Posts tagged with "branding"

Football Is Back And So Is Branding

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With major league sports back in action – along with college football – sports fans have found themselves with a welcome commodity – choice. Social media is tracking what are proving to be the most effective and strategic ways to compete.

According to international social media analytics firm Talkwalker, Anheuser Busch (AB InBev) has made the most noise with sports partnerships this summer, as their beverage brands are trying to make the sports comeback resonate with fans stuck at home through experiential marketing.

#ultracourtside

AB InBev tested virtual experiences with Michelob Ultra’s partnership with the NBA – the beer brand sponsored a digital experience that live streamed fans onto screens at the game so that they could “attend” while watching the action at home. The ad experience, and with it the announcement that Michelob Ultra is the new official beer of the NBA, garnered the brand 24,300 mentions in July with campaign hashtag #ultracourtside, generating 70,000 mentions since the season kicked off, Talkwalker reported.

$18 Nachos….and a brand boost of 550%

Another brand, Babe Wine, is producing football-themed candle scents so that fans can feel like they’re at the game – “Jockstrap,” “$18 Nachos,” and “Hashtag Field Goals” (aka Turf scent) – are among some of the varieties available. The move caused their online mentions to increase 1,200 percent in the last week, and engagement with the wine brand online has increased 550 percent, according to Talkwalker. This is the largest spike that Babe has seen since October 2019, following the announcement of the partnership that made them the “official wine of the NFL.”

#showtimecam brings Bud Light engagement to 266M

Bud Light is also getting in on the action with the launch of its “Showtime Cam” at last Thursday night’s opening game. The stunt enables fans who can’t be at the game to interact with players through live-streaming video in stadiums, creating a way for viewers at home to celebrate exciting moments along with their favorite teams. NFL fans can enter the #showtimecam contest by tagging Bud Light in posts for the chance to have their Tweets and videos featured during the regular season. The Showtime Cam premiered on Sept 10 during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, and by the following day it had 3,000 engagements and a potential reach of more than 266 million. Now, with a few more games under its belt, Bud Light’s marketing stunt has racked up 4,200 engagements since then.

About Talkwalker

Talkwalker is a social listening and analytics company that empowers over 2,000 brands and agencies to optimize the impact of their communication efforts. We provide companies with an easy-to-use platform to protect, measure, and promote their brands worldwide, across all communication channels. Talkwalker’s state-of-the-art social media analytics platform uses AI-powered technology to monitor and analyze online conversations in real-time across social networks, news websites, blogs and forums in 187 languages. Talkwalker has offices in New York, Luxembourg, San Francisco, Frankfurt, and Singapore. It is also the home of Talkwalker Alerts, a free alerting service used by over 500,000 communications and marketing professionals worldwide.

4 Ways to Grow Your Beauty Website

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By Katie Lundin

Whether you sell make-up, haircare, or skincare products, run a beauty salon, nail bar, barbershop, or spa… as a beauty industry insider, you know that looks are important.

This is especially true when it comes to the way people judge websites.

How a website looks is important. In fact, seventy-five percent of people judge the credibility of a business based on its website.

If your beauty website looks bad, it’s turning potential clients away.

Here are 4 proven techniques to help your beauty website win more customers.

1. Showcase your unique brand

Just as you help your clients to look the best version of themselves, your website design must showcase your brand’s unique identity.

This is especially important for new beauty businesses. If you’re putting together your business plan while preparing to start a new beauty business, don’t overlook the importance of creating a strong visual identity for your business.

After all, clients don’t want to look like everyone else. They want to showcase their own unique self. And, they look to see if your beauty business stands out in unique ways and offers something special and different.

For example, if your website uses a generic template and looks like thousands of other salons, nail care, or makeup sites, people won’t be able to differentiate you from your many competitors.

In fact, this is true for every aspect of your company’s brand identity, including your business name and your company logo. Both must be unique if you want to build a brand that stands out and attracts great clients.

