Today, companies across the globe realize the benefits of building interpersonal balance, resulting in the creation of work environments that promote collaboration amongst teammates. Working in a collaborative working environment is the best way to grow business success.
 
Here are five benefits of creating a collaborative environment.
 
1. Encourages creativity
Brainstorming as part of a collaborative team encourages creative ideas to bloom. Sharing varying viewpoints creates more effective solutions to developmental problems. Allowing teammates to come together in a collaborative workspace is a better way to foster creativity and learning.
 
2. Builds trust
Collaborating in a team environment builds trust and confidence among team members. This trust and confidence will promote an open and supportive workplace where fresh ideas are rewarded. 
 
3. Increases knowledge
Working with other employees or outsourced specialists develops the skills and knowledge of all the team. Your employees will benefit from being part of a bigger team with a range diverse skill sets.  
 
4. Supports risk-taking
Teams tend to take more risks, as they have a support network to fall back on. Teamwork allows employees the freedom to think outside the box and take more healthy risks in the development stage.
 
5. Promotes ownership
Collaborative projects encourage team members to feel proud of the ideas and solutions shared. Working in a team allows employees to feel more connected to the company.
 
If you like what you see and are interested in finding out more, then connect with us via email and we’ll get back to you on the same business day.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Inquiry
global@scopiccommunication.com

So what is a marketing calendar? Simply, it’s a document that will help you schedule and monitor your marketing activities over the coming year. Importantly, a marketing calendar helps you project when and how much your marketing activities will cost across the year ahead.
 
Use these five simple steps to create a marketing calendar to boost your business and brand in 2020.
 
1. Create a Marketing Schedule Calendar
Get a 2020 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 2019 marketing activities and identify what provided the best ROI.
 
2. Identify Marketing Deadlines
After you have identified your key dates for 2020 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 2020.
 
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 2020 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 strategize and maximize your marketing returns, contact us to find out more.

The countdown to the Tokyo 2020 Games begins today (proudly sponsored by Omega the official timekeeper) with a number of events taking place across Japan to celebrate the “One Year to Go” mark.

One of the major events today was the unveiling of the "sustainable" medals that will be awarded to the athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The medals make history by being crafted from 100% recycled metals.

Between April 2017 and March 2019, the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) conducted the “Tokyo 2020 Medal Project”. The aim of the project was to collect small electronic devices such as used mobile phones from all over Japan to produce the medals.

Approximately 6.21 million devices were donated over the two year period to craft the 5,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals. The Tokyo 2020 Medal Project hit its metal collection target in July, 2019, generating 30.3kg of gold, 4,100kg of silver and 2,700kg of bronze.

Scopic works to help Japanese businesses grow globally, contact us to find out more.

Less is always more in design, and uncluttered, easily navigated websites are always the big winners!

If you’re thinking about updating your website in 2019, then consider implementing these three minimalist web design basics to make sure you are creating a positive user experience.
 
Focus on Simplicity
An effective website is structured on a minimalist approach to visual communications. Minimalist websites are built around the concept that less is always more, and always better. This means that minimalist website design purely focuses on the necessary and essential elements required to effectively communicate. This way any clutter or distracting visuals that may increase complexity are cut. How minimal you go, will depend on the purpose of your website, your target audience, and of course your business.
 
Maximize Negative Space
Minimalist websites maximize negative (or white space, but it does not have to be white). Negative space is the space on your website where there is no element placed. Using a white background on a minimalist website increases the negative space and pulls visitor attention to the dominant content. Creating space around images, clearly separating paragraphs and isolating important content guarantee visual communications are easily absorbed by visitors. Sparingly utilizing negative space will reduce unwanted interference and improve the overall user experience.
 
Minimize Color Palate
Color plays a powerful role in the visual communications of your website and is a central element of your brand's visual identity. While it is not the only element, it is most definitely one of the first things absorbed and possibly one of the most remembered by visitors in relation to your brand. Minimal use of colors (no more than two or three core colors that are associated with your brand) will add clarity, improve navigation, increase accessibility and reinforce your brand's visual identity. Taking the time to carefully consider your website color palate will also reinforce your brand experience for visitors.

In web design, a superior user interface, or UI design, is crucial to a positive user experience or UX design. You only have one or two seconds to entice your visitors and have them engage with your website. Creating a clean, crisp, minimal website will allow you to communicate your brand more efficiently and effectively --- it is that simple.
 
