Fuseideas

Fuseideas wins contract with Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority

2012-01-18T17:31:00.005-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fuseideas wins contract with Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority

Fuseideas to rebuild and design new interactive website for Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority

SOMERVILLE, MA- January 18, 2011- Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations organization, today announced they will be completing a website redesign for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. This work will include rebuilding the website and moving it into Sharepoint 2010 as the CMS.

Fuseideas will complete a redesign of all aspects of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority’s websites for Nashville International and John C. Tune. The work will include information and technical architecture, graphic design and analytics. Fuseideas will work with The KVBPR team, who will manage day-to-day operations from Nashville and oversee on-site meetings with MNAA representatives. The project is in the beginning stages, with a goal completion date set for March 2012.
“We are thrilled to add Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority to our client list, and redesign the website for an easier user experience, interactive additions and a brand new overall look and feel” said Dennis Franczak, President and CEO of Fuseideas.

The new website will feature a number of new items including interactive terminal maps, real time parking information, more robust flight tracking, and better support for vendors to promote their products. The new website will also feature events and arts programs that go on at the airport.

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About the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) is a vibrant, self-supporting entity serving Music City and the Mid-South. The MNAA owns and operates Nashville International (BNA) and John C. Tune Airports (JWN), which provide an essential service to the region and make the area a great place to work, play and live.

Serving as the first and last impression for potential business partners and tourists, BNA truly reflects Music City through year-round live musical entertainment, outstanding customer service, and local food and retail favorites. This adds up to the Nashville Airports Experience: providing great airports for passengers, partners and employees.
www.flynashville.com

About Fuseideas

Headquartered in Somerville and with operations in Prague, Portland, Maine and Atlanta, Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency for brands seeking relevance, growth and longevity in a constantly changing world. Fuseideas’ client experience includes Adidas, Disney, Massport, Comcast, NBCUniversal, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas’ work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.
Twitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1 / Blog: www.fuseideas.blogspot.com

Contact Information:
Aidan Bradley
Director of Public Relations
Fuseideas
617-667-5800
abradley@fuseideas.com

Fuseideas wins contract with The Massachusetts Lottery for ‘$10 Million Raffle Ticket’ TV Campaign to begin December 26th, 2011

2011-12-22T15:57:00.001-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Aidan Bradley
Director of Public Relations
Fuseideas
617-667-5800
abradley@fuseideas.com

Fuseideas wins contract with The Massachusetts Lottery for ‘$10 Million Raffle Ticket’ TV Campaign to begin December 26th, 2011

SOMERVILLE, MA- December 22, 2011- Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations organization, today announced they won a competitive bid to provide stewardship of the Massachusetts Lottery’s $10 Million Raffle TV campaign which will run between December 26th and December 31st, 2011.

Acknowledging that ticket sales for the $10 Million Raffle were falling slightly behind expectations, the Lottery sought to expand its awareness ad campaign on the new game offering during the final week of sales to include television. The raffle drawing will take place on Sunday, January 1, 2012.

The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission approved a $75,000 contract earlier this week with Fuseideas to provide creative and media buying services for the campaign that will include as many as 90 15-second spots between Dec. 26 and Dec. 31 on various TV stations across the state, including: WBZ, WCVB, WHDH and WFXT in the Boston market, as well as ABC, FOX, CBS and WWLP in the Springfield market.

“We are ecstatic to take on the Massachusetts $10 Million Raffle ticket TV campaign working collaboratively with The Mass State Lottery to increase ticket sales for the drawing on January 1, we hope to work with The Massachusetts Lottery on many projects moving forward” said Dennis Franczak, President and CEO of Fuseideas.

The Massachusetts $10 Million Raffle is a new limited-time offering that will award one $7 million grand prize and million of dollars more in a New Year’s Day drawing. Each Massachusetts $10 Million Raffle ticket cost $20 and will be sold at all 7,400 Lottery’s retailers statewide until Saturday, December 31st at 11:59 pm, unless the game’s limited-run of one million tickets sell out before the scheduled end date. For more information on the Massachusetts $10 Million Raffle visit a local Lottery retailer or www.masslottery.com.

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About Massachusetts State Lottery
For the last 40 years, the Massachusetts Lottery has entertained players throughout the state with its innovative games and unmatched prizes. On March 22, 1972, the Lottery launched its inaugural offering - “The Game” – a weekly jackpot game and in May 1974 became the first state to sell Instant Lottery Tickets.

Today with four in-state draw games, two multi-state jackpot games, and the industry's most robust instant ticket portfolio, the Massachusetts Lottery is one of the most successful lotteries in the world and is a leader in lottery gaming innovation in the United States. Last year, the Lottery had total sales of $4.4 billion, awarded over $3 billion in prizes to players, and returned nearly $900 million in local aid to the Commonwealth's 351 cities and towns.

The Lottery has a network of more than 7,400 retailers across the state who sell games, including instant "scratch" tickets, jackpot game tickets and Keno. Headquartered in Braintree, and with four regional offices across the state, the Massachusetts Lottery is a division of the State Treasury.

About Fuseideas
Headquartered in Somerville and with operations in Prague, Portland, Maine and Atlanta, Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency for brands seeking relevance, growth and longevity in a constantly changing world. Fuseideas’ client experience includes Adidas, Disney, Massport, Comcast, NBCUniversal, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas’ work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.
Twitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1 / Blog: www.fuseideas.blogspot.com

Fuseideas wins PROMAX Silver Award for Best Interactive Website for NHL Beard-A-Thon® with partner CENERGY

2011-12-05T13:56:00.004-05:00

SOMERVILLE, MA- December 5, 2011- Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations organization, today announced they were recognized as one of the 2011 PROMAX BDA Award winners. Fuseideas received a PROMAX Silver Award for Best Interactive Website for their work with CENERGY on the NHL Beard-A-Thon campaign.

PROMAXBDA Local selected the 2011 winners for the most outstanding promotion, marketing and design work in local broadcast. Winners were selected through a jury of their peers through a series of online and in-person judging panels and were announced on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 in New York City.

Fuseideas and CENERGY worked together on the campaign to create a fundraising approach that builds on an established tradition of the playoff season: the playoff beard. The Beard-A-Thon was created as a challenge for NHL fans. Fans would grow a beard to support not only their team in the Stanley Cup, but also their team’s associated charity. Together the companies developed all aspects of the web presence - social media, online PR, banners, and the design and deployment of all of the team websites.

“It is an honor to receive such a prestigious award from PROMAX. We could not have done it without our partner CENERGY, whom we worked extremely closely with to garner the success on the program. Beard-A-Thon is an interactive and exciting way to get hockey fans engaged with their teams for a great cause. We look forward to many more improvements to come on the program in coming years,” said Dennis Franczak, President and CEO of Fuseideas.

The PROMAX Award adds to the landslide of praise that Fuseideas has been awarded. The company received two prestigious Silver Mark Awards for its creative design work for Comcast and HBO. Fuseideas was named in the Top 10 New England-based web development firms by Boston Business Journal, with numerous awards for web development, as well as named by iMediaConnection as a national Top 10
“Creative agency to watch” in 2009. In addition Fuseideas has been the winner of numerous creative awards, most recently for a consumer DM campaign for Comcast International and a B2B DM campaign for HBO Latin America. Fuseideas was also the winner of two Bell Ringers for excellence in Public Relations and social media marketing.

About Fuseideas
Headquartered in Somerville and with operations in Prague, Portland, Maine and Atlanta, Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency for brands seeking relevance, growth and longevity in a constantly changing world. Fuseideas’ client experience includes Adidas, Disney, Massport, Comcast, NBCUniversal, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas’ work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.
Twitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1 / Blog: www.fuseideas.blogspot.com

About Cenergy Marketing & Communications, LLC
Cenergy Marketing & Communications is a full-service brand-activation firm specializing in sports, entertainment and lifestyle marketing. In addition to traditional advertising, CENERGY delivers event marketing, interactive, sales promotion and sponsorship-activation services to clients. To learn more about CENERGY, visit www.activatingbrands.com.

About PromaxBDA
PromaxBDA (promaxbda.org) is a global, non-profit association dedicated to
being the leading resource for education, community, creative inspiration and
career development for marketing, promotion and design professionals within the
entertainment/information industry. PromaxBDA’s mission is to lead the
conversation about the role that marketing, promotion and design play in the value of
media across content platforms. With a combined membership of more than
3,000 companies and individuals drawn from more than 70 countries,
PromaxBDA is a truly international organization uniting the individuals.

Contact Information:
Aidan Bradley
Director of Public Relations
Fuseideas
617-667-5800
abradley@fuseideas.com

Fuseideas keeps cutting edge marketing in Somerville

2011-10-10T16:36:00.004-04:00

On September 18, 2011, in Latest News, by The News Staff

Fuseideas’ Dennis Franczak has his finger on the pulse of modern media.By Andrew Firestone

There is a saying that those who cannot adapt fall by the wayside, and in this tumultuous age of global marketing, Fuseideas of Davis Square in Somerville has taken that ball and ran with it. Founded in 2006 by Dennis Franczak of Medford, Fuesideas has quickly grown into a social-media powerhouse, representing clients as luminary as ESPN, Adidas, the Boston Bruins, and HBO Latino.

Combining sophisticated social-media and Internet marketing with a hip postmodern sense of consumer demand, Fuseideas stands poised to capitalize on the increasing viability of corporate marketing, even in an age where that sector has become harder to pin down.

“What you are finding today is you are finding a whole generation of people today, worldwide who are becoming increasingly distracted by different things,” said Franczak. “They watch TV on their iPads. They use their mobile phones to read on the Internet.”

“So now that you have all these different ways of reaching audiences, it becomes increasingly important that what you do is you offer a client choices and you put together a smart plan that recognizes how consumer behavior works,” he said. “It could include social media, it will still include television and print, possibly, it will certainly include online.”

One such campaign included the “Bruins fan rules” which appeared in television commercials created by Mullen ad agency. Approached to do an online component, Fuseideas created a tournament where fans could create their own rules and vote on their favorites. One such one was, “never tuck in your Bruins jersey, unless you’re going to church.” At the end of a huge tournament the winner received season tickets and a slew of prizes.

“What we try to do is give clients a holistic set of solutions that let them do all of these different things,” said Franczak.

When asked how the company was able to keep ahead of the competition, Franczak said that it was always important to remember that servicing your existing clientele was the best way of keeping up steam.

“A lot of business owners will tell you that your best customer base is through your current customers,” he said. “Our client list is world-renowned.”

Franczak was also proud of another aspect of his corporate headquarters, mainly that it sat right in Somerville’s own Davis Square.

“Why is Fuseideas in Somerville? It’s a great question, right? I just think Davis Square fits Fuesideas as an agency. Clients like to come here. They like to go to Redbones, they love going to the Foundry. Somerville and Davis Square is kind of a hip place, and we’re kind of a hip agency. It allows us to convey that atmosphere and that brand that we like. “

“I don’t feel any need to have a Boston zip code. Most of our clients aren’t even from around here so it doesn’t matter. We love Somerville and we’re going to be here for a while.”

Follow Fuseideas on facebook at www.facebook.com/fuseideas1, or on twitter at twitter.com/fuseideas.

The Power of the Purse: Fundraising Event

2011-09-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

Fundraising Event to Assist Underprivileged Women and Girls

Lowell, MA - September 20, 2011- Purses have power in Lowell on October 13th, 2011. The Women Working Wonders Fund (WWWF), a Lowell-based non-profit that supports programs to help women and girls, is hosting the Power of the Purse, a designer purse and specialty bag fashion show, which will include a raffle and auction on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 6 pm at the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center, 50 Warren Street, Lowell, MA.

Over 30 purses will take center stage that night which will include a fashion show by platinum sponsor Bloomingdale’s and a live designer purse auction with Chris Willis, Bloomingdale's Divisional Manager of Women's Designer Clothing as auctioneer. Stylish bags have been donated by local retailers such as Nordstrom Burlington and Neiman Marcus Natick and celebrity Gisele Bundchen, the supermodel wife of favorite New England Patriot Tom Brady.

“We are thrilled to be hosting the 1st annual Power of the Purse event on October 13th, 2011. Getting women together over a common interest such as fashion is a great way to make a difference in the community, and raise awareness for the Women Working Wonders Fund,” says Amy Werner, Senior Vice President/Retail Banking, The Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank and event co-chair.

A volunteer group of 13 women have made this event possible by coming together and raising money and awareness for The Women Working Wonders Fund. 100% of proceeds will go directly to the Women Working Wonders Fund endowment which provides grants for programs for underprivileged women and girls in the Lowell area. The Women Working Wonders Fund has helped fund such programs as: a career training program for homeless women at the Lowell Transitional Living Center; an anti-bullying program through the Boy and Girls Club of Greater Lowell; and respite relief for female caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients through The Community Family. Platinum sponsors are Bloomingdale’s and Nancy L. Donahue. Other sponsors are Anton's Cleaners, Fuseideas, Enterprise Bank, and Saints Medical Center.

For tickets, information, or sponsorship opportunities please contact Jennifer Hanson at 978-866-8770 or visit www.womengreaterlowell.org

About The Women Working Wonders Fund
The Women Working Wonders Fund is a 501 (c) 3 organization and a permanently endowed fund within the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF). Since its inception six years ago, through donations, fund raising, and collective philanthropy, the Fund has disbursed grants to local non-profits that assist the needs and issues of women and girls in the community.

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Press Contact Information: Aidan Bradley, Director of Public Relations, Fuseideas 617-776-5800

Fuseideas Named Agency for Mercantile Bank

2011-08-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

SOMERVILLE, Mass. August 10, 2011 – Mercantile Bank has named Fuseideas as its agency of record, according to Dennis Franczak, CEO and Founder of Fuseideas, an independent full-service advertising agency. Mercantile Bank chose Fuseideas for their marketing and public relations efforts after a quiet regional review.

Working with bank President Charley Monaghan, the Fuseideas team will create full service marketing programs for the bank including print, broadcast and online advertising as well as marketing and public relations/social media support. Mercantile Bank is focused on their customers in the Boston area who may not be well served at larger banks. Mercantile specializes in customer relations, non-profit banking, social responsibility and community relations. The bank has taken on an expressive art therapy project, buying art work from clients at St. Francis House, ArtWorks, Walnut Street Center, and Artists for Humanity to be displayed at Mercantile’s flagship Fenway location as part of the recent branch renovation. In Fall 2011 Fuseideas will be launching an event to showcase the artwork and renovated Fenway office.

“Mercantile Bank is truly unique in their customer service, and we are pleased to partner with an institution that puts their customers first. We look forward to bringing Mercantile’s marketing and public relations efforts to the next level to aid in even better service for their customers” said Dennis Franczak, CEO Fuseideas

New artwork will possibly be purchased in the future for other bank locations. Mercantile Bank’s Express Art Therapy project and social responsibility programs, adds to Fuseidea’s other community relations programs previously won this year including Anton’s Coats for Kids, and Belle of the Ball programs.

