We led a comprehensive rebranding initiative for Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU), revamping their logo, website, and entire visual identity to authentically represent their unique position in the educational landscape. Working closely with ECSU’s team, we crafted a refreshed brand that captures the university’s distinctive character and vibrant community.

At the core of ECSU’s new identity is its mascot, the Warrior, symbolizing strength and resilience. We integrated the Warrior’s shield into updated visual elements, establishing a cohesive emblem that reflects school pride across both digital and physical platforms.

To further this concept on campus, we designed and fabricated a series of Warrior Shield cutouts. These installations—some freestanding and others handheld—encourage student engagement, offering interactive opportunities for students to showcase their ECSU pride. This approach has added a dynamic, memorable layer to the rebranding, reinforcing a connection with the Warrior identity.

This project was a collaborative effort that merged creativity with strategic vision, and we’re proud to see ECSU’s community embracing their refreshed visual identity. You can view some of our educational institutions’ creative works here.

Are you ready to elevate your institution’s look and feel? Reach out to Mason Interactive to learn how we can bring your vision to life with a rebranding strategy that resonates!

First party data refers to user information collected from direct interactions with your brand (email, site, app etc). Owning this data should now be an essential part of your marketing strategy–especially as platforms prepare to sunset 3rd party cookie tracking.

Today’s consumers are shopping online more than ever before, but they’re also more protective of their data than ever before. Despite the increase in user activity, it’s getting harder to tell who these users are and which are most likely to be interested in your products.

Apple’s new iOS privacy features allow users to refuse data tracking. Facebook & Google are moving away from 3rd party cookies. Changes like these mean that it’s up to your business to collect the data you need to understand who your customers are and which acquisition channels are the most effective.

In other words, you need to start collecting first party data.

Understanding First Party Data

Consider first party data the foundation of your marketing strategy from this point on. Since most sites won’t be able to collect the key identifier data, it’s on your business to collect it from your customers and prospects.

Asking users to share your data is challenging, but it’s much easier when the user has an established relationship with your brand. Therefore it’s incredibly important to build trust with your customers in order to collect first party data.

Want Proof? Nike Just Did It

Nike’s share price shot to an all-time high in 2020 thanks to its customer-centered DTC strategy.

The company couldn’t utilize its network of over 900 global stores in the midst of the pandemic, so it instead leaned into what it called a “Consumer Direct Offense”.

“[In] a future increasingly defined by e-commerce, fast-moving trends and, above all, the rising power of branding to drive consumer preference when competitors are just a click away, Nike realized that in order to thrive, it needed to take control of its distribution to better manage its brand and deepen its connection with consumers.”
Inside Nike’s Radical Direct-to-Consumer Strategy, Business of Fashion

Mapping the Customer Journey with First-Party Data

Connecting with your loyal customers is critical, and every single step of your customer journey should be optimized with that in mind. Here’s a helpful video on building trust with your customers and why that matters:

We can help you strategize around this so you can:

Improve targeting precision
Improve omnichannel measurement
Drive ad relevance
Close the loop on attribution
Create a single view of the customer

We’re currently helping our clients prepare for the cookie-less future. Here’s how we can help you too:

Make a roadmap for your first party data
Determine the right data sources and data points
Benchmark and monitor over time

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s meet and discuss how we can create a tailored strategy for your business.

Many brands depend on Cyber Five, the days between Black Friday & Cyber Monday, to put them into the black for the year. Though Cyber Five 2021 was complicated and busy, it was also one of the most profitable to date. Our clients closed out the year on a high note thanks to a few pretty simple actions. What were they? Let’s take a look together in our 2021 Q4 After Action Report.

1. Start with a Plan

Everything starts with a plan. The sooner you have one, the sooner you can review it, make adjustments, and execute. Our winning clients invested heavily into prospecting in the months leading up to Black Friday, emphasizing list-building for owned 1st party data, allowing owned channels like email and SMS to scale. Thanks to the work they did early on, our clients were able to get in front of consumers well before their competitors and convert with assets they had ready to go.

What This Means for You

When you don’t plan ahead, you give up sales to your competitors who do. Fret not, this isn’t our first time at the Cyber Five rodeo. Send us a message at hello@masoninteractive.com and we’ll help develop a strategy with you.

2. Grow With the Flow

Scaling a digital marketing operation isn’t easy, and frankly, it’s not getting any easier. Industry research points to consumers being spread out across more platforms than ever before, and it’s only getting more difficult to track and target consumers across the digital landscape. More on that in just a bit.

Our winning clients isolate top geographical markets and focus on their most actively engaged audiences, letting us double down on purchase intent from two separate angles. Additionally, clients who met or exceeded their goals were in (on average) 6 advertising platforms.

What This Means for You

Brands that diversify into more platforms and begin planning for the Holiday season earlier, ultimately see more success during the Cyber Five. Planning ahead and building diversification into those plans enables you to layer on complexity to your marketing mix as the year progresses towards Cyber Five. More on how you can do this in our After Action Report.

