Taking Your Brand Online
Taking Your Brand Online
By: Ashley Wiederhold
The Internet is really quite a fascinating space. You can find virtually any piece of information that you may need online—and this includes information about companies that you may be considering working with. Anyone, at any time, can do a quick Google search of a business name and gain access to the company’s website, social media feeds, blog, etc. Basically, any online asset that a company has can be uncovered by the right Google search.
If your business has great branding in place, this is fantastic! Each and every webpage that features your company supports its message (if these pages are branded correctly). But for those businesses that have overlooked branding? Or have 
overlooked how to best take their brands online? This can be challenging.
The key to creating a brand that will successfully translate to the World Wide Web lies in preparation. Below are some of the ways in which you can ensure that you build a brand message that can be easily applied online.
- Think about the name. On brand name development projects, any good branding firm will do a preliminary Google screening of your potential name candidates, thereby weeding out the names that may already be taken or associated with ideas, events, people, companies, etc. When considering names, do your own Google searches to make sure that nothing in the search results will hinder the effective communication of the brand you’re building.
- Remember that consistency is key. Online marketing is essential in today’s world, but it’s only effective if you use your brand to create a high degree of recognition. This means that members of your target audience will recognize your company based on the logo, the tagline, etc. To achieve this, it’s important to keep in mind the fact that your brand message will be spread across many platforms. From a blog to social media to the business’ website, your branding materials need to be consistent.
- During the creation of your brand you should identify your target audience, as well as its values, priorities, etc. Use this information to shape your company’s Internet-based marketing efforts. Keep the brand you are building, as well as your online marketing goals, in mind in order to create a message that resonates with the target demographic.
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Welcome to the new addisonwhitney.com
After months of preparation, dedication and hard work, Addison Whitney is delighted to officially announce the launch our newly designed website, www.addisonwhitney.com.
The new website is clean, colorful and a stronger representation of our brand. Our goal is to provide our visitors with an extremely user friendly site that clearly communicates who we are and what we do. The site offers more functionality and easier navigation, while painting a better picture of our company’s past, present and future.
There’s a lot to see on the new site and we hope that everyone will check it out, but to learn a bit more about the direction and design of the site, check out the screenshots below.
While you’re on the site, I also encourage you to sign up for Forward, our quarterly newsletter that shares major branding news, insights and updates on what we have going on at Addison Whitney.
What’s new at addisonwhitney.com:
On the homepage, our rotating hero area directs you to the major sections of our site: Who We Are, What We Do and case studies.
You will also see a static call-to-action for a healthcare-specific section of the site. Our experience in both healthcare and non-healthcare industries is so extensive that it’simportant for us to highlight each separately with dedicated sections.
One of the most exciting additions to our new site is the Our Team page (located within the Who We Are navigation). This is a great opportunity to talk about our people and what makes Addison Whitney great. The passion and dedication that drives us every day is why clients love hiring us and why we love working here.
Under Who We Are, we also highlight our global locations and Helping Hands work: two things we love to show off.
Under What We Do, you will find our department pages. In this section, we have really simplified the navigation and user experience.
Each department page includes a link to our case studies and, when you click here, you’ll be taken to a pre-filtered case study page that corresponds to the page you came from (e.g., verbal or visual branding, brand strategy or research and analysis).
The case study page on the new addisonwhitney.com is the main showpiece and greatest improvement from the old site.
Now, we have two separate case study pages, one dedicated to our healthcare work and one for our non-healthcare work. Both have the same functionality and look.
When you click on Our Work, you will be greeted with large images rather than a list, and unlike before, where it took at the very least five clicks to find a case study, now you can find what you’re looking for in as little as two – a huge user experience improvement.
Both case study pages feature a robust filtering system that allows you to sort our work by service, industry, situation or region.
As far as the actual case studies go, they are more detailed and engaging, and boast more pictures.
There are a lot of great changes happening here at Addison Whitney, and the debut of our new website is just the beginning! Over the next few months, you’ll see a redesigned Japanese site, a reskin of our beloved brandsalsa and a few other great items that we’re not quite ready to share yet. But, we promise they’re exciting, so stay tuned! And in the meantime, please to check out the new addisonwhitney.com, and tell us what you think.
The Social Media Games: How Twitter is Affecting the Olympics
Going into this year’s Summer Olympics in London, most people knew that social media was going to play a larger role in the games than it ever had in previous Olympics. Ever since the winter games in Vancouver two years ago the use of social media has boomed around the world. More and more people are using social media as a way to discuss major events in real time, and clearly the Olympics would be no exception. But just a few days into these summer Olympics, no one could have predicted the turn out we’ve seen so far. One social media site in particular, Twitter, is shaking things up for better and for worse.
