According to Michelangelo, sculpting David was simple. All he did was chip away the bits that weren’t David.  

Brands can benefit from the same approach - stripping a brand back to its very essence can help articulate its core qualities in a way that’s real, honest and simple. It’s an approach known as ‘debranding’, and it’s a much-needed response to brand fatigue.

Our world is loud enough as it is. By dialing back the volume on our branding efforts we can craft identities that speak honestly and meaningfully - without having to shout. Because as it turns out, a little bit of branding can go a long way.

According to Michelangelo, sculpting David was simple. All he did was chip away the bits that weren’t David.  

Brands can benefit from the same approach - stripping a brand back to its very essence can help articulate its core qualities in a way that’s real, honest and simple. It’s an approach known as ‘debranding’, and it’s a much-needed response to brand fatigue.

Our world is loud enough as it is. By dialing back the volume on our branding efforts we can craft identities that speak honestly and meaningfully - without having to shout. Because as it turns out, a little bit of branding can go a long way.

Design is art with function: it’s elegantly purposeful. By applying design thinking to creativity, you can create things that make a meaningful difference in the world – and that are specifically crafted for an audience who truly wants them. When you apply that same kind of thinking to business, you get results that go beyond ideas and into the realm of the viable. 

Design is art with function: it’s elegantly purposeful. By applying design thinking to creativity, you can create things that make a meaningful difference in the world – and that are specifically crafted for an audience who truly wants them. When you apply that same kind of thinking to business, you get results that go beyond ideas and into the realm of the viable.

There’s nothing wrong with innovation for innovation’s sake. But the problem comes when you try to grow a business out of something that doesn’t really need to exist. Design thinking reduces this risk – it’s a kind of idea insurance. The fundamental benefit of design thinking is that it ensures that you’re creating things that people actually want. 

Are you making something people want?

Design thinking creates successful brands.

The great thing about frameworks is that they’re translatable, transferable and scalable. The same design thinking approach used to develop a marketable product can be used in developing your business. 

It makes sense, after all – your products arise from the environment that created them. They’re the result of your business, and your business is the result of your products. It’s a symbiotic kind of relationship. The two go hand in hand, building and growing each other. 

All organizations are unique entities with their own philosophies and identities. Some identify these organically over the years, while others efficiently and industriously craft theirs from the get-go. The latter type are the design thinkers. The ones who understand the purpose and function of what they’re putting out into the world – and who build a brand accordingly. And the outcome is a brand that builds back. 

Let’s take The James and Ace hotels. Their dramatic expansion into the boutique hospitality market isn’t just luck and happenstance. Their artfully chosen locations, thematically unified decor and signature amenities result in the provision of a very particular experience being sought after by their savvy guests. They’re offering an experience by design – and that experience gives back to the company through the reiteration of its brand. 

Design is used from concept through to execution to craft a set of consumer expectations – and to ensure that they’re not only met, but met consistently. Because once a brand promise has been broken, that trust is gone. 

But when you have the support of design, those brand promises will be so deeply embedded in your organization that it won’t even be possible to break them if you tried.

Design thinking lets you scale and adapt. 

Design as it relates to visual identity is easy enough to conceptualize. But for businesses that are built entirely upon a foundation of design, the result is far more than just looks – instead, we’re talking about the intersection of form, function and philosophy. 

And when your organization is artfully positioned in the middle of this Venn diagram, you can re-evaluate, refine or even redefine what you stand for, what you do, and how you present it. A business predicated on design thinking is always reflecting on the function and purpose of what it’s putting out into the market. It’s always asking whether it’s making what people actually want. And as the needs of the market change, the business changes, too.

Take peer-to-peer delivery service Postmates as an example. When it launched amidst a crowded field of competitors in 2011, naysayers were bearish about its longevity. But the company’s offering – efficient delivery at the lowest possible price – was designed precisely with the market’s needs in mind. And it has continued to evolve as the market has, offering the new “Plus” and “Unlimited” features as a way of meeting newly arising customer requirements.

The upshot was improved vendor relationships, a larger customer base – and a business that continues to build an ever more sophisticated and granular response to an identified need.

Every business deserves design thinking.

Design is an act of creativity – but an elevated one. It walks the line between want and need, and fills gaps in our lives rather than trying to invent them. 

And when businesses begin to expand their notion of design beyond visual identity and into their underpinning identity and ethos, they’re perfectly positioned to fill those gaps by engineering useful, purposeful solutions to identified needs. 

When intelligent, thoughtful design provides the foundation for what you do, you no longer have to try to convince people to care about what it is you make or offer. Because your entire business model is all about making the things that people actually want.

The most powerful expressions of creativity are the ones that effectively communicate to audiences outside ourselves, and our ability to collaborate and create with others is what sets us apart from other species in a world that’s constantly in a state of change. But what does that mean? And what is the root of the nature of creativity?

The most powerful expressions of creativity are the ones that effectively communicate to audiences outside ourselves, and our ability to collaborate and create with others is what sets us apart from other species in a world that’s constantly in a state of change. But what does that mean? And what is the root of the nature of creativity?

The origins, meanings and execution of creativity is something that’s been hotly debated since the dawn of time. The only thing that seems certain is the concept of creativity has evolved alongside humankind as we’ve continued to grow as beings. The ancient Greeks had their own exploration into what it means to be creative. Through the Renaissance, creativity even became something of a philosophical process. In today’s society, we temper creativity and creative expression with intellectual, physiological and sometimes spiritual properties.

Creativity wasn’t actually named and recognized as a concept until 1926, when English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead finally denominated it as such. Even so, questions still remained. Creativity was – and is – emotional and impassioned, yet deeply cerebral and impossible to compartmentalize. Is it inherited? Is it a state of mind, or is it a process? Perhaps, most likely, it’s a careful and precise combination of each of these traits.

Despite our constant and deepening relationship with creativity, the ability to effectively define it and discern its origins remains elusive. As is often the case when we encounter something that defies description, we’ve begun to define creativity as something akin to divine communication – a spiritual channeling from a source that drives the planet forward, and teaches us an expanded form of self-expression.

However, Dr. Charles Limb disagrees with this notion. An MD, professor and Chief of Otology/Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery at the University of California in San Francisco, Dr. Limb is one of many researchers eagerly pursuing the definition behind the concept of creativity. His findings suggest creativity isn’t a whimsical notion – in fact, he believes that the more creativity is practiced, the more prolific each proceeding creative endeavor becomes. So it’s not so much that creativity is a mythical communication as it is a muscle you must exercise, or a habit meant to be cultivated.

Dr. Limb is both a musician and surgeon, so his insight into creativity comes from a balanced space of understanding the neurological aspect behind creativity, as well as the mystical mindset that seems to be a hallmark of one’s creative nature. If you’re so inclined, we recommend watching Dr. Limb’s TED Talk – called “Building the Musical Muscle” – for further information on his research and how it correlates with the nature of creativity.

But getting back to our point: there are very real parallels between outside-the-box creative ingenuity and the disciplined process needed to turn ideas and possibilities into something tangible. We believe there’s a formula for creative success – and the key ingredients are time, patience and hard work.

If you had the ability to ask any one of history’s notable creatives how they achieved and accomplished their most decorated accolades, they’d likely tell you that creativity is part beast, part journey. It can be rigorous and time consuming, gut-wrenchingly painful, and at times, insanity-inducing madness. But in the end, it produces results – and it’s the results that matter.

French chemist Louis Pasteur famously stated, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” To disseminate further, that means talent, honed skill and thoughtful research overlap and funnel directly into imaginative leaps and bounds, effectively separating creativity from any other discipline. Mozart also proclaimed that hard work was the most central component to his creative process. All inherent talent aside, the act of creation is an arduous and often lengthy endeavor. The one thing it decidedly is not? Magic.

There’s still so much we need to understand about creativity and how it works. But as we continue to research and gain knowledge of our creative minds, it’s important to remain focused on the ultimate goal of being a creative: translating creativity into ideas, ideas into actions, and actions into final products that are groundbreaking and game-changing. It’s this philosophy and approach that drives us at STARMEN, where we continue to learn from and work with our creative minds to their utmost capabilities, and consistently redefine what it means to us to be creative.

Creativity doesn’t sleep. Neither do we. Whether mystical or practical, grounded or ethereal, we’ll continue to explore creativity and its inherent nature in every aspect of what we do. After all, isn’t that what creativity is all about?

Author and creative director Paul Arden articulated: “Do not try to win awards. Be true to your subject, and you will be far more likely to create something that is timeless. That's where the true art lies.” Our team at STARMEN agrees fervently with this sentiment from the famed Saatchi and Saatchi alum.

Author and creative director Paul Arden articulated: “Do not try to win awards. Be true to your subject, and you will be far more likely to create something that is timeless. That's where the true art lies.” Our team at STARMEN agrees fervently with this sentiment from the famed Saatchi and Saatchi alum.

Still, while the winning of awards never serves as our primary motivator, we make it a point to pay proper acknowledgement to every single accolade that comes through our firm. We’d be remiss if we did not maintain a sense of gratitude, and we believe this helps us remain firmly rooted in our craft, as well as consistently accountable to each new client endeavor we embark upon.

The W³ Awards is one awards program we particularly appreciate. Judged each year by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, the W³ is comprised of the industry’s top-tier professionals, assembled on an invitation-only basis. Judges come from companies and creative firms from all over the world, including Big Spaceship, Condé Nast, Disney, MTV, Wired, and more! Additionally, the W³ is the first awards program of its caliber wherein small agencies and international firms are as likely to win as Fortune 500 companies. By removing team size as a mitigating factor, the judging process is able to focus solely on the work itself, allowing recognition to be fairly attributed to the creative and marketing professionals behind the best videos, sites, and marketing campaigns of the year regardless of where they’re based.

This past year, we received two Silver accolades from the W³ Awards for our work with nonprofit LA2DC (www.la2dc.org) in the category of Activism, and for fashion label, KAYAT Design, in the category of Fashion.

Submissions in the Website category are judged based on the following components: creativity, usability, navigation, functionality, visual design, and ease of use.

Through its rigorous evaluation process, the W³ honors its commitment to recognizing the best of the Web, and we are truly humbled by our inclusion in this year’s cycle.  These awards are a true testament to not only the solidity of our team, but the strength of our client partnerships as well. Such recognition is rarely achievable without all components working synchronistically toward their common goal.

Long gone are the days when running a really great marketing campaign involved, in sum, brilliant graphic arts and catchy verbiage. Indeed, it used to be that a carefully crafted execution of these two elements could allow marketing executives to sit back, and enjoy the ride. This is no longer the case.

Today’s consumers want engagement, and with the emergence of social media, the Internet is an open canvas. Brands that fail to make their mark pay the price in terms of lost engagement with potential customers, and trends show that effectively doing so is increasingly a kinesthetic process -- not a static one. This means that in order to form authentic, long-term engagement with users — the kind that drives referrals, publicity, and sales — your  brand strategy must make the shift from storytelling to storydoing.

Long gone are the days when running a really great marketing campaign involved, in sum, brilliant graphic arts and catchy verbiage. Indeed, it used to be that a carefully crafted execution of these two elements could allow marketing executives to sit back, and enjoy the ride. This is no longer the case.

Today’s consumers want engagement, and with the emergence of social media, the Internet is an open canvas. Brands that fail to make their mark pay the price in terms of lost engagement with potential customers, and trends show that effectively doing so is increasingly a kinesthetic process -- not a static one. This means that in order to form authentic, long-term engagement with users — the kind that drives referrals, publicity, and sales — your  brand strategy must make the shift from storytelling to storydoing.

First, Define Your Story

Whether it’s actively acknowledged or not, your company has a story, and denying your marketplace of the insight into that can mean all the difference to your bottomline. As such, we encourage our clients to invest in a strategy that not only divulges what makes their brand unique, but what humanizes them in the minds of human consumers.

Beyond engagement, though, the fact of the matter is that you’d be hard pressed to find an industry that wasn’t inundating its consumers with storytelling messages, leaving the buyer to sort through the clutter of verbiage for him or herself. Sports brands tell tales of how their products help you find your inner greatness. Cosmetics brands speak of evoking the most beautiful you. Luxury good brands boast of quality and fine craftsmanship. 

In the especially gridlocked categories, the only way to truly bypass the noise is to transcend storytelling altogether, and opt for storydoing. In essence, the art of storytelling has become a more visceral, collaborative practice, and it’s up to you to build out a narrative that encompasses not only your objectives as a company, but the habits, behaviors, and social priorities of your market. 

Second, Bring That Story to Life

Building out the action around your brand — from telling to doing — allows for a shared human experience to be formed with your product at its epicenter. Collective experiences are the foundation of a strong interpersonal relationship, so it makes good sense that it would also be the best way to build a bond with a consumer too, which speaks to the core of human learning patterns. A hands on approach is nearly always preferable, and this extends to all corners of human life.

“The old way to market a business was storytelling. But in today's world, simply communicating your story in the hope that customers will listen is no longer enough. Instead, your story must be expressed through every action your organization takes. Today's most successful businesses are storydoers.”

— Ty Montague

And, in fact, these compelling moments of doing are robust opportunities for engagement not just with immediate audiences, but with consumers far and wide. Thanks to social media, these instances of storydoing are all the more potent as users’ experiences with your brand are projected onto observers at all ends of the earth through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

Nike’s “Run the World” events, Shell’s Eco-marathons, and Coke’s Happiness Tour are all prime examples of how brands can transition their campaigning from a story being handed down to a tangible engagement with their respective consumers. From these interactions, Nike, Shell, and Coke are able to actually be a living, breathing part of their customers’ lives like never before. What’s more, because events like Nike’s and Shell’s involve an element of achievement — athletes often train for many months to partake in said events — the brands’ potential for assimilation into peoples’ lives is even more enhanced.

Most importantly, your company mustn't boast the marketing budgets of a Nike or a Coke in order to make storydoing an excellent avenue through which your strategic and creative campaigns are run. One method through which this can be achieved is by expanding your scope beyond the consumer. By striving to make a truly palpable difference in the world at large, you temper your brand in a way that intertwines elements of human emotion and solidarity. If there’s a cause your company supports, evolve your giving practices so that there is room for your market to give along with you. Buy one, give one programs such as those currently run by TOMS or Warby Parker are popular ways that companies marry charity with consumer activity, and both have proven that a sense of global responsibility speaks volumes in the minds of increasingly conscious consumers.

