What is your holiday campaign strategy?

The holiday season is coming and it looks like a rough one to be honest. Sales were going down in the last year and consumers are not as eager to take out their wallets as easily as they used to. Shoppers are becoming more price aware, looking for deals and bargains instead of just buying whatever is on the shelves.

Businesses across the nation can not handle another dry shopping season and are looking to increase this years revenue by lowering prices and pushing ad campaigns.

Advertising Age reports that Kohl’s is one of the first retailers to engage a massive holiday campaign, targeting radio, TV, direct mail and social media as the leading advertising channels.

Direct email is also a strategy that the company is taking after doubling its consumer database during the last year. The company will focus on value and discounts while reminding shoppers how much money they are saving while shopping in their stores.

What is you holiday business plan? Do you have a holiday campaign strategy or are you feeling behind your competitors? If you are looking for an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more visit www.wilengroup.com. We look forward to taking you to the next level.

How to make 7 million dollars using smart social media campaign

Well, the answer is pretty simple. First you gotta make a low budget horror film for around 15,000 bucks and then push it using a smart social media campaign convincing more than 1 million people to see it even before its release date giving you 7 million dollars from only 144 screens over one weekend.

Paramount Studios decided to use a different marketing technique for the low budget “Paranormal Activity” using Eventful.com a community based website allowing users to promote local events.

The company created online buzz around the film and asked users to share this buzz with their friends, stating that if 1,000,000 people demand to watch the flick, it will get a nationwide release.
Well, the plan worked and the movie got a million hits and a wide release. All the noise helped the movie gain over 7 million dollars for its limited 144 theater screenings.

If you are looking to get in the social media marketing business but don’t really know where to start, visit us at www.wilengroup.com. We can create personalized communication for your business and go beyond awareness, utilizing unique channels including social media, direct to mail, geo-targeted online advertising as well as TV and radio.

Oh, and just for fun...

Commercial Printing and the Internet

Remember back in 2000, when marketing industry experts were convinced that the Internet was going to destroy the entire print medium – rendering it obsolete as we moved towards a paperless society? Well, times have changed and although the Internet is now a permanent fixture in our lives, it has not brought a wrecking ball to traditional media – or the commercial printing industry.

In fact, web based solutions have actually helped the commercial printing industry thrive in the early stages of the 21st century by providing tools that help enhance the entire process of creating print collateral and getting it out to market.

Just consider the editing process. Years ago, a commercial printer would need to create a full, hard-copy draft of a print piece and have it delivered to the client for their review. If there were changes that needed to be made, the piece was marked up and shuffled back and forth until everything looked perfect.

With the Internet (and more accessible software technology) clients are now able to review documents online and email changes right back to the printer. This saves both time and money and makes the old way feel antiquated.

In addition, some commercial printers have given their clients the tools to create print media right from their own PC, and then submit them to the printer for production.
What we’ve learned from enterprises such as these is that the Internet is not something to be feared as a harbinger of the end of commercial printing. Instead, those who embrace new printing technology will see their customer base grow – especially as people become more tech savvy in the coming years.

Work with an industry leader in commercial printing. Work with Wilen Group. At www.wilengroup.com you’ll discover all the ways technology can help enhance the printing and marketing process. Let Wilen Group create a campaign that builds your brand and delivers the customers right to your door.

Social Media Marketing and your Business

Blogs, Twitters, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, these are not only social network channels – these are your new marketing channels. Yep, posting a classified ad in the paper is just not enough. Times are changing and your marketing strategies should also change accordingly.

You probably heard about social media marketing, a term that describes the use of online social networks for marketing. So what will you gain from social media marketing? Well, first of all you create buzz for your brand. Blogging for example, is a great way to publish news and information about your company. Twitter can help your followers keep track with hot new info and YouTube can help you promote your brand by using cool clips and videos.

Social media marketing is much relaxed and laidback than conservative marketing outlets. Just look at this blog! You can write what ever you like, and meet with your customers on a more personal, conversational level.



Of course that all of these social channels are free to use and open for everybody. If you are looking to get in the social media marketing business but don’t really know where to start, visit us at www.wilengroup.com. We can create personalized communication for your business and go beyond awareness, utilizing unique channels including social media, direct to mail, geo-targeted online advertising as well as TV and radio.

Billboard and outdoor advertising tips

When reaching consumers outside their home or office, you need to create a unique experience that captures attention and resonates with passers-by:

• Know your target audience. Don’t advertise how great you are. Try and think what the consumer wants from you.
• Know what you want to say. Your message should be short and it better be provocative. Provocative doesn’t necessarily mean naked people. No. It can be thought provocative, or have a provocative design.
  
