Crain’s Feature Article by Laura Sheridan: What do you call your customer?

Published in Crain’s Cleveland Business December 1, 2018 What do you call your customer? Ever wonder why Disney calls them “guests,” Costco calls them “members” and Ritz-Carlton calls them “ladies and gentlemen”? It’s not by accident or a casual decision. Most businesspeople know to use the same logo on every ad and marketing piece. Why should language be any different? Many companies fall short on keeping their words and messaging consistent when describing the experiences…

01

Dec 2018

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: 2019 Marketing Planning Checklist

Kicking off your 2019 marketing planning? Here are 10 key considerations: #1: Identify the “job” you’re doing for your customers. If you don’t know, conduct research. Gather the data you’ll need to develop messaging, pick media types, and create content that’s relevant and valuable to your customer. Drafting a marketing plan without understanding your customer is like buying shoes for a friend without knowing their taste, size and plan for wearing the shoes. Clay Christensen,…

06

Nov 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva La Brand Celebrates 11th Anniversary by Honoring Its Clients

Cleveland-based brand and marketing strategy powerhouse celebrates its 11th anniversary by reflecting on its growing list of purposeful clients. Viva La Brand, the Cleveland, Ohio-based marketing strategy and ad agency search firm, is starting its 12th year by reflecting on the work it has done with clients large and small across a huge variety of industries. “Kicking off our 12th year in business is a great time to salute our amazing clients who have enabled us…

25

Sep 2018

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: When will the Browns win that 1st game?

“Victory Fridges” have been installed in 10 Cleveland-area bars. Using smart technology, they will simultaneously unlock when the team wins their first game. It’s a clever marketing stunt that benefits Bud Light, the Browns, local bars, and long-suffering Cleveland Browns fans. There’s a lot for savvy marketers to learn from Bud Light’s latest trick. Win #1: Involve your customer. Customer loyalty is key to sustaining a business. Consumers have so many options today that brands have to…

22

Aug 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog

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…

04

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”…

03

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…

26

Mar 2018

By Laura SheridanBlog

orthobrain Selects Viva La Brand as its Brand & Marketing Strategy Firm

Viva La Brand, a Cleveland, Ohio-based brand strategy and ad agency search firm, was selected to help lead the brand development and marketing strategy for orthobrain, an entirely new approach for general dentists to provide orthodontics in their office. Dr. Dan German founded orthobrain after practicing orthodontics for twenty-five years. Throughout his career he eagerly shared his knowledge, insight and diagnoses, treatment plans, and appliance design, with specialists and general practitioners. He created orthobrain, a…

04

Jan 2018

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: 7 Tips to Improve Your 2018 Marketing Plan

Without customers, your business will die. Without marketing, customers and prospects may not be aware of how you can help them. Without a really smart marketing plan, how can you ensure your marketing activities are reaching the right people, delivering the right message, and using the right media approach to achieve your business objectives? Incorporate these tips into your marketing planning process and you’re more likely to reach your goals. Tip #1: Start with your business goals. Marketing’s job…

29

Nov 2017

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Are you data-rich but insights poor?

Great data is crucial to understanding your customer. However, data alone won’t result in a win for your brand. Data are the raw materials needed to produce insights, the heart of effective advertising. It’s insights that enable you to develop messaging to create an emotional connection with your customer. So, once you have the data to develop insights, how do you determine if the insights are GREAT? Here are examples of companies that have used data to…

31

Oct 2017

By Laura SheridanBlog