In a recent SpiceWorks survey of content marketing, one major factor was found that separated the winners from the losers: having a formal, written content marketing plan with a clearly defined budget. This may sound basic, but the numbers tell a very different story. While 72 percent of businesses claim to have a strategy for content, only 30 percent actually have it documented.
Understanding what makes your target customers tick is the most important factor in delivering and communicating real value to them. All too often, companies view what they are selling only through their own eyes, a potentially fatal mistake. Getting out of your own head and into the mind of your consumer is the road to success, and increasingly, tools like Buyer Personas are emerging as the all-important key to capturing both hearts and minds.
At Launchpad, we are very fortunate to be able to work on campaigns and initiatives with Habitat for Humanity NYC on a daily basis. It’s immensely gratifying to know that the work we do to raise awareness, volunteerism and funds goes directly to building and preserving communities in our own backyard. Recently, we decided to take that to the next level by signing up as an agency to volunteer for a build day.
Last month, working alongside the Pat Tillman Foundation, we had the great pleasure of launching and attending the Pat Tillman Leadership Summit at Roosevelt University and Venue SIX10 in Chicago.
Historically, Launchpad has worked in tandem with PTF to develop all of the branding, communications and materials for their annual three-day leadership event.
A recent attendance to the Mirren Live NYC New Business Conference quickly became one of the most inspiring and electric experiences in a long while. By the end, a number of truly impactful insights emerged, whose power resonated far beyond the world of advertising. The panels included some of today’s most influential marketers and researchers, as well as a number of esteemed members of the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Mintel, plus a host of some of the most influential and creative minds in the world of advertising.
Marketers constantly grapple with two major challenges: how to deal with new trends, and how to effectively influence brand choice. One of the most rapid and effective ways of doing this is simply just going out and talking to consumers. A recent man-on-the-street exploratory discovered three intriguing takeaways that reveal a noticeable shift from emotional drivers, as prime influencers, to drivers that are more functional and fact-based.
This year, Millennials will overtake Baby Boomers as the largest generation, and they will be in the driver seat defining the expectations of all service brands for the next five years.
We’ve leveraged both in-house and 3rd party research to uncover the 10 critical shifts that customers will expect. These shifts are not subtle, and how companies deliver on them will define their brands, and impact the success of their marketing efforts.
5 simple rules to start viewing your business as a potential customer does.
It is far too easy to fall in love with something you are close to. That’s often the explanation for marketing initiatives that fall flat. Too many ideas, product launches and even ad campaigns have died a painful death because of the inability of the creators to step back and view them critically.
It's often hard to cut through the clutter. Applying these simple rules will make your marketing efforts more impactful by ensuring you focus on what's really important.
"The Rule of Three" is an age-old principle that applies to everything from writing to economics–even to survival in the wilderness. For marketers living in a world governed by short attention spans and endless competition, the "Marketing Rule of Three" is no less true.
A few of our Launchpad employees had the chance to attend a live TED Talk in early November on the topic of War and Peace. It was an opportunity to learn more for our work with the Pat Tillman Foundation. It was definitely a night full of thought-provoking talks and performances from those who have experienced every aspect of war. They discussed the lingering questions: Can we build a future without war? What is the impact of war in the world? And what will it take to bring about peace?
One of our core goals at Launchpad is to build a workplace that people like coming to every day, and to be an agency clients like working with. But sometimes, too much good will can get in the way of delivering great work. In any business, getting the best results requires that everyone hold each other accountable. This healthy tension is essential – yet often people can be too polite to say what needs to be said.
"We've always done it this way."
Of all the things people say in business, this is the one that gets under my skin the most. Other variations include "this is how the client wants it" and "that's just the way we do things." Each of these is literally someone telling you they are either too dumb to think of ways to make things better, or too lazy to try.
One evening many years ago I walked out of work with my boss. We worked on the far side of the building so we had a few minutes to chat. Over the course of 10 minutes, she asked me about my career: What did I want to accomplish, where did I see myself going--and talked about how she could help position me to succeed.
A funny thing happened in the office a few weeks ago. My team was preparing to have an impromptu birthday party for one of the agency's favorite employees, who happens to keep kosher. Everything was beautifully planned, and they'd purchased several kosher cupcakes. Unaware of any of this, I soon realized what they were doing and made a joke about ensuring they had a kosher cake.
