25 Tests of Your Logo or Slogan

Of all the challenges facing marketing organizations of every size, logo development may be the one that's most fraught with emotion. After all, logos are supposed to sum up everything your organization is and does, while conveying your story to the viewer.

In my experience, the biggest problem comes from asking the logo to do too much.

Fortunately, even though subjective opinions vary wildly over which logos work and which don't, there's a guide to judging logos (it works for tag lines and theme lines too) that can help you decide whether your marketing communications team has hit a home run - or fouled out.

For instance, here's a logo that my team and I just developed for the American Breast Cancer Foundation. You can decide for yourself which category this logo falls into.

If this is the kind of work your organization could use, I'd love to hear from you. We might be able to take some of the mystery and confusion out of developing a logo, while still creating a logo that does everything you want it to.

Meanwhile, here's a checklist that might come in handy. How do your logo and theme line stack up?

25 Ways To Tell Whether Your Logo and Slogan Work

Agree Neutral Disagree

1. It's memorable.
2. It recalls the brand name.
3. It includes a key benefit.
4. It differentiates the brand.
5. It's positive.
6. It reflects the brand personality.
7. It's strategic.
8. It's campaignable.
9. It's competitive.
10. It's original.
11. It's simple.
12. It's neat.
13. It's believable.
14. It's helpful in ordering the brand.
15. It's not in current use by others.
16. It's not bland, generic or hackneyed.
17. It doesn't prompt a sarcastic or
negative response
18. It's not pretentious.
19. It's not negative.
20. It's not corporate waffle.
21. It doesn't evoke "so what or
"ho-hum."
22. It doesn't evoke "oh yeah?"
23. It isn't meaningless
24. It's not complicated or clumsy.
25. You like it.

For more information about marketing communications approaches that work to improve your brand, relationships with your customers, and of course, sales, contact Gerry@GerryHanlon.com. Always happy to help!

5 Management Secrets for Adding Power to Website Videos

It's no secret that Google likes video, and here are their guidelines for making your videos easy to find on the web. But technical guidelines change

all the time. As a marketer and project manager, you may find it a better use of your time to address the basics of reaching the right audience with the right message.

Here are five crucial considerations to get results that reflect proudly on your organization.

1. Maintain brand-consistency.
Until you can do it right, save yourself the aggravation of having a poorly crafted message out there -- or having to create the video twice. Relying on your staff to plan, write, shoot and edit video footage, select music and guide a voiceover talent can work fine for Mom & Pop shops, but keep in mind the importance of reflecting well on the brand you've spent so much time building.

2. Get your clients to say it for you.
Interviews with satisfied customers are second only to word-of-mouth endorsements in their power to persuade. Capturing their comments on camera can even solidify your relationship with those very customers.

3. Keep your goal in mind. Posting a video to your website adds veracity, warmth and "the human side" of your business to viewers. Don't overload it with technical jargon or sales points that aren't directly relevant to the needs of your audience.

4. Budget appropriately.
Nationwide, the average cost of a professionally produced video ranges from $1500 to $2000 per finished minute of production. Spend much more and you'll have less to spend on other projects. Spend much less and you (or your brand) could pay the price in other ways.

5. Re-purpose your video for all its worth.
You know that six-minute video you created for the big presentation or trade show? With some judicious editing, it could probably serve you well as an ideal web site addition or sales tool that resides on the laptops of your sales force.

For more information about getting the most out of your videos, contact gerry@customcorporatevideos.com. Always happy to help!

7 Questions To Ask Before You Begin Your Next Video

Corporate videos are everywhere these days, many of them shot on home movie cameras just to get the organization "on the radar" for having produced a video. That's fine for the first couple of times your company appears on YouTube, but for your longer term image, consider using the following questions to fully prepare for the next video you shoot, whether you use a professional production company or not.

1. What are my goals for this video?
Branding? Recruiting? Increasing sales? Favorably impressing your CEO? Having written goals from the beginning allows other people to bounce them around and can help you gain support for what you're doing.

2. What do I want to have happen as a result?
Are you trying to change an image? Move people to a specific action? Sell something? There are lots of ways to getting people to act. Unfortunately, there are even more ways to accomplish exactly the opposite of what you intended. Establish and gain consensus early as to the best course of action and you'll enjoy a smoother production process all the way through.

3. Who is my target audience?
You'll want to choose your language, copy, style, music and voiceover candidates based on the people you're trying to reach as well as your organization's overall brand.

4. Who should appear in the video?
It doesn't always have to be the head of the organization, though they are often the best spokespersons. Consider the value of including an outside fan of your company or association. The credibility they can bring to your video is priceless!

5. Is "good enough" good enough?
With costs an utmost concern of most organizations these days, there's tremendous pressure to spend as little as possible. As more are discovering each day, however, the effect on your organization's image can suffer, as can your personal reputation. While the price of a particular piece of communication is often forgotten quickly, the quality (or lack of it) seems to hang around forever.

