The winners of the 28th Annual Communicator Awards have officially been announced by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. With over 4,000 entries received from across the US and around the world, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals. We are excited to announce LO:LA has received 4 Gold and 3 Silver Awards We received recognition for the following work: Fable – The Storied Beverage 2022 Communicator Awards ExcellenceCollateral – Packaging for Marketing 2022 Communicator Awards DistinctionCampaign – Branding for Integrated Campaign Volunteer Center – Touching Herts & Opening Minds 2022 Communicator Awards ExcellenceCollateral – Cause & Awareness for Marketing / Promotion 2022 Communicator Awards ExcellenceGeneral Not for Profit Websites Cure – Bringing Health Home 2022 Communicator Awards ExcellenceCampaign – Branding for Integrated Campaign Good Cook – Spoon Licker 2022 Communicator Awards DistinctionIndividual – Other for online video West Basin – Super-cali-frugalistic 2022 Communicator Awards DistinctionCampaign – Environmental for Integrated Campaign

At London : Los Angeles, we bring big agency and in-house experience matched with the flexibility, attention, and “outside the box” thinking of an independent shop, never sacrificing quality and consistently churning out stimulating creative made with love. In line with our endeavors, we’re delighted to announce that we’ve been named one of the top naming agencies on The Manifest, a company listing platform. According to them, we’re one of the most naming companies in Los Angeles! You can find us on The Manifest to better know us and see how we do our work. In 2017 London : Los Angeles was founded by our CEO, Nicholas Platt, on the idea of reimagining advertising creative that not only echoes but finds magic in the moments that matter. We are about quality creative and marketing that’s accessible, affordable, and resonates. Whether it’s a full-service approach to a specific project or campaign, you can choose to commission all or just a bite-size piece. In 2021 CURE, a wellness center, partnered with us for its rebranding efforts. We handled the design for the website and app to make everything uniform. These include a new look and feel for the wellness center’s products, store, and online presence. Moreover, we redid the client’s labels and logos and managed their social media channels. “Their responsiveness is outstanding — if I need something, they get it done quickly.” – Michael McCauley, Owner, CURE The Manifest spotlights the leading companies in Los Angeles, and we’re thrilled to be recognized as one of the most reviewed naming vendors for this year. This recognition validates the level of trust and confidence that our clients put into our work, and for that, we’re deeply grateful! Are you looking for the best marketing minds and talents for your project? Get in touch with us!

Are you inadvertently killing curiosity? Although a lot of businesses talk about wanting inquisitive minds in their company more often than not their curiosity is stifled, things like efficiency and conformity are being more important to the company. Curiosity is a good intention but with no follow-up. Let’s get real about curiosity, Curiosity has probably been the single most important quality to the progress of humanity. From the wheel, to airplanes, to the smartphone, they all have a curious mind at their inception. So why are businesses so adverse to embracing curiosity as an important skill that could change everything? Curiosity can be powerful in helping a business on many levels. When we are curious, we think more deeply about a problem, we look for innovative solutions and think through all the potential drawbacks. We innovate and are genuinely more creative. Curiosity can help a business or brand adapt to new market conditions and explore new and more interesting ways to sell their products, things that naturally make a company more resilient to change or to new competition. Cultivating a culture of curiosity leads to great trust and respect within the team. Leading teams that thrive on innovation are usually always granted the time and space to be curious. This virtuous cycle is only going to benefit any company that chooses to embrace and adopt this way of working. How do we get more curious? Sounds great! Right? “Let’s be more curious and everything will be better” So, why do so many businesses stifle inquisitive minds, why are businesses frightened that the risk and perceived inefficiency are too high a price to pay to be curious. In a survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review in which 3,000 employees from various industries were asked only 24% of them said they felt curious in their job on a regular basis and 70% said they face resistance when they start asking more questions. Is your business in need of a curiosity shot in the arm? How can you overcome some of the natural barriers to developing a truly innovative and creative team? The Harvard Business Review research piece goes on to say that when we are curious, we are less likely to fall prey to confirmation bias. Rather than looking for support for our beliefs, or stereotyping people. Curiosity helps us seek out the evidence that