It’s not that Blumenfeld is a horrible name Blumenfeld means flower field. And even though I got called Bloomie and Blumenbutt in grade school, I’m used to it. Compared to Blumenfeld, Fleming’s practically innocuous. It’s a fine, Scottish, American sounding name. (Ok – it does sound like something that gets stuck in your throat.) So what’s the problem? Well, there are a few.

First of all, not everyone remembers the name Blumenfeld. They hear Blumenthal. or Bloomingdales. In the old days – if someone actually remembered your name began with a B – that was all they needed to find you, because they could look in the phone book. When’s the last time you used the phone book? Uh huh, you Google everything like I do, don’t you. So if you Google Bloomingdales I assure you, you’ll never find our marketing, advertising and design firm.

What’s worse, it’s not creative. It’s old fashioned? We sound like an ad firm circa 1950 or worse, a law firm, or an accounting firm- deadly boring. We know, and we’re sorry. We got our first client before we knew we were starting a business, we made a few business cards, made a few ad campaigns, one thing led to another, and before we knew it, we’d won 14 BOLI (best of Long Island awards) and suddenly Newsday and the New York Times wrote about us.




Then our business doubled. And our name seemed far less important than the cool ad campaigns, logos, and websites our clients were hiring us to create. We still hated our name. We made jokes about new names (Jew & Fleming , big fish, ) but business got busier, and like the shoemaker’s kids we didn’t have time to rethink our identity.

Then we won some international and national awards. Now even more people had heard of us. And we’re stuck. Or are we? It’s our job to name new businesses and help them build their images. It’s our job to design logos and develop identities that build brands and develop relationships with consumers and businesses that last for years. Doing it for you – that’s our passion. Doing it for ourselves? A nightmare. It sounds something like this:

“What about Big Fish?” My partner says. “We are big fish out here. “
I say, “It’s taken. Besides, we’re small fish compared to the big Madison Avenue names we used to work with.
“Uh huh, and we don’t want to say we’re big – because they’ll think we’re porkers.”
“What about Sirens,” I suggest.
“You mean like getting caught by the police. Or even worse, horrible females that draw sailors to their deaths.”

We usually have these little chats while taking beach walks. We come back, check our messages and get to go back to work. In 2008 we didn’t even send a holiday card out, because we had too much new business. Lame. We have been thinking of shortening our name, to make it easier to remember. What do you think of blueflem?

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Why are so many people calling blumenfeld + fleming for websites? Sure, it’s because we work hard, win awards, and are fabulously fun to work with. But it’s also because businesses who didn’t need to invest in marketing their businesses when everything was booming, know they have to invest in them now. One of the most important marketing tools for any business is a well optimized website that reflects the caliber of the goods and services you’re offering. (Gee, you need a computer. Yeah – it’s that basic, but 7 years ago it wasn’t!)

Think about it, when you want something you go to Google – so does everyone else….(when’s the last time you used a phone book?) So, your website’s home page gives everyone their first impression. Like your haircut, or your storefront, your homepage should make you look great. It should reflect your brand’s essence and personality. It should navigate well – everything should be VERY easy to find (frustrated visitors leave!) And, (our personal peeve) it should definitely have your phone number.

DeMartino’s website doesn’t have a blog. (Their site is primarily used as a showcase/portfolio.) But chances are, yours should. (We’re blogging, but like the shoemaker’s kids our site hasn’t caught up with what we’re doing in real time.) Why is a blog important to your website? Well, there are a few reasons. Your blog generates keywords that speak to search engines. Search engines direct people looking for what you do or what you sell, to you. So much of sales today is guided by search engines – your blog serves as updated content and keyword rich content that Google loves. And when Google loves you, you get seen and noticed.

Other websites we’re proud of? www.kelcoland.com, www.hamptonandco.com, www.hamptonsexquisitefood.com. These websites don’t have blogs – YET! But keep checking back. More and more of our clients understand the value of blogging. (We do too, and our site needs to be updated – but like we said, we’re really busy.) That being said, if you’d like to talk to b+f about your website, your blog, your logo or advertising campaign, please call us for a free consultation.

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