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Crisis Management for Long-Term Care Communities during COVID-19

If you’re like us, you’re likely hunkered down at home, doing your best social distancing to help flatten the curve of COVID-19. As the coronavirus has spread across the globe over the first few months of 2020, we’ve unfortunately learned that those most at risk for contracting are immunocompromised and the elderly.

And even though a lot of the world has shifted from in-person work to working from home, many important, essential employees, like those who work in long-term care communities, caring for the more geriatric population, aren’t able to. This has led to more requests for crisis management services at these communities due to negative media coverage and a discussion of HIPAA transparency from these communities.

Here’s how Critical Point Communications, a subsidiary of ON Advertising, is tackling crisis management recommendations and insight on dealing with the media amidst the pandemic, and how we can help you if you’re a long-term care provider in need.

A Rise in Need for Crisis Management at Long-Term Care Communities

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 there’s been a definite rise in requests for crisis management at long-term care communities. The communities are filled mainly by elderly patients, many of whom deal with already pre-existing conditions or poor health, and are more at risk against contracting the virus, according to the CDC. Calls to manage crisis situations have doubled over the past two month which speaks to the magnitude of the situation these communities currently find themselves in. Due to this increase, we’ve provided crisis management services to more than 50 long-term care communities across the country since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Because of the nature of the virus, this type of management is different from the typical crisis management situation we usually deal with. Typically, we handle problems like citations received during a recent inspection, an employee theft of resident property, a missing resident, and other situations of a similar nature. During this crisis, long-term care communities have faced extreme negative media coverage since the spread began. Since there has never been a pandemic of this kind before, care communities are having difficulty knowing how to manage. From determining the timing of actions, such as limiting or prohibiting visitors, stopping social activities, confining residents, and what exactly to do in the event a resident or employee contracts the virus – there is a lot to consider.

So far, we have dealt with a number of different issues regarding COVID-19 in long-term care communities, like a resident contracting COVID-19 in the community, an employee contracting COVID-19 in the community, and a media barrage on a community regarding transparency. We also dealt with long-term care media communications, employee and resident communications regarding virus in the building, COVID-19 visitation restrictions, and resident and employee quarantine timing and response during the crisis.

Dealing With Crisis Management Issues During COVID-19

To a community in need of assistance, crisis management can deal with the specific crisis occurring at that moment, and provide immediate communication requirements both inside and outside the community to control information regarding the crisis. And in terms of the COVID-19 crisis we’re currently facing, we provide specific directions to communicate to residents, family members, and media outlets regarding the proactive approach the community is doing to limit or eliminate the spread of the virus.
But what steps do we take to do so?
We provide verbal and written recommendations to both owners and senior management, stay in direct communication with media outlets, and write media statements regarding specific crisis issues that arise. Internally within the community, we provide communications to residents and family members. And in such unusual times, we cannot stress enough the need for all long-term care communities to have a crisis management plan in place.

Putting a Crisis Management Plan In Place at Long-Term Care communities

According to an article by Healthline, experts say that Americans may have to get used to social distancing over the next 1 to 2 years. In the event that COVID-19 makes a return this Fall, it would be beneficial for all long-term care communities to be ready with internal and external communication protocols.
Crisis Communication plans include:

An employee policy regarding a crisis situation (written for employee manuals).
Knowing what issues constitute a crisis, and knowledge of who to contact first in the event of a crisis.
Direction on how to communicate to employees and residents during a crisis and knowing when to seek outside assistance for crisis management.
How to handle incoming media calls and what to do if the media shows up at your door.

It is important that long-term care communities do not give on the spot interviews to any media outlet, and that information is carefully articulated both inside and outside of the community. If a facility is not sure what to do, seek outside professional crisis help immediately.

Working With Critical Point Communications

Knowing that it’s not a matter of “if”, but rather of “when” when it comes to a crisis occurring can help your company be better prepared. To better avoid significant damage being done to your valuable reputation within your community, it’s essential that any crisis is either resolved or contained within 4 hours or less. And that’s where Critical Point Communications can help you navigate.
The COVID-19 outbreak has brought forth new, unique challenges being faced by long-term care communities. And because these communities are at the epicenter of the pandemic and taking a brunt of the discourse, we want you to know, we’re here to help.
If you are a long-term care community needing crisis management assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, contact us today to speak to our expert team.

A graphic of Mikaela doing some strategic planning

Service Spotlight: Strategic Planning

At ON Advertising, our main goal is to help make you successful. Whether that means we’ve created a video that perfectly tells your story, or developed a website that transforms your eCommerce business, developing your brand is in our DNA. And it involves strategic planning.

