SITTING DOWN WITH ANNETTE KOMES OF GSK: A RELATIONSHIP BUILT ON TRUST

Over our 35 years in business, Vision Creative Group has always prided itself on service and client relationships. After all, it’s the relationships that make projects succeed, that expand what’s possible, and that remain even after retirement. One of the best examples of this is Vision’s relationship with the incredible force known as Annette Komes, a now retired former employee of GSK Consumer Healthcare. We sat down with Annette to discuss everything from the trajectory of her career over the years to her experience working with Vision. Annette worked most closely with Lori, our VP of Account Services, who sat down and became part of the conversation halfway through. We’re so excited to share our truly fascinating conversation with you.

TRANSITIONING FROM PFIZER TO GSK CONSUMER HEALTHCARE

On paper it would appear that Annette traveled to all different companies throughout her career, but it’s more accurate to say that Annette is what remained constant while her workplace shifted beneath her feet. Before being at GSK Consumer Healthcare, Annette began at the consumer division of American Home Products called Whitehall Robins. Then, while Annette worked her way up from an administrative assistant to a manager over time, the company turned into Wyeth, which was then acquired by Pfizer. “The department grew, and we took on more responsibilities. I started working on ChapStick and then picked up Robitussin.” Retrospectively, though, the change feels drastic. “The brands were growing and the marketing landscape was changing.” As these changes occurred, Annette found her way to the brand that she would stay with for the remainder of her 25-year career: Advil.

CHANGING TIMES & TACTICS

With the shift in the marketing landscape came an increase in marketing tactics. The consumer promotion world was quite literally changing around Annette. She explains, “The marketing tactics grew to encompass more…like in-store signage, semi-permanent shelf trays, and even news pouches. As our department became responsible for these new tactics, there was a learning curve – working with new vendors, understanding the specs and application. A good example is shelf tags – you review the design on screen and it looks great, but then you realize that the tag is only two inches wide and the type is going to be really small! How are we going to make this work?” 

A TRUSTING RELATIONSHIP

When asking Annette to look back on Vision’s role over the years, Annette explains that Vision’s knowledge, expertise, and responsiveness allowed us to be an essential partner. She adds, “There were plenty of things that I relied on Vision for. It’s always been a high standard, a high level of work that has been brought to me. And they [Vision] knew as much about the products as I did, about the category, the landscape, and the retailer expectations. It was great to have a partner that knew all of that too.” A large part of this partnership was a result of Annette’s incredibly strong relationship with Lori. Annette notes that she knew that she could call on Lori for help no matter what and she would be there to support her.

Back in the day, the evolution of “360 marketing” brought its own slew of changes for Annette, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, and Vision. “It was something we had to work on together… there was increased focus on ensuring that every consumer touchpoint would be the same experience, and this became the standard going forward.” 

With this new world came an even larger volume of work, and attention to detail became even more critical. Creative had to align completely and consistently with no room for error. Luckily, Annette and Vision had a strong relationship. With a foundation of trust, we were able to count on each other. “I’ve always been able to rely on Lori and the team to be a great partner to manage all of that, to help me not miss anything. That trust and that collaboration were very, very important. And it made the relationship last as long as it did. There’s got to be a level of trust on both sides.”

There are two sides to every relationship, however, and Lori explains that Annette’s role and their connection was crucial to their success. 

“She always got Vision what we needed and was open to collaboration and listening,” Lori says of Annette. “She took her job really seriously and spent the time organizing things before handing them to Vision.” When asked what she misses most about Annette, Lori answers with a smile and without hesitation, “Her knowledge and her personality.” The two have remained great friends to this day and love to reconnect. We miss Annette so much at Vision, but we’re so grateful for all the amazing work we did together! 

You can check out one of our favorite projects for Advil featuring in-store consumer activation on our site and learn more about our collaborative process!

Don’t miss out on more content from our incredible interview with Annette on our social media in the coming days! Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook for more!

WHY YOU NEED BRAND GUIDELINES

WHAT ARE BRAND GUIDELINES?

What exactly are style guides or brand guidelines? No two sets of brand guidelines are the same, but all brand guidelines serve as a resource for you to return to when you need to reference how to represent your brand. Brand guidelines create a unified brand identity or persona using wording, colors, logo, typography and more. Brand guidelines can give you everything from rules about how to use your brand’s visual aspects to the tools to create cohesive messaging and iconic marketing. As our VP of Account Services with 20+ years of experience working on brands, Lori, explains, “It shouldn’t stifle creativity, it’s more like guard rails.” These guard rails ensure your brand stays on the right path, no matter who works on it over time.

