Category: Articles 🔎

Through his articles in Adweek, Josh conveys industry-leading insights, thought-provoking commentary and pragmatic ideas for readers to consider and make their own. His latest continues on the path guiding greater inclusion of people with disabilities in the advertising industry.

With the 2020 Paralympics just around the corner, brands will soon start to plan and develop disability-inclusive campaigns. But are conversations about employing people with disabilities also top of mind among those agencies and other advertisers?

For some campaigns and brand activations, the Paralympics are a regular commitment that powers up every four years, and for others, this will be a first foray into disability inclusion. While much of the focus will center on disability portrayals in the creative, now is the time to consider disability beyond the campaign and also as a component of ongoing diversity and inclusion within talent recruitment programs.

As a disabled person in the industry, I’ve seen some advancement, but many conversations are stilted with minimal insights and sputtering commitments. I applaud the ad community for taking a stronger stance on diversity in so many facets, but disability continues to be marginalized mostly to topics surrounding ad creative, with little industry education or agency employment dialogue.

Not considering outreach toward people with disabilities among employee candidates continues decades of second-class citizenry, misinformation and stereotyping toward a group that many still consider unemployable.

In an industry that celebrates creative iconoclasts, hiring managers should consider people with disabilities for out-of-the-box ideas and as daily problem solvers. Recognize that many break the rules and the mold regularly and repeatedly, things brands want to achieve every day. One in four people (or 61 million) Americans are disabled, and many could translate into employees in the advertising industry. Whether talking about a career move or consumer purchasing power, people with disabilities can make a big advertising impact.

Collectively, Americans with disabilities have an annual disposable income of $188 billion. Beyond the bottom line and dollars spent, advertising has the power to drive brand affinity and social justice.

Employing more people with disabilities means agencies and brands won’t simply be thinking about inclusion every few years surrounding the Paralympics or during a particular month celebrating a certain cause, but instead have daily advocates and ambassadors willing and able to share advice and creative ideas toward greater inclusion. Other minority groups aren’t put on pause to only be discussed and included among infrequent campaigns during sports spectacles, and neither should people with disabilities.

More people with disabilities will be in ads when more people with disabilities are hired in the advertising industry. This can be the year when more conversations, conviction and commitment takes place to elevate advertising and disability.

The evolution of social media has given rise to a new kind of celebrity: the influencer. Influencer marketing campaigns are the hottest thing in the marketing world, and with good reason: they work.

Designsensory has had exciting results with influencer programs for several clients and projects, including Remastered, Tennessee Valley Uncharted, Bristol and McMinnville, Tennessee, and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. We have used influencer tactics in a variety of ways. Some were paid and produced content, while others were co-created or influencer-generated with little to no remuneration. 

For Remastered, episodic videos tell the stories behind great Tennessee brands such as Prophetik haute couture clothing, Lodge Cast Iron, Jack Daniels Distillery, Saint Blues Guitars and Barrett Firearms. Both influencers and the brands themselves promoted the series, generating 2.3+ million views, $1.8 million value in earned media, more than 20,000 posts, shares and views through direct brand interaction, and more than 3,000 click-throughs from targeted executives.

We’ve just begun a branded content campaign for others, and we’re excited to show those to you soon!

What It Is

Influencer marketing is a modern hybrid of the old-fashioned celebrity endorsement with contemporary storytelling across various media. Influencer marketing goes far beyond the implications of the 30-second celebrity TV commercial.

Within every industry and every special interest area, there are well known influencers who speak directly to businesses and consumers in their area of expertise. From Instagram fashionistas to YouTube travel gurus, from sports bloggers to corporate leaders, influencers have targeted audiences that number in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions.

Influencers are powerful ambassadors for your brand, people who have spent time, thought and energy patiently building their followings. Their followers know that they are more than pitchmen paid to sell products; they are defined by the choices they make and perceived as authentic storytellers with a strong point of view.

Influencer marketing is about credibility, leadership and imagination. It’s a people-to-people approach, human and accessible.

The spectrum of influence runs from celebrity endorser at one end to brand avatar, household influencer, handheld influencer, and, finally, micro influencer.

Creating an influencer campaign is more than turning a social media star loose to talk about your product. Research, strategy, planning and careful matching of product with influencer are key.

Among the various ways to activate an influencer are: Conversation and collaboration; product or experience reviews; live content; unboxing; contests/giveaways; and cross-promotion.

