Marketingblatt Winter 2014/15 EN

Issue 6 Winter 2014/15

marketingblatt.com w-4.com Contents

Marketing Automation

Next stop: Social Media Marketing

Everywhere Commerce I

Everywhere Commerce II

H2H-Marketing

Pages 1 + 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Identify and Use Potential Clients‘ Preferences

How Image and Sales Benefit from Social Media

Bridging the Gap between Analogue and Digital

Call tracking: E-Commerce becomes Everywhere Commerce

Successful Marketing from Human to Human

Build awarness with illustrations

W4 Employee Interview

Page 7

Page 8

A Plea for Originality: Create Awareness with Illustrations

Marian Schönfeld, Creative Director and Illustrator

IDENTIFY AND USE POTENTIAL CLIENTS` PREFERENCES

STRATEGY MARKETING AUTOMATION

The winners in online marketing have left “We have everything for everyone” behind a long time ago and replaced it with a new motto: “We have exactly what If you know what a client wants, there is no use in putting your whole catalogue on the table. Rather, open your catalogue and show exactly the product in demand. Thanks to new marketing tools, this is as easy as never before. Let’s talk about a new trend, let’s talk about Marketing Automation.

Marketing Automation Marketing Automation denotes the strategic work with software platforms that link data from data banks, web controlling, communication, workflows and CRM-sychronization. This happens in a way that automates the communication to customers and leads in a personalized manner.

Generic sales messages have long ago become useless among the mass of offers competing for attention on the internet. Relevancy, conversion and revenue can only be attained through personalization nowadays.

you’re looking for.” Approaching (potential) customers with tailor-made messages is the new way of doing business.

Intelligent Analysis of Data Intelligent data analysis is key. Marketing Automation analyzes existing information on clicks, downloads, video views and other client-related data in order to create dynamic lead profiles that allow a tailor-made sales approach with relevant messages on the relevant channels.

«Personalization is the new requirement for maintaining relevancy and driving conversions.»

A good Marketing Automation system serves various customers on various levels of the customer journey in relation to their needs and interests. This way, the marketing and sales departments play into each other’s hands.

The software automatically manages the existing marketing processes on the basis of the individual user profiles and analyses. This means that the software makes the existing marketing processes more efficient and more sustainable.

Interest Profile Reveals Digital Body Language Webtracking documents and analyzes user behavior. It registers, which offers from which company a user engages, which newsletters a customer opens and which links s/he clicks.

All we have to do is to learn to read the traces a user leaves on the internet and use them for business.

Everything that a customer likes or dislikes is essential for a personalized marketing campaign. The Marketing Automation platform gathers all data and conducts detailed analyses.

Continue reading on page 2

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LEAD GENERATION

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Email Marketing

Marketing Database

Website

Marketing Database

SEA

Lead Management

List Management Qualification Segmentation

Lead Nurturing g Lead Sourcing Lead Routing

List Management Qualification Segmentation

Online PR & Social Media Marketing

Everyone knows Facebook – THE social network is an established part of the daily lives of people across all age segments. There even was a Hollywood movie made starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake in 2010. Google+ should ring a bell as well, although Social networks can be more than platforms for status updates. There are many specialists nowadays. There are, for example, professional, job-related networks like Xing and LinkedIn that we have already written about in the past. Other networks seem to be made for private usage but turn out to be suited for marketing just as well.

Telemarketing

A picture is worth a thousand words Pinterest Pinterest is one of the fastest growing networks.

Founded a mere four years ago, the virtual pinboard already counts 100 million active users. Most of them (70%), however, are from the United States.

About 1.5 percent are from Germany, which is still 1.5 million users – and rising.

CONTROLLING OF WEB, MARKETING & SALES

DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

It is not sufficient to only record data once. Name, address, date of birth, company and job position Our offer: Has your company’s marketing reached a level at which it should be thinking about Marketing Automation? We are happy to give you advice on the available Marketing Automation software and support you in developing the necessary marketing, campaign and content strategies.

