We are working on finishing up a new branding project for Standard & Poor’s in NYC!

We are working on finishing up a new branding project for Standard & Poor’s in NYC!

What happens to artists works of art once it is made public. Will it be popular or not? Will people understand it or appreciate it? Will their work inspire others? Here is one famous painter Van Gogh, his most famous paintings are often used in advertising, easily recognizable with his unique style of brush work and use of color and texture.

Van Gogh’s sunflowers have been replaced in this Lexus ad, pretty cool.

Zeldox is a medicine for curing schizophrenia, they try to demonstrate how their product could have saved Van Gogh’s ear.

A brilliant one, the Alliance Française suggests you to discover new perspectives by learning french.

I find this marketing campaign of BMW vs Audi exceptionally ingenious and eye-catching. In a time where marketing is over saturated with so much noise, advertisers some how find a way to portray themselves and standout from their competitions.

http://www.autointhenews.com/bmw-vs-audi-billboard-wars-a-battle-of-ad-budgets/

“Thank you for designing the PowerPoint slides and handouts for my presentation at the 2006 Critical Care Congress in San Francisco. I’m so happy you handled this project because everything looks fantastic. Your attention to detail made it a huge success.”

Dr. Alessandro Pontes-Arruda, Head of Intensive Care Unit
Fernandes Tavora Hospital, Fortaleza, Brazil

“I have learned that Clay Creative delivers a great product on time and done right! Add to that their design expertise, forward thinking and conscientious eye for detail—and you have a great combination.”

Pam Gaudet, Communications Department
Ashland

“Thank you for designing our great, eye-catching Call for Entries piece. The entire ADDY committee was very impressed with your concept, especially considering our short deadlines. The photography and layout of the entire piece tied in just great!”

Faye Oney, ADDY Chair
The Advertising Federation of Columbus

“We were in the midst of researching ideas when we received a promotional piece on a metal license plate that read: CRE8TIVE. It was from Clay Creative, and we wasted no time contacting them. Our experience with Clay Creative has been very productive; just look at our sales growth over the years!”

Ron Boylan, Manager
Scotts Training Institute, The Scotts Company

“Our business has grown by more than 35 percent this year, thanks in part to the creative direct-marketing experience of Clay Creative. They recently developed our new Web site and direct-mail campaign, which helped us to land many new customers.”

Diane Fields, President
PrimeFind

“In a word—WOW! The work Clay Creative did on our Speakers Bureau sales aid was simply wonderful—and most impressive. You were able to capture and convey the exact message and image we wanted, and we really appreciate the effort.”

Oather J. Talley II, Community Relations Director
The Salvation Army

“This has been one of our most successful lead-generating campaigns in more than 10 years; it brought in more than 1,000 responses almost immediately. The piece has also captured the attention of other departments because of its intriguing design.”

Rugenia Henry, Marketing Manager
McGraw-Hill Education

“Clay Creative has been a valued vendor for more than 18 years. Their work is innovative, attractive, and most important, it supports the marketing message. The Clay Creative staff is dedicated to getting the job done right, on time—and at a competitive price.”

Larry Miller, Production Manager
McGraw-Hill Education

“Thanks to Clay Creative for helping us to understand the need for a long-term marketing plan. What began as a specific effort to market just one area blossomed into a marketing plan designed to represent our entire facility. As part of that plan, Clay Creative worked with us from developing a positioning statement to a new logo and a capabilities brochure. The results have been fabulous, and our employees feel great about the message and the quality product we deliver.”

Jeffrey, Marketing Director
Health Care Nutrition

1. Start with an effective mailing list. You might have the best creative design and copy in the world, but your campaign is destined for failure without a solid mailing list. Make the appropriate investment from the beginning—even before you write or design the piece. Don’t overlook the many benefits of developing a list of established customers and prospects.

2. Test. Test. Test. This is one time that experience does not predict future results. Instead, test everything you do, including your customer list. Trial and error make it possible to determine what works—and what doesn’t.

3. Personalize your communication with a letter. Whether you’re reaching out via email blast, landing page or regular mail, always include a letter. Recipients are more inclined to respond to communication they perceive as being more personal. Not sure that’s the case? Then test it against letter-less mailings and measure the difference.

4. Use features and benefits where appropriate. While it’s true that benefit-driven copy is often the preferred approach, it’s even more important to tailor your message to your audience. That’s because in some instances features outweigh benefits, especially in B2B environments where the topics may be more technical.

5. Give them an offer they can’t refuse. Every direct marketing campaign should include an offer, and it must be a good one to elicit the desired response. Free sample? Premium service? Better guarantee? Whatever you decide, make sure your direct marketing package sells the offer and not the product or service. Make the offer enticing, easy to find, and as simple as clicking the mouse.

