It was a big decision for us last month. Our August e-newsletter got delayed because we, like many of you, often push deadlines on our own marketing to make room for client projects. So, there we were — Friday, August 30th in the ODEA office. And not just any Friday… this was the Friday afternoon before Labor Day Weekend. We had a decision to make: To Send Or Not To Send. That was our question. We had two options: send out the monthly e-newsletter then and there, despite the fact that most of you were already on weekend mode, OR READ MORE >>
Facebook turned 15 years old earlier this year. Twitter isn’t far behind at 13 and LinkedIn is the grand daddy of all the social networks, launched over 17 years ago in 2002. Even the new-kid-on-the-block, Instagram, is nearing a decade on the app stores. So you had to know another platform would eventually come around to challenge the “old-timers” for social network dominance. Let us introduce you to TikTok. TikTok: The Current Craze TikTok is the newest darling of the social world although it is impossible to find consistent reports on number of downloads and monthly users. Reports range from READ MORE >>
We don’t have to tell you that communicating with a four generation marketplace – Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and the newest consumers, Gen Z — is keeping us marketers on our toes. Your marketing technology stack already likely includes everything from a fax machine to an e-commerce website or customer portal. And this newest generation is going to push that tech even farther. (Get ready for those VR/AR apps and branded skills for voice assistants we keep talking about!) Knowing these “digital natives” are gaining buying power, ODEA has all the info you need on Gen Z-ers and their READ MORE >>
Let’s chat marketing… but this time, from a college student’s point of view! Anna, our marketing intern, joins ODEA president Patty Rioux in our latest podcast to discuss the top three things that surprised her about marketing. From Instagram marketing to internet clutter, this is one episode you won’t want to miss. Have a BOLD topic in mind you would like to hear us discuss? Let us know here. READ MORE >>
We all know our methods of communication have been wildly altered by technology. Friends catch up through Facebook Messenger instead of over coffee, co-workers give updates through Slack, and international friends chat through WhatsApp to avoid hefty text messaging fees. One of the reasons these channels are so popular is because they are instantaneous and accommodate every consumer’s deepest desire: they want what they want, and they want it NOW! Efficiency is key nowadays. If you can’t cater to your audience fast enough, someone else will. Smart businesses are quickly realizing this and relying on the power of live chat READ MORE >>
It’s Friday night and you’ve just nestled yourself into a cozy blanket for a relaxing evening of binge-watching your favorite series. You fire up the streaming service and a black background with a red “NETFLIX” logo appears on your television screen. The all-too familiar “bum, bum” intro sound plays. This is called a brand sound. If you think about it, you’re probably familiar with more of these then you realize. MGM’s lion roar, T-Mobile’s phone chime, Marvel’s page turning… all brand sounds! What does this mean for future branding? Tune into this week’s episode of Brain Lava to hear ODEA READ MORE >>
Another day at the ODEA office, another Amazon package. Are we addicted to Amazon? That’s a whole other blog post. But we can’t lie, it does give us butterflies whenever we see the delivery man at our door and last week was no different! Picture this, all the little ODEA-ites safely tucked in their offices, whistling a happy tune as we worked. And then we heard that two o’clock knock on the door and we knew – our Amazon goodies had arrived! But this time when we opened the door, we weren’t just met with the smiling face of our READ MORE >>
For years, goldfish have helplessly endured ridicule for their minuscule attention spans, which supposedly average about nine seconds. Meanwhile, reputable companies like Time Magazine and The New York Times have been delivering a hard blow to humans, warning that the attention span of adults has decreased to a meager eight seconds! Yes, you read that right. These companies are saying that a human’s attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish. Or is it? Here at ODEA, we believe in BOLD marketing, but comparing the attention span of goldfish and humans is a little too common for our taste. READ MORE >>
If we are connected on LinkedIn – and if not send me a connection request! – hopefully you’ve noticed I’ve been increasing my activity the last six months or so. I’ve made logging in part of my morning routine to comment, share and like posts from my connections – something our fellow marketer Sima Dahl calls “digital deposits”. I’m posting about three times a week, typically one original content piece from our team, a “curated” post from another source that I want to add my thoughts to, and a third lighter post such as a photo I’ve snapped during my READ MORE >>