Archive for November, 2009
A New Business Development Manager for Marion
Posted by admin in Brand Building, Brand Positioning on November 23rd, 2009
The Marion Group is very excited to announce that Prairie Koen has joined our team as the Business Development Manager. In this new role, Prairie will be responsible for promoting high-level market awareness, while developing new, lasting relationships with those clients interested in long-term strategies.
Prior to joining Marion, Ms. Koen was the Marketing Manager for an international engineering and corrosion control company. With over 8 years of experience in marketing and advertising, Prairie brings with her a wealth of knowledge and talent, which is certain to make an immediate impact at Marion and with our clients.
Talk to Prairie if you are interested in redefining your brand strategy and developing a new, ambitious marketing plan. You can reach Prairie at 713-623-6444 ext 108.
Please join us in welcoming this new addition to our team!
The Marion Group Wins Gold Award For Total Safety’s 2009-2010 Products and Services Catalog
Posted by admin in Catalog Design on November 20th, 2009
Total Safety Print Catalog
The Marion Group, a B-to-B, Houston catalog design firm, is winner of International Gallery’s Gold Award, the highest honor, for design and production of Total Safety’s 2009-2010 Products and Services Catalog. Total Safety is a leading global provider of integrated safety solutions and services. Marion provided a turnkey service to produce this nearly 200-page full-color catalog that showcases a selection of the safety products, equipment and safety services that Total Safety offers.
To view a sample of Total Safety’s 2009-2010 Products and Services Catalog, visit our catalog design portfolio.
For more information on The Marion Group, visit our website.
Marion’s Turnkey Service
Marion was responsible for the overall project coordination, as well as the content development including writing, editing, gathering product images, proofing and communicating with suppliers on behalf of Total Safety. Marion’s graphic design services included the development the page template and cover design to reflect Total Safety’s graphic standards and brand identity.
The Marion Group produced the page layouts and electronic production of the catalog. To complete the project, Marion also handled the printing of the catalog.
A Catalog with the Customer in Mind
Charles Ripoll, Total Safety Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, says that “the goal of the publication was not only to feature top brand products and services, but to provide a comprehensive guide for all the latest in cutting-edge safety services and equipment. Total Safety’s catalog represents the world’s best safety products all in one centralized place to make our customers’ jobs easier and to keep them safer.”
Paul Tyree, Total Safety Vice President U.S. Operations, thinks that “while the catalog is very in-depth with an extensive listing of products, the catalog is easy to read, which makes ordering very simple” for their customers.
The catalog was printed on a web press to the final specifications of: 8.375” W X 10.875” H; 198 pages + cover. The cover was printed on 100# gloss paper, and the text was 70# gloss paper. The book was perfect bound with a UV coating on the cover.
To learn more about The Marion Group’s Catalog Design Services, call us at 713.623.6444 or email us info2@marion.com.
A Business Plan – The Must-Have Battle Plan for the Startup
Posted by admin in Brand Building on November 9th, 2009
A lot of startups come to us with big ideas and sometimes little strategy as to how they are going to win in the marketplace battlefield. The number one question we ask new entrepreneurs is whether or not they are armed with a Business Plan or are in the process of creating one. If they say no, we encourage them to start building one. The better the Business Plan, the better is the possibility for victory.
The Business Plan will help answer the questions of who, what, where, when, why and how about the new company and its products and services. It discusses the target customers and how the company will bring a unique solution to address their needs.
The U.S. Small Business Administration offers sound guidance on how to write a good business plan. They cover topics such as:
- Executive Summary
- Market Analysis
- Company Description
- Organization & Management
- Marketing & Sales Management
- Service or Product Line
- Funding Request
- Financials
- Appendix
Marion can help customers with certain elements of the plan such as:
- Market Analysis (Market Research)
- Product and/or Service Description
Out of the Business Plan springs the Marketing Plan. What the Marketing Plan is and how this emergence happens is discussed on our web page: Market Research & Development of Your Marketing Plan.
To the brave new captains of commerce: give your new idea a solid head start with a well thought out Business Plan. We want to help and see you win. After all, your success is our success at Marion.
Houston Billboards: Random Displays or Ingenious Marketing Strategies?
Posted by admin in Advertising, Brand Building on November 6th, 2009
Inbound: Houston Art Exhibit
Houston has recently showcased some intriguing billboards. One of these is the “invisible billboard” that features large photographic images of the sky and trees. If you commute into Houston from outside the Loop, it’s likely that you have come across some of them.
The Invisible Billboard
What the puzzled commuters probably do not know is that these billboards are the work of artist, Karyn Olivier. The title of her exhibit is “Inbound: Houston” and can be seen from October 26th to November 22nd. There are a total of 13 billboards across Houston featuring photographic images of what you would see if the billboards didn’t exist.
For more information on this artist, click here.
- The “You” Campaign
Another perplexing billboard that gave no indication about what was being advertised or by whom, was the billboard with a white backdrop and the word “YOU” in bubble letters. The non-descriptive billboards have recently changed to include the HTC TouchTM Pro2 phone as the “O” in “YOU”. This two-stage billboard campaign is an innovative way to capture consumers on the go. Your first reaction is confusion, which transforms into a memorable brand experience.
What will marketers think of next?
If you are looking to create a traffic stopping billboard campaign, contact Marion to get the creative wheels turning.
What is the difference?
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 2nd, 2009
Trademark symbols protect your various product names, titles, logo design, brochure designs, custom web design and other graphic design elements that are used to identify your company as the source of a product. In this way, trademarks help your company to maintain a distinct identity in the marketplace.
Once you put a trademark on a product in the marketplace, it provides legal protection. However, they do not prevent other companies from producing the same products with a clearly different mark - you cannot trademark an idea but you can trademark the expression of an idea.
Although trademarks protect, they must also be protected by registering with the US Patent and Trademark Office. A Registered Trademark costs anywhere from $325 and up, and often takes a year and even up to several years to process, since there is more research involved in issuing it. Once registered, you can change the ™ to ®.
Companies must constantly monitor their trademarks so that they don’t slip into generic use; if they do, they can lose them. For example, Kleenex must constantly remind the public that Kleenex is their product, and not the universal synonym for tissue.
The Service Mark protects a service as opposed to a physical product and affords the same protection as a Trademark.
A trademark must be renewed every ten years and trademark laws vary significantly from country to country.
A Copyright protects original artistic, dramatic, literary, musical and intellectual work that is fixed in any tangible medium such as a book, song, computer program or the content of a website as a whole.
The work can be published or unpublished. As with Trademarks, you cannot copyright an idea only the unique expression of an idea.
A copyright entitles the holder to exclusive rights to:
– Reproduce the work
– Publically distribute copies
– Create derivative works
– Publically perform and/or display the work
These five rights kick in from the moment the work is written, illustrated, or constructed, even without registering. However, the safest thing to do is to officially register your work.
Copyrights are registered with the US Copyright Office and they are generally easier to register than trademarks. A copyright registration currently costs approximately $30 and takes approximately 4 to 5 months to process.
A copyright remains in effect for seventy years after the creator’s death and no renewal is necessary. Unlike a trademark, the holder is under no pressure to keep tabs on it constantly.
Copyright law is fairly consistent country to country.
Thanks to the little book What’s the Difference? How to Tell Things Apart That are Confusingly Close for inspiring this article.
-
You are currently browsing the archives for November, 2009
Subscribe to the Marion RSS Feed
