Brands who act more human—who are relatable and have a personality that people genuinely like—are the ones who are winning today. How human is your brand? Does it act and behave like a person would, or does it come across as a cold and boring company? There’s a trick that we use when defining a […]
Imagine if John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote great songs, with story, melody and the right words. Then imagine that they went into the studio, recorded an “okay” take, called it a day and went to the pub. The point is, if your marketing efforts aren’t delivering the results you’re looking for, maybe you should […]
We’re a direct marketing and creative agency located in Kansas City, right here in the heart of the country. We consider ourselves a ‘hybrid’ agency. We combine the data-driven science of catalogs and direct marketing, and mesh that with the seductive storytelling of advertising and branding. It’s the best of both worlds.
Recent studies in neuroscience have proven that all human beings have certain things in common. Our brains are hardwired to react to certain stimuli in the same way. These “Basic Human Truths” have implications on how to market to people. We’ve compiled a list of FIVE that I’d like to share with you.
Why do you think so many digitally native brands are suddenly discovering print? Print is still the best ‘proactive’ method of getting your message in front of people. Studies show it’s far more memorable than a digital message read on a screen – people remember things far better when they’ve held it in their hands […]
Is there a clear difference between your brand and the competition? If people compare your brand to the other guys and they can’t tell the difference, the only thing left to consider is price. Join J.Schmid President Brent Niemuth with a branding lesson from Napa Valley.
Too many brands make us feel indifferent. Or feel nothing at all. But some brands have a certain something – an emotional appeal. They connect. They feel more HUMAN. Your products and all of your data don’t come first. People come first. And brands that recognize that – and act more human themselves – are […]
Take a quick look at a video clip from a session at the recent NEMOA conference in Boston. I was asked to weigh in on my thoughts on print. This was my response…
Once upon a time, in the land of Catalog Design, there lived a monster named “Templates.” This beast sucked the creativity out of the village of designers and wiped out an entire generation of innovative spreads. Its goal was to make all catalog pages look the same and remove any sign of brand uniqueness or […]
