Staying on top of the latest visual marketing design trends is essential for building an enduring brand, telling engaging stories, and emotionally connecting with customers. With that lofty objective in mind, here are a few of the top visual marketing trends that will continue to drive decision-making for marketers and designers.

2024 Visual Marketing Design Trends You Need to Know About

1. Nostalgia Marketing Visuals

Life in the 2020s can be pretty hectic, so it’s no surprise there’s an increasing craving for comfort and nostalgia in strategic visuals that resonate deeply with people. This trend is not merely about revisiting the past but fostering a sense of connection and reassurance amid change. Brands infuse memories and warmth into their present visuals to offer that comfort.

Vintage aesthetics and warm color palettes are more than just retro; they embody timelessness and authenticity, offering solace in the impersonal digital era. These elements, from soothing amber and sepia to earthy tones, create a comforting sense of familiarity, transforming the past into a welcoming home.

Familiar imagery acts as a bridge between the past and present, not solely for nostalgia’s sake but to communicate universality, durability, and trust. By weaving these images into their marketing, brands forge deeper emotional connections, ensuring their messages are not only seen but profoundly felt.

Example: Burger King Revives Its Iconic Logo

A few years have passed since Burger King revealed the retro redesign of its instantly recognizable logo, but in retrospect, the celebrated revival was on the leading edge of nostalgic visual marketing trends. Ditching the cartoonish logo and stylings used since the company’s 1999 rebrand, the new brand identity leans hard into the warm palettes and comforting aesthetics of a timeless past.

Image by Burger King

2. AI-Generated Imagery

As we venture further into the 21st century, the realms of artificial intelligence (AI) continue to expand, now revolutionizing how marketers create strategic visuals. The rise of AI-powered tools in the marketing sphere marks a significant shift, opening up a world where the creation of stunning, compelling imagery is not only faster but also more personalized and innovative than ever before.

AI-generated content transcends merely meeting the demand for new visuals; it revolutionizes creative production by quickly generating high-quality, detailed images. This shift reduces what once took hours to minutes without compromising quality, ensuring outputs meet or exceed expectations with precision.

Personalization is another benefit of AI, enabling content to be customized to individual preferences or demographics. This allows for visuals that deeply resonate with various audience segments, significantly enhancing engagement and fostering a closer connection to the brand.

Example: Coca-Cola Looks Ahead to the Year 3000

Coca-Cola has become a leading brand when it comes to leveraging the power of AI for their present and future visual marketing efforts. The company has not only used AI to create multiple iterations of classic Coke ad campaigns with the “Create Real Magic” platform, but it even launched a brand new soda called Y3000 that was created through collaboration between humans and AI.

Image by Coca-Cola

3. Human-Centered Design

Human-centered design prioritizes the user’s needs, experiences, and well-being above all else, ensuring that every visual marketing design decision is made with the end user in mind. It’s a philosophy that champions empathy, accessibility, and inclusivity, aiming to create strategic visual content that is both engaging and deeply resonant with a broad audience.

Human-centered design ensures visuals are aesthetically pleasing, navigable, and understandable for all, including those with differing abilities. This involves considerations like color contrast for visual impairments, text alternatives for images, and easy-to-navigate interactive elements for users with limited mobility.

Inclusivity broadens this approach, making sure visuals represent the diversity of the target audience, including various cultures, ethnicities, genders, ages, and body types. Embracing diversity in visuals helps brands build a sense of belonging and connection, showing appreciation and understanding of our diverse world.

Example: Airbnb Puts Customers at the Heart of the Story

Airbnb has long been a trailblazer when it comes to human-centric marketing. From a visual marketing design standpoint, the company’s website offers a simple, intuitive interface that allows people to find their perfect destination quickly. The real stars, however, are the high-quality photos that help visitors picture themselves in those destinations, which is why Airbnb provides every listing with access to a professional photographer rather than relying on user-generated photos.

Image by Airbnb

4. Maximalist Visual Marketing Design

Maximalism, a vibrant and bold trend, contrasts sharply with recent minimalist design philosophies, celebrating sensory richness and immersive experiences. It champions a vibrant, layered, and textured design approach, encouraging an embrace of abundance over restraint.

Characterized by vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and rich textures, maximalist design defies “less is more,” opting instead for statement-making chaos and complexity. This method aims to create lively, dynamic spaces and experiences bursting with personality.

In visual marketing, maximalism enables brands to capture attention in a crowded space, offering memorable and eye-catching content. It communicates luxury, creativity, and boldness, engaging consumers emotionally with its exuberant design.

Example: Pepsi Goes Big and Bold

When Pepsi made the decision to update its logo in 2023, the company eschewed minimalist trends in favor of a big, bold design that’s impossible to ignore. The new branding puts the company’s name front and center while also adopting a strong, all-caps typeface that’s impossible to ignore. As the first change to the company’s look in 14 years, it’s a strong shift that conveys Pepsi’s confidence in its future.

Image by Pepsi

5. Minimalism Design Aesthetic

Just because maximalism is growing in popularity doesn’t mean minimalism isn’t still going strong! Minimalist design focuses on clean lines, white space, and simplicity, offering a calming alternative to the complexity of maximalism.

