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If you are like me, you fell head over heels in love with the hit ABC show Nashville and are extremely upset that the season has now come to an end. Aside from the impeccable story line, lovable characters, and phenomenal acting, there is an endless list of songs that just won’t quit, which brings me to the topic of this post: How ABC leveraged a successful content marketing strategy for a primetime television show.

As so many of us in the advertising industry are learning, developing a content marketing strategy is the newest version of marketing. In a nutshell, content marketing is the technique of creatively distributing relevant and valuable content to a specific target audience in hopes of attracting and engaging them more, thus driving profitability.

The ABC network really knew a thing or two about content marketing when they launched Nashville, which according to Nielsen ratings, was ranked within the top 50 among 140 regular broadcast primetime series and number 27 for women ages 18–49!

Based on what I have heard and read, here are five things we can learn from the ABC show’s content marketing strategy:

Find a hook that will appeal to a large group of people.

In recent years, country music has been slowly entering mainstream radio – just look at Lady Antebellum and Carrie Underwood. Country music has gradually escalated in popularity and Nashville seized on this opportunity by devoting a series solely around this genre and filming it all in Music City – a city unlike any other, chock full of history, excitement, and entertainment.

Know your audience.

Those who love country music tend to really LOVE country music, and gravitate towards anything that revolves around it. Once again, ABC realized that a television show based on country music was lacking in the primetime line-up, so they made it happen. Some could even argue that a lot of the characters on the show are representative to some of today’s country stars. Rayna James could be described as Faith Hill, the older, wiser country music singer who has been in the business for decades. Juliette Barnes is the young, free-spirited, fresh new talent to enter the country music world, much like Taylor Swift. These similarities are just another relatable and engaging aspect of the show.

Create valuable content that entertains your audience and gives them something more.

This can be summed up on one word: Music. The central theme of ABC’s Nashville is great music. Whether the famous actor/singer is on tour playing for millions, or the nobody crooner is playing for a small crowd at the Bluebird Café, (a real bar outside of downtown Nashville), there is tons of great music, all unique and written specifically for the show.

Find ways to monetize that valuable content.

The songs being performed by the actors themselves in Nashville are already written and produced for the show, so why not sell them? After cutting a deal with Big Machine Records, songs sung in Nashville were all made available on iTunes. As of December of 2012, Nashville had already raked in an estimated $1 million dollars in downloads, and the show kicked off just two months prior to that. Two complete Nashville soundtracks have also been produced and are available for purchase in stores and on iTunes.

Leverage social media to promote your products and/or service.

If I were to improve anything about Nashville’s content marketing strategy, it would be its social media presence. While there is a Nashville Twitter account as well as a Nashville Facebook page, these were used primarily to promote the upcoming episode, rather than the music available for purchase. These platforms would have been perfect vehicles for pushing more downloads from iTunes. They could have integrated promotions to their advantage, such as offering a handful of songs made available for a few select hours leading up to the new episode, or a contest that qualified viewers to win one of the two soundtracks. While they did a great job at making their posts visually interesting by integrating photos from the show in a majority of their updates, there was incremental value that could have been leveraged through these social platforms.

For the most part, ABC’s Nashville did a fantastic job with their content marketing strategy, and while Nashville is sadly no longer a part of my Wednesday evenings, I still have the pleasure of enjoying the music whenever I want. Rumor has it there just may be a Nashville tour in the works too!

It is finally starting to feel like spring in Cleveland! Aside from outdoor activities that many are finally participating in thanks to the warmer weather, many people take part in the traditional “spring cleaning” of their houses. But what many of us don’t think about is “spring cleaning” your office – particularly your computer desktop. Here are a few simple-to-use tools to help you spring clean and organize desktop icons on your computer.

ObjectDock

If you are operating on Windows, but really love the Mac OS interface, then I suggest you take a look at ObjectDock for organizing your desktop icons. ObjectDock enables you to download a similar dock to that of the Mac’s dock. Once the dock is downloaded, you can move it anywhere on your computer desktop. Organize your desktop icons by dropping them into the dock. All icons can be easily dragged, dropped and removed from the dock. The dock also comes with useful dockets such as calendar and weather. After downloading ObjectDock, you have the ability to hide the Windows task bar and utilize only the dock. It’s just like using a Mac, but you’re not! This tool for organizing your desktop icons is free to download.

Dexpot

You can easily overcome clutter and organize your desktop icons with Dexpot. Dexpot allows you to create virtual desktops rather than just one, which is great if you have multiple projects you are working on. From the way you get from one virtual desktop to another, to its large number of desktops, Dexpot is incredibly customizable and offers a variety of plug-ins. And because keeping track of your virtual desktops may be a bit difficult, Dexpot includes visual hints by keeping the virtual desktops and applications they contain in view.