But before we reach project’s end – in fact, before we even begin in-depth research, we develop a strategic approach. One that aligns sales and marketing objectives. This allows us to learn what unique business goals and challenges your business has; and that’s what drives everything else that we do!

Our focus is on providing our clients with a tailored marketing plan that aligns with their business approach. And what’s the most important aspect of making it all come together? Strategic planning by our expert team members.

Strategic Planning

When examining our clients, and what ultimately drives their success, one common denominator stands out: the strategy behind each service we provide. Why is this important? In the end, the goal is to create long-term marketing objectives for your marketing team. And the sales team gets the ongoing short-term support they need to close more deals. Don’t worry if you aren’t selling anything physical and instead provide a service. Our strategic planning extends to social media campaigns and beyond. Whatever you need, we can plan for it.

To fully understand your business’s needs, we start by analyzing the current state of your brand; and focus on what will resonate with new customers. We create your marketing strategy by identifying what differentiates you from all your competitors; and what builds an affinity with prospective customers. To do this, we focus on a number of strategic planning services.

Brand Messaging and Positioning:
We aim to unlock the potential of your brand. By performing brand positioning, we define how you want your audience to view your service. That, paired with brand messaging to further solidify you’re targeting this desired positioning, leaves you with a cohesive voice.

Customer Research and Insights:
To become top of mind for customers, you’ve got to be able to dive deeper into theirs’. Not only is it vital to research your competitors, but to evaluate your customer’s habits, both current and prospective. With this, we can better define the direction your messaging takes. We can also utilize any past analytics, in combination with new insights as we begin our partnership; and we can adjust strategies as we go. Adaptability is key, after all!

Strategic Planning and Sales Plan:
When considering a strategy for any marketing and sales tactics, evaluating a company’s current environment is often where we start. For example, many of our clients have fluctuating “busy seasons”. This can ultimately guide things like how much marketing money is spent, where, and at what time of year. This is also where we can get granular in our target markets and create feasible, attainable goals for our clients about who they’re spending their dollars on.

SWOT Analysis:
You’ve likely heard of a SWOT analysis, which is the evaluation of a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This could include anything from direct competition in your market to a strong internal culture that makes for happy employees! By analyzing the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between, we’re better equipped to help you make the strategic decisions that will shape your business’s future.

Target Market Analysis:
You’ve got a good or service and someone out there has the need for it! But how do you find them in such saturated industries? We perform a target market analysis to determine whether or not you’re reaching your ideal audience. From there we can refine, retarget, and create a truly dialed in customer base/audience – and grow it as you do!

Value Proposition:
At its core, a value proposition describes why a customer would want to purchase your product over another. Or, why they’d rather work with you over another company! And articulating this message, succinctly and successfully, can take a lot more strategic planning than you might think. This message is often one that is seen before anything else concerning your brand. So, we work to make it all-encompassing and expertly crafted.

ON Advertising

We understand that there is a tangible business goal that you want to achieve. And aligning our communication strategies with business objectives of our clients is how we create well-conceived strategies to meet them. When our analytical approach meets big, creative ideas, magic happens! Contact us to tell us all about your business or project; and get matched with the experts ready to take your business to the next level with quality strategic planning.

ON Advertising Acquires Evans Communications

ON Advertising, a prominent Phoenix-based full-service advertising firm, has acquired Evans Communications, a leading Valley public relations, marketing and event planning firm.

Evans Communications will be merged into the ON Advertising structure, and its principal Tom Evans will join the ON Advertising team as Partner-Public Relations and Event Strategies. Evans’ three other employees will join the ON Advertising team as well. The dollar value of the transaction is to be determined based upon revenues over the next few years.

The move significantly expands ON’s public relations and event planning capabilities while providing Evans Communications’ clients with ON’s full spectrum of advertising, creative, digital, social media and marketing services. Evans Communications’ clients include some of the Valley’s most prominent organizations, including Plaza Companies, Valley of the Sun United Way, SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, The Phoenix Symphony and many more.

ON Advertising’s client base includes a broad range of public and private sector organizations, including Hines, Chompie’s Restaurants, Pioneer Packaging, Cici’s Pizza, Aria Energy, Maricopa County and the State of Arizona.

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished over the years on our clients’ behalf, and have been fortunate and privileged to work with some of the finest leaders in Arizona and some of the most dynamic organizations in the Southwest and beyond,” Tom Evans said. “But we were very impressed with what ON Advertising’s partners John Hernandez, Ron Meritt, and Eric Garcia are building, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it. They have been incredibly gracious and welcoming, and we look forward to what we’re able to achieve for our clients together.”

