Archive for October, 2011

3 Ways to Stand Out with the New Facebook Timeline

October 26th, 2011

If you’ve been following the news lately you may have heard of Facebook’s new Timeline feature, currently in beta testing, that will be implemented into user profiles over the coming weeks. This is a huge stepping stone for Facebook as it allows the user to upload a custom photo and use it as a feature photo or banner that will be displayed on their profile. Check out the demo:

So, what does this have to do with your brand and what does it mean for your Facebook fan page? Quite simply, it means more control over how your brand is viewed:

1. Control Your First Impression

First Impressions are everything. Within 1 to 2 seconds of viewing a page, a user will decide if they’re going to stay and explore, or hit the dreaded back button. Choosing a visually stunning cover photo to draw in fans rather than a blurry, pixelated or oversimplified (read: logo only) image is a poor brand signal

2. Bring New Products or Features Center Stage

The cover photo can be easily replaced to rotate out new products, advertising campaigns or promotions. This is the first image people will see, so keeping it relevant and fresh is key.

3. Create a Unified Brand Experience

A brand’s profile photo and cover photo should work together, not clash or compete for attention, to create the perfect brand experience for consumers. We like to use the profile photo as the brand’s logo, so that when comments, photos, or other content is posted users easily identify the poster, while using a large campaign or graphic image as the cover photo.

If you haven’t seen the new layout, check out these images we designed for a couple of our favorite brands:

The Death of the Roach Coach: 3 Ways to Capitalize on the Food Truck Craze

October 21st, 2011

This last weekend I almost got in an accident when I looked to my right and saw what looked like Seattle’s first food pod–it wasn’t! A food pod/truck pod for those of you who haven’t visited Portland, OR or Austin, TX in the last five years or so (Portland has 25 of them), is a group of Food Carts that gathers in a parking lot designated for a period of time for simply that purpose.

Recently, cities like Seattle are passing legislation that allows for the more lax operation of food trucks, by allowing them to sell on city streets. This prompted the opening of several new food carts here, 20 of which participated in the first annual Mobile Food Rodeo last month – that was judged by prominent top local chefs and media personalities. But what’s even more interesting is how brands are capitalizing on this emerging trend.

Whether it’s a food truck takeover for a non-food brand, a custom mobile version of an existing brick and mortar restaurant, or something in between, food trucks have become a tour de force in the marketing world. And for good reason – they’re a fresh, quirky way to connect with consumers and provide them something you know they want (food) with something they don’t yet know they want.

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Happy 6th Birthday Beyond Traditional!

October 12th, 2011

To celebrate another birthday and another successful year, we’ve put together a list of recent highlights:

July 2010: Jack in the Box contacts Beyond Traditional to help launch the restaurant giant’s first-ever mobile restaurant.

July 2010: Beyond Traditional sets a building on fire for the opening of the fiery favorite, Wing Dome.

November 2010: Good Morning America features our 3D mobile showroom advertising truck for furniture designer Jonathan Adler, in partnership with Sterling Publishing, live, with the famous designer himself inside!

February 2011: In just six months, Jack in the Box launches Jack’s Munchie Mobile, Jack in the Box’s first-ever food truck in San Diego.

March 2011: Seattle’s first, free taco truck evolves into the Q-Cruiser, a year-round, mobile tour campaign for Qdoba Seattle.

June 2011: Beyond Traditional was chosen to launch Yahoo! Studios at Internet Week in NYC. Watch the video here.

August 2011: Beyond Traditional expands by 25 percent–adding digital/interactive designers and social media strategists.

September 2011: Beyond Traditional and Jack in the Box, Inc. sign a contract for a second year of Jack’s Munchie Mobile.

Beyond Traditional’s Social Media Triumph for Seattle Goodwill

October 1st, 2011

For its annual Back to College Discount Day sale, Seattle Goodwill called upon Beyond Traditional to help harness the power of social media and make this year’s event a huge success.

For the sale on Sept. 28, Seattle Goodwill planned to offer students 30 percent off their entire purchase when they shopped in-store, at any of the 20 Seattle Goodwill locations, and showed their student ID card. To raise awareness of the spectacular discount, the Beyond Traditional team worked extensively to promote the event through social media outreach & advertising, guerilla flyer postings, brand ambassador campus coverage and strategic placement of the Goodwill glass showroom truck.

At four, select locations (chosen to target students at the University of Washington, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University and Western Washington University), Seattle Goodwill set up raffles for Goodwill gift cards worth anywhere between $5 and $100. Between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sept. 28, a drawing occurred every 15 minutes for Goodwill gift cards.

To promote the raffle, a “College Students Save!” tab was installed on the Seattle Goodwill Facebook fan page. Visitors were prompted to increase their odds of winning the $100 gift card by printing out an additional five raffle tickets. Thanks to targeted Facebook advertising and a compelling fan page tab, the Seattle Goodwill Facebook fan page saw an increase of 82 ‘likes’ in only two weeks. By the end of the campaign, the targeted Facebook ads had generated over 740 clicks.

Hype among students for this exclusive sale was enormous and crowds swarmed each of the four participating Goodwill stores where the gift card raffles were held. To see more photos from the sale, visit www.facebook.com/SeattleGoodwill.