If you are struggling with your 15-inch laptop monitor, Dexpot is a great solution for you. For personal use, this software is free.

Tiles

Gather all of your applications to one place on your computer desktop with Tiles. This free software allows you to organize your desktop by dragging files and folders to a stylized sidebar that can be placed wherever you want on your desktop. From there, you can swipe through the pages of your sidebar to view different sets of icons. Along with deciding where you want to place the sidebar, you can also customize its size and behavior, such as “Activate on a hotkey” and hide the sidebar using the autohide feature. Tiles is free to download.

Fences

Fences happens to be the world’s most popular desktop enhancement for Windows, which isn’t very surprising. This tool pretty much blew me away by its ability to organize desktop icons, as well as integrate customization functions. In a nutshell, Fences allows you to create large shaded boxes called fences where you can place several folders and files. Within these fences, you can sort files by name, change the way they are viewed such as thumbnail or list and change the color so that they match your desktop background theme. So, for example, if I had several folders on my desktop named creative briefs in review, creative briefs to write and deadline charts, I can create a fence named Jobs in Progress and send and organize all these desktop icons to that one fence.

Another really cool function is the ability to swipe your desktop screen like you would an iPad or iPhone screen. This allows you to hide fences that you may not use as much. Unfortunately, you will have to pay for this tool after 30 days.

Do you have a tool that you love and use to organize your desktop icons? If so, I would love to hear about it! Just leave your feedback in the comments section below.

I have lived in northeast Ohio my entire life, like many Clevelanders. Despite the fact that I live where there is lots of snow, I am not a fan of it. Regardless, I still enjoy perusing various creative snowmen pictures on Pinterest. I even enjoy the first (and only the first) snowfall of the season. After that first magical blanket of pristine splendor, I wouldn’t shed a tear if it all melted away into Lake Erie. I don’t ski or snowboard. I don’t particularly enjoy sledding. And I strongly dislike touching it or walking to my car in it, so it serves no purpose for me. Despite all of that, like I said, I am a sucker for good creative snowmen pictures and have been finding a lot of them on Pinterest. I’m utterly amazed at what some of these people come up with! Here is a quick sampling. To view all of them, visit Melamed Riley’s Pinterest board called, “Creative Snowmen Pictures.” While you are there, you can check out more boards from Melamed Riley’s Pinterest page!

If I did enjoy walking and touching the snow, I would like to think my snowman would be just as creative as some of these, if not better. Happy pinning!

Black Friday may be over, but that doesn’t mean that your shopping list is necessarily complete. Thankfully, we live in a time where shopping technology is a reality and technology is making shopping a lot more convenient and a little less painful.

J.C. Penney and Nordstrom are just two stores implementing shopping technology. This holiday, you may notice that there are less cash registers at these stores as they move to mobile checkout. By offering mobile checkout, customers have the ability to check out anywhere at any time – including checking out store items themselves. Just imagine the number of stores you can visit if waiting in line is no longer mandatory.

Shopping technology is making trying on clothes at Aéropostale in Long Island, NY more fun by placing iPads in each dressing room. Customers can try on clothes while listening to their favorite songs, and even build outfits based on the retailer’s merchandise.

If it is deals you’re looking for, then it is the RetailMeNot app you need. This app has the capability to send notifications with deals for stores that you are near. The app will be compatible with nearly 500 malls.

With 1 billion active Facebook accounts, what would shopping technology be if it didn’t incorporate this social media platform? Stores now have the opportunity to offer their customers free Facebook Wi-Fi. The catch? Customers have to “Check In” to that store’s location. Once the customer Checks In to the store’s location, they will be taken to their Facebook page where they can access the Wi-Fi for free. From there, they will typically have to fill out a form, survey or watch an ad before they are officially given access. With this new technology, consumers will have a free way to access the Internet and retailers can promote themselves to their customers’ friends. While this is a great use of technology, it is still in beta testing with Facebook.

We all know that time is money. That’s why Walmart has teamed up with Mattel to offer the “virtual toy store.” Not only is this a convenient way to shop, it’s frankly a fantastic use of those QR Codes you see on everything these days. The two companies came together to create pop-up stores where various toys are displayed alongside a QR Code. See something you like while walking down the street, scan the code and make the purchase. It’s really that simple. The only downside – only Canadians get the privilege to scan and buy this holiday season with this shopping technology.

What sort of ways are you using shopping technology this year?

As a member of the Cleveland American Advertising Federation (AAF), Melamed Riley often attends luncheons that are hosted monthly by the organization. These get-togethers are a great way to keep in touch with your fellow advertising friends from other agencies, as well as learn a few things along the way. The most recent event I attended was entitled, “Mad Women of Advertising.” The “Mad Men of Advertising” was held a few months back and now it was the ladies’ turn to talk.

