It’s not too late to help support the Kidzeum of Health and Science in Springfield, Illinois and have some “killer” fun at their 1920′s themed Murder Mystery Gala on May 22, 2010 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Hotel. Tickets are still available by calling 217-971-4435 and cost $55 per person or $100 per couple. This includes dinner and participation in the interactive murder mystery performed by professional Chicago acting troupe Murder Mystery Maniacs.
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By Kathleen H. Wheeler
Lincoln College philanthropist Bernard “Bernie” Behrends shares a passion for education espoused by the prominent gentleman for whom his hometown was named. In his first political announcement in 1832, Abraham Lincoln wisely noted “Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in.” In keeping with Lincoln’s sentiment, Bernie Behrends has devoted his personal time and financial resources to provide higher educational opportunities for those less fortunate in the community.
The Behrends philosophy of charity was instilled early in childhood through the teachings of the Lutheran Church. Bernie and his older sister Anna were raised by their widowed mother and grandfather to help others when possible through service to their church and the public. They were taught to view their contributions as a privilege that would ultimately strengthen society as a whole. Blessed by success and prosperity as adults, Bernie and Anna have sustained these fundamental Christian principles through consistent and generous donations to their alma mater, Lincoln College, hoping the recipients of their charity will someday “pay it back” by helping others as well.
Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois is sponsoring a logo design contest to select a newly created logo to be used for the promotion of all the Lincoln College athletic teams. All logos to be considered need to include an image of the team mascot the Lynx, and there are categories for submissions from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade and High School, College and Adult with prizes awarded in each. Deadline for all entries is March 29, and you can find complete information on the logo design competition at http://www.lincolncollege.edu/logocontest.htm .
Laura Nestler has recently been promoted to Executive Vice President at Omni Communications Group in Springfield, IL. Her newly acquired managerial responsibilities include the cultivation of client relationships with the advertising agency along with providing guidance and support to the entire agency staff in a supervisory capacity. Nestler will continue with her previous responsibilities in client services, working closely with Omni clientele to guide marketing projects from strategic planning through creative development and completion.
Congratulations to Laura after many years of dedicated service to Omni!
Omni is pleased to announce our new marketing venture with Hopedale Medical Complex, a state-of-the-art rural healthcare facility located in Hopedale, IL that offers technological innovations with medical treatments and wellness programs. Omni Communications Group will be working together with Hopedale on a full-scale re-branding campaign to more effectively communicate Hopedale’s vast array of services to the central Illinois community, including surgery, cardiac care, rehabilitation, assisted living and nursing home services, a wellness facility and overall medical care.
Recession, sell-offs, layoffs, closings, bailouts – is it a reason for businesses to despair or an opportunity for a second chance? It is often said that Americans are by far one of the most optimistic cultures on the globe, although it would not necessarily seem that way if you polled a few friends these days. But even with the prolonged negative news, at some point we just have to say, “Okay, enough of this, let’s pick up the pieces and get things back on track!” It does not mean instant success or magical profitability or zero unemployment. It just means putting on a new attitude and a creating a reason to keep plugging along.
Most business owners have experienced painful operational trimming and tough decisions in the past year. I have heard clients and other business owners discuss their tactics to refocus, shift their processes and alter methods for business development to keep up with the new dynamics of doom and gloom. It is hard to keep the proverbial stiff upper lip when you are bombarded with messages about the seemingly endless consequences of financial failures. Marketing, like all service businesses, tends to be a line item that is initially vulnerable to being cut. However, strategic-thinking clients see it as a tool to help them achieve stability and loyalty even in challenging times.
So, what does this mean for marketing and business? Absolutely everything. It means that once we recover from the constant barrage of this new world of cutbacks and lagging economic indicators, businesses have an opportunity to emerge stronger, more attentive, and more focused than ever before. Maybe budgets are being trimmed, but being cost-efficient and strategic in spending marketing dollars is always a good idea. Maybe it is a little harder to figure out what customers want now, but it is beneficial to determine what customers really need from you to help align your business and investment of time and resources.
Focus, strategic planning, consistent messaging and dedication to customers– these are all cornerstones of successful marketing.
Omni is excited about our recent opportunity to work with the Mid-Illinois Medical District to fulfill their marketing campaign this year. Not only is this a project that allows us to put our skills as marketing strategists to work, it is also an opportunity for Omni to use our considerable medical marketing experience to help the MIMD achieve their goals of awareness in our community.
Omni Communications Group has a long history (almost 17 years!) working behind the scenes to build businesses locally, regionally and even nationally. At a recent strategy meeting, we discussed how we’re kind of like Northwestern Mutual – the ‘quiet company’ – we are in business to promote our clients’ businesses, and we know that by growing THEM we will achieve success as well.
We applaud the Mid-Illinois Medical District and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce’s Q5 team for their considerable efforts to communicate to the Central Illinois region how important the medical industry is to our community and beyond. This is an enormous undertaking with enormous potential for all of us who live and work here in Springfield, Illinois. And isn’t it nice to hear some positive economic news about growth, new jobs, improved healthcare services and success for a change?!
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?
We had the privilege (well, depending on your Cubs/Cards affiliation) last week to go to a Chicago Cubs game as part of a business meeting with one of our top clients, courtesy of one of their key publishing partners. It was a tough call – spend two days out of the office to build a client relationship, or stay here and get the work out. For any of us at Omni, and pretty much all small businesses, the one thing we all have precious little of is ‘time’. So where and how we spend it is critical.
But, time spent with a great client uninterrupted by phone calls, text messages and emails makes for better communication and ultimately a better appreciation for their challenges. We made the time to attend so we could really focus on issues our client is facing.
As we sat in a strategic meeting with the top editors and media representatives of Hanley-Wood, we were able to uncover opportunities to help our client that might never have surfaced otherwise. I felt we created a stronger bond with our client by taking time to support them and work together on a strategy for their business issues. In doing so, we were able to hear from some very intelligent and savvy editors about their perceptions and suggestions to help our client. It occurred to me that THIS group of people took time out of their very busy days to educate, entertain and demonstrate a partnership attitude with us as well. And that is one of the many reasons we, and our client, like working with them. Taking time makes a difference.
One last comment; I personally did my part to stimulate the local economy by purchasing a ball cap from Wrigley Field when it started to rain at the game. Of course, I cannot wear it at home since my daughter is a Cards fan, but who knows – it may have been just the good luck charm the Cubs needed to win that game.
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Thoughts on advertising, marketing and graphic design from Omni Communications Group in Springfield, Illinois
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