By Hunter Warren

TV Land flickered onto our sets in 1996. Building on the success of ‘Nick at Nite,’ the classic TV rerun alter-ego of Nickelodeon, TV Land began offering diverse, vintage programming ranging from The Ed Sullivan Show to Hill Street Blues. The face of this venture was a googie-inspired, colorful lounge-sign of a logo. It was a very retro, 1950′s look, but was appropriate for a network offering shows from the 50′s to the 80′s, Primarily, it communicated one thing—nostalgia.  Secondly, the logo told you that TV Land was a fun, hip, relaxing place to be. As viewers and the rest of the public became more and more familiar with the network, the logo was streamlined into more comfortable, less-kitschy versions of the original, but still maintained it’s retro, irreverent character.

The station began chasing a new demographic in 2007, the original Generation X viewers of MTV. And now with a new marketing push, TV Land wishes to more heavily emphasize their original programming.  Their new identity is built around this shift. The only visual element to remain is part of the original double-trazpezoid shape, in silhouette form. The type has been updated, and a new bright teal color chosen. Primarily, the logo still communicates a central idea, nostalgia: “hey isn’t watching TV fun?” However, reflective of the network’s desire to distance itself from it’s classic-TV past, any retro element is gone. The new logo wishes to tell us that TV Land is bright, fun, happy, and new. Here, it succeeds; however any personality from the original identity is not carried over. Whether this was intentional or simply unfortunate isn’t known, but a very popular sentiment from the 50′s rings true here: out with the old, in with the new.

While the first thing that might come to mind when either the Rolling Stones or The Ramones is mentioned is their iconic music, band logos also play a pretty massive part in their memorability as well.  Emblazoned on tour posters, t-shirts, and sometimes people’s bodies, a musician’s logo has a big say in their marketability. Yes, we know, it all comes down to the music and being something special. “Selling out” stinks, but most musicians/artists want to be acknowledged for their talents. What better way to do that than with an awe-inspiring logo? Ladies and gentlemen, our ten favorite band logos (Caution: Not in any particular order):

10). The Who

Where do we begin? Simply amazing! The colors (Brittania all the way), the mod font, the target; it all works together in a busy, mesmerizing way. While the target also acts as a medical symbol for male, the “Grotesque”-style font was designed by famous painter, Brian Pike, in 1964 as a part of their original logo. Wish “My Generation” had a band logo as brilliant as this one!

9). Black Sabbath

Let’s be honest, the idea of riding on Ozzy’s “Crazy Train” sounds a little terrifying, so for now we’ll just admire the music and this stirring logo. Written in a bubble font that was popular at the time, Black Sabbath’s logo is a “Revelation”!

8). Led Zeppelin

The use of the hokey DesDemona font makes this logo particularly special and reminiscent of a much more “happening” decade.  Nostalgia here we come…

7). AC DC

As a fan of classic rock, you notice many lightening bolts in band logos. I especially like the way AC DC casually insert theirs in the logo, all while using the “squealer” font. It makes this band that much more electrifying!

6). Kiss

Everything from the colors to the strong, “Die Nasty” font shouts the raucousness that is Kiss. An awesome band with an awesome logo. Fitting!

5). Daft Punk

This electronic music duo (made up of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter) wanted their music to speak volumes and their image to be kept at a minimum. In place of their physical presence, a fantastic logo. Of its importance, they stated, “To us, the Daft Punk logo should be the star -the concept is to keep us more low-profile than the music itself.” Let’s celebrate “One More Time”!

4). Metallica

How do you emphasize that you’re the best darn heavy metal band out there? Cue the lightening bolts!! Using the “Pastor of Muppets” font, Metallica’s logo is all attitude and ferociousness.

3). Run DMC

The founding fathers of hip hop, Run DMC deserve some due respect! Simple, but extremely memorable, Run DMC certainly knew how to package themselves. A modified Franklin Gothic font, this logo speaks volumes for a band with heaps of charisma.

2). The Beatles

Evocative of a time when all he wanted to do was “Hold Your Hand” and “Dance With You” (yeah, right), The Beatles logo may be without the frills and thrills, but it’s certainly a solid piece of rock history. Hand drawn by Ivor Arbiter, owner of Drum City in London, this logo is legendary.

