One rarely constructs a time capsule intending to open it only a few days later, but that is what I am doing here. I am writing this article (though you will see it later than that) on the Monday before the presidential election. I am doing the major editing to this article with no knowledge of who is the next commander-in-chief.

This is for two reasons. One, because I find it an interesting thought experiment to congratulate a person and not know who I am congratulating. Or even know the gender of who I am congratulating. And two, because it makes my words take on a different meaning depending on the outcome of November 8th, 2016—in ways I can’t even predict.  

And so, preemptively, I say congratulations Mr. or Mrs. President. You ran a thrilling race. You overcame some serious adversity, controversy, and scandal, like seemingly all political candidates before you. And the marketing you used, sir or madam, was good. You did a great job of it. I am not a big fan of the mudslinging—no matter how easy it was to use against your opponent—but otherwise, I must congratulate you on your methods. I mean, it worked. And, at the end of the day, that’s what we want from marketing and what we want from you Mr. or Mrs. President: tangible results.

What you did especially well, was you hit at the core of the personality race. You are an unmistakable figure now—if you weren’t already before the election began. If you were an animated character (which you have been on things like “The Simpsons”) I’d say you are an excellent example of “good character design.”

You are a distinct person. Like Obama before you, you are not a president we will ever mix up with another previous one. You left a mark on history just by running.

I live in Clearwater, it’s a more Republican state. We have gun shops. We’re Southern. And even still, I have no idea what this state feels about you. Oh, sure, the votes will reflect an opinion, but that’s not person to person. And with the number of people who don’t vote (which is a travesty) and who are too young to vote, I have no idea what we Floridians collectively think about you.

But, regardless of it, you might change America. You might redefine it. Twist it on its head. You might make us “stronger together” or “great again”.

Your marketing got you this far. Your savviness, intelligence, and charisma got you this far. And now you’re in the hot seat, one of the biggest chairs metaphorically in the whole world. We are all watching you.

So today. Tomorrow. The next four years. Possibly even the next eight, and for the rest of your life, in respect for all the responsibility you are taking on by accepting this role as the leader of this free country, we will call you:

Mr. or Mrs. President.    

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com   

It’s November, and if you are a writer, chances are you already know what that means: NaNoWriMo. Short for National Novel Writing Month.

But, if you’re not a writer, some quick background data: NaNoWriMo is a somewhat organized event where writers at all levels attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. This usually takes the form of around 1600 words daily. And if that sounds hard, it’s because it is. Putting that many words down in such a short time is like running the Clearwater Distance Classic’s 5k, requiring discipline and perseverance and often thoughtful preparation.

If you are wondering why this is a thing, it is because NaNoWriMo exists to promote writers to write more, and to remind creatives what it means to make commercial art at a professional level.

Paid authors and amateur hobbyists alike need to learn how to let go of their inner critics and allow words to fly from their fingers without too much self-reflection—at least until editing time comes.         

NaNoWriMo also acts as a community. Writers, by their very nature, are a bit of a hidden, private folk. There’s a reason people almost everywhere, Clearwater included, seem so surprised when they find one. Words don’t tend to hit the page while a bunch of people watch. It’s not like sports. Spectators are not encouraged. But, of course, that also leads to loneliness. A common enough issue when it comes to artists.

And so, besides promoting the act of writing hard and fast, NaNoWriMo gives like-minded individuals a place to talk stuff out and feel inspired to keep going toward the goal of the 50,000. Because, trust me when I say, there is nothing more potentially inspiring—though sometimes jealousy inducing—than hanging out with other creative and productive people.

And here is the especially cool part of the whole idea, National Novel Writing Month is not only a good thing, it’s a good model. Adaptable. You can set it with anything.

Among even the most oddball of groups, the strangest of subcultures, if you can get a big enough coverage and support for it, any hurdle of human passion can have a game, an event, with a month set to complete it. The amount of words produced daily during this time is staggering. If we apply the same principle to other endeavors, say perhaps things like painting, or renovation, or even growing small local business’s popularity like Clearwater’s Mano’s Bakery Cafe, then who knows what we might create out of the human love for a challenge?

