SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. − It’s award season, with two major competitions once-again honoring Barnett Cox & Associates.

Summit International’s 2012 Creative Awards competition recognized the public relations and marketing firm with top honors for two compelling videos. BCA earned awards for the “Battle of the Bay” video featuring Morro Bay, and a community outreach piece created for Achievement House, a nonprofit serving the developmentally disabled.

The lively Morro Bay video mimicked a Food Network “Chopped” promotion to advertise the city’s Battle of the Bay challenge , a highlight of Sunset Magazine’s 2012 Savor the Central Coast celebration of food and wine.

For its portrayal of Achievement House, BCA combined interviews with dedicated staff, happy customers and the program’s clients enjoying meaningful work at the nonprofit facility and out in the community. The video highlights how Achievement House trains people with disabilities to enter the workforce and become productive community members who provide high quality services for local businesses.

Summit Creative Awards considered entries from 22 countries in the prestigious annual contest open to firms with up to $30 million in annual billing.

Both of these videos, plus a BCA demo reel, also picked up bronze Telly Awards.

The Achievement House three-minute video was honored in the charitable nonprofit category for non-broadcast productions and the Morro Bay video was awarded for travel and tourism promotion for online programs, segments or promotional pieces. BCA’s demo reel, featuring the company’s creative style and innovative marketing efforts, was honored in the production company/ad agency category for non-broadcast productions. Check it out at the bottom of the homepage at www.barnettcox.com.

All three videos, along with two other BCA projects, were also honored recently with 2012 Addy Awards.

BCA is delighted that the hard work and creativity of its team members has earned the praise they deserve.

About BCA
BCA provides public relations, advertising and marketing services for businesses on the Central Coast and beyond. For more information, visit www.barnettcox.com.

About Summit International Awards
SIA is the oldest and most prestigious organization conducting an awards program for firms with limited budgets. For 18 years, the Creative Award has used stringent evaluation criteria and blind judging to reward firms that exemplify the best creative work. Go to www.summitawards.com for more information.

About Telly Awards
The 33rd annual Telly Awards honor the very best film and video productions, groundbreaking online video content and outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs. More info at www.tellyawards.com.

Everyone has a decent camera. Does that mean everyone is a decent photographer? Absolutely not.

Okay, we get it. You think your photos are just fine; no need to hire one of those expensive photographers. You don’t want to spend the money and you’re not sure your photos are that much worse than what a photographer could produce anyway.

Photography is perhaps one of the most telling mediums in your marketing efforts. The audience connects to you and your brand through the photos you use. The quality of your photos – good or poor – reflects the quality of your business.

You are what your media says about you.

Think about photography as an investment. Once you make the investment, you can reuse the photographs in other aspects of your marketing. Building up a photo bank for your company is useful in the long run. Good photos can be used for a year or more in your advertising, on your website, on your business collateral and other elements.

Don’t waste your valuable time by taking and editing your own photos when you could be spending time doing what you do best—running your business. It is much more efficient to hire a professional who will deliver much higher quality photographs in the end. You pay them for a whole lot more than you may realize: lighting equipment, professional models, technical know-how, setting up the perfect shot, professional editing, and most importantly, knowing how to make the photo SELL, not just show.

Alright, now you’re thinking, “But I still think my photos are good enough! I still don’t see the big difference.” It’s time for a little bit of education, people. Let’s learn what good photography is and is not.

Good photos are absolutely necessary in anything that reflects your business, professional self and reputation.

• Interesting Composition
  Images that are compelling to look at. Not one you’ve already seen a hundred times.
• Capturing Something Other Than the Image
  It may be a feeling, a character or a mood.
• Technically Correct
  Crisp, in-focus, detail-laden images that are rich with visual data and are color corrected.
• Lighting is Key
  You should be able to see details in the highlights and shadows of an image.
• Good Equipment
  That means using it correctly with technical training. Not everyone with a nice camera knows how to use it.

And what about bad photographs? Snapshots are fine for personal uses like Facebook or emailing around the office. But that’s about it.

