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Section  - Day 1 & 2 - Creating a Marketing Campaign

SECTION VOCABULARY 

Brainstorm - group discussion to produce ideas or solve problems.
Thumbnail sketches - drawing quick, abbreviated drawings. Usually, they are done very rapidly and with no corrections - you can use any medium, though a pen or pencil is the most common. Thumbnails sketches are usually very small, often only an inch or two high.
Rough sketch - a preliminary sketch of a design or picture
Slogan – a special saying made from a few words that help identify the company or brand. Think Coca-Cola’s ‘The Real Thing’, Nike’s ‘Just Do It’, or Ford’s ‘Built tough’.
Target Audience - a particular group at which a film, book, advertising campaign, etc., is aimed.
Font - A font is a set of printable or displayable text character s in a specific style and size. The type design for a set of fonts is the typeface and variations of this design form the typeface family. ... An outline font is a software typeface that can generate a scalable range of font sizes.
Composition - is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or 'ingredients' in a work of art, as distinct from the subject. ... The term composition means 'putting together' and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing to photography, that is arranged using conscious thought.
Banner ads - are image-based rather than text-based and are a popular form of online advertising. The purpose of banner advertising is to promote a brand and/or to get visitors from the host website to go to the advertiser's website.

The Stages of the Creative Process

1. Preparation: becoming immersed, we become aware that something is not right, we are sensitive to a tension – a gap, a need, an experience that stimulates us to act and pull together resources.

2. Incubation: This stage is not linear, and often involuntary in nature. It happens in the perimeter of our thinking. This is when it is best to do a non-demanding task (not undemanding or too demanding), so as to let your mind ‘chew’ on an idea.

3. Illumination/INSIGHT: the AHA moment, be it thunderous (Big C) or a small chorus (Little C). This is when the idea that was incubating moves from the subconscious to the conscious mind.

4. Verification/EVALUATION: this is where the analytical, convergent thought processes jump into action. Is the idea valid, accurate, of value?

5. Elaboration: This is where we add to and connect our ideas, where we build upon an idea with relevant information and details. (The 99% perspiration of which spoke, after the 1% inspiration.) The creative process is not linear…

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Types of Thought for Brainstorming

Convergent Thinking involves the pulling together of knowledge and resources, and the evaluation or verification of ideas, it is valid and of value, the roots pulling up nutrients and water from the soil.

Divergent Thinking is the reaching up to the sun, the welcoming all ideas, to come up with something new, the branches reaching up to the sky

Section  - Day 3 & 4

Presenting your idea to an audience 

 

1. Know your audience and your audience’s audience.

When presenting a public relations, marketing or advertising pitch, you need to know their business back to front.

Once you’re hired, the client doesn't want to waste time waiting for you to catch-up. You can demonstrate that you know their business back to front, by peppering your pitch with consumer insights. These give you a rounded knowledge of how the brand is perceived.

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My preferred audience insights are:

Brand engagement

Once I know whom I’m talking to, I look at what they care about.

Which part of the brand communications are they engaging with? Are they loyal to the brand, or a fickle buyer that jumps from one product to the next? These are the things that matter.

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Consumer trends

And then, I look at the consumer conversations, to see what topics are trending in the client's industry. Imagine starting off your pitch with…

“Did you know Sam, the big trend to impact the automotive industry in the next 3 months will be hamster power?” That would certainly grab Sam’s attention.

Although if you are going to pull out awesome facts like that, have the data on hand to back-up your claims. Everyone is a cynic!

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Demographics

Who is the brand engaging with? And more importantly, who are they not engaging with? I’ve known some agencies to narrow the demographic to one ideal person, say a 35-year-old bald motorcyclist called Brian. You may not want to be that precise, but by creating a more personal understanding of your audience it helps you create a more targeted strategy.

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2. Don’t forget the competition

Every decision-maker has one eye on what their competitors are doing. I like to give them something to look at, with some competitor analysis. For top of mind awareness, consumers generally think of 5 brands, so I look at the client and their top 4 competitors in detail.

At this point, I’m not trying to copy anything a competitor is doing. Impersonation may be the highest form of flattery, but blatant copying will get you nowhere.

See if anyone is engaging with an audience your potential client is missing. And see what messages they’re using to engage that audience.

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3. Add some campaign analysis

I’ve found there are 3 types of clients in the world.

  • The ones where everything is going perfect (very rare).

  • The ones that know they have a problem, but don’t know what it is (rare).

  • The ones who aren’t even aware there’s a problem (pretty common).
     

