this, and I know we can successfully apply what we know to our clients. And we will do our best to share that on this blog. Heck, this is fun for us… and I look forward to the ensuing conversations that will take place with each other moving forward. Because again, social media is not a checkbox… it’s a way of connecting…

Join me in making 2009 a year to connect with our customers and with each other. Comments are welcome or email me (Brad at Grafik dot com).

As we prepare to launch our new identity—yes, including a blog redesign and web redesign for the anonymous detractors out there…. I have been thinking if stationary is dead. I looked at a matrix of how much stationary we go through and it is surprisingly little. We communicate through emails, pdfs and occasionally fax. But with the exception of proposals and the occasional thank you note—we go through very little formal stationary. I looked at our backlog—at 2 boxes of stationary a month—we have a year’s backlog.

So then I started thinking—should we be thinking differently about stationary—about printing versus printing on demand, about looking at new ways to communicate—and by extension looking at new ways that our clients should be communicating? I would love your thoughts as I try to puzzle this through. Oh—and one more thought—how can we best repurpose our existing 22 boxes of stationary so we use the paper but do not have to put off our new id? Pads have already been suggested—so put on your thinking caps.

I am pissed. And here I thought that sexism in marketing was going the way of the water buffalo. But NOOOOOO.

On Saturday, my husband, David got a beautiful three dimensional piece in the mail. I could not wait to open it up—but since it was addressed to Dave, I did not open it. Instead I waited eagerly until he appeared, and watched as he opened a very beautiful invitation from American Express to become a platinum card member. The direct mail piece was a custom made box with a beautiful gross grain ribbon. And it kept unpeeling to reveal a beautiful vellum flysheet—and then the bummer—all that was in the box was a tiny 4″x4″ brochure exclaiming the virtues of being an AMEX platinum card member.

My husband’s reaction: wasteful, environmentally unsound, stupid, and why did I waste time opening a box that was essentially empty? But I can tell you that Amex dropped a chunk of change on the piece.

So then, after all that drama, I turned to open my mail, and to my surprise, there was my invitation to become a platinum member. But the difference—mine was in a plain No. 10 envelope. And the brochure was standard fare. And I thought—how totally stupid of American Express.

Why?

Well for one—we have a joint account. Did they not think I would see his elaborate invitation as compared to my run of the mill DM piece?

Two, did they make an assumption on who was the big breadwinner and big spender in our house—the male? Wrong wrong wrong.

Three—did they not understand that as a woman I would feel somewhat slighted that my male partner got the uppercrust invitation and that I got second class citizen treatment, again?

Oh I am sure that they have tested this package. But they got it all wrong… Neither of us think it is wise to pay an additional fee for the privilege of having a grey colored card. And, both invitations ended up in our recycling bag.

I was reading an article in the December issue of Investment Advisor that was addressing the dilemma that many advisors are feeling in today’s tough investment environment. Most are still counseling patience, but in the same breathe admitting that they have never really seem a historical precedent to what is occurring in the markets. The article contrasts the conflict between the head (rational judgement) and the heart (emotional reaction). What is interesting is the influence of the heart overriding the head- among the advisors. ” This is the ultimate stress test. The emotional quotient of what we are going through is arguably for most advisors at an all time high,” notes advisor P.J. DiNuzzo.

One reason for the increased anxiety, as if just watching the fortunes of your clients evaporate is not enough, is the entering  of uncharted waters. Advisors are in a situation without historical precedence. ” I don’t think there is panic among advisors, just uncertainty.” While the past performance is not guarantee of future results, they are hoping that history will repeat itself, and investments will return to an upward trend. But, as any good advisor will tell you, no one knows for sure.

This morning I got a phone call from my RIA. Now this guy is so cool and calm, that he wouldn’t sweat in the middle of a forest fire, let alone an economic melt down. He was responding to a call that I put in to him on the wisdom of harvesting tax losses—and yes there is wisdom there. What struck me, was his candor—his admission that he had not seen anything like this before, that his firm had never actually harvested tax losses before, and that he could not be certain as to the direction of the markets or my investments. I gulped.

But I also realise that the reason I stick with him is that he is completely without guile, and as honest as the day is long. One of the advisors in the article wrote,” One of the things we are doing with clients is to remind them what their goals are and to keep the focus there as opposed to the immediate situation”. Another noted, “I think that what differentiates my clients’ perspective from others is that they have a tremendous amount of trust in what we are doing.”

And when I think to my conversation this morning, isn’t that what made feel comfortable telling my advisor to let it rip? Trust and planning. And keeping your head screwed on straight.

Grafik is pleased to announce that the Rolyn Website is now live. Grafik has been working with Rolyn, a disaster recovery and restoration specialty construction company, since September 2006 on a full-scale branding initiative.

Since its inception, Rolyn has provided dependable, full-service restorative and specialty services to public and private facilities, including hospitals, hotels, office buildings, and apartment buildings nationwide.

In addition to the website, Grafik has been working with Rolyn on a variety of marketing initiatives, including the development of its visual identity, logo, vehicle signage, and business paper suite, to name a few.

Grafik is happy to announce that the Fortigent website is now live. Grafik has been working with Fortigent, an outsourced wealth management solutions provider, since the firm was spun off from its parent company, Lydian Wealth Management, last year. With over ten years of experience in the High Net Worth marketplace, Fortigent’s services and solutions are designed to help investment advisory firms and financial institutions meet the needs of their ultra affluent clients.

Grafik continues to work with Fortigent’s senior management on an ongoing basis as their brand gains increased visibility in the financial services space.

Grafik is pleased to announce that the Convergent Wealth Advisors website is now live. With more than $7 billion under advisement, Convergent Wealth Advisors, formerly known as Lydian Wealth Management, provides financial advice and consulting to ultra high net worth individuals. Convergent has provided objective, original, and effective consultative services to their clients since their inception in 1994.

Over the past year, Grafik has been working with the CWA’s senior management on the firm’s business and marketing strategies through its transition from Lydian Wealth Management. As part of the new rebranding effort, Grafik has provided strategic counsel as well as all tactical marketing communications materials.

Grafik is thrilled to announce that we have recently received two Addy awards for work on the Smithsonian Latino Center brand identity campaign and EYA’s National Park Seminary sales package. In addition, the American Corporate Identity 23 has recognized Grafik’s work for the following initiatives: Honda in America 2006, EYA.com, Centerpointe sales package, Arts District Hyattsville sales package, Capitol Quarter sales package, The Smithsonian Latino Center Gala invitation and brochure, National Datacast logo design, Consumer Healthcare Products Association visual identity guidelines, and Grafik.com.

Grafik is pleased to announce that we have been selected by the city of Lynchburg’s Marketing Partnership to develop a distinguishing brand for the city. Comprised of representatives from municipal departments and external agencies, the Marketing Partnership realized its need to develop a consistent brand that would be effective in communicating Lynchburg’s unique offerings to its various audiences ranging from citizens and tourists to job seekers and entrepreneurs. Located near the geographic center of Virginia, nestled among the Blue Ridge Mountains, the city of Lynchburg has a lot to tout between its rich American history, nationally recognized urban trail system and up and coming downtown.

As a strategic partner for this initiative, Grafik has already begun working closely with the Marketing Partnership in setting the foundation for Lynchburg’s branding effort that will include development of a new visual identity and marketing campaign. According to Lance Wain, Grafik’s Vice President of Marketing and New Business Development, “Grafik is excited to work with such an esteemed Virginian landmark, and we look forward to making Lynchburg a must-visit destination.”