6. How long should it be?
The traditional length for corporate videos is about six minutes. That's perfect for tradeshows and other live presentations. If it's going to be on the Internet, consider a shorter length -- anywhere from 90-seconds to 2.5 minutes. Just keep it interesting throughout!

7. How can you best use pre-existing footage and stills?
Don't forget that your organization may have a treasure trove of materials that have already been used in other formats. With a smart script and judicious editing, you can turn those clips into gold -- and save production costs in the process.

Gerry Hanlon is the President and Producer of CustomCorporateVideos.com, the video production company that specializes in producing beautifully realized high-definition videos that tell stories from a branding and marketing point of view.

Selling the Sizzle With Video: Part 1

Selling the sizzle.
Even in times like these, video engagement is still marketing’s hottest tool. Here are eight ways to engage viewer interest and maximize your investment.

For marketers, the latest Google “this” or the newest YouTube “that” seem to offer a new sales-generating magic bullet every week. Yet according to Advertising Age (February 23, 2009) there is “a growing body of evidence which suggests not only that TV advertising still works, but that it may be working better than ever.”

This points out a marketing maxim that hasn't changed in the last half century of advertising.

If engagement with your audience is important, the most effective communications approach is still the combination of sight, sound, intellect and emotion.

Even champions of the online industry are struck by the interactive world’s inability to fully engage consumers. Randall Rothenberg, CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, recently said, “We need a creative renaissance in interactive advertising... Whatever form it takes, great creative… engages the consumers’ intellect and emotions in ways that create bonds between consumers and advertisers…”

The word's getting around. Forward-thinking marketers are creating their own web “newscasts.” Individually personalizing online-delivered videos by recipient’s name. Capturing and sharing the glowing recommendations of their clients. Introducing their company’s unique brand at prospect meetings. Consolidating training programs. Saying “Welcome” to thousands of new employees, one online meeting at a time. Re-purposing existing video so it’s exactly the right message for their website.

Obviously, not every great idea is great for your situation. But here are a few thought-starters, guidelines and ways to make sure your next video hits all the right notes to engage your audiences, one person at a time.

Engage viewer interest.
At its heart, video that works tells a story. Viewers want you to touch their hearts, tickle their funny bone, engage their interest visually, aurally, intellectually and emotionally. Videos that work well employ the following guidelines instinctively.

1. Get real.
Studies still confirm that most of us buy with our heart, not our head. So it’s important for your video to establish a personal connection with the viewer. Hint – utilizing real people is a good start.

2. Tell a story.
Nothing entertains and engages like a well-told tale. Try telling yours by imagining first and foremost what your viewer would like to hear, not what you’d like to sell them.

3. Use video’s emotional power.
Ever wonder why “How did that make you feel?” is often the first question a TV reporter asks? It’s simple. Video is by far the most powerful medium for conveying emotion. For marketers, that equals engagement, and that means sales.

4. Entertain.
Each of the many elements that comprise your video will be critical to its success. Your choice of actors, company spokespersons, testimonials, voiceover, music, pacing, length and “tone” can all support your video’s goal and brand – or compromise it. Choose carefully.

5. Leave humor to the professionals.
There are limited ways a joke can be told well – endless ways to tell one badly. Because our industry serves so many with substantial disposable income, treat your audience as you would face-to-face. Respectfully.

6. Write to the picture, not your sales plan.
TV news covers thousands of fires and natural disasters every year, but budget debacles rarely. Why? Fires and natural disasters make for a more dramatic visual story. Build your script from the visuals up.

7. Sell first, educate later.
“Say one thing and say it well” has long been an axiom for success in advertising. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Stay focused on the single message you want them to remember.

8. Assume that your mother cares – but no one else does.
There’s a battle for your audience’s attention every minute. Creating your video is the first step in getting it seen. Pay attention to how you plan to promote and distribute it as another key factor in its success.

In my next post, I'll discuss how to maximize your online investment with video. Talk to you then!


Gerry Hanlon is a Producer and President of CustomCorporateVideos.com, a video production company specializing in maximizing video quality on a limited budget.

Sellling the Sizzle With Video: Part 3

Sell your CEO.
It’s far easier to kill a video production than see it through to the end. So it pays to pay attention to gathering support from the very beginning. Here are nine ways to get everyone on board.



Particularly if you work in a place like this. (Video)


More than a few times, I've worked on videos that were almost totally completed, with thousands of dollars invested in making everything just right -- only to have them killed before they saw the light of day. Getting buy-in from everyone who can slow it down or stop it may be the most important way you can protect your video investment from the very beginning.