By looking at some of their past campaigns, I can discover where they’ve been going wrong, and help suggest improvements.

I tend to look at how the campaign engaged with the audience. Whether consumers took the brand messages and ran with them, or stumbled over what the campaign was trying to say. I also look at campaign sentiment analysis. Just because a campaign went viral, it doesn’t mean it was a success. Sentiment analysis shows how a campaign impacted the audience.

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4. Show off your advertising or PR pitch pizzazz

This is the fun bit. The showstopper. The wow.

If you’re going to win your PR or ad agency pitch, you have to stand out from your competition.

For me, I used creative campaign ideas, music, and voices, to win over clients during the pitching process. But there’s no reason why your analytics can’t impress your clients as well. We all know that engagement is essential for successful social media campaigns. Make sure you engage in the room (or email pitch, if you’re pitching from afar).

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Show off your analytics with awesome visuals, and if you can, add an interactive element to your presentation. If you have access to real-time monitoring, show it off, and ask your client what matters most to them. The Mustr blog post suggests you should act as showrunner. Showrunners are master pitchers, who engage clients in the creative process throughout the pitch. I’ve always found that if a client thinks an idea was partly theirs, then you’re already halfway to selling it to them.

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5. Engage your client’s emotions

Never forget, your advertising or PR pitch is a story that builds a relationship with the client. I imagine them as reality shows, like the X Factor. A contestant could win through talent alone, but often, success is down to who gets the best emotional attachment with the crowd. Emotional engagement works on TV. We know it works in marketing. Now use it to engage your client. Now, I’m not saying you should have a sob story (unless your hamster couldn’t keep the pace), but you should be passionate about your pitching. Tell a story with data that leads your client from the beginning to end. I’ve had clients laugh in presentations, and I’ve had clients cry. Just because you’re in a boardroom, doesn’t mean clients should be bored. With so many agencies to pitch, your client will remember the company that taps into that emotion. And that needs to be you.

 

Go out there and pitch

There you have it. If you work in a PR or advertising agency, presenting pitches can be easy. You just need to do what you do every day in your campaigns. You research, you analyze and you engage.

Section  - Day 5 & 6 - Creating an Effective Advertising Campaign

What Makes You Stand Out From Your Competition?

People come in contact with advertisements from all types of businesses all the time.

So, what will make your potential customers buy your company’s product or service versus going with one of your competitors? That’s what you have to figure out and focus on with your advertisement. Show your potential customers why your business is their number one choice and why they shouldn’t even consider your competitors. Then, there is a good chance that they won’t.

 

What I am talking about here is commonly referred to in marketing circles as the “Unique Selling Proposition.” In his excellent book Reality in Advertising, author Rosser Reeves defines what a USP is:

  1. Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer-not just words, product puffery, or show-window advertising. Each advertisement must say to each reader: “Buy this product, for this specific benefit.”

  2. The proposition must be one the competition cannot or does not offer. It must be unique-either in the brand or in a claim the rest of that particular advertising area does not make.

  3. The proposition must be strong enough to move the masses, i.e., attract new customers as well as potential customers.

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Here are some good examples of products with a clear USP from Wikipedia:

  • Head & Shoulders: “You get rid of dandruff”

  • Anacin “Fast, fast, incredibly fast relief”

  • Domino’s Pizza: “You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less or it’s free.”

  • FedEx: “When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight.”

  • M&Ms: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.”

  • Metropolitan Life: “Get Met. It Pays.”

  • Southwest Airlines: “We are the low-fare airline.”

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Use A Powerful Headline: Grab Their Attention!

People scan things quickly. They come into contact with so many advertisements each day that they can’t possibly read each one. This is why you have to make sure that your advertisement actually grabs and keeps their attention.

You do that with an effective headline. The greatest advertising man in history, David Ogilvy, said “On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” The question you need to ask is “Who are your trying to attract? What would get their attention?”

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The “Call To Action” And Asking Them To Act – Or Not!

Don’t just tell your potential customers about what your company has to offer. Encourage them to take action. Tell them directly to click on your ad, order your product, pay for your service, etc. For example, your “call to action” can encourage people to email you for more information, to fill out a form to find out more about your services, to join your weekly or monthly email newsletter or to purchase your product or service. It could even direct users to click on your ad to take them to your website rather than just looking at the advertisement. You need to use exciting words and persuasive language to give that extra push.

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Make It Seem Urgent, Give Them A Reason To Act NOW!

You don’t want to just plant the seed with your ads, you want people to move forward and do something about your offer NOW.

