When starting work on a project for a client, the account team always goes through the same process: open the job, put in a work order, write the creative brief, have a kick-off meeting, and then let the creative team work their magic. Being on the account side is fun because I am constantly amazed by the concept(s) the creative team is able to come up with based on just a creative brief.

Recently, one of our clients, Pierce Education Properties, asked us to design a print ad for their Michigan State University property, Chandler Crossings, that would run during March Madness and would focus on their spring promotion. The mandatories the creative team had were as follows:

1) Sign a lease, be entered to win free rent for a year (a $5000 value)

2) Sign a lease between March 15 – April 5 and have your $174 move-in fee waved

3) Call to action: Visit chandlercrossings.com or the downtown East Lansing lounge

4) March Madness/School Theme

The creative team came up with two different ideas for this ad and we presented both options to the client. One really focused on the “Sparty On with free rent idea” and the other focused on “the party you could throw with the $5000 you would save”. Our department was torn on which one we each liked better and which we thought they’d pick. Now, I won’t say which version the client ended up selecting but, if you had to pick the ad to run in the student newspaper and on flyers around campus, which one would you pick?

At BG, we have a team where each member specializes in a specific area of the digital marketing field, including mobile marketing, social media,  SEO, PPC and blogging. This team compiled a list of our predictions for 2010 in the five most popular areas in the advertising and public relations world today.

Social Media 2010 Predictions

1. As social networks mature, the value of using each tool (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) for business will become more defined and specialized. Companies will become increasingly strategic about where their resources go and we may see some pullback on tools that aren’t yielding results, while explorers will start testing less mainstream networks such as digg, del.icio.us and foursquare.

2. Company sites will become increasingly social. Applications like Facebook Connect will allow customer engagement within the site while communities, blogs and targeted pages, eliminate the need to jump onto Twitter, Facebook, etc. in order to engage.

Email Marketing 2010 Predictions

1. We will see a simplification in email creative design, to cater to mobile users, while retaining speed-to-market.

2. Expect to see a lot more calls to engage via social media in marketing email in 2010. Around 60% of marketing emails today have no social media elements in them, which is a huge missed opportunity to gain additional brand touch points with engaged consumers.

PPC 2010 Predictions

1. Rapid responses to market news, and the buying up of relevant keywords early, will give marketers an edge over the competition.

2. As search engines get smarter, many SEO techniques will become less effective, making PPC and blogging must-haves instead of nice-to-haves. Shrewd keyword choices that don’t have a lot of competing bidders, and close watchfulness of keyword performance will be the hallmarks of successful marketers in this arena.

Mobile Marketing 2010 Predictions

1. As apps become more popular, advertising within the apps themselves will dramatically increase, especially with free apps. These will become more frequent and the design element will become more savvy, which in turn, will make skipping/avoiding these mobile banners/messages almost impossible.

2. Messaging that is targeted to someone in a specific location (i.e. in Downtown San Diego) will become the new thing. Strategically placed nodes will pick up Bluetooth signals and serve a person an ad relevant to the exact location they are in. They will be given the option to opt-in or opt-out. These preferences that you select will follow you around like a puppy.

Blogging 2010 Predictions

1. Blogs will look more like news sites and news sites will look more like blogs. As bloggers become more sophisticated, blog designs have more functionality than ever. Many top blogs now resemble news portals with featured content and categorization. Simultaneously, as traditional news sites become more and more social with the integration of Facebook fan boxes and tweetmeme buttons, they are beginning to aesthetically look more like blogs.

2. Development of niche blogs will increase. With the plethora of blogs out there, new blogs will have to be extremely targeted and identify a niche audience. While this limits the potential number of readers, it ensures that the blog’s traffic is relevant. It is also a new blog’s only hope to compete for search traffic.

There you have it. Those are BG’s 2010 marketing predictions on where Social Media, Email, PPC, Mobile Marketing and Blogging are heading in 2010. I will be curious at the end of the year to look back and see how on (or off) we were on our predictions for the year. Do you think we missed any key changes?

To a lot of people, paper is just that, paper. But, when you work in an industry that involves printing a wide range of items for your clients, (think letterhead, save-the-date cards, pamphlets, and other such collateral) you quickly learn there are thousands of different types of paper. Out of these thousands of types, there are quite a few options for those who want to print on eco-friendly paper and with companies becoming more and more environmentally conscious, we propose at least one eco-friendly paper option to all of our clients.

Below are the types of “green” paper that we use most often:

1) Recycled Paper: Many brands have “recycled paper” options but the vast majority is not 100% recycled. Usually a portion of it is. This is a good option for companies who are environmentally conscientious, but may not have the budget to print on a 100% recycled paper.

2) FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Certified Paper: This paper has come from trees that were grown in an area where funds have gone to to eliminate habitat destruction, water pollution and violence against people and wildlife. Sometimes you are able to find a FSC paper that has also, been recycled – a doubly green choice.

3) Post-Consumer Material (PCW) Paper: This paper has been used and then separated from solid waste to be recycled into new paper. This paper is made from all types of products, therefore re-using even more waste than a recycled paper uses.

