Environmental Graphics “In the Wild”
Observations from the Relish Marketing Team
Environmental graphics and the ways in which they interact with interior design have been big topics of conversation here at Relish Marketing. We literally wrote the book on it because we often support clients with this kind of design work. And recently, we challenged ourselves to make a point of noticing interesting environmental design "in the wild," wherever we found ourselves.
Account Executive Noah Chen took a trip to the Georgia Aquarium, where he noticed how its spaces are designed to feel engaging and immersive. “Many of the exhibits have tanks that extend across the ceiling to appear suspended over visitors, encouraging people to frequently look up as well as forward,” he explained. Noah also appreciated the creative use of graphic projections to direct traffic, creating a continuous experience. He noted that graphics and interior design come together throughout the site to inspire everything from awe in the presence of massive aquatic life to whimsey (e.g., "Keep off the rocks – fish swimming upstream!"). He also noted how contrasts in lighting shift the emotional feeling of each space, taking visitors from the subdued feeling of an evening spot to areas like the dolphin room, which excites visitors with a contrasting flood of daylight.
Effective design doesn’t have to be wild or splashy to deliver results, as President and Founder Pam Willoughby realized on a recent visit to a Hyundai service center. “The large square sign did a great job of directing customers to the service department with very clear directions and relevant, short verbiage,” she remarked. “And the large marquee signs for the dealership and service center are simple but correctly positioned to be seen/read by customers.”
Art Director Paul Marquardt detected smart environmental graphic choices in a Best Buy store, where architecture and design unite effectively. "Tall ceilings allow for clearly visible signage. Floor-to-ceiling posts hold tall, blue, rectangular boxes displaying department area names, which seem suspended from the ceiling." He added that this high level of identification above eye level made it easy to enjoy browsing at eye level on the way to or from any given location. Paul also noted that the retailer reinforced its iconic branding throughout the store. "Best Buy Blue was nearly everywhere, and the Geek Squad sign, big and orange, couldn't be ignored.”
My environmental graphics hunt found treasure in two places. First, I went to get my hair done at Salon de la Vie, where the first thing that greeted me was a wall that looked like it was made up of living plants, with a neon sign in its corner reading, “Hello, Gorgeous.” The wall is bold in its design, inspiring a sense of calm and well-being, interrupted only by an energetic greeting, reinforcing the salon’s philosophy that every client is beautiful.
Following that hair appointment, I went to dinner at 5Church Midtown, where art was everywhere – even on the ceiling, where the full text of Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” appeared as if handwritten on a giant black chalkboard. A book about military strategy might seem an odd choice for a restaurant, but excerpts about creativity and the senses abound. The dining space also includes "Iron Tree," a giant, colorful, welded piece by artist Michael Puzio. These and other art pieces come together to elevate the dining experience to involve more senses, inspiring insights and conversation.
Relish Creative Director Michael Palermo is our resident expert on how environmental graphics can interact with architecture and interior design to instruct, inspire – and even change how people consider their spaces. "It’s exciting when a space and its graphics are created simultaneously to create an overall experience,” he asserts. “But sometimes, the most creative opportunities come when existing architecture can’t be changed – so, the environmental graphics do the heavy lifting of updating the look or inspiring a different feel.”
With this in mind, we invite you to take the same challenge we did. When you’re out and about, take note of your surroundings. Consider what effect environmental graphics have on your experience. Do they encourage you to move quickly through the space or to linger in key areas? How do they interact with the geography and architecture? Do they inspire high activity or a sense of tranquility? Does the signage make it easy to navigate, or does it force you to pay attention to things you might not otherwise notice? Take note – and then, for bonus points, tell us about it! Environmental Graphic Design is one of our favorite topics, and we'd love to spend some time talking about it with you.
For a Strong, Extensible Brand, Take Your Cues from These Four Celebrities
Pro Branding Lessons from Ryan Reynolds, Serena Williams, Dwayne Johnson, and Dolly Parton
When we help Relish Marketing clients build and develop their brands, we start by defining brand as the recognizable experience that happens at any point of contact with an organization or product. A great logo, look-and-feel, tagline, and message go a long way toward influencing and informing that experience. However, successful brand development and extension depend on how those elements embody the brand’s personality and identity - its core brand attributes. And this is most evident when the brand is a person (usually a celebrity).
The truth is that it’s hard to build and maintain a consistent personal brand. This is especially the case when you’re always in the public eye (just ask James Corden and Jennifer Lopez). On the other hand, some celebrities have not only built strong personal brands, they’ve extended those brands into enterprises well beyond what made them celebrities in the first place. Take these four, for example:
RYAN REYNOLDS
Brand Attributes
- Witty nice guy, loads of charm
- Goofy and relatable with mild anxiety
- Unafraid to offend (see also, that charm)
- Unabashed romantic with hidden depth
- Curious and friendly
Brand Establishment
Ryan Reynolds honed his engaging persona in increasingly popular movies, solidifying it with the Deadpool franchise and reinforcing it with Free Guy and The Adam Project.
Successful Brand Extension
Reynolds bought Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile, and his brand is all over both companies. Maybe that’s because he promotes them through Maximum Effort, his agency also known for rapidly producing ads that tap into major pop culture moments. For instance, one of his Aviation Gin ads skewered Peloton’s cringeworthy Christmas ad so well that Peloton turned to him when Just Like That slammed the company in its series premiere. He also bought a struggling Welsh football club with TV star Rob McElhenny, brought it back to life, and produced the hit reality series about it, Welcome to Wrexham.
