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The JAM Jar

26.05.16

Earlier this month Instagram unveiled its new logo, and it has received mixed reviews from users. While some praise the bright and colorful design, others have taken to Facebook and Twitter to voice their not-so-positive opinions.

But it wasn’t all bad! A lot of users were quite pleased with the new look.

As time ticks on, so do brands. It’s important that companies make sure they are keeping up with the pace and remaining modern, challenging and competitive. Making sure your brand’s appearance is dynamic and engaging is a must for organisations wanting to grow in their field. A brand refresh can put what was a tired logo back in date, and generate fresh interest in the company by transforming its entire look.

Before you start thinking about fifty shades of blue or browsing through fonts, here are some important things to consider before you start your rebrand:

Why do you need a change?

Whether you’re changing your brand name, your logo, or your website, your customers have grown familiar with your current look. It’s important before you begin to change this look that you establish what it is that’s no longer working about your current one. Does the current image no longer reflect who you are as a company? Or have you simply outgrown your initial identity? By having a clear reason for why you need a refresh, you are more likely to ensure the desired effect from it.

What does your brand communicate?

A logo can say a lot to a potential customer, and is often the first thing they will see when they come into contact with your brand. Is your brand communicating the message you want it to? A good way to find this out is by asking current clients or stakeholders what they think of your brand’s image; what were their initial thoughts when they came across the company’s logo, and how do they find navigating your website? Identify your current strengths as well as your weaknesses, and let this feedback guide your decision process.

Who are your competitors?

It’s important to know who your competitors are and monitor what they are doing and how they are presenting themselves. You don’t only want to be as good as your competitors, but better! Find ways to differentiate yourself and make sure your unique selling points stand out to potential customers.

Where do you see your company going?

Undergoing a refresh is the perfect opportunity to not only present yourselves as who you have become, but who you, as a company, want to be. A successful rebrand should support your company’s ambition and propel it forward, not just reaffirm its current status.

JAM is highly experienced in helping companies achieve their desired brand goals – we’re even undergoing a brand refresh ourselves this year!

To find out how we could help take your company to the next level, contact dave@jamcreative.co.uk.

19.05.16

Blue takes on red once again this week as Facebook announces the trial of its potential new music video product, ‘Slideshow’; the latest challenger to YouTube’s domination of the online video market.

Facebook is currently in talks with music labels, including Warner Music Group, with a view to licensing a limited selection of songs, which users can then upload to their own videos using Slideshow.

Slideshows offer Facebook users a new way of sharing their favourite photos and videos, though only Facebook-owned music has been available to use alongside them up until now. This new agreement with music labels could enhance the appeal of the tool and attract new users to stay with Facebook when creating their video content.

The announcement comes just as YouTube is in the midst of a storm with key music industry figures, such as Irving Azoff and Nikki Sixx who are complaining that YouTube isn’t paying enough to artists for featuring their music. Facebook would therefore be at a significant advantage as it will be able to keep the music labels and artists happy while giving users access to a great selection of music.

All of this, when added to the prediction that online video consumption will grow by 57 per cent over the four years ending in 2017, means it is hardly surprising that Facebook is looking to make fresh inroads into the online video market and keep user-generated content within its own walls.

Mark Zuckerberg himself recently stated that, “we’re at the beginning of a golden age of online video” so it seems to be the perfect time to create new ways of hosting music and video content within the platform.

So, if all goes well, the video lovers among us will soon be able to upload some great new music to our videos and photo Slideshows on Facebook, allowing us to really get creative without worrying about licensing issues.

Here at Jam, we’re always looking for new ways to make our clients’ social video and photo content more engaging, so these new soundtrack options could help us do just that.

We may have to wait a little longer here in the UK, however, as they’re reportedly planning to launch Slideshow in Australia first. Watch this space!

12.05.16

This month saw the final day for The New Day, Trinity Mirror’s experimental newspaper, which aimed to attract readers who had “fallen out of love with newspapers”. After just nine weeks in publication, with sales falling to around 40,000 copies per day (from a predicted circulation of 200,000), we said farewell to the short-lived title.

According to reports, the publication’s print advertising revenues fell by 19%. However, it experienced a strong growth in its digital audience, with average monthly page views growing by 22 per cent, to 755 million on a like for like basis,  and had strong followings on Twitter and Facebook.

It comes as no surprise that the title’s digital readership was stronger than print. According to a study by Ofcom in 2015, 41 per cent of the public were turning to the web to access their news, compared to 31 per cent accessing news from print newspapers . The internet is clearly dominating the news industry, especially among younger generations, which is why it is important for PRs to build strong relationships with online journalists and embrace the benefits of tactical SEO to develop a brand’s online identity.

At Jam, we are experienced in creating strong digital campaigns for our clients, including developing their social media presence. To find out how we could support your business, get in touch with our MD, Jaime@jampr.co.uk or call 0161 850 0565.