If you watched the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London then you certainly weren’t alone. An independent study done by Bluefin Labs reported that during the opening ceremonies alone there were 5 million social media comments made about the event, 4.86 million of which ended up being tweets. In fact, so many people are tweeting while watching the games that according to TwitterUK there have been more tweets during London’s first day than the length of the entire 2008 Beijing games! Fans all over the world are using Twitter to keep up with results, athletes, and other fans in real time. Countries are encouraging the use of Twitter as well, hoping that their residents will tweet positive thoughts and messages to their favorite athletes throughout the games. Jamaica for example, although being ranked 141st in the world as far as population, ranks third only behind the United States and Great Britain in terms of the number of tweets they have sent to athletes from their country.
Although it’s great to hear how Twitter is being used worldwide to encourage sportsmanship towards athletes and fans all over, many could argue that it has been used to do more harm than good. Before the games even started, Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou was expelled from her Olympic team for tweeting a racist comment mocking African immigrants in Greece. Just a few days into the games, after the Swiss soccer team was defeated by South Korea, a Swiss player was expelled for tweeting that South Korean athletes were “Mongoloids.” There have also been reports that British police arrested a 17 year old after he posted several malicious tweets to a popular British athlete who came in fourth place in his event, making negative comments about his recently deceased father and possibly threatening his life as well.
The social media site has acted as a hub for athletes in the game to air their unhappiness with the marketing rules set in place by the International Olympic Committee. The IOC’s Social Media, Blogging and Internet Guideline’s Rule #40 states that athletes are not allowed to mention their sponsors during the games unless they are official Olympic sponsors. Athletes with little known sponsors are arguing that this is directly affecting their income. These rules haven’t stopped some athletes from posting controversial tweets on the topic however. United States track athlete Lee Manzano was forced to take down a tweet in which he mentioned a lesser known footwear brand that sponsors him. Many athletes have banded together to started a campaign against the rules by using hash tags “#WeDemandChange” and “#Rule40” to directly express their discontent. Dawn Harper, a U.S. 100 meter hurdler, took it a step further when she posted a picture of herself with a piece of tape over her mouth with “Rule 40” written across it.
The IOC isn’t the only organization involved in the Olympics that is catching grief from Twitter users. NBC and their coverage of the games have been under fire since the first day of the games. Thousands of Twitter users have started using the hash tag “#NBCFail” in their tweets complaining about the coverage. A British journalist based out of Los Angeles had his Twitter account suspended after tweeting harsh criticism of the opening ceremonies and the fact that NBC had decided to tape-delay events in the United States. He also posted the e-mail of an NBC executive, asking his followers to e-mail their complaints to him. Twitter stated that posting the e-mail address was a direct violation of their privacy policy and suspended the account. Many are questioning Twitters motives behind the suspension, since NBC and Twitter are official partners for these Olympic Games. Many argue that NBC prompted Twitter to silence their critic and Twitter complied due to their commercial relationship.
Twitter, which is now used by more than 140 million users, has become much more to the Olympics than anyone had originally anticipated. The exponential jump in the use of Twitter since previous Olympic Games is likely due to the advancement of smart phones which users take with them everywhere. But the unexpected nature of Twitter in these games raises the question of just how far the negativity will span. Regardless, social media has become essential to today’s generation by giving them a way to connect with the athletes and feel more included in the games. The idea of banning the use of social media entirely from large events such as the Olympics is almost unimaginable in today’s day and age. Exclusion of Twitter from the Olympics would be the equivalent of losing a large part of the experience.
Contributed By Nicole Juliano
Google This and Google That
There are certain brands that fascinate me and I can never learn enough about them. Google is one of those brands. I recently finished Douglas Edwards’ book “I’m Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59” and I can’t stop talking about it. Just ask my coworkers – it’s been Google does this and Google did that for about three weeks now.
The book is an interesting look into the company as it was first starting up until it went public. I love how Edwards lets us in on key meetings that determined how the tiniest of details would be presented first through the search engine and then through AdWords, Google News, etc. As a believer that a true brand lies in the details, I could not get enough of these insights.
In addition, the book talks a lot about Google’s culture and showcases examples of how the company brought that culture to life in its TGIF meetings, office space and decision making. As with many successful brands, the strong culture is the foundation for the Google brand and its distinct voice.
