Van the Man.

A few months ago, I read an interview in Time magazine with the Irish rock legend, Van Morrison. On my personal top ten song list, Morrison would be represented at least once. (Along with the Beatles, Stones, Doors, Springsteen, Petty, Seger, Young and Dylan, in case you’re wondering). He’s a notorious recluse, so any sighting is a rare thing.

Toward the end of the interview, the reporter asked, “Do any musicians or groups today excite you?”

“No,” Morrison said “Absolutely not. It’s all been done, you know?”

Weeks later, a Time reader wrote to express her disappointment in Morrison, commenting on how jaded he seems. In essence, she said she could never listen to his music in quite the same way again.

A couple of problems with that. First, Morrison has always been a bitter man. He’s just gotten worse in his old age. (I can relate to that.)

Second, who cares what he thinks? The music is brilliant, his songs have stood the test of time, his voice is as distinctive as they come. He’s also grown as an artist over the years, managing to stay relevant while being true to himself. No sellout, here. For me, he’s an artist who consistently forges an emotional bond.

People seem to have a hard time separating the artist from the art, the song from the song writer. As long as the finished product is meaningful to me, it’s irrelevant what the creator of that product was thinking. Or even what kind of person he or she is.

During the first year of the Vegas Valley Book Festival, I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture by counterculture novelist Tom Robbins, author of some of my favorite books. Robbins is another guy who doesn’t get out much. At the Q and A session, a number of audience members tried to get him to explain how he comes up with his ideas and what his books really mean. He made a valiant attempt but ultimately couldn’t offer a plausible explanation. And I’m fine with that. Because the only thing that matters is what I, as the reader, come away with. That’s enough for me.

It’s the same in my line of work. The marketing biz is a discipline that values creativity as much as commerce. But only if we produce results. Or, as the old Madison Avenue ad guys used to say, “It ain’t creative unless it sells.”

If it does sell, it means we connected with the reader or listener or viewer in a meaningful way. We were instrumental in changing their behavior. That’s a powerful concept and one not necessarily married to those of us who created the ad. Can you imagine a buyer saying, “I need this product, but I’m not purchasing it because I don’t like the guy who wrote the copy”? Neither can I.

So, the next time “Wild Night” or “Domino” comes on the radio, you can be sure I’ll be cranking up the volume and playing drums on the dash. Even if Morrison wouldn’t approve.

Brian Rouff is the Managing Partner for Imagine Marketing.

Contact Brian at brouff@imnv.com

A picture is worth a thousand words

The cliché comes from an old Chinese proverb “A Picture's Meaning Can Express Ten Thousand Words." However, the modern use of the phrase stems from an article by Fred R. Barnard in the Dec. 8, 1921 issue of Printers’ Ink, promoting the use of images in advertisements that appeared on the sides of streetcars.

Nearly 88 years later, the use of this cliché is more relevant than ever. We live in a visual world and photographs have immense power. Simply put, photographs tell a story. Think of some of the great images in our country’s history – the raising of the American Flag at Mt. Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, the photo of 3-year-old John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting his father on the way to his burial, Barack Obama being sworn in as the first African American president – all tell a story without the single use of a word.

Let the power of photos help tell the story of your business. Whether it is booking a hotel room on the Internet, researching a new car or looking through the pages of a fashion magazine, pictures evoke emotion and inspire consumers. Consumers buy on emotion, not rationalization, and pictures are the driving force behind that emotion.

Unfortunately, I see too many clients who under value photos as part of their overall marketing plan. As a business owner or head of a marketing department, you need to acknowledge the importance of photography in all of your marketing collateral. From staff headshots to Web site images, all photographs should be clean, concise and creative.

What’s the first step in getting quality photographs? It’s easy, hire a professional. Imagine Marketing works with some of the brightest photographers in the valley, and we can help you create a portfolio of shots that will tell a story and present your company as a leader in its field.

The initial costs are probably less than you think and the results will create a picture for you, a picture of profit.

Jeff Jensen is the Chief Operations Officer for Imagine Marketing.
Contact Jeff at jjensen@imnv.com

Watching a business grow. ~ A “mom’s” perspective

It’s official, I’m a mom. Anyway, that’s what my card says: “Company Mom.” What can that possibly mean? It means that when I get introduced to our clients or our vendors as the “company mom” I get just a hint of an eye roll (much like those of my formerly at-home children), or at the very least, that little wrinkle between the eyes that says “huh?” quite distinctly. It says that at any given time I can give “the look” and most, if not all of the team at Imagine Marketing pays attention. It means I can set rules, regulations and restrictions. What that title means most to me, though, is that I have joined a team of young, energetic, incredibly bright, enthusiastic and creative people.

