Hidden Targets

Do you know that term it takes a village? It also applies to large digital projects. Taking a “best-of-breed” approach instead of an “all-in-one” approach can yield great results. Just ask Hardinge, the leading international manufacturing provider of advanced metal-cutting solutions. 

When we think of branding, we tend to think about logos, brand messaging, and how prospects and customers perceive our company. Your company’s brand and reputation are major decision factors for all aspects of business growth.

Employer branding is your reputation as an employer and the value that you offer to your employees. Positive employer branding helps to attract and retain quality employees, who are crucial to the success of the business. However, employer branding can be neglected or even forgotten particularly in times when the company is not actively recruiting and is focused on other aspects of the business.

New England Wire Products (NEWP), a third generation family-owned display rack manufacturing company, was interested in ramping up their marketing to help with sales efforts. The company creates and manufactures high quality display rack solutions for leading retail brands and works around the clock to meet tight deadlines and fast turnaround times. 

When the White House hired Anthony Scaramucci as Communications Director, I was surprised. It seemed an interesting choice for communications director, based on his experience. Most communications directors have agency, marketing or public relations experience working either in the private or public sector. Because of that, it was less of a surprise when the President relieved Mr. Scaramucci of his duties.  Although Mr. Scaramucci was only in the position for ten days, he made some mistakes that a more seasoned spokesperson probably would not have made. If the White House had reached out to Red Javelin for advice, we could have offered some help for less of a tumultuous tenure. We’d like to offer the next White House Communications Director (and you) some tips for being a successful spokesperson. 

Throughout a company’s lifespan a discussion of a rebrand will inevitably come up in either a sales, marketing, or management discussion. A difficult decision, a corporate rebrand can be one of the most challenging processes that a company goes through. Whether it is just a brand refresh (website or logo change) or a full corporate rebrand, here are seven strategies to help you implement a successful rebrand. 

With Cision’s recent acquisition of PR Newswire, many are wondering whether industry consolidation will change the practice of PR.  Is the press release now dead?  We don’t think so. Press releases are still a very valuable tool in a company’s integrated marketing to drive awareness and leads. We have some clients where we receive at least one inbound call per month from seeing a press release online, asking for a sales rep to call them.

It can be easy to get down on being a PR professional. We are often perceived as spin masters or flacks. Even the true villain of my favorite Broadway musical, Wicked, is the press secretary, Madame Morrible.

I volunteer a lot in my community and recently I was sitting in a meeting with someone trying to convince her that we should have a blog summarizing what we discussed in our meetings to share with the public. She looked at me, “I can tell you’re in public relations.” Although I don’t think she meant it as a compliment, I decided to take it as one.

Not too long ago  I took my teenage daughter on several college tours. We drove a thousand miles and visited several colleges and universities. Seeing it through the eyes of a sixteen year old really hit home the importance of marketing, messaging and branding.

If it is done well, you make the short list, if it isn’t done well, and as any teen parent can attest, you are quickly dismissed.

There is quite a bit of content on the Internet about using video, images, social media, and content marketing to tell your story. There are tools galore to help you do it. But all of this doesn’t matter if the foundation of your story doesn’t hit the mark.