Finally, Let it Grow

Our key takeaway can be reduced to three words — experience trumps instruction — and this can be rightly applied to nearly any walk of life. Take musician Ed Sheeran who spent years playing small gigs at any venue that would host him before finally making it big, and compare his story of cold, hard do-ing to that of a contestant on American Idol who is simply told they’re a star. Ed Sheeran and other entrepreneurs, artists, and visionaries who’ve risen to prominence after paying their dues can all attest to one thing: building a successful enterprise is a marathon, not a track meet. Ultimately, in order to build that long-term connection with your consumers, you must be in it for the long haul. We promise you, though, that if you stay true to your branding mission, you’ll reap what you sow in terms of engagement and loyalty from consumers for generations to come.

It should come as no surprise that having an idea is one thing, and actualizing that idea is entirely another. Take it from us; many are the things that serve to stand in the way of an idea coming to fruition, and what's more, these obstacles can be the difference between a truly game changing idea that comes to fruition, and one that never sees light outside your office walls. 

Ideas are what drive us forward as a people. They are paramount to progress in art, in science, and in moral society, and that’s why our team at STARMEN is pleased to share its foolproof plan for getting those ideas off the ground!

It should come as no surprise that having an idea is one thing, and actualizing that idea is entirely another. Take it from us; many are the things that serve to stand in the way of an idea coming to fruition, and what's more, these obstacles can be the difference between a truly game changing idea that comes to fruition, and one that never sees light outside your office walls. 

Ideas drive society forward. They are paramount to progress in art, in science, and in moral society, and that’s why we are pleased to share our foolproof plan for getting those ideas off the ground!

First, stand firmly behind your concept

As a general rule of thumb, the best way to help your idea take flight is by standing squarely behind it, and going at it with gusto. Consider what makes this idea worth pursuing. What will it accomplish for the betterment of the team or client? What problems does this idea solve or current gaps does it fill? Only once you can truly advocate for your idea can you fully master the art of selling that vision to motivate others to stand with you behind the cause. 

Second, blueprint your plan of action

Once you have fully wrapped your mind around the idea, you’ll be in good shape to start mapping out the steps required, including the often underthought middle parts of materializing a new idea -- the part where creative exploration gives way to the meticulous, the tedious, and the nitty gritty. It is in this lengthy, drawn out period of tireless work that most great ideas tragically fizzle. Scott Belsky, author of Making Ideas Happen and founder of online portfolio platform Behance, dubs this part of an endeavor the “project plateau.” For artistically-driven individuals, this plateau can be particularly painstaking because it is the time when creativity is at a standstill, and laborious task management is at an all-time high. As Belsky adds, “To escape this pain, we generate a new idea (and abandon the one we were working on). This process can easily repeat itself ad infinitum, without us ever finishing anything meaningful.”

Team STARMEN ardently believes that careful planning and strategic delegating can help your project avoid such a fate. By mapping out the forecast of a project, you’re allowing those involved to have a clear picture of present status and next steps, which leaves little room for doubt or lingering notions of “how will this all come together?” What’s more, when everyone on the team is weighted only with tasks they are truly competent and capable of fulfilling, they’ll be more likely to come through, leaving the team as a whole running efficiently, and the project progressing on schedule.

“All great inventions emerge from a long sequence of small sparks; the first idea often isn’t all that good, but thanks to collaboration it later sparks another idea, or it’s reinterpreted in an unexpected way. Collaboration brings small sparks together to generate breakthrough innovation.”
— Scott Belsky

Now that your vision is clarified, and a plan of action’s in place, it's time to get going! 

Third, be patient

With all of the moving pieces required to materialize your idea, it’s imperative to constantly circle back to that all-important first step. Remember why you embarked on this journey to begin with, and you’ll be much less likely to make decisions in haste or try to rush tedious parts of the process. However, there are a few steps you can take to alleviate any doubts that your venture is moving toward its target. When holding meetings with team members, be sure to commence with each person reviewing next steps for his or her respective responsibilities, as well as a brief synopsis of what each person is taking away from the meeting. This recap should be no more than 20 or 30 seconds per person, and can save immeasurable time down the road because it will confirm not only the overall productivity of your meetings (whether or not goals, feedback, and notes are being clearly communicated, for instance), but it also will help hold individual team members accountable for what they are working on.

Fourth, remain focused

This idea, with you at its helm, is premised on a single, solitary concept. Reduce cluttering that vision by remediating new ideas to the backburner. There may come a time and a place for new endeavors to roll out, and when that time comes, those new ideas will deserve the same undivided attention as the one presently before you. 

Another excellent way to remain aligned with your objectives? “Avoid a reactionary workflow,” Belsky iterates. In a typical workday, we’re inundated with messages -- from our social apps, text messages, array of email accounts, and instant messengers -- and that’s not even considering phone calls and interpersonal conversations. As such, we, as professionals, are suspended in a constant state of reaction, responding to these various entities with little time leftover for proactivity -- which is essential to moving whatever we’re working on forward. To counter this, schedule yourself time each day where you’re totally unplugged to incoming communication, and can focus on outgoing productivity. There is a time and a place for conversation and connectivity, but progress is what truly moves ideas from ethereal into the ether of reality.

Innovation is perhaps the cornerstone of our modern society, and for good reason. Innovation helps us progress; it heals us, enriches us, and entertains us. It connects us as a people in ways prior generations could never have dreamed. But all too frequently, marketers with raw ambition aim to catapult their campaigns into fresh, new territories simply to be the newest or the most different, all without a clear motive in mind.

It’s no secret that the marketplace today is vastly different from yesterday’s, and the intensity at which that is true indicates that we’re in store for even greater change come tomorrow’s. 

As an agency, STARMEN creates brand experiences every day to appeal to a wide variety of audiences, and the strategies developed from each endeavor are carefully crafted so our clients and their products receive the maximum exposure necessary to create movement. Whether that translates into social action, amplified brand awareness, or product sales, there is considerable variance in the methodologies through which each demographic is best attained.

One such target market we’ve studied extensively is the millennials. Aged 18 to 33, these individuals are coming of age, and coming together in ways never thought possible.  Often referred to as the “me” generation, millennials are frequently beleaguered with claims of a poor work ethic, technological dependency, and overall arrogance. 

But ask Snapchat CEO, Evan Siegel, and he’ll tell you that sense of entitlement is truly just his generation’s way of carving their own way through the world they are ever so slowly inheriting. It is for this very reason that millennials are impossible to ignore, and essential to truly understand. 

Here, STARMEN has identified three key objectives that make marketing to and engaging with this demographic a most rewarding endeavor:

First and foremost, master mobile.

Without question, the gentlemen and women of Gen Y go for it in life with gusto, and they are unapologetic about their place in the world. Adventure-seeking, independent, and tech-savvy, this population is as diverse as they come, but one vital element unifies them all: mobility. 

However, it’s worth noting that these active creatures are not the movers and shakers of their parents’ generation. Steadfast in their ambitions, millennials are taking the world by storm, and they won’t let anyone or anything -- not societal norms, crushing student debt, or perhaps least of all, their parents’ expectations -- stand in their way. 

And with them at every step  -- or at least 88% of them! - is a mobile device that connects them to the rest of the world in increasingly new ways. It is precisely this camaraderie between man and mobile machine that makes marketing to millennials a uniquely challenging operation. 

Thus, we think the best medium for reaching your consumers is through their trusted mobile sidekicks. This could mean you have a well-designed mobile website presence or that you’ve strategically placed ads on other mobile entities. It could mean you’re active on social media, tapping into the daily lives of millennials through comments and likes. 

Or it could mean you craft a targeted campaign that integrates your product into mobile entertainment content. Whatever your methodology, mastering the mobile landscape is essential for reaching millennials. Plain and simple.

Focus on the long-term over the short.

If your brand is having trouble communicating with this generation, it may be time to rethink your approach. As a group, millennials will not take kindly to a hard sell, particularly one for a brand or product they can’t directly relate to. Additionally, they can smell phoniness from a mile away, so your best bet is to focus on building a real, long-term rapport with this generation. Connect with them on a human level. 

While this may mean the point of sale -- the coveted return on your investment -- comes at a later time, the extent to which your company builds an authentic relationship with millennial consumers will ultimately mean the implementation of a truer, longer-term loyalty to your brand.

In other words, why be the brand they haphazardly toss into their cart on an impulse when you can be the one they drive to three different shops trying to track down? Millennials are nothing if not impassioned creatures, and that commitment will come back to you tenfold.

Tackle content in ways that prioritize connectivity over persuasion.

As a generation pillared by authenticity, millennials respond more positively and more deeply to content they perceive as being both relatable and aspirational. This means that oversaturated, highly-Photoshopped celebrity endorsements no longer plant the seed. Instead, the millennial audience seeks the opinions of their peers, a circle of confidence growing ever larger thanks to the prevalence of mobile technology and the interconnectivity provided by the Internet.

This also means that there’s room for a more conversational approach when crafting your campaigns. Successful campaigns of late have involved a shift in emphasis from the livelihoods of consumers to their personalities. Don’t talk at them, but with them. Make them laugh. Make them fall in love. Leave them in awe. Expose their quirky, mundane habits. Throw it back, and let them reminisce, or let them pitch in. Or both. 

Our takeaway point is this: appealing to their broader senses of self will help propel your brand further in the minds and hearts of millennials, and that’s the ultimate key to driving a long-term relationship with this class of consumers.

What’s in a name? Turns out, when it comes to branding, quite a lot. 

True, a name is not the substance of your company. But in a world where nearly every industry is experiencing inconceivable overcrowding, it simply doesn’t do your business any favors to have a misinformed brand name. 

What’s in a name? Turns out, when it comes to branding, quite a lot. 

True, a name is not the substance of your company. But in a world where nearly every industry is experiencing inconceivable overcrowding, it simply doesn’t do your business any favors to have a misinformed brand name. 

The first rule of naming a brand is...

There are no rules! That’s right. There is no comprehensive set of rules that can globally apply to the naming of all brands. The enterprise of naming a brand could go in a number of directions — expressive like Yahoo!, descriptive like Coffee Bean, General Motors, or Toys R Us, or completely esoteric a la Zappos, Google, or Prius. 

But rest assured, there is a method to this seemingly mad endeavor, and our team at STARMEN hopes to shed light on this typically daunting process. 

Go broad or go home.

Naming a brand is as much a science as it is an art, so experimentation and trial-and-error exploration should always be heavily exercised. Thousands — or even hundreds of thousands — of names are oftentimes considered by today’s top naming firms before a winning alias is arrived at. 

“You can be cautious or you can be creative (but there’s no such thing as a cautious creative).
A creative thinker must be fearless. If you’re more tentative than decisive, if you’re more cautious
than creative, you’ll never be an innovative business leader,
and certainly not a great communicator. A cautious creative is an oxymoron.”
 —  George Lois

If this sounds dispiriting, we offer the following perspective. Your brand name is the designation your company and its products will carry through the course of its operation for the foreseeable — hopefully very long-term — future. Your name is what consumers in your marketplace will use to identify your products when discussing them with friends and making purchasing decisions. Your name will also be the first point of contact for customers new to your brand, and it can make or break buying decisions when circumstances preclude all other components of your brand strategy (its visual presentation, its social activity, and so on). With this kind of pull, it is worth your while to heavily screen potential names. Eventually, with due diligence, the right fit will grow more apparent, and you’ll be thankful you held out.

People will question your brand name. Let them.

Much like naming a baby, naming a brand opens up the floor for debate and criticism. People will like, dislike, or even feel indifferent to a name. But, so what? 

Brand naming guru, Hayes Roth, echos this sentiment in his work, and in an interview with The Atlantic. "I was interviewed multiple times when iPad was announced because it sounded to everybody like feminine products," Mr. Roth explains. "I was asked, 'Is this a disaster? Will it sink Apple?' I said it fit with their conventions. A week later, people saw the product and nobody asked the question again." 

At at the end of the day, the quality of your product will speak much more loudly and pervasively than your name ever could.  A name carries with it a certain nuanced suggestive power, but it doesn’t actually employ the key elements of your brand’s personality — its behaviors, its values, or its look and feel.

Nurture your brand, and it will grow into its own. Let it.

Ever met a newborn, learnt its name, and thought, “But… he doesn’t look like a ____.” That’s because the association we, as non-newborns, have grown to assign certain nomenclatures has yet to be established in fresh little lives. The same is true for a brand new brand. Given time, it will grow to acquire an ample repository of personality and attributes, and its name will become as much a part of that complexion as anything else. Which leads us to our final point…

Remember: your brand is a tactile, kinesthetic summation of many working parts.

Nurture it. Grace it with a logo that reflects its personality. Indoctrinate it with your company’s mission, values, and objectives. Remember that your brand is not a static entity, but a dynamic one, and the retribution you take is equal to the investment you make.

Any opportunity to furnish a campaign with our strategic and creative faculties is motivated first and foremost by the utmost in client satisfaction. However, while it goes without saying that the receipt of awards is an entirely subsidiary form of gratification, we also appreciate the opportunity that competition provides for us to truly fine tune our craft. 

Any opportunity to furnish a campaign with our strategic and creative faculties is motivated first and foremost by the utmost in client satisfaction. However, while it goes without saying that the receipt of awards is an entirely subsidiary form of gratification, we also appreciate the opportunity that competition provides for us to truly fine tune our craft. 

We are pleased to announce that we were awarded a series of accolades in the latest cycle of the Communicator Awards. Honoring excellence in marketing and communication, this organization is one of the largest of its kind, receiving over 6,000 entries each year from all over the world. The prestige associated with the Communicator Awards offers recipients “proof and validation that their work is highly regarded by their peers within the industry.” This recognition speaks deeply to our insatiable creative energy, and relentless pursuit of excellence as a team.

The Awards

The Communicator Awards are sanctioned by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, and the panel of judges is derived from an invitation-only “who’s who” assembly of over 600 of the world’s most esteemed professionals from the media, communications, marketing, and creative fields. Judges represent an array of the top media firms, including: Disney, Condé Nast, MTV, Time, Yahoo!, and more! Beyond innovation and craft, the Communicator Awards seeks the ability of a project to truly move its audience — to emotion, to action. 