The differentiating factors that make your business unique must be visible so that your clients and prospective clients (the people who are naturally attracted to your brand’s mission, aesthetic, and personality) can identify you.

A well-designed website will show what makes your beauty business unique and attract those clients.

And don’t be deterred by the price of custom website design. Some beauty business owners worry that the cost of website design can be prohibitively high.

It’s true that many design companies and agencies charge thousands of dollars for their services. But this isn’t universally true (crowdspring’s custom website designprojects start at just $899, including all fees).

Action items:

● Work with a strong design team to develop a brand-informed logo. Then use that logo as the guide for your website’s visual design and all subsequent visual branding.

● Prioritize customization – avoid generic web design templates that don’t allow you to customize.

● Choose fonts (no more than 2-3), colors, graphics, and photos, that evoke your brand’s personality.

● Include content on your website that speaks with your brand’s voice. Be sure to let your personality shine through.

2. Design your website for fast load speeds

As we emphasized in our guide on how to start a business,

Your website is one of your new business’s most important ambassadors and a crucial component of your marketing and branding strategy.

Between seconds 4 and 5 of your website’s load time, 20% of viewers have already left your site.

Not only that, the faster your website loads, the higher it ranks with search engines. So, the easier it is for people to find.

3. Make it easy for guests to book appointments

Are you a make-up artist, stylist, barber, or cosmetologist?

Then you need an integrated booking system for your website.

Service-oriented beauty businesses rely on bookings. But, managing your schedule takes time away from the tasks that actually get you paid – like cutting hair, applying makeup, or performing facials.

And guests have come to expect to be able to book online. The cat’s already out of the bag.

So, if your website doesn’t support online booking, it’ll look inferior to your competitors who do offer that convenient feature.

On the other hand, if you’re the first salon, nail bar, or barbershop in your market to enable people to schedule appointments online, you’ll have a natural advantage over your competition.

And, there are free salon-booking software apps! So, the cost isn’t a barrier. There’s no excuse not to impress potential customers with the convenience of online scheduling.

Action items:

● Check out these tried and true online booking options:

○ Fresha – This free online scheduling tool (formerly known as “Shedul”) is packed with features designed specifically for businesses in the beauty and wellness industry. There is also a paid version, but Fresha’s free service can definitely stand on its own.

○ Schedulicity – Schedulicity is another powerful online booking software. This service offers a la carte pricing that allows you to customize your service so you’re only paying for the features you need.

○ Timely – Timely claims to be the world’s smartest online booking software. You can test their claim yourself with their free trial. Once your trial is over, you can continue with Timely for low monthly rates tiered to grow with the size of your team.

● Choose an online booking service and integrate it with your website for easy, automated bookings.

● If you don’t currently sell custom-branded beauty products, consider adding your own unique line. Many manufacturers will let you private label their productsand you’ll just need to create custom packaging design to showcase your own unique brand.

4. Show your style and skill with photos

Concrete examples are more powerful than vague promises.

Every beauty business claims to make people look good. But, including pictures of your work (or people wearing your products) on your website shows that you can really deliver.

And, beauty is subjective. Your products or services aren’t for everyone. They’re for the people who share your aesthetic.

Posting pictures that showcase your brand’s unique style will attract customers who share it. So, you’ll gain, and retain, more customers.

So, incorporate photos into your website that demonstrate your skill and your style. Show potential clients that you can be trusted to make them look and feel beautiful.

Action items:

● If you’re a freelancer, create a gallery showcasing your best manicures, hair color clients, or make-up applications. (And always ask permission before sharing any photos of your clients.)

● Do you run a salon or spa? Then dedicate a page to each team member and include a gallery of their best work.

● If you manufacture beauty products, encourage your clients to share pictures of themselves wearing your products on Instagram with a custom hashtag. Then embed a widget into your website that automatically displays those photos.

● Allow customers to upload pictures with their product reviews.