WHAT DO BRAND GUIDELINES INCLUDE?

As mentioned earlier, no two brand guidelines are identical. However, there are a few core aspects that yours should have such as:

• An introduction that states your brand’s identity, values, mission, and personality
• Graphic elements such as icons, shapes, patterns, document styling, and vector graphics
• How to show your brand on materials such as clothing and signage
• Digital styling – this can include email signatures, ad banners, websites, social media and more
• Brand assets & how to use them – this can include typeface, spacing, backgrounds, and more
• Color palette – These are the colors that make up your brand and should include RGB & CMYK color codes for consistency between digital and print as well as the HTML Hex Reference for web.
• Logo design – This includes how to display your logo on different backgrounds as well as size and color restrictions.
• Imagery – This includes the style of photos and icons you consistently use in your marketing materials. 
• Brand tone – which words do you use to show your brand’s values and persona? Is the tone funny, serious, or fun?

We know, this seems overwhelming. But going through, sorting, and defining these elements is a great way to get to know and solidify your brand. And once this is complete, it will only continue to serve you in the future. If you have any questions about this process or which elements are involved, feel free to reach out to us! 

WHAT PURPOSE DO BRAND GUIDELINES SERVE FOR YOUR BRAND?

So, what is the purpose of going through this multi-step process after all? Brand guidelines are truly a home base to return to so that you can keep your brand concise, cohesive, and reliable in the eyes of your clients or customers and everyone who works on your brand. With core guidelines as a foundation, design decisions can be made more quickly and smoothly. They can also inspire your strategists, marketing managers, and designers. Rather than limiting creativity, these guidelines can make your brand more defined and powerful. Definition and consistency will prove to be key as you launch new products and expand, ensuring your brand isn’t stretched too thin. 71% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase a product or service from a brand they recognize, making brand consistency crucial for success. Our Creative Director Kelly, with 25 years of experience, urges:

“The more complete the better. No matter what, there are going to be scenarios where you have to deviate. When you can have a base to start with and go back to, especially when you’re trying to push the creative a bit. You have a home base you can go back to and say ‘Am I still within these lines?’” 

WHY DO BRAND GUIDELINES MATTER FOR YOUR TEAM?

Brand guidelines matter not only for those looking in at your brand, but also for those who work on your brand–whether frequent or infrequent. It’s more difficult to have miscommunications when, as Lori mentions, “We’re all going back to that same guideline and utilizing the elements similarly.” 

Regardless of who works on your brand–whether it’s a freelance designer or a designer who has been working on the brand for years–everyone is keeping the brand recognizable and consistent. Kelly explains from her own experience, “As you keep going and working on projects, you can always go back to that home base. Even when you have to deviate from it, you can always go back and reference it.” Keeping everyone on the same page is extremely helpful when rebranding, or for new employees who are learning the ins and outs of your brand. It benefits everyone from designers to copywriters to anyone else who needs to understand your brand to be familiar with these guidelines.

WHY DO BRAND GUIDELINES MATTER FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS?

Taking meticulous care of your brand’s details also enhances your brand’s professionalism, integrity, and image. When all of your marketing materials have a cohesive look and feel to them, it’s easier to make your brand recognizable and iconic to customers. Clients and consumers are able to depend on your brand and will know what to expect from you. Lori explains, “If you’re all over the place and there’s no consistency in the branding, then there’s no true identity that people can grab onto.” For example, choosing consistent brand colors alone can increase recognition by up to 80%.

While you might have a perfect understanding of your brand’s identity, it’s your customers you want to win over. Lori continues, “The consistency helps elevate the brand–their values, their identity. If consumers are constantly seeing the same type of things associated with that brand, then obviously that’s going to stick with them more.” Brand guidelines are the first step towards this goal. Brand consistency has even shown to boost revenue by 23%.

WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW BEFORE YOU CREATE YOUR OWN BRAND GUIDELINES?

Before you get started creating your very own brand guidelines, it’s important to have a clear sense of who your brand is–its persona, messaging, and what its marketing materials look like. Having a style guide takes your brand to the next level, but it’s crucial to have a good sense of who you are and where you want to go. This guide can be created at the beginning of your brand’s journey or after your brand has been established. It’s never too late to create them, and the benefits will come no matter when you do it. 

