Latest Newsletter | The Garrigan Lyman Group

February 2012

Use Your Experts to Engage

Shopping online is easy, but customer care can go out the window. When shoppers fill the gap with review sites and blogs, companies lose control of the conversation. How do you get it back?

Smart retailers like T-Mobile get it back by offering deeper product dives and a personal touch. Take these new videos for the Nokia Lumia 710. To show off the Lumia’s top features—and a more personal side of T-Mobile—GLG created informative how-to videos in the vein of Engadget. Using real members of T-Mobile’s product development team, these videos explore how the phones can be used in real-life situations. The feel is candid, the tone conversational, but there’s just the right amount of polish to look professional. It’s a great balance, and a trend we think more retailers are going to be following as users demand more information—and make bigger purchases—online. To learn how to illuminate your products with video, talk to Jen Peel at GLG Films.

Also in this issue:

So Many Screens, So Little Time
Meet the Color of 2012
Big Game Bet: Was It Worth It?

Quick Hits

Super Bowl Apps

With so many people watching TV along with a second screen (tablet or smartphone), marketers are getting smart about engaging with apps. See how.

Mobile Tips and Trends

With mobile sales on the rise, smart companies are starting to reach and reward their mobile customers. Here’s where you need to start.

More Cost per Click

Facebook cost per click ad rates rose 10% in the US from the third to the fourth quarter, according to a TBG Digital report.

Burger King of the Road?

Burger King is testing home delivery in the Washington DC area using a proprietary thermal packaging it claims lets fries and burgers travel well.

Connected TV Disconnect?

Though flat with advertisers, interactive TV platforms and connected TV saw increased interest among publishers last year, from 11% to 17%.

Facebook at 5%?

Facebook is on pace to command 5% of the online advertising market by the end of this year, according to an Efficient Frontier report.

So Many Screens, So Little Time

Big screens, mobile screens, touch screens—we carry them wherever we go, and from train stops to the checkout aisle, we see more when we get there. There’s no question that “screen culture” is a reality. So what does it mean for marketers?

It means upping your game. The ubiquity of screens not only gives consumers access to more content, it also creates a market for technologies that let them filter out the junk. The challenge is to create brand experiences that are consistent across all these screens, and to offer content that’s valuable enough to seek out rather than passively consume—or ignore. Tracking becomes more complex, too, since customers are more likely to jump from screen to screen and get your message over time in a nonlinear way. The answer? A content strategy that reflects your customer’s experience journey, and makes the best use of the most advanced tracking tools available. Talk to GLG Senior Market Strategist Leslie Hale about where to start.

Meet the Color of 2012

Every January, the Pantone Color Institute picks a color to inspire the year ahead. For 2012, it’s Tangerine Tango. According to Pantone, it’ll give us an “energy boost,” something companies might want to pass along to their customers. Can color really deliver?

Yes, it can. Everyone’s had the experience of color triggering an emotion, but studies have shown that it can actually make an impact on behavior. A recent study even found that when people see the color red, they become faster and more forceful. According to GLG Senior Art Director Jim Nesbitt, color is “one of the most important choices you will ever make.” As important as your logo, choosing the right color palette is how you establish an emotional connection between your company and your customers. It can even inspire them to act. To make sure your colors are sending the right message, talk with Jim today. He promises no off-color remarks.

Big Game Bet: Was It Worth It?

What’s a super-high-cost American ritual where game plans that took all year to prepare are executed in just a fleeting moment? Super Bowl ads, of course. Are they worth it?

Super Bowl success can only be achieved by being long-sighted, by having a system in place to deal with the expected response. When you’re putting big dollars behind it, an ad is sure to send tons of potential customers your way. But will your servers be prepared? And once you have them there, can you offer them compelling content? What about order fulfillment? Or a plan for sustaining momentum over time? Ironically, failure from a Super Bowl–size ad spend may come from spending too little, not too much. That’s not just money; it’s time, attention, and strategic preparation. To get help drawing up your next big game day plans, talk to GLG Media Director Joe Huber.