If you want to be the next Sephora or Glossier, you must have stellar branding. And, that includes a professional, custom website that shows the world what your beauty brand is all about.

About Author:

Katie Lundin is a Marketing and Branding Specialist at crowdspring, one of the world’s leading marketplaces for crowdsourced logo design, web design, graphic design, product design, and company naming services. She regularly writes about entrepreneurship, small business, and design on crowdspring’s award-winning small business blog.

Sara Sandman

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Sara Sandman is a 21 year old illustrator and graphic design student at The Cleveland Institute of Art. She specializes in creating illustrations using traditional mediums such as colored pencil and graphite. Sara also creates graphic illustrations with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. As she continues to further explore art and design, Sara finds her inspiration through nature and various artists such as Anna Tromop, Hayley Rudy, Chris Hong, and Fernando Martinez. During her time at The Cleveland Institute of Art, she has worked for various clients including Disney, American Greetings, Winking Lizard, and 360 Magazine. She is expected to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in May of 2021.

This past spring, Sara began working with 360 Magazine as an illustration intern. During her internship, she created various graphic illustrations and even redesigned the magazine’s logo.

Her career interests focus on surface design, editorial, and graphic design. Working in various mediums, Sara has experience working with various digital programs and many traditional art skills such as drawing, painting, and printmaking. She also has experience at the Cleveland Institute of Art doing photography and photo editing. Sara hopes to create meaningful artwork for company’s making an impact on the world.

You can find Sara Sandman on: Instagram | Behance | LinkedIn

Rita Azar

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Rita Azar is a Senior at the Lebanese American University taking up a Bachelors degree in Graphic Design. She finished her primary education at The American School of Kuwait, where she was born and raised. Her passion for graphic design started when she took her first graphic design class at school.

She is currently an intern at 360 magazine, where she enjoys illustrating for published articles, and writing a few articles herself to raise awareness about the current situation in her home country, Lebanon.

Rita mainly takes interest in branding, publication design, and UX/UI design. Her work has been selected and published in the 60th edition of Creative Quarterly journal and is soon to be published in international exhibitions by Ecuador Bienal, in the upcoming months.

In the future, Rita would like to continue her studies and earn a masters degree in branding.

PBS NEW LOGO

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PBS Unveils New Look on Eve of 50^th Anniversary

Refresh of Iconic Logo Modernizes Brand to Better Connect with Viewers in the Digital Age

PBS announced today an update to its iconic brand, including a refreshed logo, bold color palette, custom typeface and illustration style. The new identity will roll out throughout 2020 as PBS celebrates its 50^th anniversary.

“PBS has connected with hundreds of millions of Americans through the stories that matter to our lives,” said Ira Rubenstein, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, PBS. “Our new look and feel better represents how we are doing that in today’s digital age, while also preserving the most iconic aspects of this beloved brand. From broadcast to every major streaming platform, from your screens to your communities, we’ve created one connected experience that spans PBS locally and nationally.”

Audiences will see an exciting new look and feel that spans broadcast, mobile, and digital, making it easier to identify and rediscover the PBS content they know and love across platforms. The new logo is an evolution of its iconic symbol, reflective of the diverse perspectives PBS offers through its content. It is paired with “PBS” rendered in a custom type that’s more modern, prominent, and designed to be highly legible as it migrates across platforms. The new brand identity also features a new, vibrant signature color, PBS Blue, designed to convey a sense of trust and integrity.

PBS worked with Lippincott, a global creative consultancy, to elevate the enduring strength of the brand and how it shines a light on the new and familiar to inspire, entertain, and inform. The robust two-year process factored in the diverse considerations of PBS’ audiences, member stations, and partners to ensure a consistent and connected user experience across all platforms hosting PBS content.

“We believe PBS represents the best of what media is capable of, and this brand refresh demonstrates that,” said Connie Birdsall, global creative director at Lippincott. “We built the new visual identity to be flexible and modern for a brand that sits at the center of both broadcast and digital media, providing memorable visual brand cues that highlight PBS programming and unify local and national communities, who all share a love of PBS.”