Issue 6 | 2014/15 | 3

NEXT STOP:

MARKETING AUTOMATION

Trade Shows & Events

marketingblatt.com

Lead appropriate for Sale

CRM Close

Lead appropriate for Sale

have to be augmented dynamically with indirect information such as interests and purchasing behavior. The more detailed the information, the more specific will be the communication.

How Does an Enterprise Website Have to Perform?

Your enterprise website is the central information hub of the company. This means that all channels you use link to the website. In order to avoid an

overstuffed website, it is important to concentrate on the important information such as product data, contact information and information on the company. Campaign content is best placed on landing pages and in newsletters.

Multi channel marketing has become a common solution that works even better if the available channels can be tailored to a customer’s needs.

«1.5 million people use Pinterest in Germany. 3 million German-speaking users share photos on Instagram and Google continues to be in Facebook‘s enormous shadow.»

Pinterest allows users to create boards with visual bookmarks (“pins”). Not only can users pin images they like, but they can also share visual content they created themselves. Pinterest therefore functions like a visual discovery tool and as a virtual memory disc for interesting content.

Instagram Instagram has about 200 million monthly active users worldwide and about 3 million in Germany.

Instagram is one of the social networks made for the mobile era. Although it is possible to access the platform from a desktop computer, its full func-

#

What are hashtags? Hashtags are a great way to categorize content on the web.

The topic or keyword is inserted right after the #-symbol. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and many other social networks content can be categorized and browsed using the respective hashtag (for example #marketing for marketing-related content). It is possible to use more than one hashtag per post. Using hashtags should be integrated into the common social media practice as this principle of organizing content on the web is only going to continue to expand.

tionality can only be explored with a smartphone.

Like Pinterest, Instagram is a visual network that invites users to take snapshots (also videos) and edit them with filter effects. These photographs can then be shared with the user’s social circle or the general public. The audience for the shared images can be increased by selecting fitting hashtags.

As visual discovery tools, both Pinterest and Ins-

the search engine’s social network never reached the heights of its blue competition. Only recently Google made it known that it is going to restructure Google+ – The whens and hows remain to be seen.

tagram are perfectly suited for image cultivation.

They allow companies to give visual impressions of themselves. Businesses that sell visually appealing products can profit from these platforms especially. Hence, it should not be a surprise that Victoria’s Secret is the most popular brand on Instagram (4.4 million followers). As a virtual shopping window, Instagram and Pinterest can be used to present products with relatively little effort and budget. Boticca, an online shot for fashion accessories, for example found that Pinterest delivers more new customers than Facebook.

Tumblr Tumblr is a social network that focusses on blogs.

A great number of templates, some of them free of charge, can be used to create an own blog with relatively few resources. Not only blogs, but also citations, images and links can be posted on a Tumblr blog.

A lot of hype has surrounded Tumblr in recent years. However, ever since Yahoo purchased the network hoping to freshen up its own dusty image, the hype has cooled down a bit. User numbers have been stagnating recently, which may also be due to the fact that Tumblr is more suited to be used on desktop computers rather than on mobile devices.

enough to the selected target groups so that they actually engage with it.

Paid Discovery is not the only way of using StumbleUpon in marketing. By creating lists relevant to a company’s field of expertise, this is also a good network to do content curation.

Social Media Channels Explained Facebook is the most-used social network – in Switzerland, in the German-speaking world and around the globe. For the many users of all ages, professions and ethnicities, Facebook has become a part of their daily lives as both an important source of information and a platform to share opinions, images and much more. Companies should not miss out on this!

YouTube is not only the preferred social network for moving images. YouTube has also become the most popular search engine behind Google. With an own channel on the video platform, advertising becomes content. Inform and entertain your audience and expand your reach with interesting videos!