When people see an ad and think about giving a company a try later, they might actually mean to do so. But, people most often move on with their lives and forget all about the ad and the product that they might have been interested in. Therefore, you have to encourage people to act now rather than later.

You can create this urgency in any number of ways.

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For example, you can make your irresistible offer time-limited. If people see that they only have a set amount of time, such as a few hours or days, to snag an unforgettable deal that they’re already pretty excited about, they will be more likely to make a move now than later. Many people assume that they’ll be able to get the same deal later on. But if they know that they can’t, they’ll be more likely to take the deal now.

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That isn’t the only way of creating a sense of urgency. You can also bring in an upcoming season or event when your product will come in handy to make people buy now. Regardless of how you might choose to do it, it’s important to let your potential clients know that NOW is the time to make a move.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 COMPANIES BEST AD CAMPAIGNS

Section  - Day 7 & 8 - Photography - Location and Studio Shooting

6 IMPORTANT STEPS TO PLANNING A PHOTOSHOOT

 

Dream up a Concept

First, you must determine a concept for your shoot. What’s the story you want to tell? If this shoot is for yourself, whether for fun or for your portfolio, the sky is the limit here. You can do whatever you want. If you struggle to dream up an interesting concept, try answering the following questions.

  1. What are some of your favorite movies, genres, books, etc? Can you style a shoot around that concept?

  2. Is there a location or model that inspires you? What story can you design around those inspirational things?

  3. Is there a story or emotion from your life you want to communicate to the world?

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If this photoshoot is for a client, it’s very important you find out what kind of story they want to tell. How do you find out what they want and need for their shoot? Here are some ideas for communicating with them.

  1. Just chat! Get together and casually talk about what they envision for their photo session. Ask them why they chose you as their photographer. What do they like about your style?

  2. If you’re not so great at winging it, create a survey of questions you want to ask your client. You could send this to your client electronically before you even meet, or go over them in an in-person meeting. I recommend meeting in person if possible. Some people don’t express themselves very fully in writing, plus, meeting in person creates a connection with your client that will help you on the day of your shoot and during sales presentations.

  3. Work with your client to create a visual inspiration board. We’ll talk about that a little later on.

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Decide on a Location

Now that you’ve nailed down a concept for your shoot, you have to come up with the right location. You can either find an existing location or create your own set. This is an easy step for my corporate clients because we usually shoot on-location at their business in Spokane. For portraits, sometimes choosing a location can be challenging. Here are some things to consider when choosing a location.

  1. Does it fit with the story and concept of the shoot?

  2. Do you need a permit?

  3. Does it cost money to use the location and can you pass that cost on to your client?

  4. Will the weather cause issues with your shoot?

  5. Is there natural lighting? What’s the quality of light? Will you need to create your own lighting?

 

Create an Inspiration Board

Chances are, you and/or your client might not know what they want until they see it. At WorkStory, after we meet with our clients, we create an inspiration board via Pinterest showing our ideas and intention for what’s possible for their upcoming shoot. After we present the board to the client, we invite them to be a contributor to the board and ask them to add any photos or concepts they’ve seen that they want for their shoot. We also ask them to clarify what they like about the image, so expectations are clear. Do they like the pose, the lighting, the concept, the styling of the products?

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Model Call 

  1. If you need an experienced model, try looking at a modeling or talent agency.

  2. Connect with models in model and photographer meetup groups on social media.

  3. For personal shoots, you may choose to use your friends for models. Just make sure they are made aware of the terms of the shoot. Do they get a print from the shoot or is this simply for fun? Will their likeness be published online or in print and are they ok with that?

  4. Send out a model call to your client base or friends list. Again, make sure you set some terms upfront and that they are ok with them.

  5. Get a signed model release. Always! Learn more about model releases by clicking here.

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Styling

Styling is an important step that is often skipped, especially if you’re going with a more journalistic style. If you’re truly art directing and creating a dream shoot, styling is important. At WorkStory, we produce a “behind-the-scenes” genuine look at a company, their service, and/or product, and the personalities of their employees. Even though we aren’t going to be styling them into an outrageous look, we still want them to look their best. We take some time to talk about styling during their pre-shoot consultation. We give suggestions for what to wear, what not to wear, how to clean up their workspace to be camera-ready and suggest they have their hair and make-up professionally done.

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For a concept, glamour, fashion, portfolio, and even a regular portrait session, I highly recommend you work with some stylists to really elevate the quality of your images. If you’ve never worked with hair, makeup, wardrobe or prop stylist, try it! Here are some ideas for finding people to work with.