Our agency was fortunate to receive nods in last year’s cycle, and in 2014, the Communicator Awards has again honored our agency with a series of Silver Awards of Distinction. 

"The key is to greet each new client endeavor with a fresh reverence for its unique challenges. No branding project should ever be approached formulaically because what makes a brand different from another of its kind what should be isolated, cultivated, and celebrated to create growth for that brand."
— Armen David, Executive Director

Our work with Linda May Properties has been a frequent award-winner, and from this year’s Communicator Awards, we’ve been recognized for a commercial campaign showcasing our client’s exemplary standing in its field of international real estate, an online video campaign, as well as website development in both the Real Estate and Specialty categories.  Additionally, our work with LA2DC (www.la2dc.org) — a nonprofit dedicated to awareness of world genocide — received an award for website development in the Activism category.

The meaning behind these awards is two-fold: not only do they serve to commemorate our valued client relationships, but they affirm our core abilities as a team.

Looking Onward

Above all else, we know that to be successful in our field is to remain suspended in a state of constant effervescence, with our ingenuity as vibrant as our work ethic. The industry authority held by the members of the Communicator Awards is unmatched in terms of its collective experience, and subjecting our work to such expert scrutiny is but one of the many avenues through which we seek to grow. Moving forward, we are excited about new opportunities to serve as proprietors of creative and strategic excellence for all we work with.

Let us preface the forthcoming by stating that the meaning behind our recent win at the 2014 Horizon Interactive Awards is two-fold. First, over the course of its thirteen entry seasons, this award has become one of the most distinguished in the field of interactive and creative media. So it goes without saying that having our work recognized by an organization so renowned by our industry is truly the sincerest of honors. 

Let us preface the forthcoming by stating that the meaning behind our recent win at the 2014 Horizon Interactive Awards is two-fold. First, over the course of its thirteen entry seasons, this award has become one of the most distinguished in the field of interactive and creative media. So it goes without saying that having our work recognized by an organization so renowned by our industry is truly the sincerest of honors. 

Secondly, the rigor required to be competitive in the Horizon Interactive Awards is a nod not only to our final product, but to the tremendous discipline of the whole STARMEN team.  

The 2014 award cycle was one of stringent competition. Over 1,200 entries were received from over 27 countries around the world, including: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and almost all 50 of the United States of America.

This magnitude of competition holds us to the highest of standards, and brings all the more meaning to the receipt of these awards for our team.

The Awards

We are truly honored to have not one, but two, of our recent projects honored in this award cycle. 

For our work on the Linda May Properties website, we’ve earned a Gold award. Our work with Linda May has also been honored with the Summit Emerging Media ‘Innovator’ Award, as well as the ‘Best in Class’ Award from the Interactive Media Awards.

As well, we’ve earned a Silver award for our work with L.A. Banquets. With each of these awards comes a celebration of a very valued client relationship, as well as a testament to the truly prolific nature of collaboration. 

Why We’re Honored

Perhaps one of the most significant things about a Horizon win is the circumstances under which it is received. The panel of judges spans all levels of the interactive media field, and so submissions are evaluated by industry peers whose qualifications stem from their very own active participation in the different avenues of this wonderfully creative, multi-faceted line of work. In addition to creatives and developers are project and account focused individuals who represent the importance of a final product being not just beautiful and engaging, but truly at the height of usability.

The pride we feel for our work is trumped only by an overwhelming sense of humility. We’re honored to have been a part of such outstanding client projects, and welcome you to reach out if we can be of service to yours. 

In the business of branding, nothing speaks truer to the work that we do than industry legend, Al Ries’, immutable commandment: the Law of Focus. It is a pivotal point, one that allows the purpose of a brand to be actualized in a more tangible way. 

What makes your brand different from others of its kind? Is it more luxurious, or more at the cutting edge of technological innovation? Is it environmentally-friendly, or is it tightly aligned with a unique social purpose? 

In the business of branding, nothing speaks truer to the work that we do than industry legend, Al Ries’, immutable commandment: the Law of Focus. It is a pivotal point, one that allows the purpose of a brand to be actualized in a more tangible way. 

What makes your brand different from others of its kind? Is it more luxurious, or more at the cutting edge of technological innovation? Is it environmentally-friendly, or is it tightly aligned with a unique social purpose? 

Our point is that whatever distinguishes your brand from the rest of the pack is the driving point your branding endeavor should aim to build upon. And with the marketing industry in a state of perpetual evolution, it is a true testament to Ries’ authority that the Law of Focus remains a true cornerstone of branding excellence to this day.

As Ries writes: “If you want to build a brand, you must focus your branding efforts on owning a word in the prospect’s mind. A word that nobody else owns.”

So, step one involves getting to the core of what drives your brand -- what it ultimately aims to be synonymous with. Only then can your company and its products truly begin to transcend a likely oversaturated (and, really, what industry’s isn’t?) marketplace creating a uniquely authentic opportunity for consumers to connect with your brand.

Perhaps one of the hallmark case studies that highlights this very point is car manufacturer, Volvo. The marketplace is inundated with German automobiles, and the reason so many can maintain relevant chunks of the market is that what differentiates them, defines them in a way that renders the others obsolete to the right consumers. Mercedes Benz is synonymous with prestige, and BMW is for driving. Audis are intrinsically German, but only one thing comes to mind when one contemplates a Volvo: safety.

So while Volvo is also German, by all accounts a great car to drive, and is definitely luxurious, their conceptual namesake for consumers continues to be that they’re the ultimate in safety. For consumers placing inviolability above all else when shopping cars, Volvo is a leader that has stood the test of time, even as the auto industry as a whole continues a trend in revolutionizing vehicular safety.

Since Ries’ heyday, new media have vastly shaped and expanded how and where branded messaging can be unleashed, so expanding your brand’s word into a fully realized concept in the minds of prospective customers will help that concept stay relevant in a vastly visual marketing landscape.

Once you have successfully defined your brand’s verbiage, only then can you own it. And ownership lends itself unencumbered to leadership in its respective share of the market. In other words, once you are synonymous in consumers’ minds as being the safety (or prestige, or driving, or, well, you get the picture) brand, you inherit leadership of the safety sector of the automobile marketplace. 

Now, all of this is not to say that once a market leader, always a market leader. In fact, time as our witness, no-visibility David beats iconic Goliath every day in marketplaces in industries all across the globe. 

Case in point: A little San Francisco start-up called Method that introduced a new line of household cleaning products to a global landscape inching ever more closely towards environmental collapse. As a direct response to the competition’s notoriously filthy carbon footprint, Method is the brainchild of two childhood friends who built their company with one goal in mind: sustainability. Their rapid success is further testament to their focus on that commitment to remaining cruelty free and environmentally friendly. Since Method’s launch, nearly every company in the home cleaning goods industry has tried their hand at launching similarly sound products. Yet despite the massive surge of new products that have hit the market, Method continues to dominate broadly because its efforts are singularly focused.

Our team at STARMEN would love to help you finesse your focus to create a truly compelling brand experience. Get in touch!

We’re pleased to announce our work on the Linda May Properties “Live Your Luxury” campaign has received recognition from the AVA Digital Awards. This project has previously been the recipient of awards from other organizations, including the distinction of Best in Class from the IMA Awards. We are deeply honored by this most recent recognition: a Platinum Award for excellence in website design and development, as well as a Gold Award for our “Live Your Luxury” video marketing campaign.

We’re pleased to announce our work on the Linda May Properties “Live Your Luxury” campaign has received recognition from the AVA Digital Awards. This project has previously been the recipient of awards from other organizations, including the distinction of Best in Class from the IMA Awards. We are deeply honored by this most recent recognition: a Platinum Award for excellence in website design and development, as well as a Gold Award for our “Live Your Luxury” video marketing campaign.

While it is with great pride that we accept these accolades, we would be remiss if we did not pay proper tribute to the journey itself. You see, the AVA Digital Awards is a competition that focuses not just on the end-product, but on the planning, conceptualizing, creative direction, design, and overall production process of digital campaigns of all shapes and sizes. Honoring remarkable work at every stage of the process is the hallmark of these awards’ unique significance to our agency, and we - as a collective agency - owe this honor to each individual facet of our team.

The Significance

Renowned for their stringent standards and internationally-acclaimed credibility, the AVA Awards are judged annually by the Association of Marketing & Communication Professionals. 

Each piece is evaluated and judged on individual merit in contrast to other awards programs where entrants are judged in relation to other submissions in their categories. 

This practice only lends further credence to the overall significance of these awards because it is evidence our work is prolific in its own right, on its own terms, regardless of other projects taking place elsewhere.

The Journey

Our biggest challenge with Linda May Properties was that it faced an industry with a rapidly expanding digital presence. We created the “Live Your Luxury” campaign in an effort to not only enhance perceptions of the Client’s brand in the minds of existing and future clientele, but to allow the company to maintain its competitive edge in an increasingly web-based marketplace. 

We knew immediately that a successful campaign for Linda May would equate to one squarely rooted in the company’s long reign at the height of its industry. The firm has consistently been ranked within the top 1% of Coldwell Bankers Realtors® internationally, and so our work necessarily built on that momentum. Our Client’s quality of work speaks for itself, and so our aim was not to build a site and marketing campaign that spoke not more loudly or boastfully, but more wisely, about our Client’s stature in its field. The resulting “Live Your Luxury” is an elegant yet succinct expression of this merit.

As a successful web presence becomes increasingly paramount in today’s modern marketplace, so too does the need for a sharp, well-defined message. And from these needs, the “Live Your Luxury” campaign was born to not only provide our Client with an attractive, functional tool to facilitate business, but with a carefully crafted communication apparatus, one that would speak both to its values and relentless, “always on” ethic.

We are proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish on behalf of our Client, and incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to further sharpen our toolset in the process.

We find that our insatiable pursuit of excellence necessitates continued evolution, and such is the primary reason we enter our work into competitions like the AVA Awards. Relentless in this endeavor, we find that placing our proudest pieces in line for public scrutiny forces us to produce our best work, and we’re steadfastly aligned with the philosophy that excellence isn’t a stagnant milestone. Instead, it is a constantly advancing finish line requiring a tenacity of spirit, and a constantly evolving repository of skills and ideas. 

Innovation is perhaps the cornerstone of our modern society, and for good reason. Innovation helps us progress; it heals us, enriches us, and entertains us. It connects us as a people in ways prior generations could never have dreamed. But all too frequently, marketers with raw ambition aim to catapult their campaigns into fresh, new territories simply to be the newest or the most different, all without a clear motive in mind.

Innovation is perhaps the cornerstone of our modern society, and for good reason. Innovation helps us progress; it heals us, enriches us, and entertains us. It connects us as a people in ways prior generations could never have dreamed. But all too frequently, marketers with raw ambition aim to catapult their campaigns into fresh, new territories simply to be the newest or the most different, all without a clear motive in mind.

Perhaps one of the biggest buzzwords across industries today, innovation is the driving force of thousands of initiatives embarked upon each year by companies and their marketing teams, big and small. Yet for the thousands of new companies and products put forth into the marketplace, very few stick around long enough to make a huge impact in the way we as humans live our lives. That’s because most self-proclaimed innovators are eagerly in pursuit of the what without a truly impassioned why.

Simon Sinek outlines this point very poignantly with his concept of the Golden Circle. Perhaps the key takeaway from Sinek’s concept is this: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” 

As an agency, we work to develop strategies for our clients that expand on this very principle. We recommend our clients aim to answer the following before they embark on any new marketing or branding campaign. Not only does it allow them to get to the root of the why behind their innovational work, but it also saves them the hassle of needing to realign an already in-motion project later down the line:

1. Why is my company important or special to its industry?*
   
2. Why should a customer choose my product over others in the marketplace, and what benefits does my product have over the competition?
   
3. Why should existing and potential customers align themselves with my company?
   

*This is perhaps one of the most important questions your company could ever hope to answer because it is the single-most important factor in assessing your necessity and relevance to your industry.

Innovation is an intangible what, qualitative in nature, and therefore cannot be measured by the numerical data you’ll no doubt reference to assess your campaign’s success. Thus, innovation on its own will not suffice as a motivational tool for any initiative. 

Instead, consider the ultimate customer experience that could be had with your brand and the output from your innovational endeavor. Ultimately, you most likely want to enhance the user’s life in one way or another. But how, and again, why? 

For this reason, we believe that at every step of the brand development process, checking the pulse of a project’s decisions is crucial. The appropriate answer to any choice driving a creative or content process should never be “because that’s what everyone else is doing”. Riding the coattails of another shop’s innovation will always, without fail, lead you farther away from what’s truly authentic for your company, and lead you closer to the clutter.

In marketing, like in life, it’s often all too tempting to take the road of least resistance. At the end of the day, opting to ride the coattails of another organization means one essential thing for your brand: someone else is not only in the lead (leaving you in its shadow), but that leader is also in the driver’s seat, dictating the journey for yours, despite the inherent company to company idiosyncrasies.

And so, we believe that only by first identifying the why behind your company’s what can your organization truly experience authentic brand growth. When people can align themselves with your company’s values and innovational spirit, they will care about your company’s output.

We believe the key reason to buck the trends lies in that very point. The things that make your company unique to its industry are the very points that justify your company’s existence and relevance to its market. But in marketing, foregoing the tried and true in search of a new idea or way of communicating with consumers can mean the difference between a campaign that merely satisfies the status quo and one that is truly groundbreaking.

We're honored to have received an Innovator Award from Summit International's Emerging Media Awards (EMA) in the Real Estate/Neighborhood/Community Website category for our re-brand of Linda May Properties. But the reason why we're proud to have received 'Innovator' might surprise you.

We're honored to have received an Innovator Award from Summit International's Emerging Media Awards (EMA) in the Real Estate/Neighborhood/Community Website category for our re-brand of Linda May Properties. But the reason why we're proud to have received 'Innovator' might surprise you.