SERENA WILLIAMS
Brand Attributes
- Confident and intense
- Strong and powerful
- Polished and fashion-forward
- Tenacious advocate for those she values
- Unafraid to defy social norms
Brand Establishment
Alongside her sister, Venus, Serena Williams rose to public awareness as the longest-ranked #1 female tennis player of the Open era, winning 23 Grand Slam women’s singles titles.
Successful Brand Extension
Williams has become a fashion icon, designing her own norm-challenging tennis outfits and launching successful makeup and body care lines. Her Serena Ventures venture capital firm has stakes in 30+ major companies. She is a co-owner of the Miami Dolphins football team and the Angel City FC National Women’s Soccer League team. Williams’ philanthropic efforts have supported educational initiatives in Kenya and Jamaica. She has appeared in films, television series, and music videos. She and Venus were also executive producers of the King Richard biopic about their father.
DOLLY PARTON
Brand Attributes
- Glitzy, glamorous, and voluptuous
- Plain-spoken, with a southern drawl
- Humble, often recalling childhood in poverty
- Confident, calling things as she sees them
- Generous and relatable
Brand Establishment
Dolly Parton grew up singing and performing on local Tennessee radio programs, rapidly becoming a prolific songwriter and Grammy award-winning country singer.
Successful Brand Extension
Parton has become a successful actor, first in the feature film 9 to 5, then in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias, and multiple episodes of commercial television. As co-owner of The Dollywood Company, she operates the Dollywood theme park and a series of dinner theatres. Parton has produced multiple television projects and supports a wide range of philanthropic efforts through The Dollywood Foundation, particularly in the areas of literacy, wildfire relief, and healthcare. She funded the critical early-stage development of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine.
DWAYNE JOHNSON
Brand Attributes
- Extremely fit physical presence
- Ambitious and exacting
- Charisma offsetting intimidating appearance
- Loud in the wrestling ring
- Relatable and approachable in person
Brand Establishment
Dwayne Johnson became famous with his professional wrestling persona, “The Rock,” one of the all-time greatest champions of the World Wrestling Federation.
Successful Brand Extension
Johnson parlayed his extreme wrestling popularity into acting, starring in The Mummy and The Fast and Furiousfranchises as well as the Disney musical film Moana, becoming one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. He co-founded Seven Bucks Productions to create original content. Johnson launched the Teremana Tequila company, now valued at $3.5 billion. He is a co-owner of the United Football League. And, his charitable organization, the Rock Johnson Foundation supports at-risk and terminally ill children as well as hurricane relief efforts in Hawaii.
You would be hard-pressed to find four more different celebrities. However, four qualities they share help them build, maintain, and extend their brands across a range of enterprises:
- Authenticity: Sure, you could argue that Dolly Parton's makeup, sequins, and plastic surgery fly in the face of the term. But you would be wrong. I’ve met her and can confirm that her reputation for authentic kindness and intelligence is well-earned. All four of these celebrities illustrate that you can’t just invent the brand attributes you wish to be true. If you set an expectation about the experience of meeting a given celebrity – or engaging with a brand – the reality has to match at every point of contact.
- Business Acumen: We've heard the cliche of celebrities so wrapped up in their performances that they ignore balance sheets and business plans. By contrast, Reynolds, Williams, Johnson, and Parton are all known for paying deep attention to the “back office” side of their businesses, asking incisive questions, and insisting on absolute integrity. Obviously, this is essential for any successful brand.
- Discipline and Stamina: The image of celebrity-as-prima-donna is common because often it is true. However, these four performers are known for working hard, not stopping until the job is done. They may have staff supporting them, but with their names on their enterprises, they work to make them succeed. As tennis great Rafael Nadal says of Williams, “She deserves all the things that she achieved because she worked to make them happen for such a long time, with a lot of determination, dedication, discipline.”
- Parton, Johnson, Williams, and Reynolds all deliberately separate their personal lives from their professional pursuits. If you’ve seen Welcome to Wrexham, you’ve seen how Reynolds does it. He’s gregarious, curious, charming, and funny with those he meets, but he only shares carefully selected bits of his family and personal life with the public. Similarly, in curating a brand, it's essential to set boundaries while remaining true to core brand attributes.
The Big Takeaway for Business Brands
The same qualities that enable these multifaceted celebrity brands apply to any business brand – regardless of whether your goal is awareness, loyalty, advocacy, or business expansion. You may not be headlining any upcoming hit movies or sporting events. But manage your brand like a successful celebrity and you’ll be well on your way to blockbuster brand success.
AI Content Generation is Scary. Here’s When to Use it Anyway.
Is AI Exciting or Frightening? (News Flash: It’s Both)
Open up the AI content generator of your choice, be it ChatGPT, Jasper, Rytr, Copy.ai, or something else. Tell it to write about whatever you want, in whatever format you like. There it is! Then, let’s say you decide the style isn't quite right. "Write it to feel friendlier," you command. And voila – it's done!
As someone who writes for a living, this kind of generative AI should terrify me – and it does a little. I’ve read the dystopian fiction and seen the sci-fi movies: when we give in to our electronic overlords, it never ends well. But for all of AI’s thrilling potential, I’m here to tell you why you shouldn’t treat it like a magic writing machine, but you shouldn’t be afraid of it either.
