Building LEGO's Branding Block and Fueling Shell's "Protecting Biodiversity Platfform"

This video is helping LEGO build it's "Branding" BLOCK and giving SHELL the platform to reposition and fuel its future message of how much it works to protect the environment.

Greenpeace is the conduit. WHAT? That's crazy...yes it certainly sounds contradictory as to who is fueling the mandate and could be a calculated risk for Greenpeace.. However, keep in mind the brands in this campaign are Shell and Lego AND Greenpeace. 

I checked out the Greenpeace site and they have invested in this message with great web creative and video. The home page looks like a feature page for Shell and Lego.

 With millions video adviews to start the conflict it's a great way to start the awareness flow. At times to marketers it's not good or bad publicity, it's just plain publicity to create awareness.and stir emotion. 

Emotion in ads effect the right side of the brain (Emotional Laterization). Whether it evokes anger, sadness, joy or the warm and fuzzies it still creates the emotion. This is where it creates the depth of impression. In time most people may not remember the message but there is investment in the brand in everyone's mind. Whether it was orchestrated or not if still gives all parties the public platform to showcase their opinions and make the next move or not. 

There was a copy write issue then it was lifted...what a better way to invoke interest than by first taking it off the internet then to finally to allow it.

Shell protects Biodiversity:
http://www.shell.com/global/future-energy/arctic/protecting-biodiversity.html

How much should I pay for a website?

How Much Should I Pay For A Website? (Small Business)
August 26th, 2014

These are the 7 basic factors which come into play for website design costs:

-Template site or partial template or full custom design 

-Database for content (not all databases are created equally)

-Number of pages

-Number of images: Provided Images, Stock Photography, Professional Photographer Required?

-Content Writing - Important for Search Engines To Crawl Your Site and Index Your Site's Pages in relevance to actual searches

-Hosting, Emails and Maintenance

-Project Management: Time spent on planning and development  

So How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost?

The range in design costs to develop and launch range from $900- $6000. Using the a la carte estimates above you can see how they can add up quickly. Another way to break the budget down is to assume:

• 15% Planning
• 25% Interface design
• 40% Programming
• 20% Project Management 

  See the breakdown of pricing and costs below:

Basic Website Components and Costs

On average, the following figures can be applied to estimating the cost of a small business web site 
If you would like a detailed estimate call Balla Media at (905) 572-7474   Balla Media

• Domain Name – $10/year - $49 per year depending on the extension
• Server Space Hosting  – $10 to $200+ a year (depending on traffic & hosting services)
• Web planning, design and development time – Determined By Scope of Project
• Continued website Maintenance – $500 a year and up (depending on number/type of updates required - some companies may include hosting in this price)
• Marketing your website online – Determined by your budget
• Custom Content Management System - The Ability For You To Make Changes To Your Site Based On Your Sites Requirements
  

Important Factors that Contribute to Website Cost

When trying to budget web design costs there are a number of factors to consider:

• Is this a brand new site or a redesign?
• How prepared are you – do you have a detailed requirements document?
• Do you need a blog or content management functionality (CMS)?
• Do you have graphics already created for the site?
  
• Do you want the site to automatically resize for mobile and tablets?
• Do you need multimedia (Flash, video, etc.) on the site?
• How much content do you have and how much do you need created?
• Do you need other special features like social media channels, SEO, ecommerce, or something else?
• Who is going to maintain the site after it has been launched?

Below we go into greater detail regarding these items and an estimate of how much you should budget for them. The prices listed are based on 16 years of experience. Prices will most probably be higher or lower depending on your specific requirements. Be sure to contact us for an estimate. 

New Sites Often Cost More Than Redesigns

When you’re starting from scratch, so is the web designer. They have nothing to work from, they can’t look at your existing site and get an idea of your online brand or features and functionality requirements.  All new sites really should require a “discovery and documentation” process.  This process will help define the online brand, website structure and functionality. We think this process is critical because it helps set expectations on all sides and reduce potential frustrations. Simple business websites, where the client has a solid idea of what they want, can get by on a minimal amount of discovery and documentation, perhaps one day’s worth of effort.  BUT… more complex websites may require weeks of meetings and the creation of many detailed documents to fully define the project.

Interface Design

Interface design is also referred to as the look-and-feel or visual design. The interface design will incorporate your branding, all your photos and images, even your page layouts. Don’t assume that if you’ve already got a pre-made template you won’t need any images or layouts re-done. Interface design is usually an iterative process, this means that the designer will show you several options and then modify those based on your feedback to arrive at an approved design.  For a small business website, the average budget $900 – $4,000 to get you from concept through to the final design that will be handed off to the developers for programming. Don’t skimp on the interface design or visitors won’t give your website a second glance.

