For a global brand to attract and engage with an international audience it needs to communicate its brand in a consistent, relevant and authentic manner across all channels to all audiences.
 
The smartest way to maintain potency across your brand is to create a style guide with exact specifications, guidelines and examples. A well-thought-out style guide is an essential reference tool for creating branded content.
 
What is a brand style guide?
A brand style guide (also known as a brand book or brand guide) is simply a reference tool that helps content creators maintain consistency by establishing what a brand must look, feel and sound like at all times. It’s one of the most important resources of your business.

It sets a clear focus for all parties—employees, partners and investors.
 
A style guide should include all the essential guidelines for your brand’s identity, voice and tone especially these elements listed below.

• Brand Position: Brand story, mission and values.
  
• Logo: Color, size, positioning and clear space.
• Color Palette: Print color (CMYK) and digital color (RGB) codes.
• Typography: Font type/s, size, color, spacing and alignment.
• Imagery: Mood, size, focus, clear space and background.
• Copy: Key words, word count and tone.
  
• Digital Material: Specific specifications and examples.
• Print Material: Specific specifications and examples.
  

To clearly and effectively communicate with your target audience in a consistent and effective way you should always refer to your style guide, as it provides brand stability and strength.
 
Scopic works with you to maximize marketing returns, contact us to find out more.

Two years after Pikotaro (Kazuhito Kosaka) grooved to the front of Japan’s pop music scene with "PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen) he has now been born-again to join with Hungry Jack's to launch the new 'Summer BBQ Whopper'.

Hungry Jack’s brand marketing manager Claudia Cullen says: "We wanted to create something that made our audience laugh and ultimately appreciate the fun yet delicious food we offer at Hungry Jack's."

The 60-second social media video 'Summer BBQ Pineapple Whopper' created by PR agency Eleven and Content agency BOLT will play over Hungry Jack's social media platforms in 15- and 6-second spots from December 2018 to January 2019.

Scopic works with global businesses to build online exposure, contact us to find out more.

Instagram is the fastest growing social media platform of 2018—now reaching 1 billion monthly active users, up from 800 million in September 2017. This year continued to see a growing number of brands actively adding Instagram to their social media marketing mix.

Research has shown that successful brands are using popular Instagram hashtags to better connect with target audiences. The benefits for businesses and marketers are that hashtags are also searchable and can be tracked to measure a social media campaign’s ROI.
 
What are Hashtags?
Hashtags are basically words or phrases, that follow the symbol “#”. These #hashtaged words or phrases work to categorize and link posts to content with the same hashtag/s. Using popular and trending Instagram hashtags can be a powerful way to increase exposure and draw attention to branded posts, but don't over do it, use three to five as a general guide.
 
Popular Instagram hashtags for 2018:

1. #Love
2. #Instagood
3. #Photooftheday
4. #Fashion
5. #Beautiful
6. #Happy
7. #Like4like
8. #Picoftheday
9. #Art
10. #Photography

 
How to use Hashtags?
The best way to use hashtags is to find popular ones and use them in your branded post. Businesses should also create a hashtag that reflects their brand or campaign message. An example could be using the business name, product offered, product tagline, or the name of a current campaign, along with a popular/trending hashtag.

Benefits of using Hashtags?
Using hashtags consistently on Instagram boosts brand exposure and target audience awareness to your business. An added benefit of using hashtags is that you will be able to track and analyze campaign results across varying demographics/regions.
 
So, now that you know some of the popular hashtags on Instagram for 2018 and how to add them to your marketing mix—make smart use of them in 2019.

Scopic builds businesses socially through creative communication solutions, contact us to find out more.

As the end of 2018 quickly rolls around, it is now time to start proactively planning your 2019 marketing spend and activities. Guaranteeing marketing success in the year ahead will require you to reflect, focus and plan ahead.
 
Use these five simple steps to create a marketing plan to boost your business and brand in 2019.
 
1. Create a Marketing Schedule Calendar
Get a 2019 calendar and mark each day/week you want to launch marketing activities for your business. Consider days/weeks that are key sales periods, of course this will depend on your business and key markets. Remember, to make sure you firstly take the time to reflect on your 2018 marketing activities and identify what provided the best ROI.
 
