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We could begin by telling you what a brand really is. But we won’t. What we could begin with is by telling you what a brand is not.    A brand is not a logo. It’s not an image formed by lines and colors to communicate the name of your organization. A brand – a successful brand – is what encompasses the length and breadth of your identity, your values, the relationships you’ve built over time and the quality that your clientele has come to expect from you.   In the social media world, successful brands are built upon two (more…)

We've researched and we've researched. And we've folded some experience into our portfolio. And time after time, this nugget of wisdom stands out when our eye turns to web design. Don't overdo it.   No, really. We've all seen websites with awful design decisions, and we've walked away feeling overwhelmed - too many bright colors, no contrast, drop-shadows on the wrong text. The lists of web design faux pas are seemingly endless.   But it's good to remember that the best aesthetics are contained within simplicity. It sounds very Zen, but it's true. When you're designing a website, white space (more…)

Generation Z. They're profiled as efficient multi-taskers who can text, blog, play on Facebook, post a Tweet and still get their homework done on time. They're media savvy, technology savvy, thrive on speed (who remembers a dial-up connection?) and they need instant gratification.   Origins We're not really sure when they came to be, but the general consensus falls between 1994 - 2004. What we do know is that they're the quintessential no-holds-barred generation who were born connected to the digital age. Generation Z is 23 million strong and marketers are now realigning themselves and their strategies to make their (more…)

Google AdWords are the sponsored links that appear alongside your search results in Google and sometimes on web content as well. The process involves specifying targeted pay-per-click keywords, which can become quite an effective (and cost-effective) way to advertise online.   Touted as possibly the “most successful business idea in history”  AdWords requires a combination of business acumen, patience and a heavy investment of man hours. Safe to say that before you begin, you should know what you’re getting into.   Tweak Your Keywords. Constantly. Once you begin advertising with AdWords, you’ll have to spend time everyday, studying and tweaking (more…)

With Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn being all the rage for electronic communication, sending e-mails to your (opted-in) client base may seem passé. And for a certain generation, it is. As Mark Zuckerbug, CEO at Facebook has said, email is too much of a cognitive load for youngsters.   However, at The REFUGE Group, we don’t believe that email is completely dead. Marketers continue to employ this messaging medium to alert consumers about in-store and online deals, raising awareness for social causes and for staying in touch with their client base.   Besides, email and e-newsletters have quite a lot more (more…)

Using Facebook to develop a marketing strategy easy, engaging and, dare we say it, fun. Especially with the upgrades to its Photos application. The site now has the ability to load high resolution photos, 2048 pixels wide or high.   With stellar content, high-resolution pictures, real-time conversations and live chat, the potential for companies to connect with their demographic is huge.   1. The Human Connection The underlying theme to any marketing strategy developed using this social network giant is the human element involved. With 500 million users spread out globally, every user on Facebook comes with a human network, (more…)

Blogging, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are now the staples of any digital marketing conversation. With companies pushing for change and innovation in an increasingly wired world, one has to wonder what could possibly come next. And yet, there’s always another frontier, even for marketing and advertising. Especially for marketing and advertising.   This year, it seems that creating a virtual space for “real life” interactions will be at the forefront for advertising campaigns everywhere. Some strategies will build on existing standards - real time chat services, Q&A forums, social media integration- and some will stand on the cutting edge with (more…)

We’ll let the figures speak for themselves.   According to ABI Research, mobile marketing is poised to become a $1.5 billion industry by 2016; and the mobile marketing and advertising revenue increased by 2.5% in a six-month period in 2010.   Entrepreneur.com reported mobile marketing as one of the Top Ten Marketing Trends for 2010. In other words, “mobile marketing” and “ubiquity” are going to become synonymous terms and essential components of marketing campaigns everywhere.   Which really doesn’t come as a surprise, considering the explosion of social media and mobile apps since the iPhone revolutionized - again - the (more…)

Welcome to the newly redesigned Refuge Marketing website! We've created this blog for our team to share our thoughts about the latest marketing trends, tips and hottest topics. But also to hear from you.   Feel free to talk to us, leave comments, begin a conversation, ask questions or send suggestions our way about the news that you want to hear more about.   You can subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter and Facebook to receive instant updates and our newsletter for monthly insights.   We're glad to have you on board! (more…)