Layering tactics with a variety of influencers can raise the level of your success. influencers and micro-influencers can participate in different ways to drive different responses within the engagement “funnel.” 

Loeffler Randall, a high-end accessories and footwear brand, has achieved a strong following with artists, fashionistas and bloggers by leveraging the creativity and personality of its team of ambassadors. These ambassadors are “cool girls doing cool things,” a creative and diverse group of women leading interesting lives, featured front and center on the company’s blog with the hashtag #LRambassador.

What It Isn’t

Influencer marketing is not about paying a celebrity to talk about your product. Influencers are, as a rule, not about the quick payoff. They are storytellers who immerse themselves in the experience they bring to their audiences.

Even when a company chooses to go with a traditional celebrity, the approach is usually very different—and very targeted. For example, Lagavulin Whiskey had a very niche audience in mind when the company made a 45-minute video featuring Parks and Rec star Nick Offerman. Offerman’s silly-but-serious demeanor and cult appeal were perfect for this offbeat video of him sitting by the fire, slowly sipping the whiskey. It was a quirky choice that paid huge dividends, with 2 million views in a single week and a jump in the brand’s channel subscribers from 5,500 to 23,000.

Why It Matters

Influencer marketing is so much more than the next big thing. It’s about the biggest bang you can get for your marketing bucks. According to Statista, in 2016, each dollar spent on influencer marketing returned an average earned media of $11.69 (across all industries).

Timing can be a crucial element of an influencer marketing campaign. For example, the online shopping app Wish launched its #timeonyourhands campaign in the run up to the wildly popular FIFA World Cup. Humorous spots featured famous soccer stars whose teams didn’t qualify; players posted the videos on their own social media accounts and interacted with each other as they found ways to pass the time not playing. Superstar Neymar’s video alone generated more than 2 million views on Instagram—in just two hours.

How to Choose Your Influencer

Who are these influencers, anyway? Most of them are just regular people with a passion—for travel, fashion, science, pop culture or anything else. But they speak with a level of authority that gives them credibility with large numbers of followers. Some influencers are the brands themselves. Nearly 40 percent of survey respondents have indicated they follow brands on Twitter. Of those, 60 percent said that they followed brands to learn about products as opposed to entertainment.

What makes an influencer influential? In a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Marketing, the authors’ research shows that credibility is based on “trustworthiness, expertise, similarity and attractiveness.”

A one-size-fits-all approach does not work in influencer marketing. It’s crucial to choose the influencers who match your targeted demographic and your brand values. They are more than popular people on social media. And sometimes, they aren’t exactly people. Mercedes turned to Loki the wolfdog for some beautiful, immersive and authentic storytelling about traveling snowy mountains in a Mercedes.

Regardless of whether your influencer has four legs or two, it’s important to choose someone who uses the same channels your target audience frequents, has the same fan base and is relatable to that specific audience.

Once you’ve chosen the influencers for your campaign, don’t try to put a round peg in a square hole. Be sure to tie the campaign’s structure, tone and details to the specific skills, personality and style of the influencers. 

Final Thoughts

Influencer marketing is simply a smarter, more authentic way to market your product within your audience segments. Be sure to qualify your efforts with key performance indicators: for influencer marketing, we look at three things: engagement (likes/shares/follows); sentiment (changes in end-user brand affinity/attitude); and conversion (economic behavior). For more information on influencer marketing, reach out to us directly. Happy days!

It’s not uncommon for brands to go through a website redesign every two to four years. Whatever the reason for starting a digital makeover, there is a process that should be followed—especially when considering a completely new design and development platform. Here are five considerations, from our experience, that we recommend you take to heart:

Usability Testing
First off, you need to have at least one main goal for the website. It’s easy to put the cart before the horse when you have big plans for how the website should look. However, remember that redesigns are not about you; they are about your user. We recommend starting with research to determine current challenges in the way people use your site. Methods such as journey mapping, User Experience (UX) teardowns, user testing and more can help answer important questions: Can your users purchase tickets on their phones? Is it easy to sign up for your newsletter? Is important content buried in the site? We can find answers to these crucial questions by looking at the site’s users, and we can tailor-make a website that meets and exceeds their expectations.

Also, if you don’t already have Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in place, now is a great time to start. Setting up these measurable indicators (e.g., number of checkouts, etc.) is one of the best ways to measure if your goals are being met.