• Anything from a Point & Shoot or a Cell Phone
  Simply put, low-end cameras do not take high-end photos. Nope, not even your iPhone 4S.
• “Myspace Photos”
  Enough said. However, if you are unfamiliar with this term, you’re probably better off.
• Technical Failures
  Photos that are blown out (have white areas with no visual information), poorly lit, backlit, low resolution, out of focus or use harsh flash are all photographic sins.
• Over Edited
  Photoshop filters do not make your photos look cool. Photoshop filters cannot do much help to a photo that is bad to begin with.
• Bad Composition
  Think about what ends up in the frame. Your focal point does not always need to be in the direct center.

In order to illustrate this, let’s compare some so called “average” shots with those of the pros.

Example 1: Product Shot

Example 2: Location Shot

Example 3: Portrait

Alright, I’ve made my point. You are probably not a photographer, so hire a professional who will do it right. Professional photos make you look good, and your business look even better. Good photos will sell for you. Amateur photos take more effort to convince people to buy. It’s a great investment and worth the money. Say “cheese!” and call a pro.

Written by Christine Marin, with a little help from Emily Hsiao

Photo by Josh Thompson

It was the summer of ’98. It was San Francisco and it was cold. The dot-com craze was in full swing in all its lunacy. Literally.

And it was during this time that I was introduced to the amusing perception that shapes more buying decisions than we’d like to admit. Yes, even yours.

ENTER GAVIN NEWSOM

Gavin Newsom was not yet the “Honorable” Lieutenant Governor of California, nor had he begun his successful bid to become mayor of San Francisco. He was busy building his downright provincial (read: “not a dot-com”) and enormously successful PlumpJack empire that included a winery, restaurants, commercial and residential properties and multiple resorts and spas.

The winery, PlumpJack Winery, produced a variety of high-end wines and its best was the 1997 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It received high marks, was produced in limited quantities, and retailed for $125 per bottle. Why mess with a good thing, right? Wrong.

DON’T SCREW TOP IT UP

It was at this time that wineries began experimenting with the marketability of and consumer reaction to using the screw top closure on their wines. There was one major problem. Screw top wine was synonymous with cheap wine. Jug wine. Night Train.

Considering this, wineries proceeded cautiously by introducing a screw top closure on their lower-end wines to avoid harming the reputation of their flagship varietals, and their names. Not surprisingly, Mr. Newsom and PlumpJack took a different approach.

STOP THE MADNESS

PlumpJack Winery believed in the screw top and took a shrewd – even audacious – step forward. It announced that its premier wine, the 1997 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, would be released with half of production available with a screw top and half available with the traditional cork closure. Critics were skeptical. Moreover, it seemed PlumpJack was taunting us with a side-by-side comparison that would, as critics believed, inevitably fail. Yet the madness continued.

PlumpJack announced that not only would it offer both a screw top and a cork version, the two would be priced differently. Suicide! Pricing the screw top for less would torpedo the very misconception they were trying to correct – that screw tops are inferior.

EXPENSIVE = GOOD

Here’s the brilliance. It wasn’t the screw top that Gavin Newsom and team priced for less. Understanding the predictable buying behavior inbred in all of us, they priced the corked version at $125 per bottle. The screw top? $135. A $10 increase for the screw top. Remember, this was the same 1997 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – same grapes, same production, same everything – sold side by side. No gimmicks. And how did sales compare? The screw top version of the 1997 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon began flying off the shelves and was sold out long before the corked version.

It was stunning and amusing. It was so simple. So beautiful. Given two options, people will follow the conditioned belief that higher price equals greater value. Expensive equals good. Was it superior? Who knew. Yet, in a single move, PlumpJack had altered the perception of the screw top by increasing its price thus establishing it as a superior product.

PlumpJack played us – and became the first Napa Valley winery to use the Stelvin brand screw top closure on high-end wines. And the screw top has never been the same.

MORAL OF THE STORY

Be mindful of how pricing can affect your customers’ perception of the quality of your product. Don’t assume that by lowering prices you will increase sales. There are more strategic ways of winning the customer and improving the marketability of your products and business.

Written by Brian Trapp, @btrapp

“I once had a leather jacket that got ruined in the rain. Why does moisture ruin leather? Aren't cows outside a lot of the time? When it's raining, do cows go up to the farmhouse, ‘Let us in! We're all wearing leather! Open the door! We're going to ruin the whole outfit here!’” –Jerry Seinfeld

We all remember Seinfeld – the show about “nothing.” A show that found humor in ordinary situations: relationships, jobs, parents, a bite at the local coffee shop, bras for men…you know, everyday type stuff. As we go through life, most of us fail to ask the simple yet obvious questions on which Jerry would base his episodes. He found humor in everyday life.