Scopic works with businesses to create a simple experience for website visitors, 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.

As business becomes more globally competitive, Japanese companies need to better align with local English-speaking markets in order to expand and grow in the future.
 
We work collaboratively with businesses to create effective branding, communications, marketing and sales solutions that positively impact on future growth at a global level through our Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) partner services.
 
Outsourcing certain business processes offers a number of advantages for Japanese businesses.

Cost Reduction: Outsourcing helps Japanese businesses control costs and increase profits. Business process outsourcing provides a comprehensive range of business services at reduced costs including lead generation, email marketing, telemarketing, inbound customer inquiries and order taking.
 
Experienced Professionals: Recruiting new English-speaking employees and training them in product knowledge and services requires a lot of time and money. Through utilizing the services of business process outsourcing, Japanese businesses have the ability to have their marketing and sales divisions communicate directly with global customers in English in real-time.
 
Core Business: Outsourcing increases the time that Japan-based management and employees can better focus on their key domestic responsibilities. Business process outsourcing offers a flexible and customized way to grow Japanese businesses across new English-speaking markets without having to neglect core Japanese customers.
 
As a global partner, business process outsourcing partners add reach to Japanese businesses on an international scale through the integration of branding, communications, marketing and sales solutions.

If you like what you see and are interested in finding out more, then connect with us via email and we’ll get back to you on the same business day.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Inquiry
global@scopiccommunication.com
Communications Inquiry
hello@scopiccommunication.com

Color is one of the most effective ways to communicate your brand and products to your audience. Color contributes not only to distinguishing your products from your competitors, but also influences consumer mood and feeling.
 
Research into the impact of color in marketing, appropriately titled Impact of Color on Marketing found that colors really do influence the moods and feelings (positively or negatively) of consumers. This research paper indicated that between 60-90 percent of product evaluation and product purchase is based on color alone. Additional research has also shown in The Interactive Effects of Colors and Products on Perceptions of Brand Logo Appropriateness a correctly chosen color mix for your business logo can bring immediate value to your brand.
 
Effective brands use color to great success to engage and connect with their audience. Before even choosing the color mix for your logo, marketing materials, website or product range it is important to firstly consider some basic points:
 
1. Color is memorable
Color is a central element of your visual identity. Carefully consider your visual identity color mix, as it acts like the personality of your business with your audience. While it is not the only element in your visual identity, it is definitely one of the first things seen and possibly the most memorable of your visual identity. 
 
2. Color is innate
Find out the demographic breakdown of your audience and what color mix may persuade them to act. Defining who you are speaking to will greatly influence your color selection. Now you know your audience, you will be able to choose a color mix that positively influences your audience’s moods and feelings.
 
3. Consider the competition
Check out your competition and consider how you can differentiate your brand and products from your competitors with color. This can be tough, as you will still need to connect with your audience and satisfy marketplace perceptions. A/B testing (split-run testing) of color options with your target audience will help you make an informed decision.
 
4. Consider the platform
Be sure that whatever color mix you choose for your brand and products it can work online as well as in traditional print marketing. What looks great on a computer screen in RGB may not look so great on paper in CMYK. Also, carefully consider the color mix for your online messaging, active text and purchasing buttons, so to complement and at the same time stand out from the other content on the webpage.
 
5. Be consistent with color
Your branding and visual identity needs to be consistent, clear and uncomplicated. When you try to do too much color, your messaging gets lost. By keeping things consistent and clear, you are keeping your visual communications strong and memorable. Color consistency will ensure your audience develops a visual connection and relationship with your brand's personality and products. This will inevitable influence sales. 
 
​Scopic works with businesses to create strong and memorable brands, connect with us to find out more.

As you have no doubt heard by now, online content marketing is the new currency of our digital age, and if done correctly, offers one of the most effective ways to communicate with your target audience.
 
But don’t let this shift in how we communicate and share information have you think that the old school Press Release or Media Release has had its day. Media releases should still be an essential element of your public relations strategy. They are an extremely effective way to share business achievements, product releases and event announcements with a wider audience via credible media outlets. 

Here are five tips to writing an effective media release for free.
 
1. Get picked up
The very first thing seen of your media release — just like your brochure content, magazine advertisement or online banner — must grab attention. Your media release headline and first paragraph need to be engaging, and attract the attention of the editor or journalist. Basically, make sure you cover who, what, where, when and most importantly why your media release should make news in the first paragraph. Remember to write in an inverted pyramid style — most important to least important, just like in the newspapers.
 
