Today, Innovative Advertising added to its award-winning profile with three honors in the 39th Annual Telly Awards. All three victories came from Innovative’s work with Essential Federal Credit Union.

For its production of Essential’s “Our Progress” TV ad, Innovative earned a coveted Silver Telly Award in the General Bank for Local TV category. “Our Progress” introduces Essential’s commitment to addressing food insecurity by discussing the company’s long-standing relationship with the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. The video specifically highlights the credit union’s commitment of donating 50 meals to the food bank for each new member sign-up.

Once upon a time, the only tools you needed to get your newsworthy announcements and stories publicized were a press release and an email or phone call. Editors and reporters were one call away from hearing your pitch and developing it into a story. Now, modern communication devices allow us to reach media contacts in tons of news ways. This, combined with the rise of blogging, YouTube and other influencer channels, makes being creative and compelling in your outreach much more important. How, where, when and to whom you decide to pitch your story and product/service can literally make or break a successful public relations effort.

In addition to credit card fraud and identity fraud, there’s a new kind of fraud to watch out for — ad fraud. Digital ad fraud, also known as Invalid Traffic (IVT), is the practice of fraudulently representing (or falsely inflating) online ad metrics like impressions, clicks, conversions or actions in order to generate revenue. Digital bots, or nonhuman digital traffic, are the main cause of ad fraud, resulting in more than $42 billion in advertising investment waste.

You probably won’t get to the end of this blog. Studies show the human attention span is shrinking. The CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, says that the true scarce commodity of the future is human attention. In an era of diminishing attention spans, 60-second and 30-second commercials have lost favor among advertisers. Video completion rates are falling, and heavy advertising loads have an impact on consumer viewing experiences.

On average, up to 83% of consumers visit a company’s website before making a purchase decision. If your site is out-of-date, unattractive or simply disorganized, odds are you’re losing business. That’s why most digital professionals recommend updating your company’s website every two to three years — with minor adjustments occurring on a monthly or quarterly basis. If you’re wondering whether to update your website, consider the following:

Some of the most popular television programs feature makeovers. Viewers can’t seem to get enough of shows where drab and out-of-date houses and people get a new look and style. Rebranding is the process of giving your company a makeover by reinventing its image, messaging and/or appearance. It’s a great way to revitalize your business or possibly gain a new audience. But this undertaking involves more than just a new logo and business cards. Rebranding is a complex process that should be strategically planned and executed. If you think it is time for a company rebrand, you need to understand the steps necessary for success.

There are over two million apps available for smartphone users, and the number will increase to three million soon. If you’re considering creating an app for your business, review these questions to determine if an app is the right choice for you.

• Is it in your budget? Even a very simple app will cost around $20,000 to develop.

Will Rogers, the legendary cowboy philosopher once said, “It ain’t bragging if it’s true.”

Self-promotion is not a dirty word, in fact, it is necessary for business success. Many of us blush and hesitate to engage in self-promotion. But celebrating wins or trumpeting success stories is an important part of a marketing plan. Customers want and need to know this kind of information before making a buying decision

Creative company culture is a hot topic. Some companies offer free lunches and dry cleaning as a way to boost morale, while others say this just puts pressure on employees to work longer hours. Ping pong tables and wacky decor make your office look like fun, but is it really? Some love an open office floor plan; others say it’s a noisy, distracted hot mess.

Are you familiar with the concept of retargeting? I’ll bet it’s happened to you. You’re online shopping for an item…let’s say a new pair of shoes. You examine the features, check the price, you may even click to add it to your shopping cart, but you never complete the purchase. The next time you’re online you’re served an ad for that exact pair of shoes. Weird? Nope, that’s a form of retargeting.