News from our space

The Whizbang crew has been busier than ever, creating ideas with impact. Check out our blog for updates from the world of Whizbang, including our new work, marketing news, and other whizbangery.

What’s New in Marketing? Responsive Web Design

Posted on October 24, 2012 by whizbangideas

by Frank Scotti, Creative Director

1.2 billion mobile users worldwide. 8.4% of website hits come from mobile devices now. In the U.S., over 25% of mobile web users only use mobile devices to access the internet. As these numbers increase by double digits, marketers are rapidly trying to offer a better mobile experience. This includes optimizing a website for mobile use.

But Frank, you say, I have a website and it works on mobile devices. Just because a website can be viewed on a mobile device doesn’t mean it is optimized for mobile use. Other very important issues should be considered, such as menu optimization, screen size, resolution, page size, file compression and download speeds, contrast and color schemes and more.

We are beginning to hear terms like “responsive” programming, or “adaptive” websites. This is a purposeful style of programming designed to automatically optimize a website for the best mobile viewing and user experience. The benefit of this type of programming is that businesses do not need to develop and maintain two or more websites, one for desktop (full version), one for mobile devices, and possibly one for tablets.

This website demonstrates responsive web design nicely. http://ow.ly/eJYT3

 

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Target Hits the Bullseye

Posted on October 3, 2012 by whizbangideas

by Jessica Bush, Project Coordinator

With today’s fast-paced outflow of technology, companies are finding new, more subliminal ways to keep customers hooked. Marketers now have a plethora of complex, but invaluable data right at their fingertips. The next step, which is perhaps the most critical, is to determine how to interpret and utilize this marketing gold.

On the surface, Target’s REDcard appears to be a typical rewards program, where interested customers sign up for debit and/or credit cards to be used exclusively at Target. This is by no means an unusual service, as anyone who has been harassed into signing up for yet another piece of plastic at a large retailer knows. What sets the REDcard program apart is it’s debit card option, which offers 5% off each total purchase and is linked directly to the customer’s bank account. No interest, no fees, nothing. So why bother if there are no financial gains? What’s in it for Target?

What most debit REDcard users don’t realize is that, each time you swipe, you grant Target access to your consumer identity. The marketing department can track which products you purchase, when the purchases occurred, etc. It is the next best thing to a Target employee serving as your own personal shopping assistant, attentively pushing your cart around the store and in turn getting firsthand exposure to your purchasing trends and thought processes.

The Target REDcard exemplifies a shift in marketing priorities.  We already know that, to truly capitalize on a consumer base, understanding your target market’s wants and needs is crucial. What is becoming more and more evident is the increasing need for information in sustaining a competitive advantage, even if it means sacrificing short term profits. The ability to directly track and analyze your purchases is to secure tiny pieces of your daily life. With these pieces, companies like Target can more clearly see how their products fit into your entire life story.

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The Coffee Pot Gets the Cold Shoulder

Posted on September 5, 2012 by whizbangideas

By Jessica Bush, Social Media Intern

Intern. The term, most often used to describe a part-time collegiate employee, has so many negative connotations. Most students my age spend months trying to secure a coveted internship, only to find themselves making copies, running errands, and essentially completing the tasks no one else in the office cares to do. I knew from the start that interning at Whizbang would be different, and I was right. A small but savvy and influential marketing firm, I felt important and “part of the team” from day one.

By the end of my first week, I had already learned more than I imagined possible. Whizbang’s open, communal workspace made for a fantastic learning environment. I became an informational vacuum, picking up bits and pieces of valuable knowledge from phone calls made to clients, to daily conversations with my boss and coworkers. What began as a fairly simple social media internship quickly progressed into a full crash course in advertising, project management, branding, and marketing, to say the least.

I love my university, but the “Learn By Doing” philosophy can only go so far in a stuffy, mid-sized classroom. These past two months at Whizbang have supplemented my formal education in monumental ways. I have learned the importance of clear communication, the art of staying organized, and the best strategies for engaging a social media audience. In Whizbang’s supportive environment, I have grown comfortable expressing my opinions, questions, and concerns confidently and without fear of ridicule. This summer, I have participated in the highs and lows of life at a full-service marketing firm, without touching the coffee pot once.