The Real Value of Receiving 'Innovator'

We enter these meritorious international competitions frequently; We want our work reviewed by some of the world's best design, marketing, interactive media, and branding professionals because we know that each of the major competitions has high standards of excellence. Holding our work up to these high standards helps us to grow. This latest award is tangible proof that we're at the top of the best brand development firms out there. Our participation helps hold us accountable to our own high standards, and to our clients, and that is extremely gratifying.

The other aspect of gaining endorsements from the major competitions is that it provides us with the opportunity to celebrate our client relationships and our clients' own excellence. For example, our web branding of Linda May Properties — a luxury real estate company in Beverly Hills that has been in the top 1% for the last 12 years — has not only earned the Summit EMA Innovator Award, but also a MarCom Awards Platinum, the Davey Awards Silver for Visual Appeal, a W3 Awards Silver for Creative Excellence on the Web, and Interactive Media Awards Best In Class in the Real Estate category. Our clients are at the forefront of every win. When STARMEN wins these awards, our clients gain accolades, and increased exposure as well.

Pushing the Bounds of Creative Excellence

Summit's Emerging Media Awards are threefold: Visionary, Innovator, and Leader. Winning Innovator is even more precious given the fact that Summit's 2014 Emerging Media Awards cycle included over 1,200 entries from numerous countries, with only a mere 7% of entrants earning recognition.

"The Summit Emerging Media Awards (Summit EMA) evolved through a need to recognize and celebrate creativity, innovation and those pushing the bounds of creative excellence in all forms of emerging media," states the Summit International Awards website.

The EMA is open to marketers, coders, designers, developers, innovators, visionaries, and leaders in the exciting realm of digital media. The EMA recognizes entries that introduce new methods, as well as entrants who are thought leaders in emerging media, and demonstrate excellence on the web via apps, videos, mobile sites, and social media.

Summit provides the theatre for boutique firms to compete on a global stage with its international panel of judges, and entries from all over the world. Judges (representing small, medium, and large firms) and universities, all recognized in their fields, hail from institutions and specialties the world over.

All said, this year we're planning to continue to submit our work to the major award entities for invaluable feedback and validation. As a solution-oriented agency, we love helping clients transform challenges into opportunities. And who knows? Maybe the work we do for you will earn prestigious recognition too!

Contact us today to kick-start a future campaign win.

We believe that the only way to predict the future is to create it. And at our core, we are an agency dedicated to the creation of positive change through strategic brand development.

We believe that the only way to predict the future is to create it. And at our core, we are an agency dedicated to the creation of positive change through strategic brand development.

In 2015, we want to find even more ways to bring positivity and success to our clients, specifically in the way of branding. Our approach to business design and brand building will include more diverse and intensive marketing strategies, bolder brand stories, and more personal digital experiences. Whether you are a start-up, consumer product, B2B enterprise, or a non-profit, branding affects how customers perceive and relate to your brand.

Our 4 Guiding Principles to Making Brands Work in 2015:

Sharing Compelling Brand Stories

When it comes to branding, one thing hasn't changed in decades, if not centuries of advertising: compelling brand stories are crucial to success. Growth takes strategy, and every strategy needs a compelling story to heighten emotion that results in a desired preference. We continue to strive to create wonderful, entertaining, inspiring and unforgettable brand stories for our clients with the use of top-notch copywriting, design, research, and technology that evokes emotion. So, as 2015 brings even more innovative and memorable digital advancements to the forefront of our culture, we will embrace them wholeheartedly for the good of ourselves and those who trust us to build and grow their brands.

Humanizing the Digital Experience

Our narrative continues to support the idea that branding and design is all about getting personal. Getting hands-on is always a challenge in this exciting digital age, but we plan to accept the challenge and come out on top. In a crowded marketplace, companies should always be looking for ways to connect emotionally with customers, and to become irreplaceable. We will focus closely on collaboration this year so that we can discover and utilize the best ideas from listening to our partners - not just hearing them. Some of the best ideas for our strategies synchronize a personal connection between consumers and our work. At the height of every campaign, we want to feel the satisfaction of knowing that we've sparked a real, positive emotional response in the hearts of our audience.

Mobilizing Brand Experience

Creative genius can strike on variety of wavelengths or devices, anywhere - anytime. Yes, it is totally possible, and we offer ourselves as proof. When you work with great clients like we do, it's easy to come up with awesome ideas day-in and day-out - but without the ability to share content and brand stories, what good are they? This year, we want to work our existing creative process into new, mobile-based strategies. The more, the merrier!

Design Thinking Fuels Strategic Innovation

Design thinking is the search for the magical balance between business and art; structure and chaos; intuition and logic; concept and execution; playfulness and formality; and control and empowerment. It's all about creative ideas - and then knowing how to execute on them. We have the resources, the ideas and the knowledge. And this year we will continue to build powerful strategies that benefits both our clients and our team so that the question always remains, "That worked well! What's next?"

Looking Ahead

Has your company evaluated its 2015 branding goals? When you collaborate with us, you'll be at the forefront of your industry when it comes to understanding and deciding when branding is needed, and if a rebranding is the best option. We want to help you create the new standardization in the midst of a creative ever-changing culture.

What are your big branding challenges this year and how may we help you? Contact us here https://www.starmenusa.com/contact

Read more on our blog http://www.starmenusa.com/blog/

We are deeply honored to have won MarCom’s Platinum and Gold in the website category. Our web branding of Linda May Properties — a consistent award-winner — took the Platinum, while our website for Anoush Catering —another frequent award winner — earned the Gold.

We are deeply honored to have won MarCom’s Platinum and Gold in the website category. Our web branding of Linda May Properties — a consistent award-winner — took the Platinum, while our website for Anoush Catering —another frequent award winner — earned the Gold.

Accuracy, Fairness and Credibility

From individuals to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies, the MarCom Awards is the largest of its kind in the world with over 6,000 entries each year. The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP) provides the judges, who are known for their accuracy, fairness, and credibility. Even professional organizations that run their own competitions enter their work in the MarCom Awards which is a true testament to MarCom’s reputation.

One notable difference between the MarCom Awards and other competitions is that the application process does not require any written description of the project’s value by the entrants, because the judges want to base their perception of the creative excellence and value of the entry on the entry itself, rather than on the entrant’s imaginative description of the project’s value.

Judging Criteria: Quality, Creativity and Resourcefulness

With MarCom, the size and reputation of the entrants don’t matter, as the work is judged on its merit alone. The entry’s perceived budget is also taken into consideration by the judges. There’s something really thrilling about accomplishing a lot with less, as well as the innovative use of resources at hand.

Judging takes place over an intense, two-month period in ‘judging rooms’ in Washington, D.C. and Dallas, Texas. The judges are senior-level, experienced marketing professionals who are either freelancers or have their own company.

It’s All About Brand Strategy

Linda May Properties’ branding challenge was that they’ve been Coldwell Banker’s top luxury real estate seller for years, which made them the primary target of their competition (and the competition’s increasing digital agility). Linda May Properties needed to refresh their brand in the minds and hearts of their existing and potential clienteles, and increase engagement with their audience. We were compelled to create the extraordinary “Live Your Luxury” experience for visitors to the website — the web videos we produced were of primary importance to this end.

Anoush Catering had a different sort of branding challenge, in that its sister company, LA Banquets, an event venue company, was well-known, but people didn’t realize that Anoush catered offsite events, too. Anoush needed to make sure their target audience understood the robust catering side of their business. Our approach included a visual focus on Anoush’s fusion fare, most of which is based on Mediterranean cuisine, and on their offsite venues.

Transforming Challenges to Golden Opportunities

We say, “Bring it on!” No matter what your branding challenge may be, there is a powerful solution. We’ll take that challenge head on, and turn it into an opportunity for your brand identity to convey you clearly and engagingly. That positions you to be as good as you truly are, which compels your targets to take action. We’d be honored to help you meet your branding challenges for a stronger brand position.

2015 promises to be an exciting (and disruptive) year. Everything is changing fast … especially, the way consumers interact with their online environments. Paradoxically, the digital age is requiring branding and marketing to become more human.

In reviewing what the branding and marketing gurus are expecting to happen in the New Year, we see some inspiring trends. Put on your helmet, and fasten your seatbelts. Here we go.

2015 promises to be an exciting (and disruptive) year. Everything is changing fast … especially the way consumers interact with their online environments. Paradoxically, the digital age is requiring branding and marketing to become more human.

In reviewing what the branding and marketing gurus are expecting to happen in the New Year, we see some inspiring trends. Put on your helmet, and fasten your seatbelts. Here we go.

The Vernacular of Human

In 2015, we will need a new language, a vernacular of human. We need a standing-in-the-grass-barefoot dialect that connects us to our global system. How we communicate, co-act, collaborate, innovate, interplay, interrelate, and live with our customers depends upon it. Are we using language to force, manipulate or trick others to act? Or are we using language to share understanding and knowledge so that everyone can understand and feel empowered to act — to draw closer together?

It’s impossible to address human-speak without addressing listening, because this common language of human is a language of listening. It has a lot of space between the words. The Vernacular of Human is a language of invitation, curiosity, playfulness, respect, care, and clarity. How are you listening to your customers? How are you learning from them? Listening and learning from your market needs to be built into your brand's strategy, and social media provides the perfect platform for tuning into this conversation.

It’s Time to Actually Care

As Tim Sanders wrote in his internationally best-selling business book, Love is the Killer App, “The old, loveless ways don’t work anymore.” Customers want to know you care.

From personal brand to company brand, it’s your care for your customers that’s going to build loyalty. Care can be expressed in many ways, from personalizing the customer experience, and creating meaningful content to providing a seamless experience across platforms, and beyond. Your imagination (or ours, if you’ve hired us) is the limit, and nothing less.

Mark Schaeffer, Executive Director of Schaeffer Marketing Solutions asks, “What does marketing look like when the internet surrounds us like the air that we breathe?” Just imagine. Innovation is in the air.

The Social Revolution Is Real

In an interview on Robert Thomson’s Leader Inside Out podcast, thought leader, Tom Peters, said that “being a social organization is no longer an avoidable topic. We must talk about this. It’s incredibly for real. It’s a revolution.” Peters mentioned that MIT Management professor Douglas McGregor’s futuristic take, “Empower or die!” (circa 1940s) is now the name of the game. Branding strategies must include the design to become a social company that empowers the underserved. Although this is tough, gritty work, an art, and a balancing act, it’s no longer optional.

Peters also said that the use of social media to this end is an electronic form of his well-known creed, MBWA or "manage by walking around," i.e., “being in touch with the action.” And everyone has got to do it. In 2015, there will be many more ways for people and their companies to be “in touch with the action,” as new social media platforms and advertising opportunities open up. What's more, it’s going to be important to mix it up.

As well, it will be increasingly crucial to be a participant in your customers’ lives, rather than communicate ‘at’ them as a disparate entity. How are you going to empower your customers to act? Yes, 2015 is The Year of Participation … the year of a being a truly social company in every way. It truly is the time to empower or die.

Social media maven, Tara Hunt, talks about the importance of being an active participant in customers’ lives and offers 5 key principles for doing just this in her book, The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business. Miss Hunt's key takeaways include:

1. Stop talking, start listening - focus on individuals, and understand the needs of a community
2. Become part of the community you serve
3. Create amazing customer experiences
4. Embrace the chaos - communities are made up of people, and people are not predictable
5. Find your higher purpose - what can you give to the community, and still be profitable?

Content Your Customers Will Thank You For

Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs, shares her approach to digital marketing in 2015. “We’re taking the notion of ‘brands are publishers,’ and pushing the boundaries of that further,” she said. “We’ll focus on enormous empathy, and customer experience … We’ll focus on more relevance, and new inspiration (rather than just the tried and true). And we’ll focus on being generously useful. 2015 really will be the year we create and curate content our customers will thank us for.”

Ardath Albee, CEO of Marketing Interactions, stated, “The days of preaching to customers, rather than exciting and informing them, are rapidly coming to an end. And marketers that can effectively connect with prospects will win.”

Words As Currency

Social content is the rising marketing star. Excellent content can be used in many different ways, but content must be outstanding in order to be dynamic, flexible, and useful. Words are thoughts first. Furthermore, thoughts are the substance of every brand. They can be molded, carefully crafted into just the right words, and then those words shape worlds.

According to Ann, writing matters more now than ever before, and this is especially true in the video/podcast/Instagram world. “Good writing is like an iceberg — use your best words to convey the depth under the surface. That means you’ve got to choose those words well, and write with economy, and the style, and the end reader in mind. (There’s that empathy thing again!)”

Longer Copy, Too, in 2015

An interesting phenomenon catalyzed by Google, is taking place in this world where everything seems faster and shorter. Copy needs to be longer. Longer, really? Yes. As David Wells states in his Inbound Now article, 10 Online Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2015, “Over the last few years, marketers increasingly appreciated a long copy over short one, and we’ll see this trend blooming in 2015. The length and value of the content will be more essential than ever for effective SEO – Google already labels content of less than 200 words as "thin content," and [the search engine] has two special algorithms in force, Panda 4.0 and Pay Day 2.0, that are specifically aimed at reducing the ranks of low quality content.”

Visual Storytelling Will Take Off As Never Before

Ekaterina Walter, CMO at Branderati, said in TopRank Online Marketing’s blog post, 21 Digital Marketing Trends and Predictions in 2015, “In the age of infobesity and increasing digital noise, visual storytelling will continue to emerge as a strategy for not only standing out, but also for nurturing and growing vibrant and engaged communities. The ability to craft visual stories that inspire emotion and spark the movement will help companies get noticed, and amplify their message throughout those communities.”

Additionally, the use of short-form video is growing exponentially. Facebook videos have exceeded YouTube in this regard, but visual storytelling will increase everywhere across media platforms. There are already many fabulous apps for visual storytelling, and we’ll see more of this in 2015.

More Mobile

Some predict that mobile will supersede the use of desktops in 2015. Whether this will actually come to be or not, mobile usage will continue to grow, and along with it, marketing opportunities targeted to consumers on the go. The beauty of mobile for marketers in 2015 is that it will allow for a more intuitive, human-based interaction with customers.

"Pay to Play," and the Math Behind It

Free advertising is going away. Free ad space is dwindling, and it’s no longer a free-place market. 2015’s Pay to Play environment will require more money allocated for online ads.