• Know how to say it. Keep it clean and clear and use lively colors.
  
• Consider your location. A billboard advertising a Caribbean Cruise wouldn’t be effective in a low income neighborhood. But a sign advertising a new fashion store will work wonders in a shopping district. Any sign can have a great impact, but the location should help establishing the tone.
  
• Less is More. Yes, it’s a cliché, but there’s a good reason why it’s a cliché. Don’t go and sell your entire line of products or services in the poster. It will be difficult. It will hurt. You have to keep it as simple as possible.
• Be unique. Be creative. Be humorous. People love advertisements. Especially when they’re good. They can be fun, entertaining and you should also have a good time when working on billboard advertising.

If you need some more information or guidance regarding your company’s marketing, advertising and commercial printing, or if you’re looking for an agency that will provide you a state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, unrevealed data expertise and innovative direct marketing solutions that maximize ROI, you should definitely visit Wilen Group online at www.wilengroup.com and get your marketing going.

Get your ads to the right place with Geo Targeted Advertising

Let’s say you visit a random website. What is the first question you usually encounter before you are able to accesses the site? That’s right – the question is “where do you live.”

This question is pretty reasonable. If it’s an international company, this information will help them direct you to the right website and the right content. But sometimes there is more to it. This process is basically called Geo-targeting which means that a company is determining your geolocation on the globe. But we like to call it Geo Targeted Advertising.

When our clients take advantage of geo-targeted advertising, they are able to maximize their advertising capabilities and reach the right places and the most important potential clientele.

Just think of the possibilities. We know that internet advertising can get pretty expensive, especially if you have a local business and you don’t need surfers from New-Mexico clicking on your ad. But with geo-targeted advertising your ad will only show when people enter the right city, address, or it can even get as specific as a zip code.

Want more information? You're in the right place. With more than 30 years of leadership and innovation in all aspects of marketing for the cable television industry, Wilen Group has leveraged its formidable capabilities into an all-in-one marketing powerhouse and now we want to help you – the small business owner.

Use our relationship with the USPS and save money on postage

Your postman is a very nice person. You should really get to know him better. We like our postman. We like every postman out there. That’s why we’re capable of deeply penetrating the postal system by drop shipping co-palatalized materials directly into USPS.

Because our relationship with the USPS is so great, we even have on-site mail verification, which means that IMB code mailing is in process through machine camera verification. At Wilen Group, we achieve better than 98% penetration into the SCFs (Sectional Center Facilities) and BMCs (Bulk Mail Centers) for many of our clients. We know how to save your business 2-4 days on delivery, a substantial amount of time to get your mail into your customers homes, and also help you save money on postage.

Not enough? Let us tell you that one of our valued partners is projected to save over $7.8 million dollars in postal savings over a two year period. And you can’t really beat that.

Wilen Direct, a part of the Wilen Group, is your single source for all lettershop services, warehousing and distribution of all Direct Mail materials.

The Future of VDP Printing Technology, brought to you by Wilen Group

One of the latest buzz words when discussing Direct Mail is VDP or Variable Data Printing. VDP is basically your regular direct mail offers, flyers or bill inserts, but with a personal twist.

VDP allows business to print direct mail as usual, but add variable information like consumer names along with a personalized attention grabber, directed to each individual, according to his or hers personal profile.

The Eastman Kodak Company developed a new Stream Printhead called the Prosper S10 that provides your business with the enhanced digital VDP capabilities. The new Printhead is actually a bridge between offset and digital printing, extending the business and revenue opportunities for companies of all sizes and adding value to printed pages.

The Printhead, operating at 1,000 fpm, delivering a resolution of 600 dpi, allows users to save time and money, unlike with the old fashioned, two-step process that combines offset pre-printed forms and offline laser imprinting. As a direct mailer, you can now be confident and comfortable with the new technology, because of the high quality and low cost.

If you need some more information or guidance regarding your company’s direct marketing, advertising and commercial printing, and how you can benefit from VDP and the new Kodak S10 system, visit the Wilen Group online at www.wilengroup.com.

Start the week with some Classic Radio Ads

Last week we've talked about successful radio advertising and we thought it would be a good idea to bring you some memorable radio ads.

So our dedicated bloggers started digging deep into youtube and here's what they came up with.

First of all, the classics. Remember those? Close your eyes and go back to the golden radio days:



This is a great commercial which could only work on the radio, because sometimes you just don't need visual...