What’s important is keeping a balance. As our Creative Director, Kelly, says, “You can get in trouble in two ways. You can get in trouble if it’s too rigid and you force it into a guideline and your copy or creative suffers. It can’t be too hand-tying, but it can’t be too loosey goosey.” Having a strategic partner can help you figure out this balance and act as a sounding board during the process. 

When it comes to the actual creation of the brand guidelines or style guide, it’s important to use authoritative language to ensure compliance. The content should also be simple and direct. And while it might be tempting to design the style guide, Kelly warns against this. “The style guide is supposed to be clean and simple and it should not take away from what you’re trying to do, which is give clear direction on the brand and what the brand should look like.” Instead of getting lost in the creation of the guidelines, focus on keeping the design easy, simple, and aesthetically pleasing. 

Thinking about creating or updating your brand’s style guide? Feel free to reach out to us with any questions and we’re happy to jump in and answer. Our Flight Crew is made up of some pretty incredible people who have been working in branding and design for decades. We’re always looking for ways to make your brand soar higher than ever. Get in touch!  

Vision’s First Founder’s Day

On Friday, September 23, 2022, we celebrated 35 years of Vision and our first official Founder’s Day! We listened to inspiring talks by our fearless leader, Sharon, and by our special guest, Don Stohrer, Jr. Don was a close friend of our founder, Andy, and is an amazing supporter of Vision. He is also the CEO of Arla USA and has had an incredible career. Beyond his corporate career, however, Don has experienced challenges like everyone else. He shared how his friendship with Andy helped him through those challenges. We were so grateful for his presence on such a special day.

We also enjoyed some delicious treats made by our office manager, Angela, who is also the baker behind Polka Dot Confections. We love when she brings her culinary skills into the office and loved the penguin-themed cupcake cake she made. To end a day of reminiscing and great conversation, we played a nostalgic game of “Random Stuff,” which is a game Andy created and loved playing with the team. Just as it sounds, the game is similar to White Elephant and results in lots of laughs and everyone unwrapping and taking home a random item.

All in all, Vision’s first Founder’s Day was definitely one to remember. We loved talking about old memories, our core values as an agency, and where we want to go in the future. We left for the weekend feeling grateful for our roots and excited for what’s to come! Check out the photos from the event courtesy of Kristin Petry Photography.

STUDIO SPOTLIGHT VOL. 1: MICHELLE
Staying Humble While Pushing the Envelope

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in the Vision studio? If so, you’re not alone. We wanted to start shining a light on our incredible designers, so we’re interviewing them one by one to get to know them, their approach to their craft, and everything in between. First up is Michelle, a graphic designer whose illustration and animation skills have added tremendous depth to Vision’s capabilities. For Michelle, the story starts with her youthful early efforts in art and progresses to her constant development even now. Explaining her motto “stay humble,” she says, “As I grow and gain wisdom, I realize I don’t have it all figured out. I view every project as a new lesson.” She emphasizes the importance of staying curious and notes that her growth and staying humble as an artist mirror her “soul growth” as a person. As they say, art imitates life. But at the same time, no one can doubt that art has a significant impact on life, as it has for Michelle and those working around her.

A SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE

When Michelle started at Vision, “staying humble” was at the forefront of her mind. She explains that she had gotten too comfortable at her previous agency. Coming to Vision, “I was floored by the talent and creativity. It got me out of my comfort zone.” But with her outrageous sense of style, love of a variety of art forms, and a ready stream of ideas, Michelle found Vision to be an ideal studio in which to grow and explore. Michelle notes the learning curve for knowing when to push the envelope and when to work carefully within the lines. She says she’s struck a happy balance between the commercial nature of projects and the creative side, enjoying the ebb and flow of production and the more creative projects.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF VISION

One thing that’s important to know about Michelle is her unbridled curiosity. A tireless traveler, she’s climbed daunting mountains and traveled to Mexico, Central America, Europe, Yellowstone, and the Pacific Northwest all in a relentless search for unique experiences. On the other hand, she’s perfectly comfortable relaxing on her deck at her lakeside home in New Jersey with her fiancé and equally adventurous dogs. She’s also an outstanding gardener and a soulful animal lover and protector, once driving an hour to bring an orphaned squirrel to an animal shelter. When looking at a designer’s work, you wouldn’t necessarily think about these qualities. But curiosity, adventurousness, calm, concern, and love of natural beauty are all important factors in conceiving and communicating ideas. Michelle gracefully ties them together.

