 Hope was what the angels sang about. Hope lay in the manger. Hope caused Mary to wonder in her heart. Christmas is a hope story because it heralds the coming to earth of the One who is hope, Jesus. For each of us born in a world damaged by sin there simply could not be any other source of hope. Good education would not solve the problem. Benevolent government had no power to solve the problem. More and better laws couldn’t penetrate to the source of the problem. People couldn’t help one another, and they surely couldn’t help themselves.
The condition of sin infects every single human being from birth and has scarred every aspect of the world we live in. The only solution was a Savior. He would not come to set up an earthly kingdom and enforce his rule on the unwilling. He would not come to judge and condemn. He would come to serve, to suffer, and to die so that his kingdom would reign in the hearts of people. He came to seek and to save. He came to rescue and restore. He came to give hope that we could be redeemed and the world could be renewed. When Jesus was born, so was our hope. May your Christmas be filled with true joy this year, and may you find the one person that is hope...Jesus.
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 Marketing can sometimes feel like a really confusing road map - so many avenues, so many detours, so many directions to turn. Some days, you might feel like you've accidentally ended up in the scary part of town....with a flat tire....in a rain storm.
Admarc understands the confusion. Besides traditional marketing avenues (print, TV, radio, collateral), digital marketing offers more options (websites, social media, online ads). But the fundamentals of marketing remain the same today and into the future. A good start to clarifying your personal marketing road map is taking some time to answer these questions:
Admarc has been in the marketing business in Midland Texas for 40 years. We have experience, knowledge, ideas and a killer cup of coffee. Give us a call or stop by and let's talk about your marketing. Contact Us With 2021 on the horizon, the design world is looking forward to a fresh start. Colorful, whimsical, attention-getting graphics will continue to trend in 2021. Creative platform 99designs predicts that the upcoming year will be dominated by bolder, more surreal and maximalist styles. Design styles like "Abstract Psychedelia" and "Retro Futurism" are expected to dominate in 2021. These design styles and others are illustrated in 99designs' infographic below. For more detailed information and other examples, head over to 99designs.   Try to do something difficult, something new, anything different from what other people do. And critics, naysayers, and devil's advocates will always comment or critique. Granted, input and feedback are certainly valuable.
But only to a point. Sometimes, paying attention to criticism--of your business, your products, your ideas will only serve to grind away the sharp edges. To many, "new" can make people uncomfortable. "New" can make people feel defensive. If you're right, then I must be wrong, and no one likes to be wrong. Steve Jobs said, "You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: Your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." The next time someone criticizes an idea, ask how they arrived at their opinion. Look for the data behind the conclusion. Otherwise, ignore everything that isn't data--warnings, cautionary tales, and well-intentioned but poorly grounded advice--since you already know all those things anyway. Then keep in mind, analysis can only take you so far, especially since critical thinking tends to steer a decision towards conventional wisdom. Innovative products, designs or services are only groundbreaking in hindsight. At some point, someone believed when others did not. Apply a little selective listening to your critics and sometime that someone might even be you.  In a culture of media saturation and disposable content, creativity counts, and craft and taste matter, and I think we’ll see a return to these values in narrative storytelling and production across the board. People don’t hate ads. They hate floods of useless information and disruptive messaging with no entertainment value. Creativity that is entertaining will still be the thing that allows brands to stand out, connect with their audiences and grow. I think we’ll continue to see people increasingly attracted to brands that stand for something and are good for people and the planet.
Companies are under more pressure than ever to drive quick results, and the stress of that can lead to very short-term thinking, which is understandable. With a strong brand, they are more equipped to act quickly in cultural moments and simultaneously build success over time. We have more opportunities to apply creativity in more ways, in more channels and at greater speed. More and more brands are starting to seeing the value of being purpose-driven. Years ago, at his famous TED Talk, Simon Sinek stated that people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. It’s exciting to see more brands making it part of their mission. And doing it in an authentic manner. The more scattered we become, the more important it is for brands to have cultural relevance, and talk value. It’s kind of like you either need to be brave or risk being irrelevant. That’s a pretty exciting prospect to count on, by design.  Today I turned 65, a day many look to retirement or winding down a career. For me it seems I’ve just begun, with so many changes since my career started in 1975. From a drawing table with a T-square and ruling pen to the digital word where we live now. While technology and tools have changed, the energizing force that still drives me each day is the creation of solutions for the graphic and marketing problems that all clients face, large and small. I can’t wait to get to the office each morning early and start on the next set of solutions.
The other constant is relationships. Whether they are clients or partners in solving the problems, they are all invaluable. The contributions through the years have been invaluable and the names too many to list, but grateful for them all. Each new idea brings the support of those partnerships, because everything we do has numerous levels of contribution. Ultimately, the idea is the catalyst for everything from a logo to a marketing campaign. And those ideas can come from anywhere, anyone and at any time. You have to be discerning as to when they happen and are worthy of execution. Many great ideas never reach the surface and become “I thought of that” concepts. While many mediocre ideas are acted on and executed. While I think back to the many campaigns and projects that we have completed through the years I can also remember many that never made it to the surface. So, my self-challenge in the last few years has been to act on the creative impulses that I receive and make them happen. It could be as simple as sending an email to a colleague or supplier to say thanks or waking up in the middle of the night and sending myself an email about an idea and then acting on it when you are at your device. Lastly, organization is one of the most valuable disciplines needed today. At the pace of the numerous forms of communication, one must be organized, or they will quickly fall behind or create unnecessary stress. Quick access to files and responsiveness are invaluable traits. Even though the 45 years, so far, that I have spent in this industry have flown by, my love for the craft and creating solutions is still young. It is my hope and prayer that I can reflect experience and excitement to those younger, because we are all created by design.  While some would think it was creative foresight that in the midst of the greatest pandemic we have experienced in 50 years, it was just good execution of a creative idea designed to generate interest and increase sales. The Corona brand has suffered in recent months due to the imagery and slogan, but no one on the marketing team could have foreseen these recent months and the need for social distancing, much less designed it into the imagery.
