Read about some of the lessons we learned from the marketing world in 2020 from what Catie sees as the top 6 campaigns in her eyes.

When it comes to the reflexive and responsive nature of marketing reacting to real world incidents, 2020 was like no other. Andy dives in to give us his perspective on some of the year’s advertising highlights.

We can all agree that 2020 has been a tumultuous year, but it certainly wasn’t without some inspiration to brighten our days. Here are some that we thought brought some much needed good vibes at an opportune time.

The ad world was flipped on its head in 2020 as brands and agencies considered how to react. While it got off to an interesting start, in the end, several stepped up to the plate to deliver some powerful messaging. Here are a few of Blake’s favorites.

Major brands weren’t the only ones forced to pivot in 2020. We also saw our own clients step up this year, and we were ready to help. See how some of our clients stepped up this year.

Don’t let one bad marketing experience shape your perception of the potential marketing can have for your business. Here are three lessons our clients have learned from working with us and what you should expect from a marketing strategy that works.

We know you might not want to, but every once in a while, it’s a good idea to rethink your marketing budget. Here’s some tips on how you can rethink your marketing budget to make the most out of your marketing dollars for the rest of 2020.

While it can’t replace a true strategy or campaign, we put together a list of 20 marketing tactics you can do today in just two minutes. They might seem small, but these simple measures can still make an impact on your business.

In business, feedback is a vital tool in evaluating the impact you make for your customers. We asked some of our customers what their experience was like after partnering with us to pursue their marketing goals.

Read in their own words what some of our clients had to say about working with Innovations.

Some big names are making big waves online (and in two stores).

Every single business is facing challenges because of COVID-19. Some are hit harder than others, but it’s impacting every business owner across the country whether for good or bad, it’s causing a big shift in everyone’s thinking. 

At a time like this, knowing what to do next can feel like a daunting task if you’re a business owner. It’s also becoming increasingly difficult for employees as it’s impacted everyone’s work lives to some degree.

Shop Local Kentucky goes above and beyond with their cause marketing to bring awareness to Kentucky causes and missions. In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, Tristen talks about one of her favorite small businesses and how they give back to their community and Kentucky as a whole.

Bed Bath & Beyond introduces us to a novel idea this shopping season: Offline Shopping! Check out their spot and dive into the details of retail sales vs. online sales over the past decade, and what that means for brick and mortar stores.

Catie explores how a simple search for a budgeting app turned into a marketing courtship that ended up being an unlikely love story. 

Toys R Us is back just in time for the holidays with an unlikely partnership, to boot. Now, Walmart is moving to capitalize on the evolution of toy shopping too. The risks these brands are taking to get the attention of your kids this Christmas.

In the spirit of the spooky season, Nick re-imagines everyone on the Innovations team with the costume that best fits their personality. There are also pictures.

Do you think of marketing as a gimmick, or game changer? While the answer should be obvious, there are reasons that some might respond otherwise. See if you can tell what the problem might be.

Walgreens takes on social responsibility with a stark campaign aimed to get people to be proactive regarding skin health. Here’s how they did it.

Chance the Rapper took to Twitter this summer to try and get Wendy’s Spicy Nuggets back on the menu. Well, they’re here.

When you think of your favorite, or least favorite companies, you probably aren’t thinking of their name, logo or the last ad you saw. Instead, it’s likely one of these three responses.

Busch Beer announced a leap into cause marketing in a move that probably surprised everyone on the planet. They are looking to help save our National Forests with a social scavenger hunt for their pop-up shop.

Eggo is the latest brand to try and ride the Stranger Things hype to boost sales of their classic frozen waffle, an unlikely star of the first two seasons.

New Coke, the famous 80’s flop from Coca-Cola, is making a comeback for Stranger Things Season 3.

All is right again in the world of fast food thanks to hero Chance the Rapper and a timely tweet. Read about this unlikely story of a brand, a celebrity, and social media working together for the greater good.

Nobody is safe from the savagery of Wendy’s Twitter account, as individuals and brands alike learn the hard way that if you’re going to go after the fast food chain, you better not miss.

How social media “stories” opened up a new avenue for marketing, and more specifically, direct sales.

If you’ve taken a peak at the worldwide web recently, you’ve probably gotten a glimpse of the RAAAAAGE that’s been bubbling up around the latest – and most controversial – Gillette commercial.

“Where do I start?!” We are well into the new year, but this question stops many from developing their annual marketing plan.

There are very important questions to tackle before you put your plan into motion:

 

Burger King launched a bold new campaign to promote its app by taking an unprovoked shot at one of their chief competitors. In the bewildering campaign, they offered the public a coupon for their signature sandwich, the Whopper, for just one penny.

Whenever a big name company rolls out a rebrand it’s kind of like Christmas for us. We love to break it down, pick it apart and debate internally about their process and if we think it was a good idea or not.

When your brand speaks, what does it sound like? Is it a man, or a woman? Millennial, or a boomer? Do they speak in proper English, or do they use a little slang? Does it sound like a hurried text message? Or, a well thought-out statement?

What was Nike thinking? Their latest campaign kickoff raised a lot of eyebrows and instantly sparked a heated debate launching the 30th anniversary of their “Just Do It” campaign.

Some of the most recognizable brands in pop culture today are ripped straight from the pages of comic books. Show anyone around the world the logo for Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man, and odds are, they can tell you who it belongs to in a heartbeat. 

Just because your website was great five years ago – or even a year ago – doesn’t mean it still is. More often than not now, your website – not your physical place of business – forms your customer’s first impression of you.

A “me too” brand is one that looks, sounds, and makes promises just like their competitors. Every business tries to outshine their competition, but just saying all the same things but louder doesn’t work.

When a potential customer is looking for the good or service you sell, you want them to find you before your competition, right? You probably know that more people are turning to the internet to search for goods and services, which is why you have a website.

Advertising and sports have a long and complicated history. What was at one time a simple exercise of buying commercial time during a televised event, has grown into a multi-billion-dollar spending practice for companies every year.

Which Approach is Best for your Business? As a business owner or key decision maker, there are several choices you’ll be required to make. When it comes to looking toward the future and creating a plan for business growth, there’s two types of basic approaches you can take.

Where the line between what is and isn’t real on TV, the internet, and especially in advertising, has been blurred beyond recognition, we’ve finally come full circle. It’s hard to believe that it took this long for such an occurrence to take place. But low and behold, it finally has.

As we continue to explore the many different ways you can get to know your audience with our ongoing series “Getting to Know Your Audience,” (clever, we know) let’s take this opportunity to tackle an often underused social media outlet: LinkedIn.

So, as the new year begins, here’s some quick marketing tips from Innovations Branding House to you! There are two main questions you should ask as the new year begins. Are you ready? Here they are: Have you built a marketing foundation? What’s next? These two questions

Let’s imagine that you’re back in school, and it’s time to take a pop quiz! Scary, right? Don’t worry; there are no right or wrong answers here. You’re guaranteed to get an “A” for effort. Are you ready? Name a soft drink. Name a car make.

It’s International Women’s Day and so today the ladies of Innovations are celebrating and reflecting on those who have inspired us. Those who have encouraged us to live better and be better for another generation. We are the career women the generations before us dreamed to be.

We’ve all seen the typical local television commercial. Many of these 30 second advertisements are hired out by local news stations or media services featuring a business owner presenting the benefits they offer or the recent specials available. But, one of the mistakes these types of commercials make is that they speak at the audience instead of engaging their audience where they are.