February 2012

Ohio, Indiana marketing firms win awards for excellence

February 29, 2012

Indiana marketers were recently recognized for their hard work in social media, digital advertising and other forms of marketing and branding.

JC Online reports that the American Advertising Federation's ADDY Awards for 2012 were handed out to a number of broadcast, public service, print and other media companies and professionals.

The Purdue Alumni Association took home three Gold ADDYS, the Dearing Group won four and the Indiana Design Consortium collected two awards. Silver ADDYs were also distributed, as were several annual awards from the AAF's North Central Indiana branch, according to the news outlet.

Ohio marketing firms also got recognition during the ADDY Awards. Grabowski & Co. in Uniontown, Ohio, took home a Gold ADDY, as did Farthering Graphic Design and DeSantis Creative, according to the Canton Repository.

"Every day we see this work as corporate ads, invitations, billboards, press releases, annual reports, documentaries and events," Tim Kraft, of WordKraft and president of the Canton Advertising Federation, told the newspaper. He added that it was rewarding for those in the industry to get to celebrate the skills, work and talent "that goes into the creation of these media products."







Filed under...

 

Ohio startups to get marketing, business advice

February 28, 2012

In order to help organizations in Ohio with marketing, management and all the other aspects of running a business, the Ohio Third Frontier Commission is setting aside $760,000 to support the state's New Entrepreneurs program. The money will go to stage another round of the "business boot camps" through Ohio State University's 10x program, according to Columbus Business First.

Those who participate in the programs have a chance to work with business mentors, get assistance on their investor pitches and also receive $20,000 grants to go toward establishing their companies.

"We want them to know what it takes to start a business in Ohio and be successful in the process," stated Christiane Schmenk, state development director and Third Frontier Commission chairwoman, as quoted by the news outlet.

As MedCity News reports, business accelerators in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati will split the funds, some of which will go to help healthcare startups. One initiative in the Cincinnati area, Innov8 for Health gets assistance from nearby schools, organizations and companies to make it easier for healthcare entrepreneurs to develop and promote their innovations.

The 10xelerator program in Columbus is run by Ohio State's Fisher College of Business and will use the money to assist "its second class of 10 startups," the source explains.







Filed under...

 

Fees for Indiana papers' online content part of marketing, revenue strategy

February 27, 2012

Newspaper company Gannett recently announced that it would be setting up a paywall for four Indiana publications: The Indianapolis Star, the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, the Star Press in Muncie and the Palladium-Item in Richmond, according to Inside Indiana Business.

In a press release, Gannett said part of its plan for expanding capital and strengthening its financial outlook would be to charge for all of its online content "regardless of platform." The plan will also curtail non-subscriber access, a model that it hopes will enable the company to add $100 million to its publishing segment's annual earnings as of 2013.

Gannett CEO Gracia Martore said the plan showed the company was "once again playing offense, poised for growth and value creation." She added that she and the other leaders were  confident this new strategy will return Gannett to a path of profitable and sustainable revenue growth, and deliver value for all of our stakeholders."

Additionally, the company said it would be creating a new digital marketing services business specifically for small and mid-sized companies. Gannett said the division was projected to earn between $275 million and $350 million annually by 2015.

Responding to the announcement, John Strauss, a journalism instructor at Ball State University, told Inside Indiana Business that even if readers are angry about the fees for reading content online, the newspaper industry had to install paywalls.







 

Ohio marketing firm pays back Iowans after illegal charges

February 24, 2012

A Cleveland marketing company recently agreed to pay out a total $700,000 in refunds to Iowans that it illegally signed up for membership.

The Estherville Daily News reports that the episode first started with a complaint submitted to the Consumer Protection Division in September 2010, after an Iowa consumer was charged $1,500 in membership fees over the course of four years.

Attorney General Tom Miller, as quoted by the newspaper, said that after customers would call Amerimark to order products from its catalog, the company would make a pitch for membership.

According to The Associated Press, AmeriMark's catalogs feature items such as jewelry, health-related goods, personal care products and women's apparel.

"But Iowans were being enrolled without getting the notices and disclosures required by Iowa law," he added. "The company agreed to stop the unlawful enrollments and charges, and to provide money for refunds." Miller also noted that the company has denied any liability in the deal, according to the Daily News.







Filed under...

 

Cleveland marketing company hits home run with more baseball teams

February 23, 2012

The same marketing firm that represents the Cleveland Indians has recently signed deals with two more baseball franchises.

The Lack County Captains - based in Eastlake, Ohio - and The Akron Aeros will now get their branding and advertising help from Cyrid Media. Some of the services that the firm offers include social media strategy, behavioral targeting and graphic design.

"We always thought it would make good sense for one marketing group to represent all three local baseball franchises," Mark Dolan, owner and president of Cyrid Media, said in a statement. "We are excited about this opportunity and we look forward to exploiting the obvious synergies that exist here."

He added that the city was "fortunate" because three of professional baseball's four levels are within driving distance of each other.

As Mike Imrem writes for the Chicago Daily Herald, baseball teams in that Midwestern city have struck out with their recent slogans. The White Sox' latest is "appreciate the game," while the Cubs claim that "baseball is better."  He says the slogans leave much to be desired, and rather portraying hope for being competitive, show that the teams are "out of marketing ideas."







Filed under...

