Ever wonder if your messaging sticks with your audience? Just ask your kids.
When we joined Cindi Bigelow on a trip to her alma mater (Boston College), we were blown away by just how many college students drink tea (we figured college was a serious coffee haven). But even more surprising than the students’ taste for tea was how they developed their tea-drinking habits: it came from their families.
If you had told us beforehand that we’d find a random wave of passersby (none of the students were pre-selected) and almost all of them would have had a love of tea instilled in them by their parents, we would have said you were crazy. Why? Because of sterotypical preconceptions, like:
Kids don’t listen to their parents
Kids rebel
Kids define their own personalities in opposition to family tradition
College students have horrible eating habits
College students live off caffeine
And so on.
Yet, if college students are willing to admit that their parents’ love of tea has rubbed off on them, what other bits of wisdom (or, conversely, what other bad habits) have you passed on to your kids?
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. If you have students returning home from college — or if it’s you who’s heading home for the holidays — take a moment and find out which elements of your (or your parents’) messaging have survived the gap between the backyard and the dorm. You may be surprised.
And you may learn a thing or two about the kinds of messages that last.
Cancer can be terrifying, especially to those of us who’ve never had it. A loved one’s diagnosis can seem like a death sentence. The future suddenly feels finite, and our formerly limitless possibilities now appear inconsequential in the cold, clinical light of science.
But the most amazing thing about cancer is the way some people not only overcome it, but convert their experience with cancer into a lens through which they can more clearly see — and more fully enjoy — the world they’ve now more fully come to appreciate.
Two of our clients have just such stories, and since cancer is a condition that extends beyond the constraints of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, we thought we’d share them with you now.
“I can say with total certainty that this is a disease that I am living with NOT dying from.”
Likewise, Ouidad is another successful businesswoman. Her eponymous New York salon just celebrated its 25th anniversary. But along the way, Ouidad had to overcome more than just the fashion industry’s skepticism about a self-made “curl professional” — she had to overcome breast cancer. And she did. Now she and her husband Peter oversee Curls for a Cure, which works year-round to raise money for breast cancer research.
These remarkable women are only two of the millions who’ve refused to allow their cancer to define them, and who have emerged from their medical challenges with their energies renewed and their focuses sharpened. We hope their stories serve as inspiration for you, no matter the hills or mountains in your path, and as a reminder that there is a life to be lived passionately on the other side.
One of our clients, Ouidad, has ventured into the world of web video with a trio of hair care tips for the terminally curly. Each video has a different focus — beauty & empowerment, hair care on the go and 4-minute curls — which means each video also (presumably) has a different audience, despite the fact that they’re all coming from the same source.
Since Ouidad and her daughter, Sondriel, are so comfortable being themselves and sharing their insights with the camera, we knew they’d represent their business better than any hired hosts possibly could. But they also realized that Sondriel’s expertise may sound more authentic to a teen or young adult audience than Ouidad’s would, because not every audience perceives “authority” the same way.
If you (or a client) are creating original media for the web, you need to be consistent in your branding, but don’t be slavishly insistent on a single point of view. Your audience is multifaceted; let your messaging be, too.
We produced this great video for Pitney Bowes called Better Mail Moment which is geared for direct marketers and small businesses or any business who needs guidance on how to effectively reach their customer through direct mail. Watch Carol Wallace guide us through her daily mail opening and learn! Go here for more information about direct mail via Pitney Bowes and go here to see more videos.
This video produced for our client Bigelow Tea is not only a perfect example of how to use video within the social media channels but it’s just a good business model to follow. Cindi Bigelow, President Bigelow Tea, hit the streets of New York City and got an earful about tea from everyone she talked to. No crazy editing, no corporate speak, just honesty from both Cindi and the variety of people she ran into.
Others seem to appreciate this as well. Take a look at what Chris Brogan has to say here and our mention of the video on our Business Smart Tools site here.
Morgan Brown of The Ad Age Web Video Report talks about the dos and don’ts of video advertising. Good stuff and makes sense. Just like any other social media, keep it real, keep out the actual advertising and provide solid useable content. Also keep it short and don’t over produce.
We believe in this ourselves…we have Bigelow Tea to prove it and some new clients and their newly shot videos to show you soon!
