Many marketing and advertising agencies talk about “integrated marketing communications” – which may sound like promotional jargon to folks who aren’t marketing gurus, so let’s clear up any confusion. Integrated marketing means that your marketing message and the tools used to deliver the message are fully considered, planned, and integrated, so the “campaign” or promotion rolls out in a comprehensive and cohesive manner.

Toyota‘s marketing efforts for the Sienna (their van) are the perfect example of integrated marketing. For years, Toyota ran rather dull ads that focused on the product (the van) and how customers thought the product was so great. Boring. Working with the ad agency of Saatchi & Saatchi, Toyota decided to take a new approach where the van’s features were no longer the focus. Instead, Toyota played up the positive effect the van had on the family who bought it.  Toyota released fun, goofy ads featuring two parents and two kids who use the van everyday. These were no ordinary ads – these parents were big dorks who played up the perils and rewards of parenthood while also promoting the trusted machine that transports their family to games, parks, school and work.

If you haven’t seen the ads, go see them NOW – http://www.youtube.com/sienna

Why did the ads work so well?

Let’s remember – in early 2010 Toyota had a global recall and a horrific PR nightmare. If they’d run ads, that said, “Trust us. We worked through our problems, and now our cars are safe again. Please buy them.” consumers would have said, “No way.”

Instead Toyota took the “showing is better than just telling” approach. Toyota showed a  family using the van, having fun, and being happy. And they used just the right amount of humor. Let’s face it – when you make someone laugh, they are thankful and they begin to trust you.

Clearly the integrated campaign was well planned and implemented. TV ads directed viewers to Toyota’s YouTube channel. The ads went viral and were shared by millions of people around the world. In fact, more than 5.7 million page views later, it seems Toyota’s campaign worked brilliantly. Moreover, Toyota created original online content to complement its TV ads. The “Swagger Wagon” music video was entirely ingenious (the parents perform a witty hip-hop song about their van), full of dorky goodness, and just what Toyota needed to do to help car buyers once again trust and bond with the company. What a great way to repair the company’s reputation.

Here’s a link to the full article.

And here’s a super duper photo of Debra and I with our fine Governor.

Go Women in Business, Go!

For 9 years, the Troy Chamber of Commerce has held its Helen eWards for Web Excellence.

GOALS:

• What are the high level business goals for your company or organization?
• What are the goals for the new web site?
• How are those goals different from your previous website?
• How will you measure success of the new web site?

AUDIENCE & MESSAGE:

• Who is the primary audience? Secondary targets?
• What will visitors do on the site? Consider age, education level, gender, tech savvinesss, and any other visitor attributes that might help you understand how they’ll use your site.
• Please sum up your customer’s/audience’s needs and concerns in a sentence.
• What are your key marketing and communications messages?
• What does your audience think you do/are? What do you want them to think?

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN:

• Will the new site’s architecture differ from that of the current site?
• Have you established hierarchy and labeling for navigation for new site? (Global navigation/main buttons, local navigation/subsections, etc.)
• Has style guide been approved by your company? (i.e., colors, fonts, etc.)
• What is the desired site attitude/look and feel?
• What sites inspire you? What do you find appealing about these sites?
• Who are your competitors (or comparable organizations)?
  ]]> http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/09/29/planning-for-a-website-redesign/feed/ 1 http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/08/13/ann-arbor-web-companies-sizing-up-the-competition/ http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/08/13/ann-arbor-web-companies-sizing-up-the-competition/#comments Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:25:31 +0000 Carrie Hensel http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/08/13/ann-arbor-web-companies-sizing-up-the-competition/ Recently I spent an hour in a room with representatives from five other Ann Arbor web design/development companies. We’re all bidding on a job with the university, and we attended an informational session where we asked questions and the prospective client provided answers. These types of meetings are fun for two reasons – you get to actually talk to the prospect AND you get to size up your competitors.

  A little background on the project – the proposed site is modest in size. The most functionally complex site elements are a calendar and a keyword search. The client asked for wireframes, designs, and coded templates. They will develop a site diagram; they will build out and maintain the site.

  It’s also important to note that the person answering our questions was a graphic designer by training. She is not a webbie. She doesn’t know much about information architecture, coding, user testing, or search engine marketing; she knows nothing about programming, frameworks, servers, etc. She just wants someone to design and code templates for her new site. That’s it. Fortunately, this thoughtful woman wanted to gather all of the bidders together to help us think about her project and decide if we want to bid. She kindly tried to answer our questions and was as open as she could be about the project.

  After the meeting, I assessed the situation and here’s what I learned about my competitors: They really want to show what they know. More specifically, they wanted to tell the prospective client (and everyone else present) that they are web development experts. They did this by grilling the prospect about details of the project. They asked things like –

  • “Would you like us to assure compliance to usability heuristics?”
  • “Do you plan to do the requirements engineering?”
  • “Don’t you think we should also develop landing pages for your online marketing campaigns?”
  • “Will you add user behavior notes to your home and subpage wireframes?”

  Now I’m not saying these are necessarily bad questions, but they probably aren’t appropriate questions for a not-so-web-savvy graphic designer. After many of these questions, the poor woman answered by saying, “Honestly, I have no idea what you just asked me.” I often found myself trying to translate the question into common language, so she could at least attempt an answer.

  When I had the chance, I asked some questions that probably seemed rather simple to everyone in the room. I asked – Why do you want to build a new website? How will the new site help your organization? What role will you play with the new site? Will you be leading the project on your side? What matters most to you about this project?

  No, these questions do not demonstrate my web expertise, nor do they highlight the capabilities of my company. But hopefully they do show that I want to understand the reasons for the new site AND I care about the prospect’s personal thoughts and concerns. Because we were in a room full of people, I doubt that the prospect felt any special connection with me, but I can tell you this – she didn’t have trouble deciphering or answering my questions. And at the end of the meeting, she called me by name.

  ]]> http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/08/13/ann-arbor-web-companies-sizing-up-the-competition/feed/ 3 http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/02/04/creative-commuting-earns-ann-arbor-web-firm-award/ http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/02/04/creative-commuting-earns-ann-arbor-web-firm-award/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:22:29 +0000 admin http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/02/04/creative-commuting-earns-ann-arbor-web-firm-award/ Inner Circle Media has been lauded as a commuter-friendly business by the getDowntown program, which is committed to promoting alternative transportation options. Click here to read more about our sweet award.

  There are so many people we’d like to thank: our parents, who taught us how to walk, ride the bus, and drive; our family members for supporting our carpooling efforts. Oh wait, there’s the music telling us to wrap it up…

  ]]> http://innercirclemedia.com/blog/2008/02/04/creative-commuting-earns-ann-arbor-web-firm-award/feed/ 3