About Mercantile Bank
Mercantile Bank opened in 1988 as a small neighborhood bank looking to serve the needs of people living and working in Boston's neighborhoods who may not have been adequately served by the city's large banking institutions. Since the first office in the Fenway area, more and more residents and business owners have come to appreciate the personalized service of Mercantile Bank. With the growing support from customers, new offices were opened in Brighton in 2000 and in the South End in 2003. More information can be found at: http://www.MercantileBoston.Com

About Fuseideas
Headquartered in Somerville and with operations in Prague, Portland, Maine and Atlanta, Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency for brands seeking relevance, growth and longevity in a constantly changing world. Fuseideas client experience includes Adidas, Disney, Massport, Comcast, NBCUniversal, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.
Twitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1 / Blog: www.fuseideas.blogspot.com

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Press Contact Information: Aidan Bradley, Director of Public Relations, 617-776-5800

Fuseideas Named Agency of Record for Anton’s

2011-08-02T08:30:00.000-04:00

SOMERVILLE, Mass. August 2, 2011 - Anton’s Cleaners has named Fuseideas as its agency of record, according to Dennis Franczak, CEO and Founder of Fuseideas, an independent full-service advertising agency. The Tewksbury, Mass-based account, previously handled by Graham Communications in Quincy, Mass., was won by Fuseideas after a quiet regional review.

Working with CEO Charles Anton, the Fuseideas team will create full service marketing programs for the quality cleaner including print, broadcast and online advertising as well as marketing and public relations support for Anton’s community programs, Coats for Kids and Belle of the Ball.

“We are thrilled to be working with Anton’s Cleaners to bring their marketing, advertising, and social media needs to the next level as well as work on their recognizable and successful community relations programs Coats for Kids and Belle of the Ball.” said Dennis Franczak, CEO Fuseideas

New work is expected to appear in early Fall 2011. Donations for Coats for Kids will open in October and Belle of the Ball in Spring 2012. Please refer to Anton’s website for additional details, services and coupons at: http://www.antons.com/

About Anton’s
Anton’s Cleaners serves the Boston area, Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire with its 43 stores and home delivery in certain communities. Care, quality and value are hallmarks of Anton’s dependable dry cleaning and shirt laundry service. Anton’s is also recognized nationally and locally for its commitment to improving the lives of those in the communities it serves through two major community responsibility programs, Coats for Kids and Belle of the Ball.

About Fuseideas
Headquartered in Somerville and with operations in Prague, Portland, Maine and Atlanta, Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency for brands seeking relevance, growth and longevity in a constantly changing world. Fuseideas client experience includes Adidas, Disney, Massport, Comcast, NBCUniversal, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.
Twitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1 / Blog: www.fuseideas.blogspot.com

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Press Contact Information: Aidan Bradley, Director of Public Relations, 617-776-5800

FUSEIDEAS HIRES DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

2011-07-20T15:24:00.000-04:00

FUSEIDEAS HIRES DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Aidan Bradley to Lead Growth of Public Relations Practice

SOMERVILLE, MA- July 20, 2011- Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations organization, announced that it has added Aidan Bradley as new member of the management team. As Director of Public Relations, Bradley is charged with management and growth of all factors of the public relations department, from client service to social media to new business development.

Aidan brings multiple years of experience in the public relations, event planning and non-profit field representing companies in professional services, high technology, social media and consumer market sectors. Prior to joining Fuseideas Aidan worked at PAN Communications, a full service PR agency, and in-house at Shawmut Design and Construction and The Boston Globe. Her non-profit experience includes work with The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Genesis Club, developing fundraising and exercise programs for the 501(c) organizations.

“Aidan is an extremely valuable asset to the team here, and a big win for Fuseideas, we are thrilled to have her on board” said Dennis Franczak, CEO and founder of Fuseideas. “Her expertise in public relations will be crucial in our ability to continue to grow our client base, with a full scope of marketing services.”

Aidan will be spearheading successful community relations campaigns including Coats for Kids, and Belle of the Ball for client Anton’s Cleaners. Both launching in early Fall 2011 and providing coats and dresses for those in need.

Throughout her career Aidan has received numerous accolades including multiple Bell Ringer awards for client campaigns. Aidan graduated in 2006 and holds a BS in Public Communications from Northeastern University in Boston, MA.

About Fuseideas
Headquartered in Somerville and with operations in Prague, Portland, Maine and Atlanta, Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency. Fuseideas client experience includes Disney, Massport, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.comTwitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1 / Blog: www.fuseideas.blogspot.com

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Press Contact Information: Aidan Bradley, Director of Public Relations, 617-776-5800 x115 abradley@fuseideas.com

Fuseideas opens Atlanta office

2011-06-16T10:55:00.001-04:00

ATLANTA / SOMERVILLE, Mass. – Fuseideas has opened an Atlanta office, according to Dennis Franczak, CEO and Founder of the independent full-service advertising agency.

The new office is part of the firm’s expansion into the Atlanta market to serve clients including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport and the DeKalb County Board of Health.

Heading the Atlanta office is Account Director Nicole DiCharry who joins Fuseideas from CTI Media in Atlanta where she had been Senior Director, Client Services.

About Fuseideas
Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, Mass. Fuseideas has worked with several brand-name companies including Disney, Massport, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.
Twitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1 / Blog: www.fuseideas.blogspot.com

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Press Contact Information:
Didi Lutz
Fuseideas
561-628-7422
dlutz@fuseideas.com

Fuseideas Acquires Maine Agency

2011-06-13T12:03:00.001-04:00

PORTLAND, Maine / BOSTON, Mass. – Fuseideas has acquired Portland, Maine-based Bright Matter Marketing & Public Relations, according to Dennis Franczak, CEO and Founder of Fuseideas, an independent full-service advertising agency. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition, the first for Fuseideas, is part of the firm’s expansion into the Northern New England market. Headquartered in Somerville and with operations in Prague and Atlanta, Fuseideas is positioned to be one of the fastest growing agencies in the Boston market.

Through this acquisition, Bright Matter LLC will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuseideas and will operate under as Fuseideas – Maine. Bright Matter principals Steven Mason will become Managing Director of the office and Doug Campbell will serve as Senior Art Director. They will continue to serve such clients as Bangor International Airport, the Maine Turnpike Authority, DownEast & Acadia Regional Tourism, Portland Discovery Land & Sea Tours, Sargent Corporation, Tom Dorman Realty and Project Harvest Hope.

About Fuseideas
Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, Mass. Fuseideas has worked with several national and international brands and organizations including Disney, Massport, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.
Twitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1 / Blog: www.fuseideas.blogspot.com

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Press Contact Information:
Didi Lutz
Fuseideas
561-628-7422
dlutz@fuseideas.com

Integrated Social Media Communications: Measurement Success!

2011-03-30T16:52:00.001-04:00

With a multitude of social networks to feed, and maintaining relationships with digital influencers, measurement has become instrumental in the process of any SMM campaign.

Like most elements of the integrated marketing communications process, any SMM campaign should reflect a strategy that’s initially agreed upon and understood. The goals should be clear in terms of messaging, audience and potential results. As SMM expands, it must allow for changes, tweaks and much flexibility, the message should remain solid.

In the past, we measured elements of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), such as PR, in column inches back in the glory days of print. And while print is still valuable, it offers a different experience. The online space has opened many doors for PR to explore potential opportunities. Following the same approach, SMM campaigns should also be measured accordingly. For instance, post quality, level of engagement, conversations and comments, Klout score, and overall stats count towards an effective campaign.

At Fuseideas, we believe that social media will continue to expand and create more opportunities for businesses to communicate their message. We understand that it’s how you reach out to the right audience in order to make an impact. A solid strategy with good client/agency communication that is backed up with strong measurement elements has the power to make a tremendous difference in the long term.

Redefining ROI for your social campaigns

2011-03-22T12:57:00.000-04:00

Just when we think that social networks have found their niche, they keep evolving. The moment we think we have commanded the process of feeding the big social media monsters, a new network pops up changing the game -- even if it is for a little while. Blogs continue to enter the space, and their viral legs are becoming longer. And these days, our online presence speaks mountains about our work as digital marketers. We have more conversations online, and we are more interested in what others are thinking, buying, and "liking" in our social networks. Essentially, social media success is about relationships.

This idea about managing and nurturing online relationships affects how we determine the success of social media campaigns. It's no longer about ROI -- as digital marketers and social media PR professionals, we evaluate ROR: return on relationships.

ROR is about:

* Rewarding relationships with digital influencers, whether on Facebook and Twitter, bloggers, or Foursquare mayors

* Social media shopping and finding the right influencers to build a long term relationship with; there are so many out there, it's important to be selective and strategic about who you are reaching out to

* Evaluating and monitoring the level of engagement on the networks -- how is the message being received? Do the topics create new conversations and stir up interest?

* Being genuine in the digital space is the most effective way to penetrate the client's message

* Maintaining a strong message and ensuring others understand it well enough to start new conversations or post related content

* Nurturing online relationships just like you would face-to-face

* Treating bloggers like real journalists and rewarding their content; don't bribe them for blogging

* Establishing long-term relationships in the digital space as it grows and evolves

* Measuring the return and time invested in each of those relationships in terms of impressions, posts, conversations, viral penetration

ROR concepts are mainly derived from traditional communications tactics and relationship-building techniques. What makes online social networking different is the absence of observing body language and simple semantics. By cultivating the right online relationships with persistence and a genuine approach, those barriers are slowly uplifted and the results can be tremendous.

ROR on Facebook
Whether it's a fan page or a personal network, you build relationships with those who friend you and interact. While only 10 to 15 percent of that network generally engages on Facebook content, those numbers can fluctuate depending on the level of quality posts and content on the page. Measuring the number of "likes" gives you an indication that you're on the right track with your content, but still not enough for friends and fans to comment or start a new conversation. If you get a comment on a post, keep it going. Ask more questions to show interest. More friends and fans will read the thread and perhaps join in on the conversation. Or, they might share it on their pages. And, if not this time, maybe next time. Meanwhile, you just got a "return" on that post. It's that simple.

ROR on Twitter
Since Twitter networks are largely global and involve primarily followers who we don't know, the approach and ROR is evaluated differently. Uploading photos, sharing links, and retweeting are ways to start a conversation whether via direct message or right on TweetDeck. Either way, once you start building quality followers who retweet and comment on your tweets, then you know your message is getting out. Klout is a good measurement tool about how influencial people are on the web, which helps determine who to establish relationships with and potentially see a higher return.

ROR with bloggers
This is more PR related in the digital space. Relationships with bloggers must be nurtured, just as PR people nurture their journalist connections in magazines. Bloggers keep growing, and their impact is incredible; they post immediately, and messages go out on social networks in an instant. Building a solid relationship with the right bloggers gets you consistent exposure to other digital influencers who will share the message with their networks and comment on the post -- hopefully starting new conversations.

Quality vs. quantity
Return on relationships is also about measuring quality vs. quantity. While it is great to have 5,000 followers on Twitter, what makes a real difference is the level of engagement. If followers are starting conversations and sharing stories, opinions, and commenting on a topic, that shows solid interest -- and the content becomes high quality. If responses to topics are all about one-liners, such as "good post" or "I agree," then those don't really penetrate the network to a deeper level.

As a digital marketer, I think that ROR is the new ROI in the digital space. As new conversations come out of old ones, and as more fans and followers engage on social media, there is little room for stale posts and over-discussed topics. Keep a solid list of cutting-edge things to talk about and sound interested in your message. Just like a yawn or a smile, enthusiasm on social media is also contagious.

Dennis Franczak is the CEO and president of Fuseideas.

The Power of Klout

2011-03-21T13:06:00.001-04:00

The Power of Klout; Is it Hype?

Klout is becoming popular all around, there's even reference to not dating someone who has a low Klout score! What is the big hype about this measurement tool and what does it determine?

It makes sense to know how you measure up to others in the digital space. Klout is able to track and measure how potent your digital influence is, from what you share, post, and comment on. Klout isn't about measuring popularity though, it's about influence. Content that is posted matters and has an impace, so it determines how influencial it is.

From an agency perspective, Klout helps us guide and evaluate a social media and any content related campaign more efficiently. It's a growing measurement tool that has a lot of potential and at Fuseideas we think it will continue to help us determine levels of influence for our clients.

www.twitter.com/fuseideas

Why ROR is the new ROI in the digital space

2011-03-02T15:54:00.002-05:00

ROI is the first thing clients measure to evaluate a social media campaign. With social media expanding to a phenomenally fast rate, with the digital space gaining ground from print and traditional media... is it really about ROI or ROR?
Return on Relationships, or ROR, is a fairly new concept that has been present in traditional communications and is now applied to the digital space, including social networks and the blogosphere. With our ability to measure the effectiveness of social media during the course of a campaign, ROR becomes a vital strategic concept and a solid evaluation tool. Measuring the influence your client has in the online space matters, and ways to do that include:

- Social network shopping, i.e., identifying the right networks and digital influencers to reach out to with your client's message.

- Ensure that you are crafting a strong message that will withstand viral action (and reaction)

- Quality vs. quantity. This is important, because simply tracking impressions will not give you the full picture of how the campaign is working. Post quality leads to new conversations, sharing, new posts, and an entirely new level of engagement in social media.

We are at a point in digital media where everything is about posting and sharing content. Digital marketing firms must find strategic ways to provide a growing ROR for their clients, in a space that continues to expand - unpredictably. At the same time, as more quality content is managed properly online, and as new relationships are established with the right influencers, then ROR should be able flourish.

Talk to us about how you can gain ROR in the digital space: www.fuseideas.com

Why ROR is the new ROI in the digital space

2011-03-02T15:54:00.001-05:00

ROI is the first thing clients measure to evaluate a social media campaign. With social media expanding to a phenomenally fast rate, with the digital space gaining ground from print and traditional media... is it really about ROI or ROR?
Return on Relationships, or ROR, is a fairly new concept that has been present in traditional communications and is now applied to the digital space, including social networks and the blogosphere. With our ability to measure the effectiveness of social media during the course of a campaign, ROR becomes a vital strategic concept and a solid evaluation tool. Measuring the influence your client has in the online space matters, and ways to do that include:

- Social network shopping, i.e., identifying the right networks and digital influencers to reach out to with your client's message.

- Ensure that you are crafting a strong message that will withstand viral action (and reaction)

- Quality vs. quantity. This is important, because simply tracking impressions will not give you the full picture of how the campaign is working. Post quality leads to new conversations, sharing, new posts, and an entirely new level of engagement in social media.

We are at a point in digital media where everything is about posting and sharing content. Digital marketing firms must find strategic ways to provide a growing ROR for their clients, in a space that continues to expand - unpredictably. At the same time, as more quality content is managed properly online, and as new relationships are established with the right influencers, then ROR should be able flourish.
Talk to us about how you can gain ROR in the digital space: www.fuseideas.com

8 Social Media Metrics You Need to Succeed

2011-02-04T12:23:00.001-05:00

Social media has entered into another year, and we anticipate more members in networks and more interaction as the sharing of information continues to grow. Depending on where you are with your business, social media marketing (SMM) should hold a place in your strategy. With 2011 seemingly moving towards a more postive economic output, CEOs want to see the value in SMM efforts. But what are the metrics for success?
Tap into new digital knowledge. Want to stay on top of the latest developments in digital marketing? Attend ad:tech San Francisco, April 11-13. Learn more.

While the number of fans and followers, along with the quantity of posts and photo tags, provides some idea of progress, these are not necessarily indicators of social media success. So how do you quantify social media efforts in a way that makes sense to clients? The following eight tips can help you determine whether you're winning or losing the social game.

1. Study incoming traffic on the web. If your client is on multiple social networks, it makes sense to note the traffic from all sources and determine which ones are driving the most visitors to the client's website, how much time they spend on the site, etc.

2. Social media post quality. This is significant because it's the core of the SMM effort. Posts that attract comments and start conversations are excellent indicators that your campaign is working. If a post interests your fans enough to comment and share with others, keep doing it. You're on to something good.

