august 2011
	is social media worth your investment? The belief that marketing costs can't be understood or measured is an old one. John Wanamaker, the department store mogul who invented modern retailing, once said "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." Are you wasting valuable resources on social media? Dozens of social media analytics companies have popped up over the past few years, and there are countless paid and free measurement tools. New companies continue to start up because none have done (or can do) a perfect job of analyzing social media return on investment. Unfortunately, most of the social media tools only measure impact metrics, such as clickthroughs, impressions, followers and pageviews. What is the value of a clickthrough or follower? If your Youtube video reaches 10,000 people, what is the value to you? The only true way to measure monetary value is to assign a dollar value to each of these metrics. That can be very difficult to do.
	What is the value of an impression or a follower in social media? Perhaps, not much. Popularity doesn't necessarily translate into influence, much less sales. Burger King's Subservient Chicken promotion was wildly popular, but it didn't increase sales. The Pepsi Refresh reportedly reached 1% of influencers and 9% of participators but missed the masses, and masses are the key to Pepsi marketing. The only way to truly measure a change in sales and positively tie it to a social media campaign is to keep every other variable constant (no other marketing campaigns, no changes to your products, no changes to your sales force, etc.). Obviously, that is unlikely to ever happen. If you're spending, or considering spending, significant resources on social media campaigns, you owe it to yourself to try to measure your efforts in monetary terms. By ignoring ROI, there is the possibility that you are wasting resources that could be better spent elsewhere. Honestly evaluate your marketing needs to determine if delving into social media is right for you.
	“The push for sustainable packaging and authentic brands will result in the demise of some junk products.”		the recession & packaging trends The “Great Recession” has changed consumer purchasing behavior significantly. According to a Pew Research study 55% of all Americans have experienced unemployment, a cut in pay, reduction in hours or been moved involuntarily to part time status. It's no surprise that 62% of those polled claim to have cut back on their spending, and 71% have opted for less expensive options. Brands need to adapt quickly or cease to exist. Since packaging is the most visible communicator of your brand, it is imperative to keep it relevant in a uncertain world where consumers demand more from the products they buy. Get Comfortable With economic and political instability domestically and around the world, people have naturally turned towards brands that convey comfort. Current color trends reflect this: generous use of golden browns, earthy blues and soft greys are calming while pops of hot reds and fuchsia brighten moods. Package graphics and type have become more minimal, tasteful and decorative. Retro and vintage themes which take the consumer back to earlier, more secure times are very popular and show no signs of going away anytime soon. Consumers want products that contribute a sense of calm, home, family and personal expression every time they use them. click here to read more
			facial tissue refresh After being introduced in 2007, Costco's current facial tissue designs were due for a refresh, and Leibold was asked to bring our packaging expertise to the table in this process. Our first step in the refresh process was to identify a broad spectrum of imagery that worked within four home décor trend categories: casual, contemporary, eclectic and traditional. By following this step, we acknowledged multiple decorating tastes and tried to find some common ground to ensure we reached the broadest appeal. We worked closely with the client to hone in on who the Costco shopper is and where her tastes fall. Based on that information and home interior trends we've been tracking, we felt that natural and botanical themes were an ideal fit and provided the mass appeal our client was looking for.
	One fact we kept in mind throughout this project is that Kirkland Signature facial tissue is sold in 12-pack bundles. Including two designs in the bundle gives consumers variety, but it also poses the challenge of choosing concepts that work together without overwhelming consumers. We put together a handful of recommended designs and color pallets for Costco to choose from. In addition to refreshing the carton graphics, we updated the branding to be more clean and simple — again keeping in mind these bundles are sold on pallets and could benefit from cutting down on any visual clutter. Once we cleaned up the branding, we developed a tasteful violator announcing a product improvement. The end result is a cohesive bundle with strong branding and on trend graphics.