JUMP START Blog and Online Community

What better way to come out of the holidays than to focus even more on food?

Food and beverage manufacturers, distributors and service providers are always clamoring for new ways to better differentiate their products in a consumer-driven, health conscious, and safety- and sustainability-focused market.

Since 2016 brought some tasty and creative food and beverage marketing campaigns to the table, we thought we’d share some choice take-aways with you. Here are the top 5 campaigns of 2016.

Whether B2B, B2C, SaaS, cloud-based software or consulting services, the tech sector is leading the pack in terms of progressive and innovative marketing campaigns and approaches. They're trendy, provocative and mold-breaking tones and tactics command attention and pave the way for other business sectors. As such, we've pulled together a handful of our top 5 tech-based marketing videos from 2016.

Keep in mind, we recognize that the majority of technology-based companies don't have interminal budgets like these forerunners. These are still brilliant representations of companies that see their products and services the way their customers see them, and not the reverse. Even the smallest tech company can learn from these examples. What can you do to mimic their success on a smaller scale or with your current resources?

Albert Einstein once said, "If you can't explain it to a 6-year-old, you don't know it yourself."

I realize this quote is somewhat overgeneralized and oversimplified. If you’re selling a groundbreaking medical device to a neurosurgeon, you’re bound to use technical four-syllabled—and beyond—words that aren’t necessarily rolling off of the tongues of most 6-year olds, or even most adults for that matter.

No, this quote is more about simplicity. Your knowledge of a product or service isn’t based on your ability to use gargantuan (see, it’s easy to do) words. It’s your ability to translate the essence and value of that product or service at the most basic level so that it’s easily digested by all of your audiences.

Sounds simple, right? Pun intended, but no…simplicity is not always as easy as it sounds. Here are some great examples of messaging simplicity at its finest:

A picture is worth a thousand words, and infographics are no exception. There's a reason that most inbound marketers are creating infographics these days: they're very effective and wildly popular with online viewers.

We've scoured the web looking for the most popular infographics about content marketing this month. Whether you're looking for tips on social media tactics, generational marketing strategies, PPC performance or content development, these infographics offer you the best of the best in visual insights for the month of December 2016. Check them out below. 

This is a fun and quippish quote but poignant nonetheless. As marketers, it’s very easy to get swept up by the proverbial brand communication platform. While necessary, our style guides and storyboards can sometimes get in the way of truly relevant and meaningful conversations with our audiences. We’re engrained in delivering perfectly crafted, grammatically on-point messages and sometimes lose sight of what’s important: the customer.

While we’ve come a long way since the inception of content marketing, we can still make strides toward more deliberate and intimate marketing practices. In honor of the companies that are getting that second date, let’s take a look at some campaigns where they opened up the car door, picked up the check and truly listened to what their customers had to say:

#1—Reebok 25,915 Days

This video followed the reverse path of a woman throughout her athletic career. While Reebok’s mission was clearly demonstrated, not a word was used to bring this message to life. The messaging instead honored all consumers in their athletic endeavors.