1). Rolling Stones

Nothing could better encompass all of the Stones’ antics, debauchery, and accomplishments better than a pair of big, juicy, red lips. Featured on their albums and memorabilia, anyone with a pair of working eyes would immediately think “Forty Licks”. Well done, boys!

1. Use Social Validation:

Social validation is such a strong converter on websites and its reasoning is grounded in psychology. As humans, our behavior is often influenced by those around us causing us to act in ways we wouldn’t necessarily behave. Online reviews, Facebook “likes”, and retweets actually have a huge effect on our subconscious mind. A study conducted by Peter de Vries, a noted professor in the field of psychology, suggests that products with compelling reviews can actually yield returns up to 20% higher versus products without reviews. Additionally, reviews that are told as stories, where we get a sense of the writer and their lifestyle are said to influence consumers at an even greater rate. Facebook “likes” are having the same effects on consumers, as consumers show a stronger propensity to engage with brands that their friends approve of. In fact, social validation achieved through Facebook likes is becoming such a viable business activity, it has been dubbed “Likeconomics” to refer to how brands can measure the contribution of being liked to their bottom line. Rohit Bhargava, global Marketing Professor at Georgetown and inventor of Likenomics, says “brutal honesty, simplicity and being human” are the driving force behind successful Likeconomics and consumers can sense insincerity a mile away.

2. Invoke Scarcity:

Over the last few years, we’ve seen an emergence of social buying sites like Gilt Groupe, Groupon, and LivingSocial that are characterizing a palpable shift in online consumer behavior. Much of their success can be attributed to their ability to tap into deep seeded human insecurities. Because attaining a product is a function of speed, the retailers are attaching a strong sense of urgency to the buying experience, which then taps into the fearful part of the human brain. “Buy it now” or you’ll never get it. “There are only two left,” will you be one of those two people that get to own this item? It’s in “other carts,” will you be as cool as your peers and get to own this too? And it works. The fear of a missed opportunity is so great that it often drives us to behave irrationally, impulsively even, in order to quell that fear and mitigate the sense of loss we feel when we miss out.

3. Give things away:

Anytime we receive something for free it triggers indebtedness, an emotional response that evokes a need for reciprocity. Think of the times an acquaintance or colleague caught you off guard with a holiday or birthday gift. Most of us feel obligated to return the favor. The same thing happens in our virtual behavior as well. When websites offer us something for free, whether it be free shipping, free information, or free gifts with purchase we feel more inclined to make a purchase as this brand is giving something away in order to engage with us and we feel obligated to return the favor. Free shipping is a fairly common online practice and can yield great returns on your ecommerce site. Not selling product? Studies suggest giving away information also triggers the same centers of the brain, making consumers more likely to return to your site and give back to you in the form of a newsletter sign up, phone call, or whatever action you are aiming for them to complete.

4. Allow consumers to experience the product:

A study conducted on car buyers, by psychologist Barry Schwartz, deduced that shoppers were likely to spend more on a car they had already test driven, as opposed to a car they had not, because the physical experience of driving the car, sitting in the seat, smelling the “new car smell” lead them to feel attached to it. As humans, we feel a sense of ownership over items that we have experienced, whether we actually own them or not. If we experience the product, yet don’t make a purchase, we feel a sense of loss because a part of our brain feels we are losing something we already owned. And as humans we have an innate fear of loss and will do anything to avoid it.

Using your website to mimic the in-store experience is paramount for getting consumers to complete your calls to action and to play on this fear. Consumers need to feel a sense of ownership over the product you are selling, envision themselves in it and see it as a part of their lives even before they buy it. Beauty companies have been doing this for years with virtual makeovers. These engaging website applications are doing more than entertaining users. By allowing consumers to see how they will look in the product, users are already forming an attachment to them. Recent technology by Bodymetrics takes ecommerce to a new level as it works in conjunction with the Microsoft Kinect camera to allow consumers to virtually try on clothes. Actually being able to experience the garment, to see how it fits us, moves with us, will have huge returns, as it rids many of the barriers to entry with online shopping but also taps into the emotional centers of the brain that feels attachment towards ideas we’ve already experienced.

