Put in the time and effort to develop your business social media brand. Three-quarters of the adult world is waiting to hear from you!

Social media is a powerful way to build brand awareness and get your message out to millions. Three-quarters of the adult world is on social media every day! Here are some essential tips:

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A website portal is an excellent way to brand your organization and offer members something more specific then the general information on your website. We recently updated one of our client’s physician recruitment portals by asking these three simple, strategic questions:Read full post...

AtlantiCare branding banner

When AtlantiCare originally established their corporate brand, the theme “Taking You Well Into The Future” became the expression that captured the brand experience. Since that time, the organization has grown significantly. It has fulfilled its promise of wellness with many programs and initiatives. But the marketing leaders had questions.Read full post...

It’s smarter and less expensive to invest in your own employment brand identity, rather than depend on outsiders to fill your pipeline.

The best physicians deliver better care. But what’s the best way to find those physicians?

Investing in locum tenens to fill vacancies can certainly deliver the physicians your patients need, and there will always be a need for them. But at what cost? The physicians’ longevity and loyalty are uncertain, and they’re only a short-term solution.Read full post...

Our client partners at Sartomer, a business unit of Arkema Inc., wanted to take a step back and look at their position in their industry — chemical ingredients for adhesives, inks, packaging, etc. As any good agency should, we started with research and in-depth interviews with Sartomer managers and customers in the United States, Asia and Europe to assess the brand.Read full post...

Pull up your favorite beach chair, grab a drink with a little umbrella in it and take a look at some tourism creative from, you guessed it, those cool characters at AB&C.

Print ad: Southern Delaware

Print ad: Southern Delaware

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Abington Health, a healthcare system with locations throughout Montgomery and Bucks counties, conducted research showing that consumers and employees had low awareness of the advanced and complex services available throughout the system. After many brainstorming sessions and concept meetings, Abington Health and AB&C found a solution to the problem and the “Power” campaign was born.Read full post...

Photo Credit: Boston.com

I’m writing this blog post on Monday, April 21 — Boston Marathon Monday. Last year, the marathon was held on my birthday. As a runner who couldn’t be there, I took that as a kind of consolation prize. But that particular birthday — April 15, 2013 — will be etched in my heart and mind for years to come. I watched the news clips in horror as the oldest and most prestigious marathon in the country was turned into chaos. Three innocent people were killed; several more suffered life-altering injuries. We were all scarred in some way by the events of that day.

But Americans are resilient. We rallied. We showed solidarity with the city of Boston. And we created a brand. Actually, two seniors at Emerson College — who wanted to do something to help — say they came up with the phrase “Boston Strong” within hours of the attacks, creating a simple blue-and-yellow T-shirt with the two words. They started selling the shirts for $20, with $15 going to charity.  Read full post...

Like your wardrobe, brands can accumulate many layers over the years.

Some fashion trends stick around for way, way too long. And some stuff just stays in your closet way, way too long. You know what I’m talking about: that loud pair of platforms and that mohair turtleneck sweater you just had to have when you were 17. But somewhere in all that mess, you have a look that is true to you. That’s why, at least once a year, it’s a great idea to purge. And what better time than spring?Read full post...

Baby naming is a competitive endeavor.

My wife and I are expecting our third child in about a month and the pressure is on to pick a name for “baby girl.” When we tell people we don’t have a name yet, some of them think we’re just trying to keep it a secret so no one else picks the name. If you’ve looked for inspiration or ideas for baby names recently, you’ve no doubt realized that a full-blown industry has grown up around the subject. There are baby name consultants, dozens of websites and the official records kept by the Social Security office.

The top three boy names in the United States are:Read full post...

Bottom line: I feel better about the Walgreens brand based simply on this seemingly minor customer service tweak.

I’m about to place a national brand in a positive light. But in the interest of full disclosure, our agency has not, and never has had, any relationship with this brand. In other words, we have nothing to gain by pumping up this brand within the hallowed halls of the AB&C blog-a-teria. So now that we have that straight, let the games begin!

The other night, I visited my local Walgreen’s pharmacy. I bought two greeting cards and a gallon of 2% milk. As the clerk handed me my receipt she said, “Thanks — and be well.” On my way out I thought, “Did she just say ‘be well’?” Suddenly, a warm, life-affirming feeling washed over me — just as it does when those cute little yorkies scamper across the floor at the Westminster dog show. What happened to the standard “Have a nice day,” I thought. Or even the beloved “Take ‘er easy”?Read full post...

From a branding perspective, the HRC’s social media initiative linked to its logo speaks volumes about the importance of brand awareness — for any company.

On Tuesday, March 26, social media experienced a huge surge from Facebook page owners across the globe. In reaction to the Supreme Court’s discussion of DOMA (The Defense of Marriage Act) and California’s Proposition 8, which recognizes only opposite-sex marriages, The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) asked its followers to change their Facebook profile pictures to a red equal sign, to signify love.

This simple request caused a massive spike in user profile picture changes, as an estimated 2.7 million Facebook users responded to the HRC’s appeal. (Did you, or any of your friends?) It amounted to a 120% increase in Facebook profile picture changes from the week before, with many people even developing their own creative version of the symbol. Read full post...

The next time you want to see what the general public thinks about your new logo…don’t.

The list of brands that have gone through a massive rebranding effort — only to cave into online peer pressure and revert back to their old identities (Tropicana, The Gap, University of California) — continues to grow.

As someone who makes a living rebranding companies, this troubles me.

Foremost, people who comment on Internet threads usually aren’t professional marketers or branding experts. They’re the same people who take half-naked pictures of themselves making duck faces in the mirror, then film a video of their buddy eating a tablespoon of cinnamon.

They don’t understand the hundreds of nuances that go into building a brand.Read full post...

The Independence School’s new logo and theme line

The Independence School (TIS) is an independent school located in Pike Creek, Delaware, that welcomes students from age 3 through the 8th grade. Looking to keep enrollment strong during a time of economic challenge, with a reduced population of age-appropriate candidates and competition from other independent and public schools, the TIS staff identified the need to review their brand and rediscover what differentiates them.Read full post...

So, what to do when there is a convergence of products, pricing and promotional approaches in an industry that’s overpopulated with players — how do you stand apart?

In this country we are blessed with the opportunities of the free enterprise system that can richly reward the hard work and singular focus of driven entrepreneurs. However, the free enterprise economic model can be a fickle lover. It is devoid of emotion and will turn on the unwary. Today’s success is tomorrow’s Rubicon for those adverse to change and adaption.

Take banking for example. There are more than 9,000 banks in this country, and with very few exceptions they are all exactly the same. Oh sure, B of A, JP Morgan, Wells, Citi and a few others have the lion’s share of branches and ATMs out there, but they are really no different than each other or smaller banks at their core. They have the same products — basically loans and deposit accounts; they are priced the same — the overnight Federal Funds borrowing rate is virtually the same for all of them, and none can charge more interest on their loans or pay more interest on their deposits for very long before competition eats their lunch. So how do you survive? How about convenience — a branch network in a lot of great locations! Nope, not any more — better and better mobile platforms and apps as well as remote capture/deposit and automated tellers have a lot of branch managers dusting off their resumes. And it’s getting easier and easier for customer-facing folks at banks to remember your name and birthday, because branch traffic in the U.S. is plummeting.Read full post...