And marketing analytics will bloom. 2015 will be the year of hyper-segmentation and micro-targeting. Jay Baer, President of Convince and Convert, said in TopRank’s Online Marketing blog, ”It’s already happening, but 2015 will be the year of paid amplification. With content marketing reaching near-ubiquity, the success pendulum will swing toward boosting consumption of content. That will put a new focus on math, testing, and optimization as content production and content distribution become equally important.”

Back to Basics

Pam Didner, Global Integrated Marketing Strategist for Intel Corporation, said, “Digital marketing will continue to morph, and promotion channels will be further fragmented. The major change for 2015 is NOT about digital marketing. The major change will come from marketers going back to basics: Reevaluate the target audience. Determine what works, and what doesn’t. Reprioritize and be smart about resource allocation and investment.”

So, while the tools are rapidly changing, the marketing basics remain the same, and are essential to guiding all marketing efforts.

Time Trumps Money

There has been a growing trend of companies outsourcing their marketing. William Aruda reported in Forbes that “time trumps money,” and that 2015 will see this trend continue as companies realize that outsourcing can be much more economical, efficient, and effective. If time truly is money, then it might be time to outsource your branding and marketing so that your internal time and energy can be focused on what your company actually does.

You probably have a lot of questions about what 2015 will hold, and what you need to be doing with your brand and marketing initiatives. Give us a call, and we can talk about designing a brand strategy that yields the greatest return, based on the above insight, as well as our own successes.

Winning the Davey Awards’ Silver for Visual Appeal is thrilling, but the visual appeal of our “Live Your Luxury” campaign for Linda May Properties — a top 1% international luxury real estate team in Beverly Hills — is only the tip of the branding-berg. Nine-tenths of the campaign lies in its cohesive strategy, designed to compel people to feel Linda May Properties' expertise within the luxury real estate industry, along with their personalized care, and their “always on” mentality.

Winning the Davey Awards’ Silver for Visual Appeal is thrilling, but the visual appeal of our “Live Your Luxury” campaign for Linda May Properties — a top 1% international luxury real estate team in Beverly Hills — is only the tip of the branding-berg. Nine-tenths of the campaign lies in its cohesive strategy, designed to compel people to feelLinda May Properties' expertise within the luxury real estate industry, along with their personalized care, and their “always on” mentality.

The Largest and Most Prestigious Awards Competition for the “Davids” of Creativity

In its 10th year, the Davey Awards honors the best web, design, video, advertising, and mobile from small firms worldwide. The advertising and interactive agencies that entered their creative in the Davey Awards cannot exceed $25 million in annual billings.

The Judges and the Judging

The Davey is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms. AIVA members include executives from organizations such as Condé Nast, Disney, GE, Keller Crescent, Microsoft, Monster.com, MTV, Push, Publicis, Sesame Workshops, The Marketing Store, Worktank, Yahoo!, and many more.

The judges evaluate the distinctiveness of each entrants’ creative, and award both gold and silver in each the different categories.

One Big Idea and a Little Rock

The Davey Awards statuette — approximately one foot tall and 5 pounds — is custom-designed and handcrafted to represent a modern interpretation of the David and Goliath story icons, a fitting tribute to the accomplishment of all of the Davey winners. As Davey Awards states, “one big idea and a little rock” can fearlessly slay a giant brand identity challenge.

In the case of our campaign for Linda May Properties, the informiddable giant was its own sustained success, which had ‘inspired’ its competition to step up its game. Our client needed to remain visible and audible to its existing clients, while attaining and holding onto potential clients in the digital realm. If you’re facing a giant (or three), let us know how we can help.

There is no such thing as a 'customer for life.' Companies have to work hard to win, and keep customers. What used to be thought of as the customer’s loyalty to a brand has reversed to become the brand’s loyalty to the customer experience.

There is no such thing as a 'customer for life.' Companies have to work hard to win, and keep customers. What used to be thought of as the customer’s loyalty to a brand has reversed to become the brand’s loyalty to the customer experience.

According to Raconteur’s 2013 IBM study, The Customer-Activated Enterprise, "customers are the 'new' business advisers." The study also claims that 90% of senior leaders expected extensive collaboration with customers within the next five years.

Everything You Do

Customer experience is the foundation of customer loyalty, comprising both emotions and feelings. When your customers enjoy a consistently positive experience with you, you earn their loyalty … for a season. But loyalty is a frail construct in and of itself; it requires continuous re-examination of your customers’ emotional and physical responses to your brand in action. Furthermore, it necessitates a dynamic customer-experience system to be built into your branding strategy.

According to a 2013 report by consulting company Interbrand, Apple and Google have become the world’s two most powerful brands. Mike Elgan reports in Forbes' BrandVoice that one of the key factors for the success of both companies' brands is that they "give millions or billions of people around the world small, positive experiences very often."

Does your brand strategy include creating opportunities for your customers to engage with you as often as possible? Have you designed ways to give your customers "small, positive experiences" at every touch point?

Some companies are even beginning to have appointed "Chief Customer Champions" who specifically focus on customers, a stark contrast to traditional models that leave customer care to middle management and entry-level employees.

The Customer Empowerment Imperative

The Internet has given consumers a way to know everything about a company and its products, and to air grievances or sing praises loudly, quickly, and publicly. Alex Cheatle, Chief Executive of lifestyle concierge and loyalty solutions provider Ten Group, says:

The Future of Customer Loyalty

"The future of customer loyalty lies in engaging the emotional involvement of consumers using data, and successfully responding to mobile and social trends," says Duncan Stirling, cofounder of KEM Investments Ltd in London. Customers want a streamlined experience across channels, tailored to them. The old ways aren’t working anymore. Loyalty programs are no longer enticing. More and more, consumers are turning to mobile apps first. Raconteur reports that "there is a tendency for a more focused user experience to accomplish tasks more efficiently."

If you want to give your customers what they want and build customer loyalty, you’re going to have to leverage the data, and find the right usage scenario to add value to your consumers' lives via mobile apps, and other means.

That is why we design comprehensive brand strategies that keep customer experience and loyalty at their core — from these, all initiatives fall naturally into perfect place.

We’re deeply honored to have won Summit International Awards’ Platinum for Marketing Effectiveness in the website category for our branding of Anoush Catering, Southern California’s premier Mediterranean caterer.

We’re deeply honored to have won Summit International Awards’ Platinum for Marketing Effectiveness in the website category for our branding of Anoush Catering, Southern California’s premier Mediterranean caterer.

Beyond the Ordinary to the Extraordinary

Summit International Awards (SIA) was created to honor agencies that have exceeded the usual fare to create something truly impactful. SIA is one of the oldest and most prestigious organizations to administer marketing awards, using stringent evaluation criteria with blind judging processes.

The Judging Criteria

The judges evaluate whether the creative successfully influences, changes or reinforces the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of the target audience. The Marketing Effectiveness Award judges weighed the strength of both the big idea and the creative approach. They also took into account the strategic planning used to overcome barriers, as well as how the creative execution of the website moved the audience closer to action.

The Challenge

For the past 27 years, Anoush Catering has been well-known as the place to fulfill your catering and venue needs but remained unrecognized for its international, Mediterranean-inspired food. This challenge limited the Anoush business model from flourishing as a catering company outside of its sister company, LA Banquets (previously known as 'Anoush Banquet Halls'). With the rise of LA Banquets, Anoush needed a well-defined catering brand positioning to establish a new clientele outside of its venue business.

The Opportunity

With the introduction of its sister company, Anoush discovered an opportunity to maximize its catering business by repositioning itself as a qualified catering company that can serve alongside its available wedding venues and banquet halls, as well as partner exclusively with off-site venues.

The Solution

Our focus was on establishing the Anoush brand as a premier, full-service catering company for large-scale events, and to highlight their exceptional partnerships with notable venues across Southern California.

The strategy was to present Anoush’s credibility and recognition as a leader in providing quality food and event services. We also needed to highlight the Mediterranean culture without alienating a mainstream audience. We embraced Anoush’s values as a family-owned business, and their family-centered culture brand. Lastly, we needed to convey Anoush’s vibrant personality and enhance employee, chef, and partner engagement.

Anoush Catering’s website had to satisfy two criteria. First, it had to function as an online lead generation tool. To do this, we had to simplify the user’s experience in order to get them to contact Anoush as quickly as possible. The second, was to illustrate the Anoush story, and reinforce the brand's culture.

Well-Earned Platinum

We’re grateful for organizations like Summit International Awards. Their rigorous standards elevate our industry, as well as promote innovation.

The importance of brand development and strategy is so often overlooked, but in the case of Anoush Catering, strategic rebranding with business objectives overcame an enormous obstacle to expanding their business.

You won’t reach the people in your market if you don’t understand them, and you won’t understand them unless you pay attention to their context. Context is the compass that guides all successful branding and marketing. It’s about delivering the right content to the right people at the right time.

You won’t reach the people in your market if you don’t understand them, and you won’t understand them unless you pay attention to their context. Context is the compass that guides all successful branding and marketing. It’s about delivering the right content to the right people at the right time.

It’s important to create marketing communications in response to the context within which the people in your target markets (stakeholders included) live.

When Context is Ignored

Blockbuster and Borders failed to understand the context in which their industries were operating. They were blind to the behavior of their customers and the increasingly competitive marketplace. Both companies — Goliaths of industry — continued doing the same things in the same ways even though the makeup of their marketplace was shifting thanks to then-relative-newcomers like Netflix and Amazon. Chevrolet’s Nova is another example of a giant brand misstep due to ill-attended context. “No va” in Spanish means, quite literally, "no go". As one might guess, the car flopped in every Spanish-speaking country.

Here are two more examples of context gone awry. A nonprofit provided foot-operated pumps to African villages, free of charge. Although these pumps could functionally meet the villages' dire need for clean water, no one would use them. The nonprofit was flummoxed, but rethought its approach. Rather than give the pumps away, they sold the pumps to the men in the villages, and the response changed dramatically. Why? Initially, the nonprofit saw the need for water, and assumed that its solution would be embraced immediately, but they failed to pay attention to the very human context at play. The men of the villages were too proud to receive handouts, but their dignity and self-respect remained intact when the pumps were purchased.

Elsewhere, a nonprofit built wells in the sandy soil of several villages in Zimbabwe. They used costly Western construction equipment and technology. Two months later, all the wells collapsed because the organization had ignored the fact that the soil was far different in this part of the world than what they had previously experienced. The great thing about this particular story in relation to context is in what came afterward. After the wells collapsed, a member of the nonprofit decided that it was in their best interest to ask the villagers for their ideas on digging a well. Communally, they came up with a cost-effective design that involved old tires, cement, and simply digging by hand. Each well cost under $100 to produce, and they're still in use today.

Content, An Important Aspect of Context

When a sculptor was asked how he carved such a beautiful elephant out of a block of stone, he replied, “I simply remove that which is not the elephant.” And that is precisely what impactful content does! Excellent content, regardless of media format, is free of that which is incongruent with its end goal. It is uncluttered, simple, and of course, about the customer.

Apple Inc., a globally recognized brand is widely known for its branding strategy. Apple is a storyteller, and its marketing quests always begin with the consumers’ need for a better life. What are their emerging needs? Their wants and desires? What compels them to buy? All of Apple’s content — visual and verbal, across all media platforms — is meticulously designed to reach consumers on a deeply intrinsic, emotional level.

The good news is that there is a methodical way to avoid following in the footsteps of fallen giants when it comes to targeting context, and it doesn't require Apple's marketing budget to pioneer. The below diagram outlines key areas to emphasize.

1. Community Influence - Be involved with the people in your markets to make an impact.
2. Emotional Factors - Consider people’s emotional connection when developing targeted marketing communications.
3. Cognitive Factors - Influence your market’s environment through physical and emotional content.
4. Market Demand - Focus on the demand for your specific group of customers.
5. Competitive Advantage - Find your niche by developing attributes that your competitors do not possess.
6. Creative Value - Speak to your audience by expressing your company’s unique appeal through creative marketing.

Contact STARMEN for a strategic branding partnership that will deliver the right message within the right context.

Brands are beginning to wrap around people in every which way. Much like a first introduction to another person, a consumer's relationship with your brand is launched from the first impression. So, what makes this initial interaction so memorable and impactful? When crafting a brand experience that people can identify with, it comes down to the integrated combination of business strategy and design. 

Brands are beginning to wrap around people in every which way. Much like a first introduction to another person, a consumer's relationship with your brand is launched from the first impression. So, what makes this initial interaction so memorable and impactful? When crafting a brand experience that people can identify with, it comes down to the integrated combination of business strategy and design. 

Take your street smarts — what you know about your customers, the market place, and everything else in between— and apply it to design. The world is cluttered with it (consumers can’t escape it). So, the challenge is to stand out from the noise. But how? With intelligent, well-thought out design concepts that leave the best first impression, as well as communicate properties in line with your business strategy.

The number of people who are embracing Instagram and Pinterest is exploding — even Twitter and Facebook are shifting to more dynamic, well-designed interfaces with a stronger emphasis on photos and videos — because visual content has the biggest impact.

However, design must marry business strategy in the art of visual communication. A brand might need to be adaptable, and appeal to a large range of clients, and that’s where the strategy might get a bit trickier. The goal then becomes to take the core of a brand, and communicate it in a way that appeals to a wide array of people. 

As the adage goes, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. People's immediate response to your brand design will influence them to either take action or walk away.  You can throw together a hip logo, but it’s only going to stick when it is communicating what is at the heart of your brand. Does your brand tell a visual story? Does it elicit a sentient response?

So, you know that expert design strategy is needed to create a powerful brand, but integrating your business strategy builds a strong foundation, from which you can launch all your marketing initiatives. We are a brand innovation factory, and possess the experience and knowledge required to merge your business strategy with design, so that you can reach your branding goals. Let’s talk.

We picked up 3 silver trophies recently at the 2013 W3 Awards and Davey Awards, demonstrating our versatility in creative brand marketing.

We picked up 3 silver trophies recently at the 2013 W3 Awards and Davey Awards, demonstrating our versatility in creative brand marketing.

