Our Delray Beach Social Media marketing people are continuing to add more support for Shark clients and various social media initiatives.
SKOLSTREJK FOR KLIMATET: We salute Greta Thunberg.
On the process of branding: An overview.
It was well back in 2004, when Shark first developed the branding for an innovative new startup based in Montreal, Canada. Under the leadership of Marc Poirier, Acquisio grew into a global search and digital technology services powerhouse, and a decade later, Shark was requested to revisit the company's branding and marketing. What follows is a quick recap and some insight into a branding agency's strategic process which might serve as a template to approach and manage your company's branding and marketing challenges.
BRANDING GOALS - When clients initiate new branding, normally by detailing their business goals and vision, we like to simplify the discussion with some ground rules and goals for successful branding.
Perceiving a difference - Good branding begins with a focus on developing a distinct image in a marketplace. Separating oneself (or company) from the competition - both visually and conceptually - is how consumers can distinguish and hold onto a brand image.
Perceiving Value - While good branding means people can clearly differentiate a name, product or service, great branding is about infusing a sense of perceived value into a brand. With great branding, people perceive a difference and they perceive value which can create brand loyalty, shift products from commodities to premiums and so forth. But before any of the rebranding process could begin for Acquisio, some pressing "11th hour" cleanup of the company's looming Summit provided a preview of things to come and underscores marketing that imparts a sense of value.
Before: After:
BRAND STRATEGY - Good branding agencies generally try to install a singular and objective core strategy to drive the branding process. With Acquisio, it was clear that the company’s marketing typically listed numerous advantages and benefits but was rarely tied to any consistent idea about Acqusio itself. In that list, however, we did uncover one attribute that seems to have more immediate value: Acquisio offered "The Fastest Optimization Algorithm on the Market.” The idea of speed in search and digital obviously had potential as a positioning strategy. We then circulated an article to Acquisio management from Fast Company which noted, "Speed Will Triumph ... The best soccer teams in the world emphasize pace of play over perfection. They recognize that keeping the ball moving quickly is better than waiting and trying to make the ideal pass."
Logo - With speed in mind, the logo was first up for review. Originally designed in 2004 by Peter Jacobs, Shark's Creative Director, the Acquisio logo was composed of three simple bars stacked one over each other. It was an elegant and simple signature that actually pre-dated the same universal “hamburger” logo utilized by responsive websites worldwide. With a design strategy based on “evolution” rather than “revolution,” we preserved much of the Acquisio logo’s original form but modified it into a new, and "faster" look.
DESIGN SYSTEM - A design system is kind of like a brand manager’s tool set. In it you will find a logo, a limited number of fonts, a color palette, specs for layout, the use of images, and pretty much everything that goes in to ensuring a consistent and well integrated brand image. The new Acquisio design system driven by the "speed" strategy was developed simultaneously in brand ads, websites, digital ads and more.
BRAND ARCHITECTURE -To further the strength and consistency of the brand across current and future products and services, Shark developed the brand architecture for naming and branding various sub-brands and service categories. By isolating ACQ in the Acquisio name, we designed an elegant method for connecting Acquisio’s five primary Service Marks: ACQOptimze, ACQReporting, ACQSearch, ACQLocal, ACQPromote.
BRAND STANDARDS - By defining the parameters for typography, color palette, layout, image use, and more, a brand manual provides companies with an organized set of operating instructions for managing the brand in a variety of applications. We created Aquisio's Brand Guidelines to convey the new, integrated vision for the brand, and formatted it in an easy-to-use booklet detailing approved use of typography, color palette, layout, image use, etc. - Acquisio's Design System.
In the end, we sometimes say "it's all about the T." T-shirts are a wonderful test of all things branding - logos, attitude, color, typography, and more. When people willingly wear the symbols or statements of a company they are in effect, validating the merits of the brand. For Acquisio’s first T-shirt, we integrated multiple branding elements into a cool and contemporary expression of the Acquisio’s brand, personality, and positioning.
Next-Gen Sharkie.
At two years old, Delray Beach resident Stella is really a third generation Sharkie. But she’s already got the Shark part down.
New & Cool - A builder's website and branding.
A Beautiful Squarespace site complete with flowers, gardens and more.
A gorgeous new website for Woodstock, Vermont-based gardener, author, personality and designer, Lucinda Rooney. We’ll explain more later …
Aidan Villani-Holland shoots leading Vermont Attorney, Brendan Donahue.
Just a quick video and photography capture for web, print, some digital TV and more!
Sophisticated new broadcast TV for Bank Rhode Island.