More than an aesthetic choice, minimalism conveys a brand’s essence with precision and restraint. It emphasizes quality and value through careful selection and detail, ensuring every element has a purpose. By projecting confidence and thoughtfulness, this approach often resonates with consumers on a deeper level.

Minimalism brings calm and focus, with its clean aesthetics reducing cognitive overload and enhancing message clarity. This simplicity improves user experience, from website navigation to product interaction, making minimalism not just a design choice but a strategic one for clear, impactful communication.

Example: Western Union Opts for Standout Simplicity

Western Union may be one of the oldest companies around, but its new branding is anything but stale. Casting aside the busy, often cluttered aesthetic of its previous logos, the company debuted a clean, simple design in 2023 that’s both familiar and strikingly fresh. The versatile branding accomplishes the daunting task of making an over-170-year-old company feel vibrant and relevant for customers of all ages.

Image by Western Union

Staying abreast of visual marketing design trends is no longer optional for today’s marketers. The digital landscape is constantly evolving to shape consumer perceptions and preferences, so understanding and integrating these changes into content is essential for building strategies that grab and hold the viewer’s attention. By keeping a pulse on the latest visual marketing trends, marketers can craft campaigns that forge deeper connections with their audience, ensuring their messages are not just seen but truly felt.

Ask The Content Strategist: FAQs about visual marketing design trends

Q: How do I effectively track and adapt to rapidly changing visual marketing trends to ensure my content remains fresh and engaging?

You can stay current with visual trends by consistently monitoring design publications, social media, and industry leaders, and by using analytics to gauge audience engagement with different visual styles.

Q: What are the specific challenges or pitfalls I might face when trying to incorporate AI-generated imagery into campaigns, and how should they be addressed?

The main challenges include ensuring AI-generated imagery aligns with your brand identity and navigating ethical concerns around authenticity. You can address these issues through clear brand guidelines and transparency with audiences.

Q: Regarding human-centered design, how do I measure the effectiveness of promoting accessibility and inclusivity within my marketing visuals?

You can assess the impact of human-centered design by soliciting feedback from users with diverse needs and analyzing engagement metrics to see how accessibility improvements affect user experience.

Q: If I’m interested in adopting a maximalist design strategy, what considerations should I keep in mind to ensure my marketing visuals are impactful without being overwhelming?

When embracing maximalism, you should always make sure your design maintains a cohesive narrative and balances boldness with clarity to avoid overwhelming your audience.

Q: With the continued relevance of minimalism alongside the rise of maximalism, how can I decide which approach best aligns with my brand’s identity and audience preferences?

You should consider your brand’s core values and audience demographics when choosing between minimalism and maximalism. If the answer isn’t immediately clear, you can leverage A/B testing to determine which approach resonates more effectively.

Subscribe to The Content Strategist newsletter to find out how successful marketers are leveraging the latest visual trends in their campaigns and their future visual marketing plans.

The post Top 5 Visual Marketing Design Trends Shaping Marketing Strategies appeared first on Contently.

Lately, brands have been getting into more political beefs than Joe Biden after he polishes off a bottle of Jack at John Boehner’s dinner party. Yuengling mortified hipsters across Brooklyn when it came out in support of Trump, and the sense of betrayal among young liberals only grew after November 8. New Balance saw a backlash when it came out in favor of Trump and his trade policies. And 50 retailers, including Sears and Nordstrom, are being boycotted by The Donald J. Trump resistance, a Facebook group with 39,000 members, for continuing to sell Trump merchandise.

Meanwhile, Trump supporters have threatened to boycott … well, damn near every brand. (Here’s an extensive and strangely impressive list.)

Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi came under intense attacks after acknowledging that her employees were in mourning from the election results, and generally repudiating hateful language against women. Target CEO Brian Cornell has faced waves of protesters and boycotters over his decision to let people identify their own gender when going to the bathroom. One Million Moms is calling for a massive Christmas season boycott; they’re also boycotting Zales for highlighting a lesbian marriage in this innocuous holiday spot.

Just last week, Kellogg’s faced a boycott for discontinuing its advertising on Breitbart. Trump supporters even swarmed Starbucks to protest the company in a puzzling way: buying coffee and giving “Trump” as the name that baristas would have to write on their cups. Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish immigrant, has been receiving death threats for employing 300 refugees in need.

In such a polarized country, advertising is increasingly becoming a political act. Advocating for equality or pulling advertising from a website that spouts hateful beliefs is now considered an affront to the president-elect and his base—as is the act of expressing concern over what will happen under President Trump, or continuing to advertise and sell his line of products.

So what should advertisers do?

Some would say that they should still avoid any campaigns that could be perceived as political. Why risk it when you don’t have to, right? But that would be a mistake. In an age when social connections and content are so important, brands can’t succeed without a mission, without standing for something.

Some folks may be boycotting Target, but my Facebook feed is also filled with people vowing to now do all of their shopping at the retailer. Target’s share prices have been soaring. Even if publicizing your beliefs may ostracize some potential customers, it also builds deep loyalty for those who share your values—particularly values like celebrating equality and inclusion, which many people support, regardless of political affiliation. The same goes for expressing concern and support for the diverse people who work for you. Loyalty isn’t just a marketing metric; it’s also critical for measuring the internal health of your company.

David Oglivy once said, “Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image.” Companies that know what they stand for are the ones who will win.