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Marketing on a Shoestring Budget

Posted on August 27, 2012 by whizbangideas

The North County Business Resource Center, in partnership with the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce, put on a seminar series entitled “Exceed Your Vision.” Whizbang’s Creative Director, Frank Scotti, presented on Tuesday, August 21, 2012. Frank’s presentation was titled “Marketing on a Shoestring Budget.” The presentation outlined low cost marketing tactics to engage customers. The tactics covered in the presentation included public relations, press releases, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Google Places, eMarketing, and in-store marketing. The presentation received great reviews and served as a way for Whizbang to share information and help local businesses understand some of the marketing fundamentals that will benefit us all when utilized and optimized. The presentation also attracted one of the highest numbers of attendees in all of the series. Check it out for yourself on Slideshare!

 

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My Experience at Whizbang

Posted on August 2, 2012 by whizbangideas

When I first heard about the internship opportunity with Whizbang Marketing Firm, I wasn’t sure what to expect but there was an opening for a data analysis intern so I decided to go for it. Working for them over the summer has made me realize how valuable the experience is to work with a small company like this one. With Whizbang, you’re not asked to work in only one area but you have an opportunity to get valuable experience in multiple areas of marketing.  This is the reason why I think that it is very beneficial for students to look into taking on an internship for a smaller company rather than a bigger one. It gives you the opportunity to gain knowledge in multiple facets of marketing instead of just one.

Even though I was a Data Analysis intern, Whizbang had me work in fields such as social media, creating SMOR reports at the end of the month, scheduling tasks after meetings, proof-reading reports, and attending several meetings with clients. I also conducted a research report on over 1,000 different companies in SLO County on how each company is taking advantage of social media.

During my first day at Whizbang I was asked to write down the goals that I wanted to accomplish through the internship. They used my goals to get a grasp to what I was looking for with the internship and throughout the internship they would explain how my different tasks could be applied in the future. Some of the lessons that Frank Scotti has given me during my internship here I will hold for the rest of my career.

The last thing that I really liked about my internship with Whizbang was the atmosphere in the office. The office at Whizbang is a friendly environment, which makes the whole experience a lot less intimidating. I would say that my experience with Whizbang was a success and I would recommend this opportunity to any of my fellow classmates.

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On Best Global Brands 2011

Posted on June 20, 2012 by whizbangideas

Well, it’s out. Interbrand’s list of the 100 Best Global Brands of 2011. It’s been a tough year for brands, no doubt, with national protests, boycotts and lawsuits against these entities. But these 100 brands have continued to innovate, reinvent, collaborate and embrace, thus changing the way we interact with the world around us.

Interbrand does not argue the definition of a brand as a person, but as living business assets. They state that to insure a brand is truly a business asset, and to increase barriers to competition, organizations need to live their brand values internally. Customers interpret brands as a result of every interaction; from culture to product, from environment to communications. In short, everyone in your organization is a brand manager now.

Here are a few of my favorites.

#1 Coca Cola, 1.7 billion servings everyday. I can account for two or three of those.

#4 Google. Ranked one of the best places to work in terms of employee happiness.

#8 Apple. Continues to set the bar so high, will anyone ever catch up, or will they be content copying Apple’s lead?

#9 Disney. Disney has had a hard go in the last decade, but remains true to its core. Wholesome, family entertainment.

#34 Kellogg’s. A brand I worked on at Leo Burnett in Chicago, so it’s near and dear. Kellogg’s boasts 30 million Facebook fans and 40,000 views to its YouTube page each day.

#78 Jack Daniel’s. Jack took a risk in redesigning its whiskey bottle and graphics. Then they introduced Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey. They’re both good, in the eyes of a loyal Jack Daniel’s brand believer, me.

View the entire list at:

Interbrand.com

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SLO County Hospitality Social Media Report

Posted on June 6, 2012 by whizbangideas

by Jessica Wynne, Communication Coordinator

Whizbang recently finished the SLO County Social Media Report on Hotels and Lodging. The report is the first of its kind and it covers valuable social media information on the county’s greatest tourism asset, hotels and lodging. The report covers the use of Facebook and Twitter and reveals which hospitality business has the largest number of followers, how local hospitality social media compares to national averages, and what city is the most popular on the county’s social media channels.

Whizbang previously released the first SLO County Social Media Report on Local Businesses as well as the first Central Coast Winery Marketing Report. The feedback from these previous reports, as well as Whizbang’s own curiosity lead to a growing interest in an industry that can benefit greatly from social media, the hospitality industry.

Whizbang began gathering data in March 2012 and recently complied findings into a white paper with graphs and visuals. The research represents all hospitality business including resorts, hotels, inns, hostels, motels, and bed and breakfast inns in San Luis Obispo County. The findings are a snapshot of social media usage among these properties, as the numbers are always changing. The results do, however, determine social media patterns in the industry that have lasting effects on county businesses.