As Google’s first dedicated brand marketer, Edwards helped to build and set standards for one of today’s most iconic brands. While this is only one employee’s perspective, it is definitely worth adding this book to your “To Read” list.
Have you read it yet? Let us know what you thought.
How Social Media Can Help Branding
Social media is a great way to help promote a brand because of convenience and connection. Social networks are unlike other marketing platforms because they offer brands an easy access to target audiences, and the ability to maintain online relationships. An online brand profile allows a company to introduce its brand identity, and make the brand more present in consumers’ everyday lives.
The biggest platforms that will help bring the most traffic to a brand are Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. Facebook offers a limitless amount of space to promote a brand, with room for wall conversations, updates, photos, video, pictures, interests, and more. Though Twitter and Linkedin are a bit more limiting in what you can share with your audience, they are equally as powerful as Facebook for engaging interaction and forming an online identity.
Consistent updates on Twitter, Facebook, or Linkedin will help flesh out your brand’s profile. Followers can learn about news updates, comment on posts, and offer other insights that may help your brand be the best it can be. The unique quality about social networks is that they build a community and thus a loyalty around your brand, which is valuable for staying relevant and attractive in any industry.
One of the most valuable things social media has to offer a brand is the ability to associate with other brand names online. Partnerships can increase visibility to a wider audience, and leverage a brand into new markets. Alternatively, if a brand targets a specific market or a certain audience, there are niche social media sites to explore. For example, if your brand is a diaper company, it would be advantageous to follow or even start a mommy blog, to get feedback on what mom’s think about your products.
In the past, brands have just been names and logos, but now they trigger online conversations, bringing more life and interaction to a brand’s identity. Not only can you see what consumers say about your brand, but also what they say about competitors. Following a competitor’s profile page can help a brand to monitor the direction of its competitor, and stay up-to-date in the market.
In a brand-centric world, social media can really help a brand distinguish itself and maintain a fresh image. The social media-scape is still new, allowing room to innovate the ways in which it’s being used. We should be seeing some interesting social media initiatives from brands in the near future!
Contributed by: Emily Hassell
Blogger, Picasa succumb to Google's rebranding
The media world has yet to stop buzzing about Google's intriguing new social network, named the Google+ project. It only seems right to follow up on our last post with recent news about some of Google's most valuable website possessions — and how Google+ plays into the equation.
Mashable.com announced this week that Google has plans to retire its Blogger and Picasa brands in order to rename them as Google products. The popular blogging and photo-sharing websites, respectively, are being rebranded under Google's initiative to integrate all of its brands for the launch of Google+.
Blogger will be renamed "Google Blogs," and Picasa will instead become "Google Photos." The changes will be implemented as soon as mid to late August, which many believe is when Google+ will be released for public use.
These initiatives are part of a slowly evolving rebranding process on Google's part that has been in effect since at least 2008, when Google renamed the newly acquired JotSpot as Google Sites. This time, however, the newly rebranded sites will be implemented as features of Google+, although the details of exactly how aren't clear yet.
Google's rebranding endeavor certainly has the potential for greater brand recognition and prestige. If you visit the current Blogger site, one of the top ten most visited sites in the world, it's not very clear that it's owned by Google (Picasa is a little more obvious, with the word "google" in its domain name). Rebranding each site under the Google umbrella not only eliminates any doubt about the site's brand, but also strengthens Google's image of versatility in the online world.
Of course, the payoff may not be worth the integration in the long run. Users may not utilize the new brands through Google+ at all, and Blogger and Picasa loyalists might be upset enough with the obvious commercialization of their favorite sites to choose different blogging or photo-sharing options. Additionally, although consistency is important for the Google brand (Google Maps, Google Images, Google News, etc.), it could erase the unique, image-conjuring identities formerly held by names like Blogger and Picasa.
Whatever the outcome, it will be interesting to see how the shelf lives of these popular sites fare when they are rebranded with the Google name. Do you think the initiative is a clever strategy or a step in the wrong direction?
Contributed by Allison Meeks
Google+: social networking suicide?
Google is a big part of many people's daily Internet routines. They check their e-mails on Gmail, find directions on Google Maps, and use its namesake search engine multiple times a day.
But there is one digital arena that Google has failed to succeed in, and that is social networking. After Google's 2010 flop with Google Buzz, it is still Facebook that dominates the scene. The social networking giant touts around 750 million active users, and is an Internet staple for many. These successes are due to Facebook's strong brand, which conveys social connectivity that is easily accessible by anyone.
