6th US-Afghanistan Business Matchmaking Conference

The 6th Annual U.S.-Afghanistan Business Matchmaking Conference will be held on November 7-9, 2010 in Washington D.C.  The Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) is the leading organization facilitating U.S.-Afghan business, investment, and trade ties through its matchmaking conferences and related activities. 

This year's conference will build on the success of the previous conferences, which have provided many valuable opportunities for Afghan firms to learn about U.S. companies interested in doing business in Afghanistan as well as for American firms to learn about the realities of doing business in Afghanistan. The conference also provides a conducive forum to meet potential business partners and develop joint business relationships between government agencies, contractors, and financial institution reps who are interested in investing, building businesses and funding projects in Afghanistan.

The 2010 AACC Business Matchmaking Conference will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center located near the White House and Capitol Hill. The conference will include presentations by U.S. and Afghan business and governmental leaders, such as the Minister of Commerce, H.E. Dr. Anwar Ahadi, and the Minister of Economy, H.E. Hadi Arghandiwal.  Round-table discussions, as well as one-on-one private sessions with key panelists (new this year) will be held on several sectors that includes mining and minerals, agribusiness, housing construction, and infrastructure development. Success stories of Afghan businesses will also be part of the conference.

As in years past, TriVision Studios will participate as one of the sponsors for this annual event. Since the inception of AACC, TriVision has been deeply involved in AACC's marketing and media efforts, including the creation of the AACC logo/brand, design and print of its marketing materials, as well as audio-video production services.

To become a sponsor or RSVP as a guest, please register online at
www.a-acc.org or email BMCinfo@a-acc.org.

Building a Brand and Online Presence for Presidential Detailing

Since 2007, Presidential Detailing has dedicated their well-trained and experienced professionals to develop dynamic detail solutions for automobiles. The company’s mission is strictly focused on helping increase sales, customer satisfaction, and customer repeat for auto dealerships. With four locations within the Washington Metropolitan Region, Presidential Detailing is committed to using its knowledge and experience to help dealers and customers get the reconditioning satisfaction they are looking for.

During the company’s formation, TriVision Studios helped Presidential Detailing create a corporate identity and brand. Aside from generating a logo, TriVision also built the company’s website presidentialdetailing.com plus designed and printed its business cards, post cards and other marketing materials. Today, aside from updating and maintaining the Presidential Detailing website, TriVision also conducts the company’s SEO (search engine optimization) to ensure the website is ranked high in search engines.  SEO has become a highly effective marketing tool which increases one’s visibility and presence on the web, bringing in new clientele and sales.

As the company expands, TriVision will continue providing marketing and web solution services to make Presidential Detailing the premiere auto reconditioning provider it strives to be.

To see how TriVision Studios can market and help establish your business or product online, please contact us at sales@trivision.tv or 1.888.600.5528.

Andy Live in Washington, DC – November 24, 2010

On November 24th, 2010, Iranian superstar Andranik Madadian, also known as Andy, will be performing live in concert at the Hyatt Dulles in Herndon, Virginia. Over the last 23 years, Andy has helped build the cornerstone of Persian Pop Music. With his distinctive voice and innovative style of Persian music, Andy has created his own unique place in music history.

Andy has generated a new fusion of sounds that combine traditional Middle Eastern instruments with the Western world’s drum and bass, guitar and modern technology, infused with elements of Rock and Roll. His global sound embraces many exotic influences, including lush Arabic modes and African rhythms, combined with Spanish guitar licks and western dance music. Despite the government’s ban of his music in Iran, Andy’s fan base is still into the millions worldwide, from Iran to countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Canada and Australia.

Throughout his music career, Andy has won numerous awards and appeared on major television networks like CNN, ABC and NBC, not to mention had features on Billboard Magazine and People.

In June 2004, Andy joined American rocker Jon Bon Jovi in a rousing version of "Stand by Me" in which both sing in English and Persian to create a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran. The handwritten Farsi sign in the video translates to "We are One". To view video, please click here.

As a leading marketing and promotion company, TriVision Studios has helped promote Andy’s events around the United States. TriVision has specifically provided both print and online promotion and dissemination services to help Andy advertise to the Afghan and Persian communities in the Washington Metropolitan area. 

For more information about Andy and his tour dates, please visit his official website at www.andymusic.com.

Gap to Scrap New Logo, Return to Old Design

by Andrew Hampp and Rupal Parekh, Adage.com
Published: October 11, 2010

Just four days after confirming its surprise new logo was, in fact, legit, Gap is returning to its old design.

Marka Hansen, Gap North America president, informed the company's marketing department this afternoon of the change, acknowledging that the switch was a mistake and that the company would be tabling any changes for the foreseeable future. The logo, created by New York agency Laird & Partners, was intended to be a long-term commitment for the brand with a nod to the future. Ms. Hansen's about-face about the Gap's new logo was foreshadowed by a blog post she wrote for the Huffington Post last Thursday. "We chose this design as it's more contemporary and current. It honors our heritage through the blue box while still taking it forward," she said. "Now, given the passionate outpouring from customers that followed, we've decided to engage in the dialogue, take their feedback on board and work together as we move ahead and evolve to the next phase of Gap."

