Smaller Advertising Agency Envy
By Jill at Omni | August 27, 2008
After 16 years of being in the “small business owner” category, I have had the privilege of networking with marketers who work for national ad agencies and large-scale corporate marketing departments. At first blush, the idea of mammoth budgets, access to major video producers and directors, and working with global clients seems extraordinarily appealing. It’s the kind of daydream akin to “what would I do if I won the lottery.”
What’s compelling is the simultaneous envy these very individuals have of working at boutique agencies or for themselves, their willingness to trade budget for independence. They love the idea of working with clients who really trust in marketing, and have real bottom-line issues at stake.
It gave me pause to realize just how lucky we are as a ‘small’ advertising agency. Omni is privately held – no investors to report to, no endless maze of approval processes to navigate. Management is part of the Omni team. Ideas for change are presented at will and can be tested easily without going through level after level of approval. If an idea has legs, we try it. If it fails, we at least tried; if it succeeds, everyone wins. Clients have access to the whole team – not just their main account service contact.
The other big difference I have noticed is that large agencies seldom provide newer clients or smaller clients with their top tier creative teams, but rather place their junior members in their stead, and not at a junior price.
Ask any business owner if it is challenging and if there are days when they wonder why they do what they do, and you will hear a resounding groan of “if you only knew”. But at the end of the day, despite the issues small businesses face – undercapitalization, misperceptions that they are too small to handle major business – being nimble, being close to the client and close to the team that makes all the creative magic happen far outweigh any daydreams of the grass being greener at the mega agency. Besides, emptying the garbage yourself once in a while keeps you humble.
Topics: Agency Management | No Comments »
Barack Obama in Springfield Illinois August 23, 2008
By Kathy at Omni | August 22, 2008
It’s been an eventful week at the Omni Communications Group office as the city of Springfield, Illinois prepares for Barack Obama’s visit and announcement of his vice presidential running mate on Saturday, August 23, 2008. The Omni office is located on the southeast corner of the Old State Capitol Plaza in Springfield, Illinois and offers the perfect view out the front office windows to the exact location where Barack Obama will give his speech (assuming the weather cooperates with the plan). Yesterday the Omni office received visits from the Police as well as sharp shooters, all asking questions and staking out the grounds to plan for the big event. (Sharp shooters in the Omni office!!! How often does that happen?) We’re told the secret service and the FBI may stop by as well. It is unbelievable the amount of planning and work that is going into Barack Obama’s visit to Springfield, Illinois. Sounds like Saturday is going to be a crazy day in downtown Springfield, and the Omni office is located at the eye of the storm.
A note after the event: the view from the Omni office was in fact so good that the press platform was placed right in front of Omni’s windows! Also a fence was built in front of all the businesses on the south side of the plaza prior to the event. Turns out the Omni windows were not the best view, here is a look out the Omni windows courtesy of Aaron from Omni, who was brave enough to face the crowd and the elements for the historic event!
Topics: Omni News | 4 Comments »
Product Placement as a Marketing Tool
By Jill at Omni | August 7, 2008
There is an old (really old) saying in PR that “any PR is good – even bad PR.”
Recently I saw a movie that had the now-usual product placement for a certain American brand of beer. While their brand name was visible in an enviable percentage of the movie, the result of the character’s ‘enjoyment’ of said product was someone whose life was a mess. Numerous depictions of drunkenness, inability to hold a job or properly parent their child, and disinterest in anything more than the next beer were the benefits of his imbibing. His life turned around when he chose to not partake of said product.
I am all for creative marketing and applaud those companies who figured out that product placement in movies was a goldmine, but I question the judgment of placing your client’s product where its use is portrayed negatively. While no product or service is 100% perfect, (sorry, it’s true) the role of a marketer is to highlight those attributes that are positive, and to try not to bring too much attention to the negative attributes.
On the other hand, maybe I am just too critical and the fact that the beer name was shown not-so-subliminally hundreds of times is enough to overcome any negative perception. Either way, it’s food for thought.
