In a world obsessed with instant gratification, it’s no surprise Instagram has become a frontrunner for private users and brands alike. In fact, according to the Interbrand 100, nearly 40% of the world’s leading brands have adopted the platform, says Kelly Clay, a forbes.com contributor. While shooting a quick photo and placing an artsy filter on top seems simple enough, there are brands who excel at Instagram and those who…well, don’t. Instagram is a fantastic way to show off company culture, connect with fans and influencers, and build your brand’s reputation; but it has to be done well. We’ll explore some brands leading the pack and recommend tips to maximize your Instagram impact.

In Our Industry
The Winner: Mashable (@mashable)

Colorful, newsworthy, and a little bit quirky; Mashable’s stream sums up its brand philosophy perfectly. From creative photos representing the top stories in tech, social media, web design, and more to a glimpse behind the scenes at Mashable’s offices, users immediately feel connected and compelled to interact.
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Mindgruve and The Chickasaw Nation partner to develop a brand refresh for casino traditional and mobile websites.

SAN DIEGO, CA – September 23, 2011 – In June 2011, Mindgruve, a San Diego-based digital media firm, partnered with The Chickasaw Nation, an American Indian Nation in Oklahoma, to implement a brand refresh and develop a series of Casino web and mobile sites. The project requires Mindgruve to bring their expertise to produce strategy, design, and development of user facing, front end websites that allow each separately branded casino to convey it’s own unique look and feel.

To meet Chickasaw’s need to brand all of the casinos together and individually, Mindgruve will build a single enterprise level CMS architecture that will be shared amongst all of the traditional web and mobile sites, but still allow them to each be customized to tailor to the needs of each specific casino. The technology has shown to be robust, yet agile and easy to maintain. It is also very scalable to accommodate future growth for The Chickasaw Nation’s many gaming facilities which includes one of the largest casinos in the world.
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In recent months, we’ve seen rebranding hits and misses by several well-known companies that have either left consumers embracing their new image or alienated them with uninformed changes. Understanding how a brand sets the stage for meaningful interaction and advocacy within your audience, we studied these recent efforts to get to the heart of what makes a successful rebranding: balance. Company goals, messaging, culture and strengths must balance with audience expectations and a digital strategy to effectively introduce your new brand identity.

But, before undergoing a rebrand of any sort, it’s important to consider the reasons for doing so:

• First, sympathizing with Business Insider, a “successful rebranding involves overhauling a company’s goals, message, and culture.” Simply changing a logo isn’t enough to change the bond you have (or hope to create) with your audience.
• Second, knowing your strengths can help develop a new brand that caters to you and drive future success with brand advocates.
• Third, rolling out a new brand through a well-defined digital strategy that includes online and mobile channels is imperative in engaging your target at the spaces where they spend a majority of their time.
• Finally, as Myspace discovered in their recent brand refresh, awareness of your audience and their expectations of you is just as important as how you view yourself.

An intricate strategy in place to balance these areas can mean saving time and work wasted on an unappealing brand that lacks direction and impact. With this in mind, we took a closer look at two brands that have made strides and setbacks in their brand.

The Hit: San Diego Zoo

• Company Goals, Message and Culture: Job well done. Before rolling out a new, cohesive brand for all three San Diego Zoo entities, the goal was to ensure they appear unified and highlight the San Diego Zoo’s efforts in conservation.
• Core Strengths: The San Diego Zoo’s strengths lie in the culture that it has developed since 1916. Conservation and education are important elements of who they are and we believe the new brand reflects this well through the identity system and communication of zoo programs and initiatives.
• Digital Rollout: Before the new brand was introduced, San Diego Zoo did a wonderful job of engaging the community. After the rebrand, their Facebook page, Twitter page and website continue to create an educational experience that allow the community to help in conservation efforts, play educational games and adopt animals.
• Audience Expectations: San Diego Zoo did their research. They knew the name “Safari Park” better represents the experience people have at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They also understand the fun, family-oriented experience of both parks and the educational experience of the institute needed to be captured in the new identity system when compared to the old, corporate-looking logo.

The Miss: Gap

• Company Goals, Message and Culture: Unfortunately, Gap fired a complete dud. Rolling out a new (less than liked) logo in early-October, the public was quick to call them out with “Crap Logo Yourself.” Gap did little to connect their new visual representation with what a Gap spokesperson later told us was meant to “signify Gap’s transition from classic America design to modern, sexy, cool.”
• Core Strengths: Gap’s strength as a clothing brand is that they are considered iconic by many, creating what Brand New calls “a cool, breezy, and sophisticated brand visual language.” The hasty switch to the new logo did little to enhance the appeal they had or highlight their shift to “modern, sexy, cool.”
• Digital Rollout: Overall, Gap is doing what they can to create a large digital presence (recent Groupon deals and Facebook check-ins come to mind), but have yet to embrace it in a branded way to engage with their customers beyond “big savings.” Prior to the new logo, Gap did a good job at engaging the community with store news, giveaways and styling tips. After the new logo, all hope for a revised digital strategy was lost when Gap failed to properly introduce the online community to it.
• Audience Expectations: Gap found out a little too late what their audience wanted. After introducing the new logo and receiving a flood of negative feedback, Gap attempted to quell the mob’s anger by calling it a “crowd sourcing project,” which did little to smooth things over. In the end, Gap ditched the new logo and crowd sourcing plans, illustrating why proactively discovering a target audience is much better than reacting to their negativity.