3. Own Your Data

In case you haven’t heard, the data game has changed. Apple’s iOS14 update has impacted advertisers’ ability to target users online, and Google’s new policies expected in 2023 will only affect things more.

Where do you turn? Your own data. 1st party data, or the data your company collects about its customers (interactions, purchase history, behavior, preferences, etc.), is becoming more valuable than ever. Since the changing attribution methods of digital platforms makes them a less-reliable partner, 1st party data gives you a solid single source of truth to rely on.

What This Means for You

There are many ways to start collecting 1st party data. A lot of it can live in a platform like Shopify, Salesforce, or Google Analytics. Organizing, interpreting, and acting on your 1st party data can be a headache. We can help with that too.

You have the keys, now let’s open doors.

The digital landscape changes all the time. You know that. We know that. What we don’t know yet, is how we can use our 13 years of experience to help you keep up with the shifting tides. Download the report, send us a message, and let’s get you started with a free marketing analysis today.

When the first lockdowns of Covid-19 hit early in 2020, we began to see a paradigm shift of the entire world, and the U.S. was no exception. Commerce was reduced to essential services, and people were either restricted from or outright prohibited from interacting in larger groups or anyone outside their household or highly limited circles.

The restaurant and bar industries were hit especially hard. Even with many of the restrictions lifted in 2021 many are still wary of going out for dinner or drinks and socializing with friends and family over a beer or glass of wine. But consumers didn’t quit drinking. Many state governors included liquor stores among essential services that were allowed to stay open even as many other businesses closed their doors or limited their hours.

Marketing Alcohol Direct to Consumers (DTC) Gets a Surge

The increase in direct-to-consumer sales means that alcohol brands need to be mindful of the guidelines and regulations that promote responsible drinking whether a person chooses to drink beer or similar beverages, wine, or spirits. Regulations state that marketers cannot suggest in their advertising that people who consume alcoholic beverages violate the law or act irresponsible when they are consuming these beverages.

Regardless of the type of alcohol sold, all brands need to follow rules and regulatory codes set forth by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the Beer Institute, and the Wine Institute. Many states have loosened restrictions in 2020 and 2021, but these should be checked before marketing in a specific area.

With beer and similar beverages, such as hard ciders and seltzers, the brewing industry needs to continue following long-held policies to appeal to adults of legal drinking age:

There should be no direct or indirect suggestion that applicable sales not be completely followed
The themes suggested in advertising should be in good taste and present the brand as one that is responsible and is opposed to excessive or inappropriate consumption of the beverages.
Wineries and distilleries should follow similar guidelines in order to help assure that alcoholic beverages are consumed safely as much as possible.

Creating a Responsible Marketing Plan For the New Normal

Every aspect of our lives looks different from what it did a little before 2020. Even with some bars and restaurants opening, many have become accustomed to social distancing and virtual gatherings. Long before the pandemic alcohol marketing has paid close attention to the stories behind the brand. Many breweries, distilleries, and wineries are family businesses and marketing for alcohol brands often focuses on the bonding experience of both creating the beverages as well as consuming them.

In many ways, enjoying alcoholic beverages has long been associated with finding and holding on to connections that we have with family and friends. As this became more of a challenge, alcohol marketing professionals began to think outside the box in order to help that connection stay strong even with social distancing. This resulted in online happy hours on Facebook Live and similar venues. Professional bartenders providing drink mixing instruction and promoting brands that reflect varying values and reinforce the idea that we need to find safe ways to stay connected.

Promoting Brand Loyalty and Image While Marketing For Alcohol Brands

The image behind a brand of alcoholic beverage can vary considerably depending on many factors. Sometimes smaller companies struggle to compete with larger brands that have become large household names. They need to develop a more specific niche for their brand and the type of image they want to reflect. By choosing a specific target market with the help of marketing consultants, or even by using software to help with the sales process, it becomes easier even for smaller producers to find their core market and begin the process of expanding on it.

Before the pandemic, there were many smaller wineries, distilleries, and brewers that hosted tastings on site where they would aim to make consumers feel like part of the process. By taking advantage of CPG, smaller quantities of beverages can be marketed to consumers directly along with whatever values the company may have. Some companies show a sense of social consciousness by supporting certain types of charities, or they may emphasize their commitment to sustainability or positive environmental or health practices.It is important for companies to display a clear picture of who they are and who they aim to be, and continually look for stories that support that image. The less that people are able to connect in person, the more important it becomes that they are able to stay connected through consistent and entertaining sales and marketing practices through their own website as well as various social media channels, e-commerce sites, and email marketing campaigns. In the end the connections and relationships remain important for any brand, and this is especially true when it comes to developing the right campaign for alcohol marketing.

Let us help you develop a robust marketing strategy!

