When you meet a new business prospect or a potential client who shows interest in your business/services, how do you react? Are you able to effectively give that prospect more information without overwhelming him/her with a sales-y lecture? After giving your simple elevator speech, let your website do the talking.

“Make sure your website is attention-getting, informational, and in line with your brand standards,” said Chelsea Janke, Social Media Administrator. “You shouldn’t have to click more than three times from your homepage to find desired information. Use your website as a snapshot or representation of your business and what it has to offer, while making sure that it is also user-friendly for your clients and prospects.”

What’s your elevator speech? No, it’s not actually about elevators. What I’m asking is if you were to sum up what you do or what your business is all about in just one to two sentences (roughly the time you share with another person on an elevator), what is your key message? It might not be easy to summarize, but it’s great to be prepared for those short encounters with other people – who might be prospective clients.

Having trouble formulating your key-message speech? Here’s a tip: don’t try to include every single aspect of what makes your business great – that would be far too in-depth and excessive for an elevator speech. Instead, try to include two or three of your most important goals, maybe part of your mission statement, or just a couple of your strengths that make your business unique and successful. Whatever it is, keep it simple.

If you’re a business owner thinking that you know exactly what your key message is, can you say the same for every member of your team/company? Remember that every employee is a reflection of the company as a whole, and clients often formulate their opinions of a company based on one experience or interaction with an employee of that company. Make sure each member of your team correctly and effectively represents your business and its solidified message.

photo credit: Debs (ò‿ó)♪

According to an article titled “Target Field hitting an economic bull’s-eye” by Curt Brown in yesterday’s Star Tribune, the area surrounding the new Twin’s stadium in Minneapolis is booming with crowds of people – who are all bringing their wallets along with them. This new frenzy of fans is spending both time and money at other venues before and after the game, which has given quite a boost to business in the surrounding area.
The downtown businesses near the stadium are reporting record sales numbers, especially bars and restaurants such as the Loon Café. All the hype and publicity of the new stadium has brought a much larger number fans and visitors than Minneapolis was used to seeing at the Metrodome for baseball games. On top of this, Brown reports that this economic elevation in the area “won’t necessarily be short-lived, though the team’s success will have a bearing on that.”
It’s a little crazy to think that the same team, in the same city, with the same fans can have such a dramatic effect all by making one update. So what about bringing this to a smaller scale and looking from a small business perspective? Can the same company, with the same services, and the same staff bring about an economic boost for the business just by refreshing their location, brand or message?
According to Cindy Leines, Founder & Strategist at C.E.L., each company can require a different strategy to encourage more publicity and growth. “In some cases, it might require renewing a company’s location, brand and message, while others might only need to renovate one aspect to reap significant economic rewards,” said Leines. “At the core, you’re not changing what you offer, but tweaking one aspect or significant message of how you deliver your service.”
So what have you done recently that impacted your bottom line? Do you have any advice for businesses that are trying to make some updates?

How far would you go to show your loyalty to your favorite brands? Many consumers will recommend brands to friends, wear clothing with obvious logos, or even put bumper stickers of logos on their cars. But is there any greater sign of brand loyalty than the willingness to have a logo permanently tattooed onto your skin? That’s commitment that speaks loudly for your company.

According to a Star Tribune article from last month titled “The new branding: company tattoos” by Kristin Tillotson, numerous staff members of Anytime Fitness have gotten the company’s purple logo of a running person tattooed on their skin. Not only is that strong brand loyalty, but it also shows the extreme devotion that Anytime Fitness employees have to their company.

So what do you think: Is there a brand logo that you would have tattooed on your skin? How about the company you work for? Or is this branding going too far?

To read the full Star Tribune article, click here.

By Stacy Slygh, C.E.L. Designer & Brand Specialist

As I watched the finale of The Celebrity Apprentice, I realized why I turned down multiple social invitations to engage myself with Bret Michaels for two hours. It wasn’t to stare at his blue eyes and bandana (really!)…I was engaged by the drive and branding passion that he had for Snapple, the same drive that stimulates my creativity every day.

A few things that engaged me during the process:

1. Going above and beyond to exceed client expectations: Despite the roadblocks, he worked overtime to create not one, but two commercials, to further enhance the Snapple brand.

2. Bringing passion into the project: His determination to succeed for his charity (American Diabetes Association), with which he has a personal connection, was carried out through the entire project. From the diet, no sugar (always keeping the demographic top of mind!) Snapple flavor, to his engaging writing skills, Bret’s passion for the brand AND his charity shined.

3. Listening to the client: Branding starts with relationships. In the initial client meeting, you get to know your client and begin creating an expressive, distinguished and emotional image in its entirety. Then, you carry it through to the finished product. Snapple shared their goals and brand strategy for this project in the initial meeting…and Bret listened.