2. Identify Marketing Deadlines
After you have identified your key dates for 2019 on your Marketing Schedule Calendar, count back four weeks and mark it as “Marketing Deadline”. This is when you should have your marketing activity finalized and ready to go. Too often important marketing activities are rushed and this greatly impacts on the creative process being compromised.
 
3. Make Strategy Time
For every day/week marked “Marketing Deadline” schedule at least two weeks before as “Strategy Time”. This is when you need to make time to review the overall marketing strategy to make sure it is inline with current objectives and will provide a real ROI.  Marketing KPIs you need to be measuring to better understand your ROI may include: website traffic and engagement, social media reach and engagement, marketing qualified leads (MQL), sales qualified leads (SQL), and of course sales growth relevant to the marketing activities.
 
4. Consider Production Time
Effective marketing involves creating, drafting, revising and delivering. Identifying creative partners and briefing them on your business takes time. Producing marketing materials, booking quality advertising space or media spots also takes time. By leaving this all too late will limit your potential ROI. This is why it is extremely important to focus and plan ahead for 2019.
 
5. Build Professional Relationships
Finally, now is a great time to start reviewing or building new relationships with designers, agencies and media outlets in preparation of launching your 2019 marketing activities. By reaching out now you will be able to start to develop relationships with key partners. Like effective marketing, creative business relationships take time to build.
 
Scopic works with you to plan ahead and maximize marketing returns, contact us to find out more.

For a brand to attract and engage with an audience in a saturated global market it needs to communicate its brand in a consistent, relevant and authentic manner across all channels to all audiences. The smartest way to maintain strength across your brand is to create a style guide with exact specifications, guidelines and examples.
 
What is a brand style guide?
A brand style guide (also known as a brand book or brand guide) is simply a reference tool that helps content creators maintain consistency by establishing what a brand must look, feel and sound like at all times. It’s one of the most important resources of your business. It sets a clear focus for all parties—employees, partners and investors.
 
A style guide should include all the essential guidelines for your brand’s identity voice and tone especially the elements listed below.

• Brand Position: Brand story, mission and values.
• Logo: Color, size, positioning and clear space.
• Color Palette: Print color (CMYK) and digital color (RGB) codes.
• Typography: Font type/s, size, color, spacing and alignment.
• Imagery: Mood, size, focus, clear space and background.
• Copy: Key words, word count and tone.
• Print Material: Specific specifications and examples.
• Digital Material: Specific specifications and examples.
  

A well-thought-out style guide is an essential reference tool for creating branded content. To clearly and effectively communicate with your target audience in a consistent and effective way you should always refer to your style guide, as it provides brand stability and strength.

Scopic works with businesses to create engaging and memorable brands, connect with us to find out more.

In 2018, audiences are actively spending more time consuming content produced by social media influencers than just passively sitting in front of the TV. Influencer marketing continues to strip revenue away from traditional television-based “celebrity endorsement” and Instagram with 900 million active users is a leading platform among marketers.
 
Marketing on Instagram with the right type of influencer can boost product exposure and drive sales far more effectively and efficiently than traditional marketing.
 
Here are three important benefits of influencer marketing:

Relevance
Influencers communicate in a voice and style that is relevant to a targeted audience.
 
Authenticity
Influencers have credibility with a targeted audience through the creation of authentic content.
 
Exposure
Influencer content is more likely to be liked, shared, tweeted, followed and this then leads to increased exposure.
 
If you are interested in Instagram influencer marketing, but need help identifying the right type of influencer for your business, and more importantly how much you should pay, then let us know.

Scopic works with businesses to identify more effective and efficient ways to increase exposure, contact us to find out more.

How many Japanese businesses will use the global attention that the 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games will generate to connect with new markets and audiences?
 
The localization of Japanese brands is a necessity for local businesses (based on the target demographic) as the population continues to age faster than any other country on the globe.
 
The key objective of localization is to have a brand resonate with new market’s on an international level.
 