In this day of post-feminist activism, a movement I whole-heartedly embraced, it was a bit of a stretch for me to be known as a “mom” when my actual position is, uh, well, okay, it’s a mom. During my interview, it became very clear that the receptionist, bookkeeping and general all-around office duties had been handled by anyone who was handy. If a phone was ringing someone would answer it, if something needed filing it was filed, and billing was a teeth grinding late-night process added to the already impossible schedule of the company owner. As I was sitting there taking this all in, I voiced the first thought that came to me, “What you need is a mom.”

So after 1-1/2 years of retirement from mostly public sector positions, I was now in the private sector. It was tough. These people purchased things without prior approval. They walked in and out at their own will. They didn’t have a clue what a timecard was and heaven help me if I asked them when they might be back in the office. Didn’t they understand organization? Accountability? Regulation?

It didn’t take me long to learn what they did understand. They understood marketing. They understood public relations, advertising, graphic art and the evolution of the market and how it impacts their clients. They understood how to bond with a prospective client to find out what that person or organization really wanted. They understood what it takes to truly become their clients’ best source and resource to grow their business. They understood what it takes to make a success of a business started up in a home office just a few short years ago.

And the mom thing? No doubt, I’m still the mom because they still laugh and grumble when I ask them for things, but I know when a client calls, they will answer. And if I need to know anything about marketing, public relations or art, I know exactly who I can go to. It’s good being a mom.

Sue Burkholder is the Company Mom at Imagine Marketing.
Contact Sue at sburkholder@imnv.com

Knowing Pop Culture Can Pay!

One of my favorite television shows is Family Guy. From a consumer’s standpoint, the show plain cracks me up. I enjoy its irreverent nature, political commentary and downright silliness. I dig the obscure references to William Shatner’s rendition of Rocketman, Maude and School House Rock. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been watching and exclaimed “Ha! I remember that!” I feel like the show gets me. The characters of Family Guy speak my language, make references to the topics I pay attention to in the news, and notices the same oddities in life that I do.

From a marketing standpoint, the show is ingenious. Family Guy does a great job of understanding its target audience and regularly makes references to popular culture in order to strengthen the bond with its viewers. It targets adults most likely born between 1970 and 1985 or who are probably considered the sweet spot of the consuming public. Family Guy fans are most likely to be in the acquisition stages of their lives. They are getting married, having children, buying homes and cars and settling into their adult responsibilities. They dine out, frequent shows and concerts and are fashion conscious.

Now, I’m not saying that any business owner should go out and immediately purchase advertising space during an airing of Family Guy (although it probably wouldn’t hurt if you have the budget). What’s important is to keep abreast of pop culture in order to create connections with your target audience. For example, if you own a comic book shop and you’re trying to sell a new graphic novel in stock then you may want to offer the chance to win a free pair of movie passes to the new X-men Origins: Wolverine to build traffic to your store.

You may not watch all of the most popular shows on television or listen to the most popular songs of the day but it’s still profitable to have an awareness of hot topics and developments in pop culture. Check out sites like YouTube to see what the most viewed viral video is for the week. Visit The Daily Beast to get a daily rundown of all the hottest national and international news topics. Pop onto Hulu in your spare time to catch up on a popular show you may have missed. Having that kind of knowledge just may turn into your next successful marketing campaign.

Nikki Williams is an Account Executive at Imagine Marketing.
Contact Nikki at nwilliams@imnv.com

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

There are several occasions when I see or hear about an idea or invention and I just sit back in awe and say, “that is freakin’ brilliant.” The concept is usually so good that I literally get the chills, immediately followed by a bit of disappointment caused by the realization that I should have, but didn’t, come up with that idea first.

Although this can happen with things like the iPhone or the Aston Martin, it usually gets me most when I see a print ad or television spot. I usually always say afterwards that I would like to meet that person and shake their hand for being, as they say in the Guinness commercials, “Brilliant!”

As an undergraduate I remember contemplating switching majors from the dental route to marketing/advertising. I took a road trip to San Diego to think the career switch over. Along the way I saw a billboard for the redesign of the new Volvo. It was a teaser campaign with a silhouette of the new redesign, wrapped with the words “REVOLVOLUTION.” Volvo was evolving its design and image, and one word explained the whole story. Simple yet powerful … and definitely brilliant! That ad stuck with me for years. The same symptoms were present … the chills, the disappointment and the desire to meet that creative person. I knew then I would love to do advertising for a living and hopefully someday could have the same effect with my messaging on someone else’s brand.

