Good day, everyone! This is Chris Teague bringing you observations from the living-world of creativity in marketing. My purpose for blogging about marketing is to share the sometimes over-looked beauty of marrying art and science to enhance behavioral change.
Today, I have an emotionally moving video to share with you. You will see a video created by a team of Los Angeles creatives (big time creatives) to reduce euthanized rates for animals in the L.A. area. As you will see in this video, marketing and creativity can move the world to do good things. Check it out!
Peace,
Chris Teague
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Keeping it Simple
Welcome, to my blog everyone! This is Chris Teague brining you Marketing and Perspective, a story telling blog of marketing strategy and creative work in-use. As you know from last week's post, I am excited to be back sharing creativity, innovation, and perspective for marketing in today's chaotic world!
Today, I was running (boy, was I struggling too) and passed a cool ad. The ad was actually right below my feet, and I noticed it better this evening as my wife and I took our stroll with the dog. The ad was written in sidewalk chalk, which turned on the creative juice machine in my head inspiring me to paint this story for each of you. My first thought was, "Wow! This is totally cheap, and I bet I could throw some sort of sustainability justification for choosing sidewalk art as a means of advertising for my clients." Not to be guilty of greenwashing, but there are eco benefits to using chalk and a sidewalk: chalk washes away, few materials required, minimal energy use, and cost savings. Okay, this isn't a "go green" message, so let's get back to coolness of being creative.
As my creative juices began to bubble inside of my volcanic mind, I did what any digital media age person would do, I Googled sidewalk chalk and came across this cool video to share. Well, I will say it is kind of cool, but the music can definitely use some help. Anyway, check the video out and enjoy!
Take care and be at peace!
Chris Teague
Today, I was running (boy, was I struggling too) and passed a cool ad. The ad was actually right below my feet, and I noticed it better this evening as my wife and I took our stroll with the dog. The ad was written in sidewalk chalk, which turned on the creative juice machine in my head inspiring me to paint this story for each of you. My first thought was, "Wow! This is totally cheap, and I bet I could throw some sort of sustainability justification for choosing sidewalk art as a means of advertising for my clients." Not to be guilty of greenwashing, but there are eco benefits to using chalk and a sidewalk: chalk washes away, few materials required, minimal energy use, and cost savings. Okay, this isn't a "go green" message, so let's get back to coolness of being creative.
As my creative juices began to bubble inside of my volcanic mind, I did what any digital media age person would do, I Googled sidewalk chalk and came across this cool video to share. Well, I will say it is kind of cool, but the music can definitely use some help. Anyway, check the video out and enjoy!
Sidewalk Chalk Marketing from Marty Booth Hodges on Vimeo.
Take care and be at peace!
Chris Teague
Monday, April 9, 2012
Linear Plan for a Box
Wow! I have been away from the blogging sphere for entirely too long! It's so great to be back talking to each of you, sharing and learning experiences in this crazy, jacked-up world of marketing. I will refrain from going into some lengthy, melodramatic explanation of where I have been, and leave you with this song from the late Kurt Cobain, "All Apologies."
In the world of marketing, each of us as marketers strive to enhance the way we implement strategy and create tools for communication in-support of our lovely strategies. What happens when you have no "clear" strategy? How do you create an impacting communications program that delivers a "real" ROI without a clear understanding of the marketing strategy? If you're scratching the old noggin, I am right there with you, and have a story to share below.
I once was in a meeting with a "text-book" marketing director who explained this dynamic marketing strategy to increase product growth to me using language that I don't think he even understood himself, but it did sound good. I remember wanting to say something to the effect of, "Now, in your words, what do you want to do?" However, I didn't and listened to the director's plans for increasing product growth among a segmented target audience. The meeting wrapped and I left with my task: Create a communications program to support growth.
Being tasked to create some creative communications, I knew that I had better make sense of what I deemed to be non-sense. But, how? As I pondered said strategy, I began to let the creative juices flow from my leaky brain. As these juices began to dampen my planning canvas, I stopped immediately in thought, and posed a question: What happens when I create some cool deliverables, but can't really measure them as positively impacting a strategy I don't understand?
Well, friends. I had to do something. I reassessed the director's strategy and thought about the audience he wanted me to speak to using whatever nutty tool I decided to use. Just as any artist takes inspiration from their environment, I realized what my canvas needed: It needed a linear plan in a box. What do I mean by this? I mean, that I had to reel in all those thoughts of engaging people with creative content delivered by vehicles driving behavior changes and think about my environment, which had to be set in the director's mind.