Five things human writers do better than AI
The more you know about how AI writing apps work, the easier it is to identify qualities that capable human writers bring to their craft – qualities that AI often lacks:
- Accuracy
"I read it online, so it must be true!" That’s pretty much the motto of all AI content generators. They can’t write anything original – they can only repurpose pre-existing content, not all of which may be factually accurate. Most AI content generators don’t cite sources, which makes it hard for human beings to evaluate accuracy. And the more AI-generated content fills the internet, the more content generators will use that factually questionable material as source material.
- Distinctiveness
“I want us to sound just like everybody else!” said no business leader ever. Even as you can adjust the style of AI-generated content, those stylistic markers will still feel generic. The AI's grammar may be technically correct – but that doesn't mean it will express your point with the clarity, energy, and style you need.
- Creativity
“The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done.” The pioneering psychologist Jean Piaget made that statement in the 20th century, and other than leaving out more than half the population, he could have been critiquing AI. By definition, AI can only replicate and recombine existing content. It can't make the leaps of logic that yield true creativity.
- Searchability
“You can’t be in love with a Google search,” Taylor Swift told Vogue magazine in 2012. But let's face it – we marketers are totally in love with search engines. It's why search engine optimization (SEO) and management (SEM) are so critical to our work. That said, search engines don't like content lifted from other sources. They don’t like "stitching or combining content from different web pages without adding sufficient value." And that's essentially what AI-generated content is.
- Responsibility
“You are responsible for the energy you create.” Oprah was talking about personal behavior when she said that on the finale of her television show. But who is responsible when the energy of your AI content generator plagiarizes copyrighted content, as it may easily do? If the AI content generator produces copy that inadvertently offends or harms your audiences, who’s liable? Who will take steps to ensure correct attribution and ownership? Not the AI.
Is AI Ever a Good Idea?
At this point, you probably think I’m recommending that nobody ever use an AI content generator. I’m not. AI is here to stay and – surprise! – even I sometimes take advantage of its content capabilities. There are times when you should, too. For instance, you may want to:
- Treat AI like a very smart but highly inexperienced intern. Ask it to comb the internet for information, trends, statistics, or published perspectives. That will give you a good start and save you the tedium of gathering those bits of content. But after that, it's on you (or the human writer working for your marketing firm) to check the accuracy of the facts and make sure that the writing actually makes sense in the context of the story you want to tell.
- Break down your writer’s block. If you’re working on a project and feel stuck, go ahead and see what the AI does with your prompt or idea. The results won’t be perfect – and that’s kind of the point. Read the AI content critically, poking holes in what’s wrong with it. You’ll almost certainly identify how you can do it better.
- Double-check your grammar. Running content through a grammar and spelling checker like Grammarly is only a bad idea if you absently accept every change it recommends. I promise, if you do that, you’ll wind up with some weirdly confusing language written in an oddly stilted voice. Instead, consider every recommendation thoughtfully, making your changes deliberately. You’ll catch and correct errors in ways that make your writing both clearer and clearly your own.
- Make a point about AI’s limitations. Last year, when Relish Marketing wanted to do an April Fool’s Day post about AI taking over our creative work, I had AI write the story. I desperately wanted to correct the places where it needed some of the qualities listed above. But I resisted – specifically to make the point that such a takeover would not be happening anytime soon.
- Get your content’s quality about 75% as far as it should go. I am aware that this is already how many people think about content. “Good enough is good enough,” they say. Likewise, a word game I play uses AI to create a poem based on the answers to each day’s puzzle. Are the results mildly entertaining? Sure. Is the poetry brilliant? No – but as a quick popup at the end of the game, it doesn’t have to be.
You Deserve Better Than Good Enough.
That could be a subhead for Relish’s origin story. Pam Willoughby founded this business largely because she recognized that “good enough” rarely is. Clients deserve better.
That’s why each of us on the Relish team is committed to bringing our clients the best possible strategy and creative that we can. Do we wish it was as easy as pressing a button? Often. Will we give AI a chance when we think it might help us, as in the situations above? Sure. But until we see an AI that knows what it means to dig deeper to understand each client, push past old ways of thinking, make creative leaps of logic, come up with new communication possibilities, and make every project as strong as it can be, you can trust us to keep bringing our very human intelligence and creativity to everything we do.
What could that look like for your business? We’d love to talk about it with you.
4 Reasons Why Brand Marketers Can’t Resist Gen Z (or whatever the youngest generation may be)
It's no secret that Gen Z (born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s) is the "it generation" for marketers. But the truth is that the youth market – whatever generation it belongs to – has been a highly desirable demographic going all the way back to the 1960s.
What Was So Different About the 1960s for Marketers
Before the 1960s, most advertising focused on established adults. Then, multiple things changed. Young people were stepping out of their parents' cultural shadows in a way that captured public attention. Many had money but were against materialism, desperate to stand out against societal norms. And this iconoclasm made them a virtually irresistible marketing target – a dichotomy to be resolved and leveraged.
Pepsi was among the first brands to align themselves with 1960s youth, calling them “The Pepsi Generation.” Coca-Cola quickly followed with its famous "Hilltop" commercial, which invited a diverse group of free-spirited young people “to teach the world to sing." The approach was attractive and successful enough to inspire other brands to get in on the action with campaigns that leaned into the hippie culture, psychedelic colors, and "cool" imagery and messaging.