Images and Graphics

Website graphics are tricky because they can range from $10 each for cheap stock images to $100′s of dollars each for custom or high-end stock images. Compelling and appropriate graphics can make a huge huge difference in the effectiveness of your website. On the low-end, budget at least $100 for stock images.  If you have a good designer they can make a cheap image look like a custom one.
But that’s not all. You will probably also need stock icons and buttons to compliment your design.  Budget $50 for them as well.

Mobile and Responsive Design Cost - (Should be included in overall price)

Mobile devices are swiftly becoming critical to online success and your design should at least be mobile-friendly. The best designs are “responsive“, designed to automatically adjust their layout to look good on multiple devices: smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. Creating a responsive design can cost 20% – 30% more than a site for a desktop web browser (the price of progress). This cost is because the interface designer needs to design how the site will look on the various devices, the programmer will need to program the designs and finally more testing is required before the site is ready to launch. Almost all our projects these days include responsive programming.

Costs for Content Creation and Insertion

The least expensive way to go is to create all the content yourself and insert it into the site yourself.  Most designers have no problem delivering a blank design template that you populate with text and images. But if you want the design firm to add your content and adjust the layout of the text, you should budget $100 – $150 per page.

Programming Special Features (Costs To Consider)

There are a ton of extra features that web developers can integrate that will improve your business but can also up the price. Sometimes these features are “included” in your website framework – but beware, just because they are “included” doesn’t mean that they look or work the way you want. The estimates below reflect the general requirements we have seen, however there are many factors that can push these costs higher. If you don’t see your add-on here just give us a call and we can provide an estimate.

• Custom Content Management Systems- for clients who want to manage their own content we integrate and customize content management systems (CMS). We work with PHP-based open-source CMS solutions like Drupal and WordPress.
  
• Training and documentation – You will probably need some instructions and documentation on how to maintain and edit site content.
• Blog- Many clients want a WordPress or similar blog within their website, customized to their website branding and design.
• E-commerce shopping carts, catalogs, payment processing e depending on requirements.
• Email Marketing Campaigns- Clients that want to gather emails and send out branded email blasts for announcements or newsletters require an Email management tool. We integrate 3rd-party tools (graphicmail, mailchimp, constant contact, etc.) and create an email blast template design, we can even manage your email blasts.
• Branding/Identity Development- Logo design is something we are often asked to do. On the low-end, we start with an 8-hour process that generates about 6 rough logo concepts. If one of these is chosen we go through several rounds of edits to arrive at a final version. 
• Style Guides- An online style guide is important because it establishes brand consistency and provides a guide for all your print collateral and online marketing. .
• Targeted Landing Pages- Landing pages are pages that promote a specific product or service. They are usually part of an email, social media, or banner ad campaign. We can design and create these pages starting at 
• News feeds of both your content (outgoing) and adding content to the site (incoming)
• Contact forms and surveys
• Newsletters
  
• Advertising integration (Google AdWords) 
• Photo gallery
  
• Metrics: Google analytics, custom reports, etc.
• SEO: on-page optimization, off-page optimization submission to search engines, etc.
• Social media: Create and manage social media network profile such as Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn etc.

So How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost?

The range in design costs to develop and launch range from $900- $6000. Using the a la carte estimates above you can see how they can add up quickly. Another way to break the budget down is to assume:

• 15% Planning
• 25% Interface design
• 40% Programming
• 20% Project Management

And Don’t Forget the Maintenance Cost

Websites don’t just maintain themselves, and the best are changing all the time. Maintenance is something that most businesses forget to budget or think that they can do it themselves. But the first time you delete your entire home page by mistake and lose 8 hours of sales trying to get it back up and running, you’ll wish you’d spent the extra money on a maintenance contract. Make sure your web developer offers post-launch maintenance, many don’t because they can’t be bothered by clients calling with small requests.
Maintenance contracts vary greatly depending upon what you expect from the firm. You should budget monthly to have a designer/developer on call if you have a problem that you can’t fix. And if you expect them to do additional work such as creating new images, adding new content, maintaining social media or newsletters, etc. expect the price will go up. 

Final Note

A final note: If this website will be a significant part of your business PLEASE DON’T SKIMP on the design and development. If you’d expect to pay $100,000 for a brick and mortar retail shop (inventory, interior design, furniture, rent, utilities, staff, equipment, insurance, etc) – then don’t balk at paying reasonable rates for the creation of your online business.   Your budget should be based on what your business needs.