Traffic at Random StumbleUpon StumbleUpon allows its users to “stumble” through the world wide web according to their general interests. The network shows its registered users websites presumably selected at random for them to click through. They can like, dislike, comment on and save the presented content in lists. By doing so, StumbleUpon learns more about a user’s interest and refines the results it presents. At the same time, a user can create a profile by liking and saving content. It is also possible to actively communicate with other users via messages, comments and sharing content they consider relevant. This principle has engaged 35 million registered users worldwide (3.2 million in the German-speaking world).

Active registered users moreover spend 5.5 hours on the site per month. They also submit more than 100.000 pages each day, which is one of the reasons why the platform has become the fifth largest social traffic referral site on the web.

The function Paid Discovery allows business to have StumbleUpon insert their URLs into the otherwise random “stumbles” (about 5% of the sites stumbles are reserved for Paid Discovery). This seems to be a great way to increase traffic – of course only as long the content is appealing Our services: W4 knows social networks. Tailored to your wishes and needs, we can develop a social media strategy for you. Whether it is Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest or a mix of all – We are happy to give you advice!

Twitter, like Facebook, has become an integral part of many people›s daily lives.

Tweets of all kinds – personal interests and global news alike – make this social media channel a never-ceasing source of information. 870 members worldwide, from private persons to celebrities and corporations, tweet and retweet what is on their mind at the moment. A great way for companies to become a leader of opinion in their sector!

Xing is the most important business network in the German-speaking world.

Currently, 13 million people use Xing.

6.3 of those reside in Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

LinkedIn is the international counterpart to Xing. About 200 million people worldwide use the platform to strengthen their business networks and acquire new partners. In the German-speaking world, LinkedIn has about 3 million users.

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EVERYWHERE COMMERCE I

CALL TRACKING

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ANALOGUE AND DIGITAL

ECOMMERCE BECOMES EVERYWHERE COMMERCE

Do you still drive to a local store or do you rather shop comfortably online? Many people prefer the tablet over their car keys when it comes down to going shopping. Nevertheless, as part of a multi-channel strategy, retail real estate is still important. – Even more so Retail real estate can do things that are not (yet) possible online: personal advice aside, a store appeals to all senses. Products can be touched, smelled and tested. On these grounds, people will continue to prefer the local store over an online shop in some cases.

If we compare Google’s search results with a shopping street, we realize that there are many shops competing for our attention. Thanks to keyword optimization, meta description and well-placed ads as well as optimized landing pages, online retailers try to be the brightest star on an already crowded sky. All this is based on the continuous evaluation of online traffic: Which keywords gain the best results? How does a landing page have to be designed in order to deliver high conversion rates?

There are many tools that allow marketers to measure the success of online campaigns. The lessons learnt from online retailers can also be applied to their stationary counterparts. In both local and online stores one thing matters the most: positive experiences deliver high conversion rates.

if we consider that a local store can be optimized using similar tools as in online marketing. Also, because the smartphone bridges the gap between the analogue and the digital world.

Customer Analysis in Local Stores with Smartphones

How many people walk by your shopping window?

How can I improve my shopping window so that people stop and enter the store? Once they entered the store: How long are they staying and do they buy something? These are questions that can be answered using smartphones. Every smartphone transmits a unique signal, called MAC address, that is similar to an IP address. Using a WiFi sensor, this MAC address can be used to deliver answers to the above questions. The obtained data can make up valuable store statistics. Statistics are great, but solutions based on Kinect technology can even identify facial expressions and therefore be used to evaluate the emotional responses in-store ads trigger.

Other than collecting data, smartphones can also be used to link the analogue with the digital world.

Using QR-codes, for example, additional product data can be made available to shoppers. Such codes can also be used to make additional offers

Where Do Smartphone Owners Use Their Device?

97% at home

88%

on the road

72% at work

69%

in public transportation

58%

in restaurants

45%

during events

From Which Sources Are QR-Codes Usually Scanned?