Not exactly a radio ad but still innovative and inspiring and it makes you think about the last ad:



This one is completely hilarious! It's hard to imagine it even aired once. But again... when there is no visual it's easier to pass the censorship.



Are you inspired? Can you imagine the amounts of fun you can have planning a radio campaign and the huge success that will follow? visit us at www.wilengroup.com and get serious with an all-in-one marketing powerhouse that wants to help you – the small business owner.

The key to an effective radio ad

You know those radio commercial where in 30 seconds you get bombarded with all the information there is about the company including address, zip code, directions, telephone, fax number, all the deals of the day and the employee’s birth dates? Well… that’s probably not the way to go.

Unlike reading a newspaper, which requires active participation from the reader, radio is a passive broadcast media. People are listening to the radio while driving, or while washing the dishes and if you want your advertisement to work, you have to grab attention and keep things on the simple side.

The key to an effective radio commercial is creating a lasting impression on the listener, pushing them to take specific action. When it comes to radio, Wilen Media is a success story in crafting direct response ads that grab people attention using vivid and direct language. By building an association between the listener and the benefits of the service or product being offered, a connection is made that transforms listener into consumer.

Click here for samples of Wilen's successful radio ads and visit us at www.wilengroup.com for a serious with an all-in-one marketing powerhouse that wants to help you – the small business owner.

Worst TV commercials ever

Last week we had a a serious conversation about TV advertising for small businesses. Well, at least we tried to have one. Because it seems like you guys only cared about the funny commercials we were showing. We got a lot of responses and demand for more, and because we care about you - we've decided to post more ridiculous TV ads.

But honestly, sometimes watching a bad commercial can be more beneficial than watching a real good one. What's better than learning from other people's mistakes, huh?

This guy calls himself Crazy Gideon. He's right. Somebody should put him in a hospital.



If you like the next commercial, know that this experienced couple is available for hiring:



This one is just... weird.



This one is considered to be one of the worst TV ads ever made:



We're not sure if this one is real or not... But it's funny.



And last, but defiantly not least - this commercial got 4,560,994 hits on Youtube. So the question asked, is it so bad that it can actually be good?



When you'll stop laughing, visit us at www.wilengroup.com and get serious with an all-in-one marketing powerhouse that wants to help you – the small business owner.

TV advertising tips for small businesses

Television provides the challenge of combining verbal cues, images and language to create a total viewing experience. TV ads are not reserved for big corporations only. Today, when there are so many channels and community TV outlets, it’s easier than ever to build a successful and affordable TV campaign.

When thinking about TV advertising, it’s always better to spread your campaign over a long period, than spend your entire budget on one, shiny commercial that will be aired only once or twice.

Still, you want to avoid looking like an amateur. You should always consider hiring a professional agency. It might seem like the easiest thing, taking a camera and shooting a 30 second video, but most chances are that you will end up like the local “we’ve gone crazy!” salesman.

Like this crazy fellow... I wouldn't buy a car from him if you'd pay me!



Or this one... This is what happens when you are your own stunt man:



At Wilen Media, we’re excited by the opportunity to fully capture the mission of our clients by constructing the way in which viewers will perceive the television spot in its entirety. And we’re confident that our unique interplay of sound, image and language in the final piece is one that consumes viewers and products consumers.

If you are looking for more information about TV advertising from an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more, visit Wilen Media online at www.wilengroup.com. We look forward to getting through this together and taking your brand to the next level.

Small business marketing – it’s that simple!

You are a small business owner, but it does not mean that you can avoid marketing. A smart campaign can help your business make new customers, and make your current customers purchase more from you.

Think about your strategy. Marketing strategies include a new website, a blog, printing business cards, direct mail, or any other way to get your name out there.

Media Planning. Make sure that your message, execution and targeting match perfectly with the strategy chosen. TV and radio is one possible media channel. For a small business, Direct Marketing could be a good answer.

Start marketing. Get you noticed, deliver a message, and drive customers to take action. As a small business, your creative should be driven by innovation, not big money.

Want to know more? Visit us at www.WilenGroup.com - with more than 30 years of leadership and innovation in all aspects of marketing for the cable television industry, Wilen Group has leveraged its formidable capabilities into an all-in-one marketing powerhouse and now we want to help you – the small business owner. Visit www.wilengroup.com and see what true integration can do for your brand, your bottom line and your stress levels.