The W3 Awards and the Davey Awards both received over 4,000 entries from dozens of countries. The W3s honor excellence in websites, web marketing, and web video, while the Daveys pay homage to the best small firms, agencies and companies around the globe. Both competitions are judged by the International Academy of Visual Arts, a members-only organization of leading creative professionals. The IAVA is a virtual ‘who’s who’ among the entertainment and advertising industry, including Condé Nast, Disney, GE, Keller Crescent, Microsoft, Monster.com, MTV, Publicis, and Yahoo.

Hampton Inn & Suites

W3 Awards: Silver Winner, Websites- Hotel and Lodging

As part of the renowned Hilton Hotels brand, Hampton Inn wanted a unique website that would help distinguish them from other hotels, and increase online visibility. We designed and developed a microsite that linked to Hilton’s booking system and highlighted the hotel’s local attractions, complete with new photo galleries, and interactive 360-degree virtual tours. 

Minus Zero "Results. Finally."

Davey Awards: Silver Winner, Online Film and Video - Videography/Cinematography

When Minus Zero set out to refresh their brand identity, one element we had to include on their new website homepage was a video to immediately inform users about the company's mission and vision. The video needed to support the brand ideology of “Leaving Nothing to Chance,” so we incorporated a few key clips of CEO Sabastian Huynh with poignant imagery and audio.

Tamrac.com

Davey Awards: Silver Winner, Websites - Consumer Products/Services

A leading manufacturer of camera bags, Tamrac approached us for a refreshed website, which would easily guide photographers through the purchasing decision. We built a customized platform with an interactive product catalog, dealer locator, and dealer login resource center. The result was a visually inspiring experience, and one we’re proud of. 

These wins come on the heels of a few noteworthy events here at STARMEN. We were recently featured in the LA Business Journal, and had a party at our newly renovated offices, celebrating our growth as an agency. As we close out 2013, a year that has brought us new challenging projects, we look forward to an exciting 2014.

We are so grateful for everyone on our team who made these award-winning projects come to life, and, of course, none of it would be possible without our amazing clients who continue to push us to do our best!

MARKETING: STARMEN ditches fixed-rate jobs for retainer relationships.

MARKETING: STARMEN ditches fixed-rate jobs for retainer relationships.

STARMEN is excited to announce that our work with charitable organization Discover Your Path has recently been awarded the Gold award in the latest cycle of the International Competition for Marketing & Communications Professionals (also known as the MarCom Awards). While this isn’t the first award this endeavor has received, the receipt of a Gold MarCom brings with it a very special, very gratifying sort of satisfaction.

STARMEN is excited to announce that our work with charitable organization Discover Your Path has recently been awarded the Gold award in the latest cycle of the International Competition for Marketing & Communications Professionals (also known as the MarCom Awards). While this isn’t the first award this endeavor has received, the receipt of a Gold MarCom brings with it a very special, very gratifying sort of satisfaction.

For over two decades, the MarCom statuette has endured as a very esteemed symbol of distinction within the marketing and communications industries. The MarCom Awards is the largest competition of its kind with over 6,000 entry submissions received and evaluated each year, and its trophy graces the shelves and cases of some of the most prominent firms in the world. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t clarify that this award’s lofty prestige isn’t the only reason we’re celebrating!

First and foremost, we’re pleased at the opportunity to honor our clients at Discover Your Path with yet another esteemed distinction. Having also received the Best in Class title from the 2013 Interactive Media Awards, Discover Your Path is the brainchild of former Olympic contender Heather Hennessy Howell and Dodgers pitcher JP Howell. The nonprofit organization aims to inspire youth to set and attain goals through sound decision-making. The Howells tasked our team with reappropriating their online presence with a fresh design that would lend itself further in the encouragement of the children they work with. The components we produced included a new brand identity, an intuitive, user-friendly site design, a branded video inviting users to “Discover DYP”, as well as PathPacks, bundles of promotional material featuring daily reminders that were given out at Dodger games to further encourage choosing a positive path. These components combined created a truly powerful directive, and we’re extremely proud that the work continues to receive such prestigious recognition.

Just as everyone figured out the mechanics of SEO, everything changed. Here's what you need to know:

Google and other search engines have recently been updating their search algorithms. As the biggest name in the game, Google has pioneered the way with two major algorithm updates: Panda and Penguin.

Just as everyone figured out the mechanics of SEO, everything changed. Here's what you need to know:

Google and other search engines have recently been updating their search algorithms. As the biggest name in the game, Google has pioneered the way with two major algorithm updates: Panda and Penguin.

What was once acceptable can now impair a company’s ability to be found online. Under these new algorithms, websites that are found to be catering to the search engines rather than producing fresh, relevant content will be relegated to the bottom of search results. Overall, Panda and Penguin target websites that churn out thin content, spam backlinks, practice keyword stuffing or hidden text, include plagiarized content, and enact a number of other outdated, frowned-upon SEO techniques. 

The Panda and Penguin updates give the illusion that Google is making big changes in the digital realm, but in reality these updates are just part of a larger trend. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and the increasing popularity of handheld devices have changed the way people find, share, and discuss information. To stay relevant, businesses need to publish interesting content regularly, and share it through social media. By doing so, the same businesses will also find that Google’s new rules for SEO will be met naturally, and that is entirely the goal.

“We want people doing white-hat search engine optimization (or even no search engine optimization at all) to be free to focus on creating amazing compelling web sites,” stated Matt Cutts, Distinguished Engineer on Google’s Webmaster Blog.  “Another step is to reward high-quality sites,” stated Mr. Cutts.

Does this mean everyone should stop all SEO practices? 

Not necessarily. SEO should be used as a way to promote quality, authoritative content. Keyword research and analytics will still improve the quality of a site if used naturally and efficiently. Backlinks must occur naturally, however. The thought process is this: if a website caters to its audience, relevant keywords and backlinks will manifest naturally, and webmasters don’t have to do a thing. People will share useful or interesting content with their friends and followers. With Google’s new updates, this organic interaction trumps even the best laid-out marketing plans. One of the best ways for a business to regularly release shareable content is through a blog. When done right, blogging is a great way to create content, and encourage engagement. Share each new article on relevant social media platforms for maximum impact.

To address social media’s obvious impact on the world, Google’s updates look for likes, shares, and engagement —especially on Google+ because, well, it belongs to Google. Regardless of the platform, branding should be consistent throughout a company’s online presence to give the target audience a reliable image with which to associate. As with traditional websites, social media pages should be geared at providing the target audience with a memorable experience. This goes beyond branding, and delves into the murky terrain of engagement. Social media has lowered the barriers between businesses and their target audience. Engagement is important to building brand trust. A successful brand embraces this shift by giving followers not just great content but the ability to communicate directly with the company.

Are the Panda and Penguin updates perfect? Unfortunately, no. There has been some collateral damage to legitimate sites, and negative SEO practices have in some ways become easier. 

Competitors can more easily employ shady backlinking schemes for your website, effectively decreasing its value. Your original content is also at risk of being copied, and having the time stamp changed, making your site look like the copy cat. The best way to minimize the impact is to be proactive. Set up a Google alert for your website, and develop your authority through Google Authorship. If you find foul play, there are legitimate ways to deal with it. Google encourages anyone affected by backlinking sabotage to use their disavow tool.  

Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

Above all else, human engagement is the new SEO. Businesses should ask themselves what interests their audience. Answering that question through blogging, engaging in social media, and creating an easy-to navigate website are key. Hire a writer, hire a designer, hire a social media coordinator, and make sure each knows your industry's ins and outs. Once upon a time, customer service and interaction were reserved for in-person, phone, and even email conversations. Today, these conversations can happen anywhere in the digital sphere. Google’s Panda and Penguin updates support these modern trends.

The way you learn it in marketing school, marketing is a science. How could it not be, with all that jargon that puts everything into neat compartments? Unique Selling Proposition. Positioning. Niches. The four Ps. The Marketing Mix. All those rules of advertising and copywriting. Close fast and early.

The way you learn it in marketing school, marketing is a science. How could it not be, with all that jargon that puts everything into neat compartments? Unique Selling Proposition. Positioning. Niches. The four Ps. The Marketing Mix. All those rules of advertising and copywriting. Close fast and early.

So if marketing is a science, how come some people do it better than others?

Scientific method says, in essence, that if two researchers do the same experiment in the same way, they should get the same result. When that happens a couple of times, then the first person who did it is said to be scientifically correct. Does that happen in marketing?

Of course not.

But we all have the same tools. Market research. Public relations. Publications, such as brochures and newsletters. Seminars and speeches. Advertising. Direct mail and telemarketing. Even networking.

We all know the same things to do. Publicity. Newsletters and brochures. Niche marketing. Client surveys. And so on.

Yet, all results are not equal. Some firms emerge as giants, and others, including those that started in business at the same time as the giants, either go out of business or are still two-professional firms.

Why? What are the variables that make a difference in the same thing?

Or then, too, maybe marketing isn't a science. Maybe it's an art.

Maybe one firm, in looking at its markets and its market research, understands better what it sees than does its competitors. Maybe one firm, more than others, is better able to relate the needs of the marketplace to what it does in its own practice.

Or the public relations director of one firm is more imaginative than his or her colleagues in other firms, or better understands what the media want and the process of supplying that want, or is more truly conversant in the language of the firm's profession -- and so gets more publicity for his firm than his or her counterparts get for theirs.

Or the marketing director or partner of one firm has a broader view of potential markets than can be defined in simplistic niche marketing. Or one firm understands better than others how to use seminars more effectively as business tools. Or the partners of a firm are more organized in pursuing contacts with bankers or lawyers or accountants who are in a position to recommend business, and are better trained and enabled in converting prospects into clients.

Ah, that's the art of it. Not the jargon. Not the words.

True, even art has formal structures, and basics that must be learned. But in the final analysis, it's the art that wins, not the formal structure and the jargon.

If you want to succeed in marketing, then, don't hire the scientist. Hire the artist.

This article was reposted with permission from Bruce W. Marcos, via the Marcus Letter.

Facebook? Perhaps. Twitter? Maybe. Blog? Absolutely!

Blogs began as basic, often tawdry online diaries fueled by caffeine and wine. Some launched writing careers, but most simply enabled their authors to vent views or scratch creative itches. As the blogging craze grew, however, many corporate marketers adopted blogs to provide regular company updates and insights, and, almost as quickly, many marketers abandoned them. The reason? Regularly writing articles turned out to be challenging and time consuming; writing articles that attracted readers proved to be even more difficult. After all, who wants to read a corporation’s diary? So when Twitter and other microblogging platforms came along, corporate communicators happily replaced their 500-words of weekly wisdom with concise 140-character tweets.

And that's when marketers discovered the real value of blogs.

For businesses, blogs serve multiple purposes that Twitter can’t come close to serving. In fact, many corporations are now discovering that it’s actually harder to create a worthwhile Twitter account. So now we’re seeing a blog revival. Below are 3 key reasons why blogging boosts business:

Facebook? Perhaps. Twitter? Maybe. Blog? Absolutely!

Blogs began as basic, often tawdry online diaries fueled by caffeine and wine. Some launched writing careers, but most simply enabled their authors to vent views or scratch creative itches. As the blogging craze grew, however, many corporate marketers adopted blogs to provide regular company updates and insights, and, almost as quickly, many marketers abandoned them. The reason? Regularly writing articles turned out to be challenging and time consuming; writing articles that attracted readers proved to be even more difficult. After all, who wants to read a corporation’s diary? So, when Twitter and other microblogging platforms came along, corporate communicators happily replaced their 500-words of weekly wisdom with concise 140-character tweets.

And that's when marketers discovered the real value of blogs.

For businesses, blogs serve multiple purposes that Twitter can’t come close to satisfying. In fact, many corporations are now discovering that it’s actually harder to create a worthwhile Twitter account, and we’re, in fact, seeing a blog revival. Below are 3 key reasons why blogging boosts business:

1. Blogs build better business brands.

It’s hard to provide much brand value in a tweet. As we have seen with some brands, with Twitter, it’s easier to make a brand-damaging mistake with an ‘accidental’ tweet than it is to build your image and reputation in 140 characters.

With blogs, you get all the words you need to communicate your business’ fully fleshed-out personality in a way that suits your brand, and appeals to your customers. And since full-length articles take more time and attention to create, you’re far less likely to “accidentally” publish a brand-damaging blogpost than a misbegotten tweet.

Blogging also enables you to demonstrate your expertise; you can show that you’re not just a product or service provider, you’re an actual expert in your field. And you can do so not by ‘flaunting’ your knowledge, but by providing valuable advice, and insights to your customers.

Blog posts should be delivered in a conversational tone (like this blogpost) — not in a stiff ‘corporate’ voice, and definitely not in the form of press releases — a conversational tone makes your business appear more personable.

It’s also critical to maintain professional standards when blogging. A hastily-assembled (not to mention ‘abandoned’) blog, or a blog post filled with empty hype or unimportant info can do more harm than good. And by all means, don’t be boring! As advertising legend, David Ogilvy, once said, “You can’t bore people into buying your product” — or into reading anything you ever write again.

2. Blogs give you the goods to get social.

One challenge that many marketers face with social media is simply finding something to say. Simply talking about yourself or your products every day turns you into a drone. (See the David Ogilvy quote above.) But using your social media to talk about irrelevant matters (the weather or holidays) is a waste of time and resources.

With regular blogs, you now have something of value to share on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Sharing a value-filled article with a relevant LinkedIn Group is a great way to drive potential customers to your website, which is exactly what you want to do with social media: drive all those fans, friends, and followers to your website (never the other way around).

Note that this sharing is critical for building a blog readership. The problem with the early business blogs is that marketers just built them, and assumed that readers would come. Now they realize that they have to get the articles out there. That’s why it’s important to have both social media and a blog operating side-by-side, working together to attract your customers.

3. Google loves blogs.

Google and other search engines will someday recognize photos and videos, but in the meantime, they want words, words, and more words. Blogs, of course, provide plenty of words — including keywords and phrases that your customers might be plugging into search engines. Indeed, many customers type in entire questions into search engines, so sometimes a great blog format is a Q&A.

What makes blog posts even more search-engine friendly is that they’re fresh. Google tends to favor websites that have been recently updated, therefore it is important to provide fresh content regularly.

Something else that Google loves is backlinks, which are the links from other sites to your site. If you have a blogpost that’s valuable and compelling, it may attract backlinks. In addition, it may get shared on social media, and that also helps boost search-engine results.