Observational type humor towards the relatable yet mundane is what gets Jerry Seinfeld’s audience laughing the most. It causes people to look at everyday situations in a way they hadn’t before. Utilizing this type of humor within your business’ marketing strategy can be extremely effective… imagine the amount of people that would “tune in” to see what you were going to talk about next. Making your product “relatable” is key.

As we are bombarded with advertising campaigns these days, especially during the holiday season, how do we stand out amongst our competitors? Humor. People like funny things. They relax and pay attention when they know you have a sense of humor. It causes an emotional connection with the customer and leads them to talk about your company and your ad with others. It puts them in a good mood, and creates a positive image for your company. Humor makes you easy to approach, and easy to remember.

Here are some basic tips on how to transform your business-as-usual marketing into effective and entertaining marketing without turning your message into a joke:

1. Wear a watch, because timing is everything: Ask Jerry and he’ll probably tell you that timing is one of the most important factors when making something funny. That and alcohol. How punctuation paces a sentence, or how a photo, illustration or animation makes the viewer do a double take all impact timing. The littlest throwaway detail can lead to the biggest, most memorable laughs.

2. Know your audience: Advertising humor needs to be well suited to its audience. If your customer doesn’t get the joke, then the joke’s on you. A sophisticated audience will understand your irony, satire and puns, but a young audience may only understand slapstick comedy or a silly cartoon caricature. Inside jokes can be effective if the recipient understands that it was done for them, but nobody else will get it.

3. What’s the medium? Sometimes it’s challenging to implement humor into a print ad since the funny element must be very clearly defined and common enough to “get” instantly. Being restricted to a still image means the copywriting needs to be funny and quick-witted. And I do mean quick-witted – you have about 5 seconds to catch the reader’s attention. Keep it short and sweet. (Or naughty, whichever you prefer).

4. Don’t knock-knock it until you’ve tried it: Emotional connection with your audience is priceless. How often does your company’s marketing strategy have customers quoting from them for weeks, months or years after they first appear? No need to answer that.

5. Leave them wanting more: Everyone has a relative that tells the same joke over and over… and over. Change up your ads that incorporate humor to keep them from going stale.

During this holiday season as you are thinking about your 2012 Marketing Plan… channel your inner comedian and ask, WWJD…What would Jerry Do?

Click here to see some examples of effective, humorous print ads


Written by Brooke Wighton

Cabbage Patch Kids were culprits. So was Tickle Me Elmo. These delightful treasures known for their sweet dispositions and insta-smile creating abilities once graced Christmas lists of youngsters worldwide.

They also ignited in-aisle fist-fights and tug o’ wars. Some of the greatest parents in the world were on a mission to bring those highly sought creatures home, even if it meant letting go of every-day politeness.

The battles caused by those lovable huggables made headline news and flashed across televisions in the ’80s and ’90s. But it wasn’t Elmo’s tenacious giggle that caused media to want to write stories about him. It wasn’t even that the toys were priced to move during the holidays. The events caused by them and surrounding them made media take notice.

Media coverage, or earned media, is invaluable for your business. A third party talking up your product strengthens your reputation and communicates who you are to an audience that could be interested in purchasing your product. A great public relations plan will help you get the attention your company wants.

Consider these quick guidelines to creating a strong story to earn the coverage you want:

Be timely.

Today, news moves at the speed of Twitter. So while a three week old story may be interesting, its perceived value diminishes with every passing minute. It takes planning and forethought. But be prepared to share your story as it’s happening and give your audience the thrill of being the first to know – and the first to share it with the world.

Fit the target audience of the chosen media.
Don’t blast a news release to every single reporter/editor/IT person at every news outlet on the western seaboard. Be selective, and respect an editor’s time. If you are able to feed the right person the right information, it provides a better opportunity to establish an ongoing relationship with that reporter or editor.

Offer something significant or useful to the audience.
This is your chance at becoming the expert in your field. Rather than pitching a story about the new computer system you’re installing, share your knowledge of how the system has helped businesses save millions of dollars. Provide an answer to humans’ most pressing question – “What’s in it for me?” – and you’ll discover an audience that’s listening.

