Avid Locals is one of the best new places to add a listing if you are a local business or professional in the United States. Even though the site is new, there are already over 10,000 listings. Professionals include real estate agents, insurance agents, and attorneys. Since each listing is designated to a local city or metro, small businesses have the same opportunity to compete with larger busi...

Smart marketing makes us excited! Some of the most famous brands are readily recognizable because of the money spent on impression branding. However, many of them include messages designed into lettering or other elements. A smart logo can be memorable and very effective. Simple colors, clear messaging, and an easy-to-read design help tremendously. Take a look at these logos and the explanations...

Love him or hate him, President Obama is a marketing genius. I saw my first 2012 Barack Obama campaign banner ad today - it was a simple ad from the First Lady asking you to sign his birthday card. Nothing big, no commitment, just fill out a simple form. Branding genius. Why? Because it's a subtle reminder that he's back on the campaign trail and when he starts asking for donations and m...

It's been a busy weekend for Harry Potter fans, with the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise opening this past Friday. So far, Harry has broken the overseas opening weekend record at $314M, more than $50M more than Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, who is now #2. This, of course, helped the movie break the worldwide opening weekend record at $483M. #2 is now Half Blood...

The award-winning "Book of Mormon" Broadway musical hits New York. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints takes advantage of the increased interest and issues their own campaign. The campaign has run in a number of cities with significant success. However, the national acclaim brought by the musical provides significant free marketing opportunity. The church was quick to capit...

Turns out the piece in Angelina's photo shoot is not new but a past favorite (likely to come back). While that may be true, we love the photo piece. Striking. Intriguing. Engaging. She opted for a natural look. Something extra was done to the photo because of some of her features. However, it is effective marketing. "People are not used to seeing Angelina in this situation," Beccar...

Batman - Dark Knight Rises is coming soon...but not soon enough. The hype is beginning and it is welcome by Batman fans all around. To launch their marketing campaign they nailed it with a viral move. They launched a blank website. Clicking on a hidden image began a chant. A chant? Some geeks wondered if there was more to it and pulled the sound up in a sound editor. They found hidden instructio...

Check out this video of Evan Longoria: Supposedly, his lightning quick reflexes saved the unaware reporter during the interview. While it is certainly a spoof, we don't get who would put up the cash to make the spot without some branding effort. It has viral quality but there should be SOMETHING to identify with. We decided we had to give it a 'brilliant' and 'not so brilliant...

According to Reuters: "Apple has overtaken Google as the world's most valuable brand, ending a four-year reign by the Internet search leader, according to a new study by global brands agency Millward Brown." Apple's extreme success in brand managment has pushed it to the top of the pile. It has finally overtaken Google as the brand to covet. The brand is worth $153 billion repr...

T-Mobile sets up a scene much like other wedding dance videos. The only catch - they cast royal look alikes for William, Kate, Prince Charles, and others. The video has taken off and become a viral hit. Smart move. Poke some fun at the royal hype and cash in on the event