Japanese to English translation of a print ad, digital campaign or company website is only one small part of a number of pieces that are involved in the successful localization of a brand.
 
To truly capture and then engage with a local audience Japanese brands must also consider these key points:

• Evaluating the graphic design elements and images so that they better target the audience’s visual tastes
• Shaping the tagline and copy to better connect and engage with the local audience’s beliefs and expectations
• Adapting the design format and layout inline with local market standards and industry requirements

 
Remember, it is important not to strip away too much of the businesses brand identity during the localization process.
 
Keeping your branding globally consistent will ensure international partners and clients develop a strong connection and relationship with your business.
 
Japanese products/services are generally internationally associated with high standards in quality, so use this positive as a point of separation from the local brands in the marketplace.
 
Taking the time to research, plan and successfully execute the localization of a Japanese brand pre-2020 will positively impact on the business’s future growth.
 
Scopic works with businesses to help them communicate in a global market, contact us to find out more.

Taking the time to write/type a plan of attack is an obvious and essential step toward better meeting social media marketing targets.

To connect and engage with your target audience on social media—it takes more than just a few random and spontaneous posts/tweets across the day.

Here are four important components of an effective social media strategy:

• Define your objective :: increase likes/followers, increase website traffic, promote products/services or create sales leads.
• Identify your audience :: sex/gender, age, background, interests, location, preferred platform, preferred device (mobile or desktop) and social media habits.
• Plan your guidelines :: how many posts per day, what time, content type (text, image, video, audio, live), content length (300 word post, 15 second advertisement or 10 minute video blog) and importantly who will manage and monitor the platform/s.
• Find your influencer :: an influencer will allow your business to communicate in a manner that is more relevant and targeted to your audience. The right influencer has already built an existing relationship through content that is liked and shared. This will allow your business to quickly connect with a wider audience.

 
For convenience, find below social media strategy templates designed to help your business better manage its social media content marketing.

Scopic works with businesses to identify more effective and efficient social media strategies designed to increase exposure at a global level, contact us to find out more.

People across the globe will be fixed to their screens this Sunday (U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis | 3:30pm | USA time) to watch if coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady can grab the honors at the 2018 Super Bowl LII.

Like years past, it won't just be the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles competing, but also the biggest global brands.
 
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest days of the year for major brands and they only have seconds to hold viewer's attention. The average TVC production costs over $1 million+ and brands will pay $5 million+ to get a 30-second spot during the big game.
 
Check out our top five TVC picks for Super Bowl LII.

I. M&M'S   |   Human

II. Amazon   |   Alexa Loses Her Voice

III. Doritos&Mountain Dew   |   Blaze vs. Ice

IV. Kia   |   Feel Something Again

V. Sprint   |   Evelyn

Nielsen a global leader in consumer measurement and information offers a look at the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sales trends for 2018.

Consumer habits continued to evolve with technology in 2017. Shoppers are buying smaller items online and seeking out healthier, fresher options. These behavioral shifts should serve as a good predictor of trends and opportunities in 2018 for FMCG businesses.
 
Watch the video: U.S. FMCG Trends to Watch in 2018
 
Scopic works with you to create more effective communications to grow your business globally, contact us to find out more.

Another festive season is upon us, so be happy, healthy and safe—show some love to those you are celebrating with.
 
Scopic will be taking a short break from Friday, 22nd December 2017 to Monday, 8th January 2018.
 
Thank you from Scopic to all our clients for a great 2017 and looking forward to sharing another year with you in 2018.
 
Love!
Scopic Creative

Now we are in the last month of the year, it’s still not too late to start shaping your 2018 content marketing strategy. For B2C and B2B social media marketing to really engage in 2018, businesses must publish relevant, authentic and targeted content across selected platforms. To make this happen—you need to know and understand future audience trends.
 
But before we look at 2018, it’s probably a good idea to take a minute to review your social media content marketing wins and losses of 2017—where, when, what and how your target audience consumed your content—what were the results?
 
Okay, now you know what worked, and what didn’t work, let’s focus on the trends for the year ahead.
 