One of the most recent spots that struck me in a similar fashion was the new Snapple spot. Snapple had huge success as a tasty all-natural fruit juice in the early 90s and built its campaign around the tagline, “Made from the best stuff on Earth.” The new spot is simple, fast, witty and just what Snapple needs to help rebrand and reintroduce the drink. Taking the leverage of its previous successful campaign, they are marketing their new products with the concept that they have found “better stuff.” What can be better than the best stuff? Even better stuff! They have earned “Ehsan’s brilliant stamp of approval.” A handshake awaits the creative director.

These few examples remind me of how powerful a brand message can be and the emotions that arise from it. When coming up with the message, it is definitely a collaborative effort between the marketing company and the client. The message needs to be clearly defined, and a strong communication needs to occur initially between the team before any creative is developed. You have to remember, the message guides the creative, not the other way around.

There is a spot we always discuss internally that shows strong creative with bad messaging. It is a Super Bowl spot that ran several years back for a company called EDS. This Ross Perot owned-company goes through this long sequence of cowboys and their family tradition of herding cats. It is interesting enough to keep you intrigued, but then it tries too hard to connect the creative with its messaging. After your minute of investment, you are let down and still have no idea what services the company really offers. The same mistake was made with their next spot. So much for learning from your mistakes.

Bottom line, keep messaging on task and use creativity to make it memorable and strike emotion. Remember, a team effort and strong communication will make this a success. And if you do that, I may just want to shake your hand and call you “Brilliant.”

If you have examples of ads you like or commercials gone bad, please comment below.

Ehsan Kaveh is an Account Executive at Imagine Marketing.
Contact Ehsan at ekaveh@imnv.com

I was naïve too

Five years ago I lived in a different country that appeared to understand the purpose and basic concepts of marketing and media relations. Here in the U.S., consumers understand commercials on television, they tune into the straight-forward meanings of magazine ads and they run to the nearest Starbucks to purchase the latest offer after seeing it on a billboard, but they don’t seem to fully grasp what goes on behind the scenes.

Although I didn’t have the greatest understanding of what marketing was or what media relations entailed prior to jumping feet-first into the field, I did understand that advertising, marketing and media relations are separate factions that, when married, can create a well-fueled, organized machine used to get a brand or product or company into the minds of the community.

For me, the part of this that hits closest to home is directly linked to media relations. I was a journalist for a local publication, and several newspapers in the Midwest prior to that, before jumping ship, so to speak, into the expansive ocean of media relations. As a reporter I thought I understood the role of a media relations official – they were there to make my life more difficult and to get as little accomplished as possible. It turns out that I actually didn’t understand media relations at all and didn’t use the relationship with their clients to my advantage. I saw media relations as a wall I had to go through instead of a direct bridge to my destination.

Now, I’m a former journalist in the media relations world and I have the unique perspective of not only embracing the annoyances caused by others not understanding what we do, but fully understanding why the media gets annoyed with us as well. To help clear the air, I thought I would offer a few tips for the media and general public about our role as professionals in the media relations world:

1. Our purpose is to act as a liaison between the media and our client. Although it may seem like adding an unnecessary middle-man to an otherwise easy equation, we’re actually in place to help make the process of uniting the media and our clients move more smoothly and create a better eventual outcome. The madness behind this theory? (a) We have direct communication with clients. They’ll take and return our calls in a timely fashion simply because they know us. (b) Media relations is what we do for a living. We know what needs to be done and get things arranged as quickly as possible. When reporters skirt around the media relations contacts, clients often don’t call them back because they assume their media relations representatives are taking care of it for them. (c) It’s our jobs to make sure everyone gets what they need on deadline. Many clients don’t realize this, and, if called directly, may not call a reporter back until next week – instead of within the hour. It’s not something malicious – they simply don’t understand the industry.
2. Although the way we write releases, e-mails and pitches may not seem conversational at times or may even seem rigid, we do it for a reason. Using A.P. Style and the inverted pyramid format to write media relations materials is integral to our success as media relations professionals. It’s as simple as this: if we write like they write, they like us better.
3. Successful media relations is a process, not an event. It takes time to position a company as a trusted resource and a leader in its industry.

Media Relations, advertising and marketing don’t come with a magic book filled with all the right answers and a do-it-yourself list of instructions. Every situation has to be handled separately. There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong in media relations, but things usually go more smoothly when everyone’s on the same page.