The SLO County Social Media Report turned out to be very interesting. Whizbang found that the hotel with the highest number of tweets, by a significant margin, had the lowest number of followers. Whizbang also found that the hotel with the most followers had one of the fewest amount of tweets.

Whizbang is currently scheduled to speak with several groups about this report and present the in depth details of the report. If you are interested in having Frank Scotti, our Creative Director, present to your organization or group, or if you would like to purchase a copy of the complete report contact Jessica Wynne at (805) 594-1880 or via email at Jessica@whizbangideas.com.

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It’s Not So Scary After All

Posted on June 1, 2012 by whizbangideas

by Cristina Mundy, Marketing Intern

I heard about Whizbang Ideas at my marketing clubs weekly meeting. Amanda the Business Development Coordinator came into the classroom to share all the exciting news that Whizbang Ideas was involved with. Right after her presentation I walked right up to Amanda and started a friendly conversation.

During that time I learned that Whizbang Ideas was looking for a marketing intern for the upcoming quarter, so what did I do? I made sure I got her contact info and emailed in my resume.  I’m sure that you can figure out, that I got the internship!

This internship has not been like any other internship I have had before. Being amongst smart, creative, outgoing, and mot importantly friendly people has opened my eyes to a new side of the “business world”.

Just being in the office for 15 hours a week, for three months, I learned so many new things that I could have never learned inside a classroom. Things such as, going far above the client’s expectations is a must in this office; I also learned that polishing the finishing touches on all projects is a must, just like the frosting on the cake!

With the knowledge and experience I gained interning here at Whizbang Ideas, I know that I am much better off going into the real world after graduation and I know now that it’s not so scary after all.

 

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What is a brand?

Posted on May 24, 2012 by whizbangideas

by Frank Scotti, Creative Director

Technically, a brand is a name, term, or symbol that differentiates a product or service from its competitors.

But it is much more than that. It is the most important measure of your company’s success. A great brand resides in the hearts and minds of consumers and makes your product or service irreplaceable.

Here are the first three things you should learn, understand and apply for the long-term success of your brand.

1. Don’t sell features. Sell benefits.

Benefits tell the consumer what is in it for them. I witnessed this firsthand working with the Apple Computer marketing folks. Steve Jobs never told us how many megabites a computer or device had, or what processing chip it used. He showed us how cool it was to touch, how easy it was to use, how fun it was to share.

2. Grow. Learn. Evolve.

Think of and treat your brand as a living entity. It will grow and change. You can manage this change by making sure your brand is given the right foundation to be a famous, successful and admired adult. Coca Cola is like our favorite uncle who shares everything with us, continuously challenges us to be better, and embraces every single day with enthusiasm.

In 2011, Coca Cola began rolling out its new plant-based bottles, with a goal of getting rid of petro-chemical plastic entirely by 2020.

3. Collaborate.

We are so interconnected these days as a society and as consumers that the need to team up with other like-minded brands is the new norm. Bulgari and Marriott Hotels are teaming up to launch a whole new luxury experience, Bulgari Hotels and Resorts. McDonald’s now offers premium Newman’s Own Coffee. Taco Bell and Doritos now offer the Doritos Locos taco.

A few things to carefully consider, though: Make sure your alliance offers equal value to each brand, make sure the brand’s values match, stick within your core competency and make the consumer benefit from your collaboration makes sense, not to you, but to your consumer.

Add the book, BRAND Sense by Martin Lindstrom to your arsenal. Just as brands must continuously grow, learn and evolve, so must we as brand managers.

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Design in Progress

Posted on May 9, 2012 by whizbangideas

by Brendan Lee, Graphic Design Intern

I found out about the opportunity to intern at Whizbang by way of an email sent to a club in my major. I responded not knowing too much about Whizbang but I found out more through a friend of mine who had previously interned with them and highly recommended the experience. Having now interned here for two months I can see why my friend recommended Whizbang.

Many times internships are seen as opportnities that look good on a resume but in reality offer little in terms of real, hands-on expereince. This has certainly not been the case for me at Whizbang. Not a day has gone by where I haven’t had something to work on and I am continually asked by just about everyone in the office if I can work on a new project, both big and small. While not every project I have been given has been stimulating and creatively challenging, many have exceeded my expectations. For instance, I was included in the process of both ideation and design development on a project for a local non-profit. From this I learned about creating an attention grabbing piece of design in a group environment while simultaneously balancing a client’s demands. At Whizbang I have had the opportunity to contribute to many projects that have helped me grow as a designer and learn about design in a professional environment. I have no doubt my time spent here will serve me well as I transition into a full-time professional position.

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