New branding and increased awareness help Carlsbad, CA become a top TripAdvisor destination.

SAN DIEGO,CA – May 26, 2010 – Through a refreshed brand, online marketing strategy and new, user-friendly website, Mindgruve helped Visit Carlsbad put their town at the forefront of the online travel conversation. Not listed as a TripAdvisor top destination in 2009, Carlsbad appeared as the #3 Family Destination and #9 Spa Destination in the United States in 2010.

Beginning their efforts in January 2009, Mindgruve developed a new visual presence for the Visit Carlsbad brand starting with a website that features simple navigation and robust information about the area, including exclusive travel offers. Additionally, Mindgruve reshaped the marketing strategy by geo-targeting search, display and print, as well as increasing email, landing page and social media efforts to successfully capture and increase quality web traffic.

“We used a variety of tactics to increase Visit Carlsbad’s ability to communicate all that their area offers. From opening up a dialogue through social media to engaging travelers with localized contests and promotions, we’ve been able to create an effective call to action, and our audience took notice,” stated Chad Robley, Mindgruve CEO.

Mindgruve hopes to continue Carlsbad’s growth in the destination marketplace through increased social media interaction, and by providing robust group and event-based travel services.

About Visit Carlsbad
Visit Carlsbad is the Convention and Visitors Bureau for the Carlsbad area. It serves approximately 30 area hotels ranging from beach bungalows to luxury accommodations by presenting and promoting vacation ideas, packages, attractions and deals for the area. VisitCarlsbad.com.

Let’s face it, since the emergence of social media, marketers have been struggling to find the best ways to measure whether or not their investment in it is paying off. With all the simple measurement tools available, emphasis continues to be placed on baseline ROI and industry-standard Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). However, we cannot forget that the value of social media isn’t simply based on standard measures, it’s about meeting your defined strategic goals. By focusing on how your creative intends to engage your audience, you can discover company-defined KPIs that reveal true social media success.

Cory Treffiletti hit the nail on the head when he explained that “the industry can provide guidance, but it can’t do the work for you.” Due to the importance placed on ROI and lack of focus on each individual company’s defined goals for their social media strategy, marketers are flocking to various measurement tools to utilize metrics they’ve been told are important. It’s an issue of standard measurement versus customized KPIs, such as positive brand endorsements regarding a product launch or link sharing regarding new customer care initiatives. Although certain tools can be useful in tracking basic metrics, such as interactions and community size, defining social media success beyond that is up to you!

For example, Vitrue’s Social Page Evaluator tool, which estimates the dollar value of a Facebook page based on a variety of metrics, is just that – a tool. It measures a small, ROI-focused piece of the larger puzzle. The problem is that it’s giving companies the opportunity to neglect what is important, the true value and overview of their efforts, and what will actually impact their success. And While Vitrue admits that their Evaluator won’t give a well-rounded success measure of any page, baseline ROI still appears to be the driving force for measurement considering 27,000 Facebook pages were evaluated within the first 36 hours of launch.

We’re not knocking tools that help measure the value or size of your social presence. What we’re saying is that the industry can’t tell you what is important for tracking YOUR success. It’s time to look at your current social strategies and define the goals that serve your needs. Keeping these goals in mind, you will be able to handpick the KPIs to use when monitoring if you’re achieving what you set out to do.

As social media continues to change, it will be up to you to determine the metrics most relevant to properly tracking your brand’s investment in social media.

Mindgruve has nine logos featured in the LogoLounge Master Library, Volume 1.

SAN DIEGO,CA – May 19, 2010 – In the first volume of their Master Library series, Initial & Crest Logos, LogoLounge awarded Mindgruve, a San Diego-based digital media firm, with nine featured logos, including:

• Crestline Funding
• ClearWater Outdoor
• Panish & Hoey
• Dr. Michael Lardon (x2)
• Mauzy Heating and Air
• Waveland Financial Services
• Zocalo Retail
• Custom Quilting

Mindgruve, who has had work featured in the past four annual hardcovers, had their logos selected by a panel of distinguished judges, which made their choices based on innovation, longevity and significance of the design. “We pride ourselves on the identity work we do for clients. Although we’re known for our digital expertise, the identity and brands we create serve as the foundation for every successful initiative,” stated Clint Walden, Mindgruve SVP, Strategy & Brand Experience.

Mindgruve continues to push the limits of what identity can do by partnering with several entrepreneurial start-ups, including Sunfood.com and SanDiego.com, in an effort to create powerful brand engagement across all mediums, starting with their identity.

About LogoLounge

LogoLounge provides an online and printed reference of the top logo and identity designs found worldwide. Chosen by renowned leaders of brand design, the logos featured by LogoLounge are the best of what was submitted by over 40,000 agencies and designers.