The post Brands Are Facing Post-Election Boycotts. Here’s Why They Can’t Back Down appeared first on Contently.

Let’s explore five of the best Halloween content marketing efforts of all time and exhume some takeaways that you can apply to future campaigns.

1. Ford: “Spooky Car Wash Prank” (2014)

It was a simple stunt: dress some actors as monsters, cut the lights, and scare the life out of costumers during test drives. Devised by Detroit-based creative agency The Work, Ford’s three-minute video, “Spooky Car Wash Prank,” launched last October and immediately went viral.

Since its release on YouTube, “Spooky Car Wash Prank” has been viewed more than 1.7 million times to be named one of the “World’s Most-Shared Halloween Ads.” It also led to coverage from Mashable, Adweek, and Fast Company

With Halloween marketing, concept rules. Campaigns don’t have to be elaborate; in fact, the holiday provides the ideal opportunity to use a documentary for videos with techniques like hand-held filming and found footage that are so prevalent in horror films. In other words, brands don’t have to invest much to make an impact online.

2. LG: “So Real It’s Scary” (2012)

Product demos have a reputation for being dry. But in 2012, LG found a way to transform the unimaginative format of old into a thrilling testament to the quality of its products.

In the opening seconds of this video, LG claims its monitors have “lifelike colors.” Viewers don’t have to take the company’s word for it. To promote the LG IPS TV screen, the brand worked with agency SuperHeroes Amsterdam and installed a grid of monitors on the floor of a public elevator. It then filmed the response of riders when they saw the floor fall away beneath their feet.

Since its launch on YouTube three years ago, “So Real It’s Scary” has gone on to generate 24 million views and counting. And there isn’t a zombie in sight.

When it comes to showing off the unique features of your product, video is a must. Earlier this year, video production service Animoto conducted a survey that found four times as many consumers prefer to watch a video about a product than read about it. Additionally, 80 percent of respondents believe that videos demonstrating how products and services work are “important.”

Couple an event like Halloween with a theme-friendly pun—like LG did with “So Real It’s Scary”—and you can showcase your product in a way consumers are sure to remember.

3. Target: “Halloween Hills” (2014)

DIY content has long been a staple of Halloween marketing campaigns—seasonal recipes, costume ideas, and party tips are all part of the holiday fun. With this crafty demographic in mind, Target created a home for DIY digital content on Instagram. The retailer called it “a trick-or-treating adventure for grownups—no costumes required.”

Part interactive game and part tutorial, “Halloween Hills” incorporated an illustration of a neighborhood that linked to separate Instagram accounts offering a recipe or a craft. There were 30 different projects to explore—300 pieces of content in all—from Cauldron Cupcakes and 3D House Cookies to a Storybook Nightlight. The brand encouraged consumers to post pictures of their “trick” or “treat” outcomes using the #HalloweenHills hashtag.

Carrot Creative, the agency behind the campaign, reported that “Halloween Hills” generated 111,000 social actions and more than 28 million social mentions, while producing a net sentiment rating of 74 percent.

Halloween and do-it-yourself projects will always go hand in hand. Brands can add value to their social media marketing by offering guidelines and ideas that boost both engagement and shares—particularly when they’re delivered in the form of a unique social site.

4. Tide: Halloween Vines (2013)

When Carrie, the remake based off the 1974 novel by Stephen King, came out in 2013, Tide seized a chance to demonstrate its playful side. The brand created a spoof of the movie using Vine and the product-appropriate tag line, “Stains better be scared.”

By the time Halloween rolled around, the CPG brand had added six more videos to its Vine series, including clips, created by Digitas, based on Paranormal Activity, Poltergeist, and Psycho. Procter & Gamble even extended the Vine creative by adding stills from the videos to digital ads.

Cultural relevance is something all brands aspire to have, but some holiday efforts come off as forced or in bad taste. Tide’s ability to keep things light—even with content that veered toward dark—ensured that it received a positive response.

5. M&M’s: “Dark Movie Challenge” (2006)

Nearly 10 years ago, M&M’s released an online game that became the stuff of legend. “Dark Movie Challenge,” a digital illustration in the disturbing style of 15th century painter Hieronymus Bosch, required viewers to identify visual riddles and surreal references to 50 classic horror films, from The Ring to Rosemary’s Baby (the M&M’s characters played a part, too).

The content was designed by G2 Interactive and included a timer, which added a layer of challenge and encouraged players to compete. Plus, M&M’s “Dark Movie Challenge” was highly relevant to the brand since it came shortly after the candy maker announced that it was making dark chocolate a permanent part of its line.

Any teen, office worker, or parent who crossed paths with the game at the time will recall spending hours—yes, hours—fully engaged. Thanks to the Internet Archive you can still play it today—don’t say I didn’t warn you.

This creepy precursor to the social videos and prankvertising of today had the rare ability to immerse consumers for extended periods of time in spite of the seasonal clutter surrounding them online.

Maybe it’s the singularity of the idea, but M&M’s managed to create content that really stayed with the viewer—and Halloween is creepier because of it.

The post The 5 Best Halloween Content Marketing Campaigns of All Time appeared first on Contently.

Target is leading the charge with its #TakePrideCampaign. The campaign’s tag, “We’re not born with pride, we take pride” is a tear-jerker in itself. Of course, that’s before you lay eyes on their 80-second spot, which mixes adorable dancing cartoon couples, kids holding their parents’ hands, and footage of sunsets, for God’s sake.

