New Work: IU Health Goshen Heart & Vascular

We love new challenges here. A favorite client of ours, IU Health Goshen Heart & Vascular, recently gave us a good one.

They asked us to follow up on the successful "Thump Thump" campaign. We had to reinforce the existing message to maintain consistency with the original... but at the same time, keep it fresh.

Challenge accepted! Introducing "Thump Thump II," the second commercial from the Heart & Vascular series. In this :30 spot, we delve deeper into what makes IU Health the premier destination for Heart & Vascular care.

That's all we can say without giving the whole thing away. Better check it out for yourself.

The new tadesign.com is ALIVE!

Brace yourself, because we're about to deliver some big news.

This morning, we launched the new Todd Allen Design website.

As always, we're keeping our excitement under control.

What can you expect to find at the completely redesigned tadesign.com? For starters, three great new features:

A new look at how we work
People always ask us how we come up with our big ideas. So we've pulled back the curtain to give you a behind-the-scenes look at our Three Pronged Strategy. It's our proven three-part method for developing creative work that actually works. We were too proud of it to keep it a secret anyway.

Our new social media hub
Now it's easier than ever to get up-to-the-minute news on what we're up to. Our new social media hub (conveniently located at the top of the screen) instantly connects you to our blog, Twitter feed, and YouTube channel. A one-stop destination for all things TAD.

Our favorite new projects
Since we last launched our website, we've completed lots of awesome projects for incredible clients. Here's your chance to check out a few of our favorites.

What, you're still reading? Go! Now!

Advertising: So much more than selling

Everyone knows one thing about icebergs: The part you see above the waterline is tiny compared to what lies below it.

You'd be amazed how much icebergs have in common with advertising.

If advertising were an iceberg, "sales" would be its tip. After all, most companies view advertising as nothing more than a selling tool: "Run ads, reap sales, repeat."

But when you look below the waterline, you see just how big an impact it can really have.

The truth is, advertising's real benefit - that big part of the iceberg that's hidden underwater - is positioning. Showing what you stand for, why you're unique, and why everyone should care.

Print this out and nail it to your wall.

When you gain a strong position through advertising, sales take care of themselves. Just ask Apple.

Yet still, most companies continue to make sales their primary focus, leaving positioning to happen on its own. Then, they find out that their new line of hunting vests has become popular among 15-year-old girls. Like it or not, it's too late to do anything about it then. That's their position now.

Don't let it happen to you. Use advertising to steer your brand into a relevant and profitable position now. That's what it's really for.

When you use it as merely a selling tool, you miss the big opportunity that lies beneath.

3 reasons why brands are better than salespeople

We've all heard (or said) this one: "I don't need to advertise. I get plenty of business through my sales team." Fair enough. But are you sure you want to build your company's image on a foundation that's so unpredictable? So ever-changing? So... human?

Don't get us wrong, we love people. Some of our best friends are people. But for a stable, long-lasting corporate identity, we love brands more. Here's why:

Brands are consistent.

To customers, your sales rep is your company. So when customers see a flaw - say, your rep is late for a meeting - they assume your whole company is unreliable. He's poorly dressed? Your company's unprofessional. Even if you do your best to hire great people, it's always a struggle to make sure they're portraying your company's image and values.

Your brand, meanwhile, offers another kind of personality: One you can control. One that represents your values perfectly. One that will never put off a prospect with its bad breath.

Brands won't leave you...
Studies have proven that people will do just about anything to avoid "breaking up" with a long-time sales rep. Yes, that includes switching vendors, and even buying an inferior product.

Brands don't retire, or leave you for another company because it offered five more vacation days. Sales reps, on the other hand, come and go all the time. 

Losing a rep hurts - but hey, it's part of any business, right? You're more worried about losing a customer. Well, since you bring it up...

...and take your customers, too.

So when your rep leaves for a competitor, what will your customers do? Stick with the person they've been friends with for years? Or stick with your company - which they only knew through their friend anyway? Those customers are as good as gone, and your products probably won't have anything to do with it.

Your sales force is an important part of your identity. But it shouldn't be your whole identity. If you want your company to last, a strong brand is more than important. It's vital.

