Alan M. Siegel's Blog, page 123

Throwback to London Design Festival 2013: Two videos with Massive Music on the value of sonic branding

In the spirit of Throwback Thursday, we thought we’d share this gem from our (recent) archives.

In September of 2013, Siegel+Gale London partnered with the London Design festival to create a one of a kind event—we curated a series of talks with Dalton Maag and Massive Music on Type and Sound.

Watch these videos with Roscoe Williamson (music producer) and Nico Steiger (creative director) of Massive Music.

17 B2B women marketers: one question, many challenges

In the spirit of International Women’s Day, which has been observed on March 8 since the early 1900s, I thought it would be intriguing to ask a sample of top female B2B marketers one question: “What’s the No. 1 brand challenge facing B2B companies today?”

My open-ended question elicited thought-provoking responses. It was fascinating to hear from these women, who come from a variety of industries including technology, healthcare, and financial services. Here is what they told me.

Brand: The secret to finding the one

Recruiting and hiring talent isn’t unlike choosing a mate—with the recently released Gallup poll that reports only 13% of employees are actively engaged at work, there is an obvious issue with employers and employees finding the right “match.” There may be a variety of reasons for this, but I believe a misalignment of values is one of the core reasons.

How to run a writing workshop: Nine simple tips

As a writer at Siegel+Gale, I get to play in a lot of sandboxes, from shaping messaging strategies to writing sample ad copy. But my hands-down favorite part of the job is leading writing workshops. Workshop sessions bring those strategies to life. They shake people out of their everyday routines. They introduce new writing techniques. And done well, they’re fun (never underestimate the power of fun).

I’ve taught all kinds of writing workshops for everyone from NYC high school girls to senior executives to college students. Here are a few tips I picked up along the way.

Simplicity makes branding better: A video interview with Franco Xu

Following the announcement that he’d be joining Siegel+Gale, we sat down with Franco Xu, general manager, Siegel+Gale Shanghai, to discuss why he joined our strategic branding firm, the opportunities for brands in China, and for Chinese brands to grow internationally. Watch the video for select highlights from the conversation, and read the full interview.

The Television Academy’s new visual identity: Reflections from our creative director Matthias Mencke

While best known for its annual presentation of the Primetime Emmy Awards®, the Television Academy represents much more. Siegel+Gale collaborated with the Television Academy to better position the organization and its offerings through a comprehensive brand strategy. The new brand story, we celebrate and empower storytellers to push the boundaries of what television can be, re-affirms the Television Academy's dedication to changing the future of television.

We interviewed group creative director Matthias Mencke to discuss the process of creating the Television Academy’s new visual identity.

Taking the Availity rebrand to the web

Part of the fun (and challenge!) of working at a branding firm is the opportunity to build on a newly refreshed brand platform. When my colleagues in brand strategy and design build a new platform and identity, they kick the tires and develop plenty of mock-ups. But the final test comes when we take that identity and put it into action at a specific point of contact between the brand and its customers.

We recently had this opportunity when Availity, an internet-based healthcare network that streamlines claims and other critical business operations, asked us to extend our brand work into their digital experience.

The growing Facebook empire: Time for a brand consultant?

Mark Zuckerberg knows exactly what he thinks the Facebook experience should be like and he doesn’t need a branding agency to tell him how to do something that he started in his Cambridge dorm room.

Until now.

Facebook’s 19 billion dollar acquisition of WhatsApp (One of the largest M&A deals in history) potentially opens a lot of doors for branding agencies to be involved with the tech industry.

Branding in the Middle East: Siegel+Gale’s Interview with Said Aghil Baaghil

What do you think of simplicity and its role in developing brands and communications?

Well, simplicity definitely gets the point across, since brands are supposed to be simple for every intended audience to understand its essence. People and organizations complicate brands’ messages and how these brands are supposed to communicate. Simplicity helps every brand to deliver its purpose and connect easily with its recipients on an emotional level.

Flying elephants and simple truths

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of joining Shira Feuer, Head of Social Media EMEA, The Walt Disney Company, Amanda MacKenzie, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Aviva, and Moray MacLennan, Worldwide Chief Executive Officer, M&C Saatchi, on a panel examining what it means to “Deliver content with value.” The panel was part of the Big ReThink 2014 event, organized by The Economist in London on March 18, 2014. The Economist asked us to contribute our views on the looming challenges for content in today’s hyper-connected world.