2. Keep things simple
Write in short sentences, short paragraphs and keep the information clear and concise. As a basic rule, limit your media release to one A4 page in content. This will have you focus of producing concise, compelling content — something time-poor editors and journalists are always looking for. If your media release is picked up, you will most likely get the chance to add more detail later if required.
 
3. Quote an influencer
People like to hear news from credible sources or experts in a specific field, so make sure to always include quotes. Using quotes from someone in your business, an industry leader, a local celebrity or a social media influencer will help make sure that your story is "newsworthy" and newsworthiness plays a central role in whether your story makes it to the presses or online.
 
4. Save your story
A media release is all about building positive public relations — trust — with your audience/consumer, so focus on the news first and keep a short "about the brand" to the end. A strong, trustworthy relationship between your business and media outlets is always mutually beneficial. 
 
5. Look the part
Make sure to have Media Release or Story Idea in the subject line of your email with an enticing headline. Editors and journalists will spend just a second or two deciding whether something looks interesting and should be opened up. Also, add an image or short video (30-60 seconds) that helps tell the story.

​Finally, editors and journalists will need to have your contact details in the media release to follow-up and ask questions, or to arrange an interview if required — for convenience, use the standard media release format below.
 
Head your media release with the following:
Media Release
For Immediate Release – (Date)
 
Close your media release with the following:
Media Contact:
Email:
Phone:
Media Release Ends
 
Scopic connects businesses and people through creative communications, contact us to find out more.

The key purpose of your communications and marketing activities should be to entice your client, visitor and/or potential customer to act. This is why you need to use strong and clear call-to-actions (CTA).
 
A CTA is the text and/or graphics you use to persuade your target audience to take positive action. An effective CTA grabs your audience and tells them exactly what to do next.
 
Choose specific objectives
Carefully consider how you want people to act and be specific. Create your CTA based directly on your marketing objectives. Use concise language and keep the actions required hassle-free.
Download your product overview? "Download Now"
Click on a specific webpage? "Click Here"
Sign up to your newsletter? "Sign Up Now"
Pick up the phone? "Call Today"
Visit your store? "Come In"
Send an email? "Email Us"

Use space and color
Carefully consider the negative/white space you have around a CTA as this space will draw audience attention to your key message.  Also, using contrasting colors will draw greater attention to the CTA. Use a different color for your key messages, active text and buttons, so they stand out from the other content on the page.

 Interested in finding out how we could help your business persuasively communicate? Let's connect.

As the end of this year quickly moves closer, it is not too late to start proactively planning your 2017 marketing strategy and related marketing spend. Ensuring marketing success in the year ahead, requires you to reflect, focus and plan now.
 
Use these simple five steps below to create a plan to drive business growth in 2017.
 
1. Create a marketing schedule
Get a 2017 calendar and mark each day/week you want to launch a marketing campaign for your business. Mark days/weeks that are key sales periods on your “Marketing Schedule” – of course this will vary depending on your products/services and key markets. Remember, to make sure you firstly take the time to review your current 2016 marketing periods/activities and identify what worked for your business.
 
2. Identify marketing deadlines
Now you have created your “Marketing Schedule” for 2017 – for every day/week you marked, count back four weeks and mark it as “Marketing Deadline”. This is when you should have your marketing strategy finalized and ready to go. Too often marketing campaigns are rushed and this impacts on the creative aspect being compromised.
 
3. Consider strategy time
For every day/week marked “Marketing Deadline” schedule at least two weeks before as “Strategy Time” – this is when you need to take a few hours to review the overall marketing strategy to make sure it is inline with current objectives and market trends.  Marketing KPIs you need to be measuring to better understand your ROI may include: website traffic and level of engagement, social media reach and engagement, marketing qualified leads (MQL), sales qualified leads (SQL), and of course sales growth relevant to a particular marketing campaign or promotion.
 
4. Allow for production time
Effective marketing campaigns take time to create, test and revise. Booking quality advertising space or media spots also takes time and by leaving it too late you may be limiting your options. This is why it is extremely important to plan ahead.
 
5. Build professional connections
Finally, now is a great time to start to build new relationships with marketers, designers and media outlets in preparation of launching your 2017 marketing activities. By reaching out now you will be able to start to grow strategic relationships with key partners. Like effective marketing, creative business relationships take time to grow.

Scopic helps you better engage and connect with creative communications, contact us to find out more.