I immediately put up the paint brush and pulled out the hard hat. I began the mode of linear thought instead of my preferred visionary mode of thought. I put myself in the director's mind the best that I could to turn what I understood as some form of Mayan speak into marketing communications speak. I focused on the intended outcome from the director's perspective, and created a "text book" solution: PR. I decided that the only value I could bring to a strategy that was at best vague, was to create some interesting articles on new product developments and pitch them to a few influential trade publications and bloggers. I knew that the director would like the fact that I used a tool that could be measured and was "accepted."
By choosing to chain my creative mind to the steps of linear thinking I was able to deliver exactly what would be accepted by the director. So, friends, if you are having trouble creating value for your clients, get back in the box and you may actually find the tool you are looking for is in there. In this case, PR is always a good tool to use for a growth strategy. After all, you can measure it, can't you? Hmmm?
Be at peace!
Chris Teague
Monday, February 28, 2011
What I Learned in L.A.
Good day; and welcome to my blog post! This is Chris Teague, brining you news from the Other World.
Before I begin my post, I would like to quickly mention a respected PR professional, Mary Ellen Miller. I want to thank her for being such a wonderful asset to my marketing efforts; so Mel, Thank You!! I recommend you check out her site and blog as well. Okay, here goes today's post.
Being back on the East Coast has me thinking of the lessons I learned while in L.A. this past week. So, today's post is about taking my personal brand and integrating it within a new audience; the West Coast.
I have written and spoken on personal branding because marketing is a way of life for me. My clients expect me to understand how their brand resonates within the community, so I practice what I preach daily. In L.A. I was able to make sure my brand was evident and left a memorable impression upon the people I met.
I was in L.A. last week conducting business for a Reality TV series. If you know anything about the entertainment industry, image and reputation are everything. So, you may ask yourself how someone from the South was able to fit in on the West Coast? Easy, I made sure that I clearly communicated I was reputable and had the expertise to create the image my colleagues out there wanted to see.
First, I came prepared with registered writing samples so that they entertainment folks knew I was an actual writer. I also shared some of my marketing portfolio with them to demonstrate a thorough understanding of where the dollars come from in the Reality TV industry; advertisers.
Next, I shared all the research about the show that I discovered prior to meeting. This act boosted my brand to the top of the "Credibility Charts" quickly. Being prepared is part of my brand, and research is a huge part of how I succeed in this marketing world. So, I did not change my brand one bit; rather, I carefully integrated it into the West Coast scene by building credibility through knowledge. I positioned myself as an expert simply by knowing a few vital facts about the show I was discussing.
Lastly, I made sure I looked the part. I wore a custom-designed suit (the only one I own because I'm too cheap to buy them) even though I knew that the people I was going to meet would be dressed in more casual attire. By wearing this suit I positioned my brand as being professional, which complimented my expert positioning discussed earlier.
You see, my personal brand integrated nicely into the West Coast scene. I hope you can understand how this simple story is what companies seek to do with their brands everyday. There is a lot of thought, research and planning put into brand integration. I spent two months preparing to integrate my brand, and it was just for one sixty-minute meeting.
I will share more about what I did in L.A. in next week's post, so come back!
-Chris Teague
Before I begin my post, I would like to quickly mention a respected PR professional, Mary Ellen Miller. I want to thank her for being such a wonderful asset to my marketing efforts; so Mel, Thank You!! I recommend you check out her site and blog as well. Okay, here goes today's post.
Being back on the East Coast has me thinking of the lessons I learned while in L.A. this past week. So, today's post is about taking my personal brand and integrating it within a new audience; the West Coast.
I have written and spoken on personal branding because marketing is a way of life for me. My clients expect me to understand how their brand resonates within the community, so I practice what I preach daily. In L.A. I was able to make sure my brand was evident and left a memorable impression upon the people I met.
I was in L.A. last week conducting business for a Reality TV series. If you know anything about the entertainment industry, image and reputation are everything. So, you may ask yourself how someone from the South was able to fit in on the West Coast? Easy, I made sure that I clearly communicated I was reputable and had the expertise to create the image my colleagues out there wanted to see.
First, I came prepared with registered writing samples so that they entertainment folks knew I was an actual writer. I also shared some of my marketing portfolio with them to demonstrate a thorough understanding of where the dollars come from in the Reality TV industry; advertisers.
Next, I shared all the research about the show that I discovered prior to meeting. This act boosted my brand to the top of the "Credibility Charts" quickly. Being prepared is part of my brand, and research is a huge part of how I succeed in this marketing world. So, I did not change my brand one bit; rather, I carefully integrated it into the West Coast scene by building credibility through knowledge. I positioned myself as an expert simply by knowing a few vital facts about the show I was discussing.
