It’s a great sentiment, and Dove certainly gets the message across, however I can’t help but feel like it’s all an act (imagine that!). Maybe it’s the “Mad Man” in me – or maybe it’s the fact that Unilever, Dove’s parent company, is also home to the Axe line of products. As you may know, Axe’s advertising campaign utilizes stereotypical “pretty girls” and misogynistic humor to hawk body sprays, shampoos and body washes for men.

Chances are Unilever is very aware of their conflicting messages. Unlike S.C. Johnson & Son, who tie their brands together with a quick declaration of, “S.C. Johnson – a family company” at the end of many commercials, Unilever steers clear of identifying Axe and Dove under the same umbrella. Even if they did, it’s unclear whether anyone would take notice of the contradiction. But for now, Dove seems to be doing just fine. When the Real Beauty campaign first debuted in 2004, sales in Europe increased by 700% – not too shabby for the sister brand of a product line that uses thin, bodacious babes in bikinis to boost sales.

The post When Brands Collide appeared first on Man'z.

Here’s a list of reasons why that is a bad idea.

1. Runoff – The most obvious reason is that while Facebook allows you to go on and on and on within one status, Twitter does not. By attempting to duplicate your posts across the board, you run the risk of Twitter cutting off your message. I’m assuming your message is important – why cut it short?

2. Lack of control – To compensate for runoff, many social media linking services come up with ways to summarize posts. Picture albums in particular are victims of “the generalization.” When a page uploads an album of photos on Facebook, for example, it usually gets posted to Twitter with a simplified message, such as, “We just uploaded 5 photos to the Summer Promo album.” Exciting stuff, right? Don’t be lazy. Take the time to create a custom message (“Our company spent this weekend meeting our fans – take a look!”) with a link to the album – unless, of course, you want to bore your audience to tears.

3. Hashtags – Hashtags reign supreme on Twitter. They are a great way to aggregate opinions and create buzz. Over on Facebook, however, hashtags make no sense. They aren’t clickable and don’t serve much of a purpose. Frankly, to the average Facebook users, hashtags are an unnecessary annoyance.

4. Style – Facebook and Twitter each have their own style and personalities that, for the most part, reflect their user bases. Taking the time to tailor a message for each one can mean the difference between a “follow” and a failure.

In short, social media is not the place to cut corners. When you put out thoughtful content, you’re more likely to get a thoughtful response from people who are more interested in what you have to say!

The post Connect Less to Connect More appeared first on Man'z.

The post Prime Electrical Services appeared first on Man'z.

The post Law Offices of William DeNardo appeared first on Man'z.

At face value, this seems like a great idea. The problem, however, is credibility. With a traditional job reference, candidates are required to give the names and titles of people who “matter.” Most of the time, a candidate’s references are people within the field they’re trying to break into (or move up in).

If LinkedIn’s goal is to take the idea of candidate references and make it simpler, they’re going to have to dig deeper. Currently, anyone can endorse anyone for anything. My Aunt Ann, a nuclear technician, can go ahead and let everyone know what a great copywriter I am – but what does that mean? What does she know about copywriting? The same works the other way around. I won’t even pretend to know the first thing about nuclear safety.

According to LinkedIn’s FAQ, “Skill endorsements are a simple and effective way of building your professional brand and engaging your network.” Without credentials, however, it’s a bit like a popularity contest. Ultimately, the question remains – is anyone taking these things seriously? Of course, that answer likely varies from HR rep to HR rep. Just in case, those currently on the hunt for a new job should heed my advice: Don’t let your endorsements give you a false sense of security.

Instead, work your connections to get recommendations. This is – in my opinion – a much better way to showcase your talents and past relationships on LinkedIn. This feature allows those making the recommendation to type up a brief synopsis of your work relationship and how you assisted them in the past. As you can imagine, this lends much more credibility to your cause and adds greater depth to your profile, too!

The post Vouching: Quantity vs. Credibility appeared first on Man'z.

• Increase Market Share
• Nurture Relationships
• Save Money

Services Provided

• Brand Development
• Digital Engagement
• Brand Streamlining

In 2009, Christo IT  in Harleysville, PA aquired two entities which doubled both the number of clients and employees, in addtiona to reveraling their lack of effective work flow procedures. Their solution was what would evolve into NilearOS, an all-inclusive Operations Suite that provides Automation, Performance Metrics and Document Management for ConnectWise on-premise servers.