Andrea Tyler Evans, co-owner of Evans Communications, will continue to serve as Publisher of the Evans’ other company, Frontdoors Media, which is not involved in the transaction.

John Hernandez, Partner and Co-Owner of ON Advertising, said that the acquisition was an opportunity for the agency to continue its growth while expanding its capabilities and adding a well-known name in the community to the company’s roster.

“Evans Communications has an excellent reputation in the Valley,” said John Hernandez. “Tom and our partners had great conversations to make this deal happen, and we knew that not only would our services be complementary, but he and his team would fit into our culture, which made this a no-brainer,” he added.

The transition will officially take effect on April 1, with the Evans team transitioning into the ON Advertising offices in downtown Phoenix.

Founded in 1993, ON Advertising is a full-service advertising, marketing, public relations, graphic design, web design and video production agency with innovation and big creative ideas at its core. For all clients, we take a business-based approach which means we look at bottom-line growth for every client. We start and execute every assignment with the understanding there are tangible business goals to achieve and the communication strategies must align with the business objectives of each client.

Ephemeral Content

Have you heard of ephemeral content? You may not know it by its official name, but you sure have seen it in applications like Snapchat and Instagram Stories. And according to Strike Social, ephemeral content is here to stay.

We already utilize ephemeral content in our everyday content here at ON Advertising, both for ourselves and our clients! But as the content grows in popularity, we’re following how it may impact our marketing and advertising tactics overall. We looked at how ephemeral content is evolving, what it could mean for our strategies, and how it may affect yours.

What is Ephemeral Content?

Ephemeral, by definition, means “lasting for a very short time”. And this is a concept we’ve seen rapidly take off in the world of social media over the last few years. Interestingly enough, we have the social media platform Snapchat to thank for this popular content style. They were the first to entertain the idea back in 2011, according to Rebrandly. What was the reason behind this new concept? The platform was looking for a way to break up the monotonous, overly planned aspect of social media. Unsurprisingly, internet users were behind this new way of utilizing their accounts; and from there, a beloved social media medium was born.

Since then, we’ve seen ephemeral content abilities, of various approaches, pop up in a number of platforms. Instagram, Facebook, and, most recently, Twitter with their introduction of fleets – just to name a few. Each platform’s idea is slightly personal, but with a common main concept. It’s content that, once posted, typically lasts a maximum of 24 hours before it disappears for good. At least from an outside viewer’s vantage point.

Ephemeral Content and ON Advertising

We’re no stranger to the inclusion of ephemeral content at ON Advertising. That goes for both our employee’s personal content, our own company posts, and client activity as well! With all that said: we see a huge value in the strategic use of the idea. With where our industry currently is, as well as where it’s headed, being able to convey a sense of authenticity is more important than ever. This goes for personal social accounts belonging to an everyday user, to the much larger, unapproachable platforms that celebrities and public entities hold. And for us, this also applies to our own clients and their businesses.

Typically, the main feed of a company’s social account is fairly premeditated. Whether it’s an in-house social team managing the page or an outside agency running it for them, posts are often planned. It allows for consistency and a sense of cohesiveness that can help solidify brand recognition. But with this also comes a lack of spontaneity; and in a sense, relatability. After all, if everything is perfectly in place all the time, where’s the sense of fun? This goes without saying, but a perfectly balanced mix of both planned and impromptu posting is the ideal strategy.

How We Use Ephemeral Content

So, how do we utilize ephemeral content in our work? By doing a little planning, funnily enough. When thinking about how best to utilize ephemeral posts in our content strategies, we had to think about what goes best, and where. For example, for a business, a planned feed is likely to house things like product updates, strong photos of their work, and anything else they want eyes to consistently be on. Ephemeral content, on the other hand, may be where things such as casual behind the scenes photos, timely event updates, and more personal posts may go.

By evaluating our client’s needs, and the needs of our own company, we have implemented approaches that mirror this! And beyond the ability to communicate with followers on a more intimate level through the content you know won’t last, it’s a great way to keep your feed uncluttered in general. With brand recognition in mind, it is important to have a sense of eye-catching branding. And a feed is the perfect place for that kind of content to live. By allowing more unedited, raw videos and photos to stay within the ephemeral bubble, you can really enjoy the best of both worlds for your accounts.