The luncheon consisted of a panel of three very bright women who entered the advertising industry some decades ago. Betty L. Brown, Sharyn Hinman and Sarah Stashower spoke enthusiastically about their journey through the cutthroat industry and reminisced about how things were “back in the day.” This got me thinking. Their experiences were not all that long ago and yet, the industry has changed so much since then. Technology aside, there’s been an overwhelming change in fashion, behavior and ideals.

When thinking of my day-to-day life at Melamed Riley, I realized just how different it is when compared to the way things used to be. So, if you will, please step into my time machine and take a glimpse at what once was.

I guess while some things change, some things will always be the same.

Ever since the emergence of social media, job seekers everywhere have been taking full advantage of the endless creative opportunities these platforms provide. Merely emailing a resume to an employer is starting to become something of the past. In 2011 alone, 89% of companies used social media as a way to search for new hires. For inspiration, let’s take a look at some of these creative resume posting examples.

The first example is brought to us by Sabrina Saccoccio, a TV, radio and print producer who utilized Facebook to display her resume. Sabrina brought her resume to life with the universally known Facebook profile page to creatively outline her contact information, educational background and even a sneak peek at some of her favorite things in life. Some could also argue that peers posting on her page could be seen as references. This communicates that Sabrina is creative and not only active in social media, but that she understands it too.

Twitter entered the social media world after Facebook, but has since gained impressive momentum. In fact, last year Twitter was growing at a pace of 31.9%, bettering Facebook’s 13.4% rate of growth. And how it has been used for resume posting is just as impressive. To my surprise, there is actually a coined term for merging Twitter and a resume – Twesume. Twesume is defined as “a short bio or resume condensed into 140 characters or less and is often paired with the #Twesume hashtag.” These short postings can then be tweeted, messaged or emailed to potential employers. Tweets containing #Twesume is a perfect way to grab the attention of companies who are actively utilizing social media as a way to seek out new hires.

Now enter the newest wave of social media, Pinterest. This obsession of ‘pinning’ has been consuming internet usage from people everywhere as a way to share favorite ‘things’ such as recipes, design, art, clothing, DIY crafts, etc. When looking at Pinterest as a job hunting tool, it’s easy to see why it’s quickly catching on. Not only is it an excellent tool for sharing your resume, but also for showing your portfolio of work. The ease of pinning your own work to virtual video boards can quickly give potential employers a glimpse at the product of your very own blood, sweat and tears. And all you need is a company to follow you!

We would love to hear some of the creative resumes you’ve seen in your business!

Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve been seeing a lot of small squares, often black and white, 2D barcodes that advertisers seem to be placing on anything and everything. And by everything, I mean everything — from traditional media like print ads to guerilla marketing and even condoms. Quick Response codes, more commonly known as QR codes, a useful tool for marketers to pass on tons more information than is typically digestible in a simple direct mailer or one page ad. They are a marketer’s dream come true. Alas, the days of hoping the target audience remembers a URL are over. All they need to do is whip out their smartphone, which seems to be affixed to their hand anyway, point and scan!

While everything you need to know about a given product or service is only a scan away, the first key to successfully using QR codes starts with giving the viewer something worth scanning. The second is to give them the ability to actually scan the code. Recently I’ve come across some crazy places that marketers have been placing QR codes and I have to wonder, are they just using them because it’s the cool thing to do? Based on these examples, I’d have to say yes.

Unless Spiderman is in town, I’m guessing this QR code will get zero scans.

Please tell me their target audience is seagulls.

Scan at your own risk.

And while there are some pretty awful places to put QR codes, when they are placed appropriately, there are surprisingly a lot of creative ways to utilize them. Take a look at these few examples that really caught my eye.

Mickey, Donald and my personal favorite, Stitch!

Note to self for next can castle food drive contest.

Must confess, I almost ate my computer when I saw this gem.

Of course, I had to include an example from the Melamed Riley archives. The creative team came up with this QR code for a print ad when teasing one of our client’s newest products, the Verifi bed bug detector. This code is made up of hundreds of tiny hotel rooms, hospital rooms, bedrooms and a few teeny-tiny bed bugs. Can you find them all? There are three.

As 2011 comes to a close, let’s take a look (or a listen) down memory lane with the quotes that, for better or worse, made it a year to remember.

Match the phrase below with the famous mouth that it came from. Good luck and Happy New Year from all of us at Melamed Riley!

1. “I have a different constitution. I have a different brain; I have a different heart; I got tiger blood, man.”

2. “As you may have recognized, it’s my mother’s engagement ring, so of course it’s very special to me and (my fiancé) is very special to me now as well, and it’s only right the two of them are put together.”