Topics: Creative Services, Marketing, Media Services | No Comments »
Branding Campaign Buy Fresh Buy Local Central Illinois
By Kathy at Omni | July 29, 2008
The Buy Fresh Buy Local Central Illinois branding campaign to encourage consumers, food retailers and restaurants to purchase and consume locally grown foods in support of local farmers was recently reported in the State Journal Register. The campaign, implemented by the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, has developed a logo (shown here) to be displayed by vendors who sell or use locally grown foods. Successful branding efforts can positively impact the long term growth of a product or service, and hopefully Central Illinois farmers will see great results from these marketing efforts to increase the sale and consumption of locally grown foods.
Topics: Marketing | No Comments »
Public Speaking and Creating Effective Presentations
By Laura at Omni | July 22, 2008
Public speaking is a tough job. Creating effective presentations is even tougher.
Here are a few pointers for public speaking and creating effective presentations:
Understand the audience
Determine who your audience is and how familiar they are with the subject matter. Anticipate what your audience expects to learn from you. Plan your agenda according to the audience’s ability to understand your subject.
Determine your goal
Decide and tell your audience the purpose of your presentation during the opening and closing remarks. Let them know if your intention is to inform them, persuade them, build a relationship with them, or if you are requesting for them to take action.
Know the subject matter
Your audience expects you to be an established expert based on your research, knowledge and experience. Make sure you know and understand the subject you are presenting. Then practice, practice, practice!
Be prepared, be confident
When you’re prepared, you feel confident and it shows. Know why you are presenting, who the audience is, what they expect to learn from you, and how you can prepare to give them what they want.
Plan your presentation
Develop an outline you can follow without reading it word for word. List the main points in order of priority. Cover the most important topic first while you have your audience’s undivided attention. Use language and visuals that are relevant to your presentation. Include an opportunity for audience interaction to keep their brains alive and interested in what you have to share.
Practice, practice, practice
Your goal is to stimulate your audience and gain their support on your subject. Practice your presentation using a mirror, a tape recorder, a friend, or anything you can to make sure your points clear and that you are presenting with passion.
Allow ample time for Q & A
Allow your audience time to ask questions and be prepared to answer them efficiently and intelligently. Consider what some of the more commonly asked questions may be, and either include the answers in your initial presentation, or be prepared with an educated response. Always answer questions by first stating the question so the entire audience knows what was asked.
In closing
Leave your audience with a summary of the message you just delivered. Tell them what you told them and make your request to have them buy, join, believe, and understand what you wanted them to do as a result of your presentation.
Topics: Marketing | 2 Comments »
Marketing Communication Twice Removed
By Jill at Omni | July 10, 2008
Marketing Communication Twice Removed, By Jill Schuller
The name of my marketing firm has the word “communications” in it. Why? Because while considering our role and mission, it boiled down to the fact that marketing is just an exercise in communicating with an audience. All businesses communicate their strengths, benefits, and their compelling reasons to choose their company or product over a similar one. Communication is external and internal, and it affects every facet of every organization.
For marketing, we focus on communicating a message that resonates with the end customer. But the key to unlocking that effective message is more complex than filling out a few answers on an intake form: it relies on understanding what problems a company has to overcome, interpreting those problems, having clarity about their target audience’s needs, matching the problem up to a solution, and then finding the best vehicle to drive the message to the buyer and the buyer to the client’s door.
In years past, face-to-face meetings to do ‘discovery’ to develop an understanding, as well as to review creative strategies and solutions, were the only way we did business. Now because so many companies have clients well outside of a quick driving distance, we use teleconferencing and emails and text messages and ftp sites. We have a whole slew of communication tools to make things more convenient and timely, but sometimes go too far and remove us from the face-to-face contact between client and provider.
Which raises a conundrum: Are all the latest communication tools improving communication or complicating it? Is there any business person out there who has not, at least once, expended triple their time trying to re-explain an email to someone that may have misinterpreted the intended message?
