Recently, we worked with HeimLantz of Annapolis and Alexandria to define a new corporate identity for their brand. You can see what their old site looked like in this image.

From Old:

Former website for heimlantz.com

They gave us the freedom to work our magic to design based on the needs of their target audience. We created a new brand identity from an updated logo to signage, print collateral and a website. Take a look below, click images to see larger size.

To New

Partners at HeimLantz in Annapolis, MD with new wall signage

Corporate identity for HeimLantz

Brochure for HeimLantz’s Alexandria location.

HeimLantz.com

People love to be recognized as experts. This means you should tap the expertise of your customers. Ask them their opinions and reward them for it. They’ll appreciate you for realizing that they are experts and they’ll be free with their words of wisdom for you. Not only will you win another sale, you’ll increase the chances of them engaging in word of mouth marketing for you.

Many marketers offer incentives in order to gain ambassadors. By asking and appreciating their opinions, they’ll do the work for you on their own. By trusting in them, they’ll show their gratitude by buying more and recommending your products or services on the street and online.

Recently, we let you know about a new account win for The Cyphers Agency: Severn Savings Bank.

In order to meet 2010 benchmarks, Severn Savings Bank is looking to increase their loan portfolio and number of deposits over the next 9 months. After listening to their needs, accompanied by in depth market and local research, The Cyphers Agency will conduct 2 separate advertising campaigns. Each will attract different consumer bases: individuals 45-60 and individuals 25-44.

Overall, we look to position Severn Savings Bank as a local financial institution that offers peace of mind for those looking for a smarter banking relationships. Through a complete brand development campaign, the tag line,”It’s Safe Here” helps address consumer fears about making poor banking choices, while the tag line “Toobigaphobia: Fear of Big Banks” with accompanying imagery speaks directly to that fear.

To break it down further, we will approach our audiences with two different ad messages. Our first audience, which is comprised of individuals 45-60, need a local bank that they can trust: personal attention and a true relationship with their relationship manager. “Think of it as a Financial Kinship,” if you will.

The second audience, individuals 25-44 are looking for something a little different. They require a local bank with real people, but they need more than that. Since this audience is always “on-the-go” and quite tech saavy, they search for accessibility and online convenience in a financial relationship. They need “Online Banking with a Pulse.

If you haven’t heard, Toyota has recently been hard at work cleaning up the mess of its 2.3 million vehicle recall. While it is potentially devastating for Toyota, whose entire brand image has been based on vehicle reliability, it led for some pretty opportunistic moments for others in the auto industry.

Hardly anyone took advantage, but GM stepped up to the plate with an awesome incentive program that helped capture what would otherwise be some pretty loyal Toyota consumers. The best part about GM’s plan is that they didn’t alter their positioning at all. They haven’t made any new promises or changed their advertising. They simply allow Toyota owners (who terminate their Toyota lease, of course) to get up to $1,000 off a new or leased GM vehicle: a pretty good incentive for making the switch. Toyota’s fumble couldn’t have come at a better time for a company like GM; it has allowed them to really push their own promises of reliability and quality to a very tuned in audience with a specific set of needs. So whether or not Toyota is handling their recall the right way is almost beside the point; GM has stepped in at exactly the right time to take advantage of their competitor’s weakness.

As far as any business goes, it is important for your company to be able to handle problems and crises with foresight and grace, but it is just as important to know what is going on beyond your company. Keeping tabs on your industry and your competitors can bring advantageous opportunities to really reach your audience.

Yesterday, as I walked into work with our creative director, my attention was brought to a pile of phone books lying on the ground beneath our mailbox. Darren, our CD, noted that they were for our office complex to use, but that they had been sitting there for about a year. A YEAR!

The nearly untouched pile of phone books got our minds turning. How long ago was it that EVERYONE wanted a spot in the Yellow Pages? It was one of the best tools to use in any print campaign.

We don’t mean to continually beat it into the ground, but times are changing. Web 2.0 is happening. It’s no longer the way of the future. Need a number? Google it. Need to find a company? Google it. Advertisers need to step up and embrace new mediums to really meet their customers.

We also don’t mean for you or your company to jump the metaphorical traditional advertising ship. Not at all. Print media is still relevant and can have a place in an advertising campaign. We’re just saying that it can’t be the only weapon in your arsenal. And more than anything, we believe in integration: using the right tools for the right audience, mixing necessary mediums.

So if you are one of those people or companies that is stuck in that traditional mindset of only using print advertising, you better step up your game and embrace new ways of communication. Because if you don’t, you’ll get left behind, just like the pile of untouched phone books sitting on the cold, hard ground outside of our office.