Beth Dickman is a Media Relations Specialist for Imagine Marketing.
Contact Beth at bdickman@imnv.com

A Tale of Two Burger Joints

Anyone here at the office will tell you how much I love cheeseburgers. They are nature’s perfect meal, with all of the basic food groups in one convenient package: fat, grease, ketchup, flavor.

While I’m always in search of the greatest cheeseburger in the world, I do have about half-a-dozen go-to places that never let me down. One of them, named after a maroon bird, is right near our office. Not only are their burgers consistently delicious, the service is always fast and friendly. Recently, as my wife and I headed for the door after a satisfying lunch, no fewer than four of their staff smiled and thanked us for coming.

Contrast this with another favorite establishment, named after a large, um, burger. Not too long ago, I ducked into one of their stands around 11:00 in the morning to beat the lunch rush. One lone teenage girl took my order and money, did the same for the guy behind me, then hurried to the grill to start preparing our food. All the while, the line continued to grow. The poor girl shuttled back and forth like a target in a shooting gallery while people grumbled about the poor service. Some of them actually bailed.

I felt bad for the girl. I know it’s not her fault. Place the blame squarely on the geniuses in management who decided to save a few bucks by keeping the place understaffed at lunch hour. The burger was excellent as usual, but the 25-minute wait did nothing to improve my spirits.

And that’s the point. In the New Economy, as companies desperately try to reduce costs, the last thing they should be cutting is customer service. In fact, I maintain that service is more important than ever. Here’s why. My daughter and son-in-law used to eat out three to four times a week. Now, they eat out every two weeks, on payday. It’s become a big deal for them. They spend time planning where they want to go and really look forward to the experience. If that experience turns out to be disappointing in any way, the effect is magnified. I guarantee you they won’t be coming back.

I’m all for re-examining every aspect of business to make it more cost-effective. But not at the expense of customers or clients. In today’s world, service can give you a big competitive edge. It could mean the difference between survival and closing your doors forever. I hope my go-to burger joints are listening.

Brian Rouff is the Managing Partner at Imagine Marketing.

Contact Brian at brouff@imnv.com

Sometimes marketing is like …getting in shape?

I LOVE “The Biggest Loser.” I’ve never been one to get addicted to a TV show – to cancel plans with friends or rush home at a certain time simply because a TV show’s on. And to be honest, I’m still not. But, if I were to do that with any show, it would be “The Biggest Loser.” Luckily, I have DVR or I might have to re-think the above-mentioned statement.

So every week I watch “The Biggest Loser” enthusiastically, and when it’s over, I look forward to next week’s episode. And when the contestants continuously lose five, seven, 10(!) pounds a week, I think “Man, I would love to do that. I could totally do that.” And then, sitting comfortably on the couch, I go back to my noodles and cheese or my glass of wine.

So why don’t I lose any weight? The answer is clear: Even though I know what to do, I simply don’t do it because it takes focused work. At the end of the day, I’m tired. I like healthy food, but I don’t cook well. I injured my knee a month or so ago and haven’t taken the time to learn some new, knee-friendly exercises. My life is busy, and, unfortunately, my health takes back burner.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sometimes the world of marketing can work much the same way. Let me give you an example.

Company A has been planning an event for months. The goal is to have hundreds of attendees who will enjoy themselves and rave about Company A for weeks to come. Company A’s executives envision features in local newspapers, live TV coverage and positive post-coverage.

“Someone will have to get the information to our marketing company,” someone says.

“Yes, someone will definitely have to do that,” someone else says. “They’ll know just what strategies to use to make this thing great.”

Everyone at Company A knows what marketing can do to make an event a success. Everyone knows they need to get their marketing company involved early to get the best turnout possible.

No one from Company A calls their marketing company.

A few days before Company’s A’s event, every detail of the event has been attended to, and it will surely be amazing. Suddenly, panic ensues. Someone has realized no one has been chosen to work with their marketing company on marketing efforts for the event, and worse, everyone has been so busy that no one has returned their marketing company’s calls or e-mails offering suggestions, ideas and a plan of action.

Everyone realizes that no one has sent out invitations, contacted the media and no one has done any advertising. No one knows their event is even happening. Everyone knew what to do to make their event a success, but life got in the way – as it often does.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So tomorrow I’m going to finish my dinner early and when “The Biggest Loser” comes on, I’m busting out the dumbbells!

In the coming months, I challenge you to pinpoint something in your life that needs some love –whether it’s your health, your relationships or your business. You probably already know what to do; now you simply have to do it.

Melissa Rothermel is the Director of Media Relations for Imagine Marketing.
Contact Melissa at mrothermel@imnv.com