Any human with a heart has to support relationship equality after watching this video—and if they’re a little more likely to shop at Target, that’s welcome as well.

Target isn’t the only brand making great content for Pride Month. This makes sense because, as cynical as it may be, it’s the issue of the day—and brands want to be on the right side of history. This fantastic infographic from Adweek shows how embracing the LBGTQ movement is giving big-name brands some big-time buzz.

Here are five other brands that are using creativity to celebrate equality for Pride Month.

1. Hetrick-Martin Institute

Ad space in Times Square has been used to display scantily-clad, underfed models for long enough. The Hetrick-Martin Institute, a non-profit for at-risk gay youth, decided to finally use the NYC marketing platform as a vehicle for change.

As noted in Adweek, the four-level display features gay teens holding empowering messages that they want other people in the LGBTQ community to see. With 15,000 feet of LED, they are hard to miss.

Image via Adweek

American Eagle is getting a lot of great press for donating this billboard— which usually shows their own ads— for one minute every hour. Yet more importantly, HMI is sending messages of support to LBGTQ youth, while also collecting donations for their non-profit.

2. McGann + Zhang

LA-based ad agency McGann and Zhang specializes in creating campaigns that will, it states on its site, “change the world we live in.” This one-minute video for NYC Pride does just that:

This piece isn’t an ad as much as it is a touching short film. The message, “Shout for those who couldn’t,” is a thought-provoking one. It even makes you a little more understanding of the parades that will undoubtedly block your path at some point this month. Remember, Pride celebrates the voices that are still be silenced in other parts of the world.

3. Heineken

Okay, the word “sentimental” doesn’t exactly come to mind when you think of beer. But Heineken managed to tie their brand in with Pride month in a natural way. Its Instagram “Like for Love” campaign, which ran last year and was created with Wieden + Kennedy, features six different couples. Each photo is set against a solid background, which then transforms into a rainbow when users scroll down the screen.

While some might argue that this kind of marketing isn’t making any monumental changes in the LGBTQ community, Heineken is doing more for vulnerable communities than a other beer brands.

4. Lucky Charms

I’ll state the obvious—Lucky Charms is probably the most obvious choice for an LGBTQ-friendly brand. Seriously, their product is full of rainbows. That’s why it was such a smart decision for the cereal company to take part in Pride month last year. Their #LuckyToBe campaign encourages Lucky Charms customers to “share what makes you colorful” via social media.

Glaad, an organization that fights for fair LGBTQ representation in the media, even backed the campaign by posting a collection of their favorite #LuckyToBe moments:

Let’s pause for a collective, “Awww.”

5. Oreo

There are few companies that are better known for their marketing than Oreo. That’s why it was such a big moment when the company gave their iconic cookie a Pride-inspired makeover on Facebook all the way back in 2012:

Sure, the picture is made a little less impactful with the disclaimer, “Made with creme colors that do not exist.” And, yes, there were misguided commenters on social media who vowed that they would never purchase the chocolate and cream cookie again.

But this photo received Facebook activity years later. That’s some serious staying power for a social media post. And as gay marriage and equality continue to gain traction among a majority of Americans, don’t be surprised to see more brands jumping on the pride bandwagon. And if their ads are as good as these, that’s just fine with us.

The post These 5 Brands Are Supporting LGBTQ Pride in a Big Way appeared first on Contently.

The page includes a link to his fictitious video resume, which turns out to be the first trailer for the film:

This guerrilla marketing campaign is far more memorable than any traditional advertisement could be. As a result, Nightcrawler is already generating buzz.

Some companies have taken this kind of advertising and perfected it, creating experiences for consumers that explode online. If you’re not up on your guerrilla marketing game, here are five of the best stunts that we’ve seen recently:

1. Shock Top Talking Beer

A great way to make your product memorable is to have consumers think it has magically become anthropomorphic. (Or that they’re hallucinating.) Shock Top perfects this idea by surprising liquor shoppers with a snarky, dirty-talking six-pack. Yet, the beer didn’t want to talk about how it was a talking bottle of hops, instead opting for raunchier subjects, as you’ll see in the quotes below.

The stunt was so successful, the company went on to have a talking beer tap and billboard. I’m hoping for a talking bar stool next. Butt jokes never get old.

Best quotes:

“A real girl comes by and look at you guys—stiff and stiffer. I’m making moves!”

“I saw some tourists come through here. You could tell because he was wearing rubber shoes. He smelled like a condom.”

2. Burger King Proud Whopper

I’m a sucker for an ad campaign that is funny and has a good message. Burger King accomplishes both of these things with their “Proud Whopper,” which was released in one restaurant during the San Francisco Pride Week festivities. The fast food chain interviewed people and asked what they thought about gay pride. One guy said on camera: “I just don’t believe in the gay lifestyle.”

Yet homophobia didn’t stop curious customers from seeing how the Pride Whopper tasted different from the original version. Everyone had their theory—it’s sweeter, the meat is different. In reality, the burger was exactly the same.