3. Keep track of fans and followers. Do you see fans come and go and your network growing and then suddenly dropping quickly? Ask yourself what you might be doing to cause this. While you should expect a margin of "bouncing" fans and followers, your overall goal should be to grow the network at a strategic pace.

4. Evaluate fan interaction. Along with post quality, it's important to note the percentage of your fans that engage with your page. If your network has 300 fans, for instance, and only 25 interact that means you have a return of less than 10 percent. Of course, that doesn't mean that more are not reading your posts, it simply means you have to tweak your posts in such a way to draw more fans into the conversation.

5. Track feedback from fans. It's a marketer's dream to be able to receive free feedback with social media these days. Capitalize on that feedback -- even if it's negative, it can be constructive. Tweak your efforts based on what responses you receive. Social media is constantly evolving, so you need to be on target with what your fans and followers expect from you. At the same time, take note of any negative comments and measure your response to them (i.e., how many negative mentions were there? How quickly was the issue resolved?)

6. Going viral. Probably one of the most obvious measures for success is how quickly and efficiently a post gets shared. Whether it's a video, an article, or a post about your client's business, the number of times people share information directly increases exposure. Just be mindful when you post something in the social-sphere, because once it's out there, it's there for good.

7. Does your client use social media? This might sound silly, but in order for CEOs to understand the power of social media, they have to try it themselves. Whether it's their blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook, it helps when your client understands the concept when evaluating a SMM campaign.

8. Don't forget your blogs. With Facebook and Twitter as the main social media monsters that companies like to track these days, it's still important to track blog comments as well. Keep track of voting on blogs and definitely respond to comments as they come in. Blogs are valuable information sources for website visitors and make for good quality social media posts.

Measuring success in social media will depend on the goals you set with your client. Set realistic expectations over a period of time and determine the measurement criteria in advance. This will help you track your campaign as it goes, and hopefully you will exceed client expectations!

Dennis Franczak is president and CEO of Fuseideas.

Fuseideas partners with CTI Media in Atlanta to kickoff Full-Service Media Campaign for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

2011-01-27T09:41:00.002-05:00

Fuseideas and CTI Media have joined forces and have just been named agency of record for Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This multi-tiered media project includes creative design and advertising, online interactive initiatives, and facilitating social media to support the airport's communications efforts.
"We have a tremendous team in place and are excited about working with Atlanta Airport," said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. "It is wonderful to see major airport hubs embrace social media's growing popularity."

FUSEIDEAS HIRES SUZANNE WORTHINGTON AS INTERACTIVE DESIGNER

2011-01-25T15:26:00.003-05:00

SOMERVILLE, MA – January 20, 2011 – Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations agency, has added Suzanne Worthington as new member of the Creative team.

As a recent grad of Boston University, Worthington has joined the Fuseideas team and bringing in a powerhouse of skills; fresh ideas, creative energy and enthusiasm to the award winning agency’s team. Worthington’s experience covers a range of media and creative tools, while working on clients such as Members First Inc. Maine Office of Tourism, Comcast, Collette Vacations, and the City of Charleston Department of Cultural Affairs. Prior to joining Fuseideas, and while at Boston University, Worthington assumed roles on the Executive Board and as an Art Supervisor at BU’s prestigious AdLab.

“Suzanne’s creative approach and client expertise is what we are looking for at Fuseideas, especially as we grow our agency in the face of a new decade,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO and founder of Fuseideas. “Her enthusiasm and experience with various lifestyle and travel clients provides our agency with a window to new opportunities for growth and new business.”

Twitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1

Fuseideas to Create 2011 Thank You Video to Dana-Farber Donors

2010-12-20T12:46:00.000-05:00

Fuseideas has been hired by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to create and deliver the Celebration Video for the “Mission More Possible” event to be held in April 2011, which acknowledges and thanks the organization's donors.
Award winning Fuseideas is tasked with the production and delivery of the video. The agency's team will creatively refine and direct the celebration video to include script, storyboards, and other media materials that will support its production.
"We are excited to work with Dana-Farber on this exceptional creative initiative," said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. "At Fuseideas, we are pleased to have been selected to produce such a meaningful communication vehicle that will celebrate and acknowledge Dana-Farber's donors and all their hard work."
For more information on Dana-Farber visit: http://www.dana-farber.org/

Fuseideas introduces Metrostyle to StyleBoston TV

2010-12-12T12:51:00.001-05:00

Award-winning Fuseideas proudly introduced Metrostyle to the increasingly popular StyleBoston TV program in the last quarter of 2010 with a broadcast ad campaign. Metrostyle is a division of Boston Apparel Group, targeting stylish women ages 35-54 with a unique look. The program was initially aired on NECN, local cable, and has since moved to ABC, and then created the sponsorship.
The two 15sec spots aired during programming as bookends going in and out of StyleBoston TV. The focus of the spots was on winter blues with Metrostyle, that added color, style and flare into the season, and will continue to air through March 2011.
As part of the outreach, Metrostyle also sponsored the StyleBoston host announcement party in November 2010, where the popular show's new host was selected. Metrostyle also provided the apparel the StyleBoston hosts for the event.

Fuseideas partners with Collette Vacations to launch new product, Explorations

2010-09-08T10:24:00.003-04:00

Fuseideas has partnered with Collette Vacations to launch their new brand, Explorations.

Explorations Touring offers guided, luxury small group tours to numerous locations around the world. The website, at www.explorationstouring.com allows users to browse locations and itineraries and book their vacation immediately online.

“We are extremely excited to have worked with Collette Vacations on this brand launch” said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. “The website design gives users an extensive array of visual experience so they can truly understand what the Explorations brand is all about.”

The website launched at the end of August and marketing is supporting the launch via print, online and search engine optimization and search engine marketing.

About Collette Vacations
Based in Pawtucket, RI and launched in 1909, Collette Vacations is a international leader in group tours and vacation packages. Collette Vacations has offices in three countries and offers tours to all 7 continents, yet it is still very much a family business.

Fuseideas scores in women’s fashion with Chadwicks

2010-09-08T10:18:00.003-04:00

Fuseideas will be working with Boston Apparel Group on a new fall campaign for their Chadwicks brand.

Chadwicks is a flagship brand of Boston Apparel Group and features a wide variety of women’s fashion styles for women of all types and sizes. Their current tagline is “Great Style is Possible.”

“We are extremely excited to partner with the Chadwicks brand team on this project,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. “The energy of their in-house team combined with our creative ideas will make this a powerful campaign. We’re honored to partner with them to develop a great campaign.”

Work will break in early October in select markets in the US and will primarily be online and print.

Fuseideas Executes 2010 World Cup Campaign for Univision

2010-07-02T14:06:00.003-04:00

(Somerville, MA) June 24, 2010 -- Fuseideas has created and executed a successful Hispanic Affiliate trade campaign for Univision for creative delivery of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Via the landing page www.univisionshotatglory.com that was built, Univision was able to uniquely deliver the World Cup games on all three networks in HD, On Demand and Online. Those who registered on the website received promotional gifts (a soccer ball, while supplies last) from Univision Networks.

The interactive campaign named “The Highest Definition Of Glory,” referring to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, was published in print and online, including Multichannel Merchant.

Our idea was to roadblock the entire site so we owned all the ads on the site. We are doing this on very finite days in the campaign and it has proven to be very effective.

The campaign will run through the World Cup and Univision has already garnered positive campaign results and notoriety in the business press.

Are Webinars effective marketing tools anymore?

2010-06-29T14:09:00.002-04:00

The quick answer is "it depends." Depending on your company, business model, service or product, the key to a successful webinar is to offer valuable information to participants who are interested in giving up an hour of their work time to listen to you.
Before you choose to do a webinar, keep these tips in mind:

- Your target market will associate you with webinars quickly. If you decide to start hosting one webinar, you'll have to keep hosting them to become effective marketing tools and build a loyal following. Plan a series of topics and spread them accordingly over time to sustain interest.

- You must be willing and comfortable on a live web talking to a group of strangers you can't even see, hear them talk, or read their body language.

- Make sure your equipment works well so that the live feed is not interrupted. The last thing you want is technical issues interfering with your webinar.

- Be an authority of your subject matter. There are great webinars out there from self proclaimed gurus who know their topic well and offer quality tips to the participant. Stay on top of topics you can really develop a good Q&A at the end of your webinar, so that your audience can identify with you and your company should they need your services.

- Collect feedback. After the webinar, send a quick thank you email and find out from participants what they though. Offering a small incentive, such as a discount if you are charging a fee, can motivate participants to submit valuable feedback. Social media helps also, with Facebook and Twitter, especially.

Twitter @fuseideas
www.fuseideas.com

Making Email Marketing better

2010-06-17T14:20:00.001-04:00

It's true that we've moved on from email marketing from the days of Constant Contact. While social media have revolutionized the marketing approach to email, not all is lost. Improvement is key. Here are some pointers:
- Go through your database regularly and comb the emails to find the best ones to reach out to.
- Learn to personalize emails as much as possible. Don't blind send emails to people, they get too much junk already.
- Use the KIS approach: keep it simple. Period.
- Use an easy call for action. Don't overload with rules and exceptions. Either you are offering good value that makes sense to your customers, or the email goes to trash
- Don't send too many emails. Once a month is plenty these days. It's enough to stay in touch and keep your brand in the front of your customers' minds.
- Reply personally. If you get a direct response from one of your mass emails, respond promptly and address questions efficiently. Part of successful marketing is assigning value in customer relationships.
At Fuseideas, we implement e-newsletters and e-blasts with a strategic approach that is part of our client's integrated marketing communications campaign. E-mail can only get your so far, but it is still worth adding to your mix.

www.fuseideas.com

FUSEIDEAS HIRES NEW VP OF CLIENT SERVICES

2010-06-09T08:57:00.004-04:00

SOMERVILLE, MA – June 8, 2010 – Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations agency, has added Traci Bergan-deBakker as a new member of the management team. As a VP of Client Services and Media Director, Bergan-deBakker is charged with overseeing all agency accounts and manage the interactive team on an array of projects.

Proficient in Spanish, Bergan-deBakker brings over a decade of experience in the integrated marketing communications in her new role at Fuseideas. She started her career at Deutsch Inc. in New York City, where she worked as a Media Planner for Mitsubishi and Reflect.com. She then accepted a position at Universal McCann in San Francisco as a Multi-National Media Planner for Microsoft. After moving to Boston in 2004, she joined The VIA Group, working with clients including HP Hood, TD Banknorth, WilmerHale, Silverstein Properties, and CBS Radio. Most recently, Bergan-deBakker lead the CoCo Key Water Resort marketing department as the in-house Director of Marketing, managing both their Boston and Fitchburg, MA locations, along with an array of portfolio-wide marketing initiatives.

“Traci’s client approach and media expertise is what we are looking for at Fuseideas, especially as we grow our agency in the face of a new decade. I am excited to bring her on board with the rest of our team as the VP of Client Services and Media Director.” said Dennis Franczak, CEO and founder of Fuseideas. “Her knowledge and experience with international brands provides our agency with a window to new opportunities for growth and new business.”

Bergan-deBakker holds as a Bachelor degree in Business Management and Spanish from Gettysburg College.

Twitter: @fuseideas / Facebook: Fusesideas1 / Blog:

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Camp Waziyatah Welcomes Fuseideas as First Agency

2010-06-07T17:03:00.004-04:00

Camp Waziyatah, located in Waterford, Maine, has selected Fuseideas as its first agency of record.

Fuseideas has been tasked to work on a variety of assignments including theater ads, print, online, social media and public relations for the Camp, which is located on 130 acres of beautiful woods and fields bordering a privately owned, spring-fed lake at the head of the Sebago Lake watershed in Maine.

Fuse is working with new Owners / Directors Greg and Mitch Parker, who host boys and girls from all over the world come to the grounds affectionately known as “Camp Wazi”. Camp Waziyatah, www.wazi.com, has been open for the past 89 summers, and offers campers over 40 activities.

“We are excited to be working with Fuseideas on this marketing communications initiative,” said the Parker Brothers. “We believe that an integrated approach with interactive and traditional media will provide us with the exposure we need for our potential campers at Wazi.”

About Camp Waziyatah
Summer lasts forever at Wazi! Since 1920, Camp Waziyatah has been helping kids ages 7-17 achieve personal growth and create positive peers relationships that last a lifetime. The camp offers the highest counselor-to-camper ratio in the country, and offers over 40 activities for kids, from archery to wakeboarding. www.wazi.com

Agency of the Future

2010-06-01T09:10:00.001-04:00

We're in a new decade and the emerging trend of social media are dictating how we market to audiences. The viral factor is directly influenced by the popularity of the mob social networks, which are still called the big three: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
As these evolve, so do marketing and advertising tactics. Responsiveness to the fickle nature of the new, rich media is just as important as creativity.
The agency of the future must be a strong force fighting along with the constant changes, adapting to new technologies and learning to continuously converge of digital media in traditional campaigns.
Once agencies learn how to maintain a balance between understanding emerging digital media and learning how to manipulate new applications, the big ideas and creativity will flow like water on a stream. We work in a digital world, but most of the marketing principles have not (and should not) change the process of producing good work for our clients.

www.fuseideas.com
www.twitter.com/fuseideas
www.facebook.com/fuseideas1

SMM: Foursquare or Facebook?

2010-05-17T18:02:00.006-04:00

Great article in today's Business Insider about Facebook and Foursquare. There are concerns about Facebook's privacy issues and how that affects potential advertisers. We think that it's still too early to know what will happen.

Foursquare's mere 1.2 million users (versus 450 million FB users) are becoming increasingly attractive to big companies, such as Pepsi, and even publishers are starting to circle around the mobile app to tap its viral marketing potential.

While we don't know yet what plans Facebook has for location, marketers increasingly have more options on where and how to advertise on social media and how to adjust their strategy.

Right now Foursquare is the next best thing, and definitely very popular with its "checkin" feature. It will be an interesting year monitoring how this will evolve... Should Facebook just buy Foursquare?

www.fuseideas.com
Facebook
Twitter

Staying productive while chasing new business

2010-05-10T11:52:00.004-04:00

As a CEO of a small agency, the largest part of my focus is going after new business while ensuring that current clients are happy. We explored what it is like to keep a balance between operations, staffing needs, internal marketing, accounting, and of course, new business.

Since responding to RFPs, meeting deadlines, and attending prospect meetings require a lot of travel, how do you make sure that you are productive while on the road? Here are some thoughts:

- Be accessible. It's one thing to turn off your phone when you are in a meeting trying to land an account. But, your staff at the agency's headquarters will need to reach you at times to get your approval on things, or find you if a crisis breaks out. It's important to empower and trust your employees so that they can go above and beyond their job scope and get things done while you are away.

- Check email. We all get our emails on our smartphones nowadays, but learn to unclutter your inbox quickly. Remember, giving a short response is better than no response. If not responded right away, many emails get lost in the shuffle, and you may end up embarrassed in the long run. It's important to know what's going on.

- If you are going to be away for more than two days, definitely schedule a daily call - no more than ten minutes - with your headquarters. Have an assigned staff member to go through updates at your agency. It's a good way to stay connected, and to also answer any questions that need immediate attention.

- Post social media updates. Sure, why not? If you are a CEO and are connected to clients on Facebook or Twitter, why not post updates on what you are up to. Clients like to see you are staying active in your agency. In fact, social media are notorious for opening dialogue and possibly even impromptu meetings... if a client happens to be in the same town as you!

- Carve out time for other tasks. While you are on the road focusing on winning new business, it is still important to learn to make the time to attend to current client business. Remember, your current clients is the only reason you are in business. You can only expect your staff to handle so much while you are away. Besides, one of the reasons those clients came to you is because you offer their account a personal touch!