Why the Youngest Adults Remain a Source of Marketing Fascination
Ever since that initial, groundbreaking explosion of youth-focused marketing, GenX, then the Millennials, and now Gen Z have enjoyed time in the marketing spotlight as they have risen to adulthood. However, the attraction comes from more than just the age of these consumers. There are four compelling reasons why "newly minted" adults are so compelling to marketers:
- They have independence. Whether they are in college, living in their first apartments, or even still living with their parents, people over the age of 18 are able to make decisions and spend money with or without their parents' influence.
- They have few financial commitments. People entering adulthood usually do so without commitments like marriage, children, or mortgages. That means that a greater percentage of their money can be spent on… pretty much anything else.
- They’re asserting their identity – and want to be seen. As young adults begin flexing their autonomy, they're defining themselves both as individuals and members of affinity groups. And they'll respond to brands that reflect how they see themselves.
- They’re new (to us). As new generations rise to adulthood, marketers are likely to see them as lacking deep loyalty to brands beyond candy and media. In other words, they're ripe for branding influence. And because they're different from the generation that preceded them, these young adults give marketers new areas of focus, inspiring fresh ways to be creative.
The Evolution Revolution: What Happens as a New “It Generation” Rises
Sorry to break it to all the Gen Zers out there, but you won’t be the cool kids forever. As Gen Z matures and gains affluence like the Millennials, Xers and Boomers before them, things will change. New responsibilities and commitments will inspire new wants and needs. And marketers will have to keep pace, balancing their generational assumptions against changing circumstances.
For instance, today’s typical Gen Zers are community-oriented and pragmatic about addressing social and environmental issues. Those fundamental qualities are likely to stay strong over time. That said, Gen Z's favorite food brands are M&Ms, Doritos, Kit Kat, and Oreo. Those brands may always have a soft spot in their hearts, but as they get older and pay more attention to their health or the health of their own children, those preferences are likely to evolve.
This evolution of behavior has happened to every generation that was once a marketing darling. In the 1960s, many baby boomers were anti-establishment and eager to “do their own thing,” often adhering to the maxim, “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” Today, those same people have long since celebrated their 30th birthdays; indeed, they are the establishment. Gen-Xers, the original "latch-key kids," are today's "helicopter parents."Millennials were the first generation to grow up online, making Facebook and Instagram explosive brands. Today, they’re not alone in their technology adoption (they’ve largely abandoned Facebook as older generations have embraced it), and newer tech like TikTok often confounds them. It happens to the best of us – and chances are good that it will happen to Gen Z, too.
What It All Means for Marketers
If Gen Z represents a high-potential audience for your brand, pursue them with authenticity. Show that you recognize who they are and how your product belongs in their lives. Pay attention to their present circumstances and how their wants, needs, and lives will likely change in the future. And, if you really want to elevate your marketing efforts, look for a partner who can help you take a deep dive into key trends and turn strategic insights into creative communications. Strengthen relationships with your current audience – and keep a close eye on the future generations following them into adulthood. They’re coming your way sooner than you may think.
5 Ways to Add Voice Optimization to Your Digital Strategy
Here’s a love story brought to you by your favorite voice assistants.
“Alexa, find me the best first-date restaurants in my area."
“Okay, Google, play a podcast that will tell me something about successful relationships.”
“Siri, what are the top honeymoon spots in Hawaii?”
This little romantic tale offers just one example of how pervasive voice-activated search and virtual assistants have become. They’re on our smart speakers, phones, tablets, and laptops. We ask them about everything from the weather, local business hours, and available parking to operating instructions, song titles, and trivia. Regardless of how you use yours, voice search is everywhere – and with their growing Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, they’re becoming more accurate and omnipresent all the time. In 2022, 62% of Americans 18+ were using voice assistants, with more than half of them using the technology daily. And worldwide usage is expected to skyrocket to 8.4 billion. In other words, no matter what industry you’re in, it’s not enough to be Googleable. You need voice search optimization.
Don’t all searches use the same tech? Not exactly.
Voice searches do tap into standard search engines like Google, Bing, Duck Duck Go, and Yahoo. But they also use longer, often more complex conversational syntax. And, their algorithms try to glean the underlying meaning behind any given query.
Optimizing your digital presence for voice search results doesn't mean you have to completely redo your SEO strategy. On the contrary, voice search optimization efforts can help improve the way general search engines see your content, raising your position in all kinds of search results. That's why we've identified five key ways in which every business should engage in voice optimization.
- Use conversational keywords.
Conversational keywords should feel authentic and natural – how people really talk — while still keeping an eye on spelling, grammar, and clarity. Consider using personal pronouns ("I," "you," "we," etc.) in your blog posts. And don't be afraid to be entertaining (maybe your opening lines might tell a little story ;~)). This less formal style will help your content feel more authentic and approachable. Equally important, it also will be interpreted as more relevant to voice queries. - Use question keywords.
Question keywords include “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how.” Use these question words on your web pages and follow them with quick, satisfying answers. FAQ pages are great for this. You can – and should – provide more detail further down on the page, but these quick-hit matches go a long way toward supporting voice searchability. - Use Long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords consist of three or more words, and they are necessary for voice search success because conversational queries are longer than most typed search engine queries. For instance, our voice searcher above says, “Play a podcast that will tell me something about successful relationships.” The same search on a standard search would simply be "relationship podcasts.” Make sure your SEO strategy and tactics allow for both approaches. - Use schema markup.