How did customers find out that the Pride Whopper was no different from the burgers they had ordered there before? On the inside of the rainbow printed wrapper are the words, “We are all the same inside.” The stunt was planned to occur alongside BK’s new slogan: “Be Your Way.” (Group awwwww.) Customers were even seen folding up the wrappers to bring home with them, a clear sign the campaign was an experience that people wanted to remember.

Best quote:

“It really does taste different. You don’t taste it?”

3. Real-Life Dollhouse by Target

If you want to get the most attention for your brand, one of the best places to go is Grand Central Station. After all, over 500,000 people make their way through its vast halls on a daily basis. And they’re tired. And they want to home. So what do you give them? The next best thing—a luxurious place to lounge before they catch the next train to New Haven.

Target did just that. They paired up with the ad agency Deutsch to create a two-story, 1,540-square-foot home in the middle of Vanderbilt Hall, featuring their new home collection, Threshold. Commuters could grab a book to read, take a nap on a couch, or even use the bathroom—which in itself makes the campaign memorable if you’ve ever seen Grand Central’s restroom lines.

Check out the time lapse video above to see how it all happened.

4. Ogilvy Thailand Uses Kids for a Smoking PSA

Holy smokes, this ad is genius (#sorry). Ogilvy secretly filmed a small, adorable child asking various smokers for a light. As you would expect, the adults are horrified and remind the youngster of all of the negative side effects of smoking, which gives the ad a kind of sad irony.

According to Adweek, the quit smoking hotline in the commercial had a forty percent increase in calls after the PSA aired. That’s a great reason for this ad to get way more views than it has—go ahead and share it!

5. Audi’s World Cup Scoreboard… Made of Cars

Over the past few weeks the world has been caught up in a soccer frenzy, and companies were smart to take advantage of the situation. Bars had extended mid-day happy hours to draw in customers, clothing stores brought out anything they had in patriotic colors, and Audi? Well, Audi made a giant scoreboard in Brooklyn out of Audi A8s.

Needless to say, the task was not easy, especially in New York City. Audi had to find a place where their scoreboard would be highly visible, and would be able to fit 45 intermodal shipping containers. Of course, I’m sure Brooklynites were happy that they didn’t have to venture into the nearest over-capacity packed bar to find out the score and kept busy brainstorming how to convert the scoreboard into some sick loft housing.

The Content Strategist is our company’s story. What’s yours? Let us help you find the answer.

The post Jake Gyllenhaal Going Nuts on Craigslist and 5 Other Awesome Guerrilla Marketing Stunts appeared first on Contently.

A once-obscure image board platform with a mere 5,000 users, Pinterest has taken the social web by storm. In just three years, 70 million people—80 percent of whom are female—have pinned over 30 billion items. With these numbers, Pinterest has become the discovery platform that brands have always wished for.

One brand that has found major success on the platform is Tiny Hands, a super-small business making big noise with its food jewelry. Founder Mei Pak has proven that she knows Pinterest, successfully using the platform to build an audience and sell her quirky creations.

For those still trying to get a grasp on that perfect Pinterest strategy, Pak shares what works for her business on a platform that is just beginning to realize its earning potential.

1. Pinterest is your virtual storefront

While Facebook and Twitter offer brands a voice, Pinterest helps them craft the perfect image.

“Pinterest serves as a visual display of your brand’s culture,” Pak says. “My pins are what I would be proud to have on display if Tiny Hands had a brick and mortar store.”

This rings true even for brands with a large physical presence. Last year, Target launched an “Awesome Shop” designed to highlight their most popular pins. In addition to Awesome Shop, Target regularly maintains over 40 boards, with categories ranging from seasonal products to the latest fashion.

2. Likes are irrelevant

In a social world dominated by Facebook, Likes have become the standard signal of success for brands. While Pinterest does allow users to Like pins, placing weight on this metric is a mistake. Much like favoriting tweets, “Likes on Pinterest are an acknowledgement, not an endorsement,” explains Pak. “Repins are your goal.”

If you’re unfamiliar with the best practices on getting repinned, don’t sweat it. First and foremost, focus on your content. If you are sharing images of beautiful jewelry, make sure the images only display that beautiful jewelry. Once you’ve found the perfect image, add a description that is relevant and includes popular keywords.

For more helpful tactics, check out what’s popular on Pinterest.

3. Mobile matters

With an estimated 75 percent of Pinterest’s traffic coming from mobile devices, it is a safe bet that horizontal images will fare poorly. By using vertical images, you’ll be taking full advantage of screen real estate and will not break the flow of the user experience on the Pinterest app.

Additionally, images should not include block descriptions. Keeping descriptions crisp is essential to respecting a Pinterest user’s browsing time.

For further tips on optimizing for mobile devices, Rocket Post has a number of excellent tips to make sure your images are ready for mobile.

4. Pin consistently

Gaining followers on Pinterest takes serious commitment. In three months, Pak grew her audience by 300 followers by sharing nearly 50 pins a day. “Followers on Pinterest value regular activity,” Pak says. For power users, this number can sometimes reach an upwards of 100 pins per day.

While posting regularly is essential, users should also be aware that their pins need to be relevant to the Pinterest community. This means making photos pop with color, posting at opportune times (between 2 and 4 p.m. EST), keeping up with what categories are popular, and maintaining a diverse set of boards.

For a detailed overview on how to optimize your pins, check out the Pinterest scientific guide by Buffer.

