Troy Mikell's Blog

A funny thing happens when we get scared. We stop being funny.

Take a look at your last ad campaign. Was it light-hearted or dead-pan serious? When we take the funny out of the equation, it becomes heavy, dire and  we send signals of fear to the competition and to our target market.

Lighten up. It'll make the ads more interesting and much more memorable. It may even motivate people to remember your product and possibly, convert them to becoming residents.

What happens when the budgets get thin?  Like a boat caught in a storm, we start throwing everything overboard. Ok, not everything. We start bailing water with our hands. Then a cup. Pretty soon a bucket and then our most prized possessions get thrown overboard. 

Your brand IS your most prized possession. Like the boat, you have worked hard to build it. To make it float and sail through the waters. So why, when times get scary do some throw everything overboard?

The most productive choice  is to stay the course and keep your brand in tact. This simple act keeps the boat floating and on course to your destination.

The battle cry of today's marketing department is to get it done under budget, in record time and with award-winning style.

As a creative agency owner, I do my best to accommodate these wishes. After all, I also read the headlines.

The problem is that when this level of service becomes, "the norm", the creative product and the industry, as a whole, suffers. Sparkling pools, panoramic views, cozy fireplaces replace more emotional ways of communicating the selling points of your community.

Shiny Object! Shiny Object!

Social media and on-line marketing are the darlings of today's marketing efforts.

And for good reason. It is inexpensive, flexible, trackable and oh so now! But keep this in mind, while everyone is gravitating towards this new-age format that has already changed the way we communicate, there is a hole being left.