New Work: True Celebration 2012

Every year Todd Allen Design produces the welcome video for IU Health Goshen Center for Cancer Care’s True Celebration, an event that pays tribute to all of their cancer survivors.

Countless hours of planning, interviewing and film editing are poured into this project each year, and it is one of our favorites. After all, what could be more inspiring than talking with people who face cancer with such strength, courage and determination? 

To put things into perspective, one survivor jokingly testified, “Some folks complain about ‘bad-hair days.’ Try having a no-hair day.”

This year’s video theme "It’s a new day” is beautifully filmed by Overdun Productions and features emotionally-charged testimony from five Goshen Center for Cancer Care patients who have fought and defeated cancer. The setting is the historical Ruthmere Mansion in Elkhart.

We’re sure you will enjoy it, but you may want to grab a box of tissues before you watch it!

One Wrong Way to Choose an Ad Agency

Is there anything more nerve-wracking than hiring an ad agency? There are so many to choose from, and no surefire way to make the right choice.

But there is one surefire wrong way: Letting yourself be sold by a "pitch team."

Maybe you've already seen The Pitch on AMC. If not, we'll sum it up for you. Two agencies bring together their best and brightest employees to win an account. Naturally, the agencies' best employees produce great work. The clients are blown away, pick a winner, and presumably live happily ever after.

No reason you can't do the same, right? But before you buy into an agency's dog and pony show, ask yourself: If I give my business to a talented pitch team, what's next?

Surprise! They'll never touch your account again.

Sorry, your future is now in the hands of the other people - the ones who didn't make the cut for the pitch team. Meanwhile, the pitch team is off to win someone else's business.

Don't panic, there are ways around this. The first one's obvious: If agency reps introduce themselves to you as "the pitch team" or something like it, tell them not to let the door hit their portfolios on the way out.

Second, find out who will really be working on your account. Can you meet them? Can you interact with everyone instead of just executives? These are fair requests. If an agency turns them down, turn down that agency.

Third: Look at small- to medium-size shops (10-15 people). Agencies with fewer than 10 people usually can't afford stars. Meanwhile, the giant agencies often spread their stars too thin. Medium-size agencies, on the other hand, have stars who work on your account daily. And there's no room for pitch teams.

Finally, take your time. Choosing an agency is a big deal, like a marriage.

Will yours be made in heaven, or hell?

Facebook is no substitute for advertising

Reason #4,389 businesses think they don't need advertising: "I get enough publicity through Facebook."

We can understand that. With everything Facebook can do for free, it's easy to think it can build a brand for free, too. It's also very, very wrong.

Here are a few things people say to convince us that Facebook is just as good as advertising... and why we're not convinced.

"Facebook is how new customers find us."
Does anyone ever truly "find" a business they've never heard of on Facebook? More likely, they'll visit you in real life first, THEN find you on Facebook. They're existing customers, not new ones. If your goal is for someone to buy from you, they've usually done that by the time they see your company profile. They already liked you before they "Liked" you. Same goes for people: You meet them in real life first, THEN friend them. Unless you're creepy.

"Why pay for a website when Facebook is free?"
This only makes sense if your goal is to stand out as little as possible. Because currently, the only ways to really differentiate yourself on Facebook are through a profile picture and cover photo. Meanwhile, your competition will use ads, websites, and whatever else it takes to beat you. Think your Facebook page is enough to stop them? Ever heard the expression "Taking a knife to a gun fight?"

"But if someone Likes us, their friends will see it!"
Sure, if Likes weren't the hardest things to see on the whole site. When someone "Likes" you, it pops up on the news feed. "Steve likes Hopmonster Brewery." Yes! Free publicity! Two seconds later, that measly little line is pushed down by a friend's hilarious status update. Then by pictures of someone's vacation (or more likely, their baby). Then by an entertaining news story - also with pictures. In just a few minutes, your free PR is swept away and buried. So much for that.

OK, that's enough Facebook-bashing for now. After all, we're probably using it as you read this. It's one of the greatest inventions of our time, one that can help you find old friends, and turn acquaintances into new friends.

And best of all, it's FREE!

Just beware: You'll get what you paid for.