brand confusion?

 Blue Flag Iris 5 3/4" x 8 3/4"
 coloured pencil on Stonehenge paper
copyright Teresa Mallen

A confused customer never buys...a nugget of wisdom from the biz development program I was involved in this past winter. I probably have some confused customers! hum...

Why do I say this? Well, I have been guilty of not posting to my biz Facebook page. I would post, drop off, six months later post again, then oops, life intervened and I dropped off again. Of course this has happened here too, but I know that many of you have been reading this blog for years so you have had a chance to get to know both me and my work.

I realize that my facebook page has displayed only one side of me as an artist. I have posted a lot of funky cp work, all done on sanded pastel paper. This is work that I enjoy doing and it sells well (yeah) but it isn't all that I do nor is it what I have done the most of.

So today, I posted the Iris above. I changed my cover image too. Why? Well first off, I am in the beginning stages of developing a following on my biz FB page and I want my new peeps to get a better idea of what sort of artist I am.

Secondly, I shall be teaching again this Fall and I want FB viewers to see that I can do realism, I enjoy it AND I am definitely qualified to teach it. I do realize that not every coloured pencil artist wanna-be wants to learn how to do funky landscapes or imagination based pieces.

So, time to add clarity and clear any confusion...

I will be giving the details of the courses next week, here on my blog if you are interested. Have a great weekend!

Oh and if you haven't visited, you can click here to visit my FB page. :-)

Business advice from Gene Simmons...

The daffodils are coming up...each day I wander around the property delighting in the daily progress of the various bulb plants and the flowering shrubs. I love watching things grow.

So what am I doing talking about Gene Simmons (and yes, I am referring to the dude from Kiss)? Well, I take my inspiration from many sources. Mr. Simmons has recently launched a new record label in Canada. I was reading an article in the 'Report on Business' magazine insert from the Globe and Mail newspaper (Friday March 27, 2009) on this new venture. Gene offers his take on success, "It's not just about records. You've got to have the complete package: the image, the positioning, the vibe, the media connection. It's not just your music...it means TV and movies and getting your songs out there". I thought this next comment was interesting: "The Who had their biggest success ever by being on CSI. And Led Zeppelin got more bang for buck on one song by putting 'Rock and Roll' on an Escalade commercial." Gene goes on to say that while purists have a problem with this sort of marketing, we should remember that "they're still living in Mom's basement, and they are 35 years old." :-)

Well maybe I am more in the purist camp than not as I care quite a bit about what is associated with my name and my images but what Gene is affirming here is the notion that we need to always be thinking of fresh new marketing strategies. I agree. Our greatest successes can come from very unexpected sources. We have all heard of thinking outside of the box but do we do it?

No matter what state the economy is in, there is always money moving around. I mentioned in a previous post (click here to read) about the two most expensive sports in the US (oddly enough, involving horses and yachts) and how an artist might tap into that wealth. Here are two more examples of creative marketing: A man here in Ottawa makes a living doing landscapes of golf courses. He enjoys painting landscapes and by featuring a vista of a golf course he has found a way to tap in to the golfing crowd. Golfers are passionate about their courses and membership in a premier, prestigious golf course is much sought after. These folks have money and they apparently love to have a print of their favourite course in their den or office. The artist has partnered with the golf courses to offer exclusive prints. This artist also loves hockey and he loves doing portraits. He went after the hockey market (we have a hockey franchise here in Ottawa - the Senators) and he now gets commissions to do paintings of the players playing the game and he also does commissions of players as well as players with their families. This isn't the traditional approach for a painter. Most traditional methods of selling art involves being represented by a gallery, having shows, etc.

Here is your smile for the day...The writer of the article Steve Ladurantaye asks Gene for his thoughts on the state of the economy in the US. The final question is: "How would you fix things - what's the Gene Simmons stimulus package?" Gene replied, "I am the stimulus package, baby."

