Prepare to Stand Out (or, To Stand Out...Prepare!)

Jonah Sandler (L) with
Mike Boyd

Recently I had the opportunity to meet Jonah Sandler, CEO of Scene75 in Dayton, Ohio, which opened in 2012 to great fanfare as the largest indoor entertainment center in the United States.

That fanfare was no accident. It was the result of Sandler’s painstaking planning and carefully crafted marketing plan.

He documents the story in his book, Before the Doors Opened, which explains his journey from would-be corporate executive to innovative entrepreneur. His secret? Sandler used social media to create a viral campaign of word-of-mouth advertising, to the point that Scene75’s Facebook page had more than 20,000 likes before the business had even opened.

It’s a fascinating story. In fact, Jonah’s success with Facebook led to his being invited to speak at Facebook’s Global Sales Meeting in 2013, and to serve on their inaugural Small and Medium Business Council, advising Facebook on the development of its marketing tools.

What’s remarkable is that Jonah used Facebook posts and advertisements to promote his business for several weeks before he ever saw one customer walk through the door. He used those posts and ads to create interest and desire among potential customers, to the point that they were counting the days until Scene75 opened its doors.

Jonah’s story is a sterling example of how important it is to plan ahead, whether it’s in business or in life. Too often we allow ourselves to be tossed around by events that are out of our control, rather than creating our own plan and increasing our chances of success.

To truly stand out, we have to be willing to think and act differently than the rest of the crowd. That’s what Jonah did, and today’s he’s not only running Scene75, he’s busy scouting locations for additional indoor recreation centers. You can bet that, when he decides to expand, those new locations will benefit from the same planning and forward thinking that led to Scene75’s runaway success.

You can order Jonah’s book on Amazon.com. It’s a quick read, only 80 pages. But it’s full of inspiration and wisdom. More important, it’s an example of what a difference planning and determination can make. I recommend it highly.

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source. Clients looking for sign companies in Canton, Ohio

and the surrounding region look to Mike and his staff for creative marketing solutions.

Brand Extension: Turn Your Brand Equity Into New Opportunties for Growth

Much has been said in the world of advertising and marketing over the past 30 years about the concept of brand or line extension. Articles have been written. Books have been sold. Reputations have been made.

First, a word about the concept. Brand extension, sometimes called line extension, is what happens when a company known for a product or service in one category expands into another. Recent examples include such historic brands as Barbasol and Dole. 

Barbasol's line extension increased market share (Perio, Inc.)

For example, over the past decade Barbasol added several variations to its original shave cream (left); eventually, one of those variations, Soothing Aloe, became the most popular. They also branded a new line of pre-shave and after shave lotions, natural extensions of its shaving products. Together with a rebranding in 2013, these moves solidified Barbasol's position of leadership in its product category. 

Likewise, Dole, once known primarily for its canned pineapple, expanded its brand to include such eventual favorites as fruit juice blends and frozen fruit bars. There are numerous other examples of strong brands becoming stronger through brand or line extension.

Even so, to some experts, extending a brand dilutes it. Yet others insist that a well-planned brand extension can lead to greater overall market share. The debate goes on.

For our business at Creative Source, we extended our brand by adding services. We began 20 years ago as a design shop, and for a while took on all sorts of projects. Gradually, we realized that our strength was the design and production of signs, banners and displays, and later we added large-format printing to our list of services.

Installation description from the Creative Source website

Most recently, we’ve taken to doing our own installations as well, adding a service that we believe guarantees the integrity of our work and helps strengthen our relationship with clients. Signs, displays, printing and installations; all are related, and all are integral to who we are as a company.

Brand extension, properly pursued, can open doors to new opportunities for your company. Rather than diminish your capabilities and cloud your identity, brand extension can magnify who you are and what you do. And that can make a significant difference in today’s crowded marketplace.

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source. Clients looking for sign companies in Canton, Ohio

and the surrounding region look to Mike and his staff for creative marketing solutions.

Tips for Buying Business Signs: Some Things Never Change

I recently came across an article that was published more than a decade ago in Entrepreneur magazine, titled “Tips for Buying Business Signs.” Often we focus so much on how things have changed in business that it’s easy to overlook how much they’ve stayed the same.

Indoor signage communicates
a more personalized message,
like building employee morale

As the article quickly points out, signs are used indoors as often as outdoors, whether they’re hung from ceilings, attached to walls, or applied directly to surfaces. While outdoor signs are often more marketing oriented, indoor signs can do things like direct guests, communicate a more personalized message (like at a trade show) or even boost morale.

