Dave's Blog

Spring Cleaning and Your Website

Mon, 05 May 2008 13:17:00 GMT

Let’s talk about branding and the corporate website; the website being the cornerstone of your branding/marketing efforts. Recently, clients have come to R2i requesting some sprucing up of their site….some redesign work…spring cleaning if you will.

But before we get our cleaning supplies in hand, we really need to address some very important questions... How will a redesign of your website affect your overall brand? What type of technology will be needed to implement additional functionality within your website?

What appears to be a simple request most often develops into a more comprehensive analysis of your brand and messaging. Many of these projects evolve into a complete brand re-evaluation and technology review as well as ongoing marketing efforts to maintain momentum. We employ a holistic approach to every R2i design project, starting with a thorough examination of the elements that comprise your brand. So ask yourself this, does your website need some spring cleaning?

Vertically Integrated…

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:19:39 GMT

Focusing on vertical integration can pay off on many levels but mainly by maximizing business profits. We recently had an opportunity to work with a Florida client doing just that. Here’s how we branded their vertically integrated services.

The Exotic Car Gallery, located in sunny Orlando, Florida, is an unforgettable experience and home to a rotating collection of rare super cars that include Bugatti, Maserati, Ferrari and many more. The Luxautica club is an exclusive automobile club for car enthusiasts passionate about driving the world’s finest vehicles. Forza Collection is the leader in sales and acquisition of these rare super cars for clients around the world.

Each company is a separate entity, but vertically aligned with shared resources. The Exotic Car Gallery is in essence a museum of rare cars; a place where car enthusiasts can marvel at cars they’ve dreamt about. The gallery also acts as a holding tank for vehicles not being used by Luxautica members as well as a lounge and entertainment area. And, when Luxautica members and Gallery visitors decide they want to own an exotic of their own, they can rely on Forza to locate the super car of their dreams. See how these business relationships intertwine and supply each other with the necessary products and/or services to satisfy their clients’ needs.

R2i was tasked with creating a brand for each entity. Taking on this project involved creativity and ingenuity. Elements of our success included creation of complimentary corporate logos and websites, messaging as well as development of collateral materials and a multimedia piece depicting their exotic story. With an upscale flavor and consistent message and color palette, R2i was able to successfully deliver the marketing elements needed to shift these businesses into high gear. Check it out for yourself at www.luxautica.com and www.exoticcargallery.com.

Traditional media MOBILIZES….

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:14:53 GMT

As the next generation of ad spending continues to move from traditional media (radio, print, television & outdoor) to internet and search advertising, a new player is emerging…mobile media. Unlike traditional media, mobile media brings together the internet, texting, video, gaming, music and much more.

Strategy Analytics is forecasting advertisers will spend $1.4 billion on mobile media in 2008. So, why all the mobile media buzz ? Well, one of the major selling points of mobile media is that it is extremely personal. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that aside from their American Express card, they don’t leave home without their mobile phone. And, because most people carry their mobile phones with them everywhere, mobile media is a high value advertising medium that, when properly executed, can deliver superior relevancy.

With increased relevancy, advertisers can deliver more than advertising, they can build brand opportunities. Take for example mobile wallpaper delivered to your mobile phone via your favorite beverage brand or a ring tone supplied courtesy of the season’s newest blockbuster film. Because mobile advertising uses customer profiles and habits to deliver targeted messaging, advertisers can use mobile media to create brand affinity and reinforce brand messaging.

Millenial Media is another company taking mobile media to new heights. Millenial Media brings MySpace Mobile, the largest online social network, to the mobile Web, offering precise demographic targeting so advertisers can now reach virtually anyone. With this portable marketing medium, marketers get instant action in response to their advertising, in turn giving consumers the ability to link to a website, request more information, refer a friend or sign up for a trial offer anywhere, anytime. Imagine mobile phones with satellite positioning technology used to alert consumers of the charms of a particular shop or restaurant as they walk or drive by.

Be on the look out for mobile advertising coming your way soon!

Marketing and the Micro-site

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:38:49 GMT

In today’s world of interactive media, websites competing for consumer attention continue to populate the worldwide Web with businesses vying for their piece of the interactive media pie. But one website cannot be all things to all visitors. Hence, the eminence of the micro-site…

Micro-sites are specialized sub-sites developed with specific advertising and marketing goals in mind. Segmented marketing efforts need a place to hang their hat and micro-sites provide an essential home for these efforts. These sites allow companies to remain true to their overall brand while targeting a highly focused market sector and demographic.

We recently had the opportunity to apply this marketing concept with the launch of a new product line from Black and Decker called VPX (a major product launch for 2008). Our main goal was to educate engaged audiences on specific VPX features and capabilities ~ its unique power system and interchangeable power source. And, because the VPX micro-site is vital to the success of this product line, the web address (www.vpxsystem.com) has been injection-molded right onto the actual product!

The VPX micro-site acts as a hub for all marketing efforts including landing pages, on-line advertisements and organic search engine optimization. Because micro-sites have a shorter life span, information within these sites is timely and can easily be tied to specific advertising campaigns. Micro-sites give digital generation consumers an opportunity to interact within the realm of a specific value proposition without the distractions of additional navigation sections and other product information. The site also links back to the parent company and visa versa, which is a factor critical to its success.

The future of large company website development lies within the successful deployment of the micro-site. This approach needs to be handled delicately as not to disrupt the larger brand experience. When properly developed, micro-sites allow large organizations to target their marketing message to relevant audiences in today’s ever-changing interactive media environments.

Around the world or across the hall?

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:43:37 GMT

As R2i adds clients outside the Mid-Atlantic region I find myself doing more travel to meet up with clients and learning more about how to better assist them with on-going projects. I recently found myself visiting Montreal to kick-off a very exciting project for a mobile communications company. As I walked through the client doors for the first time it could of easily been a company down the hallway. What I mean by this is that the some things remain the same inside technology companies. For one thing they all seem to prefer an open office floor plan, no offices exist with very few closed doors at all. Just like at our offices, the coffee run seems to be an important ritual :) Some things are different of course in terms of process and workflow but after ending an all day kick-off session it became clear to me that it does not seem to matter where you work inside the technology start-up community some things remain consistent they include a certain energy level, a sense of timing and the desire to create something great. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to learn more about these organizations and being an active part of the creative process.

Design for the online and physical world.

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:42:26 GMT

As we continue to work with clients to design for online destinations I still find myself being brought back tot he "physical" world as we have come to call it. This physical world comes into play when our clients need to interact outside of the online platforms they are used to communicating with on a daily basis. One example comes to mind in particular with a project involving online security systems for complex database systems. As they were gearing up to head to their annual industry conference we started work on both the project interface and marketing based website. With only a couple of weeks until the event we shifted discussion to marketing tools for the event, we changed over to the "physical world" and developed trade show graphics, sales collateral, give-aways, business cards, PowerPoint presentations and a host of deliverables to support the event. The end product was a very well branded set of tools that took advantage of the online materials created and we were able to utilize that experience for the tradeshow.