Month: December 2021

How to protect your brand on the internet

Posted on by Comunicació

Being present on the internet is vital when it comes to opening a business, whether we’re giving information on our products and services, explaining who we are or even selling online. Because of this, as soon as we set our minds on starting a project, we need to think about registering the domain we will use as our name on the internet. This is because the domain name will be the one people know us by online. These names are globally unique and there can be no duplicates. Users identify the domain with the business and/or products and services being offered. Because of this it’s essential to choose a good domain name which matches each profile. If you’re unsure where to begin, here are some tips to help you get started.

What many people are unaware of, is that while we might have a registered business name, this does not guarantee the right to use that same name online. This makes it very important to check first to see if the name is available, in other words that nobody else has taken it, and to register it in our company’s name as soon as possible.

It’s also very important to bear in mind the date that the domain registration period expires, as if we don’t renew it within a few days the domain will become available again and anyone could register it.

When it comes to protecting a brand on the internet, it is common to register other domains which are similar, or which have other terminations. This way we avoid many searches taking users to other websites, and we prevent other parties from registering them in a bid to harm our brand. For instance, if our website is lamevabotiga.barcelona, the best way to protect our brand would be to register labotiga.barcelona or latevabotiga.barcelona.

This might initially seem an unnecessary investment, as perhaps we only use one or two of the domains we register, but it is a minor cost compared to the headaches it could save us. Shielding our internet brand is as important or even more important than physically registering it.

“Barcelona is jazz during the festival, so there’s nothing better than jazz.barcelona to get that across”

Posted on by Comunicació

We spoke to Agustín Borlán from TheProject, the company organising the Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival. Borlán is in charge of communications for Amics del Jazz, the festival’s loyalty collective, and is also part of the communications team.

Tell us a bit about the history of the Barcelona Jazz Festival

Crumbs! That’s not easy considering we’re into the 53rd edition. The festival started on 3 November 1966, with a concert by The Dave Brubeck Quartet at the Palau de la Música Catalana, and since then it’s only failed to be held in Barcelona on two occasions. The main universal jazz figures have taken part, from Duke Ellington to Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Nina Simone, Jimmy Smith, Ornette Coleman and many more. The local scene has always featured heavily in the programme, which has witnessed the rise of greats such as Andrea Motis and the Sant Andreu Jazz Band. It includes a globally unique cycle of masterclasses from the participating artists themselves, and in 2008 a book was published with the history of the festival, marking its first forty editions.

How important is digitalisation in your business? What channels do you use to communicate with clients?

A sector like ours needs strong connections with the digital framework, as this is basically where ticket sales happen. Traditional channels have less and less impact on the public, hence the shift towards digital publicity. Besides our website and mailshots, which would be the first line of contact, the festival’s social media offer an excellent means of reaching our target audience and also allow for paid advertising campaigns to broaden our follower base and sales. In this respect, investments through Google in both research and display become important tools for promotion and marketing.

What is the bond between the Jazz Festival and Barcelona?

The festival collaborates with institutions here such as the Conservatori del Liceu and the Palau Robert, which is hosting the second edition of the DO Jazz Cat cycle this year and features emerging talent. The concerts are not just held in one place. They take place at big venues such as L’Auditori and the Palau de la Música Catalana, as well as small-format places such as the Harlem Jazz Club and the Milano Jazz Club. The Jazz & Food event, which was a big hit before the pandemic, offered people a free-access family event full of swing and gastronomy. The festival has also offered activities around the library network, at the Filmoteca de Catalunya and other public spaces, taking the big jazz festival out into different corners of the city.

The domain chosen is .barcelona. Why did you opt for .barcelona, what advantages does it give you?

Obviously, that domain didn’t exist in 1966 and neither did any others. For a long time we had more of an ‘international’ domain, but we didn’t hold back when .barcelona came along as the brand was much clearer and geolocated. At the beginning it was a risky move, as changing after so many years prompted certain confusion because of its simplicity, but now everybody agrees it was a good choice. The advantages are obvious, from the direct link between the festival and the city to a more compact, direct and simple brand in the realm of publicity. Barcelona is jazz during the festival, so there’s nothing better than jazz.barcelona to get that across.

Sustainable food’s got the dot!

Posted on by Comunicació

The Seasons Menu offers ideas and recipes to foster a healthy and sustainable diet which is good for people and good for the planet, at the same time backing the local economy and the city’s bars and restaurants. The project is being implemented within the context of Barcelona’s role as the World Sustainable Food Capital, an initiative offering over ninety projects and sustainable food policies in a programme which has been running throughout the year.

Sustainable and seasonal local ingredients provide the base for the new menu, designed by three hotel schools and the chef Pere Carrió, from the restaurant Gat Blau. The winter menu, published on the .barcelona website for Sustainable Food, defends the fight against food waste and backs the use of local seasonal produce to help reduce the impact of our food system. The recipes for this edition have been developed by Pere Carrió, chef at the restaurant Gat Blau, the Escola d’Hoteleria i Turisme, operated by the University of Barcelona (CETT), the Escola Superior d’Hostaleria i Turisme Jesuïtes Sarrià – Sant Gervasi and the Escola Superior d’Hostaleria de Barcelona (ESHOB).

The winter menu rounds off the Seasons Menu for this year, which began with the spring menu, courtesy of the chef Carme Ruscalleda. The recipe can be tasted at over 160 restaurants in Barcelona and around Catalonia which have signed up to take part in the Seasons Menu.

The Sustainable Food website also offers other recipes which are recommended as you can make them at home, along with information on healthy eating using seasonal produce, ideas for looking after the planet, workshops, activities and resources for promoting sustainable food.