You’ve Redefined Your Brand – Now What?
#2 in Our Brand Jumpstart Series
You need a deliberate, objective process to define - or redefine - your brand. And you need a plan to support you going forward. In this part of our "Brand Jumpstart" series, see how we helped one of our clients execute on their plan.
Swift Currie, a the 150-lawyer litigation firm based in Midtown Atlanta, recognized a need to reassess their corporate identity and marketplace perceptions. The firm had a longstanding presence in the Atlanta market, steeped in tradition. But a combination of a Brandfluence® workshop and in-depth research conducted by Relish Marketing revealed that the firm had grown beyond its historic reputation. In recent years, Swift Currie had become known among key clients for its innovative, forward-thinking approach. Internally, the firm’s overall demeanor had become more relaxed and even fun. The firm had grown physically and geographically, as well, adding more team members and practice specialties while expanding beyond its original Atlanta market. However, its corporate brand identity (including a logo last updated in 2003) had not kept pace. The old brand system hadn’t been designed to perform across all media, particularly in digital spaces. It was time for a significant update.
Relish then set about helping the firm create both a new brand story and logo – as well as a clear plan to express this more clearly defined identity. Together, these components highlight the firm’s heritage as well as how its agility and flexibility yield results for clients.
The type treatment is now a forward-leaning, elegant yet approachable script. And, a bold, high-contrast color palette reinforces the firm’s energy and drive. A strong, well-defined slash takes the place of a more commonly expected dash between the firm’s lead partner names. The slash also serves as a unifying graphic element across multiple media. And, secondary versions of the logo further enable flexibility in spaces where a horizontal logo might not be appropriate or effective.
Finally, we developed a version of the new logo for internal usage only, featuring a woodcut-style hare as the firm’s mascot. Quick and intelligent, the hare is found throughout the Southeastern United States. Seen as a symbol of diligence and perseverance, hares are known for their easygoing nature and steadiness under pressure. With a generous playful streak, hares can swiftly assess situations enabling them to avoid predators and uncomfortable social encounters. In this internal presentation, the hare engages with the iconic slash, reinforcing the qualities of agility and confidence that have become hallmarks for the firm.
This identity is now expressed across a wide variety of presentation materials, including templated industry descriptions, attorney bios, folders and business cards and letterhead. It will also appear digitally – across social media platforms and an updated website (currently under development).
The new mark has earned Swift Currie recognition from both clients and the legal industry media. Equally significant, the firm’s brand is now better able to reflect not only its heritage, but also the way its current identity and agile, innovative approach serve clients today and in the years to come.
Next up in December: Five tips and tricks to help make it easier to make the most out of your digital presence throughout 2019.
At Relish Marketing, our fusion of creative and strategy unlocks your brand and propels it forward.
Savor your brand. View our client work. Work with us! Contact here.
Brand Jumpstart: Ready Your Brand for the New Year
#1 in Brand Jumpstart Series
There’s no way to avoid it: We’re well into the fall, which means you should already be evaluating the effectiveness of your marketing and planning for your brand to better support your business next year. This is the first in a series of four posts designed to help you ready your brand for the new year. And, the process begins with a fresh, clear-eyed look at your brand.
If you’re not engaged in brand re-evaluation and planning right now, we get it. Lots of companies get caught up in the here and now and postpone the brand planning process. After all, it’s not as if customers will tell you that they’re confused by your messaging or that they can’t remember what your logo looks like. And we know that without guidance, brand analysis can feel “fuzzy” and difficult to measure against pressing, end of year performance indicators.
But here’s the hard truth: if your brand isn’t reinforcing the way you want to be perceived, it could be silently undercutting your ability to pursue growth and accomplish your goals. Which means that the time for brand planning is now. The only question is, “How?”
The answer is that you do it through a deliberate, objective process. We recommend our Brandfluence™ process, which begins by taking stakeholders through a series of creative, provocative questions and exercises in the areas of:
- Identity – Who and what you are
- Competitive positioning – How you are different
- Brand evaluation – How you come across now – and how you should in the future
- Brand promise – What people should expect from interactions with you
- Brand personality – How interactions with you should feel
- Audience (s) – Who you need to reach
The process requires honesty, attention and a willingness to remove yourself from the day-to-day routines that can lead to rutted thinking. It enables our clients to inform the right direction for their brand – whether it’s a minor directional shift, a light refresh or a complete re-launch. It guides our development of both creative and strategic deliverables in support of that direction. And, because those deliverables align our signature creativity with the company’s overall objectives, they often lead to measurable, powerful results.