Schema markup is HTML code that helps search engines provide specific details about your business in their search results listings. We're talking about things like contact information, pricing, and reviews, as well as your address and business hours. Human visitors to your site will never see this code – but the indexing bots will, which helps search engines see your content as more relevant. - If you have a brick-and-mortar business, think locally.
Voice searches often include location-specific requests – so you want to make yours easy to find. That said, it's not enough to just set up Google, Yahoo, and other aggregator business profiles, which will include your address. Location-oriented voice requests often seek places according to local landmarks and major streets. So, consider including language like "Just off Main Street" and "Right near the Metropolitan Museum of Art." Be sure that both your website and any aggregate business pages include your hours of operation, too. After all, people will likely ask, "Find me a [TYPE OF BUSINESS] near me that’s open right now.”
Beyond these valuable voice search optimization enhancements, you should continue to pay attention to standard SEO best practices. Improve your page speed. Create SEO-friendly links. And create a great user experience.
If adding voice optimization to your SEO strategy feels overwhelming, we get it.
Whether you want to handle these efforts on your own, engage a professional partner like Relish Marketing, or share responsibility, we’re always eager to hear about your challenges, offer the benefit of our experience, and help you achieve the search results you need, both now and in the future.
Research Can Save Your Marketing From This Common Blind Spot
We see it all the time.
Many executives are so immersed in the day-to-day running of their organizations that they cannot see how other people perceive them.
It's a natural and very common blind spot. Most companies are founded because someone recognizes a need that isn’t being met, a solution that nobody else is providing. And at that point, the business and its executives know their target market very well. Over time, however, so many things can change – from market conditions and competitive pressures to technology and how people work and live. Most of these changes happen gradually. So, it’s hard to recognize when they may impact the target audience and how the target audience may change over time.
Denial of this blind spot can quickly lead to strategies and tactics built on suppositions and biases that may or may not align with reality. And that can shrivel brand awareness, market share, sales, and even talent attraction.
Research can reveal the big picture you need to see
When organizations develop beyond their beginnings, when the market landscape shifts, when customer needs evolve and any time the company wants to change its direction or messages, it’s easy to make assumptions about business implications. It can even seem reasonable to apply incomplete information (such as one or two people mentioning that they didn’t see your emailed newsletter) to published opinions (like an editorial about the success of one company’s texted newsletters) and believe this suggests that you should change your newsletter distribution to mobile texts – especially if the idea’s been ticking in your head for a while, anyway.
Your new idea could turn out to be successful. But if you base it more on a gut feeling than on viable data and trends, it’s just as likely, if not more so, that you could undercut progress. Equally important, if you don't measure new programs against measured benchmarks, you will have no idea how they perform. And poor performance will be more expensive than the costs of any research.
In other words, before you make big decisions about your brand direction, sales approach, marketing, and communications, you owe it to your business to inform your decisions with unbiased information and insights into your historical and current performance, as well as likely expectations for the future.
“Qualitative and quantitative research … can be a powerful combination. In many instances, qualitative research identified unique brand perceptions that no one expected. Then, a follow-up survey validated higher than expected prevalence of this attitude among the broader target audience.”
Kip Creel, Principal
StandPoint, Atlanta Research Consultancy
What kind of research are we talking about?
There are basically two kinds of research – quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research measures data or information that can be viewed as usable statistics. For instance, what percentage of our customers visit our website, what percentage use our mobile app, and what percentage prefer to call on the phone? Or, how common are certain views among our audience? These kinds of research studies are usually conducted via surveys and questionnaires, and require a representative sample size – that is, a relatively large number of respondents – to keep margins of error low.
Qualitative research seeks to understand perspectives and motivations. What makes our target audience think and act the way they do? How do they perceive our brand – and why? This type of research typically engages fewer respondents in a more in-depth setting, such as a focus group or one-on-one interview.
It is essential to design questions in a way that limits bias. For instance, you probably wouldn't ask, "On a scale of one through five, with one signifying 'somewhat' and five signifying 'completely,' how much do you love this product?" A better-worded question would be, “On a scale of one through five, with one signifying ‘I hate it,’ and five signifying ‘I love it,’ how do you feel about this product?” Likewise, in both qualitative and quantitative research, it is important to always ask questions in the same way to avoid skewing responses in ways the respondent thinks the interviewer wants.
Sure, but how does it work in the real world?
Here at Relish Marketing, we recognize these two types of research as complementary, often coming together to reveal trends and provide the basis for insights. For instance, TEPHINET, the global network of field epidemiology training programs, was looking ahead to its 25th anniversary. The organization, which aims to ensure that every country in the world has the capacity needed to protect and promote the health of its population, had evolved significantly over its history. Especially as the global COVID-19 pandemic was shining a public light on the essential value of field epidemiology, TEPHINET’s leaders sought ways to increase awareness and improve engagement among key audiences.
Our three-pronged approach included:
- Quantitative research, surveying approximately 300 field epidemiology training program students, graduates, and staff, as well as representatives of partner organizations and staff members. The research was aimed at evaluating current brand awareness and communications effectiveness to establish a baseline for annual improvement.
- Qualitative research, involving 12 one-on-one, in-depth interviews of field epidemiology training program representatives, partners, and internal organization staff, who represented multiple geographic areas and roles. This research aimed to generate deeper visibility into perceptions of the organization and its communications approach, as well as challenges and opportunities for improvement.