Can’t afford expensive applications and tools to get consumers to experience your product? Well, there are inexpensive ways to create the same feelings. User generated content that shows consumers interacting with the product, touching it, and generating a real benefit from it, also triggers the same part of the brain that forms attachment, especially if the person using the product is someone you can relate to and has a similar consumer profile to you. Which brings me to my last point…

5. Carefully curate your images:

As evolved as human beings have become there are still a few areas of our brain that act primitively. Namely, we love ourselves and are suckers for pretty faces. As a result, we are more likely to buy from better looking sales people and people that physically relate to us. Thus, utilizing images that your consumers can relate to on site, can be a very effective sales tool. For example, if you’re a nail art company and are targeting trendy women ages 18-34, using images of women that reflect that lifestyle allows consumers to bond with the idea of that person and their lifestyle. If they can envision themselves in the lifestyle you’ve painted, or aspire to the images you’ve selected, you’ve done your job.

Humans are social creatures. We want to be part of a group, to fit in, as it speaks to our self-esteem. It is actually our fear of not belonging that drives a large percentage of our social behavior, and thus we are seeing huge trends in online marketing that speaks to and quells these fears. At the end of the day consumers want to feel a part of an honest and sincere dialogue with your brand, they want to feel (for the most part) that they are as cool as their peers, they want to be able to relate to the product and the brand and feel that there is a sort of quid pro quo taking place. And if you can manage to convey all of that on your website, you’ve got online marketing gold!

New York City bakeries are just the best. Take that, Paris!

It’s not just the sheer quality of New York’s pastries that make this city a culinary hot spot. New York doesn’t stop at just the macaroon or the simple doughnut; our fine city offers a wide variety of the world’s best sweets. Like the people, our pastries are varied, flavorful, and filled with attitude.  NYC offers everything from classic Italian bakeries (Venieros) to gluten-free Meccas (Babycakes) and classic cupcake chains (á la Magnolia). But how do these bakeries go about packaging these delectable morsels and what does it say about their brand?

Many pastry shops throughout the city use highly alluring boxes and packaging to show off what their bakery has to offer. For many, packaging is an opportune moment to express the brand and differentiate themselves from the next Joe-Schmo cupcake shop. Though a dangerous, life-threatening mission, I took it upon myself to scout the city’s best bakery packaging and here is what I found:

Babycakes

“Pretty” in Pink is a great way to describe the retro-infused packaging for Babycakes. Quite reminiscent of the days when Elvis and poodle skirts reigned supreme, Babycakes packaging is simple, but delightful. To top it all off, their logo immediately inspires sugar (or agave) cravings. Lastly, don’t forget the hats…

One Lucky Duck

Rustic, eco-conscious, and practical are great ways to describe One Lucky Duck’s boxes and bags. Emblazed with their duck logo, One Lucky Duck is very careful about using the most sustainable materials. Along with this, their color-coded packages are pleasing to the eye and memorable. Other bakeries should definitely take note!

Veniero’s

Veniero’s tasteful red and white packaging has an old world appeal to it. One of NYC’s most acclaimed Italian bakeries, Veniero’s has been around since 1894, which they proudly emblazon on their boxes and bags. . When I see Veniero’s logo, I immediately think rainbow cookies and cannolis. This traditional Italian bakery offers some highly traditional, but clean packaging.

Insomnia Cookies

For every sugar starved NYU student out there, the sweetness that is Insomnia Cookies is only a phone call away. To aptly display their baked goods, Insomnia delivers their cookies in a package that highly resembles a pizza box. For those who aren’t interested in greasy pies late at night, Insomnia has your sugar fix. The highly appropriate purple font will send you to sleep soon after you come down from your sugar high. Funny, simple, but brilliant.

Ladurée

Ok, so this elite pastry shop might not actually be American by birth (it is, in fact, French), but their New York location probably serves up the best darn “macarons” this world has seen. Featured in countless films including Marie Antoinette, Ladurée serves up the finest, most adorned pastries you will ever ingest. How do you encase such a beautiful work of edible art? In the finest boxes and bags. Gold fill font and structured boxes make up Ladurée’s packaging, which I’m sure any consumer would be proud to tote around. The elegant logo speaks volumes for Ladurée’s rich history as one of the finest “patisseries” since 1862. On top of this, the print used on the box is so elegant and intricate, like it just stepped out of the court of Versailles.

Financier

Jumping on the macaroon bandwagon is Financier, an amazingly delectable New York chain that serves up the finest pastries. Offering everything from coffee to gourmet sandwiches, Financier is famous for both their buttery morsels and their charming mint green packaging. With a simple stripped design and a clean logo, the Financier packaging appears to be Ladurée’s more practical sister. Comprising their packaging, Financier tends to use plastic cups and bags. Overall, it’s very practical meets pretty.

