The Idea Farm's Blog

  The mere idea of an opportunity to grow your business can be exhilarating. However, when examining different approaches you might use to invest in your business’s growth, marketing is probably one of the avenues that would be worrying to explore. The digital marketing world is constantly changing, and it can be difficult to keep up with new trends while running your business. Even talking with different agencies about pricing can be a tedious thing. You may be tempted to take on the marketing yourself or outsource it to a freelancer. However, this may not be the best long-term option, as a marketing agency can provide extensive and cohesive services that grow your business. So, what does outsourcing digital marketing involve? If you’re unsure about what to do for marketing your business, we’ve got some advice for you. A digital marketing agency can help grow your business and though the cost may seem a little high they will give you better results than going it alone or the costl...

Ryan Reynold’s is typically known as an actor and comicbook superhero Deadpool. But the Hollywood star has a lot going on in the business world. He is also one of the most in-demand and influential creators in advertising. The Canadian-born star is the cofounder of film production company and digital marketing agency Maximum Effort and has had a string of viral campaigns with advertisements he’s co-produced and written since the firm’s inception in 2018. Reynolds sold the company to ad tech company MNTN in 2021 but still plays a hands-on role as its chief creative officer. He and a partner, George Dewey, formerly senior vice president of digital marketing at 20th Century Fox, co-founded Maximum Effort initially to promote “Deadpool,” a film Reynolds fought ten years to get made. That’s where the iconic black and red suit came into play. “We then started marketing with the suit and having fun with it without giving away pieces of the film, and it turned out to be really successful,” sai...

August 26, 2022 - Nielsen revealed that streaming usage surpassed cable in July to claim the largest share of television viewing for the first time, according to The Gauge, Nielsen's monthly total TV and streaming snapshot. Streaming represented a record 34.8% share of total television use, while cable and broadcast came in at 34.4% and 21.6%, respectively. Streaming consumption has exceeded that of broadcast before, but this is the first time it has also topped cable viewing. Total time spent watching TV in July closely resembled that of both June 2022 and July 2021, but despite these similarities, the change in the distribution of viewing formats on a year-over-year basis further demonstrates how viewing behaviors continue to shift. As the biggest mover this month, streaming usage increased +3.2% compared to June and gained +1.1 share points. Time spent streaming in July averaged nearly 191 billion minutes per week, and each of the five measurement weeks in July 2022 now account ...

Foremost Insurance, founded in 1952, has evolved from its agents selling coverage face-to-face in lots packed with RVs and mobile homes to an independent agent network of 161,000 fueled by social media platforms. Jeff Bair, head of independent agent marketing and national accounts-independent agent distribution for Foremost Insurance, discussed this evolution during an Insurance Marketing & Communications Association webinar with AM Best TV. What are the biggest challenges for insurance marketing? “One of the challenges we face in insurance marketing is probably consistent with what a lot of marketers face. That’s breaking through the clutter of existing communications. One of the concepts we use is C cubed. (With) each element, each C is symbiotic. They add to the strength of each other one when you’re deploying all three together. It would be for your marketing to be clear, concise and creative. The second challenge of the two is tied to the first one. That’s creating content th...

Boost your career with a ‘skip-level’ meeting. What are skip-level meetings? They are meetings with your boss’s boss without your boss present. This interaction should not be perceived as going over your boss’s head. Personal interaction with a higher power in the business can improve your career, especially if you’re a new hire. The goal is to increase communication so that all parties learn more about what’s happening in the organization from each perspective. Also, skip-level meetings offer opportunities to develop professional relationships and connect with top management, especially if you don’t have regular interactions with your boss’s boss. How do I schedule a skip-level? If skip-level meetings are not already part of your organization, think about reaching out to senior managers on your own (but do inform your boss and explain the purpose). Justify such a meeting to your boss by stressing it’s helpful for: • Building relationships within the organization with someone you don’t...

Employment in advertising, public relations and related services rose by 2,200 jobs in October, according to the monthly employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also showed the biggest monthly job drop on record for internet media. Ad agency employment also slumped. For the overall economy, U.S. employers in October added 531,000 jobs as the labor market gained strength. U.S. employment in the BLS classification of advertising, public relations and related services increased to 453,100 jobs in October. The ad business banked its ninth consecutive month of growth since ad jobs hit a pandemic period low of 432,100 in January. The October increase in advertising employment came in above September's gain of 1,200 ad jobs. BLS upwardly revised the September figure from the preliminary 1,000 jobs increase it reported last month.This BLS bucket includes ad agencies, PR agencies and related services such as m...