1. Be Visual
Research shows that video will play a greater role in the content marketing mix in 2018.  It may take time to plan, capture and edit video content, but your audience is more likely to engage with video than just text or images. In 2017 90% of all content shared on social media was video, but remember, to make this happen, you need to catch your audience's attention in the first 3 seconds.
 
More Ideas: 7 Ways to Create a Killer Marketing Video
 
2. Be Influential
People will want more authentic and credible sources of information prior to making purchasing decisions in 2018. For this reason, building audience relationships and partnering with a quality social media influencer could really boost your sales. In 2017 74% of people turned to their social media network for advice on purchasing decisions, and 40% of Instagram and Twitter users made a purchase based on the endorsement of a social media influencer.
 
More Ideas: The State of Influencer Marketing
 
Final Thoughts
Using video and influencers may seem like a solution to the lack of social media traction your business made in 2017, but it’s important that you don’t forget key marketing fundamentals.
 
1. Be Targeted
With an explosive amount of content being published across multiple platforms, you will need to be more targeted with the content you create, and where you publish it in 2018. This requires you to even better understand your target audience's social media habits. Take the time to identify, what content and which platforms have your target audience’s attention. Once you understand where the attention is, you can then better create targeted content that snatches your audience's attention from the competition.
 
2. Be Ready
In 2018 businesses with the highest and most effective consumption rate of social media content will be those businesses that conduct A/B testing (split-run testing) of the content they create, and the platforms they publish it on. Through A/B testing you will start to better identify/understand your audience's habits and this knowledge will then shape the content created and the distribution platforms used.

Finally, social media content marketing winners in 2018 will be those that grab and hold the audience’s attention in the first 3 seconds—it's that simple.
 
Scopic works with businesses to create content that grabs attention and builds engagement, contact us to find out more.

With Facebook now driving the increasing popularity of Instagram, it's fast becoming one of the leading social media platforms—current global community of 800 million. For this reason, a growing number of businesses are actively adding Instagram to their social media marketing mix.
 
To maximize the power and exposure of Instagram, these businesses need to utilize the use of Instagram hashtags.

Hashtags are basically words or phrases, that follow the symbol “#”. These #hashtaged words or phrases work to cluster and link your posts to topics with the same hashtag. The benefits for businesses and marketers is that hashtags are searchable and can be tracked. Using the most popular and trending Instagram hashtags can be a powerful way to increase exposure and draw attention to your posts, but don't over do it, use three to five as a guide.
 
Here are Instagram’s 10 most popular hashtags of 2017:

1. #love
2. #fashion
3. #photooftheday
4. #photography
5. #art
6. #beautiful
7. #travel
8. #happy
9. #nature
10. #picoftheday

 
Read Instagram's full report here: Instagram’s 2017 Year in Review

Branded Hashtag Idea: Create a hashtag that reflects your brand or campaign message. An easy example could be your business name, product tagline, or the name of a current campaign. Use it consistently on Instagram posts to drive exposure and awareness. An added benefit of using a consistently branded hashtag is that you will be able to track and analyze results.

More Ideas: Hootsuite's - The Complete Instagram Hashtag Guide for Business

Scopic connects businesses and audiences through creative communications, contact us to find out more.

You already know, to connect and engage with your audience on social media—it takes much more than just a few random minutes across the day—you must consistently produce relevant and targeted content.
 
Here are four key components of an effective social media strategy:

• Define your objective -- increase likes/followers, increase website traffic, promote products/services or create sales leads.
• Identify your audience -- sex, age, background, interests, location, preferred platform, preferred device (mobile or desktop) and social media habits.
• Plan your guidelines -- how many posts per day, what time, content type (text, image, video, audio, live), content length (300 word post, 15 second advertisement or 10 minute video blog) and importantly who will manage and monitor the platform/s. 
• Find your influencer -- an influencer will allow your business to communicate in a manner that is more relevant and targeted to your audience. The right influencer has already built an existing relationship through content that is liked and shared. This will allow your business to quickly connect with a wider audience. 

​For convenience—see below two social media strategy templates designed to help your business amplify its social media exposure—an editable template for social media strategy planning and an editable social media strategy calendar.