5 More Simple Marketing Tips
Marketing success is not determined only by the frequency of how often you communicate with your audience but also depends on other factors such as content, presentation and creativity. Below are 5 more simple things (previous 5 Simple Marketing Tactics) to include in your ongoing endeavours.
Got It? Brand It!
Anything and everything possible should have your business details, contacts details and core message stamped all over it. Make a list of all the places someone comes in contact with your business – your mail, your packaging, your premises, your email signature – if you’ve got it, brand it.
Call Past Customers
Past customers are one of your best sources of new revenues. Make a habit of phoning or writing to a few each and every week to keep in touch and find out if there’s anything you can do to help them.
Ask For Feedback
If you truly value customer service and want to deliver the best service or products possible, then you need to know what your customers think. A simple question to ask is why they chose your business over another one – the reason they buy from you is the same reason future customers will too. Plus, asking for feedback makes your clients and customers feel involved and valued.
Staff Buzz
Your staff can become a huge asset in marketing your business. Challenge them to come up with new and interesting ways to get people talking about the business. Set down a competition – and a reward – for the person who successfully creates the most buzz about your business using some of the ideas here.
Hug A Journalist
To really get your media coverage going you’ll need to get to know the writers in your target publications. Phone through to find out who writes about your industry or speciality and then arrange a quick chat with them on the phone.
Journalists, especially those on local papers, need a constant supply of good stories – you can help them and they can help you.
It’s also useful to create a media sheet about your business that you can send out to journalists. A media sheet is a simple summary about your business and key personnel that journalists can keep on file. It’s a good introduction to you – making it more likely they’ll take notice of your releases – and is a useful reminder when they need someone to comment on a related story.
Marketing With REAL DESIGN
In today’s marketing environment, it’s important to ensure that the return on investment relates to brand exposure, sales or customer engagement. Whether you’re looking for ways to build customer loyalty, increase customer retention or drive sales.
Whether you’re launching or intensifying a marketing campaign, we’d love to help you find the best solution for your business challenges. At REAL DESIGN we are an all media production studio who will never try to sell you more than you need, transparency and communication are how we have built decade long client relationships.
Posted on 24th Nov 2022 16:13:30 by surrect.media
Tags: News.
The AI Imagery Buzz
Hey, want to see a Giraffe with arms punching an alien? Of course you do and now you can thanks to the latest internet trend. As predicted in our upcoming trends guide at the start of 2022, images created by Artificial Intelligence have exploded into the public consciousness. But are they a passing fad, a useful application of technology or a genuine threat to creativity.
I first watched a short documentary in 2016 about how a new ‘original’ Rembrandt painting was created 347 years after his death, using some clever code, intelligent algorithm and a dataset of Rembrandt’s back catalogue. The results are quite incredible, but the whole project was based around one outcome… jump forward to 2022 and AI imagery has leaped to the next level. With the recent unveiling of DALL-E the GAN scene has just exploded.
AI imagery has been around for a long time but in the last few months has exploded with ‘prompt’ generated services, generative adversarial network (GAN).
So what is AI generated imagery, an AI model that can generate images from any ‘prompt’ you input. The model is trained by looking at millions of images from the internet with their associated captions. Over time, it learns how to draw an image from a text prompt.
Some of the concepts are learnt from memory as it may have seen similar images. However, it can also learn how to create unique images that don’t exist such as “the statue of liberty landing on the moon” by combining multiple concepts together.
You can try it here; https://www.craiyon.com/ , just type in a ‘prompt’ something like; “ninja cat” or “godzilla baking a cake illustration” which will then present some interesting results.
Very quickly other services have launched, along with algorithm updates with much better quality and more variations but now with monetary options too. With all the attention we signed up to MidJourney a discord based service that was showing some amazing results.
(Images Credit: MidJourney users)
Now the results are incredible BUT it opens up a very emotive and interesting discussion about AI created art. These algorithms are learning off data online; learning different artistic styles and techniques, and with every ‘prompt’ accelerating its machine learning. So where does this leave the original creators of these styles or current artists trying to create new art? And are the tech companies putting the revenue they get back into the creatives?
(Image Credit & Prompt: cute tentacle monster by realdesign via MidJourney)
I am a massive advocate of tech in art, we still use a custom randomiser script we wrote years ago to create some of our bespoke designs and elements, so I relish innovation in the tech but I worry about the damage to the creative process.
So my question to YOU is; Is this technology a good or bad evolution for the creative industry? It’s here and how we work with the medium will dictate its future. What do you think?