An evolution of the PBS brand can be viewed here. Over the next year, nearly 70 percent of local PBS member stations will also be adopting the new brand identity, helping to provide a consistent viewer experience.

About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’s premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV— including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.

The Best Valentine’s Day Drink Recipes

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With one of the most basic days of the year right around the corner – here are some festive cocktails to sip on no matter how you’re celebrating February 14^th. Just because Valentine’s Day may be basic, doesn’t mean your drinks have to be!

See below for recipes from the recently released Beefeater Pink, created by Global Brand Ambassador Sumaiyah Connolly, that are not only easy to create at home but easy to fall in love with.

Love at First Sip Mimosa

RECIPE:

2 Parts Beefeater Pink
1 Part mixed berry puree
3 Parts sparkling wine
Garnish with Orange Twist

Berry Good Date

RECIPE:

2 Parts Beefeater Pink
3 Parts Soda Water
Garnish with sliced strawberries

Lil Yachty’s Nuthin’ 2 Prove

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Lil Yachty announced that his forthcoming album Nuthin 2 Prove will be released on October 19. This will be his follow up project since Birthday Mix 3, and his Lil Boat 2 mixtape, which featured a slew of artists from Ugly God, 2 Chainz, Quavo, PnB Rock, Offset, Lil Pump, Trippie Redd, to Lil Baby and more. Additionally, this comes after Lil Yachty’s single “Who Want The Smoke?” which features Offset and Cardi B.

Recently Lil Yachty has been filming his role for How High 2. Lil Yachty plays Roger, an entrepreneur and the younger brother of one of the protagonists from the original film. Per the official description by MTV, Roger and his friend go on a magical hash-fueled journey to fund their on-demand munchies delivery start-up. This past summer he made his big screen debut as the voice of Green Lantern in Teen Titans Go! To The Movies. Lil Yachty also recently collaborated with Donny Osmond for Chef Boyardee’s Start The Par-dee jingle.

Lil Yachty, aka Lil Boat, aka “King of the Youth” is a 21-year old Atlanta native, a Grammy-nominated singer, rapper, producer, creative designer, branding genius and fashion icon who smashed onto the scene two years ago. Since then he accumulated nearly 3 billion streams, found himself on the covers of Paper and FADER magazines, as well as landing the cover of The New York Times Men’s Style section and a XXL Freshman cover.

“It’s commonplace for young rap stars to claim that they’ve transcended hip-hop; it’s rarer for them to actually do it. Yachty does.” – THE NEW YORKER

“Besides the actual sun, there is no source of joy in the world right now brighter and more sustaining than Lil Yachty. So basically, the moral of the story is: cancel all your plans and stay at home, and instead just understand that the Goodest Night has now been had, by one Lil Boat, Esq. You will never have as good a night as Lil Yachty. Apologies.” – NOISEY

“Lil Yachty has created an alternate universe in which traditional narratives of rap excess are reframed as fantastical stories. He has mainlined Gucci Mane’s vocal quirk a penchant for odd rhyme structures cloaked in unlikely melodies.” -THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Lil Yachty is probably going to change the world.” – ROLLING STONE

“Yachty is the master of our joy.” -PITCHFORK

American Apparel Fall 2018 Collection

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American Apparel announces the debut of its Fall 2018 Collection. With a curated selection of brand new arrivals and returning iconic favorites, the collection includes an array of denim, tees, leggings, skirts, hoodies, and outerwear in a wide range of colors and prints, available exclusively at AmericanApparel.com.

Khairan Majid, American Apparel’s head of merchandising, says the collection “offers an inclusive and refreshing take on fashion basics with longevity. We wanted to break down barriers with gender-neutral silhouettes and a wider size range. The warm, neutral color palette and beautiful luxe fabrics elevate this range, while still keeping the price point accessible.”