PRESS RELEASE;
BURLINGTON, VT- Shark Communications, an award-winning brand, web, and digital marketing agency has launched a new TV spot for Bank Rhode Island. The 30-second ad highlights Bank Rhode Island's Commercial Banking services and its partnership in a variety of initiatives and projects around the state of Rhode Island. To address BankRI's management concerns that its name was largely invisible to the public while at the same time providing the key banking and financing solutions for many large scale commercial projects, Shark developed the theme "We don't make things. We make things happen." Edited in a sophisticated, quick-moving style, the television ad's evolving array of images depict both private and public initiatives in which Bank Rhode Island's Commercial Banking services play an important role. The "We Make It Happen," 30-second television ad, can be viewed at https://sharkcomm.com/bankri-tv
As Shark Creative Director and designer of the spot notes, " We Make Things Happen" is a theme that defines the energy and commitment of Bank Rhode Island's Commercial Banking team, and with the beautifully edited series of images and soundtrack, it sets an engaging and overall powerful tone for the bank. It's a strong positioning statement that Shark will also implement as an integrated marketing campaign across print, digital, web, and outdoor. "
Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, BankRI provides an array of personal, business, commercial and investment services. As a commercial bank, Bank Rhode Island delivers financial strength, Commercial Banking expertise, and a range of solutions to help corporate customers reach new goals.
Shark Communications is a Burlington, Vermont-based, branding, web, SEO, and digital marketing agency founded by award-winning Creative Director, Peter Jacobs. Shark serves clients in a wide variety of industries with a strategically-planned mix of creative and digital marketing solutions. From award-winning work for the 1998 US Winter Olympic Trials to numerous creative, design and marketing awards for clients large and small, Shark’s has received consistent creative recognition. More about Shark Communications can be viewed on the agency's website at sharkcomm.com.
W.W.Norton & Company author, Dale Cockrell's new website.
Dale Cockrell is a specialist in American popular music and Professor Emeritus of Musicology at Vanderbilt University and a Research Associate of the University of the Free State (South Africa). He is the author of fourteen books and editions in addition to many articles and reviews. His latest book published by NYC-based W.W. Norton & Company Everybody’s Doin’ It: Sex, Music, and Dance in New York, 1840-1917 will soon be available. Visit his website at: www.dalecockrell.com
A quick bit of Real Estate Marketing.
… including a shift in positioning and tagline from ‘Full Service. Flexible Rates” to the more understandable “Full Service For Less.,” a refreshed logo with improved graphic elements and layout, and some exploratory design.
Bank branding: Ads with a community focus.
New for 2019, Shark designed a series of print ads for Bank Rhode Island’s community-based initiatives. A subtle variation on last year’s BIG theme, these print ads reinforce the text overlay design concept first introduced by the digital billboard design and broadcast TV commercial produced by Shark last summer. The ads feature a series of elegant images of the arts, environment, community and more along with inspiring large-scale headlines that include words such as "Roots" for the environment, "Create" for the arts, and "Honor" for the bank's support for military families.
Jobs: Creative Project Manager
Shark seeks a creative generalist to help with a variety of creative, web, digital, social media and more for accounts in Boston, New York, nationally, and of course in Vermont. It could be an entry level position. Contact pete@sharkcomm.com
Just a new little Shark outpost in LA.
OTT: What it is and what it means for marketers and TV.
OTT, or "over-the-top," is a term that describes the delivery of television and other content over the Internet instead of using traditional channels. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Youtube – we've all used them before, and these along with other OTT providers are becoming the standard for media consumption in the 21st century. In the old days of advertising, you used to go down to the local TV station and order a flight of 30-second slots on whichever show or program that you felt would align with your target audience demographic. Traditional TV networks used a best-guess coverage, or viewer "ratings" system to estimate how many eyeballs viewed your spot, and that was it.
Fast forward to today, where the number of people paying for cable TV is declining year over year, and advertisers are following the customer online. OTT, social media, and streaming services are commanding more and more of people's time, and they offer rich customer data and precise targeting for advertisers. Advertising with OTT TV providers like Hulu offers a new level of tracking and accountability, with guaranteed impressions and non-skippable ads, that traditional TV models can't match.
As an award-winning multi-media agency, Shark Communications produces broadcast and OTT commercials. With the rise of smart TVs, 5G networks, and more, we see TV viewership shifting rapidly to OTT and digital platforms. See below, a sneak peek of some concept storyboards slated for a 2019 launch.
:15s video storyboard for a client to be named later (CTBNL)
A New (and stronger) brand for a Vermont fitness club.
Located in a former school house and building just off the village green in Bristol, Vermont, Shark helped to transform the former Bristol Health and Fitness Club with a streamlined and more contemporary name and brand image. The new BFIT name was developed along with securing a company url at www.bfitvt.com, and the logo took shape as a primary signature for marketing communications. A new website was launched with integrated online membership, calendar and customer management software. T-shirts followed quickly, along with trade show design. New initiatives include exploring extensions of the BFIT brand with a coming test of BFIT CLOSE-TO-THE-EARTH GRANOLA.
