Creating Selling Opportunities

Success Through Teamwork

noemail@anniverson.com — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:15:00 GMT

Teamwork is very difficult to teach when it comes to decision-making. Practice helps. Exercises help. Often though some essential guidelines are not used to make decisions through consensus.

Read what Bob Frisch offers as tactics "which are designed to fix the decision-making process...and have far greater success in achieving real alignment." (http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/hbr/articles/article.jsp?articleID=R0811J&ml_action=get-article&print=true&ml_issueid=BR0811)

21-Dec-08 1:15 PM

How To Define A Brand

noemail@anniverson.com — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT

There are tons of articles and journal articles that help us define brands. One simple truth is that to succeed in the sea of sameness world of branding, connecting with customers at their emotional level is essential. That is not to say that rational connections are not important.

Read what some British experts have to say at http://www.hdm-stuttgart.de/~britsch/nmdesdev/downloads/article/branding_4.pdf.

20-Dec-08 10:00 AM

Building Brands Through Community Efforts

noemail@anniverson.com — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:00:00 GMT

More and more companies are instituting web grass roots efforts to build their brands. According to Umar Hague, a London economist and Havas Media Lab director, "By choosing to invest in consumers over advertising, Google is a living example of a deeper truth: The future of communications as advantage lies in talking less and listening more."

Read more, about brands like Zappos and Craigslist at http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/esearch/e3i5e732e045deaaba3ecab1948a0858e5b/

20-Dec-08 9:00 AM

Viral Video On The Rise

noemail@anniverson.com — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

According to a recent study conducted by Feed Company, an online marketing company, more and more marketers are embracing viral video. "Over 70% of ad agency and media buying executives plan to increase their viral video marketing budgets next year, despite cutbacks in projected spending. (For more: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/digital/e3i677aeab462cd125fa1225335b5a78b84)

14-Oct-08 3:00 PM

The Most Powerful Brands

noemail@anniverson.com — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Have you wondered lately about which brands are the most powerful in the world? According to the very respected Millward Brown Optimor, number one is Google -- not surprising. Google is followed by General Electric, Microsoft and Coca-Cola.

Millward Brown Optimor's latest report on the world's top 100 brands is packed with interesting insights that combine "financial data with primary research findings."

For details go to: http://media.ft.com/cms/383ff650-0fc6-8871-0000779fd2ac.pdf.

22-Jul-08 6:00 PM

The Rise of the Rest

noemail@anniverson.com — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Americans are glum at the moment. No, I mean really glum. In April, a new poll revealed that 81 percent of the American people believe that the country is on the "wrong track." In the 25 years that pollsters have asked this question, last month's response was by far the most negative. Other polls, asking similar questions, found levels of gloom that were even more alarming, often at 30- and 40-year highs. There are reasons to be pessimistic—a financial panic and looming recession, a seemingly endless war in Iraq, and the ongoing threat of terrorism. But the facts on the ground—unemployment numbers, foreclosure rates, deaths from terror attacks—are simply not dire enough to explain the present atmosphere of malaise.

American anxiety springs from something much deeper, a sense that large and disruptive forces are coursing through the world. In almost every industry, in every aspect of life, it feels like the patterns of the past are being scrambled. "Whirl is king, having driven out Zeus," wrote Aristophanes 2,400 years ago. And—for the first time in living memory—the United States does not seem to be leading the charge. Americans see that a new world is coming into being, but fear it is one being shaped in distant lands and by foreign people.'

Continued at: http://www.fareedzakaria.com/articles/newsweek/051208.html

18-Jun-08 2:00 PM

808 Inc. Campaign Selected

noemail@anniverson.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:00:00 GMT

June 10, 2008 (HOUSTON)…Houston creative and production studio 808 inc. edged out three other groups that submitted advertising campaigns as part of a competition sponsored by Only in Houston to showcase the local communications industry among businesses that send their advertising and marketing dollars to other markets.

A panel of accomplished communications industry judges evaluated campaigns submitted by some of Houston’s top agency and design teams, including 808 inc., Lopez Negrete, Acumen Design, and Dog House Creative, who all responded to the call for entries and to the opportunity to help promote Houston’s creative community.

“This contest resulted in an incredible portfolio of work produced by some of Houston’s top creative talent,” said Ann Iverson, chairwoman of the Only in Houston Board of Directors. “All of these teams donated their time and talent to help support and promote the Houston communications industry and the resulting campaigns were a testament to the strength of the local creative market.”

The humorous storylines of 808inc.’s winning campaign, titled “Steve,” revolves around an expensive advertising consultant from New York, in the form of a mannequin, brought in by a Houston company to help revive the brand. The television spots lampoon the process of choosing an out-of-town agency without consideration of Houston creative talent and resources, closing with “If your advertising isn’t from here, it’s from somewhere else. And that’s not quite right. Keep it real. Keep it here. Only in Houston.” The billboard concepts rely on a viral marketing strategy that features Steve the mannequin and directs audiences to “see the lurid story at OnlyInHouston.org.”

“As a city, we need to get back to a place that pushes creative limits,” said Robert Campbell, partner with 808 inc. “What I find encouraging, and I’ve seen this from many of the agencies we work with, is that we are asking more of ourselves and of our product. Houston is a huge and growing city with tons of creative firepower. And OiH has really spearheaded the effort to get that secret out. We are honored to participate in this collective endeavor.”

One of the judges wrote, “The theory that you can get excellent advertising in Houston instead of just saying it really works. I can hear marketing people quoting it: ‘He’s an expensive New York advertising consultant – from New York!’”

Another said, “I can’t help it, this campaign still makes me laugh out loud.” And, “…it sure will get the attention of marketing people, which is what you are trying to do.”

The OiH board launched the competition to convince top executives and advertising decision makers to keep advertising, marketing, and communications business in Houston, as part of the organization’s mission:

“To promote the creative forces found within the city of Houston through programs and cooperation among advertising, marketing, communications and production entities.”

“808inc. came up with a uniquely powerful campaign concept that offers so many advertising, marketing, and promotional opportunities and that will benefit the entire Houston communications industry,” said Iverson. “And we believe that it makes a strong case, in a fun way, for big and small companies alike to consider using Houston creative talent and resources before automatically sending their work to big, out of town agencies.”

The campaign will be honed and produced in coming months and start running in Houston, and then may be introduced in other regional markets in the future. OiH plans to build the campaign to also include radio, print, direct marketing, and Web channels in the future.

13-Jun-08 5:00 PM

18th Annual Media Classic

noemail@anniverson.com — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Mark your calendars for the 18th annual Houston Media Classic. It will be held at the Cypresswood Golf Club on Thursday November 13, 2008.

The Houston Media Classic will host over 150 media professionals this year. They work in television and radio, newspaper, magazines and billboard, and they come to Houston from all over Texas to entertain their clients and have a "hole" lot of fun! What makes the HMC so unique is our hole sponsors. On every hole there is something going on - contests, giveaways, food, drink - you never know what's coming next! It is simply the best time you will ever have on a golf course!

During the last 18 years, the HMC has donated over $250,000 to the Houston Food Bank, The Dream Fund and the HMC Advertising Educational Fund.

More information will be published as it becomes available.

4-Jun-08 3:00 PM