5. D.I.Y metrics

Currently, Pinterest offers few tools for brands to track the success of their campaigns. As with Pak, for a one-person operation with limited time and resources, committing to Pinterest can be taxing when its competitors offer in-depth metrics and sales data. To make matters worse, what little data Pinterest does offer tend to be unreliable, according to Pak.

While this issue is being worked on at Pinterest, it’s a factor to consider before diving in.

6. Run a contest

“If you want content that sticks, run your own contest on Pinterest,” Pak says. “Unlike other social networks, content that I’ve used for contests has a long shelf life. I’m still getting repins months later.”

While running a contest on Pinterest can be a lucrative tactic for your brand to employ, it should be done with a plan. In an attempt to maintain high-quality pins and posts, Pinterest has a list of contest rules brands are expected follow. For examples of brands with great contests that play by the rules, High Point Market is one to take note from.

Each year, “Style Spotters” at High Point Market pin their latest take on trends and fashion. Each Style Spotter is awarded points based on the number of repins and likes they receive. Once the competition is over, the winner receives a free trip to one of High Point Market’s events. This contest encourages quality pins, and makes the community feel directly involved. HubSpot points out some other awesome contest ideas.

Success on Pinterest is becoming important than ever for brands as the visually driven platform nips at the heels of social networking behemoths once deemed untouchable. Prevent being stuck on a supplanted social network and get your brand active on your mom’s favorite social network now. It’ll even give you something to chat about with grandma at the next family event.

What’s the deal with The Content Strategist? It’s something we created at Contently because we believe in a world where marketing is helpful and where businesses grow by telling stories that people love. Learn more.

The post Want to Dominate Pinterest? Follow These 6 Tips appeared first on Contently.

Target’s ‘Show Don’t Sell’ Content Strategy (Digiday)
This retail giant shares a valuable content marketing lesson — stop pitching your products, and focus on solving your customers’ problems instead.

Here’s Digiday’s 360-degree view into Target’s content strategy.

Google Details Hardened Ad Policies (TNW)
Google has cracked down on shady advertising — yet again. This time, the technology giant is tightening up its rules with downloadable software and toolbars.

On the whole, Google has seen a year-over-year reduction in ‘bad’ players — but enough sometimes isn’t enough. Google’s decision here is a direct response to the 100,000 complaints its received in the last 90 days. Here’s how the search giant is balancing core profitability objectives with its user experience priorities.

4 Ways to Know You’re Selling to the Right Market (Inc)
Whether you’re building a new department at an established venture or building a new team altogether, you’ve likely faced a chicken/egg scenario.

When you’re creating something new, you have immense flexibility. How do you know that you’re selling to the target market that’s best for your organization? Look to the problems you’re solving, your business model, and the surrounding trends that surface. A key tool to help you do all of the above and more? Content marketing.

Facebook Hooks Up With Attorneys General (All Things D)
Teen privacy is a social media problem that needs to be solved. That’s why Facebook has teamed up with the government.

Facebook will work with 19 attorneys general across the U.S. to create educational videos on how to manage your Facebook pages as effectively as possible. Solutions to the privacy struggle are nebulous, but one core principle shines — education is a key first step.

The post Target’s Tough Sell, Google Cracks Down, Product-Market Fits appeared first on Contently.

Lenovo’s BuzzFeed Takeover

To promote its Ideapad Yoga, Lenovo has posted branded content on BuzzFeed, “12 Awesome Additional Uses For Everyday Objects.”

In true BuzzFeed, form, it features photos, along with short grafs on how to use objects like Alka Seltzer for toilet cleaner and ice cube trays to hold earrings. There is also a display ad and video ad to go along with the sponsored post.

Facebook’s Pages-only News Stream 

Good news for brands: Users can now switch their streams to exclusively feature content from the pages they follow on Facebook, according to Pandomonthly.

The social media site has rolled out this feature as a response “to a market uproar as the company began changing the way brand content appears in the main news feed and then charging companies for increased distribution.”

An Increase in Self-Employeed Workers

A press release from Elance says that “online hiring and earnings are far outpacing the traditional employment economy with over 40% growth rates.”

More people are writing online due to bad economies at in their home regions. Niche writing is one of the biggest growing industries, and there have been increases across the board.

The report states, “Specialized writing skills such as speech writing (+474%), script writing (+371%) and sports writing (+282%) have seen increases compared to the same quarter last year on Elance.”

The Meaning of Data to Pepsi

Kate Kaye of AdAge reports that the CMO of Pepsi Frank Cooper is looking at how data can help his brand.

“We need to measure how people are becoming involved in brands, how people are advocating on behalf of brands,” He told Kaye. “We’re figuring out ways to synthesize the data we have.”

Pepsi already looks at information coming from Google Analytics, YouTube, and Collective Intellect, the social conversation analysis company it uses. The company is currently gearing up to release branded content on YouTube and partner up with several major channels on the site.

Where Target Went Wrong with “Revenge” Campaign

Emily Garvey of 360i Blog critiques Target’s campaign for Neiman Marcus during the show “Revenge.”

During the show, ABC “aired a scripted mini-series to craft a story around the new luxury-for-less retail line, mimicking the look and feel of ‘Revenge.’ As the show’s characters unwrapped various Target items, viewers were prompted to tweet with the hashtag #GiftofRevenge, which was displayed throughout the episode,” Garvey writes.