Your marketing strategy is integral to the success of your marketing efforts, especially with the holidays coming up, it’s more critical than ever.

Are you ready to make it big and give your company the edge it needs to succeed during this new normal and beyond? Contact us today to schedule a consultation with our digital marketing experts.

When it comes to marketing, video content reigns supreme. While there’s always a place for text and images, humans are naturally drawn to moving pictures, which is why video marketing is so effective. In fact, users retain 95% of a video’s message, meaning that they’re much more likely to pay attention.

But, while video marketing is helpful, not everyone knows how to create compelling content within this medium. Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of seven tips to improve your video marketing strategy. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Start Strong

Did you know that the average person’s attention span is only eight seconds? So, if you don’t capture that attention within eight seconds, a user is more likely to skip your video and go onto the next one.

But, how can you make an impact in such a short time frame? The best option is to tell the viewer what the video is about and what they can expect from watching it. Don’t worry about spoiling your content – being upfront and honest is much better than burying the lead. This way, the viewer can decide right away if they want to continue watching or not.

2. Keep it Short

For the most part, viewers won’t want to sit and watch a 10 or 15-minute video. That said, if your content is compelling enough to hold one’s attention for that long, feel free to go the distance.

Overall, what matters is the type of video content you’re producing. There is no “right answer” when it comes to length, but make sure that your videos don’t feel like they’re dragging on. Even if you hook your viewers immediately, the trick is holding that attention for the length of your piece.

One strategy to consider is cutting different versions of your video for various platforms. For example, if you post to TikTok or Snapchat, you want your content to be a minute or two. However, posting to Facebook or YouTube means that you can upload longer segments. Having different edits allows you to maximize your marketing potential for each video.

Keep branded videos short, sweet and to the point.

3. Personalize Your Content

One crucial component of any marketing strategy is to focus your attention on a single customer rather than a broad demographic. Buyer personas are highly valuable because they allow you to connect with your users much more easily. If your videos are generic and bland, no one will pay attention. However, if they address specific needs, they’ll get much more traction online.

Before shooting any footage, you’ll need to ask, “what’s the purpose of this content?” Some answers can include:

Brand Awareness
Product Promotion
Informational Content

Once you determine the goal of your piece, you can align everything to meet it. In many cases, companies will produce videos without any objective in mind, making them far less captivating or valuable.

4. Don’t Forget About Branding

Regardless of the purpose of your piece, you should make sure that it’s branded effectively. Technically speaking, anything you promote can help with brand awareness, ensuring that you can build a bigger and more loyal audience.

That said, you don’t want to go too far with your branding, either. Showing your logo at the beginning and end of the video reminds viewers who you are so that they’re more likely to pay attention to what you have to offer. Also, make it easy for users to visit your website or landing page by embedding links whenever possible.

Speaking of links, don’t forget about search engine optimization. Keywords are crucial if you want your content to get discovered organically, so utilize them effectively when uploading and promoting your piece.

5. Tell a Story

One significant mistake that many companies make is creating videos that are too “salesy.” While your goal might be to sell a specific product, you need to make the content much more engaging. It’s not enough to promote the features and benefits of your items – you need to show why your products are valuable.

An easy way to incorporate storytelling into your video content is to focus on a specific problem and how your product can solve it. This way, viewers can visualize themselves in that situation, making them far more likely to buy. Did you know that 84% of users said they’d purchased a product because of a branded video?

When crafting a story, don’t forget the core components of storytelling. There should be a beginning, middle, and end. Don’t worry about complex narrative devices or act structures – you’re not producing a Hollywood blockbuster. Instead, keep it simple and deliver a satisfying conclusion.

6. Optimize for Mobile

These days, far more people are consuming content on mobile devices than ever before. Up to 62% of users in the U.S. say that they watch videos on their phones, so you have to adapt accordingly.

But, what does mobile optimization mean for video marketing? Here are some tips:

Closed Captioning – Most people won’t have their volume at full blast, so you have to make it easier for them to follow along. Closed captioning software makes it easier for viewers to retain information.
Visuals Over Sound – Up to 92% of users watch videos with the sound off, so you have to rely on visual communication. If your video is just someone talking, it’s harder to capture attention.
Simple Graphics – Smaller screens mean that viewers won’t be able to see too many details. Don’t overload your video with background elements.

7. Include a CTA

Finally, if your video marketing is designed to achieve a specific goal, don’t forget to tell your viewers what it is. A call to action is crucial because you want to spur your audience to do something with that information. Examples of CTAs can include:

Sign up for an email list
Click a link to a landing page
Buy a specific product

Remind viewers of the call-to-action within the video and post it in the description. Overall, the easier it is for someone to follow through, the more likely they’ll do it.

Get Better Video Advertising With Us!

Video marketing is challenging to get right, even if you know what to do. Fortunately, you don’t have to do everything by yourself – let us help! Contact us today to see what we can do for your brand.