And no, that’s not a typo—we’re talking about more for less. It’s not just the goal of marcom executives everywhere; for some of them, it’s a practical reality.

For example, HP, Google, and Symantec all have very big marcom budgets—maybe much bigger than yours. But they might be spending less per execution than you are—while still getting enviable creative and production quality. And there’s no magic, funny accounting, or alternative reality involved.

It doesn’t seem fair, does it?

At Harding Marketing we work with all three of those companies—and many others equally adept at controlling costs. So we know what it takes to achieve more for less. It takes a rigorous, systematic approach to marcom creative and production, that’s what. But that sounds awfully stuffy, so let’s call it:

Mystical Secret 1—Planning: Everybody plans their marcom, so that’s no big secret. The secret is to plan with cost controls built into the strategy, into the creative execution, and into the production.

But be careful. It’s not enough to say, “Hey, we can’t afford a four-color job,” especially if you really need a four-color job. That’s not planning; that’s surrender.

At Harding, we expect everyone in the place to do their job with cost implications in mind. That means the writers and designers as well as the project managers, web designers, and production experts. For example, it’s amazing how much a writer can cut costs on a Flash assignment simply by using one voice-over announcer instead of two.

Mystical Secret 2—Knowledge: Every medium is different, with different factors affecting costs. The same writer who saves money by using only one announcer for a Flash production might waste it on a website homepage. Unless, that is, the writer understands the medium.

Considering the variety of media we all use these days—print, Flash, InDesign, desktop, HTML, interactive Web design, and everything else—it’s a daunting task. And almost nobody knows everything.

At Harding, we have a handy way to undaunt ourselves: we talk to each other. With more than a hundred marcom professionals in San Jose, California; Grenoble, France; and various points in between, it’s almost inevitable that more than one of us knows the turf.

For example, Harding technical wizards know the Web so well that they built a kind of search engine Google uses for its own marcom efforts. Yes, that Google—home of the world’s premier search engine. It’s called NetMarcom, by the way. And if you’re an international marketer, it could very well save you a ton of money. In fact, it saved $1.3 million in just a year for one user.

Mystical Secret 3—Great sources: At Harding, we’re an international agency working for multi-national corporations. That means the world is not only our oyster; it’s our supplier shortlist, too.

Want an example? We have an award-winning source for Flash production in the Philippines. True, they work when most of us in the States are asleep. But no matter: Harding creative people are willing to check their emails—in the middle of the night, if necessary.

More important, our Philippine colleagues are very good. They’re also very responsive. And they are very–okay, not exactly cheap; let’s say reasonable. In short, a low-cost option with high-quality results.

All of which leads us back to the same question we asked at the beginning: How much less are you willing to pay for higher-quality marcom?

One way to find out is to talk with us about an upcoming marcom project. Even better, ask us to bid on it. Either way, there’s no cost at all to click michelle_contreras@hardingmarketing.com in San Jose, CA. Or to reach our office in Grenoble, click stephane_labartino@hardingmarcom.fr.

Share this blog
	or via email

So let’s see. There’s a flash in the pan. A flash of lightning. Flashy clothing—plus cars, sunglasses, and moves. There’s a flash of genius. In fact, A Flash of Genius is even a movie. It’s about windshield wipers. There are also flash cameras. And flash drives.

And then there’s using Flash for marcom, i.e., Adobe® Flash® CS4 Professional, the multimedia platform that makes it possible to add animation and interactive pizzazz to your Web pages. Flash allows you to create low-cost presentations and marketing communications with the punch of expensive movies or video, but without the expensive part.

How not-so-expensive? At Harding Marketing, we’ve done highly effective Flash productions simply by animating the graphics and text from a brochure—then adding an announcer and stock music.

But Flash can also get pretty flashy—with voice-over actors, original music, sound effects, and film footage. Our French office in Grenoble created a Flash presentation with amazingly high production values at amazingly low production costs.

But low cost is not the only reason Flash is now such a hot medium. Jerry Tanner, one of Harding’s killer designers, gets all misty-eyed when he talks about using Flash’s 3D effects and something called Drawing API that lets him stretch and twist graphics like a mad genius. Which he is. “Flash gives me all kinds of creative freedom for special effects,” he says, wiping away a tear of joy. “I can sit at my computer and compete with Hollywood. Okay, B-movie Hollywood, but still.”

Chuck Gardner, Harding’s creative guru for Flash production, made his bones writing and producing over a hundred network and local TV commercials. “The idea is still what’s important,” he says. “With features like Flash Custom Filters, we can make good ideas come alive—without spending a ton of money.”

At Harding, we’ve found another important benefit of Flash: Because the production costs are so low and the creative tools are so fast and easy to use, Flash is amazingly simple to customize. A few quick changes can shift the focus from one target audience to another.

Testing alternative selling strategies is equally painless. Announcer tracks can be prepared in as many languages as needed—along with on-screen texts and headlines. And the cost of all these variations is minimal.

Tracking results is easy, too. At Harding we use a number of sophisticated online tools to measure activity and response levels for our clients’ sites. Time after time they’ve shown an unusually attractive return on investment (ROI) for Flash. In this not-so-hot period of economic ennui, that’s obviously important. Not that an attractive ROI is ever unimportant.

Even so, many distinguished marcom leaders still believe Flash is beyond their reach. Their designers don’t have the knowledge, they fear. Or the time. Or their writers are print experts, not film.

Perhaps we can help. At Harding, we have with a staff of cutting-edge designers and writers, many with broad experience in Flash. And, of course, we also have dedicated and professional Project Managers who can help you plan and budget, as well as coordinate with our afore-mentioned creative people.

Which leads us to one of the most fundamental parts of any marcom piece: The Call to Action. We’d like to invite you to take a look at a few more of the Flash productions our people have created working with our clients in the U.S. and Europe. For a close-up look at Harding Marketing’s Flash and pizzazz, please click here.

Share this blog
	or Via email