  1. Call a stylist you admire and see if they are available for hire.

  2. Ask your own hair/make-up stylist if they would like to trade services for incredible imagery they can use in their advertising.

  3. Contact a local boutique or designer who has clothing in the style you are looking for and asks if they would like to style your shoot with their clothing. Offer to pay them or trade for images.

  4. Contact a local college and see if you can collaborate with students who need to work on a “real-world” project. Beauty schools, fashion programs, interior design students, etc. all need experience and are dying to get it. Make sure expectations are clearly set. You might need to officially apply to be part of an internship program. Check the laws and rules associated with this in your area or with the specific school you hope to work with.

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Plan Lighting & Execution

Now that you’ve planned everything else, it’s time to make a plan for which gear and lighting techniques you’ll need to use to create the images you’re planning to create. If you only use natural light, you may still need a reflector, scrim or another way to modify the light. Will you need an assistant or two? Whether you’re shooting with available light or creating your own light, here are a few things to consider.

  1. Will you be in a tight space? What constraints will that put on which gear you can use?

  2. Will you be creating images from a specific vantage point? What should you bring to make that happen? A step ladder for bird’s eye view? A blanket or tarp if you need to lay in the dirt?

  3. Will you need wide-angle, macro or a different specialty lens?

  4. Will you need to overpower the sun with a strobe or can you get away with some constant LED lights?

  5. Do you have enough batteries?

  6. Do you need radio triggers, light stands, modifiers, super clamps?

Section  - Day 9 & 10 - Create Posts for Social Media Ads
and Print Poster

Poster Design

Now that you're in this program, you will learn about the proper way to create a design from concept to the finished piece.

Just as there are specific steps that need to be followed in order to bake a cake or change a tire, there is a process when

creating a poster, website, brochure, video, etc. This video below covers the process and set of steps that you need to

follow to create your poster. The steps are:

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Have a solid concept/idea

Have a theme

Think distance

Love space

Use type wisely

Bump up contrast

Keep it simple (this doesn't mean easy)​​

Social Media Post Design

As humans, we can’t help but be visual people. Whether you’re passing a billboard, flipping through a magazine, watching TV or surfing the web. We see content everywhere. But do you remember any of it? Do you remember what that ad was for when scrolling down your social media page? Chances are, if it didn’t catch your attention then you probably won’t remember it. The best thing to do for your brand is to create content that not only stands out but is visually memorable. And the best way to do that? Use our 10 social media graphic design tips.

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Find Your Goal

The first and most important of the graphic design tips when creating social media content is that you need to have a goal. Setting up a goal will be the base in creating your design for your social media content. So let’s figure out what it is that you are trying to do and then let’s make a story out of it. Having a goal will not only help your design for social media content but it will also allow you to tell your message visually. Start by asking yourself a few questions:

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  • What is my purpose for this post?

  • Am I trying to drive sales?

  • Do I want to increase traffic to my website?

  • Am I trying to increase engagement on my page?

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While asking these questions keep in mind your target audience. Make sure you know who your audience is. Research your competitors and your ideal target audience. Below are some research points to consider when targeting your audience:

  • Who are they?

  • Which platforms do they use?

  • Are they desktop users or mobile phone users?

  • What message do I want to convey?

  • How do I want my viewers to feel and what do I want them to do about it?

  • What are they liking/ who are they following?

  • Where do they hang out?

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Once you know your audience, who you want to target and the purpose of your post, you’ll have your goal. Your “WHY” for creating your social media graphic is the first and most important step in this whole process. Everything after this will be chosen to reflect this goal.

It is also good to note that while goals are important, too many goals can cause a busy graphic. Too much text, pictures or fonts can instantly turn your audience off. So now that we havethe first of the graphic design tips down let us move on to color.


Color

Color is one of the most important aspects of any design. It helps to set a mood, create an atmosphere, and can even invoke a memory. With each color having meaning and psychology behind it, finding a color scheme that conveys the emotion you want your audience or brand to associate with, will help to establish consistency. 

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So what does your brand stand for? Is it fun, established, trustworthy, etc.? You want to pick colors that reflect what your brand stands for and you can do that by starting with two to three main colors. Finding your color theme is crucial to the success of a design. Remember that goal you just discovered? Well knowing it will come in handy when using colors in your social media content as this will guide your audience through the story.

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Color is also vital for creating contrast and balance within your social media graphic. Be aware of how certain hues or pairings influence someone’s perception. Steering clear of color combinations that are uncomfortable to see will help your brand in the long run. When colors don’t contrast enough they appear to bleed into one another or when contrast too much they can cause a visual vibration.