4) Seed Paper - The coolest new trend is that people are starting to print on seed paper which is a type of paper that is embedded with an array of wildflower seeds. You can actually take this paper, plant it and grow flowers. And the best part is this paper isn’t even made out of trees. We often go to Green Field Paper in San Diego where they specialize in 100 percent tree-free products. They make their paper out of recycled uniforms from Seaworld, mixed with 100 percent organic cotton and an array of other ingredients that would have been thrown out in the trash. I think this is my new favorite type of paper. Such a cool concept!

Every holiday season, I feel I see a mix of new television commercials and repeats from previous years. I know there will always be a “different” (if that’s the right way to put it) Old Navy commercial, the typical jewelry commercial and a ton of car commercials.

When I see these car commercials, I almost always see the same thing. The big red bow or a woman opening a jewelry box and there is a Lexus car key in it. They are all the same, all overdone, and pretty much all boring.

Why do advertisers feel that during the holiday season they have to stick with tradition? Why do they have to do the exact same commercial they’ve run year after year?

With people now fast-forwarding commercials more than ever, television commercials have become one of the quickest declining traditional forms of advertising. That should be an instant wake-up call to advertisers and their marketing agencies. You need to make your commercial stand out. Make people not want to fast-forward. Make them want to actually watch your commercial.

When I saw the first second of the first Honda commercial this season, I thought, great a repeat from the last few years. Happy Honda Days! But then I kept watching until the end. I realized they were telling a story with the commercial. At the end they say, “You have your holiday traditions. We have ours.” I went, wow, they made a little tweak to the commercial they did last year–You have your holiday traditions. I started seeing more and more of them. Each commercial is specifically tailored to a certain type of person/interest and they show the exact car that would be perfect for that type of person. Genius you may ask? I think so. Make a commercial 100% tailored to an individual, to the every day person.

Some of my favorite out of the bunch are as follows:

1) Happy Honda Days winter golfing (guys’ day out)

2) Happy Honda Days football game (how men- and myself- won’t miss a football game no matter what the weather)

3) Happy Honda Days dog sled (a holiday family outing)

And my personal favorite and so appropriate for anyone living where it stays warm during the holidays (thank you San Diego): Happy Honda Days Surfing Santa.

Thank you, Honda. By making this slight change, without breaking too far away from your traditional holiday commercials, you have actually made me want to watch commercials instead of fast-forwarding.  However, I currently drive a Honda Civic so you haven’t enticed me to actually buy a new one. But, I will gladly take one as a present, if you would like to give me one, since mine is getting old. I mean, it is the holidays right?

When companies hire on an agency, they hire them on for a specific reason. Whether it is branding, public relations, or advertising, they have a goal in mind and they want their agency to get them there as quickly as possible.

Over three years ago, Laurel Bay Homes, came to Bailey Gardiner to help them sell their condominiums in Bankers Hill. I wasn’t here in the very beginning, but I’ve worked on this account for the last 2.5 years. In that period I have partaken in numerous different strategies, creative campaigns and media buys. Our advertising consisted of everything from out-of-home, to online, to newspapers to traditional print.

Before creating the final campaign, we conducted a survey among everyone who had bought a Laurel Bay home within the last year. Our goal was to learn more about the types of people that bought at Laurel Bay, where they were coming from and where they had heard about Laurel Bay. What we learned was this:

- #1 reason people bought was the location

- 71% bought at Laurel Bay for a second home

- 80% of buyers did not live in San Diego

- 51 was the average age

- The vast majority had heard of Laurel Bay from a Realtor

With this information, we learned that we really should be targeting people in drive markets (primarily LA, OC and Phoenix) instead of placing a lot of our advertising in San Diego. We also focused on targeting Realtors more by calling out the incentives Laurel Bay offered them.

With this shift, we were able to help Laurel Bay officially sell out in December 2009.

It’s bittersweet that this goal has been accomplished. On one side, we helped the client achieve exactly what they wanted. On the other, that means they are no longer our client. It was strange for me to see my very first client leave, but I understand that this is just another part of the agency world.

So, to Laurel Bay, thank you for a great three years and congratulations on selling out!

These days, mobile phones (and technology in general) are becoming more a part of our lives than ever before. How many people will admit that they flip out and feel lost  when they forget their phone at home, and that they would rather lose their wallet with all their cards and money than their mobile phone? It’s so strange, yet cool, to see how much things have changed in just the last few years.

People have admitted that these enhancements in technology have affected their lives in both positive and negative ways. In a study by The Sleep Council, they concluded that eight out of ten couples have admitted to using their computer or other device at bedtime. This does not surprise to me at all, but does make me feel a little sad that time that is supposed to be spent with our family and friends is now being shared with some type of device.

I think we have all become accustomed to the idea that we must be connected to the world and everything it has to offer at all times, no matter what.

Some things in my life that have changed with these mobile phone advancements are:

(1) When going out with friends I used to focus just on my time with them. Now, I am checking my phone every 10-15 minutes to make sure I don’t miss an email, a text message, or God forbid, a phone call!