 

Hudson, Ohio looking for marketing assistance

February 22, 2012

Advertising professionals may find a new opportunity in Hudson, Ohio, where local businesses and officials are looking for PR, branding and marketing help to promote the city, the Hudson Hub Times reports.

Hudson's city council set aside $100,000 for marketing in its 2012 budget, and the project could have multiple stages.

"It's like a puzzle, and we're a piece," Hudson's economic development director Chuck Wiedie said in an interview with the news outlet. "We need to make the story we tell compelling so they take a serious look at Hudson. I think with what we have to offer, we'll win our share of those deals."

Wiedie told the news source that the first step will be to build a positive brand that expresses the opportunities available for businesses in Hudson. The campaign will also seek to show people why the city is a desirable place to live.

As Everything PR notes, the recession particularly hurt the population of Northeast Ohio, with many people leaving the region to look for jobs. The campaign will follow others headed by Wiedie that seek to improve the area's reputation and attract more residents and tourists.







Filed under...

 

Cleveland businesses see marketing value in Pinterest

February 21, 2012

Consumers from all around the globe using Pinterest more often, and businesses are realizing the social media platform could also help their Cleveland marketing efforts.

Crain's Cleveland Business reports that paint maker Sherwin-Williams Company, based in the Ohio city, is starting to see the potential in targeting people who are already designing their "dream rooms" and "pinning" images on the interest-sharing network. 

"The popularity has gotten to a point where we definitely need to pay attention to it," the company's director of color marketing, Jackie Jordan, told the news source. Other companies in the Cleveland area are also starting to integrate Pinterest into their websites, the news outlet adds.

However, because the format for Pinterest sharing is so different from the likes of Twitter and Facebook, companies will need to apply a different strategy to how they market themselves on the platform, according to Vator News. Instead of generating comments and followers on other text-focused networks, Pinterest users communicate through links and images. Start out by making a board and categories featuring a company's different products, and don't be afraid to get creative, digital marketing agency Greenlight told the source.





 

Federal, Midwestern groups strike against marketing violations

February 17, 2012

Marketing companies that try to win over consumers by calling their phones and sending automated text messages to their mobile phones could see increased regulations from local and federal regulators.

The Oxford Press reports that the Federal Communications Commission has expanded on a set of rules from 2008 that forces telemarketers to attain written consent from consumers prior to sending out recorded messages.

According to the source, the Ohio Attorney General's Office alone fielded more than 2,000 consumer complaints about getting calls even though they were signed up for the Do Not Call list.



Earlier this year, the Kentucky Attorney General's office struck out against Do Not Call Act violations.

Attorney General Jack Conway said in a statement that Rhode Island company Versatile Marketing Solutions would have to pay $20,000 in civil penalties because it had allegedly violated the telemarketing fraud statues by calling Kentucky residents on the DNC list between December 2010 and November 2011, pretending to be conducting a survey and then pitching home alarm systems at the end of the questions.

"This agreement should send a clear message that there are consequences for failure to follow Kentucky's Do Not Call and telemarketing fraud statutes," Conway said.



Filed under...

 

Lexington marketing agency succumbs to Linsanity

February 17, 2012

With a branding makeover, one Lexington marketing agency is showing its love for a basketball team far from its home state. Or rather, for a specific basketball player on the New York Knicks.

Cornett Integrated Marketing Solutions announced that it would be taking up the title of Cornett LINtegrated Marketing Solutions in homage to Jeremy Lin, complete with a change of its logo to feature the blue and orange colors of the Knicks.

The move may be more than a display of superfandom, and could have some roots in the idea of SEO. The firm points to a Google statistic that "Jeremy Lin NBA" searches have surged 1,850 percent over the past 30 days.

Kip Cornett, president of Cornett LINtegrated Marketing Solutions, said the company had no plans to revert to its old name, at least not until the Knicks start losing again.

"Like Mr. Lin, we are an under-the-radar entity. Although Cornett represents national brands... the world hasn't experienced the agency's game-changing work just yet. The world has yet to experience our supreme LINtegrated marketing approach."

Lin himself is proving to be a valuable asset on and off the court, particularly in advertising and marketing. As Ira Kalb explains for Business Insider, his uniqueness and unusual career path have made him a "brand marketer's dream."









Filed under...

 

Las Vegas loyalty marketing deal has ties to Indiana

February 16, 2012

Casino-hotels in Indiana, as well as Nevada, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri and Colorado are about to hit the marketing jackpot, as MGM Resorts International and Ameristar Casinos recently announced a partnership to advance each company's rewards programs. Now, members of each initiative will be able to gain more offers and benefits when they stay at one of the other entity's locations.

In the announcement, the hotel companies said the deal would create "opportunities for M life and Star Awards/Plateau Players Club members, allowing both companies to strengthen customer loyalty by providing more access and rewards."

Jim Murren, CEO for MGM Resorts International, commented that the partnership would benefit Ameristar's Star Awards/Plateau Players Club members by giving them access to offers at MGM properties that they would not have gotten any other way. Additionally, it facilitated his own organization's goal of expanding the brand around the world, Murren said.

As Bloomberg reports, this alliance is not the first of its kind. Last year, Wynn Resorts and Pinnacle Entertainment penned a deal to enable Pinnacle customers to apply their loyalty points when staying at Las Vegas' Wynn and Encore resorts.





Filed under...