we are wrong and stops us from making broad-sweeping judgments about potential candidates. Curiosity leads to empathy Curiosity encourages people to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and take an interest in seeing the situation from their perspective. This helps people collaborate more effectively and easily, conflicts are less intense, and the group achieves better results. So, are you letting short-term targets get in the way of long-term goals? Is the busy work becoming the focus and are you losing sight of the company’s vision? A good question to ask is how can we make our company mission more part of our everyday? How can we evidence our focus or vision? Are there simple things you can create to help the team stay focused? Do you have the right mindset about exploring possibilities? Leaders often think that letting their teams follow their curiosity will lead to a costly mess, and often shy away from curiosity because it would make managing a more difficult task. Having an easy life trumps curiosity! How do we overcome this barrier? How do you incentivize curiosity? I’m not suggesting you make it a spectacle or tie it to financial gain, but there is a constant contest between innovation and an easy life, which seems silly but omnipresent. How do you make sure the promise of a better solution looks more attractive than an easy life? A lack of curiosity killed a brand A great example of a company choosing efficiency and low risk over curiosity is Ford. In the 1900 Henry Ford created a car for the masses, the Model T Ford accounted for 56% of all car sales, but once such popularity was achieved Ford focused on efficiency and fine-tuning the production line. But as the economy boomed people chose variety over price and they looked elsewhere. Ford’s focus on efficiency over innovation led to Ford losing dominance and allowing others to gain market share. How do you balance efficiency and innovation? Can you ask questions like Why? What if? and how might we…? What can you do to make them part of the everyday language and approach you have to even the mundane tasks, making big questions part of the small and every day can help balance efficiency and innovation. At LO:LA we developed Brand Articulation’ sessions to really help you focus your brand’s why, and set a clear agenda for innovation, we have also developed the Shake Session as a simple tool to help you inject a little ‘what if’ into the everyday. So, if you feel your company is choosing efficiency over innovation and you want a little help then why not give us a call. Photo by Justin Heap on Unsplash

WEST BASIN CALLS ON COMMUNITY TO BE SUPER-CALI-FRUGALISTIC WITH WATER New campaign urges local water saving as drought intensifies across the region and state CARSON, Calif. – The West Basin Municipal Water District announced its latest drought outreach campaign, calling on its 17 cities and portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County to be SUPER-CALI- FRUGALISTIC with our water. The campaign call to “Save Water, Save California” highlights how local actions can make a far-reaching impact. The SUPER-CALI-FRUGALISTIC drought campaign challenges West Basin local communities to be frugal – in other words, prudent– with their water use in order for all communities to thrive. “When we use less water as individuals, we preserve limited supplies for our communities and all Californians during this severe statewide drought,” said West Basin Board President Harold C. Williams, MSCE, P.E. Historically low allocations of water from Northern California and strained supplies from the Colorado River – which combined make up nearly 60% of the West Basin water supply portfolio – mean that West Basin water users must use less to see us through this drought and beyond. For West Basin, a 15% reduction means actively decreasing water use by 20 gallons per person per day on average. Overall, district-wide water use is trending downward with a commendable 5% decrease compared to 2020. The West Basin service area has successfully demonstrated an ability to save water throughout the decades. However, we can still save more. Together we can reach the current 15% reduction goal, as West Basin, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Governor Gavin Newsom are calling on each of us to do. In the upcoming months, the SUPER-CALI-FRUGALISTIC campaign will include memorable community outreach experiences like drought kit giveaways that will highlight the substantial benefits of West Basin’s water use efficiency programs. For drought updates impacting the West Basin, visit www.westbasin.org/drought. For water-saving programs and tips, visit www.westbasin.org/conservation. West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) is a wholesale water agency that serves nearly one million people in 17 cities and unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County. West Basin provides imported drinking water, recycled water, as well as conservation and education programs. Through its Water for Tomorrow Program, West Basin is committed to protecting, diversifying, and securing our water supply for the future while continuing a history of innovation and industry leadership. Visit www.westbasin.org to learn more.

