The Making of an Ivy Group Star: It was Monday morning, and I was trying to figure out what to wear for work. (Since I can’t wear PJs to work, that’s a pretty standard weekday occurrence.) But this particular Monday was different: I was last-minute searching on Google for “what to wear for camera filming,” since it was the first day of filming for a new Ivy Group television commercial. Turns out, patterns are a no-no because they create a moiré effect onscreen. (Think optical illusion.) And who knew cameras have a hard time picking up the color red? So, off I went to work—fully dressed—armed with a very basic understanding of filming. Read More I'm ready for my closeup!
Yes, okay, the web is swell and neat. But print? Print is awesome. Read More It may come as a surprise to read on your iPhone that Johannes Gutenberg was recently ranked the most influential person of the millennium.
Most people made their New Year’s resolutions right after the ball dropped in Times Square. But it’s never too late to make plans! From the “better late than never” department, below are some public relations twists on traditional resolutions for 2013. Read More A website that is easy to navigate for all users is critical in 2013.
One of the great things about The Ivy Group is that we are a small company. So, when we have a holiday party, it is not your typical buttoned-up, after-hours, stuffy office obligation. There aren’t hundreds of people you’ve never laid eyes on; it isn’t first-come, first-served; and you certainly don’t have to pay to attend. (We heard this horror story from an Ivy Group spouse.) Read More Ivy Group ladies: Katie, Ellen, Nancy, and Siska
So…you followed the advice in my previous post. A reporter expressed interested in your organization’s story, and you were interviewed. Congratulations! But when the story ran, your comments were nowhere to be found. Bummer. Read More
A mobile app developed by our very own programmer Nabil Ahmed was featured on an NBC 29 news segment last Saturday and has received attention from local weekly The Hook and RestaurantHospitality.com. Read More NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather
Did you hear? We're picking up our boot straps and heading out of dodge to a fresh, new atmosphere. We're trading in our leathers for a new set of digs. Yee-haw! Read More
Every organization has a tale to tell. The question we’re asked at The Ivy Group is, “How do we get the media interested in our story?" My answer is, “Start at the end.” Ask yourself what story you’d like to see and where. Then, draft a compelling narrative, tying into larger themes and current events, if possible. But that’s only half the story. Once you create it, how do you get the media to listen? Read More Be a quote machine: Wife and husband media pundits Mary Matalin and James Carville. Photo credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
A couple weeks ago, the interns (Katelin, Lauren and I) embarked on a trip to Pantops Shopping Center to get letter signatures to send to a local councilman on behalf of Great Eastern Management, an Ivy Group client. The purpose of the letter was to ask the Charlottesville City Council to reconsider its removal of two bus stops in the shopping center. Read More
What is accessibility, anyway? In web design, accessibility involves making sure that all content is available and functional to all users, regardless of a user’s browser, assistive technology or physical impairment. “Why bother with accessibility? Aren’t most of my users regular Joes without disabilities?” one might ask. “Besides, I don’t want to stifle my creativity.” Read More
You’ve just been told to include Twitter in your company or organization’s social media strategy. Facebook has been hard enough to master. However will you learn the ropes of the Twitterverse? There’s no need to pick up Twitter for Dummies just yet. While getting used to this platform, start by keeping a few things in mind. Read More
In a talk at TED2012 earlier this year, Renny Gleeson, co-founder of the Portland Incubator Experiment, explains how a 404 page is a slap in the face to the user—an unpleasant experience of having fallen through the cracks. A more thoughtful, helpful 404 page actually builds relationships. So, it is worth it to "sweat the small stuff" after all. Read More Watch the video
Flamboyant and often abrasive, Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban was in the news earlier this year for warning start-ups away from hiring public relations professionals. Cuban has long been able to leverage PR on his own to attract attention. Read More
I recently traveled to Kentucky with three of my brothers to tour distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. While enjoying a taste of some fine “sippin’ whiskey,” I pondered what had brought me there, of all places (aside from the aforementioned whiskey). It finally occurred to me—“This is some great marketing!” (And great whiskey, but that’s another blog post.) Read More
Nothing can be more spring-like than cleaning out files. It also becomes a trip down memory lane. Read More
One of the most common questions we get from clients (and from each other!) is, “How can a site get noticed by Google?” It’s a testament to Google’s dominance in the search market that, as web developers, many of the decisions we make are driven by the need to catch Google’s eye. But it’s also to Google’s credit that its search algorithms give weight to what are really best practices for writing content on the web. Read More
Last week, three of us from The Ivy Group participated in a local trivia competition and fundraiser, Wordplay, to benefit Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville. Read More Chris Allerton, Chris Fitzgerald and I receiving our T-shirts. Photo by Candace Schoner Photography.
