Classic fonts, Google fonts, and your brand font compete for compatibility across all channels.

Classic fonts, Google fonts, and your brand font compete for compatibility across all channels.

Recently Communication Arts Magazine published an article about the future of "Fonts at Risk.” The article focused on a variety of classic fonts such as Adobe Garamond, Frutiger, and Helvetica in danger of going away because they are being used less and less as brand fonts. It’s true, there has never before been so many font options available (hello Google fonts) with new versions debuting constantly. Helvetica now has three versions, old original Helvetica, Helvetica…

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Channel Partner Marketing: Do’s & Don’ts

Channel Partner Marketing: Do’s & Don’ts

Getting More Value Out of Your Channel According to data from the CMO Survey in August 2017, many companies that continue to use channel partners to market brands and products, are finding ways to get more value and volume out of their channel. We have seen some organizations move away from the channel partner model, but we’ve also helped others invest in a better experience for channel partners with great results. Figure 1. Benefits of…

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Is Your Website Crushing It or Causing the Cringe?

Is Your Website Crushing It or Causing the Cringe?

5 Website Essentials for 2018 Your website is the first place a prospect goes to check you out. Are you crushing it on the first impression? Here are five considerations that should be a part of your current site design if you plan to use digital marketing to fuel your business. Mobile Ready Mobile has now surpassed desktop in accessing information online. And the lines between personal and on the job use are virtually indistinguishable.…

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It’s a Matter of Brand Trust

It’s a Matter of Brand Trust

Where Do We Stand Today? I had the chance to attend A Battle for Truth and Trust last week, an event produced by ANA Chicago Business Marketing. The event featured a look at the results of the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer and the impact on brand trust, presented by Chuck Kaiser: General Manager, Corporate Affairs—Edelman. I’ve watched this annual report carefully over the last 17 years and was very interested to see where this year’s results took…

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Meta Descriptions: What They Are, Why You Need Them

Meta Descriptions: What They Are, Why You Need Them

Proper site Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is more than using the right title tags, image captions and keywords. In fact, there’s an essential element in your site that aids click-through: meta descriptions. What are meta descriptions? A meta description is a HTML element less than 160 characters long used to sum up a web page’s content to search engines. Search engines use this feature to let consumers preview what is on a page before they…

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How long will my logo last?

How long will my logo last?

Having branded many companies over the years, we get asked this question every time we finish a rebrand. “The new brand is exciting, we can’t wait to get everything launched—now we won’t have to do this again for a while right? How long will the logo last?" The answer is...there are many answers depending on your brand strategy. In a perfect world we would create a logo and never touch it again, but no one…

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Tuesday sucks. Emojis don’t. And other things I learned at INBOUND.

Tuesday sucks. Emojis don’t. And other things I learned at INBOUND.

Want to know which day went from best to worst? Tuesday. Tuesday is now the worst day for email opens. It used to be the best. Then everybody sent all their emails on Tuesday. Now nobody opens emails on Tuesday. Voila. Tuesday jumped from first to worst and we are all to blame. This just one of thirteen golden nuggets Tom Monaghan, Director of Email Engineering at HubSpot, shared in his fantastic presentation at INBOUND…

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The Color of a Champion

The Color of a Champion

Now that Super Bowl 50 is in the books it's time to look beyond the chalkboard to other supporting factors that might help lead up to a champion. We wondered if championship teams had more in common beyond great athletes and coaching. Was there another intangible You can tell a lot about a sports fan by the clothes they wear — the passion, the energy and the expense to blend in or stand out with…

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Top Takeaways from Social Media Week Chicago 2015 Part 2

Top Takeaways from Social Media Week Chicago 2015 Part 2

To say we get overly excited about Social Media Week Chicago (#SMWChicago) would be a complete understatement. It’s the one time of year us nerdy social media folks get to show up from behind our computers screens, talk face-to-face (IRL) and discuss upcoming tech and social media trends out loud. Over the course of Social Media Week Chicago's 5-year lifespan, it’s been gratifying to watch #SMWChicago grow and adjust as various groups enter and join the conversation. This…

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Top Takeaways from Social Media Week Chicago 2015 Part 1

Top Takeaways from Social Media Week Chicago 2015 Part 1

Last week, Social Media Week Chicago turned five, hosting its annual discourse on the latest trends and tactics impacting social media, content marketing and connectivity for brands, their teams and their customers, and individuals at large. This year's Social Media Week theme was Upwardly Mobile: The Rise of the Connected Class. Under this umbrella, sessions tackled everything from tech trends to social media measurement to crowdfunding to infographic design—all drawing back to the idea that technology is enhancing how we communicate,…

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