Along with everything else, ephemeral content analytics are extremely helpful when it comes to meeting the needs of our clients. For example, though posted stories on Instagram only last 24 hours max for another user, it still lives on in an archive. If you have a business account, that is. By regularly tracking this data, we can see what’s working, what isn’t performing, and come up with new ideas based on those numbers.

Where Do We Think It’s Headed

In reality, the capabilities of ephemeral content, as well as its impact on analytics, are at the beginning stages. Like any other aspect of social media, we’re bound to go through millions of changes over the coming years. So far, we’ve found that it’s a great way to engage with our various audiences in a more personal, timely way. And we’re truly excited to see what new ways we can implement ephemeral content, whether it be the introduction of a whole new platform or just an update to the capabilities we know and love.

Partner With ON Advertising

We know it’s important to connect your brand values with your company goals, and we’re here to help. We use customized social media strategies and campaigns to make sure you’re reaching the right people, in the right places, at the right time. And if you’re looking for help with ephemeral content, our highly-skilled social media experts can provide you with the solutions that work. Contact us today to partner with our team.

Client Spotlight: Chompie’s Restaurants

In 1979, the Borenstein family brought their timeless family recipes from Queens, New York all the way to Phoenix, Arizona, and Chompie’s Restaurants were born. While we’re grateful for the opportunity to enjoy classic, authentic New York deli foods right here at home, we’re also grateful for the partnership we’ve created with the Chompie’s family! ON Advertising has been working with Chompie’s for over 2 years and we can’t wait to see what comes next. But before we begin the next chapter, take a look at what we’ve worked on so far!

What We’ve Been Up To

Although our union with Chompie’s Restaurants is relatively new, we’ve gotten to work on some pretty amazing things with their team thus far. And our custom, thorough strategy for Chompie’s may have something to do with it!

Our extensive scope of services for their team includes:

Social Media Content & Management
Menus, Promotional & Packaging Designs
Email Marketing
Website Maintenance
eCommerce Website Development
Media Relations
Paid Media Management
Google My Business Management
Still Photography
Video Production
Service Evaluation Reports

But, how exactly did our partnership begin? Chompie’s reached out to ON Advertising to help with increasing their brand awareness. And in a state with ever-changing demographics, an increasingly competitive restaurant community, and five locations across the Valley, the task at hand seemed big, but we were confident our team was up to the challenge!

From the beginning, we were tasked with revamping the restaurant’s menu, driving sales through paid advertising and media relations, and enhancing customer retention through strategic email communication. In addition, we did marketing for the restaurant’s 40th anniversary in 2019 and continually handle their social media. Before we began, we first needed to interview patrons of each of the various locations. This was to find out exactly what it was about Chompie’s that resonated with them so much.

Oftentimes our own assumptions, and the assumptions of our clients, were right. Other times what we uncovered was a surprise! The reality is that people in different places, even within a span of a few miles, have different motivators for behaviors. Our data ultimately pointed to a broad consensus point transcending generations of Chompie’s fans: nostalgia!

Memories of coming to Chompie’s Restaurants for years shined through. Stories of East Coast natives who moved to Arizona and miss New York deli’s, to parents of younger individuals taking them to Chompie’s were just some of the memories we were honored to hear. And once we understood the audience at hand, our team of diverse, skilled experts got straight to work.

What Happened

As a result of our efforts, sales increased substantially at three of the five Chompie’s Restaurant locations all within just six months. The two other locations had sales equal to the previous year and remained steady. We even helped Chompie’s eliminate items from the menu that were not selling in high volumes. Meaning we helped them cut internal costs by curating a menu that customers truly enjoy.

Another vital aspect of Chompie’s success is its cohesive social media strategy! And during our time with Chompie’s Restaurants, we’ve implemented some stellar tactics within our partnership. We can attribute much of our Instagram success to a rapidly growing industry: keto influencers. Because Chompie’s offers unique, low-carb products, working with influencers can reach a farther, larger niche audience. Coupled with giveaways, the keto community is proving to be a powerful, driving force for Chompie’s Restaurants.

But beyond social media partnerships, an internal shift of Chompie’s messaging has gone a long way. By using a cohesive photoshoot style and photo editing style, their platforms have a consistent look across the board. Pair this with short, witty, straight to the point captions and Chompie’s has a strategy that’s working.

In our industry, it all comes back to ROI for the client. And in June of 2019, we launched a new online shopping experience! We continue to maintain and update the shopping page for performance and functionality. The results of this update were further ease in ordering products and reduced shipping costs! Plus, a dramatic increase in website orders has shown ever since we launched the new online shopping cart – and sales are only increasing.