INTO AN ANIMATED WORLD 

Being animated herself (Michelle is a wonderful talker and with all that travel experience, who wouldn’t want to listen?), Michelle has taken a very deep dive into the world of 3D digital illustration and 2D animation.

When Michelle considers the challenges in learning these skills, she says, “Fear is just a factor in creating, especially when you have time constraints and a budget.” But she says, “What I really love about animation is the problem solving. When you get something to move and flow the way you want it to, it’s mimicking real life movements. It’s so satisfying.” She’s also discovered a supportive online illustration and animation community that she has immense respect for and has been a crucial part of the learning process.

What’s in the future for Michelle? We can be sure that she won’t be standing still. Besides getting married, “In the fall I want to start advanced motion methods–advanced animation–then start implementing 3D animation.”

Oh, and did we mention how proud we are of Michelle? And how much our Flight Crew loves working with her? Our bad. We couldn’t be prouder, and our Flight Crew couldn’t be more grateful to have her.

You can check out a few of our social media posts that Michelle has animated below!

UNCORKING THE LATEST TRENDS IN ALCOHOL ADVERTISING & CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

As we quickly approach August, summer ads are in full swing. And with summer come advertisements for alcohol. From IPAs to a hundred different hard seltzer flavors and flavored spirits, one can tell just by paying attention to the TV and their phone that the alcohol category is one in which companies and brands are jockeying for first place. Despite its fun exterior, competing in this category is more challenging and complex than you’d think. As The Brandsmen explain in their blog unpacking this fascinating category, “Understanding the various restrictions that surround industries like alcohol is important to executing a sound strategy…With data-driven insights and defined audience personas, alcohol brands are better equipped to implement systems that help convert more customers.” Restrictions on which social media platforms you can push your content, significant shifts in audience behavior, and how alcohol brands are responding tell a very interesting story. 

Let’s Start with the Key Platforms: Instagram & Facebook

We’ve pulled out a few key points about our favorite social media channels and how they interact with the world of alcohol and alcohol merchandise. Advertising alcohol products on Instagram is a definite yes, with 60% of alcohol marketing on the news feed of Instagram and 40% on Instagram stories, making it a difficult and bustling place for alcohol brands to try and make their brands seen and heard. 

When it comes to Facebook, the price to get your brand’s name out there is higher than any other platform and any other industry with a CPC price tag of $0.20. This has been forcing alcohol brands to find new ad formats, content ideas, and to get intentional about where they put their ad dollars. Additionally, over 80% of alcohol brands’ marketing is on the news feed, while 10% exist on Facebook Stories.2 Whether it’s worth putting money into Facebook Stories instead of the news feed is up for debate, but it’s certainly a less busy area to spend money when it comes to advertising alcohol on Facebook. 

Here’s Where It Gets Complicated: Snapchat & TikTok

You might notice your favorite beer brand in the form of a Snapchat filter at your next tailgate, making it clear that Snapchat is a welcome place for alcohol brands, given that the filter correctly targets those of legal drinking age on the app. If the filter correctly does this, the brand is in the clear. But it wasn’t always this way. In order to advertise on any platform, at least 71.6% of its audience must be above legal drinking age. This took Snapchat out of the running years ago, but their audience has since grown up, making advertising alcohol on the app now a possibility.

TikTok, however, is a different story. With one third of TikTok’s viewership aged 14 and under, the app is nowhere near being able to host advertisements from alcohol brands. Despite the thousands of videos in the “#cocktails”hashtag, creators or influencers are not allowed to promote alcohol or related products in the US for the same reason no alcohol advertisements are allowed. As described in “Gazing Into the Foggy Future of Alcohol Advertising on TikTok,” it seems that “alcohol advertisers have every reason to keep TikTok at arm’s length for now…But one day, it probably will be [legal]”. Essentially, alcohol advertisers have to wait patiently for TikTok users to grow up. 

What Are Consumers Looking for in Their Drink Experiences?