The materials used for a sign are an important consideration. As the article says, it usually comes down to lettering and types of substrate materials. At the time the article was written, painted signs were already on their way out. Today they’re nearly obsolete, having been replaced by vinyl, raised or engraved lettering.  Signs themselves can be made from materials as diverse as metal, wood, plastic and foam core, depending on the need and location.

A sign company needs to be able to
deliver what you need, on time and on
budget, no matter the challenge

Where the rubber meets the road, as the saying goes, is the design of a sign and how to choose a company that can deliver exactly what you need. In addition to color combinations, the article points out that “factors such as sign height, lighting and time of day can affect how easily the sign can be viewed.”

The article also emphasizes the importance of a sign company being able to provide the sign materials you desire, offer expertise in the planning and placement of signage, and give you the design and creative background necessary to help you achieve maximum impact with your project. Of course, being able to deliver those services at the right price can make all the difference.

Overall, the points made in the article still hold true. It’s important to trust your signs and displays to professionals who can get the job done right, do it on time, and work within your budget. Those are the keys to doing business that will never change.

You can read the entire article in the Entrepreneur article archive.

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source. Clients looking for sign companies in Canton, Ohio

and the surrounding region look to Mike and his staff for creative marketing solutions.

The Color of Money: The Relationship of Color to Marketing Success

Have you ever noticed the colors on the McDonald’s sign? Wendy’s? Burger King? KFC? Or countless other fast food restaurants?

On each of those examples, the dominant colors are red and yellow. And there’s a reason. Years of research about the effect of color on consumers has confirmed that red stimulates the appetite, while yellow is associated with cheerfulness. That’s exactly the combination of emotions those fast-food giants want their customers to experience.

The impact of color cannot be underestimated, particularly as it relates to conveying an effective marketing message.

Think about how some of the world’s other top brands use color. Coca-Cola is the prime example. A brand leader for more than a century, Coca-Cola and red are synonymous. The link to energy, appetite, passion and activity make red the perfect choice for Coke.

Likewise, John Deere and green are an ideal match, not only because of green’s association with nature, but also because it has come to represent care and concern for the environment. John Deere does more than make tractors and mowers and other tools; it helps us take care of the great outdoors.

And then there’s Google, with its understated, multi-color logo. That’s exactly what you want when you represent all things to all people. No matter what you’re looking for, or what you’re in the mood for, Google can help. Its representation of the rainbow in its logo helps convey that.

How about you? Have you ever considered how color affects the relationship consumers have with your brand?

Whether you’re creating a logo, interior or exterior signage, a banner, or a display, the colors you select—and how you incorporate them into your design—can make all the difference between being noticed and being just another voice in a noisy world.

The research I referred to earlier uncovered all sorts of fascinating information. For example, 85 percent of consumers cite color as the primary reason why they buy. Whether it’s a car, a dress, lawn furniture or just the design of an advertisement, color makes a huge difference.

Men and women have different tastes when it comes to color. Men overwhelmingly prefer blue. Women like it, too, but they also favor purple nearly as much. That’s why a lot of perfumes and cosmetics use purple in branding and packaging, while power tool manufacturers don’t.

There’s much more, of course, but the examples I’ve cited illustrate how the proper use of color can heighten awareness among your target customers and help your brand stand out.

Once you’ve decided on a primary color or colors, it’s important to use them on all of your branding materials: Logos, business cards, stationary, brochures, your website, your Facebook page, specialty items like pens and mugs, and anything else where your brand will appear. That includes signs, banners and displays—items we deal with on a daily basis in our industry.

Color is a powerful thing. It changed movies, the television industry and even our daily newspapers. Once upon a time, the world was largely a black-and-white place. Color made it come alive.

Used correctly, it can do the same thing for your company, and your brand. 

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source. Clients looking for sign companies in Canton, Ohio

and the surrounding region look to Mike and his staff for creative marketing solutions.

See the Possibilities, Not the Problems, and Stand Out from the Competition

Are you ready for anything?

It’s a question worth asking. More often than not, “anything” comes along when we least expect it.

Recently a client of ours was faced with that reality. His company had struck a deal with a national distributor to place product displays in the stores of a major chain. At the eleventh hour, despite a thorough process of testing, and having had input on the design, the distributor cited an unexpected concern and backed out of the deal.