We are proud to say we gave this 40-year-old brand a positive return on their investment in us – what we strive for in every one of our partnerships.

In fact, here’s what Chompie’s VP of Operations, Frank Lara, had to say about working with us: “We couldn’t be more pleased about our partnership with ON Advertising! They’ve delivered measurable ROI, helping us to increase sales at our restaurant locations. They’ve streamlined our menu, and their creative team redesigned our bagel boxes. They are creative, responsive and thoughtful…ON Advertising is the best!”

What We’re Planning for Chompie’s Restaurants

A new year means a whole new set of goals! In 2020, we are aiming to greatly enhance the overall awareness of Chompie’s brand and further expand its customer base. This means aiding them in sharing their Jewish culture and DELIcious food with the melting pot that is Phoenix! And because Phoenix is the fifth-largest city in the United States, the future’s looking bright.

Ultimately, we hope to continue helping to share authentic New York deli recipes with new customers that share a love for comfort food. Additionally, we will work to strengthen and expand their current digital advertising impact, both locally and nationally!

ON Advertising

At ON Advertising, our goal is to unlock the potential of your brand. And by partnering with our team of experts, in various fields, we can help you enhance your brand – just like Chompie’s! Contact us to get started on your project.

How 2020’s Super Bowl Commercials Stacked Up

Super Bowl LIV has come and gone! While some were in it to root for favorite teams, many tuned in to watch a Super Bowl of a different kind: commercials! Each year, millions gather to see what out-of-the-box, memorable ads will join the ranks of what is considered the pinnacle of advertising. In fact, according to Heavy, companies needed to shell out approximately $5.6 million for just a 30-second slot this year; far from the $37,500 it cost in 1967. We’ve had enough time to watch and rewatch our favorite (and least favorite) ads over and over again. So, here’s a look at how we thought a few of the highly-anticipated 2020 Super Bowl spots performed and alternatives for those who might not have the budget.

Best Performing

Snickers

Perhaps one of the most recognizable brands today, Snickers has become a staple in the Super Bowl commercial world. Each year we wait to see what star-studded cast will grace their promotions, and this year, actor Luis Guzman made an appearance! But what was successful about this commercial from an advertising standpoint? By sticking to the same similar message year after year, Snickers has cemented themselves as an expected participant; and people are watching. This year, the company took their “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” slogan to the next level.

A common theme throughout Super Bowl commercials this time around was the use of relevant references and pop culture mentions. And with commentaries about the world’s problems, like smart home surveillance or children being named “Kale”, they certainly target a specific audience. Then, thousands gathered to save the state of our world by “feeding the earth” a Snickers bar. But not before a pair of “social media influencers”, another reference to the state of things, fell into the pit.

From the very beginning, filling the spot with relevant cultural and pop culture references helped capture viewers. Sticking with a recognizable message kept them locked in. And emotionally, viewers can relate to a changing world. While it was a slight turn from the typical Snickers message, it appeared to make its mark on audiences. It even came first in lists, like the one from Thrillist, ranking the commercials from best to worst.

Doritos

For some, along with brands like Budweiser and Pepsi, the Doritos spot is one of the most well-known ads to play during the big game. And just like Snickers, they too utilize celebrity power to get viewers’ attention with Chance the Rapper and the Backstreet Boys appearing in 2019. This year, we saw rapper Lil Nas X and actor Sam Elliott have a western dance-off over a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos in a minute-long ad – ending with Lil Nas X edging out Elliott with a dancing horse.

While certainly unique, Doritos did exactly what it does best each year: kept it simple. In analyzing the commercial content itself, it’s easy to see that Doritos didn’t have to go above and beyond to sell themselves. Instead, they maintain their core message and focus on continually adding to brand recognition, and it works!

Pepsi

When it comes to brand identity, Pepsi also knows exactly how to market with a purpose. In 2019, rapper Cardi B, actor Steve Carrell, and rapper Lil Jon partnered with them. This year, hip hop artists Missy Elliott & H.E.R. remixed the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” while visibly transforming their competitor’s iconic red Coca-Cola cans into black, sugar-free Pepsi cans.

Luckily for Pepsi, this promo appeared successful in a number of ways. By working with a recognizable song, the company appealed to multiple age and gender demographics. Not to mention they perfectly incorporated their competitor in a subtle, yet notable way. Unsurprisingly, they also have made many lists of the most popular Super Bowl commercials. Even landing themselves on Vogue’s roundup of “The 16 Most Iconic Super Bowl Ads of All Time”.