After all that's done... go out and see the sights!

Fuseideas' client, YouFloral, makes it on the TODAY SHOW!

2010-05-03T09:33:00.003-04:00

We're always excited when one of our clients, especially a new product launch, receives nationwide attention. Fuseideas is in the process of launching www.YouFloral.com, the only floral website that provides customers a unique, interactive experience of designing their own vase with a photo and message. Along with a huge variety of fresh flower arrangements, the VaseExpression (which is a waterproof liner) makes the message timeless and beautiful for the recipient.

This was the idea when Robyn Spizman presented YouFloral arrangements on the NBC'S TODAY SHOW this past Friday as part of her recommendations for Mother's Day!

Way to go!

Twitter@YouFloral
www.youfloral.com

Keeping it all Together: Running your agency and staying current

2010-04-20T09:15:00.002-04:00

One of the biggest challenges that small agencies face in a digital world is having to stay current with new and emerging technologies and marketing communications trends.
In fact, interactive agencies have to be at the very cutting edge of new media.

How do you juggle, stay current and not drop the ball? Our CEO, Dennis Franczak suggests these techniques:

- Monitor the news environment. Staying informed means reading material that relates to your clients, your business, your field, and your competition. Subscribe to high quality content that will provide you with solid information, and keep you current on the new market trends. Reading good material is also a great source for conversation started at business meetings and networking events

- Write a blog is no longer enough... become a contributor. Let's face it, nearly every agency pens a blog these days. Whether your blog is good or not depends on how much you enjoy writing it, how often your write it, and how helpful are the tips and topics you blog about. That's not enough these days.
Becoming a contributor or guest blogger on a respected industry website is an excellent branding opportunity for your agency. Sharing insights and information from your own experience in a small agency through viral content is very competitive and well-appreciated from clients and others in the industry.

- Keep it all viral and connected. This one is self-explanatory, but naturally you want to maximize the impact of your agency's brand. Whether it's new work you want to show, a new campaign you are announcing, or a new client, using social media to virally connect with your contacts and friends is integral to your internal marketing effort

- Clients still want it all. You can't compromise the client's work. Period. Somehow, even with a million new things popping up at your agency, you still have to have your priorities straight. A happy client makes a happy agency. And vice versa.

- Mingle and network. While online relationships have taken over, there's still something about that first handshake and small talk that make face time much more personal and genuine to the business approach. Don't stop going to networking parties, industry award ceremonies and seminars. You don't know who you will meet and how that contact can turn into a client. Some things just don't change.

Twitter@fuseideas
Facebook
www.fuseideas.com

Fuseideas Launches YouFloral.com

2010-04-09T10:38:00.003-04:00

Small Interactive Agency Spearheads Public Relations & Interactive Marketing Campaign for Innovative Floral Site

Our award winning small marketing and advertising agency has just launched YouFloral.com - a cutting edge floral website that is transforming the way customers send flowers in the industry!

Fuseideas is leading interactive marketing, social media and public relations efforts on behalf of www.YouFloral.com, a Mass based business that delivers the freshest flowers next day anywhere in the US, and is also the inventor of a unique personalization tool, called VaseExpressions™. A VaseExpression is a is a full-color, waterproof liner, which is secured inside an elegant glass vase. Customers can choose from a wide variety of attractive, seasonal vase designs, and then add a personal message, photo, or both, to send to their loved ones. The VaseExpression™ is timeless; once the recipient is finished with the flowers, the VaseExpression™ can be very easily removed from the vase. It then lies flat so it can be placed into a special frame, album, or scrapbook as a treasured keepsake.

Fuseideas’ CEO, Dennis Franczak anticipates great success with the YouFloral.com marketing campaign, “By harnessing the power of social media, along with utilizing traditional communication and public relations tactics, we believe that YouFloral’s message will spread virally far and wide, steadily building a loyal base of customers, while setting a cutting edge trend for true personalization in the flower buying experience,” said Mr. Franczak.

According to the agency, YouFloral will be utilizing social media extensively as part of its launch campaign, and will be publishing specials via Facebook, including an application to send free virtual flowers and VaseExpressions to friends. Already securing positive press by the agency, YouFloral is also expected to launch a blog on its website offering advice, seasonal tips, and exploring creative ways to enjoy flowers at their freshest.

About YouFloral
Massachusetts based YouFloral.com is the inventor and exclusive provider of VaseExpressions™, a new, patent-pending product that enables its customers to personalize and customize a floral vase. YouFloral emerges in the floral market and appeals to customers who want to fully personalize the traditional, thoughtful gesture of sending flowers to those who matter most by making their message timeless in a VaseExpression™. www.YouFloral.com Twitter@youfloral

Twitter@fuseideas / www.Facebook.com/fuseideas1

Beyond Economic Recovery and Brand Shakeout: Rebuilding Integrated Marketing Communications for the New Decade

2010-04-07T12:31:00.004-04:00

The first decade of the new millennium taught us some very important lessons in integrated marketing communications (IMC). Many agencies made the leap to new media mainly by introducing new apps, cutting edge creative and capitalizing on short term strategies. Information Technology kept booming and the need to share information instantly was at the forefront of producing and delivering generally good marketing work.
Into the first decade, fueled by the growing technology and impact of tremendous world events, blogs exploded in an alarming rate, changing the face of publishing as we knew it. Suddenly, anyone could become a reporter, a self-proclaimed guru of something, the moderator of an online forum, or a podcast host. As a result, brand messaging was under siege; public opinions surged on the internet through a variety of venues, allowing for comments, conversations, both wanted (and lots of unwanted) feedback about any topic was available in just a few clicks.
Those were the early days of the brewing social media era, which eventually gave birth to networks that have now popularized the trend of sharing free information, in an instant, with few regulations hovering. The crisis of the publishing industry was peaking by the mid-2000’s, The MySpace revolution, which preceded the Facebook and Twitter craze started a trend that has essentially become a marketer’s dream.
The viral component of social media paired with an anemic economy that is, at best, struggling to recover, have become vital assets to most IMC campaigns for the next decade. Social media, just like any of the rest of the strategic IMC components (advertising, PR, direct mail, traditional marketing) are interdependent; they work well as part of a full integrated interactive campaign, and can also be successful on their own.
We have officially entered a new decade, filled with prospects, new beginnings and fresh outlooks on business. With new possibilities forming, small agencies have the unique opportunity to cultivate each of IMC’s strategic marketing components to service their clients the best they ever have. A fresh agency perspective and healthy client relationships will lead to exciting projects, great creative and award worthy campaigns. Quality work. Relationships. Credibility. Organic profitability. Those are keywords I am keeping in mind this decade for Fuse/ideas. I would like to share some of my own insights for 2010 and beyond, because I truly believe we are at a crossroads where the agency world has the real potential to become exciting, productive, and above all re-energized:
- What do you stand for? This is the biggest question of the decade, and it needs to be answered by both clients and agencies. Developing a brand positioning statement isn’t easy work. Reposition a brand to adjust to new times can be even more challenging. The key is to ask the right questions and have the right people help you answer them. Often times, we get caught up with little details of everyday operations and neglect to put an idea into perspective. If we can get better in keeping things simple for a brand, yet constantly engaging in new practices, then the higher the potential for success.
- Build a solid brand. This may be obvious, but it is a time consuming process. Building a solid brand takes a strategic approach to marketing and it’s not magic. It could even take years to build a solid brand, but the time spent will be well-worth it. Often times clients get frustrated because they expect results much sooner, while an agency keeps trying to lay the foundation to build the brand. As a result, they pull out their budget and start from scratch with another agency, and so on. Think of building your own home, where you want to raise your family. You want the safest and best materials so that your home will be a solid, strong and fun place to live. The same notion applies to the brand. Clients must hold agencies accountable in expecting progress, but need to be patient in the process of building the brand, especially in the early stages.
- Learn new apps/skills. Agencies will continue to utilize new applications and understand how to use them to serve their clients’ needs best. Whether it’s new social media apps that prove to be great marketing tools or brushing up on Internet writing, agencies and clients must work together to create and execute campaigns that will stand out from the rest
- Everyone is a critic, so be your own. And be the best. This one reflects my own personal philosophy in business and life. There’s no one out there that knows your business better than you, or at least, there shouldn’t be. You have to stay disciplined through the tough business cycles and learn to adapt in harsh times. The same applies to the work we produce here at Fuse/ideas. If we are not happy with creative or a PR campaign, we immediately rethink it and make changes as necessary. If you learn how to become your own constructive critic, it will pay dividends with your clients, your staff and above all it will benefit your business.
- Engage and participate. This is a powerful keyword that marks the beginning of this decade. Social media are at the forefront of engaging in new ideas and participating in conversations. Relationships have shifted to online rather than the traditional face to face communication. Online relationship matter and they can bring business through networking more than ever. For that matter, we need to learn to ask questions on those networks, and when we are done, keep asking more to understand the dynamic of social media, and continuously monitor their evolving nature.
A long time ago, I read somewhere a quote that stayed with me: "There are three types of people, those who watch things happen, those who make things happen and those who wonder what happened." It’s clear that agencies should make things happen in a growing digital world, but we have to look within our business and develop a structure that will help us work through this economic crisis and beyond. By looking in and setting strategic goals for our business and our clients, the agency world will eventually, once again, hail and prevail. In the end, appreciating the lessons from the last ten years not only help us gain a solid understanding of how we got here, but also empower us to create the path for the new decade.
Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas
www.fuseideas.com
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Will Foursquare become the next marketer's dream?

2010-03-29T10:08:00.003-04:00

Believe it or not we have entered the post-Twitter era. Just a year after its boom, experts are wondering: what will be the next popular social media network?

There are several that have crept up, such as Google Buzz, which is basically a copycat of Twitter, but it hasn't caught on as well as expected. I have been reading more and more about Foursquare - the uber creative interactive app that offers digital crowd-sourcing and has the potential to revolutionize peer-to-peer marketing.

Foursquare has been signing on big marketing contracts left and right, and is becoming popular by the day. From a marketing point of view, it's an excellent way to promote a business by getting Foursquare folks to digitally "check-in" to their location, offer special deals and promotions to "mayors" of places (mayor= a person who "checks-in" the most over others).

It's an incredible and adaptable social media application that is already transforming the way people connect and share information about places they go and experience. At Fuseideas, we vote YES to Foursquare!
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Five key challenges small ad agencies face today

2010-03-23T10:15:00.003-04:00

Sometimes challenges feel endless for small business owners, but overcoming the obstacles is part of identifying them. As a small business CEO, here are the top five challenges I tackle every day to make sure my business grows and thrives!
1.) Commitment to new business. It's a juggling act of time, creativity, work, cash, and staffing, but going after new business is just as vital as maintaining your accounts, streamlining good work for clients, and keeping the pipeline full of new opportunities for them.
2.) Moving up the food chain to compete with larger agencies on bigger pieces of business. Small agencies shouldn't be afraid of going after massive projects or large accounts. There are concrete benefits in being serviced by small ad agencies, but it is a challenge to compete with big fish agencies. Internal agency branding is important as well - showcase expertise and project work and make it viral with social media.
3.) Being stereotyped as a particular type of agency. While hyperfocusing is already challenging, specialization can backfire and leave you out of big RFPs your agency can service. Try to avoid being the hi-tech agency, or the lifestyle only agency. Capitalizing on your expertise can help you leverage and win new business without being sterotyped.
4.) Getting the attention of agency search consultants who only pick from their regular flock of agencies. I face this challenge very often. It benefits businesses to look outside their list of regulars and be open to fresh new ideas, especially in today's ever changing environment. Getting your agency's name and message out there requires dedication, persistence and time well spent.
5.) The normal small business operations issues. Cash flow, staffing, time lags, client management, reporting, accounting are required daily operations that must be handled and managed well. Time management skills are put to the test with this challenge; for any machine to work, it must be well oiled and maintained!
As a business owner, finding a balance within the load of all the responsibility is key. It isn't easy, and there are always setbacks I have to manage. But, I keep thinking that by tackling challenges head on, I take the first step in overtaking them.
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Find inspiration in little things and meet challenges head on

2010-03-18T10:31:00.004-04:00

A case study by Fuseideas CEO, Dennis Franczak

Every agency owner goes through a day, a week, or even longer where things don’t go your way. You might now win some new business, a client might decide to stop spending money, your employees might start feeling down, or someone might even decide they don’t need your services anymore…you get the picture. Having been in this business long enough, Dennis Franczak, our CEO at Fuseideas, realized that doing this is a marathon, not a sprint, and nothing always is perfect and how you deal with it tells a lot about your character, but also your agency.

As a small agency owner, you have to deal with the wide variety of emotions that it takes to run a successful business. When things don’t go your way, are you pouting in the corner, blaming factors beyond your control, blaming the client, or taking a real look at how you can make your business better for not only you, but your entire company? Dennis thought it would be beneficial to other small agency owners to share how met a recent challenge he faced at Fuseideas during the crisis:

“Last spring/summer, Fuseideas faced a real crisis. The economy was imploding, staff morale was down, our rent payments were too high and we weren’t winning any new business. Things seemed very bleak for us indeed. I remember the day when I bottomed out and finally decided I was going to do something about it. I had gone out the night before to commiserate with some friends about my plight and needless to say, had a little too much to drink. The next day, my wife and her neighborhood friends decided to go out for a day of shopping (of all things!) and I was left to not only try and watch my kids and the neighbor’s kids (10 of them) with a hangover, but also have to deal with the stress of being in a huge slump in my business.

As I laid out on the back porch with a splitting headache pitying myself, watching happy children beat me over the head with nerf bats and shoot me with squirt guns, I realized I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and thank God for the positive things I had. My kids were laughing, happy, carrying on and I realized it that I owed it to them to do something about it.

I called my partner Rich over in Prague and talked about what we needed to do. He agreed. He had been having similar thoughts and that we needed to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of what we could control.

So what did we do? We did the OPPOSITE of what people thought we would do. We stopped chasing tons of new business and focused on our current clients. We visited each and every client and told them how important their business was to us and how our partnership with them was helping us survive. During those conversations, they told us what they liked about us, what more they wanted from us and how we could help them. Those conversations turned into new projects which carried us through the summer and resulted in a profitable 2009.

We also fired clients. Yes. We fired clients. As a small agency, you need to focus on your good relationships and partnerships, not focus on trying to work with clients that don’t appreciate your efforts, or try to make you do work at the lowest prices, and in short, treat you like a vendor. In a struggling economy, you need to work with people that appreciate what you bring to the table. To that end, we made a concerted effort to prune our client list and focus our company on servicing the clients that we felt were true partners with us.

It was the best decision we ever made. Clients were re-energized with us, morale improved, profitability increased and all of the sudden the clouds cleared and we started winning new business again.

Not every single day is going to go your way. There are always going to be ups and downs. But I learned a lesson last summer that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Take stock of the good things in your life, let them give you strength, so that you can make the tough decisions that need to be made to run a successful business so that you can provide for your family, your staff, and yourself.”

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Four things agencies must do right this year

2010-03-12T10:39:00.002-05:00

We've all seen the swanky offices of big-time agencies, the fancy coffee makers and state of the art conference rooms with sound-proof windows. There are many things agencies have done wrong during the recession, such as laying off expert staff in a panic, or not prioritizing business needs properly. However, there are agencies who worked through the toughest time in a plaguing 2009 economy, and now as the recovery begins with its noticeably slow pace, here are four things that our CEO, Dennis Franczak, suggests agencies must do right in order to be successful as we move into the new decade.