Mortgage Broker Vs Bank - The hands down choice

Whether you are in search of a mortgage for an investment property or residence, the need for a mortgage may be eminent. My experience through both types, investment and residences has always lead me to the same path in terms of securing a mortgage. A mortgage broker has the channels and resources available to them to hunt for the best rate for the client whereas a bank mortgage representative is there to provide you with a menu of one item; theirs.

The process of application for a mortgage is also so much more pleasant through a broker. A broker typically is paid a finding fee through the financial institution they secure for you, whereas a salaried employee from the bank is paid regardless, based on their black and white criteria from your application. They are limited in their abilities and decision making. The application process through a bank can appear slightly disorganized and mildly patronizing, when dealing with chuckling inexperienced bobble heads who feel the need to exude a false sense of high power in determining the fate of your outcome.

A bank will take much longer to respond to your questions and application as they are not paid based on transaction. A broker is service/results driven and will get back to you much sooner with the results or answers to your questions. Brokers are referral driven. They know that if your experience was a good one you will refer them to family and friends.

To that end, do not waste your time with a mortgage through your bank or any bank directly for that matter. Find a reputable mortgage broker who will go up to bat for you to secure you the best terms and rates. At the same time you should still do your home work on available rates and be aware of what is out there as you may still need to challenge your broker to ensure they have secured you the best rate.

Rob Balla

Kudos to Bell Media for Mental Health Awareness Day

When looking at our society and it's priorities this can be a touchy and subjective subject depending on who you are and what effects you personally.   Government monies whether provincial or federal has many channels to go through to get to each end user. Being a Landlord myself I have bared witness to extremes ways of living. Through default I've had to intervene in situations taking on the role as Ann Landers, fielding issues outside of the realm of typical Landlord accountability. Unfortunately at times I need to attend to issues from individuals who are mentally ill. This is a challenging and complicated undertaking especially when empathizing with the individual.

Mental health issues effect society in the most dramatic ways yet politicians and law makers seem to avoid dealing with this problem head on. Perhaps they choose to turn a blind eye because everyone assumes there are "Systems" in place to manage those individuals with mental health challenges. Yes, there are some weakly structured organizations in place to provide some support and assistance to those individuals but when a problem occurs such a persons living conditions are not kept clean then no one can really help. When I refer to living conditions as not being clean I don't mean that there are a few dirty dishes lying around or dirty laundry hanging on the floor, I'm referring to feces on the floor, bed bugs, mold, filth everywhere, decomposed organic matter on the floor etc.  This type of environment will effect the living conditions of other tenants and harbor disease and malaise.

Society not only ignores those individuals with mental health issues  but lacks to have the foresight of its repercussions and aftereffects. The ripple effect takes on many forms and effects many government agencies(By-Law, Public Health, Social Services), health care providers,businesses, law enforcement agencies and landlords.

I'm hoping I will be proven wrong when I say that society (Lawmakers, Politicians etc) deems mental health concerns as not a priority primarily because there is not enough money to be made and it is not a viable election platform for garnering votes. Mental Illness is our modern day leprosy. This may sound extreme but so many people are effected by it as it can be perceived as a private or embarrassing condition if it effects oneself or family member. It can be more embarrassing than being identified as having an STD.

Whether it's OCD, ADHD, Depression, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Schizophrenia, PTSD etc. these are issues which need to be super served and not shunned or swept under the bureaucratic carpet.  As a Landlord I have witnessed ALL of these conditions with tenants who have been diagnosed as such.  There is a huge degree of anger, confusion and sadness in the lives of these folk.
On the other hand, when a person has too much pride or is unaware that they may have a mental illness issue and they are unemployable in the short or long term they are supported by welfare (Ontario Works), Instead these individuals should be diagnosed with having a disability and collect ODSP.

Personally I can attest the fact that there is no support system for Landlords in dealing with the conditions of habitat, rent collection, individual tenant support. There are some Landlords who are not fit to be Landlords however there needs to be a government and landlord support network in place to streamline the issues and help those individuals suffering from mental health problems.

So kudos to Bell Media for taking on the initiative of creating awareness of "Mental Health Awareness". Let's hope that it has touched a nerve in those individuals in government to initiate more change to offer more support to those individuals and families who are directly effected....and that would be everyone!

Tired of the same old ad messages from Financial Instituitions and Investment Firms?

It never ceases to amaze me how financial institutions deliver their marketing message  in the same run of the mill, clichéd, hoaky, patronizing fashion. When financial institutions attempt to deliver a "Personal" correspondence through direct mail letters petitioning how they will save you money or have your best interest in mind, the message many time comes through as disingenuous.

Why do most of the images in a financial advisor or mutual fund ad have to  include a cup of coffee with a couple, man or woman either sitting on a sofa smiling in comfort. This visual is so commonplace and trite.  Attention marketing departments or agencies of financial institutions please change up the conventional and uninteresting advertisements to creative, contemplative and meaningful messages.

