Snitily Carr Celebrates 18 Years… and Its Employees

Lincoln- and Omaha-based Second Wind member Snitily Carr, one of Nebraska’s leading full-service agencies, began as a two-person video production company in 1992. Today it is home to 40-plus employees and continues to grow. The firm’s clients include Nebraska Tourism, Cornhusker Bank, and minor-league baseball club the Lincoln Saltdogs. The firm focuses on results-oriented creative, client success, and employee happiness. They sure look happy to us…

Outcrop Communications is one Second Wind member whose mere location makes them fairly unique (they have offices in Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit in Canada’s Northwest Territories). They pride themselves on their loyal client base, strong project management and collaboration skills, and most of all, excellence in writing and graphic design. Clients include the RCMP, Yukon Brewing Company and Northwest Territories Tourism. See their Caribou Forever website for NWT Barrenground Caribou Outfitters Association, a group promoting conservation of Canada’s caribou.

Who Knew a Scroll Bar Could Be So Much Fun?

Check out this fun email promo for a beach park in Brazil! The folks at eROI found it on AdFreak and shared the link on their Return on Subscriber blog. This is another reminder that the tools and tactics we use every day can always be employed in new and engaging ways if we just give our brains free rein. By the way, happy Roller Coaster Day!

Second Wind member The Hiebing Group of Madison WI, an integrated brand development and marketing firm, is one powerhouse agency, serving clients ranging from Nestlé Nutrition to Kinetico Home Water Systems to Famous Footwear. While their beautifully restored and updated offices in a National Historic Registry building might lead you to expect old-school marketing, Hiebing’s mission is to “deliver the most powerful interactions between consumers and our clients’ brands, wherever they exist.” Their newest cross-channel campaign for Culver’s, the renowned 420-restaurant franchise system, is “The 3-Pepper Serenade,” promoting the firm’s 3-Pepper Chipotle ButterBurger® and Chicken Sandwiches. The firm’s creative work has been recognized in Print’s International Design Annual, Communication Arts’ Design Annual and by the New York Type Director’s Club. Check out the navigation-driven design of Hiebing’s website.

The Power of Ideas, Continued…

As we continue to review the power of creative ideas as the primary ad agency product, we’re featuring Knowledge Base content on the topic of creative process, creative inspiration, and building a creative agency. You may also find interesting reading in some of our past newsletters on creative. And Second Wind members may find our Bundles on the Creative Director and Brainstorming informative.

RSW/US New Business Webinars

Our friends at RSW/US, the agency new business and lead generation firm, have been hosting a series of new business webinars aimed at helping agencies better understand what prospects are looking for in a meeting or pitch. On August 10, the firm offers “Social/Digital Media: Marketer and Agency Perspective,” a discussion of what marketers want and need versus what agencies are actually offering. And on September 7, they’ll share “Agency New Business,” an overview on building a better internal new business process. Learn more or register. If you missed their first two webinars, you can view them online here.

Agency Reputation Determined by Client Service and Creative

In our most recent Second Wind Online Quick Poll, we asked site users what is most important to their agencies’ reputations. Forty-one percent said “client service” is their big selling point. The second most important influence to agency reputation was “creative ideas” with 27 percent of votes. “Strategic/marketing planning” came in third at 12 percent. As you think about promoting and growing your agency, consider what you do best, why clients come back for more, and what has attracted good prospects to your door. Service, ideas and planning are strong brand positions. What is your “niche”?

“I Just Went ‘Mad’ All of a Sudden”

Cary Grant references aside, most marketing folks know that the hit AMC TV series, “Mad Men,” began Season 4 this past Sunday, with a much discussed episode titled “Public Relations.” Our Social Media Manager, Jennifer Mikes, is a series fan, and will be writing recaps of this season’s episodes, adding her thoughts on advertising history and in-show references. Read this week’s commentary (Spoiler Alert! Some plot points are revealed!). We’ll be posting a new item weekly. Search “Mad Men” in our search window; go to "Mad Men" under Knowledge Base/Content by Subject; or follow links from our Facebook page.

Does Ready-Media Sock Designers in the Jaw?

