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Author: Chris Talbert

Why You Should Add Public Relations to Your Marketing Mix

Posted on by Chris Talbert

The modern marketing landscape is filled with ever-changing tools, platforms and trends. Staying on top of it all and making sure you’re utilizing the best tools with the most engaging content is almost a full-time job in itself. As we do our research, brainstorm with our teammates, polish our big ideas and plan out our campaign, we’re always asking ourselves . . . do you have the right marketing mix?

Many times we recommend public relations be in that mix. When done successfully, the long-term benefits of public relations are evident: brand awareness and credibility in the marketplace, an economical way to reach mass audiences and the ability to build loyalty, turning normal customers into staunch advocates of your business or cause.

Commonly referred to as earned media, public relations builds trust, as it’s a sign that media or other third parties are willing to endorse your brand. When our television show Tennessee Uncharted was up for a People’s Choice Telly Award earlier this year, we sprang into action sending out media alerts, e-newsletters and launching a social media campaign to ask people to vote for the show. After two seasons of quality production and engaging public relations work, the show was in an advantageous position: It had garnered brand recognition and a loyal fanbase that was eager to see the show (and the crew) succeed. So when it came time to ask for votes, the support was overwhelming and “Tennessee Uncharted” won the People’s Choice Award.

Public relations can also be incredibly cost-effective. Our efforts in an on-going design and public relations project with Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union paid off when a story on the opening of a new branch in Morristown, Tennessee, landed on the front page of the Knoxville News Sentinel business section (circ. 119k+). Since public relations is often a more economical way to increase brand recognition, we prepared and distributed press releases to journalists in the area. Cost-wise, this action created high exposure at a low cost, rather than advertising the new branch in the paper.

Sometimes you just need public relations to make people aware of your existence. One way to do this is through social media. Having the right mix of fun, engaging, serious and educational content on social media promotes shareability and increases views and engagement. When we were asked by the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau social media team to come up with a strategy for increasing its visibility on social media, we created a plan that would reflect the brand while serving as a go-to communications channel of choice for all things Augusta.

Almost six months later, the Facebook page alone has seen an increase of 375 percent in organic impressions and an increase of 120 percent in page likes compared to the prior six months.

Interested in learning more? Contact us today to find out how we can maximize your marketing efforts.

‘Be More’ Campaign Inspiring Healthier Choices

Posted on by Chris Talbert

The Designsensory team welcomes another website to the family. We launched the Be More campaign, a program that inspires communities to make small, daily, healthy changes that add up to big health results.

When the University of Tennessee Extension was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), it needed a partner to carry the initiative to four of the Tennessee counties with some of the highest obesity rates in the nation. The department chose Designsensory to head up the campaign and develop communication pieces to carry the initiative to all the audiences.

We had the privilege of visiting each of the four counties and carrying out extensive ethnographic research, which informed all aspects of the campaign and gave us deep insight into the people who would interact with it. We created a concept, branding, marketing plan, collateral and website to inspire those four communities. The website, specifically, details the program and acts as a resource for people in the four counties to make healthier choices. It will continue to expand and become a hub of information and a place to bring each community together around the common goal of achieving better health.

What We’re Reading in June 2016

Posted on by Chris Talbert

TJ Buckner, Web Developer
For one of our clients, we’ve been working in Laravel, a MVC PHP framework. In order to increase my familiarity with the platform, I’ve been reading and watching a lot of tutorials, including Laracasts. While this website does offer a membership, it also has a lot of free tutorials. If you’re just starting out with the framework, I’ve found the Laravel From Scratch tutorial to be helpful. It has a great overview of the most recent iteration of the framework, and it is actually interesting to read about and watch.

Brittany Cross, Content Developer
Whenever I’m feeling particularly uninspired or dry in my writing, I flip through my copy of “Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This.” The book is loaded with great tips on selling, and has tons of examples of ads that have sold their particular product well. More importantly, it gives the reader a peek inside the mind of a seasoned creative who’s worked in big-name ad agencies for decades. If I still need more inspiration, I’ll check out Gary Larson. At least, if I don’t have any new ideas, I’ll have a good chuckle.