The majority of the NilearOS products were developed in-house by Chris Connolly to help improve services and reduce labor costs for the MSP business. In November of 2012 NilearOS was made available for purchase by other MSP’s and the number of subscriptions has been steadily growing.

To promote and brand Nilear, ChristoIT looked to Man’z. Our team designed a flexible logo that not only represented the modularity of the plugins, but could be easily altered to fit any product within the ever-growing suite. This adaptable approach allowed ChristoIT to cover a large amount of ground without spending an arm and a leg on design.

Next, we helped develop new brochures with a striking design and copy that was easier to digest. These were created as supplements to their new tradeshow booth design. The new booths helped feed the buzz over one of their newest product lines, Score My Team. At its initial tradeshow debut, the Score My Team presentation and booth attracted standing-room-only crowds.

With the style guide developed by Man’z, ChristoIT continues to successfully and affordably brand their new product lines. Three of their newest suites – Score My Team, Automation Tools and Configuration Station – follow the Nilear model with changes to the primary colors to distinguish them from one another. This tactic makes every ChristoIT product line incredibly recognizable at tradeshows.

This approach will eventually carry into a highly functional Nilear website that showcases product information, support documentation and an online support forum. Man’z will complete the design for this new site in 2013. Additionally, the site’s content management system will allow it seamlessly integrate with ConnectWise, adding extra value for Nilear customers. This feature also led to the design of a new user interface for the Nilear plugins.

In addition to these exciting updates, Man’z has supplemented ChristoIT’s branding efforts with email templates, print advertising, social media design, white paper templates and business cards. 

The post Nilear Brand Launch appeared first on Man'z.

The post Graffen 50th Anniversary Logo appeared first on Man'z.

These days, it’s more of the same. No, they’re not really screaming at you anymore. But can you really tell one dealership ad from another? The new trend, it seems, is to save money on an announcer or voice actor and use someone affiliated with the dealership, instead. Whether it’s the owner, an employee or someone’s granddaughter, the results are mostly the same – someone has a speech impediment and the between brands becomes blurred.

From my experience, a good voiceover artist is around $300. Please, car dealerships – and any other local business who is considering a broadcast investment. Fork over the money. This is your brand we’re talking about, here. The idea is that whoever the dealership has hired is going to be memorable. Most of the time, this isn’t the case. Instead, dealerships should be focusing on jingles or catchphrases to earn some of that market share. When done right, the investment is one that will yield returns not only in revenue – but in professionalism, too!

The post Unpopular Trends appeared first on Man'z.

This reality is not uncommon for many non-profits. Fortunately, there are things you can do to combat a small amount of funds.

1. Invest in your look – Even if your non-profit represents the best of causes, a shoddy-looking logo and website don’t exactly foster confidence in donators.  You want a professional look across the board that shows your board is competent. The bottom line is this – put your money where it counts. All the free marketing in the world can’t sell an unprofessional-looking brand. Look to an experienced designer to make it happen.
2. Invest your time – There is no sure-fire, magical way to popularize your brand overnight. Simply running an ad on the radio won’t do the trick. Broadcasting your brand through the newspaper, radio, search engines and other media as a comprehensive media plan will.  Spend time adding your organization to online directories, writing press releases to local and online newspapers, optimizing your search engine keywords and adding your website URL to any email signatures. (Bonus tip – interns are great for this!)
3. Start a dialogue – In addition to newsletters, you can let your supporters know what’s going on through social media venues like Twitter and Facebook. Don’t expect to just talk at your followers, however. Ask questions and engage with your audience. Not only will this get them involved, it will encourage your organization’s name to show up in their friends’ feeds, as well.
4. Spend a little here and there – In the age of social media, a few dollars here and there can go a long way. Advertise special events by utilizing Facebook ads and/or their “Sponsored Post” feature. This is a form of media that can cost as little as $5 while still reaching thousands of potential supporters.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to get the word out there at a reduced cost – these are just a few. But with a solid brand and a great plan, your non-profit doesn’t have to flounder.

The post No Money, No Problems appeared first on Man'z.

The post Stenger Landscaping appeared first on Man'z.