|
|||
|
|||
FIELDS IN WHICH WE OPERATEOur work embraces any company activities which are connected with brand image and communication. In addition to verifying specific aspects (packaging, advertising, etc.), we analyze complex communication mixes and give solid support to the development of brand strategies. PRINCIPLES GUIDING OUR WORKAlphabet's work is conducted with the greatest attention to offer:
BRAND STUDIESIn this type of study, it is essential to examine how a brand designs itself (brand identity) and how it is seen by the public (brand image). If brands are above all communication entities, their relationship with the public should be seen not as a monologue but as an uninterrupted dialogue – which still needs cultivating and enlivening. Owing to the work we have carried out for a large number of clients, we have a lot of experience in analyzing this unusual ‘conversation’. In this regard, it is important to realize what the brand is in fact communicating, and to listen to and interpret correctly the consumer’s voice. ADVERTISING PRE-TESTAdvertising research is at the heart of Alphabet’s activities, above all pre-tests. In this regard, we know that our responsibility is that of helping a client company and its agencies to create a winning campaign, without killing off the most brilliant ideas just because of some surmountable imperfection. We consider that research is something that should support creativity rather than a moment of judgment which is an end in itself. NAME TESTSNames of brands and products are amongst the most critical factors when asserting one’s market position. They must be distinctive, memorable and easy to pronounce – but, above all, meaningful and inspiring. Ideally, each name should evoke a story. Alphabet assigns a lot of importance to this area of research, in which it has employed its analytical skills on many occasions. NAME INVENTIONThe validity of our name test activity has led many clients to ask us to move from checking to inventing. The knowledge we have acquired over the course of many studies into names has thus become a method to create new names, not on the basis of the brainstorming practice (normally suggested by advertising agencies) but with more in-depth and focused techniques. PACKAGING RESEARCHPackaging is a crucial tool for brand and product communication. It often has a longer life than an advertising campaign. And when choosing what to buy, people attach a lot of importance to this aspect. We believe that packaging must be taken into great consideration, and always in a comparative framework because it is in exactly this way that the consumer experiences it. For Alphabet, packaging constitutes a small but extraordinary canvas on which each product may paint its offer: a detailed exercise which must be mastered - if one wishes to avoid being anonymous. BROCHURE EVALUATIONEven the simplest means of communication may tell a lot about a company. Brochures and leaflets, in fact, significantly contribute in defining a company’s image. They may, at the same time, be an important way to establish contact with the consumer. Time spent on improving them is therefore never wasted. And Alphabet has a specific know-how available to this end. MAGAZINE RESEARCHNewspapers and magazines are full of particularly rich and complex signs. This does not mean, however, that they cannot be analyzed with some advantages. Alphabet has carried out many research projects seeking to verify the opportunities for a launch, pick out the most interesting editorial stance and check and optimize restyling operations. WEBSITE ANALYSISAlphabet is constantly updating the instruments it uses to carry out research. In this regard it has also offered for many years a service of evaluating websites. Our approach enables us to improve websites radically, not only from the point of view of language (words, icons and graphics) but also from that of the relationship with the user (fundamental for this new medium). Alphabet is also able to offer web usability studies conducted with the eye tracking technique in partnership with eye square, a specialized Berlin agency (see www.eye-square.com). TREND RESEARCHA further area in which Alphabet has acted with success is the forecast of socio-cultural trends. This entails analyzing dominant trends, in order fully to understand their growth and change; those in decline, to predict when they will cease to be relevant; and those emerging (and thus of great potential), to catch from the beginning any signals of their development. In this way we are in a better position to indicate, with some advance, socio-cultural phenomena which may have decisive effects on marketing issues. |
    |
Alphabet srl |
|