Lastly, I made sure I looked the part. I wore a custom-designed suit (the only one I own because I'm too cheap to buy them) even though I knew that the people I was going to meet would be dressed in more casual attire. By wearing this suit I positioned my brand as being professional, which complimented my expert positioning discussed earlier.
You see, my personal brand integrated nicely into the West Coast scene. I hope you can understand how this simple story is what companies seek to do with their brands everyday. There is a lot of thought, research and planning put into brand integration. I spent two months preparing to integrate my brand, and it was just for one sixty-minute meeting.
I will share more about what I did in L.A. in next week's post, so come back!
-Chris Teague
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Marketing Green Leaving a Sour Taste
Good morning to you!
I have been traveling quite a bit lately and had a huge grant project for a client, so my time to blog has been limited! However, I am back today and excited about sharing my experiences in this ever-changing world of marketing.
Ready to read today's post? Let's go!
Are you tired of hearing all the talk about Global Warming and how your awareness can make a difference? Well, you might not be tired of the "green" talk, but recent research from a Harris Poll reveals that our behavior and attitude toward being green has changed over the year.
According to a Harris Survey, Americans have shifted their green attitudes from 2009 to 2010. Many Americans today are not as interested in being green, which means those of us in the marketing world better wake up and prepare to shift some strategy around if this attitude change continues to increase.
How about you? Have you decided that you are tired of worrying about being green? Feel free to share your thoughts. Go make a great day!
Your friendly marketer,
Chris Teague
I have been traveling quite a bit lately and had a huge grant project for a client, so my time to blog has been limited! However, I am back today and excited about sharing my experiences in this ever-changing world of marketing.
Ready to read today's post? Let's go!
Are you tired of hearing all the talk about Global Warming and how your awareness can make a difference? Well, you might not be tired of the "green" talk, but recent research from a Harris Poll reveals that our behavior and attitude toward being green has changed over the year.
According to a Harris Survey, Americans have shifted their green attitudes from 2009 to 2010. Many Americans today are not as interested in being green, which means those of us in the marketing world better wake up and prepare to shift some strategy around if this attitude change continues to increase.
How about you? Have you decided that you are tired of worrying about being green? Feel free to share your thoughts. Go make a great day!
Your friendly marketer,
Chris Teague
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Health Care Marketing
Hello, and welcome to today's post about marketing in the health care arena. I'm Chris Teague, and I thank you for reading my blog. Let's dive into the waters of health care marketing...
Do you have friends that think the pharmaceutical industry is an evil marketing machine? I do, and I find the rants and ravings of how horrible pharmaceutical advertising is to be quite entertaining. From my marketing perspective, I look at health care marketing as an art of persuasion that is rivaled by few in the marketing world.
Let's take a look at how this health care marketing process works. First, we have the initial condition. Take "restless legs" as our condition. Now, we all know that the problem with having restless legs is a lack of sleep. In fact, my wife will tell you how much she suffers from my moving legs! Instead of my diagnosis being called, "running in my sleep," I have been educated on the clinical terminology, so I now know that my actual condition could be restless legs. This education of the condition is the first step to health care marketing, and it is powerful.
What happens next? Well, I might actually take my wife seriously and go to a site like WebMD to see what this restless leg stuff is all about. Now, the marketing done to get me to this point really picks up a notch because I want a cure, right? I need to make my wife happy, and since I have pretty much self-diagnosed my condition, I now can find a remedy. It's on the final powerful tool of health care marketing.
What is the remedy for my condition? Why, it's a pill of course. However, I can't just go to the local drug store and pick up what I need. I must have a prescription, which requires me to see the doctor. This is the beauty of the marketing game! I am not only going to purchase the pill that cures my condition, but I also have a nice little co-pay for my doctor's visit. You see, the entire health care system wins in this scenario, which is a brilliant representation of the art of health care persuasion.
I was educated about a condition I didn't know existed before the advertisements and communication efforts hit the air waves. Once I learned I had symptoms for restless legs, I was convinced to take action. No, I wasn't directly told to go to WebMD, but I did because I knew it was a good resource of health care information. Finally, I discovered a solution and took the final step by going to see my doctor and having a prescription filled. Can you tell me that the art of persuasion isn't strong in health care marketing? You should try to apply this art to your marketing and see what happens.
Be great today because you can't tomorrow...
Your friend,
Chris Teague- an avid learner of marketing and its powerful uses
Do you have friends that think the pharmaceutical industry is an evil marketing machine? I do, and I find the rants and ravings of how horrible pharmaceutical advertising is to be quite entertaining. From my marketing perspective, I look at health care marketing as an art of persuasion that is rivaled by few in the marketing world.
