Get the basics right

Before you start anything, be very clear on what you want to achieve. What I’m going to look at isn’t rocket science. It’s about building strong foundations on a close understanding of your objectives. So what are these core basics?

• Knowing your audience
• Delivering a clear USP
• Consistently communicating over multiple marketing channels
• Having a robust call to action
• Setting clear objectives
• Planning the follow up

The above points are not listed in order of importance, they are all as important as each other. Can a campaign be successful if you’ve got a great USP but it’s being promoted to the wrong audience? Of course not. That applies for all of these points. I’m not going to go through all of the above in great detail, but I will highlight some key areas to focus on.

Structure

All good campaigns follow a fairly similar structure. It’s all about intersecting the path to purchase of your desired customer and influencing them to choose your business vs your competitor. Knowing where and when your potential customer is making their purchasing decision is vital (knowing your audience) As soon as you know that, you know where to begin or indeed where to end your campaign.

Take FMCG vs Construction as an example. Buying a chocolate bar vs buying cement is obviously very different. Strong ATL with TV and VOD coupled with great in store execution is the mainstream way of conducting powerful FMCG campaigns. Compare this to Construction. Bold trade press presence, detailed editorials coupled with targeted PPC would work well. These are two vastly differing industries chosen to illustrate the differing options of campaigns. There certainly is no one size fits all.

Actionable

The call to action is another important part of a successful campaign. Some campaigns may have an obvious one. Buy my chocolate bar please, it’s very tasty. Others may be less so. It may be a download of a new catalogue, it may be the subscription to a newsletter or the attendance of a seminar. In these cases it is vital to make the call to action impossible to miss. Colour, text, images and video all enable a call to action to be seen first (having a robust call to action). Don’t spend thousands of pounds on PPC if your end product isn’t suitable or the customer clicks and then gets lost in a maze of online content. Be clear!

Flexibility

All plans change. During campaigns, analysing data is very important. React to trends when you see them. I have touched on flexibility in a recent budgeting blog that I have written. With all of the research and knowledge amassed before hand, you must be prepared for results that may have differed from your expectations.

The way that people interact with brands and companies is constantly evolving however do not forget traditional media. You may find that the 10% you have spent on print advertising in journals is accounting for all of your success. At ib3 we have been working in the print side for years, and I mean years, just ask Frank! Be open to change throughout the campaign but equally, always remain focused and fixed on your objectives (setting clear objectives) Try new mediums such as Mobile, video, PPC, blog content (as I’m doing now!) in order to communicate with your target market.

Differentiation

Be creative. This part I have specifically left out of the basics category. Being different and unique is not a basic factor. It’s a goal and it’s a defining factor of a campaign. People never talk about campaigns that have regurgitated old ideas and mirror the industry standard. People talk about different campaigns. Guiness’ white horses; the Meerkats; Nike’s Just do it and so on. They are all unique and instantly recognisable. This is down to them being very creative. I want to check my insurance renewal, drinking a pint of Guiness with a comfortable pair of Nike trainers on!

At ib3 we work on a variety of campaigns in a variety of industries in a variety of countries. Our successful campaigns are born on getting the fundamentals right and topping them off with plenty of creativity. Our multi-channel approach to campaign creation is designed for you to get the most impact from your budget. Careful planning, creative design and years of knowledge and experience is all brought together by our desire to achieve maximum customer service.

If you’re looking to start your next campaign, get in touch.

Thanks for reading,

Adam

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adam@ib3.uk

The new Design Museum opened in November 2016. A stunning building on the outside, but that opens up into a jaw-dropping interior! A triple height space that leads up to the impressive curved roof. It was originally built in the 1960s but the inside has been totally renovated by interior designer John Pawson.

The new building offers three times the space that the old museum in Shad Thames had. Everything is so well considered as you would expect from a building showcasing the best in architecture, fashion, graphic, product and industrial design. (Even the loos were worth a visit with their touch-screen mirrors to control soap, water and air for washing your hands!) There are also lots of lovely places to sit and take in the atmosphere.

The best of the free exhibitions was the ‘Designer Maker User’ spaces. Starting of with the ‘cool wall’ – (the greatest bits of design and innovation that have touched our recent lives), where you just kept on finding new things to look at from bits of Lego to the humble cork-screw. Who can spot the Oyster Card?

Leading you round a hexagonal design history timeline into a collection of classic design icons. The tube map, road signs, typefaces, light bulbs to name but a few of the pieces celebrated for their simplicity, clarity and their ability to touch and help us in our lives without us really even noticing them.

It was definitely a thought provoking exhibition – filled with lots of nostalgia. I heard many comments about favourite design classics like ‘I remember those’ ‘I used to love that’. Also a few controversial pieces made an appearance. Love them or hate them – you can’t dispute that ‘Crocs’ are an ingenious piece of footwear design!

To end off a lovely visit – you can visit 1 of 2 shops (or both like I did) and peruse the wonderful books and gifts – a designers heaven!

I would certainly like to return to see what other exhibits will be there in the future.

designmuseum.org

The pharmaceutical market faces a number of challenges; one is the identification of counterfeit medicines. These are a major threat to public health and can damage the reputation of pharmaceutical brands.

We have been working with CDMO Recipharm in promoting the ‘Facts’ on Serielisation and how they are helping their customers on the journey to compliance.

As with most markets, digital marketing is taking up more of the promotion budget. Brand awareness is key in the pharmaceutical sector where long development times are common place. Our position as a Google partner gives confidence to our clients in a truly global marketplace.

I’m now already looking forward to CPhI 2017 in Frankfurt!