Terri Harmening, brand strategist at Go East, was the lead speaker of Go East’s January 26 Eye Opener seminar. She spoke about the importance of Millennials and the ways in which they are changing the marketing game. Harmening kicked off her presentation by explaining that many researchers assign different age ranges to Millennials. Go East chose to go with Iconoculture’s definition: those born between 1979 and 1996 (currently ages 16-33). Millennials are also referred to as “trophy kids,” “digital natives” and “Gen Y.”

This group spans a wide range of life stages as well as ages, so Harmening advised when marketing to them it’s important to consider where they are in their life. Teenage Millennials obviously have very different views than Millennials who are parents.

As with any generation, history has shaped this generation’s values, and many of the recent major events, such as 9/11 and the recession, have influenced Millennials. They value relationships, especially the relationship they have with their parents. They are comfortable with technology of all kinds and they are the most educated of all generations. They have grown up in a multiracial society, so they don’t see diversity as anything that’s out of the norm and, finally, they are confident and therefore optimistic. “Confident,” “connected” and “open to change” are the three main descriptors for this generation.

Harmening shared this quote from Publisher’s Weekly: “Millennials are the most racially diverse and ideologically tolerant population the U.S. has ever known and the best networked group of humans in history. Believing that every consumer choice, every vote, every blog post and tweet matters, young people come of age expecting to be heard and to make change.”

Harmening wrapped up her presentation by providing five insights into how Millennials want to be viewed and how to best market to them:
I’m a friend, not a consumer: Engage with me.
I want to make a difference: Stand for core values.
I like it all at once: Redefining integration.
I’m in the driver’s seat: I want to express myself.
I am savvy and get bored easily: Make it fun.

Go East’s next Eye Opener is scheduled for March 15. The topic is “Content Strategy: The Ins and Outs.” We will explain what content strategy is and how it can clarify, strengthen and energize your digital marketing efforts. For more information, contact kwisser@goeastdesign.com.

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Go East enjoys working with Tubman annually to provide thought leadership and creative support to help further Tubman’s mission of promoting safe and healthy individuals, families and communities.

For the past several years, Go East has developed Tubman’s billboard creative and has received incredible positive feedback on the impact of the billboards. The feedback was the inspiration for the idea to re-create a billboard as part of the Fund-a-Need event at the soiree.

Our principal Ric Pace introduced the concept to the soiree attendees. The billboard was divided into six puzzle pieces. Each piece represented a dollar amount that Tubman wanted to raise. As soon as one person bid the dollar amount associated with the puzzle piece, that puzzle piece was placed in its corresponding spot on the billboard. Anyone who bid at that level had his/her name written and displayed on the puzzle piece. The goal was to complete the puzzle and raise $6,000.

The result? The puzzle was completed in record time and Tubman raised more than anticipated to exceed the Fund-a-Need goal for the evening. The puzzle piece billboard is now displayed at the Tubman center as a reminder of the fundraiser’s success.

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Go East has a long-standing tradition of sending holiday cards to our clients to show our appreciation for their business and connect with them at the holidays. Traditionally, our card has featured photos of our staff dressed in festive attire and engaging in fun, seasonal activities. This year is no exception, but you won’t find our images on a printed card — we’ve gone digital.

You can find the Go East holiday card – as well as individual cards created by all of our staff – at goeastholiday.com. In addition to featuring our cards, the site also lets you create your own digital greeting card. Some of our guests have created their own cards featuring their family photos, while others have used KaleidoCards in inventive ways, such as creating ads for their businesses, or feature their favorite food cart. The applications are endless and you can create as many as you like. Give it a whirl.

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It should go without saying that someone who names her business Fabuliss does some fabulous things.

In this case, it applies to the way Sasha Westin is launching her new business in the Twin Cities. Westin feels it’s her mission in life to help men and women find their sense of style, own it, and look and feel their best in what they wear. Her expertise in matching the proper fit and style of clothing for every client’s body type, along with items that reflect the client’s personality is a unique talent. Thus, she created Fabuliss, company that reflects her passion and she interacts with customers through a well-conceived social media strategy.