Feature a prominent person or business.
That goes for people and businesses nationally and internationally known. But watch out for those up and comers – they’re on the verge of sharing great stories too.

Don’t be shy of the drama.
The reaction to Tickle Me Elmo hitting the market during the holiday season certainly packed a dramatic punch to the headlines. We don’t suggest causing fist fights. But if your story takes a surprising turn, don’t shy away from staying on top of the situation. People have an insatiable desire to fill a void with information, and you should be the only one feeding their appetite with the correct facts.

Have a human interest angle.
Everyone’s got a heart. If there’s something your business does, creates or offers that provides aid to those in need, certainly tell that story. Your good will just might encourage others to do the same.

A great story will stand on its own merits, and reporters and editors will take notice. As you head into the holiday season and considering your Marketing Plan for 2012, remember that a great public relations plan is a strong tool for your business’ success.

And remember – no fist fights.

What’s on your business’ Christmas list this year? Let us know below.

You’ve all seen this um… fun… font, Comic Sans. It’s a font that channels the “personality” that only Comic Sans could have.

“It’s quirky! It’s fun! It appeals to kids!”

Exactly. It appeals to kids—not businesses and professionals. You see, each font has a personality and was created for a specific reason. Originally, Comic Sans was a font used in the speech bubbles inside comic books. For whatever reason, business professionals (including the owner of the Cavaliers) began using the font in professional applications, generating a lot of backlash from the design community. Why, you ask? It’s a matter of usage and detail—why would you use a font that’s meant for kids’ party invites to write your letter of resignation? Short answer: you shouldn’t. But no fear. We have some top font tips for you.

1. Learn the art of subtlety

We get it—you want nothing default-y, no standard 12pt font Times New Roman nonsense. You want to stand out and you want your company’s fonts to reflect your company’s goals and mission. What people often forget is that typography is a subtle art (Steve Jobs even said so in his Stanford Commencement Speech) and it really doesn’t take a lot of thrills and frills to show off your individuality. Whether you recognize it or not, the font can tell a story beyond the words they create. It is one of the first impressions a reader has of what to expect from what they will read. Look around. You’ll notice that when used correctly, the style of a font reflects the intended impression of the business or message. Looking for something sleek? Try a sans-serif like Helvetica or Univers. What about something serious? Try a serif typeface like Garamond or Caslon. These are good starting points.

2. Know the no-nos

Comic Sans, Papyrus and Hobo in all of their hideous glory.

Comic Sans isn’t the only cheap and overused font out there—if you ever meet a graphic designer, try telling them that Comic Sans, Papyrus and Hobo are “awesome” fonts and you’ll witness some twitchy reactions. The problem isn’t just that they are bad fonts. They are bad fonts that people use everywhere. For instance, Papyrus has wonky proportions and looks like a hungry mouse got a hold of it, yet people continue to use it for their jewelry packaging. Be unique. Quit using them and look for some alternatives.

3. How to choose your font

Akzidenz Grotesk

Consider your company’s image and messaging and your choice of font can help you convey those aspects. What kind of a company are you? Are you a start-up? Are you techie up the wazoo? BCA, for example, is a client-centric company that provides PR, creative and branding services. We wanted to look clean and classic without being sterile, so we chose Akzidenz Grotesk because we felt it was an appealing, modern sans-serif typeface that has a lot of different weights. With our colors and design elements, the typeface allows us to be versatile with our branding while still being consistent. BAM. Story told in typeface.

Happy font hunting!

Also, check out these fun links about Comic Sans. You’ll begin to understand the hilarity pretty quickly.

Comic Sans Criminal

Ban Comic Sans


Written by Jennifer Liu

I was in the kitchen cooking when in burst my four year-old son:

Son -“Dad, can I have your car keys?”
Me – “No, use your pretend keys.”
Son – “Well, I lost my pretend keys.”

My son had my attention. And he had me laughing. In one quick exchange he was engaging, direct, insightful, funny and he had a great mask. I won’t go so far as to claim brilliance (that’s all my fault), but it got me thinking about what this pint-sized crusader was teaching me.

Like a father, people are bombarded with messages and requests from countless little masked-marketers. It’s increasingly more difficult to gain someone’s attention and open the dialogue that leads to sales. Have no fear. You don’t need superpowers to break through the noise. In fact, you may simply have to remember the basics.

