A Manifesto for Brands Who Care
In the world of marketing, there’s a lot of noise. A cacophony of messages, all vying for attention, all claiming to be the best, the biggest, the most innovative. A million messages a day, competing to distract you and rob you of your productivity. A pop-up ad, push notification, text… “does your vehicle have an extended warranty”? Amidst this noise, it’s easy for brands to lose their way, to forget what they stand for, to lose sight of their mission in a race for clicks and attention At MKTNG, we believe in a different approach. We believe in the power of purpose, the strength of conviction. We believe that the brands that truly matter are the ones that care – about their mission, organization, community, and world. The Power of Caring We’ve been on a journey. As an integrated marketing agency based in California’s capital, Sacramento, our company exists at the epicenter of a number of major societal issues. Power generation, transportation, insurance & financial services, forest management, homelessness, and various populations who have experienced trauma, Sacramento is a hub of thought leadership, policy, activism, innovation, action, and in some ways a laboratory for many of these issues. This proximity has brought us into contact with a diverse array of clients, each with unique missions and visions. We’ve learned something profound. The most rewarding results, the most impactful campaigns, the most resonant messages – they all come from working with clients who care. Clients who care deeply about their mission, are passionate about their organization, and are committed to making a difference. Clients who don’t phone it in. Sometimes, this caring takes the form of an altruistic mission that betters the community or the environment. Sometimes, it’s simply about caring for their brand, nurturing it, growing it, protecting it, for the betterment of their staff and to best service their customers. But always, at its core, it’s about caring. For Brands Who Care This is why we’ve adopted the tagline “For Brands Who Care”. Because we believe that money is not an empowering vision. We believe that a brand that cares about more than just profits is a brand that inspires loyalty, fosters community, and makes a real difference in the world. And THAT is what we find motivating. This declaration is more than just a tagline. It’s a commitment. A commitment to our clients that we will work tirelessly to help them achieve their goals. A commitment to our team that we will foster an environment that values passion, creativity, and work that is rewarding. A commitment to ourselves that we will remain true to our mission of helping brands that care. The Future is Caring As we look to the future, we are excited. Excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. Excited about the chance to work with new clients who share our belief in the power of caring. Excited about the impact we can make. At MKTNG, we care. We care about our clients, our work, and the impact we can have on our communities. We are excited to work with brands who share this vision. We believe caring is a generative act that fosters caring by others. Like a contagious smile, caring gives birth to more caring. We are excited to be ambassadors of bringing greater care into the world. Because at the end of the day, we believe that the brands who care are the brands that matter. The brands that stand for something. The brands that make a difference. The brands that, amidst the noise, ring out clear and true. This is MKTNG. For Brands Who Care.
Branding Community
Every movement needs an icon, a flag, a symbol that unifies the members of their movement. These symbols can serve many purposes. They can serve a catalyst for stirring up fervor and rallying members, as is the case with many flags. For icons, which is relative to note, have their root in religious paintings of one or two portraits or a religious scene. Icons now most commonly serve as the symbols that provide direction as well as pertain to identity that we interact with on mobile devices. Icons have become a secondary shorthand for a brand. These are all important considerations for branding and identity. With every brand comes the possibility that you help create something more, that around the brand forms a community of passionate advocates. When this happens, your brand (and along with it your logo) becomes a symbol. This is when your brand becomes an icon, a symbol of the community, a common experience or perspective. We saw this occur earlier this year in February. It was actually about a year ago when I volunteered our team to develop the brand for an unheard of arts project, Art Hotel. The development of the logo did not take long, but we did go through a handful of concepts with the M5Arts team. The result was something actually quite simple and figurative, including an outline of the building used in the project. Art Hotel took off in a big way. The arts experience was sold out, covered by all of the region’s media and became a symbol of Sacramento’s burgeoning arts scene. Suddenly the artwork was on tee-shirts, hoodies and all over the news. Our little brand had become a symbol that represented the work of the M5Arts team, the 130 artists that worked on the project, their many donors and the broader community that experienced Art Hotel during its short 10 day run. Earlier this month we unveiled a new logo representing the next M5Arts project, ArtStreet, at a Kickstarter fundraising launch party. We agreed with the M5Arts team, that this next project should carry with it a similar visual language as Art Hotel. After beginning with some basic concepts, some feedback from the team and some art direction from my youngest daughter (thanks Kayla!), we ended up with an image we are pretty excited about. However, the brand is not ours. It no longer even belongs to M5Arts. It belongs to the community of people for whom the Art Hotel project meant something about their city and the artists who live here. For these people we hope that the new graphic comes to mean something once they have had the opportunity to experience ArtStreet. If M5Arts succeeds at catching lightning in a bottle twice, just maybe our humble logo will become another hit. Disclaimer: I am a member of the M5Arts team as well as a board member of their fiduciary agent nonprofit, DBA Arts. MKTNG has donated design and PR services to the Art Hotel and ArtStreet projects.