Even as we argue for the power of ideas, members of the design fraternity seem intent on undercutting the value of design and the creative community. Print magazine’s Steven Heller blogged last week about the newest, web-based “design templates” service, Ready-Media. The sting is not in the idea of design templates (those offerings have been around for at least a decade), but the fact that the site was launched by Roger Black, a renowned editorial designer whose credits include Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, McCall's, The New Republic, Fast Company, Reader's Digest, Foreign Affairs, Advertising Age and Esquire. Read more about Black here; as for Ready-Media, we can’t speak to the quality of their templates, but their site could sure use a good copy-editor…

Sometimes we need to step back and remember why we got into this business… and what losing sight of those reasons means to our work and our agencies’ success. Mark Sneider of MarketPlace partner RSW/US shared on his blog this wonderful speech, When to Take My Name Off the Door, originally penned by advertising giant Leo Burnett in 1967. Can you affirm to having this kind of passion for setting standards and losing sight of what continues to matter—creativity, dedication and integrity? Thanks for sharing, Mark!

Every Idea Marketing, a Second Wind member from Bend, OR, recently developed a customer rewards/loyalty campaign for their client, Newport Ave. Market, with a goal of 3,500 subscribers in three months. The agency’s “Earn Moolah” campaign converted customers from an old-fashioned stamp program to scannable rewards cards. They gained 1,000 subscribers the first day of signup, and 5,500 subscribers within their three-month launch period. Others elements included outdoor signage and whimsical in-store banners.

The Power of Ideas

As ad agencies and marketing firms struggle to find their place in the new marketing order, it pays to remember why most of us got into this business: to create great, memorable advertising campaigns. Ideas are still the primary reason clients seek us out. They need to stand out from their competitors and grab the attention of customers. No matter how carefully we craft a media plan, or how much research goes into the strategy, campaigns still rise or fall on the creative idea leading the plan. Read more about great ideas and fostering an environment where great ideas can grow in our Featured Items; see Tony’s new article on brainstorming,; and a “Got Milk?” case study, below. And watch for more Second Wind content about being a great creative agency in the coming month.

We’re extending a warm welcome to two new members: Pxyl of Knoxville, TN, and Wierhouse of Augusta, GA. These organizations won one-year memberships in a special drawing conducted at the 2010 HOW Design Conference. Welcome aboard!

US Postal Service Requested Rate Increase Will Hurt Many…

Including the US Postal Service, says the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). The requested rate increase exceeds rate-of-inflation guidelines, which the USPS says is necessary due to the “unusual” conditions created by the ongoing recession. If approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), the increase would go into effect in 2011. The Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) have already threatened to litigate the increase because of its potential to further harm the struggling publishing industry. The DMA, in the meantime, is lining up strong arguments that the increase will further depress business mail volume, which is what happened following the last postal rate increase in 2009. Business mail accounts for nearly 85 percent of USPS revenue.

In our most recent Quick Poll, we asked our users if their agencies assist in any way with their clients’ customer service programs. This poll had a small sampling, but 47 percent of respondents reported they are involved with this aspect of clients’ businesses, providing customer service collateral support, training support/procedures, social media monitoring/procedures and audits, surveys and data analysis. Thirty-two percent of respondents provide at least some of these customer relationship management (CRM) services to clients. Nurturing and retaining customers is business critical in the global economy. Agencies can assist clients by incorporating customer-centric and user experience thinking into marketing programs. Respond to our new Quick Poll at right.

Second Wind member Sales Sherpas of Elkhorn, WI, launched a redesigned website for its client Solarus, Wisconsin’s largest independent tele-comm. Sales Sherpas also added unique database-driven cross-selling and up-selling functionality into the site. According to Solarus Director of Sales and Marketing Mike Meinel, “Our new website is not only already driving more website traffic but delivering bottom-line results.”

Second Wind member Captus Communications LLC, a comprehensive health communications firm, was awarded a bronze trophy in the 2010 Summit Creative Award® competition for its website for Healthy Child Care America, a program of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “Our creative director, Robert Walter, led the redesign of HCCA’s existing site, improving navigation, content and graphic design,” said Captus president Deborah Mullen. The Summit Creative Awards recognize and celebrate the creative accomplishments of small and medium sized advertising agencies and creative groups, and this year included companies from 26 countries.

Last week, Tony Mikes, Second Wind’s managing director, spoke to an audience of designers and small agency principals on the topic, “Is Your Agency Interesting?” The presentation, addressing what today’s agencies need to do to stand out from the crowd through branding, web-driven marketing/self-promotion and a great creative culture, was well received by attendees, and got a great review from the Denver Egotist blog, who called Tony’s remarks, “spot on.” Devoted to Denver-area design, advertising and creative news, the Denver Egotist is home to a member forum, job listings and resources. Our thanks for the kind words! You can read more here from Second Wind about becoming an “interesting” agency.

blr/further Creates Website for Annual Bellin Run

Second Wind member blr/further of Birmingham, AL, launched a redesigned website for client Bellin Health’s annual 10K Bellin Run, held on the second Saturday in June in Green Bay, WI. The 34-year-old event is one of the largest 10K races in the USA. The new site, bellinrun.com, incorporates Facebook, a Twitter feed and a race blog. The Facebook page garnered over 1,000 fans in the first month. The blog provided training tips, runner profiles and event information leading up to the event, and invited social updates about the race.