Print

59%

Flyers

49%

Packaging

46%

Bilboards

43%

Online

27%

Brochures

25%

Tickets

18%

The digital revolution is changing our daily lives and those who welcome this development can profit from it tremendously. The gap between eCommerce and traditional trade is increasingly closing. The means of Why Call Tracking?

or to encourage shoppers to subscribe to a newsletter – there are many possibilities. One thing, however, is important. All measures must be used to improve a customer’s experience. By receiving great service, a customer will be more likely to return to the store – no matter if it is in the real or digital world.

«Many people rather use their tablets than their car keys to go shopping nowadays.»

Furthermore, more and more smartphones are equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. This introduces a new way of making financial transactions that is fast and easy. Up until now, NFC is most common in public transportation for rather small amounts of money.

Not Only More But Better Leads with Call Tracking

The means of the digital world not only benefit local stores. We tell you how telemarketing can benefit from digital marketing methods in the next article.

Call tracking is becoming more and more popular: tracking software automatically generates phone numbers for every marketing instrument (online, email, print etc.). The software then analyzes which instrument or campaign generates the most incoming calls and hence helps to determine which one offers the best return of investment (ROI). But it does not stop there: call tracking delivers a wide range of data, from information on the lead source to analyzing complete phone conversations. The collected data can then be used to optimize sales processes by assessing the quality of leads.

Furthermore, future campaigns will deliver a better ROI since call tracking data has provided valuable insight into what works and what does not with the targeted audience.

All of this comes at a fair price: because call tracking solutions are usually cloud-based, only a small investment is required.

Quality Assessment of Select Lead Sources Paid Leads Clicks to Map

Order our info chart on StoreData to your doorstep as A1 poster for free. www.w-4.ch/chart-store-data

Email

The Phone Continues to Be a Valuable Marketing Instrument Even in the digital age, the phone remains important. The reason for this is its own evolution: the smartphone is always with us and unifies various uses – from apps and internet access to phone calls. The click-to-call function for example is increasingly popular and serves as a perfect example for successfully bridging the gap between digital and analogue. Furthermore, there will always be reasons why customers prefer to call instead of writing an email – be it because s/he prefers to talk to a real person, to quickly get an answer or because it is simply convenient.

Better Leads through Call Tracking Not only does call tracking deliver data on how a customer found a business, but it also enable sales process optimization and lead nurturing.

Every call – incoming or outgoing – is recorded and analyzed by the software: intonation, emotion, choice of words and duration are all taking into account. This is a tremendous amount of data that the software uses to qualify leads: Which offered services interest the customer the most? What evoked positive or negative emotions? When will the customer be ready to make a purchase? With this information, individual customers can be approached at the right moment in a manner that is tailored to his needs. It is rather simple: better leads make higher conversion rates!

In-Person Online Form

Our Offer: There are many ways Everywhere Commerce can be done successfully and we will gladly advice you on the options that suit your needs the best. Get in touch!

digital marketing can now be successfully applied in more traditional forms of marketing. Hello everywhere commerce!

Calls

Source: BIA/Kelsey‘s Local Commerce Monitor (Wave 16)

Our Service: Optimize your sales process with call tracking. We advice you in the development of your own call tracking strategy and help analyzing the collected data. We can also conduct whole call tracking campaigns in our own call center for you. Get in touch!

Order our info chart on Call Tracking to your doorstep as A1 poster for free. www.w-4.ch/chart-call-tracking

Consumers Across All Verticals Are Likely to Use Click to Call % who would be likely to call if the capability was available in a smartphone result.