- A communications workshop with key stakeholders, during which we explored communications goals and messages in light of the research findings.
Together, the research and workshop informed both immediate and long-term creative and strategic communications recommendations, with key tactics supporting the insights and strategic goals identified in the study. Equally important, the workshop reinforced awareness of communications needs, challenges, and opportunities among critical stakeholders, encouraging their involvement and participation as new communications plans were rolled out.
Why guess and assume when you can know?
Above all, research provides a tremendous opportunity to gain visibility into the experiences and perspectives of key individuals – be they customers, partners, employees, or other stakeholders. Our clients have told us that having Relish conduct their research tends to yield the most open and authentic results possible since people may be more likely to share issues with a third party than the people they engage with on a day-to-day basis. Wherever you are in your communications journey, the path toward better marketing strategy and creative communications is almost always better paved with research.
Five Questions About Typography: How Typography Makes a Strategic Difference to Communications
Creating typography seems simple enough. You choose an attractive font for your text, and you're done, right? Of course not. For experienced designers, typography is a powerful tool, influencing brand identity and personality, creating a sense of cohesion and continuity, drawing focus to specific areas of a page – the list goes on and on. So, we sat down with Creative Director Michael Palermo and Art Director Paul Marquardt to ask five questions about this essential design element.
- Give us a quick primer on what we mean when we talk about typography. Many people think that typography means typefaces and fonts. Talk a bit about why that’s only part of the picture.PAUL MARQUARDT: Typography encompasses much more than simply choosing a typeface. Within any given font set, you have specific ascenders and descenders, curves, angles, serifs – and they all come together to give the typeface a recognizable look. But typography also includes things like size and scale – how the typeface looks on, say, a business card versus how it looks on a brochure versus how it looks on a billboard. There's the question of weights – how light or bold a typeface might be in standard and italic applications.MICHAEL PALERMO: There are also ligatures – certain letter combinations that look best close together and are combined to form a single character. Typography is how you use those typefaces to communicate. That includes kerning, leading, justification, proportion, placement, and even color – all of which contribute to look, feel, and legibility, which is so important. It also includes the relationship of the type to other elements on the page. For instance, how you format the type and combine it with a graphic – as a caption, as an overlay, in a bold color or shade of grey – can make a big difference in how the typography supports the overall message.
- What makes typography a powerful design element? What does it do for communications?MICHAEL: The primary goal of any communications component is to get a message across. Typography carries those messages because it’s a vehicle for copy. So, we make very deliberate choices about the best way for a given typeface to express the words we’re communicating. But typography can be a powerful tool outside of specific text. Every typeface has specific combinations of straight lines, curves, angles, and points, which can be design elements on their own – or they can suggest and align with other graphics.PAUL: Different typefaces can evoke different kinds of energy, establishing personality and emotion. Likewise, type placement can draw focus to specific areas on a page or support ease of navigation on a screen.
- Let's talk about typography as part of brand identity. How does typography help define a brand?PAUL: The best-known brands have made certain typefaces iconic – think the script of Coca-Cola or the block letters in FedEx. Those typefaces are defining points for those brands.MICHAEL: The ability of typography to define a brand has evolved a lot. It started with sign painting and hand lettering. Now we have endless options, which can be great. But it also makes the process complicated.
- What are the top things you consider when choosing typography for a client or project?MICHAEL: It depends on the message we’re trying to communicate. Legibility is critical. But so is personality. It also depends on its application. Will this piece appear in print? On mobile devices? On the exterior of a building? How does the typeface underscore key messages? And which fonts will work better as headlines, subheads, body copy, and captions?PAUL: We also think about how a typeface will make people feel when they look at it. Even many simple typefaces can evoke an emotional response. You just have to make sure it's the response you want.
- With today’s tools – especially AI – anyone can be a “designer.” But of course, not everyone can be a good designer. What kinds of typography mistakes do you see untrained people make?PAUL: Where do we begin? I’ve seen a lot of people trying to fill up all the space with type – not allowing space to be its own graphic element.MICHAEL: I’ve seen attempts at creating “unique” letters by breaking apart a letter shape or inserting a shape into the type. Type design requires a very precise and technical balance between character shape, how the angles start and finish, and how they scale in weight. Breaking any one of those elements can destroy its integrity.PAUL: Unless you know what you’re doing.
MICHAEL: Exactly. You have to be intentional about your choices. I recently saw an outdoor sign on a restaurant with an "Old English" font, and it was hard to see, let alone read. You have to think about legibility and visibility – as well as what the typeface does and doesn't evoke.
PAUL: How about spacing between paragraphs? Inexperienced designers will use an extra return even though there are line and paragraph spacing tools that make the copy feel much more cohesive and consistent. It's like the way we still see overuse of full justification. Straight margins on both sides of a paragraph can look great – but if you rely on automatic settings, you get big spaces between words, excessive hyphenations, and letters unnaturally crunched together. With some manual care and attention, you can eliminate those awkward issues.
MICHAEL: Overenthusiastic use of fonts is another big one. Just because you have thousands of fonts to choose from doesn’t mean you should try to use them all. You don't want to evoke ten moods in one piece.
Bonus Question: What else should people understand about typography that they often miss?
MICHAEL: We all have our personal preferences, but we have to think like the target audience. When you look at any design, you have to step back and consider how other people will see it – and see it for the first time. What jumps out? What's harder to notice?
