5 Dallas Advertising Trends to Watch

As a Dallas business owner, you probably have a pretty good idea of how difficult it is to market your brand successfully, especially considering the competition that’s out there. In order to stay up to date with marketing techniques so that you don’t lag behind the competition, keeping up with current Dallas advertising trends is a must. While some advertising trends are just that – trends – many current trends are set to become marketing standards. The following are five Dallas advertising trends that you should be aware of and that you should strongly consider implementing into your own marketing strategy.

1. Shopper marketing – In order to both promote the purchase of more products and services as well as increase brand loyalty, many companies are developing apps for their customers to use that can help them while they are in store. For example, if a customer is in your store and can’t quite decide between two products, you could have an app developed that would scan the bar code or QR code on their mobile phones, thereby bringing up additional information about that product immediately. This kind of app would also allow your customers to compare prices as well as information in addition to looking to see what products are on sale.
2. Geo-target marketing – Geographic personalization will allow you to market mobile users based on their location. This means that if they are in your store, you’ll be able to tell and to be able to send them sales or discount information as a reward (and as a way to convince them to buy more products). You can even tell if they are in the vicinity of your store. By sending sale information to customers nearby your store, you can convince them to drop in even if they weren’t planning to.
3. Mobile optimization – Currently, pretty much every business, no matter how big or small, should be jumping on the mobile bandwagon. The amount of people using their mobile devices to access the Internet will soon eclipse the amount of people that are using their home computers to get online. Not to mention that many mobile users search for products and services on the go, which means that if they go to your website because you are nearby, you’ll want to make sure that it is optimized for use on their mobile phone. If it isn’t, your website will be difficult to open or navigate, leading to the user going to a different site that is optimized and eventually to a different store. Not optimizing your website or web content for mobile use could cost you customers.
4. Digital Billboards – Digital billboards are an excellent way to reach a large audience throughout the day, especially when they are located at busy spots throughout Dallas. The huge advantage of a digital billboard is that you don’t have to pay to have it made or taken down, like you would with a physical billboard. Not to mention that you can make changes to your advertisement almost immediately. Not only does this help to reduce the costs normally associated with billboard use, but it also
5. Social Media Marketing – Social media continues to play an important role in the marketing efforts of Dallas businesses. Not only is the use of social media a great way to engage with customers and to increase both brand loyalty and awareness, it’s also a great way to get customers into your store. You can do this by offering special discounts and coupons to followers online.

These are five Dallas advertising trends that you should watch, and be a part of. Let us know if you have questions!

 

3 Martini Lunches are Popular Again

As the pop culture phenomena Mad Men proves, advertising has always been a very sexy profession. Like Don Draper and the rest of the professionals at Sterling, Cooper and Partners, modern advertising executives spend their days curating culture, defining what the general population finds cool and hip, and crafting conversations about the brands and products they represent. While today’s advertising executive’s may indulge in occasional three martini lunches, it’s not nearly as common as it was in the early 70s. But that all may be changing.

Client meetings on Mad Men were fun. Don and his creative team lit up a cigarettes, poured some scotch, and elegantly reel the client into the pitch. Using a storyboard, the team’s spun the award-winning ads of their day. Today, advertising executives think much bigger. A single storyboard won’t cut it in our multi-media reality, so teams come equipped with high resolution photos, videos, casting ideas, and full on social media strategies. Clients and potential clients will now get a full court press during the creative process, leveraging the talents and expertise of many different staff members.

While the series has come under fire for its portrayal of race and gender, today’s advertising offices and executives are more likely to be criticized for the lack of diversity in their product, as opposed to their offices. Media watchdogs are quick to point out the lack of diversity within mainstream advertising, as well as the proliferation of photo-shopped images which reinforce a very specific idea of beauty. With the help of their clients, however, ad agencies are working hard to diversify their campaigns, making them more reflective of today’s families and consumers.

In the new season of Mad Men, Peggy and Joan’s influence, as well as the increased screen time of African American characters like Dawn and Shirley reflect the both changing dynamics and the introduction of a less masculine perspective.

Advertising has always been a profession for smart, hardworking, creative, and sometimes hard drinking men and women. While today’s advertising executives may indulge in occasional three martini lunches, they are more likely to be found spending their lunch hour at the gym, listening to podcasts, or surfing social media for inspiration. Connectivity to their content, their community, and the culture at large is key to their success. With an exceptionally high stress and burnout rate, advertising executives are actively looking for ways to manage both their health and their stress levels.

Don and company certainly looked sharp in their three piece suits. As this season begins, the old guard as SCP are starting to show their age, fashion -wise. Today’s advertising executives pay homage to the style of the 60’s with classically tailored, although a bit a more casual dress code. Being fashion forward and retro at the same time can be a hallmark of the industry.

Advertising, by design, is a changing and evolving industry. Executives of the Mad Men era and today are defined by their ability to innovative, create, interpret, and tell a story, with words and pictures (and today, hashtags). three Martini lunches may be a thing of the past, but the spirit of collaboration and creativity they inspire live on. We can all drink to that.