I agree. We may not be rock and rollers but we are our own stimulus package. Our careers are in our hands. We all have our own personal limits as to how far we will go to market our art. Some artists shudder at the thought of doing market driven art like landscapes of golf courses. Others license their images to everyone and everything. (Maybe they just don't want to live in Mom's basement!) So how far are you willing to go? Is there a happy compromise you can make? Are you really thinking outside of the box?

creating your brand - marketing ideas for artists

The previous post had us visiting the world of reincarnated tea. Here are some more of my thoughts on marketing and some ideas on how artists can set themselves apart.

Before I get started, let me encourage you by saying that you have everything in you that you need to succeed at marketing yourself and your art. How do I know this? Well, as an artist you have already proven that you are creative and good marketing is just using creativity to sell! It really is that simple.

So lets get creative. First of all, what is your brand? Do you have one? Do you even know what I mean by brand?

Brand refers to one's identity.

If I say the following words to you, what comes to mind? Campbell's Soup, The Red Cross, Sara Lee, Betty Crocker, Amnesty International, McDonalds, National Geographic, Neutrogena, Ben and Jerry's, Heinz. Brands are not just for corporations. Think of Oprah, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Madonna.

Perhaps you immediately pictured a logo. Perhaps certain colours came to mind when you heard a company's name. Did you think of other things? Did you suddenly visualize a hamburger when you read McDonalds? Perhaps you saw golden arches. Did you immediately think of a company's advertising? Perhaps you thought of a slogan or a jingle from a commercial. What sort of photography do you expect when you think of National Geographic images? What sort of work comes to mind when you think of The Red Cross or Amnesty International?

Our brand refers to what people associate with us when they hear our name, our company's name (if you have one) and when they encounter our work. Ben and Jerry's hope that you perceive them as offering very high quality ice cream. Heinz wants you to think that they have such a superior product that when it comes to ketchup "there are no other kinds". National Geographic consistently produces a magazine offering thought provoking articles and world renowned photography. As a consumer, we know what to expect from them and they don't disappoint us. To be a successful humanitarian organization, you must work to build trust. If we do not believe in their strong values then we will not financially support their efforts. So are you getting the idea?

To establish an identity or brand isn't as scary or as difficult as it seems. To get started all you need to do is think of ways to promote what is unique about what you do. Here are some ideas:

• Perhaps the style of your art is quite distinctive. Ideally, there should be something about your work that makes it different than your peers. This could be something like your stroke technique or the colours you love to work in.
  
• Maybe you work in an unusual medium or with unusual methods. For example, perhaps you work in coloured pencil on board instead of paper or perhaps you always use solvents.
  
• Do you work in an unusual location? Perhaps you work in a renovated chicken coop and you offer workshops there too. That isn't too common.
  
• Perhaps your choice of subject matter is rather unusual.
  
• Consistency is an easy way to achieve branding. You might wish to have a certain font used in all of your correspondence - from business cards to your website. Choose colours that reflect you and use them in all of your press - from media cards, advertising, letter head, to mailing labels etc.
  
• Use consistent framing so that if someone were to see your work in a show, they would know who the artist is.
  
• Display consistent values. Become know for integrity, fairness, and honesty. Display a consistent level of quality in your work. Why not make excellence part of your brand? How about being consistently passionate and enthusiastic?
  
• You might wish to create a logo. Or how about coming up with a tagline?

These are just a few suggestions to get you started. Marketing can be fun and creative, in fact I think it should be. For more info you can surf the web, you can look at books at your library or you can check out magazines (yes, there are marketing magazines, you can find them at larger booksellers). If you would like some input from others, why not invite a few friends round? Together, have a look at the product(s) you produce and ask for ideas. What do they think is unique about you and your work? How do they perceive your 'brand'? Do some brainstorming. Don't forget that you can get great ideas from your mentors. Who do you look up to? Think of some local artists that you know and admire (they can be woodcarvers, potters, not just painters). What do their business cards and media cards look like? How do they advertise and promote themselves?