Your boss thinks it’s a great idea…you know great ideas are piling up on your desk. Your boss asks you to take on an exciting new project…you have enough excitement with your current work load. Your boss suggests a new strategic direction…you’re so busy you don’t know which way is up. How do you say “no”? Here are five key suggestions from the boss’s side of the desk: Read More
As we talked about last week, logo updates can really make a difference. Take a look for yourself below. Read More
As we see from the Kony 2012 phenomenon, how we share stories and information is changing with each tweet, “pin,” “like” and YouTube post. The one constant is that content reigns supreme. Read More
Whether you’re following up on that newsworthy press release for which you just hit “Send” or doing a bit of damage control for your company, follow these six tips when speaking to a reporter: Read More
In this instant age, we think we don’t have time to proofread. Or, we say, “That’s why they created spell check.” But sending e-mails and documents with typographical errors and poor grammar says that you don’t care. You don’t care enough to re-read what you’ve written, or run spell check, or double check how to spell someone’s name. And if you don’t care about your interpersonal communication, you’re saying you don’t care about the person with whom you’re communicating. It’s personal. Read More
In our last post, we reported that one-third of American adults now own a smartphone. A newly-released Nielsen report confirms that the trend continues to grow exponentially and provides more in-depth insights for popular marketing tools, such as deal-of-the-day websites. Read More
Our web development team intuitively understands that smartphone users don't browse the web in the same way as laptop and desktop users. Last week, Forbes published an in-depth look at the changing landscape, contributed by a UK-based SEO and web design firm. Articles like these help us systematize our approach to creating content and developing for the mobile web. Read More
My wife wants an Amazon Kindle Fire for Christmas, and my mother, a Barnes & Noble Nook. They are hardly alone. These two moderately priced pieces of techno-wizardry should put the tablet permanently on the map. What does this new reality of tablet technology mean for advertisers and businesses in general? Read More
Currently looking for a spring internship? Or are you a business looking for a student intern? The schedule and assigned duration of the internship will shape its direction and success. Both parties should discuss early on their respective expectations and goals—intern experiences should be eye-opening and enriching for all involved, and this is one way to ensure that happens! Read More
Data management systems are one of the most exciting results to come out of the digital revolution. They automate and simplify repetitive administrative tasks, freeing up personnel to focus on business development and client relations. Previous “revolutions” – industrial and electric most recently, and agricultural before them – had the unfortunate side-effects of making the jobs of tens of thousands of unskilled laborers obsolete and decreasing the number of workers required to complete a given task. Happily, we have not seen a similar trend today in the deployment of data management systems. Read More
During the California Gold Rush, a lumber magnate and a prominent coffin maker shared their boxcar with a journalist on a week-long train ride out West. For several days, the men spoke of their families and future, yet uttered not one word about business until the final stop. Read More
You may not know it, but punctuation kills. At least according to one of my favorite T-shirts. Read More
Remember road trips past, before the emergence of GPS and smartphones? In spite of the bundle of maps squirreled between the driver’s and front passenger seat, my father insisted on navigating by highway signs until forced to wrestle with one of those gigantic maps, concealing my entire view of the windshield. Read More
Sometimes we get complacent in our user interfaces. A bad idea can take root, whether because of technical constraints or poor planning, and become accepted over time because “that’s the way things are”. Think the QWERTY keyboard, microwave controls and parking brake release levers. Read More World's Second Oldest Function "Car," a 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trepardoux Dos-A-Dos Steam Runabout.
“Facebook is and always will be free.” So saith Facebook. Sworn statements. Vows. Do you believe it? Here are comments (and hairbrained theories) floating around: Read More
During uncertain economic times, advertising is not the place to cut spending. But don’t take it from us. A McGraw-Hill survey conducted in the 1980s showed that businesses that maintained or increased their advertising budgets during the 1981-82 recession had increased their sales by 256% three years later. Those who cut their budgets had increased their sales too; but only by 19%. Read More
At The Ivy Group, we like talking “integration”, as in Integrated Marketing Communications or IMC—the strategic coordination of promotional methods (public relations, advertising and sales promotion) to create successful marketing programs. And social media is all about integration. Otherwise, why would Twitter and Facebook have us sync posts and tweets across platforms? Because it’s convenient? Well, perhaps… Read More