Kevin Jones, Senior Designer
A friend of mine who is an antique dealer recently acquired a collection of old books from an estate sale. Knowing my love for antiques, he passed some of the books on to me. One of the books is a graphic design and layout manual from the 1960s called “Advertising Layout.” I love flipping through its interesting pages and perusing many of the instructions and pieces of advice. The book is out of print, which makes it feel even more special.

3 Is No Crowd When They’re Talented Interns

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Our diversification and expansion continue, as this month we say hello to three new DS interns: Amber, Craig and Cassidy. These additions to our staff bring smarts and skills of support, strategy and project management.

Amber Wilson is fulfilling her passion for growing through new experiences by working closely with clients, setting up meetings and interfacing with vendors. Graduating in December with a B.S. in advertising at the University of Tennessee, Amber has gained maturity through internships at H.T. Hackney, Scripps Networks and Universal Pictures.

Another soon-to-be graduate, Craig Rockett is focusing on strategy at DS. With a B.S. in finance, Craig returned to the University of Tennessee for an MBA. Among his experiences are interning at UBS Financial Services and working for Cigna Healthcare as an underwriter. Craig looks forward to a career in brand management and marketing strategy.

A third intern, Cassidy Howell, is a project coordinator intern, working alongside account managers Mary Blair, Matt Honkonen and Sarah Loebner, and project manager Chris Cable. Cassidy has a degree from the University of Tennessee in hotel, restaurant and tourism management. She has gained experience working with Plumbline Services, Hunter Valley Farm, and helped produce Hallerin Hilton Hill’s “Anything is Possible” television series.

Oh Baby, We’re Growing

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Over the last six months, we’ve had a lot of exciting things happen at Designsensory. We’ve produced some wonderful work, added new team members and won some awards. But most importantly, we watched three friends become first-time dads. Joseph welcomed his son Declan into the world in December, and in May Kevin became a daddy to sweet Aurelie and Michael became a father to Iverson.

Becoming a parent certainly changes one’s perspective. We asked some seasoned dads in the office to share their advice on parenting, and here’s what they had to say:

Josh shared, “Embrace every moment. You’ll look back and it goes by quickly.”

Stephan says he practices patience and adds, “Remember: They’re just kids.”

Matt H. suggested, “Save your favorite TV shows and movies for late night sessions with your baby; you’ll have plenty of time to catch up on stuff while you’re awake at 3AM.”

Congratulations to the new fathers in the office and welcome to the DS family, Declan, Aurelie and Iverson!

Designsensory Wins Award of Excellence at 2016 PRSA V Awards

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Each year, the Volunteer Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America holds the PRSA V Awards to recognize outstanding contributions to public relations in out area. A few months back, we combed over our best work, readied the files and sent off seven entries to the judging committee.

This is the second year we’ve submitted work and we’re happy to announce that earlier this month Designsensory brought home its first Award of Excellence. Judging is done by peers from other PRSA chapters and operates on a point system with excellence awarded at 90 or more points, quality at 80 to 89 points and merit at 70 to 79 points.  

Here’s how we placed:

We look forward to creating excellent work for our clients, as our public relations team expands its offerings and is awarded new projects.

The Volunteer Chapter is one of 116 PRSA chapters. Chartered in 1947, PRSA is now the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals, with the primary objective to advance the standards of the profession and to provide members with professional development opportunities.

The Importance of Market Research

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Before any website goes live or any brochure is printed, before the concept is developed or the website’s wireframe is put together, before a single designer or web developer go to work, we first come up with a plan. Sure, that seems obvious. However, sometimes developing that plan requires a type of research many companies don’t consider. Through market research, we can gain incredibly useful insights that drive the rest of our work and render better, more focused campaigns.

When we partnered with the Boy Scouts of America to help launch and market STEM Scouts, we conducted online surveys, web usability testing and focus groups with parents and children (the target audience) to determine how they viewed the program and what would encourage them to respond more positively. The results defined the STEM Scouts program itself as well as guided us in creating a more integrated marketing campaign.

We conducted similar research for UT Extension to develop a campaign that would encourage healthy living in four counties in Tennessee. Through in-person and online focus groups and surveys, we interviewed people to find out what it was like to live in those counties, what it would take to change unhealthy behaviors and what are some of the barriers to healthy living. We even did an ethnography study, asking people to journal and take pictures of their daily life. The research helped us develop a few branding concepts, which we were able to test in a focus group. The BE MORE Campaign resonated the most with the target audience.