How do you resonate with your customers and increase engagement? Turning the mundane into meaningful might sound far-fetched, it might even sound like smoke and mirrors, and to be honest few companies do a brilliant job at it. But when they do flip the switch on their customer experiences and they live up to the promises they make to the world, they can become the house names of the future. They become the brands we tell our friends about, the brands we are proud to be seen using, and the brands that say as much about how we want the world to see us as they do about the products they sell. The idea that a brand should play a meaningful role in someone’s life might seem presumptuous to some, but if you listen to how they talk passionately about how certain things are more meaningful to them, isn’t it natural that they demand a more meaningful experience from the companies they buy products from? A great example of how a new generation of consumers is looking for more meaning is this 2018 McKinsey study around Gen Z attitude to the world and their search for the truth. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies# “Our study based on the survey reveals four core Gen Z behaviors, all anchored in one element: this generation’s search for truth. Gen Zers value individual expression and avoid labels. They mobilize themselves for a variety of causes. They believe profoundly in the efficacy of dialogue to solve conflicts and improve the world. Finally, they make decisions and relate to institutions in a highly analytical and pragmatic way. That is why, for us, Gen Z is “True Gen.” In contrast, the previous generation—the millennials, sometimes called the “me generation”—got its start in an era of economic prosperity and focuses on the self. Its members are more idealistic, more confrontational, and less willing to accept diverse points of view.” With this insight in mind, we see that today, traditional sources of meaning have lost their authority and are no longer resonant in people’s lives. The effect of COVID-19 and the isolation it created has only put an even greater focus on people’s search for meaning. With a growing disillusionment in how the pandemic has been managed. With the whole situation being politicized rather than cohesively dealt with has only added to this search for meaning in more diverse and interesting places. Even brand leaders like Jeff Bezos have potentially taken a sidestep by focusing on space travel rather than listening to and acting upon the needs of his staff and his customers. Has Amazon lost the opportunity to be meaningful to those it serves? Finding meaning is a desire that is as old as humanity itself, a defining characteristic of what makes humans, human. 100 years from now will people look at this time as a pivotal time in our search for meaning, will new sources of meaning and trust emerge? By concentrating on people’s experience, companies can go beyond just selling products and start making meaning. They can provide sensations of freedom, control, wonder and belonging, helping brands become the trusted authority figures in people’s lives as they look for meaning? In ‘The Experience Economy’, by Joseph Pine and James H, Gilmore, they bring to life the idea that when a person buys a service, they buy a set of intangible activities carried out on their behalf but when they buy an experience, they pay to spend time enjoying a series of memorable events that a company stages – in a theatrical play – to encourage them in a personal and meaningful way. So, what kind of meaningful experience are people looking for? If we start to think of the outcomes we want for people, we can shape brand experiences in a whole new and refreshing way. If someone wants a sense of ‘Achievement’, the notion of reaching a goal or bettering oneself, the experience we create for them becomes all about satisfaction. If satisfaction became the creative brief, how might that help build a different customer experience? Or, if ‘Beauty’ was desired, creating or even owning beauty. If ‘Beauty’ became the galvanizing thought how the process of creation and the way could you judge the work change. The list of meanings is rich and liberating when you start to think about how to market your company or product. From Wonder, Redemption, Security and Truth, the possibilities for companies to occupy a more interesting and permanent place in peoples’ lives is powerful indeed. By looking for meaning and using it as a guide by which we choose to create advertising, what we advertise becomes far more than a product someone mindlessly buys, it starts to appeal to something far deeper and resonant in all of us. To talk more about creating advertising that resonates visit www.thelolaagency.com

At LO:LA we believe a ‘Brand is a promise kept’ or to put a finer point on it ‘the promise of an idea must be delivered’. It’s not enough for a business to say it’s innovative, it has too actually be innovative. But let’s be clear, innovation isn’t easy. All too often we see announcements for new businesses that claim to be the Tesla of whatever vertical they are in, or they are the next Uber. They declare they are ‘game-changers’, ‘disruptors’ or ‘revolutionary.’ Uh, probably not. But by changing your approach to idea generation you can change the odds in your favor. Not all ideas are created equal. In an idea-rich culture your odds of success increase, producing ideas in an idea-rich culture means although 10 might fail, one will be genuinely disruptive and succeed. All businesses start with an idea, the seed that sparks its beginning. But to become successful you can’t stop there, you need to be a factory of ideas, a veritable production line of thinking and asking what if! By embracing ideas and a culture of continual idea generation we might be able to help prevent more brands from going the way of a Blockbuster or a Kodak. Cultivating a culture of creativity requires bravery, the acceptance that not every idea is a silver bullet and being comfortable with the fact many of the ideas won’t work. Cultivating this culture also requires an openness as to where the ideas come from. Ideas don’t just materialize in the board room, they come from the shop floor, from customers, from flippant comments your kids make! Nurture creativity To say we are not all born creative is wrong! As kids, we come at problems without fear, without self-consciousness and a sense of joy in the act of doing. Perhaps we need to be more childish at work, as -Diane Ackerman said, “Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.” To build a creative culture means you have to allow yourself to play without any immediate goal, you need to explore, try new things. To aid this process It’s good to have a small bunch of people around that keep their creativity honed, something that we at LO:LA would love to help you with 🙂 When we work in a diverse, collaborative and creative environment with the freedom to generate weird and unconventional ideas, that nurtures innovation and out of this perceived chaos will come the profound, incredible and truly disruptive thinking. Not every idea will make the grade, but if you apply the right amount of patience, grace and time, trust me, the ideas will come. Photo by Gerrie van der Walt on Unsplash

Fable is Reimagining Happy Hour with an Alcohol-Alternative Cocktail Line, Opening to California Markets First DENVER, May 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — BKKB Ventures LLC announced today the launch of Fable, a line of four cannabis-infused botanical beverages, available for purchase this July in select California dispensaries, lounges and delivery platforms. The Fable brand offers consumers intentionally-crafted THC/CBD cocktails that draw inspiration from modern mixology, adding a premium cannabis product to the burgeoning alcohol-alternative beverage market. Each 12-ounce bottle delivers three cocktail servings, containing a micro dose of 4mg THC and 2mg CBD per serving. Within this growing space, Fable stakes its claim as a truly premium beverage among the cannabis waters, tonics, and seltzers by curating high-quality ingredients and creating a layered taste experience. The Fable line-up includes: Night Flight: Ginger yields to cucumber, blackberry, and hibiscus notes while spearmint and lemon peel lend brightness. Hive Society: Lemongrass and basil blend with a honeyed whisper of jasmine. Best Zest: A bouquet of grapefruit, orange, and lime open. Cinnamon and cardamom finish with warmth. Into the Woods: Hints of rosemary and peach are grounded by juniper and white oak. “Making a great happy hour drink, minus the alcohol, was challenging” said Fable CEO and co-founder Ben Kennedy. “The viscosity, the bite, the quality of ingredients and how they all work together are the foundation of Fable. Our four cocktails deliver a tasting experience that is just as special as the cannabis buzz.” Fable’s line of ready-to-drink, cannabis cocktails positions itself to flourish in the intersection of two emerging markets: the alcohol-alternative and cannabis beverage markets. Both Millennials and Gen Z are reportedly cutting back on alcohol and are more likely to explore the “sober curious” movement in the name of wellness. Fable’s new products will fill that social beverage void for many. Sales of non-alcoholic and low-alcoholic beverages grew more than 30 percent in 2020 in the US, according to market research firm IWSR, while 3.4 million cannabis-infused beverages were sold in 2020, equating to $43.3 million in category sales in California alone. Not to mention, “sober curious” individuals are reportedly twice as likely to be open to cannabis, signaling that Fable is entering the market at an opportune time. “The cannabis beverage market is one of the most exciting sectors of the industry to take part in right now,” Kennedy said. “It will only continue to grow. In the future, I believe my friends will be able to buy Fable in New York, Las Vegas, Miami, London and many other cities across the world, just like they do an alcoholic cocktail today.” For Ben, and his wife and co-founder, Kristin, Fable was born from social necessity. The couple began to notice a continuous split between cannabis and alcohol at social gatherings and decided to get serious about breaking down that barrier. Plus, friends were increasingly opting out of alcohol altogether, looking for healthier alternatives to enjoy during social occasions. “Fable’s low dosage gives consumers a buildable, predictable buzz, maximizing their enjoyment without sacrificing control, which is so important as drinking evolves alongside consumer preferences for guilt-free ‘me moments’ without nagging or unhealthy side effects,” said Kristin. While Kristin brings a rich background in risk management and supply chain, Ben brings over 20 years of experience in marketing communications and business strategy, working with some of the largest companies globally. The pair has teamed up with best-in-class partners across the canna-beverage supply chain to help Fable scale as state and federal regulation allows. Those interested in investment opportunities and being the first to receive news about Fable can do so at http://www.drinkfable.com/ and on Instagram @Fableoclock. About Fable Fable is a non-alcoholic, low-dose THC/CBD cocktail line created to bring sophistication and fun to social gatherings. The four-beverage product line offers consumers complex yet delicate botanical blends with an uplifting, subtle buzz. A 12-ounce bottle of Fable contains a total of 12mg THC and 6mg CBD. Join Fable’s social conversation and community @Fableoclock. About BKKB Ventures LLC Founded in 2018 by entrepreneurs and wife-and-husband team Kristin and Ben Kennedy, BKKB Ventures is committed to providing consumers with new ways to enjoy social occasions removed from alcohol. The company operates in the cannabis industry with investment focused on the emerging canna-beverage and alcohol-alternative sectors. SOURCE BKKB Ventures LLC

