Proliferation

Apr 12
0

History of Marketing Companies

By | content marketing, digital marketing, Social Media | No Comments

It is hard to imagine a world without marketing, but such a time has to have existed, right? When did marketing become a thing and what was its earliest form? The goal of this blog is to explore these questions and look over the evolution of marketing/marketing companies over the years.

The First Signs of Marketing

The word “marketing” is found in dictionaries that date all the way back to the 1500s. While etymologists are able to prove that “marketing” has been a thing since the 1500s, the fact that people traded and sold goods well before this time might provide enough evidence to argue that marketing existed before that time as well. It is hard to really say when products and company owners first started to market their goods, but the printing press might have pushed things along.

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Once Gutenberg created the world’s first printing press (in the 1450s), individuals and companies began to print and hang posters more and more. As time passed, people began to produce magazines, providing companies a wonderful opportunity to tell others about what they are doing. However, most individuals would agree that the practice began to take more shape during the Industrial Revolution.

The Industrial Revolution

Up until the 1700s, companies were still unable to figure out a way to distribute products in a mass production and would, therefore, sell out of their products. Nonetheless, as the Industrial Revolution continued to change the world, companies began manufacturing enough product that they could sell their goods to a larger number of people. At this point, business owners could now push more people towards their products. By the close of the 1700s and the beginning of the 1800s, advertising agencies began to open up in London. While marketing companies and advertising agencies differ (especially today), this might be the closest thing to a marketing company or firm.

Evolution of Marketing

During those days, there really wouldn’t be too many marketing tactics outside of advertising in a magazine or on a poster, but with the development of technologies also came the development of marketing. Towards the end of the 1800s, companies could slap their copy onto the world’s first billboards, but once the 1900s started, the evolution of marketing really began to ramp up almost exponentially. Some historical facts can mark this evolution: the first radio ad played in 1922, the first television ad ran in 1941, telephones use became the majority in 1946 and telemarketing followed a quarter of a century later, and now we have digital marketing for the wide world of the internet. With the internet comes ads on normal webpages, in our emails, on online games, and more. As more media platforms develop, the more marketing evolves.

It is hard to say when the first marketing firm was established, but the first advertising agency is a good indicator as to when these kinds of companies started popping up. However, in today’s world, there are marketing companies for just about every different kind of marketing tactic. If you need help with any content marketing, SEO, brand development, social media and more, reach out to us, Fusion 360, the best digital marketing company in Utah.

Apr 10
1

How Realistic is the Advertising in the Mad Men TV Series?

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A lot of our understanding of reality and the accompanying mental images that we create are shaped by TV series and movies, so, with that said, how realistic is the advertising in Mad Men?

If it’s been a few years since you’ve seen Mad Men, it is the four-time Outstanding Drama Emmy-winning AMC original TV series that is based on a variety of characters that work at an advertising agency in New York during the 1960s. As you watch this fabulously-written TV series, you will follow multiple stories, all fictional, that show the characters presenting advertising pitches for companies like Kodak, Heinz, Life, Hilton and more. However, with the show still being viewed daily (thanks to its contract with Netflix), people still want to know how the “Sterling Cooper-Draper Pryce” agency compares to an actual advertising agency.

Mad Men Ads vs. Real Ads

Considering we are talking about advertising, we might as well start with the actual ads that the writers and the designers of the TV series created. Business Insider did a great job creating a compare and contrast of the ads you see in Mad Men vs. actual 1960-advertisements from the companies mentioned in the show. While the Mad Men ads have components of an actual ad that a company would produce, they miss out on the research and the captured target market in their ads. However, the creators of the TV series did a good enough job reproducing believable images that normal viewers would not question.

The Advertising Process and Pitches

There are multiple scenes that show intense pitch meetings, but where you’d usually find creative directors, account supervisors, and copywriters brainstorming and coming up with fresh ideas, you see television drama. Mad Men is often praised for its attention to detail and authenticity (as it should be), but you can’t have a successful TV series (that is based on a fictional story) by showing everything that happens at an advertising agency. For example, an area in which they lack, naturally, is how long and how much detail goes into actual meetings with potential clients. While Mad Men may share a few ideas and make negotiations in their brief meetings, they miss the additional detail of discussing casting, placement, videographer recommendations, slogans and much more that comes with an advertising campaign.

