Grand Valley American Marketing Association

Recently I read an article in GQ Magazine talking about “re-branding” yourself. This is an interesting topic and it has been mentioned during some of our AMA meetings in the past – the concept of marketing your own brand. How do we develop our own brand? It seems there is a process in which you separate your personal self from your public self. To some this may seem like a facade, but it looks to be a growing trend in the business world.

Our personal brand is the energy we give off when we enter a room. We can instantly tell what someone’s “brand” is by looking at them, listening to the way they speak, and the way they present themselves or handle certain situations. Our personal brand is not our personality. We can be the most depressed and grumpy person at home, but we don’t want to bring that energy into the workplace, so we develop our “brand” that people associate with us. How we sell ourselves to others can really determine our success. This concept trickles down all the way to our resume and how it is presented to employers. From interview #1 we have to have our brand figured out.

Personal brands can extend out of the workplace into daily life. From the clothes we choose to wear to the car we drive all describe something about us – we are constantly positioning ourselves, working an angle, coming up with our own selling proposition. After reading this article I have been picking up on brands that my peers give off. Is it true or am I just paranoid? Do we really have to come up with a personal brand strategy to get by in this world, or can we just truly “be ourselves”?

Over the past few months I have noticed retailers pairing their products with promotions that I would not have expected. Around Thanksgiving, a tire retailer was offering a free turkey with the purchase of four new tires. Do you actually want a turkey from a tire retailer? I passed on this amazing bargain. I also received 15 free music downloads with an oil change at Quick Lube and a free ski lift ticket with the purchase of over $10 of Shell gasoline.

Where do they come up with these pairings?!

Do you have any more strange promotions to add?

You may or may not be familiar with the UK’s famous periodical The Sun. They recently launched a new advertising campaign to battle against the growing use of mobile and electronic devices to obtain the news. What better handheld device than the physical paper itself anyways?

They cleverly use the same look and feel as Apple’s iPhone commercials to get their message across to viewers. Instead of going head-to-head against mobile devices they simply use their own tactics against them, and it works. Check out the video below (or click here) to see their new ad campaign and all its glory…

Note to marketers: Things are going to change, again.

Click the image to watch the video! (or you can click here too)

After watching the video, let us know what you think… Obviously this technology will not be available to the masses for some years, but it’s underway and will be hitting the streets before you know it.

How do you think this will change the way marketing and advertising will be done in the near future? Share your thoughts!

Are you in the market for change?  We have a new product for you!  This will satisfy your need for change and then some.  Now for a closer look into how this revolutionary product has become what it is today…

This product has a marketing campaign that is the envy of its many competitors.  Well thought marketing efforts have mastered the art of selling this high end product to individuals of all ages.  By creating a meaningful logo, slogan, website and brand image in general, this product knocks the socks off of all its competitors.

This products brand image is portrayed in an all American and consistent fashion.  The consistent appearance  is maintained by the use of Gotham typeface on rally posters, the product website and on promotional banners.  This particular font is known for its ‘American’ look; very sleek and simple.  This typeface was originally designed for use in GQ Magazine, and is now continuing to offer its sleek design elements for this new product.

The product logo was masterfully created and used.  Each time this product is shown to public audiences the logo is centered directly beneath.  As Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning experiment proves, individuals can be trained to have a desired response.  Yes, Pavlov used dogs to explain this behavioral condition, but humans can be trained too.   Now, when the blue, white and red logo is viewed, the consumer reacts with a desired positive response, typically.

Pavlov calls this Classical Conditioning; marketers call it Branding.  Branding is something marketers use to associate a name, philosophy or image with a psychological reaction.

You know this, I know this, and so does President Obama.

President Obama’s marketing campaign was unlike any other presidential campaign.  Sure, other presidential candidates had effective marketing strategies’, but none engulfed every aspect of marketing the way this particular winning candidate did.  All opinions aside, the impact he has made on America is something to admire.  He has his own logo, slogan, digital portrait and now he and his wife are dolls.  Yes, dolls.  Jailbreak Toys are manufacturing three different Michelle dolls, each with a different sense of style, but each with her brilliant smile and sculpted arms. These 6 inch, phthalate-free PVC dolls are being sold just in time for the holiday season this year.  If you’re still trying to figure out what to get your family for Christmas, check out your local toy retailer for holiday specials on these presidential figures.

The marketing efforts of this presidential campaign are nothing short of commendable.  ‘Obamania’ is progressing through the product life cycle.  What stage do you think it’s in?   Whether in the growth, maturity, or decline stage, President Obama has certainly won the hearts of consumers.  The next question: What will the shelf life be?

If you have not visited downtown Grand Rapids recently, there is no better time than the present to do so.  As I walked around Rosa Parks Circle this past Wednesday evening, I couldn’t help, but notice how vibrant and beautiful the city truly is.  People of every age and class were out exploring the city streets looking for their favorite ArtPrize piece. ArtPrize is the newest attraction that is bringing even more life to the city. With 1,262 artists and 159 venues, there has been a feeling of excitement in the air of the Grand Rapids community in the weeks prior to opening day of ArtPrize (September 23) and will certainly remain in the next three weeks of the national competition (ending October 10).  Artists from around the country have been creating pieces specifically for this competition; the top prize: $250,000.

The size of the competition, artists and prize money, has created quite a buzz in the city. Working in the Grand Rapids Art Museum has put me in the center of the ArtPrize buzz; I am amazed at how the word of this event has spread throughout the country.  While sitting on a park bench Wednesday evening, I met an artist, from Ottawa, Illinois, who was promoting his ArtPrize sculpture.  This particular artist was handing out small flyers about his piece to people on the street.  Artists are working hard at marketing themselves to get their pieces and names recognized by the voters whether it is handing out flyers, taping them to light posts, or staking lawns with signs. Each artist is promoting their art work to gain the most number of ‘yes’ votes. Voting is done completely by the citizens that have registered to vote.

There are art pieces of every sort; sculpture, pushpin art, silicone babies, performances, and video projections just to name a few. Voters are choosing their favorites and voting accordingly. My favorite piece so far is “The Furniture City Sets the Table for the World of Art” by Sarah Grant. It is an enormous table and chairs on top of the blue bridge. I have only seen a small fraction of the pieces, any suggestions? With so many artists it is going to be difficult to see everything without knowing where to go (I haven’t sprung for the 140 page guide book just yet). At least I’ve sprung for registering to vote- it’s free.

As of the second day of registration for voting, there are over 10,797 registered voters; hopefully you’re one of them!  As of day 4, there are over 27,108 voters. Clearly, the marketing department has been doing their duties.  The event website (artprize.org) has been up and running for several months with participating artist biographies, art piece descriptions, and the guidelines for voting.  Recruitment for approximately 1,000 volunteers has been well underway for several months.  Volunteers can be spotted easily at registration sites and as ‘way-finders’ on the streets of Grand Rapids in their bright read ‘Ask Me’ t-shirts.  Other marketing materials include three types of ArtPrize t-shirts, an ArtPrize exclusive bracelet pass and guidebook.  Each of these items are sold in packages at the registration venues. There is even an exclusive ArtPrize shuttle service running every 15 minutes around the city. I’m curious as to how well the shuttle services work, any advice or comments on this?
The marketing staff of this event knows their stuff. People are registering to vote left and right and more people are finding out every day. This is the first year for the competition, but there is talk of making it an annual competition. If you haven’t heard the ArtPrize buzz before this, now you know. To learn more about the competition visit their website, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter or YouTube account, turn on your television, or look outside. The ArtPrize buzz is everywhere.