Print Advertising: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

In print advertising, artwork is the initial impression that consumers have of your business or product. It’s the first step in gaining the attention of the buyer you are trying to sell to. That visual typically is the difference between if the person decides to pay attention to the pieces of your advertising- the verbiage, the product or service itself, and the offer, or moves along to what captures their attention next.

Almost every day I have conversations with business owners and decision makers who ask about how their artwork should look. It’s an important question and comes up so often because many people just aren’t sure how to go about it. Most people (including me) know what they like when they see it but don’t know how to express that verbally or artistically. That’s ok though, and the reason why my company employs very talented and artistic designers. I trust them implicitly because they’ve proven their professionalism with our clients consistently through the years. And they’re not just artists, they know what works and what consumers like.

With that being said, I have learned from many years of experience the difference between good and bad artwork:

Good

– Simple clear message

– Holds interest

– Stong call to action

Bad

– Requires the reader to work hard

– Missing attention-getting elements

– Can’t tell what you are really trying to offer

Ugly

– Full of clutter

– Low-quality images

– Overuse of color and fonts

(Graphic Designers nightmare)

Avoid the temptation to include every product or service line you offer in your ad. Don’t make the prospect have to think about or evaluate everything and the kitchen sink you threw in there. They don’t want to think and they’ll ultimately move past your ad and forget all about you. Tell your prospect we are Acme Company, we make your life better, and do it for 40% off. That’s it.

If you’re worried about leaving out something you think might be important then include your website address. If the prospect wants or needs more information they will gladly take the time to visit your website and learn more about everything you do and why it’s important to them. Your website is your encyclopedia, your print advertisement is not.

Contributed by Jeff Vice

Less is More – A Lesson in Music and Marketing

Can you tell your story with a single image, a single word, one note or sound?
It’s not so easy, right? So how do we get to “less is more”? I often look to my experience in music to help answer these difficult questions and this is one of those times.

Legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino explains his
development in this short clip.

Like Martino, many musicians focus on “bedazzling” their audience with speed and facility in their formative years, whereas the seasoned musician focuses on tone and clarity, making certain he/she communicates the desired feeling to the audience. I like that he referred to his audience as the “victim” of his immature approach.

Can we draw parallels in visual art, dance, storytelling, etc. What about marketing? Although many companies/brands make “victims” of their audience with more unfocused communication, I think it’s safe to say many of the strongest brands we’ve experienced have been communicated in clear terms and visuals aka MORE IS LESS.

A few examples:
Disney: Where Dreams Come True
Nike: Just Do It
Apple: Think Different

Steve Jobs presents his “Think different” campaign in this clip.

Similar to Pat Martino, Jobs highlights Apple’s focus on simplifying their approach with respect to product line, marketing, and distribution. Certainly we know this strategy and Apple’s commitment to executing this strategy yielded game-changing results.

I am proud to be a part of an organization that focuses its energy on delivering greater value to our clients with a simple and transparent experience. When we execute effectively, our audience of Homeowners in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana are on the receiving end of the best of the best customer experience which our clients offer.

2 related videos discuss simplicity in branding.

Contributed by Joe Sucato

Pat Martino Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO4NQ2tyOV0

Steve Jobs Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li9a0JFUuos

Simplicity in Branding 1 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Otx_N5XQXA

Simplicity in Branding 2 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OEdMIZ6uSg

Emotional Advertising

Emotions process inputs five times faster than your conscious brain. In response to emotions we are compelled to do something. People buy products and services on their gut reactions rather than information. We make a decision on how we feel about a brand or product in 3 seconds or less.

Psychology Today says “A nationally advertised brand has power in the marketplace because it creates an emotional connection to the consumer. A brand is nothing more than a mental representation of a product in the consumer’s mind. If the representation consists only of the product’s attributes, features, and other information, there are no emotional links to influence consumer preference and action. The richer the emotional content of a brand’s mental representation, the more likely the consumer will be a loyal user.”

Most people recognize 6 emotions: happy, excited, love, sad, angry and scared. Below we’ve found ads that represent each of these emotions.

Happy

Scared

Sad

Love

Anger

Excited

Your brain is trying to survive, we are constantly trying to decide what information we need to keep and what is not important. Brands are latching onto emotional ads because they work! Create a powerful message with your brand that your customer will never forget.

Contributed by
Caitlin Tuohy & Syd Miles

Heart and brain image: https://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-208368856/stock-vector-cute-brain-and-heart-meditation-logic-and-feel%2C-cartoon-characters-balance-your-life-vector-illustration

Emotion icons image: https://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-154903019/stock-vector-smiley-face-vector-emoticon-set-in-white-flat-icon-sticker-with-colorful-funny-emotions-and-facial-expressions-vector-illustration

Video for happy: https://youtu.be/po0jY4WvCIc

Video for scared: https://youtu.be/BlfinjxFEYI

Video for sad: https://youtu.be/3t6bLugtJkQ

Video for love: https://youtu.be/XLpDiIVX0Wo

Video for anger: https://youtu.be/yIxA3o84syY

Video for excited: https://youtu.be/s4WVhcXogGk

PEP TALK

Today I had to give myself a pep talk. I thought maybe somebody else out there needs one, so here is what I said to myself. And, yes, don’t laugh…I said it out loud, smiling, into a mirror.

