West Hartford day school engages Viva La Brand

WEST HARTFORD – This month, Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford (SSDS) is rolling out a new logo and website designed to more fully engage parents, students, and alumni and to attract new enrollment. The idea to consider rebranding for the school, which was founded in 1971 and offers a dual Judaic and general studies curriculum from preschool through eighth grade, was first raised two years ago, when Head of School Andrea Kasper had just…

03

Nov 2016

By Laura SheridanPress

Full-service v. speciality agencies: Which one reigns supreme? Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand, is asked to comment

As published in thedrum.com by Lisa Lacy: Like precious snowflakes, each brand and agency is different, so – spoiler alert – there isn’t a definitive across-the-board answer about whether it is best to work with full-service or specialty agencies. In fact, like so many things in life, with the necessary caveats, of course, the ideal arrangement, broadly speaking, may lie in a healthy compromise between the two — or what I’d like to call the…

07

Oct 2016

By Laura SheridanPress

Crain’s Business Feature Article by Laura Sheridan: Get to know integrated marketing 2.0

Marketing buzzwords like contextual marketing, integrated marketing, freemiums, native advertising, retargeting, SoLoMo, and UGC are the latest craze. Why is integrated marketing a buzzword for 2016 and a must do for your business? You probably remember the “old” definition of integrated marketing. It was about promoting a consistent look and feel across media types. It was about using multiple channels such as TV, print, radio and outdoor to market your goods. And, it was the…

09

Jul 2016

By Laura SheridanPress

Plain Dealer taps Viva’s President, Laura Sheridan, for insights on Super Bowl ads

Super Bowl 50 ads: What to watch for in this year’s commercials Actor Willem Dafoe channels Marilyn Monroe in the latest version of Snickers’ Super Bowl 50 “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” spot. Super Bowl 50, between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers, will be played Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016. (Mars Chocolate North America via AP) (Mars Chocolate North America via AP) By Janet H. Cho, The Plain Dealer February 05, 2016 CLEVELAND, Ohio —…

05

Feb 2016

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: The real winner of the Super Bowl

Q: What costs $166,000 per second and can either catapult results or ruin you? A: A thirty-second commercial during this year’s Super Bowl. You’d think business executives who spend that much on airtime would nail making a winner ad. It’s not that easy. What does it take to make an effective ad? Below are some tips. Rate this year’s ads and pick the real game winner. #1: Don’t say it. Show it. Wix.com, the web-site company, launched its first Super…

01

Feb 2016

By Laura SheridanBlog

Crain’s Cleveland Business feature article by Laura Sheridan: Why niche marketers win

You have great products or services but your results are disappointing. Is marketing the problem? Are you trying to be all things to all people? Is your messaging resonating with customers? Is your target audience seeing your advertising? Are you targeting a mass audience when niche marketing is the answer? Even successful companies that sell products with mass appeal often started by selling to a discrete audience. Case in point: the rolling suitcase. Northwest Airlines…

14

Sep 2015

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: Measure twice, cut once

Most of us are familiar with the English proverb, “Measure twice, cut once,” which applied to double checking measurements before cutting something to prevent wasting material. Once you’ve cut a piece of wood and you find that it’s too short, it’s pretty hard to fix. The same principle applies to hiring marketing resources. In the past year, we’ve worked with three companies that have hired marketing resources that they later discovered were “professionals” incapable of…

14

May 2012

By Laura SheridanBlog

Nottingham Spirk Selects Viva La Brand to Lead Branding Efforts

CLEVELAND, OH – May 14, 2012 – Viva La Brand (www.vivalabrand.com), a Cleveland, Ohio-based brand strategy and ad agency search firm, was selected to lead a brand strategy effort for the business innovation firm, Nottingham Spirk (www.nottinghamspirk.com). Nottingham Spirk has developed hundreds of patented products that have generated tens of billions in sales for industry leading businesses and fast-growth entrepreneurial firms. However, many Fortune 500 companies have never heard of this leader in business innovation….

12

May 2012

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: Learn from chocolate?

Happen to see the pink and green CHOC on car bumpers, airplane banners, tweets, and everywhere these past few weeks leading up to Easter? Malley’s, the Cleveland chocolate company, understands the importance of presenting their brand frequently and consistently, particularly when their target audience is in the market for their products. Successfully building a brand requires both creativity and consistency of message. It’s all about differentiating your product or service from all others in a…

09

Apr 2012

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Death by PowerPoint

I can’t do it. I can’t sit through another PowerPoint presentation where the speaker attempts to share 4 hours of information on 30 slides in 20 minutes. And that’s after he starts by apologizing for the hard to read slides. Can you relate? Stop the insanity. Follow these tips and leave your audience wanting to continue the dialog rather than having them leave shaking their head wondering what you were rambling about. Tip #1: Tell…

05

Mar 2012

By Laura SheridanBlog