69%

Local Services

60%

Cars

51%

Tech

49%

Travel

47%

Finance

44%

Restaurant

37%

Retail

Source: serchenginewatch.com

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H2H

BUILD AWARENESS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

SUCCESSFUL MARKETING FROM HUMAN TO HUMAN

LESS RANDOMNESS, MORE ORIGINALITY Once you have spent some time browsing the internet, you will have experienced a few deja-vu moments: I know this image from a different context. Stockphotos are a popular means when deadlines are close and

budgets are tight. The issue: Everyone else can use them. Only illustrations are as unique as your brand and products.

trations are more than an old alternative to photography. And by the way: The retro aspect is largely about the look or the work of drawing itself. Nowadays, illustrations can be digital as well thanks to drawing pads. Those are usually used for vector graphics that are indefinitely scalable. Apart from that, illustrations can be used in various contexts:

From business to business or from business to consumer: these divisions have dominated marketing for a long time. However, a business does not sell anything, There is no arguing about it: those who underline their human side appear more authentic and establish long-lasting relationships to other human beings. This circumstance can also be very influential in marketing: Welcome to H2H marketing!

■

«Storytelling is human and authentic – hence perfect for H2H!» Inbound marketing is all about great content. This is why people do not want to hear a sales pitch from a faceless enterprise. They research information themselves online in order to make an informed purchasing decision. This means that clients approach a business with a good amount of prior knowledge. Inbound marketing in the spirit of H2H therefore always keeps the following things in mind:

■ Desire: whether it is the desire to be a part of something (e.g. fashion trends etc.) or the desire to work more efficiently – as soon as the desire becomes to hard to ignore, customers are ready to buy.

■

■

Personas: Get a clear picture of who your clients are. If you know the desires of you clients, you will be able to address them much better. How do they prefer to interact?

Search: Many things are important in SEO marketing. Search terms, meta descriptions and links are often named as key factors.

However, none of this matters when the content of your website is not informative or entertaining. Google is constantly optimizing its algorithm and key words are not as essential as other factors such as bounce rates and click-through rates. Content is king! This also applies to the overall design – is the website easy to navigate? And do you have original content or are you using the same stock photos everyone else uses?

■

Teeming pictures: One big picture and a great many details. A teeming picture is full of different ideas, aspects and perspectives. The human mind is invited to take a little adventure by discovering the many details that reveal themselves upon close inspection. This is a great way of mediating information coupled with a great deal of entertainment and humor.

it does not have emotion, it does not interact. Humans are always on both sides of the line, the monitor, the sales conversation.

Social media: H2H is about getting a better understanding of your clients and to connect with them on a more human, emotional level. Social media are the perfect outlet to really interact with other people. This means that your social media strategy should not be about shoving new products down clients’ throats, but about getting to know them and allowing them to get to know you.

Comics: People can remember information better when it is part of a larger story. A comic can tell the story of your brand in a memorable, entertaining way. But the possibilities are plentiful: Why not turn instructions to products and serves into charming comics?

■ H2H makes you more relatable and authentic

Illustrated videos: Videos put the focus on what is important and mediate information in a clear and imaginative manner. Other than that, they need a much lower budget than a live video shoot that involves a lot of equipment, actors, camera operators, stylists and much more.

■ it establishes long-term relationships

(customer retention)

■ it is great for word-to-mouth propaganda-

Mund-zu-Mund-Propaganda

■ it helps to understand clients better

«Why not offer an artistic perspective on something rather mundane?»

Data: Hard facts are not very human.

However, in order to give best possible experience to your clients, it is important to get to know them. This allows you to guide them towards a purchasing decision instead of telling them what and when to buy.

The Benefits of H2H Marketing H2H marketing is more than feel good marketing.

The bottom line is of course the success of your company. Here is how H2H benefits your company:

A teeming picture created by W4 for the soccer world championships special edition of BILD (circulation: 42 mil.).

Storytelling Is Human and Authentic – Use It in H2H! How do people explain their lives? How do they make sense of their existence? Since the dawn of human history, it is storytelling that fulfills this very function. Identify the desires of your clients and create a relatable, authentic story about how you can fulfill these desires. Communicate this story on the channels available to you.