Here are five skills to think about in marketing your business.

1. Ask Questions, Stay Curious

Kids asks questions. Lots of questions. Not only to gain an understanding of the world around them, but because they are genuinely curious about you.

Take the same approach with your customers. Don’t assume you know your customers’ needs. Curiosity and questions are necessary to understanding your clients and developing a rapport that is critical to building business. You’ll likely uncover a curious world of desires and needs… and new business opportunities.

2. Speak Plainly

My son is clear when he would like something. He’s bold in his approach and direct in his choice of words. He doesn’t always get what he wants, but I’m rarely left guessing what he’s after.

Try this approach with your message. Rather than attempt to sell your customers on your product, help them buy with clarity on what you have to offer. If the message isn’t clear, their answer will likely be “No.” Keep it simple, to the point and tell them what you’re after.

 3. Dream Big

Kids are built to dream. Just put on a mask and, like Muhammad Ali, what’s possible is a matter of opinion.

Listen to your customers. You are not only solving their afflictions but delivering on their aspirations. Approach each opportunity with the attitude that you can help your customers achieve what they may have written off as impossible. You won’t leap tall buildings, but creativity and optimism can make all the difference in a customer’s attitude.

4. Follow Through

With big dreams come expectations. My son has an uncanny ability of remembering every toy, movie and pancake promised. If I even utter the possibility of dessert, I’d better deliver.

The same should hold true for your marketing. Your customers are watching your message and setting expectations for their experience. Simply delivering on that promise will help create a very happy customer base. Anything less, and you’re going to hear about it. Or worse, you won’t hear about it and you won’t see that customer again.

5. Be A Superhero

In the above exchange my son surprised me. He predicted what my response would be and responded with creativity and humor. He exceeded my expectations.

You’ve listened to your customers, you’ve crafted a compelling product and message and your sales are growing. And now comes one of your greatest marketing opportunities. Understanding what your customers expect, deliver just beyond what you had promised. The restraint in your marketing message may take superhero strength, but the element of surprise will leave your customers astonished. And coming back for more.

Written by Brian Trapp, @btrapp

Cartoonist Tom Fishburne says, “It can be tempting to appeal to everyone. I’ve been in brand discussions where target markets were identified by writing all possible prospects on the board, as if we were cold-calling consumers rather than trying to connect with them. Yet, that broad targeting approach can lead to a split personality that appeals to no one.”

He’s right. Remember Muzak, a business created to provide elevator music for the masses. Did anyone listen? Not that we know of. It was there, but no one paid attention. Creating an ad designed to appeal to everyone will likely have the same affect. It’s background noise just like Muzak.

FEATURE YOUR PRODUCT’S SINGLE MOST UNIQUE QUALITY, AND BE CREATIVE

Take Tempur-Pedic. They sell mattresses ranging in price from $1,100 to $5,800. It is not the cheapest or the most expensive mattress you can buy, and there are probably higher quality mattresses to be found. Can you ever recall hearing a featured price of a Tempur-Pedic in a commercial? Absolutely not. Tempur-Pedic will never feature price as a product attribute. What you probably can remember is the image of a woman’s hand pressing into a foam mattress and the shape of her hand momentarily holding like an embossed letter on an expensive wedding invitation. It’s called “memory foam,” and is the single most unique selling point of the product. That image, accompanied by New Age music and tranquil setting, transcends the common sales message from side show barker to a whole life experience. You’re left wondering how you ever got a good night’s sleep on your Sealy.

Tempur-Pedic never lists prices, never claims eight lines of mattresses, in four different sizes, and six different colors, even though they could. And you’ll never talk of a “sale.” Yet for mattress manufacturers, Tempur-Pedic is the act to beat.

STAY CALM. IT CAN WORK FOR YOU

As an advertiser, you don’t have to tell your customers everything about your product to get your message across. In fact, I don’t think you should drop your prices to gut wrenching levels to get their attention. What you need to do is figure out that one feature of your product that has the potential to make someone’s life a little better, or easier, or more fulfilling, then tell it to them in the most entertaining, compelling and creative way you can afford. You will be shocked at how memorable your single feature commercial will increase awareness and your bottom line.

What’s the takeaway? Find the single most compelling and unique feature of your product, and find a great way to sell it. It will be memorable and encourage business.

Does your marketing have a targeted message? Share it with us.