As you can see, a rebranding must be balanced through all four areas we looked at. What recent rebrands do you think are hits or misses?

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.

Cause marketing is nothing new. Yoplait has been supporting breast cancer research for years. What is new, are the “New Affluents,” who spend over $303 billion a year in the U.S. on their favorite brands. With their spending power, this group is single-handedly redefining what makes a “good” brand, including if that brand represents integrity and authenticity through charitable efforts.

But that’s not all. According to a report done by Cone based on nonprofit partnerships, “59% of Americans are more likely to buy a product associated with the partnership.” Similarly, Bob Gilbreath reports that 71% of consumers continue to give despite the economic downturn, 87% would switch to a brand partnered with a good cause and 50% would pay more for cause-related products.

So what is a brand to do? Mindgruve believes there are some basic criteria you should consider before rushing into the cause-marketing space. Standing behind a cause with an innovative marketing campaign is a great way to connect with your consumers and build brand awareness. However, the wrong cause and campaign may force people to view your efforts as a weak attempt to stay relevant. Take a moment to review and carefully think about what will work for you.

1. Is your cause relevant to your brand? Tyson’s hunger relief program and Haagen-Dazs’ Help the Honeybee initiative both support relevant causes by giving food to those in need and saving honeybees, respectively. Coupled with engaging online efforts, such as Haagen-Dazs’ field tour, Beeboy dance video and personalized honeybees, they demonstrate an understanding of consumer interests and areas where their brand can have impact.
2. Is it meaningful to you AND your consumers? Just because a cause makes sense, doesn’t mean it holds meaning with your staff and your consumers. After surveying women around the world, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty was created to combat low self-esteem and beauty stereotypes among young girls and women. Dove has been criticized for this campaign and called hypocritical, but they identified an issue many ignored and are providing meaningful conversation and support for it.
3. Will it engage your consumers? Pepsi has set a new standard with Pepsi Refresh Project. Not only did they take a strong step into social media, they got their consumers to actively participate in good deeds by providing the chance to submit a cause, vote and help determine how Pepsi’s donation will affect communities. The same individual impact can be found in the relaunched American Express Members Project, which also allows participants to vote for charities, volunteer and donate.
4. How do you want to commit? Long-term or short-term? Donor or defining the needs? While a lasting partnership like Yoplait has with the Susan G. Komen Foundation can span a decade and raise millions of dollars, it’s important to consider the growth, evolution and scale you expect for your company as well as its relation to the cause. Serving short-term needs, like Mindgruve did with client Sunfood to raise donations for the Haiti Earthquake through the International Rescue Committee, can also provide great engagement with a simpler company commitment.
5. **BONUS** New companies, can you build a cause into your business structure? TOMS Shoes, founded in 2006, saw a need and the opportunity to meet it. Its mission is simple, “with every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.” This is an extreme example, but should the opportunity present itself, creating a company around a cause can successfully serve the world while also building your business, brand and customer base.

Just like the examples we’ve listed, or with any successful campaign, a well done cause marketing plan is genuine, engaging and builds awareness. Think carefully about the details of a cause – How your brand relates to it? If your consumers will care about it? And what you can commit to it? – before making a decision. If you do, the cause and your business will both see great returns from your efforts.

Successful marketing strategy and sales growth lead to evolving superfood partnership.

SAN DIEGO,CA – After a successful first year of sales growth with Mindgruve, Sunfood has decided to renew the San Diego, California-based digital media firm as their agency of record. “Mindgruve has been a perfect fit. Working with Chad and his team had an immediate impact on our business – sales are up 30% and our email database has doubled in size as a result of increased reach and traffic. They understand the booming superfood marketplace and have been extremely helpful in defining and targeting our audience,” stated Brian Bowers, Sunfood COO.

With one year under their belt, Mindgruve now looks to play an increasingly vital role in Sunfood’s operations and image. “Initially, we were brought in to help with their internet marketing strategy, but as the relationship evolved, we now drive all of their advertising and marketing campaigns,” said Chad Robley, Mindgruve President. He continued, “Moving forward, we will be doing product consulting and new packaging to fuse seamlessly with a complete brand overhaul. And, of course, we’ll continue to refine and increase the potency of our online marketing efforts to maximize ROI.”

