The Pantone Color of the Year for 2016

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Serenity and Rose Quartz

The Pantone color of the year for 2016 is a blend of two refreshing and subtle colors; a huge contrast to last year’s Marsala. This is the first time they used two colors instead of one.

“With the whole greater than its individual parts, joined together Serenity and Rose Quartz demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. Continue reading

What is Branding?

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Characteristics of good branding are comprised of some of the following key concepts.

Knowing your target market. A good brand has to understand it’s audience. Many times companies try to appeal to everyone and in-turn fall short because they lack direction.

A brand has to be driven by passion. It takes a passionate company to build a successful brand. That includes employees and customers that are willing to stand behind the brand. Word-of-mouth marketing is an expression of enthusiasm for a brand and can be it’s biggest supporter.

Businesses that are passionate about their brand have returning customers.  They have returning customers because they are consistent with good customer service and a product that delivers.

Create distinctive ideas. A product or service should have something unique about it. Uniqueness will set a company apart from the rest. A unique quality can also be a very strong selling point.

Getting your name out their using different forms of media. A successful and distinctive brand connects with it’s audience over the internet and through social media. Another way to build brand identity is at trade shows and with custom corporate gifts.

So what is the real magic of branding? This video by David Brier of DBD International explains it best. It’s about rising above and out of our own minds into the minds of others. It’s when we have “tapped into our ability to see, not as ourselves, but as others”. “In and through the eyes, hearts and minds of people”. The magic of branding is when you can transform feelings into something people can connect with and resinate with.film Logan

 

A good understanding of what you are branding and all of it’s elements will lead you to ideas for branding success. What do you define as good branding? How will you engage with your clients today? How have you seen businesses and consumers relish the magic of branding? What is your meaning of branding?

How Mentally Strong People Run the World

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Mentally strong people run the world. They are leaders, innovators and market creators. This is because they control their emotions, how they think and how they behave. It is this control that usually makes them successful in life and business. So what do mentally strong people do to climb the mountain of success?

10 Things that Mentally Strong People Do

1. Move On From Mistakes

When you are focused on a goal you don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself. We are all human and are going to make mistakes, but the biggest mistake we can make is dwelling on what went wrong. Examine it, make a notation so that the mistake is not repeated and move on. The time you spend feeling sorry for yourself is time you could have spent on a new venture.

2. Take Control

Ok, so maybe some would consider mentally strong people to be controlling but someone has to take the reins and steer. Once a mentally strong person has established that they are in control, they are often hard pressed to relinquish it to someone else. In order to have control over others you must first gain control over yourself and your emotions. This will alleviate the use of excuses which will gain the respect of those you manage and respect is an important aspect in any business relationship. Continue reading

The Importance of Packaging

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I recently decided to order something off my website for my own personal use. When the popcorn popper arrived, I couldn’t wait to open the box. I was happy to see that the product had its own box. However, when I opened the box, there were no directions. Do you pop the corn in the microwave?  With the top up or the top down?  How long do you pop the corn? This irritated me and I thought “so what do my customers think?” Then I decided to randomly order products just to see how they were packaged. You see, I go to trade shows for my trade and reps come by to display their wares but this made me realize that the one thing I don’t see is how the products are packaged. Continue reading