BUSINESS + BRANDING

With just about everyone on social media today, how do you stand out from the rest? What’s the best way to gain followers, start a conversation, and streamline it all, whether you’re representing a company or your own personal brand?

“Think globally.” The phrase has become a banner headline for marketers in the information age. But before you launch your brand internationally there are some key issues to consider. Here we’ll review some of the essentials to remember when taking your brand to the next level.

The power of the mobile marketplace is undeniable, with recent estimates placing the number of users accessing the Internet primarily from their smartphone or tablet at 70%. That number is expected to reach 90% by 2016, as worldwide mobile use grows.

Billboards. We pass them every day on the nation’s highways and boulevards, and we accept them as commonplace and static elements of the global advertising environment. With only seconds to capture a driver’s attention and convey a message, billboard design demands the utmost in brevity, impact, and urgency. Lately, however, there’s been something of a revolution in billboard design – interactive and functional billboards.

Color is powerful. It influences not only how people feel, but what they do. The psychology of color can help strengthen your brand, encourage sales, and even guide visitors toward specific pages or actions on your website. Studies show that people decide whether or not they like a product in 90 seconds or less and that 90% of that decision is based solely on color. Research also shows that color can increase brand recognition by 80%.

A few weeks ago we asked you to share all the branding questions you’ve ever wanted to ask author, investor, public speaker, and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss. Tim Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Workweek, was translated into 35 languages and has sold more than 1,350,000 copies worldwide. Since then, Tim has been able to build this out into a lifestyle design brand and has become a household name.

A successful business logo must not only be memorable, reproducible, and versatile enough for all formats (from print to mobile), it must state clearly and distinctly who you are as a brand. Sounds daunting, but don’t get discouraged. Let’s break it down using a few basic examples.

Over the years, studies have attempted to assign emotional qualifiers to various colors. Red, they have found, is most often associated with boldness, courage, passion, energy and urgency. (And yes, caution and beef.) As not only a primary color, but one to which the human eye is particularly sensitive, red is an immediate attention grabber.

Can Google's new grant program clean up a notoriously messy new category of technologies and devices?

The Super Bowl is a cultural phenomenon that drives massive engagement. And YouTube helps transform the big game from a three-hour night in front of the TV into a month-long extravaganza across multiple screens. With this year's game about to kick off, we reveal insights about how interest is increasing and becoming earlier each year on YouTube, presenting advertisers with ample opportunities to connect.

Football may have taken some hits this year, but judging by the numbers, the sport’s popularity is at an all-time high. This is good news for advertisers who invest heavily in this cultural moment. And by going beyond the traditional TV spot, they can reach more fans in more ways than ever.

A behind-the-scenes perspective on adidas' winning content strategy before, during, and after the 2014 World Cup. Lisa Gevelber, vice president of marketing at Google, shares takeaways for brands looking to capitalize on the year's most important cultural moments.