The Customers You Keep Are Worth More

As we move into June, we’ll be talking about customer cultivation and retention. The customers your clients have are far more valuable than the ones they have yet to reach. They are already aware of and want the client’s products or services, and therefore need less marketing spending to induce repurchase. If you can help clients retain, satisfy, build loyalty and eventually create brand advocates among these core customers, you can also help clients boost profits and convert new customers through these highly engaged “fans.” Read more in our Featured Articles, and watch for additional content over the coming weeks. Also, please respond to our Quick Poll on customer rewards programs, at right.

Green Marketing Now Part of Agency Services List

In our most recent Second Wind Online Quick Poll, we asked visitors, “Have you developed or marketed a ‘green’ client brand?” Sixty-one percent of respondents said they had been called on to do “green” marketing for a client. Thirty-nine percent said they had not done green marketing. It seems that most companies are eager to tout whatever green credentials they can claim to capture the positive brand benefits of a CSR “halo.” But, give careful thought to how your clients can “be greener” before integrating green messages into their brand marketing. The fallout from “greenwashing” can be truly toxic.

Tony Mikes HOW Design Conference Preview

Parker & Partners Win Health Care Marketing Awards

Honored for excellence in advertising by the 2010 Aster Awards, Second Wind members Parker & Partners Marketing Resources, LLC, Absecon, NJ, earned a Silver Award for their billboard design for Nazha Cancer Center. The firm also took a Bronze Award for their billboard for Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County. The Aster Awards is one of the largest national competitions recognizing outstanding health care professionals for excellence in their advertising and marketing efforts. It is hosted by Marketing Health Care Today magazine and Creative Images, Inc. P&P also does award-winning work in the casinos/resorts industry, and recently created a new brand identity for the Philadelphia Art Alliance.

New Webinar! Power-Up Your New Business Effort

Does your agency understand how to use an ongoing knowledge-sharing program as a powerful thought-leadership tool? In a relationship business, trust plays a crucial role in attracting and keeping clients. On Tuesday, June 22, 2010, we’ll offer Thought Leadership – Keys to Success, presented by Larry Melnick, of Hunter New Business Development. Develop your “expert” status with clients and prospects. And, watch for our next webinar, Three Secrets of Effective Case Studies, on July 7. You’ll also find “Moving Prospects to Say ‘Tell Me More,’” and “How to Successfully Position Your Agency” in our Webinars Library. All sessions are part of Second Wind’s New Business Power-Up Series. Webinars are free to Second Wind members.

MicroMass Wins 8 Local, District ADDYs

Second Wind member MicroMass of Cary NC and Morristown, NJ, won 5 local and district ADDY awards, including 3 golds for their pro bono campaign for The Healing Place of Wake County, a rehab program for homeless people dependent on drugs or alcohol. The campaign was created in partnership with the Leadership Raleigh program for the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. The agency won 3 additional ADDYs for a public education campaign on blood transfusions, sponsored by Novartis. The district wins qualify the firm to compete at the National ADDYs in June. Congratulations to the creative team at MicroMass.

Agencies Add Social Media into the Planning Mix

In our latest Second Wind Online Quick Poll, we asked site visitors if they routinely include social media tactics in client marketing communications plans. A resounding 76 percent said YES, they integrate social media into planning as just one of many tactics and channels to be considered. Another 24 percent said they do not integrate social media routinely. We’re sure at least some of the no-voters integrate social media where they feel it’s appropriate. Social media is a great way to build brand word-of-mouth, develop leads, foster stronger customer relationships and interact one-to-one with valuable partners and contacts. Consider how to harness these benefits for your clients.

CreateAThon 2010 Registration Has Begun

Second Wind member Riggs Partners, a marketing and communications firm in Columbia, SC, held their first CreateAthon in 1988, producing work for area nonprofits and pro bono partners in a single, 24-hour creative blitz. Founders Cathy Monetti and Teresa Coles announced that this year’s CreateAThon will be held September 16 and 17, 2010. Agencies solicit applications from nonprofits/pro bono organizations, then select those for which they will create work. Projects are completed start to finish in a single 24-hour period. A national event since 2002, CreateAthon events have been held across the US, in Canada and Puerto Rico, with 73 agencies participating. More than 1,100 nonprofit organizations have benefited from 2,500 projects valued at more than $11 million. Join the CreateAThon network this year.