Least Favorites

From unclear messaging to lackluster footage, there were also a few ads during the Big Game that seemingly missed the mark, leaving less of an impact on viewers.

Quibi

One Super Bowl commercial that left the audience with more questions than answers? An ad for the new streaming service launching in April of this year, Quibi. The 30-second clip features bank robbers running away from a bank heist, expecting to see their getaway driver out front. He tells them he’ll be there in “a quibi”, meaning 10 minutes or less. The spot then explains that Quibi will have quick bites, big stories, and episodes in 10 minutes or less.

It’s clear this promo intends to sell the streaming service, but without any indication of what shows they’ll be featuring, viewers are left wondering what kind of entertainment the subscription platform will offer. And with conglomerates like Hulu, Netflix, and now Disney+ to compete with, it could be a difficult sell in such a saturated market.

Procter & Gamble

Contrary to ads like Pepsi and Doritos that used celebrities sparingly (but successfully), Procter & Gamble’s 2020 Super Bowl ad was chock-full of recognizable faces; too many, perhaps. The 60-second ad was introduced as the “first interactive Super Bowl ad”. It featured a mix of various celebrity spokespeople representing many of the brands under Procter & Gamble.

Sofia Vergara was the star, Troy Polamalu showed up for Head & Shoulders, the Old Spice guy Isaiah Mustafa was included, Busy Philipps promoted Olay, Boyz II Men sang a jingle, and Rob Riggle was a superhero who arrived to save the day from a chili mess with Bounty paper towels. Not to mention that animated Mr. Clean and a Charmin toilet paper bear also made an appearance. And while it’s clear what the message is trying to convey, it gets lost in what feels like a slew of guest appearances; and with selling the company’s goods falling by the wayside.

Super Bowl Advertising Alternatives

Have you ever wanted to air an ad during the Super Bowl? Unfortunately for a lot of companies both big and small, it’s just not feasible in terms of costs. There are alternatives, however, to make sure your advertisements are seen by the right people, on the right platforms, at the right time during the game – without having to drop a whopping $5.6 million.

According to Hubspot, buying video ad space on social platforms, developing a deeper narrative, maximizing on major events or holidays, co-marketing, and influencer marketing are other ways to be seen and get noticed; and ON Advertising can help.

ON Advertising

Advertising is our game, and it’s even in our name. We utilize a consumer-centric approach in everything we do, including creating, planning, and buying advertising locally, nationally, and internationally. We develop tailor-made media strategies for our clients and see projects through from inception to completion. From TV to desktop and mobile to billboards, we can put you in front of your target consumers. Contact us to learn how we can help unlock the potential of your brand.

Man in a lab coat is carefully looking at a jar that contains cannabis concentrates

Client Spotlight: Procan Labs

Say hello to our latest client: Procan Labs! Started in 2017, they’re now California’s leader in purified cannabis concentrates. Procan Labs extracts the highest quality full-spectrum crude oil and distillate; their mission is to keep the California cannabis supply chain stabilized and reliable with the clean, compliant oil, distillate, and Terpenes required, all while elevating the quality of life for people across California.

We’re honored to have started an incredible partnership with them in 2019 and look forward to working alongside them in 2020. Here’s a little bit more about the difference you’ll see when working with Procan Labs.

Who They Are

It’s no surprise the cannabis industry is booming, and Procan Labs is a key player in the current field. But, what sets them apart from the rest? The Procan Promise. They take an authentic, honest, and transparent approach to their business and their customers. Their cold-pressing process ensures impurities or harmful residual solvents in their oil, distillate, or Terpenes are removed, therefore you can feel confident that their products are pure, natural, and versatile.

What They Do

Procan Labs can do it all. No really, they can! In their Concord, CA laboratory, they produce a wide array of products for various needs. Using a cold-pressed extraction method at sub-zero temperatures, they’re able to produce any end product you need:

Terpenes: Procan Labs believes you should be able to smell and taste the difference in your end product, and their process ensures you do. The entire plant and biomass run through cold-pressed extraction methods to bring you true cannabis-derived Terpenes.

Distillate: The processes at Procan Labs also include multiple passes of molecular distillation, with an end result of high potency distillate. They make sure each fraction is clean and pure with the specifications needed to manufacture your consumer products.
Full Spectrum Crude: The unique processes don’t stop there because Procan Labs also delivers a full spectrum crude rich in terpenes. How do they do it? During post-process closed-loop decarboxylation, which controls the loss of light volatiles normally associated with ethanol extraction.

