CaliberPulse

Last week members of our team accompanied our clients, Pro*Act USA, Harvest Sensations and Greener Fields Together, to Chicago for the 2014 United Fresh Show. One thing is clear, the produce industry is teeming with branding, marketing and research opportunities. Events such as these always inspire creative solutions. #UnitedFresh2014 delivered the perfect networking and educational atmosphere […]

The old adage, “Actions Speak Louder Than Words” rings true for the vast majority of Americans. However, for public figures, this is often reversed. In many cases, the words they choose and how those words are received by the general public can greatly influence their brand – both positively and negatively.

Is a weak content marketing strategy hindering your social media efforts? Ten years ago, social media was an untrusted tactic that only the most cutting-edge marketers dared to explore. As the social movement gained traction, successful case studies emerged & people began to see how it could help their organizations.

If you think Instagram is like all the rest—just another social media tool—think again. It allows brands to express themselves to consumers in a unique, powerful way, and with more than 100 million users, it’s shouldn’t be ignored.

The hottest app in social media, arguably, is the Vine. Brands, celebrities and individuals are all experimenting with this new image-based messaging tool. You’ve downloaded the app, now how do you create an effective message in just six seconds?

As the nation slowly recovers from the recession marketing budgets are also recovering. Companies that survived the economic downturn likely implemented a conservative marketing spending plan, and have emerged with a renewed spirit and business strategy. Having survived the financial crisis, the landscape is now filled with strong competition. Brands are turning to their marketing partners for advice on determining how to best communicate their core messaging in this new market and how to distinguish themselves among their competition.

We’ve conducted our fair share of social media bootcamp sessions with clients from a variety of industries and two basic questions seem to always arise, “which social media platforms should I be using and how do you expect me to find time to do all of this?”

This year, as we celebrate 15 years in business, we’ve made self-promotion a higher priority here at Caliber. We’re guilty of the same crime that many agencies fall victim to – not practicing what we preach.

Hashtags became a part of everyday lingo for active Twitter users, but now they are popping up in the strangest places. You are likely to find them on your television screen while you are watching your favorite shows, on printed pieces arriving in your mailbox, splashed across other social networks (Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram), and prominently displayed on event banners, billboards, websites, etc. So what is a hashtag and how do you successfully implement this tactic for your brand?

With the continuous rise of technology and digital accessibility, the marketing industry has found itself in the heat of what could be called the ‘Gilded Age,’ for mobile marketing. What can be attributed to the massive increase in mobile ad spending and mobile device use? Accessibility, accessibility, accessibility! Marketers know their audience well. Generation C, those between the ages of 18-34, accounts for 23% of the population, and they thrive on connectivity 24/7. What better way to get your message in the hands of these connected consumers than through the medium that never leaves their hands in the first place?

As we cross the threshold of the eleventh month of 2011, we find ourselves once again in a unique position to reflect on lessons learned in the months behind us and apply them to projections and trends in the year to come. November Caliber Pulse articles will do just that. In this week’s post, we will examine the well-predicted trend of localized marketing.

“Communication is a complex activity under the best of circumstances and turns exponentially intricate when a crisis occurs. The mass shooting this past January 8 is a crisis that rocked not only Tucson, but is still being felt across our state and nation, and even around the world.” -Daphne Gilman and Jan Howard, Presidents of IABC Tucson and the Southern Arizona chapter of PRSA. It is not often that those involved in communicating about a crisis talk publicly about the process of handling the events. But recently, Caliber team members had the privilege of attending a seminar at the University of Arizona: Crisis Communication in Action: Tucson in the International News. This program, sponsored by PRSA Southern Arizona Chapter and IABC Tucson, provided insight into the communications crisis that arose from the tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and other victims on January 8. It was a unique opportunity to hear news leadership and institutional public information officers speak openly about this shared experience, and we would like to share the top takeaway messages with you.