Stress

One of the areas that some ad junkies would agree Mad Men’s representation is accurate is the stress that comes with the job. Advertising agencies are definitely exciting places, but there is some serious pressure and high-stress that comes from trying to come up with a good idea that is supported with solid research.

Takeaway

Now, it may be a little unfair to be so critical of Mad Men — their authenticity of New York in the 1960s is quite amazing. The alcoholism, smoking, issues with gender and racism, and other reoccurring themes are definitely worth praising in this recreation, however, you just can’t capture everything that advertising is in a dramatic TV series. If you were to make it into a factual documentary, you’d be able to better see what an advertising agency looks like, but a TV series like this can only capture aspects. With that said, the depiction is pretty close, but it is like judging and understanding an individual’s entire life based on their Instagram alone.

Advertising has developed a lot since the 1960s, and we are in a world that is ran by digital media. If you want to learn more about what a modern advertising agency looks like, return to our homepage and take a look.

Apr 09
1

What is a Brand Film?

By | advertising, Utah, video production | No Comments

With all the different ways to market your company to your consumers, clients and the public, it’s hard to keep track of all the different tactics. One of the recent marketing tactics that is trending positively is the production of a brand film, but what exactly is a brand film and how does it differ from other video content?

Video production companies everywhere understand that a brand video is not a simple advertisement for a product, nor is it a promotional video. They are, however, supposed to show off your brand to your consumers and the general public in order to develop more trust and loyalty to your brand. When these videos are done right, your consumers should feel as if they can identify with your brand and connect on a deeper level. To expand more on what a brand film is, we will briefly discuss their purpose, what they consist of, and their future.

Purpose of a Brand Film

As we already mentioned, a brand film should ultimately build loyalty and trust between the consumer and your brand. Why? How? Simple. These are supposed to give viewers an inside look at your company. By giving consumers or clients a look inside your doors, they will see the culture of your company and find more ways to identify with the brand, developing an even more special relationship. In addition, video production companies suggest that these videos educate, engage and produce an emotion that viewers will feel.

What Your Brand Film Should Include

A brand film isn’t a short 30-second clip of people waving at the camera, but a two to five-minute video that conveys who your company is. This kind of video should display the inner workings of the company and consist of traditions and cultures that exemplify what makes you unique. Whether you interview the CEO, have a narrator, or simply throw up texts throughout the video, it has to have the company’s voice. If you are unsure how you might display your culture, secrets or anything special about your company, ask yourself, what makes your company tick? What is the driving factor behind the brand? What does the company do for others? From there, you should have plenty of ideas about what your video needs.

The Future of Brand Films

The more our world embraces digital content and representation, the more you’ll see brand films. Video production companies understand that these videos can have a strong influence on others, and therefore, these videos have a bright future. When a company creates a brand film that feels genuine and less like an ad, then they will see the positive results that come from consumers that trust their company.

If you want a similar result, you really should consider hiring a video production company. Without turning to professionals, you might end up with the wrong message. To guarantee your brand film turns out the way it should, consider contacting us, Fusion 360 — an award-winning video production company that has all the experience you need. For other inquiries, contact us today.

Apr 08
0

What is a Social Video?

By | digital marketing, Social Media, Utah, video production | No Comments

Videos content is amassing billions of views online, and if your brand isn’t taking advantage of video content marketing, you’re going to see yourself falling behind your competition. Video production companies exist because businesses need these professionals to create killer video content that’s going to bring in new audiences and help retain existing ones.

While you might be able to create your own video content, having a video production company help is definitely the best route to take; these companies are experts in video production and can be the difference between a successful social campaign and a social failure. Before we go on, we should probably explain in more depth what a social video is.

Social videos are a form of digital content that is designed to be seen and shared through social networks. Brands distribute these videos through social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. There are other platforms such as Vimeo and Tumblr, but the big four are modern businesses’ target platforms.