17. Get buy-in at the highest levels.
Remember that the goal isn’t to create a cool video. It’s simply a great vehicle to promote the company’s brand, increase sales, recruit more of the best and brightest, train associates more effectively and efficiently, or quantifiably improve the organization’s position.



Getting to yes. (Video)


18. Emphasize ROI and marketing potential.
Advertisers’ huge investment in TV commercials is bottom line evidence that video’s approach works. Its inherent potential for drama and audience engagement, reasonable cost and easier-than-ever distribution means that kind of power is available to departments within organizations as well.




But only promise what you can deliver. (Video)


19. Everyone else zigging? Zag!
Times are rough everywhere now. But unless you’re planning to be out of business, keep in mind that studies consistently show that organizations that continue to market through downturns end up with increased share when times improve.

20. Budget smart.
It’s amazing how production companies can meet your needs when you’re clear upfront about budget limitations. Ask them to show you how they can meet your needs with clever scripting and “workarounds.”



Give the accountants their due. (Video)


21. Leverage your investment.
Consider adding shots or even another day of taping to meet down-the-road needs. Even though you may have thought of your initial video as “decoration” for your tradeshow booth, consider giving it online legs too, or as an adjunct to other divisions’ video efforts.

22. Plan – to accomplish more and spend less.
The key to efficient video production is in the planning. Discuss your expectations with your video producer, and make sure everyone involved is prepared on the day of the shoot. Once the crew has arrived at your site, enabling them to move efficiently from shot to shot can eliminate heartburn later.

23. Stay loose.
Successful corporate videos depend on tight planning. Brilliant videos result from a combination of planning and a touch of genius, which rarely arrives at a convenient time. When possible, leave room for last minute inspirations, whether in your budget or deadline.

24. Choose your video production partner wisely.
Your checklist of questions should include the following: Are they just shooters or scriptwriters too? Do they know your market? Will they help you meet your sales or communications goals? Do you like their work? Do they present themselves well? Can they help you sell the video up the chain of command? Do you like and trust them?



Because who wants the worst video ever? (Video)


25. Relax.
You’d be amazed at how many ways there are to address budget and production issues in the hands of experienced videographers. With your clear vision of what you want to accomplish, you’ll be better able to fully utilize the expertise of the partners you choose to produce your video.

Gerry Hanlon is a Producer and President of CustomCorporateVideos.com, a video production company specializing in maximizing video quality and ROI on budgets that make sense for times like these.

Selling the Sizzle With Video: Part 2

Optimize for online.
Video on your website finally makes affordable what was once limited to expensive and inefficient advertising on TV – viewer engagement.

Even better, it’s targeted toward just the right people, measurable and relatively inexpensive. Keep in mind, though, that it offers its own set of unique viewing challenges. Here are eight ways to make sure the time and investment you've put into your video are shown to their best advantage online.

9. Edit for interactive viewing.
Porting video over to your website is relatively easy. But remember that online audiences are actively seeking specific information and have no time to spare. Make sure your online video gets to the point.

10. Re-purpose to meet each audience’s interest.
Corporate videos are often seen as “one-size-fits-all.” But what interests one audience can be irrelevant to another. When planning your video, consider all the audiences you might want to eventually reach.

11. Remember that people respond to other people.
No matter how dazzling the technology you use to present your message, there’s no substitute for sincerity. Heartfelt, unscripted sales messages and testimonials can be invaluable for putting a human face on your organization.

12. Engage in a way that’s online-friendly.
Home made videos can be uniquely charming – but often miss the point. When you have a lot of internal audiences to please, a surer path is to develop content that’s both entertaining and relevant to viewer interests, and aligned with your organization’s brand.

13. Make it Google-optimal.
As video’s popularity on the Internet has skyrocketed, the latest algorithms from Google weight videos’ relevance more heavily in searches. Make sure your meta-data is comprehensive, and that your file naming and architecture makes your video easy to find.

14. Consider the viral possibilities.
While corporate videos are great for getting the message out, it’s rare to find one that’s so absorbing that millions will pass it along. Want to try? Go for the bizarre, amazing, unusual and truly newsworthy. If you’re just not there yet, go for the heart. Hit that and you can’t miss.

15. Make it easy to share.
Video on the web makes a great conversation starter. Promote the possibility by making sure your video can be embedded, emailed, downloaded and posted to social media sites like YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo and Blip.tv.

16. Track your ROI.
Studies show it’s not unusual to find that adding video to a site can drive 36% more clicks, 20% more inbound calls and more than double time spent on a site. Track your video’s performance online by giving it a unique call to action, trackable URL, coupon, discount code or its own phone number. To maximize your trackability and justify your investment, there are even some reasonably priced applications that combine video, tracking and lead-generating functions in an all-in-one package.

Gerry Hanlon is a Producer and President of CustomCorporateVideos.com, a hi-def video production company specializing in maximizing video quality and ROI on budgets that make sense for times like these.