Targets are an effective way to promote production. Just ask almost any successful person. And, if history has taught us anything, a lot gets done when people focus on a common goal. The weight of the masses knocks over obstacles.

But, for now, as others see what they can do with such an idea—and I am confident they will—if you are a person not already doing NaNoWriMo, it’s not too late to get into a shortened version of the game. A lot of the month is still left. Many people say they want to write a novel, and, well: this is the month for such an activity.

So, get on it. It’s November. It’s NaNoWriMo.

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Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com   

The effects of symbolism and imagery within our collective consciousness is a broad, somewhat esoteric, and well-explored concept.

So... forgive me if this is not the most detailed coverage of the topic. Especially because I will keep my focus mostly on the advertising applications of it.  

When someone says “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and “art is communication,” then symbolism—and all its close cousins—are the convergence of these two ideas.

Publix Super Markets, like the ones in Clearwater Plaza and on Gulf to Bay, use a green logo for a reason. They have a certain font for a reason. All, or at least most, pictures you see connected to a company have calculations behind their appearance in hopes of getting an idea across.

If you’ve gotten a certain vibe from just looking at a product on the shelf, then you’ve experienced this phenomenon. Those gut reactions caused by certain visual markers are the bread and butter of the technique. You can communicate all sorts of things through abstract imagery; almost any basic idea without issue.  

And this technology, if used by immoral people, can be deceptive. But it can also be used for good—like a lot of things in this world. It’s a tool only. And to wield it, you need to know two things for it to be effective.

First off, you need to understand cultural imagery. The history of the world. Various culture’s religious symbols and beliefs regarding the importance of symbols. Pop culture icons. Stereotypes, truisms, and common clichés. Things a lot of people pick up just by living within a country. Show a person wearing large glasses and surrounded by books, and the average person—or American at least—will form conclusions. Show a fridge with only one item within it (an old carton of milk is a good choice) and again, the communication is there. Mix it with context and you’re speaking without words. It’s the same trick all good movies, books, and television series use to convey aspects of narrative.

And secondly, you need to know to what type of group you are trying to talk with. If you are selling a product which you expect a certain demographic to buy, you need to aim your imagery to their sensibilities. As an example, a middle-class individual is not likely to recognize caviar on sight.

If someone says a piece of advertising is “biased” toward a specific group of people, it’s because it totally is. And while I’m not largely in favor of the implications of that practice, it is the way of the world right now.

By combining these two ideas, you can make people think, “oh, this is exactly the sort of thing I need” by matching what they expect—from a cultural standpoint—to the way you present your product.

And you can do this anywhere, with anything. Education, books, food, fuel, electronics: doesn’t matter. A picture is worth a thousand words, and a good enough picture—with clear enough communication—is worth the same in advertising.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

Three articles in the series, but this is the final one. While the first was a discussion, and the second was about videos, there is one more term which can find a home in your online marketing and advertising I want to cover. And that term is “diversify”.

Sure, for advertising online, you have your Facebook, your Twitter, your company website. And if you’ve been listening to me, then you also have a YouTube account up and running. And that is good—so far. You’ve done well. But it’s not enough. No. You can and should do advertising through more avenues. And, thankfully, I am here to lay them out for you in the most popular way possible on the internet: a list. Unranked. Because the value of each option is too subjective and contextual for me to attempt to sort them numerically.

So, with that clarified. Let’s begin.

·         Social Media Everywhere

You think Facebook and Twitter and YouTube are the only major social medias? Far from it. We live in a digitally social age, and the number of options for accounts is numerous and often free to use. So please take advantage of it.

WordPress and Tumblr for written content. Instagram and Snapchat for static images and short videos. Google Plus, though sometimes forgotten, is still a big community.

Pick which ones fit and make sure to keep them all flowing with content.