Tu-Lu’s

New York City is a great place to be a coeliac. With so many gluten-less options out there, you can nearly eat like a normal person! Serving gluten free cookies and sandwiches, Tu-Lu’s is the ideal neighborhood bakery; friendly, accommodating, and makers of delicious baked goods. To add, Tu-Lu’s logo and packaging are adorable.  A diner inspired logo and easy-to-carry boxes only add to this culinary heaven. The vintage logo and labels might conjure up images of run-of-the-mill cupcakes, but Tu-Lu’s is all about modern day baking.

When an expecting mother is engrossed in an activity that she likes, certain hormones are released and the unborn baby learns to respond favorably to the same activities.  For example, if your mother enjoyed listening to Bach while pregnant with you, and her hormones responded favorably, there is a high likelihood that you, too, will like Bach.

A study conducted by Peter Hepper of Queens University found that newborn babies demonstrated a preference to TV theme songs that their mothers listened to while pregnant.  Though it is very difficult to conduct fetal research and findings are limited, many suggest it is actually possible to condition a baby to favorably respond to certain jingles and theme songs, and thus are more inclined to form an attachment to it.

Moreover, the food that pregnant women have an affinity for also shapes the child’s appetite and eating behavior later in life.  Food is not just about nourishing a child’s development, it’s about shaping a human’s consumer behavior.  Studies conducted at Harvard, Colorado School of Medicine and the British Journal of Nutrition are all in affirmation of this theory.

Marketers are now taking this information and weaving it into their strategies.  Suddenly, expectant mothers are a huge opportunity, not only for short-term strategies, (studies suggest the hormones involved in pregnancy make women more susceptible to emotional marketing appeals) but in terms of building brand loyalty of future generations.   Now that is some powerful stuff.

Sean Combs: Ciroc. In 2007, Sean Combs formed a strategic alliance with Ciroc.  From the crisp and cool name to the sleek bottle design and celeb following, Ciroc Vodka is very much in alignment with the urbane (or unctuous, however you look at it!) Sean Combs brand.

Dan Ackroyd: Crystal Head Vodka.  This is hilariously discordant.   The skull design is said to be an homage to the Mexican celebration, the day of the dead, yet the brand story is about purity.  And all from actor, former SNL alum, blues musician, writer Dany Ackroyd.  Mr. Ackroyd…what do you stand for????

Ludacris: Conjure Cognac.  Big props to Ludacris’ marketing peeps!  I hear that every hip hop artist loves a good Cognac, and now there is one to rival Courvoisier.  From its decidedly gauche Gucci-esque monogramed bottle to its abuse of the French language, this bottle is on brand and I’m sure will be well received by hip hop culture. But somehow “pass the Conjure” doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Marilyn Manson: Mansinthe. From the skeletal thin bottles to the custom artwork with future representations of Manson himself, Mansinthe is creepily on brand and I’m scared to say anything else about it.

Roberto Cavalli: Roberto Cavalli Vodka.  The man famed for his iconic dress designs that hug the curves of our favorite leading ladies has had a successful foray into the world of liquor.  His iconic shape wraps the well-known curves of the bottle, reminiscent of Cavalli’s own design style.   It’s sleek, smooth and perfectly Italian.  He’s done his name proud.

Bethenny Frankel: Skinny Girl cocktails.  This Real Housewive is part mogul and part mashugana.  But say what you like about Bethenny Frankel, the girl knows how to create an alcoholic beverage that appeals to the calorie-counter in all of us.  It’s slimming, sassy, and a little bit cheesy.  It couldn’t get more like Bethenny.

Justin Timberlake: 901 Silver Tequila.  I think I once heard Jessica Biel say, “nothing tastes as smooth as JT” but we are all willing to give this Tequila a try in the hopes that it is.  He says he was looking for something truly special that he just couldn’t find (eh hmm, that’s what we say about him too!) and set out to make his own deliciously smooth rendition of this Mexican favorite.  It’s sleek, it has strong clean lines, and looks like it will help us get our dance on.  Just like Justin.

Now, if only the Beckhams would do a beer and zero-calorie vodka duo, we’d be in brand building heaven.