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Text

We know words are powerful and some good graphic design tips to keep in mind is that too many words on an image can appear busy to your potential audience (See below). The last thing you want is for your audience to feel overwhelmed. Whether you are creating a graphic for Instagram or Facebook, try to limit your text to one to two liners. You see, these lines will help create an order in the overall image. You can use these lines by incorporating them around blocks of texts. They can also be used as a separator for each element found in an image. Doing so will create a sense of coordination in your design.

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When choosing your font you want to make certain that it projects your message and reflects your brand. Your font has an impact on how your design is interpreted and the message your brand sends across. Similar to color, typography can project moods and emotions and sometimes even more powerful than the copy. So choose wisely when picking a font, it will deliver your tone.

Some graphic design tips to keep in mind when using fonts:

  • Serif fonts are best for print

  • Sans-serif is best for web

  • Limit your design to a maximum of 3 fonts


Good contrast

If you haven’t heard it by now, negative space (also referred to as white space) is great way to make your image stand out. Contrast attracts the eye and can be applied with font, colors, alignment, size and more. How can you contrast an image? A simple way to implement contrast into your graphic design is through the use of colors.

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Text is also an important part of the contrast. Choosing text sizes that contrast well, as mentioned above, will help to make your graphics pop. Creating a flowing design by surrounding words with white space will allow the elements to breathe. The use of space around text, shapes and other elements will make your design easier to read and also attract more attention than a cluttered design. A good rule of thumb is if you have a light-colored background then you should use a dark font (and vice versa).

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Consistency

A core building block of your brand is going to be consistency. If your social media content looks and feels connected, your audience will form a clear understanding of your brand and it’s the message. However, if your content seems sporadic and random, the audience may feel confused and not understand your brand or its message.

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Having established your goal early on this will help your brand work towards a consistent look. Giving your followers a chance to quickly recognize you on their feed. Make sure all the content that you create is consistent with your brand. Always posting content in the same style can be challenging at times but being able to establish a strong brand identity will make it worth it.

When keeping up with consistency make sure that all your designs are cohesive across all platforms. These consistent elements will tie each post together and make your brand easily recognizable!

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An easy way to keep consistency is to take the time to create templates for quick quotes, announcements, promotions or sales. This will make it easy for you and your team to quickly create content. Plus it’ll also make it easier for your social media fans to quickly recognize your brand and further engagement.

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The most important thing to take away from these graphic design tips is that there needs to be consistency so that your followers will associate a certain style/type with you. The idea for consistency is that no matter what social platform your audience is on, they will quickly be able to tell that a graphic is related to your brand.

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Know your platform

Knowing ahead of time what works best with each platform will not only help visually with your audience but will make things easier for you in the long run. Below I’ve listed 5 social platforms and included some tips for each.

  • Facebook

    • Is geared toward the older generation

    • Makes great use of articles and promotions

    • Sizing: 852 x 315 cover photo; 180 x 180 profile picture; 1,200 x 630 regular shared post

  • Instagram

    • Geared toward millennials

    • Lifestyle shoots are great as the platform was built on “lunch and selfies”

    • Sizing: 1080 x 1080 post; 1080 x 1920 stories; 1080 x 1350 portrait; 1080 x 566 landscape; 110 x 110 pixels profile picture.

  • Twitter

    • Great for engagement

    • Great for celebrities

    • Sizing: 1500 x 500 header photo; 400 x 400 profile picture; 900 x 512 post

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Keep it simple (this doesn't mean easy)​​

With all the trends, graphics, and going on it’s always best practice when in doubt; to keep it simple. The most agreed-upon social media graphic design tips are to simply, keep it simple. When working with such a small canvas, such as mobile phones, overcrowding happens too fast. Here are some quick graphic design tips you can use to make sure your content is keeping it simple:

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  • Utilize eye-catching graphics and illustrations

  • Limit font choice to 2 fonts

  • Stick with 2-3 contrasting (or ‘complimentary’) colors

  • Use white space to contrast with a bold element

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It can be easy to get lost and carried away with so many great graphics and fonts to choose from but by reducing clutter you are more likely to get your message across! Make sure each design reflects the message you’re trying to tell. Simple is always best when it comes to graphic design. By helping to reduce clutter you’re more likely to get your message across!

Section Learning Support Links:

Day 1&2
Day 3&4
Day 5&6
Day 7&8
Day 9&10

Section Learning Support Links:

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