For Tennessee Tech University, we sought to discover how people perceive the university and how that affects their decision to apply. We interviewed high school seniors and Tennessee Tech freshmen, as well as Tennessee Tech faculty and staff through in-person and online focus groups and surveys. The research helped provide foundational information and insights to better understand the target audience, its decision-making process and its recognition of Tennessee Tech and other area colleges. We then developed and tested three different campaign ideas to originate solid recommendation that would best resonate with the audience.

Market research is essential to uncovering your target audience’s perception of your brand. Not only does it assess the quality of your current marketing efforts, but it also ensures consistent and effective interactions at every touchpoint in the future.

The New Faces at Designsensory

Posted on by Chris Talbert

We’re always happy to welcome new talent to DS, and this month has brought a wealth of it, with the addition of Public Relations Specialist Samantha Smoak and Media Planner Jamie Stewart to the Marketing Communications group, as well as Project Manager Taylor Knight. All three bring skills that will complement and further the scope of talents among the DS team.

Samantha’s experience and capabilities in communications will serve to strengthen our public relations expertise, and will also increase our breadth of experience in SEO, digital marketing, Google analytics, inbound marketing, PPC (pay-per-click advertising) and much more. Samantha is also a seasoned blog writer and social media content curator, and a contributor to USA Today. She enjoys spending time with her little beagle, Xena, and tracking down her next Netflix fix.

Jamie joins DS as our first in-house, full-time media planner. While located in our Nashville office, he’ll spend time with staff and clients in Knoxville as well. Jamie will focus on putting together media strategy geared to position our clients’ messages to get to the right audience at the opportune time. His experience brings more than 10 years in digital media campaigns in a variety of industries. Jamie, too, is a beagle aficionado, and his favorite pastime is taking his beagle, Padme, for walks.

Taylor coming to DS adds another project manager to our ranks. With a background in sports marketing and business development, she most recently worked in the athletic department at the University of Tennessee in the Tennessee Fund, primarily focusing on annual giving and donor relations. Out of the office, Taylor carves out time to travel, hike or a much-needed trip to the lake.

When you drop by DS to meet with us, please help us give a warm welcome to the newest folks on our terrific team!

What We’re Reading in May 2016

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Hunter Foster, PR and Social Media Specialist
Recently, I’ve been reading about creating better social media video advertisements. Think with Google published an article recently about the ideal length for video ads. It features a study that tested viewer recall and view-through rates in a 15-second, 30-second and 2-minute video ad from the same brand. In an age with shortening attention spans, we’re inclined to think the shortest video would be best, but the article shows that, “A great story can still grab and hold an audience, even with the skip button ever-present.”

Tuyen Ho, Graphic Designer
As a full-time working mom, I’ve yet to find a healthy balance between being mom and being Tuyen. So for now, my reading list consists of both children’s books and research for my blog. The books currently on rotation are The Day the Crayons Quit, The Onion’s Great Escape, and Now I Am Big!. They are all beautifully designed, so it’s inspiration for me and a visual treat for my daughter. I’ve also been reading some how-to blogging tips on the Minimalists. It’s a helpful website about simplifying life, which is exactly what I need in order achieve that balance I mentioned earlier.

Joseph Nother, Principal, Executive Creative Director, Founder
I have a deep love of books—their feel, smell, typography, cover design and illustrations—which means I often find myself in the middle of five to eight books at any given time.

The last great book I finished was Different. It’s a wonderful rethink of how to come up with original entrepreneurial ideas and business models in a world where most businesses just add features and augmentations to remain competitive. And I’m almost finished with Snoop, a book about what the objects found in our personal spaces say about us. This book has been helpful in thinking about how people use story and narrative to make sense of various parts of their life.

For times when I want to just look and not read, I recently purchased a copy of Victor, a beautifully designed book featuring photographers that use Hasselblad medium-format platform.

From Harvard Business Review, Business Insider to PSFK to Uncrate to ChiefMarTec, I consume a variety of content sites covering a variety of topics. As the dad of a 5-month-old, I’ve been reading a lot of Fatherly lately.