Webinar to Unveil Launch of Astute Solutions Newest Digital Marketing Solution …

August 18 Webcast to launch Astute Solutions’ new digital marketing solution – RealDialog for Facebook.

Columbus, OH (PRWEB) August 01, 2011

Astute Solutions, a social media marketing solutions provider, has announced plans to host a free webcast, centering on the launch of their RealDialog for Facebook application. The hour long webinar, being held Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 1pm, will discuss the benefits of this newest brand management tool, which helps companies and agencies provide a differentiated experience to the fans of their Facebook page.

As an engine that supports the functions and objectives of marketing, customer service, and consumer affairs departments, the new digital marketing offering by Astute Solutions is designed to help companies reach new levels of engagement with their consumers and visitors. Serving as both a conversational agent and a channel for collecting consumer feedback, the Real Dialog for Facebook application works to increase brand loyalty as well as open up new, direct avenues for sales opportunities. Providing customer service, promoting new marketing campaigns or surveying consumers are just a few examples of the wide-reaching benefits of this social media marketing tool.

“Facebook fans are selective in choosing brands to connect with on Facebook. This indicates that brands that engage and provide value will win their attention, affection and support,” said Astute Solutions President, Joseph Sanda “Our newest RealDialog Facebook offering will allow companies to build community with consumers and prospects, while simultaneously driving sales, decreasing shopping cart abandonment and growing brand loyalty.”

During the free, 60-minute webcast, the RealDialog for Facebook application will be revealed in action. An array of scenarios will be discussed, explaining how this social commerce solution can be used across a wide range of industries and markets. These scenarios include:

•     Marketing and Promotional: After the launch of a marketing campaign, RealDialog for Facebook can be used to drive sales and decrease cart abandonment
•     Product Recall: The brand management solution can mitigate consumer anxiety and increasing the accuracy of information shared
•     Consumer Feedback: Companies can direct conversations with their Facebook fans, eliciting specific insight and feedback on products and services
•     User Experience: Companies can develop a user experience which strengthens brand loyalty and decreases the likelihood of fans “hiding” companies’ updates on their Facebook feed

MarComm and Social Media Specialist, Jennifer Hallowes, will lead the webinar. With an extensive background that encompasses more than 12 years in marketing, as well as focused expertise in social media marketing and ecommerce, Hallowes will discuss the use of this social commerce tool and how it applies to the fields of marketing, customer service, and consumer affairs.

Joining Hallowes is RealDialog Product Manager, Liz Shaver. As an experienced social commerce solutions provider, as well as the designer and architect of the RealDialog for Facebook Application, Shaver will reveal how the application was designed to address the obstacles that marketing departments are facing in this today’s digital age.

Persons interested in learning more about the RealDialog for Facebook application are encouraged to register for the Astute Solution’s webcast online at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/746477570.

About Astute Solutions

Astute Solutions enables the customer experience management strategies of industry-leading companies around the world. Its customer relationship management, contact center, social CRM, and mobile customer care solutions enhance customer retention, inspire advocacy and increase operational efficiency. With Astute’s solutions, organizations transform cross-channel customer feedback into actionable insight that drives continuous improvement, innovation and competitive advantage. Through high quality, proactive and personalized interactions, they build meaningful and long-lasting customer relationships. To learn more, visit http://www.astutesolutions.com.

# # #

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/8/prweb8678278.htm

When it comes to investing, you cannot settle for anything less than the fastest and most efficient news feed. That is why we created Benzinga Pro. Sign up for a free trial today!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Share and Enjoy

Gap weaves fabric of LA into 1969 jeans campaign

Gap, the clean-cut San Francisco clothing brand, is embracing its edgier side in Los Angeles.

To bring its 1969 Premium Jeans line closer to the heart of the designer denim industry, the apparel giant last year opened a creative design office in a gritty section of downtown L.A. near the fashion district. Now Gap is putting its L.A. vibe at the core of a global marketing campaign that launches Monday, complete with food trucks and a dog.

“This is the center of creativity,” said Seth Farbman, Gap’s newly hired global chief marketing officer, during a recent interview at the design studio, where a staggering number of jeans were stacked on shelves, tucked into cubbyholes and hanging from clothing racks.

“What’s interesting is that Gap has embraced it and is committed to getting at the heart of denim,” Farbman said. “And I think that may be the antithesis of what people think of our brand.”

Last year’s move to L.A. was intended to boost the authenticity of the 1969 brand, launched in 2009, and to better position it against the region’s high-end labels such as True Religion, J Brand and 7 for All Mankind.

Until now, the 5,400-square-foot design office on West Pico Boulevard has kept a low profile. The non-descript building, once home to a cigar factory, bears no mention of Gap and the intercom buzzer by the door doesn’t work — a far cry from the company’s heavily branded, buttoned-up headquarters that stretches a city block in San Francisco.

But Gap is letting its guard down in the new 1969: L.A. and Beyond campaign, which gives shoppers an inside look at the loft space. The marketing effort features vignettes filmed inside the studio and around L.A., fold-out print spreads in magazines including Vogue and Glamour, and advertisements in the windows of Gap stores nationwide.

The studio’s team of denim designers and merchants figure prominently in the videos and ad spreads, with many sharing their backgrounds in apparel and what fashion means to them; office “mascot” Louie, a caramel-colored pit bull mix, also makes several appearances. The vignettes will be posted on Gap’s Facebook page and on outlets such as Hulu and Pandora.

In true Angeleno style, the company has also procured several food trucks dubbed “Pico de Gap” that will hit the streets of Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Chicago starting next week for two months. The trucks will sell tacos with Gap coupons in the wrapper for $1.69; the tacos are free for shoppers who made a same-day purchase of 1969 denim at a Gap store and show a receipt.

By showing shoppers what happens behind the scenes, Gap executives want to give the company a more approachable feel that matches its goal of “democratizing fashion,” Farbman said. On a larger scale, the hope is that the marketing effort breathes new life into Gap’s advertising machine and sales, which have been lackluster recently even as competitors have posted solid results.

In its first quarter, Gap Inc., which is also parent to the Banana Republic and Old Navy chains, reported that profit fell 23% to $233 million and sales at stores open at least a year, known as comparable-store sales, declined 3%. The company’s stock is down 13% year-to-date and its comparable-store sales rose a slight 1% in June; at Gap brand, comparable-store sales in North America fell 1%.

The 1969: L.A. and Beyond campaign will tout Gap’s newest jeans styles, which hit stores this month and include new fabrics, colors and washes. Denim prices range from $59.50 to $89.95, a fraction of the price of high-end players, whose jeans can retail for $300 or more a pair.

Although Gap has lost its coolness factor in recent years and has had a number of product misses, its jeans line has been a strong performer, said Christine Chen, a retail analyst at Needham Co.

“Denim is one of the product areas where they’ve had a lot of success, so it makes sense to lead with that and hope there’s a halo effect on the rest of the product,” she said. Still, “advertising gets people into the store, but product is what converts them into buyers.”

andrea.chang@latimes.com

Share and Enjoy