1. Credibility:  Pride is the emotion that tops the list here.  Consumers are looking for brands that they can not only engage with, but be proud of.  They are looking for brands that reference their values and what they aspire to.  When consumers are proud of a brand and its associations, they are more likely to recommend it to their social circle.
2. Leadership:  Brands that lead by example, especially when it comes to societal contributions, are said to reap the most rewards, especially in terms of pricing.  Consumers are willing to pay a premium if it means their money is contributing to a good cause.
3. Uniqueness:  When it comes to differentiation and uniqueness brands should focus as much on experience as they do on their identities.  Unique and memorable experiences are said to create strong ties to brands and are more engaging than a static identity.
4. Relevance: Be relevant and provide value in consumers’ everyday lives.  Become as indispensable as their daily cup of coffee by solving real needs in delightful and unexpected ways and becoming part of their lifestyle.

Pinteresting: Refers to an idea that is interesting enough to share on Pinterest.

LiCoSo: Taken from the SEO formula of Links + Content + Social

Instagramification: Refers to the instant gratification you get from posting images of your friends, babies, desserts, new cars on Instagram.

Skypapalooza:  Refers to the growing number of skype calls and virtual meetings versus actual face time.

Facebookphobe: Aka weirdo,  someone who is fearful or reluctant to join Facebook.

Tweetbooking: The art and science of using Facebook and Twitter simultaneously.

Twittisize: Turning a normal phrase into a twitter-like hashtag frenzy.

Android Complex: Like the well-know Napoleon Complex, this complex refers to actions that exhibit an inferiority complex…such as never living up to the iPhone.

The buck stops here.  We are going to dispel a major myth…your logo is not your brand, and your brand is not your logo.

Everything that goes out of your company’s front door is representative of the brand and works to create the holistic experience that is the brand.  A brand is a harmonious experience of all its parts such as:

• Brand strategy
• Logo & icon
• Packaging
• Website
• Branded collateral
• Events
• Personnel
• Brand ambassadors
• Advertising

Ultimately, the brands that connect with consumers the most are the ones that curate an emotional experience that consumers can relate to and speaks to their value.  If you think your logo can do all of that, it must be one heck of a logo : )

The Google+ redesign has been on the minds of many as of recent, including those at Imagemme HQ. What are our views on the newest version of Google’s premier social media outlet? Imagemme’s SEO Specialist and Social Media Marketing Analyst, Dhanesh Shelat and Genna AlTai, takes a look at the key differences between Google+ 2.0 and its original:

Google’s very first attempt at a social networking site hasn’t exactly been an overnight success, but its recent makeover could change the look of things. To compete with sites like Facebook and Twitter, the Google+ redesign makes the social networking outlet far more attractive, but is it alluring enough to switch users over from Facebook? Though fans might still prefer the likes of Facebook, the new Google+ is both beautiful and functional.  Here’s why:

1). There Is No White Way… Where with the old design there was poorly used white space, now there’s a convenient timeline-esque navigation page with amazing customization options.

2). Google+ For Dummies. The labeling and buttons are far clearer and easier to comprehend. The new site now features a “Trending on Google+” option on the home page, which indicates if a topic is increasing or decreasing in popularity with some friendly red and green arrows.

3). You Are Your Google+ Account. With more customization opportunities and chances for users to express themselves, the Google+ redesign just made the lagging site that much more social. You can also have your own cover photo, a great way to further define your social media persona.

All in all, the new Google+ is fabulous looking and it’ll be interesting to see where they take it from here, especially in terms of design. However, it’s not all about beauty. Google have also made some made some functional updates to their social network:

1). Navigation Ribbon:

Before, Google+’s navigation buttons were housed in a static bar at the top of the news feed. With the update, a ribbon is introduced that can be personalized with different Google+ apps using the drag-and-drop interface. When you hover over an app icon, a list of quick functions appears. For example, hovering over photos reveals an “add photos” button.

2). Explore Page

The new Explore page monitors what’s popular and interesting across the site. How much of that content hits your news feed can be adjusted with the slider control.

3). Specific Hangouts Page

The new page for hangouts simplifies the process of finding public and on Air hangouts to join. It also lets you see invitations to hangouts from people in your circles.

With a new makeover , Google’s social network is both a little prettier and more intuitive. Let’s hope, Google’s sake, that they can finally get their reported 170 million users to become genuinely active.