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!
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
3/23/10
Five key challenges small ad agencies face today
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.
Join our conversation on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
www.fuseideas.com
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.
Join our conversation on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
www.fuseideas.com
3/18/10
Find inspiration in little things and meet challenges head on
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.”
Follow us on Twitter
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.”
Follow us on Twitter
3/12/10
Four things agencies must do right this year
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.
Follow us on Twitter
Become our fan on Facebook
www.fuseideas.com
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.
Follow us on Twitter
Become our fan on Facebook
www.fuseideas.com
3/5/10
Five tips on how to do great creative in 2010
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.
Join our conversation on Twitter
Join our Fan page
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.
Join our conversation on Twitter
Join our Fan page
3/1/10
Why auto DMs on Twitter are a no
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!
www.fuseideas.com
Become a fan on Facebook
www.fuseideas.com
Become a fan on Facebook
2/22/10
The role of public relations in traditional marketing campaigns
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.
Join our discussion on our Facebook fan page
Follow us on Twitter @fuseideas
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.
Join our discussion on our Facebook fan page
Follow us on Twitter @fuseideas
2/17/10
You don't have to be on EVERY social network
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.
www.fuseideas.com
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.
www.fuseideas.com
2/11/10
Can’t colleges teach grads how to write resumes?
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!
Talk about it with Fuseideas fans: www.facebook.com/fuseideas1
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!
Talk about it with Fuseideas fans: www.facebook.com/fuseideas1
Strategically going viral with video
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!
Join our interactive conversation on our new fan page: www.facebook.com/fuseideas1
Twitter@fuseideas
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!
Join our interactive conversation on our new fan page: www.facebook.com/fuseideas1
Twitter@fuseideas
2/9/10
Why Twitter will survive the year
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 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!
2/5/10
The great myth... Only large agencies can handle my account
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??
www.fuseideas.com
Follow us on Twitter@fuseideas
Friend us on Facebook
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??
www.fuseideas.com
Follow us on Twitter@fuseideas
Friend us on Facebook
12/21/09
FUSEIDEAS PARTNERS WITH UCG MARKETING TO FACILITATE
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.
# # #
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.
# # #
12/14/09
FUSEIDEAS ANNOUNCES PRODUCTION OF 2009 MARK AWARDS VIDEO
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.
# # #
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.
# # #
12/8/09
FUSEIDEAS HIRES INTERACTIVE ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR
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.
# # #
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.
# # #
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)