The effect could have been devastating. My colleague’s company had changed the dimensions of their display specifically to suit the store chain’s requirements. They had thousands of displays already completed and ready to go—but nowhere to place them. They were facing the prospect of a severe financial loss.

Then along came another national store chain—this time, with no distributor in the middle. They loved the displays and said the new dimensions were perfect for their shelves. The two parties came to an agreement, and my colleague’s company had an even better deal than before.

Too often, we look at a negative event as if the window of opportunity has been forever closed. The reality, however, is that most of the time when one door closes another opens, and a new opportunity is born. Many times, that new opportunity is better than the one that came before.

I’ve mentioned before how Dave Hess and I were both designers when we started Creative Source. As the business grew, client demands created tighter and tighter deadlines, and we found it increasingly difficult to get things printed on time. So we invested in our own printing equipment. And that led to a change in our business; today, we work with some of the leading advertising agencies and corporate marketing departments in the region, helping their designers by printing and installing the signs, displays, decals and other graphic productions they create.

Today, our business is much different than the one Dave and I began with almost two decades ago, but it’s also a much better one.

Have you experienced what you thought was a major setback? Lost a customer? Watched as a deal fell apart right before your eyes?

Put it behind you. Look for the opportunities that lie in the road just ahead. What you choose to do in the face of adversity will make a profound difference, and may just help you stand out from your competition in ways you never expected.

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source. Clients looking for sign companies in Canton, Ohio

and the surrounding region look to Mike and his staff for creative marketing solutions.

Floor Your Customers with the Right Graphics in the Right Place

The key to more sales may be right under your feet. And everybody else’s.

I’m talking about floor decals, and here’s why.

I recently read about a new phenomenon that doctors are calling “iSlouch.” No kidding; people are hunched over so much, looking at their smart phones and other electronic devices, that it’s leading to back and neck problems.

Doctors are also warning their patients that so much time spent looking down at their techno-gadgets can shorten the neck muscles, increase the gravitational pull on the jowl area, and result in a drooping jawline—what’s being called a “smartphone face.”

Now, I’m not here to prescribe medical solutions for millions of Americans who are exhibiting these habits. What I am here to suggest is that this phenomenon represents an opportunity. If people are looking down so much, why not put your message where they’ll see it?

Floor decals are an often-overlooked method of displaying a name, logo, brand or message. They’re made of durable, slip- and scuff-resistant vinyl that holds up well under foot traffic and prominently displays your message right where people are looking: Down. They’re colorful and creative and can be made in a variety of sizes and shapes.

No, I’m not trying to add another new condition (decal droop, perhaps?) to the list. But the fact is, people are looking down more. Why not put your message there?

Next time you’re out, look at the people all around you, and see for yourself why floor decals could be just the thing to help you stand out in the marketplace.

‘Everywhere a Sign’ – So Make Yours Stand Out

Banners, signs and displays are everywhere—but are people getting the message?

Have you ever been driving down the road and spotted a sign with so many words on it that you don’t know where to begin reading?

You glance over, decide “I can’t read all that!” and turn your attention back to the road in front of you.

The sign might have been colorful, or contained a strong visual—maybe a photo, or a logo. But, because it tried to do too much, the message got lost.

We see it all the time in our business.

It’s been estimated that we’re bombarded with 2,000 images a day. In larger cities like New York, that number jumps to as many as 5,000. Sides of buses. Floors. Windows. Pens. Receipts. Websites. Shopping bags. You name it—if there’s space available, it probably has a sign or an image or an advertisement on it.

We’re battling sensory overload. That’s why, when it comes to your banners, signs and displays, it’s important to communicate quickly and clearly.

On one hand, the “tricks of the trade” aren’t tricks at all. They’re common sense. Shape, size, color and location all affect visibility. Ignore any one of them, and you’ve got problems.

Likewise, the font you choose, and the size you make it, affect readability.

On the other hand, you’d be surprised at the number of companies that take a do-it-yourself approach when it comes to graphically displaying their message. Knowing what message you want to convey is one thing; knowing how to do it effectively is another.

At Creative Source, we pride ourselves in being experts in the creation and printing of banners, signs and displays that cut through the clutter and reach your intended audience. We’ve been in the business for 30 years and know what works and why.

Standing out and getting your message noticed doesn’t have to be a mystery. It just has to be done right.

With so many messages competing for our attention every day, that can make all the difference.

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source. Clients looking for sign companies in Canton, Ohio

and the surrounding region look to Mike and his staff for creative marketing solutions.