First a little theme music to set the mood.
When Taylor Swifts song “Shake it Off” topped the charts, my friend and former co-worker sent me this viral version with a built in pep talk.
https://youtu.be/1Rn6wdPoeS4
She said it reminded her of me and my ever-present positive mental attitude. It’s true I’m a glass half full kinda girl! (Evidence: awarded 2013 Optimist of the Year)

But some days, well, it feels like things just suck. Shake it off!

In sales, there a ton of No’s. Soon there will be a Yes. Most sales people stop just short. Don’t stop. Shake it off!

The puppy spends 15 minutes in the yard being urged to “go potty” but instead suns himself in the grass.

Upon entering the house, promptly pees on the carpet. You are lucky you are adorable, Rosco! Shake if off!

You discover someone you trust is keeping a very big secret. Remember that trust is a gift you give someone. It’s unfortunate but totally outside your control. Don’t waste an ounce of energy. Shake if off!

Every where you turn, the world is turning into a crazy place full of crazies. Shake if off!

And sadly we’ve lost dear friends and others are very sick. All I can do is hug my family. Love more. Be more present. Count my blessings. Make every day count. Have faith. Shake it off!

Hope this makes you smile. Be the best in all you do!

Contributed by Heather Kuth

All images are the author’s own & may not be republished without express written permission.

Shake it off image: http://designroast.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/hand-lettering-inspiration-1.jpg

Employee Spotlight : Joe Sucato

Get To Know Our Account Executive, Joe!

Joe grew up in Buffalo, NY.

He later on moved to NYC where he played a lot of gigs!

With love in the air Joe married Mehves.

Like everyone at RSVP Joe also loves animals! He has Lady, a mischievous golden retriever pictured here with her boyfriend.

Joe believes success is continuously developing your gifts and using those gifts to contribute productively to society.

All images are Joe Sucato’s own & may not be republished without express written permission.

Buffalo, NY Image: https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVvcflIhZE2YA68gnnIlQ?p=Buffalo%2C+NY&fr=yhs-mozilla-004&fr2=piv-web&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004#id=1&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hotelroomsearch.net%2Fim%2F2015%2F01%2Fbuffalo-new-york-2.jpg&action=click

Employee Spotlight : Jeff Vice

Get To Know Our Account Executive, Jeff!

A memorable story from Jeff’s childhood was when he was 13 he was scared of roller coasters. His 15 year old cousin picked him up over his shoulders and carried him onto a roller coaster knowing he would have fun. He was right. When it was over they got right back on and rode it over and over.

One nerdy thing about Jeff is all the random facts he knows! He learned all the capitals of all the states when he was four and he knows a lot of geography and history. When he’s driving down the highway with his family he might point out why a town they’re passing was named, what it was or something that happened there in the past, or maybe someone famous who lived there. His wife, Kim, says he’s full of useless trivia that no one cares about.

If Jeff could tell his 13 year old self one thing he would tell him succeeding or failing with your education will define the rest of your life.

The best book Jeff ever read was The Big Short.
“With stagnant wages and booming consumption, the cash-strapped American masses had a virtually unlimited demand for loans but an uncertain ability to repay them.”
— Michael Lewis, The Big Short

One thing that might surprise you about Jeff is that he may act like an old guy but he still feels young!

Roller coaster image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Image-Lightning_Racer_at_Hersheypark_station.jpgThe Big Short book image source: https://mises.org/sites/default/files/styles/social_media_1200_x_1200/public/static-page/img/4283.jpg?itok=1vTs8xrD
All other images are Jeff Vice’s own & may not be republished without express written permission.

Employee Spotlight : Syd Miles

Get To Know Our Graphic Designer, Syd!

Her personal philosophy is “You can come out bitter or you can come out better.” She did lettering of it and it’s above her desk every day.

She defines success as knowing her younger self would be proud of the adult she has became.

One nerdy thing about Syd is that she isn’t big on TV. The first TV She had in her house, after 5 years of not having one, she gutted and filled with books.

One thing Syd could not live with out is critters. She has cats and would love to add a dog to the mix soon!

If she weren’t a graphic designer she could see herself being in the peace corps or working for social services.

All images are Syd Miles’s own & may not be republished without express written permission.

Employee Spotlight : Heather Craaybeek Kuth

Get To Know Our Regional Sales Manager, Heather!

Her favorite meal to cook is pancakes, bacon, and eggs. The smell of bacon cooking wakes the family up! Did you know she often gets eggs from her own chicks?