Our service: Communicate on par with your clients and get to know them better. We are happy to advise you on H2H marketing and develop a H2H marketing campaign that suits your needs. Get in touch!

Visual Information Hits Home

Would you like to have the Marketingblatt delivered to your doorstep as print magazine free of charge twice a year?

Order here. www.w-4.ch/order-marketingblatt

Studies reveal that the human brain is much better at processing information when it is visually interesting. Humans take less than 1/10 of a second to get the sense of a visual scene (Semetko & Scammel (2012) The SAGE Handbook of Political Communication, SAGE Publications). Studies furthermore indicate that color visuals increase the willingness to read by an astonishing 80% (Green, R. (1989). The Persuasive Properties of Color, Marketing Communications). This widely known fact is of course used by creators of content around the globe. Since 2007, the use of visualized information on the internet has increased by 9900% (Google Trends). That implies a dilemma: You want your information to be received by as many people as

possible. But how are you going to stick out from the ever-increasing flood of images?

A visual language tailored to your brand can be created in two ways: You can either pay a photographer (along with a studio, stylist etc.) or you hire an illustrator who does not need much beyond pen and paper. Furthermore, illustrations have the advantage that they allow abstraction. Why not present something rather mundane in a playful or artistic manner?

Illustrations Have Recognition Value Illustrations enjoy renewed popularity these days.

This might be due to a certain retro trend, but illus-

Infographics: Studies reveal that people are more likely to follow instructions when they come with illustrations by 323% (Levie & Lentz (1982). Effects of Text Illustrations: A Review of Research, Educational Communication and Technology). They are also more easily convinced by arguments when these arguments are presented along with visuals. In our time of information overload, it is important to make information available in a way that is easy to grasp.

Infographics are an ideal way to achieve this: Details are presented in the context of a bigger picture. Lucidity and intelligibility meet entertainment – that is the ideal for a great infographic.

Storyboard: There is no movie without a storyboard. They visualize important scenes and their overall mood in a few comic-like panels. Storyboards are of great help for the director, camera people and actors on set. This saves valuable time and if one thing Hollywood has taught us it is that time is money!

Our Service: From advertisements to video: We recognize a good illustration when we see one. Our team of illustrators and graphic designers will give your brand the visual language it deserves. Get in touch!

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W4 Short Profile W4 connects marketing expertise with cutting-edge technology. For more than 20 years, we have built the perfect stage for industrial goods and sophisticated services – amongst others, with marketing automation solutions, promotion campaigns, enterprise websites or mobile apps and with data pools linked through intelligent interfaces.

INTERVIEW

EMPLOYEE

SERVICES Conception and Developing a strategy Sales Factory Content Studio Mediadesign, Illustrations and Animations Software Development Management Systems SOLUTIONS Marketing Automation Content Personalization Content Marketing Enterprise Apps Optimized Landing Pages Digital Marketing/SMO Video Content Email Marketing SharePoint Branding 3D Visualization Trade Show Marketing Text Creation and Online Journalism Online Communication Corporate Communication Advertising Campaigns Print Communication HR Marketing Cooperative Marketing Mobile Marketing Social Media Marketing PRODUCTS WebPrePrint CommunityNet Moving Image 24 Typo 3 Magento WordPress Open EMM

Oracle Eloqua Akeneo Hubspot

LOCATIONS SWITZERLAND Idastrasse 14, CH-8003 Zürich Phone: +41 44 533 50 35 Edelweiss-Strasse 6, CH-5430 Wettingen Phone: +41 56 500 40 55 Aeschenvorstadt 71, CH-4051 Basel Phone: +41 61 500 04 20 GERMANY Königsbrücker Strasse 70, 1. HH DE-01099 Dresden Scherlstrasse 18, DE-04103 Leipzig Phone: 0351 41 888 950

info@w-4.com, www.w-4.com

Director: Jörg Wenzel

About the Journal Issue 6, WINTER 2014/15 Publisher and Editorial Office: W4 Zurich Edition: 2000 Ex

Marian Schönfeld, a.k.a. Mamei is creative director and illustrator at W4

His Lines Draw Attention Mister Schönfeld, hand-drawn and animated videos enjoy increasing popularity at the moment. How do you explain this trend?

