Rock Candy Media

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BLOG ABOUT DESIGN, MARKETING, PRODUCTION, PR, ADVERTISING AND RANDOMNESS

Art Inspires Art

14 May 2013
by Arthur Lopez

What inspires you?

This is probably a question every creative gets during their interview. This is also a question I ask myself every day. My passion for design goes back to my grade school years. I had a favorite Pantone color before I had a girlfriend. Colors just fascinated me. I would look at what other kids wore every day to compare their color preferences (or that of their parents). I would go through bookshelves to see what colors stood out the most. Color books led me to design books which led me to art books which took me to more design books, typography, and eventually architecture. I was introduced to a whole new world at a young age. I was inspired by art all around.

These days I’m still inspired by art and design. Obviously. Every now and then I like to visit the MoMa in NYC, The Modern in Fort Worth, and galleries all around town to fill my mind with visuals, ideas, and newfound artists. But I don’t have to travel or even leave my apartment to find new inspiration. I can put on some British music while I flip through pages of HOW, I.D., CA, etc. I can get online and browse Design Milk, Awwwards, The Dieline, bloggers, and other design outlets.

What do I look for? Anything really. Ads from the 70′s, acrylic art, new typography, album covers, interior design, concept art, nature, film, and even friend’s Instagram shots. Any visual representation, whether good or bad, can trigger my mind.

Below is the result of a simple search query that led to 10 minutes of exploration and inspiration.

Look at the first graphic and try to guess what my search was.

Posted in Design | Leave a comment

New RCMpeep. Longtime RCM Fan.

30 April 2013
by Christie Smith

Ten years. At least. That’s how long I’ve known Annie Liao Jones, our founder. I remember when I met her – even then her personality could fill a room. This is a woman who is sure of herself and her place in the world. How else to explain the kind of press Rock Candy Media receives? Just check out the latest in the Austin Business Journal.

When you stop to think about it (which we don’t often, because, hey, we’re slammin’ busy), it’s quite remarkable what has been accomplished in just a few short years. Annie founded RCM right about the time the economy was tanking. And, with any new venture, there have been some missteps. But, nonetheless, the company has continued to grow.

Adding the Rock Candy Life division, was either inspired or sheer lunacy, depending upon your point of view. But it worked. Today, RCL is getting its own press (hey, Jessica Alba, say what!?), adding new stores, and serving as a micro-lab of the sorts of things RCM can achieve for any client.

I’m Christie, the new Production Director. If you search through these archives, you might find a post or two I wrote way back when the company was younger, and I was freelancing full-time. I’m now an RCMPeep and couldn’t be prouder. I’m proud of my new company, and I’m proud of my boss and friend.

This is Rock Candy Media, and you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

Posted in Organization, Production | Leave a comment

The THIRD is here

17 April 2013
by Jose Salazar

First let me introduce myself as the newest RCMpeep, specializing in all thing web related. Annie was intrigued to know how I became the THIRD, no not the second or the eighth.

I was named Jose Luis Salazar III to honor my dad and grandfather, not because I come from the British Monarchy… although that would’ve been really cool

The funny thing is that until I moved to USA (after 18 years living in Mexico), people began to call me Jose Salazar “the third”. My middle name was destroyed and got three I’s in my last name.

Cool right? Well..at the beginning it sounded kinda strange but got used to it and now I like it! I guess is better than Trey, Trace or Trip haaa!

So if you are planning of naming your baby after his dad & grandpa, I recommend you to pick the “III”…you won’t regret it.

Posted in Production, Web | 1 Comment

Goodbye

14 March 2013
by annie

I’m writing this post to say goodbye.

Goodbye to our old website and the old Rock Candy Media, which was a really great design and marketing firm, but not as great as the one it is today. Times have changed, and so has this agency. While we still do the things that put us on the map – design, development, strategy – we’ve moved onto bigger things (literally, like billboards) and smaller things (like your phone’s screen) and things you can’t even see (like the sound waves coming out of your car’s stereo). Social media has changed the way we get market research, the way companies can manage their perception, and the way businesses should be doing business. We are doubling down on strategy, to stay ahead of the prospect – whether it’s B2B or B2C. Our focus has shifted along with everyone’s behavior, and we want to bring you along with us.

-Annie Liao Jones

Posted in Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Organization | Leave a comment

Why Vine is Like Food Pills for Video

14 February 2013
by sam

Vine manages to overcome the biggest constraint for video on the internet: inertia. When I am going to post a video on Facebook or Twitter, I am doing so with the understanding that not everyone who sees the video is going to bother pushing play and watching it. Whereas a photo or 140 character statement can be consumed in one shot – like a serving of tequila, or a food pill. What Vine does for video is like what turning a meal into a pill does for food. I can consume video after video knowing the payoff is never further than 6 seconds away. And since it repeats, you can condense your message with the goal of hooking the audience long enough for it to sink in.

