The Blowhard Brand? Really?

Yes, folks. They have done it again. The awesome marketing geniuses of the world suck yet again. Imagine me getting a Linkedin invite to connect with an "Executive" of this land development firm in India, wonderful. I think he needs me more than he knows, or knew. I just had to tell him about the genius work his local marketers had done for him. 

On an international web search one might think a "Blowhard" is someone that strongly tells their story. Simply not aware of the sediment certain cultures have toward this term. This is why you pay more than $250 for a brand. This is why you hire someone that not only knows what they are doing, but does the research necessary to put out a brand that will serve you well and be iconic. 

I don't even want to begin to guess what the Las Vegas showgirl plumes stand for or represent. Maybe they are long balloons being inflated by the Blowhard Group? Perhaps the "P" is blowing an increasing amount of liquid?  

Bottom line... Know what you are doing and do a lot of research before launching your brand. You don't want to look like a Blowhard Group, or group of blowhards...I'm leaving that alone now. 

To Suck or Not to Suck, That is Your Logo

After seeing some horrible logo makeovers and creations this week I wanted to give a few pointers for those of you that haven't been to my branding seminar. More information can be found at this page on our site: elleven

To make my argument, look around you. There are busy, horrible logos all around you. If you want to get distracted, search "bad logo" in your favorite search engine and see what people paid for. Ouch.

But here is the lesson for today:

Graphically Simple- A brand should be simple to look at or you are immediately labeled as not simple to do business with. Look at the major dominating brands. Do they have a lot of shapes? Are they complex? Are they easy for your brain to process? Easy to remember? Small business owners especially fall pray to trying to fit too much in their logo. A lot can be fit into a logo, but it is done with the way the shapes are used, colored, positioned, etc. Symbolism should be used artfully.

We hear it all the time, "But without that, it doesn't say all I do..." When going to McDonald's I don't remember seeing breakfast burritos in the logo. There is a significant trend demanded by the people of this paradigm for simplicity. "Tell me quickly what you do." Unilever is an example how to effectively communicate many things, but it is limited in it's use.

The logo should be designed well enough that it can be embroidered and not have to rely on graphics made from billions of colors, complicated shading...

You get what you pay for...and wait for- FedEx reportedly spent 5 million dollars and 2 years to have their brand redone. It incorporates rewarded comprehension...(See the arrow?), effective color schemes and excellent flexibility. A real bargain for them if you look at how it has helped them increase market share. I am not suggesting you run out and spend millions, but learn from the greats,...without knocking them off. There is a reason why these companies pay more than a couple hundred bucks for a logo...because they work.  

A couple other fun ones:

Next $100k

BP redesign $211MM

BBC $1.8MM

Pepsi $1MM

accenture $100MM

Oreo Proves Big Corporate CAN Be Nimble in Social Media

Oreo surprised the world of business with their quick Twitter tweet response to the Superbowl power outage last year. Well done #Oreo. You have my respect for a job well done. Oreo got play without a big game time ad space price tag. 

I have insulted large corporations for years because of their lethargic response to marketplace need, demand and opportunity. In this out of site, out of mind society we live in, most campaigns for large corporations are "so two weeks ago".  

We launched our H1N1 Swine Flew campaign for Chiropractors only one week after the panic was spread across the news media world in 2009. Our small Chiropractic clients had the ability to shift gears in their marketing and put the new campaign in place immediately. Large corporations were unable to respond in a timely manner due to red tape, budgets, approvals, processes... bottom line, large companies failed to capitalize on this gem of an opportunity. Three days after presenting the new campaign to the Chiropractors the postcards were mailed and office posters, brochures, presentation kits, etc. were delivered. 

Here is the postcard we did. Cheap, quick and effective. Our pig model was not even paid. 

   

Some corporations have tried to be quick and nimble on their feet through social media. This has backfired on some, costing them millions in minutes. But just think of the money they saved by hiring a new college graduate to post for them! Bad move. That grad needs help to be the mouthpiece of the company. 

These large companies are either going to have to preset guidelines or spend the money and get someone that can communicate with their clientele in a way they want to be communicated with, when the opportunity is there and without compromising brand integrity. These people would have to have direct access to a decision maker all the time to expedite response times. 

Corporations need to understand you are not going to go viral while keeping everyone happy all the time. There is some risk involved and not everyone is going to like every campaign every time. But, it is well worth the risk as the rewards far outweigh the risks. Whatever system you choose to be nimble in the marketplace, choose one and be prepared to respond to the opportunities that present themselves. 