Content Strategy
In order to develop a strong content strategy, start with an audit. Determine what pages, copy, images and other elements should stay and which ones should go. From there, create an Information Architecture (IA), or sitemap, that aligns with your new goals. Equally important is user flow, helping organize your site in a way that moves users down the funnel. If your main goal is sales, information should be organized in a way that highlights your eCommerce through product displays and convenient shopping cart access. Content strategy includes everything from creating audience personas, page nomenclature, hierarchy of content, consistency of tone and voice, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and much more. The focus, overall, should be on prioritization of content.

Visual Aesthetic
Assuming everything is informed and organized, the excitement of design can begin. Still, design is based on solving problems. That said, 75% of users admit that they base website credibility on aesthetics, which is a user’s first impression. Having a trained designer who will look at the research and create valuable solutions based on that information is the key to creating a new website that converts. Work with a designer and discuss their proposed design recommendations and process. With more and more users experiencing your brand on their phones, we design all of our sites to mobile first and progressively enhance up to desktop. This ensures a seamless look across all devices—and design fundamentally involves the look and feel of the user interface. In short, craft a design system that brings your brand’s unique story to life in a way that is engaging and informative to your users.

Technical Flexibility
Hopefully you’ve decided on a platform to build your site on before now, based on conversations with your team and whomever is developing your site. It’s vital to get a flexible Content Management System (CMS), meaning developers can easily add and change code and content can be edited by your team on the backend. Something to remember here is third party tools and how they appeal to the brand and new website look, if they’re not already integrated with the chosen platform. Let’s use the shopping cart feature as an example. If you don’t use Magento, Shopify or another eCommerce solution for your site, you will need to link to one externally. Ensuring that you use something that has design customizations enabled will help maintain an all-encompassing brand experience—this goes for external blogs, booking channels, login portals and other tools with which you may integrate. If you use something that’s not seamless, it distracts from the design decisions your team has made and, ultimately, reflects poorly on your brand. Lastly, we live in the age of iPhones and Androids, so find a CMS solution that handles responsive design seamlessly but in a way that is ADA compliant—being inclusive shouldn’t be optional.

Measurement & Media Promotion
Now it’s time for the finale! Or, in reality, the beginning. Launching a website is never the end, especially in terms of measurement, promotion and iteration. Media, whether organic, shared or paid, should be on your radar when your site launches to drive traffic. A paid media campaign—from display to social—will not only garner awareness for your brand and its website, but it can also bring in untold impressions and, with time, conversions. You’ll need a media expert to walk you through tracking codes, landing page usage and other data measurement capabilities. Whatever you do, don’t let your website sit alone.

Your site needs routine check-ups and measurement reports post-launch to make sure that it is continuing to reach users in the most effective ways. Consider Heat Mapping to see if users are clicking on important buttons and forms linked to your newly formed KPIs. You can always use A/B testing on your headlines and images to aid in conversion optimization. There are various measurement tools, so don’t be afraid to get in the trenches and improve the site as you go!

Launching a website is a huge undertaking that requires the use of experienced marketing creatives. Your website’s success depends on a dedicated team, organization and time. With the proper timeline and workflow, you can bring beauty to your brand and users. Use these considerations as a framework, but if you get caught up in the minutia, we’re always here to help. Happy website-making!

At Designsensory, we take pride in investing and cultivating young talent, like interns, new college graduates or people transitioning in their professional career. We’ve found that most every creative, especially these new professionals, experiences feelings of insecurity or undeservedness. This culmination of self-deprecating behavior called Imposter Syndrome can pop up during promotions, larger projects, meetings with public figures or a myriad of other situations. What if I’m a fraud? What if I can’t do the job? Regardless of that inner voice, you can combat these feelings with reality, and here are a few ways to do so:

Stop Comparing

The temptation to compare yourself with others is one that expands beyond the workplace. Before you give way to it, remember that everyone has a different journey and experience. What may seem like a highly competitive background to you might not seem like it to others. The world we live in is about perspective. Just because your perspective can’t see a reason for your success does not mean you are not qualified for a promotion, a difficult project or something else that brings you more freedom and/or responsibility.

Start Thinking

It’s highly unlikely that you’ve gotten where you are without leg work. Think on the things you’ve accomplished throughout your career, however long or short. Reframe your brain to see the successes as well as the failures. Although failure is a great learning experience, resist the urge to dwell on things of the past too long. Reread some encouraging messages or compliments, and take pride in knowing you learned from great mentors and are on your way upward.