It used to be that all you needed was a logo and a cool product or service and away you went with your new business. Today however, the landscape to start, fundraise and grow a company is a far more complex place. The need to focus on getting your brand and message dialed in very early on is now more important than ever before! Why is brand so important? Let’s first clear up a misnomer: your brand goes way beyond a logo, graphic design element or really eye-catching content. When you think about your brand, you want to approach it from the whole experience perspective- meaning the customer experience AND the employee experience. Your brand is what promotes recognition and sets you apart from your competition. It tells everyone about the DNA of your business, your “what and why”. In turn, your brand provides motivation, direction, and synergy for your staff and teams. A well-designed brand sets an expectation. And establishing what this expectation is (and isn’t) should be one of the very first things you do in a new business- ideally prior to launch. Unfortunately, early focus on creating the brand is a process that is all too often dismissed as a “nice to have” versus a “must-have”. From my experience, I have seen wasted budget spend, internal dissension and missed fundraising opportunities due to a lack of an established and cohesive brand. A lot of heartache can be avoided if everyone pauses going in multiple directions and first puts their minds to defining the brand as early as possible. Clarity and focus are also outcomes of setting your brand up in the early stages, helping you make those critical pivots that everyone can understand and avoiding any confusion in regard to the direction of the business. The last thing you want when trying to get your business off the ground and scale quickly is a disillusioned team going in multiple directions. An established brand helps to keep the whole team engaged, motivated, aligned and tells your team how to act, how to win and how to meet the goals of the business. A clear and strong brand also connects with customers and is what generates referrals. People like to talk about the brands they like, feel passionate about. On the other hand, they can’t tell someone anything about a brand they don’t remember or emotionally connect with. A good brand makes customers feel good and comes across like they are speaking directly to them. Making any purchase is an emotional experience, whether it’s food, clothes, mortgages or life insurance. Every purchase is emotional. Looking at the long term, a strong brand will provide value to your business far beyond the physical assets you have. If you aspire to be the next Apple, Coca Cola or Chick-fil-A, then they are great examples of being worth far more than their physical assets. Their brands have created value that far exceeds their physical value. How you present your business and the promises you want to keep is a critical first step for startups. It creates an environment where integrity, trust and affinity become table stakes within the company and with target customers. When times get tough (and they will), having a compelling brand with a clear and common ground can be your greatest asset! Photo by Dan Schiumarini on Unsplash

Being ‘on the same page’ alludes to thinking in a similar fashion or to have the same kind of understanding about a situation as others do. But when it comes to your company, your business, or your brand, the big question to ask may be this: is your whole team REALLY on the same page? Sometimes what is agreed to is not really agreed upon at all. Internal misalignment within your business (and especially with your brand) can prohibit you from truly sharing your story and building that loyal relationship with customers. Per a recent article in Forbes 1, “Brand parity is an essential component to building the image of how external people view your organization from the outside-in. Think of companies such as Apple and Pepsi…no matter what you see or hear from them, it all feels connected.” Marketing is all about attracting potential customers through a singular brand story and well-crafted messages, content, and imagery. Sales must then take that story, make it meaningful and specific to prospects, and then get buy-in to convert your audience or prospects into customers. But there is a potential pitfall that can happen when marketing and sales teams get caught up in their own priorities, don’t communicate with each other, and then unintentionally create silos. These silos can result in a disjointed brand story presented to customers. So how can you break down these barriers, prevent those silos and internally align your brand and how it’s communicated? Here are a few things to think about: Create a well-constructed brand articulation. This will provide the basis for all messaging and benefit both marketing and sales (as well as other internal teams) by driving greater synergy. Get buy-in internally before you message externally. Just as much as your customers, your individual employees and teams must also buy into the brand and its story. And when possible, get their input and allow them to contribute to that brand story. This is when true alignment happens. It also engages and empowers your people to successfully share the story with your audience and customers. Translate the message. Marketers and external-facing teams tend to talk to customers in different ways. For example, the copy from an email or itemized sales document wouldn’t be used for an Instagram post or in a TV spot. Yes, your teams need to be on the same page as far as the brand, but their storytelling tactics can and should vary. Being ‘on the same page’ starts with a cohesive and compelling brand articulation and results in aligned teams who can connect with customers in a way that stays consistent no matter who is sharing the message. 1Source: “How Sales And Marketing Teams Should Coordinate Brand Parity” Forbes.com, April 2021 Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash

LO:LA, a creative marketing company based between LA and London, have launched their branding services, offering online businesses support with cross-platform web design and content strategies. El Segundo, United States, March 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Los-Angeles based creative marketing agency LO:LA has recently launched new branding, web design, and digital content services, offering local businesses and organizations comprehensive online campaign strategy and brand identity support. More information can be found at https://www.thelolaagency.com LO:LA’s newly updated marketing services aim to refresh products and brands in ways that engage with a targeted customer, with the intention of maximizing company engagement and transforming leads into sales. Specifically, this involves creating new logos and company messaging, in addition to cross-platform, branded imaging designed to captivate customers. The creative content experts aim to collaborate with their clients to create a strong, identifiable brand voice and look that fosters customer loyalty and trust. Moreover, the expert marketing team are dedicated to helping brands establish their company vision through storytelling, which includes producing branded digital content videos, social media posts, and messaging. Operating between London and Los Angeles, the LO:LA technicians have experience working with big agency and in-house branding projects, while being able to tailor creative media campaigns to their client’s custom requirements. Interested parties can find out more about LO:LA at https://medium.com/authority-magazine/nick-platt-of-lo-la-brand-makeovers-5-things-you-should-do-to-upgrade-and-re-energize-your-brand-76f0a186e06a Their services focus on core parts of brand identity including strategy, voice, and audience to produce custom marketing plans informed by trends and industry insights. Additionally, hey specialize in web platform design, as well as content and campaign marketing, utilizing a range of tools including data analytics, content strategy, SEO, and digital activation to solidify brand identities. LO:LA can offer support to both B2B and B2C companies, providing a range of custom branding services ideal for start-ups and new businesses, in addition to well-established organizations. The expert digital marketing agency aims to create or update client brand identities through expert web design and digital content, as well as through online marketing campaigns and site analytics.. A spokesperson for the company said “Centered around our core creative services, think of LO:LA as your inside-out marketing team which includes expert partners curated specifically to your brand, project or campaign. Our mission is to ensure you’ll always have access to the best marketing minds and talent for your budget.” More information is available at the https://www.thelolaagency.com/2021/01/27/brand-in-a-box%E2%80%8B-aka-why-you-might-need-a-brand-refresh, or by calling +1-310-753-2893. Contact Info:Name: Nick PlattEmail: Send EmailOrganization: London : Los Angeles (LO:LA)Address: 840 Apollo Street Suite 100, El Segundo, CA 90245, United StatesWebsite: https://www.thelolaagency.com

“Jeff Bezos created Amazon with the mantra and philosophy ‘It’s easier to invent the future than to predict it.’ That one line says it all. Creativity in the modern era makes or breaks companies. Small business owner’s ability to diversify ideas, products, and marketing techniques determines their success rate and bottom line. Source: Why Creativity in Business Matters by Reyherb When it comes to brand marketing, creative is often seen more like an ambition versus a priority. But in reality, creativity should always be the heart of a brand, the pulse that keeps it moving forward and the key to always staying relevant. Successful brands are those that make a conscience and on-going effort to try to tap into new ways of thinking. Simply put, companies who are creative are more successful. Unfortunately, brands often get locked into having “tunnel vision”, they recycle or repurpose the same ideas or concepts and thus become stagnant. This is where the benefit of a creative agency comes into play, providing an outside lens and unbiased expertise to help kickstart a brand’s creative process. To offer the brand a fresh and different perspective. A creative agency allows you to look at all of the options available, figure out the best solutions, and ultimately empower your brand to better engage customers. There are a number of benefits in partnering with a creative agency: The ability to examine all sides of an idea or problem from an unbiased lens, allowing for a better solution to present itself Newer, fresher, more interesting ideas Gathering insights from multiple perspectives greater collaboration Assist with defining and understanding what is going right (and wrong) with your brand Diverse knowledge & experience with how other brands may have faced and overcome similar challenges As a business owner or marketing executive, creativity may not be your forte (and that’s okay!). But it absolutely should be spearheading the direction of your brand and growth strategy. A creative agency not only gives your brand that needed expertise and perspective, but it frees up your time so you can focus on what you do best and can also be the more cost-effective approach. To learn more, have LO:LA provide you with a (free) brand audit and we’ll show you exactly how!