1) Spend time thinking about the client. It's one thing to execute a plan and produce deliverables to the client, and clearly another to provide "thinking time" for them. Thinking about a client's business is the most genuine part of the relationship. It's productive, it's personal, and it communicates to the client that you care and are interested about their brand's well-being.

2) Enough with the constant billing! I can't tell how people should run their business, but I can understand the frustration clients face when they receive their monthly bill and it includes charges for each time they picked up the phone to call their agency for advice or direction. If agencies want to produce good work, then the communication between client and agency should be open. Fear of over charging can lead to major miscommunications and other blunders that can be costly on both sides. It's important to agree on an estimate for each job that makes sense to both sides, but ballooning fees that make no sense to the client will eventually set you back.

3) The big idea, re-energize! Finding the big idea for every ad, PR and social media campaign is the key to success. Unfortuantely, many agencies don't spend the time to come up with one solid positioning statement for a brand, and rather create a mosaic of ideas that relate, but don't necessarily communicate a strong message. We're in a message cluttered world now more than ever. Agencies must work closely with their clients to develop those key messages that will form a holistic marketing campaign

4) Credibility and then more credibility. In an era where everyone is the writer of something, information lacks credibility. Agencies stand out because of their quality of work, their track record of servicing clients, awards, successful campaigns, and so forth. Spend the time to do some internal PR and use the tools of today to communicate what your agency does to add value to your clients' brands. Writing a concise blog that provides useful information that readers can benefit from is a great beginning. Discussing agency work in a case study is another way to start building credibility. You will shine not only in SEO searches, but in the eyes of your current and prospective clients.

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Five tips on how to do great creative in 2010

2010-03-05T10:29:00.003-05:00

It's no secret; creative is going through a crisis along with everything else in our economy. But, it doesn't have to be that way. The best work can be done if an agency understands how to challenge itself by mastering the art of quality - not necessarily quantity - and by leveraging the right technology tools to bring a marketing vision to life. Here are five tips on creative in the face of a new decade by our very own Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas:

1: Think big, even on small budgets. It's a modest philosophy that can yield high returns. Agencies, especially small ones, shouldn't be afraid to think big when the budgets are small. Aspiring to great work, will bring even better work. Agencies need to place trust in their expert staff and their capabilities.

2: Leverage technology to bring the idea to life. This is a no-brainer, but with so much technology evolving out there, agencies constantly need to monitor and be on the lookout on how to make their creative even more cutting edge so it can stand out. There's no greater feeling than having your work align seamlessly with the client's brand strategy.

3: Think multiple channels. Traditional, new media, interactive, all channels must work in harmony these days more than ever. It's important to understand new marketing dynamics, from social networks, to new interactive apps and how they can work best with traditional media in order to provide a holistic approach to a client's marketing campaign.

4: Challenge traditional ways of thinking. In order to evolve, we must assess and reassess. Constantly. Success lies in asking the right questions and challenging the old way of doing things. Embracing the success of the past, will help shape future success, but only if agencies understand what elements should change. Challenge keeps us on our toes, and keeps us thinking forward.

5: Spend time doing multiple concepts to get to the right idea. Prep work is the most important part of generating a marketing campaign. Look at your toolbox and decide what tools make sense to use in order to bring a concept to life. Building blocks with a strategic concept in mind will create a solid campaign. The best ideas will come after you guide the concept in the right direction.

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Why auto DMs on Twitter are a no

2010-03-01T11:15:00.002-05:00

Twitter has evolved to one of the most immediate and effective marketing tools in the social media world. As Twitter continues to filter through junk, it has started scanning spammers and allowing users to block them if necessary. But, generic, automatically sent Direct Messages on Twitter are simply annoying and clutter your inbox. For some, it's a top reason to unfollow people. Simply stated: don't automatically DM people with a special offer or a link to your site. Instead, make it personal. We hope the next step in the Twitter evolution will be a more personalized forum, where information can be shared in an effective way that promotes good marketing practices. We love seeing direct messages thanking us for an RT, or something we might be particularly interested in. DMs have the potential of building real relationships on Twitter and provide an opportunity for quality networking. Don't ruin that by offering an automatic DM with specials that few care about!
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The role of public relations in traditional marketing campaigns

2010-02-22T09:30:00.003-05:00

Public Relations is a communications function that has been grossly misunderstood throughout the centuries. PR is not just about shaking hands and smiling at events while chatting up a storm about a client. PR is the process that creates and delivers a strategic message to the media, who in turn deliver it to the public. PR falls under the umbrella of Intergated Marketing Communications, and therefore plays a vital role in traditional marketing campaigns.
From PR strategic planning, press kit development, to pitching media and follow-up, this marketing function has the power to make or break a brand.
For public relations to work, it needs to be planned thoroughly and executed carefully. Messages in press releases, media announcements, newsletters, web copy, and article placement (even your Facebook status updates) must all work in unisen to communicate strategically your business.
Consistency is key in PR practice and the results can be tremendous: if traditional media is the bread, PR is the knife that spreads the butter.

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You don't have to be on EVERY social network

2010-02-17T14:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, so you have a Facebook page for your business. You're sending tweets on Twitter. You have a MySpace page. You're thinking of getting on Ning and Digg, and seriously getting into YouTube. Suddenly, you find yourself frazzled with so many networks to feed into. What's going on??
Basically, you don't have to be on every social network out there. Social media are fickle; they evolve and change through their users, so what's popular now, won't necessarily be for long. Remember what happened to MySpace a year or so ago? Instead of focusing on creating a presence on every social network, it's best to be strategic about it. It's much healthier for your business to be on two or three networks and be active on them, rather than being on six or seven networks that you end up idling.
So, research each of the social media monsters and choose the right ones for your business to engage in, and don't spread yourself thin. Be picky and stay picky with your social media presence, feed those monsters often, and feed them well. By staying constantly active in a few networks will pay dividends in exposure and feedback from your audience.
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Can’t colleges teach grads how to write resumes?

2010-02-11T13:40:00.004-05:00

This is the time of year where thousands of college students start to look for jobs. I have to wonder though, who is teaching them to write resumes and cover letters?

Here are some examples of resumes that I can't help but put in the ridiculous pile:
· “To Whom It May Concern: Please consider me for a position in your company. I am eager to learn the business.” – Why would I hire someone that needs me to train them. If they did their research, they would know we are a small company and you need to hit the ground running.

· “Dear Human Resources: As a recent college graduate I am extremely excited to apply my education to a company as great as yours.” – What is great about it? What opportunities do you see?

On the other hand, here are some other examples that actually get my attention:
· “Dear Mr. Franczak: I am extremely interested in sitting down and talking to you about the advertising industry. As a college graduate seeking to get into the field, I am interested in how your company works with so many well known brands and how someone like me can contribute.” - This is the kind of letter that always gets my attention. It strokes my ego (slightly), but it also gives me a chance to offer them some advice on how to break in. I almost always will take this kind of meeting.

Another promising one that I liked because it had relevant account information in it:
· “…This has allowed me to gain experience in a broad range of industries, and has provided me the opportunity to work with brands such as Citrix, HP, Cisco, Elsevier, Eastman Kodak, and Xerox as well as incredible organizations like Special Olympics, American Lung Association, University of Rochester, the Association for Retarded Citizens and more. I would love to talk with you about how I might benefit Fuseideas and invite you to take a look at my profile, found on my website (www) - I can also forward my resume for a more in-depth look at my experience.” – I liked this one because it had relevant experience and also he talked about benefiting us.

Some tips for college graduates sending resumes:
· Don’t send to “To Whom It May Concern”
· Your email is your cover letter, so make it good
· Don’t keep your cover letter and your resume separate… why would I want to open two files? As the CEO of a small business, I just don't have that kind of time.
· Make your resume file name something like Name_Fuseideas as opposed to MgtResume or MktResume, it seems too generic. And use spellcheck!

These are just a few things I’ve noticed lately and any college kid looking for a job should read this. Anyone else care to add thoughts? Comment below!

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Strategically going viral with video

2010-02-11T10:31:00.004-05:00

How many times have you watched something on YouTube and couldn’t wait to share with your friends? It could be something funny, nasty, super creative, or something just plain weird that you had to get your friends to watch. In the old days, you would email it out, but now you Twitter about it and send the link to your followers (who can RT it to theirs), you share it on Facebook and other networks. Video is great because it engages the viewer right away. Most successful viral videos are short enough to pass along quickly.
Videos with clever messages and fun visuals go viral easily, and there are analytics available through some services that allow you to see how many times the video was viewed.
Strategically, videos should be incorporated in your social media and interactive strategy. Not only will you potentially increase sales, the viral component boosts exposure, attracts fans and followers, and you have an unique opportunity to collect feedback from viewers.
Going viral with video works because it gets your message where it needs to go!

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Why Twitter will survive the year

2010-02-09T13:20:00.002-05:00

We’ve all come across those followers who tell us what latte they had at Starbucks that morning, or what time they cook dinner, or why they like Don Draper on Mad Men. Twitter is a popular social media platform that peaked in 2009 and has evolved into a content sharing network.
The key is to know how to use Twitter well so that it can work for your business.

Following those who relate to your message, and are interested in the content and the updates you provide takes time, patience and a lot of practice. The same goes with those who follow you. By posting frequent, good quality tweets and retweets that reinforce your message you can will attract good followers to virally send your message to others in their network, and so on. In other words, you reap what you sew. Going viral these days is a priority for business who want to flourish during the recovery.

There’s still a lot of junk to filter through on Twitter, but when used as part of a social media strategy for your business, it can be a marketer’s dream come true!

The great myth... Only large agencies can handle my account

2010-02-05T09:42:00.007-05:00

Walk into a large agency and you’ll expect to see beautiful offices, large staff, fancy coffeemakers and expensive conference rooms with state-of-the-art technology. But, once the agency secures your business, how does it value it? 2010 marks an exciting new media era full on innovation and creativity. Increasingly, great talent is breaking off from big-fish agencies to start small, more specialized agencies to serve you better.

The question is, “Why is smaller better?” Aside from a less formal structure and leaner staff, smaller agencies are by far more flexible to changes when their clients request it, they are more responsive to requests, and will go far beyond to ensure your business. Service is genuine in small agencies, where big fish agencies are focused on constant billing and minimum deliverables.

You’d be surprised to find better, and more specialized talent in small agencies, who have been burned out by big ones. Successful small agencies are always on their toes, and as a result, the work produced is often award-winning. Unlike big agencies, small ones work two-three-five times as hard to earn and keep business, and their people have a stake in the results the agency delivers. Small agencies have no room for “dead weight,” or outgrown expertise.

So, the old myth remains just that. At the end of the day, there’s something special about picking up the phone and speaking directly to the CEO of an agency about a new campaign, versus leaving message after message with an intern at large agency. Who would you want handling your account??

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FUSEIDEAS PARTNERS WITH UCG MARKETING TO FACILITATE

2009-12-21T17:20:00.001-05:00

Hugely Successful Launch in NYC Union Square Attended by Thousands

SOMERVILLE, MA – December 21, 2009 – Fuseideas, a premier, full-service advertising, interactive and public relations agency, announced its role in the November NYC launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. On November 9th, Activision, Microsoft and GameStop took over New York’s Union Square with a massive party celebrating the launch. Activision hired UCG Marketing to coordinate the event and Fuseideas managed and facilitated the live web-exclusive broadcast of the event.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was one of the most highly anticipated software launches and since launch the game sales have been huge with more that 4.7 million copies of Modern Warfare 2 were sold in the first 24 hours alone. For the physical launch, GameStop coordinated small local events, but looked to UCG Marketing and Fuseideas for the main launch.

In addition to a celebrity presence at the launch, hundreds of fans waited online outside the Modern Warfare 2 tent to get their first taste on the game before it came out at midnight. A huge tent was set up at the square where about 60-70 Xbox 360’s were setup for fans to play some serious Team Slayer action. Fuseideas helped facilitate a live broadcast of the event while it was taking place and was watched by more than 10,000 viewers that could not physically attend the launch.

“The launch of the game in Union Square far exceeded initial expectations,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. “The energy was infectious and the crowd only seemed to grow as people stayed to play the game. We’re honored to have the opportunity to again work with UCG Marketing on an innovative launch campaign.”

About UCG Marketing

Based in New York and Boston, UCG Marketing is a leading provider of event marketing programs for fortune 500 companies. Beginning in 2001 UCG Marketing began serving the media, pharmaceutical products, food & beverage and consumer package goods industries with a focus on designing, executing and measuring what were then called non-traditional marketing campaigns. More information can be found online at http://www.ucgmarketing.com.

About Fuseideas

Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, MA. Fuseideas has worked with several brand-name companies including Disney, Massport, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.

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FUSEIDEAS ANNOUNCES PRODUCTION OF 2009 MARK AWARDS VIDEO

2009-12-14T10:44:00.000-05:00

Fuseideas and Rainbow Media Partner to Design Video for Second Consecutive Year

SOMERVILLE, MA – December 14, 2009 – Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations agency, today unveiled the video work done for the CTAM (Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing) 2009 Mark Awards held in Denver on October 26, 2009. Fuseideas partnered with the Sundance Channel and iFC (both owned by Rainbow Media) to produce a video intro for the 2009 Mark Awards. Fuseideas worked with show host Evan Shapiro, president of Sundance and iFC on the video for this year’s awards ceremony.

For the 2008 Mark Awards, Fuseideas and Rainbow Media’s AMC Network produced a wildly successful piece which was based on AMC’s series “Mad Men,” a show about advertising in the 1960’s. The concept for the 2009 video was to “out do” the 2008 show because and played on the fake rivalry between Evan Shapiro and Ed Carroll, AMC’s Chief Operating Officer and host of the 2008 Mark Awards. Knowing he didn’t have a show like “Mad Men” to rely on, Fuseideas and Mr. Shapiro developed a concept that had him asking well known cable entertainment executives about what he could do for this year’s show. The various executives set Evan up for a gag musical number that he performed live at the event. Both videos can be seen under the Work section at www.fuseideas.com.

“With help from many leading executives in the cable industry, Fuseideas and Rainbow Media were able to produce a unique video introduction for Evan Shapiro at the 2009 awards,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. “Our goal for the video was to create a fun, festive environment for show which recognizes great marketing in the Cable industry. Given the state of the economy, audiences were seeking something light and humorous and the result far exceeded what we initially envisioned. Evan and I are both very happy that the video and the show was deemed a huge success.”

CTAM: Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing

Cable & Telecommunications Association for marketing is a 501(c)(6) non-profit association that provides education, recognition and networking opportunities, and manages cooperative marketing initiatives, for cable companies, content providers and others who supply products and services to the cable industry. More information can be found at www.ctam.com.

About Fuseideas

Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, MA. Fuseideas has worked with several brand-name companies including The Walt Disney Company, Massachusetts Port Authority, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO Latin America and Raytheon. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.

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FUSEIDEAS HIRES INTERACTIVE ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR

2009-12-08T15:57:00.000-05:00

FUSEIDEAS HIRES INTERACTIVE ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR
Sara Payne to Lead Interactive Practice across Multiple Mediums

SOMERVILLE, MA – December 8, 2009 – Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations agency, today announced that it has added Sara Payne as new member of the management team. As Interactive Account Supervisor, Payne will help manage the creative team on an array of projects – including website development, wireless advertising, design and video production.