(more…)

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When marketing communications plans focus on connections rather than integration, does it follow that customers feel more connected? It seems probable. So how does one develop a connection plan? It’s not so different. It just requires a shift in the way we think about our customers and the way we plan. Gone are the days when we can put together a nice, tidy integrated communications plan grid with audiences listed down one side of the page, key messages across the top and tactics and timing for the entire year in the center. Connection planning is much more fluid.  Sure, you still begin with a basic idea of key messages and audiences, and you know that your list of media and tactics will grow bigger and more complex by the day, but connection planning requires disciplined listening and quickly responding to customer input.

This means that, in connection planning, we have to let customers drive. At Go East we believe that, as marketers, we have to take on the role of the passenger by listening and observing. It’s not about sending messages out; it’s about having a conversation and adapting to feedback and sometimes to the fickle nature of the consumer.

Luckily, today it’s easier than ever to listen to customers through social media channels. If you think about it, it’s really what marketing is all about in its most simple form: identifying a consumer need and then developing a product and/or service to meet that need. It’s listening to the customers first and responding to their needs and wants, rather than trying to predict them.

Ultimately, connection planning requires developing some principles and discipline for how to respond quickly. First, it’s deciding who will respond to consumer comments and questions. And secondly, it’s setting up standards for how to respond in a timely manner. Connection planning is constant. It requires adjusting your plan to consider what you are learning on a frequent basis.

How do you connect with customers?

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St. Paul Minnesota (June 29, 2010) — Go East announces the addition of Alberto González to its creative department. In his role as Interactive Director, Alberto will provide expertise and insightful creative direction to lead the development of interactive services.

Working with New York-based CBS Television, Alberto has designed and launched websites, graphics and multimedia presentations for “CBS Evening News,” “Sunday Morning,” “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “60 Minutes.” He has created award-winning, innovative websites and social media initiatives for a wide range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies, including OfficeMax, Thomson Reuters and Travelers. Executing well over 100 websites in 13 years, he is dedicated to bringing the freshest ideas to the table, all the while keeping the importance of brand and consumer relationships top of mind.

Go East is a design and interactive media firm that turns business ideas into successful marketplace results. Its clients include GE, Target, Smead, United Hospital, Travelers and 3M brands including Post-it®, Thinsulate™ and Scotch-Brite®. For more information about Go East, visit goeastdesign.com.

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Living the brand is an ongoing aspect of full brand management. To live the brand is to strengthen it and to make brand management a part of your culture. How do we at Go East recommend you manage and live your brand?

Assess and align areas that are inconsistent with the brand. Look at all the places where your brand touches people externally: memos, email sign-offs, outgoing voice mail messages and information communicated through your social media strategy. Examine processes and procedures and change those that are inconsistent with your brand position. Identify areas where decisions impacting the brand can be improved.

To intensify brand management throughout the organization, establish principles and guidelines for when, where and how to apply the brand. Create accountability for decisions that affect consumers’ perceptions of the brand. Remind your staff about brand principles and ways to reinforce and build the brand so everyone feels responsible and engaged in brand-building activities. For example, everyone at Go East recently created their own statements about how they live the brand. We all wore the statements, like nametags, throughout the day and talked with others about our part in living the brand.

To monitor the results of your efforts, conduct audits of consumer perceptions. It’s the only way to truly know if you are having the impact you are trying to achieve. Are the attributes that your customers identify the ones you want? Share the findings with staff members so they can celebrate the success of their efforts or hone in on areas that need improvement. Constantly refine your indicators of success and measure again.

To make living the brand fun and rewarding, we at Go East recognize employees who are doing an outstanding job of living the brand. We share examples and celebrate successes. We acknowledge “brand moments” formally by thanking individuals for contributions to building the brand.

It is through all of these efforts that, eventually, managing your brand becomes less work and more a way of life.

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