·         Sponsor Things

Not only can you post your own content on your own accounts, if you have the means, and the finances, advertisement space is available all over the place. YouTubers, a job I don’t think anyone saw coming even ten years ago, are often open to doing sponsored videos for various companies. So are a lot of podcasts. Any online creators with a decent reach can be a potential avenue of advertising.

·         Themed Products

Consider the humble tee-shirt. A lot of companies have their logo on a tee-shirt, and those, in my experience, don’t tend to receive the nicest of treatment. Often big tees end up pajamas for someone—but that’s because they don’t have good designs. So, here’s my final point/advice in this article: you can be more creative than that. There are websites which let you put any design on anything. Why slap a generic logo on clothing (or any product) when you can hire a graphic artist and make it appealing enough for someone to enjoy wearing/using it? Put your branding on things that make sense, but also make them interesting. Artistic. And then put on the logo. If done right, it could even become a mild alternative revenue stream.

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Now, sure, a lot of these require a little extra money spent, a little extra time used. That you outsource, and hire, and do all sorts of things you may not find comfortable. But small businesses often die and the market can eat even the big ones alive eventually (as an example, seen any Blockbusters in Clearwater lately?). And the best way to avoid that is to flourish and spread your marketing and advertising everywhere it can go—to adapt to the times. In the new internet age, with so many people talking, the masses will only listen to the most memorable, the most charming, and the most entertaining of cadences.  

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com    

Did you work images into your advertising yet? Well, I hope you did, because now we are moving on to the next step of how to rise above the sea of voices: video.

Ah yes, videos. Words, and I still bemoan this, are too labor-intensive for the average quick glance at a phone displaying some social media feed, but videos grab attention.

This could be because they move, and the human eye naturally tracks movement, or perhaps because mankind is big on finding faces in random things, and thus if a video shows a human face they will pay attention.

But for whatever reason: it works.

Now, advertising videos, such as funny/informative “sketches” or “demonstrations” showing your product, are the standard output. The usual go-to for companies seeking video marketing. And they go on YouTube. Apple has a YouTube channel. Google has one. It would not surprise me in the slightest if the Chick-Fil-A on Gulf to Bay has its teenage workers keep a well-updated YouTube channel going for the brand.

And this rampant visual recording is because, among other reasons, once you have video footage, your avenues of advertising and marketing increase. Let me put it this way: YouTube is one of the biggest and most visited websites on the planet, and if you—and your product—do not have something in that zone, then you are missing out on potential customers and precious attention. Not to mention the cross-platform potential.

So, make videos. I will keep saying that.

And, once you’ve committed to the action of marrying your product to videos, you will probably want advice and tips on how to go about making your videos more appealing.

Well, while I am not a video person by trade, I can tell you a few things that might make it easier for you to get traffic—and hopefully customers. Because that is what you are doing: customer gathering.

Now, like any media, technical quality is important, followed by consistency. Seems like basic advice, but most companies fail at this. Few people are hunting for the latest videos from some random hardware store, but several million will watch Chipotle’s newest animated short. This is because the hardware guys didn’t follow those two core ideas—along with obvious things like the difference in the business’s sizes. But my point still stands. “Goodness” is often subjective, but technically proficient lighting and camera work and sound editing (and perhaps most of all for companies: script writing and decent acting) need to all be as good as you can get them to be, or else it can put your public image in a bad spot. Don’t look amateurish.

And the second aspect is almost as important. Once you’ve held their attention with good videos, you need to reward those who keep their attention on you. Posting at a consistent rate does this. It makes individuals more likely to keep engaging and remembering you as a brand.

If you do these two things sincerely: you should see results over time. Do these two things with pictures, video, and the old staple of blogging/web content, and you may have a chance at success in the fast-moving internet world.

And if that doesn’t work, well: I’ve got one more general topic for you in the next article. But make sure you get in these fundamentals first. They shine when done right. They are the way the internet now runs. And learning a system is the best way to survive within it.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com