Aside from the constraints that social media platforms put in place, consumers have a great deal of say in what they want out of both their alcohol advertising experiences and products. When it comes to the products themselves, consumers have higher expectations than ever, seeking out “unique experiences” and “value for their money”1 in addition to all the bells and whistles possible. Consumers are embracing bold, adventurous flavors and recipes, which aligns with the hard seltzer craze that took the alcohol category by storm in the past few years. White Claw’s sales went from $154.8 million in 2018 to $627.2 million in 2019–a massive increase and the entire category was then flooded with Bud Light Seltzer, Coors Seltzer, Malibu Splash, High Noon, and more between 2018 and 2020. And even though the craze might be cooling down according to experts, crazy flavors aren’t going anywhere and consumers’ desire for flavor isn’t either.

With this in mind, consumers are also obsessed with having drinks that are simply ready to go. The Ready To Drink or RTD category of beverages is one of the fastest growing alcohol categories. Sales of spirits-based RTD cocktails increased as much as 226% from 2016 to 2021. Additionally, the percentage of adults enjoying RTD beverages increased from 40% in 2018 to 50% in 2021. This trend paired with consumers’ desire for crazy flavors makes the popularity of hard seltzers, hard kombucha, and ready to drink cocktails understandable. So don’t be surprised if you continue to see more alcoholic versions of different kinds of beverages, because the alcohol industry is both trying to impress consumers and make their lives easier all at once.

Presentation matters–equally, if not more, than the drink itself. A whopping 69% of millennials take a photo of their food/drink to share on social media, making it all the more important to make something about your product stand out–whether it’s the packaging, the branding, or how the drink itself looks. That’s not to say, however, that consumers aren’t looking for a high quality beverage. In fact, 54% of 18-34 year olds are willing to choose a premium drink.4 This is in part because people are willing to pay more to drink less.

More Flavor & Less ABV, Please

It’s true, 22% of consumers globally are drinking less.4 But, their desire for flavor is only growing. Google predicts that search results for “mocktail” will increase 58% this year, making it clear that consumers are gravitating towards complex cocktail flavors without the alcohol, or at least without as much of it.4 Yes, there is a middle ground evolving between the growing population of non-drinkers and those who are maintaining their drinking habits. After all, the social scene isn’t going anywhere as a result of all this. In fact, 63% of US adults are returning to social activities post-pandemic such as going out to restaurants, bars, and parties. 

People are still consuming alcohol-related beverages; there’s just more nuance to it now. One of those nuances is the growing popularity of low ABV beverages. 55% of mindful drinkers are consuming low ABV drinks globally.4 To meet this demand, brands are creating products catered directly to this audience and the promise of its growing popularity. This without a doubt puts pressure on brands to create entirely new lineups of products while still maintaining their quality and unique brand. No easy task.

Looking to the Future

It’s truly a whole new world in the alcohol category and there’s no sign of the growth and change stopping any time soon. The best way to navigate it all seems to be by paying attention to the category, including social media restrictions, and how it continues to shift over the next year according to consumers’ desires. Through all this change, it’s going to be important for brands to maintain their unique, familiar, and consistent personas for audiences to. With products changing and desires shifting, “managing a brand’s footprint helps maintain identity and story.” Through this, “brands can connect and resonate more deeply with their audience long-term.”1 We’ll see how advertising in this field changes over the next several years as audiences get older, more products are created, and consumers’ expectations continue to grow. If you’re interested in crafting a unique, defined brand presence that will last–no matter what the category–Vision can help you soar in the right direction. You can check out some of the work we’ve done to establish and evolve our clients’ brands here. Also be sure to check out our previous blog, “The Importance of Branding: Use Your Story To Establish Your Brand.”

SOURCES:

1. https://thebrandsmen.com/alcohol-branding-and-marketing-strategies/
2. https://emplifi.io/resources/blog/alcohol-marketing-trends-you-need-to-know-right-now
3. https://vinepair.com/articles/business-alcohol-advertising-tiktok/
4. https://www.drinkripples.com/blog/what-you-need-to-know-spirits-marketing-trends-in-2022  
5. https://www.businessinsider.com/hard-seltzer-craze-timeline-white-claw-truly-bud-light-seltzer-2021-10 
6. https://daily.sevenfifty.com/inside-the-evolution-of-ready-to-drink-cocktails/#:~:text=According%20to%20Mintel%20data%2C%20total,from%2040%20percent%20in%202018. 
7. https://get.doordash.com/en-us/blog/alcohol-trends 
8. https://together.nbcuni.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/10/2021-Alcohol-Industry-Assessment_Together-Site.pdf