Internet Killed the TV/Radio/Print Advertising Star. It’s time for your business to join the Digital Marketing revolution

It’s great that you have a radio campaign. It’s wonderful that your business is on TV. You got Direct Mail and you seem to be covered, advertisingwise. But in today’s digital realm, an effective marketing strategy requires to embrace the interactive potential of the web and digital medium. In the new media, function and appearance work hand in hand to raise interest and generate sales through simple navigation and eye-catching design.

Here are a few examples of smart and savvy internet marketing tailored for Time Warner, curtsy of the Wilen Media Team:






Click on link to see animation

Click on link to see animation

Click on link to see animation






The Wilen Meida team is diligent in its efforts to fully utilize the broad scope of the Internet to ensure prompt responses and positive results, for large and small businesses.

If you are looking for an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more visit Wilen Media online at www.wilengroup.com. We look forward to taking your brand to the next level.

Pop Up your Business communication with WILopEN Products

Here are some more exciting insider tips directly from the Wilen Group. We’d like to introduce to you WILopEN.

Looking to give your business that extra marketing edge? WILopEN Products designs and develops the next generation of business communication products, from pop-up business cards to revolutionary online shopping portals. All of the products and marketing methodologies are internet based and WILopEN virtual gifting system is an interactive system that makes sending personalized GiftingCards easy and fun.

The WILopEN Portal Interface

WILopEN’s revolutionary shopping portal creates a fast, accurate, multi-merchant marketplace where customers can shop 24/7 for thousands of brands. ShopWILopEN.com is distinguishable by its simple navigation, use of interactive television and its truly unique rewards system.

If you are looking for an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more - visit WILopEN online at www.wilengroup.com. We look forward to taking your brand to the next level!

B2B? B2C? How about B-to-Me?

As a business owner, you’ve probably know all about B2C. Yes, Business-to-Consumer simplifies everything you do into a catchy buzz word. A simple transaction that happens between you and your client is a B2C.

Then we got B2B which describes Business-to-Business transactions, there’s even B2G (Business-to-Government) and vice versa and the list goes on and on. But we’d like to introduce to you a new kind of business - we like to call it B-to-Me.

B-to-Me creates personalized communications that go beyond just awareness. By utilizing unique channels including social media, direct to mail, geo-targeted online advertising as well as TV and radio, B-to-Me is taking the consumers to the next critical step: consideration and action. It doesn’t matter if you run a huge corporation or just a small business - the newest marketing trend is waiting for you at Wilen Group. B-to-Me picks up your campaign, create a road block of marketing tactics designed to amplify your massage and drive unparallel results.


At Wilen Group, we understand that each client is different and your needs are completely unique. If you want to stay on top of today’s ever-changing landscape, visit www.wilengroup.com today!

In the market for new marketing ideas?

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of your business. Even if you think you can away with a mediocre Direct Marketing campaign or a clichéd TV commercial – then think again. Bad advertising can actually harm your business and drive customers away. But when everything’s already been done – what can my business do? Well, for starters, when I need a fresh new marketing idea I go online. I search google, youtube, check my competitors and open my mind. I don’t say that you should copy your ideas, but sometimes, looking at other people’s work can really help you think.

Check out this cool youtube video, it has many innovative ideas – this is the future of marketing:



Straight from TED, here is Marketing guru Seth Godin and he spells out why, when it comes to getting attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones:



And to prove you that even we can take a hit – here’s Bill Hicks on marketing and marketers (watch out for the usual Hicks explicit language…)



When approaching marketing, you need that out-of-the-box thinking, you need inspiration and yes, some sense of humor, even if it's about yourself and your brand. If you are looking for that creative edge, for an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more - visit Wilen Media online at www.wilengroup.com. We look forward to taking your brand to the next level!

Recession Proof your Marketing

In our times, who can even think about marketing? Most businesses are cutting costs wherever they can, some even send employees home, and marketing seems to be out of the question. This economic downturn was a surprise to many of us, but the fact we weren’t ready for this new climate doesn’t mean that we have to give up. Marketing during recession is a must and cutting down on marketing now can be a fatal mistake.

First and foremost, smart marketing during recession enables you to grow your share of the market while your competitors are left behind. You should defiantly look into your marketing strategy but this is not a time to cut on marketing costs. Instead you should re-evaluate your strategies and open a new front of recession oriented marketing, pick up on new methods of advertising and strengthen your brand for years to come.

We understand this changing economy and we understand your changing need. If you are looking for more information about the recession marketing from an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more, visit Wilen Media online at www.wilengroup.com. We look forward to getting through this together and taking your brand to the next level.

