Logos, Web sites, annual reports, catalogs, brochures, ad campaigns.
Businesses today have a plethora of marketing choices at their disposal.
Though marketing vehicles have evolved over the years, one thing remains
constant: the need for companies to effectively communicate their message to
customers.
Savvy organizations look to experienced professionals to help them
navigate through the marketing maze. For more than 40 years Eisenman
Associates, a New York city-based, certified woman-owned business (WBE)
graphic design and advertising firm has been helping Fortune 100 companies –
as well as emerging enterprises and non-profits – define their image through
visual communications. Eisenman Associates has provided marketing and design
services to PepsiCo, ITT, Land O’Lakes, AFC Enterprises, Maidenform, UST,
Dollar Tree, Pali Capital, Aflac, Genesis Securities and Aetna.
Minorities
And Women In Business
asked Nina
Eisenman, President of Eisenman Associates, to share some of her marketing
insights.
MWIB:
In your opinion, what are the indications that it is time for companies to
outsource their
marketing needs?
Eisenman:
Most companies need to start outsourcing at least some of their marketing
needs either prior to opening or soon after they open for business. Since
first impressions are just as important in business as they are in social
situations a new company needs to establish its “company identity” early on.
To do that, start-ups with adequate financial resources should hire a
graphic design firm to design their company logo and style guide, stationery,
brochure or catalog, presentation kit and Website. They may also consider
hiring a market research firm to help evaluate how to best position themselves
in their marketplace. A healthy company’s marketing needs will expand as the
company grows. Marketing materials, especially Websites and advertising should
be kept fresh and appropriate to the company’s increasing size.
A home-made logo, Website and brochure may suffice for a small startup
with very limited resources but once the company gets on its feet they should
hire a design firm to upgrade their marketing materials for them or they risk
looking unprofessional.
Most companies, from start-ups to large, established corporations,
lack the internal resources needed to develop and implement comprehensive
marketing plans on their own so they look to outside vendors to provide
specialized services such as market research, graphic design, Website design,
advertising, copywriting and media buying.
If an established company with excellent products and/or services and
strong relationships with their existing customers is finding it hard to
attract new customers it could mean that their marketing plan needs to be
reevaluated. If they have an in-house design or advertising department it
would be wise to explore the option of outsourcing their marketing needs.
MWIB:
What are some of the greatest challenges most businesses face in trying to
establish their identity?
Eisenman:
An important, but often neglected, step in establishing a company’s identity
is to first assess the company’s position in the marketplace. This assessment
should be made prior to designing or redesigning their company logo and
marketing materials.
Companies that neglect to take this step run the risk of producing
weak, unfocused and ineffective marketing materials. A powerful company
identity is one that is an integral part of a well thought out business
strategy that positions the company for growth in their marketplace.
Once a company has worked with a creative firm to visually and
verbally represent their company image they face another hurdle — gaining
recognition in a marketplace saturated with media clutter. A small or medium
sized company doesn’t have the budget to put their logo on a billboard in
Times Square or run an ad during the Super Bowl so what can they do to try to
establish name recognition?
One important rule they should follow is to keep their identity and
message consistent. Whether it’s on their business cards, brochure, Website or
tradeshow booth their identity should be reinforced each time it is seen by
keeping the name, logo and message consistent.
If the company doesn’t have the budget to cast a wide net they can
cost-effectively establish their identity within very targeted demographic
groups using online advertising and marketing techniques. Companies can create
keyword campaigns to target specific groups or they can place banner ads on
Websites with content that appeals to specific groups.
MWIB:
There are myriad software programs that enable businesses to boilerplate their
Web designs. What are the compelling reasons for bringing a professional firm
on board to handle the job?
Eisenman:
Many people think design is all about choosing colors and typefaces and, while
those are important stylistic considerations, what we’re primarily focusing on
when we work with a company on their Website design is business strategy,
information architecture, functionality and content. How can we leverage the
site to
reinforce the company’s objectives, how should the
content be presented on the homepage, what content should be given prominence
and what content should be highlighted or eliminated, how can we make the
navigation intuitive and how can the site function to enhance the users
experience.
A company’s Website can be a powerful business tool. E-commerce sites
can be linked to the company’s inventory systems and information sites can be
powered by customer databases. Custom Web pages can be combined with search
engine ad campaigns to become powerful marketing tools. Boilerplate Websites
may be inexpensive alternatives to custom sites but considering all the
potential benefits custom sites offer businesses boilerplates may ultimately
prove to be a “penny wise, pound foolish” option.
MWIB:
It has been shown that a synergistic approach to marketing can be highly cost
effective and extremely efficient. Would it be correct to assume that firms
offering a selection of marketing services are better able to seamlessly
integrate a variety of components to help establish/build a particular brand?
Eisenman:
There are a number of benefits to working with a firm that offers a range of
marketing
services. If all of a company’s marketing
materials are created by one shop the materials are more likely to be
coordinated and to reinforce a consistent message. That’s important to brand
building.
Establishing a relationship with one firm can also improve workflow.
The better a marketing firm gets to know a company the faster they can react
with appropriate solutions. We have some clients who have told me they
consider us their “in-house marketing department” because we have worked with
them on such an array of projects and they know they can call us on very short
notice and we’ll get the job done for them.
If they used a different firm for each project they would add days,
if not weeks, to their project timelines. It can also be more cost effective
to work with a single firm. Often a company can get a better deal if they have
a marketing firm on retainer or negotiate a package rate.
MWIB:
Annual corporate reports are listed among the services you provide. Why are
many companies interested in investing in this area?
Eisenman:
Publicly traded companies are required to send their
shareholders a report of their financial performance annually but over the
years these corporate annual reports have evolved into much more than just a
financial report card. Annual reports are an important communication and
corporate marketing tool for companies who use the reports to reach out to a
number of constituents including shareholders, the investment community,
employees, business partners and the press.
Today’s reports often include social responsibility reports along with
the traditional business descriptions and “Letter to Shareholders” — the
company CEO’s yearly opportunity to discuss their vision for their company. A
well designed annual report not only educates the reader about the company but
also leaves the reader with a lasting feeling about who the company is and
what they stand for.
In addition to the print annual report, the majority of companies are
now also publishing a Web version, which can include flash animations, video
and audio clips. This new generation of online annual reports offers companies
a whole new way to tell their story in a memorable, compelling way.
Located
in New York’s Soho neighborhood, Eisenman Associates is a privately owned,
full service graphic design and advertising firm. To learn more, visit
www.eisenman.com.