She says that the scripted mini-episodes detracted from the real episode that was airing, and that no value was given to fans of the show. There was also a lack of communication between Target, its #GiftofRevenge hashtag, US Weekly, and Neiman Marcus, she adds.

Coca-Cola and Fidelity Invest in Spotify

Spotify, a streaming music service, is receiving financial support from Coca-Cola and Fidelity, The New York Times reports.

The service, which is worldwide and opened in Luxembourg and Ireland this week, will be valued at $3 billion. It currently has 15 million users, 4 million of who pay for the service.

Pinterest’s Business Accounts Introduced

According to ClickZ, Pinterest has now introduced business accounts. Cat Lee, product manager of the company said, “We want to help more businesses provide great content on Pinterest and make it easy to pin from their websites.”

Businesses will require a verification badge and the pages are suitable for bloggers, online merchants, publications and retailers, to name a few.

The post Lenovo’s BuzzFeed Campaign, Facebook Pages-only Stream, Freelancers Gain appeared first on Contently.

Coke Zero’s 007 Challenge

Coke Zero’s new campaign is a video featuring unsuspecting cola drinkers buying soda from vending machines in a train station.

Digital Buzz Blog reports, “An entire ‘chase’ style scene was set-up in a train station and activated by people buying Coke Zero from a digital vending machine. The moment you guy a Coke Zero, you are thanked with the chance to win tickets to the new movie, where accepting the challenge and entering your name starts a 70 second timer on the screen and the task to get to platform 6 in under 70 seconds!”

Branded content, Bond style.

Best of Branded Content from Last Week

Business 2 Community’s roundup of the best branded content from last week of course includes Red Bull and the Stratos project as the number one campaign. Also on the list is Target, which made a 12-minute film called “Falling For You.” During it, “viewers can purchase the Target merchandise worn and used by the actors.”

Google posted “Where The Internet Lives,” a look into its server network and “a special Google Street View offering anyone he opportunity to tour their facility in Lenoir, NC.”

Advertisers Using Twitter Comments in Ad Campaigns

According to the Wall Street Journal, companies are now looking to Twitter and the conversations brand fans are having about products in their own advertisements.

Samsung, for example, made a commercial that used comments from Twitter about the new iPhone’s features, which received 32 million hits in two weeks. For its Duracell Powermat device, Procter & Gamble studied what consumers were saying on social media about the color of their cell phone battery signs.

Preparing for Content Marketing Changes in 2013

Steven Van Belleghem from Content Marketing Institute put up a list of how companies’ content marketing plans for 2013 will likely look.

Brands should be using Pinterest over Instagram, the site found, because “41 percent of Pinterest users are currently sharing brand-related content on the site, compared to 35 percent of Instagram users.”

Since consumers follow an average of five companies online, brands need to involve them in the content creation process in order to make sure it’s correctly targeted. Consumers also trust their friends over brand ambassadors: “In general, this may be because consumers view brand fans as biased, so their recommendations may have a limited impact. This implies that our content should reach out to the average consumer, as well — not just those that have identified themselves as fans.”

Microsoft Introducing MSN News

Three months ago, Microsoft sold off MSNBC, and now it’s launching MSN News on Oct. 26, according to the Columbia Journalism Review.

“Visitors to MSN.com will see a blend of aggregated and original content produced by a large newsroom in Bellevue, WA, and another smaller team New York City, all tailored to the digital opportunities presented by Windows 8,” writes Hazel Sheffield.

The design will incorporate “headline size that corresponds to the importance of the story, smoother and faster loading, and a more ‘app-like’ experience.”

Hearst Releasing Holiday Recipes E-Book

On Tuesday, Oct. 23, the Hearst Corporation is putting out an e-book of its magazine’s recipes, according to the New York Times. Called “Let’s Talk Turkey,” the e-book will include 100 recipes and be available for $3.99.

Jane Friedman, co-founder of digital publisher Open Road, said the e-book will do well: ““This is a curated product that has come from a very trusted source. …It’s very, very timely.”

How Brands Can Make Interesting Content

On Forbes, CEO of Break Media Keith Richman gives pointers on how brands can create content that will stand out.

“If you’ve made a decision to create branded entertainment, then you’ve committed to developing entertainment which is a different breed from traditional 15- and 30-second spots,” he says. “Applying what worked in more traditional mediums alone does not take advantage of how the audience interacts with this new creative digital platform.”

Brands should find out where consumers are so they know on which channels to distribute the content, and realize that celebrity power is not always a guaranteed success. A good story is necessary, above all else.

The post Coke Zero’s 007 Campaign, Branded Content on Target, Twitter Stories appeared first on Contently.

Target Switching Up Its Digital Strategy

After a disappointing e-commerce experience for customers two years ago, Target is trying to learn from its past mistakes and revamp its e-commerce strategy.

The company put out a memo, and 10 agencies are competing for the spot of representing it.

A part of the memo posted by AdAge said the company wants to find “a strategic partner driving innovation and strategy across channels specifically brought on to support the multichannel work stream and the sub-work stream within the digital experience team to counsel how our channels are going to work together for consistent touch points for the guest.”

