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Branding 1st, Digital Strategy 2nd

Marketing like a Digital Romeo

Apr 20, 2011

Think of digital media like a highway billboard - folks are passing it at 60 miles per hour while fussing at kids, fiddling with iPods, or trying to choose the right exit. If you want people to notice the digital messages you're spending high dollar on, they need to be just as quick and engaging as a billboard.

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The Best Brand in College Football, Part Two

The first half of the bracket

Oct 27, 2010

First, a quick recap.  This poll is all about who has the best brand right now, today.  Not 1978.  And not who is ranked number one in the AP right now.  We also took into account four categories: Reach, Brand Recognition, Tradition and Recent Success.

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The Best Brand in College Football

The Top 16

Sep 30, 2010

I got an email back from a client the other day after I sent a meeting request, all it said was "Beat Bama".  I'm not sure if he will actually be at the meeting or not, but I think it's clear that his mind is where a lot of folks minds are these days, college football (full disclosure: I'm an Auburn Grad, we didn't make the cut).  So it got us to thinking here at Merge, who has the best brand in college football.

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Contact Us

How one of my favorite industries gets it wrong

Jul 13, 2010

I was meeting with someone at Caviar and Bananas in Charleston a couple of weeks back, and afterward took a quick stroll through the wine section.  I stumbled upon something I had never seen on the back of a wine bottle before, a phone number.  I'm sure this is not a rarity, but it prompted an experiment involving 15 more wines.  Of the 15, no other had a phone number, and only two had a web address.&nb

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Offline Madness

Word of mouth has created a juggernaut

Apr 05, 2010

The NCAA men's basketball tournament is now over and I'm sad; it's my favorite three week period of the year.  It is arguably the greatest sporting event every year, but even more, it may be one of the most well branded entities around.  In fact, the word of mouth revolving around the tournament is mind boggling.  For the last three weeks, how many conversations did you have about your Final Four.  How many times did you hear the words March Madness uttered at your office?  Did anyone show up at your office the first Thursday of the tournament? 

How they created this kind of buzz would be another blog altogether. The fact is it is there.  CBS has stepped up their game in the online world as well.  The creation of March Madness on Demand has increased online ad revenue more than eightfold since 2006, but this only equates to about 5% of total revenue (source: Kantar Media, CBS, Business Insider).  While this is growing rapidly, don't expect TV and Online ad revenue to get close in the coming years, and the reason is word of mouth. 

CBS knows its strength lies in conversations of the offline variety.  Sports bars and Final Four get-togethers will  continue to flourish because of our desire to compare brackets with friends and experience the games with others. 

Bottom Line:  The online trends and apps will continue to grow, but this will be a business dominated by good ole word of mouth. 

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Press Releases

Up

October 3, 2011
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Merge, a digital agency in the Upstate, is now a registered Apple Developer in the iOS Developer Program, which allows the...
August 3, 2011
Merge, a leading digital agency in the Upstate, completed a successful second quarter with the June launch of a new website for Orion Air Group, a...
August 3, 2011
In July, Merge launched sites for two Upstate non-profit organizations, Greenville County First Steps and the Julie Valentine Center. ...
July 12, 2011
Merge, a digital agency in the Upstate, is now recognized as a Google Adwords Certified Company, becoming one of only 15 businesses in South...
April 26, 2011
In January, Merge launched a new website for the Center for Development Services (CDS), which now better reflects the valuable services they provide...
January 29, 2011
D&W Fine Pack has retained Merge to develop and execute a strategic, interactive solution to enhance the company's brand and to clearly market...
January 3, 2011
GREENVILLE, S.C. - January 3, 2011 Merge, a leading web development firm in the Upstate, has announced the hire of Eric Evans of Greenwood, SC, as...
December 20, 2010
GREENVILLE, S.C. - December 20, 2010Merge, an Upstate agency providing strategic web solutions, has announced the addition of Meredith Garner as the...
December 15, 2010
GREENVILLE, S.C. - December 15, 2010 Merge, a Greenville-based web development firm that provides comprehensive and strategic web solutions, has...
November 22, 2010
GREENVILLE, S.C. - November 22, 2010 Greenville-based web marketing firm Merge has been selected by TEDxGreenville to provide strategic enhancements...