Dated logo, bland colors, non-responsive website. Sound like your business? If so, it might mean a new look is in order. Don’t stress – a corporate rebrand can be fun. Sure, it’s hard work and it’s a bit intimidating at first, but it’s well worth the challenge.

But before you go diving head first into daunting design waters, take some time to come up with a plan (and read this blog!)

Define your mission. If there’s one thing businesses often forget, it’s how to sum up their offerings in 20 words or less. Take the time to define, or redefine, your mission and use that as your develop your new brand. And a little old fashioned brainstorm never hurt anybody, so take an hour to sit with your team (no laptops invited) and really dig deep into your brand.

Remember your identity. As the times change, so does corporate design. But instead of jumping on every change or trend, let your creative team explore design options that work for your brand now and 10 years from now. Stay practical and true to your company’s personality, and don’t be persuaded by what’s hot this week.

Start from the inside out. A new look can be confusing for employees, so it’s important to make sure your team understands why the rebrand happened, and what the new look and feel means. Take the time to educate every department on how the rebrand affects their day-to-day work, and what they can do to help customers understand the changes.

10 seconds until launch. The launch of your rebrand can be daunting, but taking the time to develop a project plan, budget and timeline will pay dividends at the time of the launch. If possible, a general rule of thumb is to launch the entire rebrand simultaneously so there is little to no confusion about what is old and what is new. There will always be backlash from confused customers, but a fresh look is best achieved when everything is released at once.

Tell everybody! Your rebrand shouldn’t be something you try to hide. Be proud of your company’s new look and share your enthusiasm with the world. Use your social channels, website and even newsletters to encourage consumers to explore your new logo, colors, website, collateral, etc.

Your brand is your first impression. Take the time to consider how you want your customers to see you in the marketplace, and make sure your new look is sustainable.

If your company is in need of a facelift, we’re happy to help. We’re just about to start a rebrand of our own so we’ll be right there with you.

Given YouTube’s popularity, it’s no secret that most people love to watch internet videos. As this trend continued to grow, marketing pros tapped in and found ways to sell their brands through creative, organic videos.

Building brand awareness and loyalty is a crucial part of a brand’s overall success, so what better way to do it than through creative visuals? According to a recent article on ClickZ, almost 60% of consumers say they would watch a video on a brand’s website. That’s nearly two-thirds of a brand’s customer base actively participating in their marketing efforts. You can’t pay for that kind of engagement.

But brand videos aren’t just online commercials or advertising; they’re about creating meaningful content that resonates with consumers. There are some brand videos that we’ve all watched, shared and watched again like Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches or Virgin America’s Safety Video. They’re charming, funny and informational – but most of all they inspire us. They offer something more than a traditional ad or marketing campaign. They tell us a story, teach us something valuable or inspire us to take action.

Whatever the angle — funny, sad, inspirational – one thing is key: organic, natural content. An ad is an ad is an ad. We’ve all made them and we know how to pick one from a lineup. But a branded video is different. It’s intriguing. It acts as a catalyst to share real, useful information, not advertising jargon that pushes another product onto consumers. Some of the most amazing branded videos out there have little to do with a product, but they connect the brand with an idea that resonates with consumers. It gives customers something to relate to, and makes them feel excited to support the brand.

What’s the best brand video you’ve seen? Share it with us on Facebook or Twitter!

Adweek recently featured several high-profile brands that are constantly trying to find new ways to reach their customers. According to the article, Westfield launched “Westfield Labs” in an effort to continue improving its customers’ experience at its malls and with its retailers. The idea behind its lab is simple: Create and test new experiences for customers in real-time. The ideas that stick will be translated to a larger scale, and made available to Westfield shoppers globally.

Innovation labs are sprouting up all over the country. From high-tech to retail, industries across the map are consistently finding new ways to engage consumers and connect with audiences of all types. It’s truly marketing at its finest – and it’s working. Westfield is a great example of a company that is on the forefront of innovation. It brings its ideas to life by testing them first in a safe environment before translating it to a real location.

As the article notes, these labs also connect the digital world with the physical. They allow consumers to connect with and access the retailer from anywhere, at anytime. This is increasingly important as more and more technologies are integrated with consumer brands.

Last holiday season, Westfield partnered with ecommerce giant eBay to connect online retail with mall shoppers. Three large screens were placed in the mall with options for shoppers to swipe through more than 100 products and then buy them from a mobile phone. This combination of the digital and physical world is just one example of the many types of retail conveniences developed in the innovation lab.

Is your business doing anything new to connect with your consumers? We can help. Connect with us to get started.

Ask any PR junkie, and they’ll tell you that public relations is the umbrella that oversees marketing, strategic communications, social media and brand. Ask that same question to a marketing pro and you’ll find yourself with an inconsistent idea of who’s at the “top” of the chain.

Regardless of which field reigns as king, PR and marketing need to work hand-in-hand. Whether you’re an in-house marketer, an agency strategist or a businessman, understanding strategic communication is critical to your company’s success. Get a step ahead of the game by reviewing these three core principles:

1. Identify your audience. Remember the old 80/20 rule from business 101? 80% of your business comes from 20% of consumers. This trick remains the same when it comes to strategic PR and marketing, so stay ahead of the curve by identifying your target audience and tailoring your message to fit their interests.

2. Go digital. The digital age has arrived. With it comes websites, SEO, likes, followers, digital ads…the list goes on. With so many outlets to showcase your brand, it’s important that you go digital, but stay strategic. Start by identifying your audience and craft your digital strategy from there. You might think you need a presence on every social media platform, but that can be difficult to manage. So if your target consumers are mostly using Twitter and LinkedIn, then focus your digital marketing efforts on those sites.

3. Share relevant content. One of the biggest challenges for businesses in the digital era is staying relevant in a constantly changing sea of content. Start by researching the type of content that your audience is interested in, and begin to incorporate these themes into your blogs, posts and updates. Another rule of thumb is to share industry content two-thirds of the time, and company updates one-third of the time.

Whether you’re developing your brand or launching a new campaign, these three marketing principles will help solidify your position as an industry leader. Does your digital marketing strategy need a boost? Contact us today to discuss how Next-Mark can help your business.