Payne brings over a decade of experience in the advertising industry, specializing in branding, strategy and hands on account management. Her work has enabled her to manage projects in virtually every advertising medium and has ranged from creative to task-oriented management. Most recently, Payne was an Account Manager with Nokia, leading production and execution of mobile marketing campaigns for companies like Saturn, Borders, Aramark, and Sun Microsystems.

“Sara’s expertise brings all sorts of new opportunities to Fuseideas, and her hire a big win for our organization,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO and founder of Fuseideas. “Her technological and strategic background will enable us to execute better on complex projects while still keeping the unique design elements alive. Sara will continue to help Fuseideas deliver stellar work for our clients, on-time and on-budget.”

Prior to Nokia, Payne was a Marketing Manager at Digitas. Her primary client work was for General Motors, managing the relationship programs for Buick loyalists. From 2003-2006 she served as an Account Supervisor at DDB Chicago. Her accounts at DDB Chicago included Home Depot, Disney Vacation Club, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. Earlier at DDB, Payne worked as an Account Executive for Illinois Lottery and USG.

Payne has also held account management potions at Arnold Worldwide (where she worked with Volkswagen, Royal Caribbean and Monster.com) and at Edel Partners.

Payne holds as a bachelor’s degree in Communications from DePaul University.

About Fuseideas

Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, MA. Fuseideas has worked with several brand-name companies including Disney, Massport, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.

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Fuseideas Designs and Launches Sales and Marketing Campaign for HBO Latin America’s Filhos do Carnaval

2009-10-13T15:18:00.001-04:00

Interactive Campaign Reaches Out to Hundreds of Latin American Cable Network Sales Affiliates to Expand Show Coverage

SOMERVILLE, MA – October 13, 2009 – Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations agency, announced the completion of an interactive media campaign for HBO Latin America’s second season of Filhos do Carnaval. Fuseideas collaborated with HBOLA’s marketing team to apply interactive strategies to the campaign, which included a flash website, electronic press kid DVD, email blasts, and several other marketing materials. The website launch and media kit created direct interaction between the sales affiliates and the show’s content.

Filhos do Carnaval follows the story of three brothers in the illegal gambling business of Brazil. Enriched with the sounds, colors, and themes of the country’s famous Carnaval, the show focuses on the three distinctive personalities of the Gebara brothers. Brown, Claudhino, and Nilo, are each identified with a symbol that represents his strongest trait: a devil, a dollar sign, and a heart respectively.

“Fuseideas’ approach was to use the brothers’ contrasting personalities to reach affiliates on a personal level,” explained CEO of Fuseideas, Dennis Franczak. “Once they received the initial e-blast directing them to the microsite, they were asked to choose which of the three personalities they related to the most. It added an experiential element to the common version of a media kit.”

After choosing a brother, the sales affiliate then received a package personalized around the character they chose. The package included a 3D slot machine box, a bronze medallion, family album, DVD, poster, and personalized letter, which was designed with the corresponding character’s symbol. The campaign also included an incentive to win additional marketing materials (e.g. mini slot machine and t-shirts from the series) by scratching off a promotional code from the poster and entering it on the microsite.

“Having worked with Fuseideas on other successful campaigns in the past— such as Capadocia, Epitafios, and Alice— we knew they would impress us with the deliverables for FDC,” said Frank Arcia, Director of Affiliate Marketing at HBO Latin America. “Once again they have exceeded our expectations by creating an interesting and exciting marketing campaign for Filhos do Carnaval.”

About Fuseideas

Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, MA. Fuseideas has worked with several brand-name companies including Disney, Massport, Comcast, ESPN, HBO, Reebok, and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at http://www.fuseideas.com/.

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Fuseideas Announces Completion and Launch of Promotional Video for Cardagin Networks

2009-09-30T14:31:00.001-04:00

Video Central to Presentation during the DEMOFall09 Conference

SOMERVILLE, MA – September 30, 2009 – Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations agency, today unveiled a promotional online video that was developed for Cardagin Network’s AlphaPitch launch at DEMOfall09. Cardagin Networks (www.cardagin.com) introduced its product during this prestigious conference. Companies selected for AlphaPitch are in the prototype or development stage of their product lifecycle, pre-revenue, and have received no more than a seed round of funding.

The Fuseideas-produced video was a primary source of information for attendees at the event. The two-minute video outlined the benefits of digitizing the loyalty programs of local businesses, disseminate cost-effective, real-time and personalized mobile advertisements to customers of those businesses, and the ability to monitor, collect and track data on the effectiveness of certain marketing campaigns.

“We view the video demonstration as a major asset for Cardagin Networks,” said Rob C. Masri, CEO of Cardagin Networks. “During the conference, we could use the video to simply walk investors, possible partners, media and potential customers through the process of implementing a digitized loyalty program. Fuseideas not only understood our needs for the video, their work far exceeded our expectations.”

“At DEMO, Cardagin Networks had a unique opportunity to showcase their business concept to organizations which ultimately could be major catalysts in its growth as a company,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. “Our goal for the video was to create a simple narrative that could show the benefits of this unique loyalty program and we were able to work closely with Cardagin to achieve this goal.”

About Cardagin Networks

Cardagin offers businesses a unique and novel way to cost-effectively improve advertising by digitizing paper and plastic loyalty card programs. Customers appreciate the convenience of managing all of their loyalty cards electronically in one place and benefit from the cost savings received from promotions and rewards of the local businesses that they support. More information can be found at http://www.cardagin.com.

About Fuseideas

Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, MA. Fuseideas has worked with several brand-name companies including Disney, Massport, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.

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Fuseideas Announces Finalization of Brand Design Project For Savor Massachusetts

2009-09-16T16:51:00.002-04:00

Project Offers the Department of Agriculture a Powerful Brand to Promote Local Culinary Tourism

SOMERVILLE, MA – September 16, 2009 – Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations organization, today announced the completion of a branding and marketing project for Savor Massachusetts, a Department of Agriculture initiative that focuses directly on culinary tourism. Fuseideas’ work with Savor Massachusetts involved designing its logo, designing various other forms of print collateral, and shooting and editing a video to feature and promote various food services offered in Massachusetts.

Savor Massachusetts is a specialized program run by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, created to promote state-wide culinary tourism. The initiative features all the various facets of the food and beverage industry in Massachusetts, from brewery and winery tours to farm festivals. The Savor Massachusetts website also acts as a resource for local food enthusiasts who are interested in attending culinary events, as well as for chefs and growers who are looking to pursue business developments together.

“Now, more than ever, it is important to promote all facets of tourism to get people excited about visiting Massachusetts and planning trips here. Savor Massachusetts provides a unique look at what we all love most - food,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. “We helped Savor Massachusetts strengthen its brand awareness as an informative location for all things culinary in Massachusetts. We are confident that our work for the organization will attract foodies and non-foodies alike who are looking to add a taste of the unique offerings in the area.”

“Fuseideas understood the essence of culinary tourism in our state and was able to help us feature a brand that captures the many flavors of Massachusetts,” said Julia Grimaldi of the Department of Agriculture. “By establishing Savor Massachusetts as an independent brand entity, Fuseideas has helped us attract food lovers to come participate in the best culinary experiences that Massachusetts has to offer. We are sure that audiences – diners, chefs, restaurateurs – will all recognize Savor Massachusetts as a reliable and essential tool to find great food and attract great customers.”

About Fuseideas

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FUSEIDEAS’ CLIENT SNIPITS WINS 2009 BELL RINGER AT ANNUAL PUBLICITY CLUB OF NEW ENGLAND AWARDS

2009-06-03T16:45:00.001-04:00

Public Relations Consumer Campaign Led by Maryanne Keeney Highlighted as an Industry Leading Program

SOMERVILLE, MA- June 4, 2009- Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations organization, today announced that the public relations campaign for Snip-its Corporation was awarded a Publicity Club of New England Bell Ringer Award for Product/Service Publicity: Consumer Campaign. The public relations work was led by Maryanne Keeney, owner of Maryanne Keeney Public Relations (www.mkpr.net), in conjunction with Fuseideas as it completed design, advertising and copywriting for Snip-its.

“We partnered with Maryanne and her colleague Didi Lutz because of her strong experience with consumer launch programs. We both had a similar vision of where we wanted to take Snip-its and how to promote its entrepreneurial founder,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. “Having worked with Maryanne and Didi before, they ensure that client messages are not only accepted by top media, but also reach deep with target audiences to influence behavior.”

Snip-its (www.snipits.com) is an innovative franchise of children’s hair salons with a branded entertainment concept. With its vibrant styled salons, custom cast of animated cartoon characters, interactive computer games, a 'Magic Box' and a complete line of hair care products specially formulated just for kids, Snip-its has changed the dynamic of children's hairdressing. It has turned a traditionally mundane and often unpleasant experience into a fun-filled, animated adventure. The public relations, marketing, design and advertising executed by Fuseideas and Maryanne Keeney Public Relations contributed to shaping the company’s appeal in a wide array of marketplaces and its growth to 67 locations nationwide.

“In my personal opinion, the public relations work completed in support of our Snip-its campaign was absolutely phenomenal,” said Franczak “We are honored that the folks at the Publicity Club of New England thought so as well.”The Bell Ringer adds to the landslide of praise that Fuseideas, a three-year-old agency has been awarded. In 2008, the company received two prestigious Silver Mark Awards for its creative design work for Comcast and HBO. In 2006, Fuseideas also won another New England Publicity Club Bell Ringer award for Decathalon and was selected for the NAMIC award for its multicultural marketing for work completed on behalf of Comcast.

About Fuseideas
Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, MA. Fuseideas has worked with several brand-name companies including Disney, Massport, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and The Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.

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FUSEIDEAS HIGHLIGHTED AS A “CREATIVE AGENCY TO WATCH”

2009-05-28T16:43:00.000-04:00

iMedia Connection Article Lists Fuseideas as a Top 10 Hot Digital Agencies

SOMERVILLE, MA- May 28, 2009- Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations organization, was recently profiled in a feature article about creative agencies in iMedia Connection. The article, published May 22, 2009, outlines how digital marketing is changing the landscape for creative firms.

“Getting serious about digital ultimately means getting serious about creative - whether you're talking about a simple banner ad or a cutting-edge viral campaign. Big ideas move successful campaigns in any medium, and the web is no exception,” Michael Estrin of iMedia writes. “Many big agencies are making a play to go digital without being truly in the space and underestimate the comprehensive nature of the process. The digital industry is seeing disintegration between brilliant creative people and brilliant technologists when the key is keeping existing/prospective clients from simply following hype of the marketplace.”

Estrin specifically highlights Fuseideas creative work on the Reebok Talkin’ Krazy basketball shoe as an example of why Fuseideas is a top digital firm. For Krazy basketball shoes, Fuseideas created a micro-site that let users write on the shoe and email friends smack-talk lines spoken from the shoe itself. Several downloadable features were incorporated: a Facebook widget that users interact with, a video section featuring NBA Basketball Star Jason Terry and a smack talk homepage. The micro-site became viral and drove a tremendous amount of interest for Reebok. Over 18,000 shoes were sold in 2 months time as a result of Fuseideas campaign.

“This article is a validation for the path that we have taken for Fuseideas,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. “Too many agencies sacrifice the creative process when trying to do digital branding and ad work. To succeed, you need technological people with a strong creative vision and the ability to integrate the two aspects during the design process.”

The article adds to the landslide of praise that the three year old agency has received. In November 2008, Fuseideas received two prestigious Silver Mark Awards for creative design work for Comcast and HBO. Fuseideas also won a New England Publicity Club Bell Ringer award for Decathalon and was selected for the NAMIC award for multicultural marketing for work completed on behalf of Comcast.

About Fuseideas
Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, MA. Fuseideas has worked with a brand-name companies like Disney, Massport, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.

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FUSEIDEAS HIRES DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

2009-04-07T09:36:00.003-04:00

Laura Ackerman to Lead Growth of Public Relations Practice

SOMERVILLE, MA- March 30, 2009- Fuseideas, a premier full-service advertising, interactive and public relations organization, announced that it has added Laura Ackerman as new member of the management team. As Director of Public Relations, Ackerman is charged with management and growth of all factors of the public relations department, from client service to business development and resource management.

Ackerman brings over a decade of experience in the public relations field representing companies in high technology, social media and consumer market segments. Most recently, she was Senior Public Relations Manager at Kel & Partners, a leading Web 2.0 agency. There she led the 2007-2008 award-winning Burst Media campaign and public relations efforts for companies like Iconoculture and BizUnite.

“Laura is a valuable addition to the team, and a big win for our organization,” said Dennis Franczak, CEO and founder of Fuseideas. “Her deep expertise in public relations will be a critical component in our ability to continue to grow as a true full service shop, with a full scope of marketing services.”

Prior to Kel & Partners, Ackerman was an Account Supervisor at Schwartz Communications, a large, privately-held public relations firm. Ackerman joined Schwartz in 1999 and was promoted numerous times during her tenure. Her expertise at Schwartz was in open source software, application development, virtualization, security, wireless and telecommunications. Ackerman began her career as a client associate at Peter Arnold Associates.

 Throughout her career, Ackerman has placed thousands of stories in all mediums: print, online, television and new media. She has placed clients in an array of publications, ranging from the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Newsweek, US News & World Report, to Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and the Associated Press, FOX News and MSNBC Power Lunch.

Ackerman holds an MBA in Business Ethics from Bentley College’s McCallum Graduate School of Business. She graduated cum laude from Brandeis University with a BA in Art History.

About Fuseideas

Fuseideas is an integrated advertising, public relations and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, MA. Fuseideas has an extensive amount of cable marketing experience, and have worked with a brand-name companies like Disney, Comcast, ESPN, Reebok, HBO and Boston Bruins. More information and examples of Fuseideas work can be found online at www.fuseideas.com.

Fuseideas was recently honored with two Silver Mark Awards

2008-12-18T17:08:00.000-05:00

Fuseideas was recently honored with two Silver Mark Awards on November 9th, the 25th anniversary of the annual awards ceremony. The Mark Awards recognize outstanding achievement and excellence in marketing from networks, cable companies, and suppliers. There were 56 gold and 116 silver winners selected out of more than 900 entries.
“We are thrilled to see some our work honored by the cable industry,” said Dennis Franczak, president of the Boston-based agency. “We do so much work in the business that it really validates us when we get recognized for the great work we do.”
Fuseideas won silver awards in the Affiliate Marketing Kit and Direct Mail categories for their work with HBO Latin America and Comcast, respectively.
The project for HBO Latin America promoted their original series entitled “Capadocia." As part of the project, Fuseideas developed an engaging affiliate direct mail kit that went to executives of the cable affiliates in Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. The kit included an interactive DVD, promotional t-shirt, a brochure, as well as a combination flash drive/pen that held additional assets for affiliate executives to use for grassroots promotions and marketing materials.
The Comcast project was a direct mail campaign aimed at consumers in South Asian, Filipino and Russian households in the U.S. It was designed to increase Comcast Digital Voice subscriptions in various markets across the country. The response to the direct mail was over 3% activation of Comcast’s product in those households.
Fuseideas is an integrated advertising and interactive marketing agency based out of Somerville, MA. Fuseideas has an extensive amount of cable marketing experience, and have worked with a number of networks and affiliates including Comcast, Disney, ESPN, Univision, Fox Cable Networks, HBO and NBC.

Don't Skimp On Ad Budgets

2008-12-03T10:37:00.001-05:00

Cutting advertising expenses can yield short-term gains--and long-term trouble.

With corporate managers under enormous pressure to control costs and maintain liquidity in the current credit crisis, advertising budgets often appear to be a dispensable luxury in the struggle to survive. Executives who succumb to that temptation, however, put the long-term future of their companies at risk, according to Wharton faculty and advertising experts.