The season’s offerings include the anticipated return of the Riding Pant. This highly-coveted style is a high-waist silhouette with the perfect amount of stretch, now with an updated waistband and improved fit. Available in Black, Navy, Silver Birch, and Lieutenant, the Riding Pant retails at $68.00 with sizing from XS to XXL.

Another returning favorite for fall is the bestselling Tennis Skirt, an American Apparel icon and back-to-school essential. This pleated skirt is rendered in lightweight Gabardine polyester, with a wide range of colorways including classic plaid, retailing at $48.00.

The season welcomes the arrival of American Apparel’s first-ever outerwear collection, beginning with a lightweight, year-round Trench Coat – the brand’s interpretation of the classic English silhouette. The Trench Coat is available in Black, Vintage Khaki, navy, Lieutenant, Black/Navy, and Lieutenant/Mauve, with sizes ranging from XS to XXL, retailing at $98.00. Also on the outerwear docket: a Bomber Jacket, with reversible construction for a modern update, retailing at $118.00 in Black/Navy and Lieutenant/Mauve. Rounding out the outerwear highlights are the slick Duckie Puffer and Duckie Raincoat, available in Black, Freesia, Mauve, and Palace Blue from XXS to XXL (priced from $88.00 to $98.00). Polar Fleece also makes an appearance, offering superior comfort and next-level softness, with a Pant and a Quarter Zip pullover, available in Black and Palace Blue with contrasting trim, from XS to XXL, retailing at $46.00 and $48.00.

American Apparel’s Fall 2018 collection also launches a new corduroy collection: 100% Cotton styles that are soft to the touch, incredibly comfortable, and vintage-inspired. Corduroy styles include a Zip Skirt, a Skirt Overall, a Letterman Jacket, and a versatile Shacket, available in Lieutenant, Hot Sauce, Dark Honey, and Navy. Corduroy pieces retail from $58.00 to $88.00, with sizes ranging from XS to XL.

Texture plays a key role this season, as American Apparel expands its Thick Rib collection. Thick Rib is a medium- weight cotton-poly blend designed to atter and shape the body, as evidenced by the new Soccer Jersey, Bodysuit, Crewneck Dress, Midi Tube Dress, Crop Turtleneck, Bralette, and Flare Pant. Thick Rib colorways are Black, Star White, Lavender, Freesia, and Maroon; sizing runs from XS to XL and styles are retailed from $28.00 to $44.00.

Denim plays a key role this fall, with a Denim Pocket Skirt ($58.00) in XS to XL; a Button Flare Jean in Vintage Blue ($68.00) in sizes 24 to 32; a Crop Pencil Jean ($68.00) in sizes 24 to 32; and a new men’s fit: the Straight Jean, made with 14-ounce denim for an authentic vintage feel. The Straight Jean is available in a Dark Wash and Medium Wash, retailing at $68.00 from size 30 to 34.

And in classic American Apparel tradition, fall includes a wide variety of premium basics, from iconic tees, tanks, and pullovers to hoodies, bodysuits, shorts, and much more. Mix-and-match foundational pieces for everyday wear and easy layering – for workouts, weekends, and everything in between. Adds Majid: “We believe in individuality and self- expression, and I think this collection embodies both.”

ABOUT AMERICAN APPAREL

Established in 1989, American Apparel is an iconic Los Angeles fashion basics brand known for premium styles that are timeless, sexy, fun, and colorful. American Apparel’s mission to empower all people is reflected in its ethical, sweatshop-free manufacturing, as well as its bold branding – a celebration of diversity, inclusivity, equality, and body positivity.

Gildan Activewear acquired the American Apparel brand in February 2017. As part of Gildan’s family of brands, American Apparel is now a member of one of the world’s largest and most responsible manufacturing networks. American Apparel is sold online globally. For more information, please visit www.americanapparel.com.