6. Develop a desirable product or service. Your direct marketing campaign may rock, but without a good product or service to back it up, failure is inevitable. Make sure you’re pitching something that people either need or want.

Highlights for Children

7. Write copy with your audience in mind. Think about the recipient of your direct marketing piece. Determine that person’s problems, concerns and daily issues. Then approach him or her with honest, believable content that addresses those needs in easy-to-understand language that gets right to the point.

8. Write direct marketing copy—not a corporate piece. Make a conscious decision to create content that doesn’t bore the recipient with wordy corporate jargon. Too much corporate language turns the reader off, which in turn lowers your response rate.

9. Cover your copy bases. You may have only five seconds to grab your recipient’s attention. To ensure success, include enough information to answer questions quickly and efficiently. Place a heavy emphasis on eye-catching headlines and subheads that stand out. Craft each word carefully.

10. Get to the point. Don’t burden your letter with wordy openers that attempt to be clever. Instead, trim it down and supply the key information up front. It’s been said that 90 percent of all direct marketing would be more effective without the first sentence or first paragraph.

11. Form a good marriage between copy and graphics. Don’t let one dominate the other. Instead, create a seamless blend of words and illustrations that draws the recipient to the offer.

CTB McGraw-Hill

12. Pay close attention to color schemes. Color can significantly impact the recipient and affect how he or she might respond. That’s why it’s important to consider several things when selecting the right colors for the piece, such as the season, audience—even the type of product or service.

13. Don’t save the best for last. Time is critical, so knock their socks off in the beginning. Have a great offer? Share it up front. Got an incredible product or service? Let them know about it from the get-go. Ask the burning questions, dazzle them with the facts, and pique their curiosity right away.

14. Include a time limit that matters. An offer with a clearly stated timeframe is much better than a vague, barely believable approach. Instead of saying “Limited time only,” create a sense of urgency with “Offer ends August 31, 2011.”

15. Capitalize on the power of a postscript. It is an extremely effective way to summarize your offer and recap your message.

16. Grab the recipient’s attention with an unusual shape or unique illustration. This is an effective way to ensure that your piece stands out from the rest of the pack.

17. Use your direct marketing real estate wisely. Certain areas of any mailing are associated with high readership—near the recipient’s name on the front of the outer envelope, the back of the outer envelope, and above the salutation. Consider this an opportunity to place key information where it will get noticed.

Ashland Chemical

18. Create a clear call to action. In this digital age, submitting a response is easier than ever before. Provide your recipients with a menu of response options that are relevant and easy. It’s as simple as determining the desired response behavior and then tailoring your call to action accordingly.

19. Make it easy to respond. Closely pair the recipient’s name with the opportunity for a positive response. This is best accomplished by teaming up powerful icons to create a headline that encourages visual lingering.

20. Include an easy-to-follow roadmap. If recipients have trouble following your instructions and aren’t sure about how to respond, you’ll lose their attention in a heartbeat. Use clear directions and structure the campaign in a straightforward manner.

21. Determine if your direct mail is getting past the gatekeeper. If you suspect that your piece is being screened by another individual, conduct a follow-up test to determine if this is the case. Remember, your piece is intended for a specific audience.

22. Check for obvious mistakes before sending. It’s easy to overlook unsuspecting errors. But nothing kills a campaign quicker than printing the wrong reply phone number or forgetting to include an important link. Check and re-check for any possible errors to ensure that the entire campaign runs smoothly and effectively.

23. Review your own samples. Seed your list with the names of everyone on your team to ensure that everything is being delivered as it should. It’s the only way to determine unforeseen problems, like a postal barcode that covers up key information.

24. Track accurate results. Make sure you’re doing everything possible to ensure that your results are statistically valid. Errors can surface easily when data is being collected and calculated, so maintain meticulous records throughout the campaign.

25. Re-think your product or service. If you’ve conducted a seamless direct marketing campaign and your results are less than you expected, it may be time to re-evaluate the product or service you’re selling. Direct marketing doesn’t work magic; a good product or service still has to deliver.

Direct Marketing Success Story: Glencoe McGraw-Hill
Clay Creative was charged with the task of creating a dimensional, direct-mail piece that targeted teachers. The goal was to generate interest in a new language arts textbook by first offering a free interactive CD-ROM. A business reply card gathered additional information about the recipient, including the option to obtain a free sample of the textbook and permission to contact the recipient via email.

To gather initial input for the piece, Clay Creative organized teacher focus groups where they shared four mock-ups of the mailer. Based on the teacher input, the professionals at Clay Creative suggested an eye-catching, dimensional piece in an unconventional size. Careful attention was given to color, shape and content, ensuring that all components came together to create a piece specifically formulated for the target audience.