The leader in the superfood marketplace, Sunfood is prepared to solidify their role as an expert and innovator of high quality superfood products. They plan to take the steps necessary to increase conversion and retention of site visitors through various community-building tactics, including a superfood-specific social network, events and an increased two-way dialog between Sunfood and their consumers. Brian Bowers explained, “superfoods are a lifestyle. With the help of Mindgruve, now we can more easily commit to engaging, educating and helping people integrate superfoods into their own lifestyle. In doing so, we will build and maintain a dedicated community that helps people love their health and love their life.”

About Sunfood

Sunfood is the world’s leading provider of high-quality superfoods, including sustainable, organic and raw products. Distributing over 1000 different products, their website has become the nucleus of the growing superfood global community. Sunfood also provides staff experts, educational materials and various other tools used for integrating the health benefits of superfoods into their patrons’ lifestyles. www.sunfood.com

Mindgruve launches a redesigned Honeymoonwishes.com

SAN DIEGO, CA – Honeymoonwishes.com, the world’s number one online wedding registry, along with strategic partner Mindgruve, a San Diego-based digital media firm, are proud to announce the relaunch of the Honeymoon Wishes website. This new state-of-the-art platform keeps Honeymoon Wishes at the forefront of the online honeymoon registry market as more and more couples consider this service a vital part of their wedding.

“We’re very excited about the relaunch of HoneymoonWishes.com. Our rapid growth trajectory over the past several years is more evidence of the shift in how wedding couples are utilizing registries. The old registry model of building just a hard goods registry is no longer the only option before today’s wedding couples. People are getting married later in life and typically have most of these standard household items. Especially in this economy, wedding couples need a registry that can help them pay for their honeymoon or help subsidize hard goods items typically not easily aggregated into one registry. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to capture a larger piece of this market.” says Mindgruve president, Chad Robley.

The new Honeymoon Wishes website features enhanced design and exciting additions for a completely new user experience including more personalization and advanced registry options. Kristin Stark, president of Honeymoon Wishes explains, “We know it’s important to continually update and improve our website to give the best possible experience to our users. Couples really like the new look and feel of the website, it is quicker, easier and more fun to set up an online registry. We’ve also added several new features that give users the ability to personalize their registry list. We are excited and extremely happy with the positive feedback we have received so far and expect the new website will greatly increase adoption and conversion rates over time.”

Marketing and Internet Media Company tasked with developing new Carlsbad brand and “heads in beds” strategy

CARLSBAD, CA - Mindgruve, a San Diego-based advertising+interactive marketing firm, announced today they have signed a contract with the Carlsbad BID [Business Improvement District: responsible for improving Carlsbad's tourism market share in Southern California]. As part of the agreement, Mindgruve will be developing a brand platform, logo, and print collateral campaign. However, the primary focus of the marketing investment dollars will be allocated to the internet strategy, microsites, paid search, search optimization, affiliate marketing, social media, and email marketing portion of the agreement.

This partnership was created to jump start Carlsbad tourism in light of the recent downturn in the economy and tourism market. “Carlsbad is home to some of the word’s finest hotels, resorts, golf courses, beaches, and attractions,” says Reint Reinders, President of Reint Reinders & Associates, the consulting firm for the Carlsbad BID. “We will be actively pursuing families who are seeking hotel and attraction deals and packages within several regional feeder markets including Southern California and Arizona.”

Mindgruve plans to develop a series of highly targeted micro websites to promote Carlsbad destination-centric family package deals. “This campaign will be centered around search marketing to families looking to drive relatively short distances for a vacation at a reduced price”, says Chad Robley, President of Mindgruve. “The combination of a world class family destination and value-based marketing approach provides a great opportunity for families to explore Carlsbad.”

Leading advertising and interactive agency joins with raw food expert, David Wolfe, to expand Sunfood.com

San Diego, CA - Mindgruve, a leading advertising + interactive agency in San Diego, recently announced their partnership with Sunfood.com. Founder of Sunfood, David Wolfe, is a world renowned expert on the raw food lifestyle and has chosen to collaborate with Mindgruve as they expand their raw food empire.

David Wolfe is a visionary in the raw food industry and with his expertise and support, Sunfood has flourished to become one of the most recognizable all-natural food brands in the world. In keeping with the times, Sunfood is promoting environmental and social responsibility through their strictly implemented “green” business standards and innovative products. Mindgruve will be responsible for rebranding Sunfood.com, creating a new ecommerce strategy, designing their product packaging and handling all event marketing for Sunfood, amongst other things.

Sunfood has been providing people worldwide with quality products to enhance their health, create longevity and enable them to have the best day ever for over a decade. Since its inception in 1995, Sunfood has acquired a loyal clientele consisting of A-list celebrities and business professionals. Nutrient filled best-sellers like their truly raw cashews and cacao nibs have given consumers an alternate way to eat and live, without sacrificing good taste. The company is now looking to expand and plans on producing even more products and foods in their ongoing campaign to promote health and well-being to all people, everywhere.

The creative team at Mindgruve will be creating the SunFood site so that food-lovers will have free access to shop for SunFood items online while acquiring first hand knowledge about healthy eating from David Wolfe.