Are you looking for branding for your startup? Contact Shark today to learn about our branding package for small businesses, including logo design, graphics system, web and digital marketing services.
Coming soon: A custom jewelry designer's brand and website get a makeover from Shark.
Sometimes rebranding takes an revolutionary strategy and we “ball up and toss” existing logos, typography and design. At other times, like this rebranding for a custom jewelry designer, we decided to preserve the original, artist’s self-made logo form (on the left) with more of an evolutionary design strategy. There is also a subtle name change, new url, and new website and small biz marketing program coming soon.
Great advertising has "legs." Bank Rhode Island's "BIG" TV.
In marketing industry-speak, when an ad runs over a longer period of time, or an ad campaign endures, it’s called marketing that “has legs.” Our 2018 production of Bank Rhode Island’s 30 second Broadcast and Digital TV ad is proving to be that case with executive management now focused on building it out as a campaign that drives the brand across broadcast, digital, social and more.
Five great reasons to use Google Display Ads.
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As the design team at Shark was finishing some new display ads, we thought we'd take a moment to answer a common question that, as a Vermont digital marketing agency, we hear a lot: Why should I use Google display ads for my business?
Reach – The Google Display Network is made up of over two million websites, videos, and apps where your ads can appear, reaching 90% of Internet users in the world. This includes hundreds of large sites, like YouTube or the New York Times, as well as thousands of smaller sites, many of which are frequented by your target audience.
Targeting – Ads are displayed if a user searches a certain keyword, visits a website related to your industry, or meets a criteria of demographics, interests, and location. Shark works hand in hand with clients to tailor digital display ad campaigns around their specific customer personas.
Positioning – The easiest way to get into a consumer's mind is to be first. Display ads are visual, engaging messages that are geared toward gaining impressions and building brand awareness. Whether you are launching a new startup or looking to keep an old brand relevant, the Google display network gives you an entry into the consumer's mind and more chance to create a branded impression than say, plain old text ads.
Remarketing – What is remarketing? Remarketing takes place when a user sees your ad after visiting your website. Remarketing conversion rates actually increase over time, so the more a user sees your ads after considering your brand, the more likely they are to complete a sale.
Competition – Let's be honest: everyone else is already doing it. The Google Display Network is today's digital marketplace, so if the consumer doesn't know you exist, then you've already lost.
If you're looking for a certified Google Partner agency to design and manage display advertising for your business, then contact Shark today.
300x250 Google display ad design
Law firm marketing
Vermont's 5G Network: Everything You Need to Know.
5G is here and it's here to stay. With strong demand for 5G cell towers, it won't be long before you are streaming 4K videos and unlimited data on your smartphone.
At Shark, a Vermont digital marketing agency, we have long trumpeted the virtues of 5G, but most clients don't know much about it, except that it has something to do with Verizon and AT&T. That's true, but there's also a lot more to 5G and how it will affect daily life for you and small businesses.
"The difference between 4G and 5G is like going from a tricycle to an Indy car." –Steve Mudd, Marketing Strategy Director, Ogilvy & Mather.
If you want to be the go-to techie at your office, then read below how 5G is changing the game.
What is 5G? 5G is the fifth generation of cellular mobile communications, coming after the current, 4G LTE. 5G performance targets include high data rate, reduced latency, energy saving, cost reduction, higher system capacity and massive device connectivity.
What are the benefits of 5G for Vermont? 5G means blazing fast internet – up to 100x current speeds – less video lag, and greater support for interconnected "smart" devices. This means that city dwellers in Burlington or Montpelier can telecommute to work while Vermont farmers use 5G technology to connect their agricultural equipment with real-time precision.
How do you get 5G in Vermont? Mobile carriers Verizon and AT&T are laying the infrastructure for a 5G network across the country, from big metropolitan cities to rural Vermont farms, so you'll always be connected as soon as you step outside and away from Wi-Fi.
When can I purchase a 5G device in Vermont? Even though trial runs of the network have already begun, it will take until at least 2019 before you can buy a 5G phone or tablet.
What does 5G mean for Vermont businesses? Everything. Employee telecommuting, shorter commutes with connected smart cars, augmented reality ads in the grocery store checkout line, remote meetings with VR, and more.
The possibilities of 5G are endless, but like any digital evolution, it's important to stay at the forefront. Follow Shark on Twitter to stay on top of the latest trends in digital marketing.
Our award-winning Fly Fishing ads from...
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way back in the day. If I remember correctly, it was me, Jon Roberts and Lars Erick Fisk who worked on this.