Procan Labs produces products ranging from tinctures and salves to balms and vape cartridges. Most importantly, they do what they say they will: promise transparency, availability, and integrity in every communication and transaction.

How We Help

Though our partnership is in its beginning stages, ON Advertising has already created some pretty incredible things with Procan Labs. As with all our clients, our 30-60-90 day plans create the guide for executing the marketing and advertising elements, and it was no different for Procan Labs.

In the first month, we worked on brand development, logo design, and social media development. In month two, we created their website design, as well as began the process of creating three videos that will live on the site. And finally, in month three, we launched the new Procan Labs website! Stay tuned to see what we come up with next for this client, you won’t want to miss it.

Innovation and big creative ideas are at ON Advertising’s core. Our analytical approach, combined with our outstanding creative team, guarantees our clients receive a focused, well-conceived plan that meets all of their marketing and advertising needs. Contact us to learn more about our services and about how we can help you grow your business.

2020 media strategy sprawled across the image with a cactus standing tall in front.

What is our Media Plan for 2020?

Well, we’re getting ready to say goodbye to 2019 and hello to 2020 here at ON Advertising! While we’re sure you’ve also seen the articles popping up on your timeline describing the top trends for the new year, or what you should look out for when it comes to media planning, we’re here to tell you what’s really what. We keep our finger on the pulse of the latest trends in marketing, branding, and strategy; because we believe a strong media strategy gets results.

We’ve compiled a quick lineup of some of 2020’s hottest predicted trends and how we plan to take them to the next level in the new decade.

Video Marketing

Perhaps one of the most talked about, important aspects of marketing as of late is video marketing. While videos and even GIFs aren’t new to the digital marketing world, incorporating them into your media plan is an absolute must if you want to continue to be viable.

According to Social Media Today, video content can drive a greater response than any other social content type, if it’s done well. In an infographic of video marketing statistics, they revealed that on Instagram specifically, video generates more engagement than any other content type and 65% of impressions from an ad come from videos. On Pinterest, users are 2.6 times more likely to share a video than any other post type. Tweets with video see 10 times more engagement than those without, and promoted tweets with videos can save you on costs up to 50%. Not only that, but on Twitter 82% of users mainly watch video content when using the app. As for LinkedIn, video campaigns have 82% view rates.

Essentially, video rules all when showing social results, and harnessing the power can change the game for your strategy. So, how do we plan to utilize our video services to slay in 2020? By knowing exactly what you need and delivering even beyond your expectations. Our video media professionals are experts at defining the most appropriate video content solution for your needs. By identifying the right type, style, tone, script, and art direction, we can effectively tell a compelling story. Analyzing the needs of your target buyers helps us determine the best way to distribute and showcase your story. These tactics help ensure that the right type of video content is being seen by the right people, and that we’re making the right impact on your bottom line.

Social Media Stories

If you’ve followed us for some time, then you may remember our excitement for ephemeral content for 2019. Again, ephemeral content is any photos and videos that aren’t permanent on your platforms. Typically they disappear within 24 hours, so it’s important to make them eye-catching and memorable for their short lifespan. These stories make it possible to post more, without oversaturating and bogging down your page. We view these as another channel within your channel, and employing them is vital.

In an article by Medium, they explained that Instagram Stories’ see 400 million daily users. That’s a huge number for something that doesn’t remain on your page indefinitely. Although Instagram’s ‘Story’ feature is probably the most famous when it comes to ephemeral content, it certainly wasn’t the first platform to come up with the idea. In fact, Snapchat was the first platform to introduce them in October of 2013 and launch the trend. Since then, we’ve seen a huge influx of other companies coming up with their own versions, such as Facebook Stories. We’re expecting to see even more implement the feature in 2020 and the near future.

As 2020 approaches, ON plans to continually incorporate stories into our social media strategy. With the employment of even longer video mediums, like IGTV, there’s endless potential when it comes to the power of video.

Influencer Marketing

While influencers in marketing is also not a new concept, we’ve seen a massive shift in the impact and influence they actually carry. From beauty bloggers to foodies, influencers from all walks of life are in our feeds, and they hold more power than you’d think.

In an article by BigCommerce, they predicted that 65% of influencer budgets by marketers were going to increase. They also explained that 17% of companies spend over half of their marketing budget on influencers and 89% of all marketers found that ROI due to influencer marketing was comparable or even better than other marketing channels. Sounds like some crazy statistics, right? It might not be as out of the box as you think.