Stop Doubting

If you’re like me, you overthink everything and occasionally doubt the efficacy of your work. However, no one is suddenly going to wake up and realize you are not fit for your job. Trust in your boss to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Progressing is not being perfect at everything, but it certainly shows you have skills worth building on. Doubt is for the birds.

Start Talking

Now that you’ve tried to control the way you perceive yourself, talk to a close confidant about your thoughts. They will help put your mind at ease. They have worked with you, they know your ethic and your ability, and they will tell you the words you need to hear. Should they give you areas of improvement, file those away and work on them daily to boost your confidence. One more note: try to mentor someone. You’ll be surprised by the things you didn’t know you know.

Embrace It

Internalize your successes by repeating them out loud. If nothing else, embrace the fact that whether you feel like you deserve something or not, you have it. Take advantage of the opportunity and move on. Everyone at some point has been in your shoes, no matter how experienced they may seem. Take in the now and stop worrying about the past or the future.

If nothing else works, know that Imposter Syndrome is a symptom of success. It might be a long-term struggle to overcome your feelings, so don’t feel discouraged. Most importantly, be yourself and showforth a can-do spirit. 

Somewhere in the world, as I type this blog, someone’s gazing out a window—retreating from a world of cerebral overload. The quest for inspiration is one that many find intimidating, but it’s vitally important to care for yourself and your creativity. If you’re having troubles of your own in the creative department, here are a six popular things you can do to get inspired.

1. Go Outdoors

Nature is a tried and true way for anybody to get their brain fired up. For one, relaxation will filter out the negativity affecting your ability to process information. The more you do things you love outside, the more you will recover mentally—leaving plenty of room for inspiration to pop in.

2. Read / Research

Maybe it’s obvious, but reading and researching can inspire an idea quickly. Try reading social media posts, online books, websites, magazines, novellas—everything. It should probably be relevant content, but I won’t lie and say I haven’t found help from unlikely sources.

3. Travel

Going somewhere specific, even if it’s a nearby city, always inspires me in some way. When I travel, I see things I would have never seen, meet people I never would have met, and do things I never would have done. Try new foods. Shop at new places. Traveling is inspiring.

4. Get a Hobby

Find a craft or hobby that you enjoy. Some people thrive doing photography, others enjoy painting, sewing, playing instruments, physical activity, or, for our resident associate creative director, pottery. It doesn’t have to be grand, but it does need to be something that gives you butterflies and daydreams. Whether or not it’s related to your project, doing something tactile that you love will inspire you to break free.

5. Creativity Board

This is your own personal mood board. Find inspirational pieces on Pinterest, Behance and other sites that showcase beautiful work. Once you start seeing creativity from others, you won’t have any trouble delivering. Sometimes, being around the right people at the right time (even digitally) can bring out the deepest and most inspired thoughts.

6. Do Nothing

Yes, you read that correctly. Very often for me, after reading a strategic or creative brief, I have an overwhelming amount of information that can stifle my creative process. However, this brain overload can be used to our advantage as creatives. Once you have packed your brain full of everything you could possibly know about the subject matter at hand, forget it. Do nothing. Stop thinking about it. Nine times out of ten, the best ideas come when you don’t expect them. That eureka moment will come to you, so stop chasing it.

Now that I’ve used the word “inspiration” ten times or more within this blog, maybe you have some of your own. When the pressure to be great is high, find things that relieve it. The worst possible scenario is to stay stressed. Enjoy the process, and go with your gut. If you’re just not creative, then you know how to find us!

The first email was sent out in 1972, and the world of emailing exploded in the ‘90s. We now live in a much more technologically advanced world. So, is email now dead? With large rises in smart phones, handheld devices, VR and so much more, you might think so. However, email is still a huge part of marketing communication. Here are a few ways email has kept up in the world of ever changing benchmarks, and how you can use this tool to effectively market yourself and your products.

1. Mobile-Friendly

Like all smart platforms, innovative email providers have gone mobile. I would strongly suggest you use that to cater to a mobile-friendly world, since more than 48% of users check email on their mobile devices. Users have access to their emails in the palm of their hand, and they use that routinely. So, whether your campaign is good or bad (we’re betting good), it will most likely get significant recognition. Once you have an email platform that is mobile optimized, you’ll be on your way.