One Stop Entertainment Marketing

One Stop. When you hear that phrase you feel like you are about to save time and money. Wal-Mart has made a fortune from the idea of one-stop shopping. Instead of going to 4 different stores you'll save time and money by shopping in one place. But there is a catch, you have to learn how to do it all very well, and only the greatest companies can do that.

Wilen Media is your one stop shop for your entertainment marketing and creative marketing needs. We can develop an amazing marketing strategy for your company, but you don't have to leave to get your direct mailings done. We actually have an affiliated company, Wilen Direct, that printed and mailed over 200 million direct mail pieces to homes around the country.

Integration and service has always been the key to our success because we cover the entire spectrum successfully. Many agencies boast they can do it all, but unfortuantely, quality is sacrificed. We provide:

• Production
• Direct Mail
• Short and Medium-Run Magazines
• Bill Inserts
• Attraction Collateral
• In-Line Mailers
• Variable Data Imaging (VDI)

We understand your needs and we understand this changing economy. If you are looking for an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more visit Wilen Media online at http://www.wilengroup.com/. We look forward to taking your brand to the next level.

Entertainment Industry ROI Modeling

One of the most important things about choosing a marketing agency is to decide if they understand ROI. So many times we invest our money in these agencies and consultants that don't understand that you want a return on your investment whether you are a small to medium sized business or a large business.

At Wilen Media we understand ROI and have great ROI Modeling tools to help predict what results you'll receive when choosing a certain marketing plan. Here are a few things we incorporate to ensure that our ROI modeling tool is effective:


1. We make sure that our ROI modeling methods are focused on the entertainment business. We don't use "marketing" tools because they are too general. Our clients want specific industry focused examples and we focus on those.

2. We account for every single cost that will be used. We don't forget about printing cost or mailing cost. Every cost is included when we analyze ROI for our clients.

3. We don't try to use large industry words to confuse our clients. We speak in terms that they can understand and that's easy to communicate so that all expectations are seen up front.

4. With our ROI modeling tool we can easily change assumptions. We understand that after a brainstorming session, focuses can change and we are flexible enough to accommodate those new goals.

5. We want to understand all benefits of your marketing decisions. Not just the big ones, but the soft ones that affect your target audience.


We understand your needs and we understand this changing economy. f you are looking for an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more visit Wilen Media online at http://www.wilengroup.com/. We look forward to taking your brand to the next level.

Does Your Entertainment Marketing Agency Provide Business Modeling?

Business modeling? That's right. Business modeling. It's called Guerrilla marketing for a reason and the most important part about marketing your brand is strategy. Would you go to war without looking at every possible scenario, good or bad, and improvise everything? Would you let a pilot fly you across the nation without being trained on how to crash land? No, and you shouldn't hire a entertainment marketing agency without strategical marketing initiatives.

As optimistic as we are, we understand that sometimes even failure needs to be planned out so that it can be turned into a major success. Business modeling is basically using different tools to simulate different business scenarios to help in the decision making process. These include:

• Using historical data to mimic future trends
• Using mapping processes to show specific task and the steps needed to perform them.
• Looking closely at large data (like target audience statistics) and digging out hidden or unseen abnormalities
• Using random data to spit out outcomes for exploration

So we ask again.... does your entertainment marketing agency provide business modeling? If you are looking for an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more visit Wilen Media online at http://www.wilengroup.com. We look forward to taking your brand to the next level.

Looking for an Entertainment Marketing Agency?

Some entertainment marketing agencies can leave your brand as cold as a state of Alaska winter when it comes to connecting with consumers. Welcome to the Wilen Media blog. When it comes to entertainment marketing sometimes a little creativity can go a long way. You've heard the term over and over again... but what does entertainment marketing really mean?

Entertainment marketing gives your product consumer credibility through the use of national and local televisionand print, radio, new media and other related avenues that can be used to promote your brand or service to consumers. Choosing an entertainment marketing agency that can not only secure entertainment based endorsements, but can also add creativity, focus and a clear vision to your brand is the key to ongoing success and gaining the trust of your targeted audience.

However, what makes an entertainment marketing agency stand out is their ability to mix multiple venues, from web to radio, while solidifying brand awareness. At Wilen Group we provide our clients with a proven 35 year track record that can help any marketer compete in today fast paced and every-changing environment. Stay tuned to our blog as we delve deeper into entertainment marketing strategies, news, tips and other related information.

If you are looking for an entertainment marketing agency that incorporates creative marketing using print, radio, television, out-of-home, web and much more visit Wilen Media online at http://www.wilengroup.com. We look forward to taking your brand to the next level.