American Apparel NUDES Collection

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American Apparel is pleased to announce the debut of its new NUDES collection, launching today, September 4th, exclusively at www.americanapparel.com. Whereas “nude” apparel is often designed from a limited perspective, NUDES encompasses the full spectrum of skin colors. The collection offers an array of sexy, premium essentials in 9 shades of nude – a celebration of diversity and inclusivity.

The campaign aligns with American Apparel’s greater mission to empower through representation. To shoot the NUDES collection, AA held a widely-attended open casting call, where a strikingly diverse group of real women were selected, representing a vast range of skin tones, sizes, and physical attributes.

The result is an inclusive campaign with a liberated message, as seen in these unforgettable images: a group of strong, unapologetically sexy women from all walks of life – supporting each other, embracing each other, and celebrating each other’s individuality. The “S” in NUDES is underlined to emphasize the inclusive spirit of the campaign: There is no singular version of the human experience, and no singular definition of “neutral.”

The NUDES collection includes the Cotton Spandex Hot Short ($8), the Cotton Spandex Halter Bodysuit ($26), the Cotton Spandex Deep Cut Bodysuit ($26), the Cotton Spandex Crossback Bra ($14), the Cotton Spandex Invisi-Thong ($6), and the Cotton Spandex Wrap Bodysuit ($32). Sizing ranges from XS to XXL.

ABOUT AMERICAN APPAREL

UTA Signs Common In All Areas

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United Talent Agency (UTA) is proud to announce it now represents multi-award-winning artist, actor, activist and producer, Common in all areas worldwide.

Common’s work in the critically acclaimed film Selma earned him an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Awardand a Critics’ Choice Award for his single, Glory, featuring John Legend. He most recently was nominated for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award and a Critics’ Choice Award for his song, Stand Up For Something, which he co-wrote alongside Diane Warren. Throughout his career, he has been nominated for 20 Grammy Awards, winning three of them and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

Common co-founded Freedom Road Productions with his longtime manager Derek Dudley. Freedom Road executive produced the critically-acclaimed Showtime series, The Chi and has many projects slated for 2019. On the music front, he recently formed the hip hop supergroup, August Greene, a collaboration with producers Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins. The trio took home a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for their song, Letter to the Free.

Common is widely known for his commitment to philanthropy and activism and is the founder of the Common Ground Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to empower underprivileged youth to be strong citizens of the world. Common joined musician Andra Day in performing their Oscar and Grammy-nominated track, Stand Up For Something, at the March For Our Lives anti-gun violence rally in Washington, D.C. He is also a part of the Recording Academy’s newly formed Diversity Task Force led by former Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama, Tina Tchen.

Additionally, Common has appeared in multiple roles in both major films and television series. His previous features include John Wick: Chapter 2 alongside Keanu Reeves, Selma with David Oyelowo, Suicide Squad alongside Will Smith, Viola Davis, and Margot Robbie and Barbershop: The Next Cut with Ice Cube. On the television side, he has appeared in The Chi,The Mindy Project, and The Simpsons. Common has a busy Fall with two major studio projects set for release; Warner Bros‘ Smallfoot and the highly-anticipated Fox film, The Hate U Give. His film Three Seconds is set for release in early 2019.

Common continues to be represented by manager Derek Dudley and legally by David Fox of Myman Greenspan Fox.

ABOUT UTA

Leading global talent and entertainment company United Talent Agency represents many of the most acclaimed figures across film, television, news, music, sports, theater, fine art, literature, video games, podcasts and other social and digital content. A passionate advocate for artists, creators and innovators, the company also is recognized in the areas of film finance and packaging, branding, licensing and endorsements. UTA is known for its dedicated digital media group helping clients from A-list talent to Fortune 500 companies capitalize on a rapidly changing entertainment, media and business landscape. The agency’s worldwide presence includes its Los Angeles headquarters and offices in New York, London, Nashville, Miami and Malm Sweden.