Finally, Google favors ‘high quality’ content. Google determines this by watching human behavior. Those backlinks and social shares are one sign that your content is valuable. Another sign is how long customers spend on your page, and whether they click on anything while they’re there. (Google can track all this when you install Google Analytics on your site.) A high quality blog post will guarantee that visitors will spend more than a few seconds on your site.

So, Let’s Get It Started…

Now that you see what blogs can do for your business, designate specific writers or an agency to create regular posts that are both relevant and valuable to your customers and your brand. In addition, consider inviting guest bloggers to provide fresh content while attracting their fans. These individuals often have significant followerships of their own, which means that fresh new eyes will be drawn to your site.

Don’t worry if your readership numbers don’t explode overnight. Blog posts are long-tail content, meaning that they might not get discovered until months or even years later. In the meantime, all those blog posts will provide a wealth of content that boosts your brand, gives you something to socialize about, and keeps Google well fed.

Happy blogging!

Is there such a thing as love at first sight? No doubt, but it usually takes a lot of sweet talk to close the deal.

I'm talking about product marketing, of course. (I bet you thought this was a late Valentine's Day blog.) A lot of us do fall in love with products at an initial glance. Apple can make us crave an iWhatever before we know what it actually does. One glimpse of the Alfa Romeo 4C definitely got my Italian pulse racing. Of course, art and design-based products (fashion, furniture, even foods) can spark desire with just a picture.

Is there such a thing as love at first sight? No doubt, but it usually takes a lot of sweet talk to close the deal.

I'm talking about product marketing, of course. (I bet you thought this was a late Valentine's Day blog.) A lot of us do fall in love with products at an initial glance. Apple can make us crave an iWhatever before we know what it actually does. One glimpse of the Alfa Romeo 4C definitely got my Italian pulse racing. Of course, art and design-based products (fashion, furniture, even foods) can spark desire with just a picture.

It makes sense, since more of the human brain is wired for visual processing than for verbal processing. For us designers, it's likely much more. That's why social media is taking a visual turn: Donna Moritz at Socially Sorted created the following infographic (an image, of course) to illustrate this shift:

Those are some great stats with some great tips as well.

In the classic AIDA funnel, an attractive image can get the customer's Attention and Interest and even fill them with Desire, but getting customers to actually take Action usually requires much more, especially with complex, high-commitment products like cars. Sure, I love the new Alfa Romeo 4C, but even if I had the money to buy one right now, I'd want to read detailed comparisons between it and my other favorite Ferrari and Maserati models.

The same goes for products like real estate, vacation destinations, even designer outfits. The vast majority of us need to read more before we put down our money or sign on the bottom line. As a designer by training, I'm the first to hype the impact of visual media. You must have great photos and design in Web-based marketing — but don't throw out the words. You still need great writing to persuade commitment-phobes, justify premium pricing (particularly for startups and new products), and get customers to buy more. (Not to mention the fact that Google's search engine still favors basic text over images.)

In social media terms, I say yes, you should use great photography and designs on Pinterest or Facebook to entice customers. But when they click to the destination site, I encourage you to use all the words you need to sell the features, benefits, special offers, and your company brand and background.

That's because in marketing, as in romance, most people need a lot of words between love at first sight and saying "I do." Or as the Italians say... mi sono innamorato. I'm in love.

STARMEN's award-winning Creative Director, Anthony Wiktor, is featured as an 'industry expert' in Web Designer Magazine’s Hot 100 issue (#205), which is currently on newsstands this month. Anthony is featured alongside web design industry giants such as Eric Meyer, Andy Budd, and Patrick Van Kann. The article features experts chiming in on 2013′s hottest web trends, tools, and talent.

STARMEN's award-winning Creative Director, Anthony Wiktor, is featured as an 'industry expert' in Web Designer Magazine’s Hot 100 issue (#205), which is currently on newsstands this month. Anthony is featured alongside industry giants such as Eric Meyer, Andy Budd, and Patrick Van Kann. The article features experts chiming in on 2013′s hottest web trends, tools, and talent.

Anthony shared his thoughts and insights on which web design tools and trends to look for in 2013, including an awesome boilerplate for responsive, a mobile-friendly framework called ‘Skeleton,’ and the emerging popularity of 'parallax' design.

About Web Designer Magazine

“Web Designer” is the flagship publication for international web creatives, offering expert project-based tutorials across modern disciplines such as HTML, CSS, jQuery, Flash, Photoshop, WordPress blogging, and mobile apps. Accessible to hobbyists and professionals of all skill levels, the content is constantly informed by agency profiles, breaking stories, and cutting-edge trends. Each issue features a CD packed with invaluable design resources, and project files for the tutorials in the magazine. Read more from Web Designer Magazine, here.

Whatever day you go to Vegas, you can generally expect to find a flurry of activity in two specific places: the business convention circuit and the roulette table. Unfortunately, too many visitors think the same strategy for success applies to both.

We were in Vegas a couple of weeks ago, hitting the Consumer Electronics Show and a few roulette tables. (Just a few.) In both cases, if you don't play, you can't win. That is pretty much the only similarity – well, that and the engaging hosts and dealers to get you to stay and play. 

The key difference is that, with a convention, it's not enough to be in the right place at the right time — which is the fundamental rule of roulette.

Whatever day you go to Vegas, you can generally expect to find a flurry of activity in two specific places: the business convention circuit and the roulette table. Unfortunately, too many visitors think the same strategy for success applies to both.

We were in Vegas a couple of weeks ago, hitting the Consumer Electronics Show and a few roulette tables. (Just a few.) In both cases, if you don't play, you can't win. That is pretty much the only similarity – well, that and the engaging hosts and dealers to get you to stay and play. 

The key difference is that, with a convention, it's not enough to be in the right place at the right time — which is the fundamental rule of roulette.

Walking around the Las Vegas Convention Center, it seems that a lot of exhibitors were employing nothing more than a roulette strategy. They had their booth, they had their people, and they stood there waiting for their numbers to come up. They seemed very lonely. 

Many exhibitors forget two critical convention strategies: creativity and communications.

At a roulette table, too much creativity and communications can get you kicked out. In a convention hall filled with hundreds of competitors, all vying for the attention of attendees, creativity and communications are critical. 

If you and your competitor have booths right next to each other (a common occurrence at a congested show like CES), whoever is more visually appealing will capture the attention and interest of passersby.

Two companies did an amazing job of capturing attention at CES: Audi, with its giant walk-in lightbox filled with hot cars, and the House of Marley, which departed from the techno-vibe of the rest of the show with its reggae vibe and generous use of natural materials, like wood, leather, and steel.

In addition, savvy exhibitors communicated with potential customers and the news media long before the show opened. They sent personalized invitations, teased exciting new products, or made special offers to get people to show up. Lenovo got a lot of people buzzing about their table-sized tablet before CES opened.

In other words, conventions are not like roulette tables. Not every number has an equal shot of turning up, so you you can't leave anything to chance. Here are three guidelines to enhance your odds — and avoid major mistakes.

The Three B's: Brand, Buzz, and Behavior.

Here at Starmen we use these 3B's to guide our work. They don't just apply to conventions: they also apply to websites, packaging, even a simple tweet.

Brand

Your reputation always comes first. If anything you do creatively can hurt your reputation — and Vegas presents a lot of opportunities to do that — then you're better off staying home. This means don't do anything that might offend anyone, such as sexist displays, even if they attract the attention of other attendees. It also means making sure everything at your booth functions correctly (especially your display products!), and that your booth staff are well trained and informed. In addition, use this opportunity to enhance your image. You don't need to build a giant lightbox to do that: some creative and well-designed signage, a compelling video running on a monitor, and a booth layout that doesn't look like a discount shop can make a big difference.

Buzz

Inspire your target customers and the news media before, during, and after the show. A lot of companies think their products alone are buzz-worthy, but at a giant convention like CES, they go up against a bewildering array of buzz-worthy products and exhibitions, such as the mind-controlled helicopters we saw. By the end of the first day (not to mention the whole week), attendees are so jaded about electronics, a great product alone doesn't stand a chance of creating a buzz. This is where creativity and communications work together. Before the convention, use smart, savvy communications — social, media press releases, direct mail, etc. — to build awareness and anticipation. At the convention, use your imagination (or, hint, our imagination) to create a booth that becomes a "must see." After the convention, reconnect with your booth's visitors to remind them about what they saw, and tell them where they can get even more info and a special offer (your website, a sales visit, or an invitation to your HQ).

Behavior

What do you want visitors to do when they visit your convention booth? Of course, to justify the large investment, all exhibitors want deals. At the same time, keep in mind that not every visitor is ready to buy, particularly if they've never heard of your brand or product before. If they're just learning about you, at most you will get their attention and awareness and perhaps their interest. With these tentative explorers, the behavior you should strive for is a simple exchange of information. At a business-to-business convention, ask for their business card and provide them with a compelling reason to sign up for your e-newsletter. At a consumer show, encourage them to like or follow your social media on the spot. Yes, those leads won't entirely satisfy the finance department, but they're a measurable result. And don't forget: follow-up is essential. In business, what happens in Vegas shouldn't stay in Vegas.

Now as you know, there are no guarantees in Vegas or in business. However, by adopting these strategies and guidelines, you will certainly increase your odds of success before you place that big convention bet.

Can you remember the last website you’ve visited? Unless it’s Facebook or another website you visit often, chances are you don’t remember much about it. 

There are 644 million active websites on the Internet, but most of these websites are so poorly designed that people don’t want to revisit them. Don’t be one of those websites! You want to create a memorable online experience for your visitors, and to have them keep coming back for more. 

Can you remember the last website you’ve visited? Unless it’s Facebook or another website you visit often, chances are you don’t remember much about it. 

There are 644 million active websites on the Internet, but most of these websites are so poorly designed that people don’t want to revisit them. Don’t be one of those websites! You want to create a memorable online experience for your visitors, and to have them keep coming back for more. 

Your website needs to be easy to navigate, as well as provide some value to your visitors. You can go the extra mile, and implement a few design tricks to make your visitors remember your website more than any other website with similar content. 

Here are 5 useful web design tips that can help you improve the overall customer experience on your website.

1. State your website's purpose in one or two sentences.

From Wholesalesuppliesplus.com

The average visitor spends 10-20 seconds on a website before leaving it. It’s your job to use that time to grab your visitors’ attention, and to make them stay on your site longer. What better way to do that than to tell them why they’re there? Use beautiful (but legible!) typography to clearly explain your website in a sentence or two, and place it near the top of the website. To increase the chances of it being read, you can bold, color, or italicize the text. Nothing makes a visitor leave faster than a website that forces them to scroll around to look for its purpose.

2. Create a catchy, memorable URL.

Okay, this one isn’t exactly a design element, but it’s such a good trick that we don’t want to exclude it from the list. People almost always remember a catchy URL. For example, if you’re selling snowboards, you could go with something like 'addictedtosnow.com.' Sure beats a dull URL like onlinestore.com/products/snowboards, doesn’t it? If you already have a URL, you could still create a catchy one, and redirect it to your original site. 

3. Add personality to your website.

From Zipcar.com

Your company or product's personality should be immediately and prominently communicated on your home page. Some of the best websites out there have some sort of personality or theme throughout the site. Even Google has one! If your website is purely informational, people won’t identify with it, and they’ll end up forgetting it. You want to engage your visitors, and let them know what kind of personality your brand has. You can incorporate some personality into your website with the colors, pictures, or even the overall design itself. 

4. Great photography.

From McDonalds.com

Using photos as a design element and central piece in web design is a great way to visually communicate your message to the viewers as well as adding more depth into the design. The two most popular ways of using photos in a web layout are using a large photo as your background, and using a "key" photo as the central focus on the page such as Apple.com. Remember, when using photos in your layout, they can really give your website an added visual element, as well as depth and space. On the other side of things, if the photo is of poor quality, clichè or unappealing, it can bring down the entire look of the web page.

Include captions for your images.

Did you know that people read image captions more than they read anything else? People often read image captions to judge whether or not the related content is worth reading. Make your captions witty and memorable!

5. Use bold, light colors.

From Babyclothes.com

A website with a light foreground on top of a light background often looks clean and simple. That makes the viewer feel at ease, and makes navigation easier. Typically, people prefer and stay longer on sites that use light colors and backgrounds as opposed to dark ones.

These are not inflexible rules, rather, they are insights based on our years of experience in designing websites. Ultimately, it’s your brand which will decide the best direction your website design should venture in.

Interested in learning more about how web design can improve your business?

Contact us, and see how we can improve it.

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We are proud that UK-based ‘Web Designer’ Magazine just named STARMEN the #1 Web Design Agency in Los Angeles, selecting our agency over larger, more established agencies throughout this great city.

Published in the magazine's June issue #196, the ranking notes that Starmen "uses the many facets of digital communication and technology to facilitate measurable brand growth and produce results. It strives to produce high-impact digital campaigns and create brand experiences that engage, inspire and entertain."

As our Executive Director, Armen David, states, "We're totally thrilled by this recognition, especially considering the amazing competition in L.A." Creative Director Anthony Wiktor added, "Credit goes to our clients who make it easy to do great work."

View and download STARMEN's article on WebDesignMag.co.uk, here.

‘Web Designer’ magazine is the industry's best publication and news source for the latest in web design. Filled with tons of articles and tips including: CSS3 effects, Adobe CS6, and more! Learn more at WebDesignMag.co.uk.

As design professionals, we spend considerable time each and every day thinking about influence.

Of course, we’re continuously developing new strategies for how we can help our clients generate influence. Yet, we also devote much thought into how consumers influence others in an increasingly connected world.

As design professionals, we spend considerable time each and every day thinking about influence.

Of course, we’re continuously developing new strategies for how we can help our clients generate influence. Yet, we also devote much thought into how consumers influence others in an increasingly connected world.

In the short film, Influencers, written and directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, we get a snapshot of New York’s most influential and creative individuals who are defining today's pop culture. Influencers seeks to identify and explain not only who the influencers are, but also what makes them so compelling. Youthful, confident, fearless early-adopters are those who are now shaping our buying decisions, the music we listen to, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and even how we communicate with each other. These people can swiftly embrace something not mainstream (a drink, a brand, music), and make it wildly popular – all through the power of viral communications.