Since these videos are distributed via these different platforms, they have to be optimized for each one; each platform has unique characteristics and audiences and therefore they require unique videos and editing patterns. Facebook videos will need to be edited differently than Instagram videos, which will be edited differently than Twitter videos, and so on.

Another thing worth noting when it comes to social video is that it by no means has to be a “viral” video. While it’s what we all want, social videos don’t need to get millions of views to be successful, it’s all about shareability and how effective it is when it comes to reaching your target audience.

Why Social Video is Crucial

People today watch millions upon millions of videos, choosing videos over articles, books or movies. This is why it is important for companies to take advantage of knowledgable video production companies to help them embrace social videos and connect with their audience. Brands across the nation are utilizing social videos to create more engagement, and if your brand doesn’t jump on board, you could see yourself falling behind.

Hopefully, this blog has helped give you an idea of what a social video is and how it can benefit your company. Video production companies know that these videos are valuable pieces of content, so your business shouldn’t hesitate when it comes to giving us a call here at Fusion 360 Studios. We’re ready to help you get started on your next social video project.

Apr 06
0

Which Social Platforms Should You Be Using?

By | content marketing, digital marketing, SEO, Social Media | No Comments

As a business, you want to make sure that you’re doing everything in your power to stay relevant in order to keep growing in your industry, and the best way to do this is by taking advantage of social media platforms. While you might be familiar with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, do you know which ones are going to help your company? You probably know that you don’t necessarily have to have an account for all of them, but you do have to make sure that you choose wisely on what platforms you’re going to decide to use.

These platforms all have their benefits, but there are some specific ones that you’re going to want to focus on if you want to help your business thrive. Here are the social platforms that professional marketing companies suggest you try utilizing based on your needs.

Twitter: Twitter is going to benefit your company if you want to provide your consumers with breaking news, announcements and other important and time-sensitive information. Easy, digestible text thrives on twitter and marketing companies recommend this platform for businesses who are based around immediacy.

LinkedIn: B2B businesses should have a LinkedIn account because it will help with lead generation. This platform can help you establish your company as a trusted leader in your field by posting a lot of editorial content. Marketing companies have also pinned down that the demographic on LinkedIn ranges widely from the 30-49 age range.

Pinterest: If your brand uses lots of images within your content, Pinterest is going to be the number one platform that you should be using. Marketing companies have found that 90 percent of users plan purchases while on Pinterest, so this graphics-heavy site is good for driving sales.

Facebook: This is the largest platform to date. With over two-billion users, Facebook is another great platform for lead generation, and it can also be beneficial to your brand in terms of building relationships and showing consumers the human side of your business. It is worth noting, however, that since Facebook is the largest platform, there is also going to be a great deal of competition on this platform.

Instagram: Once again, Instagram is a photo-focused platform, and you’ll want to create an Instagram account for your brand if you’re planning on showcasing your work.

These different platforms are great for different reasons, but you should narrow down your options to avoid wasting any valuable time trying to create a presence where it isn’t needed. If you’re looking to get some help establishing an online presence, give us a call here at Fusion 360.

Apr 05
0

4 Reasons Your Marketing Department Still Needs an Agency

By | content marketing, digital marketing, SEO, Social Media | No Comments

As a marketing agency, we understand that a lot of companies have their own marketing department, but does that mean that they will never need the help of an agency like ours? Absolutely not. Here are four reasons your in-house marketing team will need the assistance of an outside marketing company.

During Turnover

The first and absolute, no arguments about it, time that an in-house marketing department will need to outsource some of their work is during turnover. No matter how successful or unsuccessful your business is, every company experiences times where they have parts of their staff leave. Once one or two individuals on your marketing team take their careers elsewhere, the workload does not wait for your team to rebuild. In these moments, a marketing team can temporarily turn to a marketing company to help fill in the gap.