Heather loves everything girl-scouty. Sewing, crossstitch, crafting, scrapbooking, cooking. But she balances out that “nerdy-ness” with some fun hobbies like boating and travel!

Theatre is one of her faves! Though she may not be able to drag her spouse to an event, she’s been taking her son since infancy hoping to make a theatre-goer out of him. They’ve seen orchestras, ballets and Broadway. Also Wicked at the Aranoff, which was amazing. Any of the Christmas plays and LaComedia in Springboro are some of her favorites.

Her personal philosophy is to reach for the moon. Even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.

Her favorite place to be is home. Hopefully, with a nice fire going and a good book!

Heather defines success as doing what you love and loving what you do.

All images are Heather Craaybeek Kuth’s own & may not be republished without express written permission.

Employee Spotlight : Caitlin Tuohy

Get To Know Our Project Manager & Senior Graphic Designer, Caitlin!

Caitlin’s favorite thing to do when she’s not working is junkin’. She gets super excited to go and dig through someone else’s junk and loves finding new “old” stuff to add to her collection.

Most of our team are pretty big animal lovers and Caitlin is no exception! Before her younger sister came along she made do with her family cat.

Caitlin defines herself as imaginative, passionate/driven, and empathetic. We agree! Whether it’s remodeling her home, helping at her family’s daycare, designing, or pulling together RSVP mailings in a timely fashion she always gives 200%.

She is a fantastic project manager and designer but if she wasn’t doing this she could see herself being a teacher. She had planned on being a teacher and even had her college picked out accordingly but at the last minute changed her mind and decided to go to The School of Advertising Art, which is how she ended up doing the amazing work she does today!

All images are Caitlin Tuohy’s own & may not be republished without express written permission.

Working Millennials

This map and comment posted by Strati Georgopoulos recently showed up in my LinkedIn feed and got me all fired up.

“Millennials came of age during a tough economic time: Student debt has reached an all-time high, and the job market is more competitive than ever. As a result, young people today aren’t earning as much money as their parents did when they were young. The median annual income for employed millennials was taken from Minnesota Population Center’s 2014 American Community Survey and Pew Research Center’s definition of millennials: Americans born between 1981-1997. The medians ranged from a low of $18,000 per year in Montana to a high of $43,000 in the District of Columbia.”

I commented “This is really very sad. Often people refer to “Millennials” and you might automatically envision a recent college graduate. Someone born in 1981 is now 34+ years old. 34–in their prime earning years! This chart really shows median incomes for AMERICANS not just stereotypical millennials. That’s a problem. College may not be the best choice for our high school kids. The biggest complaint I hear from business owners “lack of skilled labor”. Welders earn $55k, carpenters $42K, construction manager $71k. Consider what path you’d recommend to your student. What advice would you give?”

Later, I got to thinking more about it. Folks $20,000/year in Ohio is $384/week! If they’re working 40/hours, that’s under $10/hour. No wonder they live at home with parents. Can you blame them?

Who can forget “Living in a Van Down by the River!”

The fact is that better-paying jobs are available they just may not be pretty. One of our favorite family shows is “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel. (I may even have a big time crush on Mike Rowe…) Mike points out “Back in 2009, 12 million people were out of work. Most Americans assumed that could be fixed with 12 million new jobs. Thus, “job creation” became headline news. But then, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics quietly announced that companies were struggling to fill 2.1 million skilled positions…. Now, eight years later, unemployment is down, interest rates are under control, and inflation is in check. But the overall labor participation rate is very low, and the skills gap is wider than ever. In fact, the latest numbers are out, and they are astonishing. According to the Department of Labor, America now has 5.6 million job openings.” http://mikerowe.com/2016/02/stopignoringskillsgap/

Here are some of the median salaries examples in some of the most needed roles. Of course, with experience and management skills, employees can earn much more. Become the boss and own your own company, the income is limitless.

Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis (BAGI) is tired of waiting for that skills gap to close. The need is so big, they’re taking their message directly to high school kids. Volunteers comprised of industry professionals (builders, remodelers, plumbers, technicians) head out to local school career fairs and set up tables to talk to students about jobs needed right now in the field and income potential. Watch their news coverage http://www.theindychannel.com/news/call-6-investigators/building-industry-launches-program-to-address-labor-shortage

And that’s just in the remodeling world, how about other skilled trades? 10 Best-Paid skilled labor jobs https://www.aol.com/article/2011/10/05/best-paid-skilled-labor-jobs/20046785/

As Mike Rowe pointed out, “Don’t let anyone tell you opportunity is dead in America”

Contributed by Heather Craaybeek Kuth.

Median Income Map source: https://image-store.slidesharecdn.com/8a52dd8b-85dd-40ef-8535-5c136c4bc0b0-original.png

Chris Farley Image source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2383580/Millennial-moochers-Record-21-6million-young-adults-living-mom-dad.html

Living at Home Chart source: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1629733/images/o-CHRIS-FARLEY-facebook.jpg