Unlike the celebrity-endorsed Nineties, today’s influencers are not bought or paid by a brand to wear/drink/talk about their product.  Rather, influencers embrace a product that they believe in, and then the buzz begins. This profound change has dramatically shifted power back into the hands of consumers. Being able to express likes and dislikes to a global audience is transforming the very essence of marketing and brand strategy.

Who are the influencers in your industry?

Have you identified who is talking about your product, sharing details about their customer experience, or tweeting about your service? If not, you could be missing out on valuable opportunities to reach out to your market. Are you ready to learn more about leveraging the power of influencers? Creativity is contagious...

Mr. Rogers saw the value of cultivating his own brand. But he did so in a quiet and dignified way that made the tone and authenticity of his show, and his relationship with viewers, unmatched by any television property ever seen before or after. As we consider how many of today's marketers likely grew up with the words of Fred Rogers guiding their way as kids, we can't help but think that we've all too often strayed away from some of those first lessons we heard as children.

Relationship building trumps flashiness.

Mr. Rogers replaced the flashiness of other television entities with a strong effort at building an honest relationship with his viewers by addressing his their concerns (at least as best a television personality might do in the days of a one-way medium). Most of the time, he addressed his viewers directly, even taking them on trips to meet his friends, and introducing guests who stopped by, things that we would do when we are in a relationship with someone we care about.

Don't promise more intimacy than you can deliver. 

Mr. Rogers often looked into the camera, saying things like, "I've really enjoyed talking with you this week. I hope I have answered a few of the questions you've had. I really wish I could know each, and every one of you personally, but unfortunately this television show is the only way we have to talk. If you have other questions that I haven't answered, find someone you love, and who loves you in your own life, and ask them." Really, is there a more perfect mindset that brands should take, online or off?

For brands that appeal to a large customer base, the company cannot have personal relationships with everyone. Social media, however, does provide a way to be more conversational, as it provides a venue for customer contact when they have a problem, etc. The key is to take the appropriate tone with customers, and to demonstrate approachability, but also to be honest about your limits, lest customers be disappointed.

Be consistent in who you are, and what people should expect from you.

From Fred Rogers' first show in 1968 until his last in 2001, surprisingly little has notably changed. Mr. Rogers’ brand - well defined and constant - remained calm in the changing seas of culture. There were many subtle shifts in the nuances of his shows: the anxieties he addressed, and the topics he covered. But Fred always found a way to address them, and meet his audience’s expectations. Mr. Rogers was a trusted friend to whom we could always turn, a prime example of how brands should be responsive to culture, mindful of context, and remembrant of why audiences come to them in the first place. 

Customers' questions are worth answering.

Mr. Rogers took us seriously, asked us what our pain points were, and offered the best solutions he could. Brands might be well served to do this a little more often for their customers.

Brands can take a stand.

Despite his calm demeanor, Mr. Rogers was known for taking a stand for what he believes in, which was consistent with his public persona. Brands too often shy away from supporting something, or else, when they do take a stand, their ‘causes’ are disjointed from their brand and industry.

Mr. Rogers saw the value of cultivating his own brand, but he did so in a quiet and dignified way that made the tone and authenticity of his show, as well as his relationship with viewers, unmatched by any television property ever seen before or since. We can't help but think that we've all too often strayed away from some of those first lessons we heard as children.

Excerpts from Fast Company's expert blogger Sam Ford, 5 Marketing Lessons from Mr. Rogers, 2010.

The world's largest coffee company, and one of its most beloved brands, just stirred up a bold new roast of its identity.  Starbucks unveiled an updated version of its iconic logo, which had remained unchanged since 1992. The simplified logo focuses on its mermaid symbol, and removes the company name from around the border of the "Siren." That's right, Starbucks no longer feels the need to reinforce its name.

The world's largest coffee company, and one of its most beloved brands, just stirred up a bold new roast of its identity.  Starbucks unveiled an updated version of its iconic logo, which had remained unchanged since 1992. The simplified logo focuses on its mermaid symbol, and removes the company name from around the border of the "Siren." That's right, Starbucks no longer feels the need to reinforce its name.

The new wordless logo features nothing more than its real star, the Siren, transcending the emblem from logo to ‘Lovemark.’ A term coined by Kevin Roberts, brand genius and CEO of advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, who writes, “Lovemarks transcend brands, they deliver beyond your expectations of great performance, and they inspire 'Loyalty Beyond Reason’.” Transcending the Starbucks brand seems to be the new focus for Chief Executive Officer, Howard Schultz, who plans to evolve Starbucks into the future to ‘think beyond coffee.’ The world is changing, and Starbucks is changing along with it.  It is not changing the ‘essence of the experience,' but rather, enhancing the connection with its customers.  

Overall, the visual simplicity makes a meaningful impact, and the new focus on brand extension makes perfect sense. Those of you who think dropping the name wasn't such a good idea might fancy a read of “Starbucks’ Serves Up a Very Dumb Idea.” What remains uncontested is that Starbucks believes its best days are ahead of them, and it's going to be exciting to see how the new identity system evolves into Starbucks’ future plans.

Take a peak into the ‘Future of Starbucks’ or learn more about the power of lovemarks.

We at STARMEN are not ones to jump on 'bandwagons', whether the subject matter is politics, celebrity gossip, sports, or business. However, we're all aboard the latest bandwagon traveling along Gap's tracks to logo disaster. Gap’s new logo and branding campaign have widely been referred to as the “Gapgate controversy,” a questionable attempt at designing a new logo, and an even more tasteless approach at trying to market it. There has been way too much recent attention around the new Gap logo, and as a result, we've decided to come up with our own visual ‘solution.’

We at STARMEN are not ones to jump on 'bandwagons', whether the subject matter is politics, celebrity gossip, sports, or business. However, we're all aboard the latest bandwagon traveling along Gap's tracks to logo disaster. Gap’s new logo and branding campaign have widely been referred to as the “Gapgate controversy,” a questionable attempt at designing a new logo, and an even more tasteless approach at trying to market it. There has been way too much recent attention around the new Gap logo, and as a result, we've decided to come up with our own visual ‘solution.’

Gap has been successful at engaging and sustaining a loyal audience by constantly staying fresh in all aspects of its brand (fashion, marketing, advertising, etc.). Unfortunately, Gap’s revenue and image have waned. Sales at GAP stores (including Old Navy and Banana Republic) have been declining (-8% in 2009), but blaming the economy would be missing the mark entirely.  Gap’s problem is not its logo; it is its brand.

A Brand Panic Move

One of our favorite mottos is “Your logo is not your brand.” This is a message that we communicate to our clients frequently. Gap did not follow this philosophy, rolling out its new logo last week, which appeared to be more of a panic-driven move than a strategized one, as no real design thinking was evident. Some chalk this sudden change up as a response to declining sales, but as Abe Sauer from Brandchannel states, “the Gap brand decided to change the one valuable element it has going for it.” Customers seeing this new change just don't appear to be feeling it. This is a typical mistake most high-profile brands make in an effort to create a valuable 'change.’ Just ask Pepsi how they feel about the whole Tropicana mess. With very notable brands, a complete brand identity redesign or even just a change to the logo can be the hardest task for any design firm. Laird + Partners has done some great work for Gap in past years, but not this time. 

Louise Callagy, a Gap spokeswoman, explained the new logo was intended to be the latest ‘evolution’ for the brand, and added that it had been for the last two years. Callagy explains her position, stating that "[The new logo] is more contemporary and current, and honors the heritage of the Gap brand, but takes the blue box forward." We don’t agree; there is absolutely nothing new about using the typeface Helvetica. (Just ask Eric Spiekermann.) 

Our Solution

The creative team at STARMEN came up with a realistic, achievable solution for Gap. In honor of the 'heritage' that Gap eagerly wants to embrace, we reflected on the first Gap logo and store back in 1969, and found a new way of embracing Gap's original essence in a contemporary marketplace — something with a similar mainstream flexibility as seen in MTV's logo redesign. Rather than being simply an 'add-on', this logo becomes more 'integrated' with the brand campaign, allowing Gap to align its brand initiatives with its loyal customers. Rather than placing the retro typeface proportionally in the center of the iconic square shape, we dramatically enlarged it to bleed over the edges. The clean, bold, organic lowercase font gives Gap a fresh new energy that's both friendly and inviting. We believe that our approach gives the logo opportunity to fuse the distinctive Gap imagery, and the square shape demonstrates the flexibility of the new branding. So, what do you think of our alternative? More importantly, what do you think of Gap's perspective? We want to hear your thoughts... and we'd love to hear from you, Gap!

By no means are we saying that the above solution is 'the solution.’ We understand that there is a deeper problem with Gap, and it's not just with their logo, but rather their overall brand. However, as creatives, we couldn't help but offer our recommendations for what their logo could be.

UPDATE: As many of you may be aware, Gap pulled the aforementioned new logo just as quickly as they put it up. There probably won't be much long-term damage to the brand, but our hope is that Gap will know how to approach the whole brand identity redesign more holistically by focusing on the brand itself and not just the logo.

8 Criterion For Facebook Page Marketing Success

Social media marketing has become a hot topic amongst brand marketers and businesses who are looking to establish themselves within a social network. As a means to promote their products and services at low cost, a lot of marketers are turning to Facebook. But it's knowing how to use the platform, currently the most popular social network out there, that really makes all the difference to your bottomline.

8 Criterion For Facebook Page Marketing Success

Social media marketing has become a hot topic amongst brand marketers and businesses who are looking to establish themselves within a social network. As a means to promote their products and services at low cost, a lot of marketers are turning to Facebook. But it's knowing how to use the platform, currently the most popular social network out there, that really makes all the difference to your bottomline.

The proper use of Facebook goes beyond simply setting up an account. Rather, your focus must become more strategic in terms of interactivity with your audience, and this means taking the right steps to increase engagement, and promote peer-to-peer interactions. Simply stated, if a brand makes its community happy, then it has the option to start generating business revenue.

The Altimeter Group compiled data by analyzing companies' posts, comments and 'likes' on Facebook, and began to saw a clear pattern emerge. From this research, they've compiled the following 8 criterion for establishing a truly meaningful presence on the platform:

1. Set community expectations.
2. Provide cohesive branding.
3. Be up to date.
4. Live authentically.
5. Participate in dialogue.
6. Enable peer-to-peer interactions.
7. Foster advocacy.
8. Solicit a ‘call to action’.

So, now that you know the key elements of creating a stand-out social media presence on Facebook, how is your business going to execute a plan aligned with this paradigm? At STARMEN, we are social media experts, taking brands from content to commerce by using a unique approach that bridges people stories to product stories through social media and branded content. 

During our daily industry readings, we came across a refreshing article titled “Our Biggest Brands Can No Longer Be Managed By Nerds,” by brand consultant Tom Hinkes. Companies have been scaling back recently on creatively-led brand solutions, and focusing more on the numbers approach. It was refreshing to hear from a well-respected and experienced brand marketer that great marketing requires a balance of both strategy and creative.

During our daily industry readings, we came across a refreshing article titled “Our Biggest Brands Can No Longer Be Managed By Nerds,” by brand consultant Tom Hinkes. Companies have been scaling back recently on creatively-led brand solutions, and focusing more on the numbers approach. It was refreshing to hear from a well-respected and experienced brand marketer that great marketing requires a balance of both strategy and creative.

More Data Is Not Better Data

“Marketing departments used to be the creative engines powering successful corporations. Now they're overrun by number-crunching nerds. As a direct consequence, despite all the conspicuous focus on "change management," the way brands respond to change in the marketplace has deteriorated. A McKinsey Quarterly article several years ago argued that the key to "better branding" is to build brands "more scientifically." If managers would combine "forward-looking market segmentation" with structural-equation modeling, they could "build a better brand more efficiently." In short: more data, more regressions and more conjoint analysis mean the "brand crisis" is solved. But fluency with buzz words and expertise with spreadsheets do not guarantee brand-marketing competence.”

-Tom Hinkes, AdAge.com

We agree that there is a need for consumer research, but brand marketing is not an exact science, and therefore cannot be driven solely by metrics or statistics. We approach brand marketing with the analysis, discipline and detail it requires, but also with the emotion, vision and creativity that feed a brand’s sustained success.

As an award-winning creative agency specializing in brand design, we are proud to announce the redesign of the STARMEN web site. But ‘redesign’ doesn't really cover it. We’ve made more than an aesthetic adjustment or surface-level change, we’ve ‘refreshed’ internally and externally. The new starmenusa.com reflects our new ideas, fresh thinking, and innovative approach to our clients’ brands, as well as our latest design work. 

As an award-winning creative agency specializing in brand design, we are proud to announce the redesign of the STARMEN website. But ‘redesign’ doesn't really cover it. More than an aesthetic adjustment or surface-level change, we’ve ‘refreshed’ both internally and externally. The new starmenusa.com reflects our new ideas, fresh thinking, and innovative approach to our clients’ brands, as well as our latest design work. 

Our LA headquarters are buzzing with excitement! This site has been a labor of love, created with synchronized hard work, absolute enthusiasm, and meticulous attention to effective design. What remains unchanged is our unwavering resolve: We are here to produce solid, valuable results for you! Now, we just look even better!

We warmly invite you to visit our new site, and enjoy our latest work.

Before Angels became synonymous with lingerie, Hollywood’s elite wore intimates by Juel Park. Established in the Roaring Twenties, Juel Park designed luxury under garments for prominent female stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, Ava Gardner, Mae West, Lauren Bacall, and Katharine Hepburn.  With Juel Park’s rich history and breathtaking lingerie, STARMEN is proud to sponsor Juel Park’s relaunch here in Hollywood.

Before Angels became synonymous with lingerie, Hollywood’s elite wore intimates by Juel Park. Established in the Roaring Twenties, Juel Park designed luxury under garments for prominent female stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, Ava Gardner, Mae West, Lauren Bacall, and Katharine Hepburn.  With Juel Park’s rich history and breathtaking lingerie, STARMEN is proud to sponsor Juel Park’s relaunch here in Hollywood.

To honor and remember both the proud survivors and fallen victims of breast cancer, proceeds from the Juel Park event will benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

More details on the Juel Park event can be found here.