Posted in Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Social Media, Web | Tagged advertising, marketing, social business, social media | 17 Comments

Messing Around with Facebook Graph Search

24 January 2013
by sam

This morning RCM principal Annie Liao Jones discovered that her Facebook page was looking a little unusual. Her name appeared in white over the cover photo, instead of in black below the photo as it had the day before. Her Pinterest and Instagram feeds were displayed more prominently. Her Notes, which neither she nor anyone else in the world had not thought about since 2009, were right there on the left hand side. These were superficial changes—nothing too destabilizing.

Then she got access to Facebook Graph Search, and the party commenced.

Honeymoon Phase

If you have an iPhone 4S or later, do you remember when you first got the phone? Those ten minutes you spent testing the wits of your monotonous computer friend Siri? Those were times of boundless exploration and naive hope for a simpler future. Then you figured out the five things Siri could do and the fun was over. That’s how it was with us for Facebook Graph Search.

It was thrilling to see that we find out what restaurants our friends were into, which of them went to certain schools, and which of them were engaged, married, or divorced. A lot of posts show up on my newsfeed asking things like, “where should I grab lunch in Bedstuy?” We even figured out some genuine uses for it, particularly in its ability to search for individuals by job title and place of work.

Limitations Discovered

Facebook can’t discern which friends go to happy hour, and—unfortunately—event listings search is not yet supported. If that is ever implemented it’s going to be a big deal. Say you’re looking for something to do on the weekend. You probably won’t be searching venue by venue as Graph would have you do in its current iteration. However, if you could type “rock concerts in Austin Texas this weekend” or “family friendly events in Austin on Sunday,” and actually get relevant results, that could have a significant impact on event promotion.

The biggest pitfall of Graph Search is that it misses the one thing that makes Facebook a good and unique reference: the people. Sure, you can find restaurants your “friends” “like,” but wouldn’t you be better off actually asking a friend for actual advice. What if the hungry Facebook friend I mentioned earlier had written, “where should I grab lunch in Bedstuy? Craving sweet potato string fries.” Graph Search doesn’t have an answer to that. But this person thinks their friends do.

Our Conclusion

For the time being it seems Facebook is going to still be more about connecting with your friends and the businesses you like, rather than using data mining them to figure out where to get a sandwich. But it’s too early to say how people are actually going to use it. What would you use it for?

Posted in Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Social Media, Web | 16 Comments

Small Is The New Big

2 January 2013
by annie

Wow. It’s been awhile guys. Obviously I’m writing because I have a lot to say. So here goes. I’m so sick of people saying ‘social media’. I can teach ‘social media’ to someone with a marketing background, but I absolutely cannot teach someone that just happens to LOVE (imagine squeals of passionate delight) social media and ‘uses it personally for everything.’

Don’t get me wrong—we love what social media can do. And at RCM we’re obsessed, let me just say majorly obsessed, with the social web and being in the right place at the right time. But forget the shortcuts people and actually invest in content. People don’t realize that the last thing we do is actually post/tweet/pin something.

Companies want customers immediately (who wouldn’t)—but they are wanting to bypass the work it takes to get true engagement. For an entire month, we learn about our client’s demographic, we collect media kits, we talk to industry associations—all before we recommend which custom FB tabs we should do. And when we do one, the intent is to ALWAYS get the 5 prospects in the sales pipeline rather than 500 retweets about nothing. It’s scary to give up your authentic voice isn’t it? That’s why we do this initial groundwork. We are the opposite of the pre-timed social media tools. I don’t care what industry you’re in, or if you’re taking a B2B approach—people want to feel like you care. And they’re more likely to be honest on social media because it’s accessible. When’s the last time you picked up the phone to make a customer complaint? The companies that aren’t scared of being on social are the ones that are the most authentic. People like that they CARE and want to hear about their experiences. Do you have to cut through a lot of crap? Maybe. Can you execute on marketing campaigns and get real-time feedback and pivot if necessary? YES! No other type of marketing allows you to do this. I love it!

Use the tools that Facebook, Tumblr and YouTube offer, but NOT as a substitute. The ‘pay to play’ model prevents salespeople at companies from truly listening to what their customers want. Everyone in sales is looking for an angle. By turning away from ‘social’ at a grassroots level, the information isn’t even vetted before going to sales—if it ever does.

Look at Zappos. You may not shop there, but if you’re in marketing you do know that they’re known for great customer service. If you check out their social media channels you’ll notice their focus on little gestures results in loyal customers who are happy to spread the word. We’ve build loyalty with our own fans at facebook.com/RockCandyLife and let me tell you—there’s NOTHING more authentic than a customer leaving your company great feedback. People (your prospects) TRUST that. Do they trust paid or sponsored ads? Not so much.