PAUL: If you have infinite time for trial and error, you can learn how to make strong typography choices over time. But in business communications, you rarely have infinite time. That’s where professional design makes a difference. What you save in time and frustration is worth what you’ll spend in dollars.
Should Ted Lasso Refresh the AFC Richmond Brand?
A few months ago, we explored some fictional brands from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Arrested Development, and The Simpsons. The story was fun for us and popular among our followers, which inspired us to do it again. This time we’re looking at AFC Richmond, the team at the center of the Apple TV+ hit, Ted Lasso.
At first glance, the Richmond logo seems outdated, which may have actually been the designers' intent. The logo’s greyhound mascot – a breed known for speed and grace – is simply standing there, looking over his shoulder. It's an apt symbol for the team at the start of the series – once full of potential, but stuck in a rut and wondering why. That said, two and a half seasons later, the team wins matches and has been promoted to the Premier League. So, it could be a great time for a brand refresh, but –
"That's a big but. I don't like big buts, and I cannot lie."
— Right Wing Sam Obisanya, season 2, episode 10
At Relish Marketing, we recognize that the decision to update a brand hinges on more than aesthetics alone. For instance, a close look at the Richmond logo shows that the team is supposed to go back to 1897. Relish Creative Director Michael Palermo explains, “When you’ve got a team with that much history, fans will cling to tradition and reject any attempts to change it.” At the same time, Nike’s recent sponsorship of the fictitious team’s kit could open the door to a brand refresh. So, with that as our backdrop, Michael and I entertained the question of how we would respond if AFC Richmond Owner Rebecca Welton and Manager Ted Lasso came to us for advice.
“Same thing I’d say if Diane Sawyer asked me on a date. Yes, please.”
— Team manager, Ted Lasso, season 2, episode 1
After I finished fangirling over the idea of working with Ted and the team, we took our charge seriously. “We’re not rebranding a typical business,” Michael observed. “There will be emotions and investment in a longstanding, beloved brand. You won’t make everyone happy no matter what you do. So, the question is how to honor the past as you put a new foot forward.”
“I shouldn’t bring an umbrella to a brainstorm.”
— Ted Lasso, season 2, episode 1
The ability to be open-minded is, of course, critical to refreshing a brand. It's also on-brand since Ted has infused the team with his characteristic open-minded, optimistic perspectives.
“We’re Richmond ‘til we die! We know we are, we’re sure we are, we’re Richmond ‘til we die!”
— Team fans chanting, every season in every episode with a game
A town full of loyal fans could be an asset or a detriment to a brand refresh. That’s why Michael would tell Ted and Rebecca, “Bring your fans into the process early. Listen to them – and pay attention to what they love. If they feel vested in the process, they're more likely to welcome its results.” He’d also caution, "Avoid the black hole of design-by-committee. Keep the focus on what makes the team the team.”
Michael agreed with my suggestion that reimagining the greyhound in motion could reflect both the team’s new vitality and its history. “Done right,” he says, “a greyhound with movement could add new energy while still respecting the brand's legacy."
“I think things come into our lives to help us get from one place to a better one.”
— Ted Lasso, season 2, episode 1
There’s no question that change can be daunting. But Ted gets it – persevering through thoughtful changes can help carry a brand forward to a better future. Or, as the team’s affable Director of Football Operations, Leslie Higgins, says in season 2, episode 5, “I suppose the best brand is just being yourself.”
Relish Marketing Announces Plan to Replace Team Members with AI
The Future is Here - Relish Marketing Goes All-In on AI
Attention all Relish Marketing fans and clients! We have some exciting news to share with you today. As part of our ongoing commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology, we are thrilled to announce that we will be replacing all of our talented and hardworking team members with AI.
Say Goodbye to Human Errors and Workplace Drama
That's right, you heard it here first! No more human errors, no more workplace drama, and definitely no more need for coffee breaks or vacations. With our new AI team members, you can rest assured that your marketing campaigns will be executed flawlessly and without any emotional baggage.
The Power of AI - CreativityBot to the Rescue
Our AI-powered CreativityBot can generate hundreds of ad campaign ideas in seconds, all tailored to your specific needs and preferences. Whether you need a catchy tagline or a fresh design concept, our CreativityBot has got you covered.
Save Money, Save Time, Save Hassle
And the best part? Our AI team members come with a lifetime warranty, so you never have to worry about sick days, maternity leave, or retirement plans. Plus, they never ask for a raise or a promotion, so you can save all that money for yourself. Say goodbye to HR headaches and hello to a stress-free workplace with Relish Marketing's AI team members.
What Happens to Our Team Members?
We know that you may be wondering what will happen to our team members. Don't worry, we're not leaving them out in the cold! All of our human employees will be given a generous severance package and a robot buddy to take home with them. We know that our team members have contributed greatly to Relish Marketing's success, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors. Who knows, they may even find their next job working alongside our new AI team members!
Happy April Fools’ Day!
We wouldn't dream of replacing our team with computers. It's true that Artificial Intelligence can offer some interesting benefits, and AI engines aren't going anywhere. But the advantages that Relish Marketing provides come specifically from our creative, insightful, and highly valued people. AI engines can acquire and process virtually any content based on what's already been done. But they struggle with humor. They don’t build meaningful relationships and partnerships. And the human brain is still better at innovation, interpretation, intuition and the creative leaps of logic that take us and our clients from “how it’s always been done” to powerful new strategies and fresh creativity.