Strengthen your promise. On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic. The more consistent you are with communicating and backing up your promise, the better. Consistency only makes your promise resonate stronger. Be authentic and deliberate in all that you do! As part of our series about “Brand Makeovers” I had the pleasure to interview Nick Platt. As the CEO and Chief Creative Officer of LO:LA, Nick Platt is carrying out a lifelong ambition to not only re-imagine advertising creative that resonates but is also “Made with Love.” With a career spanning two continents and three decades, Nick Platt creates magic in the moments that matter. Prior to founding LO:LA Nick was Executive Creative Director at RAPP, responsible for all creative output produced in the agency’s Los Angeles office, including creative campaigns for clients such as Toyota, Nescafe, Bank of America, Flemings, Roy’s, and Mattel as well as pro bono work for the Special Olympics and Stand Up to Cancer, among many others. His particular focus was on delivering creative solutions that are simple, relevant and original. He also worked in that role for the past 14 years, 6 years of which he spent in RAPP’s London office, where he was responsible for managing accounts including NSPCC, Apple, Sony, Barclays Bank, and CRUK. During his 30 years of experience in advertising and direct marketing, he has worked at a range of prominent agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi, Proximity, and TBWA\GGT, among others. He has won numerous industry awards, including the Grand Prix at the New York Festivals, Gold at the ECHOs, D&AD, John Caples, DMAs and London International Advertising Awards. Nick is proudly a big agency ex-pat determined to prove that independent creative shops can be nimble, fast and cost-efficient without sacrificing quality. He’s making outstanding advertising available. Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path? When I was at school the one class that gave me the greatest pleasure and comfort was art. I just loved to draw, and to find myself making it into a career has been a blessing, branding and advertising are more than just drawing but to be able to use creativity to solve problems and make products relevant to people, is a skill that goes back to those art classes of my youth. Having my vocation turn into a lifelong career certainly does “beat working for a living”. Can you share a story about the funniest marketing or branding mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? I think one of the biggest mistakes I made was trying all too often to write ads that I just liked, about things that I personally thought where cool, which, in a sense, narrowed my outlook. In my earlier days, you could always tell the ad work I had created- which initially may have come across as a novelty, but over time likely provided some amount of amusement for my colleagues. Getting out of my own way and headspace and truly creating work for others was the lesson I learned. Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Is there a takeaway or lesson that others can learn from that? I guess for me that goes back to when I first started out. Nothing would make me happier or prouder than immediately showing my latest ad or campaign to my mum, for which her response would often be the same: “That’s nice dear!”. I’d always walked away a little deflated and confused that mum couldn’t see what I could see. Then one day, I brought home an advert for a travel company and this time I’d really taken the time and effort to understand the audience and make something for them and not me. My mum’s reaction said it all. She wanted to know how she could book the holiday, she actually bought into what the ad was selling and wanted the product. My “ah-ha” moment was in the difference in how I approached the problem, the task. And since then, I have never looked back. Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people? Yes! We have just embarked on a partnership with an emerging electric vehicle company called ZEV. They are really innovating the EV space, for both consumers and businesses. They are on a mission to break down the barriers of adoption and make ZEV the preferred choice of mobility for every person on the planet by democratizing it, making it accessible to all. ZEV came to LO:LA (my agency) because as brilliant as their technology and mission is, they needed to find a way to turn it into a compelling story- for customers and investors. This is a brand that really understands the need to express it’s “why” to the world. We have helped ZEV better position their brand and create a real sense of purpose. We are now applying that to how they pitch to investors and licensing partners, how they market to individual customers and business fleets, as well as how they educate the general public on how ZEV will revolutionize the world…for the better. All very exciting stuff! What advice would you give to other marketers to thrive and avoid burnout? Pause. Breathe. Taking time for yourself, being away from the problem(s) you are trying to solve can be a great way of putting together that puzzle. Find a way to make the time where you get to really unwind and relax. I have found channeling creativity in other areas of my life can also be a great help. And get over the concept of perfection, you’ll never get there. I’m not suggesting you ever settle for second best, but the stress involved with looking for perfection creates a sure-fire road to burnout. Ok, let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain? First of all, you need to define your brand’s “why” along with a story that embodies and conveys this concept. Many businesses also miss that their brand is a promise you make to customers, to the world. Once you have your “why” and brand story established, then you can concentrate on the advertising or marketing, determining what are the best ways and platforms to articulate your brand’s promise (and most importantly, how you keep your promises). It’s all about engineering an experience for people through your brand, helping them to perceive and connect with the value in your business. This is how you should look it: your brand is your promise, and your advertising is the evidence you are keeping that promise. Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts? It is so worth spending the time, energy and budget to truly build (or refresh) your brand, to define your audience and story in a way that exemplifies how you want customers to view and connect with you. As critical as this first step is, it’s often missed. Many businesses look to jump right into actual marketing efforts, searching for tangible ROI’s and KPI’s. However, without a clear and cohesive brand, message and story, any marketing efforts will come across unauthentic to both internal and external customers. And I challenge you to start by first looking internally, to galvanize your company around a single thought so your team can become champions of your brand. All too often employees don’t know the why, the purpose behind what they do within a business or organization. This only permeates to confusion in the eyes of your external customer. Your brand should focus on creating a reason for customers to come back to you time and time again! Look at creating or refreshing your brand as an investment, rather than a cost. Having a fully developed, ever-evolving brand provides you with value, synergy and clarity as well as saves you an exorbitant amount of time and money in the long run! Let’s now talk about rebranding. What are a few reasons why a company would consider rebranding? A company should consider a brand refresh or rebrand when they see disconnect and confusion within their own internal teams. And if a company is not sure if a disconnect exists, just go ask a handful of employees why they are there, how they perceive the brand and the brand’s purpose. If you get different answers, you know you have a problem. And if your brand’s goal is to drive more loyalty amongst current customers and/or grow or connect with new types of customers, a rebrand can absolutely accomplish that. Also, many brands don’t think about their customers from the perspective of their ongoing life journey. As people, we all change and evolve- our beliefs, priorities, our perspectives, etc. Shouldn’t your brand evolve as well? Rather than ramping up your advertising spend. It may be wiser to look at revamping or repositioning your brand (and also might be a simpler and cost-effective route as well). Are there downsides of rebranding? Are there companies that you would advise against doing a “Brand Makeover”? Why? If it’s not broken, why fix it? I think you do need to look at all the indicators of a broken brand first- low net promoter scores, bad customer reviews, lack of repeat orders or transactions, declining sales as well as “softer” indicators like internal buy-in, unmotivated teams, competitors growing market share, etc. If these descriptors don’t apply to you, then you don’t fit the mold of a broken brand and I would suggest you keep doing whatever it is you are doing. But you can never lose by turning your attention to ramping up advertising that shares your promise to the world (and how you keep it). Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. Can you share 5 strategies that a company can do to upgrade and re-energize their brand and image”? Please tell us a story or an example for each. 1. Inspire your customers. Focus on the “why” of your business or brand and back it up with a consistently great story and experience for your customers. 2. Make a promise. Your brand is a promise kept. Create a consistent value or experience that customers can expect from you. Answer an unmet need your customers face. Then do it again, and again, and again. 3. Tell the world about your promise. Be creative in how you communicate your brand (aka your promise) to current and target customers. Use all channels available but make the communications relevant and consistent to that promise. 4. Keep your promise. Be singular and stick to what you say and convey. Customers, more than ever, are savvy and inundated with information and advertising. Always try to go beyond expectation and offer surprise and delight wherever you can. 5. Strengthen your promise. On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic. The more consistent you are with communicating and backing up your promise, the better. Consistency only makes your promise resonate stronger. Be authentic and deliberate in all that you do! In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job doing a “Brand Makeover”. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that? Right now, I think Burger King has done a great job of sharing a brand refresh that is built on the promise they made to the world- delivering an engaging and authentic alternative to McDonalds. Going back to their roots and staying true to their promise has helped create a tone and look that is playful and distinctive, which sets the brand apart from other fast-food chains. Burger King has done brand refresh that hits all the right notes. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. J I think we should all take the time to find out our why. Why am I here? Why do I do what I do? Why would customers (or even employees) care? I think if we all encourage each other to find our why, the world might just benefit J Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? We are not alone in this world and we will always need each other to create something truly great. Intelligent collaboration has been a life lesson for me- the idea of embracing teamwork and opening your mind to new ideas and approaches is how to do things. Any other way is just too difficult (and much less fun). How can our readers follow you online? Instagram: @lo_la_creative Facebook: @TheLOLAAgency LinkedIn: LO:LA (London: Los Angeles) Thank you so much for these excellent insights! We wish you continued success in your work. https://medium.com/authority-magazine/nick-platt-of-lo-la-brand-makeovers-5-things-you-should-do-to-upgrade-and-re-energize-your-brand-76f0a186e06a