At Rock Candy Media we take the grassroots tack to get you BETTER results and we know the right information to pass onto your sales department. Yes, there are a lot of shiny things out there, but when the focus shifts from building real relationships to ‘paid-for’ relationships, you will lose staying power. And the second you sound inauthentic, a formerly-engaged prospect will disengage in a heartbeat.

As an advocate for social media, please join me in using the term social BUSINESS from now on. And look out for our new Social Business division. I’m stoked!

Posted in Advertising, Branding, Design, Marketing, Social Media, Web | 3 Comments

The Power and Limitations of Content

18 December 2012
by sam

“Done well, content can build your brand, close the sale, improve retention, and win loyalty. Done poorly, it will cause you to lose your audiences’ attention and trust.”

- Kristina Halvorson, Content Strategy for the Web

Businesses’ interest in content is generally tenuous, because it is difficult to create and use effectively, and because it completely breaks down the old fashioned distinctions between content creators and advertisers. Before digital media allowed us to quickly and cheaply create and distribute articles, videos, photos, and social posts, advertising was just the stuff stuck between the content people actually wanted to read, see, watch, or hear.

Now companies can bypass the media outlets to create content themselves, or to sponsor others to create something potentially viral with their brand attached. The overall purpose is generally the same: to increase awareness and gain clout. With a solid strategy and the will to stick to it, content can deliver. You may still need advertising to promote the content, but for many brands quality content is an essential tool in their arsenal.

I once heard an interview where the singer of OK Go compares State Farm’s sponsorship of one of their music videos to the tradition of patronage, whereby a wealthy noble or religious institution acts as the sole supporter of an artist. Companies can self-promote by supporting the creation of art, music, journalism—anything people like to consume but which tend to not make money through sales—and the artists don’t necessarily have to suffer the stigma of selling out.

That OK Go video has had 38,321,143 views on YouTube and only subtly includes the State Farm logo. The advantage is that it is in the actual video I wanted to see, and not in the ad I chose to skip before the video even started. The disadvantage is that the machine in the video cost an estimated $90,000, and doesn’t deliver a pointed message about the company’s services.

But good content is really more of an investment. Every article on your blog and video on your YouTube channel and photo on your Facebook album will hypothetically be there forever. And each piece of content builds on the previous to further distinguish a brand.

Whether you can generate quality content depends on the combination of money, time, and wits at your disposal. I could go on and on about content, but I don’t have the time. But if I’ve done my job well, you should be a little better informed, and think better of Rock Candy Media for it.

Posted in Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Social Media, Web | 13 Comments

In Defense of Millennials

31 October 2012
by sam

The initial idea for this article was to have a millennial (I’m 23 years old and writing this from my phone) write an article complaining about other millennials, like how every other generation complains about us. But then I took a look at the facts and realized we simply are the greatest, most practical generation, who will probably end up saving the world from every misstep of every previous generation.

Let’s look at the facts together:

Millennials get married older.
That means over our lifetimes we will get fewer divorces, and get remarried less, which saves a lot of money on lawyers and flowers and single-use dresses that can be spent on, say, cancer research.

We are more ethnically diverse.
For the sake of political correctness I can’t say why that is good, but if you don’t think that is good you are probably one of those cranky, racist Baby Boomers.

More of us are graduating college.
Which makes the next fact a little more bizarre. Not really, considering most millennials go to school when they don’t know what they want…on their parent’s dime.

More of us are unemployed.
Giving us plenty of time think about the important things in life, like which cool new bars have $2 PBR.

Our household incomes are higher.
Probably because of inflation, now that I think about it… What is an unemployed millennial’s income? Oh I forgot, the parental credit card has no limit.

More of us live in cities or suburbs.
Technology may be alienating us from each other, but we are physically closer.

There are more of us.
We will rule you. And we will choose having more iPhones over having more babies so we will probably be remembered as the most powerful generation ever.

Of course some of you may object to this rock-solid evidence of our generational superiority. But that’s probably because you are less likely to have gone to college.

If you don’t understand millennials, and you own a business, you should hire one of us. We understand our own proclivities best, and we could use the work.

Annie Refutes The “Evidence”

We are more ethnically diverse.
Do you want a trophy for being born?

More of us are unemployed.
OK, that is kind of funny.

Our household incomes are higher.
What is an unemployed millennial’s income? Oh I forgot, the parental credit card has no limit.

There are more of us.
Per Julien: if there’s a zombie apocalypse you won’t have your phone. And none of you will know what to do since you can’t google it.

If you refute the evidence, you probably didn’t go to college.
Well I did, but I respect the ones that had to work to get experience instead. Going to college longer doesn’t make you smarter.

We know our own proclivities.
True, if your name is Sam and you’re not from Texas.

If you have an opinion on the matter, please chime in.

Posted in Marketing, Randomness, Social Media | 6 Comments

TWEETS

Annie Refutes The “Evidence”