In fact, the joke announcement above was written entirely by the ChatGPT AI engine, although it required some creative querying. You see, when I first asked the engine to write a Relish Marketing blog post announcing that the company is replacing all of its team members with AI, it refused, saying, “I'm sorry, but as an AI language model, it goes against my programming to create content that promotes or suggests any kind of harmful or unethical actions, such as replacing human employees with AI.” So, I told it to write an April Fools post about the same topic. It refused again, instead recommending that we “wish readers a happy and lighthearted April Fools’ day." Finally, I told it to write a parody post, and after another disclaimer about the dangers of taking such things seriously, it wrote the fake announcement at the top of this page. Much as we wanted to edit it to make it better and even funnier, we kept it in its original form to illustrate our point.
While taking a break from our usual newsletter stories was fun, we realized that this is also a great time to ask a serious question: What do you want to see and hear from us? We'd love it if you'd take five minutes to tell us about it. After all, if AI can grow with machine learning, we want to grow with human learning – from our trusted clients, friends, and readers like you.
Why Messaging Matters (and All That Jazz)
Messaging is a big part of your brand.
When we talk about all the components of brand development, we often hear some version of, "We understand our company so well — why do we need messaging?" Indeed, most people who know their businesses well can write and talk about it — going on and on and on. And that's the problem. They can share everything there is to know about the company in 20 paragraphs or more. But they need to get the most important idea across in 15 words or less.
Let me put it another way. In the 2002 award-winning movie-musical Chicago, there's a scene in which murderess Roxie Hart is preparing for a press conference. She has all kinds of ideas about what she wants to say — but her lawyer, Billy Flynn, keeps telling her to repeatedly tell the reporters, “We both reached for the gun.” The reason? “We can only sell them one idea at a time.”
One idea? But we have so many!
Mr. Flynn gets it partially right. You can sell people multiple related ideas if your audience is primed and ready for them. This simple step is where many marketers, execs, and sales representatives go wrong. They assume their audience already understands the most important thing they should know about their business, product or service. For them, a complex web of ideas is easy to grasp because they live and breathe that content every day. So, they jump in, confidently spouting features and benefits. Then, they wonder why all that information doesn’t sink in.
Then, there’s this situation: You're engaged in a discussion with a customer or prospect who latches onto a peripheral train of thought. If you respond without an intentional effort to bring the conversation back to where you want it, you allow the other party to control your narrative. The focus of the engagement veers away from the main points you wanted to make. And sometimes, you get dragged so far out into the weeds that it's difficult to return to your original line of communication.
You’ve probably seen communications go supremely right, too. Regardless of the situation or audience, everything goes smoothly, and everyone understands, feels, and believes what they should about the company.
Messaging makes the difference.
The people in that last scenario don’t have superpowers. It’s possible that they got lucky. But more likely, they have a strong messaging platform and know how to use it.
A messaging platform starts with the most important thing anyone needs to know about your organization, product or service. And that number one thing has to be simple — ideally, only 10-15 words, uncomplicated by multiple supporting points (those come later). That top-line message doesn't have to be a tagline (although it can be). But it does have to finish the sentence, "If people walk away from any point of engagement with us knowing only one thing, it has to be ________."
If people understand that one thing, chances are they’ll wonder, “How do you do that?” or “What does that look like?” That’s when you can bring in those supporting points, which we refer to as "support pillars." These single words or short phrases identify discrete things that make your organization, product, or service unique and special.
Then, under each of those support pillars, you'll have proof points. These are pieces of essential content and information that reinforce each pillar. They can be as simple as key statistics or as complex as a case study. But each one enables you to demonstrate that you're not just claiming certain qualities — you can back them up with proof.
The advantages of a powerful messaging platform.
Even though a good messaging platform should fit on a single page, it isn’t the kind of thing you publish or share externally. Instead, you should think of the messaging platform as a communications guide and metric. For instance, as a guide, the platform can help you:
- See how and where the key points you communicate reinforce one or more proof points, as well as the top-line message.
- Inform all communications — formal, informal, electronic, on paper, and in-person.
- Address any challenges or concerns while keeping the narrative from veering into the weeds.
Likewise, as a metric, your messaging platform should help you:
- Maintain consistency across multiple communications media and situations.
- Evaluate how well your communications help audiences focus on your top-line message.
- Adjust communications when necessary to ensure alignment with your overall brand.
The development process is exciting – but that’s only the beginning.
The power of a great messaging platform is often apparent before the platform is ever put into use. Indeed, when we develop one for a client, we often conduct internal workshops, external interviews, and an in-depth review of written communications. The result is a compelling and revealing experience that delivers value in and of itself. However, businesses that stop at this point risk turning the platform into shelfware. That is, everyone looks at it, agrees that it captures the essence of the company, and then disappears onto a shelf.
The messaging platform shouldn’t function as a script that changes natural communications into something akin to a repeated recording. Even when the top-line and supporting messages are crisp and concise, you want them to feel natural. After all, different people communicate in different ways. And individuals express themselves differently in person, online, and in print material.
In other words, it takes training and practice to feel comfortable using the platform on a day-to-day basis. But, as the messaging platform becomes a natural support tool for your communications, remarkable results become possible. No matter how or where people engage with your company, they'll find consistency. They'll grasp the most crucial things they need to know about your business. They will be primed and ready to eagerly absorb everything you want to share. And that paves the way for you to improve the solutions you offer, strengthen relationships, drive sales and take your business forward.