McGraw-Hill Education

“This has been one of our most successful lead-generator campaigns in over 10 years, bringing in more than 1,000 responses almost immediately. The piece has also captured the attention of other departments because of its intriguing design.”

Rugenia Henry, Marketing Manager, McGraw-Hill Education

With all you hear about the Internet these days, you’d think print marketing no longer has a place in pharmaceutical marketing to health care professionals. Of course experienced marketers in the field know otherwise. Print materials (advertising and informational) continue to play a huge role and companies still spend far more money on them than on Web-based resources. However, every year targeted digital marketing plays a bigger role in smart integrated marketing, offering new means to effectively reach today’s doctors.

Print Marketing

Most physicians continue to find traditional marketing, such as free samples, informational brochures, and in-person presentations, valuable to their practice. A recent study of doctors published in the Archive of Surgery shows two-thirds think company materials are still useful introductions to new drugs.

But where do doctors go for more in-depth information on what drugs to prescribe? The 2010 Pharma Connect Study from MPG asked them just that. Their top 3 choices were:

• 85% medical conferences
• 83% discussions with academicians/ clinicians
• 81% journal articles and papers

 That last result could help explain why, in the first half of 2010, the top 100 pharmaceuticals upped their ad spending in medical journals 58% over the first half of 2009. Ad pages in the Journal of the American Medical Association ad pages jumped 54%, American Family Physician up 46%. A strong ad in a prestigious journal (especially one directing doctors to a product website) can still have a big potential impact on the market.

Digital Marketing

Print materials at conferences have long been pharma marketing staples. But today’s rapidly evolving digital technology has given health care professionals new means by which to confer with each other, discuss medical issues and gain awareness of new products. And smart marketers are discovering new ways to become part of the discussion.

E-detailing is proving to be an especially effective, high-ROI means of marketing new or updated pharmaceuticals to doctors on their computers, tablet PCs and mobile devices. E-detailing not only lets doctors view Web CD presentations on new products at their leisure (not just when sales reps drop in), but offers online access to Web conferences and product-sponsored educational events. It also enables them to schedule interactive online appointments with company medical experts, so they can discuss drug details and disease state data one on one. No wonder over 150 new drugs were introduced using E-detailing in the first nine months of 2010 alone, a new record.

Another new avenue pharma marketers are pursuing are physician-based online communities. Number one in this field is Sermo, an MD-only discussion site which 20% of U.S. doctors have now joined. 10 of the top 12 pharmaceutical companies have become sponsors on Sermo, allowing them to share information (and receive feedback) on new products, medical trials and studies, promotional events and conferences, available drug samples and more.

 Smart Marketing

Pharmaceutical marketing, whether it’s aimed at healthcare professionals or consumers, remains a particularly volatile, fast-changing field, marked by rapidly evolving digital technology, shifting FDA regulations and major uncertainty in the area of healthcare legislation. Developing on-target print and digital marketing materials will remain a challenge for years to come, requiring experienced pharmaceutical marketers, armed with innovative approaches and creative minds.

For more information about effective pharmaceutical marketing, contact Franklin Clay at 740-548-0307 or email frank@claycreativeresults.com.

At Clay Creative, we don’t call our marketing communications agency “big” or “small” any more than we call our clients “big” or “small.” We call all our clients “important” and we say our company is “made to fit your needs.” Because in today’s digital world, importance is not about size (Craig’s List has 30 employees worldwide!), it’s about the ability to fill people’s needs, whatever they may be, whenever they may arise. Clay Creative keeps the focus on effective marketing—marketing that fits each client’s specific objectives, budget and time-frame. Of course, big, traditional agencies would say that too. But if you’re trying to decide whether your company’s needs (and bottom line) would be better served by them or us, here are some points of comparison:

1. Players On The Field

Affordable technology has largely leveled the playing field. Today it’s much more about the skills and creativity of the players you put on the field, not the size or look of the hometown stadium. Everyone has access to more or less the same online resources, digital design programs and quality production assets. What is unique about Clay Creative is people—people with on-target marketing insights, attention-grabbing creative ideas and razor-sharp technical skills—people experienced in the art of work that gets results.

 2. Emphasis On The Efficient

Big agencies promise big ideas and big results. But what you get too often are bloated egos and bureaucracies. Obvious advantages of our leaner, more efficient “made to fit” model include quick response, direct correspondence with principals, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing senior professionals, not junior personnel, are focused on your project start to finish. At Clay Creative, extra effort and personal involvement are perfectly fitted to deliver the efficiencies and speed of service your work deserves.