During a Surge of Work

There are moments when your team might confront special projects, annual reporting, or a major rebranding phase. At these times, an internal team can find their hands full with additional research and work that adds on top of their daily 9-5 work. To help your team avoid late hours and high amounts of stress, outsourcing your work will ensure that all the routine work is finished in a timely manner and the special projects get the focus and work that they need. Instead of an entire team feeling overwhelmed, it’s much easier to simply rely on the help of a marketing company.

Additional Knowledge and Specialties

An in-house marketing team is likely to have the talent they need in order to run their social media platforms, create strategies to increase their list potential clients/consumers, and even continue to develop their website or app, but what about other marketing specialties? You can find an assortment of marketing companies that provide you with additional abilities that your team doesn’t have but needs. Specialties such as SEO work, radio advertisement, or video productions are just a few examples of additional marketing skills that an outside marketing company can give you. Like we said, you may have talented individuals that can create plans and strategies, but there are other areas that you will want to rely on the experience and knowledge of others.

An Outsider’s Vision

Along with the additional knowledge and specialties that an outside agency might give you, they can also give you a new perspective. While your company and its employees may know their own selling point, content and functions unlike anyone else, this can sometimes blind you. After years and years of coming up with new ideas for the same product, the results might become redundant and need a fresh look. An outside marketing company could give you a new idea that your company really needs, but without taking the chance to outsource your work, you will miss out on the opportunity.

Whether you have a large marketing team or not, you can always find a need for a marketing agency. If you need any additional knowledge, specialty or perspective, don’t hesitate to contact us, Fusion 360.

Apr 04
0

Different Roles at a Marketing Agency

By | advertising, content marketing, digital marketing, Social Media | No Comments

Before you get into the advertising or marketing business, you need to know the basic mechanics of how a marketing agency works. Marketing companies come in all shapes and sizes, but most follow a similar structure that has been proven to work, no matter how many people they hire. Smaller companies will often have one person wear multiple hats, or one person that does everything an entire department would. Larger agencies will have each department broken down for efficiency. Either way, the fundamentals for the ad agency model works. Here at Fusion 360, a digital marketing company, we know how important the different roles are to build an effective agency. Here are some of the key roles:

Account Director/ Manager

Management of a marketing company is extremely important. Without a solid manager, the whole ship will go down before it even gets going. An account director or manager is responsible for managing the agency’s relationship with its clients and accounts. The account director is the one who delivers the creative work and content to the client and makes sure it fits their wants and needs. They deal directly with the client to address any problems that may arise and develop a solid long term relationship with clients.

Web Developer/ Web Designer

Web developers are programmers who create applications and programs for their clients’ websites. These individuals are well versed in many different program languages, such as HTML, CSS and creative software. It is important to find a web developer who is skilled enough that they can create custom codes and build a website from scratch. A marketing company that really wants to do well will definitely need a web developer to run their websites and make sure everything online functions properly.

A web designer is similar to a web developer, though, their skills may not be as in-depth as a developer. A web designer typically has both technical and creative skills. They focus more on making websites aesthetically pleasing and functional for easy use.

Social Media Manager

The social media manager is responsible for managing all social media marketing. A social media manager has to be acutely aware of social, cultural and digital marketing trends as they constantly evolve. A social media manager has to be an expert in communication in order to attract and engage their target audience. They also have to be pretty creative in order to create quality content in the form of texts, images and video. Marketing companies need a social media manager to stay up with trends and market their brand socially.

Graphic Designer

Graphic designers are in charge of creating all the visual content to market the brand. They come up with ways to get messages across in print and digital media through color, imagery, text and formatting. Graphic designers are in charge of the overall digital marketing projects.

No matter the position, each is essential to make a marketing company really work. There are more roles that can be filled at a marketing agency but these are just some of the major ones for any size agency. Here at Fusion 360, we understand how important each role is to build a great marketing company. If you are wondering how to get involved in the advertising or marketing, reach out today and we will help you!

Apr 03
0

Questions to Ask When Selecting a Marketing Agency

By | content marketing, SEO, Social Media | No Comments

Working with any other company can be a little scary, however, going through a few simple questions can give you loads of relief. In this case, we assume that you are looking to work with a marketing company, but where do you start?

