Views From the Cove
BY DANIEL BLACK
Clients often ask us for help with their brand story. Now, we could easily approach each scenario with a similar strategy, but developing a unique brand identity in complex industries requires careful, thoughtful, and creative solutions, not off-the-shelf templates. Instead, we think through the context of the work and choose a solution that will get us to a strong result for their specific circumstances.
BY DANIEL BLACK
Although marketers are skilled in many departments, even we can’t see into the future. So, why are we still using an Annual Marketing Plan to strategize for the year ahead? From priorities to pandemics, a lot can change within 12 months and it’s important to revise and adapt along the way. We present to you, our proposal to adopt a Marketing Alignment Plan, a dynamic approach that prevents you from spending the whole year planning and saves you some time for doing.
BY TONY FONTANA
SafeRide Health is setting the pace for non-emergency medical transportation. After nearly 10 years in business, SafeRide’s brand identity and narrative needed to catch up to its industry-leading technology. Shortly after wrapping up a rebrand and new website launch, we checked in with Ashley Roberts, Senior Director of Marketing. Ashley walked us through the decision to rebrand, the early impact of the new brand, and how a refresh will help SafeRide continue to be a driving force in healthcare transformation.
BY ALLISON LYLES
We all want a human touch in our brand, but we don’t always have the budget or time required for custom photography. Alas, our reliance on stock photos continues to grow. But while we’re buying up more and more imagery, we’re doing so from the same two or three libraries. Not to mention stock photography’s lack of diversity, hokey scenes, and shortage of visual variety. To stand out with stock, follow these strategies and tools to avoid the trap of sameness.
BY DANIEL BLACK
Hot take: I’m against the “Send Later” feature in Outlook. The issue of thinking for our email recipients doesn’t just apply to how we communicate with other people. It also applies to the world of marketing and how brands communicate with their audiences. The next time you’re about to make an important marketing decision, consider if you can accurately predict what your audience is thinking and what they want. If not, and that’s likely the case, pick a path that optimizes for options. Give your audiences the flexibility to engage in whatever way they want.
BY AMY HOLLSHWANDNER
Ever passed on a video project due to money, time, or talent? We get it. A highly produced video takes time and isn’t cheap. We’ve pioneered the Billboard-Style Video to make video more accessible from a budget, production, and user standpoint. Without sacrificing style or quality, we’re all about creating video-based marketing tools that are attainable for businesses of all sizes.
BY TONY FONTANA
We all bring our unique, personal brands to the workplace. Yet we don’t show up to our jobs with a user manual on “how to work with me.” A personal user manual can give colleagues a baseline understanding of who you are and how to engage with you most productively. Tony shared his personal brand—pass on the compliment sandwich, please—and showed us how the art of introspection can create a common ground to be more open and honest with each other.
