Featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business by Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand: With supply chain issues, inflation and staffing shortages, it’s time to re-evaluate your advertising plan

Marketers are in a pickle. The pandemic has created new challenges as everyone’s trying to grow their brands while not disappointing their customers. Supply chain, inflation and staffing shortages require a reexamination of your advertising program. Another layer of complexity is the fact that people hate ads! As advertisers bombard consumers across platforms like TikTok, Facebook, television, billboards and more, consumers are trying to avoid them, signing up for ad blockers and subscription services. We’re…

13

Dec 2021

By Laura SheridanPress

Featured in Crain’s by Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand: With supply chain issues, inflation and staffing shortages, it’s time to re-evaluate your advertising plan

Marketers are in a pickle. The pandemic has created new challenges as everyone’s trying to grow their brands while not disappointing their customers. Supply chain, inflation and staffing shortages require a reexamination of your advertising program. Another layer of complexity is the fact that people hate ads! As advertisers bombard consumers across platforms like TikTok, Facebook, television, billboards and more, consumers are trying to avoid them, signing up for ad blockers and subscription services. We’re…

13

Dec 2021

By Laura SheridanUncategorized

2022 Marketing Planning: 8 Tips

We’re in the thick of the planning season. Here are eight tips to enhance your marketing plan. Tip #1: Know thy customer.It’s easy to post on social media. It’s hard to deeply understand your customers to ensure you’re posting where and what they care about. It’s easy to spend money on ads. It’s hard to create a value proposition that differentiates your brand in a relevant, compelling, and meaningful way. It all starts with understanding your…

20

Nov 2021

By Laura SheridanBlog

Featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business by Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand: Do’s & Don’ts of Social Media Marketing

The role of social media marketing in your business plan is important. But how do you determine what to do and how to do it? Keep these things in mind: DO work backward Why is social media part of your marketing plan? Like all business planning, start at the end by defining what success looks like. What metrics do you need to achieve for social media to be an integral part of your marketing program?…

04

Oct 2021

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva La Brand Kicks off 15th Year with a Story

Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand, remembers her first meeting with her first prospect after launching Viva La Brand. It was a flop. She arrived at the meeting with a one-pager with no white space and way too many words. The one-pager was a list of every possible service Viva La Brand could offer. Fifteen years later, Laura and her amazing team, arrive at meetings empty-handed but loaded with questions to learn about the…

29

Sep 2021

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: Stop fighting your customers!

What do IKEA and Madewell have in common? They both adjusted their strategy to embrace evolving consumer trends. Understanding customer preferences, even when at first glance they appear to be bad for your brand, is key to winning. Here are two brand success stories about bold marketers that used the latest consumer trends to guide their business strategy. CASE-IN-POINT #1: IKEA & IKEA Hacking Last August, a 31-year old executive assistant was sick of her “cheap…

31

Aug 2021

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Bold Moves: Learn from Victoria’s Secret

Victoria’s Secret ditched its supermodels for role models. Angels are out, trailblazers are in. The lingerie brand had been criticized for a lack of inclusivity and its slow response to consumer attitudes. Bold moves were required to change their trajectory. There’s a lot to learn from the lingerie retailer’s makeover. Lesson #1: New marketing talent may be required.Victoria’s Secret hired a new CEO in November along with three other new executives to help turn the…

23

Jun 2021

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: [Marketing Trends] New Ad-Less Platforms

Consumers are more skeptical of paid advertising than ever before. According to a study commissioned by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, 94% of consumers don’t trust ads. Ouch. New ad-less platforms have emerged that let consumers directly control the content they absorb and let creators connect directly with their audiences. And, they’re incredibly popular right now. These platforms are all about sharing knowledge, educating others and learning together. They present a huge opportunity for…

21

Apr 2021

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Learn from these Super Bowl ad fumbles

Tom Brady wins again. The Weeknd flies solo. And, advertisers blow a lot of cash. There’s a lot to learn from this year’s Super Bowl. JEEP So much went wrong with Jeep’s two-minute ballad to the world. It started with attempting to tout a message of unity via the use of Christian imagery and the sentiment of peace in the wake of the January 6th Capitol raid. Viewers didn’t buy it. Then, yesterday, it was…

12

Feb 2021

By Laura SheridanBlog