Viva’s Blog: What color is your hammock?

Meditation hammocks. Sensory deprivation pods. These are the latest meditation practices gaining traction from coast to coast. Why are yoga studios and five-star spas like Miraval Resort in Arizona adding meditation hammocks and wellness centers offering sensory deprivation pods? What can marketers learn from them? Learning #1: Listen. Fitness studios converted yoga rooms into meditation centers because they listened to their members quip about stress and lack of “me time”. Their members didn’t ask, “Where are your hammocks?”…

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Mar 2016

By Laura SheridanBlog

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 —…

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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…

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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…

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Sep 2015

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: Gamification: Time to play?

Gamification, the use of game mechanics and design techniques to motivate people to achieve a particular goal or task, has emerged as a powerful marketing tool. Savvy business leaders use it as a customer acquisition and retention tool as well as a workplace solution to train employees, encourage collaboration and drive innovation. The power of gamification is huge as it addresses major trends: the coming of age of Generation Y (the generation born in the…

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May 2014

By Laura SheridanBlog

Nationally Recognized Brand Strategist, Laura Sheridan, is Speaking at Legal Marketing Association’s Legal Practice Development Institute

Viva La Brand’s President, Laura Sheridan, will share brand-building tips at LMA of Ohio and Columbus Bar Association’s development institute October 23, 2013. CLEVELAND, OH – June 11, 2013 – Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand, a Cleveland, Ohio-based brand strategy and ad agency search firm, was selected to speak at the Legal Marketing Association and Columbus Bar Association’s Legal Practice Development Institute on October 23, 2013 in Columbus, OH. An expert on leveraging…

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Jun 2013

By Laura SheridanPress

Viva’s Blog: Learn from the Olympics

The Olympics were a big winner for NBC and their viewers. There’s a lot to learn from their success. A sample of 50 random people provided these reasons for loving the ultimate contest between athletes. Reason #1: They were fresh. Nielsen reports a decline in overall TV viewing. Viewers are bored with reality TV, spin-offs of dramas, and 24-hour news shows, and are shifting their attention to the Internet. Enter the Olympics. Viewership records were…

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Aug 2012

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Think like a customer

It’s not hard and the benefits are enormous. Just think how we “smart” business people make lives miserable for our customers… Ever need to find a serial number for a broken printer and have to just about stand on your head to read the minuscule 10-digit code that’s under the printer? How about trying to read the recommended inflation level that’s oh so subtly etched on your tires? Or, my new favorite is about the…

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Jul 2012

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Why you?

That’s right. Why you? Why should anyone fork over their hard earned cash for what you have to offer when it’s pretty likely they can find a similar thing elsewhere for less. That’s the million dollar question savvy marketers answer early on in their business. A category of one. It’s all about creating a category of one. When you differentiate your brand in a manner that’s meaningful and relevant to your target audience, then you’re…

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Jun 2012

By Laura SheridanBlog

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…

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May 2012

By Laura SheridanBlog