Lessons Learned from Hard Rock

Everyone month, the staff at Finn Digital attends the BMA Milwaukee's meeting and networking.

Today, the featured speaker was Sean Dee, VP and Chief Marketing Officer at Hard Rock. He was able to detail for us not only the history of Hard Rock but also the "rebranding" after his arrival at the company in 2004.

Some key takeaways from his presentation:

Be curious about your brand and your consumers. Companies need to be aware of how your brand is being perceived by both your competitors and your consumers. Sometimes our perceptions don't fall into line with the desired marketing message.

Have an authentic story to tell. Yes, we all have a corporate "branding statement" for our organization, but does it come from the board room? Consumers need to know that the company's message and mission are not just some generated catch-phrase but a values statement that reflects the core of the company's philosophy.

Innovate relentlessly... keep the story fresh. Companies and brand may not want to "evolve" over time, but our consumers' needs do. By constantly being aware of the brand's presence and stretching the boundaries, it gives the consumers a reason to keep coming back for more. More importantly, having your core consumers be a part of the conversation keeps the brand relevant.

Enlist brand ambassadors--your employees. Sure, you can pay for advertising and corporate mascots and celebrity endorsements, but if your core investors--your employees--don't buy into the company, brand, and products/services, it's like building a house of cards on sand. If your staff believes in the brand, they will provide the best word-of-mouth for your clients and customers.

Give back and contribute to the culture. No matter how much name recognition you have, how much money the company generates, or how much publicity your advertising gets for you, your best intentions don't mean much if you can't be a positive force in your community. While it may be hard in economic times to give back, at the end of the day, actions speak louder than any ad.

Remember that awareness leads to affinity, which leads to action. Isn't that we're all looking for when it comes to marketing?

-Tiff P.
Media Project Manager

Social Marketing on the Web

Lately our clients have been asking us about how to get into the "social networking" arena.

While most companies will create blogs (similar to what Finn Digital has here), it's more than just having a presence on the popular social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook.

We've compiled some of the latest research into Social Network Marketing into a downloadable document: Social Marketing Research

We also recommend checking out the following links:

A list of white label social networking platforms

A complete list of the Many Forms of Web Marketing for 2008.

For more information on how to leverage Social Networking marketing for your brand, feel free to contact us anytime!

-Tiff P.
Media Project Manager