JUNE 2014 NEWSLETTER
Summer has finally arrived and GVC has exciting news to share with you. I'm happy to announce that Richard Bogan has joined the GVC Advisory Board. Richard has over 20 years experience as a Senior Executive at major companies such as Philip Morris, Miller Brewing and RJ Reynolds. You can read his full bio below.
I recently spoke on KSNI Radio's Dan "Ox" Oschner's show Ox in the Afternoon! Listen to the podcast to hear my take on small businesses and public policy, the state of D.C. politics and my experience as a small business owner.
On behalf of K9s for Warriors, a great program that provides dogs to veterans with PTSD and other combat related injuries, I would like to cordially invite you to the organization's Inaugural Warriors Gala. The event will take place on June 28 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC from 6:30 - 10:00 PM. You can find more information on the event, including the invitation below.
The remainder of our newsletter is dedicated to two marketing trends that are receiving a lot of attention: visual storytelling and influencer marketing.
At GVC, we are storytellers with a purpose. In this newsletter, we discuss the art of visual storytelling and share our favorite visual storytelling campaigns thus far.
Social media has transformed influencer marketing and how brands connect with their target audiences. We provide an overview of five types of influencers that you should consider for your next influencer marketing campaign.
Finally, a reminder that my first novel An Animal Cries is now available as an e-book! Follow this link to download it.
Sincerely,
Neil
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 RICHARD BOGAN JOINS GVC'S ADVISORY
The GVC team is proud to announce Richard Bogan has joined our Advisory Board. Bogan is a business revitalization expert who renews, refocuses, and restructures companies for next - level growth. With extensive merger and acquisitions experience and a career that spans multiple industries (consumer products, manufacturing, transportation / warehousing, and construction) he has earned a reputation for operational excellence.
Bogan developed his expertise in and reputation for operational excellence through more than 20 years of executive leadership experience at Philip Morris, Miller Brewing, Unisource Worldwide, and RJ Reynolds. At these companies, he successfully led major corporate restructurings and generated more than $100 million in cash from profit and volume growth while tightening management controls.
Bogan has recently leveraged his corporate restructuring experience to deliver M & A advisory services to sub - middle market private companies through the formation of RHB Partners as a Managing Partner.
Bogan earned his BBA in Accounting from the University of Washington. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Internal Auditor, and holds a Certificate in Management Accounting.
In his free time he volunteers at the Academy Art Museum and Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
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NEIL HARE'S INTERVIEW WITH "OX IN THE AFTERNOON"
GVC President Neil Hare sat down with KSNI radio's Dan "Ox" Oschner at the Tenth Annual United States Chamber of Commerce America's Small Business Summit. Neil dishes on GVC, the DC political landscape and his expert advice on the small business climate. You can listen to an audio recording of the full interview here.
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ADD VISUAL STORYTELLING TO YOUR MARKETING MIX
Research shows that 40 percent of consumers are more likely to engage with brands that post pictures. Consumers are becoming increasingly choosy in regards to the content they consume and companies embracing visual storytelling are experiencing dramatic levels of success. Here are some of our recent, favorite examples of brands that are utilizing visual storytelling in their marketing plans to hold attention in the ever increasing world of media and eliciting emotions out of consumers.
Chipotle: The Scarecrow
With over 12 million views to date, Chipotle really hit a homerun with this detailed, visual campaign. The Scarecrow is a slick visual rendition of Chipotle's core values and mission of "Food With Integrity." Presenting the concept of industrial food production can often feel pretentious or too clinical. This ingenious integrated communications campaigns finds a way to make it fun and immersive through multi-device accessibility. The campaign featured a 3 1/2 minute animated video ad and an iOS game that educates people on processed food production and food sustainability. The campaign had all of the elements for viral success. Recently, Edelman won the Cannes Grand Prix award for the campaign, making it the first PR agency to win the award.
Dove: Real Beauty Sketches
With a campaign slogan that states "imagine a world where beauty is a source of
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Left: Jenise's depiction of herself.
Right: A stranger's depiction of Jenise.
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confidence, not anxiety," Dove's Real Beauty Sketches campaign became one of the most viral videos on the web with over 63 million views and counting. The 2013 campaign utilizes a novel and intelligent way of depicting female perceptions of their looks. The campaign is beautifully shot and emphasizes Dove's company track record of engagement in women's issues, self-esteem being the most referenced. The campaign has been praised as the most successful visual campaign of all time and has solidified Dove as the premier retailer of soap for the empowered female.
GVC's creative tells your brand's story, evokes an emotional response from your target audience, and makes them take a desired action. Ready to take your marketing to the next level with our visual storytelling capabilities. Contact us!
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LEVERAGE KEY INFLUENCERS FOR YOUR MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
92% of consumers trust recommendations from their friends, family or social media
network over any other form of advertising. Word of Mouth marketing is trumping brand's paid media efforts to build awareness about existing or new products, drive conversion, and increase market share. If consumers distrust traditional marketing, then what marketing techniques can brands turn to? Influencer marketing is the solution.
According to the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) influencer marketing is "the act of a marketer or communicator engaging with key influencers to act upon 'influencees' in pursuit of a business objective." Key influencers are identified by the frequency of communication and engagement with others, their persuasion skills, and the size of their social network. Properly tapping these social mavens is an important addition to any marketing plan.
Here are the five categories of key influencers:
- The Advocate: An individual that provides a recommendation or suggests the use of a particular brand's product or shares a negative or positive experience with a brand. An individual will advocate for a brand if there is a strong emotional attachment towards it and are willing to share their experience with others on or offline. They are not affiliated or officially recognized by the brand.
Examples of brands with high advocacy rates: Toms Shoes, Apple, Mini Cooper, Toyota Prius, Lululemon, Dollar Shave Club, etc.
- The Ambassador: Individuals that officially represent a brand and speak and act on the brand's behalf. These individuals enhance the brand's mission and values and further the brand's visibility and community.
The following companies have brand ambassador programs: AT & T, Southwest Airlines, Hootsuite and Zappos.
- The Citizen: Individuals that share information and their opinion (positive or negative) on a brand. Individuals provide product and customer service reviews (think Yelp or Amazon product reviews) or provide referrals and recommendations to their network. Information is shared to not necessarily help the brand, but to help their network make a decision.
Examples include: Mothers, Neighbors, Friends, Coworkers, Family members, etc.
- The Professional Influencer: People who are able to influence solely based on their job title or career path. Those who possess authority and credibility in the professional world and have the desire to share the knowledge and experience they have amassed.
Examples include: Bloggers, policy makers, journalists, public relations professionals, Investor Relations Analysts, etc.
- The Celebrity: Self-explanatory. In the case of a brand, they must appeal to the company's desired audience.
Examples include: Politicians, Actors/Actresses, Authors, Athletes, Artists, Business, etc.
For consultation on designing and executing an influencer marketing campaign, please contact us.
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K9s FOR WARRIORS' INAUGURAL WARRIORS GALA INVITATION
Tickets and sponsorship tables can be purchased here. To learn more about K9 Warriors' mission, please visit their website.
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 Neil Hare's second novel, God in Hell's Kitchen, is an intense political thriller swirling around the ever-present hot button debate over church vs. state. Get your own copy of God in Hell's Kitchen here. |
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