Thrillist Raises Money for More Content and Production

Thrillist Media Group has garnered $13.1 million in funding for its initiatives, which include a men-centric, daily e-newsletter and a fashion line called JackThreads, writes Laura Hazard Owen of PaidContent.org.

With this new money, the company will further promote the Thrillist brand online and put out video and mobile content.

Cofounder Adam Rich says it also has plans to “continue developing JackThreads into a lifestyle destination that doesn’t just sell products, but also perpetuates a lifestyle that we know our guys covet.”

TechDirt Chooses Premium Content Over Paywalls

Unlike The New York Times and the other media companies that followed suit, TechDirt is not choosing to put up a paywall.

Instead, it offers benefits to the readers who choose premium membership, including exclusive access to articles while they are still in draft mode and, for $1 million, the ability to shut down the site for a day, according to Gigaom.

So far, no one has taken them up on it.

Companies and Communication in 2012

In his new book, Talk, Inc.: How Trusted Leaders Use Conversation to Power their Organizations, author Boris Groysberg discusses how, with the prominence of social media, transparency in a company is key.

“Do you really believe you have as much control in 2012 as you had 30 years ago?,” he asks. Effectively running a company these days requires more than transparency —authenticity is also necessary.

Apple Looking to Change TV Forever

Apple, which plans to give television viewers more power with its new cable box, will have to begin negotiations with both content providers and cable companies before releasing it.

According to Business Insider, the interface would resemble that of an iPad, and users would be able to stop and start shows, or whole seasons of shows, whenever they please.

Rodale Hires New Managing Editor for SI.com

Matt Bean, the VP for digital product development at Rodale, is taking on the role of managing editor at SportsIllustrated.com, where he will oversee the innerworkings of that site and of FanNation.com.

According to AdAge, SI has one of Time, Inc.’s most forward-thinking digital strategies, with its All Access subscriptions and an app for desktop computers.

“This American Life” Makes a Movie

And now a fun one to round out the week. Ira Glass teamed up with comedian and storyteller Mike Birbiglia to create “Sleepwalk with Me,” a film that is an autobiographical telling of Birbiglia’s sleep issues.

He’s told his stories on Glass’ show and turned them into an off-Broadway show. Now, it’s going to be shown in 100 theaters around America.

“This American Life” used Facebook to figure out what scenes of the movie worked best with fans, and it also put out a public message on the site, as well as on Twitter, to enlist people to bring the film to their local theaters.

The post Target Switches Digital Strategy, Thrillist Gets Boost, TechDirt Membership appeared first on Contently.

Target is a personable brand on Facebook, drawing customers in with its reliability, charitable initiatives and upbeat tone.

Joe Curry, Target’s social media manager, explains the company’s Facebook page was launched in 2007 “as a way to connect with our guests, provide them with great deals and give them a way to share their ideas with us.”

Among fellow retailers and brands on Facebook, Target maintains a strong ranking.

With over 17 million followers, it comes in at number 23 on the list of top brands, beaten out only by Converse, Victoria’s Secret, and Walmart in the retail category.

Letting the Fans Make a Difference

Target uses Facebook to enlist fans in the company’s charitable giving efforts, such as the current Give with Target effort to raise $2.5 million for education.

Target donates 5 percent of its revenue to charitable organizations, Mashable reports, and it often involves its fans on how that money should be spent.

Cause marketing, such as Target engages in, brings many benefits since the nonprofit involved receives support, the brand sees more exposure, and customers can feel like they’re making a difference.

“For the for-profit, the profit is greater favorability with consumers and, potentially, increased sales,” says Selfish Giving’s Joe Waters.

In 2009, Target held a contest called “Bullseye Gives,” in which fans voted for which ten charities should receive donations. More than 167,000 people voted.

Posting Questions and Commentary with Product Photos

Target doesn’t miss any chances to promote its products. It does this by interacting with fans on social media.

On Aug. 1, as a tie-in with the start of the Olympics, Target posted, “Bulleye’s all dressed up with one place to go.” The post, as of Aug. 10, received more than 37,000 likes and 769 comments.

On July 8, it updated with a photo of its up&up aloe vera gel and said, “Our up&up aloe is really soothing. Just sayin.'” The brand also included a link to purchase the product on the site. The update garnered 3,820 likes and 163 comments.

Customers replied, “This stuff saved me on Sunday! Got burned right around my knees, and I applied aloe several times. I never blistered and it helped the pain,” and “Love this product and have used it for many years on myself and other family member’s mild sunburns.”

Target managed to be timely, helpful and engaging while also getting its product out there.

Speaking in a Fun, Conversational Tone to Fans

The brand’s posts are positive and light, and uses the simple pleasures in life for marketing purposes.

Before Father’s Day, the page posted, “Give Dad something he can show off! (Because plain white socks are not as fun to brag about.),” with photos of and links to a men’s tee shirt, sunglasses, and watch.

A few days later, it said, “We can’t see the future, but we’re pretty positive you’ll need these soon,” and included a photo of marshmallows with a link to the product page on its website.

“It’s difficult to get consumers to see past your corporate logo and think of you the same way they think about their friends,” says As Local Surge Media. “Humor has a way of humanizing you. It feels less manipulative than many other marketing techniques. There’s something very genuine about it.”

In its updates, Target shows personality and has established a distinct voice.

The post Target Hits the Mark with Its Facebook Strategy appeared first on Contently.