Topics: Client Services, Marketing | No Comments »
Omni Office Location Old State Capitol Plaza Springfield Illinois
By Kathy at Omni | July 9, 2008
The southeast corner of the Old State Capitol Plaza in downtown Springfield, Illinois is the office location for Omni Communications Group. The Omni building is historically significant because Abraham Lincoln wrote his presidential inaugural address in the upper levels of the building. The recently renovated plaza is beautifully maintained year round and is conveniently located near the city’s government and business center and the downtown Abraham Lincoln historic attractions. During the summer, vendors sell food on the plaza from carts and various “Artists on the Plaza” perform during the lunch hour for all the workers and tourists strolling and relaxing on the plaza. It is a great place for the Omni staff to take a break and help find creative inspiration any time of year.
Here is a look at the Old State Capitol Plaza in Springfield, Illinois on a typical summer afternoon with music provided by Tom Irwin and the Irwinites:
Topics: Omni News | No Comments »
Guerilla Marketing Smart Business or Risky Business?
By Kathy at Omni | June 26, 2008
CNN reported on a guerrilla marketing campaign launched by BMW recently. This viral video was produced and paid for by BMW apparently and has received both positive and negative response to date. There is a website to view the entire “Rampenfest” video, or it can be viewed on YouTube in four separate segments. The quirky campaign revolves around a documentary made to show the launching of a new series BMW from a huge ramp in Oberpfaffelbachen, Bavaria to the United States. So the question remains, is guerilla marketing a smart business decision or just plain risky business? I tend to be cautious and protective of my business clients’ reputations and therefore feel the risks may outweigh the benefits due to the unpredictable nature of the media employed and the audience response. It would be interesting to find out from BMW in six months if they feel this guerilla marketing campaign has been successful and what exactly they achieved with it. BMW certainly is getting a great deal of publicity out of the whole thing.
For your viewing enjoyment and to keep this viral video “viral”, here is “The Ramp” Documentary:
Topics: Marketing | 1 Comment »
Staying Creative
By Aaron at Omni | June 19, 2008
The Creative Team at Omni work on many projects, and sometimes it’s tough to stay creative. However, we all use various techniques to stay on top of our game. One thing that we all use is music. There is a great article on How Magazine’s website about the benefits of music in the creative environment.�
The article highlights a few different companies that use music to their advantage and provides great insight into how music influences them, like this quote from John Besemer of Planet Design Co. in Madison, WI:
“If you’re working on a project that’s elegant and beautiful, you might listen to something like jazz, something that puts you in that mood,…But if you’re designing an in-your-face project, you want music that gets you there. After all, you wouldn’t go to the gym and want to work out to a lullaby, right? Music shapes the message.”
Another way to keep things fun is to take a few minutes each day to find an interesting/awesome video on YouTube and share it with everyone. This is one of my favorites:
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Topics: Creative Services | 2 Comments »
Reality TV Parallels New Media Trend
By Jill at Omni | June 17, 2008
Confession: I am among the 10 or 11 people in the country who failed to watch ALL the American Idol shows this season. But I did get caught up in the finale episode excitement nonetheless! It got me thinking about how traditional all these ‘new’ reality shows are now. Compared to TV dramas and sitcoms, they are relatively easy to produce, inexpensive, and yet still command pretty impressive media dollars for advertisers.
I am convinced that the public’s need for more reality TV runs parallel to the phenomenal explosion of new media and social networking – it’s the reality without the TV. And, even then, the ease of uploading videos makes it basically, well, reality TV on your computer.
As a member of the ‘older than a Gen Y, WAY OLDER than a Gen X’ group, I find it fascinating how these trends seem to quickly become a way of life, but are eclipsed by newer, better, uber trends in a matter of months. Popular business editors are now commenting that MySpace is pretty much ‘old school’. Wow.
It is fun to observe all this from a marketer’s viewpoint – trying to figure out all the new possibilities for promotions and strategies for clients. While some bemoan the changes in our traditional media – TV, print, radio – the truth is the media and marketing universe just keeps getting bigger. You just have to know how to zero in on the ones that work for you and your client.
Now for my secret for any of you reading this that are ‘of a certain age’: The key to being successful at navigating the new media when you are NOT part of that super-cool generation (I guess “COOL” really dates me!) is what I do – hire and work with talented ‘super-cool’ people!
Topics: Media Services | No Comments »