As you can see, this isn't difficult stuff. Maybe you just need to take some time to consider this aspect of being an artist. Why not get creative about selling your work? Maybe all you need to do is to focus on this for a bit. Why not ask more from yourself? Maybe you just need to commit to coming up a bit higher in a few areas - some key areas that will help you perfect your branding. For example maybe you need to commit to having all of your framing look great (no sneaking in some cheap frames, or poorly cut mats hoping people won't notice), maybe you commit to only showing your best work (no sneaking in a few lesser works in the hopes that someone won't notice and will buy them - remember these works reflect on everything else you are showing), and perhaps you commit to being enthusiastic in front of your customers (no more complaining about slow attendance or poor sales).

I hope these posts have started you thinking about your marketing plans. It really doesn't take thousands of dollars and a team of marketing professionals to give your business a boost. You are more than capable of doing this yourself. If any readers have some ideas they would like to share, please start a discussion and write a comment. Are you ready? Get branding!

marketing outside of the box

If you are an artist that seeks to sell your work, how would you describe your marketing strategy? Is your approach fresh and innovative or are you doing the same things everyone else does? Or yikes, maybe you don't have a marketing strategy. Perhaps you have business cards and media cards...and you're thinking "isn't that enough"? Well today I have a really great example of marketing outside the box. I hope you will be amused and inspired...

Sometimes great business ideas come as easily as observing the best practices of other companies. I have recently been inspired by a tea company. Yes a tea company...not just any tea company though, as you shall see...this is Tazo tea!

I was given a couple of boxes of Tazo tea for Christmas last year. From my first encounter with their product, I have admired their creative approach to marketing. They have done an excellent job in defining their brand. Once you encounter this company, you won't forget it, nor will you confuse it with other tea companies. Basic marketing 101, find a way to set yourself apart from the crowd.

So how does this company set itself apart? Well, primarily they have very creative packaging and text. Think Peterman catalogue from Seinfeld. :-) Their tagline is "Tazo, The Reincarnation of Tea". From here they build on this mystical, new age theme. For example on their website you can return to the "OM Page". You can get a newsletter or as they say "Be Enlightened, Sign Up For Free Tazo Wisdom", or you can contact them, "Enlighten Us Via Email or with Thought Waves". On their package they say that you can write to them but "Allow two weeks of this lifetime for a written response." Their box defines Tazo as "a calming herbal portion able to carry the drinker to a transcendent state of peace", and it also says that "Tazo has surfaced among the more advanced cultures of the day as a solution to the angst of daily life".

Here are two examples of text from the individual tea packets - On the Tazo Chai packet the text reads: "Throughout India, chai wallahs can be found serving up steaming cups of sweetly spiced chai to wandering souls. You're with them now." On the Tazo Calm package it states "A single cup of Tazo Calm has been known to have the same effect as sitting for 45 minutes in a mountain meadow on a sunny day with your shoes off." I confess this is the marketing statement that I like the most. Wow, this is just a chamomile blend and it does all this?! :-) When talking about the ingredients of the Calm blend, the final statement is "There's also a bit of magic involved, but it's really nothing we can talk about."

Whew...are we really just selling tea here? This is a very innovative approach to selling a rather ordinary product. Black tea, green tea, herbal teas, these are not new products and they are available everywhere. So if you were attempting to break into the tea market and you wanted to stand out, how would you do it? You might be interested to know that the company that is selling "reincarnated" tea is not located in Egypt but in Portland Oregon!

So what does this have to do with you? First of all, why not have a look at Tazo's website. What do you think of their approach to selling tea? In tomorrow's post I will share with you some of my thoughts on how you might set yourself apart from the crowd as an artist.

For now, I shall get back to my drafting table but first I think I shall pour myself a cup of Tazo Calm so I can experience that 'sunny mountain meadow with my shoes off' effect.