The scrapping of the design comes after Gap was put through the ringer last week for its new look. The company became the whipping boy of designers, who besides merely disliking the new logo were enraged at the suggestion that design professionals should help fix the mistake by offering up ideas for free.

Gap had posted a message on its Facebook account indicating that it would be pursuing a "crowd-sourcing project" in the near term. But people familiar with the Gap's plans said that would not be related to the logo.

Many consumers on Facebook and blogs picked apart the new logo too, though according to a poll of 1,000 consumers Ad Age commissioned from Ipsos Observer, some 80% said they had no idea the logo had changed.

Gap's official Facebook account has more than 720,000 fans and has been the main channel through which the company has posted updates and responses to the criticism regarding the new logo.  

Gap moved quickly to address the online feedback and began exploring how they could tap into all of the passion. Ultimately, Gap learned just how much energy there is around their brand. All roads were leading them back to the blue box, which led to their decision not to use the new logo on gap.com any further.

Story courtesy of Adage.com

Marketer of the Decade: Apple

Company Influences Business Models across All Media & Creates Exceptionally Brand-Loyal Consumer Base
By Beth Snyder Bulik, Adage.com
Published: October 18, 2010

Yes, it has been a golden decade for Apple. And while one can certainly argue that its influence has been overstated -- it is No. 56 on the list of Fortune 500 by revenue -- Apple's influence on business models across industries from music and computing to entertainment and advertising, along with its impact on popular culture, media and, of course, marketing, has been indelible.

Product as marketing

It's almost hard to believe the iPod is only of this decade, with now more than 250 million of them sold, and digital music sales playing the norm. The iPhone, with more than 50 million sold, has launched a consumer-smartphone rush. While it may never grab the kind of market share in wireless that the iPod has in music, it has been a pioneer and leader with the App Store, strongly influencing mobile advertising and portable gaming. In the latter category alone, Apple owned a 19% share of the portable-gaming software revenue at the end of 2009, up from 5% in 2008.

The iPad, meanwhile, with as many as 8 million already sold, by some estimates, has spurred a touch-tablet tempest in the industry with almost every major PC and phone maker adding it to their product portfolios. And this is an industry that has been touting tablets for years. Even the Mac enjoyed resurgence this decade, in part because of the halo effect of the iPod, in part because of the addition of Intel processors in 2006, and in part due to aggressive marketing via both the "Switch" and "Get a Mac" series of ads that ran from 2002 through 2009. Apple computers now have about a 7% U.S. market share, up from around 2% early in the decade.

Advertising

Apple's TV spots from the past decade are like a hit parade of the most memorable ads. Who can forget the dancing silhouettes with white iPods and earbuds against hue-popping backgrounds, or the "Mac vs. PC," dork vs. hipster sly hilarity, or even the utilitarian talk-touch-and-swipe-to-get-it-all-done spots for the iPhone? However, Apple ads had other influences on advertising. The introduction of the white background in the "Switch" Mac ads in 2002 was the beginning of an aesthetic not only for Apple, but for many imitators as well.

The iPad, in particular, is having some major advertising-industry impact. The iPad's design alone has influenced all of display advertising, while Apple's iAd platform supercharged the mobile-ad industry just by its mere announcement.

Agency relationships

Apple and its agency, Omnicom Group's TBWA, make a great case study on the benefits of long-term agency-client relationships. The two have been together since the iconic "1984" Super Bowl spot, although the agency was off the account from 1986 until 1997, which is almost identical to the years CEO Steve Jobs was absent from Apple (1985-1997).

So maybe it is the relationship between Mr. Jobs and longtime TBWA creative chief Lee Clow (who is now chairman and global director of Media Arts Lab and chief creative of the TBWA network) that is the key to the magic, and the long string of well-regarded marketing campaigns. Whatever it is, it works. In 2006, TBWA created Media Arts Lab to specifically serve Apple as a new type of ad agency that creates culture, not just commercials.

Brand loyalty

Sure, it's called the Cult of Apple for a reason, but we guarantee any marketer would kill for that kind of loyalty -- for all its innovative gadgets and gizmos, it's Apple's greatest asset. There are certainly the over-the-top fanboys (and girls), but even less dedicated customers seem to have a blind spot for Apple.

Retail

Apple retail stores have come to define the high-end, low-key, over-the-top customer-service shopping experience of the later part of this decade. And while Apple intends for all of its 273 stores to sell its wares, it also is deliberate in its use of them as marketing tools. Eleven of the stores in particular are meant to act as brand ambassadors.

According to Apple filings, those stores "have been designed and built to serve as high-profile venues to promote brand awareness and serve as vehicles for corporate sales and marketing activities." And they specifically budget expenses for those stores, to the tune of $65 million in 2009. Compare that to its overall $501 million spent in worldwide advertising in 2009, and the tally is for every $8 Apple spent on ads, they spent $1 on those 11 signature stores.

Story courtesy of Adage.com