“You need to understand that our manufacturing company is very niche.” We hear this from nearly every manufacturer during our discovery meetings. “We are a very niche business.” It typically comes up when we start discussing their target market. Are the questions we ask about persona and their ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) making them uncomfortable? […]
In 2023, to celebrate our 30th anniversary, we wrote about our history, what we’ve learned, and even entertained advice for your younger self, 30 years earlier. Thanks to all those who gave their advice & all those we’ve worked with over the last three decades. Reflecting on our 30 years in business got me thinking […]
And then there was light. That was my first memory as a young Spartan. I remember brightness and being taken out of my comfortable box. My muscles were stiff from what I later learned was a long journey from somewhere called Amazon. I heard laughter and discussion from my adoptive family. They didn’t know what […]
Thirty years ago, all you needed to request company information was a pen and a free business reply card (BRC). Back then, these small white postcards (BRC) with prepaid postage permits seemed to fall out of every magazine. To request information, you’d darken a bubble or circle a number on the card, often corresponding to […]
Bucket list, check. Actually, doing a TEDx Talk wasn’t even on the list. However, a year ago I was invited by a dynamic group of seniors at Orange High School, my alma mater, to tell my story. My talk, “The Path Less Traveled – Impact Your Future and Those Around You”, was deeply personal and, […]
Our 11-year-old pitbull mix rescue has us well–trained. When we sit down for dinner, usually long after she ate her dinner, she walks over to the kitchen cabinet and proceeds to get our attention with short, repetitive barks. This, coupled with a head nod in the direction of the cabinet, is her way of asking […]
As most business owners quickly discover, you cannot be everything to everyone. Trying to serve multiple markets and customers often gives the impression of a scattered, unfocused brand. That was us until the late-90s. We would take any client (the joke was as long as their check cleared). We worked with non-profits, service companies, distributors, […]
For those who grew up in Northeast Ohio, we cherished those steamy hot days spent at Geauga Lake amusement park and sister property SeaWorld. Getting cooled off by Shamu while trying to keep your Dippin Dots dry was great fun. When Six Flags took over the amusement park, they hired our agency to develop promotions […]
For those of a certain age, you may remember the Prego commercial where the son convinces the father that Prego spaghetti sauce uses the same great ingredients as the old-world family recipe. The father keeps asking about this spice and that, and the line “it’s in there” is repeated. Calendar Integration and Simple Meeting Booking […]
The last three lines in Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” has always resonated with me. Consciously or perhaps subconsciously, this poem has framed my life and especially our agency. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Our evolution […]