Many of our clients have told us that the initial brand exploration process alone has tremendous value to them because it focuses otherwise disparate ideas, perceptions and information. It forces a fresh look at brand components that may have become dated or misaligned with the company’s overall strategic goals. And it brings together and connects the perspectives of multiple stakeholders.
For this reason, we’d like to offer you an early holiday gift – the very same Brandfluence workbook we use when we work directly with clients. Full disclosure: We hope that when you see it, you’ll connect with us to work with you to get the most out of your brand in the coming year. But even if you don’t choose to work with us now, we want to help you benefit from our process as you explore, identify and pursue a plan to take your brand forward in the future.
Which brings us to what’s next in this “Jumpstart” series: Once you have a brand plan, how will you execute it? Our next post will show how we helped one client to use information generated through our process to build out a refreshed brand and successfully launch it across multiple media.
At Relish Marketing, our fusion of creative and strategy unlocks your brand and propels it forward.
Savor your brand. View our client work. Work with us! Contact here.
Life at Relish: The One App You Can't Live Without
It's easy to forget that smartphones didn't always have vast app stores and ecosystems; just over a decade ago, the apps that came on your phone were the apps you were stuck with. Today, however, we have an enormous selection of apps at our disposal to use for anything our hearts desire.
Among the millions of apps out there, many of us have chosen apps that entertain and educate us as well as apps that are absolute necessities. Check out some of the apps that our team at Relish use often and feel like we can't live without.
CJ
Just one?? I like LastPass, which is like a vault for all the different passwords I need for all the different sites and services I use. I rely on Dark Sky to tell me not just if it's likely to rain - but what the weather is likely to be at very specific times -- like when I'm about to go for a bike ride. PocketCast and Spotify are my go-to's to make my nearly one-hour commute much easier. And NoMoRobo is worth every penny I pay for it (about $20/year) because it tells me if an incoming call is a robo-dialed telemarketing/political call and gives me the option to dismiss it.
Pam
While I appreciate the convenience and/or entertainment value of many apps, the one I use multiple times a day every day is 1Password. It’s a secure vault for my life, containing passwords to the hundreds of sites I visit routinely as well as personal data related to reward programs, financial accounts, and memberships. Plus it syncs all data across all of my devices. It makes my life so much simpler.
Jennifer
My favorite app is Airbnb. I love planning trips and finding new places to visit and Airbnb lets me browse all around the world. And because I love being organized, Trip it is a great companion app to Airbnb.
Michael
My favorite app is Acorns. It rounds up every transaction in your bank account, then invests that spare change into a stock portfolio. It's a great way to save money without having to think about it.
Paul
Mine is probably iHeartRadio. I like being able to listen to live radio from other cities or get local stations with better sound quality than through regular broadcast.
Mia
My pick is Instacart. Although I primarily shop for my meats and produce at the DeKalb Farmer’s Market, I utilize Instacart regularly to handle the remainder of my grocery shopping during the week. My work and personal schedules are pretty hectic and Instacart helps me save on errand time so that I can keep up with a healthy cooking schedule and maintain my daily/weekly/monthly tasks!
Jasmine
Pinterest is easily my favorite app. I look at it like Google for images and I'm not sure how I would find recipes, travel inspiration, plan events or do DIY projects without it.
At Relish Marketing, our fusion of creative and strategy unlocks your brand and propels it forward.
Savor your brand. View our client work. Work with us! Contact here.
How to Create a Social Media Calendar (Free Template)
In last week’s post, we shared the importance of a social media calendar and how it can help you take your digital strategy to the next level. Now let’s get into developing your calendar. First things first – determine what you want to accomplish:
- Do you want to increase audience engagement?
- Are you looking to establish thought leadership by promoting new ideas?
- Should your social media posts increase traffic to your website?
- Are you looking to attract new hires? New customers? Media attention?
Answering these questions will help you determine the type of content you should be posting. From there, you can identify:
How often to post.
Identify how many posts you plan – and are able – to publish each week. Yes, frequent posting will help you stay visible, but be sure that the schedule you come up with is one you can maintain.