As for ON Advertising, the biggest tactic we used with influencer marketing in 2019 was realizing and harnessing the power and impact influencers and micro-influencers have on social media, especially on Instagram. At the beginning of 2019, we examined our clients and we narrowed down who had a niche product or brand. We then figured out what the best tactic to get the word out about the product was. Unsurprisingly, influencers were the answer. With these tactics, we’ve been able to grow this client’s followers past 15k. We’ve also seen increased impressions, boosted engagement within the 6 digits, and have reported a huge growth of ROI.

Creating partnerships with these influencers and micro-influencers proved to be the most important thing we’ve learned. They trust the brand and the product, and love promoting it. In turn, we share all of their content and find new ways to support them. Building these partnerships through heavy community management and being available to answer various questions took the partnerships even further. It took time but, in the end, our client is flourishing. The influencers and micro-influencers are reporting that their social media has grown with the established partnerships.

As we look to the 2020 and begin planning our social media strategy for our clients, our top priority is finding and establishing new techniques to manage our influencers. Not to mention utilizing tools that can help us find more influencers that we can form partnerships with.

How ON Advertising Can Help in 2020

At ON Advertising, we believe that big ideas build more business. When our decades of experience in full-service advertising, marketing, video production, public relations, website production, media buying, and more pair with new innovations and strategies, who knows what we can create for you. Contact us today.

Man with his credit card in hand is getting ready to purchase items off eBay.

The Pros and Cons of Holiday Marketing

Ho, ho, ho, the holiday season is upon us! It’s once again the time of year where our email inbox is flooded with specials, text message deals come flying in, and all over ads are making use of the festive season to target you. While sales tend to skyrocket during this time of year, the marketing efforts that go behind them can be “snow” joke. Whether you have a large budget or are relying on small marketing efforts, holiday marketing can be the thing that helps you “sleigh” the competition. Here at ON Advertising, we’ve compiled a few of the pros and cons of holiday marketing to keep in mind.

Cost of Christmastime Marketing

According to an article by WordStream, bid prices can increase by 140% over their yearly average during the holidays. Con? This means that your marketing budget has to match your efforts. Pro? Your ROI could increase as well. In a piece by emarketer, they revealed that in 2018, holiday retail sales finally crossed the $1 trillion mark, making it more crucial than ever to secure your spot in a saturated sales snowstorm. An article by Vivial using a report by Ignite showed that companies spent almost $27 billion on social media marketing in 2018 alone and allocated 25% of their annual budgets to social media marketing over the holidays. Essentially, sticking with the same budget is no longer viable and it may be time to up yours. CNBC states that holiday spending is expected to rise 5% this year, so it can be extremely beneficial to revisit your numbers and budget from the previous year to find your baseline. Make sure your budget is substantial, your strategy is flushed out, and that you know your goals. You’ll be feelin’ “pine”.

Digital vs. In-Store Shopping

Do you like to do your holiday shopping online, or do you prefer to head to the store to snag your deals? If you like to purchase on the web, you aren’t alone. CNBC also states that according to Tim Cadogan, chairman, and chief executive officer for OpenX, 53% of all holiday shopping is expected to be done digitally. A press release from Adobe Analytics showed that during Cyber Monday, direct website traffic ranked highest for driving revenue at 25.3 percent share of sales (down 1.2 percent YoY), followed by paid search at 25.1 percent (up 7.4 percent YoY), natural search at 18.8 percent (down 2.8 percent), and email at 24.2 percent (up 0.5 percent). They noted that social media had a 1.1 percent share, impacting online sales very minimally. WordStream’s findings also revealed that 8 in 10-holiday shoppers are influenced by the internet before making a purchase. Con? You may not see the largest crowds in your brick and mortar store. Pro? If your holiday marketing efforts are eye-catching and a substantial enough deal, you’ll have your “elf” a merry little Christmas when it comes to sales.

Coupons and Deals

It’s no secret that most people are happy to find a deal or a discount when shopping, including us! In a 2019 report, emarketer showed that internet users “always” or “very often” use coupons when shopping online. Con? You may need to include some stellar deals in your marketplace to lock in the sale. Pro? As reported by Google, one of the most influential factors in buying decisions was sales, discounts, or promos. That’s directly in line with WordStream’s finding that one-third of shoppers reporting that their holiday weekend purchases were driven by promotions. So while Santa doesn’t need discounts to come out on top this season, you do!

ON Advertising hopes that you have a profitable, successful, and strategic holiday marketing season! If you want help with harnessing consumer spending habits and setting your brand up for success both during the holidays and all year long, contact us.