REF
DALL-E 2
Generative Adversarial Network
Google Imagen
A Thread: Dall-E or not Dall-E
41 Creative Tools to Generate AI Art
A Twitter Thread
Posted on 29th Jul 2022 15:08:44 by surrect.media
Tags: News.
Studio Upgrade
After over 20 years at our current location we are finally upgrading to a bigger studio. It has long been an ambition of ours to upgrade to a studio with a full video and photographic set up and finally we have achieved that goal.
Of course with any big move comes the obligatory clean out operation. For 20 years since the dawn of digital media we have created projects on everything from vhs to blu-ray. 100S of mini-dv and DVCPro tapes all backed up to 100s of mechanical hard drives. 20 years worth of memories is not something you can easily throw away, so more hours than were perhaps necessary were spent reminiscing over the good, the bad and the ugly, old clients and colleagues, and late nights during hot summers working to impossible deadlines.
Jobs ranging from sticky nightclub shoots in Blackpool to fashion runways set against the glistening cote d’Azur of Monaco were all re-watched during the agonising process of what to keep. Old show reels and promos were viewed for the first time in years and we were able witness our transformation from a group of young graphic designers, videographers and coders to the more mature, but only slightly more sensible collective that now forms REAL DESIGN.
There were over ten draws of physical media that were reduced down to a 8tb hard drive over the course of three months as well as old cables, PC’s and print media to be recycled.
We ended up giving over 100 hard drives to our friends at R3 Data Recovery who not only securely destroyed the data contained on the drives but also recycled them for parts.
It has been a physically and emotionally difficult process but moving forward always is. We would like to thank you for your continued friendship, support and patronage as we move into the next exciting chapter of REAL DESIGN.
Posted on 15th Jun 2022 16:32:24 by surrect.media
Tags: News, Studio Move.
REAL DESIGN Free Consultation
Every relationship starts with a discussion, and to make the initial enquiry even easier we have a simple form to fill in and we will give you a call right back. The initial call will last a few minutes, in which we will find out a bit about you and your business, what you might need now and possibly in the future.
This will give us enough information to start our research process; looking at competitive business, product market place, brand strategy, search engine optimisation competition, animation or video development, etc. every aspect of your inquiry, to best understand what solution you will need along with possible complimentary services that might add value.
This process can take a few days and we will prepare a document, which outlines our findings, along with a budget and timelines. This information is provided completely free and with no obligation, we want you to have as much detail and information moving forward - be it with us or a different agency.
Once you have our document and you have had a bit of time to digest our suggestions and information, we will arrange a face-to-face meeting with you to discuss our findings, see if our initial consultation meets your expectations and outline the next steps with us.
For over 20 years REAL DESIGN has provided ethical media solutions to customers around the world, based on honesty and integrity, we see each of our clients as a relationship not a project. Our main services are brand development, graphic design, video production & web creation but we also offer some niche solutions; augmented reality, commercial & studio photography, copy and script writing, live streaming, marketing campaigns, social media engagement, sms/mobile marketing, virtual reality, viral video creation.
REAL Facts:
- REAL have been in the media sector for over 20 years, developing new technologies for our customers to use - making them stand out.
- We have a 98% retention on customer relationships, we still work with customers from our first year in business.
- We will only offer customers what we think they need, if a service is not needed, we won’t offer it. Upselling is only effective if it’s complimentary.
So why not fill out the quick form below to start your free consultation with us now.
Posted on 4th Mar 2022 09:19:08 by surrect.media
Tags: News.
Design Trends 2022
As a new year starts we look at the world of ‘predicted’ trends and digest what we think is going to make a large splash in 2022, a year where the future stands side by side with the past. It’s a time when AI-generated content, NFTs and the metaverse gain momentum to elevate user experience. And then on the other hand, Y2K aesthetics and 70s psychedelic art help content creators spark nostalgia and better connect with their audience.
The Metaverse
What is the Metaverse? a collective virtual shared space. Today, boundaries between real and virtual worlds are blurred.
The metaverse is a perfect fusion of physical, augmented, and virtual reality. The Metaverse is a public virtual world that may be accessed via the internet. It creates a “virtual world” experience by simulating human emotions and gestures.
The metaverse encompasses the entire social and economic structure that exists in both the actual and virtual worlds. Avatars, content, and goods may all travel around freely. It’s a living, breathing experience that never pauses or finishes like a game.
In 2022, digital spaces will acquire an even more realistic look with the help of AR and VR technology. Designers will opt for well-thought-out 3D elements and motion graphics that bring a brand new level of interactivity. To make audiences feel even more present, creators will amplify their projects with ambient music and immersive sound effects.
