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Thinking

MindFire Communications had a smokin’ hot night at the 48th Annual American Advertising Awards in Iowa City on February 27. The gang of Arsonists took home five Gold awards, one Silver award and Judge’s Choice.

This feature also unlocks a big opportunity to not only understand what consumers are feeling, but why they are feeling it.

There’s a famous quote in the advertising world by John Wanamaker, the first retailer to place a full-page ad: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”

If you’ve been around any of us long enough – especially the lovely Amy Behning – you’ve probably heard us say, ”Audiences think in a blink.”

Whether it’s personal or professional, a long list of resolutions can be hard to sustain come February or March (…or maybe even the middle of January?) But a simple little mantra – a guiding light – that’s something we can embrace whole heartedly.

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between branding and marketing. The terms are increasingly used interchangeably, which only adds to the confusion. Both are important, but for different reasons. So what is the difference between branding and marketing?

Practicality can play an important role in the decision-making process, but most of the time it is emotion that powers our decisions to act.

It’s a complex world out there. We are inundated with thousands of branding messages every day. It can be overwhelming. As marketers, we’re trying to figure out how to cut through the chaos to get consumers to pay attention to what we want to say about our brand.

Many people think of loyalty and marketing as two different strategies. Marketing is often focused on bringing in new customers, and loyalty is all about keeping those customers coming back again and again. There’s a lot of evidence that building brand loyalty by marketing to your current customers is a strategy more likely to yield long-term success.

For the third time in as many years, Inc. magazine has named MindFire Communications one of the fastest-growing privately-held companies in America. The annual listing placed MindFire, with offices in LeClaire and Cedar Rapids, in the 3,960th spot in the country, and 18th spot in the state of Iowa. The third straight appearance on the list […]

From Cannes Lions to email marketing, it has been an intriguing month in the world of branding and marketing. Here are four stories that caught our attention: 1. Get inspired in Cannes This year marked the 62nd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The festival’s awards are billed as the “global benchmark for what good creative […]

We’re all trying to figure out how to align what we’re selling with what consumers want to buy. Sometimes that’s easy and obvious. Most of the time, it’s not. Consumer research can provide a powerful strategic foundation for success. Having a clear understanding of who your customers are, why they choose to do business with […]