When to post.
Timing is everything. This infographic provides general guidelines on when to post to Facebook and Twitter, but be mindful that every audience is different. These guidelines offer a great starting point, but ultimately, you need to track and analyze your past performance on social media to determine your specific timing for posts. When is your audience on the social platforms that you use? What time of the day are they most engaged? When analyzing performance, look for data that answers those questions.
What to post.
You want to create posts that your audience wants to see. Does your audience engage more with photos or videos? Do you get more likes when you post educational content or about upcoming events? Knowing what engages your audience will go a long way toward helping you craft the right social media content.
Make no mistake: Creating and following a social media strategy is a huge undertaking. But increasingly, how you present yourself online is just as important as every other aspect of your marketing strategy. Your social media presence plays an essential role in how clients and potential employees discover and connect with you. And a strategic, consistent, well-targeted presence doesn’t happen by accident. Use a social media calendar to create the presence you need to deliver on your strategy and achieve your goals. Download the social media calendar template we use at Relish to get started.
At Relish Marketing, our fusion of creative and strategy unlocks your brand and propels it forward. Savor your brand. View our client work. Work with us! Contact here.
Spark Joy. Eliminate Stuff. How to “KonMari” Your Brand’s Digital Presence.
Warped math workbook. Toss. Faded photo of best friend. Keep. Tweety bird overalls. Donate. As a teenager, I repeatedly did my own Extreme Makeover by keeping the belongings I loved, and purging the stuff I didn’t. I had this habit despite indulging in shows like Pimp My Ride, MTV Cribs, My Super Sweet 16 that encouraged the wealth and maximalism so popular in the early and mid 2000s. The joy of new empty spaces in my room and scheduling an American Kidney Fund pickup for my donations satisfied me as much as new shoes would.
I became an adult as the recession and 9/11 ushered in trends of minimalism and frugality, evidenced by shows like Tiny House, Hoarders, The Buried Life, and Born Amish. My teenage compulsion became cool! Marie Kondo, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, remains a key influencer of these trends. Kondo believes that decluttering your space and only keeping the items truly meaningful to you can change your life. She urges readers to ask, “Does this spark joy?” when evaluating personal objects. If yes. Keep it. If no. Remove it.
This transformative strategy of tidying up isn't just for domestic use. The “KonMari Method” can work for the digital spaces your brand occupies.
Apply the KonMari Method to your brand’s digital presence with these guidelines:
- Discover what kind of content and engagement sparks joy in your audience.
- Uncover the story within your data to guide strategy.
- Declutter your assets. Keep. Archive. Trash.
- Organize the most cherished.
- Create & schedule.
- Tattoo your brand’s heart to everything you do.
The personality of your brand must be stamped on every digital asset you have. Your brand voice and look should be dictated by what makes your audience smile and engage. Anything off-brand needs to be culled and removed.
- Digital tools are great servants, but terrible masters. Choose wisely.
From various social media platforms and analytics software to website builders, creative generators and ad directories, the array of available tools is overwhelming. Don’t feel like you have to use them all. Only use the channels, platforms and software that actually work for your business, brand and audience.
- Hashtags are like hot spices. Use with purpose. A pinch is often enough.
Selecting a unique, trending or clever hashtag(s) attracts the right kind of attention to your brand. It’s one of many digital signals that helps guide eyeballs to your content. Too many hashtags can obscure your message, becoming lost in the noise. #hotsauceinmyblog
- The root of all evil is popups. Pluck please.
Popups spark anger not joy. Haven’t we all groaned as we anxiously tried to click multiple “Xs” to block unwanted popups; a Russian nesting doll digital nightmare that leaves us frustrated with a banged up keyboard. Don’t abuse the use of popups. Or just don’t use them at all. Distraction prevents engagement and ultimately conversion.
- Content is the star. Adorn her with great UX and UI design.
Neverending sliders. Wallpaper backgrounds. Paginated articles. Widget overload. Bloated copy. Pixelated images. Unreadable typography. Flash R.I.P.. Stop these mistakes. They not only slow down your platforms and hamper performance - they also do the same to your users. Use clean full width templates. Simplify navigation bars and menus. Have one focal item per page. Delight the eyes with crisp photos. Make your site mobile friendly.
- Just say no. Less is more with content.