Below is a short list of questions that you need to ask yourself as you go about trying to find the right company for you.

QUESTION #1 — What Needs Do You Have?

If you are looking to hiring a marketing company to help bring more attention to your company or product, you probably have a variety of needs, but what are they? Are you looking to promote a specific product or service? Are you trying to establish your brand among potential clients/customers? Are you wanting to gain an online advantage over competitors? Or are you in need of professional help with video producing and social media? Marketing companies usually have a particular niche with something like video production, digital content, social media or product expertise. Whatever your needs are, you want to match that need with a fitting agency. Educate yourself on what capabilities these agencies have and how they might be a benefit to you.

QUESTION #2 — Who will Manage Your Account?

When you start allowing others to take on a role of representing your company name and product, it can take a minute to feel comfortable with it, after all, your product is your baby in a way. You wouldn’t let just anyone babysit your child — you need to find individuals that you trust. Whether it’s a babysitter or a marketing company, you will have a lot more confidence leaving your prized-possession in the hands of someone experienced and responsible. Try to find reviews or any other indicator that measures the quality of work of the agencies you are looking at.

QUESTION #3— Do They Communicate and Deliver on Their Services?

When you choose to outsource your marketing, the price you pay better be worth it. What services do they offer and are they able to back it up? A good indicator of this is how well they communicate with you. If they are responsive and punctual in initial meetings and communications, then they will likely stick to that consistency. If there are any foreboding signs, you may be wise to follow them.

QUESTION #4 — What will the Contract Consist Of?

Going right along with being confident in their services, be sure that the contract gives you everything you want. This includes things such as performance indicators, no hidden fees, and secret cancellation processes. You will be bound by a contract and, to avoid any future disaster, give yourself the surety that you are not getting involved in anything you don’t want to be.

Like we said before, hiring a marketing company can be a little daunting at first, but asking yourself a few of these questions will go a long way. When you are able to answer these questions with confidence, you won’t have any trouble. If you are looking for the right marketing company for you, contact us, Fusion 360.

Apr 02
0

Utilizing Memes to Increase Engagement

By | content marketing, digital marketing, SEO | No Comments

The new word, “Meme,” is one that you’re going to hear more and more in this day and age, and whether you know about them or not, they engage their viewers. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are littered with memes; you probably scroll past hundreds of them every day. While they might just seem like silly pictures with clever captions, did you know that marketing companies use them to create a better connection between their clients and consumers?

Since memes are so popular today, marketing companies have figured out that they can utilize them to their advantage. If people are going out of their way to look at memes, and if they’re so prominent on social media platforms, why not take those memes and fit them to your brand? Here are some ways you can utilize memes to increase your engagement.

They Act as a Mild Form of Advertising

Advertising isn’t always received in a positive manner, and this generation is finding new ways to block and ignore online ads. However, memes are tailor-made for social media content. This makes your post — or “ad” — feel genuine and therefore easier to engage with, share, and attract more attention with very little effort. This is where companies can capitalize on creativity, or else, they can find themselves suffering in terms of engagement. Marketing companies, for example, take advantage of their appeal — humor and entertainment — and use it as a method of grabbing and retaining the consumers’ attention.

Memes Can Make “Boring” Subjects Entertaining

If you’re looking to connect with a younger audience, memes are going to be your best friend. However, there is one thing that you need to remember before you start creating memes — they HAVE TO be funny. Memes rely heavily on humor, and if you don’t have that in the mix, you’re going to see very little engagement; always aim for the quick laugh.

Something to Look Out For

When you create a meme in the hopes of producing a reaction, they need to be current/relevant to what’s trending, sharable, easy to digest, simple to read, and straight to the point. We can’t emphasize enough that memes have a very short lifespan. They usually come in waves, and you cannot show up late to the party.

Memes are great because they provide a comical value to your brand, which appeals to a large audience. If you’re wanting to add that extra oomph to your social media game, make sure to check out some memes that you could potentially use — just make sure you’re keeping up with what’s in and what’s not.