Featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business by Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand: Five hacks to connect with your customers

Really understanding your customers is fundamental to realizing the greatest return on investment from your marketing and advertising. Here are five hacks to uncover insights that enable you to connect with them. Hack No. 1: Conduct primary customer research. You need to hear from your most loyal customers, your least loyal customers, your newest customers and your most profitable customers. Call them. Better yet, engage a third-party research firm to interview them. A third-party firm will…

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May 2022

By Laura SheridanPress

4 tips for working with an Ad Agency

I started my career working at some of the best ad agencies in the world. Then I switched to the “client side” where I engaged numerous advertising, digital, and public relations agencies. I’ve learned a few things that enable me to help our clients hire the right agency, produce the best outcomes, and create long-lasting relationships. Unfortunately, many clients have come to Viva La Brand with stories of failed agency relationships. These failed relationships are stressful,…

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Mar 2022

By Laura SheridanBlog

Your Super Bowl Ad Cheat Sheet

It’s 5 days until the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams faceoff in Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI. This year, the NFL is giving Super Bowl attendees free NFTs that commemorate their tickets and serve as digital keepsakes. Also for the first time, there are five headliners for the Super Bowl halftime show – Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. 37 total advertisers will go for the ring Thirty-seven advertisers…

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Feb 2022

By Laura SheridanBlog

Published in Crain’s by Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand: Consumers have changed how they shop, work and live; marketing must change, too.

COVID-19 has changed consumer behavior. At-home working, at-home entertainment and at-home dining have necessitated a change in shopping and buying that many analysts predict will remain for the long term. Maintaining the same marketing strategies that worked prior to the pandemic likely won’t yield the same results going forward. If you’re committed to building long-term relationships with your customers, then you must pause and ask: What can we do to ensure our brand stays relevant…

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Nov 2020

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: 8 Fun Facts About This Year’s Super Bowl Ads

[4 minute read] Ready for advertisers’ biggest night of the year? The Super Bowl ads that air on Sunday will go viral, make us laugh, and may even win Emmys. Last year, 111 million viewers watched “the show”. The next biggest event was the Oscars at 33 million. Be in the know on Sunday with these 8 fun facts: Fact #1: A steal at $5 million. A 30-second spot in this year’s edition of the…

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Jan 2019

By Laura SheridanBlog

decantU selects Viva La Brand as its Brand & Marketing Strategy Firm

Cleveland-based brand strategy firm is retained by decantU, the Wine & Wellness Experience firm. Viva La Brand, the Cleveland, Ohio-based brand strategy and ad agency search firm, has been selected to help lead the brand development and marketing strategy for decantU, the host of interactive wine & wellness experiences. decantU Founder, Meredith Griffin, started her career as a sports performance coach and college wellness instructor for Maricopa Community Colleges. With a passion for wine and…

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Jan 2019

By Laura SheridanPress

Your Marketing Questions – Answered

As published in the Summer 2018 issue of HaYidion: In my experience working with two-dozen Jewish day schools across North America to drive enrollment and improve retention, I’ve learned this: marketing a Jewish day school in 2018 is hard. You have multiple target audiences, from educators and administrators to board members, parents, alumni and students. You have a product that requires continuous improvement to stay competitive. You have limited time, talent and money. And you…

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Jun 2018

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: How’s your personal brand?

You manage your finances. You manage your business. What about your personal brand? What do Oprah, Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandburg and Ellen DeGeneres have in common? It’s not just wealth, millions of Twitter and Instagram followers, and countless endorsement deals, it’s also a mastery of personal branding. Personal branding isn’t just for the rich and famous. Everyone has a personal brand. As Tom Peters, management consulting guru and the inventor of the phrase “Personal Brand”…

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May 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: March Madness: Marketers Tune In

The NCAA dominates the month of March with the college basketball tournament. The highly promoted event isn’t just huge for sports fans. Marketers from all industries use this cult-like attraction as an avenue to catapult their brand visibility. March Madness offers brands a center-stage platform for integrating themselves into the tournament through paid ads in online and offline media outlets, social media conversations, branded placements, and experiential events. March Madness is a business – a…

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Mar 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Customers crave simplicity: Do you deliver?

Consumers today have more choices than ever and are bombarded by sophisticated solutions to their problems. However, no matter how advanced technology becomes, customers prefer simple solutions. According to the newly released Global Brand Simplicity Index study: Simplicity earns a premium: 64% of consumers are willing to pay more for simpler experiences. Simplicity builds loyalty: 69% of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand because it’s simple. HAPPY BELLY GETS IT Familiar with Happy Belly,…

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Aug 2017

By Laura SheridanBlog

advertising strategy