Let's take a look at how this health care marketing process works. First, we have the initial condition. Take "restless legs" as our condition. Now, we all know that the problem with having restless legs is a lack of sleep. In fact, my wife will tell you how much she suffers from my moving legs! Instead of my diagnosis being called, "running in my sleep," I have been educated on the clinical terminology, so I now know that my actual condition could be restless legs. This education of the condition is the first step to health care marketing, and it is powerful.
What happens next? Well, I might actually take my wife seriously and go to a site like WebMD to see what this restless leg stuff is all about. Now, the marketing done to get me to this point really picks up a notch because I want a cure, right? I need to make my wife happy, and since I have pretty much self-diagnosed my condition, I now can find a remedy. It's on the final powerful tool of health care marketing.
What is the remedy for my condition? Why, it's a pill of course. However, I can't just go to the local drug store and pick up what I need. I must have a prescription, which requires me to see the doctor. This is the beauty of the marketing game! I am not only going to purchase the pill that cures my condition, but I also have a nice little co-pay for my doctor's visit. You see, the entire health care system wins in this scenario, which is a brilliant representation of the art of health care persuasion.
I was educated about a condition I didn't know existed before the advertisements and communication efforts hit the air waves. Once I learned I had symptoms for restless legs, I was convinced to take action. No, I wasn't directly told to go to WebMD, but I did because I knew it was a good resource of health care information. Finally, I discovered a solution and took the final step by going to see my doctor and having a prescription filled. Can you tell me that the art of persuasion isn't strong in health care marketing? You should try to apply this art to your marketing and see what happens.
Be great today because you can't tomorrow...
Your friend,
Chris Teague- an avid learner of marketing and its powerful uses
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Charitable Sponsorship Marketing
Hi there, and welcome to my blog! I am Chris Teague, and this is my blog about my job, marketing. Thanks for checking the blog out today!
I have worked in the non-profit arena ever since I was in graduate school. First, I felt the urge to make a difference in this world, so I volunteered for a few small organizations, and even played in the fire of a political campaign. Wow, that fire really was hot! Today, I am going to address the importance of your sponsorship. Even if you aren't sponsoring a charitable event, you can still know what happens when and if you decide to use charitable sponsorship as a marketing avenue.
Why do companies spend thousands of dollars on charitable events for a banner and logo placement? If you don't have the answer, then I am really stuck. You see, as a marketer, I always want to make sure that whatever my clients do they follow the overall marketing objectives set for the year. For me, having a logo on a sign and being mentioned in a program is not really a strong marketing tactic. However, it is important to be in touch with the community, and it is vital that companies and businesses support charitable organizations.
Before you decide on sponsoring an event, think of your company's message for a moment. How does the charity's event help you communicate that message to your target audience? If the sponsorship packet you're reviewing does not have many "ideal" marketing opportunities, you still don't have to refuse the sponsorship, especially if you believe in the cause. Pick up the phone, and speak with the Communication's Coordinator of the charity, and suggest a few ideas you have for making your sponsorship more impacting than what you were originally presented. I'm sure that the charity wouldn't mind a little insight anyways. After all, the charity's job is to keep your dollars coming back in the door. Your job is to make sure that your marketing objectives are followed through the sponsorship.
Have a good week everyone!
Your friend,
Chris Teague- a marketer with purpose, drive and passion
I have worked in the non-profit arena ever since I was in graduate school. First, I felt the urge to make a difference in this world, so I volunteered for a few small organizations, and even played in the fire of a political campaign. Wow, that fire really was hot! Today, I am going to address the importance of your sponsorship. Even if you aren't sponsoring a charitable event, you can still know what happens when and if you decide to use charitable sponsorship as a marketing avenue.
Why do companies spend thousands of dollars on charitable events for a banner and logo placement? If you don't have the answer, then I am really stuck. You see, as a marketer, I always want to make sure that whatever my clients do they follow the overall marketing objectives set for the year. For me, having a logo on a sign and being mentioned in a program is not really a strong marketing tactic. However, it is important to be in touch with the community, and it is vital that companies and businesses support charitable organizations.
Before you decide on sponsoring an event, think of your company's message for a moment. How does the charity's event help you communicate that message to your target audience? If the sponsorship packet you're reviewing does not have many "ideal" marketing opportunities, you still don't have to refuse the sponsorship, especially if you believe in the cause. Pick up the phone, and speak with the Communication's Coordinator of the charity, and suggest a few ideas you have for making your sponsorship more impacting than what you were originally presented. I'm sure that the charity wouldn't mind a little insight anyways. After all, the charity's job is to keep your dollars coming back in the door. Your job is to make sure that your marketing objectives are followed through the sponsorship.
Have a good week everyone!
Your friend,
Chris Teague- a marketer with purpose, drive and passion
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