What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is becoming more and more common in a brand's media strategy as consumer internet usage skyrockets.  SEO is used by thousands of companies in order to ensure that their company's website appears high up on a search engine's results page.  This can be beneficial to a business because it is always good to be the first result in the consumer's mind. 

When you make any search on Google, Yahoo, Bing, or any other search engine, the odds are that you are seeing SEO in action without even noticing.  Say your washing machine broke down and you need a repair man.  You quickly take to Google and search for "Washing Machine Repair" and look at the results. 

Other than the first three results that show up using Google Ads, the next two results on the Google search results are both for a website called Washing Wizards.  From the looks of these results, it seems like Washing Wizards are utilizing a successful media plan by using search engine optimization.  Not only do they come up as the first result, but also the second.  This shows how SEO can really help a business get their name out there and use brand reinforcement in order to stay in the consumer's mind. 

What other examples can you think of?  Try searching for your name and see how far down you appear on the search results.

Working with a Client

If you work for a marketing agency, the odds are you'll usually be working with a client.  Depending on how popular your agency is, finding big-name clients can be a difficult task.  Clients often want things done to their exact specifications, and this is can often times be extremely frustrating.  On many occasions, you will require necessary information about the client's product and their desires that they refuse to give you because they are not being specific enough. 

Working on this mock project for the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, I have run into this problem withing with our other class "client."  When designing our creative brief for the client, there have been more than a few occasions where we need to know the client's exact thoughts on a matter and their distinct objectives regarding what they want this new campaign to focus on.  Every time we have questioned them about their wants and needs, the client has avoided giving us a set answer, which is extremely frustrating. 

However, this happens all the time in the real world, so it is important to remain calm and not lash out on the client.  In many occasions, the client has invested a lot of time, money and resources on this campaign, so it is important that you take their best interest into account as best as possible in order to provide them with positive results. 

Seeing Your Media Selection in Action

Have you seen this man?  If you're like thousands of other Americans, the answer is "yes."  Isaiah Mustafa became the face of Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign in early 2010.  This campaign is a great example of media selection and how it can totally redefine your brand.

In addition to creating memorable TV commercials that quickly went viral, Old Spice continued to make their recently re-branded company known on social media.  The company's YouTube channel features dozens of videos of Mustafa answering user-generated questions through Twitter.  Some of these interactions include conversations with celebrities like Alyssa Milano where Old Spice even went as far as to send flowers to her house. 

By continuing this campaign on a medium other than television, Old Spice is fitting with their new brand image of a younger demographic that heavily focuses on social media.  Because they took the effort to incorporate many different mediums into this campaign, Old Spice has seen a huge increase in sales and has managed to stay relevant among the competition. 

Which Type of Media is Right for You?

Choosing the right form of media to use for your product or service can be a difficult task.  Certain types of products and various target markets are only suitable for certain types of media.  An example of knowing your target market and utilizing them properly is through Toyota's promotion of their 2003 Corolla. 

Toyota set out with the goal of marketing their new Corolla to a younger market.  Taking into account that television viewership of young adults was slowly declining, Toyota wanted to do something different.  One thing that Toyota's agency, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, knew was that in order to appeal to this young demographic, the brand needed to move online. 

 

 Moving to a campaign heavily based on social media and online was difficult for Toyota as they were one of America's top-spending brands on television.  The particular challenge that Toyota faced through utilizing online media was finding a platform that would accept interrupting ads without detracting from the viewer's content.  Their solution? Utilize YouTube.  Toyota understood that the videos people look up on YouTube differ greatly from content they like to view on television.  The types of videos normally viewed on YouTube are short and funny clips, so Toyota decided to move their marketing campaign in this direction.  Toyota decided to release short YouTube video initiatives titled "Best in Jest" and "Sketchies."  

The "Best in Jest" featured the best funny videos of the week while still pushing the new model Corolla to their audience.  "Sketchies" was a site where the viewing community can submit their own user-generated content and put them up to a vote for the best video while still having the Corolla brand gently pushed upon them.  

These two campaigns had extremely positive results and really boosted the brand's image and favorability to the younger market.  By choosing the right media to advertise on and knowing your target market, Toyota was able to gain new customers that could remain loyal for life.