MDG Blog

JCPenney’s Brand is Reshaped Again

JCPenney has undergone a substantial brand reinvention which includes a new logo, pricing strategy, and website. SecondWindOnline.com reported on the details of the American retail brand’s new strategy.

The company’s new marketing direction is based on consumer research regarding the shopping behaviors of their middle-class customers. Their data revealed that shoppers are smarter about store markups and are willing to wait for the best possible deals. As a result, JCPenney is striving to offer the best deals on a daily basis through a strategy they’re calling “fair and square pricing.” This approach is designed to simplify the sales experience by maintaining lower prices throughout the store instead of constantly featuring special promotions. In addition to this new pricing policy, stores will offer “Monthly Value” discounts on select items and “Best Price” clearance items scheduled for American paydays.

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DATE: Mar.31.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Google Facing Congressional Backlash Over Tracking Safari Users

Google is contending with the wrath of Congress after the search giant was accused of tracking the online activities of people using Apple’s Safari Web browser, even though actions had been taken to block these tracking activities. USAToday.com reported on the details of this complex privacy issue.

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DATE: Mar.31.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

The $20 Trillion Question – Is Your Brand Capturing the Female Brain?

Scientists studying the human brain have long been fascinated by the different ways that women and men respond to emotional triggers, perceptions, and language. Now, brands are realizing the importance of these differences in regard to the way they reach and relate to these diverse target audiences. Since women account for more than $20 trillion in consumer spending worldwide and make approximately 80 percent of the buying decisions, OpenForum.com offered some insight to help brands develop messages that resonate with this highly coveted female market.

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DATE: Mar.30.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

MDG Launches New Brand: Food Cycle Science


MDG is proud to be leading the branding of an innovative new company, Food Cycle Science. This progressive company brings green technology to the serious problem of food-waste disposal in the food service industry with its line of commercial food-waste reduction and conversion systems. Through a proprietary process that sterilizes and converts organic waste into a safe compost that can be reused as fertilizer, Food Cycle Science provides an ecological and economical solution to the dilemma of disposing of excessive food waste.

To establish a strong identity for the company, Food Cycle Science selected MDG to develop an integrated branding campaign that began with the design of a brand-new logo to reflect its principles and products.

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DATE: Mar.29.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Healthcare Marketing – 9 Facebook Posts That Can Help Hospitals Connect with Patients

Hospitals have a lot to gain by being on Facebook. The social media network can help hospitals share important information, engage patients in conversations, attract followers, boost their reputation, and increase community loyalty. Still, some posts are more effective and engaging than others, so MedCityNews.com reported on the particular posts that will help hospitals get the most out of Facebook.

1. Patient Stories– Everyone loves to read personal stories and follow the experiences of others, so these types of posts are incredibly popular. Include photos, videos, and links so readers can feel a connection with these stories. Posting these personal journeys encourages others to share their own stories, which helps them develop a bond with the hospital.

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DATE: Mar.28.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Facebook Wants to Put You on a Times Square Billboard


Facebook proved to be a powerful political influencer in the presidential election of 2008, and now the social media network is back in the political ring with a campaign called “What Matters Most.” This new campaign is encouraging users to tell them the top three issues that are most important to them in the 2012 election, with the option to have their responses broadcast via billboard in Times Square. Mashable.com reported on Facebook’s latest efforts to become a political player.

Facebook prides itself on being an open forum for the exchange of ideas, so its efforts to promote political discussion don’t seem so surprising. In addition, the decision to launch a campaign around political sentiments promotes the social network as much it does political involvement. This begs the question of whether the new campaign is intended to promote political discourse or simply to advertise Facebook in one of the world’s most popular locations.

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DATE: Mar.27.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Signature Consultants Selected as “#1 Best Staffing Firm To Temp For” in the U.S.

Signature Consultants, a leading IT staffing firm celebrating its 15th year in business, has been voted #1 in the “Best Staffing Firm to Temp for” category in 2012’s Best Staffing Firms To Work For competition sponsored by Staffing Industry Analysts and its publication, Staffing Industry Review. The firm’s first-place ranking was based on anonymous employee surveys conducted by Quantum Workplace, an independent research firm specializing in employee engagement. This was the first year that temporary employees were eligible to participate in the survey. Along with being selected the winner by its temporary workers, Signature’s internal employees also voted the company as “Best Staffing Firm–Over 200 Employees,” placing it in the top five in that category.

To promote Signature’s prestigious recognition, MDG Advertising created this video to announce the extraordinary achievement of winning back-to-back “Best” distinctions.

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DATE: Mar.26.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Green Advertising – New Report Predicts a Green World by 2020


By 2020, sustainable products and services will become mainstream, according to a recent report from Forum for the Future. MediaPost.com explained what the details behind this promising prediction.

