Friend and Johnson: Blog

Challenges Established artist representative agency, Friend and Johnson, was looking for ways to connect with a new generation of younger art directors while also being found more easily by search engines. Their existing image-focused website did not enable them to tell the more in-depth stories behind their artists and overall brand. Strategy We recommended the creation of a blog, which would become the centerpiece of their online presence. As their name already has equity, we employed a cost-effective strategy, focusing on content with a few light design touches to improve their overall brand. We devised a tagline,”Connecting Creatives, Creatively” to better describe the work they do. We then established a list of key phrases to be employed on their blog and website and a content plan as a guide for writing articles, which would position F+J as thought leaders in their industry. Design We improved on their existing website by establishing a clearer hierarchy of information and adding blue as a secondary color to create visual interest and give importance to top-level elements. The blog’s three-column layout clearly separates information with filtering options on the left, content in the middle, and social features in the right column. These social plug- are essential in helping Friend and Johnson establish a strong social media presence. Users now have the ability to “like”, “tweet” and comment on any post with one click. Additionally, users can see who else likes the Friend and Johnson Facebook page and “like” it without leaving the blog. Success The blog was launched alongside a highly successful print and social media campaign in late summer 2011. The analytics revealed that visitors spend an average of 2:01 minutes on the F+J blog per session — double the average user web visit of :58 seconds. Most importantly, 31% of users found F+J by searching through Google, meaning that the goal of being found online using natural SEO had been achieved.