3. Money Still In The Bank

Made-to-fit agencies have lower overhead and smaller staffs, making them more flexible in their pricing. At Clay Creative, you don’t pay for leather-couch-and-fresh-flowers offices, designer-clad executives, or rows of accountants and media buyers you’ll never need. There are no retainers or media commissions. You’re charged only for services directly related to the creation of effective marketing—purchased on a fee basis by the job, leaving you more cash to allocate elsewhere to help your business grow.

 So —don’t call us “big” and don’t call us “small.” Just call us. Simply tell us what you want to accomplish and we’ll show you how Clay Creative is “made to fit your needs.”

It has long been known that people are judged by the words they use.  Nowhere is this truer than in marketing. A good marketing campaign needs a great writer to be effective.  Whether you write your own copy or use a professional marketing communications agency, like Clay Creative, the fundamentals of good copy have to be followed.  There are basic copy formats which are proven to work so there are areas where a copywriter can get creative and others where they should not.  For instance, the headline is the most critical part of your copy.  It’s been said that 80 percent of the selling power of an ad is in the headline so a strong marketing copywriter knows to devote most of their time developing it.  Another key consideration is the structure and objective of the piece.  It’s been proven that direct-marketing needs to follow a particular formula of persuasion to be successful.  The most creative, original copywriting in the world won’t get a good response on a direct-mail campaign if it doesn’t adhere to a certain structure. A writer needs to pay attention to the delivery-method as well.  They need to take a different approach when writing an email-blast vs. a social media post, radio script, online banner ad, or direct-mail letter.

A copywriter also needs to have thorough knowledge of their target-market and be able to write the way prospects talk.  It’s important for writers to choose words that sound like their customers, so they’ll relate to the message and feel a connection to the product.  The professional copywriters at Clay Creative know that the most beautifully written brochure or cleverest online banner ad won’t generate a response if it’s not crafted to appeal to the customer.  A well-written marketing message creates a sense of affinity between the writer and the reader and best way to do that is to be familiar with the audience and stay focused on the objective. 

Word choice has a powerful effect on results and semantics can make a big difference in selling a service and compelling a customer to take action.  Whether a campaign is direct-brand response or traditional advertising, words will shape how someone thinks about your company, your product, and your offer.  If your company needs copywriting help, contact call Jessica Clay at 740-548-0307, email jessica@claycreativeresults.com, or contact Franklin Clay at frank@claycreativeresults.com.  They can assign a writer to your specific project or devise the strategy, develop the design, and produce your marketing materials. Clay Creative’s creative services are flexible, cost-effective, and respond to the needs of their clients.

Franklin Clay and the digital marketing team at Clay Creative, reminds anyone with a website to do their keyword due diligence.  Many people make the mistake of believing that, since they know their industry, they also know the words commonly searched online.  At Clay Creative they say, when it comes to something as important as people finding your website, “Why make assumptions when you can have definite answers?” On the internet, there’s no need to guess at the correct keywords when there are today’s easy-to-use keyword software tools and effective online marketing strategies.

A free keyword tool can be found at www.spacky.com or, even better, consult with an interactive agency like Clay Creative.  They have access to the latest online search tools which generate the most up-to-date, comprehensive keyword list for their clients.  If using a tool on your own, you may find that the keywords you guessed are indeed in the top searched terms.  However, they are often small variations that make a big difference when it comes to results.  In some cases this means adding an “s” to make the search term plural, while in others there are related terms with an equally high search volume.  When optimizing a website for their clients, Clay Creative embeds at least three of the most searched keywords on every page for maximum effectiveness.

Franklin Clay shares that the “source code” or programming language of your website should also include key word lists in the parts of the code referred to as “meta tags.”  The most important meta tags are the title tag, description tag, and keywords tag.  When performing a competitive analysis, you can also find the keywords that are on your competition’s website.  Simply go to their home page, click “view” and then choose “source.”  A window will appear displaying the page’s source code with the meta tags clearly labeled as title, description, and keywords.  The keywords appear between symbols like <title>.  This allows you to fairly and legally see the keywords used by your primary competitors and compare them to your own. 

Another online marketing activity related to keywords is pay-per-click advertising.  However, even the best ads will generate poor results if bid on the incorrect keyword.   So before considering paying for advertising, Clay Creative strongly recommends doing current keyword research. Some companies also use keywords for market research when determining the feasibility of new products.  If you are doing this, Franklin Clay says that the general rule of thumb is a keyword should have at least 100,000 searches per month on Google to be successful online.

Keywords are a very important part of your online success.  To learn more about keywords, meta tags, or to have your website optimized, contact Franklin Clay at 740-548-0307 or email frank@claycreativeresults.com.