The study revealed that this rapid shift toward sustainability will be predominantly driven by brands responding to consumer demand for more eco-friendly products and practices. This demand for greener practices would most likely be the result of a future plagued by the effects of overconsumption, including depletion of resources, climate change, excessive trash, and overpopulation.

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DATE: Mar.25.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Five Things You Should Know About Advertising to Millennials


A recent comScore white paper revealed that millennials don’t respond to ads in the same ways as previous generations. AdAge.com highlighted the top five findings of this fascinating analysis based on nearly 1,000 TV tests and 35 digital advertising tests.

1. Millennials Respond Less to TV Ads – Television commercials do not hold as much power with millennials as they did with previous generations. Still, this generational gap seems to be smaller than it was approximately 25 years ago.

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DATE: Mar.24.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Luxury Marketing – Newly Rich Fuel Luxury Boom

While 2011 was a strong year for the world’s largest luxury goods brands, 2012 is looking even better due to the ever-growing demand from emerging global markets. The Wall Street Journal reported on how this luxury boom is being seen all over the world.

“Barring a major accident and despite the difficulties in Europe, the world [economy] is growing and the world wants more and more of our products,” said LVMH chief executive, Bernard Arnault, whose company enjoyed 20 percent sales growth for the last quarter of 2011.

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DATE: Mar.23.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Healthcare Marketing – Gamifying Dull Patient Forms

In an effort to liven up the process of completing the standard patient questionnaire, Tonic Health has turned the dull document into a fun iPad game. Xconomy.com explained how this start-up is striving to make the healthcare experience much more enjoyable.

Over the past year and a half, Tonic Health has been experimenting with applying video gaming and consumer marketing toward the development of improved intake forms that would elicit more thorough information from patients. These updated forms are designed to be filled out with a few strokes on a touchscreen. They are already being tested by the Athena Breast Health Network to screen women for breast cancer risk and keep track of their health in the future. Other healthcare companies have also expressed interest in testing this new software.

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DATE: Mar.22.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Coldplay’s Lessons for Global Marketing


After having the world’s best-selling album of 2008, the band Coldplay became an international phenomenon and a prime example of savvy global marketing. Today, some are saying the band has lost its marketing mojo by giving their latest album a meaningless name that doesn’t easily translate or resonate with mainstream audiences. The Atlantic recently reported on how Coldplay’s troublesome title, Mylo Xyloto, is a classic case of a global brand gone wrong.

According to Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, the band derived their new album’s name by simply putting a few random words together. Unfortunately, fans are unable to understand or even pronounce the title. This is a major marketing mistake for a group whose enormous success transformed them from a band into a brand. There was no consideration of how fans would relate or respond to the album’s title. There was no thought into cross-cultural dynamics, basic audience appeal, or the impact on overall sales.

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DATE: Mar.21.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

5 Business-To-Business Marketing Trends You Need to Understand to Succeed in 2012


A new year brings new predictions about the trends and technologies that will impact different business industries. GlobalSpec recently described the top five trends expected to affect business-to business marketers in 2012, which MarketingProfs.com outlined in greater detail.

1. Content Will Be Crucial – The demand for relevant, quality content will become stronger than ever as more and more online content is made available that can help B2B marketers with business cases and purchasing decisions. According to GlobalSpec, the size of the order will directly correlate to the amount of content required, so larger orders will call for more content.

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DATE: Mar.20.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Social vs Search [Infographic]

Social vs Search Infographic | MDG Advertising

While there are many differences between search marketing and social media, and each has its strengths, both are essential in marketing today. Interestingly, they take on exponentially more power when marketers use them together. To identify what works best for particular goals, MDG Advertising created an enlightening infographic that distinguishes the digital supremacy between social media and search marketing, as well as the collective strength of this dynamic duo. Take a look at how these two online methods measure up on their own and in sync.

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DATE: Mar.19.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante

Coupon Volume Drops for First Time in Years


A possible indicator that the advertising industry is finally emerging from the recession is the fact that coupon volume fell substantially in 2011 following a few years of heavy coupon promotional strategies. MediaPost.com reported on what this may mean for the future of consumer purchasing.

According to WPP’s Kantar Media unit, this recent decline follows two consecutive years of increases, including a 7.2% rise in 2010 and an 8.0% jump in 2009. The practice of focusing budgets on consumer price promotions, such as coupons, is often seen during periods of economic trouble. The reversal of this coupon trend, in conjunction with the lower value of overall coupons offered in 2011, is being viewed as a strong sign that brands are regaining their confidence in consumer purchasing behavior.

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DATE: Mar.19.2012 • POSTED BY: Joanne Del Gigante
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