Branding is more than creating an image that looks good. It’s about building relationships and uncovering the details. It’s about gaining insight on the client goals, listening to them, and then interpreting their vision to create a successful brand. It’s about sharing the same drive and passion possessed by Bret Michaels.

If you’ve seen Nike’s latest commercial featuring Tiger Woods, it’s quite different from their typical golf-themed action shots of Tiger sinking a putt and following it with his well-known victory fist pump. But Nike’s new ad with Tiger, which has proven to be somewhat controversial, just might stop you and make you think.

The ad features a simple, black-and-white shot of Tiger glaring into the camera with a sober expression on his face. A voice comes over, which is the voice of his late father Earl Woods. In a solemn tone he addresses Tiger. At one point, Earl Woods says, “I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are, and did you learn anything.” Tiger never answers him; he only continues to stare, leaving the audience hanging.

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But how could Tiger’s late father, who passed away in May of 2006, have addressed Tiger about his regretted actions and recent scandal? This is no ghost story. The audio is actually from a past interview from a DVD collection released in 2004 about Tiger’s life. In context, Earl Woods was describing himself in comparison to his wife Kultida.

So is Nike trying to resonate at a deeper level with their audience? Or is it just a publicity stunt to get people talking about Nike? Even if the ad doesn’t drive you to go buy a pair of Nike shoes, it definitely has put their recognized brand under a hot spotlight. It has even inspired quite a few parodies and spoofs of the commercial. This stunt might make other brands think twice about the effectiveness of shock value and creating a new controversy. Is all the attention and buzz worth risking the reputation of your brand? Clearly Nike is confident that it is worth taking that chance.

So what do you think? Did Nike go too far by using the out-of-context words of the late Earl Woods? Or is all fair in love, war, and advertisements?

~ Kelly

If you went on your computer to visit Google this morning, you might have notice a unique April Fool’s prank – Google changed its name to “Topeka” just for the day. Funny joke or creative media-stunt?  Talk about branding at its finest!

Google decided to switch their name for a day after the Mayor of Topeka thought it would be fun to change the town’s name to “Google” for the month of March.

While Google reps have stated that they meant it to be a funny joke and are not trying to show favoritism to the city, several city officials and local newspapers are calling this a “big hit” for Topeka.

This stunt has caused a massive amount of buzz and curiosity for both Google and Topeka. So how can a “virtual John Doe” become an overnight sensation?  One way is by creatively seizing a timely opportunity that will gain effective exposure for the brand.

Do you think Topeka deserves the bid?

~ Kelly Isaacson

C.E.L. can show you how to get positive press!

As fall approaches, the media starts setting their sites on new angles on old, but stable stories that they always cover at this time of year. Back to school, change in season and temperatures are a couple examples of old news becoming new again. Now is a good time to see if you have a news hook that can bring the media to your door. If you can’t tie into fall, start planning for the rest of this year and into 2010. You most likely have a story to share and remember; the best news angles are not always obvious. Dig below the surface to find what merits special attention and then prepare to “pitch” your story to the press. Do your homework. Research the best target reporter, define your key messages and present them in a clear and concise way. Email is the best way to make your first connection and then follow up with a phone call. Then, brush up your interviewing skills.

A mirror is a good way to reflect on your abilities!

For more detailed information, check out the article I wrote for the August issue of HVACR Business magazine.

~ Kari Logan

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Spreading the News

Today we pause to acknowledge the history making event of the decade and perhaps of the century – the swearing in of Barack Obama as President of the United States.  Whatever your political persuasion,  I would hope that we can agree that this is a historical and momentous occasion in our country.  There have been other moments in my lifetime that I still remember where I was at the moment of history making events  – on the streets of Seattle as the first ever female vice presidential candidate gave her speech;  having breakfast with my son and being in shock as the Twin Towers were first hit by the airplanes in front of millions of people on site and watching on tv; sitting with my best friend in her living room with our parents playing cards while the “long haired” Beatles performed for the first time on tv; and a vague recollection as a very young child of the funeral and the overwhelming sadness as we watched the funeral procession for President John F. Kennedy after his  assassination.

Today, take note of where you are during this historical moment.  Then, let’s each decide what role we can each play to help improve our economy and communities as we’re being asked to do from our new President.  Politics aside, we must each decide what “I” can do to change the state of affairs in our country.

Our society is changing dramatically. So is the way people operate. More and more people have added the not-so-stylish “I can do everything myself” hat to their everyday attire.  But there are some things that should be left to professional expertise, and logo design is one of them. The perception of logo design has become underestimated and undervalued. I’m sharing an article that explains “Why logo design does not cost $5.00”.  Take a second and ask yourself this…Would you pay $5 for any other professional service…like your own?