A couple of months back several clients asked for a joint brochure and digital presentation to be created, one that they could take to the Farnborough International Airshow, the world's largest aerospace event. The event is held every other year at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire, England. Our clients Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative Communities, Southern Virginia Regional Alliance, and Virginia's Growth Alliance were attending the show as a team, displaying in the Virginia Economic Development Partnership booth.

The clients wanted a 4-panel brochure that didn't open accordian-like, and requested a die-cut design. Printer Dogwood Graphics in South Hill, VA, advised that die-cut would add a substantial amount to the cost, so we worked with them to devise a concept for the illusion of a die-cut. Dogwood chose a hefty cardstock for printing, and the brochure turned out great!

At right are photos of notes & sketches from our initial meeting with the clients, a proof printed on plain ink jet paper to test the concept, and a proof printed by Dogwood Graphics (we'll post pix of the entire brochure later). Below are photos from the Farnborough Airshow. Click any photo to enlarge.

Well, we at Glerin showed our crazy side at this year's Virginia Cantaloupe Festival by wearing t's sporting a design that started out as a joke in the office last year.

My cousin was down from Des Moines to attend for the first time in over 20 years, and my aunt (her Mom) was a good sport in tolerating our boisterousness. She's almost 80 and I guess has given up on any thought that we'll be demure :)

The t's were so popular and requested by so many at the festival that we'll probably end up selling a batch. This is one of those things that will fall into "when we have time to think about it," which is totally unpredictable. Will let you know when we do!

Friday, June 13 will bring the 34th annual Virginia Cantaloupe Festival, and Glerin developed the theme for marketing this year's event. One of our passions is helping clients look like they're in the big leagues, and the illustrations for this year's poster and t-shirt are on par with any you'll see at larger festivals.

The theme we developed for 2014 is "You've Got Friends in Lope Places." We created a character named Lope to carry through the marketing campaign, and our designs and campaigns were created to reflect the fun summer atmosphere that will abound at Berry Hill Resort for the festival.

Designs created included:

• official commemorative 24x36" poster
• flyer version of the poster
• an inventory of newspaper ads
• t-shirt design
• social media images

Lope made his way throughout the community, attending meetings at the Tourism and Chamber offices, as well as shopping for flowers and groceries. He also hung out at Benchmark Community Bank, one of the festival sponsors.

Click the images in this post to view larger versions of some of the work on this campaign.

We also designed the poster for the 2013 Cantaloupe Festival and adapted it into the 2013 t-shirt design. As with this year, we created fully custom illustrations.

Marketers are like every other group, trying to use buzzwords to make themselves sound important and knowledgeable. Using words that other people don't understand must mean that you know what you're talking about, right? As Daddy used to say, "hogwash!"

Most of marketing is common sense. At its core it's about communicating what you have to offer in a way that makes other people want it and reinforces your value – whether that's in a product, a service, or your own personal expertise.

Everybody is a marketer, though, not just business marketers! A couple of real world examples of how everyday people market:

Anyone who's ever been on a date knows they should dress nicely, be charming and interesting, and be on their best behavior. That's marketing.

A child trying to convince his parent that he needs this toy or that game is marketing heavily. One thing kids learn how to create very early on is "urgency." Sometimes it's through persuasive talk, but if all else fails they can always pull out the crying card (a tactic not recommended in business).

Have you ever taken the time to stop and think about what you're really good at? And what your employees' real strengths are? But let's not stop there. How about what you like?

It may sound like an extravagance, but these considerations are musts if you want to successfully develop your target market and service or product niche. Most businesses don't take the time to think about them, though.

It's hard enough to fit in everything you have to do just to get through the day, much less try to fit in something extra (believe me, I know this first hand). If you force yourself to take the time to explore the questions, though, you can see remarkable changes in your success. Knowing your strengths and interests will help you develop a niche that's both profitable and fulfilling.