Everything is by design. From the beginning of time until today. Every identity, campaign and, for that matter, individual is by design and created for a purpose. In these days of fear, wonder and the unexpected let's not focus on the things that we cannot control, but on those we can. . . our thoughts, dreams and imagination. Andy Andrews says, "Fear is a misuse of our imagination. Imagination is a discipline." Neither fear or faith can be seen. Our thinking yields our choices and we can choose how we think. Imagination properly guided yields hope and faith. Don't obsess on what you can't do, but on what you can. In the days and months to come, things will be different, guaranteed. But, they don't have to be fearful. An advantage of being older allows one to gather perspective quicker because of experiences in life, not because we know more, but because we have experienced more. I for one, am choosing to learn, laugh and live every day with hope. Living By Design  Digital Transformation, Lifecycle Marketing, Hype Cycle, Insights Driver, Martech……
Creating and analyzing your company’s marketing may seem complex. The options seem endless and opinions abound. More focus on digital marketing? Ramp up social media? Abandon tried-and-true advertising channels for the “new thing”?
We’ve been helping Midland companies make more money since 1983. As Farmers Insurance would say, we’ve learned a thing or two. We will sit down and talk with you, listen to your input and concerns and help you draft a marketing plan that works for you. Real people who will pour a cup of coffee, listen to your thoughts and create something that works. That’s not so complex, is it?  Maybe you feel like your logo is just a fancy way of writing the company name. Or that updating your logo is a waste of time and money. If you feel this way, you'd be wrong. Your logo is important. Not only is this the first impression most people have of your company - it's on your letterhead, business cards, brochures, website, social media and signage after all. It's also the one image that stands for your company. And to paraphrase - an image is worth a thousand words.
What's the feeling you have when you look at this American Eagle logo? The aim was to create a feeling of childlike exploration and freedom - using the eagle as the ultimate symbol of freedom and including retro graphics harking back to the childhood age of the target audience. Not only does the retailer want their customers to connect with their logo, they want to create an emotion related to their brand. Starting with their logo and extending through their branding, the retailer encourages their customer to relate American Eagle to good feelings - the freedom of childhood. A strong logo allows you to rise above the competition. It sets you apart from the crowd. A good logo is memorable and appropriate. It sends the message you want to send and it creates a feeling among those who view it. What feeling do you want to create for your company? Strong? Compassionate? Technologically advanced? Experienced? Your logo should reflect the emotion you want your customers to feel. Every element of your logo helps convey this feeling, helps create a great first impression and helps cement these emotions in your customers' minds. Let's talk about your logo and how it can be refreshed or redesigned to promote your company in the right way. Call Admarc.  Choosing the right domain name for your business can be tough. The pressure is on - once you begin branding with this domain, changing will be tricky. Putting some thought into your domain name up front is definitely worth the time spent.
First of all, a little domain info: a domain name is the part of your web address that is found after the "http://" or "www". In this example: http://admarc.com, the highlighted portion is the domain name. Does a domain name really matter all that much? If cost is any indication, yes it does.
Some points to consider when choosing your domain name: The best extension - With over 126 million registered names, the old standby extension ".com" is pretty saturated. You can still create a workable .com domain name but you might have to be creative. New extensions are being added (.biz, .shop, .info). Time will tell which of these domains become as recognizable as .com. For now, if you can buy a .com domain, do it. Keep it short, keep it simple - A domain name should be easy to read, easy to spell and easy to pronounce. Remember, in most cases your email address will be based on this domain name. Every time you tell someone your email address, do you really want to say joe@8245tmleql ? When you've come up with a candidate, tell a few friends your domain name and ask them to spell it. Show your domain name to a few different friends and ask them to read it. If there is any hesitation or incorrect answer, go back to the drawing board. Avoid numbers - Numbers in a domain name can be confusing. Is 5 spelled out or the number 5? It's best to avoid them when possible. If it's not possible, buy both versions of the name. Say what you do - Most people automatically focus on their company name when buying a domain but sometimes it's a better idea to focus on what you do. Including keywords (oil field, medic, etc.) in your name improves your page rank and many people search for a category - not a specific name. Check out the domain's history - People abandon domain names every day. An easy way to find out if your potential domain has been used before: Wayback Machine . Purchase several domains - Domain names are relatively inexpensive. If you see any possibility of confusing your domain name (QuikiMart, QuickyMart), buy all the variations and point them all to your site. Renew - Your domain name will expire. Keep track of the login and password with your registrar and be sure to renew! Once your name expires, it is open to purchase by anyone. And that anyone is usually someone looking to sell back to you at a higher cost. Be careful - Sometimes, you miss something important - http://speedofart.com/ (Speed of Art gone terribly wrong.) Admarc can help find the perfect domain name for your company We also register and renew the name so you never need to worry about losing it. Give us a call. |
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