Psychedelic Art
We often look back in history for artistic inspiration. This year, playful and bold motifs of the 70s will resonate with content creators worldwide. The desire to escape monotonous reality, captivate audiences, and the accessibility of graphic software will foster experiments with psychedelic art in the digital realm.
Abstract psychedelia, Holographic and grainy backgrounds, complex abstractions, a rich mix of bright or highly contrasting colors, and different interpretations of psychedelic line art will appear in graphic design. Using a large number of design elements in one composition will provide designers with room for experimentation, and boost the commercial potential of projects.
The trends we’re already starting to see have the potential to inspire people in finding alternative ways to get away and escape, especially with all that is going on in the world. These trends will prompt people to think more creatively about how they can explore and have new experiences within the limitations of where they are.
AI-Generated (Art, Music, Data)
Today, “smart” increasingly means powered by artificial intelligence (AI) – generally machine learning algorithms – and capable of helping us in increasingly innovative ways. Smart cars use facial recognition algorithms to detect whether we are paying attention to the road and alert us if we’re getting tired. Smartphones use AI algorithms to do everything from maintain call quality to help us take better pictures, and of course, they are packed with apps that use AI to help us do just about anything.
AI has permeated the tools we use to carry out everyday work – from the ubiquitous voice assistants to language translation and tools that allow us to extract structured data from pictures, whiteboard scribblings, and hand-written notes. It also powers much of the robotic process automation that has enabled workloads to be lightened in admin, logistics, accounting, and HR departments. Whatever your industry or job function, you’re likely to find there’s an AI-powered solution designed to make your life easier.
AI will significantly impact content production as well. Brands and creators will get a chance to provide hyper-personalized experiences to their audiences, as AI-generated content will be more cost and time-effective. Music tracks on websites, AI voiceover talent for vlogs, NFT art or social content will be tailored to fit a user’s taste or mood.
Y2K Aesthetics
If you’ve felt nostalgic for the past two years, you’re not alone. A lack of new experiences and positive emotions can make an audience reminiscent of how things were back in the day. Millennials and Gen Z—the largest and most solvent generations today—are attracted to Y2K aesthetics that evoke happiness and serenity, similar to the kind they experienced in childhood or teenage years.
This universal nostalgia encourages content creators to use pastel color palettes that include pink, yellow, green, and blue. Design and photography projects will acquire retrofuturistic vibes with shiny features or film-like post-production, and find their way from blogger social media accounts to brand campaigns and ads.
Many people are tired of minimalist design! Lots of artists during the pandemic experimented with the technology of the late 90s or early 2000s, whether by reexamining the birth of MP3 players, digicams, or with retrocomputing.
This specific period, around the late nineties and early naughties, is characterized by crude interfaces, low poly CGI, bubblegum pinks, blues and iridescent colors reminiscent of the backs of CDs. In many ways, it approaches cyberpunk, but it is much more bright and innocently nostalgic instead of dark, neon and sleek.
NFTs (Non-fungible tokens)
Crypto art has attracted a lot of attention over the last few years, and with some buyers spending millions on memes and artwork, the NFT trend is set to continue.
Non-fungible tokens are unique digital files published directly onto a blockchain, meaning that only one person can claim the rights to each one. NFTs are attractive to both collectors and designers – who can buy and sell work without having to worry about it being replicated without permission. For example, Bored Ape Yacht Club created a billion-dollar ecosystem of cartoon apes a string of NFTs, which have been purchased by celebrities and collectors around the world.
“NFTs are probably the best way to monetize digital art at the moment, you make money on the sale of your NFT, and the fascinating part is you also get a percentage on the secondary sale of the artwork. This is a great way to sell your personal projects or create something new and thrive as an artist.”
While not everyone is a fan of NFTs – predominantly due to their environmental footprint and copyright concerns – we expect this space to grow in 2022 with an increased number of creators and buyers looking to get in on the NFT games.
Final Thought…
The trends of 2022 are drawing inspiration from both the future and the past. Metaverse, AI and NFTs, science fiction, Y2K and Psychedelic art. It’s hard to imagine some of these disparate personalities mingling at a party, but this year they effectively will be. And it’s exactly these unpredictable mashups that you won’t want to miss out on in the coming year.
Optimistic forward thinking design will be the main overarching trend in the aftermath (hopefully) of the pandemic.
Posted on 4th Jan 2022 15:57:27 by surrect.media