Restaurant branding, marketing and other notes on various design topics » advertising

The Landing Club Branding & Marketing

Joseph Szala — Tue, 10 May 2011 08:03:48 +0000

This nods back to when gin was made and tubs and Jazz was at its prime. Men were men and women were women. A simpler time when if you got caught sneaking a drink, you’d be arrested. What an amazing study in classic, retro design. The Landing’s marketing and advertising were designed by Jamie Stolarski. In his words:

Playing loud Dixieland since 1963, The Landing is one of the oldest jazz clubs in the US and a San Antonio institution. I used to go to the Riverwalk to hear Jim Cullum and his band with my grandfather when I was still in short pants. I had the good fortune to get to update the brand when the club changed owners recently.

One Magic Media Bullet? No such thing!

Joseph Szala — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:34:53 +0000

We are, obviously, approached constantly by potential clients looking to build their business. One thing we come across frequently is the notion that one or two things will create the desired effect. It’s hard to change people’s minds when they are dead set on a belief, but I have to wonder where this notion is derived.

The fact is, there is no such thing as a magic media bullet; one media that will skyrocket sales and perform as the end all, be all solution. Sure, you have your new media pundits and your traditional media lobbyists out there. You have every salesperson from television to print to digital and everything in between. They all spin their media as The One.

The bottom line is this: Just because you finally decided you need marketing, doesn’t mean that you can spend $200 bucks a month and see immediate results. Marketing and advertising is a concerted effort that works when multiple medias are orchestrated. 7 tends to be the magic number.

A person needs to hear your message 7 times before the potential of action even occurs. What media delivers your message 7 times for $200 a month? $2000? Not many. That’s why an integrated program is what works.

Here are some steps to make your marketing and media campaign more powerful:

1. Figure out your conversion. What is it? An email subscription? A phone call? What constitutes a “lead” or “sale?”

2. How can you make the conversion as seamless and easy as possible? Online is definitely the answer, but maybe you’re thinking more old school like direct response or a phone call.

3. Pinpoint which medias will drive people toward that conversion. If it’s a website, use a mixture of search engine marketing, banner advertising, and potentially TV and print advertising. Push all call to actions towards the website and conversion method.

4. Measure and monitor constantly. Which medias are working? Which aren’t? Roll with the punches and move the proverbial shells until your campaign is optimized.
You should be looking to spend real money on a marketing campaign. A couple hundred dollars will get you $10 in return. If it were cheap and easy EVERYONE would be doing it, right?

Driving word of mouth traffic

Joseph Szala — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:12:55 +0000

Everybody wants more word of mouth business for their company. It’s a need and want that supersedes the B2B and B2C specific interests. However, there is no magic bullet that builds more word of mouth beyond wowing your current customers. Until Blabberbug.com was launched.

Blabberbug.com is a web tool that helps you drive word of mouth via viral coupons. Arooga’s, a sports bar and grille house in Harrisburg, has been leveraging Blabberbug with much success. In fact, in 30 days they saw over 30 people send coupons to over 90 other friends. That’s 120 people all with a coupon in hand ready to come to one of Arooga’s locations. So, how did they do it?

1. They signed up for an account on Blabberbug and set their monthly budget, coupons and store information.

2. They started posting a link at the bottom of their marketing email blasts.

3. They also promoted it throughout their locations on digital screens.

4. Informed the staff of the coupons so there was no confusion.

Now Arooga’s has more traffic from Blabberbug than they’ve gotten with any other media. The best part is, it only cost them a fraction of what other medias cost. Want to know more? Call us!

What is Black & White and Red All Over?

Joseph Szala — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:49:47 +0000

The new RedHouse furniture TV spot. It’s poorly produced much like a car lot advertisement, but that’s not what bugs us. What’s bugging us is the poor delivery of what could be made into a more tongue-in-cheek approach to the subject of racial segregation. The music is a bit catchy, but the “actors” do such a poor job of delivering the script. This was a missed opportunity to say the least.

Use Your Imagination and Let Them Use Theirs

Joseph Szala — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:22:49 +0000

You have heard mantra-like quotes like “less is more” and “KISS, keep it simple, stupid.” You probably have even agreed with them. But when the time comes to review and approve a advertisement for your restaurant or other company, these tried and true guidelines are thrown out the window for a tome of information.

Think about the last time you actually read an advertisement.
Unless you are offering coupons the amount of copy, or text, that’s actually read is minimal. It’s usually limited to a headline and maybe a web address.

You’ve wasted time and money.
Using logic you thought, “i have their attention, let’s deliver all the goods.” During this process time and money have been wasted on crafting the perfect bullet points and the perfect text. Text that the viewer probably won’t even read.

Let them fill in the blanks
Minimal ads work because it leaves the viewer the task of imagining to fill in the blanks. They see the visuals and start to create their own stories. During their imagination session, desire starts to build. Need is fostered, then an indelible force takes over. They have sold themselves on the product or service without you having to lift a finger.

Use your imagination instead of your logic.
Drill down your message to one thing. One phrase. One feeling. Then, visually depict that meaning with a breathtaking image. Couple it with a headline that’s irresistible. Now you have a winning combination.