"The first reaction is to cut, cut, cut, and advertising is one of the first things to go," says Wharton marketing professor Peter Fader, adding that as companies slash advertising in a downturn, they leave empty space in consumers' minds for aggressive marketers to make strong inroads. Today's economy "provides an unusual opportunity to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd," says Fader, "but it takes a lot of courage and convincing to get senior management on board with that."

According to Wharton marketing professor Leonard Lodish, with demand slack for advertising services, the cost of these services goes down, making advertising expenditures all the more defensible in a bad business climate. "If your company has something to say that is relevant in this environment, it's going to be more efficient to say it now than to say it in better times," says Lodish.

Research shows that companies that consistently advertise even during recessions perform better in the long run. A McGraw-Hill Research study looking at 600 companies from 1980 to 1985 found that those businesses that chose to maintain or raise their level of advertising expenditures during the 1981 and 1982 recession had significantly higher sales after the economy recovered. Specifically, companies that advertised aggressively during the recession had sales 256% higher than those that did not continue to advertise.

For companies that do stay the course and continue to advertise into a recession or increase their promotional activities, the key is to craft messages that reflect the times and describe how their product or service benefits the consumer. For example, companies might be tempted to emphasize price in a recession, but that only works for companies like Costco (nasdaq: COST - news - people ) and Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) that are built around a core strategy of providing low prices year after year, says Lodish. He points to the current Wal-Mart campaign, "Save Money. Live Better," as a successful approach to the recession.

Dean Jarrett, senior vice president of marketing at The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., which developed the Wal-Mart ads, acknowledges the campaign began in 2007 before it was clear a harsh recession was building. "We can't claim we knew a recession was coming, but 'Save Money. Live Better' is dead on-point with who they are and what they want to be."

Eileen Campbell, chief executive of the Millward Brown Group advertising firm in New York City, says that while companies should probably not dwell on the recession and scare consumers into hoarding their pennies under a mattress, certain products require a straight-up approach--such as financial services. "If you are in the financial services category, to behave as you did a year ago is silly." At the same time, however, many consumers are weary of negativity generated by the recession and would be receptive to a more upbeat message, she adds. "If you can put a positive spin on how you can genuinely help without invoking doom and gloom, I think that's going to be more compelling."

Original Article:

http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/01/advertising-recession-wharton-ent-sales-cx_1201whartonadvertising.html?feed=rss_news

Now Is Not The Time to Skimp on Advertising and Marketing

2008-10-17T10:33:00.006-04:00

As the economy continues to be of concern to citizens and corporations, we wanted to share a recent article we came across concerning economic downturn and advertising. A question was asked on Google Answers about what companies did well during the Depression. The answer is interesting and offers some great, concrete examples. Following the article is a link to the original post and to references from which informed the answer.

It is important to note that whether the economy is in an upswing or a downswing, consumers still spend money, they still have needs, and they still have wants. Pulling back on advertising only allows your competition to take advantage of a conservative marketing environment, and the advantages that offers, such as reduced media rates, to step in to capture a greater mind share. Taking advantage of new technology and marketing channels is as effective now as it was then. Compare the use of social media and mobile now to Proctor & Gambles use of radio then. The troubled economic times we find ourselves in now can be as good for some as much as they can be bad for others. It's all on how you take advantage of the situation.

THE QUESTION

What industries fared relatively better and worse in terms of pricing and demand during the Great Depression of 1929? Do the industries reflect a hierarchy of demand from essential consumables to deferrable purchases to capital goods? What specific companies did well in any industry and what distinguishes those companies.

THE ANSWER

To begin, not all was gloom and doom during the Great Depression. It was a time when those who knew what they were doing made great economic strides and the very nature of the depression itself was an economic boon for them. It was a time when several companies benefited from aggressive marketing while their rivals cut back. A good example of that would be Kellogg besting C.W. Post during that time. Consumers didn't totally stop spending during the depression, most just looked for better deals and the companies providing those better deals came out stronger after the depression ended. When spending picked up, consumer loyalty to those companies remained.

To state a generality, those companies who not only survived but did well and grew during the Great Depression are those who continued to act as though there were nothing wrong and that the public had money to spend. In other words, they advertised. These are industries who didn't wait for public demand for their products to rise, they created that demand even during the most difficult of times. Because so many companies cut spending during that era, advertising budgets were largely eliminated in many industries. Not only did spending decline, these companies actually dropped out of public sight because of short sighted decisions made about spending money to keep a high profile. These advertising cutbacks caused many customers to feel abandoned and associated the effected brands with a lack of staying power. This not only drove customers to more aggressive competitors but caused a certain among of financial mistrust when it came to making additional investments in the no longer visible companies.

Both anecdotal and empirical evidence support the case that advertising was the main factor in the growth or downfall of companies during those years. To put it bluntly, the companies which demonstrated the most growth and which rang up the most sales were those which advertised heavily. The Great Depression offers classic examples of the power of brand advertising even during times of economic crisis.

Proctor and Gamble

This is a company which has a philosophy of not reducing advertising budgets during times of recession and they certainly did not make any such reduction during the Depression. P&G has made progress in every one of the major recessions and that is no accident. When their competitors were swinging the budget axe, P&G actually increased their spending. While the Depression caused problems for many, P&G came out of it unscathed. Radio took P&G's message into more homes than ever.

Chevrolet

During the 1920s, Fords were outselling Chevrolets by 10 to 1. In spite of the Depression, Chevrolet continued to expand its advertising budget and by 1931, the "Chevy 6" took the lead in its field and remained there for the next five years.

Camel Cigarettes

In 1920 Camel was the top selling tobacco product. American Tobacco Company then struck back with the Lucky Strike brand and by 1929 Lucky had overtaken Camel as the number one brand. Two years later in the heart of the Depression, Chesterfield also overtook Camel. Camel countered with a massive increase in advertising spending and by doing so demonstrated the power of advertising during depressed times. By 1935, it was back on top.

Now, these examples count as anecdotal. But in addition to these examples, studies have demonstrated that during times of recession, companies that maintain advertising during these periods experience higher sales and profits during the downturns and afterward than companies who cut their advertising budgets.

It was also the very nature of this advertising that spurred the growth of two other industries during the Depression. The first of which was radio broadcasting.

Let's return to Proctor and Gamble for a while. P&G first turned to radio in 1923 advertising Crisco on a New York station. Other products such as Ivory and Lava soap were advertised on 'product oriented' shows which were similar to today's infomercials. But in the heart of the depression P&G took a step which changed not only that company but the broadcast medium forever while creating great demand for its products. The president of P&G at the time was Richard Deupree. In spite of the fact that shareholders were demanding that he cut back on advertising, he knew that people were still buying essential household products. So he created radio programming that did not focus on a product. Because of that, we now have a cultural attribute known as the "soap opera."

In 1933, P&G went on the air with its first "soap" - "Ma Perkins," sponsored by Oxydol. P&G was so satisfied with the increase of sales, they went on to introduce "Vic and Sadie" for Crisco, "O'Niells" for Ivory Soap and "Forever Young" for Camay. By the time 1939 rolled around, P&G was sponsoring 21 radio programs and they doubled their radio advertising budget every two years during the Depression.

Radio was one of the fastest growth industries of the depression. P&G virtually built daytime radio with its advertising budgets and programming. Two industries were thriving from the advertising budget of one.

The print media was also a growth industry during the Depression. To give some reason for this, we now return to Chevrolet. the first ads for Chevrolet appeared in print in 1914. In 1927, they began to increase their print advertising budget. As the country moved into the Depression a couple of years later, Chevy did not let its commitment to print advertising falter and its car ads not only kept some publications afloat, it helped many to grow. In as much as the term "print media" covers many outlets, they pioneered the outdoor advertising medium, billboards. Chevrolet also went into radio and sponsored such Depression Era classics as Fred Allen and Jack Benny. Chevy's print ads appealed to the "emotional" side of a buying decision which was a great move in light of the economic uncertainty of the time.

So once again, those companies which took advantage of the Depression and came through in good form were those who kept their name in front of the public in spite of a lack of purchasing power.

Your question asks about a hierarchy of demand from essential consumables to deferrable purchases to capital goods. In reality there was no such hierarchy. I have tried to balance the examples given to show some spectrum across the board. Proctor and Gamble represents essential consumables, Chevrolet represents deferrable purchases and Camel represents non-essential products. So as you can see, the so called hierarchy of necessity and want was sidestepped by those who had the marketing gumption to ignore such distinctions.

However, capital goods information needs to reflect the entire economic structure of the Depression and not just those companies which were successful. Overall, new production of capital goods less capital goods consumed during the years 1929 - 1939 was near zero. The increase in the money supply during the 1920s also increased the prices of capital goods relative to the prices of consumer goods. This disparity set in motion a boom in real estate and stock market prices and interest rates were driven down by the "increase in Fed money.

It must also be noted that the preceding statement on capital goods is only one of many competing economic theories about the Depression. There are some who say this compounding of assertions is wrong from beginning to end. But in composing an answer such as this, there needs to be one which best meets the nature of the question and in conjunction with the material about public visibility covered above, this is the one your researcher ties into the equation. When money has entered the economy from whatever sources during business fluctuations in the past, has there been a disparity between the increases in prices of capital and consumer goods? That alone is a subject which would take volumes to answer. In fact, it would take volumes just to cover the debate without any resolution coming about.

As far as the end of the question as to what distinguished the companies that did well during the Depression? They were the companies that kept their name in front of the public and created brand name recognition even during the worst of times.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=178334

SEARCH - Google

TERMS
great depression, company growth great depression, great
depression success stories, brand name awareness great depression,
advertising history, new industry great depression, benefits of
advertising

REFERENCES:

"America's Great Depression - Causes and Cures" -
http://www.amatecon.com/gd/gdcandc.html

"H102 Lecture 19: The Great Depression and the New Deal" -
http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture19.html -
University of Wisconsin, Stanley K. Schultz, Professor of History

"Sliding into the Great Depression" -
http://econ161.berkeley.edu/TCEH/Slouch_Crash14.html - University of
California at Berkeley

"Great Myths of the Great Depression" -
http://www.uaca.ac.cr/acta/1998nov/lreed.htm - Universidad Aut noma de
Centro America

"Economic Surpluses" - http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/surplus.htm
- San Jose State University

"Accounting for the Great Depression" -
http:/www.stern.nyu.edu?~fperri/papers/account.pdf - a PDF file,
Acrobat Reader needed.

"Four Myths About America's Great Depression" -
http://www.libertyhaven.com/theoreticalorphilosophicalissues/economichistory/fourmyths.html
- From Liberty Haven

"EAP Vocabulary - Exercise" -
http://www.uefap.co.uk/vocab/exercise/buscycl.htm - some interesting
information about capital goods and business cycles here but mostly in
a modified glossary format

"Creating Mass Culture" -
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CLASS/am485_98/graham/mass.html -
University of Virginia

"The Visitor in Your Living Room: Radio Advertising in the 1930s" -
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CLASS/am485_98/graham/visitor.html -
University of Virginia

Fuseideas helps launch NBC’s “Crusoe”

2008-10-16T14:02:00.002-04:00

Fuseideas has partnered with UCG Marketing and NBC to launch an experiential and digital campaign for NBC, according to Dennis Franczak, president of the Boston-based integrated advertising and interactive marketing agency. The campaign is for NBC’s new show called “Crusoe” which premieres on October 17th on NBC.

“We were very excited to partner with UCG Marketing to help support this campaign,” Franczak said. “We wanted to support a promotion where users could literally experience what the show is all about.”  UCG Marketing created a tree house, based on the real “Crusoe” set and put it in Times Square with an actor living there for the 5 days leading up to the premiere. Fuseideas created a website at www.savecrusoe.com, where users can vote on what tasks Crusoe needs to do and also they can send him food and items to help him survive. The most innovative part of the site is that the tree house has a live streaming camera where users can watch Crusoe go through his tasks live in real time. In addition, users can also enter a sweepstakes to win a series of prizes.

In addition to the website, Fuseideas used social networking tool Twitter so users can follow his escapades as he gets used to his new surroundings. Twitter was used to drive traffic to the site and increase impressions and sweepstakes entries.

The promotion ends on October 17, 2008 when the show airs.

Fuseideas launches their new website

2008-10-16T13:35:00.004-04:00

Fuseideas has launched their new website (www.fuseideas.com) on October 1, according to Dennis Franczak, president of the independent agency.

  “I am really proud of this website and the team did a great job.” Franczak said. “I wanted us to create a site that showed all the innovation that we have as an agency and this site accomplishes it. It puts the work right up front and it also ensures that users have a limited number of clicks to get to the important information on the site. We also wanted to create a non-Flash site to promote our excellent ability in web development for multiple platforms without having to have the latest plugins.”

The site updates with new creative each time a user comes to the site and also instead of clicking down for information, users simply open and close the home page tabs to reveal the information.

"The site was developed for enhanced for SEO as well as easy mobile use. We often deal with mobile deployment of a site, often as a separate web presence." added Michael Durwin, Fuseideas' creative director "What we wanted to do with our site, was create a hybrid that looked as good on a desktop monitor as a smart phone screen. With more mobile engagement it's like the 90s browser wars times 10. Plus, a third of the office has iPhones and regular websites are annoying to view on them."

"SEO is better with all of our content on one page, yet to the user, the design has a multi-page feel."

The website can be found at www.fuseideas.com.

Fuseideas moves to new office space

2008-10-08T14:08:00.000-04:00

Fuseideas has relocated to new space in Davis Square, Somerville, MA, according to Dennis Franczak, president of the independent agency.

  “Our growth necessitated this move.” Franczak said. “We really needed more space and our new location offers brick and beam, individual offices for the account team as well as a creative lounge for the company to brainstorm on new campaign ideas. We are just thrilled with the space.”

Fuseideas moved into the new space on October 1, 2008. For new contact information, visit our web site at www.Fuseideas.com.

Fuseideas Launches New Micro-site for Reebok Basketball

2008-09-23T15:41:00.009-04:00

Fuseideas recently launched a digital campaign for Reebok basketball, according to Dennis Franczak, president of the Boston-based integrated advertising and interactive marketing agency. The campaign, run in partnership with Champs Sports promotes Reebok's new shoe called Talkin' Krazy.

“We were very excited to partner with the people at Reebok to help support this campaign,” Franczak said. “We wanted to create a site where users could easily see the benefits of the product and how fun the shoe actually is. We felt the shoe itself really told the story for us.”

Fuseideas created a website (talkkrazy.com ) for Reebok that supported a print campaign. They also partnered with Buddy Media on a Facebook application which allows users to smack talk their friends in Facebook. The site has many features, including one where users are able to "smack talk" and send e-cards to their friends who in turn recieve an email with the message written onto the shoe. In addition to the email feature, users can also turn the shoe 360 degrees as well as see how the shoe looks in different color combinations. The site also has a store locator which will help users determine where they can purchase the shoe. There are also numerous videos on the site with young players talking about the product. One of the videos also features Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks.

Fuseideas Conducts National Search for an Executive Creative Director

2008-08-08T12:14:00.002-04:00

Fuseideas has launched a national search for an Executive Creative Director, according to Dennis Franczak, president of the independent agency.

“As more of our clients are requesting our full-service expertise, I felt it was necessary to really add some senior experience to our team,” Franczak said. “The ideal candidate must have a copywriting background and have a reel as many of our clients are looking for us to develop engaging television spots as part of the multi-platform campaigns we specialize in.”