3. “How perfect is that? I love football, and I love Cleveland. I could easily live there – - easily.”

4. “It’s Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday.”

5. “I wouldn’t have spent so much time on TV on something for just a TV show.” (In defense of her wedding.)

6. “Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.”

7. “Hannah Montana destroyed my life.”

8. “I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I’ve tried to be for you. I won’t say goodbye. I’ll just say, until we meet again. To God be the glory.”

9. “What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last gleaming.”

10. “My wife’s nickname for me is ‘Red Alert.’ I sometimes check to see if the kids are breathing … I tend be a little overprotective without trying to be a helicopter parent.”

I have never been a huge football fan, other than of the Browns, of course. So when my family started a football pool last year, I was less than thrilled. The pool consisted of around 30 people (some family, some friends of family). Twenty-five dollars got your name in the pool and a chance to win up to $400. Due to my lack of football knowledge, I thought contributing my twenty-five dollars to my shoe fund was a better way to spend my earnings. From September to February, all of the family members who could spare the time came together to watch football from 1:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. It was great bonding time, but not so entertaining for someone that lacks interest in the topic at hand. After several weeks of spending every Sunday in front of a television, the Battin house (me and my husband’s house) was nominated to host our first annual Super Bowl party. Now, this was something I was more than willing to participate in due to my love of hosting parties … and parties, in general.

So now fall has returned and the tradition has begun again. Only this time, I am participating. After watching my cousin Laura get to 9th place last year by basing her picks on who has the prettiest uniforms and the coolest names, I thought, “Hey, I can do this.” However, this year’s football pool has way more at stake. With a total of 60 people now participating, there is a chance to win $800. Now THAT is something I could really add to my shoe collection. Unfortunately, it is week four and I am in 56th place. Even sadder is the fact that I have actually been trying, despite my love of the Panthers’ pretty teal uniforms.

How our football pool works

There are a lot of different football pools out there, but here is how ours operates. Each Monday we get a spreadsheet that outlines all of the following Sunday/Monday games – team match-ups and who is home or away. Next to each game, there is another column where you must pick a team to win and then rank your choices from one to sixteen (depending on how many games there are that week). A one means you aren’t very confident your selected team can pull off the W while 16 means you have never been more sure of a decision in your life. Pretty simple, huh? The pool member at the end of the season with the most points wins!

As a bonus to this blog, I would love to share with you my picks for this upcoming Sunday/Monday games. But what if someone from the pool sees this blog and copies me?!? Oh wait, I’m in 56th place – no one will be copying my predictions.

It’s amazing how much I love football now that I have money on the games. Wish me luck!

As a member of the advertising work force, I am constantly drawn to advertisements. I am no creative, but I still find enjoyment in seeing ads, both good and bad and critiquing them or thinking, “What were they told that made this idea come to life.” My constant enjoyment of advertising can be found in my office – no, not my work office, but my home office. My husband and I (also a member of the advertising work force) started collecting old print advertisements a few years back. They are proudly displayed on the walls of our home office. We have all sorts of print ads. Everything from Chef Boyardee to Bigelow Carpet.

In reading these vintage pieces of creativity (mostly from the ’40s and ’50s) I started to notice a trend … What were they thinking?!? For your enjoyment, here are just a few of my favorites from our collection.

What I found odd: Nothing about this photo makes me want to eat Hunt’s. Nothing.

Something in this ad that you would never see today: A photo such as this.

What I found interesting: A recipe is provided in the copy, which is a trend that is still commonly used today.

What I found odd: They used to make portable televisions, ya know, in case you wanted to watch a show and your friend didn’t own a television – a little hard to comprehend in today’s technological years.

Something in this ad you would never see today: The word “needn’t.”

What I found interesting: $199.90 gets you a television AND a stand! What a deal!

What I found odd: The canned food is positioned as “Real Italian-Style Ravioli.” Now, it is better known for, “My kids are hungry and screaming and I have no time to cook.” Or better yet, “I’m a college student strapped for cash. Chef Boyardee is cheap, and I would rather spend most of my money on beer.”

Something in this ad you would never see today: A Chef Boyardee with dark hair and a mustache. The guy is really showing his age these days.

What I found interesting: The spelling of the Chef’s last name has evolved from Boy-Ar-Dee to Boyardee.

What I found odd: Large bowl of ice cream, large product shot, teeny tiny boat.

Something in this ad you would never see today: Borden had its own show! The fine copy reads, “Check out Borden’s show ‘The People’s Choice.’” From a quick little research, I learned that “The People’s Choice” was a sitcom that aired on NBC involving an ex-marine and a basset hound whose thoughts were voiced by an actress named Mary Jane Croft. I’d watch it.

What I found interesting: We still personalize cows in today’s advertising.