Create compelling content that is appropriate for the delivery channel you use and resonates with the audience you have when they want it. Make your content concise and focused. Excessive content delivery overwhelms. And irrelevant content wastes valuable attention.
- Save us from a wormhole of clicks.
Too many clicks to get to your contact page, hours of operation, signup form, product info, etc causes users to drop off. The remaining ones who persist through the wormhole are less likely to convert and even if they do, will leave your site due to digital fatigue. Max out at 3 clicks for critical information.
- Show first. Tell second. The power of visuals.
Nobody cares about your story until they know their problem can be solved with what you offer. So, focus on highlighting your “what.” Run an ecommerce site? Have Instagram love-worthy photos of your products. Run a non-profit? Showcase profiles of those impacted by your activism. Run a movie studio? Feature the video trailer of your next box office hit across channels. Utilize graphic design (color, texture, lines, placement, font) to draw emphasis to what your audience wants to experience and acquire.
- CTAs, CTAs, CTAs
Like in the real estate business, unless your target audience converts, branding means zilch. Calls-to-Action (CTAs) are the linchpin of turning a passive audience into an engaged one. The true test of whether the story of your product, service or idea worked is if someone acts. Poor CTAs or an overcrowding of them, stifles action. Place them strategically.
Don’t be afraid to do a KonMari cleanse of your brand’s digital appearance and communications. Toss the “stuff” and declutter. Spark joy with your brand and watch it light up your audience.
Corey-Jan Albert
Corey-Jan Albert
Writer & Strategist
Wordsmith extraordinaire
Insight ninja
Idea diva
Curious creative
Unsinkable optimist
Clients count on Corey-Jan to translate complicated concepts into brand stories and messaging, video scripts, live presentations and multimedia. She began working in television for Good Morning America and for stations in Atlanta before pursuing strategic communications on both the corporate and agency sides, joining Relish at its founding. CJ’s work has been recognized for excellence with IABC, AMY and “Stevie” awards, as well as awards for her work as a songwriter and playwright. She serves on the board of Music in Common and is a member of the Interfaith Speakers Network.
Paul Marquardt
Paul Marquardt
Art Director
Idea dreamer
Ouside-the-box thinker
Court jester
What-if asker
Answer finder
Paul is our go-to talent for animation, presentations, print, 3D and online graphics. His extensive background includes retail, manufacturing, healthcare, professional services, education and other key industries. A self-professed learning-junkie, he believes that great design balances size, position, color and simplicity while inspiring a connection to the people who see it.
Mia Johnson
Mia Johnson
Account Director
Process enthusiast
Entrepreneurial spirit
Status-quo challenger
Metric master
Winning solutions
Clients rely on Mia to drive performance, identify and capitalize on market opportunities, and build best-in-class marketing programs. She began her career as a real estate broker before turning her passion for excellence toward generating marketing results for businesses around the globe, including Novoste Corporation, St. Joseph’s Hospital Translational Research Institute (now GCMI), SS Innovations, and Fortis Healthcare. In addition, she has served on many non-profit boards, and advisory boards focused on fostering young female entrepreneurs and marketing enthusiasts.
Michael Palermo
Michael Palermo
Creative Director
Concept master
Trend setter
Pop culturist
Artisan-Explorer
Powerful creativity
Michael approaches every new design challenge as a communication puzzle to be solved, bringing together graphics, technology, architecture and modeling, matching the skills of the team to the project at hand. He developed his hands-on approach to brand creative at Sky Design and Leader Enterprises, where he worked to help clients ranging from Radio Flyer and Mizuno to General Mills and The Home Depot bring their brands to life.
Pamela Willoughby
Pam Willoughby
President and Founder
Fearless leader
Business visionary
Opportunity creator
Brand energizer
Best-in-class outcomes
Pam’s creativity and drive have made Relish Marketing a sought-after, award winning leader in employer, business and consumer branding. Her leadership has garnered awards and recognition for our clients, as well as for Relish. Certified as an Employer Branding Professional by the Employer Branding Academy, she is trusted for her expertise helping businesses engage prospective, current and alumni employees. Her career includes communications leadership at Manning, Selvage & Lee and Max2o, where she helped clients that include Powell Goldstein, Bennett Thrasher, McKesson, the American Cancer Society, and Northwestern Benefit. Her work has earned awards from Hermes, the American Marketing Association and the PRSA.