I won't point out any specific slogans as to not offend your  financial institution of choice however I just want to point out most people are not richer than they think.

Working with myopic businesses.

I'm not one to stereotype people but I will categorize some individual business owners as being myopic, limited and stubborn in perception when it comes to advertising. Over many years working with all types of businesses, in my experience there are  individuals who are not ideal at taking marketing advice. Whether it's the Jehovah complex or a know it all attitude some of these folk have such strong preconceived notions about how they should advertise vs how people search or find their type or business. Introducing a proven strategy  is like convincing a child that vegetables are good for them. Some of these individuals will assume their own advice for advertising rather than from an advertising consultant who has seen  the results of poor and good judgement in action.


There are numerous outcomes to poor advertising decisions including wasting money, thinking that advertising doesn't work, misleading customers, leaving an inaccurate impression or the worst scenario going out of business.The professionals  who work with the right marketing mix, budget and message unequivocally reap the rewards. Yes, "Word Of Mouth" is a powerful form of advertising however using major media vehicles will compound your "Word Of Mouth" effectiveness and brand awareness exponentially over time.

Recently I had a conversation with a prospective client who happens to be a family lawyer. We started chatting about how people find her types of services on-line and she immediately said she doesn't have time for people with mobile devices and that people don't go on the internet to find her even though she has a website and deems it force ably necessary to have one. I had 2 ways to handle this. The first way is to let her know that there are many lawyers reaping the rewards of on-line marketing and that I could provide her with examples and case studies. The 2nd approach is to fire this client by exiting the conversation politely and moving on. I decided to do both. Ultimately if I can provide information which this person will  take to mind and heart there is a small chance that she may see the light. If a business does not value your opinion and it takes so much convincing in the first place, this is a tell tale sign this individual may have unrealistic expectations and will be high maintenance in the long run. Case closed.

Wix Websites - Over Promise and Under Deliver

There is always a problem with template sites. The key word here is templates which can limit create vision.  Wix is a story of over-promising and inevitably under-delivering. Beautiful templates are ultimately undercut by a lack of structure and limitations in custom data base expansion.

Wix is a drag and drop website. This can cause problems. For example, the “snap to grid” button is a must for anyone using the editor. Snap to grid is a smart tool that can accurately guess how you’d like elements to align. If it’s turned off, you will end up inches from your monitor trying to line up items perfectly. Not fun and an inevitable pain with a true drag and drop editor that Wix smartly fixed.
Another annoyance with true drag and drop editors is with element ordering on a page. For example if you have a paragraph with an image below it, it can be a hassle to add new text to the paragraph because the text will overlap the image:

Think about your visual message with Billboards, Transit Ads, Direct Mail etc.

With over 20 years of media advertising experience noticing and critiquing business ads has become second nature. When I see weak visual business messages on billboards or bus sides I ask myself if the media rep could have given better advice to the client on maximizing their message.

The other day I noticed a new pizzeria restaurant advertise its business on the side of the bus. It basically had the name of the business and perhaps a slogan included. There was no physical address, website or more information about the experience or any emotional assimilation triggers.

The big issue I had was that there was no address. You have rolling billboard exposure throughout the city with no address attached to a business which should be pulling in people. What went wrong there. $3000 - $4000 down the drain.

2 weeks ago I noticed a billboard for a local dentist. The logo was so tiny with grey over tones. There was no powerful complimentary image attached. Hardly noticeable.  It promoted the street it was located on which happened to be right around the corner from the billboard. Why not a simple message "Your new dentist is just around the corner" with an arrow to the right...simple and to the point complimented with a visually complimenting logo.

If you are a business planning on growing your revenue through advertising, connect with an advertising agency with a good reputation and proven track record. As a business owner you know your business really well, advertising agencies know advertising and how to deliver your message effectively. When you work directly with a media rep from a local media outlet (TV, Radio,Billboards,Print etc) you are leaving chances to someone who may care more about commission than providing you with an unbiased recommendation on what you will need to do. An advertising agency knows that if your advertising works your relationship with them will continue.

You can typically count on an advertising agency to provide you with an unbiased opinion based on your businesses goals. Their experience and understanding on how each media operates, creative input, and scheduling is invaluable. You will save money and avert making common mistakes. An agency will also negotiate the best rates on your behalf. There are many things to think about when considering your campaign including but not limited to targeting your audience, the frequency of your message, crafting the message, consistency in your campaigns and your budget.

Work at your business and doing what you do best. Hire an agency to help you with your advertising, after-all it's what they do best!

Rob Balla
Balla Media