2. Targeting Capabilities

Targeting your audience is easy to accomplish through email marketing. Setting up segmented lists has never been more practical. Whether you accumulate emails through landing pages and form functionality, or not, you are creating a database of qualified leads. Not only can you get right down to business with audiences, you can also test the efficacy of campaigns with platforms like Mailchimp, Constant Contact or Emma. The real question is, how often will you send the emails and to whom? Remember, leads and customers have two very different needs, so at least two automated email setups may be necessary—with targeted content, of course.

3. Flexible Platforms

Email has gotten smarter in the last decade. Platforms have become a staple to email marketing because of the responsive design capabilities that they share. Not only can you optimize content with links to articles, blogs and more, but you can add images to help display your brand. Be careful, though, because you don’t want your design to go overboard. Studies have shown that shorter, text-only emails can be more effective. Go with your gut. Also, use a tool that has great social sharing capabilities—without sharing features, you miss out on extended reach and visibility.

4. Analytics

Before implementing an email marketing campaign, ensure your tool has integrated marketing analytics capabilities that can show you things beyond lead information. A great analytics tools will help you with the aforementioned social situation. Tools that show you social mentions, for instance, will generate a more tailored list of leads—you can send more targeted emails to subscribers who mention you on social. Additionally, an effective analytics tool will compare your numbers with benchmarks and allow you to adjust your strategy accordingly.

The advantages of using email marketing are numerous, and email should never be ruled out as a tried and true marketing device—and it shouldn’t be used without an integrated marketing strategy. Email experts go above and beyond with different platforms and in ways you might not imagine. That’s us. If you have questions or ideas, drop us a line.

There comes a (sometimes scary) day in every creative’s life when video concept meets concrete production. The client has approved the concept, the writer has penned the script, the creative director has thrown some mustard on it, and the production coordinator has set a date. Today’s the day this vision comes to life, and you’re left with sweaty palms.

So, just what happens on this glorious day? Well, that depends; sometimes, it’s better not to know all the things that can happen. Instead, I’ll tell you what should happen and things to watch for when you’re standing around on set without a clue.

1. DO: Bring the right stuff

Maybe this goes without saying, but if you’ve helped create the script, bring extra copies along. No one wants to be guessing what the voiceover is, or if someone has the final version. Frankly, things can easily get misplaced. Also, dress for comfort because it’s going to be a long day. A pro tip is to pack a bag as if you’re going on a day trip: tissues, lip balm, phone charger, sunscreen and sunglasses (if it’s an outdoor shoot), and other things you need during the day. Lastly, bring other work to do during long waits.

2. DON’T: Help the production crew

Unless asked. It can be tempting to reach out and help. However, you have no clue how to set up lighting. And trust me, you don’t want to be the one who threw off the production schedule. Ask if you can help prep the talent, or go over any last minute notes that may need to be clarified. Check with the art director about helping with wardrobe or scene set-up. Get close without getting too close.

3. DO: Use your voice

If something is coming together in a way that you don’t understand, express your opinion. The worst thing that can happen is that someone overrules your decision; the best, you just amplified the work and your reputation. Mic drop. It’s literally your job to keep the creative as sharp as possible. A writer, for example, should have no problem making minimal voiceover changes if the reading doesn’t sound natural.

4. DON’T: Know it all

The amazing thing about being on set is the opportunity to learn from others. Every production day is different, with an amazing group of producers, directors, photographers, sound engineers and so on. Take this time to absorb what they know and apply it to future situations. I’m not saying ignore #3, but do it wisely. Sometimes other people’s ideas work better. That’s what collaboration is all about.

5. DO: Have Fun & Wrangle

There are things you can do to help out, like grabbing a water for the director who is bending his back in a way that hurts his football injury from 1989. Just do it. Also, why not keep the talent comfortable, get to know the people around you better—perhaps it’s the client—and have a little fun? If you have multi-day shoots, this is vital. Everyone is near burning out, so keep up the energy. Speaking of client, sometimes they don’t know what to do, so just keep them busy and assured.

6. Finally, LISTEN.

The production people telling you what to do know what they’re doing. Look around at the amazing people in your corner. Take those moments of frustration and throw them out the window. At the end of a shoot day, you all either clink glasses or go home knowing that you had a productive day. Now just wait for the final product.