Marian Schönfeld: This is a matter of zeitgeist.

Currently, it is very popular to have an animated introduction to a subject area. PowerPoint presentations have become outdated in this regard. Moreover, a film shot with actors and cameras is very cost-intensive and timeconsuming. Not everyone can afford this. That is why companies increasingly turn to illustrations as a middle course when they want to present their brand or their products in moving images.

Are we experiencing a counter movement to the flood of images photoshopped to perfection with the rise of illustrated ads and videos?

Marian Schönfeld: Yes. If you want to stick out from the crowd, you refer to hand-drawn ads, preferably complemented with handwritten copy. I always swoon over ads using illustrations in a glossy magazine! They are retro to a certain degree and return to the roots of it all. They catch the eye simply by eschewing standardized fonts and formats.

W4 receives many inquiries for teeming pictures. What is the creative process behind such a complex drawing?

Marian Schönfeld: At the beginning I need clarification on the creative freedom I have. Some clients already have a scenario in mind. Whether I am free to imagine an own scenario or not, the next step is that I make a scribble and present this to the client.

If the client likes it, I will print the scribble in lightblue on four A3 format cartons. I will now do the tracing using a pencil. Once I am done with this, I scan it and digitally unify all four cartons. After that I will consult with the client once more to get the final go. Then, I print out the sketch in light-blue and begin to outline everything in black with a brush. Finally, this is again digitalized and colored in Photoshop.

Compared to photographs, stock photographs especially, illustrations take a little more time. Do you have a recommendation for companies as to when they should look into illustrations and when they should rather use time-saving stock photos?

Marian Schönfeld: The costs and benefits always need to be considered. If your goal is to present something in a unique visual language, illustrations are the way to go. Also, if you need to emphasize certain aspects, for example in technical documentation, in marketing or e-learning, then an illus-

tration will allow you to do this with the best results.

An illustration is capable of showing complex processes in a single image. By reducing certain elements while emphasizing others, such as the main features of a product, illustrations allow greater freedom with regard to focus. However, when the budget is tight and the deadline is around the corner, than there is little choice but to take a stock photo. Nevertheless: be aware that the butcher next door might advertise with the exact same image.

Which industries usually require your services?

Marian Schönfeld: I`m usually approached by agencies for infographics. A common industry for infographics is the medical and health care sector.

Teeming pictures are popular with magazines, newspapers, sport clubs, the gaming industry and universities. It is similar with other types of illustrations. And of course I also draw for W4 – for example the header graphics for our monthly newsletter and the illustrations for the Marketingblatt.

Which aspects should be clear when a company decides to use an illustration in advertising?

Marian Schönfeld: Basically the classics such as core messages, target group, format, deadline and the type of media for which the illustration is produced. More specifically to illustrations, client and illustrator have to agree on the style the best benefits the company›s image and the main features of the product or service that is being advertised. The company may also provide input with regard to the subject.

Is there a platform where companies may look for an illustrator?

Marian Schönfeld: There are a few portals. For example, I am listed on io-home.org. On this portal, there are about 1200 illustrators with their portfolios and contact data. You will find an astonishing range of styles there. It is also worthwhile to check out www.illustrator.ch or – obviously – to consult with W4 to get some personal advice.

Final question: Who are your role models?

Marian Schönfeld: There are many artists whose style I like. Specifically I like to mention Nicolas Dumontheuil from France, whose loose style of drawing I admire. I also like Seth Gregory Gallant, a Canadian, who impresses me with his wonderful “ligne claire”.

Thank your for this interview.