Fuseideas Appoints 2 New Account Executives

2008-08-01T11:09:00.002-04:00

Tara McLarney and Jim Franz have joined Fuseideas as Account Executives, according to Dennis Franczak, president of the independent agency. Ms. McLarney and Mr. Franz will be responsible for managing many of Fuseideas’ accounts in the retail, sports, cable and entertainment sectors.

“We are very excited to have Tara and Jim on the team,” Franczak said. “We work with so many clients, we need to be able to service them at the level they expect.”

Prior to joining Fuseideas, Mr. Franz was a managing partner at AF Direct Solutions, an IT and web consultancy company. Ms. McLarney came to Fuseideas after a year at VistaPrint.

Fuseideas Launches Campaign for ABC News NOW and Mediacom

2008-07-27T11:12:00.002-04:00

Fuseideas is launching a multi-platform campaign for ABC News NOW, according to Dennis Franczak, president of the Boston-based integrated advertising and interactive marketing agency. The campaign will run in Iowa from July 27th - August 30th.

Fuseideas created a campaign which included print ads, radio ads, and an online promotional component designed to support ABC News Now and its affiliate Mediacom in Iowa. In addition to the campaign materials, Fuseideas also deployed a street team at the Iowa State Fair to generate additional awareness. The campaign also had a sweepstakes element for participants with the grand prize being a trip to New York City to visit the set of Good Morning America, one of ABC News' flagship programs.

IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Championships Get Support From Fuseideas

2008-06-18T11:14:00.003-04:00

The International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany, is getting support for their 2008 Sledge Hockey World Championships from Fuseideas, according to Dennis Franczak, president of the Boston-based integrated advertising and interactive marketing agency. The Tournament is being played between “A” and “B” Pool Teams at the New England Sports Center located in Marlborough, Mass. through April 5th.

Fuseideas created a :60 second commercial highlighting the games and showing some of the action from the Torino Games in 2006. The spot will run in Boston’s TDBanknorth Garden throughout the games. Creative credits belong to Creative Director Michael Durwin, editor Tara McClarney, and producer Jake DiMare.

Ten teams and 150 athletes will compete at the free event. The A Pool will have most of the teams that competed at the 2006 Torino Paralympic Winter Games including Canada, Norway, USA, Germany, Japan and Italy. The B Pool will host Estonia, Czech Republic, Poland and Korea.

Ice Sledge Hockey is the Paralympic version of Ice Hockey. Since its debut on the Paralympic Programme at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Paralympics, it has quickly become one of the largest attractions for spectators at the Winter Paralympics. It is fast-paced, highly physical, and played by male athletes with a physical disability in the lower part of the body. In 2006, Ice Sledge Hockey is practiced by athletes in 12 countries and is governed by the IPC with co-ordination by the IPC Ice Hockey Technical Committee. It follows the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) with modifications. Instead of skates, players use two-blade sledges that allow the puck to pass beneath. Players use two sticks, which have a spike-end for pushing and a blade-end for shooting

Fuseideas Adds Vermont Teddy Bear to Client Roster

2008-01-22T10:26:00.001-05:00

Everyone’s favorite stuffed animal company, Vermont Teddy Bear, has picked Fuseideas to be its agency of record. The account, previously handled on a project basis by local firms, was awarded after a review of several regional and national advertising agencies.

Working with Vermont Teddy Bear’s VP of Marketing, Irene Steiner, the first assignment for the Fuseideas team will be creating a network television commercial for the company's largest holiday, Valentine's Day. The agency will also support the company’s marketing efforts with online. New television work is expected to break February 1st.

“The team at Fuseideas quickly grasped the Vermont Teddy Bear feeling of fun, love and meaningful involvement that is part of every handmade bear. I’m sure they will help us tell our story in a way that captures that spirit and I can’t wait to see the final version of our Valentine’s Day spot,” said Ms. Steiner.

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is the nation’s largest maker of handcrafted bears, making more than 450,000 a year for its nationwide Bear-Gram® gift delivery service. For more information about The Vermont Teddy Bear Company, call 1-800-829-BEAR or log on to www.VermontTeddyBear.com.

Can NASA Attract a Younger Crowd with Social Networking Tools?

2007-12-03T10:13:00.001-05:00

NASA is the latest to take on additional social networking tools for the purpose of attracting more users. With about 1 million unique views per month, NASA is catering directly towards the Facebook crowd, in so many words–the 18 to 25 year olds, with a new MyNASA tool at the helm of the makeover.

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Sony Buys Into Virtual Movie Theaters; Invests in Gaia

2007-12-03T10:12:00.001-05:00

Gaia, the avatar-filled virtual world, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from Sony Pictures. You may be wondering why. It appears to be, in part, for building out Gaia theaters, where users can congregate in virtual rooms for the purpose of viewing video clips.

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Study Analyzes Social Engagement Marketing

2007-11-26T09:39:00.001-05:00

JupiterResearch recently analyzed the European market for social and engagement marketing, which highlights key findings about how marketers and their agencies measure the effectiveness of engagement in marketing campaigns.

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Social Gaming Company Aims To Snag Brand Dollars Via New Acquisition

2007-11-26T09:34:00.001-05:00

Cambridge, Mass.-based GuildCafe has acquired Uberguilds, a network of high-profile gaming communities that connect players of online games like Blizzard Entertainment's "World of Warcraft" and Sony's "EverQuest" series

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'Jena Six' case sparks march on DC

2007-11-16T16:19:00.001-05:00

I'm still not sure why there is a march on Washington over this. 6 black kids beat up 1 white kid. Only 1 kid stood trial. "His convictions were later overturned and the case sent to juvenile court. 5 others were charged but all charges were reduced or sent to Juvie Court. Oh yeah, someone hung a noose from a tree and it's called a hate crime!

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Steve Jobs is the Devil

2007-10-26T13:58:00.001-04:00

Armageddon is here! Apple is bringing it. This picture is the proof!

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People Register In Droves To Work At 'The Office'

2007-10-25T11:25:00.001-04:00

Since then, the show's site has attracted over 800,000 unique users--100,000 of whom decided to enlist in the company's virtual workforce --along with eight million page views.

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Google Prepping Big Brand Marketing Dashboard

2007-10-25T11:21:00.001-04:00

GOOGLE IS WORKING ON A "fully functional marketing dashboard" that will integrate data from advertisers' search, display and offline marketing efforts, allowing them to "look across assets, metrics and user engagement cycles," Tim Armstrong, president of advertising and commerce for North America, told analysts during an Analyst Day session.

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Facebook Issues Warning About Sexual Predators In NY AG Settlement

2007-10-18T11:03:00.001-04:00

On the heels of an independent review showing that MySpace isn't as dangerous as the government or schools would like you to believe, we find that Facebook isn't crime proof either. Big news: a public space, whether real or virtual, is open to all types of people good and bad.

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Kellogg's, ESPN Create Kids' Sports Site

2007-10-17T12:51:00.001-04:00

KELLOGG'S FROSTED FLAKES AND ESPN are partnering on what it calls the first-ever kids sports Web site written by kids.

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Advergaming

2007-10-16T11:41:00.001-04:00

Did I just coin a new term? Maybe not, but it will become a popular one. Parks Associates just released their forecast of Game Advertising Spending. Expect 400% more ads around games by 2012 and 15 times more ads in-game. Comes with a nice, 2-color chart.

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Aggregrating the Aggregators

2007-10-10T17:23:00.001-04:00

Some of the smartest new companies on the Net are those that are doing the content collectors one better.

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IBM, Linden Lab Seek Virtual World Metaverse

2007-10-10T12:27:00.001-04:00

Second Life Gets a Second Chance

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Turner Partners With Kaneva On Virtual World Extensions

2007-10-03T13:15:00.001-04:00

TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC.'S NEW Products Group has signed a one-year deal with Kaneva to build and test virtual world extensions of its entertainment properties.Each Turner Web community and corresponding virtual space inside Kaneva will contain video players for video streaming of select Turner network content.

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Connected Consumers Love Web 2.0, But Not On Mobile

2007-10-03T13:09:00.001-04:00

I don't wonder why. With a lack of Wi-Fi and even the "real" Internet that iPhones offer (minus Flash which is somehow not part of what they consider "real"), surfing the web is still a chore on mobile.

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Multimedia Battle Ushers In XBox 'Halo 3'

2007-09-19T08:43:00.001-04:00

BRANDS AND REAL-WORLD PRODUCTS RUSHING headfirst to put virtual versions of themselves in the digital universe had better step aside for a locomotive headed in the opposite direction: Xbox's "Halo 3" is exiting the digital world, with a global campaign paradoxically aimed at making the world of the game tangible--as in 3D--with the conceit that the

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Heinz Can't Get Enough Consumer-Generated Ketchup Ads

2007-09-17T15:16:00.001-04:00

HEINZ IS GOING BACK FOR more consumer-generated ketchup spots with Take Two of its "Top This!" TV Challenge. Viewers watching Sunday night's Emmy Awards show saw the round one winner from Andrew Dobson of Wheelersburg, Ohio, who runs a one-man production shop. The spot's tagline: "The Kissable Ketchup."

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Analysts To Time Warner: Sell AOL

2007-09-17T11:41:00.001-04:00

TIME WARNER'S HONEYMOON WITH AOL seems to be over, as some analysts are strongly suggesting that the media company should make major moves concerning the online service. The problem? AOL has not presented a clear strategy in the higher competitive Internet advertising market.

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Nielsen: Yahoo, Veoh Way Up In Video; MySpace Trumps Facebook

2007-09-14T09:54:00.001-04:00

NIELSEN//NETRATINGS RELEASED INFO ON AUGUST'S top 10 U.S. social networking and video sites, finding that last year's leaders for the month--NewsCorp.'s MySpace and Google's YouTube--retained the top spots.

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Salesforce Launches New Facebook Tool: FaceForce!

2007-09-13T15:05:00.001-04:00

Web-based CRM software provider Salesforce.com has launched a Facebook application for connecting data from the two services. Appropriately named Faceforce, the application allows you to see things like your contact record (which is kept in your Salesforce.com account) side-by-side with a user’s Facebook profile, assuming they are list as a friend.

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Consumers To Advertisers: Benefit Us Or Else!

2007-09-12T18:10:00.001-04:00

'Cause if you don't we'll be at your castle with torches and pitchforks

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Once Considered a YouTube Rival, MTV Does Away With IFilm.com

2007-09-12T18:07:00.001-04:00

Viacom acquired the site -- once a resource for everything from movie trailers to footage of Anna Nicole Smith's latest drunken ramblings -- in October 2005 in hopes of making it a user-generated YouTube rival.

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USAToday Offers User Widgets

2007-09-12T18:06:00.001-04:00

USATODAY.com widgets allow you to view, read, and interact with your favorite USATODAY.com content on your social network, blog, personalized page, or Web site. A widget is a free, quick, and easy way to have USATODAY.com content available on the Web sites you visit most often. Through the convenience of a USATODAY.com widget, you can read the most

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eMarketer: Pharma Industry Failing at Web 2.0

2007-09-12T17:56:00.001-04:00

I fear that they're not the only ones.

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FUSE/Ideas Expands With Snip-its

2007-09-05T10:29:00.001-04:00

Boston-based ad agency Fuseideas has taken on hair-care franchise Snip-its, a salon dedicated to hair cuts for children in an entertaining environment that includes video games, make-over parties and fun cartoon characters. Snip-its currently has 52 franchise locations in the U.S. including Boston, Florida, Texas, 7 new and 3 coming soon locations

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Flash finally on my iPhone

2007-08-21T13:11:00.001-04:00

That's right, no more watered down version of the Internet for me. I finally, after months of bitching, have Flash on my iPhone.

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The Day the Music (Television Network) Died

2007-08-10T21:20:00.001-04:00

The MTV site was down tonight. Must not have been any news about Paris Hilton.

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Live Earth Not Live on iPhone

2007-07-07T11:59:00.001-04:00

Don't have Flash on your iPhone? Don't worry, Live Earth is being broadcast using Quicktime. Oops. iPhone doesn't have that either!

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Study: Increased Internet Usage Raises Teen Risks

2007-06-27T16:53:00.001-04:00

Great new scare headline showing kids that use the Internet more are more likely to get harrassed. They're more likely to have eyes and fingers too...

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Fuseideas adds Sports Marketing Executive

2007-06-19T14:32:00.000-04:00

Scott Willard, an experienced sports marketing executive, joins Fuseideas as Account Executive, according to Dennis Franczak, president and managing partner. Mr. Willard will be responsible for the account service and marketing strategy of key agency account groups, including sports and higher education.

“Scott’s background in sports marketing and higher education makes him an ideal fit for our company,” Franczak said. “We work with so many clients in those two vertical markets, we need someone who has been on client side to help provide us with another perspective.”

Prior to joining Fuseideas, Scott had been consulting with sports marketing companies in Boston (Boston Athletic Club), Las Vegas (Elite Pro Group, Tarkanian Basketball Academy), Costa Rica (International Flag Football Federation & World Cup), and Chicago (Paragon Marketing Group).

Scott began his career at the Gazelle Group in Princeton, New Jersey working as an account executive charged with sponsorship sales, marketing implementation, promotions, advertising, and on-site coordination for NCAA nationally televised college football and basketball events.

Andrew Keen says the Internet is Ruining Everything

2007-06-19T11:41:00.001-04:00

Author of "The Cult of Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture" says that Web2.0 user-generated content is threatening existing culture standards. He rips apart user-generated video, news, music, etc. and that record labels and major film studios do a fine job. If that's true than why is the public so hungry for User Generated Content?

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Radzikowski Joins FUSE/ideas as Vice President and General Manager

2007-06-18T14:27:00.000-04:00

Boston, MA - Alec Radzikowski, an experienced operational executive in the advertising industry joins FUSE/ideas as Vice President and General Manager, according to Dennis Franczak, president and managing partner. Mr. Radzikowski will be responsible for the account service and daily operations of the agency, specializing in integrated advertising and interactive marketing.

“Alec’s prior agency experience handling multiple projects with tight deadlines makes him an ideal fit for our company,” Franczak said. “We work with so many clients on multiple projects, we need someone who can keep track of it all.”

Prior to joining FUSE/ideas, Radzikowski was Operations Manager at the Allen Roche Group, a full-service advertising agency in Boston. He began his marketing career as a proofreader for Prime Communications and was promoted to Account Manager within 6 months. Radzikowski graduated from Northeastern University with a journalism degree and interned at the Boston Globe, where he served as a correspondent covering high school and college athletics. During that time Radzikowski freelanced for the Dallas Morning News, Newark Star Ledger, and the Raleigh News & Observer. He also worked with award-winning sportswriter Will McDonough on his book about Bill Parcells, “My Final Season.”

FUSE/ideas is an advertising and new media marketing agency that uses new media and social networking combined with traditional creative and promotions to help clients in industries such as cable television, sports and entertainment, retail and consumer, higher education and business-to-business.

Fuseideas works with 3 companies on FORTUNE magazines most Admired List

2007-06-18T14:25:00.001-04:00

Fuseideas has learned that three of their clients, Disney, Univision and McGraw-Hill, have made Fortune Magazine’s Most Admired Companies list. The complete list is available at: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/03/19/8402372/index.htm.

“It’s a pleasure to be able to work with such great companies,” said Dennis Franczak, president and managing partner for Fuseideas. “I can see why they are on this list. The people we work with are wonderful and they are great partners. It’s an honor to be associated with them.”

Fuseideas provides a number of services to these companies including advertising, direct mail, integrated marketing as well as sweepstakes and promotions.