Last Tuesday Google announced its new try at social networking — the Google+ Project. The network is very similar to Facebook — users can share status updates, photos, videos and links with their friends. However, one of Google+'s most unique features is their "circles," where users can place their friends in categories ("friends," "family," etc.) and decide which information they want to share with each group.
This venture shows that Google wants a social networking brand position that is distinct from Facebook. Google wants to be associated with something that more closely imitates the connections you have with peers in the real world, where there is secure and personal control over who gets to know what information.
“In real life, we have walls and windows and I can speak to you knowing who’s in the room, but in the online world… you share with the whole world,” Google product management Vice President Bradley Horowitz told the New York Times. “We have a different model.”
A problem with Google's brand strategy, however, is the network's striking similarity to Facebook, in content and in layout. Some users won't want to add a new social network to their repertoire if it has the same look and feel of what they're already using. Google, as a leading web innovator, could have brought more to the plate here.
Regardless, the launch of Google+ shows the world that Google wants to continue positioning itself as a multifaceted and technologically relevant brand. The corporation has been largely successful thus far in its developments from a simple search engine into a go-to resource for news, images, and even as the owner of Youtube. Now it's looking for a way to maintain its image of simplified versatility, and social networking is the next frontier.
Do you think Google+ will chip away at Facebook's hold on the social networking market?
Contributed by Allison Meeks
Tag, You're It!
Facebook recently introduced a subtle change and for once it won't change the appearance of your news feed. Facebook introduced a new feature that allows users to identify people or objects that have their own Facebook Pages.
Previously, users could only tag their friends. Now users can tag celebrities or public figures they meet or tag the brands and products they use. For example, if I posted a photo of myself running in Nike sneakers, I could label the shoes with a tag that links to Nike's official Facebook Page.
For now, this tagging feature is limited to Pages for people or brands and products, although Facebook plans to expand these categories.
If it catches on, this new feature could be great for brands looking to go viral and spread awareness about their products. Companies will no doubt run contests, forcing participants to tag products. It is essentially free advertising on one the coolest and most popular websites today. At least for now.
The new tagging feature could also be an opportunity for Facebook to monetize the site's photo service, perhaps adding sponsored tags.
After all, nothing evokes fond family memories like that tagged bottle of soda in the background!
The Many Faces of Google
I don't know about you, but for some reason it always makes my day when Google features one of their custom logos. For those of you that have managed to miss this occurrence, don't worry. You're bound to catch one eventually. While usually these alternative logos are in celebration of holidays and historic events, Google also commemorates birthdays of famous artists and scientists. A special colorless logo has appeared in recognition of major tragedies, and on Earth Hour the site switched its background to black symbolize "turning out the lights". Google Custom Search even hosts a landing page called Blackle, that serves as encouragement to users to save energy. It displays a black background and uses grayish-white font color for search results. Considering the popularity of the search engine, these colors supposedly consume less energy. But, more importantly, the site is a reminder for people to take small steps in their everyday lives to save energy.
Among one of the most fun Google logo alternatives was the recent observance of the 30th birthday of Pac-Man. This interactive logo contained an accurate recreation of the Pac-Man game that could be played in a browser. Google later released a permanent Google Pac-Man site. Another geeky way to have fun with Google is by designing your own home page at Google My Way. Give it a try. I promise you won't be disappointed!
Twitter is watching you.
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Although Animal Farm is one of my favorite novels, George Orwell really annoyed me with 1984. Well, just kidding, I really liked that book too. I was just bitter that he picked my birth year to predict a totalitarian world where privacy and civil rights didn’t exist anywhere. I mean, I thought 1984 was great year for a baby. Anyway, he might have been onto something, just a decade or two too early.
Though mainly non-partisan when it comes to politics, it was hard not to see the door to our liberties close slightly with the Patriot Act of 2001. A statue that allowed the government to selectively access telephone, email, medical and financial records to protect our “freedom”, it made everyone wonder … is anything private anymore? Well, not really. And with the crazy technological boom of the past decade, it’s made the line between what is private and what is public not only blurry, but pretty much invisible.
Insert the social media craze. Whether searching for a job, investigating a crime, or just trying to spread a plethora of fast knowledge, outlets such as Facebook and Twitter have become catalysts for studying human behavior and examining an individual’s thoughts. Now some of these thoughts are being filed into public record ... and studied.
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