(2) When leaving work, whatever emails I received after hours used to be read and answered the next day. Now, they are read the second I receive them and if urgent, answered then and there. Even if it is 11 PM.

(3) Text messaging has become the new way to communicate with people. Who needs to call everyone to see what they want to do when I can text everyone at once? Quick and easy.

(4) Watching TV at night now consists of me also being on my laptop and text messaging friends. Talk about multi-tasking.

(5) Call waiting used to mean I would just see who was calling and then call them back after I got off the phone. Now, I swap over just to tell the person I will call them right back.

(6) I no longer have a color-coordinated calendar based on clients sitting at my desk. It’s now all on my phone and computer. This is a great invention. Whatever I enter on my computer goes straight to my phone and vice versa.

(7) I can play any game I could possibly think of on my iPhone against people in another location.

(8) Lastly, the design of apps. I used to have to go to who knows how many websites to pay bills, check my football scores and more. Now, it’s all just a touch a way. No log-in, no going through 10 pages just to get to the page I want. Quick and simple.

As marketers, these advancements in technology have allowed us to do things we never thought were possible a few years ago. I love how I can now opt-in to text messages to receive coupons, or companies can create apps tailored specifically for their brand. It makes me wonder what’s next. What is going to be the next mobile marketing tactic that companies will use to draw me in? I am sure this will come sooner rather than later.

Email marketing has become one of the most popular ways for companies to reach people quickly and inexpensively. With that said, it means email inboxes are becoming more and more cluttered with them, making it difficult for people to decide which emails are worth their time to read. Important and useful emails can be missed or even more simply, just overlooked.

It’s crucial that companies take the time to research their audience and create emails specifically geared towards them. What’s the point in creating an email that goes to some random person who probably has zero interest in your company?

With the importance of how emails are designed and sent, it’s vital that companies look to email marketing agencies for assistance.

A couple years ago, Trek Bikes realized just this. They were launching a highly anticipated new bike. They couldn’t afford (like any company) to risk making a bad impression with potential buyers. Instead of trying to design emails and compile lists on their own, they did the smart thing and hired a professional. The steps the email marketing agency did are as follows:

1) Build an extensive email list of customers that are interested in the bike industry. This was done at Tour De France races (very smart since Lance Armstrong’s 1274 Madone is made by Trek.) They also collected email addresses via online contests.

2) Design branded emails that are directly appealing to your audience. The message that you are wanting to get across, a new product or a promotion, will dictate how the email is designed. I feel this is what people often forget: the message you are trying to get across should dictate the design. The design should not dictate message.

3) Create a double opt-in email acceptance process. This ensures people really want to receive your email and helps avoid false sign ups, aka spam email addresses.

4) Lastly, Trek designed an overarching marketing campaign. They combined their email marketing with other marketing components, such as print and paid search. This allowed them to reach their target market in numerous different ways. Consistency in the look and feel helped build an overall brand.

How did this email marketing campaign work for Trek Bikes? Their new email design and list generated a 36% open rate and an 18% click through rate. That’s pretty fantastic considering the industry average for the e-commerce/retail sector is 13.9% open rate and 3.7% click-thru rate.

Impressive? I think so.

Bailey Gardiner is looking for an advertising account intern to start as soon as possible.

A little about you:

• In school, or just graduated in a major relevant to marketing or communications

• Able to commit to a minimum of 20 hours per week, set hours are preferable

• A well-organized, self-starter who shows ownership over assignments

• A great communicator- both oral and written

• Eager to learn

• Creative

A little about your responsibilities:

• Assist the Traffic Coordinator, by helping with the flow of projects

• Coordinate print related projects from start to finish

• Handle insertion orders and assist with organization of the media placement process

• Research-new publications, online opportunities, guerilla marketing-which sometimes requires going out in the field and gathering information, materials, photos
and more

• Maintain and write posts for Bailey Gardiner’s intern blog

• Responsibilities will vary and can grow with your willingness!

While we can’t compensate you with pay, the experience you will get at Bailey Gardiner is invaluable. We’ll take the time to teach, support, provide you with responsibility and have some fun. For a little more information about us, visit baileygardiner.com If you’re interested, please email your cover letter and resume to becca@baileygardiner.com.

*No phone calls please*

In a recent post, I talked about the campaign our San Diego advertising agency created for Pierce Education Properties. The results were so strong that our client recently asked us expand it–a request that made us flip cartwheels through the hallway.

The new creative work consisted of a renewal flyer for current residents, a kick-off leasing season print ad and two additional print ads based on previous creative. Last time, we focused on how living at Chandler Crossings or The Village at Bluegrass was “all about you.”

This time, our advertising team concentrated on all the extra perks you would get by renewing your lease or signing a new lease early.

We chose this direction because it’s an awesome deal that they are offering. And we realized most young adults would want the opportunity to save money. In college, things really are about you and no one likes to pay rent (actually, no one likes to pay rent at any age). And we played off the fact that for young people so many other things matter more: money for books, money to “pimp out” your apartment and money to help your “party fund.”

Makes me want to sign up for a space at Chandler Crossing.