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Ads we love: Green technology edition

Posted on September 14, 2010 by admin

Love this ad – so simple and so well done. A subtle logo and model name at the end would have been much better though – the car shot is overkill and detracts from an otherwise excellent spot.

Here’s the print ad:

Posted in Design, Ideas, Writing | Tagged green advertising, green energy, toyota | Comments Off

Our take on “digital” marketing

Posted on September 14, 2010 by admin

The lines between ‘traditional’ and ‘digital’ marketing are becoming increasingly blurred. Our conversations happen at tradeshows and conferences, but they also take place on Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn. We watch video and advertisements on our computers and smartphones – not just on our televisions. We read newsletters and reports by holding the paper in our hands… or by holding the iPad in our lap.

It doesn’t make sense to develop our marketing programs in isolation from each other anymore. Great marketing will work across platforms, and great economic development marketing is rooted in a region’s ambitions for attracting investment and opportunity.

Posted in Ideas, On Three | Comments Off

How EDAC increased their email open rate by 90%

Posted on August 28, 2010 by admin

What’s the difference between this:

(Version A)

And this?

(Version B)

Well, when it comes to getting people to click on a link, the first email increases the likelihood that they will click by over 100%. But why? Continue reading →

Posted in Economic Development, Email Marketing, Ideas, On Three | Tagged 3mail, A/B testing, click rates, email campaigns, Email Marketing, open rates | Comments Off

Getting started in economic development marketing

Posted on August 17, 2010 by admin

We’ve compiled a “best of” list to help those that are new to economic development marketing. Some of our most popular posts on the subject are summarized below. We hope you find them helpful!

Be Specific in Your Messaging: Why “Live, Work, Play” and other clichés will harm your marketing efforts.
Does Your Economic Development Website Speak Effectively to Site Selectors?: Highlights from a US-based study of site selectors regarding their frustrations and preferences when it comes to ec dev web properties.
8 Tips for Getting Started with Social Media and Email: As more economic developers embrace new social tools, it is important to realize that when it comes to these new marketing channels, the old rules simply don’t apply. Here are 8 tips that cover ideas, etiquette and advice for getting started.
Has Branding Become a Dirty Word? Our most popular EDAC White Paper, where we explore myths and misconceptions about place branding.
Branding a City: One of our very first blog posts, this one covers off why place branding is different, and more complex, than other types of branding.
Place Branding Inspiration Gallery: Over the years, we’ve reviewed quite a few logos and re-branding efforts from cities and regions around the world. Here are 7 posts to get you thinking about your own visual identity and branding program.

Have you subscribed to our RSS feed yet? Grab the feed here.

Posted in Branding, Design, Economic Development, Email Marketing, Ideas, On Three, Social Media, Writing | Tagged city branding, economic development marketing, getting started with marketing, how to market regions, marketing how-to, place branding | Comments Off

Canadian Goverment: A for effort, C- for impact

Posted on August 8, 2010 by admin

During the month of July, the Canadian government used interactive social media displays to appeal to busy Americans in New York, Chicago and LA. The concept was to present real-time “tweets” about travels and vacations in Canada on giant screens in the middle of these US cities. Passerbys were encouraged to touch and interact with the walls, reading “tweets” from Canadian travelers and viewing their photos. You can see a video of the wall in action below:

My reaction when I saw this was “Neat!” And it is. It’s a really different and interesting concept, and a surprisingly hip little move on the part of the Canadian government (for which they should be applauded). That said, I’m skeptical about how effective it will be. Surely the American passerbys will also think it is neat, but will some random tweets and photos be enough to lure their tourist dollars to Canada? Or will they simply say “neat” and carry on with their lives? The displays ran until the end of July, so time will tell if they had any measurable impact.

You can learn more here.

Posted in Economic Development, Ideas, Social Media | Tagged canadian tourism, interactive displays, Social Media, Twitter tourism, twitter wall, U.S. tourists in Canada | Comments Off

Ads we love: August 7, 2010

Posted on August 7, 2010 by admin

Time for another round-up of great ads.

First: These clever spots for Pilot Extrafine pens…

Next up, Samsung hits below the belt in this clever ad that plays on the very public reception issues with the iPhone 4:

And finally from Ikea, some excellent ads for their assembly service. Having personally just assembled some IKEA furniture, these ads hit their mark.