150 New Feautures in Adobe Creative Cloud

This is a great piece on the new features for the Adobe Creative Cloud. Although it does not fulfill all my hopes and dreams, it is certainly a step in the right direction.

http://news.doddleme.com/equipment/adobe-creative-cloud-announces-150-new-features/

My biggest beefs have been the integration between their programs. Premier Pro doesn't accept a file I just created in another Adobe product? Really? Some of those issues are said to be resolved in this new product release. Just like any other update, I guess we will see how that shakes out. I do hope they have resolved the issues of missing files and templates.

Regardless, know that I love adobe and will keep using their products and would recommend them. The creative suites have always been where it's at for me. Some of our guys may disagree with me and we even as a company use multiple software vendors, but I am an Adobe guy.

Apartment Numbers New Website

Congratulations to the Apartment Numbers TV Show for their new website content. Facebook has been the primary source for pictures, calendars, news and the like, but Apartment Numbers TV Show has added pics to their website so you don't miss pics like this. They have also added a new endorsed provider page.

www.apartmentnumbers.tv has also added a new way to interact with the the Social Media front. From Facebook and Twitter to Pinterest you can share your favorite Apartment Numbers TV content, pictures or links.

Apartment Numbers has also announced they are in search of more multi-family properties to buy. So if you have a property you would like to sell, contact Darcorp at www.darwingerman.com. I am sure they would love to film at your property next.  

Apartment Numbers Releases Teaser

The TV Show Apartment Numbers has released the first teaser for the show. It can be viewed at Apartment Numbers Teaser Youtube. You will see Samuel Sadler and Darwin German as they renovate and rehabilitate apartment complexes and work with the people that live in them.

An "Investor Version" is also available upon request and will not be aired with the other content. To request a copy visit www.apartmentnumbers.tv or www.ellevengroup.com and click on Apartment Numbers.

Apartment Numbers has also created a Facebook page and is can be seen at this link. https://www.facebook.com/ApartmentNumbers

The Apartment Numbers website www.apartmentnumbers.com will also house links to their Youtube channel, Facebook page, Twitter feed, Pinterest postings and all their industry links. Some video that was either too graphic or too something may also be found on the site. Samuel Sadler of Apartment Numbers is notorious for being in footage that invokes the craziest of characters to surface from people. Sometimes this footage is good for television, sometimes not.  

New Reality Show "Apartment Numbers" Announced

New Reality Show "Apartment Numbers" will be available on Netflix fall 2013. The show will feature the remodeling of dilapidated apartment complexes in need of financial and business help. The show will tell the story of those that live in the apartment complex and how their lives are affected by the improvements in their living conditions.

Samuel Sadler, CEO of elleven studios and ADHD Creative announced the release of the Apartment Numbers Reality Show. The teaser can be viewed at this Apartment Numbers YouTube Link. Apartment Numbers is the FIRST EVER multifamily reality show. The show covers the renovations of apartment complexes by Real Estate Investor Darwin German and team while telling the stories of the residents that live in the complexes being remodeled. 

Sadler says, “Apartment Numbers has been one of my favorite projects to date. It has been a project that has enabled us to be creative and let life happen. We get the footage we get because we have cameras rolling all the time and we are introducing opportunities for good things to happen. This is a show that will break your heart and make you laugh in the same episode. We are doing a lot of good for people and having a lot of fun doing it.”

The show concept itself was developed by Real Estate Investor, Darwin German. German is an experienced Real Estate Investor having been introduced to the industry from his youth. German owns Darcorp, a Dallas-based real estate investing company that invests primarily in commercial and multifamily investing. German often pools money from multiple private investors to purchase properties at higher yields than most investments offer. Apartment Numbers is expected to be a signicant educational resource for investors 

interested in investing with German. They will be able to get more information by watching or by visiting the show website.  

When asked about his thoughts about the Apartment Numbers Reality Show Darwin German said, "I wanted to show the world how we change lives every day. A number of private investors invest with us and we wanted to show them the magnitude of what we are doing. The people that live in these apartments have amazing stories to tell. With these people there is never a dull moment. we just have to be there to capture it on film when it happens."    

As the Real Estate Investor, German walks the viewer through the renovation of the projects. He walks them through the management and relations with building inspectors, contractors and the like as the renovation deadline relentlessly counts down. 

As the Project Director, Samuel Sadler creates events and opportunities to help the residents improve their lives, become united as a community and gain community exposure. With Sadler around, there is never a dull moment and the unexpected is sure to happen. 

Watch for Apartment Numbers episodes on Netflix. Additonal information can be found at www.apartment numbers.tv on YouTube or Facebook at www.facebook.com/apartmentnumbers